***A famous director loses his inspiration and seeks aid from the various women in his life*** Released in 2009, “Nine” is a drama/musical about a famous Italian director in 1965 (Daniel Day-Lewis) who loses his inspiration, but its urgent he gets it back because his ninth movie is set to start shooting in ten days and he doesn’t even have a script. He turns to the several women in his life for succor: his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penélope Cruz), his costume designer (Judi Dench), his star actress (Nicole Kidman), his mother (Sophia Loren), a fashion journalist (Kate Hudson) and a prostitute from his boyhood (Fergie). This is an adaptation of the 1982 Broadway musical, also dubbed “Nine,” which itself was based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical 1963 film “8½.” It’s very similar to director Rob Marshall’s “Chicago” (2002), but with a different story, cast and location (Rome and points nearby). During the first half I wasn’t so sure about the story, but I eventually found myself absorbed into the life of the tormented director and his mid-life crisis. His unfaithfulness to his beautiful wife, Luisa (Cotillard), is off-putting of course, but maybe we should have mercy for a man who has scores of gorgeous women offering themselves to him practically every day. It helps that he WANTS to be free from his adulteries and be true to Luisa. Yet I have a hard time picturing Guido (Day-Lewis) seeking the amorous attentions of Carla (Cruz) above Luisa. Carla is decent, as far as all-around physical beauty goes, but Luisa has better curves. Both of the characters’ have imaginative dance sequences, but Luisa comes out on top even though her routine is less tantalizing. Day-Lewis is fascinating as the guilt-stricken director who hasn’t let his fame go to his head. When he asks a cleric for advice about God and his troubles, the vicar responds: “Imagination is God’s garden, don’t let the devil play in it.” I generally don’t favor musicals where the characters suddenly jump into song & dance while walking at the park or eating dinner. My wife & I sometimes poke fun of these kinds of musicals by mimicking them while doing mundane activities. For me, musicals only work, generally speaking, when the singing/dancing sequences are legitimate, like a performance at a nightclub or one's imagination, both of which were used in "Chicago." Of course it’s more challenging and takes more creativity to incorporate song & dance routines in this manner and keep the movie seamless & realistic. “Nine” does this. The film runs 1 hour, 58 minutes and was shot in Italy and England. GRADE: B
David Wiseman is eleven years old and mad about cricket. He has all the kit but none of the skill. When a Jamaican family moves in next door the father starts giving cricket lessons to David, and becomes close to David's mother. But this is 1960's London, and when the locals start making life difficult for the new arrivals, David has to choose between fitting and and standing up for his new friends
Movie Star Rating : 7 Read More
New York City, October 10, 1965. A group of wooden giant figures from Pamplona, representing Basque culture and traditions, parade down the street; but the local authorities have not allowed the appearance of all of them: due to the racial prejudices that persist in many sectors of society, the participation of two black giants has been banned.
Movie Star Rating : 6.3 Read More
In 1933, after leaving Dogville, Grace Margaret Mulligan sees a slave being punished at a cotton farm called Manderlay. Officially slavery is illegal and Grace stands up against the owners of the farm. She stays with some gangsters in Manderlay and tries to influence the situation. But when harvest time comes Grace sees the social and economic reality of Manderlay.
Movie Star Rating : 6.9 Read More
Accio and Manrico are two working-class brothers in 1960s Italy: older Manrico is handsome, charismatic, womanizing, and loved by all, while younger Accio is moody, hotheaded, and lives everything as if it was a war, much to his parents' chagrin. While the former is drawn into left-wing politics, Accio joins the fascists out of spite. His flimsy beliefs are put to test when he falls in love with Manrico's like-minded girlfriend.
Movie Star Rating : 6.8 Read More
Eddie Murphy stars as shy Dr. Sherman Klump, a kind, brilliant, 'calorifically challenged' genetic professor. When beautiful Carla Purty joins the university faculty, Sherman grows desperate to whittle his 400-pound frame down to size and win her heart. So, with one swig of his experimental fat-reducing serum, Sherman becomes 'Buddy Love', a fast-talking, pumped-up , plumped down Don Juan.
Movie Star Rating : 5.6 Read More
Based on the 1973 rock opera album of the same name by The Who, this is the story of 60s teenager Jimmy. At work he slaves in a dead-end job. While after, he shops for tailored suits and rides his scooter as part of the London Mod scene.
Movie Star Rating : 7.1 Read More
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