Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #91 - Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) - I love this beautiful movie. I have written about it at length before. Here is a snippet from that earlier article:
Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive is an extremely romantic film. It has been dubbed his "vampire movie." but it is less a horror film and more a romance that concerns two vampires. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton are Adam and Eve, a (really) old married couple. They live a world away from each other, he in Detroit, and she in Tangier, Morocco, but are inextricably linked. ...
The film is gorgeous to look at, with cinematography by Yorick Le Saux. The world of the film only exists as night, naturally, and Jarmusch (Night on Earth) is an excellent director to highlight the shadows and mysteries of sunless streets, cities at night. Vampires don't need to do housekeeping or even comb their hair, and the set and costume design renders their dusty and cluttered surfaces and persons in loving detail. The film moves slowly and elegantly, much like its protagonists — that is, until chaos, in the form of Eve's younger "sister" Ava (Mia Wasikowska) turns up. ...
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #27 - Midnight in Paris (2011) - As a writer and artist it's hard not to feel that Midnight in Paris was made for me. Owen Wilson is frustrated in work and in love, and the beauty of Paris is luring him to follow his true dream - to ditch his Hollywood screenwriting career and move to Paris to finish his novel, a la his idols F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. One evening, strolling and soaking in the city's beauty, a vintage Peugeot rolls up and whisks him away to the Paris of his dreams - the 1920s. He meets not only Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston) and Hemingway (Corey Stoll), but Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), and a beautiful artist's muse named Adriana (Marion Cotillard). Gil has many adventures in the past, and who wouldn't want to meet their heroes? There are plenty of wonderful art in-jokes, including Gil suggesting to Luis Bunuel the plot of his classic film The Exterminating Angel. Midnight in Paris is a wonderful tribute to the city, art, love, and realizing that one can honor the past while living in the present.
Film is a visual medium. Not every movie takes that feature to the absolute, ultimate limit, but Guillermo del Toro's latest, Crimson Peak, does. And then some. Del Toro loves movies and pop culture, and there are film and literary references galore: Hammer horror, Vincent Price and Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe-based films, Alfred Hitchcock's version of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca, Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, Henry James and The Turn of the Screw, and even earlier del Toro films like Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy. Crimson Peak is a gothic romance, with a whisper-thin plot and twists that even the most unobservant viewer should spot coming a long way away. But none of that matters. The movie is a feast for the eyes — from gorgeous set design to costumes to actors to effects. Perhaps the most jarring aspect of the film is that for a ghost movie, the spirits are maybe the least impactful aspect of the story. They may try to guide the heroine Edith to discover hidden secrets and horrors, but it is her own bravery, intelligence, and capacity to love that carries her through.
A quick word about the gore. I'm no fan of excess blood and violence and how it seems to be de riguer for our best films and television of late, but that is a topic for another time. I steeled myself to wade through buckets of blood in Crimson Peak, and I was surprised by how the violence was depicted. I won't lie — the blood definitely flows — but the violence is rapid, brutal, and serves the story. I didn't enjoy it, and have to admit to covering my eyes and looking away a few times, but it was, considering the rest of the film's visual excess, fairly contained. And more horrific when it happened. Del Toro has said in interviews that he wanted to serve up not a horror film, but a gothic romance, for adults. He did. And a creepy, beautiful one.
You can't blame aspiring author Edith (Mia Wasikowska). Who wouldn't fall for the charming Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston)?
Oh darling, did I forget to mention I live in one of the spookiest homes in England?
And have you met my sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain)?
The kid and I went to see the latest Avengers movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, last weekend. It was ... O.K. I am starting to wonder if Joss Whedon can't help but pastiche his own work, no matter what he does.
I was a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and an even bigger fan of Angel, so when I hear the name Joss Whedon I tend to have positive associations. But I am not a super fan girl. There are also plenty of things he has done that leave me cold (Dollhouse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), or that I just could never connect with (Firefly). I found the first Avengers movie a little on the ho-hum side. I love the casting and the banter of the main super heroes, but when you've seen one CGI robot blow up and a major city explode, you've seen them all, right?
The Avengers — and lots and lots of robots ...
Apparently not. Because the second time around with Ultron the Avengers were up against tons and tons of CGI robots and tried to save more than one city on the brink of destruction. Iron Man and his pals plowed through city streets and buildings, leaving broken glass and devastation in their wake, all in the name of saving the world. Again. And sadly, there was no witty, bratty villain like Tom Hiddleston's Loki, but another CGI super robot, Ultron, who wanted to destroy the world because ... I really don't know. It was in the script?
As I watched all of this computer-generated mayhem, which seemed to go on forever at its two and a half hour-plus running time, I couldn't help think of another Whedon project, Cabin in the Woods. The movie references in The Avengers may not have been as blatant or funny as the horror tropes that Cabin in the Woods served up, but movie buffs may still have had a déjà vu feeling in certain scenes:
A bunch of robots streaming up the side of a building — hey, that is reminiscent of I, Robot.
Black Widow and the Hulk have a Beauty and the Beast thing going.
Naughty Ultron isn't your friendly neighborhood artificial intelligence — from 2001 to A.I. and beyond.
All that morphing metal was also very Terminator-y.
Robert Downey Jr.'s sassy Tony Stark/Iron Man is suddenly a bit of a Victor Frankenstein in his desire to use Ultron to save the world.
The best scene in the movie is a moment of relative quiet near the start of the film. The Avengers have all been hanging out at a party, celebrating their latest victory. They start teasing Thor about his hammer, and he declares that only he is worthy to wield such a weapon. Each Avenger, except the wise Black Widow, takes a turn trying to lift it, unsuccessfully, a la The Sword in the Stone.
Hawkeye [after quite a few drinks], "'Whosoever, be he worthy, shall have the power'" — Whatever man! It's a trick!"
Thor, "It is more than that, my friend!"
Captain America, "But if you put the hammer in an elevator?"
Iron Man, "It'll still go up."
Captain America, "Elevator's not worthy."
It's fun, and silly, and showcases each character's and actor's strengths. There are other fun moments of clever dialog, which can be attributed to the Whedon touch, but unfortunately they are few and far between too many long, long battle scenes with robots. Sorry, Joss, but as far as these Marvel movies go, Guardians of the Galaxy is still the most entertaining, and knows how to perfectly balance fun and adventure.
p.s. And one more not-so-minor beef: With all the mega-merchandising that goes on with a film of this kind, why is it only the male characters that get action figures? Where is Black Widow?
It's December, so it's a good time for some summing up and list-making, right? I watch a fair share of movies, but the very best that I've seen this year were not necessarily first-run in theaters. I also caught up with some titles on cable, streaming, or Blu-rays from the library.
Here is my list of the movies I liked the best, would love to see again (and again). There are links to longer reviews. The list is in the order that I saw them. Looking at it I see that there are a few trends. There are quite a few two-person movies. The fantasy films all feature a central, larger-than-life character, with a sense of humor. The comedies are all pretty quirky, and on the quiet side, as opposed to the current gross-out trend. Three of my favorite actors, who are no longer with us, all turn up on the list - Robin Williams, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman. They will be missed.
Pirate Radio - Philip Seymour Hoffman is wonderful as a renegade DJ on a floating radio station in the '60s.
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Pirate Radio
James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss in Enough Said
Enough Said - James Gandolfini and Julia-Louis Dreyfuss are a wonderful pair of would-be lovers in this clever, quiet film about second chances.
The Way Way Back - Sam Rockwell is an irreverent but kind boss and quasi spirit guide to young Duncan (Liam James) during a summer on the Cape.
The Lego Movie - Everything is awesome, really, in this wonderfully clever animated adventure.
Rear Window - Hitchcock's classic about love and what really happens behind our neighbors drawn curtains.
Annie Hall- Diane Keaton is the subject of this comic love story, both a tribute and a spoof, from Woody Allen.
Lovers Madame D. (Tilda Swinton) and Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes) in The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel - Another stylish (and hilarious) film from Wes Anderson, starring Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton.
The Humphrey Bogart Film Festival - I was lucky enough to attend this annual festival, where I was treated to screenings of Bogie classics like Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep and Key Largo.
Maleficent - Angelina Jolie, her beauty chiseled and CGI-ed to perfection, has a blast with her role as Sleeping Beauty's nemesis.
The Birdcage - One of my all-time favorite films. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane are adorable and funny as hell, and just manage to stop Hank Azaria from stealing the picture from them.
Hercules - Dwayne Johnson leads a merry crew in this fun, raucous take on the Hercules legend. Ian McShane steals every scene he's in and then some.
Guardians of the Galaxy - I am Groot. We all are Groot. And Guardians of the Galaxy is the best comic book movie of them all.
Our Idiot Brother - The movie is as laid back as its main character, played by Paul Rudd, and that is a good, and very funny, thing.
Gone Girl - Rosamund Pike is picture-perfect as Amy, in this cold-as-ice chiller-thriller.
Big Hero 6 - A very sweet animated film, with a layer of sadness that never quite goes away. Beautifully animated, too.
Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy) go to the opera
The Intouchables - A twist on the buddy picture, this French hit features the beautiful friendship of odd couple Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy).
Only Lovers Left Alive - A mesmerizing, beautiful love story from director Jim Jarmusch. About vampires. With Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston. And John Hurt. I could just watch this over and over and over ...
Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive is an extremely romantic film. It has been dubbed his "vampire movie." but it is less a horror film and more a romance that concerns two vampires. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton are Adam and Eve, a (really) old married couple. They live a world away from each other, he in Detroit, and she in Tangier, Morocco, but are inextricably linked.
Hungry, in Tangier
Eve, "Tell me now about entanglement. Einstein's spooky action at a distance. Is it related to quantum theory?"
Adam, "No. I mean, it's not a theory, it's proven."
Eve, "How's it go again?"
Adam, "When you separate an entwined particle and you move both parts away from the other, even at opposite ends of the universe, if you alter or affect one, the other will be identically altered or affected."
Eve, "Spooky. Even at opposite ends of the universe?"
Adam, "Yeah."
Neither has preyed directly on humans for ages — they explain that most of the human blood supply is tainted, diseased; but one gets the idea that they have removed themselves from such direct contact, preferring to indulge instead in their favorite pastimes — for Adam music, for Eve, literature. Eve gets her pure supply of blood from another vampire, her old friend Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt). And he is that Marlowe, for fans of Elizabethan drama. Adam has an arrangement with a local doctor (Jeffrey Wright) to keep his pantry stocked. When these vampires do take a sip, it is in gorgeous stemware, and the results are blissful, heady, akin to a drug high.
A photo from the couple's third wedding
The film is gorgeous to look at, with cinematography by Yorick Le Saux. The world of the film only exists as night, naturally, and Jarmusch (Night on Earth) is an excellent director to highlight the shadows and mysteries of sunless streets, cities at night. Vampires don't need to do housekeeping or even comb their hair, and the set and costume design renders their dusty and cluttered surfaces and persons in loving detail. The film moves slowly and elegantly, much like its protagonists — that is, until chaos, in the form of Eve's younger "sister" Ava (Mia Wasikowska) turns up. Ava doesn't exactly subscribe to her older sibling's ideas of the proper way to acquire their sustenance, and she also takes a liking to Adam's quasi- yet unsuspecting Renfield, the dim but likable Ian (Anton Yelchin).
There are so many great details in Only Lovers Left Alive. Adam's love of classic guitars and other instruments, and an ability to construct retro-inspired gadgets, like a view-phone to see Eve when she calls him. The more practical Eve has mastered the iPhone and night flights, in order to get to Detroit and buoy up her lover, who is flirting with ending it all with a wooden-tipped bullet. Jarmusch, with his band Sqürl teaming with Jozef Van Wissem, constructs a moody soundtrack which perfectly captures the essence of Adam and Eve's existence. Also appearing near the end of the film is Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, who enchants the lovers with her song "Hal."
The ever-practical Eve introduces Adam to the blood popsicle
Jarmusch films Adam and Eve like beautiful sculptures. His artistic sensibility carries through the film. Viewers get a glimpse of just how his eye works and his crew and actors help realize his vision in a nice short included on the Blu-ray, "Traveling at Night with Jim Jarmusch," a documentary by Lea Rinaldi, where the director compares the set-up of one actor in a scene to a painting by Mantegna. Besides the beauty, and the at-times unsuspected humor, what really enchants in Only Lovers Left Alive are Swinton and Hiddleston. Their chemistry is palpable and believable, and they manage to invest us in their world and their quest for survival. While everyone else is signing up for a zombie apocalypse, I would be hoping more for Adam and Eve's way, a most stylish and arty way to enjoy eternity.
I have been known to geek out and watch superhero movies, although I tend to be more interested in sci-fi and fantasy than famous comic book characters. But I have to admit that as cute as Chris Hemsworth is as Thor (and even cuter Tom Hiddleston as Loki) I am experiencing some serious superhero fatigue. I can't tell the difference between Iron Man 1, 2, or 3 and I simply don't care. I'm willing to bet that Robert Downey Jr. would find himself similarly challenged. I'm still not sure what brought us into the theater to see the first Captain America, but I have no intention of seeing #2. The only thing that I took away from seeing The Green Lantern was that Ryan Reynolds looked a little cross-eyed. Did CGI bring that unfortunate detail to light? I'm no fan of the Christian Bale as Batman movies, either.
What might have been ... Nicolas Cage in a costume test as Superman for Tim Burton's Superman Lives
But as much as I am starting to dislike the genre, I sat down and tried to watch Man of Steel the other day. It turned out to be just impossible. It is loud, ugly, incomprehensible, and the worst sin of all, completely boring. No matter how buff Henry Cavill may be, his Superman was just a big "No." Neither a plucky Amy Adams as Lois Lane, nor an earnest Russell Crowe as Superman's dad could save it. I didn't even get far enough into it to check out Laurence Fishburne as Perry White. All Man of Steel did was make me wonder what a Nicolas Cage Superman movie might have been like.
I suppose the Superman/Batman movie (with Ben Affleck as Batman, yikes) coming up will get an audience, but I am starting to wonder why. Lots of dark, murky action and way too-long and too noisy CGI explosion scenes seem to be the blueprint for all of these movies. Are comic books really Hollywood's only source material? Yawn.
People Magazine has once again released its "Sexiest Man Alive" issue, and the internets have been up in arms about its latest choice, singer Adam Levine from Maroon 5. The title itself is pretty ridiculous, but also designed for such debates. No matter what your opinion of the overexposed-in-the-media Levine, who seems to guest sing on almost everyone else's record when he isn't working on his own songs or is appearing as a judge on the uber-successful singing contest show The Voice, you undoubtedly should have your own candidates that you feel are more worthy. As do I. Some of my current favorite fellas include:
We got to see Thor: The Dark World this past weekend. I guess I've been somewhat invested in these Marvel comic book adaptation movies, as I've seen most of them — Captain America, Iron Man 3, The Avengers, the first Thor. Of all of them, I found Thor the most entertaining. Apart from the complete movie star quality of star Chris Hemsworth, the film had humor.
Director Kenneth Branagh is no stranger to going over-the-top with Shakespearean theatrics in even his non-Bard films, but he recognized that Thor was at its heart, larger-than-life and extremely theatrical. How could it not be. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is not just a super-hero, he is a Norse god, and his cohorts make up the Norse pantheon, from his father, the All-father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and mother Frigga (Rene Russo) to his best buddy Heimdall (Idris Elba), the guardian of their home, Asgard. And then there's Loki, the trickster, Thor's bad-boy half-brother. Branagh wisely cast Royal Academy of Dramatic Art grad Tom Hiddleston in the role, and he has not only nailed Loki's mad whims, but dug into his daddy issues while bringing both a sense of menace and vulnerability to his appearances in both Thor films and The Avengers. Will someone get this actor and this character his own movie already?
Loki and Thor team up — or do they?
Star-crossed lovers? Awkward.
Thor, look around, yes, over there ...
Hiddleston/Loki is so much fun and so magnetic every moment on screen that one almost forgets about the rest of the film. Who really cares about the Big Bad, Malekith, played by the excellent Christopher Eccleston, who is hidden under some hideous make-up and inexplicably speaks in subtitled Dark Elf language for the first part of the film. Malekith learns English pretty quickly and that annoyance is then dropped and forgotten.
I can't care much about or for Natalie Portman, either, who plays Thor's love interest Jane, who is supposed to be a brilliant scientist, but spends most of the film moping over her hunky maybe-boyfriend. She shares more chemistry in two very brief scenes with potential suitor (played by the again-excellent) Chris O'Dowd. Odin and many others kept reminding Thor that a human's lifespan is just a blip compared to theirs, and I couldn't help but feel secretly happy for Thor that once his fling with Jane has run its short course he could spend more quality time with the fierce and lovely Sif (Jaime Alexander) with whom he shared tons more chemistry in just a few brief scenes.
Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgård manage to make the most of their goofy side-kick roles — they seem to inhabit the earth and world of Thor much more convincingly than Portman, who seems strangely out of touch and out-of-synch with everyone else. There are many other good actors in blink-or-miss roles: Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alice Krige.
Yes, that's Christopher Eccleston in there somewhere as Malekith
I do love the look of Malekith's crew, The Dark Elves (costumes by Wendy Partridge)
Director Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire) utilizes all of the special effects at his disposal and occasionally some of these visuals are a hit, especially a time/space anomaly that is just X Files weird enough near the front of the film, and then gets brought back for comic effect towards the end. But the high points of Thor: The Dark World rest most definitely not with the Lord of the Rings meets Star Wars-like battle sequences, but the character interactions. Yet again, a comic book movie chooses to rest heavier in the CGI department than with its heroes. I've never been a comic book junkie, but don't folks get hooked on the stories because of the characters? Anyway, the best scenes in Thor feature the two brothers, Thor and Loki, verbally and physically sparring. Or Loki standing up to his "father" Odin, or Loki having a touching exchange with his mother Frigga. Or shape-shifting in numerous amusing ways. Basically, Loki with anyone.
You had me at Hiddleston. And Swinton. And Jarmusch. And then you threw in the big gun. John Hurt. Only Lovers Left Alive. Let's get a U.S. release date already.
Like a whole lot of other people, we saw The Avengers when it opened last Friday. As a big fan of Joss Whedon, I am happy for the director's success and hope that it helps him in his future projects. The cast was terrific. I liked Scarlett Johansson in this film more than any other movie I've ever seen her in. I didn't even mind the 2 1/2+ hours length. But I have to admit that the enemy — some horde of CGI insect/crustacean monsters were just damn ugly and uninvolving.
I understand that is the Hollywood deal. No matter how clever the repartee that Whedon and Co. have created for the bevy of superheroes, modern blockbusters demand ridiculously loud, city-destroying special effects. New York gets trashed once again on film, with Grand Central taking the brunt of the assault. Yawn.
Oh no, New York City is under attack! Again.
But mind-numbing ending battle aside, there were some definite highlights and Whedonesque flourishes that would bring me back for the inevitable sequel(s).
The opening sequence features Johansson as Black Widow. She kick-asses her way out of what at first appears to be an impossible situation. The scene was definite nod to Buffy and all the other cool gals that Whedon has loved to write and celebrate. It also set the tone for introducing the rest of the reluctant and unpredictable band of superheroes. Black Widow didn't need a big iron suit or any superpowers to work her magic, either. Cool.
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man was in fine form as always, bantering a mile-a-minute with anyone and everyone, "Dr. Banner, your work is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."
Chris Evans as Captain America managed to hold his own with RDJ and the rest of the crew. Many of his lines played off his man-out-of-time situation and good-guy professional hero ethic.
Chris Hemsworth as Thor was a hoot, spouting pompous Asgardian dialogue, but somehow knowing it sounded out of place, which kept him from becoming pompous.
Mark Ruffalo was a perfect Dr. Bruce Banner, AKA The Hulk.
Captain America, "Doc ... I think now is the perfect time for you to get angry."
Bruce Banner, "That's my secret Cap, I'm always angry."
Samuel L. Jackson was his usual Samuel L. Jackson super-cool self as Nick Fury, who takes no crap from anyone, including the ominous and bossy World Security Council, "I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid ass decision, I've elected to ignore it!"
Jeremy Renner was also good as Hawkeye, his never-ending supply of special arrows proving remarkably effective against gigantic aliens.
And did I mention how absolutely fine they all looked?
All of the Avengers had their moment to shine, but the scales seemed definitely tipped in the direction of The Hulk. Ruffalo got the most character development, and his alter ego got the funniest moments, taking out his frustrations in wonderful ways on Thor and Loki. Tom Hiddleston, another one of the film's highlights, may have been given a thin motive for his badassery as main villain Loki, but he managed to be intriguing and have some bad guy individual screen time with each Avenger.
Captain America to Loki, "What's the matter? You scared of lightning?"
Loki, "I'm not overly fond of what follows ... " (Thor arrives)
The best part of the film was all of the bickering between the reluctant team members — i.e. Whedon dialogue.
Iron Man, "Falling in line's not really my style."
Captain America, "You're all about style, aren't you?"
Thor, "You people are so petty. And tiny."
Did you see that, Thor? It looks like a gigantic shrimp!
Bruce Banner, "I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him."
Thor, "Take care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother."
Black Widow, "He killed eighty people in two days."
Thor, "He's adopted."
Hulk disoriented. Which way downtown?
The Avengers, as individuals, dislike each other on sight and are far from being team players. But when the chips are down, they manage to pull it together to fight the CGI. The Avengers the film, even with the too-much CGI at its climax, is still a lot of fun. Joss Whedon may direct the sequel, which would be fine. But maybe he should consider doing a smaller, but still action-packed movie centered on Black Widow. With no alien lobster-monsters. That would be really interesting.
