[Review] Fading Gigolo
When I write my reviews, I feel as if it seems like I hate most romantic movies. However, that definitely isn’t true; rather I had yet the opportunity to see something recent and noteworthy in this genre. Without a doubt there remains a very simple essence to these kinds of films, and I dread the kind of movies that drag out the predictable end. I am a firm believer that good cinema exists in every genre. It’s only by those who can challenge the normal standards who will find progression. Fading Gigolo, with John Turturro and Woody Allen, maybe follows somewhat of a formula, but each scene describes the essence of just what it’s like to find your soulmate with the utilization of original thought and idea.
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Fading Gigolo
Director: John Turturro
Rating: R
Release Date: April 18, 2014
Fiorvante (Turturro) agrees to becoming quite the Don Juan due to his lack of financial sources after Murray (Allen), who is also an older man was just looking for a bit of cash. The attraction of women into this industry was simple enough with the charm of a few of Woody’s kind words, and his capability to get them to tell their darkest desires put him in line to be Fiorvante’s own “manager” or “pimp” of sorts. Like most things, though, money can’t buy a person love, and the pair finds themselves caught in between the cross fire of both the desire for money and love.
I thought this movie was absolutely beautiful. Turturro nailed every little detail about the film. A movie full of sex, lust, and love, it seemed only appropriate that the cinematography be utilized in order to keep the overall color of the film a sensual, sunset-like tone. And the soundtrack was perfect as well, for each song properly captured that optimistic feeling of the fall and dating around in New York City. The acting was impeccable as well. Woody Allen and John Turturros’ characters just bounce off of each other with an undeniable chemistry, where as the females in the film (Vanessa Paradis, Sharon Stone, and Sofia Vergara) have a fantastic delivery of their roles as well. I think that the film took the essence of something so seemingly simple and made it its own with such ease, and it’s hard to not like the slight charm throughout.
As much as I loved this movie, there are a few things that could use a few improvements. The biggest issue I noticed, however, was the seemingly abrupt ending. Now, I have no intention on spoiling it, but the final minutes of the film were the least expected. Sometimes surprise is nice, but little to no support as to why Turturro chose to end it how he did left a lot of viewers, including myself, wondering why he went down the route that he did. All of this aside, I think that the filmmaker’s project has evolved into something that can be remembered well by all of those who get the chance to see it.
[Trailer] God's Pocket
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Philip Seymour Hoffman was a man of so much talent, and his unexpected death was one that shook not just those involved in Hollywood, but also fans around the world. With a variety of works under his belt ranging from the acclaimed Capote to the successful Hunger Games, he has displayed his large range of capabilities and thus capturing the attention of people everywhere. While the great actor may no longer be here to create new works, he has left a few films behind that have yet to be viewed. He will appear in Anton Corbijn’s thriller A Most Wanted Man later this year, but first he will be featured in John Slattery’s latest drama God’s Pocket along with John Turturro.
Based on the novel by Pete Dexter and including Christina Hendricks, the film features Hoffman as Mickey Scarpato, a man who works to cover up his stepson’s death by claiming it as a “construction accident.” While the cast is excellent and the trailer looks great in my opinion, those who saw the film at Sundance, including RH’s very own Geoff, say it's a film that isn’t quite sure which direction it wants to take. It is still managing to pull a large amount of interest from critics, though, and I hope that it has been improved a bit since its shaky Sundance debut.
Whether you are a fan of Hoffman or not, I think that this would be a film worth checking out. It arrives in theaters on Friday, May 9, 2014.