A Prairie Home Companion
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Big Magilla
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Big Magilla
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Tideland, Sabin? Obviously you meant to put that post in the general review thread, but it makes a hilarious Freudian slip (to me anyway) to even accidentally compare the year's most critically loathed film with the year's most over-rated one (my opinion).
Speaking of hilarity, and proving once again the old adage of to each his own, I found this comment from someone named Lee Hernandez who purports to be a "supporting actress guru" on the Oscar Igloo site:
"Though no one is predicting her, I am pulling a huge campaign together for Virginia Madsen in "A Prarie Home Companion." As the Mysterious Woman who Died while listening to the show, Madsen delivers a sophisticated, angelic performance, fitting indeed since she is playing an Angel. This performance is undoubtedly more honed than her turn in "Sideways," which earned her a nomination 2 years ago. And anyone who has seen this film, can attest to the fact that Lilly Tomlin and the beloved Meryl Streep, are not on top of their game in this film."
Speaking of hilarity, and proving once again the old adage of to each his own, I found this comment from someone named Lee Hernandez who purports to be a "supporting actress guru" on the Oscar Igloo site:
"Though no one is predicting her, I am pulling a huge campaign together for Virginia Madsen in "A Prarie Home Companion." As the Mysterious Woman who Died while listening to the show, Madsen delivers a sophisticated, angelic performance, fitting indeed since she is playing an Angel. This performance is undoubtedly more honed than her turn in "Sideways," which earned her a nomination 2 years ago. And anyone who has seen this film, can attest to the fact that Lilly Tomlin and the beloved Meryl Streep, are not on top of their game in this film."
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99-1100896887
PHC is whimsy, as someone noted, but we cannot underrate the success of the material of shows like this in the Midwest and mid-Canada. The radio is far more vital to the people than the TV is to those of us who are urban--one only has to live in the prairies to understand this. There is the tremendous drawing power of Keillor, or of Stuart McLean of CBC( those who live near the border will be familiar with McLean and his "Vinyl Cafe" and Morley and Dave.) Really, this is a rural phenomenon.
That said: this was a truly wonderful little film experience. Aside from Madsen's ill-conceived and unnecessary character( WTF?) and Kline--comic master that is- he did not belong in this show--Tomlin, Harrelson, and even Keillor were terrific. Streep was annoying, we thought with the constantly-overlapping Altman dialogue--there was not a second wasted in silence. She burbled non-stop.
The more I see John C. Reilly, the more talented an actor I
believe him to be.
The reviews that I most enjoyed reading on rottentomatoes came from those writing in the midwest. No condescending here.
That said: this was a truly wonderful little film experience. Aside from Madsen's ill-conceived and unnecessary character( WTF?) and Kline--comic master that is- he did not belong in this show--Tomlin, Harrelson, and even Keillor were terrific. Streep was annoying, we thought with the constantly-overlapping Altman dialogue--there was not a second wasted in silence. She burbled non-stop.
The more I see John C. Reilly, the more talented an actor I
believe him to be.
The reviews that I most enjoyed reading on rottentomatoes came from those writing in the midwest. No condescending here.
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Big Magilla
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I felt Lily Tomlin, who doesn't work often enough, poured her heart and soul into her role, while Meryl Streep, who works too much, was totally condescending as her sister with roughly the same amount of screen time. Bad as Madsen and Kline were, at least they looked like professional actors. This Lindsay Lohan I don't get. Her former boyfriend notriously refers to her as "firecrotch". Well, her crotch may be on fire, but the rest of her is asleep at the wheel. Why would Altman put up with that? It's not quite the same thing as Francis Ford Coopola directing godawful Sophia in Godfather III, yet the result is comparable.
I think Altman is at his best when he's making uncommercial films like Vincent & Theo and Streamers. After the fiasco of Ready to Wear he came back tentatively with Cookie's Fortune and then full throttle with Gosford Park (the less said about Dr. T and his women teh better.)
It's clear that ten years after his heart transplant and with death staring him in the face in his ninth decade, themes of approaching death may be what we should expect from him, but he can do better than this trifle.
I think Altman is at his best when he's making uncommercial films like Vincent & Theo and Streamers. After the fiasco of Ready to Wear he came back tentatively with Cookie's Fortune and then full throttle with Gosford Park (the less said about Dr. T and his women teh better.)
It's clear that ten years after his heart transplant and with death staring him in the face in his ninth decade, themes of approaching death may be what we should expect from him, but he can do better than this trifle.
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Mister Tee
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I never talked about Prairie Home Companion when I finally saw it late last summer, but since the topic's been raised anew... I quite enjoyed it, in a minor way. I can't say Keillor's whimsy is exactly my favorite, but I took great pleasure in three things:
1) It was funny. Honestly, I laughed far more than I did at Little Miss Sunshine. Lots of Altman-y wobbly humor, and even some well-executed slpastick (I can't argue that Kline's character wasn't in some ways a drag on the film, but his physical comedy out in the lobby had me weak with laughter). And this despite, as others have pointed out, death hovering over the whole project.
2) The actors. Virginia Madsen aside (dreadfully conceived role), I thought the cast was pure delight. Special mention, perhaps, for Lily Tomlin -- who, though brilliant in her one-woman stage work, has often seemed to me awkward in relating to other actors on-screen (even in movies like The Late Show). Here she's perfect.
3) The directing. Magilla, I just couldn't disagree more with your take. I was aware throughout of a director now so confident in his powers his work seems effortless. Altman was a technical pioneer in the 70s, but he sometimes labored at it pretty hard -- the overlapping dialogue that so annoyed his detractors could sometimes seem oppressive (and when his pictures failed, like, say, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, you'd feel like you were watching a three-ring circus where no one had any idea which ring was the center one). Now he's come to the point where he achieves the same dimensionality -- making me feel like I was experiencing ever inch of the theatre at all times -- without garbling up his soundtrack, and keeping the whole thing far more fluid.
Again, not major work. But, in the context of a horrible Hollywood summer, significant pleasure.
1) It was funny. Honestly, I laughed far more than I did at Little Miss Sunshine. Lots of Altman-y wobbly humor, and even some well-executed slpastick (I can't argue that Kline's character wasn't in some ways a drag on the film, but his physical comedy out in the lobby had me weak with laughter). And this despite, as others have pointed out, death hovering over the whole project.
2) The actors. Virginia Madsen aside (dreadfully conceived role), I thought the cast was pure delight. Special mention, perhaps, for Lily Tomlin -- who, though brilliant in her one-woman stage work, has often seemed to me awkward in relating to other actors on-screen (even in movies like The Late Show). Here she's perfect.
3) The directing. Magilla, I just couldn't disagree more with your take. I was aware throughout of a director now so confident in his powers his work seems effortless. Altman was a technical pioneer in the 70s, but he sometimes labored at it pretty hard -- the overlapping dialogue that so annoyed his detractors could sometimes seem oppressive (and when his pictures failed, like, say, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, you'd feel like you were watching a three-ring circus where no one had any idea which ring was the center one). Now he's come to the point where he achieves the same dimensionality -- making me feel like I was experiencing ever inch of the theatre at all times -- without garbling up his soundtrack, and keeping the whole thing far more fluid.
Again, not major work. But, in the context of a horrible Hollywood summer, significant pleasure.
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The Original BJ
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Gosford Park is a joy, but in its own way, so is The Company. Magilla, I'm shocked you would use the word amateurish to describe this film. With its gorgeous camerawork, graceful editing, colorful costumes, and of course, those dazzling dance sequences, The Company is anything but. That it all seems so effortless makes it one of the most self-assured films of recent years. Perhaps a minor work when compared to Altman's masterstrokes, but a joyous one nonetheless.
I don't like A Prairie Home Companion as much as Gosford Park or even The Company, but I'd take sub-par Altman any day over most of what's out there.
I don't like A Prairie Home Companion as much as Gosford Park or even The Company, but I'd take sub-par Altman any day over most of what's out there.
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Big Magilla
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I should probably give The Company another chance. It looked like an amateur production the first time I tried to watch it. Gosford Park, though, was a gem, especially coming as it did after the silly Doctor T and the Women. Not that Altman hasn't been disappointing before. Pret a Porter aka Ready to Wear was one of the worst experiences I've ever had in a theatre.
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Big Magilla
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Well it certainly wasn't cosmopolitan enough for me. The lowdown humor of Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly seemed the most sophisticated part of the whole phoney mid-west goings-on. An old man's movie in the worst sense of the phrase. Altman's Praire is as far from Ford's Last Hurrah and Hitchcok's Frenzy as one can get in terms of late career highs. His late career peak was Gosford Park, after which he's gone into rapid decline.Sonic Youth wrote:It doesn't look like an Oscar contender, but that's only because this movie may not be cosmopolitan enough for the Oscars.
At least Harrleson, Reilly and Lily Tomlin gave it the old college try. Aside from them, Tommy Lee Jones, playing the supposed villain, had the most zest. Meryl Streep was slumming, Kevin Kline and Garrison Keillor could hardly keep awake, Virginia Madsen gave the worst performance of any recent Oscar nominee and Lindsay Lohan should have been run out of town and replaced with someone who could at least act, if not sing.
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The Original BJ
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Well, Virginia Madsen's character was my second least favorite part of the film . . . the first being Kevin Kline's completely out-of-place slapsticky noir gumshoe. I guess I felt these characters never really cohered with the rest of the film.
Overall, though, I found the film enjoyable, even if it's not much more than Nashville Lite. Death does indeed hover everywhere, yet I found Prairie Home Companion to be a very joyful film. The film celebrates life despite (or perhaps, because of?) its teary-eyed longing for the things and people that have come and gone. (Semi-spoiler alert!) Even as some characters die, we are reminded that new lives (i.e. the stage-hand's unborn child) will take their places, inheriting this crazy world and the joyous camaraderie of the people in it. (End spoiler.)
Although perhaps an appropriate thematic conceit, I found the film a bit too claustrophobic. As a result, some of the humor didn't soar for me as much as it did for my fellow audience members. I often felt a little trapped in that theater, with barely enough room to breathe much less laugh . . . if that makes one iota of sense.
I, too, was incredibly impressed with the way the film managed to layer in the sounds of the performances with the backstage bits. Altman films have always had terrific (and underrated) sound mixes, and this film is no different. And does anyone know which songs were original? All the ones written by Keillor? Some of them were pretty terrific, but I wasn't sure if they were written for the film or his radio show.
MVP is definitely Meryl Streep, followed by Keillor himself. If Streep has a big year (Devil Wears Prada doesn't look like awards-bait, but man, she looks hilarious!), I would not be surprised to see her as a contender for this film.
The last thing I'll say is how pleased (and shocked) I was that I saw this film in a packed house, at a large theater; the film even had to start late because of the line around the block. People will see serious films if you make them, Hollywood!!!
Overall, though, I found the film enjoyable, even if it's not much more than Nashville Lite. Death does indeed hover everywhere, yet I found Prairie Home Companion to be a very joyful film. The film celebrates life despite (or perhaps, because of?) its teary-eyed longing for the things and people that have come and gone. (Semi-spoiler alert!) Even as some characters die, we are reminded that new lives (i.e. the stage-hand's unborn child) will take their places, inheriting this crazy world and the joyous camaraderie of the people in it. (End spoiler.)
Although perhaps an appropriate thematic conceit, I found the film a bit too claustrophobic. As a result, some of the humor didn't soar for me as much as it did for my fellow audience members. I often felt a little trapped in that theater, with barely enough room to breathe much less laugh . . . if that makes one iota of sense.
I, too, was incredibly impressed with the way the film managed to layer in the sounds of the performances with the backstage bits. Altman films have always had terrific (and underrated) sound mixes, and this film is no different. And does anyone know which songs were original? All the ones written by Keillor? Some of them were pretty terrific, but I wasn't sure if they were written for the film or his radio show.
MVP is definitely Meryl Streep, followed by Keillor himself. If Streep has a big year (Devil Wears Prada doesn't look like awards-bait, but man, she looks hilarious!), I would not be surprised to see her as a contender for this film.
The last thing I'll say is how pleased (and shocked) I was that I saw this film in a packed house, at a large theater; the film even had to start late because of the line around the block. People will see serious films if you make them, Hollywood!!!
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Sonic Youth
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I just saw this. My pretentious thoughts.
I thought it was spooky. Many of the reviews say the theme of death hovers over the film. I thought the entire film was a death metaphor. With the black dusky sets, and the burnished dressing rooms as claustrophobic as vaults, the control rooms padded as coffins, and the theater an imposing mausoleum; the black mourning suits, the MCs mic stand like a minister's podium, the programme as organized and familiar as a church service; the songs and jingles a commemoration of innocent bygone days, all the performers backstage engaging in nostalgic tales... this movie is a funeral. But I remember when Jim Henson died, and his will stipulated that his memorial service not be some grieving dirge, but a big party. And it was a celebration, with a Dixieland band providing the music. That's basically 'A Prairie Home Companion', death goes to a party. The proceedings onstage try (not always successfully) to celebrate with oblivion, while offstage the tone - even though there's much humor - is stately and somber as if in the final Kubler-Ross stage of death, acceptance. To drive the point home, there's even an angel of death floating throughout the theater, played by Virginia Masden (seemingly everyone's least favorite thing about the movie, and my favorite).
The only Oscar noms this may score is Original Song, but it deserves some tech noms, especially editing. One of the subtlest acheivements is hearing the entire show straight through, sometimes imperceptively, as the film shifts back and forth from onstage to backstage. I don't know if that's what Sound Editing is, but it deserves some sort of recognition.
I thought it was spooky. Many of the reviews say the theme of death hovers over the film. I thought the entire film was a death metaphor. With the black dusky sets, and the burnished dressing rooms as claustrophobic as vaults, the control rooms padded as coffins, and the theater an imposing mausoleum; the black mourning suits, the MCs mic stand like a minister's podium, the programme as organized and familiar as a church service; the songs and jingles a commemoration of innocent bygone days, all the performers backstage engaging in nostalgic tales... this movie is a funeral. But I remember when Jim Henson died, and his will stipulated that his memorial service not be some grieving dirge, but a big party. And it was a celebration, with a Dixieland band providing the music. That's basically 'A Prairie Home Companion', death goes to a party. The proceedings onstage try (not always successfully) to celebrate with oblivion, while offstage the tone - even though there's much humor - is stately and somber as if in the final Kubler-Ross stage of death, acceptance. To drive the point home, there's even an angel of death floating throughout the theater, played by Virginia Masden (seemingly everyone's least favorite thing about the movie, and my favorite).
The only Oscar noms this may score is Original Song, but it deserves some tech noms, especially editing. One of the subtlest acheivements is hearing the entire show straight through, sometimes imperceptively, as the film shifts back and forth from onstage to backstage. I don't know if that's what Sound Editing is, but it deserves some sort of recognition.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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I just received a backstage pass to the SXSW Film Festival in Austin (it runs from the 10th-19th this month), which is where A Prairie Home Companion is making its North American debut. The pass allows me to attend any screening I want (plus attend all the parties I want too), so I'll definately be seeing this.
I guess this is one of the perks of being an intern with the San Antonio Film Commission.
I guess this is one of the perks of being an intern with the San Antonio Film Commission.
"Young men make wars and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution." -- Alec Guinness (Lawrence of Arabia)