Film Round-Up #27

Although she didn't really even get started until her 30's, the lovely Julianne Moore has nonetheless cemented her status since then as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she continues to score lead roles into her 50's and (soon to be) beyond, and continues to be comfortable playing 'sexy older woman' type roles as well as the 'emotionally troubled women' she is perhaps best known for. She has been one of my favourite actresses since I first saw her in The Lost World and Boogie Nights back in 1997, and I continue to seek out her films to this day. Here is a selection of some of the ones I've watched recently:

Chloe (2009)

The oldest film in this round-up is this one which casts Ms. Moore as Catherine, an increasingly age-conscious wife who has begun to suspect her husband David (Liam Neeson) may be cheating. In an effort to confirm/quell her fears, she hires a young call girl she has observed from her office window who calls herself Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), and asks her to try and seduce David and report back. I expect you can guess how this goes, but it quickly becomes clear that Chloe prefers spending time with Catherine over David. Unfortunately, her interest seems abrupt and is never really explained which just makes it seem weird rather than compelling. Both lead performances are decent enough, particularly Moore as the conflicted Catherine, but the plot is too vexing to really be enjoyable. It's worth watching if you've ever wanted to see Moore or Seyfried getting down to some good old HLA, but it will most likely prove too bewildering otherwise... 5/10

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

As well as wowing most Sundance attendees, this was a notable film for several reasons. One is that it's led by a same-sex couple, namely Jules and Nic (Moore and Annette Bening respectively) who have two teenage children together - Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska & Josh Hutcherson). They were conceived using a sperm donor who they are now interested in meeting, and it turns out to be Paul (Mark Ruffalo) who is a free-spirited organic food restaurateur. The kids get on with him, and so does Jules, so naturally Nic starts feeling jealous and undermined, especially as Jules is spending so much time with him on account of her new landscaping business of which Paul is the first customer. To say this is a drama about marriage and family life would be selling it short though, as well as making it sound a bit drab. It's actually a smart, charming ensemble piece, funny and moving in equal measure, with great performances throughout, particularly from Moore and Bening, and is probably even one of Ms. Moore's best films, certainly of recent years... 8/10

The English Teacher (2013)

I imagine most of us had a teacher crush or two in our school/college days, especially if they looked like Julianne Moore, and that's pretty much what we have here. Don't worry though, we're not talking 15 year old kids or anything - the guy in question is her 20-something former star pupil, Michael (Jason Sherwood), who returns from New York dejected after failing to hit the big time as a playwright. She convinces him to let her put on his rejected (but very good) play at her school with him acting as producer, but things get a bit more complicated after they impulsively bump uglies on her classroom desk, which naturally soon gets around the school. Greg Kinnear also stars as Michael's overbearing father, as well as Lily Collins and Charlie Saxton as students and stars of the play, and Nathan Lane as head of the school's drama department, and performances are good all-round. My only issue with the film was that not enough was done with most of the plot threads leaving the play as the main focus, and that's a bit weird since we only get snippets of its story. I certainly would've liked a teacher like this one at my school though... 6/10

Maps to the Stars (2014)

As the title may indicate, this one is one of those films about people in the film industry. Moore plays Havana Segrand, a revered but ageing actress who has always felt in the shadow of her legendary movie-star mother. She is joined by Mia Wasikowska as Agatha Weiss, recently released from a psychiatric hospital, John Cusack and Olivia Williams as Agatha's estranged parents, Evan Bird as her 13 year old brother, an acting sensation who's going through rehab, and Robert Pattinson as a limo driver who dreams of becoming a successful screenwriter. They all have their own stories and stuff going on, and their paths cross at some stage or another too, as you might expect. It's directed by David Cronenberg though, so as anyone familiar with his work will know, things get pretty hardcore by the time we get to the mental third act. Up until then, however, it's not really anything special. It's well made, fairly intriguing, and the performances are great, but there aren't really any sympathetic characters, with the excesses of Hollywood clear to see. It's worth watching for that final half-hour or so though - crikey! ...7/10

Gloria Bell (2018)

Released just over a year ago, this A24 film stars Moore as the titular character in Sebastián Lelio's remake of his own 2013 Chilean film. Here, the story is moved to Los Angeles where the divorced Gloria spends her evenings dancing in various clubs around the city, having fun and hooking up with guys. One evening she meets Arnold (John Turturro) with whom she hits it off and they start a relationship, but she is soon annoyed to find that his ex-wife and two daughters are taking advantage of him. There really isn't too much actual plot here though, to be honest. This is one of those films where nothing much really happens, it's more just about spending a bit of time with the characters as they do their stuff, and that puts a lot of emphasis on the performances. Happily, that is one aspect of the film that's virtually faultless. Turturro is superb as always, but even he can't outshine Moore who is fantastic. She is apparently still happy to play sexy (and nude) into her late 50's and she still excels at it too. A compelling film that succeeds almost solely on the wonderful central performance... 8/10