'Bel Ami' Gets a Fair Poster

Been ignoring 'Bel Ami'. What does that mean, anyway? Good friend? Something. Bad title. But, that's not the reason I haven't paid attention. It's the dreadful posters. Here's the first one:

Oof. That look from Robert Pattinson, the division of the image into four columns with rounded edges -- straight from the 80s (worse yet, TV from the 80s, perhaps even the 70s). That brassy contrast. And, why is Uma Thurman the only other person casting a snide look our way? How come Christina Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas aren't nailing us with a haughty glare? I guess they can't be bothered.

Then, there's the finer point: The tagline is three words -- Temptation. Seduction. Obsession. -- but the graphic is divided into four parts and there are four people. What? Three people have classic dramatic attributes but one is just kinda there? (Yes, I know, but everything counts. All they had to do was add a fourth word. 'Desire' would have done it. 'Betrayal' might have worked. You know...'something'). I wrote this movie off with the debut of this poster. I didn't even watch a trailer.

But, then, we got another poster:

Okay, better. Warmer, more muted color, got rid of the Brady Bunch columns, and now three of four characters make eye contact -- Christina thinks someone's knocking at the door, or maybe she's wondering if she left the lights on. Despite Scott Thomas' whatever expression and Uma's nose in the air and boobs out-thrust (I guess they thought she wasn't holier-than-thou enough in the first poster), this is much better and I started feeling guilty about dissing the movie. Maybe, just maybe there's hope, I thought. Still, though, I was adamant in my rejection and refused to watch a trailer. I was swayed, yes, but not quite convinced. The new tag did it: Consumed by desire! Ouch. The first poster had that TV Guide layout, this one flaunts a romance novel/soap opera tagline. And, still with Pattinson's too serious to be taken seriously soul-piercing look. No thanks.

They still had a ways to go before I'd give this movie a chance. And, today, we get another poster. A beauty:

Yikes! That's good! Did they plan this? Did they purposefully start with a garish off-putting one sheet then slowly, over time, ply us with better and better posters until we just had to see the movie (or at least watch the trailer)? Atmospheric, with an eerie quality -- they're like manikins in a vintage clothing store's display window. All four of them look at us -- nice for consistency's sake -- all with warm intelligence (except for Pattinson, who sticks with the 'I'm gonna git you sucka' vibe). The dress is lovely, hair immaculate -- charming. Love the concentration of elements in the center, wide Merlot border, smoky contrast, and cool slightly desaturated color palette. Stately, with a sense of backstory. A bit melodramatic, but in a good period-piece way. A winning poster.

Now, I'll watch a trailer. The very next chance I get. Swear.






















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And, Another Best 2 Minutes You'll Spend Today

Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman, and others model jewelry at Vanity Fair

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Tidbit

Uma Thurman's In Style Fall Fashion Issue photo shoot.

Over On NPR

Terry Gross with Uma Thurman. How Gross gets these actors to open up is a wonder. They just seem to want to connect in ways you don't find in other interviews.

And, this tidbit on the math and technique of card counting featured in '21'. Apparently, it's as easy as 1 - 1 + 0 - 1 + 1 + 0 + 1...on and on for hours. Anyway, anybody can do it if they concentrate, and are crazy about winning money.

Laura Sydell re: Hannibal Lector. One of my favorite characters realized beautifully by Anthony Hopkins.

The piece, part of NPR's In Character series, is easy enough to listen to, but what I found most interesting are the comments of Helen Morrison, a psychiatrist who has made a study of serial killers which has resulted in a book, 'My Life Among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers'.

According to Wikipedia's (hopefully accurate) appraisal of Morrison's work, these killers have a few things in common, including:

Serial killers do not possess a concrete personality; rather, their minds tend to be a collection of disparate roles and facades they shift at will.

Okay, that's not much of a shock. Got it.

While such killers are often charming in person, their charm wears off if one interrogates them for several hours without a break. This is caused by strain - because their charm and personality are artificial, they cannot keep it up forever.

Once their personality constructs break down, serial killers fall into a bestial state. In this state, they lack any trace of humanity, and are nothing but urges and, occasionally, anger.

Now that I find interesting. This, however, I had never even thought of as being a possibility:

By examining additional cases from a cross-cultural and cross-historical sample, she claims that when serial killers receive enough psychiatric help (professional or otherwise) to fully comprehend their actions, they invariably commit suicide.

Invariably? You mean, someone has tallied the numbers on this? There's a movie in this last thing.

Very much makes me want to read Morrison's work. So -- I went looking and found this excerpt (if you can call 196 pages an excerpt).

After a few pages this book goes on my 'must read' list.