DVD Review: Nine
Posted on May 04, 2010 @ 06:48PM - Add a comment
It’s tough to feel sorry for a successful, attractive man who’s surrounded by exquisite women, and suffers mainly from a crisis of creativity.
And yet, Nine asks us to do just that. It’s a tall order, considering that the musical film, while visually stunning and grandiose in scope, tells its hero’s arc rather than allowing it to be seen and felt. Based on a Broadway musical that was based on Italian director Federico Fellini's self-referential 8 1/2, Nine is the story of Maestro Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a film director who’s falling apart in glittery, 1960s Rome. As he tries to embark on a movie with no script and clings to the scraps of his failing marriage, he floats into the recesses of his memory, where the women of his past and present exist as a sort of map of his life.
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Women, in fact, are the fleshy, sexy substance of Nine, which features an all-star cast that’s decked out in sumptuous costumes and glamorized to the hilt. Among the many women in Guido’s world are his wife Luisa (Marion Cotillard), his desperate lover Carla (Penélope Cruz), his muse Claudia (Nicole Kidman), the whore of his childhood, Saraghina (Stacy “Fergie” Ferguson), sassy Vogue reporter Stephanie (Kate Hudson) and his costume designer-cum-confidante, Lilli (Judi Dench). The only real Italian in sight is Sophia Loren, who appears in a few brief scenes as Guido’s glammed-up mommy. But nevermind the weird faux-accents: These ladies flit in and out of Guido’s life, both real and imagined, through dramatic real-time interludes and impressively theatrical song-and-dance numbers that sometimes spectacular, and other times a bit misguided (Mommy, little Guido and the candles misses the mark, religious undertones or not).
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The songs are each woman’s moment to introduce herself, and let us know what her issues are with ol’ Guido. Then, it’s back to the action, or rather, the flat mosey toward Guido’s redemption that doesn’t quite find momentum. It’s too bad, because director Rob Marshall’s vision is sumptuous, ambitious and fun, but the film’s construction is clunky and halting, giving each lady her moment at the mic (Carla’s in lingerie, ready for action, Saraghina recalls schooling little Guido about the ways of women), but then moves on without further development. The only women who feel like real people are Luisa and Lilli, each of whom sees right through the Maestro and his narcissistic ways.
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The DVD extras compensate somewhat, in that six of the eight robust segments focus on the film’s actresses and dancers in an upbeat love-fest that’s typical for home entertainment. But they also highlight the fun stuff behind the enormous production, like the 42 tons of sand that were hauled on set for Saraghina’s scenes, and the audition scenes in which Fergie rolls around with a tambourine and Kate Hudson tries to learn how to dance (she comes close). In a way, each musical number is like a brilliant music video -- creative and beautifully executed, if not integrated into the film as organically as possible.
Yet, while all the fuss and memories and morality issues seem to focus on the women of Nine, the movie is really about men, their art and their and their self-involvement. One of the few scenes that ground the dramatic through-line is when Guido's beautiful muse is turning her non-role down. In walking away from Guido, she's not just letting go of a movie part, but eschewing reverence for the once-infallible director, telling him, "I'd rather be the man." Another such moment is more poignant. When whatever hope Luisa has for her marriage is suddenly stripped away, she confronts Guido in an empty screening room. “You think to create [is] just to forgive yourself in public,” she says, tears spilling down her cheeks.
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But don’t cry for Maestro Contini: He does, of course, forgive himself, even if Luisa, rightly never does.
New DVD Releases
Posted on May 04, 2010 @ 06:35PM - Add a comment
Leap Year (PG)
Women’s lib, apparently, never reached the land of Leap Year, in which Anna (Amy Adams) heads for Ireland so she can propose to her commitment-phobe BF on the 29th of February. In the old country, legend has it that it’s cool for women to pop the question on that day, so when Anna’s four-year anniversary comes and goes without a ring, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Even if she isn’t a liberated woman, she still knows a hot guy when she sees one -- in this case, the scruffy Declan (Matthew Goode), who helps her track down her boyfriend, and might just help her find real love along the way. (Amy Adams [Anna], Matthew Goode [Declan])
Nine (R)
Let’s hear it for the ladies! Nine is the story of drama-queen Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a famous film director in crisis, and the many women who in his life. Unlike most men -- but perhaps like a lot of them in Hollywood -- all the women in Guido’s world are jaw-droppingly stunning, exceptionally talented and have super-long legs. Did we mention this is all pretend? (Penélope Cruz [Carla], Marion Cotillard [Luisa Contini], Daniel Day-Lewis [Guido Contini], Nicole Kidman [Claudia], Judi Dench [Lilli], Kate Hudson [Stephanie])
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (PG-13) (release May 5)
Director David Fincher brings F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story to the big screen in this epic tale of a man who ages backward, and experiences life’s great loves and losses with a perspective that upends our traditional notions of time and lifelines. Brad Pitt plays Benjamin with a sexy southern accent and more facility for a wheelchair than the average aged gentleman, while Cate Blanchett plays his ballerina of a lover with tenderness and a lot of barre exercises. The film racked up 13 Oscar nominations last winter, and now DVD viewers can see why. (Brad Pitt [Benjamin Button], Cate Blanchett [Daisy)
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Tooth Fairy (PG)
He skateboards. He’s blue. And yes, he’s miniature, plays pro hockey and has learned how to fly. Meet the Derek Thomson (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), a muscly athlete with no patience for pretend. The powers that be finally decide to punish the dream-killer with an unusual sentence in this kid-oriented tale of wrongdoing and redemption -- albeit with non-stop sight gags and crushingly condescending humor. Bonus: Star skateboarder Ryan Sheckler makes his non-skate-movie debut. (Dwayne Johnson [Derek Thomson/Tooth Fairy], Ashley Judd [Carly], Ryan Sheckler [Mick Donnelly])
PHOTOS: Happy St. Patrick's Day To Radar's Top 10 Irish Celebs!
Posted on Mar 17, 2010 @ 07:09AM - Add a comment
Sure n b'gora.
In honor of St. Paddy’s Day, RadarOnline.com invites you to drink some green beer, wish upon a four-leaf clover, and sit back and enjoy our list of the Top 10 Irish celebrities!
So who’s number 1?
Starting at number 10, click through our photo gallery to see who made our Top Ten List!
PHOTOS: Radar’s Top Ten Irish Celebs!
Then, click through our photo gallery to see who made our Honorable Mention List!
PHOTOS: Radar’s Irish Honorable Mention List!
Congratulations -- and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day: Irish Stars
Posted on Mar 16, 2010 @ 08:52PM - 1 comment
Check out these celebs from the Emerald Isle!
Nine Soundtrack: Kate Hudson
Posted on Dec 10, 2009 @ 02:07PM - Add a comment
As the countdown to the opening of Rob Marshall’s musical Nine on Christmas Day continues, this week we get a new teaser in the form of Kate Hudson’s sassy song in the film, “Cinema Italiano.” The track is Kate’s musical debut and has been released ahead of the rest of the soundtrack, which will be released digitally next week, and then in stores on December 21st.
Kate, who plays an American Vogue journalist, struts her stuff in a high-energy dance sequence that’s been on heavy rotation in the film’s previews. The clip already has people drawing comparisons between Kate and her mom, Goldie Hawn, who started out as a go-go dancer (and reportedly cried when she watched her daughter’s performance live on the Nine set). And now, with the release of Kate’s song there’s a buzz about her vocals – who knew she could sing? Sure, she was Penny Lane in Almost Famous, and she was married to Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, but now Kate is stepping up to the mic herself in this fun, fast-paced, hip-shaking ode to Daniel Day-Lewis’ character, renowned Italian director Guido Contini, that glamorizes him for his sexy films, skinny ties, fast cars and “wearing shades in the middle of the night.”
Of course, there’s plenty more to look forward to on the film’s soundtrack, including vocal offerings from Oscar-winning actors Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard and even Daniel Day-Lewis, who has revealed he was just as nervous to sing as his female co-stars. On the standout track “Be Italian, which is featured in the tantalizing previews, Black Eyed Pea Fergie—who is also in the film—challenges Guido, courtesy of her powerful pipes, to “live every day like it’s your last!”
Nine’s “Cinema Italiano” sung by Kate Hudson is available now.
