frankie and alice

well, it's certainly looking like a hot season for female actors of color: "for colored girls," the upcoming "the help" and who knows what else... cool! especially if they're good movies. and so far, i'm pleased to say that, at the least, they're respectable films, if not exactly masterworks.

which brings me to "frankie and alice" which i just left a screening of. and it, too, is respectable. and that is not as backhanded a compliment as it may seem. anyone who knows me, knows by now that i am not a big fan of hallie berry's acting. and while this movie won't turn me into one, i have to say that she acquits herself pretty well. she inhabits the role in a way that i've rarely seen from her. and that's no mean feat considering she's playing someone with multiple personality disorder. i'm not doubting her commitment to any other parts she's played, only her ability to pull them off believably. in this, i was able to let that doubt rest (mostly). (there appears to be a lot of oscar buzz about her work here. and maybe she will get nominated. i have no idea and i care even less. i haven't had any respect for oscar nominations (or whomever wins) since... well, i've already said i'm no fan of berry's acting, haven't i?)

as for the movie as a whole, it too is respectable. again, i mean that to be a real compliment. when i heard what this flick was about, i was not hopeful: blk woman has multiple personalities, one of which is a white racist (and that it was a pet project of berry's did not inspire confidence). but, i'm happy to report that the movie is very watchable. while i personally didn't find the story particularly compelling or moving (partially, i think because it's backstory feels a bit dated), it was at least interesting. i did want to find out what had happened and what would happen and see how they would tell me about it. and i never felt that "cringe" that i feel when a movie is badly made or that the moviemakers don't respect the audience. this movie is intelligently written, creatively directed and, for the most part, sensitively acted (i guess phylicia rashad is the flavor of the month, huh?). (on the opposite extreme from, say, "avatar," just to pull a totally off-the-wall example out of nowhere (sorry, to me it's awfulness suits almost any occasion).) i can't exactly urge anyone to rush out and see this movie, but if/when it turns up on cable, you could certainly do a lot worse.