Word: wryness
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...talking, in a gentle English accent or a brusque German one, but what makes him a great shot for film eminence is how suavely he listens. Listens with his eyes, attentive to nuances of lust or fear that may not even be there. Reacts with a prim wryness that hints at the Nazi's superiority, at Whale's indulgence. These lovely scenes give the audience a chance to study McKellen in wary repose. It's a face worth studying. A movie face, as Hollywood should soon understand...
...facades of the White House and the Empire State Building. On Earth, an ensemble cast fleshes out the stereotypes (Harvey Fierstein, whiny gay man; Judd Hirsch, crusty old Jew; Vivica Fox, stripper with heart of gold), while the three male leads mine all available righteousness and comic charm. Wryness is a big tactic here; it keeps the story from going ballistic. In the late 1990s, you will learn, there is apparently a 24-hour McLaughlin Group channel. There's also a near monopoly of Fox and Star TV news networks. The networks are owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp...
...movie's originality. For, age difference aside, Hutton and Portman are perfectly matched ironists--''Romeo and Juliet, the dyslexic version," as she calls them--dealing with the largest irony of all, the fact that they dare not touch, let alone dream of fulfillment together. Their rue and wryness are characteristic of Scott Rosenberg's writerly script, the playing of their encounters typical of a fine acting ensemble and of Ted Demme's discreet yet forceful direction. Beautiful Girls is always in touch with reality but never drowned...
...first four are--like Updike's physical flaws--easily forgiven. The self-consciousness often comes as a wryness, a repetition of amusing bits of personal history which balance the self-importance with a likeable self-deprecation...
...analytic intelligence, the wryness and ironic wit with which 28 of them recount their experiences there make their story all the more persuasive...