Steven Soderbergh’s thriller about a killer virus that spreads death, terror and chaos around the world is chilling in more ways than one. It elicits a spinal shiver, to be sure, to contemplate the fragility of both human bodies and societal structures, and Soderbergh’s economical, frill-free approach to the story makes the escalating panic feel […]
Gwyneth Paltrow
Posted inArts + Music
Alcoholics unanimous
In the Country Strong trailer, Gwyneth Paltrow, dressed in black lingerie and drunken rage, rips a bottle of alcohol from her honky-tonk beau’s hand. “Give it to me!” she spits and yells, crying and red-faced, slumping to the floor. This is the cue that her character, country star Kelly Canter, has hit skidsville. Fighting for […]
Posted inArts + Music
You booze, you lose with Country Strong
Like a pop-country ballad that’s more Twain than twang, Shana Feste’s Country Strong is a glossy, superficial, manipulative melodrama powered by counterfeit emotions. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as alcoholic singer Kelly Canter, who’s sprung early from rehab by her husband-manager (Tim McGraw) for a comeback tour. This displeases the noble country crooner (Garrett Hedlund) with whom […]
Posted inArts + Music
Director James Gray in real time
James Gray agrees when he is told that a romantic drama, like his film Two Lovers, is a rare breed in mainstream film. On the phone from his office in LA, he explains that the ridiculous behaviours that come with being in love are better suited to comedy than serious drama. So, how did Gray […]