This eye catching headline does not do justice to the depth (pun intended) of wonder and awe which this film inspires in me. I think this is a tremendously accomplished film in terms of visual impact and power of plot. At the end, one feels compelled to love each of the characters and see their unique place in this extraordinary story.
Having recently lost his closest friend to the jaws of a strange sea predator, oceanic adventurer-cum-filmmaker Steve Zissou (Murray) sets out to find and kill the beast he’s dubbed the “jaguar shark”. Along the way, though, he has to deal with a prim Brit journalist (Blanchett), a man claiming to be his son (Wilson), and impending financial ruin. Empire
I’ve often decried my status as a film critic. This perceived status is most obviously a sham, I am a food critic at best and pompous, pious snob at worst. But this film is close to my heart. A dear friend of mine, Emily, who is “in film”, invited me to a Wes Anderson All Nighter at the Prince Charles Theatre in London. This was during our second year at university. Being an impressionable child then I assented. What unfolded over the evening changed my perception of film and indeed my life. No film more so than The Life Aquatic.
The family’s kit, craft and uniform are quaintly marooned in the 1960s of Cousteau, while Zissou’s hated enemy and rival explorer Alistair Hennessey (Jeff Goldblum) luxuriates in state-of-the-art gadgetry. Willem Dafoe plays Zissou’s trusty crewmember Klaus; Anjelica Huston is his semi-estranged wife Eleanor, “the brains behind Team Zissou”; and Owen Wilson is aboard as Ned, a huge fan of Zissou and also his illegitimate son. The Guardian
This film is the most idiosyncratic of all the Wes Anderson films. It is without a doubt visually stunning. the character development is perhaps not the strongest I have seen in Wes Anderson filmography and the romance between Wilson and Blanchett was misplaces but then again so were they. This, like many Wes films, tells the story of a collection of outcasts fighting against a system which does not favour them. I suppose this is indicative of why it resonates with me so very much .
His slavish attention to music results in an interesting mix of laidback acoustic cover versions and deliberately dated, analogue-electro flurries. Empire
A true highlight for me is the soundtrack. Seu Jorge’s acoustic versions of dated Bowie hits were just perfection. Even when Indonesian pirates were boarding the Belafonte, he was strumming away with abandon. Jorge’s version of Life on Mars made me cry. Such a beauteous collection of timeless quality pieces is rare, though not so rare I suppose in Wes world (you’ll recall Nico’s These Days in The Royal Tenenbaums). And you’ll be glad to hear that the soundtrack is available on all good streaming services. Being a person of impossibly high taste, I found mine on Deezer.
Of course, the film’s most resonant moment is the climactic meeting between Zissou and the vividly animated jaguar shark, with the disparate crew united in awe for this near-mythical beast. “I wonder if it remembers me,” says the leader, fighting back tears, as the strings of Sigur Ros’s “Starálfur” swell in the background. The character, so hardened and disillusioned by life’s endless shitstorm, finally drops his guard. Esquire
Overall, an undeniable masterpiece. My favourite Wes Anderson film by far. This film moved me deeply and I have no doubt that overall, you’ll not fail to see it’s merit.
The Hague is the capital of the province of South Holland, the seat of government of the Netherlands and hosts the International Court of Justice, one of the most important courts in the world. Being a fledgling in the legal industry, you can imagine my excitement at going to such a city. This was enhanced by the opportunity of seeing some masterly Dutch paintings.
The museum houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of 854 objects, mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings. The collections contains works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jan Steen, Paulus Potter, Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, Hans Holbein the Younger, and others. Originally, the 17th century building was the residence of count John Maurice of Nassau. Wikipedia
For the sake of the blind, I shall give you my top three highlights from the museum. Doing so will spare me embarrassment and make this post more easily digestible.
The above is by Peter Paul Rubens and is titled ‘Old Woman and Boy with Candles’. A Caravaggio-esque rendering gives this painting quite a luxurious feel. This painting was not created to be sold, it is believed Rubens kept it in his personal collection as a study for his pupils. And one can see why. Personally I think this is nothing short of a masterpiece. The way that light is portrayed as fluid and moving, the quasi crude showcasing of the aged woman contrasted with the stark youth of the boy observing her – everything about this piece just astonishes me.
Portrait of an old man by Rembrandt, finished 1667, is another highlight for me. I love a rough painting, one where the brush strokes are visible and meant to be seen. This relaxed old man was likely a friend of Rembrandts. One would not pay someone to paint them thus! I just love the expression, as though he has never been seated before. the way the stubble is painted on with one brush stroke is quite impressive too.
The portrait is very virtuoso, and Rembrandt knew exactly what he was doing. In some places he used his palette knife, and elsewhere he scratched in the wet paint with the handle of his brush. This is how he suggested the springy grey hairs under the edge of the hat. Mauritshuis
Jan Davidsz de Heem, Vase of Flowers, circa 1670 is our final highlight. Can you guess what really stood out for me in this piece?
Jan Davidsz de Heem was the most influential flower painter of his day. He spent various periods in Antwerp, where he became acquainted with the effusiveness of the south. Mauritshuis
For me the most outstanding aspect of this piece is the reflection in the vase in which objects on the window sill can be seen distinctly. I also notice on the shiny flesh around the exposed core of the central peach. The variety of wildlife and the detail given to each petal is also astonishing. This is a high quality image, but imagine seeing this in person.
If you’re in the Hague, please consider going to see the National Gallery, you won’t be disappointed.
When Louise proposed that we went to see the latest Almodovar, my immediate thoughts turned to La Piel Que Habito, which I saw some years ago. I was so disturbed by the simply grotesque plot that I expected something of equal horror here. Sadly, this is due in fact to my own ignorance of the great scope of Almodovar’s work. As with the aforementioned film, Almodovar manages to take a subject close to heartbreaking and make something beautiful and important out of it.
Banderas, winner of the Best Actor award at Cannes, is immense but tiny. His performance is world-weary and downcast, trying to reconcile himself with his past while not having the strength to deal with the present. It’s an actor opening himself up to share doubts and expose frailties without a hint of showboating. Empire
Dolor y Gloria (Pain and Glory) follows the story of a director, Salvador, being forced to reconcile himself with his past when asked to do a retrospective of his 1980s hit, Sabor. This brings him face to face with his estranged lead actor, Alberto Crespo (Etxeandia). Through a whirlwind romance with heroin, episodes from Salvador’s youth give us a wonderfully clear and shocking picture of the director’s life. The tale of love and loss, of struggle against sexuality and parental expectation is told with extraordinary tenderness.
He has been autobiographical before — Law Of Desire, Bad Education — but never so open-heartedly. Just as Salvador is a filmmaker jaded by life and cinema, Almodovar is the opposite. Pain & Glory beautifully negotiates the past and present to land in a personal place the filmmaker has never been before. Long may he stay there. Empire
One of the most striking aspects of this film for me was the use of colours. Red is the most prominent, featuring on jackets, chairs, doors and in paintings throughout the scenes in the film. Importantly perhaps was the absurdly bright doctor’s lounge. Almodovar has enormous control over his colour palette which translates very well in the film.
I’m not terribly well versed in film reviews, I find in the necessity to hide the main plot points but give a full account of the salient points and reasonings for one needing to see the film quite daunting. Nonetheless, I am more well versed in ignoring people’s opinions, so I’ll just carry on.
For me, the standout moment was just before one of Crespo’s performances. He is wearing a beautiful silk shirt and is dancing to the opening bars of Grace Jones’ La Vie en Rose, the first song from her first album. It’s only for a few seconds but it affected me greatly. Grace Jones is a great inspiration of mine. The song talks about falling in love and seeing life through rose tinted glasses as a result. I’ve never been addicted to heroin, but I imagine this is the impression Almodovar was trying to convey in tandem with being addicted to love in the context of the play within the film.
Dolor y Gloria is possibly the best film I have seen this year. It is a wonderfully moving pseudo-biographical work which says something important about pain and growth. I recommend this to you whole heartedly.
As you know, this blog is not primarily for film reviews. Hence I cannot compete with Empire or Film Daily in terms of depth, but I can give you my personal highlights. These may grant you an additional insight into the film, without informing you whatsoever about its place in the cinematographic plane.This is a sacrifice I am willing to make.
Instant Family didn’t just exceed my low expectations; it obliterated them. It’s the kind of honest, human comedy that’s so rare from Hollywood these days that when one finally comes along, you sit there in the theater in slack-jawed amazement and wonder: How does a movie like this happen? ScreenCrush
When my friend Colin invited me to the preview of this much anticipated film, I must say I had reservations. Indeed, these are still pervasive as I look back with the luxury of retrospect. Plot-wise the film is predictable. You can predict the entire plot line from the first interaction in the opening cutscene. What struck me was the subtle musical warning denoting difficult scenes. At the start of each ‘tear-jerking’ scene, apt music streams out. Another point is that each of these said scenes are peppered with comedic moments, without which they would be totally devastating. This is another thoughtful point in the director’s favour. Also not to be missed is the inclusion of Julie Haggerty and Margo Martindale as mothers in law, the former being the firm favourite in Airplane!
That being said, there were many points in its favour, distinguishing it from the monotonous and facile Hollywood comedy which one expects to see. The overarching and most pressing of these points is Instant Family’s importance. Gustavo Quiroz jr; Julianna Gamiz and Isabela Moner play a role in the film as actors, and fine ones at that. But the impact that their emotive, gritty performances permeates the boundaries of a powerful plot.
Ultimately the movie champions unconditional familial love and perseverance and argues that kids coming from extremely difficult circumstances are still kids who deserve love and a chance to flourish. Common Sense Media
What Instant Family achieves is a true overview of the fostering system in the US. This insight is shown with the greatest of care and compassion. Director Sean Anders does not hide a painful truth behind comedy, he uses comedy in places to highlight a shockingly overburdened system. Equally, he shows what can be done to alleviate it, and the great successes that foster families can have, as well as the momentous difficulties they have in achieving said success. I recommend this film heartily.
It’s 18th Century England. War rages with France. But there is a bigger battle royale unravelling in the court of the declining Queen Anne (Colman): a fight between her loyal counsel Sarah Churchill (Weisz) and new arrival Abigail (Stone), Sarah’s down-on-her-luck cousin. Empire
Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone deliver incredible performances throughout this zany, wonderfully filmed movie. The use of wide lense gives a really unique perspective. It is a great privilege to be alive in a time where cameras are of such high quality. I was especially taken aback by the pomegranate throwing scene. Combining slow motion with high definition; nudity and fruit certainly makes one sit up and take notice.
A word which appeared repeatedly in my mind throughout the film is ‘spellbinding’. Each scene featuring Coleman and her drastic realisations left me aghast. Equally, the script featured some truly memorable and shockingly filthy quotes, which I could not repeat on this blog. Some of them are featured in the trailer below.
The Favourite follows a delicate relationship between Queen Anne (Coleman); her advisor,Sarah Churchill (Weisz) and Abigail Masham (Stone). Churchill and Masham are both vying for her attention. Churchill does so to further the war effort with France. This acts as a backdrop to the main narrative tool; Anne’s deteriorating condition as a result of gout. Masham’s attempt at garnering the Queen’s favour stems from desiring a more elevated status. The intertwining complex characters add a richness to the story which is supported by stellar performances.
The Favourite [is] unrelentingly physical; characters fall in mud, are splattered with blood, vomit, have Sapphic sex (never exploitative), get dragged behind horses and deliver a swift kick in the balls. Empire
In all, I was deeply impressed by this film. My learned friend Emily, who works in film publicity, claims the film suffers from a chronic pacing problem. Indeed, as I find often in the modern movie, there is an extra half hour of content which is simply unnecessary. Other than that, this is a compelling film which covers a lecherous and important period in Queen Anne’s life. I recommend it most highly.
A terrific New Statesman article on the historical accuracy of the events in the film can be found here.
Oh me oh my, two film reviews one after the other. Who would have thought this is where we would be on this glorious day? Anyway, to business. The reason I put this review after Valerian is to draw comparisons between the two. They are both surreal dystopian fantasy films. Perhaps most importantly neither of them have a plot, yet both remain captivating.
James Wan has always been a master of directing. Aquaman is no different. I’ve followed him through various of his phases as a director. The Conjuring is one of the finest horror films I have ever seen. While Aquaman has no discernible story progression, the character development is exemplary. One truly gets to grips with who Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) and Mera (Amber Heard) are. Equally, lesser-seen characters such as King Orm (Patrick Wilson); Vulko (Willem Dafoe) and Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) are accessible and well-developed. Of course Dolph Lundgren played King Nareus, which delighted me. He used to date Grace Jones, which, as you know, means he is in my good books. As is anyone who had a modicum of contact with her.
Aquaman covers the story of two nations on the brink of war – the land and the sea. Aquaman must mitigate this potentially catastrophic situation by fetching a nice trident and fending off his half brother King Orm, who is amassing an army to destroy the surface world. In essence, this is all that happens plot-wise. Visually, they go through various kingdoms on land and in the sea in order to fetch said trident. Numerous beautifully orchestrated fight scenes are peppered throughout. The film is an impressive work of the imagination, much like Valerian. A particular favourite scene of mine is when Aquaman and Mera (both consistently breathtaking, by the way) pass through Sicily. One of the most exciting fight scenes in the movie, and indeed in modern cinema, happens here. Look out for it.
In all, this movie drips with delicious money. It is clear from the get-go that the ($160–200 million) budget for Aquaman is eye wateringly well spent – no pun intended. The cast is star-studded, the fight scenes were epic and the visuals are breathtaking. Though I couldn’t find a hint of a plot, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I hope you shall too.
