Monday, 11 December 2000

WEEKEND REVIEW

Not a pretty weekend, all things considered. The combined start for the three wide releases (Vertical Limit, Proof of Life, and Dungeons & Dragons) was an estimated $33.4 million. The lowest total for just the top movie, since Charlie’s Angels came out six weeks ago, was the second weekend of Angels, with $24.6 million. Only two weekends haven’t had a leader over $33.4 million. On the other hand, the comparable weekend last year saw the $18 million opening of The Green Mile and the $12.4 million start of Deuce Bigalow; so, considering that, maybe $16 million for Vertical Limit and $10.4 million for Proof of Life isn’t so bad. On the third hand (welcome to Hollywood), Green Mile got to $137 million domestic and Deuce got to $66 million, and my guess is that the two new films will be more than a couple of million off those marks when all is said and done.

In other areas, the kids’ movie holdovers did better than I expected, with Rugrats in Paris and 102 Dalmatians holding up well. And Charlie’s Angels and Unbreakable fell harder than I expected -- 46 and 48 percent respectively -- and that’s just on estimated numbers.

And about the New York Film Critics Circle... the website (www.nyfcc.org) goes hot tomorrow and the group actually votes on Wednesday. (Sorry, I counted on my hands and fingers.) Let's hope that the technology works and the NYFCC treating itself like The Supreme Court works.

THE GOOD: Chocolat is probably not Oscar bait. But Miramax has a movie that can be one of the big hits of the 2000 holiday season. Unlike Cider House Rules, this is a Lasse Hallström film the way I think of Lasse Hallström films. It’s a lovely fable; a simple tale set in the past as a reflection of today. In many ways, it’s the lighter reflection of Quills, which I do expect to be Oscar nominated. Though some will probably feel that the movie takes the concerns of the story’s moralists too lightly (see ROTD), I think you have to find some perspective on the overall tone. The villain is a Snidely Whiplash (another role the great Alfred Molina played) whose sense of morality is matched only his own burgeoning yearnings. The heroes are beyond good. They are magic, literally. But the people of the village, led by the villain and enlightened by the heroes, are very, very human. And that’s the beauty of this movie.

Chocolat has all the visual, textural seductiveness of a Like Water for Chocolate or Big Night. But the seduction in the movie is different for each character. Some seek seduction. Some have already embraced temptation. Some fight it like the devil. And there are layers in between.

Some may feel the movie is anti-religion, but I beg to differ. I think the film gives great hope in the love of God and in a level of moderation in which humanity can happily co-exist with the divine. Even those who choose not to embrace organized religion do have rich spiritual lives and very specific belief systems. How you connect with the judgments made on every side will tell you more about yourself than your actual beliefs.

The cast for the film is exceptional. Make no mistake, this is not a Johnny Depp movie or a Lena Olin movie or a Judi Dench movie. This is a Juliette Binoche movie, first and last. Rarely does an actress get the opportunity to so dominate a film, but Binoche does it with ease. And for cineastes, it is a real delight to see Lena Olin and Ms. Binoche working together twelve years after they both broke into America’s movie consciousness with The Unbearable Lightness of Being (ironically, also directed by Phil Kaufman, who directed Quills). The Johnny Depp character is an Irishman, which makes one wonder how hard Miramax might have tried to convince Daniel Day-Lewis to do Chocolat, reuniting the trio from that landmark film. All I know is that I smiled every time I saw these two women together, as beautiful and lively as ever... maybe more so. One of the glorious surprises for me was the young woman playing Binoche’s daughter. It took me a while to place the face, but I finally realized that it was Victoire Thivisol, the star of Ponette, the great, great drama of love and loss from 1996. Thivisol breaks my heart every time I wander into Ponette while flipping through the channels. Do see the movie if you have a chance. And she brings the same easy truthfulness to her work here, now a mature eight year old.

Hallström comes upon the town where this movie takes place from on high and it is a little surreal from the start. This is not a literal film. As I wrote, it is a fairy tale of sorts. But an adult fairy tale. Everyone in the movie, hero or villain, lives with fear. Everyone has a journey to take, whether short or long. The old "made me laugh, made me cry, made me think" thing is true here. Chocolat is a delight. It’s a small delight, but a delight nonetheless... like a piece of chocolate. It will be some people’s favorites. Some will prefer vanilla. But will be allergic. But most people will enjoy it and leave with a smile. And in a year with some great, great movies that demand a lot from audiences, it is a sweet relief. Melts in your heart, not in your mind.

THE BAD: I’ve got a pretty full column today, so I’m going to save my comments on Snatch and House of Mirth for tomorrow.

THE UGLY: It is almost over. But in the name of finishing the conversation, I will write a little more about the election.

I was quite distraught when the Florida Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to have a recount all over Florida. It wasn’t the recount, but the inevitable result. In having an all-Democrat court split 4-3, charges of politics overwhelming the judiciary were confirmed. More, in an effort to make their latest decision U.S. Supreme Court-proof, even as they extended the election beyond the deadline they themselves had set just days before, the Florida Supreme Court made a gesture of self-awareness that made it clear - at least to me - that this was a choice about politics. But worst of all, it was clear to me from the moment I heard about the ruling that the U.S. Supreme Court would now be compelled to take an active role in the election, something they had avoided fairly effectively the last time they took part in this case. I really don’t think the Gore team believed that the U.S. Supreme Court’s first ruling was a 50-50 deal, but they sold it that way. But their message was clear... Florida Supreme Court, stay away from changing the rules. So what did the Florida Supreme Court do? They changed the rules again.

I was not looking forward to what I already expected to be a 5-4 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Bush’s favor. The Supreme Court breaking down political lines is not good for the court. And the Supreme Court is one of the few institutions left that seems to be above it all. I was shocked and disappointed to hear that the U.S. Supreme Court had granted the stay to the Bush team on Saturday. I expected Bush to get a hearing and to win, but not a stay... that seemed beyond the pale. No such luck. The degradation of the U.S. Supreme Court has begun.

Later today or tomorrow, Bush will win his case there and will become President Elect. I only hope that the members of the court can find agreement on the law and avoid another 5-4 vote.

I was as disgusted with the yipping and yahoo-ing if the Bush camp when the stay came through as I was when the Gore team celebrated their victory in the Florida Supreme Court. This is not a sporting event. Winning at any expense is not necessarily winning. And forgetting that all this happened in a few months is horrifying. And likely to occur.

Perhaps I am just sad that my illusions, which I have already denuded in my rational mind, have been so coarsely raped this last few weeks. Or perhaps I am just disappointed by the simplicity of this partisan wrangling. After all, we live in an era where the two major political parties are virtually identical, short of a few serious areas of contention. The right has come to the center to win an election as Clinton moved from left to center eight long years ago. Maybe I was hoping that we were coming closer to agreeing. And I guess that most of the country is. More than 60 percent are ready for Gore to concede and at least one-third of that group is made up of Gore voters. Maybe the people are smarter than the politicians.

Ahhhh... made myself smile.

PAGE TWO: What Nancy Wants & ROTD