So many film adaptations of Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula have appeared over the years, surely there’s no original angle left? Renfield, which focuses on the famous vampire’s assistant rather than the big man himself, makes a brave effort to prove critics wrong.
“It’s a film about shoes,” said Mark Kermode in his review of Air. I can’t see how this could possibly be bad thing (after all, Tetris is getting it’s own TV series too). And yes, on a basic level Air is about shoes, more specifically the development of Nike’s Air Jordan range. But it’s also a very American story about how an underdog company (Nike) managed to sign one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the earth (Michael Jordan). And they all lived happily ever after.
Here’s a pitch for you. How about we go and see a stop-motion animation film about a shell called Marcel who lives in an AirBnB with his grandma and enlists a struggling documentary film maker called Dean to help him find his family. You’d think I was demented, right? I admit, the synopsis of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On doesn’t sound like much. But the reality of this little film is so, so different. I’m glad I managed to catch it in my local cinema this week and have been thinking about it ever since.
Yes, David Cronenberg’s world is disgusting and morally bankrupt. But what makes it truly disturbing is the realization that, perhaps, its crimes are less futuristic than we’d like to admit.
Not everyone will like this film. Dialogues are often slow and almost Shakespearean, there’s a sense of mystery and unease that prevents comfortable enjoyment. But then these aspects was also present in The Lighthouse, so it’s probably characteristic of Eggers’s style of film making, and it suits the film’s grave narrative universe.
This film is not for everyone. Some may not like the ridiculous plot, the idea of Cage playing himself, or the prospect of sitting through a Cage film in the first place. But if you’re looking for an entertaining film with just a little bit of quirk, this film is definitely worth a watch.
Call Me By Your Name (2017) has been on my to-see-list ever since I failed to go and see it in the cinema when it was released. One of the reasons why I kept putting it off was the fact that the film is adapted from a novel. I’m biased, for I really like books, but I find that film adaptations rarely match up to the novels they are based on. But the trailer looked interesting, I’d been assured by several people that the film was worth watching, and with nothing better to do I decided to give it a go.
I love The Lighthouse. It’s been a while since I was this impressed by a film, or a book, or any work of art. Go and see it if you can, but go easy on the booze. And be nice to seagulls. You’ll find out why soon enough.
@OutpostTheFilm: A Review
For me, Outpost is not really about technology and the great big lights in the sky, but about the place of humanity in relation to them. A theme that should speak to anyone, regardless of your tastes…
I’m not interested in cars, or racing, or a combination of both. I don’t even have a driving license. Imagine that. This is the story of how I came to watch a film about cars, and racing, and fell in love with both.
cococatani 