ARAB TIMES, TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2017
NEWS/FEATURES
20
People & Places
Film
Docu biography
‘Ledger’ a portrait of
true free spirit artist
By Owen Gleiberman
there is any one image you take away from “I Am
IthefHeath
Ledger,” it’s that of Ledger staring into
camera, spinning it around and around, creating
his own sort of impromptu DV-selfie version of the
swirling-camera POV dance duets in “Saturday Night
Fever” and “Carrie.” The shots are emblematic for a
couple of reasons. Ledger, as we learn, was always
filming and photographing things, including himself
and his friends; it was part of his compulsion to make
art, to filter his experience through a vast array of lenses. The bounty of images he left behind are a testament
to that creative hunger. Yet the fact that he got off on
filming himself so much makes its own statement. “I
Am Heath Ledger” is a portrait
of the artist as an angelic young
narcissist, a self-conjured celebrity image-maker. He was
always pushing himself to the
next level, which is why, at
the age of 28 (when he died),
he was already the greatest actor of his generation. But part
of that gift was for turning the
world into his mirror.
Directed by Adrian Buitenhuis and Derik Murray, “I Am
Ledger
Heath Ledger” is a documentary biography, built around hours of privately shot
footage, that is unconventional and in many ways
haunting, because it takes you up close to the person
Heath Ledger was: a true free spirit, who lived without the rules most people in the entertainment business cling to — and without the boundaries. Raised
in Perth, Australia, he’s described by his mother,
Sally Bell, as a wild kid who was not about to settle down, no matter what anyone told him, so his
parents simply hoped (and trusted) that he would
turn out all right, even if that meant he left home as
a teenager, cruising into the city for adventure. He
already possessed the preternatural confidence of
fame, which is one reason that he drifted into acting
and wound up in Los Angeles, winning people over
wherever he landed.
Lauryn Hill performs at the Kaya Fest at Bayfront Park Amphitheater in Miami, Florida. (AFP)
Treated
As superstars go, he was a flower child. He treated
his house in L.A. as a rotating crash pad for fellow
Aussies (and many others), he treated life as a communal party, and he viewed himself as a multimedia
artist: doing beautiful scrawls on the the photos he
took, making music and music videos (at least one,
his psychedelic black-and-white hip-hop video for
“Cause N Effect” by N’fa, utterly entrancing), with
movie acting as just one more flavor of his ferment.
That may sound pretentious, but it relates to the special quality that Ledger had as an actor. He didn’t want
to “play a part.” He wanted to flood the screen with
a version of himself. One of the only other actors to
do that was Marlon Brando, and though Ledger, who
was 19 when he shot the film that would make his first
splash, the witty reconfigured teen Shakespeare comedy “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999), started off
as a heartthrob (as did Brando), he built out his persona with every role.
Each movie was a growth ring, an escalation of his
audacity. On the set of “The Patriot” (2000), he was a
dutiful apprentice, treating his costar Mel Gibson — a
fellow Aussie he idolized — as his mentor. But in “A
Knight’s Tale” (2001), that swashbuckling medieval
pop opera, he was right to take his greatest lesson from
the ad campaign. The posters, built around Ledger’s
glowering face with the line “He will rock you,”
made Ledger gasp at (and grasp) the meaning of his
own stardom. He discovered slow-talking gravitas in
“Monster’s Ball,” did an exuberant fake-teeth gonzo
showpiece turn in “Lords of Dogtown,” and then, in
“Brokeback Mountain” (2005), revealed himself to be
an acting genius (and yes, I mean that). With a voice
of muffled desire and a mouth (in his own words) “like
a clenched fist,” he conjured, and made poetic, the
sexual consciousness of a different time.
Tragic
It was tragic, and transporting, and from that point
on he was flying, culminating in the moment when he
went full Brando in “The Dark Knight.” His Joker, a
greasy-haired head case sucking on his scars and his
demons, was the first — and still the only — flat-out
‘70s Method psychodrama-without-a-net performance
in a contemporary blockbuster, and if Ledger hadn’t
died before the movie was released, it would have
made him the king of Hollywood (and did for a while
anyway, almost as if he was still with us).
“I Am Heath Ledger” offers fascinating off-camera
images and clips of Ledger at work in all these films;
the movie is right to be as consumed by his art as he
was. Yet, of course, he had other sides, and it’s hard
not to feel that they’ve been whitewashed. His relationship with Michelle Williams gets bathed in a rosy
Brooklyn glow, and he’s hailed as a loving and devoted father to their daughter, Matilda (which I believe).
But when his family falls apart, the fracture comes out
of nowhere. It’s not that the film suddenly needed to
turn into Us Weekly, but the intimacy of its portrayal
breaks down.
After Ledger and Williams broke up, we learn that
he entered a difficult period and had trouble sleeping.
Hence (according to the movie) his use of sedatives,
and hence his accidental death, on Jan. 22, 2008. But
the film also tells us that Ledger, though he adored
life, spoke to friends of dying young, and the pieces
don’t really add up. If he struggled with addiction,
then the film should have been up front about it —
not voyeuristically, but to fill in the demons that were
there. As it stands, “I Am Heath Ledger” is a catchy
and seductive portrait of an extraordinary artist, but it
leaves you wanting more, because you know it’s not
close to being all of Heath Ledger.
Also:
LOS ANGELES: Neill Byrnes and Anthony Rocco
Bovo will play Aerosmith rockers Steven Tyler and
Joe Perry, respectively, in the Lynyrd Skynyrd biopic “Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd
Skynyrd Plane Crash.”
The film, which begins shooting in Los Angeles on
Monday, centers on drummer Artimus Pyle’s recollection of the events surrounding the crash of the
group’s touring plane in Mississippi on Oct 20, 1977.
The accident killed original band members Ronnie
Van Zant and Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie
Gaines, an assistant road manager, and the two pilots.
Ian Shultis plays Pyle, with Taylor Clift as Van
Zant, Samuel Kay Forrest as Gaines, and Rich Dally
III as Allen Collins. Jared Cohn is directing from his
own script and Brian Perera, founder of Cleopatra
Records, produces. (RTRS)
Music
Singer confirms ‘A Star is Born’
Gaga brings fireworks at fest
Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan attends
the ceremonial opening of the Chinese Film Festival in Hungary 2017
at the Urania National Film Theatre in
Budapest, Hungary on April 23. (AP)
Variety
NEW YORK: Robert De Niro helped Burt
Reynolds onto the red carpet for the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of his new movie
“Dog Years” Saturday night in New York.
It was a rare appearance for the 81-year old
actor, who at times struggled to walk.
Reynolds was given a chair on the red
carpet, so that he could speak to a limited
number of press outlets about the film.
He was overjoyed at the turnout.
“Great to see Mr. De Niro, who I love,
and ... you know, all the people that I
know,” Reynolds said. “It’s very sweet.”
In the film, which is still shopping for
distribution, Reynolds portrays an aging
movie star who realizes his best days are
behind him. The actor sees similarities in
the character with his own life.
Reynolds laughed at the obvious parallel
with his own life, though he said, “I guess
I’m doing all right. I think because it’s a
hell of a turnout.”
Written and directed by Adam Rifkin,
the film also stars “Modern Family’s” Ariel
Winter, Chevy Chase and Nikki Blonsky.
Reynolds joked about working with
younger co-stars. (AP)
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LOS ANGELES: It’s hard to predict how
grownups might feel about this inflated
musical adapted from previous stage and
film treatments of Roald Dahl’s beloved
novel, “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.” (There’s scant evidence that anyone
went back to the original 1964 book for
inspiration.) Savvy kids, however, might
stage a revolt after seeing how the uncanny
darkness of Dahl’s imagination has been
lightened and brightened in helmer Jack
O’Brien’s mechanized production.
How to forgive the inflated spectacle
made of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory, where gluttonous children rush
in, but don’t come out? Considerable cash
(much of it from Warner Bros. Theater
Ventures) was lavished on this production,
and whatever went into orchestrations,
arrangements, and musical direction of
the toe-tappy score by composer Marc
Shaiman and lyricists Scott Wittman and
Shaiman, was well spent. But a good chunk
of the investment money appears to have
been lavished on sets, costumes, and those
repulsive Oompa Loompas. While visually
droll, too many of these gimmicks distract
from the story and encourage the cartoon
treatment of characters as caricatures.
Happily, the character of Charlie Bucket
escapes this mishandling, as do the three
young actors (Jake Ryan Flynn, Ryan
Foust, and Ryan Sell) who alternate in
the role of the poor, but honest lad who is
too good to be greedy. Ryan Foust, who
played the part at a designated critics’
performance, was the best thing in the
show — sweet, earnest, and thoroughly
LOS ANGELES, April 24, (RTRS):
Lady Gaga chose the second weekend
of the Coachella Valley Music and
Arts Festival to announce the launch
of her upcoming film “A Star Is Born.”
The pop star closed out her headlining set on Saturday night by thanking
co-star and director Bradley Cooper, in
addition to confirming that their movie
remake had recently filmed scenes on
the Coachella grounds. Warner Bros.
revealed that production had started on
Monday and released the first image
from the drama, which shows Gaga’s
character Ally singing on stage while
Cooper’s character Jackson, a fading
country music star, looks pensive, with
a guitar in hand.
Fans were notified last week of an
opportunity to appear in a scene being filmed on Tuesday and Wednesday at the festival’s grounds. Attendees were asked to dress in denim and
boots (“leave those pink ‘Joanne’ hats
at home,” the announcement read) for
the scene set during a country western
music concert.
Dazzled
Gaga dazzled on the main stage,
playing both her dance megahits and
country-tinged new singles from her
latest album, “Joanne” — a repeat
of the first weekend’s set. Clad in an
all-leather military-inspired uniform,
and sporting cotton candy pink and
blue steaks in her blonde hair, Gaga
opened her set about 25 minutes late
at 11:30 p.m. with a surprising choice,
“Scheisse” from 2011’s “Born This
Way” album. After stripping down
for a quick outfit change, she followed
with the more popular “LoveGame”
from her debut album, “The Fame.”
Gaga then revealed that her parents
were in attendance, and that she was
nervous about the performance. “No
matter how many times I see your
beautiful faces, it still makes me shake
like no other,” she said, sharing the
first of several anecdotes.
Although the majority of the crowd
was unfamiliar with “John Wayne,”
they went wild for her “Just Dance”
remix. “Alejandro” and “The Edge of
Glory” also elicited strong reactions
from the audience as festival-goers
were brought to tears by her acoustic
rendition of the latter. The singer dedicated the performance to her friend
Sonja, who’s battling cancer. Gaga
— born to take the Coachella stage —
seamlessly alternated between playing
instruments — the piano, guitar, and
professional. (RTRS)
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Ivorian drummer boy Paco Sery
turned globetrotting virtuoso
GRAND-BASSAM, Ivory Coast,
April 24, (AFP): Paco Sery was a kid
banging on tin cans before a job at a
Club Med in Ivory Coast opened the
way to drumming for Congo’s rumba
king Papa Wemba as well as Nina
Simone and other jazz greats.
The Ivorian drummer has performed with Manu Dibango and
Dee Dee Bridgewater, displaying
a talent and fervour that could only
lead to Paris, a European hub for
mixing and merging global styles.
French jazzman Eddy Louiss,
a genius of the Hammond organ,
took him on for a tour.
“That was amazing. People
made me listen to all the great musicians. I also found myself playing
in front of them,” recalls Sery, now
nearly 61 years old.
In his music career Sery became
a core member of Sixun, an experimental jazz fusion band that saw the
light of day in 1984 and made a dozen records by 2010, while the musicians also nurtured side-projects.
He befriended Jaco Pastorius
and Wayne Shorter, famed US
members of the pioneering jazzrock fusion band Weather Report
founded by the late Austrian keyboard wizard Joe Zawinul.
“Zawinul was a great guy,” Sery
says. “We played together often.”
He became drummer in the Zawinul Syndicate, an international ensemble whose release “My People”
was nominated for a 1997 Grammy
Award for Best World Music album.
In 2009, a live double album by
Zawinul’s band, called “75” and
featuring Sery, won a Grammy for
Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
Born into a family of 18 children
in Divo, a small town 180 kms (112
miles) west of Abidjan, Sery would
accompany older sister Lucie to local dance contests.
“She won little things, a bit of
money, and I immersed myself in
the music. I wanted to do everything like her,” Paco recalls, but he
was mostly infatuated with the glistening drums.
“In the end, I built myself a kit with
boxes for the bass drum, large cans
of tomatoes for tom toms, lids for
cymbals. I even made a pedal out of
wood and elastic for the bass drum.”
From such makeshift beginnings,
Paco was totally self-taught. “I
watched the drummers, their movements, the way they did things and
later I imitated them.”
The racket infuriated his father.
“Every afternoon, since I couldn’t
play at my dad’s, I went to play at
my aunt’s. That was fun for her with
her alloco (fried plantain) business.
She sold allocos with that!”
Paco was just 10 when he tried
his luck at a dance hall. “I managed
to sneak into the hall and during
the break, I asked the bandleader,
who was also the drummer and the
singer, if I could have a go. ‘You’re
a child, you’ve got a cheek,’ he
said. ‘Give it a try!’ So I did. All the
musicians were surprised. ‘We’ll
hire you,’ the bandleader said.”
“I told myself that it wasn’t worth
asking my father and went off with
them at the age of 10. We went to
Dabou and I earned 30,000 CFA
francs (45 euros) a month as well
as board. In those days, that was
enormous,” he added.
keyboard guitar — and showing off
intricate dance moves.
The Grammy winner changed into
a hot pink sweatshirt to perform “The
Cure,” which she debuted last week at
Coachella, as gold and pink fireworks
went off beside the massive outdoor
stage.
Thousands of people also went wild
for two other classics, “Poker Face”
and “Telephone” — which features
Beyonce, who was originally set to to
headline the festival before pulling out
as a result of her pregnancy. Fittingly,
Beyonce had initially been courted
to topline “A Star Is Born” opposite
Cooper when Clint Eastwood was first
attached to direct.
Fireworks and flames lit up the sky
again when the singer closed with “Bad
Romance.” “I write songs about things
that are really bad for me, for example,
bad romances,” she introduced the hit.
She also discussed her New York roots
and hatred of bullies. In addition to
Cooper, she thanked her parents, dancers, band, and record producer Jimmy
Iovine as well before taking a final bow.
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NEW YORK: Sparkly, exquisite diamonds
were the draw but Reese Witherspoon’s
thoughts were with something much larger
— elephants.
The Oscar-winning “Big Little Lies” star
attended a party in New York last week
to celebrate Tiffany and Co and said she
backed the jewelry company’s commitment
to stop global trafficking and demand for
Reynolds
Witherspoon
elephant ivory.
“I’ve had the great opportunity to work
with elephants in my career, and spend a
lot of time in Africa with elephants. I love
that they are doing so much for conservation, and helping save the elephants,” said
Witherspoon.
Between 20,000 and 30,000 elephants
are killed every year for their tusks. Last
year, Tiffany & Co partnered with the Elephant Crisis Fund to raise money to fight
for the elephants. (AP)