Is perhaps not as great or as important as it might think it is, while at the same time still being very worthwhile. And, though this was no Jane Eyre, I am still a big champion of Cary Fukunaga, and will always look forward to his future projects. Fukunaga is kind of a one man band prodigy type. He writes, directs, and shoots his pictures. Insane.
Can we just acknowledge that Idris Elba is one of the finest actors on the planet? You can see and feel the motivation for each one of his acting choices. Even the slightly off pitch ones translate in an odd and satisfying way. And, he really did get screwed by the Academy this time around, but that's just par for the course for that organization.
Extremely highly recommended from the Wife and I. Starring Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, and six year old child, Onata Aprile, as Maisie, this is one of the finest films the Wife and I have seen in years.
The film is a modern update on Henry James' novel of the same name, and is remarkable for the superb method of forcing the audience to see the entire action through the naive, extremely objective eyes of a six year old. This is accomplished with a masterful panache, appearing nearly artless. The audience does notice that much of the action is shot at Maisie's eye level, but there are also things that the script does, like leaving out key details of incidents in the plot, details that Maisie prob would not have heard, or even understood or cared about if she did hear. I also think that some of the acting choices that the directors and the actors came up with, notably sequences where Maisie is overhearing an argument or a discussion amongst the adults in her life, are played flat, as if to reinforce the feeling that Maisie is hearing a type of language she recognizes, but does not fully comprehend at her tender age.
The film also projects a subtle, yet definite sense of dread or fear for Maisie's personal well-being throughout. Renee and I were particular invested in the action of the film, reacting verbally at many of the twists and turns as the story unfolds.
I loved all the performances in the film, including all four adult leads -- Steve Coogan really stood out to me, as a completely self-involved art dealer, who has absolutely no ability whatsoever to connect, comprehend, or communicate with his own daughter; and the Wife was particularly taken with Ms Moore's performance -- but, the real star of this picture is Aprile. There is even talk that she might garner an Academy Award nomination. I am absolutely flabbergasted how they found her, and coaxed such a sweet, frankly European objective performance from her. She is amazing. Even if she never acted again, she has this under her belt. She could retire right now, literally on top. (Perhaps she should.)
I know next to nothing about the directing team that made this extremely touching and honest film. It was directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, and Maisie is their fifth film. Perusing their cv, I notice that they have done a few thrillers, and that definitely comes across in very subtle shadings in this movie. I really can not compare this film to many others in style. The closest comparison I have would be to Cary Fukunaga's excellent Jane Eyre of 2011. Both are adaptations of famous novels,and both are expertly told through the eyes of their lead character. Plus, both films are seamlessly layered with fraught moving moments of suspense.
I am going to rifle through McGehee and Siegel's previous work, and keep you updated.
Definitely see this film, folks. Of course, catch it in a theater if you can, but see it.
Catalogue we receive in the mail four times a year is always addressed to me. It is not for me. It is for Renee.
At our fave cinema these daies, where we just saw Jane Eyre (more on that later), they play a sort-of indie rock xm radio dealie where the "dj" always tells you the artist right after the track. A few weeks ago when we saw Of Gods and Men I coulda sworn I heard a new April March track but I was wrong. It was some other artist. I cannot remember now. I was bummed. But on Sunday last before we saw Jane Eyre (like I sed, more on this later) I guessed I was hearing a new Other Lives track. This time I was right. The album does not, uh, ... "drop" until May 10. The album is called Tamer Animals. (Fantastic title. I like to think it is a pun on some old curmudgeon slurring, "Tame yer animals!" but I am prob wrong. Who cares?) The video above is, gosh, like, nearly two yrs old. But it is an amazing song and is a performance at the mighty Waterloo Records in boo-ti-ful Austim, Texas.
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I am not going to say much aboot Todd Haynes' HBO Mildred Pierce. Yet. Someone taught me years ago (Michael Barnes. Thanks, bruvver.) that you should not offer a criticism until you see the work in full. I will say this, though: The masterful Ed Lachman is the DP on this project and his palette and the way he gets those metal filings in the air like Double Indemnity (but in color this time) takes my breath away. Man, Haynes has the best DP in the biz at his beck and call. Sweet.
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Uh, Something Wild comes oot on blu-ray Criterion dvd on May 10, as well. I am psyched.
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Jane Eyre is fantastic, so frickin' good. Renee liked it even more than me. I am at a loss for words to describe the camera style. The best I can put forward is that the director, Cary Fukunaga, (born in Oakland!) lets the camera tell the story. He uses sound/dialogue to fabulous effect, as well. In just the teensiest, most subtle way it reminds me of Altman, the way that dialogue is truly related to the character's blocking/spacing in the camera frame. Folks' voices further away from the camera are softer than those closer. Fukunaga also uses v few, what I call, "bells and whistles", show-offy tricks. There are two obv things he does like that. One of them would be a spoiler, so I will not touch that. But the other relates to sound in film again, so I will speak to it. Fukunaga arranges the "spooky/ghosty" dialogue in a, for a lack of a better word, a "doublequadrophonic" way, like an action film does. There are, I would guess, eight dialogue tracks running simultaneously, dispersed four each to a left/right "track", natch.
And Michael Fassbinder, born in Deutschland, of Irish and German heritage, is an absolute revelation here. I dint see that Tarantino Nazi movie. I gave up on Tarantino after Jackie Brown, his last, to me, great film. I have heard great things about Fish Tank, tho (back to my boy, Fassbinder again) and it is second in my latest Netflix queue. Second to Fukunaga's first film, Sin Nombre.
I understand. I really do. As much as I love this latest version of Jane Eyre I can understand why someone might not like it. Perhaps they are attached to a past BBC version or the old Orson Welles as Rochester take. That is okay.
It is like my Dad and Sherlock Holmes. As much as I love the new BBC, updated, major bells and whistles version of Sherlock Holmes there is no way I would seriously recommend it to my Da. He (and Renee's Da) love the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series. My Da has told me in the past that he thinks the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series is the best television he has ever seen.
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I read in David Thomson's video bible, Have You Seen? ... about Longford recently. No big deal, right? I am just eating a sandwich and chips, passing the time exquisitely, learning about old movies until I notice the director of Longford. It is Oscar-winning King's Speech director, Tom Hooper. And, uh, the immortal post-Suez Canal English history screenwriter, Peter Morgan providing the script.
Longford is juicy and tough and rich. It is an amazing topic to behold. Do you believe in redemption? Do you believe Myra Hindley can be redeemed. I know sooooo many of my readers have no idea who Myra Hindley is. That is really really alright. My readers would best know aboot the Moors Murders through the Smiths' moving track, Suffer Little Children.
This is a cable movie that is hung on the topical nature of its' subject, the absolute scary award-winning performance of Jim Broadbent, one of my all-time fave film actors ("A great big bushy beard" Hot Fuzz, Topsy-Turvy, Life Is Sweet, etc, ... ) And Samantha Morton's amazing, yet thankless task of portraying Hindley.
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SO, I am going to the dentist tomorrow. I have not seen a dentist in years. I have had a problem w/ an abcessed tooth for years I have learned just now. My jaw has been popping oot, causing me uncomfort for ages. My teeth suck. I have known that. That is why I hate the dentist, right?
It is funny. When I went to work on Monday my jaw popped oot, as it is wont to do. Big deal, I thought. It has done that before. It will return to normal later in the day before I leave work. No. It will be better in the morning. And it was. Then I had dinner last night and it flared up again. Renee is familiar w/ this dance. She got on the horn and scheduled a session.
It is amazing what an ice pack and a phone call w/ a dentist will do to yor dental health. Of course, it was much better this morning. Still, it is something that must be done. Perhaps, I will be like Martin Amis, w/ all brand-new amazing not-English choppers.
Wish me well, bruvvers and sisters, ...
One more for the kids: (The greatest song ever aboot the young male sexual awakening, a topic ne'er discussed in any sensitive, constructive, illuminating manner before [or, really, since])
Love you all. Got my ice pack. Mwah, ...
UPDATE (4/3/11):
My evaluation at the endodontist revealed that I do not have an abcessed tooth as we feared and I do not need a root canal. Hooray!
But my teeth and jaw are still a mess and I will be arranging an appointment with dentist Park, that's my buddy Nick C.'s dentist, on Monday.
