Arrábida, July 2007

Lisbon, December 2005

Orlando

Movie name: Orlando
Year of release: 1992
Director: Sally Potter
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, John Wood, Heathcote Williams, Quentin Crisp, Charlotte Valandrey
Genre: Independent
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:
Sally Potter used Virginia Wolf’s novel “Orlando” to express the path of a woman, who started of as a man, and that ultimately sought, as everyone, a space of her own, where to simply be herself and be loved.

“Orlando” is a modern classic for a variety of different reasons. When released in 1992, the film rode waves of good reviews, equally praising the audacity of the filmmaker and also the sheer beauty and wondrous performance of it’s leading lady, Tilda Swinton. If time has proved anything, that is the fact that Tilda Swinton is a magnificent actress – something that was already on display before “Orlando” came out, on the films she had done with Derek Jarman, namely “Edward II” and “Caravaggio” - and in the meantime she has done films as different as “The Deep End” and “The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”.
“Orlando”, adapted from a novel by Virginia Woolf (Marleen Gorris adapted one of her other novels, “Mrs. Dalloway”, with Vanessa Redgrave), tells the story of an aristocrat since the 16th century to our present days, during which he experiences love, death, loss, political and social games, sex and rebirth. The film divides itself in those sections, for instance “Love”, “Death”, “Politics”, each representing key events that happen in Orlando’s life. The character is presented to the audience in the first frames, as a child of privilege, an aristocrat that is also a poet, a character that enjoys “loneliness and isolation”, a romantic, to summarize it. However Sally Potter, the director throws here an irreverent touch that imbues the film with an irony that ends up creating more than just a stunning “period” film – Orlando/Tilda Swinton addresses the camera directly, showcasing his/her thoughts to the audience, making us direct accomplices of his/hers adventures (though not in the same way that Matthew Broderick did in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, who at the end of the film told the audience to “go home”). The first section of the film introduces us to Orlando, and his vision of the world – it also introduces us to the concept behind his longevity and the way that will also connect him with his house (and for all intended purposes, England). Queen Elizabeth, played by the iconic Quentin Crisp, is smitten by Orlando’s beauty and youth, and she gives him and his heirs the mansion/house, as long as he never “grows old, never withers”. These early scenes are shot, as well as the remaining film, with such beautiful and detailed compositions, that most of the times it feels as if though you’re actually looking at paintings reenacted. A lot of the praise here should go to the beautiful costumes that Sandy Powel created and also for the director of photography, Alexei Rodianov – they both have given the film more than just “eye candy” – they have created a personality and a beauty that still marks and haunts whomever sees the film. Throughout Orlando’s story, with the perception of politics and the way some liberties are gained, he changes from man to woman, and this is what we hear from him/her – “same person, just different sex”. This is very much a film directed by a woman in a sense you actually see the evolution of Orlando, from her early steps as a woman that goes into society – and the way women are considered “window dressing” - to Orlando’s own choices and decisions which she pretty much has to deal with when it becomes clear that she, and her gender, have no rights. This is a wonderful story, one where the main character states right at the beginning what she aims for - companionship, love, something that she experiences at the beginning of the film, as a man with a Russian woman, Sasha, played by Charlotter Valandrey, and afterwards as a woman, with an American man, played by Billy Zane. Orlando goes through the centuries until our days (and you can relate to the passage of the centuries through the wonderful costumes), a time where she visits her now lost house, with her daughter, her heir, and even though she has lost the house, she has finally gained what she always wanted – love, unconditional one that comes from herself and from her daughter. When Orlando at the end of the film looks directly at the camera, it’s peace and happiness that shines through – she has finally found her place (and that’s what Jimmy Sommerville sings).
Sally Potter created with this film a stunning work of art – In her following films, “The Tango Lesson”, “The Man Who Cried” and “Yes”, she has managed to create unique experiences, but somehow always a bit flawed, something that doesn’t happen in “Orlando” – the film is beautifully shot, the sense of humor that is present throughout gives it an undeniable edge and Tilda Swinton’s performance is simply unforgettable.

La Môme/La Vie En Rose

Movie name: La Môme/La Vie en Rose
Year of release: 2007
Director: Olivier Dahan
Stars: Marion Cotillard, Emmanuelle Seigner, Pascal Gregory, Sylvie Testud, Gérard Depardieu, Clotilde Courau
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:
Olivier Dahan aims high in this biopic of French singer and legend Edith Piaf, however the results end up a bit short, save for the complete transformation of the actress Marion Cotillard whom when Oscar time comes, will certainly be a strong contender.

Biopics/Biographies are always a tricky subject matter for filmmakers, as I mentioned in the review for Camille Claudell. Respected filmmakers have approached the genre with varying levels of success, from the really great like “Camille Claudell” from Bruno Nuytten, “Van Gogh” from Maurice Pialat, to the good like “Walk the Line” from James Mangold, “Capote” from Bennett Miller to the “just there” examples of “Ray” from Taylor Hackford and “What’s Love Got to Do with it” from Brian Gilbert. These are films that usually showcase great performances from their main actors, who invariably are awarded numerous accolades (Oscar usually falls in their mantle, as it did earlier this year for Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker).
“La Môme” from Olivier Dahan, already one of the biggest hits of the year in France, follows the life and career trajectory of one of the country’s most beloved personalities, the unforgettable Edit Piaf, who died in 1963 at the tender age of 47. The film follows a structure that oscillates between the life of the older Edith and her progression since her humble beginnings. The film starts by introducing us to Edith currently on tour in America but rapidly changes it’s pace to her childhood. There we are introduced to Edith’s mother, also a singer who chooses to pursue her career and leave Edith with her father (meanwhile in the army). Edith’s father drops her with his mother, who is the owner of a brothel, where all the girls quickly embrace and protect Edith, particularly Titine who treats her as a daughter. When her father shows up for her, they end up working in a circus and the streets as street artists. That’s where Edith starts showcasing her voice, something that she continues doing, in neighborhoods of shady reputation (in the company of her friend Mômone). This street singing eventually gets her discovered by Louis Leplée who places her in his club and introduces her to a huge number of influential people. Edith becomes increasingly famous, also coming with it a dependency for narcotics and liquor that deteriorate her health more and more. Her failed relationships also take their toll on her life, and by the film’s end, we see a broken and precociously destroyed woman.
The film plays like many that have been seen before, very much in the lines of “A Star is Born”. It presents Edith as a woman of extraordinary talent that comes from the gutter, from a sordid past that never really left, no matter where she went. It also shows her as a woman that never really came to grips with whom she was in this new position, as an icon, as the voice from Paris (as Marlene Dietrich mentions). Olivier Dahan tries too hard to compress everything about the artist in the film, and that means sacrificing characters that suddenly disappear, characters that appear without any explanation, eventually creating a muddle that is quite confusing. The balancing structure between different time frames reinforces this tremendously – the film tries to chew on more than it can. The main actors do a fine job, with the highlight going to Marion Cotillard. There are several reviews already saying that her performance (and the one from Angelina Jolie in “A Mighty Heart”) is going to be amongst the ones for the Oscars of 2007. The performance is truly indelible in the sense that Cotillard mimics to perfection the singer (she mimics the singing also), capturing her energy, despair and joy. She manages to replicate the actions from Edith’s life since she was a young woman, to her illness and precocious aging (and the makeup helps tremendously). Gérard Depardieu turns in a solid supporting performance, as does Clotilde Courau, Emmanuelle Seigner and the wonderful Sylvie Testud whose character is dropped much too abruptly. The photography, and period reconstitution are all impeccable, as is Marion Cotillard’s performance, however these don’t save the film from it’s shortcomings.

Doodle for the day - July 20th

Back from Vacations!

New photos to upload and changes coming to the website JPC Photos. Movies worth checking out: Live Free or Die Hard from Len Wiseman and Laddy Chatterley from Pascale Ferran.

Doodle for the day, June 15th

Doodle of the Day - June 12th

Doodle for June 1st

Doodle for May 30th

Doodle of the Day

Illustration of the day

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28 Weeks Later

Movie name: 28 Weeks Later
Year of release: 2007
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Stars: Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Catherine McCormack, Harold Perrineau, Idris Elba, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton
Genre: Horro/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6

Synopsis:
28 Weeks Later picks up the action where the original film left off. The virus has been contained, and London starts to get repopulated, with the assistance of American soldiers. As always something goes wrong, and the killing spree begins again. This is a smartly written and directed sequel to the innovative Danny Boyle’s film, 28 Days Later.

When 28 Days Later came out in 2002, Danny Boyle and his team were trying to put behind them the flop that was “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio. 28 Days Later was their vision of a bleak London/UK plagued by a virus that transformed people into ravaging zombies. Made with a tight budget and using digital video, the film was a hit and introduced Cillian Murphy and Naomi Harris to a wider audience.
The sequel was inevitable, since the success of the first film, however Danny Boyle does not return in the director’s chair (since he directed “Sunshine” in the meantime). The director chosen this time is the Spaniard Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who made the interesting “Intacto”. The choice was a good one, because Fresnadillo manages to create a tense, intelligent film, that does not lose when compared to it’s original.
The film starts with an attack of the infected on a small cottage house, filled with a small group of survivors. Amongst them. Don and Alice, a married couple get separated, and Alice gets left behind at the mercy of the zombies, due to Don’s unwillingness to help. The story moves forward and we are introduced to the American army contingent stationed in London and in charge of getting people back in the city. Scarlet, the medical officer in charge of checking the new residents fears that the virus may come back, which is quickly dismissed by her superior, General Stone. Among the new inhabitants are Tammy and Andy, Don and Alice’s kids, who are greeted by their father upon their arrival. Hoping to visit their former house the duo find out that their mother has survived the attacks and has been hiding there. She is a carrier of the virus but she hasn’t been consumed by it, due to a genetic abnormality. When Don tries to get in contact with her, he’s infected and the rampage starts again.
28 Days Later left off with the three survivors living in a remote cottage, far away from the big cities, and that’s precisely where we find new survivors in the beginning of its’ sequel. The city os London is once again apparently deserted, but it has new visitors – the American army, that is supervising the introduction/repopulation of the city. When the new outbreak occurs, they simply opt to decimate the entire population that was placed within the city.
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo creates with 28 Weeks Later a tense and gripping horror film that is also an analogy for what is currently happening with the war in Iraq. It provides the thrills and gore usually associated with a zombie film (and there are plenty of scenes to make the viewer squirm and jump), but there is an underlying sense of pertinence and accuracy to what our everyday reality currently is and the way War happens. This mix of horror and political allegory end up making the film truly remarkable, unlike instant disposable horror films that just keep repeating cliché upon cliché (the recent The Messengers immediately pops up to mind). The cast is also uniformly good, with Robert Carlyle doing a good weak man (he can do no wrong, from “Priest”, “Trainspotting” to “The Full Monty”), Rose Byrne as the doctor desperate to save the young ones (she was one of the revelations of “Troy”), Catherine McCormack (from “Braveheart” and “Spy Game”) and Jeremy Renner (from “North Country”). The young actors, who end up carrying the center core of the film – they are the key to the spreading of the virus, but also the possible cure – are excellently well cast – both Imogen Poots and Mackintosh Muggleton do a great job, without carrying the cutesy factor which sometimes damages a performance and the tone of the film.
All and all, 28 Weeks Later is a really good horror film that continues the legacy of 28 Days Later and in some ways develops the content of what it’s predecessor laid out. Definitely worth checking out.

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