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The Americans starring Keri Russell & Matthew Rhys: Complicated, Flawed, Engaging – Just Like It’s Characters

Posted on August 11, 2013 Written by ripitup

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the americans
The Americans image via hollywoodreporter.com.

The Americans – Premise

1981.

To outsiders, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip (Matthew Rhys) are a typical, young American couple with 2 kids, Henry (10) and Paige (13). They try to raise their kids the best they can while they run a travel agency together.

In reality, they are two highly trained KGB agents, partnered up to get married and pose as an American couple while they get their missions done. While they love their kids, their feelings for each other are a bit more complicated and difficult to define.

Their latest mission, however, brings back horrible memories from Elizabeth’s past, and how they deal with it brings them a lot closer.

And as if their jobs, their new relationship dynamic, and raising two kids who don’t have a clue what their parents are up to weren’t hard enough, the father of the new family next door is a good FBI agent (Noah Emmerich), whose mission is mainly about catching KGB agents…

 

Review: Slight Spoilers

The Americans is a solid spy drama/thriller with its own brand of comic relief. I don’t know about you, but it is truly entertaining to me to watch a married couple dispose of a body (or some other dangerous mission/setback of the sort) and then prepare breakfast for their kids in the next scene.

The relationship of our couple is also one of the most original and intriguing I have seen so far. There is always the feeling that Philip has always been into Elizabeth, though she seems to be just falling for him. It’s fun to watch two partner agents falling in love after about 15 years of marriage, 2 kids (and working together).

And them falling in love complicates the hell out of things, because Elizabeth is no Sydney, and Philip is no Vaughn. And no the difference isn’t just that Syd and Vaughn weren’t married and worked for the CIA.

Sydney and Vaughn, despite a whole lot of obstacles they had to overcome to be together, never crossed certain lines. Like they never killed a relatively innocent person to not to be exposed. Or Sydney never had sex with someone for a mission. She’d tease and flirt, but then she’d use her fighting skills to get the rest done. And Vaughn, though he spent less time on the field than her, never slept with someone for a mission either.

Then there are the exes who came before Liz, and Liz’s feelings for Philip. And they have two kids, an actual company to run, deadly missions to compete, pasts to confront… Man, their life is hard…

It’s also an almost constant battle of wills as Philip is the more cautious one, while Liz is more reactive and passionate. It’s family vs. country, love vs. duty, honesty vs. deception and their emerging feelings make things riskier and more dangerous each episode.

Sure, Alias will always be my favorite agent-themed series and I’d rather do Sydney’s job if I absolutely had to (it’s more about the lines she crosses and lines she doesn’t cross), and I’d rather date Vaughn (I mean knowing my husband has to seduce/date/marry/have sex with other women is just…. not for me.)….

There’s a lot of grey since there are barely any completely moral characters apart from the kids, and probably FBI agent’s wife.

And I could probably do without the cliché of the agent’s extra-marital activities of the agent (she’s pretty, we get it, but things would have been more original if he could have kept it in his pants.)

I’d also rather have more action than drama, less screen time with the Russian spy chick (after the affair starts) and less flashbacks on Liz’ past.

the_americans
Keri Russell as Elizabeth and Matthew Rhys as Philip. Image via almigo.blogspot.com.

But despite its flaws, The Americans has a certain flavor of its own and I have a lot of fun watching it. The cast is great, and it’s interesting to root for one character during one scene and totally hate her/him in the next.

Oh, and the soundtrack rocks.

I’m looking forward to season two, though I prefer the first half of the season. And the pilot is one of my favorite episodes.

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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: drama, keri russell the americans, matthew rhy the americans, matthew rhys, mystery, Noah Emmerich, noah emmerich the americans, spy, the americans, the americans cast, the americans keri russell, the americans plot summary, the americans premise, the americans review, the americans tv series, thriller

Pavilion of Women starring Willem Dafoe, Luo Yan and John Cho: A Cheesy but Lovely Romantic Drama

Posted on August 7, 2013 Written by ripitup

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pavilion of women-willem dafoe
Pavilion of Women image via silverdisc.com.

 

Pavilion of Women Story

Madame Wu (Yan Luo) is from a wealthy, important family in pre-World War II China. Although she has a somewhat modern mind, she’s embraced her traditional roles, and is in the process of finding her husband a second wife “because she wants to retire”. Despite the objections and disgust her modern-thinking son Fengmo (John Cho), she settles on a nice, naïve girl who seems a lot more age-appropriate for Fengmo.

Enter Father Andre (Willem Dafoe) who works at the orphanage, is great with kids and is a modern, knowledgeable man. He first impresses (and shocks) Wu and her friends, when he saves the life of Wu’s friend during childbirth. Then Wu hires Andre (who insists on his payments be whatever the kids at the orphanage need) to tutor his son. She later joins his lessons herself, and becomes further impressed with his way of thinking.

As they get to know each other, a strong mutual attraction grows.

Add her son’s feelings for his father’s bride and the war, and things get way too complicated and dangerous for these three characters.

Based on the novel of Pearl S. Buck, adapted to screen by Yan Luo and Paul Collins. Directed by Ho Yim in 2001.  

On Society, Traditions and Relationships

This blog features a series of post on movies where I think cheating is OK (something I don’t support in real life, but the movies in question feature some extraordinary stories and circumstances), and this movie does belong there as I totally approve (and understand) Wu’s falling for Andre (I mean it is a wonderful human being played by the ever lovely Willem Dafoe).

But as outrageous as the idea of a man getting a second wife might seem to a feminist (as in I believe both sexes are equal and one sex having more power/authority/privileges pisses me off to no end), but I think it is a great way to stop having sex with your obnoxious husband. In a time where you don’t get to choose or do much as a woman, and when/if you are not exactly happy with the man you are married to, this seems more like a solution that a problem.

Although, unlike Wu, I’d so find a girl I didn’t like to marry my husband. I mean the “other” wife was so sweet and innocent.  Poor girl. Getting a woman to marry that man would be a sweet revenge.

Of course the core values of the society are questionable. Like not letting a man near a pregnant woman would almost kill both the woman and her baby, Wu’s not initially approving her son’s feelings for his father’s new bride (as if that was the more unnatural thing), saving face being more important than anything, letting the poor kids suffer because they are not yours….The list goes on.

The Movie: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Wu is a wonderfully flawed character that gets on your nerves as much as gets you to root for her. And just like Wu, while being pretty flawed, it has its charming points.

The Good:

  • Willem Dafoe
  • All concepts covered – love, individuality, tradition vs. free will, religion, cultural differences vs. universality of feelings, friendship, education- the irony on how the poor kids got to have a better education…
  • John Cho, though his character could have been more screen time with his romance

The Bad:

  • The exaggerated acting
  • The horribly overdone and overly loud music

The Ugly:

  • The husband (yikes!)
  • The mother-in-law (yikes!)

“The Bad” turned off a lot of movie fans. Some watched it in the “so bad it is good category”. I would have enjoyed the movie more with more natural acting and Chinese (maybe even without subtitles!). And then there’s the music department that thought they were shooting an opera. The opera fits where Dafoe’s character plays it- the rest of the time it gives the movie a soapy feeling.

But I loved Dafoe’s lines, the conversations between him and Wu, the personality of the son, and how well hypocrisy is shown…

Worth Watching?

So despite the things I could barely stand, I still like this movie. For one thing, I’ll give anything with Willem Dafoe a go, a habit I gained after watching The English Patient. People who consider Dafoe a bad actor do baffle me. I mean sure, each to his own, but Dafoe? Bad? Really?

I recommend the movie if:

-You want to check out Dafoe in a romantic role.

– You like seeing where characters grow, learning to overcome double standards and hypocrisy.

– You enjoy absolute contrasts between characters and cultures.

*

Sometimes you like cheesy despite yourself. For some people it’s Titanic. For some it is Notting hill. I choose to use my it’s cheesy but I like it anyway” card for Pavilion of Women (didn’t care for neither Titanic or Notting Hill.)

It could and should have been much better, but it is still fun it is own, weird, overdone way. And no, I probably wouldn’t have watched it till the end, had it not been for Dafoe…

 


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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: drama, ho him, John Cho, Pavilion of Women, pavilion of women cast, pavilion of women movie, pavilion of women movie plot, pavilion of women movie review, pearl s. buck novel adaptation, romance, Willem Dafoe, willem dafoe pavilion of women, Yan Luo

On Perception and other TV Crime Drama Series with Genius Yet Problematic Characters

Posted on January 21, 2013 Written by ripitup

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Perception starring Eric McCormack and Rachel Leigh Cook.
Perception starring Eric McCormack and Rachael Leigh Cook.

UPDATE: PERCEPTION has been renewed for season 3!!!

Turns out I like my men (on TV) quirky, cute, brilliant and nice at the core. A sense of humor won’t hurt, a traumatic background will up the stakes and I’ll be sold for some good crime-solving and decent acting.

With House, I settled for hospital drama since he approached cases with a CSI attitude and the brainstorming tactics of a creative professional, and I gave up on nice for a uniquely irritating yet intriguing personality. But with Lie to Me, I didn’t have to settle.

And I didn’t have to settle with Perception (starring Eric McCormack) either. To get a feel of how good Eric McCormack is, you should see Will and Grace, Trust Me and Perception episodes in a row. From the handsome gay lawyer with OCD tendencies (Will & Grace) to advertising golden boy (Trust Me) to schizophrenic neuropsychiatrist (Perception), Eric McCormack gave me the perfect rebound show. You know what they say…to get over one tv show, get under another. No, wait- that was for dating.

But hey, just like sometimes rebound relationships can offer something more given a little time, this TV show is drawing me in, and making me get over (a little) my indignation that Lie to Me was over in 3 little seasons.

Maybe I’m drawn to these shows because I am often not considered normal by a lot of people I meet. Most of the time I take it as a compliment, and most of the time they do mean it that way. And when you are a writer, that (manageable) quirkiness is a perk.

But sometimes the line between taking pride in not fitting in and the seldom frustration of not being able to fit in, choice vs. obligation, get blurry, and I find deep solace and extreme entertainment in characters (and stories) that not everyone relates to, is jealous of (yeah, you bet I wouldn’t mind being a top lie-detecting expert) or wants to have created such shows/characters oneself.

So I like Perception. And hey, it is good that there’re shows that remind us of each others’ premises. Some will work for you, some won’t. I fell in love with The Mentalist (the first 2 seasons), but Psych annoyed me.  But I loved Lie to Me and I am currently busy enjoying Perception.

Oh, what the hell is Perception about, you ask?

As I mentioned earlier, Perception centers on the brilliant neuropsychiatrist college professor Daniel Pierce who’s a hit with students but not exactly well-perceived in the outside world when people face with his “differences”, and being a schizophrenic with hallucinations and weird set of habits to manage them.

But one of his fans include ex student/current FBI agent Kate (Rachel Leigh Cook), who asks for his help with her investigations. Now, they could be closer friends or maybe even more, but hey, Daniel has issues and he’s not exactly trying to bond with anyone- he is afraid of the possible consequences.

In each episode, we get a murder case with not-so-tired plots, Danielesque crime solving tactics, some lecture moments we wish we had in our school, some funny situations related to Daniel’s quirks/interactions/reactions and good 40+ minutes of fun.

You see, if you think Jane is so similar to Lightman or Daniel is like Lightman, you weren’t paying attention. Or maybe you really want a character obsessed with catching a serial killer who seems more and more implausible by the second (The Mentalist).

Or you are like me. You enjoy each show for what they have to offer, and the very obvious differences between characters and storylines.

Give Perception a shot if you enjoyed one or more of these shows: House, The Mentalist, Lie to Me.

P.S. Yes, I am aware of House is a medical drama. But hey, House has to be mentioned for his brilliance, tendency to break all rules and authority with obsession to solve cases and well…his own highly problematic personality. And bluntness.

 

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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: crime, drama, Eric McCormack, eric mccormack perception, house tv show, lie to me, lie to me tv series, perception, perception eric mccormack, perception review, perception tv series, perception us tv series, rachael leigh cook, rachael leigh cook perception, The Mentalist

Captives starring Julia Ormond and Tim Roth: Romantic & Sexy

Posted on December 29, 2012 Written by ripitup

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Captives starring Julia Ormond and Tim Roth
Captives image via moviepostershop.com.

Rachel (Julia Ormond) is a beautiful dentist who also works part-time in a prison. She’s having a difficult time as she’s splitting from her cheating husband and selling their house.

During her prison clinic hours, she meets one of the inmates, Philip (Tim Roth) and they form a connection. She later runs into him outside the prison as he’s nearing the end of his sentence and is allowed to spend a certain amount of time outside. As the attraction grows between them, she can’t decide if she should just go with the flow or be reasonable. But she knows that Philip will be risking more than she does and she starts being with him.

Of course there’s a lot at risk: her job, his freedom and the question lurking at the back of her mind: what was his crime?

And as they soon realize, getting found out by his inmates might prove to be a lot more dangerous than being found out by the authorities…

*

Captives is a romantic/drama/crime film from 1994 that could have easily turned into an overacted and overdone film in Hollywood. But luckily, this English film doesn’t overdo anything, except maybe the characters of Colin Salmon and Mark Strong– but then again, the whole point of their existence is to jeopardize Philip and Rachel, and to annoy us to no end.

It’s also interesting to be rooting for the criminal to get the girl. Oh, his character is cool and extremely likeable and their relationship is a wonderful combination of passion, connection, attraction, tenderness and surprise – but the guy isn’t innocent. And his crime isn’t something you can digest easily- he didn’t go avenging the murderers of his child (like in Death Sentence, Edge of Darkness) or go all Robin Hood or something. And yet even after we learn it, I still want the relationship to go on. I’m calling this the Tim Roth effect.

Nope, I don’t go for bad guys. And that’s the point. He has one black spot in a whitish character, and even though that black spot is horrific, you totally get how it could have happened, and how come Rachel could have accepted it. Actually, his case could have been an episode of an American legal series where he’d get off with the temporary insanity defense…

It also has the only romantic bathroom (and by that I mean a stall in the ladies room in a bar) sex scene I’ve ever seen in a movie. Yes, it is in the bathroom. And it isn’t sleazy, it is sexy as hell and it is ultimately very romantic. Apparently romantic bathroom sex is no longer an oxymoron.

Then there is this intense level of chemistry and innocence that Julia Ormond and Tim Roth bring to their roles that make it all the more watchable.

It is good. It has its slow moments, but I buy the romance and it is what really matters. Buying a story you thought you’d never buy.

 

Also on Julia Ormond:

3 Movies with “Tristan” Protagonists feat. Legends of The Fall, Stardust, Tristan & Isolde

Sabrina starring Harrison Ford, Julia Ormond & Greg Kinnear

Also on Tim Roth:

Arbitrage starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: buy captives dvd, captives, captives 1994 movie, captives 1994 movie review, captives dvd, colin salmon, drama, julia ormond, Julia Ormond captives, Mark Strong, romance, Tim Roth, tim roth captives

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