Reviews

i actually got the video of "barcelona" a while back -- even before i had visited the city personally and fell in love with it and the country. now, every time i watch it at home, i keep wishing i were on the iberian peninsula, parked at the foot of the colom overlooking port vell and the mediterranean.

i think that "barcelona" is perhaps one of maybe two or three "talking" movies i really have enjoyed (the other one being bernt capra's 1990 "midwalk"). with mindwalk, that makes you think about life and its intricacies vis-a-vis the natural world. in "barcelona", you think about life, being an american, and others' generalized perceptions of yourself as an american. all done with great humor, by the by. (yes, i read a comment earlier that said it was "funny...if you get it".) and you definitely have to sit through the movie at least twice to get at least the subtle nuances that stillman was trying to get across as regards his social perception, his own political views, and his personal values, i would hazard to guess.

it also doesn't hurt that the first-billed cast members are beautiful, particularly chris eigeman, thomas gibson, and taylor nichols. for all the social commentary stillman was trying to convey (through ted - the ever-practical good boy) -- that perhaps beauty should be secondary to heart and personality -- is actually diametrically opposed to the reality in the film. (ironic, yes, i acknowledge that.) and this is where the humor of the movie lies -- it's all in the subtext (he even says it through fred - the "pretty but dumb one" - when he asks his cousin ted what lies above subtext - the text) and this makes the movie "talky" as well as "thinky".

perhaps i'm just biased (since i am completely enamored of barcelona and of spain), but for those who've not seen this movie, it's completely worth it -- particularly after one had gorged one's self with the air-head stuff that's playing out there. =)

Very nice and scarily accurate portrayal of the typical WGU* brat that feels entitled to anything and everything on this planet. (I can say this, not to be unkind or insulting of those who go to that revered institution – yes, I don't admit this to many people, but I, too, went there – this is kind of like my own loving-slash-critical tribute.) The movie itself is rather chintzy on its own, but I was more impressed by the fact that names were dropped no holds barred – I cannot imagine what the filmmakers had to do to get Massachusetts Hall and the Offices of Trademark and Licensing and the General Counsel to agree to have the H name used. Bottom line, silly and funny and all, but if you're familiar with the place, you'll appreciate the subtle nuances that abound throughout the movie. (*p.s. for outsiders, WGU is the not-so-pejorative-nor-loving nickname of H as the World's Greatest University – or so it and some people like to think). =)

The first thing that struck me about the movie (I wanted to see it at the theaters but just never got around to it, so on a whim, picked up the video recently and it has now turned into one of the movies I'm obsessed with), was how much it reminded me of `Cabaret'. Not because of the plot, or anything that could refer back to the 1972 movie (except maybe that both are period pieces: `Cabaret' during the decadent times right before the rise of the Nazi movement; and `Moulin Rouge' during the fin-de-siècle decadent bohemian times), but just the fact that it presented itself as a musical that totally throws itself in your face. Why TC ever split with Ms. Kidman is beyond me – she is truly magnificent (her voice in some of the songs she performs sounds rather like Madonna during the early years – not bad). Funny, I've always had an aversion to the idea of visiting Paris (ever!), but after seeing this movie, I kinda, sorta want to go now. Perhaps I, too, can eventually say, `The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.' This is not for the faint of heart when it comes to drama, but it could just be me – I cry at the drop of a hat. It's actually an amusing *dramedy* that anyone who watches it, and who is prone to suspension of disbelief, would pray for death-by-consumption if only to die in the arms of a Ewan McGregor.

Classic, campy, and all around tragic (in a silly way). I wish I were Neely O'Hara with all those 'dolls'… (I'd wish to be Helen Lawson, but I don't think I can pull that off – even with years of lessons and continuing education at Miss Demeanor's charm school). It's a great imitation of life in art that makes you want to live with the following dogmas: vice is nice; all pills are conveniently packaged thrills; and that social climbing is totally acceptable – just make sure you visit your manicurist regularly to get your nails done – you don't want to be caught at the top with chipped fingernails from all that clawing and backstabbing. As Rupert Everett wrote in his seminal (literally) novel, 'Hello Darling, Are You Working?', 'one gets what one wants in the form that one deserves.' It may seem a horrible self-fulfilling prophecy, but whoever said that life is fair? At least this tragedy is closer to the truth. =)

Ms. Turner, the Cinderella-cum-Jezebel behind the counter trips on her glass slipper and falls into the gutter...all the while preserving her pure love for those whom she truly loved. I received this video as a present from a former boss and I have watched it a number of times, but each time it never ceases to make me break down and cry and want to call my mother. I'm not very familiar with the work of the folks starring in it, but the movie itself is quite heartbreaking. Honestly, though, the reason I keep watching it every so often is that Keir Dullea is just so darned beautiful! (Okay, so is the movie.) If you're looking for an actual reason to see it, I'd say this film is an excellent representation of the fact that it *is* a woman's world after all -- and men are helpless, hapless, oftentimes unaware, creatures who lack a sense of priority, and are slave to the power of a mother's, er, woman's will, determination, and sheer viciousness when it comes to protecting her children -- all good qualities! (Quoth the gay mama's boy in the corner who has an opinion about everything.) =) Just watch it -- it'll stir up mostly the anger and sympathy within you, but it's an excellent Saturday-night-by-yourself-alone-in-need-of-emotional-purging-cry-your-eyes-out piece.

I cannot believe that the first time I'd ever seen this movie was when it first showed at the theaters 10 years ago. My sole appreciation for it at the time was its lush scenery, witty humor, and its true-to-form Spanish-ness. And now, after all that time, it still reflects the two key words of its title -- it truly is ageless and beautiful. The scene is set in Spain towards the end of the Spanish Civil War when the country became a republic. The event (the War) effectively mirrors the premise of the story, I think -- and that is freedom (examined at the micro level, following the life of a very unconventional family for a few days; the family consists of a free-thinking artist father, a liberated chanteuse of a mother, who has a lover about whom the entire family knows, and four very different daughters: one tragic, one romantic, one idealistic, and one, an invert). The story moves quickly and is filled with lots of events that are too fantastical to believe could ever happen, but can and has at some point in history, I'm sure, so it adds to the surreality of it all. It is a very beautiful movie that needs to be part of a collection of anyone who considers him/herself a romantic idealist. The movie completes itself as a circle -- it begins with a single man (the extremely handsome Spanish man who frees all the daughters from the social mores of their time), traveling along a dusty road, heading towards the unknown, and ends with another single man (the father), who by his own choice, is once again self-exiled because of his art, traveling along his own dusty road, not knowing where he is headed this time that he has been left behind by his daughters, wife, and new son-in-law. ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

Then my crying after the movie was completely justified. I had no idea! I did not really follow the entire case (scary, huh? especially since I *am* gay and was in school -- okay, graduate school) which is probably why I didn't get caught up with the story, back then or subsequently.

I'm glad NBC decided to air the movie (which does not surprise me, since "Will & Grace" is also aired on the same network, as are several other shows with gay characters).

I liked the acting in it very much -- Stockard Channing and Sam Waterston were really good. Shane Meier (sidebar: yum!) was excellent and convincing and really knew how to elicit sympathy from the viewer. I hope this comes out on video or gets packaged for sale on video soon. I am not a human rights or gay rights expert, or even activist, by any stretch of the imagination, and will not pretend to be one now, but the movie really was quite human and tugs at your heartstrings. Clearly, for other than sentimental reasons, this is a good movie to have been made and aired -- perhaps in some small way, it would contribute to fair and respectful treatment of others who are of a different persuasion altogeter.

I watched this movie (about 9 years ago -- in secret no less, while my parents were away) as a budding young gay man. I didn't quite catch much of the humor then, but something has compelled me to pick the title off the shelf once more. This is a truly outstanding movie; the characters are wonderful -- they will make you shed a tear or two or otherwise double over in laughter. I won't bore you with the plot synopsis or *my* take on it, just see it. It's truly one terrific film.

Sidebar: It just hit me this time around that I am the reincarnation of Arnold Beckoff...and I'm not even Jewish! Oi! =)