A Double-Feature On The Deuce

Last night, I had a lovely evening at the movies on 42nd Street.  I went to the newish summer film THE HEAT, featuring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock. Though I love both these actresses, I was truly drawn to the film because of its director, Paul Feig, who also helmed the summer smash BRIDESMAIDS. That film was one of my favorites of 2011 (though I actually didn't see it until 2012!) and one of the smartest comedies I had seen in a long while. Feig's work reminds me somewhat of Preston Sturges, one of my old time fave directors and a personal inspiration to me as well. He gets the screwy in screwball comedy while, at the same time, keeps the characters real and grounded in the world--something even Sturges (to high comic effect) often dispensed with. And THE HEAT is squarely in that tradition, though a more violent type of comedy with the slapstick elements taken to hilarious extremes.

THE HEAT was playing at the huge AMC 25 screen monster-plex on 42nd where tickets are now $14.50. Fortunately, the second half of our planned double feature was free, making it a deal almost as a 2-for-1 night. We took a slow stroll down 42nd (jammed with Euro-tourists even on a Monday) to Bryant Park where the free outdoor screenings have been going on now for almost 20 years to see Billy Wilder's A FOREIGN AFFAIR. This is one of my top Wilder flicks, and one that doesn't get as much play due to its grim setting and dark storyline. But leave it to Wilder to find the humor in devastated post-war Berlin, which he does to great effect while also making a steamy romantic comedy too (Marlene Dietrich helps on that front). Anyway, it was easy to get a seat shortly after showtime maybe because the film was not the usual Bryant Park blockbuster. And the film looked great on the supersized screen. All in all, a lovely night at the movies on ol' 42nd street!

Guest Blogging On QUEERTY This Week

This week, I'm guest blogging over at the website Queerty. You can read my posts about the Oscar nominations announced this morning (yay Melissa McCarthy!), the new Snickers ad (a DYNASTY reunion), and two guys who do tag-team sessions on Grindr drunk.  All these and other stories about some movement on the gay marriage front are viewable on www.queerty.com today and tomorrow.  Then I'll be back here with more Hi-Fi Bri-ness. Thanks for checking them out!

NetPix: Bridesmaids

Somehow I missed the party on this movie last summer, probably because I was in the midst of my own play and film's premieres when the film was out in theatres.  Anyway, it recently came up on my Netflix queue and, on a day that I was home sick and not doing much but sitting on the couch, I popped it in and was laughing my ass off from the film's opening minutes.  This movie is not only one of the best studio comedies I have seen in a few years, it is easily one of the best films of last year.  The reason is that not only it is funny but it is also charming and somewhat real (in a Hollywood way, of course) about the characters and their dilemas in the run-up to an over-the-top wedding.

I have to say, I expected this movie to be about being a bridesmaid (thus the title).  And though that situation sets the framework for the film, (spolier alert) the wedding does not happen until the film's final minutes. Up to that point, the movie goes in all sorts of unexpected directions as Kristen Wiig's lovable loser of a character comes to terms with the fact of her best friend's marriage as her own life implodes. The movie strikes the perfect balance between the reality of her sad life and the humor of her situations, especially when it comes to her own romantic situations (which I am not going to spoil here at all!).

Today, Oscar ballots are due out in Hollywood and I can only hope that Academy voters ignore all the hype about THE ARTIST and honor BRIDESMAIDS with a Best Picture nomination.  There has been much talk about how Melissa McCarthy deserves one for her hilarious performance, not to mention Wiig and Paul Feig for writing and directing this film.  But, by far, it is clearly one of the best films of the year and deserves to be recognized as such.