Tonight I saw The Souvenir, starring Honor Swinton Byrne and Tom Burke.
Julie (Swinton Byrne) is a film student in love with journalist Anthony (Burke), who also happens to be a heroin addict. It's England in the 1980s and she'll sacrifice everything for her art and her affair.
Who hasn't fallen for someone they shouldn't? Who hasn't made bad choices in the name of love ... or lust? Who hasn't stayed in toxic situations because of the emotions attached to them? These themes, along with a passionate thirst for the craft of film, are the tapestry that weaves this narrative together. Sort of.
I say 'sort of' because although the story is easy to follow, it's anything but linear, and the pace is agonizingly slow. Still, you can't look away. Swinton Byrne, who shares the screen with her real-life Mother (portraying her mother here too), Tilda Swinton, is phenomenal as a naive, yet fiercely dedicated film student. Tom Burke, as her tortured and torturous, addicted beau is equally compelling.
The way the film is shot captures the feel of the era it represents and what's left unsaid becomes just as important as the dialog that's spoken.
I wouldn't say I enjoyed the film, because it's a truly tragic story (and drawn from the real life of its creator, Joanna Hogg), but I certainly appreciated it and all that it represents.
If you're wondering why it's achieved almost universal acclaim, it's because of the lingering feelings about the powerful characters you're left with long after you leave the theater.
~~~
Showing posts with label Tilda Swinton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tilda Swinton. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Monday, November 14, 2016
Doctor Strange
On Saturday, I saw Doctor Strange, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is a gifted neurosurgeon with a knack for music trivia. He's sharp, sarcastic and more than a little bit arrogant. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with fellow doctor Christine (Rachel McAdams), who at the very least trusts his professional genius.
When Dr. Strange is in a terrible car accident (caused by distracted driving, of course), he suffers severe nerve damage to his hands—his most precious instruments—and grows desperate for a cure. A discussion with a physical therapist attending to him leads to a conversation with a "miracle" patient who was healed through alternative means. From this patient he learns of a healer in Kathmandu, so he catches the next flight to Nepal.
There, he meets Mordo (Ejiofor) and The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who convince him to stop thinking scientifically about everything and embrace the powers of the mind.
Refusing to discard any chance of physical restoration, Strange dedicates himself to learning the spiritual arts of which they speak and finds himself in the midst of a supernatural fight between good and evil. He's a quick study, but he still doesn't seem to be learning the larger philosophical lessons that The Ancient One practically beats him over the head with each day.
The film does a great job of getting the audience invested in Strange. Even though he's not the nicest guy, it's hard not to admire his intelligence and perseverance in the face of a ruined career. Cumberbatch also expresses the pain, both mental and physical, so vividly that a part of you aches for a remedy right along with him.
Swinton is sufficiently creepy as the wise teacher, but considering the casting drama, it seems she was mostly chosen for her look. She works, don't get me wrong, but others could have pulled off the role too.
Ejiofor is a calming presence as the voice of reason, and every time we see him, a little sigh of relief escapes, and Mads Mikkelsen (has their ever been a better real name for a villain?) as Kaecilius does a sufficient job of bringing the anger.
My only issues with the film were the dizzying bendy scenes where mirrors cave in and cities crumble within themselves Inception-style. I was grateful to be at the back of the theater and to be at a non-3D showing, because I fear I could have gotten sick otherwise. It was too much, too often, once the action got going. Excessive and unnecessary.
Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed the film and the teaser for the sequel, which followed the credits.
~~~
Dr. Stephen Strange (Cumberbatch) is a gifted neurosurgeon with a knack for music trivia. He's sharp, sarcastic and more than a little bit arrogant. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with fellow doctor Christine (Rachel McAdams), who at the very least trusts his professional genius.
When Dr. Strange is in a terrible car accident (caused by distracted driving, of course), he suffers severe nerve damage to his hands—his most precious instruments—and grows desperate for a cure. A discussion with a physical therapist attending to him leads to a conversation with a "miracle" patient who was healed through alternative means. From this patient he learns of a healer in Kathmandu, so he catches the next flight to Nepal.
There, he meets Mordo (Ejiofor) and The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who convince him to stop thinking scientifically about everything and embrace the powers of the mind.
Refusing to discard any chance of physical restoration, Strange dedicates himself to learning the spiritual arts of which they speak and finds himself in the midst of a supernatural fight between good and evil. He's a quick study, but he still doesn't seem to be learning the larger philosophical lessons that The Ancient One practically beats him over the head with each day.
The film does a great job of getting the audience invested in Strange. Even though he's not the nicest guy, it's hard not to admire his intelligence and perseverance in the face of a ruined career. Cumberbatch also expresses the pain, both mental and physical, so vividly that a part of you aches for a remedy right along with him.
Swinton is sufficiently creepy as the wise teacher, but considering the casting drama, it seems she was mostly chosen for her look. She works, don't get me wrong, but others could have pulled off the role too.
Ejiofor is a calming presence as the voice of reason, and every time we see him, a little sigh of relief escapes, and Mads Mikkelsen (has their ever been a better real name for a villain?) as Kaecilius does a sufficient job of bringing the anger.
My only issues with the film were the dizzying bendy scenes where mirrors cave in and cities crumble within themselves Inception-style. I was grateful to be at the back of the theater and to be at a non-3D showing, because I fear I could have gotten sick otherwise. It was too much, too often, once the action got going. Excessive and unnecessary.
Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed the film and the teaser for the sequel, which followed the credits.
~~~
Friday, February 01, 2008
Michael Clayton
Tonight I saw Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson.
Forgive me for being stunned, but how did this manage to rack up an Oscar® nomination for Best Picture? It's a solid movie with solid acting, but that's about it.
Clooney does fine as the title character, a legal 'fixer-upper' sort that seems to constantly be in more danger than he realizes. Wilkinson also shines as Arthur, a chemically imbalanced member of the same legal firm that is threatening to turn one of their big corporate cases upside down. Everyone else is gravy.
The story follows a damning memorandum in reverse to explain how the characters come to be (or not) four days later. I found these flashbacks irritating—not because I didn't understand them—because the same tale could've been told in a linear fashion with more exciting results. Once you catch on to the Same Old Corporate Argument, it's pretty clear who will reign victorious when all is said and done (allowing, of course, for at least one shocking death).
Tilda Swinton plays a minor role as a major player in the case, and she's good as usual, but almost underutilized for the amount of time she appears on screen.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I went into the film hoping to be dazzled by a smart thriller and unfortunately got a little bored.
Forgive me for being stunned, but how did this manage to rack up an Oscar® nomination for Best Picture? It's a solid movie with solid acting, but that's about it.
Clooney does fine as the title character, a legal 'fixer-upper' sort that seems to constantly be in more danger than he realizes. Wilkinson also shines as Arthur, a chemically imbalanced member of the same legal firm that is threatening to turn one of their big corporate cases upside down. Everyone else is gravy.
The story follows a damning memorandum in reverse to explain how the characters come to be (or not) four days later. I found these flashbacks irritating—not because I didn't understand them—because the same tale could've been told in a linear fashion with more exciting results. Once you catch on to the Same Old Corporate Argument, it's pretty clear who will reign victorious when all is said and done (allowing, of course, for at least one shocking death).
Tilda Swinton plays a minor role as a major player in the case, and she's good as usual, but almost underutilized for the amount of time she appears on screen.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I went into the film hoping to be dazzled by a smart thriller and unfortunately got a little bored.
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