Nuovomondo, a thought-provoking film about the Italian immigrants who left for the States many moons ago. I have seldom seen a film shot so tight and claustrophobically. At the same time it captures an experience that appeals to our connectedness as humanity rather than as individuals. When I lived in New York, I would go some days to Ellis Island, lie in the grass and gaze upon Manhattan Island and I would feel comforted by the ghosts of the dreamers from long ago.They were people humbled by hardship and confounded by the abstractions that tried to put a value on them. Although I am a loner, I will often lose myself in the joys that humanity does provide. A good film that provides a somewhat less glamorized view of the immigrant experience than that typified by a reveal on the Statue of Liberty.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Science of Sleep
(2006)
Dreamereality
22 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
When Stephane (Gael Garcia Bernal) moves in next door to Stephanie (Charlotte Gainsbourg) he falls in love but the creative refuge of his dreams confounds his real life desires. It is a beautiful film that speaks to us of the child within in us and our inability to reconcile the naiveté, purity and creativity of the early years with the demands of our older years. The world that director Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) creates for us, is a world full of homemade creative invention that flows through dreams and reality, the borders ever fuzzy.
Resonant with the main film itself, is the stop-motion homemade film that Stephane and Stephanie embark on together. One senses that it is a fertile world for love to grow and Stephanie's gentle soul is best symbolized by a little stitched horse that Stephane animates and that leaps with joy and delight.
It is the insecurities of the real world though that bring a sadness to the story. The inability of Stephane to understand the rituals and responsibilities of romantic love pushes her away as he sinks deeper into his world. The final poignant moment has her stroking his hair as he sleeps, perhaps part mother and part longing. At that moment she is what he desired all along and yet he is in the faraway land of his dreams as he rides away with her on the stitched horse.
Resonant with the main film itself, is the stop-motion homemade film that Stephane and Stephanie embark on together. One senses that it is a fertile world for love to grow and Stephanie's gentle soul is best symbolized by a little stitched horse that Stephane animates and that leaps with joy and delight.
It is the insecurities of the real world though that bring a sadness to the story. The inability of Stephane to understand the rituals and responsibilities of romantic love pushes her away as he sinks deeper into his world. The final poignant moment has her stroking his hair as he sleeps, perhaps part mother and part longing. At that moment she is what he desired all along and yet he is in the faraway land of his dreams as he rides away with her on the stitched horse.
Warm Bodies
(2013)
Warm bodies warms the heart
17 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Some genre hybrids are beginning to deliver intriguing narratives and shifts as the cycle of parody loses its charm. With Warm Bodies we have what is essentially a romantic picture set in the world of zombies. In some ways the idea is not that new. If we have a look at the progenitor of the zombie genre as Frankenstein we see the undead monster in sympathetic terms. It was rather the narrow-mindedness of society that was being critiqued. Intolerance and societal shifts were later to place the zombie film firmly in the path of the Cold War and the race divide that underscored its inhuman sensibilities. With the resurgence of gore films in the 70s and 80s, style began to triumph over substance and zombie films lost their credibility.
Warm Bodies finds its strength and uniqueness not when it is in the mode of parody, which inevitably it dabbles in at times but rather when it focuses on its central theme of loneliness. Much of the film is set in an airport, a transient place where only pointless waiting and anomie await the zombie inhabitants. R (Nicholas Hoult), the protagonist so named because his memory has gone lives in an abandoned plane playing old LPs on his record player. As John Waites "Missing you" plays it is a poignant moment that resonates with us. Our inhumane world at times is not that different from this zombie world.
Of course R has to eat and ventures out into the city to find a human. R narrates his story in an introspective voice-over that has many moments of subtle humor. He is trapped by his lack of memories and dreams but knows that something essential is missing. During a feeding frenzy that plays down the gore, R meets Julie, a human and takes her captive. Initially she is filled with fear but slowly begins to warm to R as he rediscovers his humanity.
Unfortunately the third act capitulates into the well-worn face-off between humans and zombies and the film loses much of its power. It is a pity because if it had stuck to its guns it might have been propelled it into the sublime dimensions of the vampire flick Let the Right One In. Nevertheless it is well crafted, well-performed and infinitely more captivating than some of the more recent entries in the zombie and romantic genres. ****
Warm Bodies finds its strength and uniqueness not when it is in the mode of parody, which inevitably it dabbles in at times but rather when it focuses on its central theme of loneliness. Much of the film is set in an airport, a transient place where only pointless waiting and anomie await the zombie inhabitants. R (Nicholas Hoult), the protagonist so named because his memory has gone lives in an abandoned plane playing old LPs on his record player. As John Waites "Missing you" plays it is a poignant moment that resonates with us. Our inhumane world at times is not that different from this zombie world.
Of course R has to eat and ventures out into the city to find a human. R narrates his story in an introspective voice-over that has many moments of subtle humor. He is trapped by his lack of memories and dreams but knows that something essential is missing. During a feeding frenzy that plays down the gore, R meets Julie, a human and takes her captive. Initially she is filled with fear but slowly begins to warm to R as he rediscovers his humanity.
Unfortunately the third act capitulates into the well-worn face-off between humans and zombies and the film loses much of its power. It is a pity because if it had stuck to its guns it might have been propelled it into the sublime dimensions of the vampire flick Let the Right One In. Nevertheless it is well crafted, well-performed and infinitely more captivating than some of the more recent entries in the zombie and romantic genres. ****
The Three Musketeers
(2011)
Pirates of the Parisian Sky
16 October 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The 2011 film version of The Three Musketeers 3-D is not simply a reboot of the popular Alexandre Dumas novel, rather it is a complete re-fashioning of the original story that has a lot in common with Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, calling The Three Musketeers, The Pirates of the Parisian Sky would probably resonate more meaningfully with younger audiences. At times, the looting of iconic scenes from the past fifteen years of action- adventure cinema (e.g. The Matrix and 300) pushes the film into the realm of parody.
Purists are likely to despise the film for its liberties and yes, introducing exotic floating airships into the plot, un-tethers it from its source material. Any logical historical links that The Three Musketeers once had are rendered as spurious details and rather, a campy Disney-esque tone infuses the film like the aforementioned Pirates.
The way to approach this film is to forget any nostalgia that you may have for its origins and rather, to enjoy it as a swashbuckling adventure story. On this level, it is entertaining and the swordplay benefits from contemporary special effects and fighting styles, although, I have to say, Douglas Fairbanks is still my favorite master duelist.
These days, the athleticism and skill of the old stars are replaced by rapid editing that is impressionistic. One is left with a vague sense of unease having been hoodwinked into believing you saw something that never really happened.
The plot is fairly simple. D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman), a young hothead, sets off for Paris in order to hook up with the legendary musketeers – Aramis (Luke Evans), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Athus (Matthew Macfadyen). Unbeknown to them, a beautiful double agent Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) and Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) are plotting to overthrow the French royal family by plunging Europe into war. The diabolical plan can only be averted if the musketeers retrieve the royal family jewels. The setup is hokum but by the midway stage the film hits its groove, relying more on action set-pieces, than its threadbare humor.
The 3-D presentation is well thought out, revealing the stunning locations like Versailles (actually a Bavarian castle) in all their Viewfinder glory. This offsets to some degree the solid cast who are unable to transcend their simply written archetypes.
This is no classic and Dumas fans should stay away. That said, lovers of the Disney-esque swashbuckler are likely to find it fun.
Purists are likely to despise the film for its liberties and yes, introducing exotic floating airships into the plot, un-tethers it from its source material. Any logical historical links that The Three Musketeers once had are rendered as spurious details and rather, a campy Disney-esque tone infuses the film like the aforementioned Pirates.
The way to approach this film is to forget any nostalgia that you may have for its origins and rather, to enjoy it as a swashbuckling adventure story. On this level, it is entertaining and the swordplay benefits from contemporary special effects and fighting styles, although, I have to say, Douglas Fairbanks is still my favorite master duelist.
These days, the athleticism and skill of the old stars are replaced by rapid editing that is impressionistic. One is left with a vague sense of unease having been hoodwinked into believing you saw something that never really happened.
The plot is fairly simple. D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman), a young hothead, sets off for Paris in order to hook up with the legendary musketeers – Aramis (Luke Evans), Porthos (Ray Stevenson) and Athus (Matthew Macfadyen). Unbeknown to them, a beautiful double agent Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) and Richelieu (Christoph Waltz) are plotting to overthrow the French royal family by plunging Europe into war. The diabolical plan can only be averted if the musketeers retrieve the royal family jewels. The setup is hokum but by the midway stage the film hits its groove, relying more on action set-pieces, than its threadbare humor.
The 3-D presentation is well thought out, revealing the stunning locations like Versailles (actually a Bavarian castle) in all their Viewfinder glory. This offsets to some degree the solid cast who are unable to transcend their simply written archetypes.
This is no classic and Dumas fans should stay away. That said, lovers of the Disney-esque swashbuckler are likely to find it fun.
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