"Frost/Nixon"

OK. I'm sappy when it comes to our country. I cry when I hear the national anthem. I wept as I watched the airplanes crash into the World Trade Center not only for the lost lives but because I suspected it would result in some loss of our freedom as Americans. And I still have unresolved feelings of anger that our country was misled and polarized by the Bush administration.

There are two biopics in theaters now that deal with presidents who shattered Americans' trust in our government. I believe that biopics can be very powerful when they deal with our unresolved issues. I went to these films to find some kind of understanding and resolution. Unfortunately, the film "W" doesn't begin to deal with my issues with Bush. Oddly, director Oliver Stone seems to make excuses for Bush. No matter what he did, party boy George could never win his daddy's approval. Maybe I'm not there yet, but I have no need to sympathize with the spoiled rich kid portrayed here. This shallow justification was just as unsatisfying as the acting. I was always keenly aware that I was watching an actor (Josh Brolin) playing the President.

"Frost/Nixon" is based on the famous news special in which British talk show host, David Frost (Michael Sheen), tried to coax a confession out of former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) for his part in Watergate after he is pardoned by President Ford. Media savvy David risks an insanely huge sum of money for the interview in hopes of getting commercial sponsors and more credibility so he can get back his New York talk show and his table at Sardi's. I found myself rooting for this second rate talk show host to convince the intellectually superior Nixon to finally take responsibility for the cover up and for hurting the American people. I discovered, along with Frost, the importance of uncovering the truth as a much needed resolution. The acting and the writing (Peter Morgan) are thoroughly compelling. I wasn't watching actors, I was watching Frost and Nixon. It was a pleasure watching them in their "no holds barred" debate.

I found "Frost/Nixon" infinitely more satisfying than "W". Director Ron Howard wisely saw America's need for the truth and addressed it. Hmm. Perhaps we could use a "Frost/Bush" interview...

Movie Blessings!

Jana Segal

OSCAR UPDATE

Frost/Nixon Won Best Picture, Frank Langella won Best Actor, Ron Howard won Best Director, Peter Morgan won Best Adapted Screenplay, Mike Hill and Daniel P. Hanley won Best Editing

"Starting Out in the Evening"

Friday night I saw acclaimed writer/director Andrew Wagner (The Talent Given Us, Starting Out in the Evening) at the Loft Theater in Tucson. When asked how he keeps going (after the disappointments of the awards season), Andrew replied that he is in it for the journey. He gave a stirring speech encouraging an appreciative audience to follow their bliss too. It is clear that his love of writing influenced his film, "Starting out in the Evening."

This multi-level drama is a real treat for literature lovers and writers or anyone who loves smart adult dramas. Andrew explores a world of literature that has all but vanished as the once celebrated author Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella) bangs out one last novel on his outdated typewriter. After a close call with a stroke, Schiller urgently struggles to complete the novel he has been working on for a decade. He is challenged to "shake things up" when an ambitious grad student (Lauren Ambrose) badgers him into doing a series of interviews for her thesis on his life's work. She seduces him with the offer of a revised career and renewed acclaim. She forces him to face the consequences that his "single minded devotion to writing" had on his family life and even his writing.

The subplot supports the theme of balancing the pursuit of a dream with living life. Leonard's forty year old daughter, Ariel, (Lilli Taylor) has suppressed her own dream (of having a child) to support her lover's dream. Leonard chastises his daughter for settling for a man who places her second after his dreams. Ariel finds it hypocritical since Leonard's writing always came first over everything including his wife. But Leonard wants more for his daughter.
The dignified Frank Langella gives a courageous performance that would have garnered him an Oscar nomination in less competitive years. And Lilli Taylor literally glows in her role as his daughter.

As a writer, I appreciate how the film explores that precarious balance between having a life with the isolation writing requires and the passion that keeps us going. OK. It's a lot deeper than that, but I don't want to give it all away. I'll let you figure it out. That's half the fun.

If you love deep adult dramas don't miss seeing, "Starting out in the Evening," starting this evening.

Movie Blessings,
Jana Segal
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com/