Too Darn Hot...

Movie Review: Closer and Kinsey

Let me start off by saying that I did not intend to see two sex movies in one night. It was all in the timing and I don't make the movie schedules. I was an innocent bystander.

Seeming to be more like a play than a movie, Closer was still enjoyable...at times. There seemed to be a lot of fast forwarding going on, only I didn't have the remote. Years would pass between acts, and that was the most disconcerting part of this flick.

Now, take Natalie Portman out of the long robes and heavy makeup, and put her in stripper garb and dyed-fire engine red hair and you can hardly recognize her. She has such versatility - I'm impressed with her a lot. Julia Roberts can do just about anything and I will enjoy watching it, but sometimes need a little convincing - but not in this movie. The words coming out of her mouth - shocking! I love Jude Law (see previous posts) but Clive Owen needs help. He is good to look at, I don't mind the deep voice, but he was less than convincing in this tale.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie enough to not be sorry I paid for it, and being pulled in SO close to a movie, was a little off-putting to me. I think I need to sit on this one a bit longer to figure out if I really liked it or not. I know I did, but not sure what I really liked about it. It was different - and different is always welcomed. And Mike Nichols is a genius. I guess this was his point - to make you feel involved and force you to examine your own relationships. Wow - maybe I need therapy!

Next up, Kinsey...

According to the Kinsey report
ev'ry average man you know
much prefers to play his favorite sport
when the temperature is low
but when the thermometer goes way up
and the weather is sizzling hot

Cole Porter said it best (and usually does). But truly, these characters were NOT average men. They were young men willing to do anything for the cause - sure they were, it meant having sex ALL the time and with many different people. Warning - this movie is not for the timid, shy, innocent folks out there.

This movie was amazing. Now granted, there are a lot of graphic scenes and dialog, but it is warranted. (The poor girl behind me left as she had had enough at one point.) This is the story of a man trying to figure out sex from a scientific perspective. He was a revolutionary. This movie really gives insight into who Dr. Alfred Kinsey was in his day, even if it was dramatized. Liam Neeson fit into this role a little too easily, which makes you wonder.

I think this was an amazing piece of cinema, that many would never understand. However, if you don't mind the graphical content, you should see this movie. It's a dispassionate look into sex - hetero, homo, and bi - that does not preach about it, yet still recognizes the true evil of sexual predators. It isn't for everyone, but it is excellent.