Tag Archive: Tilda Swinton


THE ARTIFICIAL WORLD OF WES ANDERSON

Filed under: Modern Art, Movies, Music — 5 Comments
April 26, 2014

Wes Anderson is one of the great originals of modern cinema. In his relatively short career to date he has already developed a fascinating style that is completely his own.

I have blogged already about THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001) and, having been enthralled by his latest movie THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, I was prompted to return to earlier movies THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (2004) amd MOONRISE KINGDOM (2012).

All of these films boast strong ensemble casts. The quality of the writing is so strong that it’s not surprising that big names want to be associated with his films, even if it means playing a small cameo role. Continue reading →

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WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN: SEEING RED

Filed under: Books, Fiction, Gender, Music, Parenting — Leave a comment
January 2, 2012

After the feel good pleasures of The Artist (which I blogged about yesterday) Lynne Ramsey’s We Need To Talk About Kevin is guaranteed to bring you down to earth with a jolt. It  proves that you don’t need graphic violence  to make an effective horror  movie.

In a non-linear narrative, episodes from Eva Khatchadourian’s life converge as she tries to piece together the events before and after her 15 year old son commits horrific Columbine type murders.

In Lionel Shriver’s novel Eva’s grief and psychological torment unfold through a series of letters to her husband Franklin. The only way to render this in cinematic terms would have been to have a voiceover from start to finish, a device which Ramsey and co-scriptwriter Rory Stewart Kinnear wisely reject. The central perspective remains that of Eva, superbly played Tilda Swinton, but this is largely conveyed in visual terms. Continue reading →

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BEST OF BRITISH CULT MOVIES: 30 – 21

Filed under: Books, Movies, Music — 1 Comment
November 3, 2011

Continuing my list of the fifty Greatest British Cult Movies, here is my selection from 30 -21:

30. THE BELLES OF ST TRINIAN’S Frank Launder (1954)

The first and best of the five movies in the series based on the cartoons of Ronald Searle. There are great comic turns by Alistair Sim (in two roles as headmistress and her scheming brother), Joyce Grenfell (as the games teacher) and George Cole (as Flash Harry). This, plus numerous assorted nubiles in gymslips – what’s not to like?

 29. GOLDFINGER Terence Young (1964)

You can’t have a list like this without a Bond movie and it has to be one with Sean Connery as 007. Goldfinger is my favourite because it has the best villains Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) and Oddjob (Harold Sakata) , great Bond girls Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) and Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) as well as having the usual  ridiculous action scenes. Continue reading →

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THUMBSUCKER BLUES

Filed under: Movies, Parenting — Leave a comment
October 24, 2011

THUMBSUCKER directed by Mike Mills (2005).

Is this a thumb I see before me?

Having thoroughly enjoyed the movie Beginners, I wanted to see Mike Mills’ debut for my own compare and contrast motives.

The thumb sucker of the title is a bright but painfully shy teenager named Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci). After a series of mishaps, the school authorities diagnose him as suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Justin starts taking the drug Ritalin.

Under this stimulation/medication he is able to read Moby Dick straight through and become a prize-winning member of the school’s debating class. The problem is that this also turns him into a precocious smart-ass so that a teacher who starts by being enthusiastic and supportive and ends by concluding “In my professional opinion you’ve become a monster”. Continue reading →

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BORED AFTER VIEWING

Filed under: Movies — Leave a comment
March 4, 2009

The nasty man hit me!!

I can’t really say I was disappointed by ‘Burn After Reading’ because I didn’t expect it would be much good.

Strange to say this when the only previous Coen Brothers movie I have roundly disliked is their misguided remake of ‘The Ladykillers’. But when I saw the all star cast they’d assembled my heart sank.

On paper, the quirky plot linking the worlds of personal fitness, mid life crisis and the CIA is promising. But casting Hollywood heartthrobs Pitt and Clooney as nerds just doesn’t convince. It takes more than a goofy haircut (Pitt) or an unflattering beard (Clooney) to make us see these actors differently.

The most curious thing is that the script lacks the Coen’s usual sharpness. For example, Tilda Swinton plays a paediatrician who terrorises her child patients but we only see one scene near the end of the movie of her in this work situation. The comic potential is by then wholly lost. Similarly, John Malkovich is wasted – we know that he does anger very well but when practically every seen has him in rant mode it reduces the impact considerably.

The movie looks to me like it was put together as some light relief after the intensity of ‘No Country For Old Men’ and was undoubtedly more fun to make than it is to watch.

I sincerely hope that that is just a blip in the Coens illustrious catalogue and that they bounce back with a vehicle more worthy of their considerable talents next time around.

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