Tawdry Glow

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There's something about pronounced sexual content, flagrant floozies and B-movie tawdriness that seems to go down well with N.Y. Times critic Manohla Dargis. Which is one of the things I like about her -- she has some kind of a soft spot for this stuff and is honest about it, and, being a talented writer, says so with flair and style. But the more you read about Boarding Gate, which I'll see on a disc sometime this weekend, the more you go "hmmm."

Calling it "a casually beautiful, preposterously plotted, elliptical thriller," Dargis admits it "earned little love last year when it played at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was shown out of competition." (I was there and nobody even mentioned it, much less told me to check it out. I didn't risk seeing it because of Asia Argento-Michael Madsen casting, which indicated a possible ick or groan factor.)

Plus "it didn't do much for [director Oliver] Assayas's reputation," she writes, "at least among some critics, who had been just as eager to dismiss his other recent films, among them Clean ('04) and the much-maligned demonlover ('02).

"What Boarding Gate did do was reconfirm Ms. Argento as one of contemporary cinema's most fascinating creatures. Her on-screen ferocity is now generating as much interest as her tattoos -- an angel hovers above her pubic bone, and an eye stares out from one shoulder -- or the ease with which she sheds her clothes, which explains why I can describe those tattoos with confidence."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 21, 2008 at 12:58 PM

comment #1

Rich S. says ...

That would actually be Asia Argento. Dario is her father and Daria Nicolodi is her mother.

Posted by Rich S. at March 21, 2008 1:23 PM

comment #2

George Prager says ...

Asia Argento is in B. MONKEY. One of my favorite all-time guilty pleasures. Dargis is also a big Tony Scott fan. I loved MAN ON FIRE. I watched DOMINO because of her review. When Keira Knightley gave that guy a lapdance I stopped the DVD and returned it. Embarrassing. BOARDING GATE sounds good, though.

Posted by George Prager at March 21, 2008 1:46 PM

comment #3

T. Holly says ...

It would have been better if she had said she couldn't explain her tattoos because she took her clothes off. I need photos to recall lovers.

Posted by T. Holly at March 21, 2008 1:50 PM

comment #4

James Rocchi says ...

Man, I respect M.D., but it's hard to see Boarding Gate as anything other than what it is -- a big, goofy unsexy mess.

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/05/20/cannes-review-boarding-gate/

Posted by James Rocchi at March 21, 2008 2:38 PM

comment #5

JohnCope says ...

"When Keira Knightley gave that guy a lapdance I stopped the DVD and returned it. Embarrassing."

You've just failed the Domino litmus test.

Posted by JohnCope at March 21, 2008 4:57 PM

comment #6

arturobandini says ...

I've said it a million times and I'll say it again: DEMONLOVER is one of the most unforgettable films of this decade (in a really good way). Despite the mid-narrative meltdown, it nailed post-9/11 anxiety and paranoia better than any movie since -- and managed to do it before 9/11 even hit. Among its many accomplishments, particularly mood and style, it reinvented the Cold War espionage thriller as a cautionary tale about capitalism rather than socialism. Way, way better than its reputation. Cross-breed it with Ms. SCARLET DIVA herself and I am there.

Posted by arturobandini at March 21, 2008 5:06 PM

comment #7

actionman says ...

I really want to see Demonlover and Boarding Gate.

M.D.'s love for this style of filmmaking is one of the reasons she's my favorite critic. Her review of Domino is brilliant and spot on. Anyone who can find it in their heart to love and embrace both Domino and The New World has a spot in mine.

Ms. Argento is pretty trashy-hot as well.

Posted by actionman at March 21, 2008 5:25 PM

comment #8

nemo says ...

There was a time when Michael Madsen was the best thing going in a string of B-movies like Kill Me Again and The Getaway. The movies were often so-so, but Madsen was reliably good. He hasn't been nearly as dynamic since he moved up to supporting roles in bigger, more prestigious films.

Even when he was young he was best as the heavy. Not a guy anybody wanted to see with his clothes off. And he's not so young anymore.

Posted by nemo at March 21, 2008 6:11 PM

comment #9