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Amazon.com
Four extremely beautiful people do extremely horrible things to one another in Closer, Mike Nichols’ pungent adaptation of Patrick Marber’s play that easily marks the Oscar-winning director’s best work in years. Anna (Julia Roberts) is a photographer who specializes in portraits of strangers; Dan (Jude Law) is an obituary writer struggling to become a novelist; Alice (Natalie Portman) is an American stripper freshly arrived in London after a bad relationship; and Larry (Clive Owen) is a dermatologist who finds love under the most unlikely of circumstances. When their paths cross it’s a dizzying supernova of emotions, as Nichols and Marber adroitly construct various scenes out of their lives that pair them again and again in various permutations of passion, heartbreak, anger, sadness, vengeance, pleading, deception, and most importantly, brutal honesty. It’s only until you’re more than halfway through the movie that you will have to ask yourself exactly why you’re (more…)

Amazon.com
Jude Law’s Alfie, much like Michael Caine’s Alfie in the 1966 original, is what you’d call an unrepentant womanizer. He beds ‘em but never weds ‘em, and New York provides ample opportunity tocontinue the process–until reality slaps him in the face. Because Jude Law is, well, Jude Law, you can see why he gets away with it as long as he does, and the actor also pulls off the usually awkward trick of narrating directly to the camera. Neither his Alfie, however, nor director Charles Shyer’s remake emerges completelywithout scratches. Law has a Chesire Cat carnality, but he emanates too much intellect to buy him as the relatively dim bulb he is supposed to be. The film, meanwhile, is a bit soft around the edges; the whole thing would have more resonance if it was not quite so intent on watching the unrepentant repent. Regardless, it’s a surprisingly thoughtful diversion, and there is fine work from Marisa Tomei, Nia Long, and Susan Sarandon as the women who understan (more…)