The September Issue ***

Director: R.J. Cutler

"There is something about fashion that can make people very nervous" says Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour.
Taken out of context that something she talks about could perfectly describe her. Known for her headstrong, "Ice Queen" approach she has been head of the magazine for two decades during which: she's provoked controversy by wearing fur, endorsed celebrity worshiping, created and destroyed trends, created and destroyed people and was played by Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada" (well, a version of herself at least).
Wintour had Cutler's crew follow her around for six months in 2007 while they prepared the September issue of the magazine.
"September is the January in fashion" says one of the editors before we learn that the staff are trying to make the biggest issue of the magazine in history.
They have Sienna Miller on the cover, spreads by Mario Testino and more ads than you can shake a stick at. All things which at one time or another have to go under Wintour's fierce eye.
There's two things that immediately come to mind watching this movie.
First is how much is Wintour using the film as a PR strategy to convince the world she's not Satan.
Her trademark bob (which we learn she's used since she was very young) and sunglasses, she uses to meet with top designers and figures, give her an armor of sorts that makes her not only impenetrable, but fascinating.
"She's not accessible to people she doesn't need to be accessible to..." says one of her employees defending the view most people have of her after the "Prada" book and movie.
One has to wonder how much is Anna paying homage to Meryl, because she does give a performance in the movie (even one of the film's first sequences evokes the movie).
She knows she can't lash out at her employees like we're expecting her to do and that she must wait until the cameras are turned off to go all Anjelica Huston in "The Witches".
The curious thing is that even if we see she doesn't act like that in front of the camera, it's easy to assume she's holding back and even if she's not and is actually opening up-in her own way-she only becomes more fascinating.
The film establishes dramatic conflict by showing the relationship between Wintour and Grace Coddington-a former model turned style editor- who's every bit as romantic and idealistic (Wintour calls her a genius) as her boss is goal driven and stoic.
When Coddington goes all the way for a flapper inspired photo shoot, Wintour takes a few minutes to single out what she thinks was a waste of time.
When Coddington insists that a man's protruding stomach shouldn't be retouched, Anna gasps at the sight of "fat" in Vogue.
Coddington usually does "all the things [Wintour] doesn't like" and knows it, with each of this micro dramas being put to great use by the movie which always remains brisk and fun.
But the second and perhaps most important question to ask about the movie is: will it result interesting to people who hate, fear, ignore or are indifferent towards fashion?
The answer might be not, but the movie like Wintour makes an ambiguous stand in its own defense by pointing out Vogue's longevity.
"The September Issue" like its real counterpart might just be fluff disguised as depth. It doesn't say much, but boy do you have a need to buy it.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra **

Director: Stephen Sommers
Cast: Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Sienna Miller
Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Lee Byung-hun
Saïd Taghmaoui, Ray Park, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Jonathan Pryce, Dennis Quaid, Christopher Eccleston

Not since the Bat nipples appeared on George Clooney more than a decade ago has a comic book/cartoon/toy inspired movie had such fetishist potential.
Inspired by the famous Hasbro action figures and the animated series about a group of elite soldiers from all over the world-fighting the evil M.A.R.S corporation-this film features a cast mostly comprised of models and exotically handsome men and women in tight fitting suits.
There isn't much of a plot, at least not one that matters. all you have to know is that the Joes are good and the Cobras-from M.A.R.S-are not.
M.A.R.S is led by James McCullen (Eccleston) a Scottish weapon mogul holding a three hundred year old grudge towards the French and somehow the entire world by default.
His company devices microscopic robots called nano-mites which can destroy people and world monuments and he plans to use them on several capitols to gain who knows what...
His team features a mad scientist called The Doctor (Gordon-Levitt in full Gollum mode), crazy ninja Storm Shadow (Byung-hun) and the Baroness (Miller) a former American socialite married to a French royal, who spends her free time killing people and stealing wmd-s.
That she has history with G.I. Joe Duke (Tatum) only adds to whatever little drama the film wants to introduce. Duke is the newest member of the Joes along with Ripcord (Wayans), the good guys also feature Heavy Duty (Akinnuoye-Abgaje), Breaker (Taghmaoui), silent ninja Snake Eyes (Park), Scarlett (Nichols) and team leader General Hawk (Quaid).
During 118 minutes members from each team fight each other in the midst of enormous action sequences, explosions and surprising weapons that appear out of nowhere.
They also have flashbacks-which are laughable-and constant hints at what the sequel will be about and even if it feels ethically incorrect to say so, it's slightly obvious that nobody comes to such movies seeking enlightenment.
Or do they?
With the state of summer blockbusters which now more than ever are requesting you leave your brain at home, is it then too much to ask for their kind of dumb entertainment to at least be actually entertaining?
If we have come to reduce movies to fulfill such primitive needs then "G.I. Joe" gets the job done. Absolutely nothing in the film makes sense, but most of it is fun.
Sommers' film takes place in the not so distant future where the USA actually cares for Russia and France and terrorism only comes in the shape of utterly deranged beings.
This sort of male fantasia will make sense to those who loved playing with the action figures (in the same way the first "Transformers" movie did).
This is the sort of movie where the heroes claim to be a secret unit, but have no problem destroying half of Paris in broad daylight. Someone else will clean this mess for them...like moms picking up their kids' toys.
In a postmodernist nod Sommers is also able to give the movie a postmodernist feel by structuring it like a cartoon; the cinematography is cheap to say the least, the effects never look or feel real and the quotes are epitomize cheese.
Now the question is, does anyone actually want to see a live version of the cartoon? Luckily by the time you start formulating questions like these you'll be going home and in the process of forgetting this average Joe.

Twisted Crush of the Day.

The Edge of Love **

Director: John Maybury
Cast: Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys

Loosely inspired on events in the life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (Rhys), "The Edge of Love" is a period romance striving hard to become this year's literary masterpiece, specifically "Atonement" (hell, even their ad campaign compares itself to Joe Wright's film).
It opens in London during the Blitz were the luscious singer Vera Phillips (Knightley) performs in an underground venue, almost making people oblivious to the horrors going up above them. She runs into Thomas at a bar after a decade long absence. The poet was Vera's first love and as she starts to rekindle her feelings for him she meets his wife Caitlin (Miller).
Despite their inherent rivalry the trio begins a strange relationship, even moving in together, until Vera begins receiving the attentions of dashing soldier William Killick (Murphy) who she consequently marries to the disapproval of Thomas and without being convinced she really loves him.
William then is sent to combat, leaving his wife behind as she battles between who is it she really loves, with the hopes she chooses him in the end.
What should've been a traditional romantic plot is turned by director Maybury into a stale essay of the consequences of war and an unflattering portrait of Thomas.
Most of the events seem like excuses for cinematographer Jonathan Freeman to lens everything in a stunningly beautiful light; and truly who are we to complain when everything looks as if a vintage postcard had come to life?
But while the actors look at their best, the characters remain drained of any real emotion and motivation.
This happens because most of the plot turns around two notions: first that Thomas exudes such charm and is so irresistible that he can inspire two smart women to live in platonic poligamy while truth is that Rhys' performance is so uninspired that he can't even pass off as even talented for most of the film, much less impossible to live without, and we're supposed to buy his mad genius just because others say it's there. The second notion is that William is such a disposable character that the simple hope of an "I love you" can be the engine for his life.
In a way Thomas is a modern character, extracted from a contemporary film while William plays out like a Robert Taylor character of the era.
And it's truly a shame that the film fails to involve us emotionally because the women are exquisite. Miller had never been so visceral and rapturous, she almost disappears into Caitlin and in some demanding scenes she underplays her every move.
Knightley on the other side just keeps on growing as a performer, here she sings, beautifully (Angelo Badalamenti's compositions suit her perfectly) and during one key moment after an air strike hits London, she goes from frightened to sensual (and convinces you that she must be cast in a musical soon!).
The rest of the film has her rehashing her role from "Atonement", especially every time she whispers that "come back to me" line; but near the end you realize her character has turned into a full blown woman.
Maybury's debut film was also a free spirited take on the life of a celebrated artist, they both were visually daring and had some remarkable performances, but were emotionally drained.
It's sad and disappointing that "The Edge of Love" barely stays on the sidelines.