"OTHER MEN'S WOMEN" (1931) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from the 1931 melodrama, "OTHER MEN'S WOMEN". Directed by William Wellman, the movie starred Grant Withers, Mary Astor and Regis Toomey: 

"OTHER MEN'S WOMEN" (1931) Photo Gallery

"SERENA" (2014) Review

 

(This review features spoilers of the 2014 movie, "SERENA" and the Ron Rash 2008 novel from which it is adapted. If you have not seen the movie or read the novel, I suggest you do not read this review.)

"SERENA" (2014) Review

Nearly eighteen years ago, author Ron Rash had written a novel about a young socialite's effect upon the lives of her new husband, their North Carolina timber business and the Appalachian community that relied upon it during the early years of the Great Depression. The cinematic adaptation of Rash's novel hung around development for a while, before it finally became the 2014 movie, "SERENA".

"SERENA" begins during the late fall of 1929, when the New England-born timber tycoon, George Pemberton, is forced to travel to Boston and secure more funds for his lumber business in western North Carolina. While attending a horse show with his sister, George meets Serena, the daughter of a businessman who had owned his own lumber business in Colorado. After a quick romance, the newlyweds return to Waynesville, North Carolina. There, Serena and George clash with the latter's partner, Mr. Buchanan, who regards the young bride as an interloper in his relationship with George. Serena also discovers that George had conceived a child with a local servant girl named Rachel Hermann. Although George reassures Serena that the infant boy means nothing to him, she discovers otherwise after she suffers a miscarriage. Deadly antics follow as the Pembertons deal with legal threats and grow apart over George's illegitimate child.

When "SERENA" first reached the U.S. movie theaters, it sunk at the box office amidst negative reviews from the critics and fans of Rash's novel. I have never read the novel. But I have read its synopsis after seeing the movie. And I have also read the reviews. There seemed to be a mixed reaction to the novel, despite its success. But the reaction to the novel seemed a lot more positive than the reaction to the film. Many have criticized director Suzanne Bier and screenwriter Christopher Kyle's changes from the novel. Serena's point-of-view was reduced in the film. Bier and Kyle added a background in the timber business for the leading character. They removed an early scene featuring a clash between George and Rachel Hermann's father Abe (Harmon in the novel). They removed the Greek chorus of loggers and changed the ending. And you know what today's moviegoers and television viewers are like. If a movie or series is going to adapt a novel, these fans usually insist or demand no changes. This is a very unrealistic or dangerous attitude for any filmmaker or television producer to have. To produce a film or a television movie, series or miniseries takes a great deal of money. And a producer needs to consider so much - especially in creating an adaptation of a literary source.

There were some changes made by Bier and Kyle that did not bother me. I felt more than relieved that they had decided to drop that violent encounter between George Pemberton and Abe Hermann (Harmon) at the Waynesville train station. While reading about it, I felt that such a violent encounter happened too soon in the story and it struck me - personally - as ridiculously over-the-top. Perhaps other fans missed it. I did not. According to some criticism of Rash's novel, the Selena Pemberton character came off as a one-note monster with no real depth. Some have lobbied the same charge at George Pemberton. Since I have never read the novel, I do not know whether they are right or wrong. But I am grateful that the movie did portray both characters with some emotional depth. This was apparent in the couple's intense regard for one another and the emotional breakdown that occurred, following Serena's miscarriage. I also have no problems with Kyle's decision to add a background in lumber in Serena's back story. I thought her familiarity with a lumber camp gave credence to her ability to help George deal with the problems that sprang up within his camp. On the other hand, both Bier and Kyle managed to find time to focus on the Pembertons' willingness to exploit the natural beauty around them for business and George's penchant for hunting panthers. I also found the clash between the Pembertons' efforts to maintain their business in the Appalachian Mountains and the local sheriff's desire to preserve the surrounding forests for a national park rather interesting. I had no idea that the clash between those who wanted to exploit the land and those who wanted to preserve it stretched back that far.

I was surprised to learn that had been filmed in the Czech Republic and Denmark. However, looking into the background of the film's crew and cast members, I found this not surprising. With the exception of a few, most of them proved to be Europeans. I have no idea which Czech mountain range where "SERENA" was filmed, but I have to give kudos to cinematographer Morten Søborg for his rich and beautiful photography of the country. But thanks to Martin Kurel's art direction, Graeme Purdy's set decorations and Richard Bridgland's production designs did an admirable job of transporting audiences back to early Depression-era western North Carolina. As for the movie's costume designs, I thought Signe Sejlund did a top-notch job. Not only did she managed to re-create the fashions of that period (1929 to the early 1930s), she also took care to match the clothes according to the characters' personality, class and profession.

I never read any of the reviews for "SERENA", so I have no idea how other critics felt about the cast's performances. When I first learned about the movie, many bloggers and journalists seemed amazed that Jennifer Lawrence would be cast in the role of the emotional and ruthless Serena Pemberton. Personally, I was not that amazed by the news. The actress has portrayed ruthless characters before and she certainly had no problems portraying Serena. I thought she did a top-notch job in capturing both the character's ruthlessness and the intense emotions that the latter harbored for her husband. There is one scene that truly demonstrated Lawrence's talent as an actress. And it occurred when Serena discovered that George had been secretly keeping an eye on his illegitimate son. I was impressed by how Lawrence took the character from surprise to a sense of betrayal and finally to sheer anger within seconds. Bradley Cooper, who had co-starred with Lawrence in two previous films, portrayed Serena's ruthless, yet passionate husband, George Pemberton. Cooper not only conveyed his character's businesslike ruthlessness, but also the latter's moral conflict over some of his actions. My only complaint is that I found his New England accent (his character is from Boston) slightly exaggerated.

"SERENA" featured solid performances from the supporting cast. Toby Jones did a good job in portraying the morally righteous sheriff, McDowell. Ana Ularu also gave a solid and warm performance as Rachel Hermann, the young woman with whom George had conceived a child, when he used her as a bed warmer. Sean Harris was very effective as the conniving Pemberton employee, Campbell. The movie also featured brief appearances from the likes of Bruce Davidson, Charity Wakefield, and Blake Ritson. But the best performances amongst the supporting cast came from David Dencik and Rhys Ifans. Dencik gave a surprisingly subtle performance as George's partner, Mr. Buchanan, who resented his partner's marriage to Serena and her increasing impact on their lumber business. In fact, Dencik's performance was so subtle, it left me wondering whether or not his character was secretly infatuated with George. Equally subtle was Rhys Ifans, who portrayed Pemberton employee-turned-Serena's henchman, Galloway. Ifans did an excellent job in infusing both Galloway's emotional ties to Serena and ruthless willingness to commit murder on her behalf.

Contrary to what many may believe, "SERENA" has its share of virtues. But it also has its share of flaws. One aspect of "SERENA" that I had a problem with surprisingly turned out to be the cast. Mind you, the cast featured first-rate actors. But I was not that impressed by the supporting cast's Southern accents that ranged from mediocre to terrible. I could blame the film makers for relying upon European (especially British performers). But this could have easily happened with a cast of American actors. Only two actors had decent (if not perfect) upper South accents - Rhys Ifans and Sean Harris. I have no idea how Bruce Davidson, one of the few Americans in the cast, dealt with an Appalachian accent. He barely had any lines. Another problem I had with the movie turned out to be the score written by Johan Soderovist. First of all, it seemed unsuited for the movie's Appalachian setting. Worst, Susanne Bier and the film's producer failed to utilize the score throughout most of the film. There were too many moments in the film where there seemed to be no score to support the narrative.

At one point of the film, Kyle's screenplay seemed to throw logic out of the window. When George committed murder to prevent Sheriff McDowell and the Federal authorities from learning about his bribes, a Pemberton employee named Campbell who had witnessed the crime, blackmailed him for a promotion. Yet, later in the film, Campbell decided to tell McDowell about the murder and the bribes. The problem is that Kyle's screenplay never explained why Campbell had this change of heart. It never revealed why he had decided to bite the hand that fed him. And I have to agree with those who complained that the film did not focus upon Serena's point-of-view enough. The movie's title is "SERENA". Yet, most of the film - especially in the first half - seemed to be focused upon George's point-of-view. I have no idea why Bier and Kyle made these changes, but I feel that it nearly undermined the film's narrative.

My biggest gripe with "SERENA" proved to be the ending. If I must be honest, I hated it. I also thought that it undermined the Serena Pemberton character, transforming her into a weeping ninny who could not live without her husband. Kyle's screenplay should have adhered a lot closer to Rash's novel. I am aware that both Serena and George loved each other very much. But Serena struck me as the type of woman who would have reacted with anger against George's lies about his illegitimate baby, his emotional withdrawal and his attempt to strangle her. She reminded me of a younger, Depression-era version of the Victoria Grayson character from ABC's "REVENGE". Both women are both very passionate, yet ruthless at the same time. And if the television character was willing to resort to murder or any other kind of chicanery in retaliation to being betrayed, I believe that Serena was capable of the same, as well. Rash allowed Serena to react more violently against George for his betrayal, before sending her off to Brazil in order to start a lumber empire. Yet, both Rash and Kyle seemed determined to kill off Serena. Kyle did it by having Serena commit suicide by fire, after George was killed by a panther. I found this pathetic. Rash did it in his novel by having a mysterious stranger who bore a strong resemblance to George to kill her in Brazil. In other words, after surviving Serena's poisoning attempt and an attack by a panther, George managed to hunt her down in thirty years or so and kill her. I found this ludicrous and frankly, rather stupid. I would have been happier if Serena had killed George and left the U.S. to make her fortune in Brazil. She struck me as the type who would get away with her crimes. If the murderer in "CHINATOWN" could get away with his crimes, why not Serena Pemberton? I feel this would have made a more interesting ending.

It is a pity that "SERENA" had failed at the box office. Unlike many critics, I do not view it as total crap. I have seen worse films that succeeded at the box office. I suspect that many had simply overreacted to the film's failure to live up to its original hype, considering the cast, the director and the novel upon which it was based. But it was not great. I regard "SERENA" as best, mediocre. The pity is that it could have been a lot better in the hands of a different director and screenwriter.

Ranking of "THE EMPRESS" Season One (2022) Episodes

 

Below is my ranking of the Season One episodes from the Netflix streaming series, “THE EMPRESS”, German historical drama based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Created by Katharina Eyssen and Lena Stahl, the series stars Devrim Lingnau and Philip Froissant as Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria:

RANKING OF "THE EMPRESS" SEASON ONE (2022) EPISODES

1.  (1.05) “Shoes” – Archduke Maximilian gathers support for a plan to overthrow his older brother, Emperor Franz Joseph I, while Empress Elisabeth’s well-intended gesture with a crowd backfires, leading her to befriend the dubious lady-in-waiting, Countess Leontine von Apafi.

2. (1.06) “The God Who Us Has Freedom Sent” – In the season finale, Elisabeth spends her time partying with Maximilian while Franz is desperate to reconcile with her. Leontine gets herself into a precarious situation.

3. (1.01) “One’s Place in the World” – In the series premiere, Elisabeth (then Duchess of Bavaria) and her older sister Duchess Helene of Bavaria travel to meet Emperor Franz, who is expected to ask for the latter’s hand. He stuns everyone with a surprise decision at an engagement party.

4. (1.03) “The Wedding” – Elisabeth marries Franz, and the Austrian Imperial Family gets a taste of her rising popularity. The former lover of Archduchess Sophie, Franz’s mother, attends the wedding and discovers a secret.

5. (1.04) “The Hunt” – Sophie and the Imperial cabinet push for military action against Russia, but Franz refuses to engage. Elisabeth upsets Grand Duke Alexander Nikolayevich, the Russian czar’s heir, during a royal hunt, leading to severe political consequences.

6. (1.02) “The Arrival” – Elisabeth arrives in Vienna for her wedding. Soon, she faces palace intrigue, while Franz attempts to prevent his country from taking sides during the Crimean War.

"PERSUASION" (1971) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "PERSUASION", the 1971 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's 1818 novel. Produced and directed by Howard Baker, and adapted by Julian Mitchell; the miniseries starred Ann Firbank and Bryan Marshall: 

"PERSUASION" (1971) Photo Gallery

"HAYWIRE" (2012) Review

 

"HAYWIRE" (2012) Review

Director Steven Soderbergh has directed his share of film genres, which range from the caper flick to a complex drama about the drug trade. Back in 2011-12, the director had finally set his sights on the action genre in a movie called "HAYWIRE".

Starring mixed martial arts fighter, Gina Carano, "HAYWIRE" is about a free-lance black operations agent who seeks revenge against her boss, after he sets her up to be framed for the death of a journalist and murdered. The story begins with Mallory Kane arriving at an upstate New York diner. After encounter with a fellow colleague named Aaron, in which a fight ensued, Mallory forces another diner to drive her to safety. During the drive, she recounts what led to her being hunted down by her employer. A week ago, Mallory and Aaron were tapped by their employer to rescue a Chinese journalist named Jiang in Barcelona. Following the success of the mission, Mallory is recruited by Kenneth to pose as the wife of a British agent named Paul in Dublin. Mallory agrees and accompanies Paul to a party at Russborough House, where they meet with his contact, Studer. When she sees Paul and Studer meet from afar and stumbles across Jiang's dead body, Mallory realizes that she had been set up by Kenneth. She has a fight with Paul in their hotel room before she shoots him dead. After evading Kenneth's agents and the Dublin police, Mallory leaves Ireland and makes it to the United States, and the roadhouse diner in New York. Mallory manages to evade the American police and more of Kenneth's agents before making plans to seek revenge against him and his co-conspirators.

When I first saw the trailer for "HAYWIRE", I must admit that it caught my interest, especially since Steven Soderbergh was the movie's director. The positive reviews from film critics increased my anticipation to see the movie. But when I finally saw it in the theaters, my only reaction was SHEER DISAPPOINTMENT. I am sorry, but "HAYWIRE" proved to be a very disappointing movie for me. And for the likes of me, I cannot understand how it managed to earn so many rave reviews from critics.

I cannot deny that the movie had potential. Steven Soderbergh served as the film's director. "HAYWIRE" possessed a first-rate cast that included Ewan McGregor, Antonio Bandaras, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Michael Fassbender, Mathieu Kassovitz (from 2005's "MUNICH"), Channing Tatum and Michael Angarano. And although the movie's lead, Gina Carano, was not an experienced actress at the time; her experiences as a mixed martial arts fighter made her fight scenes look very realistic. Somewhat. So, what went wrong with this movie?

One, I had a big problem with Lem Dobbs' screenplay. I found it very unsatisfactory. Using flashbacks in the first half seemed unnecessary in a movie that allegedly possessed a pretty linear story. The reasoning behind Kenneth's conspiracy with Studer and his betrayal of Mallory seemed lacking in any substance or logic. What was the conspiracy? Kenneth discovered that Mallory planned to quit his firm. Fearing that her departure would mean a major loss of customers, he plotted with a Spanish middle-man named Rodrigo, who had a client - Studer - who wanted to stop the journalist Jiang from exposing his criminal activities. Their plan? Get Mallory and Aaron to snatch Jiang in Barcelona. Get Mallory to Ireland, where she gets framed for Jiang's death (he had been murdered by Paul) and killed by Paul. This plot seemed so fucking lame. Really. Why bother framing Mallory for Jiang's death? It was soooo unnecessary. What is even worse about this movie is that while the movie revealed Mallory's search for revenge against Kenneth and even Rodrigo, any attempt to go after Studer never materialized. I left the theater with one sentence ringing in my head - "Was that it?"

And the fight scenes seemed to lack even less logic - especially Mallory's fight with Paul in the Dublin hotel and Kenneth in Mexico. If Paul had been recruited to kill her, why do so in that ridiculous manner? As they were entering their hotel room, he was behind her. All the man had to do was shoot (with a muffler) or stab her in the back, as he followed her into the room. Instead, Paul behaved like a real amateur by striking from behind . . . and with his bare fist. 'Amateur Hour' continued with Mallory's fight with Kenneth. Like Paul, she was behind her prey - her former boss - on a Mexican beach. And like Paul, she attacked Kenneth from behind with bare fists. What ensued was the lamest fight scene I have ever seen on film. Poor Ewan McGregor. A man with his grace and physicality for on-screen fighting deserved better than this.

Oscar winner Michael Douglas portrayed a U.S. government agent in "HAYWIRE". But I never could understand the purpose of his role in the story. What was his purpose in this movie? Why was he needed? I could not tell whether he was part of Kenneth and Studer's plot or simply their patsy. And finally we come to Gina Carano. Look, I cannot deny that she is great as an on-screen fighter. Her experiences as a mixed martial arts fighter made this possible. But she was no actress when this film was made. The odd thing is that her lack of acting experience was not a problem. There have been others with very little acting experience who have proven to be pretty good in front of the camera. And fortunately for Carano, she had become a solid actress over the years.

What else can I say about "HAYWIRE"? If Lem Dobbs had written a better script and if Carano's fight sequences had been staged with a little more logic, it could have become a promising film. And while I admire Gina Carano's martial skills, the role of Mallory Kane should have gone to someone who could both act and convey solid on-screen fighting. I had not been this disappointed by Steven Soderbergh's work since 2004's "OCEAN'S TWELVE".