ESSIE SPEAKS OF LOVE

I noticed something rather shocking this week.

I have never had a week dedicated to love stories. This is so not on. I mean I even missed Valentine's Day this year (film-wise). So unromantic of me. And of course, it will not do AT ALL.

So randomly, in the middle of November I have decided to remedy that. Because it is good to act on your emotions (mostly). And besides, if I actually wait until next Valentine's Day, chances are I will forget again. Because the boyfriend, like most gents, is not a massive fan of romantic films. Then I mean, come on, there's that epic film "Sweet November". It's kind of justified. Actually have I reviewed Sweet November? I have, right? I'll just quickly post this and check...

Happy viewing people!
Essie

A MODERN FAIRY TALE : "LETTERS TO JULIET"

I have to admit, I don’t, as a general rule, have the girliest of tastes when it comes to films. In fact, as you may have noticed, some of the stuff I really “root” for is positively boyish. However, this does not mean that I do not appreciate a really good romantic film about true love when it comes my way. Well, a good friend of mine and I have been meaning to sit down and have a girly evening watching this for a long time. In the end, it simply did not happen and I watched it on my own anyway. But I see her point. This is seriously “girly evening” material. And well, the weekend is nigh, if you have no other plans… I say go for it! (Sorry boys, you may have to sit this one out).

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried – her name meant nothing to me although I recognised her face, she has been in quite a few things lately, think Mama Mia! (another Sophie ironically) God that was a long parenthesis). Ok from the top. Sophie is a fact checker for the New Yorker. She is engaged to passionate chef Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal – one word. Yum) and they are getting ready to get married. They will, however, take one last “pre-honeymoon” to Verona. It’s the city of love and Victor needs to have a series of meetings with his suppliers. But more than that, it is the couple’s last chance to spend some down time together before hectic stuff such as wedding planning kicks in. At least that is what Sophie hopes. In reality however, Victor is completely in his element setting up deals for his restaurant and Sophie is well… Bored. So she takes to exploring the city and ends up in Juliet’s house. There she meets the “secretaries of Juliet” – well you know how that one works, right? Ok maybe not. So this is an actual thing, there is, as you probably know a “Juliet’s House” in Verona, supposedly the house the real Juliet lived in. At said house, women (mostly – though presumably men can too) can write letters to Juliet and attach it to the wall of the house, asking for advice about broken hearts, love and other such problems. Then the “secretaries of Juliet” collect these letters and write answers. Assuming you included an address that is. Anyway, so, Sophie who is already passionate about writing chips in and while helping discovers a letter that has been lodged in the wall, forgotten for 50 years. Touched by the story told in the letter, Sophie writes an answer, hoping against hope Clare (Vanessa Redgrave) will somehow receive her long overdue answer. Clare does receive the letter. And this is the beginning of a series of life changing events for everyone. But especially Sophie.

Ok so this is basically a story about true love. And about the timeless quality of love. But most of all, I reckon, it is about time. The film gently criticises our American (read modern) life style, where we are all attached to our smartphones, multitasking, doing five things at once and not allowing anything the time it is properly due in its own right. On the surface (rather unfortunately some might say) it makes a rather banal comparison of that lifestyle and the one in Italy. Oh you know. It’s different in the Med, rolling hills, sipping wine “they do it differently there, none of that rushing about” all that jazz. I mean it is true up to a point but honestly, I doubt Rome or Milan are any less busy then New York, seing as they are among the big business capitals of the world and all. But I mean it is a cute way to think about it I suppose – especially if you don’t think about it for too long or too deeply. Besides, I do agree that one has to stop and breathe every now and again, and it is so easy to forget to do that in the modern business world. But then, of course, there is love. True love. And the fact that it is timeless. A gentle reminder, perhaps, that things like love, friendship, life are all timeless. It is pointless trying to squeeze them into the little slots that we have broken our days into. One has to allow them their own time to grow and develop. And sometimes, we have to make a choice between “work life” (as we call it in Turkish) and life. I mean, one has to admit that one doesn’t usually have the luxury of going for one or the other, but you know. You can lean towards one or the other, certainly. And you should be very careful about which direction you lean in… If you get what I mean. 

A TRUE STORY ABOUT TRUE LOVE : "COCO AVANT CHANEL"

This is yet another film I have been meaning to watch for ages. It’s all about tidying up and tying up loose ends these days for me, don’t ask me why. Coco would be proud of me. Well, possibly not of the state my living quarters are in at the moment but of the intention. I think. Hmm. Anyway, so the film. The film that was nominated for an Oscar®, won awards and is one of the most touching love stories I have heard for a long time. Not least because it’s a true story… This is the true story of the extraordinary life and love of an extraordinary woman.

Gabrielle Chanel and her sister Adrienne were dumped at an orphanage to be taken care of by nuns at a very young age. The two sisters rely only on each other and take care of themselves as best they can, mainly by singing and performing in rather dodgy dives, live modest lives but dream of fortune. Adrienne is more feminine, outgoing, “charming” if you will. Gabrielle is serious, the more sensible of the two but has her own way of going about things. She is strong and independent and she is afraid to neither follow her heart nor speak her mind openly. These are not qualities that are appreciated in a woman of the early 20^th Century. Still, the fates conspire that Gabrielle meets Etienne Balsan, a rich businessman a bit older than her through her sister (who unlike Gabrielle, has many suitors, one of them a Baron no less). Etienne is not particularly good looking or deep intellectually and emotionally, but he has a certain charm. Gabrielle does not believe in happy endings or love, but she has nowhere to go after her sister moves in with her Baron and Gabrielle loses their singing job. Thus, much to her own disgust, she finds herself in the position of a “hanger on” with Balsan. Balsan’s group of giddy Parisien friends awaken nothing but disdain in the heart of Gabrielle. But to be fair, there are a few that are quite alright. The actress Emilenne d’Alençon, for example proves a good friend to Gabrielle for all her terrible taste in clothes. And then there’s the handsome, cultured, enigmatic British businessman Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel…  

You probably can guess the rest. Well, the most important bit anyway. It is a truly great love story, it is a great story about true love. The film itself is utterly spectacular. Audrey Tatou is brilliant as the slightly taciturn Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel . I mean, to be honest I pretty much like anything Tatou acts in but in my opinion, this film deserves a separate place on its own. Coco Chanel was not, by all accounts, the easiest person to get on with. The film makes it quite clear how this came about though, I mean of course, part of it is nature but the greatest part comes from having had a difficult life. Yet as the film continues we slowly get to know her, we understand her point of view. I mean, this is mostly the aim of biographical films, it is not always achieved however and this is, for me, what makes or breaks a biographical film. This film definitely “makes it”. So when, towards the middle of the film, Gabrielle meets Boy Capel, the great love of her life, you are positively rooting for her and praying things work out. If you know the least thing about Coco Chanel, you probably know she never married. But well, I’ll let you watch the film and discover how that came about.

This film is beautiful and emotional. It is a love story, biography AND period piece. So guess what, I’m the tiniest bit in love with it. So give it a go. Come on, surely you trust me by now?

ESSIE SPEAKS OF UPS AND DOWNS

Ups and downs and running all arounds. That is basically a good analysis of my week. This is why I feel my choice of films should also reflect this. In the best possible taste of course. Choosing films is not something you should rush. Seriously.
So  for those who want something a little meatier and thought provoking we have Steven Sodebergh. Definitely the "down" part of the above equation but in the best possible way.
For those who want to go "up", we have a glorious animation that both gives truly valuable lessons and uplifts. In many different senses of the word.

Enjoy folks - Happy viewing! And oh incidentally, happy thanksgiving!
Essie

AN EERILY REALISTIC STORY OF "CONTAGION"

Oh Steven Sodebergh. Oh how I love you. Ok, I am continuing my catch-up session of recent(ish) films and this one was definitely high on my “to watch” list. Why? Because I really, really enjoy the work of Steven Sodebergh. I know, he isn’t easy watching. He has a penchant for all things slightly dark and disturbing and is more than capable of putting that feeling across, through the screen, right into your bones. Contagion is no different. In fact it is definitely one of his spookiest yet.

Beth Emhoff (Gweneth Paltrow) dies suddenly after a business trip to Hong Kong, her young son dies the very next day. This may be considered a small event in the scheme of things; however, there is a problem. Not only are the doctors completely unable to figure out what Beth and her son exactly died of, the disease is spreading. And by that I mean spreading all over the world, killing every man, woman and child in its wake. The CDC and the WHO desperately try to analyse the disease and figure out a cure. In the meanwhile, panic on a global scale sets in and everyone, even bloggers like Alan Krumwiede start to chime in with conspiracy theories and home remedies. The war for law and order in the world has begun. It is being fought in a laboratory.

Now seriously, this is what separates a “good” director from a “great” one: The ability to take an almost mundane story but tell it in such a way that you are glued to your seat, terrified. I mean come on, mystery diseases that threaten the whole of humanity – how many times have we seen that one before? This is seriously different though. Sodebergh primarily focuses on the “silent killer” angle. You can be sure that every time the screen goes particularly quiet, something bad is going on. And you know this in the pit of your stomach as well, you know that sinking feeling. Quietly and slowly, the action unfurls on screen, and you can’t even find it in yourself to yell “no” or something. It’s weird.

Oh the cast definitely helps. I haven’t named everyone – which is unfair because the cast is so brilliant – but other names I haven’t mentioned include Lawrence Fishbourne, Matt Damon (who has put on a bit of weight I am sad to observe. Maybe it’s for the film or something but it doesn’t suit him methinks), Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard. To be honest, you’d have to be a very special kind of fool to make a bad film with a cast like that. But Sodebergh is ANYTHING but a fool.

The other brilliant thing the film does is play on the “six degrees” thing. You know, how we are interconnected with the entire rest of the planet and everything. It’s a particularly brilliant way to do it if you think about it. Because the disease spreads through, you guessed it, touch. Your smallest action, brushing against someone or handing someone something may suddenly make you responsible for carrying the disease to your part of the world, killing thousands if not millions. If there were ever a film to remind us that yes, a tiny event all the way on the other side of the ocean could affect our entire lives, this is it. You will see what I mean at the end of the film when the origin of the disease is revealed. I mean, it actually made me stop and think.

And if this all seems a bit like a bunch of old clichés think about it: this has happened. Think about SARS, think about Bird Flu. I mean, ok, thankfully the disease was stopped before it actually killed half the population of the world but you know… The fact that the film is so realistic doesn’t “help” either. So definitely go for it. It will make you think. It will make you shudder and curl up under the covers a little more tightly than usual…

"HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON" AND OTHER CAUTIONARY TALES

Ok, wow. I appear to have stumbled on a modern classic in the making. Not only did this one make the IMDB Top 250, it was nominated for 2 Oscars® and a plethora of other awards besides. I really, truly can see why. I mean yes, it is an animation, it is definitely a film suited for children but on the level of artistic work and on the level of the message it gives, it is one of the most surprising films I have seen in a while.

So, meet Hiccup (voice of Jay Baruchel). Hiccup is a viking. As such, he is expected to be a fearless warrior, loud, athletic and good at killing things. These are all necessary qualities to have where Hiccup lives as his village is on a small island in the middle of the sea. And said small island is plagued with… Dragons.  Dragon killing is now quite a prestigious job, and Hiccup is the son of the village chief so technically he should be going straight for it only… Hiccup is puny. He cannot take orders. And is much better at inventing, fixing machinery and the like. He isn’t completely “off topic” as it were though, as he also invents a machine for catching dragons. No one believes him at first. And even when the machine works and a dragon is caught, no one but Hiccup is there to witness it. But then something strange happens. Hiccup fully intends to kill the dragon and bring its head back to the village to prove he isn’t a complete waste of time. The thing is… He can’t bring himself to. The dragon is injured and cannot fly and these two outcasts begin making friends. As Hiccup learns more and more about his dragon, he begins to suspect that there is another way to cope with the island’s “dragon problem”. The thing is, can he convince his entire village to try his method?

Now, I love this film. I love it because of the messages it gives children. The message here is twofold. One, the most obvious, is not (as classical videogames would have it) to automatically go about killing something that is different from you but to try and learn more about it. Observe, understand, “make friends”. It encourages children to look for the peaceful way out even in the most unpromising looking situations. I mean come on, with the recent exception of Shrek, how many stories has the dragon been the good guy in? Ok, there was Narnia – but that was a while ago, what else? Exactly. So moral? Even the bad guys with the worst reputation can be understood and maybe even turned around from their evil ways. Don’t assume. Think first.

Secondly, ok, Hiccup is the typical “outcast” character. You know, bookish, not physically fit, bad at fighting, all that. It isn’t exactly uncommon for films to encourage the young to follow their hearts against societal pressure but they rarely encourage them to actually stand up to the order of society and change it if they feel something is wrong. I mean, not only is that basic message brilliant in itself, in this story a single person CAN make a difference. With nothing less than scientific observation to actually back him up – as opposed to magic or some other deus ex machine. Isn’t that something? I think you should get your little ones sat down in front of this asap. They will both enjoy and learn. 

ESSIE SPEAKS OF INCREDIBLE JOURNEYS

Incredible journeys indeed. Only, of course, out of the comfort of our living rooms. Or bedrooms even. It really depends on where you watch movies - I'm a lodger so I don't really have much choice :)

What I like about this week's updates is that they combine the old and the new - and they do it really well. Because one of them is a classic fantasy film from our past and the second a now classic fantasy film of our present - and probably our future. Ok, so the second one I mentioned is technically sci-fi. Let's not split hairs.

Oh and by the way my life suddenly contains waay more free time than it used to. So who knows, I may be able to go back up to three films a week. But nothing is certain yet. Watch this space for more info.

In the meanwhile, happy viewing!
Essie