Gia

"I do be da pittiest, pittiest girl. I do be dat." Gia Carangi

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic 


Gia (1998) comes to life by Angelina Jolie's scorching, reckless performance.


Directed and co-written by Michael Cristofer.


Starring Angelina Jolie, Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth Mitchell and Mercedes Ruehl among many others.


I saw Gia while in my 3rd year repertory season at The Actors Studio MFA Program. I had mastered and understood The Method as taught at The Actors Studio by teachers trained and certified by Lee Strasberg himself. You see The Method in brief character moments within a character action in a scene. Some Method trained actors like Marlon Brando, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe had many Method moments in their film acting careers. Angelina had so many Method moments in Gia that I sat back in awe. One moment really stood out for me as it happened. When Jolie leaps at the fence, nude I thought to myself that Angelina had gone too far and would need psychological help and time out from acting to recover her sanity and her real self. The Method frees us to go recklessly off the deep end on a characterization. Properly trained Method Actors at The Actors Studio know that they need help after losing themselves within a character.

The scene below has nudity and a Method moment. What I love about Angelina's work below and in general is that she can dazzle you more with her characterization then with her physical beauty. Not many people can be so free with their bodies while doing scenes completely nude. Nudity requires a confidence in yourself that few possess. Watch the look in Angelina's eyes as she leaps at the fence. She is completely lost in character. Also look at how confident she is when she is nude. Nudity seems to free Jolie's instrument. I'm happy that Angelina has continued to develop her instrument and expanded her craft to include writing, directing and producing films.

Jon Voight, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Robert Deniro, Al Pacino, Mickey Rourke, Michael Parks and John Malkovich to name a few well known Method Actors all have reached the pinnacle of The Method moment where they can with one action convey an entire characters persona and life. Jolie came close to reaching The Method Moment pinnacle in the scene below. Angelina reached that Method milestone in another movie I will review at a later date. Keep an eye out for Mercedes work opposite Angelina. Not even Angelina in full character can overtake Ruehl in a scene.

I added an interview with the real Gia Carangi. Note how Angelina captured Gia's essence. Poor Gia seems to be high in the interview, but you can see the wild tiger in her that Jolie captured in portraying Carangi.

Film Scene

Trivia - Mila Kunis plays Gia at age 11.

Film Trailer

Gia Carangi Personal Interview

Film Photos - Poster

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Film Transcript

Note - If you would like to view Gia to rent or buy please click on the link below the comments. It is sponsored by Google, so it is the safest and most secure way to get a copy for your film library.

Croupier

"Hang on tightly, let go lightly." Jack

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic 


Croupier (1998) is an intelligent, taunt neo noir thriller.

Directed by Mike Hodges.

Starring Clive Owens, Alex Kingston and Gina McKee among many others.


Hodges creates a thriller that is elegant and intelligent without the usual violence associated with gambling films. Mike has Clive narrate the story as a third person as though he is writing a novel. The narration brings out the subtext within the scenes. Owens slick haired, detached characterization and supreme confidence reminds me of Alain Delon's character portrayal in Jean-Pierre Melville's, Le Samourai (1967). The ending Mike crafts really is surprising and effective.

Clive's performance brings together Hodges elegant direction and Paul Mayersberg taunt script. I have always thought that Owens would make an intelligent James Bond. In the scene below watch Clive's eyes reveal how truly he is captivated with Gina's beauty. Clive's honesty is his trade mark. I get the feeling that a gun to Clive's head could not get him to be dishonest in a moment. One of the most sincere actors working today.

Film Scene

Trivia - Disqualified for the Oscars due to it being first shown on Dutch Television.

Film Trailer

Film Script

Elizabeth

"I have become a virgin." Elizabeth

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic

Elizabeth (1998) is a showcase for Cate Blanchett's riveting performance.

Directed by Shekhar Kapur.

Starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccelston, Joseph Fiennes among many others.

Shekhar creates a gorgeous and a visually stunning film. Kapur uses the strong, bright colors of his native India to dress Cate as a wealthy and powerful monarch. Michael Hirst's script although historically inaccurate is none the less tight and filled with court intrigue and machinations. Hirst's script reminded me of Aaron Sorkin's masterful screen play, The Social Network (2010). Both Hirst and Sorkin have an amazing ability to imbue their characters lines with subtext that allow accomplished actors to take them to majestic heights.

The star of this film is Blanchett's. Cate's portrayal is astounding. My favorite moment is when she first sits on her throne to discuss religious matters with the Bishops. Blanchett captures the power and majesty of the Queen of England. Geoffrey is equally brilliant as Cate's royal advisor and political tutor. Both Blanchett and Rush bring out the subtext that is within Hirst's script.

In the scene below Cate is magnetic while being so open and free with her characters inner struggles and fears. I really felt that Blanchett was frustrated with her characters untenable situation.

Film Scene

Trivia - John Gielgud's final film role.

Film Trailer

Meet Joe Black

"I don't know lightening could strike." Young man in coffee shop

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic

Meet Joe Black (1998) is a beautiful and enchanting tale.

Directed by Martin Brest.

Starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani, Jeffrey Tambor and Marcia Gay Harden, Jake Weber.

Meet Joe Black (1998) is based on the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday. The premise is enticing. In this version Death decides to have a look around our world and enlists Anthony as his guide. Brest takes a slow, languid pace to let the audience ponder the weight of our mortality and fragile existence. It's interesting how he does more close ups of Brad then Claire in their moments together. This is a film I hope to redo in the future.

This version is graced by wonderful performances all around. Jeffrey has a unique energy throughout the film that just makes you want to hug him. Claire's eyes and face convey the subtext alluded to her the lines. Marcia handles the melodrama with a such strong conviction that it seems genuine. Jake is so good at being detestible that I found myself disliking him from the start. Anthony Hopkins is riveting and so honest. Brad underplays his character and that makes him more powerful. The all around solid performances that elevate this film reminds me of Roman Polanski's, Carnage (2011).

Brad and Claire also had some great scenes together. In the scene below watch how Brad seduces Claire. The entire scene runs about 15 minutes and you can see the entire arch of how Brad seduces Claire.

Film Scene

Trivia - Gene Hackman was originally set to play Anthony's part.

Film Trailer

Film Script

Great Expectations (1998)

"Everything I've ever done, I've done for you." Finn

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic

Great Expectations (1998) is a spellbinding visual romance.

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron.

Starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Cooper, Hank Azaria, Robert Deniro and Anne Bancroft.

Alfonso starts the film by having Ethan say, "I'm not going to tell the story the way it happened. I'm going to tell you the way I remember it." Telling the story as you remember it, not as it happened, is the golden rule of cinema. Cuaron understood that Charles Dickens classic story needed a visual interpretation not a literary reproduction.

Film is a visual medium first and foremost. Get the visuals right and the audience will disappear into the story and elevate it to great heights. There are four key visual elements to why this film works for its audience. The director, cinematographer, artist and actors all help create a visually stunning story that allows the audience to inhabit the world they created.

The movie is breathtaking to watch. Giving a bit more background to each character would have helped the overall story. When a film has this many important persons, a director needs to find a way to give the back story of each character. Back stories help the audience empathize with each character's conflicts and dramas. I'm reminded of another film released at the same time as Great Expectations. Tom Tykwer, brilliantly handled all of his characters back stories in Lola Rennt - Run Lola Run (1998) by using photo montages. Each characters past, present and future were succinctly shown in a series of photos which informed his audience about their lives. I think back stories for each character are especially important for films using written works, as their source material. Audiences come into the movie theater having already read the story and are expecting the same level of character detail in its film version. The problem filmmakers have, is that cinema needs to condense a long story. Editing is a directors best friend in tightening a story. I need to mention the the art work throughout the film. It was created by Francesco Clemente. Francesco's art is haunting, moving, intimate and silently helps the narration of the story.

The scene below is a beautiful example of how Cuaron's masterful direction, Emmanuel Lubezki's opulent camera work and Steven Weisberg's stylish editing help make two children's simple kiss into an intimate adult memory for the audience. The power of cinema's visual grandeur to help an audience fantasize cannot be overstated. Enjoy!

Film Scene

Trivia - Ms. Dismoor's mansion in Florida is actually Ca d' Zan. John Ringling, the founder of Ringling Brothers Circus, built it in Sarasota, Florida for him and his wife Mable.

Film Trailer

Lola Rennt - Run Lola Run

"The ball is round, the game lasts 90 minutes, everything else is pure theory. Off we go." Herr

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic

Lola Rennt - Run Lola Run (1998) is high octane fun.

Directed by Tom Tykwer.

Starring Franka Potente and Moritz Bleibtreu among others.

If you are into Time Travel or alternate outcomes this is your kind of movie. The pace is fast and unrelenting from the opening screen credits to its very end. Pay close attention to every visual cue, for each has a profound meaning depending on which narrative the story veers into.

I've attached below the entire opening of the film, so you can get a sense of what is in store throughout the film. Tom breaks all the rules of film openings and editing in this film. Basically, the opening prepares you for the madness that ensues as Franka Potente tries to save her boyfriend Moritz Bleibtreu. Franka has to run through 3 different scenarios to see which one helps her achieve her quest. Small characters throughout not only help her, but their own stories are told in photo montages.

Tom creates a visual feast as well as a tight story line with split second edits that add depth and weight to Franka's journey. As an audience member I was completely and utterly engrossed in Franka's journey. You don't need to read the subtitles to follow the story, which to me is the mark of a great director. Film is a visual medium that needs no words to tell its story.

Film Scene

Trivia - Franka could not wash her red colored hair for the entire seven weeks of filming, so as not to lose the intense color.

Film Trailer