Time for the of the best Hollywood bio-pics ever made! First, meet Liberace, one of the most popular entertainers in history – and certainly one of the most flamboyant!
And now, MEET LIBERACE – thanks to an uncanny performance by Michael Douglas:
Michael Douglas gives one of his best performances EVER as the flamboyant piano player – who just needs love – and find it thanks to, that’s right – MATT DAMON:
Michael Douglas and Matt Damon give career-best acting performances in Director Steven Soderbergh’s latest masterpiece – “Behind The Candelabra”:
First, check out the trailer!
A big big “thank you” to HBO Films, for financing this movie: the story of one of entertainment’s great showmen, as the film celebrates Liberace’s amazing talent, as well as the story of his guarded private life – and congrats to Director Soderbergh for bringing the story to life:
“Behind The Candelabra” is based on the autobiographical novel, which tells the story of the tempestuous six-year relationship between Liberace and his younger lover, Scott Thorson. Matt Damon gives the performance of a lifetime as the younger Thorson, who gets caught up in Liberace’s world in ways he could have never imagined…
Director Soderbergh has given many interviews lately, in which he candidly discusses how difficult it was to fund the movie – because of the subject matter. In a January interview with the New York Post, Soderbergh said that this movie was originally planned for a theatrical release but was ultimately produced by and aired on HBO instead because the story was “too gay” for Hollywood movie studios: “Nobody would make it, We went to everybody in town. They all said it was too gay. And this is after ‘Brokeback Mountain’, by the way, which is not as funny as this movie. I was stunned. It made no sense to any of us.”
Brave Acting From Douglas and Damon!
Aside from their mesmerizing performances as Liberace and Thorson, Michael Douglas and Matt Damon deserve a huge amount of credit for their bravery in simply agreeing to make the film – the fact is, many stars won’t do films that feature gay love scenes – a sad fact in this day and age – and this film pulls no punches – and you believe every aspect of their intimate relationship…
The film was in competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival – a huge achievement considering it was made for US television – but there is nothing “TV” about this movie – it’s one of the best Hollywood bios ever produced. And Matt Damon and Michael Douglas give fearless performances – the best of their careers…
And The Supporting Cast!
And don’t forget the terrific supporting cast, including Dan Aykroyd in another great supporting role as Liberace’s Attorney, plus Debbie Reynolds as his mother, and a HILARIOUS supporting turn by Rob Lowe as Liberace’s plastic surgeon!
“Behind The Candelabra” affectionately captures life in Hollywood in the 70’s – a time when entertainers kept their personal lives behind a curtain – and as a story of Hollywood, this is one of the best.
“Behind The Candelabra” premieres May 26 on HBO – it is one of the best movies of the year! You can expect a slew of Emmy Awards for the acting, directing, writing and producing as well – this is a great, great film…
Soderbergh has been on an amazingly creative roll lately, as evidenced by his previous two films – starting with one of my favorites from 2012:
Read all about “Magic Mike” by clicking below – with great performances by Channing Tatum, Olivia Munn – and an amazing performance by Matthew McConaughey:
https://johnrieber.com/2012/06/25/magic-mike-reviews-are-in-soderbergh-scores-again/
Side Effects!
And one of 2013’s best films is now on home video as well – Soderbergh and Tatum re-team for this great medical thriller!
If you haven’t seen it yet, check out this terrific Soderbergh thriller – now on blu-ray!
https://johnrieber.com/2013/02/12/side-effects-extreme-measures-great-medical-thrillers/
Categories: Academy Awards, Awards, Books / Media, Cannes Film Festival, documentary films, Golden Globes, Great Films, Movies, Music, Steven Soderbergh, Talent/Celebrities, TV Show, Uncategorized
I can not wait to see this movie!
It’s a GREAT Hollywood bio-pic – with a bit of “Boogie Nights” vibe in there…i’ve watched it twice already….