READY TO WEAR (PRET-A-PORTER) (1994)

 

Directed By: Robert Altman  Written By: Robert Altman & Barbara Shulgasser Cinematography: Jean Lepine & Pierre Mignot Editor: Suzy Elmiger & Geraldine Peroni

Cast: Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Lili Taylor, Forest Whitaker, Richard E. Grant, Rupert Everett, Kim Basinger, Sally Kellerman, Tracy Ullman, Lauren Bacall,  Linda Hunt, Stephen Rea, Ute Lemper, Lyle Lovett, Teri Garr, Danny Arielle, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Amouk Aimee, Chiara Mastroianni, Rossy De Palma, Michel Blanc, Jean Rochefort, Francois Cluzet, Sam Robarbs, Georgianna Robertson 

A fashion show in Paris draws the usual bunch of people; designers, reporters, models, magazine editors, photographers. Lots of unconnected stories which all revolve around this show, and an all-star cast.

JEFF OF THE CINEFILES & UNFINISHED BUSINESS: HALL OF FAME: FILE #0054: CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (2002)

Directed By: George Clooney 
Written By: Charlie Kaufman 
Based on the Novel By: Chuck Barris 
Cinematography By: Newtom Thomas Sigel 
Editor: Stephen Mirrione 


Cast: Sam Rockwell, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Rugter Hauer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Cera, Robert John Burke, Rachelle Lefevre, Jerry Weintraub, Richard Kind, James Urbaniak 


Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is the story of a legendary showman's double life - television producer by day, CIA assassin by night. At the height of his TV career, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.

FULL FRONTAL (2002)

Cinematography & Directed By: Steven Soderbergh 
Written By: Coleman Hough 
Editor: Sarah Flack 


Cast: Julia Roberts, Blair Underwood, David Duchovny, Mary McCormack, David Hyde Pierce, Catherine Keener, Enrico Colantoni, Nicky Katt, Erika Alexander, Jeff Garlin, Terence Stamp, Brad Rowe, Rainn Wilson, Sandra Oh, Justina Machado, January Jones, Brad Pitt 


A day in the life of a group of men and women in Hollywood, in the hours leading up to a friend's birthday party.

CONSPIRACY THEORY (1997)

Directed By: Richard Donner 
Written By: Brian Helgeland 
Cinematography By: John Schwartzman 
Editor: Kevin Stitt & Frank J. Urioste 


Cast: Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, Patrick Stewart, Cylk Cozart, Troy Garity, Sean Patrick Thomas, Peter Jacobson, Thomas McCarthy, Rick Hoffman 


Jerry Fletcher is a man in love with a woman he observes from afar. She works for the government. Fletcher is an outspoken critic of that government. He has conspiracy theories for everything, from aliens to political assassinations. But soon, one of his theories finds itself to be accurate. But which one? Some dangerous people want him dead and the only person he trusts is that woman he loves but does not know.

SATISFACTION (1988)

Directed By: Joan Freeman 
Written By: Charles Purpura 
Cinematography By: Thomas Del Ruth 
Editor: Joel Goodman 


Cast: Justine Bateman, Julia Roberts, Trini Alvarado, Liam Neeson, Debbie Harry, Michael DeLorenzo, Britta Phillips, Chris Nash, Scott Coffey 


A group of teenagers have a band, Mystery, with Jennie as the lead singer. They go to a bar at the coast and play during the summer. Jennie falls in love with the owner of the bar, Martin. They get an offer to play in Europe and perhaps become famous. But are they ready for it?

AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS (2001)

Directed By: Joe Roth 
Written By: Billy Crystal & Peter Tolan 
Cinematography By: Phedon Papamichael 
Editor: Stephen A. Rotter 


Cast: John Cusack, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta Jones, Billy Crystal, Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin, Seth Green, Rainn Wilson, Eric Balfour, Keri Lynn Pratt 

A movie publicist deals with the messy public split of his movie's co-stars while keeping reporters at bay while a reclusive director holds the film's print hostage.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (2007)

Directed By: Mike Michols Written By: Aaron Sorkin Based On the book By: George Crile Cinematography By: Stephen Goldblatt Editor: John Bloom & Antonia Van Drimmelen Cast: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, John Slattery, Emily Blunt, Rachel Nichols, Shiri Appleby, Ned Beatty, Om Purri, Denis O’Hare.

EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU (1996)

Written & Directed By: Woody Allen
Cinematography By: Carlo DiPalma
Editor: Susan E. Morse
Cast: Woody Allen, Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Edward Norton, Natasha Lyonne, Billy Crudup, Alan Alda, Natalie Portman, Gaby Hoffman, Lukas Haas, Tim Roth, Tony Sirico, Christy Romano

CLOSER (2004)

Cast: Clive Owen, Jude Law, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman

Directed By: Mike Nichols
Written By: Patrick Marber
Cinematography By: Stephen Goldblatt
Editor: John Bloom & Antonia Van Drimmelen

The beautiful thing about this movie is the words the language used which is both smart and cruel it’s amazing how sentences can hurt and destroy so much

This is not a film to watch if you are looking for action it’s more about Character , Drama and situations then anything else. This is just a adult relationship drama and everything here is beautiful.

This is a drama but feels more like a horror movie there are so many scenes of emotional violence that this is like watching a massacre. Since there are only four characters it’s easy to get to know the characters even though they don’t talk about there pasts much you get to know them so much that you feel the pain and despair that they do.

The Switching allegiances, mind games and harsh words make this like a british David Mamet film though you can tell the film is based on a play for it’s limited locations and exclusive intimate closed spaces that the action takes place in. Mike Nichols wisely knows how to open the film up to make it looks sumptuous.

Even though the cast is all good the person who walks away with the film is Natalie Portman this is what award winning acting is all about een thought she didn’t even get nominated it was a chance for her to escape her shackles of her teen and lightweight roles to show that she is not only grown but a fully sexual being. From her scene in the strip club where even though she is taking orders she is in total control while also letting herself be completely vulnerable by actually telling the truth for one of the first times in the film. To when she is being vulnerable when she is supposed to be running away with the love of her life. Mike Nichols also knows how to make this beautiful lady into a goddess with color, dress and showing just enough skin.

Cate Blanchett was originally cast in the Julia Roberts role she played the role in the play that Julia Roberts plays but she got pregnant and could not do the role so she was replaced by Julia Roberts who does pretty good in this role since this is really one of the few times where she plays a three dimensional character that is kind of like her usual self of being likeable but also capable of being hateful. There is no cutesy sweet girl we are used to here. Jude Law and Clive Owen were both also in the play but here they switched the roles they originally played. Both are too perfection.

The film also has a beautiful opening scene with the song the blower’s daughter by Damien rice that this movie seem to put on the charts for people to discover which in itself is a haunting song that hovers over the rest of the film

A definite must see

GRADE: A