Word: melodrama
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...could make maybe $100 million importing cocaine into the U.S. and help it become the favorite cocktail of movie stars, pro athletes and investment bankers. That is George Yung's story, as told by Bruce Porter in the book Blow and now made into a sprawling rise-and-fall melodrama by director Ted Demme (The Ref, Beautiful Girls) and writers David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes...
...packed house from the banalities of real life into a divine fantasy realm. The stage, adorned with simple painted backdrops, was awash in pastels, and the singers wore brightly colored costumes (sky blue and gold for Sarastro and his priests, green and red for Tamino). Even the moments of melodrama weren’t allowed to take themselves seriously. The dangerous monster that nearly kills the protagonist during the opera’s opening scene was more Puff the Magic Dragon than fire-spitting beast as it hopped humorously about on two legs...
...give points for integrity? The message may be simple, even brutal, but it is authentic. In Frozen, a performance artist literally kills himself for his art, and a friend says, "He sacrificed his life to show that he lived among murderers." Squeeze a little of the melodrama from that statement, and it could apply to the Sixth Generation filmmakers: They risk their careers to deliver uncomfortable truths. If it is hard to find heroes in these movies, it is easy to see the heroes behind them...
...After two weeks of political melodrama, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak refused to serve as Defense Minister under Ariel Sharon, resigned as Labor Party chairman and announced his withdrawal from Israeli politics. Barak was angered by Sharon's floating of other names for the post of defense chief, but he also faced opposition from members of his own party, who called on him to honor his pledges to step aside. Despite Barak's departure, Sharon said he still hopes to form a coalition government with Labor. Meanwhile Israeli security forces stepped up their liquidation of Palestinian extremists: in the latest...
...sexual awakening creates tension between her and her secret-keeping, young single mother: it's like Gilmore Girls done as domestic drama. This quiet story, based on Elizabeth Strout's novel, might never have aired without Winfrey's name. That may be why the film ramps up the melodrama; between the moody imagery and eerie music, you'd think you were watching a '70s horror flick. But the understated leads shine. Elisabeth Shue brings out mom Isabelle's repression without turning her into a mere set of conventions; Hanna Hall plays Amy with a subtle concupiscence that recalls her previous...