So at the spine of this film is the story of Jerome—an artist his entire life—and is now discovering that being an artist isn’t all that glorious and most students can’t appreciate fine art. Even professors can’t. Hell, I have been here before. Oh, even my main writing teacher from my undergrad is represented, wonderfully, by John Malkovich, but we’ll get to him later. Jerome falls for the impossibly cute girl, who is somewhat dating the too perfect looking artist/jock out of place guy. Meanwhile, there are murders all around campus, and his clichéd director roommate is trying to make a documentary out of it (he also has a “swear I’m like totally not gay” fashion roommate who, of course, turns out to be gay). And the police are targeting art students as suspects. I’ll leave out the wrap-up, but just connect the dots and you’ll get there. But it isn’t a movie about plot, it’s about clichés, and it is done very well.

Now, the actors in this also help with those clichés. So, let’s meet these walking stereotypes. At the foreground you have Max Minghella playing Jerome, the talented but overlooked student, and our protagonist of the film. Max is a somewhat decent actor, and I’m sure in a few years he might start popping up left and right. Next we have the beautiful, the exquisite, the luscious Sophia Myles as the impossibly cute girl who is obviously perfect for the overlooked talented guy, but goes for a douchebag instead. Now, I could care less if Sophia Myles can act (which she actually can)—because she is absolutely beautiful in a real kind of way—like, you could actually meet her in real life. She doesn’t look Hollywood—she looks, well, like you kind of want to hug her for being so friggin’ beautiful. Ok, next we have Joel Moore as Bardo, the best friend to Jerome and the guy who always drops out. Kid’s a better actor than Minghella, but they’re about the same. Next we have Matt Keeslar, the douchebag jock who is into art (art rules! Yeah!). To be fair, the jock/artist guy I know was actually a cool guy, but it’s the same deal: “Dude who looks like he should be giving the art kids wedgies is actually an artist himself.” For some reason, I don’t think it was hard for Keeslar to play an asshole…he sort of has the face for it. Next, the gay-not gay-okay gay—fashion major Matthew played by Nick Swardson. This guy you’ve seen as the gay guy in Blades of Glory and the gay guy in Reno 911! and the gay guy in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan…I wonder how he found the inspiration for this role? Now, the last of our students, My Name is Earl costar Ethan Suplee. He’s the best of the student actors. He doesn’t play the dimwitted brother he does on Earl, but he’s sort of still goofball. Yet, he’s got a lot under his belt, including the awesome roommate in The Butterfly Effect, an assisting surgeon in The Fountain and a security guard in John Q. Really, he’s a great young actor. Oh, but he doesn’t look like Orlando Bloom—that’s why he’s not as famous. I get it. Now, there are two teachers worth mentioning, and I had them both. First one I already mentioned. John Malkovich as the art instructor who knows that Jerome is his most talented student, but isn’t actually skilled enough to direct him (Jerome will do much better in his graduate degree)—but this teacher should still be respected. He still has great art and Jerome can learn from him, but he won’t get the guidance he needs. Real guidance comes from another professor, who is in the critical and not creative part of art, played by Angelica Huston. She’s wise, experienced, and tired of bullshit. When the topic comes up of “all the artists represented in this class are old white men—”and you’d be shocked at how tired out this argument is—Angelica, as the professor would, rolls her eyes and you can sense her going “again?” Because—yeah, we get it, the white man kept everyone down for the last few centuries. Deal with it—you can’t reverse it. Work with what you’ve got and hope that the next few centuries are different. Oh…I miss my wise literature professor.

Also, Steve Buscemi and Jim Broadent are great additions to the cast. Buscemi especially.

That cast was much bigger than I thought it would be. Now, the director, Terry Zwigoff, knows how to handle the subtle clichés of each character and does so without making it grossly apparent. I think that’s why people aren’t as open to the film. If you understand the type and, while watching it, go “damn, I know that guy” then Zwigoff is successful. Unfortunately, since most people don’t know that guy, it would be easy for them to dismiss the film as bad directing when in truth, it’s brilliant.

So, Art School Confidential—great film. I’ll warn you that Jerome’s actions towards the end of the film I do not condone. There are limits as how far you should go with art, and he crosses a line that can’t even be called “art.” But, again, the plot is a side factor in this film—it’s about the clichés.

Tras unos días de parón a causa del fallecimiento de Anthony Minghella (su hijo, Max, a quien vemos en la foto superior, es el co-protagonista de la película), el rodaje de Ágora, el nuevo y megalómano proyecto de Amenábar, sigue con gran secretismo en la isla de Malta. Pero tenemos la posibilidad de mostraros unas cuantas fotos "destrangis" que muestran el brillante trabajo artesanal de reproducción histórica que parece ser que están llevando a cabo. Para comenzar, una toma aérea de parte de los supuestos decorados:

En el centro de la imagen se pueden observar (aparte de unas putas letras muy molestas) parte las construcciones del film, rodeadas por esa muralla con columnata en las que se aprecian perfectamente los andamios (ya me estoy imaginando las "poesías" de los trabajadores de lo alto cada vez que Rachel Weisz pase por cerca...) ¿Pertenecerán esas reconstrucciones al Museo y a la Biblioteca de Alejandría?

Y en segundo y último lugar, AQUÍ (Fuente: Fantasymundo) podéis ver unas pocas fotografías del rodaje que muestran un poco más, y más cerca: vestuario de los extras y escenarios urbanos. Geniales y sobrecogedoras esas estátuas egipcias rotas y degradadas, símbolo de la creciente decadencia intelectual de la sociedad antigua.

¡Seguiremos con el ojo sobre este proyecto (sin pensar mal)!

El film estará ambientado en el siglo IV en una Alejandria llena de revueltas religiosas, entre todo el caos la astrónoma Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) se quedará dentro de la biblioteca dispuesta a salvar la sabiduria del mundo antiguo con la ayuda de su esclavo Davo (Max Minghella), quien tendrá que elegir entre el amor a su ama o la posible libertad si ayuda a los cristianos.

Pues sí que parece un drama sí, aunque veo más dramático pasar de Tesis a esto...

Malta està sent en les últimes setmanes (des del 17 de març) el lloc de rodatge d'Ágora', un drama històric ambientat a l'Egipte el segle IV amb el qual Alejandro Amenábar tornarà a posar-se darrere les càmeres després de l'èxit recollit, Oscar inclòs, amb 'Mar Adentro'.  La cinta, que té guió del propi Amenábar i el seu col·laborador habitual, Mateo Gil, estarà protagonitzada per l'actriu britànica Rachel Weisz, guanyadora d'un Oscar per 'El Jardinero Fiel', i es rodarà a Malta durant 15 setmanes. Un film amb el que el cineasta espanyol intentarà recrear "l'Egipte de fa 1600 anys" per intentar rescatar de l'"oblit" un món "tan llegendari" que tornarà a la vida "amb un enfocament hiperrealista".
'Àgora' serà la segona pel·lícula que Amenábar rodarà íntegrament en anglès, després de 'Los otros' que al 2001 va protagonitzar Nicole Kidman, i la seva primera incursió al gènere del drama històric amb una història que barreja aventures, intriga i idil·li amb el conflicte entre la fe i el laïcisme com a teló de fons. A 'Ágora' --terme grec que designa al lloc on es realitzaven totes les activitats comercials, socials i polítiques-- Amenábar ens trasllada fins a Egipte sotmès al domini de l'Imperi Romà que viu un moment convuls, amb les violentes revoltes religioses prenent els carrers d'Alexandria.

Unes revoltes que arriben a la seva llegendària Biblioteca on, atrapada sota els seus murs, la brillant astrònoma Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) lluita per salvar la saviesa del món antic. Al costat d'ella resisteix el seu jove esclau, Davo, a qui donarà vida el jove actor anglès Max Minghella ('Syriana'), i es debat entre l'amor que professa en secret a la seva propietària i la llibertat que podria trobar unint-se a l'imparable ascens dels cristians.

Anthony Minghella died on 18 March 2008 of a hemorrhage in Charing Cross Hospital, London, following an operation the previous week to remove cancer of the tonsils and neck

"I wasn't supposed to do it at all. But Anthony, who was doing one, called me one day and said, 'I'm not doing it. I'm ill. You do it'," Shekhar Kapur said. Kapoor did not take this seriously, and wished that Anthony would recover.

"Anthony went to the operating table, but did not return. He was 54 and it was not an age to die. The English Patient was truly a marvellous piece of cinema. Now, it is my duty to do Minghella's film. This is the first time I am entering somebody else's creative zone," says Shekhar Kapoor.

With Shekhar replacing Minghella in New York, I love You, the series has the singular honour of having two Indian directors in its bouquet- Shekhar Kapoor and Mira Nair. Other directors include Fatih Akin, Wen Jiang, Brett Ratner, Scarlett Johannson and Natalie Portman.

New York, I Love You is a series of short films from the same producers who made Paris Je T'Aime (which had Gurinder Chaddha as one of its directors).

Anthony Minghella's son Max Minghella, who has appeared in several dramatic American films, making his feature film debut in 2005's Bee Season and starring in 2006's Art School Confidential, was going to work in the film under the direction of his father. However, he cannot anymore. Shekhar will talk to Anthony's wife to understand better Anthony's vision behind this film. After which he will recast the characters.

Shekhar will begin shooting for Minghella's script in New York in the first week of April.

With Art School Confidential, ostentatious art superciliousness is mined for chuckles in a means that is so doctrinaire as to be tediously morose and exceptionally puerile. Not bad, eh? Terry Zwigoff, the director of the wonderfully weird documentary Crumb (1994) and the 2001 film Ghost World, hits art school in this 2006 comedy-drama-mystery-romance. Based on a comic book of the same name by Daniel Clowes, Art School Confidential is quick and witty in the first half, but quickly derails and takes everything with it for the last half of the film.

Art School Confidential stars Max Minghella as Jerome, a young man obsessed with the idea of becoming a great artist. He is very sure of himself and enrols in art school to capitalize on his talent. When he arrives, we are introduced to a myriad of art school stereotypes in what is the funniest segment of the film. Jerome’s roommates major in film and fashion and meet the stereotype perfectly. His classmates are troubled, intellectual, dark, dreamy, or generally artsy-fartsy. The segments in which the characters are introduced are brimming with biting satire.

Another notion the film gets right is the strange idea of art in the first place. “What is art? Is art art?” echo the words of Lisa Marie Turtle. Zwigoff and Clowes look at the idea that a bunch of triangles, squiggly lines, and crazed crayoning can serve as art, while art that looks like what it looks like is often viewed as pedestrian and boring. To further confuse things, along comes Jonah (Matt Keeslar) to complicate things with his basic paintings of cars, a tank, and some other normal stuff. He’s considered a genius early on by Professor Sandiford (John Malkovich). All of this swirling satire is quite humorous, especially for anyone who has ever questioned the value of art in the first place.

Had Art School Confidential remained in tune with the satire, it would have been a highly entertaining film. Naturally, the need to throw pointless curveballs into the process is apparent. The romantic angle is good enough, as a perplexing little love triangle emerges between Jerome, Jonah, and nude model Audrey (Sophia Myles). The competition between Jerome and Jonah would have been entertaining, as the two duel it out to impress Audrey with their art. Sadly, Zwigoff completely destroys his own art by involving a convoluted murder mystery plotline that eventually dominates the film. Gone are the satire, freshness, and humour of the film’s setup. Instead, we’re introduced to an idiotic plotline that ends with a main character living out his days in jail (hey, at least he gets to paint!) and as a famed artist.

Minghella doesn’t have much of a personality, which is good because his character doesn’t have much of one either. Perhaps that’s the point, though, as the colourful characters sort of orbit around Jerome like he’s a required part of their lunacy. Unfortunately, his blandness doesn’t bode well for the romantic subplot or the murderous main plotline. Minghella doesn’t have enough to carry the movie, which is what he ends up doing, and the project derails because of his lack of chemistry and likeability. He is a misanthrope, as are many of the other characters, and the cynicism isn’t interesting, funny, entertaining, or thought-provoking.

Despite the potential for fun in setting up the stereotypes, Zwigoff elects to not give us any time to digest and play with the types. Instead, his characters are set up and then released. When the murder mystery plotline runs rampant, the stereotypes and the humour that was supposed to be associated with them vanishes into the thin air as though the film never was a smart satire. What we’re left with is a bunch of hollow caricatures with nothing to do, making the last half of the film absolutely excruciating in its blandness and silliness. It almost seems like the filmmakers gave up on the laughs or else forget they actually had set up a comedy.

So the flaws in Art School Confidential lie in the film’s construction, lack of time given to its characters, and poor plotline. The direction is nothing special here, but there are some well-shot moments in the piece. Overall, this indie film is a disappointment that could have been a whole lot better but simply flunked out on its own lack of ambition. It’s a lazy film.

3/10

Trailer:

Con hasta el momento, cuatro títulos en su haber como director (“Tesis”-1996, “Abre los ojos”-1997, “Los otros”-2000, y “Mar adentro”-2004), y un Oscar concedido por la Academia de Hollywood en 2005, reconociendo a su película del 2004, como la Mejor Extranjera, Amenábar, es uno de los directores españoles cuyo nombre más suena a nivel internacional (Almodóvar es el otro).

Han pasado ya cuatro años desde su último rodaje, y ahora, por fín, inicia el próximo día 17 de este mes, la que será su quinta película.

El título será “Ágora” (término griego que se refiere al centro neurálgico de las ciudades de la antigua Grecia), aunque en principio se le había dado otro: Mists of Time (Brumas del tiempo).

“Ágora”, cuyo guión ha escrito el propio Amenábar, será un drama histórico, ambientado en el Egipto helenístico del siglo IV, todavía bajo el dominio del Imperio Romano.

El film se rodará en Malta, con un presupuesto en principio de 50 millones de euros, y cuenta en su reparto con Rachel Weisz (oscar por “El jardinero fiel”), que interpretará a Hypatia de Alejandría, la primera mujer filósofa y científica de Occidente, que contribuyó al desarrollo de la Astronomía y las Matemáticas. Weisz estará acompañada en ese reparto por Max Minghella ("Syriana"), Oscar Isaac ("Natividad"), Ashraf Barhom ("La sombra del reino"), Michael Lonsdale ("Munich"), Rupert Evans ("Hellboy") y Homayoun Ershadi ("Cometas en el cielo").

Será la segunda película que Amenábar rodará íntegramente en inglés (ya lo hizo con “Los Otros”), y su primera incursión en el género del drama histórico.

Se calcula un tiempo de rodaje de 16 semanas, y la fecha de estreno se demorará hasta avanzado el 2009.

SIPNOSIS

En el siglo IV, Egipto, bajo el Imperio Romano, vive las revueltas religiosas en las calles de Alejandría, y alcanzan a su legendaria Biblioteca. Tras los muros de esta, Hypatia, atea profesora de filosofía, y notable astrónoma, trata de salvar la sabiduría del mundo antiguo allí contenida, sin percibir que a su lado, su joven esclavo y alumno se aferra a la nueva religión cada vez más en alza (cristiana), buscando en ella el camino para alcanzar la libertad con la que sueña, y que al mismo tiempo mantiene una lucha interior, por el amor secreto que profesa a la propia Hypatia.

“Ágora” mezclará la aventura, el romance, y el conflicto entre la fe y el laicismo.

FELIZ RODAJE, Sr. AMENÁBAR

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