It's All About Love (2003) - Young turk Vinterberg returns with Hindenburg-like disaster

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Steamy 'amour' in a pitch black and stylized space are teased on this poster for Thomas Vinterberg's It's All About Love

In the year 2021, John lands in New York, where people perish of poor hearts on a daily basis and are simply left in the streets. He goes there to finish his divorce from his celebrated, rich figure skating wife. The two still seem to love each other.

It's All About Love is written and directed by Danish master filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg (Sneblind (1990)), whose 4th film it is. Mogens Rukov (The Inheritance/Arven (2003)) contributed to the script.

More elements of the plot in It's All About Love: The figure skater has been cloned. Both her and her husband come from Poland. In Kenya people float. And Sean Penn (Hurlyburly (1998)) flies around (in airplanes) and philosophizes about life. There is a theme of snails and laboriously photographed scenes with many actors, who speak but say nothing. The close relationship at the heart of the film is suddenly disturbed by some Bergmanesque shouting arguments - and violence.

Everything rings false and seems static, fatally boring and utterly, horribly self-indulgent and pretentious, as if this was the grand, uncontrolled epic creation of a 17 year-old art cinema student. Joaquin Phoenix (Ladder 49 (2004)) and Claire Danes (The Flock (2007)) turn in jolting efforts, but they cannot change the fact that this if one of the most disastrous follow-ups to a global breakout success (Vinterberg's Dogme masterpiece sensation The Celebration/Festen (1998)) by a newly minted, celebrated filmmaker. Outrageously overrated locally (in Denmark's infamously self-congratulatory and nepotistic film and media industry), It's All About Love is a pure blood catastrophe.

 

Related posts:

 
Thomas Vinterberg: 2020 in films - according to Film Excess 

Another Round/Druk (2020) - A perfect gem, a wonderful film, Vinterberg's true celebration 

Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) - Vinterberg's plush but grating English adaptation

The Hunt/Jagten (2012) - Vinterberg's strongest film since 1998 is a reversed Celebration  

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Submarino (2010) - Vinterberg's elegant, downbeat Copenhagen-set social realism drama
Dear Wendy (2004) - Vinterberg and Von Trier's unpopular, gun-themed mega-flop  

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

The Celebration/Festen (1998) - Vinterberg's charged, stirring Dogme drama masterpiece

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 10 mil. $

Box office: 1 mil. $

= Box office disaster (returned 0.1 times its cost)

[It's All About Love was released 10 January (Denmark) and runs 106 minutes. Vinterberg reportedly spent 2½ years writing the script. A stunning 23 companies and support bodies collaborated in the financing and production of the film. Shooting took place in Italy, Paris, France, Kenya, Sweden, Vancouver, British Columbia, New York, Copenhagen, Denmark, England and in Oslo, Norway. The film opened #110 to a 2k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, its peak there where it grossed just 6k $ (0.006 % of the total gross). The film's biggest markets were its home market Denmark, where it sold 50k tickets, grossing 530k $ (53 %), Greece with 149k $ (14.9 %) and France with 123k $ (12.3 %). The film won 3 Robert awards, Denmark's Oscar. Vinterberg returned with Dear Wendy (2005). Phoenix returned with a voice performance in Brother Bear (2003) and a physical performance in The Village (2004); Danes in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). It's All About Love is rotten at 19 % with a 3.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of It's All About Love?

Igby Goes Down (2002) - Steers' debut is a New York gemstone

♥♥♥♥

 

+ Best Huge Flop of the Year + Best Youth Movie of the Year

 

Off-center and pensive sits co-star Kieran Culkin upside a blue wall on this poster for Burr Steers' Igby Goes Down

Igby Slocumb is 17 years old and from a wealthy family, but he wants to break free and find his own path in life. Which is easier said than done.

 

Igby Goes Down is written and directed by debuting Burr Steers (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)).

It is a morbid, funny and tragic dramedy. Kieran Culkin (No Sudden Move (2021)) is strong as Igby; Claire Danes (Evening (2007)) is terribly cute, - until she chooses Ryan Phillippe's (Antitrust (2001)) Ollie over his younger brother Igby, - and Susan Sarandan (The Client (1994)) and Jeff Goldblum (Hotel Artemis (2018)) are funny. 

The film is very New-Yorker intellectual and too much at times. Bill Pullman (The Equalizer 2 (2018)) doesn't really work as Igby's mentally ill father, and the good-spirit Mickey-Mousing of the opening music is grating. But although Igby Goes Down, like its title character, isn't flawless, it is an original and brisk movie.

 

Related posts:

 

Burr Steers: Charlie St. Cloud (2010) - Steers and Efron's second collaboration is lukewarm

17 Again (2009) or, Teentainment Deluxe

2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 9 mil. $

Box office: 6.9 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.76 times its cost)

[Igby Goes Down premiered 23 May (Seattle International Film Festival) and runs 98 minutes. Phillippe was paid 500k $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from February - April 2001 in New York. The film opened #24 to a 306k $ first weekend in 10 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #15 and in 156 theaters (different weeks), grossing 4.7 mil. $ (68.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd an 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 689k $ (10 %) and Germany with 499k $ (7.3 %). The film was nominated for 2 Golden Globes and an Independent Spirit award and won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. The film is among the last to show the original World Trade Center twin towers before they were destroyed by Islamic terrorists 9/11 2001. Steers returned with 3 TV credits prior to his theatrical return 17 Again (2009). Culkin returned in Lymelife (2008); Danes in The Hours (2002). Igby Goes Down is certified fresh at 75 % with a 6.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Igby Goes Down?

Homeland - season 1 (2011) - The War on Terror comes home

♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

A still image of co-stars Damien Lewis and Claire Danes is digitally blurred out on this poster for the first season of Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon's Homeland

Homeland - season 1 is created by Alex Gansa (24 (2009-10), co-executive producer) and Howard Gordon (24 (2001-10), co-executive producer). It is inspired by Gideon Raff's (The Killing Floor (2007)) Israeli TV-series Hatufim (2010-12). An Indian and a Russian version have also been made.

The following contains SPOILERS:

CIA operative Carrie Mathison is a workaholic, recently sent back to the US from Baghdad, where she has learnt from a doomed local terrorist that an American soldier has been 'turned' by the al-Qaeda. Soon after US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody gets rescued from captivity in Iraq and brought home to a hero's welcome. Carrie is alone in suspecting that Brody is the 'turned' American soldier...

She establishes a covert surveillance of him, while learning about the whereabouts of terrorist Abu Nazir through a prostitute that caters to a Saudi prince. While Brody acts increasingly suspiciously, both alone and in front of his family, Matthison attempts to learn more of him by getting close to him at a meeting for veterans.

Carrie's involvement in the case, at her own initiative, is complicated by the fact that she has bipolar disorder, which she has to keep secret from her employers, obtaining medicine through her sister's assistance. Her covert engagement with Brody leads to them starting an affair, which is both helpful to her investigation and driven by sincere attraction. The situation soon becomes complicated, and Brody realizes that she is spying on him. During interrogation he divulges that he beat his military pal to death during capture, became a Muslim and found affection for the terrorist captor Abu Nazir, - but he maintains that he is not the 'turned' Jihadist.

Attention instead turns towards his co-captive Tom Walker, with collateral damage as a result, as the FBI raids a US mosque. A suicide bomb goes off in Washington DC in the hunt for Walker, injuring Carrie. Meanwhile Brody is talked into running for congress by the American Vice President. SPOILER Carrie is hospitalized in a manic episode and forced to reveal her disorder to her former CIA boss and mentor Saul, as Brody is given a suicide vest by a contact at a trip to Gettysburg with his family.

SPOILER At a grand political event in DC with the Vice President, Secretary of Defense and military brass, Brody is one part of a two-sided attack. But his vest malfunctions, and Carrie suffers a breakdown, checking herself into a hospital for electroshock therapy.

 

Homeland is captivating from the pilot on, fired up by an unusual, engrossing suspense plot and terrific performances: Claire Danes (Stardust (2007)) is outstanding as Carrie; Damian Lewis (Desire (2013, short)) is engrossing as Brody; and Mandy Patinkin (Ali and Nino (2016)) is great as Saul. And the supporting performances are uniformly solid.

Carrie's job is exciting, and the show effectively filters us into the grey zones of 10+ years of War on Terror, carried out by the Western countries following 9/11. It puts us into the calibrations of analysis going through intelligence work concerning fundamentalists, specifically Islamic fundamentalists. It is less action-packed and seems more real and layered than the ways that the similar themes where broached by the same showrunners on the great action-suspense show 24. One disturbing and gripping subplot includes a domestic Saudi-American terrorist couple. The central suspense mystery of the series is the question; Is Brody good or bad?

The narrative is imbued with depth due to Danes' intriguing character and the intricate complications in Brody's family, - his wife's infidelity while he was presumed dead; his own budding affair with Carrie, - and an anxiety-provoking tangent concerning his teenage daughter and her growing suspicions about him.

The photography (by Nelson Cragg (Elementary (2012, TV-series)) is terrific, the writing is crackerjack, and the first season is remarkable in every way. An enormously suspenseful piece of television history.

Best episodes:

1. Pilot - Written by Gansa, Gordon, Raff; directed by Michael Cuesta (L.I.E. (2001))

Carrie is introduced as a strongly independent CIA agent, who suspects that something is very wrong with the liberated American Marine hostage Brody, rescued home after eight years of terrorist captivity. Riveting start with tremendous Danes.

7. The Weekend - Written by Meredith Stiehm (The Bridge (2013-14)); directed by Cuesta

Brody and Carrie engages in their adulterous affair at her family's summerhouse, while Brody's daughter gets hurt under the influence. But truths come out, and Saul returns home from Mexico with an arrestee. Madly thrilling episode.

11. The Vest - Written by Chip Johannessen (Dexter (2010, TV-series)), Stiehm; directed by Clark Johnson (The Purge (2018, TV-series))

Carrie's mental affliction is expanded upon, as Brody's questionable loyalties continue to exert suspense.

12. Marine One - Written by Gansa, Johannessen; directed by Cuesta

The targeted DC event, the season's culmination. Carrie breaks down, unable to meet the demands of her mission.

 

Related posts:

 

Howard Gordon: 24: Redemption (2008, TV movie) or, Bauer in Africa! (writer/executive producer)

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]  

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2008 in films - according to Film Excess
Reviewed 24 seasons: Top 10: The best action movies and TV-series reviewed by Film Excess to date
24 - season 3 (2003) - The virus-centered peak for the great action show
24 season 2 (2002-03) - The Bomb 
24 season 1 (2001-02) - TV action milestone

 

 

Watch a trailer for season 1 here

 

Cost: Reportedly 3 mil. $ per episode, 36 mil. $ in total

Box office: None - TV-series

= Uncertain

[Homeland - season 1 premiered October (USA (Showtime), Thailand, Turkey) and runs 12 55-minute episodes, totaling approximately 660 minutes. Danes was reportedly paid 110k $ per episode, totaling 1.32 mil. $ for her performance. Shooting took place in North Carolina and Israel. The first season's US ratings varied from 0.94 mil. to 1.71 mil., becoming Showtime's highest-rated drama in 8 years. Its run on British Channel 4 garnered even more viewers, between 3-4 mil. The season won a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy, among other honors. The 2nd season was released in 2012 with returning showrunners and stars. Gansa and Gordon returned first with season 2. Danes first returned in season 2; Lewis in 2011 also acted in Your Highness, Stolen (TV movie) and Will; Patinkin in 2011 also gave voice performances in Jock the Hero Dog and Wonder Pets! (TV-series). Homeland - season 1 is fresh at 100 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Homeland - season 1?