Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
distinguished cinephiles and serious adult drama moviegoers, fall is here! My favorite time of year of for great cinema is here. The time when a truly great film rises to the SUMMIT. The Master, 12 years a Slave, and now drum roll please. I can't stand it when Stephanie Zacharek from the L.A. Weekly calls Fincher's latest work "too slick." She reminds me of one of those people at a concert that just stands and refuses to dance because she is too cool. Last year it was the issue that 12 years a Slave was too image based. McQueen and Fincher are heavyweight directors and she has no idea what she is talking about.
On to the film of the year. Gone Girl seems to be Fincher's most accessible film in years. I was not a huge fan of the Social Network and I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and I loved Zodiac. Gone Girl is a fusion, of Zodiac, Seven, and House of Cards. The relationship between Amazing Amy/ Amy Elliot Dunne,/ Rosamund Pike, and Nick Dunne/ Ben Affleck has all of the components of Francis Underwood/ Kevin Spacey, and Claire Underwood/ Robin Wright. However, this husband and wife dynamic is quite different than House of Cards, yet similarly in Gone Girl when both couples are behind closed doors as a viewer you feel you are truly peering into their private lives.
Nick Dunne is the average man that to quote Fincher, "His nuts are in a vice the whole time." Ironically his twin sister Go has a t-shirt with a squirrel carrying a bat and protecting acorns appearing at the beginning of the movie at the bar that reads "protect your nuts." The film has the Hitchcock sense of Roger Thornhill being chased by a crop duster and his life simultaneously falling apart. Nick Dunne is played by Ben Affleck. Affleck does an incredible job at making the viewer feel that his entire life is coming undone.
The use of flashbacks in the film was some of the best I have ever seen. The musical accompaniment of the flashbacks by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross create a surreal dream world. Rosamund Pike will be nominated for best actress for an oscar. She appears for the first half of the movie via flashback as a ghost and she is truly amazing. She says so much with her eyes and her expressions without verbalizing anything. She haunts the first half of the film like a ghost. When I first heard about the adaptation of my favorite modern book in the last five years I thought no one could portray the essence of Amy. Rosamund Pike has done just that. Most will argue that the character is just crazy, but there are many more layers to the cake than meets the eye.
The film is essentially about marriage. Kudos to Gillian Flynn she is the best modern writer I have read in the last five years. The way Flynn as a writer chose to break the chapters from a female and male perspective was astounding. She was like a detective herself in the amount of research and time she spent in getting help from the St. Louis Police department and others. As a reader you could tell she gave it her all. I honestly thought not even Fincher could scratch the surface of the book. However, Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay. She had to cut hundreds of pages and distill so much information, but the transfer was there. At 2:45 minutes the movie feels like Argo in terms of pace. Flynn writes in a way that makes you understand why a marriage is disintegrating in a very short period of time and how great it once was in flashbacks. The flashbacks of the matching bed sheets at the Chinese restaurant, the sugar kiss, and the bar affair kiss, as well as the murder scene and internal dialogue were my favorite parts of the film.
People will latch on to media and celebrity culture, but that has nothing to do with movie. Get it while it's hot off the grill. The film of the year and winner of best picture! Cheers to France and Russia thanx for the hits!!!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Boyhood: Summer Masterpiece…..
Dear Cinephiles and soul surfers,
From the waters of Florida, Charleston, Venice Beach, and all across the world the summer at the cinema is usually bone dry. However, there has been a dramatic change to the summer filmgoing experience. I am astounded by the current best film of the year. A film that seems like viewing ten films in one.
As a lover of the art of cinema one has to admire the audacity of Richard Linklater's latest portrait of life. Linklater is originally from Texas and a lot of his personal life and soul is in this one. Known for "Slacker" "Dazed and Confused" and the "Before Trilogy". Here it seems like the film he always wanted to make all his life.
The film "Boyhood" took ten years to film and the boy Mason grows from a young kid to a college freshman before your eyes. The actual use of chronological time took the film to a completely different level. As a viewer you get to witness Mason go through many phases of life. From wanting bumper bowling, going to a baseball game with his actual Dad, becoming a photographer, camping with his father, the first girl he truly falls in love with, graduating high school and becoming a college freshman.
My favorite scenes in the movie are when he is with his father listening to the band warm up in the club and he is telling him the secrets of life and how to cope with the loss of his girlfriend. Linklater knows a certain type of dialogue better than anyone out their. I kept thinking how organic this felt watching this chemistrty. I imagined how long a rapport must of been built up between the actors after such a long time working together. They had to become like family.
The scene of Mason leaving the nest and his mother pleading to take the photo of the first one he took with his camera is a show stopper. She becomes completely naked as an artist and bears such deep feelings that I rarely feel in cinema. This is an example of what Werner Herzog would call "the ecstatic truth."
The ending is one the best I have ever seen when the girl tells Mason about the present moment that she believes "The Moment ceases us" the film instantly becomes epic.
What range, scope, and determination. Cheers to Summer and the Hits from Japan, France, Russia, and Germany.
From the waters of Florida, Charleston, Venice Beach, and all across the world the summer at the cinema is usually bone dry. However, there has been a dramatic change to the summer filmgoing experience. I am astounded by the current best film of the year. A film that seems like viewing ten films in one.
As a lover of the art of cinema one has to admire the audacity of Richard Linklater's latest portrait of life. Linklater is originally from Texas and a lot of his personal life and soul is in this one. Known for "Slacker" "Dazed and Confused" and the "Before Trilogy". Here it seems like the film he always wanted to make all his life.
The film "Boyhood" took ten years to film and the boy Mason grows from a young kid to a college freshman before your eyes. The actual use of chronological time took the film to a completely different level. As a viewer you get to witness Mason go through many phases of life. From wanting bumper bowling, going to a baseball game with his actual Dad, becoming a photographer, camping with his father, the first girl he truly falls in love with, graduating high school and becoming a college freshman.
My favorite scenes in the movie are when he is with his father listening to the band warm up in the club and he is telling him the secrets of life and how to cope with the loss of his girlfriend. Linklater knows a certain type of dialogue better than anyone out their. I kept thinking how organic this felt watching this chemistrty. I imagined how long a rapport must of been built up between the actors after such a long time working together. They had to become like family.
The scene of Mason leaving the nest and his mother pleading to take the photo of the first one he took with his camera is a show stopper. She becomes completely naked as an artist and bears such deep feelings that I rarely feel in cinema. This is an example of what Werner Herzog would call "the ecstatic truth."
The ending is one the best I have ever seen when the girl tells Mason about the present moment that she believes "The Moment ceases us" the film instantly becomes epic.
What range, scope, and determination. Cheers to Summer and the Hits from Japan, France, Russia, and Germany.
Friday, July 25, 2014
The Knick: OFF THE HOOK!
Dear Ladies and Gentleman,
Last summer at the San Francisco Film Festival Steven Soderbergh gave a long speech about the death of cinema. As one of my favorite auteurs this news was sad and troubling. He spoke of the tremendous difficulty with financing and getting artistic projects green lighted. He explained that he was retiring from the film industry. Thank Soderbergh for choosing not to stop creating. Television is the new springboard that a variety of auteurs are utilizing. David Fincher with "House of Cards," Oliver Stone with "A Peoples History", and Martin Scorsese with "Boardwalk Empire". However a fundamental difference between Soderbergh and these directors is he himself was behind the camera for every part of the creative process. Soderbergh created "Behind the Candelabra" for cable and it was a great biopic about Liberace. I am so thrilled to hear and witness Soderbergh's latest project for cable. Television seems to be the perfect avenue for a variety of esteemed talent to make serious adult dramas.
The "Knick" is a nine episode series created by Soderbergh. He directed all nine episodes personally. The "Knick" is an exhilarating joyride into scientific innovation circa 1900 New York City. The first episode hits the viewer like a fever dream. The pace is fast for a period piece. Soderbergh did not want to romanticize the time period. We meet the lead character an unflinching anti-hero Clive Owen who is determined to make innovations in medicine at all costs. Owen's character is called Dr. Thackery and he is addicted to cocaine, has bad manners, but wants to make advancements in medicine no matter what wall gets in the way. He is a character who is driven like a mad man. The themes that the "Knick" seems to address are topics like class, race, gender, and corruption. Looking at science through the lens of Dr. Thackery is fascinating for a viewer. He loves learning and knowledge and advancing medicine, yet is completely self-destructive. Only Soderbergh could create such a unique character and let him run wild. The series feels fresh and alive. I don't know what to compare it to.
At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art an early screening of episode one was a treat for myself and all whom attended. The cast and crew were in attendance as well as Soderbergh and his latest muse Clive Owen. Soderbergh stated when asked about his retirement? He responded, "What could I say I was fired up!" The script apparently got his artistic juices flowing and the wheels turning in head. The result for the audience was off the hook. Clive Owen, claimed "I was thrilled to be working with Steven, then I read the script and I asked myself how am I going to play this character for this long with this intensity?" Apparently the schedule was extremely tight and all shooting was done in three months. The second season for the "Knick" has already been green-lit with Soderbergh at the helm!
Summit Cinema wishes to thank all the hits from around the world! Japan, Italy, France, and Russia are definitely in the house!
Last summer at the San Francisco Film Festival Steven Soderbergh gave a long speech about the death of cinema. As one of my favorite auteurs this news was sad and troubling. He spoke of the tremendous difficulty with financing and getting artistic projects green lighted. He explained that he was retiring from the film industry. Thank Soderbergh for choosing not to stop creating. Television is the new springboard that a variety of auteurs are utilizing. David Fincher with "House of Cards," Oliver Stone with "A Peoples History", and Martin Scorsese with "Boardwalk Empire". However a fundamental difference between Soderbergh and these directors is he himself was behind the camera for every part of the creative process. Soderbergh created "Behind the Candelabra" for cable and it was a great biopic about Liberace. I am so thrilled to hear and witness Soderbergh's latest project for cable. Television seems to be the perfect avenue for a variety of esteemed talent to make serious adult dramas.
The "Knick" is a nine episode series created by Soderbergh. He directed all nine episodes personally. The "Knick" is an exhilarating joyride into scientific innovation circa 1900 New York City. The first episode hits the viewer like a fever dream. The pace is fast for a period piece. Soderbergh did not want to romanticize the time period. We meet the lead character an unflinching anti-hero Clive Owen who is determined to make innovations in medicine at all costs. Owen's character is called Dr. Thackery and he is addicted to cocaine, has bad manners, but wants to make advancements in medicine no matter what wall gets in the way. He is a character who is driven like a mad man. The themes that the "Knick" seems to address are topics like class, race, gender, and corruption. Looking at science through the lens of Dr. Thackery is fascinating for a viewer. He loves learning and knowledge and advancing medicine, yet is completely self-destructive. Only Soderbergh could create such a unique character and let him run wild. The series feels fresh and alive. I don't know what to compare it to.
At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art an early screening of episode one was a treat for myself and all whom attended. The cast and crew were in attendance as well as Soderbergh and his latest muse Clive Owen. Soderbergh stated when asked about his retirement? He responded, "What could I say I was fired up!" The script apparently got his artistic juices flowing and the wheels turning in head. The result for the audience was off the hook. Clive Owen, claimed "I was thrilled to be working with Steven, then I read the script and I asked myself how am I going to play this character for this long with this intensity?" Apparently the schedule was extremely tight and all shooting was done in three months. The second season for the "Knick" has already been green-lit with Soderbergh at the helm!
Summit Cinema wishes to thank all the hits from around the world! Japan, Italy, France, and Russia are definitely in the house!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
The Rover Sizzles……...
Dear Ladies and Gentleman,
The movie The Rover from the director's fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival should have been in the running for the Palme d'Or. Director David Michod's latest feature takes the viewer to a place that is barren and undiscovered. The lens of cinematographer Natasha Braier must have had to be continually cleansed of flies, mosquitoes, dust, and vermin. The director cites at certain points he was worried about his actors dying from extreme heat. The conditions were at times 110-120 degrees. As a viewer the camera seems like it might melt. The remote outback of Southern Australia provides the perfect location for the post-apocalyptic world it's characters inhabit. The dust becomes a character that sticks to the sweat of the men and everything in it's path. The land is like a version of the American Southwest, yet stuck in Frontier history. There is not total anarchy like most post-apocalyptic movies, yet it is definitely the wild west and sci-fi bound into one. There are general stores to get canned foods, barricaded structures to obtain bullets and petrol, and karaoke bars. A broken down circus has midgets that supply fire arms.
The acting in this picture is impeccable. From the opening sequence of Guy Pearce with flies in his nose like an appendage, to the look he carries throughout, the film is a testament to an actor who can say everything with the look of his eyes. Pearce is so jaded he explains when he tells a captor, "whatever you try to kill in me died long ago." Robert Pattinson portrays the half-wit with equal power. The character's slowness is reminiscent of Lenny in Mice and Men. Just like Lenny his violence can erupt uncontrollably out of nowhere. Pearce and Pattinson form a fascinating duo for a road movie. Their is no comic relief or buddy stories along this desolate highway.
One of critics chief bones of contention with the picture is the apparent basic storyline. A man determined to locate his vehicle in a post apocalyptic world. Many critics feel this is a boring journey and way too simple. My response to these writers are they have absolutely no idea what this film is about. The car is just window-dressing for gargantuan themes like redemption, betrayal, hope, survival, depression, love, and a desperate search for meaning in a world where nothing matters.
One of the best aspects of this film is the fact that Guy Pearce never breaks character, he stays true to himself throughout. The response from crowds at the theater has been sterile. I think many did not know it was a post-apocalyptic western.
Similarities to this film and others are difficult to come by. I will attempt to list films that had the same desert tone. Oliver Stone's U-Turn, definitely jumps out at me. A character stranded in the desert town of Superior, Arizona where one bad thing happens after another. Strange characters galore in that feature as well. The Coen brothers No Country For Old Men has hints of this one as well a man alone determined to survive. In the desert of Marfa, Texas. The aftermath with dead bodies everywhere would fit perfectly into The Rover. The Hughes brothers Book of Eli is a post apocalyptic feature in the deserts of New Mexico. Denzel Washington could likely come across these characters in search for water. Australia's own Mad Max with Mad Mel Gibson comes to mind in terms of the chase sequence at the beginning.
After all these comparisons The Rover seems to be a unique animal. The film actually at times feels like a spiritual journey. Perhaps the pacing and the road seem so foreign to the United States style of film making other than the traditional western. That is perhaps what makes it stick out so much well ladies and gents catch it if you can this summer. Unfortunately I figure the film will have a short run.
The movie The Rover from the director's fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival should have been in the running for the Palme d'Or. Director David Michod's latest feature takes the viewer to a place that is barren and undiscovered. The lens of cinematographer Natasha Braier must have had to be continually cleansed of flies, mosquitoes, dust, and vermin. The director cites at certain points he was worried about his actors dying from extreme heat. The conditions were at times 110-120 degrees. As a viewer the camera seems like it might melt. The remote outback of Southern Australia provides the perfect location for the post-apocalyptic world it's characters inhabit. The dust becomes a character that sticks to the sweat of the men and everything in it's path. The land is like a version of the American Southwest, yet stuck in Frontier history. There is not total anarchy like most post-apocalyptic movies, yet it is definitely the wild west and sci-fi bound into one. There are general stores to get canned foods, barricaded structures to obtain bullets and petrol, and karaoke bars. A broken down circus has midgets that supply fire arms.
The acting in this picture is impeccable. From the opening sequence of Guy Pearce with flies in his nose like an appendage, to the look he carries throughout, the film is a testament to an actor who can say everything with the look of his eyes. Pearce is so jaded he explains when he tells a captor, "whatever you try to kill in me died long ago." Robert Pattinson portrays the half-wit with equal power. The character's slowness is reminiscent of Lenny in Mice and Men. Just like Lenny his violence can erupt uncontrollably out of nowhere. Pearce and Pattinson form a fascinating duo for a road movie. Their is no comic relief or buddy stories along this desolate highway.
One of critics chief bones of contention with the picture is the apparent basic storyline. A man determined to locate his vehicle in a post apocalyptic world. Many critics feel this is a boring journey and way too simple. My response to these writers are they have absolutely no idea what this film is about. The car is just window-dressing for gargantuan themes like redemption, betrayal, hope, survival, depression, love, and a desperate search for meaning in a world where nothing matters.
One of the best aspects of this film is the fact that Guy Pearce never breaks character, he stays true to himself throughout. The response from crowds at the theater has been sterile. I think many did not know it was a post-apocalyptic western.
Similarities to this film and others are difficult to come by. I will attempt to list films that had the same desert tone. Oliver Stone's U-Turn, definitely jumps out at me. A character stranded in the desert town of Superior, Arizona where one bad thing happens after another. Strange characters galore in that feature as well. The Coen brothers No Country For Old Men has hints of this one as well a man alone determined to survive. In the desert of Marfa, Texas. The aftermath with dead bodies everywhere would fit perfectly into The Rover. The Hughes brothers Book of Eli is a post apocalyptic feature in the deserts of New Mexico. Denzel Washington could likely come across these characters in search for water. Australia's own Mad Max with Mad Mel Gibson comes to mind in terms of the chase sequence at the beginning.
After all these comparisons The Rover seems to be a unique animal. The film actually at times feels like a spiritual journey. Perhaps the pacing and the road seem so foreign to the United States style of film making other than the traditional western. That is perhaps what makes it stick out so much well ladies and gents catch it if you can this summer. Unfortunately I figure the film will have a short run.
Friday, June 6, 2014
EDGE OF TOMORROW = Groundhog Day+Tom Cruise+Summer Popcorn Mash Up!
It's summer time movie fans. The time when serious dramas take a back seat, and popcorn mash ups drive like Mad Max with an empty oil tanker. ONE FILM THAT PACKS THE GASOLINE OF A KISS CONCERT IS EDGE OF TOMORROW!!! TOM CRUISE IS BACK!!! This is the first time since Top Gun were Cruise is back to war movie form. Giant squid aliens must defeated and who better than Cruise to come to the rescue. The Normandy beach sequence is a action packed and the best part it happens 50 times. That's right it's science fiction, war movie, and GROUNDHOG DAY! No other film will you witness Tom Cruise be killed so many times. Only to awaken to a an officer's combat boot kick and the command "wake up maggot!" The British location was awesome and Emily Blunt is stellar as the Angel of Verdun.
I think this film signifies something to me! 1980's stars and action heroes are a still the best! Tom Cruise in The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, Cocktail, Top Gun. Stallone, Arnold, and Bruce Willis. 1980's stars are like Hercules holding the globe of Hollywood on their backs. The Expendables part III will have Mel Gibson and Wesley Snipes! I believe that I must be sentimental, but these stars hold charisma and more interest than the current action crop. Vin Diesel will never succeed.
For total Popcorn mash up go for the Cruise control, danger zone, of COCOMO, nine ball classic, Fourth of July spectacular! EDGE OF TOMORROW delivers the GOODS!
I think this film signifies something to me! 1980's stars and action heroes are a still the best! Tom Cruise in The Color of Money, Born on the Fourth of July, Cocktail, Top Gun. Stallone, Arnold, and Bruce Willis. 1980's stars are like Hercules holding the globe of Hollywood on their backs. The Expendables part III will have Mel Gibson and Wesley Snipes! I believe that I must be sentimental, but these stars hold charisma and more interest than the current action crop. Vin Diesel will never succeed.
For total Popcorn mash up go for the Cruise control, danger zone, of COCOMO, nine ball classic, Fourth of July spectacular! EDGE OF TOMORROW delivers the GOODS!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
The Immigrant: throws down the Gauntlet!
Greetings from the Cannes Film Festival. Summit Cinema has been underwhelmed by Grace of Monaco. We look forward to Cronenberg's Map to the Stars. It was necessary to go back to last year's film that threw down the Gauntlet and has practically slipped through the fingers of stateside distribution. God bless the French! For honoring cinema and not turning Cannes into Comic-Con.
Thanks to France for their national treasure Marion Cotillard in her latest tour-de force performance. On Ellis Island circa 1921 she portrays Ewa Cybulska a Polish immigrant. Standing waiting in line for inspection with her sister to get access to the promise land is Ewa. She is spotted by Bruno portrayed by the shape shifting Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix is one of the best actor's working. It's as if he traps Cotillard in a web under his black cloak. He psychologically manipulates her, uses her, and makes her a creature of the night. However, Bruno is not your usual villain. Like Paul Thomas Anderson's Daniel Plainview portrayed so masterfully by Daniel Day Lewis. Their are rays of light that exist in Bruno's icy heart. When most actors would be asked to play the part of Bruno they would run for the hills. Phoenix throws himself fearlessly at the part without resignation.
To watch the alchemy of Jeremy Renner juxtaposed with the harshness of Phoenix is like to completely different roads and worlds presented to Ewa. She is pulled in a tug-of-war between the two even though logic would tell any sane women otherwise.
The director in this film is James Gray. We Own the Night and Two Lovers are previous collaborations with Phoenix. The bond that the director and lead actor have for this motion picture shows. They seem to very comfortable with one another and this allows for Phoenix to take continual risks. Marion Cotillard is in top form. La Vie en Rose and Rust and Bone were two films that showed her range as an actress. Here in The Immigrant she has the look of someone who burns a candle of virtue in their heart even when they are surrounded by both vile people and environment. The scene of her wearing the shawl in the confessional is mystifying. That scene is a testament to her as an actress. I can think of very few actors out there that could deliver those lines in the confessional with that emotion. Simultaneously watching Phoenix eavesdropping on her without saying a word, just his eyes say it all.
The film is expertly directed and crafted. Segments of the film were actually done on Ellis Island. The film poses a number of moral dilemmas. When the audience comes out of the theater people had different interpretations. The film is complex is Bruno pure evil? Is Orlando pure good? Is Ewa a saint forced in difficult circumstances? What would you have done? Is family that important? How important is morality?
When a film leaves an audience questioning themselves and ideas ruminating this is the sign of great art. The director claims he was influenced by the dramatic emotions of opera, what a refreshing idea. The film didn't come from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or You Tube, or a Comic Book. Being bold and going for the jugular is so refreshing! Sadly this film is being screened in two theaters and won't get an expanded release. Bless the French for honoring art=cinema and Marion Cotillard!
Thanks to France for their national treasure Marion Cotillard in her latest tour-de force performance. On Ellis Island circa 1921 she portrays Ewa Cybulska a Polish immigrant. Standing waiting in line for inspection with her sister to get access to the promise land is Ewa. She is spotted by Bruno portrayed by the shape shifting Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix is one of the best actor's working. It's as if he traps Cotillard in a web under his black cloak. He psychologically manipulates her, uses her, and makes her a creature of the night. However, Bruno is not your usual villain. Like Paul Thomas Anderson's Daniel Plainview portrayed so masterfully by Daniel Day Lewis. Their are rays of light that exist in Bruno's icy heart. When most actors would be asked to play the part of Bruno they would run for the hills. Phoenix throws himself fearlessly at the part without resignation.
To watch the alchemy of Jeremy Renner juxtaposed with the harshness of Phoenix is like to completely different roads and worlds presented to Ewa. She is pulled in a tug-of-war between the two even though logic would tell any sane women otherwise.
The director in this film is James Gray. We Own the Night and Two Lovers are previous collaborations with Phoenix. The bond that the director and lead actor have for this motion picture shows. They seem to very comfortable with one another and this allows for Phoenix to take continual risks. Marion Cotillard is in top form. La Vie en Rose and Rust and Bone were two films that showed her range as an actress. Here in The Immigrant she has the look of someone who burns a candle of virtue in their heart even when they are surrounded by both vile people and environment. The scene of her wearing the shawl in the confessional is mystifying. That scene is a testament to her as an actress. I can think of very few actors out there that could deliver those lines in the confessional with that emotion. Simultaneously watching Phoenix eavesdropping on her without saying a word, just his eyes say it all.
The film is expertly directed and crafted. Segments of the film were actually done on Ellis Island. The film poses a number of moral dilemmas. When the audience comes out of the theater people had different interpretations. The film is complex is Bruno pure evil? Is Orlando pure good? Is Ewa a saint forced in difficult circumstances? What would you have done? Is family that important? How important is morality?
When a film leaves an audience questioning themselves and ideas ruminating this is the sign of great art. The director claims he was influenced by the dramatic emotions of opera, what a refreshing idea. The film didn't come from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or You Tube, or a Comic Book. Being bold and going for the jugular is so refreshing! Sadly this film is being screened in two theaters and won't get an expanded release. Bless the French for honoring art=cinema and Marion Cotillard!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Only Lovers Left Alive: romantic decay
Jim Jarmusch's latest Only Lovers Left Alive takes the viewer on an abandoned romantic journey across oceans and over centuries. From the start of the feature the mood is established. A vinyl record is spinning and the camera swirls around in an overhead shot of the two leads in different locations. The tone is gothic and mysterious. Jarmusch brilliantly uses a deserted Detroit and the exotically dark Tangiers to magnify the vampire characters. Tom Hiddleston portrays Adam who is a rock musician and has the privilege of working with some of the finest musicians over the last three hundred years. However, he is a character whom is haunted and estranged from contemporary society. Jarmusch himself has been known to believe fervently that in modern day society, many people have absolutely no idea what is going on. Only Lovers Left Alive mirrors that ideology to T. To further establish the point Hiddleston continually refers to people as zombies. Tilda Swinton plays Eve who is a lover of the written word, music, and discovering the new over time. They both use leather gloves to keep their fingerprints from showing up in public. The amount of vampire feasting in the feature is at a bare minimum. Instead the two operate like drug addicts having to get a legal fix of methadone. Mia Wasikowska's character Ava is fantastic at being the wild card sister of Tilda. To watch her unravel the lifestyle of Tilda and Tom is truly hilarious. Mia represents a younger vampire who wants to behave wild and raise hell. While Tilda and Tom are very much academic intellectuals. The pair play chess, visit old architecture, and listen to music. Many of the couple's conversations are highly existential and deal with subjects like art, science, and literature. The irony of the film is that they are vampires. The usual tropes of vampires are usually horror and fantasy based. These are fully developed characters who breathe, almost like they have a birth defect.
In analyzing and comparing this picture to some of Jarmusch's other work it becomes apparent that the film most closely resembles two films, Dead Man in 1995 and most recently Limits of Control in 2009.
The frontier town of Machine in Dead Man is strange and foreboding in much the same way as Detroit. Dead Man has a major similarity to Only Lovers Left Alive, in which Jarmusch radically alters the genre. Dead Man takes the western and turns the genre into a surreal adventure story. Only Lovers Left Alive goes from being a horror film to a an academic, sociological, and romantic story. Similarly Limits of Control starring Isaach De Bankole is not a typical gangster film. The structure of that movie is quite nonlinear and the pacing is quite slow just like Only Lovers Left Alive. Jarmusch's pacing always stands out over the years because his characters never seem to be in a rush and watching the dialogue and interactions between them seems refreshingly organic.
In many ways the film could have started at any section and picked up somewhere else all bound together like a jigsaw puzzle like Pulp Fiction. The journeys of Jarmusch's last two features far exceed the destination. Sink your teeth into it.
In analyzing and comparing this picture to some of Jarmusch's other work it becomes apparent that the film most closely resembles two films, Dead Man in 1995 and most recently Limits of Control in 2009.
The frontier town of Machine in Dead Man is strange and foreboding in much the same way as Detroit. Dead Man has a major similarity to Only Lovers Left Alive, in which Jarmusch radically alters the genre. Dead Man takes the western and turns the genre into a surreal adventure story. Only Lovers Left Alive goes from being a horror film to a an academic, sociological, and romantic story. Similarly Limits of Control starring Isaach De Bankole is not a typical gangster film. The structure of that movie is quite nonlinear and the pacing is quite slow just like Only Lovers Left Alive. Jarmusch's pacing always stands out over the years because his characters never seem to be in a rush and watching the dialogue and interactions between them seems refreshingly organic.
In many ways the film could have started at any section and picked up somewhere else all bound together like a jigsaw puzzle like Pulp Fiction. The journeys of Jarmusch's last two features far exceed the destination. Sink your teeth into it.
Friday, March 14, 2014
The Grand Budapest Hotel Enthralls ………
As Spring is on the cusp dear cinephiles, I would like to welcome guests from around the globe into the lobby of MR. WES ANDERSON'S WORLD. Distinguished representatives from Austria,
Germany, France, Russia, The United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Greece, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Georgia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Denmark, Portugal, Iceland, India, Mozambique, and last but not least ZUBROWKA.
The doors of perception have been regally opened by an auteur whom creates hallways that lead to a treasure trove of visual decadence. ZUBROWKA created by Anderson is a state a mind. A location that has associations with Austro-Hungarian history yet is a world all of it's own. ZUBROWKA is the location of The Grand Budapest Hotel. A snow globe of perfume scented wall paper, Kubrickian red elevators, and pink Mendl pastry boxes. The look of the film is a pleasure cake for the viewer. The Life Aquatic, The Royal Tenenbaums, and most recently Moonrise Kingdom all have been visually amazing, yet The Grand Budapest Hotel takes it to a whole another level of aristocratic European heights. The 1968 orange colors of the common property hotel are communistic. Watching the hotel transform from the Communist Era to it's 1930's hey day is stunning.
The acting in this film is best of any of director Wes Anderson's yet. Ralph Fiennes takes the helm of the movie playing a concierge named Gustave H. His performance is quite exceptional. Fiennes portrayal of Gustave is a mix of Anthony Hopkins in Remains of the Day and the Marx Brothers. His acting is Shakespearean, Method, and Screwball all interwoven. Tony Revolori portrays Zero. Tony is the lobby boy for Fiennes. The father son dynamic between these two lonely men is amazing. Both don't have any family. Revolori has never acted before and is just a teen. He goes toe to toe with Fiennes and compliments him perfectly. The two work in a similar way as Leonardo Dicaprio and Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street. In both films it is important to note that the extreme characters of Jordan Belfort and Gustave H can't be built without key supporting roles. The rest of the acting in the film is amazing the A-list actors that appeared in this film for such short sequences is quite unusual. Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Saoirise Ronan, Edward Norton and if I didn't stop it would go on till every one seated in the Vienna Opera House is named.
My personal favorite characters were Jeff Goldblum as Deputy Kovacs, Harvey Keitel as Ludwig, and Willem Dafoe as Jopling.
Jeff Goldblum shines as a lawyer called Deputy Kovacs. The scene of Kovacs reading the will in the Bavarian room with mounted heads and relatives is priceless.
Harvey Keitel portrays a prisoner named Ludwig and his monologue to Gustave about the situation and necessary steps for escape is hysterical. Keitel's shaved head and tattoos are fantastic. The prison break sequence is one of the best choreographed scenes since the long takes of entering the club in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights and going through the kitchen to get to the table at the restaurant in Scorsese's Goodfellas.
Willem Dafoe knows how to play the strange and unusual like no other. From Bobby Peru in Lynch's Wild at Heart, He in Von Trier's Antichrist, Jesus in Scrosese's The Last Temptation of Christ, Sgt. Elias in Stone's Platoon, man is he a chameleon. Add Jopling in The Grand Budapest Hotel to this list. We first meet him at the announcement of the will. He is is clenching his fists that are covered with skull rings. He wears black leather spats and has a long black leather trench coat. Inside the coat is a hand made slot for his flask and pistol. The perfect villain who rides a motorcycle and goes alpine skiing.
At the end of The Grand Budapest Hotel the viewer will feel like they have run a race through history and become connected to the personal lives off all those involved. Wes Anderson has been condemned by many critics in the past for creating stellar visuals and poor story. Exquisite wall paper over plot. I find this criticism to be unjust. I do however see how so many agree that this film is an exception for them. The natural rhythm and nature of a hotel is transient. So the characters even if they are short parts and not entirely connected by dialogue or have huge character development it works because they are all part of the ZUBROWKA world. A world in which a Hotel is the centerpiece and as everyone knows it is hard to feel at home in a hotel. Yet Fiennes, Revolori, and Ronan become a beautiful family in one.
As Spring is on the cusp dear cinephiles, I would like to welcome guests from around the globe into the lobby of MR. WES ANDERSON'S WORLD. Distinguished representatives from Austria,
Germany, France, Russia, The United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Greece, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Georgia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Denmark, Portugal, Iceland, India, Mozambique, and last but not least ZUBROWKA.
The doors of perception have been regally opened by an auteur whom creates hallways that lead to a treasure trove of visual decadence. ZUBROWKA created by Anderson is a state a mind. A location that has associations with Austro-Hungarian history yet is a world all of it's own. ZUBROWKA is the location of The Grand Budapest Hotel. A snow globe of perfume scented wall paper, Kubrickian red elevators, and pink Mendl pastry boxes. The look of the film is a pleasure cake for the viewer. The Life Aquatic, The Royal Tenenbaums, and most recently Moonrise Kingdom all have been visually amazing, yet The Grand Budapest Hotel takes it to a whole another level of aristocratic European heights. The 1968 orange colors of the common property hotel are communistic. Watching the hotel transform from the Communist Era to it's 1930's hey day is stunning.
The acting in this film is best of any of director Wes Anderson's yet. Ralph Fiennes takes the helm of the movie playing a concierge named Gustave H. His performance is quite exceptional. Fiennes portrayal of Gustave is a mix of Anthony Hopkins in Remains of the Day and the Marx Brothers. His acting is Shakespearean, Method, and Screwball all interwoven. Tony Revolori portrays Zero. Tony is the lobby boy for Fiennes. The father son dynamic between these two lonely men is amazing. Both don't have any family. Revolori has never acted before and is just a teen. He goes toe to toe with Fiennes and compliments him perfectly. The two work in a similar way as Leonardo Dicaprio and Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street. In both films it is important to note that the extreme characters of Jordan Belfort and Gustave H can't be built without key supporting roles. The rest of the acting in the film is amazing the A-list actors that appeared in this film for such short sequences is quite unusual. Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Lea Seydoux, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Saoirise Ronan, Edward Norton and if I didn't stop it would go on till every one seated in the Vienna Opera House is named.
My personal favorite characters were Jeff Goldblum as Deputy Kovacs, Harvey Keitel as Ludwig, and Willem Dafoe as Jopling.
Jeff Goldblum shines as a lawyer called Deputy Kovacs. The scene of Kovacs reading the will in the Bavarian room with mounted heads and relatives is priceless.
Harvey Keitel portrays a prisoner named Ludwig and his monologue to Gustave about the situation and necessary steps for escape is hysterical. Keitel's shaved head and tattoos are fantastic. The prison break sequence is one of the best choreographed scenes since the long takes of entering the club in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights and going through the kitchen to get to the table at the restaurant in Scorsese's Goodfellas.
Willem Dafoe knows how to play the strange and unusual like no other. From Bobby Peru in Lynch's Wild at Heart, He in Von Trier's Antichrist, Jesus in Scrosese's The Last Temptation of Christ, Sgt. Elias in Stone's Platoon, man is he a chameleon. Add Jopling in The Grand Budapest Hotel to this list. We first meet him at the announcement of the will. He is is clenching his fists that are covered with skull rings. He wears black leather spats and has a long black leather trench coat. Inside the coat is a hand made slot for his flask and pistol. The perfect villain who rides a motorcycle and goes alpine skiing.
At the end of The Grand Budapest Hotel the viewer will feel like they have run a race through history and become connected to the personal lives off all those involved. Wes Anderson has been condemned by many critics in the past for creating stellar visuals and poor story. Exquisite wall paper over plot. I find this criticism to be unjust. I do however see how so many agree that this film is an exception for them. The natural rhythm and nature of a hotel is transient. So the characters even if they are short parts and not entirely connected by dialogue or have huge character development it works because they are all part of the ZUBROWKA world. A world in which a Hotel is the centerpiece and as everyone knows it is hard to feel at home in a hotel. Yet Fiennes, Revolori, and Ronan become a beautiful family in one.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Labor Day Ushers In New Year
Happy Chinese New Year distinguished cinephiles, shout outs to Greece, Russia, France, India, and the United Kingdom for the hits. This is the year of the horse! The year the DENVER BRONCOS will win SUPERBOWL 48! 2014 where does the time go? As David Lynch would say it is strange. Love is so strange.
Today I had the privilege and honor of watching Jason Reitman's latest film. When Kate Winslet said in an interview that this was her favorite love story she has ever been a part it peeked my interest. She was perfect at playing a depressed single mother. At the inception she seems dead to the world and unable to function in society. The look of the film is excellent. Small town east coast. The film takes place in a Massachusetts. The story is simple yet great. A lonely woman and an ex-convict are forced to be together. However, the magic exists in the acting between the two actors. Kate Winslet completely comes alive and looks like a different person in the film once she falls in love. Josh Brolin is fantastic at being dark and mysterious. While, simultaneously he is a amazing cook, mentor, and handy man. The scene of the family baking a peach pie together is a show stopper. The hunger and the passion of medieval romance is so refreshing to see in a motion picture. I feel that all too often the magic is dissipated. The fact that the film takes place in 1987 is a key element. The family actually spends time together engaging in baseball, eating food, and relaxing on the porch. It takes place in the summer time helps create a feeling of heated romance. Kate Winslet portrays someone whom is very much a prisoner of her own life and Brolin is a prisoner. However, the two bring out the best of each other in a remarkably beautiful way. Gattlin Griffith portrays the son of Winslet. The character is so well written for a kid. I credit Reitman with having the gravitas to create a young person with so much depth. In many ways he is more socially stable than his mother. However, watching Winslet blossom during the course of the film then wilt is awe inspiring.
Reitman's on a hot streak JUNO, UP IN THE AIR, YOUNG ADULT, LABOR DAY!
Go see a film that is unlike so many this year of the horse. Go Broncos!
Today I had the privilege and honor of watching Jason Reitman's latest film. When Kate Winslet said in an interview that this was her favorite love story she has ever been a part it peeked my interest. She was perfect at playing a depressed single mother. At the inception she seems dead to the world and unable to function in society. The look of the film is excellent. Small town east coast. The film takes place in a Massachusetts. The story is simple yet great. A lonely woman and an ex-convict are forced to be together. However, the magic exists in the acting between the two actors. Kate Winslet completely comes alive and looks like a different person in the film once she falls in love. Josh Brolin is fantastic at being dark and mysterious. While, simultaneously he is a amazing cook, mentor, and handy man. The scene of the family baking a peach pie together is a show stopper. The hunger and the passion of medieval romance is so refreshing to see in a motion picture. I feel that all too often the magic is dissipated. The fact that the film takes place in 1987 is a key element. The family actually spends time together engaging in baseball, eating food, and relaxing on the porch. It takes place in the summer time helps create a feeling of heated romance. Kate Winslet portrays someone whom is very much a prisoner of her own life and Brolin is a prisoner. However, the two bring out the best of each other in a remarkably beautiful way. Gattlin Griffith portrays the son of Winslet. The character is so well written for a kid. I credit Reitman with having the gravitas to create a young person with so much depth. In many ways he is more socially stable than his mother. However, watching Winslet blossom during the course of the film then wilt is awe inspiring.
Reitman's on a hot streak JUNO, UP IN THE AIR, YOUNG ADULT, LABOR DAY!
Go see a film that is unlike so many this year of the horse. Go Broncos!
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