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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 06/18/2013 : 16:53:57
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Abra-cadabra-candelabra!
Both Michael Douglas and Matt Damon weave a magic spell over this film as carefully crafted by screenwriter LaGravenese and director Soderbergh as was Liberace's own flamboyant life.
It's far more than a bio-pic ... in fact, it's not really a bio-pic, based though it may be on Liberace's lover's account of their tangled life together.
Of course it covers all the bio bits that make familiar the story of a small town, hard-working, very talented gay duckling who re-invented himself as an opulent swan-feathered international sensation. But that's not quite what the film's about. Nor is it "about" homosexual love.
In the caring mitts of LaGravenese and Soderbergh, the theme embraces the process of self-invention, of the tightrope walk that accompanies consuming ambition - the trade-off between a majesterial tantrum-prone baby and someone who can charm and capture an entire audience of any size.
You don't really learn that much about Liberace, but it doesn't matter. You get a peek into how a person can manipulate both the world around him and the wider world he wants to be part of. In that sense, it's fascinating. And Douglas especially explores every nuance - as all top-notch actors must be, he's totally naked no matter how many furs he's wrapped in.
The support cast provides delight in every scene. Both Debbie Reynolds and Rob Lowe are particularly surprising.
The design, editing, and especially the camerawork help carry this vehicle right over the rainbow.
If you know what's good for you, go, go chase that sucker and see if you don't recognize a pot of gold.
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ChocolateLady 
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 06/19/2013 : 07:33:59
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WOW. I was interested in seeing this before. Now I MUST go see it!
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 07/03/2013 : 00:05:41
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| OK toothsome job by Douglas, no story supporting him. Damon plays a homophile's Matt Damon dream. Interesting choice by all concerned, but it doesn't raise the curtain behind the candelabra one micron. |
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MguyXXV
"X marks the spot"
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Posted - 07/03/2013 : 07:12:56
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quote:
Originally posted by randall
OK toothsome job by Douglas, no story supporting him. Damon plays a homophile's Matt Damon dream. Interesting choice by all concerned, but it doesn't raise the curtain behind the candelabra one micron.
Agreed. And agreed as to BB above. What's compelling about this pic is Michael Douglas and Matt Damon playing gay men. But that's about it. As far as story goes, I preferred the TV movie "Liberace: Behind the Music" (1988). |
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Behind the Candelabra
