My number one guilty pleasure is, like, Hall of Fame level guilty – I can't get enough of Adrian Lyne. Yes, I know – I can easily relate all the reasons why he's a crap filmmaker, because I've I've heard it all before. From Foxes to Unfaithful, every film he's ever made operates on the same level of laboured scandal: though virtually nothing very shocking or even very interesting is happening, we're told that we're suppossed to peek out from behind our fingers like giggling geishas. Lyne's films are not only misogynistic, but they offend whilst pretending to empower, which is, of course, a million times worse. And, finally, it needs to be said: the guy never stumbled upon an unrealistic lighting scheme he didn't like. But I love them. I can watch Indecent Proposal and 9 1/2 Weeks over and over and over again (and I do, because they're on AMC and the WE Network a million times a day). I simply can't get enough of his broad-brushstroke treatments of female sexuality and double-edged sword indictments of passion and infidelity. So I'm gleefully, if just a little guiltily, looking forward to his next project. Lyne is making a film based on the doomed romance between actress Lana Turner and her mobster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, which ended with Turner's daughter stabbing Johnny to death. Even better, he's trying to coerce Catherine Zeta-Jones and Keanu Reeves into starring. This is one of the great Hollywood scandals, and I think Lyne might be the perfect person to dramatize it. Whereas another director might be tempted to artificially camp it up, Adrian Lyne will play it so straight that the camp will breed itself
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-24-2005 @ 3:34PM
Film Cynic said...
You can't deny that for sexy films, Lyne beats out every other wannabe, should-stick-to-skinamax director. And for all I can say about his misunderstanding of Lolita, his adaptation has just as many pros and cons as Kubrick's. I'm interesting to see where he takes the story.
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