Ashes and Snow

I had the privilege of visiting Gregory Colbert's Parisian studio this weekend and fell in love with his magnificent, oversize, sepia images of people and children interacting, sitting, dancing, or swimming with Asian elephants, eagles, manatees, cheetahs, whales and more.  I had seen his 2005 exhibit, "Ashes and Snow", in New York City and still have one of its posters hanging above my bed.  I wanted to watch the film of the same name in its entirety and was spellbound.

For those who are not familiar with Gregory Colbert, he is a Canadian born photographer and film-maker, who traveled on expeditions to India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and many more to document the incredible interactions between humans and animals.  He exposes his work only in immense "nomadic" structures.  Ashes and Snow attracted over 10 million visitors in NYC, Santa Monica, Tokyo and Mexico City, making it the most attended exhibition by a living artist in history. Colbert's Nomadic Museum continues its global journey indefinitely and has no final destination. 

The movie, narrated by Laurence Fishburne, is stunning to say the very least.  It is angelic, gentle and mesmerizing.  Mostly silent, a simple, enchanting music plays in the background.  From time to time a poem is read, telling the fictional tale of a husband writing 365 letters to his wife.  The poems themselves are wonderful and divine, perfectly fitting into this symphony of sights and sounds and of absolute harmony between living beings.  There are scenes of utmost beauty and precision that sent me into a dream-like state.

I highly recommend this film to anyone who is interested in art, photography or cinematography or simply to anybody who loves animals and wants to see something truly beautiful and unique.  It can also be left on in the background and be watched over and over again for the striking, almost sacred allure of its images.

Gregory's next appointment is with the penguins and icebergs of Antarctica and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us.

My rating: 8.5
Fabio's: 6
Total score: 14.5

Zombieland

Must I state that this was a Fabio request or is it obvious? ;)

A movie with the word zombie in its title is not something I would normally watch, but in a relationship one must make compromises and after Bright Star, I owed him one. I must admit that Zombieland was quite funny at times and although not in my usual genre, I did laugh more than once.

A brief plot summary: The world has been devastated and is inhabited only by blood-loving zombies. There are few "normal" people left. Woody Harrelson plays a tough, streetwise cowboy who drives a huge 4x4 and enjoys killing zombies and eating Twinkies. He picks up Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg (who I confused with the actor from Juno thus losing a costly bet for a sushi dinner) and the two form an awkward friendship or rather coexistence. In order not to get too friendly Woody says that he doesn't want to exchange names, only where they're from- therefore Columbus and Tallahassee.

They decide to journey together, Columbus trying to survive- in fact he has a rather funny list of survival tips that are interspersed throughout the film with immediate examples of what happens if you don't follow the rules- and Tallahassee searching for Twinkies. Along the way they encounter and are repeatedly conned by two sisters, one of whom is played by Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine and more recently, My Sister's Keeper. They go by the names Wichita and Little Rock.

The ultimate funniest scene is towards the middle and takes place in a Beverly Hills mansion with a surprise appearance from an actor who apparently isn't supposed to be named. I will not spoil the fun but just say that these 15 minutes or so are very funny and were by far my favorite part of the movie. That and a scene where Columbus' hot neighbor comes over and he thinks she likes him only to discover she is a zombie too and is there to savagely murder him. I realize it sounds quite juvenile but the scene was very amusing.

The rest of the killing zombie and action parts were a bit too obvious and disgusting for my taste but as Fabio said, this horror comedy cannot be taken literally. If done so, Zombieland can be an enjoyable, albeit peculiar, adventure.

My rating: 4.5
Fabio's: 8.5
Total score: 13

To my followers and readers: I am leaving to Paris for a long weekend so there will be no more movie watching or reviews for the next couple of days. Thank you for your continued or new loyalty!

Bright Star

Bright Star, written and directed by Jane Campion, was unfortunately a bit of a let down for me. I was expecting a slow moving, historical movie about an English poet and his untimely death but I hoped that the story would be more riveting, more moving. I thought The Piano by Campion was a much stronger film and am slightly disappointed by her latest drama.

The film is based on the romance between 19th century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats' death from tuberculosis at age 25. Abbie Cornish is excellent as Fanny, making us feel her profound love and terrible ensuing sadness which know no bounds. Ben Whishaw, a relatively unknown actor, is also superb, perfectly embodying the physically frail, emotionally fragile, wondrous poet that was John Keats, so full of tender emotion.

There is much witty humor between Fanny and John's friend and fellow poet, Charles Brown, another excellent portrayal. He derides her constantly, making fun of her penchant for fashion and sewing and of her feigned interest (according to him) in poetry. He considers her a flirt and nothing more and tries to keep her as far away from John as possible, telling her they need time for their "musing" and must not be disturbed. To which she replies "Is that what us common people call thinking?".

Their love story is tragic- Fanny and John cannot marry because John does not have any income but they fall madly in love nonetheless. Fanny is his life, his inspiration and his hope during his illness. It is very sad that Keats dies almost unrecognized, poor and indebted, knowing that he then went on to become one of the most beloved and celebrated of Romantic poets.

Fanny lives with her family at home and since it is impossible for her to get more involved with John I found it hard to grasp the depth of their passion to the extent that Campion wants us to feel it. The first love they are exploring is beautiful and pure, but also immature at times.

There are undeniably beautiful excerpts in the exchanges between Fanny and John, such as this one, my favorite: "I almost wish we were butterflies, and lived but three summer days. Three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain." Fanny goes on to collect live butterflies in her room, which flutter about but end up littering the floor with their dead corpses, perhaps a symbol of this impossible love. Or "A thing of beauty is a joy forever. Its loveliness increases. It will never pass into nothingness." During the ending credits, "Ode to a Nightingale" is read and makes one watch till the very last one scrolls by.

The costumes are lovely; the film is definitely beautiful, well directed and wonderfully acted. However, how to put this in the most mild, most polite, English way possible: Fabio and I were both, at times, slightly, just a little bit, only a touch, bored and were expecting a teeny, weeny bit more.

My rating: 6
Fabio's: 6
Total score: 12

Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes is a fast-paced, edgy adaptation (to put it mildly) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's late 19th century creation. I have learned that Detective Holmes was apparently not too dissimilar to the way he is portrayed here and that previous films actually passed over this side of him.

Sherlock was in fact an avid boxer and a martial artist, had little personal hygiene, did sleep on the floor, drugged himself and his dog constantly, insulted Watson, played practical jokes on his housekeeper, and was generally quite an offensive character. He was also however a master of disguise; a genius of logic and deduction with an incredible memory and case solving ability. It is during his relationship and close friendship with Dr. Watson that he became a more "respectable" member of society.

Jude Law plays Dr. Watson wonderfully, with understated charm and ease, and most importantly lets the light shine on Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock, giving him the true spotlight. Every pore of Downey's permeates this role and it's obvious he's loving every second of it. His brooding, tough, superior, energetic and cunning Sherlock is what makes the movie entertaining in my opinion. He is one of few actors who has gotten better looking with time and age and in many scenes is reminiscent of a younger Al Pacino in Scarface. The Golden Globe that was just awarded to him is richly deserved. On the other hand, Rachel McAdams was a bit disappointing and doesn't add much to the film.

I liked the well written interplay and complicity between Sherlock and Watson. However, the plot of trying to find Lord Blackwood who has risen from the dead and operates a secret society was way too far fetched for my taste. I thought the action scenes were too long and although I liked the dark, moody, filthy London that was conveyed, the special effects looked fake. I felt like I was watching an awful Dan Brown movie at times with all the symbols, secret rituals and black magic of the sect.

Guy Ritchie has delivered a unique movie by sticking to his genre of a testosterone driven, male charged environment where one wouldn't necessarily expect it and for that he should be applauded. There is a great fight scene in which Sherlock envisions and dissects the violent play by play of what will happen to his unsuspecting opponent in slow motion in his head, then Ritchie shows it to us unfolding in real speed. The movie is unconventional but I felt that a lot of the scenes dragged on, especially towards the end. RDJ's performance was enthralling but I strongly preferred the fast repartees to the fast chases.

My rating: 4
Fabio's: 4
Total score: 8

Avatar

Avatar. This is a title that will remain recognized and remembered for a long time to come. Tens of millions of people have already seen the movie and it is on track to become the highest grossing of all time. Congratulations to James Cameron for following his dream. After years of work (Cameron didn't write or direct anything meaningful since Titanic in 1997) and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, audiences- thankfully- are spellbound.

The movie, set in 2154, begins with a narration by Sam Worthington and shows his character, Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine, taking his deceased twin brother's place in the Avatar program, a secret mission designed to infiltrate the world of the Na'vi, a colony of blue creatures who live on the distant moon Pandora. The exploration and exploitation of Pandora is crucial to the humans as the Na'vi tribe is living on top of an enormous amount of extremely precious, and expensive, ore.

Jake is not trained for this mission but since he is a genetic match to his brother, is sent anyway. His wayward actions get him into trouble relatively fast, especially since on Pandora, with his new Avatar body, he is able to run and use his legs which on Earth are paralyzed. As he is experimenting with his newfound freedom he meets the beautiful Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana, a Na'vi huntress who shows him around and introduces him to the rest of the tribe as well as their culture, language and habits. As I'm sure you can imagine, a love story ensues and Jake's loyalty shifts rather quickly from his own race to that of the blue Na'vi's.

Pandora is magical. The jungle is lush and rich, teeming with life. Sights, sounds, and smells abound. There is an understanding between the people and the land, a harmony, a balance which is not exploited for profit as it is on Earth. Trees, plants, animals and the Na'vi coexist in peace and utmost respect. Trees are considered to have souls and nothing can be harmed, touched or disturbed. Each and every life, be it human, animal or plant is valued equally. This is no doubt alluring to us all, as we watch our own planet suffer from the ravages of our growth and absorb the great damages of our years of neglect.

Sigourney Weaver plays a tough talking scientist, unlikeable at first (she is even shown smoking cigarettes which has caused great controversy) but her true character unfolds and is revealed throughout the movie. She has a purpose and a mission, fighting against the capitalist exploiters from Earth who are trying to ruin Pandora and expel or kill the Na'vi peoples. Stunningly beautiful moments (some of my favorites were the spectacular scenes with the flying dragons) are mixed in with scenes of utmost destruction and devastation that leave you extremely saddened and horrified at what we are capable of. I have read that some theatergoers are leaving the movie with serious depression issues, wanting to leave our world to live on a planet like Pandora.

The story is simple, perhaps too simple, and themes like these have already been seen, but the movie is enchanting and the technical achievements and cinematography outstanding. The special effects are hard to put in words, they must be seen and experienced in 3D. This movie deserves a lot of the praise it is getting and is therefore a must-see. Personally I'm happy I saw it and although I wouldn't see it twice, can recognize its triumph. If it is seen as such it will be an enjoyable experience and it will be understandable why Cameron waited so long to come up with his next billion dollar blockbuster.

My rating: 7
Fabio's: 6.5
Total Score: 13.5

A Serious Man

A Serious Man, the Coen Brothers' latest film- not to be confused with A Single Man or with Solitary Man, also coming out this season- is a dark comedy set in the 1960's centering on Larry Gopnik, a mathematics and physics professor trying to cope with his rapidly deteriorating life. To say that things are falling apart is an understatement.

His wife decides to leave him and during an intervention with Larry and her new lover (the "serious man" from the title no less), explains to him that it would be best if he moved into a motel although she admits he has done nothing wrong. In addition, he has trouble at work with a Korean student who is trying to bribe him, looming financial woes, a brother who has moved in with the family and gets into major legal trouble, a son who seems like all he enjoys is smoking pot and only calls him to fix the TV or radio, and a daughter who just wants to go to clubs and wash her hair.

Larry is plagued by existential issues of wondering why all of this is happening to him and seeks help from three different rabbis. Why is "Hashem" (God) doing this to him? He is a good man. Why does Hashem think he deserves this? Larry is tormented. He is a smart man but clearly nothing is working out for him in life. He turns to Judaism for solutions and answers but finds no solace.

Larry's troubles are morbidly humorous and definitely bizarre as one would expect from the Coens. The opening scene of the movie is probably the weirdest of all- a prologue entirely in Yiddish shows a husband and wife arguing over whether their evening visitor is a man or an evil spirit, or "Dybbuk!!!" (you have to see it to understand). Throughout the film there are many scenes showing Jewish traditions and rituals, most are portrayed with irony and showcase a lot of neuroticism. One can imagine that the Coens lived through some of these moments themselves and that this is in more ways than one autobiographical, a return to the roots.

Although the movie raises some interesting philosophical and theological issues, I enjoyed it a lot less than Burn After Reading which I thought was laugh out loud funny, or No Country for Old Men whose extremely impressive acting, haunting score and uniqueness are no match to Serious Man. This movie has its fair share of absurd, amusing, off beat and tragic moments but it failed to captivate me. There is also no closure at the end which bothered Fabio more than it did me. I think it meant that life simply goes on but unfortunately I wasn't interested enough to really dwell on it.

My rating: 7
Fabio's: 6
Total score: 13

The Road

You have to know if you are preparing to see The Road to expect a very, very, very (did I already say very?) dark and bleak film. If you have read Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name you will already know to expect this but I prefer to warn nevertheless.

The Road (the book) was actually the first present Fabio ever gave me. I invited him over for dinner and he brought me a copy of it. Strange gift but let's try not to analyze it too much... I of course read it, eager to find some clues as to why he gave it to me. I did not find any, but instead read a stirring, eloquent, and magnificent tale of a father and a son, alone in the world after an untold apocalyptic event wipes out all of civilization as we know it.

Viggo Mortensen stars in this film and as usual gives himself 100% in his deep, rapt and physical portrayal of a desperately in love father who will do anything to protect his boy. The new world is littered with "bad guys" who will pillage, rape, torture and kill anything and anybody they find. There is no more light in this world, no more color, no more animals, no more normal people. Nobody can be trusted and one must keep moving on to survive. Viggo and his son are trying to reach the shore where they hope to find what they are looking for- life.

The art direction of the film is superb, portraying this desolate and grim world as I had imagined it from the book- gray, harsh, burned, austere and cold. Charlize Theron makes a few appearances as the boy's mother but only brief, as she gave up on this so called "life" and on a survival which she deemed futile.

There are scenes of great sadness, fear, and tragedy, but also of love and of hope. That is an outstanding feat to accomplish and this film does it in a very understated way. I would recommend to anyone to read the book (it's not very long) before seeing the movie in order to better understand it and gain more depth from the experience. While not as strong and gripping as the book, this is an excellent attempt at putting it on the screen and it will nonetheless terrify, overcome and impress you.

And why did Fabio give me a copy of The Road? Perhaps he could see into the future and wanted to tell me that he will be a really good dad to our yet to be born, and at the time yet to be conceived, son. I already know that he is right about that, but hopefully neither us nor him will ever know a world as sad as this one.

My rating: 6.5
Fabio's: 5.5
Total score: 12