film notebook theatre review News of Athens’ Cinema Scene The Tube: About a year ago, I wrote about Mildred Pierce, the five-part miniseries starring Kate Winslet and directed by Todd Haynes for HBO, which had just finished airing at that time. It was another in a series of benchmarks that had established the cable network as a major outlet for high-level creative work by serious filmmaking talent, hoisting original television programming up to a level at which its “cinematic” merits could be legitimately evaluated. That run of artistic success has continued with new series like “Enlightened” and “Girls,” and the network hopes to have another popular and critical hit on its hands when Aaron Sorkin and Scott Rudin’s “The Newsroom” premieres later this month. HBO has also invested quite a lot in its parallel run of original feature films, which has been given renewed attention of late with the May 28 airing of its most recent installment, the Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen blockbuster epic Hemingway & Gellhorn, directed by Philip Kaufman. It’s terrific, for the record, with sensational performances by both stars (especially Kidman, a great actress in a role she clearly relishes) and highly attentive direction from Kaufman, whose signature touch is a near-constant variation of the image’s color and grain. The frequent transitions—from widescreen full color to a scratchy “newsreel” look and back again, then to solemn sepia or blown-out Super 8—could have been gimmicky and annoyingly obvious. But Kaufman uses the technique to provide a sort of personal commentary on the story—and, importantly, the history—he’s telling, giving adjacent moments distinct tints, as it were, often within continuous scenes and shots, and
Grandin; You Don’t Know Jack; Hemingway & Gellhorn) and topical docudramas (Recount; Too Big to Fail; Game Change). Oddly but without a doubt, the area in which the network is most sincerely committed to mold-breaking is its TV shows, not its feature films. Lena Dunham seems to be getting free rein with “Girls”; it’s hard to imagine HBO even bringing Tiny Furniture to the gate. Summer Series Starting: As promised, Ciné is going to keep the repertory programming coming, the idea being that an art house audience should expect a regular stream of classic film offerings. This year’s first two repertory series, the Film Noir and For the Love of Cinema, which commemorated Ciné’s fifth anniversary, were both terrific, and the summer holds more riches. Starting in July is the six-part Comedy Classics Series, which will bring 35mm prints of City Lights, The Philadelphia Story and Caddyshack, among others. And this weekend marks the beginning of the Family Classics Series, which opens Friday with The Princess Bride and continues June 22 with The Muppet Movie. Family Classics will be shown in 2 p.m. matinees Friday through Sunday for each of the next seven weeks. See www.athenscine.com for more on both summer series.
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More Ciné Bits: Bad Movie Night picks up where it left off with a very special double feature Tuesday, June 19: the angel dust hysteria shocker Death Drug (starring Philip Michael Thomas!) and the sensational Christian cautionary tale Second Glance… The AthFest FilmFest runs June 20–24, including a program from V.H.S.: Videographer’s HellaBig Show and a new lineup of Rock Docs. The latter hasn’t been finalized yet, but it will include the locally produced Georgia Theatre documentary Athens Burning. (Of course, the other major AthFest film event is the Sprockets Music Video Competition— see p. 20 for details on that.)… Mark your calendars for June 26, Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride, featuring the esteemed Wallace Shawn, screens when filmmakers (and June 15–17 at Ciné as part of the Summer Family Classics Movie Series. UGA alums) Mark and Mitchell Jarrett will pointing toward questions about memory and present a sneak preview screening of their myth, not to mention media, whose process brand new feature The Taiwan Oyster, which of becoming their ubiquitous vehicle coincided was a hit at South by Southwest this year. with the period being depicted. It’s surprisingly affecting, and makes the film more than One More Series: The Georgia Museum of Art it would otherwise have been. is in the midst of a summer film series in The willingness of HBO management to conjunction with its exhibition of the work support eccentric stylistic choices like that of painter and photographer John Baeder; one by Kaufman, and, reportedly, to offer each film in the series “investigates an directors an unusual level of creative freedom aspect of Southern culture or the American across the board is nothing to sneeze at. But roadside diner experience.” June 14 is it may be overstating the case to credit the Waitress, Adrienne Shelly’s charming 2007 network with being a wide-open haven where comedy-drama starring Keri Russell. Next on adventurous filmmakers can get personal projJune 21 is Phil Morrison’s excellent family ects made with a minimum of interference. drama Junebug, which featured a breakout For all their quality, HBO’s feature films and performance by Amy Adams. The screenings, film-like miniseries tend overwhelmingly to Thursdays at 7 p.m in the M. Smith Griffin follow basic templates that have long been Auditorium, are free. Go to www.georgiamuestablished for TV movies: remakes and seum.org for more details. adaptations (Angels in America; Grey Gardens; Mildred Pierce; Cinema Verite), biopics (Temple Dave Marr film@flagpole.com
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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JUNE 13, 2012
Cons and Pros The 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was Soap Queen.” The two con men wager that the originally intended as a vehicle for David first of them to part Christine from $50,000 Bowie and Mick Jagger, and though I’ve of her money can run the other out of town. tried to envision what that film might have The game is afoot, and hijinks ensue as the been like, I just can’t see it. Both Bowie and rivals sabotage each other in pursuit of their Jagger can act, being certainly more the quarry. case with Bowie than Jagger, but neither is Laramore’s cast is well-chosen. As Jameson, exactly known for his comedic chops, and Smith pulls off suavity mixed with disaffected throwing them into a frothy farce like this ennui very nicely. As Jameson’s past marks, one would have just been disastrous. The Amy Miller and Meghan Brown lend their film was released with bravura performances chops and wonderful voices to complicatfrom Michael Caine and Steve Martin in the ing the story. Margot Hitchcock gives us a lead roles and was a triumph for good ideas Christine with bright-eyed enthusiasm and everywhere. charisma. Joseph Hitchcock is an interesting Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the musical, case. Funny and physical though he is during seemed to me to be an idea as bad as the pro- most of the play, he really comes alive during posed Bowie-Jagger film. I’ve always looked his musical numbers, his personal wattage askance at the recent trend of recycling movincreasing exponentially when he’s singing, ies as Broadway musicals. Sure, Mel Brooks which makes one wish he would maintain that is cleaning up from the adaptations of The level of energy when he’s not. Producers and Young Frankenstein, and John Top honors in this cast, however, go to Waters is seeing more coin from the musical the veteran Adam Shirley, playing the corrupt version of Hairspray than he ever did from the French policeman André. “Corrupt French original film, but just as with remakes that policeman” has been a choice part ever since crowd the cineplex, musicals based on movies Claude Rains in Casablanca, and Shirley steals come at the expense scenes every time of original plays that his character appears might otherwise onstage, whether have gotten invesit’s to berate Benson tors and advanced (in the show’s best live theater. number, “Chimp in That said, I’ve a Suit”) or romance seen Town & Gown’s Miller’s character to production of Dirty get her off Jameson’s Rotten Scoundrels back. and, despite my Laramore has objections to its made some interestorigins, I found it ing choices with her pretty good. Director set, not the least of Ashley Laramore which is an onstage and musical direcpit for the tight tor Justin Sanders six-piece band that have cast their provides the musiproduction well and cal score. Most T&G put together a fun musicals relegate evening on Grady the band to an area Avenue. behind the flats or For those who up in the loft so as may not be familiar to reserve as much The Town and Gown Players present Dirty Rotten with the film or the real estate on the Scoundrels through June 17. play, Dirty Rotten small stage as posScoundrels is about sible, but here the hardcore players in the confidence game. band plays in plain sight in front of a changLawrence Jameson (Don Smith) is an aging ing projection screen which, along with some lion in the French Riviera town of Beaumontfurniture, helps to establish scene changes sur-Mer who poses as a charming prince in over a mostly static set in hues of peach exile in order to fleece wealthy and gulland white. The French Riviera is hinted at ible ladies out of their money to finance more than suggested, but this is not terribly his fictitious revolution. Assisted by a bored distracting. and corrupt local policeman (Adam Shirley), The most striking element of Dirty Rotten Jameson has a good thing going until he Scoundrels is the visible fun its cast and chocatches wind of a traveling con artist known rus appear to be having, a sense of playfulas “The Jackal” who has been striking all ness and farce that is infectious. While most along the Mediterranean coast. community-theater productions have no end As Andre the cop searches for clues of The of heart, it’s actually rare that they convey the Jackal’s arrival in town, Jameson encounters sense that the players are enjoying themselves a penny-ante hustler named Freddy Benson as much as they expect the audience to, but (Joseph Hitchcock) scamming free meals and this production does it handily. Whatever small bills. Although the notion that someone Laramore has done to inspire this attitude in as dimwitted as Benson could possibly be The her cast, it is obviously a very good idea. Jackal is absurd, Benson nevertheless threatens to frighten off Jameson’s potential marks. John G. Nettles theatre@flagpole.com Benson, discovering that Jameson is not only a fellow grifter but spectacularly successful Dirty Rotten Scoundrels runs Thursday–Sunday, June at it, threatens to expose Jameson unless the 14–17, at the Athens Community Theatre on Grady older man schools him. The partnership is Avenue. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday–Saturday rendered short-lived by the arrival of Christine and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $18, $10 for stuColgate (Margot Hitchcock, Joseph’s real-life dents with ID on Thursday, June 14. For reservations, spouse), a naïve heiress dubbed “America’s call (706) 208-8696.