OVP: Gloria (1980)

Film: Gloria (1980)
Stars: Gena Rowlands, Julie Carmen, Buck Henry, John Adames
Director: John Cassavetes
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Actress-Gena Rowlands)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 2/5 stars

I don't get to "confess" to unforgivable sins very often anymore when it comes to my film-watching.  I have made a point in the last 3-4 years of not necessarily keeping pace with the grueling tasks I set before me when it comes to watching movies (I'm a perfectionist who is always redefining "perfect" so I can never quite reach it), but I have definitely made great leaps in terms of what films I've seen.  That being said, occasionally you're reminded that there are a lot of movies, and today I will admit-I've never seen a John Cassavetes-directed film.  While I've certainly seen him act in movies (The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary's Baby), I've never seen one of his iconic, realistic pictures.  And so he feels like a good place to start for a new week, and one devoted to the Oscar Best Actress category (every weekday afternoon, we'll have a Best Actress nominee that I saw for the first time recently), as few directors have been so devoted to one particular Best Actress their whole careers.  Gena Rowlands starred in ten of Cassavetes' films, winning Oscar nominations for two of them, the second of those nominations coming for Gloria.

(Spoilers Ahead) The movie Gloria reads pretty conventionally with the plot, but as you'll see below doesn't feel conventional while you're watching it.  But let's ground ourselves at least with some cursory details, shall we?  The movie takes place in the South Bronx, where an accountant and his family have had a hit put on them by the mob, as the accountant has turned state's evidence against them.  Before the mob can kill the family, the accountant gives his son Phil (Adames) to Gloria (Rowlands), a next door neighbor, to look after.  When the entire family is killed, Gloria is forced to take care of the kid despite her not having any maternal instincts, and Phil not really appreciating Gloria or what she is sacrificing.  As the movie continues, we come to learn that Gloria has a lot of connections to the mob as a former girlfriend to a mobster, and as a result knows the world well.  She starts rampaging around the city like Rambo torn between giving up the child and taking care of it.  As this is a movie, you can guess which one she picks.

Gloria in that plot description sounds kind of badass, and at times it is.  Watching a 50-year-old Rowlands, who does not resemble the action heroes we normally associate with action-adventures (athletic women like Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton), take on such a role is a treat, and I loved some of the character touches particularly the costume designers brought to this role (this is a woman who has a ton of vanity about her appearance, and it shows in the meticulous nature of her outfits).  However, Gloria is a weird movie, and I've double-checked with a film fan more familiar with Cassavetes, and it's an atypical one for the director.  The film reads like a comedy, or a spoof-the dialogue is stilted, repetitive, and Rowlands is tasked with making this gritty character feel almost like a parody.  Roger Ebert called the film "silly" multiple times in his review when the movie came out, and he's very correct-this is a silly movie, one that plays its increasingly implausible plot as if it's filled with naturalism, thus making it curious & certainly watchable, but also difficult to judge and just odd.  This makes it also hard to grade Rowlands' performance, but while it's interesting, I left unimpressed.  She doesn't have a movie where it's easy to ground her character, and her Gloria doesn't know how to match the tone of an unusual film.  It's not bad (she's Gena Rowlands, after all), but it's also an unusual performance to site, and probably was noted because it was atypical.

It is much easier to judge the performance of her costar.  It feels mean to bag on a kid, but I know I'm not the first here-Adames gives (and I'm not giving hyperbolic here) one of the worst performances I've ever seen in a film released by a major American studio.  His dialogue is so stilted-there are scenes where he delays so much in his line readings it feels like Cassavetes ran the print because he couldn't get a better take from him, and there's no sense of understanding in the performance at all.  I've read that Rick Schroder was once considered for this part, but they wanted to go with a new performer to get a more natural performance...this was the wrong instinct.  Adames won the Razzy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1980, tying Laurence Olivier of all people, and it pains me to say this was a dishonor this performance deserved.

Everybody's Linking for the Week

I know, it's Monday.  I'm bummed too.  Let's do this thing and hopefully feel a little better informed as we count the days until the next weekend, shall we?

In Entertainment...

-On Saturday the Governors Awards took place in Los Angeles, as the likes of Gena Rowlands, Spike Lee, and Debbie Reynolds won their long overdue Oscars.  Spike Lee urged Hollywood to embrace diversity, particularly from a business perspective, and AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs echoed these sentiments in her opening remarks.  Gena Rowlands was the major hit of the night, sharing a cute story about Bette Davis (it always pays to name-drop a Hollywood legend or two in a speech, particularly if you're a Hollywood legend yourself), while Debbie Reynolds was too ill to be able to attend, so her granddaughter Billie went in her place.  Congrats to all three, and here's to hoping both for a speedy recovery for Reynolds and for the three of them to be at the very least presenters (perhaps Best Picture?) at this year's Oscar ceremony.

-Due to the attacks in Paris, episodes of Supergirl and NCIS: Los Angeles that focused on terrorism-related plotlines were replaced by other episodes.  I do, of course, want to be sensitive to those directly affected by the tragedy but part of me becomes very uncomfortable when studios do something like this.  These episodes don't pose a security risk like the cancellation of live concerts and film premieres, but instead are just episodes of television, and as a result by not airing them aren't we giving the terrorists a victory?  I get that CBS doesn't want to suffer the backlash, but part of me wonders if a simple "we're not going to let terrorists dictate our freedom of expression" would be a better byline for the network.  In related news-should I be watching Supergirl?  I feel like it's a pretty populist hit, but no one I know is watching-is it any good, and what is it comparable to?

-Salon's Sophia McClennon wrecked Trevor Noah in an epic takedown, saying he can't hold a candle to Jon Stewart and points out that his approach will ruin The Daily Show's sharp position in the public debate and its place as a former of national opinion.  Clicking over to the link, it's easy to see her point-Noah is a voice of fresh air in the light night talk game, but more so because he's intensely handsome and has a wryness that lacks in comparison to the earnestness that dominates network late-night.  However, he hasn't really advocated for anything other than SNL level parodies, and that's SNL when it isn't acing it.  His show hasn't really done anything except cruelly malign Iowa (but not in a way that came across as anything other than regional stereotyping) and say Donald Trump was an African dictator (something that Stewart could have done in three jokes).  While McClennon is correct to point out that Stewart wasn't a great hit out-of-the-gate, in a media landscape where John Oliver is sharply gaining points and Jon Stewart is poised to be creating another show on HBO, Noah doesn't have that long to wait before he becomes old news.

In Politics...

-Politico, whose magazine may be the best thing on the web these days (their general site occasionally turns into a beltway gossip column), gives a remarkably thorough investigation into the months preceding the 9/11 attacks, particularly spelling out that (based on evidence provided by former CIA officials) President Bush had received numerous warnings about impending attacks from Al-Qaeda and hadn't heeded those warnings.  This is particularly timely both in comparison to how Bush was treated over 9/11 and how Sec. Clinton has been treated in regard to the attacks in Benghazi, as well as in the wake of the tragic events in Paris this past week.  I thoroughly recommend reading through the full article if you haven't yet.

-Speaking of Politico Magazine, Bill Scher raised yet another article wondering if Jeb Bush is still in the presidential game, but instead of calling back Sen. John McCain's triumphant return to the spotlight in 2008, he instead decided to compare him to a different comeback kid, John Kerry in 2004.  While the Bush camp would be loathe to compare themselves to the man who spent a year vilifying his brother, behind closed doors I suspect they are studying the Kerry campaign.  After all, like Bush Sen. Kerry was down in the mid-single digits before the Iowa caucuses (actually down less than a month by those kinds of numbers), and 2004 was more about a man who never had held office (Wesley Clark), a first-term senator who had become the establishment's new favorite (John Edwards), and someone from the fringe of the party that seemed to have inexplicably caught fire (Howard Dean) rather than longtime party stalwarts like Kerry, Dick Gephardt, and Joe Lieberman.  It's worth noting that Bush is actually mimicking in many ways the Kerry camp, not really succumbing to the urge to be outlandish or change his tune, but instead staying in and hoping that the others implode in a way similar to Kerry's challengers (when Dean, Clark, Edwards, Gephardt, and Lieberman, all of whom had a strong shot at the nomination throughout that campaign, ended up being unacceptable choices for a general and the establishment went to the longtime war-hero senator).  Some may mention that Kerry, of course, lost the White House (as did John McCain), but right now the goal is emerging victorious out of the primary-Bush doesn't care about Hillary Clinton until then.  He'd gladly settle for the hand that John Kerry got dealt at this point.

-While there were a number of retirements announced this past week from Congress (including Sam Farr, who is another close Nancy Pelosi ally who could be indicating that Pelosi will eventually resign from the next Congress should she lose out on the Speakership next November), perhaps no one set off a potential firestorm quite like Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.  With Lummis, a relatively quiet Republican whom I thought would just bide her time until Mike Enzi retired in 2020, announcing a surprise retirement, we are likely to see the return of Liz Cheney, who last cycle ran an embarrassing and nasty campaign against Enzi, which she ended up withdrawing from in the wake of a 50-point voting deficit in the state.  Cheney is unlikely to have the field to herself, however, as more seasoned politicians in the state like State House Speaker Tim Stubson and House Majority Leader Rosie Berger are looking at the contest (openings in Wyoming don't come around every day, and whomever wins here will have right-of-first-refusal in 2020 when Enzi is expected to retire).  Considering the bad blood that Cheney had with the Wyoming State Republicans (as well as Lummis and Enzi, both still powerhouses in the state), and her father's still considerable profile in national politics, this could be one of the most intriguing primaries of the next House cycle.

Shameless Self-Promotion of the Week...

-I am loving the second season of The Leftovers (which, while lacking the wandering nature of the first season, still manages to take a look at the harshness of faith, tragedy, and dependance on others), but why do they have to make Matt so insanely stupid?  I won't share what he does (please be watching the show if you aren't-I can't lose this and Looking in the same year), but if you're watching sound off in the comments on Matt's story arch.

YouTube Video of the Week...

-The best video that Shane Dawson has done probably all year was his Fifi Fierce character (parodying the banal nature of YouTube beauty gurus), and thankfully she's back.  This is audibly NSFW, so keep the headphones on, but it's probably the sharpest satire Shane has done:

Just One More...

-HuffPo did a rundown of this past season's art auction highlights, which if you've been paying attention hasn't been particularly exciting outside of the insanity of Mondigliani's Nu Couche getting $170 million.  HuffPo is a little kinder to the auction houses than others in the art world have been, but it's definitely a worthwhile read if you're an art/museum lover and haven't been keeping up with the scene.

Honorary Oscar Winners

I know I am a couple of days late on this (again, trying to catch up from a persistent work week), but a huge congratulations have to go out to Debbie Reynolds (who is getting the Jean Hersholt Award, a fact I missed on the first announcement), Gena Rowlands, and Spike Lee on their recent Academy Awards.  I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get a Thalberg winner (seriously, when is Kathleen Kennedy getting her Thalberg?!?), and I'm always mad that they don't incorporate these winners into the primetime-televised ceremony, but I couldn't be happier that these three entertainers get to have the title of Academy Award-winner (and sorry, but I have to say that Honorary winners get that title too-I know some people get stingy about it, but they have the Oscar on their shelves and their names on it, so it counts).  I figured in honor of them I would countdown my relationship with each entertainer:

Spike Lee

Oscar History: 2 nominations (one for writing Do the Right Thing (1989) and one for the documentary 4 Little Girls (1997)
First Impression: I know this will shock you if you read this blog regularly, but growing up in a small town in rural Minnesota, Spike Lee movies were not frequently in my local theater.  The iconic director from Brooklyn was probably known to be me roughly around the time that he won his second Oscar nomination, and I remember him kind of screwing up my Oscar predictions that year as I was still under the impression that the most famous documentary usually won (though oddly enough that's actually become true in the past few years).  The first film I ever saw of his was Inside Man, a movie I was blown away by starring Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster (seriously-if you haven't seen this movie or haven't seen it in a while, you are doing yourself a great disservice by missing it as it is wildly thrilling and surprisingly still true to Lee's New York style).
Favorite Film: Certainly the absolute masterwork Do the Right Thing, which is just a stupendous movie that genuinely lives up to the hype.
Film I Should Finally See to Honor His Oscar: Malcolm X, one of the most critically-praised films on his resume that many have claimed should have been Denzel's second Oscar win.

Debbie Reynolds

Oscar History: 1 nomination (for Best Actress in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, for which she was beaten by Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins)
First Impression: I think the first of Reynolds' films that I ever saw was Bundle of Joy.  My mom has always loved the films of the 1950's and 1960's and had a particular fondness for Bundle of Joy and My Six Loves, so I had seen both of them before I even knew anything about classic movies.  Reynolds herself became more of an icon to me when she played Grace's mom on Will and Grace (always so bubbly), and eventually became part of my cinematic firmament (words chosen precisely) for...
Favorite Film: Singin' in the Rain.  Seriously one of the finest films ever made, and one that I have seen countless times through the years, Reynolds' Kathy Selden is marvelously bubbly and delightful in the film-every frame of Reynolds is a joy, and sixty-some years later it still holds up.
Film I Should See to Honor Her Oscar: I have never caught her performance in Mother, a late-career comeback bid that resulted in a Globe nomination, but nothing from AMPAS.  Reynolds' hilariously pointed this out when she presented in one of my favorite Oscar moments (watch it here).

Gena Rowlands

Oscar History: 2 nomination (for Best Actress in 1974 in A Woman Under the Influence and again in Best Actress in 1980's Gloria, losing to Ellen Burstyn and Sissy Spacek, respectively)
First Impression: Almost certainly it would be as the mother in Hope Floats, where she wonderfully-played off of Sandra Bullock's complicated, defeated former prom queen.  It's actually a film that I still hold dear in my heart, and remembered thinking that Rowlands was very gifted, but like many actresses of the 1970's who didn't quite seal the deal with Oscar, she got lost a bit in the shuffle for me in a sea of Fondas, Burstyns, and Dunaways.
Favorite Film: As a result of this, I don't feel like I can have a favorite film, though I do feel a bit ashamed of this fact as I've only seen a couple of Rowlands' movies and neither of her two Oscar-blessed performances.
Films I Should See to Honor Her Oscar: Since I am so lacking in this screen legend's filmography, I'm going to make a bit of a point to have a Rowlands film festival on the blog.  Gloria isn't on Netflix (anyone know of another place I could find it?) and neither is Another Woman, but I certainly will include Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, and Opening Night.  Any other suggestions for a Gena Rowlands film festival?  We'll do it right before the Governors Awards this fall.

And also, what do you think of these winners?  It's a pretty fine group in my opinion, and should make for some great YouTube clips even if we don't get to watch the thing proper at home.  Share some favorite film memories of Spike, Debbie, and Gena in the comments below!