Movie Review Sex and the City 2

Sex and the City 2 (2010) 

Directed by Michael Patrick King

Written by Michael Patrick King

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis, Cynthia Nixon 

Release Date May 27th, 2010

Published May 26th, 2010 

Since I am sure I will have to wield this truth as a weapon against those angry and accusatory after reading this I will get this out of the way: I really liked both the series Sex and the City and the first Sex and the City movie. The series created four unique and wonderful female characters whose outsized romantic issues were winning and funny. The film brought each character to a new and challenging emotional place in their lives. Our four heroines met these new challenges as adults with humor and sisterhood. The film was, for me, the perfect coda as it left these wonderful women in just the right emotional and romantic places in their lives.

It is unfortunate then that producers needed to bring these characters back for another film. It is especially unfortunate that they brought the ladies back without any of the wit, insight, sexuality or romance of even the series' least moments. Sex and the City 2 is little more than attempt to squeeze more money out of a franchise title.

When last we left Carrie Bradshaw she had made up with Mr. Big and the two were settling into a life together. Two years later it seems the sparkle has dimmed. Big wishes to spend all of their time on their new luxury couch watching old black and white movies. Carrie meanwhile longs for the glamor of her old life.

Samantha (Kim Cattrall) meanwhile is fighting off the march of time. At 52 years old she has turned to a drug regimen that would shame your average 70's rock band in order to maintain her youth and vitality. She remains a force in her business as her PR has turned ex-flame Smith Jarrett into an international superstar.

Charlotte has two baby girls that are slowly driving her insane, though she feels horrible admitting it. Worse yet are her fears about her new nanny (Alice Eve). The new live in caretaker has a penchant for going braless while playing with the kids, a sight that has not gone unnoticed by Charlotte's husband Harry (Evan Handler).

Finally there is Miranda who is dealing with a rude boss at her law firm. She is being dismissed by him for being a strong woman with strong opinions and the boss is busily making her miserable with constant emails and phone calls. Should she simply quit the job she has worked so hard for? Who cares because the movie has zero interest in exploring this or any of the challenges it introduces with any depth or insight.

These are the new challenges for our longtime friends and the solution given to each is a week's paid vacation in Abu Dhabi where Carrie soothes her bored soul with a flirtation with an old flame. Samantha finds herself without her drug regimen but still in rare form thanks to a new romance with an age appropriate man.

As for Charlotte and Miranda, the screenplay really doesn't have much to offer them after they arrive in the Middle East. Miranda has a few moments of wit while Charlotte is left to pray for a cell phone signal that will allow her track Harry and the nanny even though the film has zero interest in creating any real tension in Charlotte's marriage. 

The Abu Dhabi portion of the film, shot on location in Morocco, is a massive waste of celluloid. The women engage in mindless consumption against a desert background. They go out of their way to offend the locals while writer-director Michael Patrick King fails to create one Middle Eastern character of any resonance. Carrie's reunion, spoiled in the trailers and commercials, is a false dramatic device that goes nowhere as the real focus seems to be ugly, over the top opulence.

All of the wit and style of Sex and the City seems to have been sucked out of the sequel. This is well attested by the opening 20 minutes of the film spent at the wedding of Carrie's gay best friend Stanford (Willie Garson) and Anthony (Mario Cantone). Where once Sex and the City was cutting edge in understanding and existing within gay culture, things have deteriorated to the point of stereotype and decrepit gay pop culture references. 

Liza Minnelli as gay icon was played out nearly a decade ago. Having Liza officiate a gay wedding and then sing Single Ladies by Beyonce just seems desperate. The jokes about gays, weddings, Liza and Single Ladies, thud one after another as we wait patiently for something remotely plot-like to emerge. In the end the gay wedding exists only for these jokes which magnify the giant waste it all is. 

Where the issues crafted for the first Sex and the City movie revealed interesting new things about these four wonderful women and challenged them to face life in ways they'd never had to before, Sex and the City 2 has no real interest in finding new ways to reveal and challenge them. It appears that once producers decided to go to Abu Dhabi, or rather Morocco, any interest in an actual plot was forgotten in favor of drowning in excess and flaunting opulent consumer culture. Ugh! It's just awful. 

A massive groaning bore of a movie, Sex and the City 2 disgraces the series and the first film by wasting the talent of all involved and 2 hours and 20 minutes of the lives of loyal fans who will attend the film out of love and loyalty to these characters and find themselves slapped in the face by what appears to be nothing more than an excuse for all involved to take a Middle Eastern vacation together.

No insight, little romance and a complete lack of the wit that made these characters so dear to us, Sex and the City 2 rots out loud. Writer-director Michael Patrick King seems to have forgotten entirely what made this franchise so wonderful. Sure the cast and crew got an expensive vacation out of the deal but what’s in it for us?

Movie Review Sex and the City

Sex and the City (2008)

Directed by Michael Patrick King

Written by Michael Patrick King 

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristen Davis, Chris Noth

Release Date May 12th, 2008

Published May 11th, 2008 

It's been four years since we last saw our friends Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattralll), Charlotte (Kristen Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). In that time Carrie has been in a monogamous relationship with her Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Samantha also has been in a long term relationship with her actor boytoy Smith Jerrod. That relationship has taken Samantha from her beloved New York to Los Angeles where Smith's career has flourished. When last we saw Charlotte her adoption from China came through and her daughter is now almost 4 years old. Meanwhile Miranda has been married to Steve and living in Brooklyn for the past four years.

Memories refreshed with a quick montage we jump into the story and the latest complications. For Carrie, she and Big are moving in together. Moreover, they've decided to get married. Samantha and Smith? They are living together but Samantha has become infatuated with a sexy neighbor, an Italian hunk, who reminds her of her old self. He has sex with a different woman every night and this sparks feelings of nostalgia in Samantha who uses repeated trips to New York, amongst other things to avoid cheating on Smith.

Charlotte has a big surprise coming, one that will no doubt strike right at the heart of many SATC fans. Miranda meanwhile is focused on her career and trying to balance being a high powered lawyer with being a wife and a mother. Steve has a big surprise coming for Miranda which will then reverberate through the rest of the story in unexpected ways.

I am careful not to reveal too much. It's not that there are major, unpredictable twists and turns in SATC the Movie. Rather, just knowing too much might remove the impact of the many dramatic, romantic and comedic moments. Writer-director Michael Patrick King slips us right back into the lives of these characters with an effortlessness that is to be commended. For the uninitiated, the recap at the beginning is quick witted, light hearted and contains just the information you will need to enjoy the movie. And I think you will enjoy this movie, regardless of whether you are already a fan.

Sex and the City is a smart, sexy, funny adult comedy that does not pander to the audience. No attempt is made to soften the edges and make Sex more appealing to a wider audience. All of the sex, language, smoking and drinking of the TV series are in the movie. Sex and the City The Movie defines itself in its maturity in more ways than one. Not only does it not pander to find a wider, younger audience but also these characters play their age. They are 40 and fabulous and make no attempt to cover that up, no vain attempts to age down for these ladies, why Cattrall's Samantha celebrates her 50th birthday in the movie.

Unlike the vain egotist Sylvester Stallone, there is an effortless quality to the way Cattrall remains an object of desire. Where Stallone gets plastic surgery and pumps steroids and comes off as desperate not to show his age, Cattrall revels in the idea that she can look as good as she does and still be open about being 50. Guys, I know you may make fun but if someday your wife, at 50, puts in the hard work that Cattrall does to look like she does, you will appreciate it.

All four of these women work hard to look as good as they do but you never really see the effort on screen. The results however? Wow. Both Cattrall and Nixon have nude scenes in the film and Davis a near nude scene and all look amazing. One of the things that survived from the show is how Parker's Carrie always manages to be the one to keep her clothes on. I'm not complaining, it's just an observation. Any theories as to why she's able to escape the showing off, aside from her name being above the title, are appreciated. I'm curious if there is a deeper meaning to Carrie's private life being so often offscreen.

If there is one major issue with Sex and the City The Movie it is the length. At nearly 2 and a half hours, SATC is a slog. There is a good 25 to 30 minutes that could easily come out of this movie without damaging the stories that Michael Patrick King wants to tell. The length is merely indulgence. Do we need repeated scenes of a dog humping things? Do we need one character's severe gastro-intestinal troubles? The two fashion shows? Really? Get an editor or go back to HBO where you could cut together an economical season's worth of episodes that at 26 minutes apiece would make this indulgence easier to swallow.

That said, it's only a minor quibble. Spending time with these four terrifically funny, sexy, smart characters is not something to complain about too much. The Sex and the City movie pays tribute to the television show and sends it off in a proper fashion with romance, style and yes sex, plenty of sex.

Movie Review The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer (2010) 

Directed by Roman Polanski 

Written by Robert Harris, Roman Polanski 

Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, Jon Bernthal 

Release Date March 3rd, 2010

Published March 9th, 2010 

Director Roman Polanski will be forever colored by the crime he committed that drove him out of America. His conviction on charges of statutory rape, he had sex with a 13 year old girl, will forever stain his reputation and whether he ever returns to America to face justice or remains in exile somewhere in Europe he will leave behind a tarnished legacy and a lifetime of movies that might have been.

Because of his crimes many people will forever avoid his movies as a form of protest. Those who make that choice will be the least for it as despite his crime Mr. Polanski remains a master behind the camera. The latest example of his genius is the political thriller The Ghost Writer starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan.

Former British Prime Minister Adam Lang has one of the most anticipated memoirs in the publishing industry. His controversial time as Prime Minister, encompassing the height of the war on terror, his good looks and charm should lend itself to a terrific story and a grand slam bestseller.

Unfortunately, the book stinks and the Prime Minister's original ghost writer, a longtime aide, has died. The book is a shambles and a major fix is needed. Enter The Ghost played by Ewan McGregor, an author for hire who specializes in puffery and wordplay. He will sit with the PM and uncover some details that might turn the book into the bedside reader that publishers look for.

While things begin rather simply, the job of the ghost takes a sinister turn when the former PM is charged with war crimes and he is pressed by his bosses to control the story and keep it all for the book. What the ghost discovers is linked to the fate of the previous ghostwriter, the CIA and the PM's wife, played brilliantly by Olivia Williams.

The plot of The Ghost Writer is intricate and endlessly clever. Roman Polanski adapted it from the work of author Robert Harris who modeled the fictional story on real life British Prime Minister Tony Blair with whom Harris was once close. When Blair began working closely with President Bush, Harris turned and The Ghost Writer was born.

The veiled attack on Blair hovers over the thriller story of The Ghost Writer and the real life conceits serve as a sort of magic trick to distract audiences while Polanski and Ewan McGregor work the thriller aspect for smart, tense and even humorous scenes.

This is a master at work, intriguing us with asides while leaving us gasping with plotting, pace and dialogue. The Ghost Writer is relentless in its smooth pace and enthralling storytelling. McGregor is well matched to the role of the clueless ghost who comes in with no interest in politics and finds himself immediately out of his depth.

Olivia Williams is the standout of the superb cast. Playing the jaded, jilted politician's wife she begins a tense and sexy flirtation with the ghost all the while hiding secrets that nag at the back of your mind until their superb payoff. Pierce Brosnan hasn't been this good since his clever turn in 2005's The Matador. Brosnan combines Tony Blair's boyish energy and charm with an undercurrent of menace.

Kim Cattrall rounds out the cast as Brosnan's loyal aide and likely mistress. The relationship is left tantalizingly off-screen while she flirts with McGregor's Ghost in one of many smart, funny, sexy subplots that keep the audience off balance and searching for clues to the big bad behind all the trouble.

Murder, mystery, sex and politics what more could one ask for in a good thriller. With Roman Polanski behind the camera everything comes together under the eye of a master filmmaker who knows just what buttons to push to keep an audience engaged and grasping for the next clue, the next revelation and the final gut punch finish. Some will find the ending of The Ghost Writer unsatisfying. I feel it was the perfect finish and really the only way this story could end.

Put aside Roman Polanski's crime if you can and you will find The Ghost Writer to be a fantastic movie going experience. A brilliant thriller from a brilliant director who has maintained a mastery of filmmaking even as his personal life has been an absolute disaster.

Movie Review: Crossroads

Crossroads (2002) 

Directed by Tamra Davis 

Written by Shonda Rhimes 

Starring Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zoe Saldana, Taryn Manning, Kim Cattrall, Dan Akroyd, Justin Long

Release Date February 15th, 2002

Published February 15th, 2002 

Will pop stars ever learn?

It never fails that every time a pop star gains any kind of popularity their instincts lead them to acting. Madonna, Mandy Moore and Michael Jackson have all made miserable attempts at acting careers. And of course we're all still recovering from the film debuts of N'Sync and Mariah Carey. Now the world’s flavor of the decade, Britney Spears, has made her crossover attempt with the pop flavored Crossroads.

Britney is Lucy, the virginal valedictorian with a voice like an angel. On the day of her high school graduation Lucy reunites with old friends to unearth a box of childhood memories buried 10 years earlier. It seems Lucy and her friends Mimi (Taryn Manning) and Kit (Zoey Saldana) have grown apart in the last 10 years but now are coming back together for a road trip to L.A. so Mimi can become a rock star and Lucy can find the mother who abandoned her when she was just 3 years old.

So, now we have combined the road movie with the pop star vehicle, oh could this possibly suck more? Well in fact yes, yes it can and does suck even more. Lucy finally finds her mother who is played by Sex & The City's Kim Cattrall, and we are treated to one of the most stupid, mean and contrived situations this side of daytime soap operas. Lucy meets her mother and rather than go with what should be the film’s dramatic high-point, the film cuts to her friends hanging out a local hotel and Lucy returning crying as she explains that her mother hates her and wishes she was never born. How fun!

To be fair, Britney is good at eliciting sympathy. Her acting leaves a good deal to desire but she's far better than fellow pop tarts Mandy Moore and Mariah Carey. What is most striking is how young Britney looks. She is reportedly 21 years old in real life, but in the film her character is 18 and she looks about 14. That's both blessing and a curse in some ways, as her remarkable youth is a tad unnerving considering where the plot is going and considering what I am about to discuss. 

Not surprisingly, there are a couple of gratuitous shots meant to appeal to horny young boys. Britney prances around in her underwear twice in the first 20 minutes of the film. I must give Britney credit for bravely risking her virginal reputation by allowing her character to be deflowered in the film. I certainly didn't expect or really desire to see this but here we are. Britney's journey is arriving where she's going to have sex for the first time. 

The saddest thing about the film is it’s inclusion of Jeepers Creepers star Justin Long in the throwaway role of Britney's first boyfriend. Long is a tremendous comic actor as he's shows on NBC's highly underrated Ed. In Crossroads, Long appears in the film’s first 20 minutes, providing the film’s only funny moments and then is eschewed in favor of the more teeny bop, test screened hunk Anson Mount whose performance is extremely dull in comparison to the animated, funny turn by Long.'

Crossroads is as awful as we all thought it would be, and Britney, I hope, will go back to her day job. But she can do so knowing at least this was better than Glitter.