marți, 31 iulie 2018

Old School, story by Court Crandall


Old School, story by Court Crandall


This is not the film where the audience is invited to meditate, think profoundly on the meaning of life – that is for another, stupendous comedy, actually, perhaps the best there is: Monty Python’s Life of Brian- but it has three phenomenal actors that would entertain a less demanding viewer.

Luke Wilson is Mitch aka the Godfather of a fraternity that is established on unlikely premises, after he has a terrifying experience one night, as he comes home to hear moans and sexual screams from the bedroom, where his girlfriend, Juliette Lewis aka Heidi is waiting on the bed,
The loud pleasure noises are coming from the television, for there is a porn film on and the relieved boyfriend says he thought there might be someone with Heidi, but this is all right, since he also uses material…it is magazines in his case, but since there is this film, they can do it…

He starts undressing, in front of the embarrassed woman, who keeps looking behind him, wherefrom a couple approaches, blindfolded, nude and ready to party in what looks like a threesome, up to the point where Mitch exists the house, only to see another man at the door, interested in the…orgy.
Heidi claims she had kept trying to tell him, but he seems to have trusted her so much, had such a different idea about the partner he was sharing the house with that her allusions and interventions have had no echo.

This is where one could think of the ultimate expert on couples, John Gottman, author of the quintessential The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work, wherein he purports that partners need to know the other in detail, preferences, hobbies, favorite teams, and all the rest.
Or else…we could find ourselves in the position of Mitch, who comes home to the supposedly devoted, tender, loving girlfriend…who actually is waiting for the whole block to attend her orgy…this is evidently the extreme, proposed here for mirthful reasons, but knowledge of the important other half is nevertheless essential.

Mitch moves out, while his good friend Frank aka Will Ferrell is getting married, in spite of the opposition of the third member of this Invincible Team, Beanie aka Vince Vaughn, who is not just married, but has children and says he is an authority on marital issues – problems mainly.

While Frank is waiting for his bride in church, Beanie keeps forecasting the Apocalypse and asks the groom to run as fast as he can and save himself from the curse of matrimony, which brings unhappiness…look at him, does he look happy?
When Mitch moves into his new abode, Beanie is determined to take control of arrangements, turn the new place into a bachelor’s paradise, with continuous partying, a bar in the corner a gig that very night.

Although the host is not interested – at least to begin with – the intrepid, married man has already invited about forty men, eager to have maximum fun, in the evening when the whole college would know about this new fraternity and its wild ways.
The house is on the premises of the college campus and after the first thunderous night, a man shows up at the door, somebody they had met before, they even mocked and he turns out to be the dean, who gives notice that they would be ejected soon.

Indeed, there are many silly, if not completely stupid acts committed in the name of this fraternity, or in order to join it, as tests, but they all seem to be inspired from real life, where innocents have been left to die in the woods, made to perform despicable things in the name of one fraternity or another.
Young and old men – Blue is approaching ninety! – have their penises tied with a rope to a heavy weight, which is then thrown down from a height in a test that is supposed to expose the absolute confidence that members have in their leaders, their extreme loyalty and one might add their stupidity as well.

One weight does fall through a canal, albeit the sex organ in question is not severed in the process.
Alhamdulillah!

Watching the trio of superb artists perform is a delight at times, while when the script involves the aforementioned shenanigans it can be embarrassing, no matter what outlandish qualities Will Ferrell and the others possess.
One cannot make gold out of guano, no matter what the talents of the alchemist are.

Mitch becomes the Godfather of the fraternity and is celebrated as such through the campus.

The scene wherein the newly married Frank runs naked on the streets of the town, after having had too much to drink at the inaugural party, running into his wife and her friends, who are riding in the car is funny, although not hilarious.
Overall, the Metascore of 54 seems about right…the metascore represents the average of the ratings of the critics.

luni, 30 iulie 2018

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, written by John Milius


The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, written by John Milius


The cast for this feature is stupendous – Paul Newman, Anthony Perkins, Ned Beatty, Jacqueline Bisset, Ava Gardner – the director is a legend – and he acts for a couple of minutes – but the result of the combination of this formidable talent is less than overwhelming.

Paul Newman has the leading role of Judge Roy Bean and he does all he can with a script that may have sounded humorous, interesting and worthwhile on paper, but as transcribed for the big screen it becomes a less than exulting mixture of feeble jokes and conflicting messages.
Roy Bean is a criminal in the first instance, who arrives in Vinegaroon, Texas, where he is robbed – there is no honor among thieves and most sayings are actually wrong, as our national philosopher stated- by the people he meets in a bar, men and quite a few fierce women

After they take all of his possessions, the mob ties the unconscious victim to a horse that drags him through the brush, where the gentle, generous Maria Elena, who saves him from death, revives him.
The hero is resurrected, returns to the bar with guns blazing, shooting maybe more than ten men and half that many women, who are later buried with the help of a travelling priest, Reverend LaSalle aka Anthony Perkins, who then disappears without a credible explanation from the scene.

Roy Bean transforms himself into the ultimate authority in the small place, justifying the title – Life and Times of the Judge – with the help of an old law book, out of which he takes pages off when he dislikes the text, and especially the pistols and eventually some companions.
Other outlaws arrive on the scene and they constitute with the judge a sort of a strange outfit, wherein they act as law enforcers, taking people in for the judge to pass sentence on, but in practice this is just an organized crime syndicate – well, its inception anyway – which takes money and valuables from travelers.

With time, the “judge” turns the small town into his own business enterprise, everything bearing his name, from the bar to the stables, from the barbers to the other facilities available.

He is challenged by Bad Bob aka Stacey Keach – and others – but the protagonist is a cunning man and he eliminates adversaries with humor, gusto and cynicism – in the case of Bad Bob, when the pistolero calls for a fight, the judge shoots him in the back, with a shotgun, from a considerable distance.
John Huston as Grizzly Adams comes to town, with Watch Bear in his wagon and after a confrontation with the ruler of the town and its surroundings, he leaves the animal behind and this becomes not just an inseparable companion, but the best friend and guardian of Roy Bean.

When he takes his girl, Maria Elena, out for picnics, Watch Bear travels in the back of the wagon, although it is difficult to understand how the horses did not panic and run amok, feeling the dangerous, deadly enemy just a few feet behind them…
The animal drinks incredible quantities of alcohol, beer mostly, but his presence in the film does not bring the merriment that the film makers may have expected, especially if one considers the methods that are mostly used to determine these wonderful beats to perform the tricks humans enjoy.

When a group of whores – called sex workers in the correct language of this age – arrives in town, the judge decides to marry them to his deputies, furthermore, he is the one who says who is the partner of what man, in a more than sexist approach – perhaps in line with what was happening at that stage in history.
The women would be aggravated later, when they are ordinary citizens and the same figure who had arranged for their matrimony is calling them whores and as a line of defense, he comes to them to state that he did not call them other insults…which comes out as very offensive and inappropriate for a script in 2018, but was written anyway in 1972.

Frank Gass, a lawyer and smart, cunning man arrives into the town controlled, owned by the hero, with a claim that is dismissed by the judge, who tears the pages from the law book that may suggest Gass could have a claim and he sets Watch Bear with the claimant in a cage.
The lawyer would become a vicious enemy, who hires a gunman to kill the judge, but the bear saves his master, paying this effort with his own life, making Roy Bean so depressed he condemned the animal for being silly enough to expire.

A monument is raised for the dead friend, the protagonist departs for the city to attend a performance by his favorite, cherished star, Lily Langtry aka Ava Gardner, but he is robbed and attacked by some crooks, which pretend they would offer access backstage.
When he returns, the former deputies have turned against their ex leader, electing Gass as mayor of the city, the hero rides into the wild, leaving his new born daughter, Rose Bean played by Jacqueline Bisset, with his friend and bartender.

If not altogether a major disappointment, this is a flawed movie, with some rather embarrassing scenes, such as the one where Lily Langtry arrives in Bean Town, a long, rather excruciating expose of useless material.



Beautiful Girls, written by Scott Rosenberg


Beautiful Girls, written by Scott Rosenberg


If only for the fantastic cast, this film would be worth watching, but if we add that the narrative is interesting- not outstanding though – then you might consider this as a pleasant entertainment.

“the best date movie of the 90’s!” this is on the movie poster, a quote from American Movie Classics, but others would surely state that it is a definite exaggeration, especially given some flaws, like the unaccomplished, artificial, somewhat infatuated acting of Timothy Hutton, whose character, Willie Conway may anyway entertain inappropriate thoughts concerning Marty aka Natalie Portman, his thirteen year old neighbor.
Knights Ridge, Massachusetts is the small town where friends have various experiences, conflicts, disappointments and affairs that form the subject of this motion picture, a romantic comedy with some flares of violence, moral issues, and thoughts about meaning and existential doubts thrown into the mixture.

Matt Dillon – a very talented actor – is Tommy Birdman Rowland, a young man who has a relationship with Sharon Cassidy aka Mira Sorvino, but is also sleeping on the side with Darian Smalls – this where one would have different points of view, in the light of the MeToo movement and the recent scandals.
One take on what happens between lovers is that Birdman is a chauvinist male – pig may not enter into this game – who sees women as trophies – maybe most of the time or just sometimes – and it is his fault entirely – or is it just almost 100%?

The other perspective would present as evidence scenes like the one in the car, where the man – granted, he may be bored, this could be the exception to the rule – does not want to have sex with the married woman, at least not anymore, but she insists.
Furthermore, it could also be stated, if not exactly in his defense, that the character pays for his philandering with days in the hospital, after the aggrieved husband confronts him and when he does not get the upper hand alone, in a cowardly, despicable move he brings friends that beat and wound the bachelor seriously.

When the friends of the hospitalized Tommy Rowland gather a vengeful party for Payback, they arrive at the house of the cheated spouse, while his allies are coming; Willie Conway drives the snowplough into their car, severely damaging it.

Just as Jealous Smalls is about to see the ground, after many fists would have hit his face, stomach and other parts of the body, his daughter, who is about five, shows at the window asking when will her father come back into the house, making the would be aggressors abandon their fierce vengeance.
Willie Conway talks frequently with the smart, thirteen year old Marty, contemplating a scenario wherein he would wait for her – he would be forty-nine when she reaches the age of twenty-three and this could be seen as idealistic, idle talk or as a condemnable hypothesis and not the positive psychology rule of happiness:

Imagine the Best Possible Self or/and The Best Possible Future

At the local bar, the resplendent Uma Thurman as Andera enters the stage, making the friends exult, Willie to perform at the piano, Paul Kirkwood to ask her out on false pretenses, claiming they are all going to meet at the place where he has other plans.
Paul is separated from his ex- girlfriend, who is a vegetarian that in a strange way is now living with a…butcher, a fact that horrifies her ex-companion who speaks about the smell of bacon and how vegetarians should run away from that at all costs.

He wants to make this girl jealous, by showing off his false date with Andera, who catches early on that there is something wrong, forces her pretend partner to confess and then acts on the game, dancing luridly with him, making outlandish moves and then walking out.
Rosie O’Donnell as Gina Barrisano has some very interesting lines, perhaps funny and revealing for the 90s, but very probably under fire if tried in a new film in 2018, for she says that the models in the men’s magazines are false, it is either fat (or large) and with impressive breasts, or thin and with nothing to show for bosoms.

Gina claims that the women photographed in Playboy and similar magazines do not exist, me should stop thinking, fantasizing about them, because this would be detrimental for them and all others concerned…words to that effect, if memory does not play a farce here.
At the superficial level, we have a series of events, some of which are comical, cause for merriment, others are dramatic, but they all seem to cause some introspection, which could ultimately benefit the protagonists.

Willie Conway talks to his underage – intellectual interest Insha’Allah – friend and states that they may see each other when she is eighteen, as she suggests, but in the meantime she would have forgotten about him, given the transformations that she would go thorough – a wise attitude, considering he travels to New York with his – Alhamdulillah – adult girlfriend.
After taking a severe beating, facing time in bed, Tommy Rowland may see better the meaning of life, the paramount importance of his friendship with Sharon and all the others involved may be more mature, smarter, resilient and prepared after the experiences they go through.




duminică, 29 iulie 2018

Tully by Diablo Cody


Tully by Diablo Cody


Knowing that raising one child is hard, one can surely understand that having three can be more than burden, it can become overwhelming, especially if one of the children has special needs, as is the case in this challenging motion picture that has received very good reviews.

Given that it relies mostly on the solid performance of Charlize Theron, it might well be expected that she would receive yet another nod for the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and the other prizes that are worthwhile.
Furthermore, audiences and critics could well be reminded by Marlo aka Charlize Theron of Monster, for which the artist was recompensed with the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the Golden Globe and other prizes in the same category.

In addition, the more recent Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road could come to mind, given the forceful, determined, brave, strong, resilient, intelligent, gritty and superior character from that movie, which has so much in common with Marlo, although the latter is supposed to be an “ordinary woman”.
Marlo has two children, Emmy, who is eight – “the age at which she starts being hard on herself” according to her mother – and Jonah, who is a boy with special needs and whose demeanor presents his mother with some challenges.

Apparently, Marlo’s affluent brother – in money terms, although positive psychology suggests it is better to be time affluent and maybe desirable to be both – has put on a good word and Jonah has been accepted at the educational establishment where he is enrolled.
However, when talking to a representative, in the first instance Marlo is told that it is suggested – if not required – to have one aid to support the progress of the boy and then later there is more and a conflict on the status of the child ensues, given his reactions in various circumstances…

At one point, his mother is outside, while Jonah is supposed to use the toilet, in a public place – the would be next school in fact – but he is more than reluctant, scared as he is to get inside, where he starts screaming because of the noise made by the water released in the bowl…
Luckily, in the new institution, the teachers and other staff are much better prepared to cope with different situations and the man they meet on the corridor adapts a yoga position, which he connects to a tree and then makes Jonah – and his mother – comfortable on the new premises.

Given the difficult task of caring for two small children and breast-feeding, waking up and constantly supervising, holding, swinging the infant, Craig offers a special gift to his sister, a night nanny, who would stay with the baby and only bring him to his or her mother when needed.
In the first instance, Marlo refuses the gift, saying that she feels it is awkward – maybe even inappropriate to have that sort of help – causing her sister-in-law to become somewhat upset at the thought that this is a judgment on what they did – because Craig and Elise also have three children and they have used the same system they now promote.

When the heroine gives birth to a baby girl, Maya, it becomes ever more evident that to care for three children is one of the most difficult enterprises in the world, her body is gaining weight, she appears to be continuously exhausted – indeed, at a later stage, a doctor says that she seems to be worn out.
After seeing supervisors and learning about the difficulties they have with Jonah, Marlo takes Maya to the car, aggravated as she is from the conflictual discussion and clash of opinions, but the baby is continuously crying at the top of her voice, causing the public
Pain, never mind the parent

Under this torment, the protagonist understands that there is but one small step to the edge; she might or would collapse and have a total breakdown if nothing is done about the intolerable cruelty of the circumstances she lives in…
Hence, she calls the nanny, who comes in the shape and form of Tully – who gives the name to the film, given her paramount importance, in spite of her supporting character, when compared with Marlo- a handsome, intelligent, outré woman with extraordinary qualities.

If she was opposed to the idea in the beginning and looks with suspicion at the young girl who is to be trusted with her precious, vulnerable infant, the heroine becomes gradually dependent on this support, which does not come in the form of siting by her baby mainly.
Indeed, the supervision of the child appears to be the least of important of the ways this woman helps Marlo and Drew, he husband, for after she cleans, takes care of at least part of the house, allows the protagonist to get some sleep, Tully becomes her friend, analyst and Savior.

Maybe the latter qualification is an overstatement, but it feels that this apparition has had a life changing impact, given the talks they have, the opening of the hearts, the change in the look, attitude, perspective, optimism, freshness, approach to life of the mother who had seemed destined for a downfall – gradual or speedy – before the Angel of Mercy arrived.
To top it all, the two women go to a heavy rock concert, take a night out – granted, this has a more complex outcome, it is not really “positive”- and after they discuss intimate details, the sex, Tully dresses in an uniform which turns out to be Drew’s fantasy and…has sex with the husband, with the encouragement and benediction of the wife…


Flatliners, based on story by Peter Filardi


Flatliners, based on story by Peter Filardi


Ellen Page is an outstanding, phenomenal, extremely talented actress, only Juno puts these and other qualities in favorable light, while the rather strange, intriguing by poorly developed material for this newest version of Flatliners does not favor the gifted artist or any of her remarkable partners on screen.

Ellen Page is Courtney, one of five medical students at the core of this motion picture, who challenges Jamie, in the first scenes of the film, to meet with her later in the evening, for what he thinks is a date, an opportunity for sex.
Jamie is a rather horny – or it is extremely – young man, who is flirting with various colleagues, students who are older, younger and whose past has a dark side, as we would learn at a certain stage, the lack of self-regulation and control in sexual matters has made him commit a deplorable act.

When the two students meet just before midnight, it is in the basement of the medical school, where installations, modern equipment, operating tables, scanners and more are in waiting for a possible catastrophe that would require underground medical intervention of the highest standard and complexity.
Jamie thinks the beds would be used for intercourse – and probably the audience is meant to be amused by all these introductory shenanigans – and when he sees that the third medical student, Sophia, is present, he takes his intimate fantasies even further:

This will be a threesome, ménage a trois! Wonderful!

Only it is not about that.
Courtney is interested in what happens when people reach the threshold between life and death – references are made about history, what medical records say about this aspect which interests probably all human beings, with the exception of evangelicals, fundamentalists and others who would see this exploration as sinful and anathema.

Therefore, Courtney would put herself in this state, in the splendid facilities offered by the hospital and school, in the basement, where they have an interval of time, before guards would arrive.

The other colleagues would intervene after an established interval of about one minute – which would vary, for the dramatic tension of the script surely requires tension to reach a climax and audiences to believe that one or more of the heroes would die…which might happen.
Ray and Tessa are also involved in the project, although not all the protagonists would reach the state between death and life, some would have the chance to benefit to a certain extent from this magic trip, while others would suffer terrible consequences, wherein the scenario appears to become less likeable and believable.

Courtney is the first to return from No Man’s Land, the other side, or the land just before the vacuum, whatever we want to call it, that is if we believe this would happen and it is not just hearsay, a state in which people’s imagination is more active and therefore they see the light and the other known visions.
This young student seems to have gained special powers, an increased capacity to process, a higher intelligence because of her being in a trance and in clinical death, which make her able to find rare diagnosis, understand what happens to a patient even in very difficult and exotic cases.

Sophia sees what happens, the extraordinary abilities gained after this special trip to another world and wants to “die and come back” as soon as possible- indeed, early on, Courtney suggests that they could become the first experts on the near death state and in terms of job opportunities, that would open all the gates.
Alas, it is not all Wine and Roses, for there are traumas because of the temporary exit from this world – the alternative line of thought being that these people had serious issues in their past and this is why they engaged with such a dangerous, edgy project.

Indeed, Courtney is definitely doing this for more than she has initially admitted, for she feels responsible for the death of her sister and she wants to meet with her ghost, soul or whatever, on the other side, between sides – here it is difficult to try to figure out what happens- maybe because the plot is actually confused, wants to create the impression of complex, otherworldly events and thoughts that are beyond mere human comprehension…
Jamie has had a girlfriend – well, he has had so many, womanizer that he is – and this one became pregnant and he initially offered her help – he comes from an affluent family, whereas the girl was working in a menial job.

Nevertheless, when it came to the moment where he had to drive, take her to the clinic, where he was supposed to pay for her abortion, the evil young man did not do it, left the girl to fend for herself and she now comes to haunt him in the Flatliners ’experiences in the basement and even more terrifying, once these are finished, into the “real” world.
Marlo has also made a mistake, this one with tragic consequences, for she gave some medication to a man who had arrived at the hospital bitten by jelly fish, only the drugs had a reaction with the pills he was already on – and which the woman should have checked for – and the result is that the patient died…

Perhaps some of them escape the curse of the near death experience – which has some other advantages- the sexual prowess, emotions and intensity that Sophia experiences after Flat lining are formidable and…maybe worth the risk?
Insha’Allah!

sâmbătă, 28 iulie 2018

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, based on the book by Chuck Barris


Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, based on the book by Chuck Barris


Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is the fascinating, unbelievable – even if perhaps true – story of a game show creator and host who claims to have also been a…CIA hit man and agent.

Written by one of the best screenplay writers, Charlie Kaufman – author of the classics Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, to name a few- the film is directed by George Clooney and has a splendid cast.
The recent winner of the Academy Award – for his formidable acting in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – plays the lead with tremendous talent – Chuck Barris is a complex, difficult role.

Drew Barrymore is his girlfriend, Penny, while Julia Roberts steals some scenes as another agent and killer, who comes as a recompense a reward for an  accomplished mission, but is also trying to eliminate the CIA agent, once the interests of mysterious parties requires it.
Other friends of the director, George Clooney, make appearances – Matt Damon and Brad Pitt –and the excellent Rutger Hauer as another killer, based on and operating from across the ocean.

The combination of comedy, thriller and spy movie seems to work perfectly in many stages, for instance when the hero is trained by the CIA to kill, handle hand to hand combat and the trainees are showed various techniques which can be used to eliminate adversaries without weapons.
The trainer however seems to make a terrible if somewhat funny mistake.

As he presents the moves and shouts in the manner of the sergeant from Full Metal Jacket- this is how you can kill a man, by hitting with the elbow at his neck and breaking his trachea, he kicks, but he seems to…have killed the innocent man.
Furthermore, he says…

I need another volunteer.

Combining his activity as a CIA operative and hit man, Chuck Barris travels to Europe with participants in his game show, while participating in the plans the agency has for him…
The man who takes part in the show is so obnoxious that the trained killer contemplates murdering him – the audience wonders for some time why he does not do it, indeed.

However, as he is caught by the enemies from the Warsaw pact, the agent is sent to prison and only escapes as a swap is organized – perhaps on The Bridge of Spies – and more than ten American and Western operatives are traded for one single Eastern spy…

That is exactly the game show participant…

An interesting scene is that in which Patricia Watson and Chuck Barris are supposed to have a pleasant evening together, after having had a previous sexual encounter that the hero is informed took place as a reward from the agency.
First, we think that the protagonist is about to die at the hands of a former ally, now turned foe, only to have a surprise.

In conclusion, the film deserves more attention than it received.

vineri, 27 iulie 2018

A Prayer Before Dawn, screenplay by Nick Saltrese


A Prayer Before Dawn, screenplay by Nick Saltrese


Although this motion picture is listed as action, biography and drama, one might surely think that the horror category could be added, given the terrifying hard to believe scenes in this film.

It makes one wonder- is Billy Moore exaggerating in his account about what happened in Thailand?

Associated with paradisiacal beaches, this country is a paradox indeed, for a military junta rules it, if somebody criticizes the monarchy – no matter how mildly – the risk of a long prison sentence is very high, considering the preposterous, draconic lese majeste laws in effect there.
Nevertheless, this is not about the monarchy, the politics of Thailand, albeit the rulers should do something about the terror reigning in their abominable prisons, but about the ordeal, horror endured by the hero, the boxer Billy Moore, who has a short presence on screen at the end of the film.

In South East Asia, drug related offences are very harshly punished – and not just there, in a number of Arab countries it equals hanging or beheading – and we can think of the Philippine president, the mad Duterte, who boasts about killing suspects of drug associated offences – suspects for he is no judge and even if he were, a trial is needed before sentencing, never mind executing a man or woman.
A Prayer before Dawn reminds one of the madness, the horror and terror from Midnight Express, where another westerner suffers horrendous, abhorrent abuses in a Turkish jail – by the way, that country is veering towards dictatorship and more torture of journalists, opponents, with the ascent of the New Age Sultan, Erdogan.

Ending the reference to previous features, there is Return to Paradise to consider, where a young man convicted for possession of some mild drugs – for his own consumption actually – is sentenced to death – he is played by Joaquin Phoenix and they try to save him by bringing Back to Eden a friend who could share in the blame and eventually bring the convicted prisoner from the death’s door.
Billy Moore has to sleep together with scores of people in the same, not that large room, in a jail that cannot be worse than hell itself, prisoners do not even have the space to rest at centimeters from other inmates, and they have arms and legs crossing the neighbor.

As soon as a new inmate is brought to the big room, the leader of the gang that dominates the scene faces him, then they start kicking the new arrival, which is soon attacked and invited to surrender to the sexual attacks of the other prisoners, who take turns and rape the vulnerable…or perhaps we should say everyone.
Except the hero is a very determined, gritty, resilient, strong – physically and mentally , brave, perseverant young man who does not give in, he resists the attacks of the gang, who resort to holding him and making him watch while they force themselves upon another man.

This victim is dead in the morning, apparently he has hanged himself, after rascals, violent, tattooed prisoners raped him one meter away from Billy, who was immobilized by these brutes, monsters with a human face – although given the inscriptions that covered their face, skull, sometimes they no longer look like mere mortals, more like demons.
There is a chance to fight as a boxer, but it is an overwhelming, surreal, extremely hard job, training for what is probably called Thai boxing, using fists with legs and special blows that the hero has to learn in training.

The English boxer has no money to pay guards, bribe other officials, or even get cigarettes or anything he might need inside – and all the basic necessities are simply absent inside, if one has no money – because he says he has no family.
He becomes friendly with someone from outside prison, who visits regularly, whose sexual identity is hard to establish – although it might have been stated in the film, maybe he or she is transsexual? – and who supports Billy and gives him some packs of cigarettes that he uses for bets.

Two poor fish fight in a bowl, Betta Splendens is the name of the species, wherein the male fights another male just as soon as he sees him, displaying wonderful tail and fins and in the Thai jail they place on money on one or the other, with Billy guessing the winner, but having his gains denied.
The hero has to fight quite a few prisoners and some guards, resulting in solitary confinement, brutal punishments, cuts, blackouts and terrible pains, but after the fish fight, he does get his wins eventually.

A Prayer for Dawn seems to be similar with the many boxing films, from Rocky to Raging Bull, but the savagery, extreme brutality seems to be taken to a completely different level in this film.




Bonne Pomme, written and directed by Florence Quentin


Bonne Pomme, written and directed by Florence Quentin


The Super Actors involved in Bonne Pomme have given the world some of the best, most glorious masterpieces of French and World Cinema:

The Last Metro – where they performed brilliantly, magically together – and for Catherine Deneuve – a cinematic goddess:

Repulsion, Belle de Jour, Tristana, Le Sauvage, Indochine, Place Vendome, 8 Femmes to name just a few
As for Gerard Depardieu, he was also a deity, before his collapse into the abyss of Russia, friendship with a tyrant and so many other regrettable, condemnable, awful shenanigans and terrible acts:

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Loulou, My American Uncle, La Chevre, The Return of Martin Guerre, Danton, Under the Sun of Satan, Cyrano de Bergerac, Tous les Matins du Monde, Jean de Florette and so many more.
All the chef d’oeuvres aforementioned could make one feel tenderness, reminisce when watching Bonne Pomme, but the fact is that this most recent feature in which the monumental Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu act together is nothing to compare with their previous, most astounding work

Gerard Depardieu plays Gerard Morlet, a mechanic who feels he has to move away from his home and the garage where he had used to work, given the circumstances, family complications and tensions.
He finds a place he would like to buy, where relatives would not find him, Serenity Now! – would not be just a chimera – or the famous cry from Seinfeld where Mr. Contanza shouts at the top of his voice…

The present owner of the mechanic’s workshop is about to embark on a fabulous journey, towards Uzbekistan – was it? In any case, it is one of the Stans, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia – willing to see Samarkand and much more.
However, more important than the owner of the garage is Barbara Manet aka Catherine Deneuve, a single woman who manages a restaurant and small hotel, whenever she can pull herself together and find some funds to pay many, outstanding debts.

The humor comes from the way she deals with Gerard, who wants to find a room and perhaps eat something in the restaurant, but as soon as he enters the Manet property, he is maneuvered, made to bring a beer for the…owner and gradually accept all sorts of unbelievable propositions.
On his first evening in the place, there are some clients, who are told that they need to restrict to some outré dish, then the Madame-and-waitress remembers she does not have…bread.

As she walks out, she instructs her client to supervise; as he wants some nuts, he walks into the kitchen to ask for them, seeing that there is no chef- much like in one of the hilarious episodes in Fawlty Towers- but various pots are on the fire and there is no sign that the patroness will return any time soon.
The hero learns from his business partner in town about the adventures of Madame Manet, who has plenty of debts, has tried suicide, and seems to be at the end of her rope, in severe condition, with various mental issues.

Gerard Morlet feels sorry for the woman, returns to the restaurant and stars to cook for the guests, offers them some wine as compensation for the serious delay and the other unhappy events of the night.
He tries to help the single woman as much as he can, although he has had some embarrassing experiences right from the start – when he was offered the room, Barbara Manet has said room four, but when the mechanic opened it, two Japanese clients were on the bed, in intimate postures…

Whenever Morlet helps, the ungrateful victim is complaining, instead of showing appreciation – he has to take her and the car from a ditch, where she plunged with the car, as she destroyed the advertising for the rival restaurant that offers proper food and service in the same small town.
There is a fire, evidently the owner has no insurance, which it befalls on the friendly, generous Gerard to pay, Madame Manet is taken to the hospital and in her absence, a wedding party comes to benefit from the arrangements they had made…

The intrepid hero, with help from the locals, his new assistant and friend Manu, arranges a fabulous wedding party, where the groom becomes severely inebriated- so much so that the wedding night becomes the occasion for sex – French moeurs? – between the bride and…Manu.

There are some moments of mirth, amusement and tender recollection of the monumental days when Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve made the big screen light up with their brilliant, divine, sensational, celestial performances…

“Ou sont les neiges d’antan”

joi, 26 iulie 2018

Restoration based on the novel by Rose Tremain


Restoration based on the novel by Rose Tremain


Restoration is not the best film one can see, but it is worthwhile entertainment, winner of two Academy Awards – granted, in the categories of the less followed Best Costume Design and Art Direction- benefiting from a tremendous cast…

Robert Downey Jr. Plays the hero, Doctor Merivel, Sam Neill – who has more recently appeared in some very good, interesting independent films like Sweet Country and Hunt for the Wilderpeople – appears as King Charles II, David Thewlis is the friend of the hero, John Pearce, Meg Ryan has the part of Katharine, Ian McKellen is Will Gates and finally, Hugh Grant is the painter Finn.
With this outstanding line up and a decent script, topped with a reasonable director, Restoration could not miss and is indeed a very watchable, entertaining motion picture, in spite of the fact that the first part seems to break somewhat without a real, flowing connection with the second, last chapter.

Robert Merivel is an aspiring, daring doctor, who shows courage and stamina in an early scene, wherein a man who has had an accident is brought to the fore, because he has an…opening on his chest, through which we can see his beating heart.
This victim invites Pearce to have more than just an astonished look, put the hand on his live organ, for he declares to be beyond fearing, feeling or both, but there is reluctance in the audience and it is Robert who grasps the organ, without the possessor showing any reaction.

King Charles II is in the wings of the hall where this scene is taking place, admires the daring of the young man, instructs an adviser to bring him to the court, where he mentions that he needs Merivel – what a lovely name his majesty remarks – to care and cure a dear patient.
That proves to be a dog – apparently a Cocker Spaniel – who is very sick, does not get much better as a result of the efforts of the hero, furthermore, soon expires, is placed into a coffin, only to…make noises from inside, where he is miraculously brought back into existence.

The good doctor is not just praised, lavish prizes are poured upon him, the king gives him the benefit of luxury at the palace, the graces of a wondrous entourage, young, exulting women, the immense pleasures of the court, exquisite gardens, probable orgies and life in Eden.

The talents of the protagonist are put to use…he can fart at will, therefore he plays a sort of god of wind on the outdoors stages where the damsels laugh at his acting, but the king has a more elaborate plan for the elevated doctor, explaining that one mistress is angry with the presence of another.
His royal highness explains that Lady Celia has to be removed from the palace if war between the two rivals is not to break out, the solution being to marry this mistress, send her nearby, although the other would think that after matrimonial ceremonies the competitor is out of the picture.

Robert Merivel is to be the new husband, his majesty informs him, the ritual is performed, the cheering guests take a naked groom to the bed chamber to perform the consecrated rituals, where the expecting bride is kissing him elaborately, but after the companions are gone, they speak about their act of theater and the king appears in the wedding night bedroom.
The hero travels with his wife to the land and property bestowed upon him by the monarch, where a painting is commissioned, with Lady Celia as subject and the young painter Finn as author, portrayed by the excellent Hugh Grant.

Robert Merivel falls in love with the consort that is supposed to be a decorative spouse, without attachments, feelings or intimacy, as consequence he tries to obstruct the path of the one who is now his rival, his majesty, by lying about the portrait, the wishes of his wife in name only and the orders of the royal highness.
The efforts of the loving man to prolongue as much as possible the painting of the portrait, the reunification of the monarch with his mistress lead him to falsify a message from Charles II and the crime is witnessed by the painter, who informs the rules of the country.

The hero is punished severely, his land, property, indeed, everything he has had is confiscated and he is a destitute man who has known wealth, forced to look for his former friend, John Pearce, who lives with Quakers now and offers medical assistance to poor people.
There seems to be a disconnect between the period when the protagonist experienced the rich life and his descent into poverty, but caring for the poor and sick brings meaning to his life, he even experiments with what would later become psychology and mental health treatment.

Poor Katharine aka Meg Ryan has suffered from a severe trauma and seems to be mad when Robert Merivel starts treating her, alleviating her depression, showing kindness and trying a creative approach which attracts a rather preposterous opposition from Pearce and the other radicals – “Only Jesus can cure, nobody else can”…
Katharine seduces, provokes the doctor into having sex with her, then she shouts through the courtyard, in the rain, that Robert is her lover, leading to their expulsion and consequently an extreme, ultimate dedication from the one who becomes a role model and a Super Hero as he cares for the victims of the plague.




Madame Hyde, written and directed by Serge Bozon


Madame Hyde, written and directed by Serge Bozon


Given that Isabelle Huppert, one of the best artists in the world, if not, together with Meryl Streep, the very best, and the equally formidable, phenomenal Romain Duris are partnered in this production one would expect glory and bliss.

Alas, the proposition is intriguing, bizarre, but ultimately a regrettable waste of the outstanding abilities of the two leading actors.

There might be some interest in the way a modern adaptation of the famous Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde could work – hence the Madame Hyde in the title – with a new format wherein a woman becomes the violent, abusive criminal.
Isabelle Huppert is a professor, Mrs. Gequil, a teacher who may see has nudged, primed to become a monster, given that other teachers and students alike reject her strange manner.

One can think at times of Entre Les Murs aka The Class – winner of the most prestigious cinematic award, The Palme D’or in 2008 – but Madame Hyde does not rise up to that standard, although there are some similarities in the theme of the motion pictures.
In respect for the two performers, perhaps it is best to say no more about this forgettable film, which has nevertheless a Metascore – which is supposed to give audiences an idea about what critics say on average – of 60.

Consequently, perhaps you would enjoy Madame Hyde.

luni, 23 iulie 2018

Madame Bovary, adapted by Claude Chabrol, based on the novel by Gustave Flaubert


Madame Bovary, adapted by Claude Chabrol, based on the novel by Gustave Flaubert


Madame Bovary, the chef d’oeuvre by Gustave Flaubert is celebrated as one of the best books of all time, included on the list of the crème de la crème by a panel of geniuses, asked by the Norwegian Club to state the best that humanity has had to offer:


indeed, we have had in high school one of the best professors of literature that humankind has ever known and he talked with awe about Gustave Flaubert, the deity that our teacher considered to be the Jupiter of writers.
The author has famously said that “Madame Bovary is myself”, reminding one of other writers who have said similar things – Kingsley Amis also stated that, even when the passage, chapter is not about the creator, you can find him on every page…

“Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars.”
Gustave Flaubert was one of the writers who made enormous efforts, he may be the epitome of the theory exposed by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers – which claims that 10,000 hours of practice over ten years, aka three hours of work every single day, would propel one to the top of his profession or art.

Charles Bovary is a country doctor, kind, able, if not outstanding, who happens to have a case whereupon he meets Pere Roualt, a patient with a broken leg that he cures and...the patient becomes interested in marrying his daughter to the decent physician.
Emma Roualt is portrayed by Isabelle Huppert, who is holding with Meryl Streep on to the position of best actress in the world, even if in this romantic drama she seems to have had less luck with the setting, production or maybe relationship with other crewmembers on the set.

Miss Roualt is asked by her father – who had warned the doctor about his intentions and had said that if he makes a sign at the window, then she would have accepted – about her position regarding the good – probably soon to be prosperous – doctor and she agrees, although she is not thrilled.
Life would be agreeable perhaps, for some time, but this is a young woman who represents youth with its insatiable passion, the desire for excitement, new endeavors, fun, activity as opposed to the dullness the taedium vitae, ennui that is the archetype of country life, especially during her time.

“She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.”

Furthermore, she has some clashes with her mother-in-law, defended by her husband to a certain point, but faced with severe criticism, rejection actually of her plans to spend more on what her foe sees as futile, embarrassing expenses.
When Charles Bovary announces that Emma would have procurement, granting her access to money, making her able to spend with more ease, his mother, sited at the table with the couple is outraged, provoking the heroine to declare that she would burn the damned thing.

“What better occupation, really, than to spend the evening at the fireside with a book, with the wind beating on the windows and the lamp burning bright.
Well, that may well be, only some more excitement is needed, and the protagonist becomes infatuated with Rodolphe Boulanger, after he brings an employee to see the doctor, then pursues, trying to seduce the married woman.

The two lovers ride together, in fact, Rodolphe Boulanger asks Charles Bovary – this somewhat amusing, but also cynical – about the benefits of riding, which would make Madame Bovary feel so much better…is it not so, doctor?
Seeing as they have no horse – point that Emma makes – the generous, kind Mr. Boulanger offers to help, they stop in the forest, where they make love, and the romantic, if married woman becomes enchanted, mesmerized, thrilled:

“Love, she thought, must come suddenly, with great outbursts and lightnings,--a hurricane of the skies, which falls upon life, revolutionizes it, roots up the will like a leaf, and sweeps the whole heart into the abyss.”

She is probably lucky to have experienced emotions so powerful overwhelming, transforming, exhilarating, glorious, even if – nobody would need spoiler alerts in the case of one of the best-known tragedies, right? – the result is not lasting, that is she does not have a happy, long life…

“An infinity of passion can be contained in one minute, like a crowd in a small space.”

Emma Bovary has gone “to infinity and beyond”, and we can think of what happened to Fyodor Dostoevsky and the intensity, immensity of minutes.
The author of Crime and Punishment, the Idiot, Demons, The Brothers Karamazov has been sentenced to death, sent in front of the execution squad, where he had three minutes left, one he dedicated to friends and family, another to pass his life in front and the last for a ray of sunshine falling on a cupola nearby…

He is pardoned in the last moment and writes in his masterpieces about the significance of minutes, how the man condemned to death understands the importance of time, life – he would rather live on a bare rock, in the middle of the ocean than die.
Through her love, Emma Bovary has attained bliss, the higher state of being, “the infinity of passion”.

Outrage Coda, written, directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano


Outrage Coda, written, directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano


This good motion picture has had its premiere on HBO, where we are lucky to see many interesting, very recent features – this one was launched in 2017 – sometimes art movies, especially on the Cinemax channels of the cable network.

Outrage Coda is not very unusual in its proposal, although the standards, etiquette, habits, manners and rituals of the Yakuza would seem rather outré, exotic for Westerns accustomed to the Goodfellas rules and regulations playbook, although there are many similarities.
For instance, when an intruder does something wrong in a territory controlled by one gang, there is a price to pay, but the manner in which the incident developed in this film seems different.

The Japanese and Koreans – even those involved in organized crime - appear as more rational, adept at using strategy, if we compare them with Tommy deVito and James Conway from the classic Goodfellas.
When they have an argument, James Conway and especially Tommy DeVito resort to extreme violence – the film in which they are main characters opens with them stabbing a victim they had previously attacked and nearly killed, with tragic consequences, given the unknown fact that the soon to be dead body had been a “made man”.

In Outrage Coda, on grounds controlled by the Sanno family, headed by Mr. Chang, a crime is committed, sex workers are abused – and they also under the patronage of the said family.
The criminal who uses sadistic methods, inflicts injuries and pain on the women belongs to the Hanabishi clan, promises some reparations in a confrontation with Otomo aka Takeshi Kitano, the key figure, hero of the motion picture.

Otomo arrives on the scene when he learns about the abuse, tells the guilty party that he has to face consequences, which for some time seem to involve payments, and it is all directed with what looks like business acumen, patience, interest in profits and abstention from knee jerk reactions.
Make no mistake, they are not talking pleasantries, exchanging words of admiration, respect and extreme politeness, mixed with sever adulation…

Stupid is the word the audience would hear most – in Japanese that is…

The confronting Mafiosi mention reparations and various figures, which would climb astronomically from the original three million yen – which should be about thirty thousand dollars or less, considering the yen at a little over $ 100.
Returning to his family, the member of the Hanabishi clan talks about his experience, the stop he made on this island, where he got mad with his bodyguards for allowing him to be humiliated.

Mr. Chang is too powerful to ignore or refuse payment of damages for the sex workers – and one would presume, more importantly the insult of misbehaving in his territory – therefore a plan is set in motion to meet with the leader of the Sanno family and try to make amends.
It does not work, for at the negotiation – they seem like operators trying to fix deals, which they actually do, as Chang talks with advisers and sets various exorbitant prices for transactions involving property.

The Sanno group is again aggravated by the presence of lower rank criminals, when the case in point is so important and to add insult to injury, the two criminals who offer money to say sorry talk between them, thinking the others do not understand- as they are based in different countries- Korea and Japan.
The initial three million has been raised tenfold, but this is still inadequate given the developments, and in a shocking move – for outsiders and some of the less intellectually adroit gang members – the Sanno actually…add thirty million yen to the package?

How come?
In outré, elaborate rules, this comes down to a rejection and an invitation…nay, a request to top off the payback sum

Meanwhile, there are moves inside the Hanabishi clan that set one player against another, seeing as there is a power struggle and some try to benefit from the debacle that has angered the Sanno criminals.
Therefore, a plan is set in motion whereby rivals would murder competitors and blame it on Sanno – when the bodies would be found; they would assume that the enraged Chang must have ordered the executions

Only it gets complicated, because there are old timers involved, many of them with plenty of hours of strategy, planning and tactics in their training and experience who have guessed the move.
They prepare their own scheme, pretending they have indeed died, reporting their demise, only to act with more freedom, stealth and wrath…

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men
Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness…”

That works for Jules in the quintessential Pulp Fiction, but the ways of the gangsters in Outrage Coda is perhaps more Zen-like.

duminică, 22 iulie 2018

King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, adapted by Richard Eyre


King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, adapted by Richard Eyre


Surely, everything has been said about King Lear and there is not much left for new adapters, except perhaps to try casting only – or mostly – women, including or especially in the leading role, as the celebrated Andrei Serban has done in Bucharest – Romania, in case you wonder.

This 2018 latest take on one of the greatest artistic works of humanity - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/may/08/books.booksnews - has a phenomenal cast.
Nevertheless, there are moments when one could dare and find, if not fault in the performance of a legend like Anthony Hopkins, some degree of exhaustion, which could of course be the perspective he has on the king who is indeed at the end of his strength, after he committed acts of extravagance and folly.

The premise is evidently known in the remotest corners of the world – an outrageous exaggeration, one could walk on a street nearby, in an European capital and find that one in fifty may have heard the name Lear, attributing it to some singer or football player anyway.
If we ask Trump supporters, who buy all that Russian agents place on their false news sites, admire a clown and only read the headlines on Fox News – with problems understanding them often –they would also answer that Lear must be some pill that combats hair loss.

Nonetheless, hearing Regan aka Emily Watson and Goneril aka Emma Thompson flaunt their love of the precious, majestic father, one could have mixed feelings, since we have seen King Lear a few times before, we may feel the urge to insert some comedy into it, on top of the lines of the Fool, jester of the court.
For in our modern age, even if we get that Regan and Cordelia are liars – and this becomes ever more obvious and abhorrent as we advance into the play – some of those who attend development-couching classes cannot help but think that these women do a good job with their flattery.

After all, How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the bestselling books worldwide for good reason, you do not insinuate yourself with someone – we might even say especially a king of the past, with near absolute powers – by using the Cordelia technique.

Clearly, sincerity is preferable to deceit, cunning adulation and the purposes of the two vicious daughters are on full display very soon –but a note of blasphemy, lese majeste again, taking pot shots at the Absolute God of Theater- well, not so much really, for no sane person could do that, but just fooling around with details of characters, from a postmodern angle, since we are talking of a new version – would criticize Cordelia:

This great girl is right in showing modesty, restraint, avoiding excessive shows of feeling when it is obvious she loves her father, real emotions do not need exotique displays, it can be overwhelming and in bad taste to proclaim, act, shout, cry out, but she could have added more sparkle, a few glorious words…”Words Create Worlds” as Tal Ben-Shahar says in his lectures.
It is also true that one can think of Thomas Mann, who has a character that is appalled at the frequency with which men and women proclaim their feelings, which are so flabbergasting, cosmic and encompassing the universe that there are no words to express these fantastic emotions…

The personage disagrees: words like love, friendship do not exist in real life; we can find them in their pure from only in art, literature…

Hence, Cordelia is right to avoid excess…”Less is more” – Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Besides, as we move along with the aged King Lear, we find that first one, then the other declaratively loving daughter finds his presence overbearing, after having received considerable shares of the kingdom and its fortune, they now think in capitalist terms of profit, expenses, cutting costs and retinue…
Here again, the profane under signed was thinking that the entourage of the retired monarch was perhaps somewhat numerous and especially disturbing, with their loud shouts, rude manners, impolite and rough behavior.

Now, given the considerable sum of a few hundred billion dollars – putting this into the currency, price per parity in the economy of today – indisputably that would make do for the expense, clamor of not just a few hundred escorts, but many thousand and all of them using fireworks every other week day…Insha’Allah.
Jim Broadbent is excellent as always, in the crucial role of the Earl of Gloucester, even if the scene wherein he loses his eyesight and the…eyeballs is more than gruesome and abominable, it inserts horror into the performance.

This might be one of the elements that are new in this recent adaptation, in the realistic manner with which the episode is treated, the other modern aspects of King Lear 2018 would be the last Range Rover models, which carry the protagonists around instead of the original horses or carriages.
There are some uniformed men and women who have the latest model of British Army outfits – one presumes – and there are scenes that take place in front of a supermarket, where a confused, already debilitated Lear meets with the now blind, tortured Gloucester…

It is hard though to come to a definite conclusion: on the one hand the play is a masterpiece, as we all know, on the other, perhaps they should have called Sir Anthony Hopkins a few years ago for this project…

The 40-Year-Old Virgin by Judd Apatow and Steve Carell, directed by the former, starring the latter


The 40-Year-Old Virgin by Judd Apatow and Steve Carell, directed by the former, starring the latter


One could dismiss this comedy just by considering the title, with its preposterous, fanciful, absurd proposition, which if real, it would mean that the protagonist is a stupid man, not worth looking at in a cinema theater, never mind paying the ticket…

Luckily, there is the alternative where you just watch it on one of the myriad of channels that are dedicated to films, even in a country like mine, Romania, which is not exactly the main target of Hollywood fare.
Steve Carell is endearing, believable up to a point in the title role of the 40-Year-Old Virgin aka Andy, who works in  the same store with a series of amusing, cynical, friendly, helpful colleagues…

Scoop is a brilliant, marvelous, mirthful chef d’oeuvre by the glorious Evelyn Waugh – included on the Modern Library List of Best 100 Novels - http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/ - and the main character from it may remind one of Andy, or vice versa.
Besides, there is a repeated mantra that came to the mind of the under signed when watching the Virgin: “up to a point, Lord Copper”, which in the book is used to convey that the statement was not true.

In the age of Trump, we cannot dismiss the idea of virgins at forty, in a physical, sexual sense and perhaps much more importantly, in a spiritual, figurative way, given the “innocence” with which they take on the Fox fare and Russian designed “information”.

“Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit, touch it and the bloom is gone” Oscar Wilde

Andy works with David aka Paul Rudd, Cal aka Seth Rogen and they and the other colleagues and friends find out that this man is a virgin, so they need to change this state of affairs.
The results are amusing at times, rather awkward at others, depending on your sense of humor, the correlation it has or not with the absurd and the willingness to go along with the premise.

If an adult can vote with the “pussy grabbing orange clown” he or she might be a virgin…
Indeed, he or she probably is, definitely in the aforementioned, mental perspective aka one who has problem reading headlines, functional illiterates that give the free world a terrible leader.

Some chapters may work as a turn off for parts of the audience in the 40-Year-Old Virgin, such as the transformation of the hero from a hairy – no, excessively hairy – individual into a more acceptable man with patches of missing fur…
This might help male members of the audience remember how difficult it must be for the women who have to go through all that trouble to eliminate every single hair on their bodies…well except on the head…and hands…or is it illegal there too now?

Come to think of it, men are supposed to get rid of their wool, even if beards seemed to make a comeback, the rest has to be “clean” – there was a joke on the Bill Maher show, where there was a question:

What is pubic hair, for in California they no longer know about it…indeed, on other latitudes and longitudes as well…

Overall, apart from some laughs, this is not in the top 100 best comedies, together with Some Like It Hot, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Airplane, The King of Comedy, Dr. Strangelove or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, The Seven Year Itch or other masterpieces…
However, it all depends on your mood, taste and level of tolerance…more important perhaps, if you voted with the Kremlin supported, presumably blackmailed and owned Man…