Filmes de Interés Gay

.



'The Burnham family
joins the cinematic short
list of great dysfunctional
American families . . '

From its first gliding aerial shot of a generic suburban street, American Beauty moves with a mesmerizing confidence and acuity epitomized by Kevin Spacey's calm narration. Spacey is Lester Burnham, a harried man whose midlife awakening is the spine of the story, and his very first lines hook us with their teasing fatalism--like Sunset Boulevard's Joe Gillis, Burnham tells us his story from beyond the grave. It's an audacious start for a film that justifies that audacity.

Weaving social satire, domestic tragedy, and whodunit into a single package, Alan Ball's first theatrical script dares to blur generic lines and keep us off balance, winking seamlessly from dark, scabrous comedy to deeply moving drama.

The Burnham family joins the cinematic short list of great dysfunctional American families, as Lester is pitted against his manic, materialistic realtor wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening, making the most of a mostly unsympathetic role) and his sullen, contemptuous teenage daughter, Jane (Thora Birch, utterly convincing in her edgy balance of self-absorption and wistful longing). Into their lives come two catalytic outsiders. A young cheerleader (Mena Suvari) jolts Lester into a sexual epiphany that blooms into a second adolescence. And an eerily calm young neighbor (Wes Bentley) transforms both Lester and Jane with his canny influence.

Credit another big-screen newcomer, English theatrical director Sam Mendes, with expertly juggling these potentially disjunctive elements into a superb ensemble piece that achieves a stylized pace without lapsing into transparent self-indulgence. Mendes has shrewdly insured his success with a solid crew of stage veterans, yet he's also made an inspired discovery in Bentley, whose Ricky Fitts becomes a fulcrum for both plot and theme. Cinematographer Conrad Hall's sumptuous visual design further elevates the film, infusing the beige interiors of the Burnhams' lives with vivid bursts of deep crimson, the color of roses--and of blood. ~Sam Sutherland

Film Information: 'American Beauty'

Web: Cast, Bios and Additional Details at IMDb
Director: Sam Mendes
Writer: Alan Ball
Credits: Full Cast, Crew & Credits
Genre: Drama
Awards: Won 5 Oscars. Another 83 wins & 74 nominations
Runtime: 122 min
Spoken Language: English

Film Files: 'American Beauty'

American_Beauty.avi.001
American_Beauty.avi.002
American_Beauty.avi.003
American_Beauty.avi.004
American_Beauty.avi.005
American_Beauty.avi.006
American_Beauty.avi.007
American_Beauty.avi.008
American_Beauty.avi.009
American_Beauty.avi.010

Soundtrack Files: 'American Beauty'

01. Folk Implosion - Free To Go.mp3
02. Thomas Newman - Any Other Name.mp3
03. Elliott Smith - Because.mp3
04. Betty Carter - Open The Door.mp3
05. Bobby Darin - Don't Rain On My Parade.mp3
06. The Eels - Cancer For the Cure.mp3
07. The Who - The Seeker.mp3
08. Thomas Newman - Dead Already.mp3
09. Free - All Right Now.mp3
10. Bill Withers - Use Me.mp3
11. Gomez - We Haven't Turned Around.mp3
12. Peggy Lee - Bali Hai.mp3
.