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Cinemafile: Movie reviews
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| Agent OSS 117 (Jean Dujardin) demonstrates the persuasive powers of his weapon in a scene from "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies." Photo courtesy Gaumont |
What's on Taos screens this weekend
By Rick Romancito
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies
Tempo grade: B+
MPAA rating: Not rated, although it does contain some mature elements and violence for comic effect.
Mike Meyers had the right idea, but while his “Austin Powers” spy spoof series was groovy in its own way, French director Michel Hazanavicius has done them one better by not only reverently making fun of the genre, you’d swear his film “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” was an authentic relic made in the 1960s. I could have sworn I somehow overlooked this gem from my own misspent youth.
Starring French comic actor Jean Dujardin as secret agent OSS 117, the 2006 release is a vivid Technicolor compendium of everything that made James Bond such a cultural icon. The sets, wardrobe, makeup, props, even the traveling mattes behind moving cars and stagey fight scenes, appear to be plucked out of a vintage backlot production.
Hazanavicius is successful because he so lovingly has created the look and feel of a movie made during the 007 Sean Connery heyday when so many knock-offs were being cranked out, including the silly double entendre asides that, in the case of this movie, are delivered with hilarious aplomb. Building upon a real spy series based upon novels by Jean Bruce (before Ian Fleming), Hazanavicius takes us back to a fun period while avoiding the obvious tendency, as was the case with Meyers, to overdo it with forced humor.
The story is rather thin, something having to do with a trusted spy colleague named Jack Jefferson (Philippe Lefebvre) who goes missing while undercover in Egypt. The flashback scenes of Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, alias OSS 117, cavorting on a beach with Jefferson are, shall we say, unforgettably amusing and may have you looking at male camaderie in a whole new way. Traveling to Cairo, OSS 117 uses a goofy code phrase to comic effect until he meets up with the beautiful Larmina El Akmar Betouche (Bérénice Bejo), who was Jack’s business partner in a poultry farm and daughter of King Farouk.
The sly references to present day politics and events is very subtle, but clearly in line with Hazanavicius’s respect for the genre and style. As OSS 117, Dujardin plays it totally straight, even if his character is more then a little clueless when it comes to foreign affairs. This is a very clever movie, with a lot to enjoy for those who miss a particular way filmmaking was done back in the day.
In French with English subtitles.
“OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” is showing Friday and Saturday (Sept. 12-13), 8 p.m., at Mondo Kultur North. Call (575) 751-1994.
Also showing at Mondo Kultur North is Werner Herzog’s documentary on the South Pole, “Encounters at the End of the World” Sunday (Sept. 14) at 6 p.m.
Brideshead Revisited
MPAA rating: PG-13 for some sexual content
Storyteller Cinema
Tempo grade: C+
One might easily label this as the out and proud version of Evelyn Waugh’s oft-filmed 1945 novel.
While previous movie and TV iterations have focused upon and even celebrated the undercurrent of stereotypically repressed British sexuality, this one is happy to flaunt the androgynous and/or bi-curious protagonist Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) and his relationship with the confidently gay young Lord Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw).
But, despite his poise and recognition that he is what he is, Sebastian is a victim of the times and of Waugh’s compliant judgment and so must inevitably suffer. Meanwhile, Charles is free to insinuate himself into the comfort of Sebastian’s wealth and civility at his family’s Brideshead estate. All of this comes about when Charles and Sebastian become chums while away at an Oxford-like college. Charles, an artist, is already the subject of askance opinion, so when he falls into Sebastian’s crowd, it seems like a natural fit even if Charles isn’t exactly of the same class.
However, Charles does share something vaguely in common with Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley in that Charles is a pretender who soon begins acting as though he’s one of the family. Considering his growing affection for Sebastian’s sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell), one may also begin to imagine what he’s really up to. The novel’s theme related to the author’s conversion to Catholicism is added to the film as almost an afterthought, not nearly as well connected to the proceedings as Charles’ romantic proclivities.
This version is disappointing because of several obviously missed opportunities (its cast started out with Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly and Jude Law). Even with Emma Thompson as the family matriarch, director Julian Jarrold pours enough lavish attention to populating his movie with lush images to make Anglophiles green with envy.
Bangkok Dangerous
MPAA rating: R for strong violence and sexuality
Storyteller Cinema
Tempo grade: D
Thai filmmakers, The Pang Brothers, have remade their own 1999 action picture but it’s not necessarily an improvement.
Starring Nicolas Cage as an assassin-for-hire named, Joe, the film is a sluggish piece of pretentiously arty drivel that tries awfully hard to rise above the usual shoot ‘em up jive, just as it was when the Pangs attempted it almost a decade ago. The only significant difference was that the lead character in the original was a deaf mute hitman.
In this, Joe lands in Thailand with an assignment to make four hits. He figures the money he makes from it will enable him to hang up his guns forever and fade into anonymity. But, he breaks two of his cardinal rules: He takes an interest in those around him, and he starts caring about someone. This, of course, leads to all sorts of complications.
For one, he takes on an apprentice who eagerly wants to learn Joe’s tricks of the trade. For another, Joe meets and befriends a pretty but deaf pharmacy clerk, for whom he begins to have feelings. That’s not easy since Cage (again with a bad toupee) acts like he’s had a little too much spicy Thai food and sports an uncomfortable scowl throughout.
Normally, I’d suggest seeing the original because these American redos often miss certain subtleties, but here it doesn’t really matter. If anything, The Pang’s have a movie that nicely depicts Thailand as an exotic vacationer’s paradise — but with guns.
“Cinemafile” reviews are based upon opening weekend screenings. Check current listings for possible schedule changes.
Tempo grade: B+
MPAA rating: Not rated, although it does contain some mature elements and violence for comic effect.
Mike Meyers had the right idea, but while his “Austin Powers” spy spoof series was groovy in its own way, French director Michel Hazanavicius has done them one better by not only reverently making fun of the genre, you’d swear his film “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” was an authentic relic made in the 1960s. I could have sworn I somehow overlooked this gem from my own misspent youth.
Starring French comic actor Jean Dujardin as secret agent OSS 117, the 2006 release is a vivid Technicolor compendium of everything that made James Bond such a cultural icon. The sets, wardrobe, makeup, props, even the traveling mattes behind moving cars and stagey fight scenes, appear to be plucked out of a vintage backlot production.
Hazanavicius is successful because he so lovingly has created the look and feel of a movie made during the 007 Sean Connery heyday when so many knock-offs were being cranked out, including the silly double entendre asides that, in the case of this movie, are delivered with hilarious aplomb. Building upon a real spy series based upon novels by Jean Bruce (before Ian Fleming), Hazanavicius takes us back to a fun period while avoiding the obvious tendency, as was the case with Meyers, to overdo it with forced humor.
The story is rather thin, something having to do with a trusted spy colleague named Jack Jefferson (Philippe Lefebvre) who goes missing while undercover in Egypt. The flashback scenes of Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, alias OSS 117, cavorting on a beach with Jefferson are, shall we say, unforgettably amusing and may have you looking at male camaderie in a whole new way. Traveling to Cairo, OSS 117 uses a goofy code phrase to comic effect until he meets up with the beautiful Larmina El Akmar Betouche (Bérénice Bejo), who was Jack’s business partner in a poultry farm and daughter of King Farouk.
The sly references to present day politics and events is very subtle, but clearly in line with Hazanavicius’s respect for the genre and style. As OSS 117, Dujardin plays it totally straight, even if his character is more then a little clueless when it comes to foreign affairs. This is a very clever movie, with a lot to enjoy for those who miss a particular way filmmaking was done back in the day.
In French with English subtitles.
“OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” is showing Friday and Saturday (Sept. 12-13), 8 p.m., at Mondo Kultur North. Call (575) 751-1994.
Also showing at Mondo Kultur North is Werner Herzog’s documentary on the South Pole, “Encounters at the End of the World” Sunday (Sept. 14) at 6 p.m.
Brideshead Revisited
MPAA rating: PG-13 for some sexual content
Storyteller Cinema
Tempo grade: C+
One might easily label this as the out and proud version of Evelyn Waugh’s oft-filmed 1945 novel.
While previous movie and TV iterations have focused upon and even celebrated the undercurrent of stereotypically repressed British sexuality, this one is happy to flaunt the androgynous and/or bi-curious protagonist Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) and his relationship with the confidently gay young Lord Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw).
But, despite his poise and recognition that he is what he is, Sebastian is a victim of the times and of Waugh’s compliant judgment and so must inevitably suffer. Meanwhile, Charles is free to insinuate himself into the comfort of Sebastian’s wealth and civility at his family’s Brideshead estate. All of this comes about when Charles and Sebastian become chums while away at an Oxford-like college. Charles, an artist, is already the subject of askance opinion, so when he falls into Sebastian’s crowd, it seems like a natural fit even if Charles isn’t exactly of the same class.
However, Charles does share something vaguely in common with Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley in that Charles is a pretender who soon begins acting as though he’s one of the family. Considering his growing affection for Sebastian’s sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell), one may also begin to imagine what he’s really up to. The novel’s theme related to the author’s conversion to Catholicism is added to the film as almost an afterthought, not nearly as well connected to the proceedings as Charles’ romantic proclivities.
This version is disappointing because of several obviously missed opportunities (its cast started out with Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly and Jude Law). Even with Emma Thompson as the family matriarch, director Julian Jarrold pours enough lavish attention to populating his movie with lush images to make Anglophiles green with envy.
Bangkok Dangerous
MPAA rating: R for strong violence and sexuality
Storyteller Cinema
Tempo grade: D
Thai filmmakers, The Pang Brothers, have remade their own 1999 action picture but it’s not necessarily an improvement.
Starring Nicolas Cage as an assassin-for-hire named, Joe, the film is a sluggish piece of pretentiously arty drivel that tries awfully hard to rise above the usual shoot ‘em up jive, just as it was when the Pangs attempted it almost a decade ago. The only significant difference was that the lead character in the original was a deaf mute hitman.
In this, Joe lands in Thailand with an assignment to make four hits. He figures the money he makes from it will enable him to hang up his guns forever and fade into anonymity. But, he breaks two of his cardinal rules: He takes an interest in those around him, and he starts caring about someone. This, of course, leads to all sorts of complications.
For one, he takes on an apprentice who eagerly wants to learn Joe’s tricks of the trade. For another, Joe meets and befriends a pretty but deaf pharmacy clerk, for whom he begins to have feelings. That’s not easy since Cage (again with a bad toupee) acts like he’s had a little too much spicy Thai food and sports an uncomfortable scowl throughout.
Normally, I’d suggest seeing the original because these American redos often miss certain subtleties, but here it doesn’t really matter. If anything, The Pang’s have a movie that nicely depicts Thailand as an exotic vacationer’s paradise — but with guns.
“Cinemafile” reviews are based upon opening weekend screenings. Check current listings for possible schedule changes.
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