By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, July 31, unless otherwise noted: Final Portrait Details: 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: R, language, sexual content, nudity The lowdown: Stanley Tucci has an affinity for artists — whether they be in a kitchen, as in his “Big Night,” or in a workshop-studio, the main locale of his latest project, “Final Portrait.” The premise is simple, yet fraught with obstacles, as Tucci tells the story of the offbeat friendship between American writer and art-lover James Lord (Armie Hammer) and artist Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush). The setting is Paris in 1964. Lord is visiting the city when Giacometti asks his friend to sit for a portrait, telling Lord that it will only take a day or two. Tucci is basically painting a picture of his own — focusing on the difficulty and unpredictability of the creative process. Lord is totally unprepared for what lies ahead when he agrees to pose. Giacometti paints a few brushstrokes, then stops. This goes on for days, as Giacometti rants about his inability to capture what he believes is Lord’s essence. The artist continually is unsatisfied with his work, threatening almost daily to abandon the project and beginning over again and again. As the time passes, Lord puts his life on hold, catering to Giacometti’s insecurities about his own gifts. “Final Portrait” is a slow movie, but that should not deter you from seeing this intimate feature. It is not a paint-by-the-numbers biopic or memoir. Rather, it’s a study of the mental struggles or the difficulties facing an artist, trying to remain true to himself.
New to View: July 31
New to View: July 31
New to View: July 31
By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, July 31, unless otherwise noted: Final Portrait Details: 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: R, language, sexual content, nudity The lowdown: Stanley Tucci has an affinity for artists — whether they be in a kitchen, as in his “Big Night,” or in a workshop-studio, the main locale of his latest project, “Final Portrait.” The premise is simple, yet fraught with obstacles, as Tucci tells the story of the offbeat friendship between American writer and art-lover James Lord (Armie Hammer) and artist Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush). The setting is Paris in 1964. Lord is visiting the city when Giacometti asks his friend to sit for a portrait, telling Lord that it will only take a day or two. Tucci is basically painting a picture of his own — focusing on the difficulty and unpredictability of the creative process. Lord is totally unprepared for what lies ahead when he agrees to pose. Giacometti paints a few brushstrokes, then stops. This goes on for days, as Giacometti rants about his inability to capture what he believes is Lord’s essence. The artist continually is unsatisfied with his work, threatening almost daily to abandon the project and beginning over again and again. As the time passes, Lord puts his life on hold, catering to Giacometti’s insecurities about his own gifts. “Final Portrait” is a slow movie, but that should not deter you from seeing this intimate feature. It is not a paint-by-the-numbers biopic or memoir. Rather, it’s a study of the mental struggles or the difficulties facing an artist, trying to remain true to himself.