Tag: British

“Saltburn” (2023) starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, & Archie Madekwe

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SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read this post if you haven’t seen, or don’t want to know, details from the movie Saltburn (streaming on Amazon Prime).

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten. -Synopsis

Woo boy- what can I say re: this (unhinged) British/indie movie!? Yikes, it’s hard to put into words suitable for all ages of readers! I was curious b/c I’m a big fan of The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. I have NOT yet seen the two miniseries of Brideshead Revisited (1981; 2008). After I watched Saltburn (written/directed by Emerald Fennell), I was a BIT surprised that it was free on Amazon Prime. Speaking of shock value, yeah- there are several scenes which were unexpected (rarely depicted in movies)! We’ll never look at bathwater the same way…

Barry Keoghan is trying to create a role out of the disparate parts of other ones (Norman Bates, Tom Ripley, Patrick Bateman), yet doesn’t get all the way there. He couldn’t have. There is no “there.” -Wesley Morris (New York Times)

The cast is made up of (mostly) fine/experienced actors, BUT w/ such poor writing/shallow character development, there isn’t much they can do. Keoghan (an Irish character actor) doesn’t disappoint; it’s TOO bad that this was his 1st leading role. Oliver speaks w/ a Liverpool accent; it is revealed that he comes from a comfortable middle-class family. Elordi (an Aussie who recently played Elvis in Priscilla) has potential; I hadn’t seen his acting before. There are a LOT of shots which linger over his handsome face and tall/lean body; I thought this was overkill (hey, I’m NOT a teenage girl). Felix’s parents, James (Richard E. Grant) and Elspeth (Rosamund Pike) are removed from their feelings and say whatever they want- it’s just absurd. Some critics (incl. POC) weren’t pleased w/ the way Felix’s cousin, Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), was depicted. Taking it back to the Ripley comparison, Farleigh (w/ a Black/American father and white/English mother) reminded me of Freddie Miles (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), as he is one of the few characters suspicious of Oliver’s motives. Just when things could get interesting, Farleigh is removed from the story! Oliver’s socially awkward/Math major friend, Michael, is played by Ewan Mitchell (one of the young stars of House of the Dragon).

This is a V glaring case of style over substance; I noted this before re: other (modern) media. As the time period is 2006/2007 (when Fennell was in college), we see looks which were popular then, incl. pierced eyebrows, bleached (damaged) blonde hair, long belts, etc. The real location for Saltburn is Drayton House in the village of Lowick in North Hampshire; it was built around 1300. Fennell stated she considers this “a vampire movie,” even though the story does not have supernatural elements. Oliver refers to himself as a vampire in the (now infamous) garden scene w/ Felix’s younger sister, Annabel (Sadie Soverall).

[1] For me, unfortunately its third act is probably its most memorable feature because it requires an enormous suspension of disbelief.

[2] The twists – I saw all of them coming, most are heavily contrived, and none felt shocking in the slightest. […] Saltburn is a seriously dull watch, the humour is barely present at all. I would have turned off after about an hour, but having got that far I stayed in hope of a clever ending. Nothing clever here, in fact, rather than clever they went for nonsensical.

[3] …the issue of character: no one in the film is a real person: all of them are pawns to serve the grand plot which, when dissected, falls apart. These aren’t people; they’re vehicles for the screenwriter (director, producer, etc.) to show off an interesting, but ultimately flawed story.

[4] Saltburn is a film that promises much, but delivers little. Despite its grand setting and talented cast, it fails to provide a compelling narrative or engaging characters. It’s a film that tries to be a critique of the English aristocracy and a psychological thriller, but falls short on both counts.

[5] The suspenseful bits aren’t suspenseful. The funny bits aren’t funny and the sexy bits aren’t sexy.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

Two Films Directed by Christopher Nolan: “Inception” (2010) & “Dunkirk” (2017)

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Inception (2010) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy & Cillian Murphy

Your mind is the scene of the crime. -Tagline

Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep w/in the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back, but only if he can accomplish the impossible, inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea, but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. -Synopsis (Warner Bros.)

What to say about this movie!? Did y’all understand what was going on (w/o a re-watch)? I felt nothing- to keep it short! OK, that’s NOT quite true; I did enjoy seeing ’80s star Tom Berenger (Browning), Tom Hardy (Eames), and Cillian Murphy (Robert Fischer). Hardy gets to be funny/quirky; he has good banter w/ Joseph Gordon-Levitt. As the uber-rich businessman who the gang kidnap, Murphy speaks w/ an American accent (which is flawless). Marion Cottilard doesn’t have much to do in the (undercooked) role of Dom’s wife. Maybe she wanted more (international) exposure? A LOT of media critics commented that Nolan is NOT good at writing female characters. The CGI was somewhat interesting, though since I saw it last month on Max (on TV), it didn’t make a huge impression. I’m sure many viewers (back in 2010) were more impressed. This is a prime case of style over substance, sad to say!

Dunkirk (2017) starring Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Harry Styles, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Tom Hardy, & Cillian Murphy

When 400,000 men couldn’t get home, home came for them. -Tagline

Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II. -Synopsis

The Mole [beach]: One Week, The Sea: One Day, and The Air: One Hour. -The 3 timelines of the film

Thank goodness- this movie (shot on the actual beach at Dunkirk) was a LOT better than Inception! There were camera operators floating in the water w/ actors. For many of the cockpit shots, Nolan had a two-seat plane rigged, so that the front canopy and cockpit looked like a real Spitfire (BUT w/ non-functioning flying controls). The actual pilot was flying the plane from the rear cockpit, so that the actor could play the pilot (as the plane actually flew). Nolan mounted front and rear-facing cameras on a reconditioned Spitfire. This movie is focused on the experience of battle (incl. its sounds and sights). The individual characters don’t have many lines. Germans are heard/talked about, BUT never seen; this story is NOT about them. The ticking sounds in the score were recorded by Hans Zimmer from one of Nolan‘s own pocket watches; the composer then put the sounds into synthesizers and altered them for the soundtrack.

This is an essential moment in the history of World War II. If this evacuation had not been a success, Great Britain would have been obliged to capitulate, and the whole world would have been lost, or would have known a different fate. The Germans would undoubtedly have conquered Europe, the U.S. would not have returned to war. It is a true point of rupture in war and in history of the world. A decisive moment. And the success of the evacuation allowed (Sir Winston Churchill) to impose the idea of a moral victory, which allowed him to galvanize his troops like civilians and to impose a spirit of resistance while the logic of this sequence should have been that of surrender. Militarily, it is a defeat. On the human plane, it is a colossal victory. -Christopher Nolan (director) re: importance of this battle

While scouting locations, Nolan found a button from an English soldier’s uniform in the sand. After first-hand accounts of this evacuation revealed how young/inexperienced the soldiers were, Nolan decided to cast young/unknowns (aside from pop star Harry Styles- of course). Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) and a French deserter in the uniform of a dead Englishman- Gibson (Aneurin Barnard)- are among the many young soldiers trapped on the beach (The Mole). Styles does a good job in his small role; he should stick to those. Mr. Dawson (veteran character actor Mark Rylance), his son Peter (Tom Glynn Carney- before House of the Dragon), and his 17 y.o. pal George (Barry Keoghan- before fame) are the civilians on the sea. They rescue Cillian Murphy, an (unnamed) soldier shaken by the cold and PTSD; he was the most interesting character. Farrier (Tom Hardy) is the RAF pilot in the air in his Spitfire plane; he liked working w/ Nolan (so took this small role). As w/ Bane (in the Batman movies), he wears a mask most of the time- LOL!

Who are the heroes of Dunkirk? Tommy and Gibson (scared/hungry) try to hide/preserve their lives however they can. George jumps aboard the boat b/c he wants to contribute. We learn that the sub the survivor was on got destroyed by German bombs; also the boat he was escaping in was also destroyed. Murphy’s character has reached his limit; he attacks Mr. Dawson (who was empathetic toward him). George quickly stops him, BUT is grievously injured in a fall! If (eager/naive) George hadn’t sacrificed himself, a LOT of men could’ve died (3rd act). Tommy doesn’t tell the survivor that he caused the death of George. Mr. Dawson remains even-keeled and stoic; we eventually learn that he lost his (older) son in war. Though Farrier’s plane runs out of gas, he continues to protect the beach from attack. In the last scene, he’s forced to land on a small strip of land, then captured by Germans. I almost cried at the end; it was (quietly) emotional. This is unlike what I experienced in 1917.

“The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957) starring William Holden, Alec Guiness, Jack Hawkins, & Sessue Hayakawa

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The towering triumph of adventure from the makers of “Lawrence of Arabia.” -A tagline for the film

…it takes its time in a way that is almost unbelievable. […] I timed it- and it’s an hour before the plot happens. It could never be made today, not w/ the computer generation, not w/ the generation that’s used to things happening fast. It’s a true narrative movie. -Sydney Pollack

I also will see before I direct a picture… When I made my Indiana Jones films- anything that has a lot of scope- and is somewhat of an adventure. […] That’s one of the most perfect movies ever made. -Steven Spielberg

This is one of those epic/classic films that your parents watched (and liked); you can see it on HBO Max. During WWII, allied POWs in a Japanese internment camp are ordered to build a bridge to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway. Their instinct is to sabotage the bridge, but under the leadership of Col. Nicholson (Sir Alec Guinness- best kwon for Star Wars), they’re persuaded the bridge should be built to help morale. Col. Saito (Sessue Hayakawa- a star of Hollywood’s silent era) was inspired by Maj. Risaburo Saito, who (unlike in this film) was said by some to be one of the most humane of all of the Japanese officers, willing to negotiate with P.O.W.s in return for their labor. Such was the respect btwn Saito and Lt. Col. Toosey (upon whom Col. Nicholson was based), that Toosey spoke on Saito’s behalf at the war-crimes tribunal after the war, saving him from the death. Ten years after Toosey’s death, Saito went to England to visit his grave.

Col. Saito [to Col. Nicholson]: Do not speak to me of rules. This is war! This is not a game of cricket!

There is a LOT of interesting trivia re: this movie (which won 7 Oscars). Screenwriters Michael Wilson and Carl Foreman had been blacklisted after being accused of having Communist ties, so went uncredited. The only writing credit, and Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, went to Pierre Boulle (who spoke no English), the author of the French novel. In 1984, the Academy retroactively awarded the Oscar to Wilson and Foreman; when this movie was restored, their names were added to the credits. Guinness had doubts about playing the role of Col. Nicholson; he’d become popular from roles in comedies. He tried to add some humor into his portrayal; Sir David Lean (director) was opposed to this idea, insisting that it be played seriously. The role of the American Navy officer (played by William Holden- V popular at this time) was NOT in the source novel; Cmdr. Shears was added into the screenplay to appeal to a wider audience. At one point, Lean nearly drowned when he was swept away by a river current (on location in Sri Lanka); actor Geoffrey Horne (in his 1st role as Lt. Joyce) saved his life! Many of the extras in the POW camp are South Asians, as I noticed.

Cmdr. Shears [to Maj. Warden]: You make me sick with your heroics! There’s a stench of death about you. You carry it in your pack like the plague. Explosives and L-pills – they go well together, don’t they? And with you it’s just one thing or the other: destroy a bridge or destroy yourself. This is just a game, this war! You and Colonel Nicholson, you’re two of a kind, crazy with courage. For what? How to die like a gentleman, how to die by the rules – when the only important thing is how to live like a human being!… I’m not going to leave you here to die, Warden, because I don’t care about your bridge and I don’t care about your rules. If we go on, we go on together.

Why are there SO many war movies/shows out there!? Well, the stakes are V high, so there is potential for a LOT of drama. This is actually an anti-war movie focused on 4 different men (NOT all gung-ho about fighting); we see this even from the early scenes btwn Shears and the doctor, Maj. Clipton (James Donald). Now, if this were made today, Shears (being a POW for some time) would NOT be looking so healthy/buff (as some viewers commented)- LOL! The reluctant warriors are thrown together b/c of circumstances; Major Warden (Jack Hawkins) doesn’t come in until almost half-way through the movie. Warden is a former prof who trains spies that on the gorgeous estate in Sri Lanka; there is a sequence that reminded me of a Bond movie. The (brief) romance btwn Shears and an (unnamed/blonde) nurse (Norma Sears) was put in by the studio at the end. Lean was strongly opposed to it, but producers insisted the movie have at least one white woman character. Even in modern times, it’s V rare for a director to get “final cut,” so have to make compromises. Some viewers have commented that this feels like 2 separate movies which come together in the 3rd (last) act.

Col. Nicholson: [looks at the completed bridge] I’ve been thinking. Tomorrow it will be 28 years to the day that I’ve been in the service. 28 years in peace and war. I don’t suppose I’ve been at home more than 10 months in all that time. Still, it’s been a good life. I loved India. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. But there are times… when suddenly you realize you’re nearer the end than the beginning. And you wonder, you ask yourself, what the sum total of your life represents. What difference your being there at any time made to anything – or if it made any difference at all, really. Particularly in comparison with other men’s careers. I don’t know whether that kind of thinking’s very healthy, but I must admit I’ve had some thoughts on those lines from time to time. But tonight… tonight!

As Shears, Holden is given a LOT of darkly funny/irreverent lines; he’s NOT out to be a hero, he just wants to get out. Of course, the audience can relate! Col. Saito was the most interesting characters IMO; I was surprised that he got some development (rare for Asians even today in mainstream Hollywood). Hayakawa and Guinness have this uneasy tension in their scenes together. Building the bridge (on schedule and well) becomes an obsession for Col. Nicholson, who wants to prove that the British are superior to the Japanese. I was surprised by some of the directorial choices Lean made, incl. the monologue (above) by Col. Nicholson after the bridge is completed. Instead of doing the obvious close-up on Guinness, we see a shot from behind his shoulder. The finale of the movie is terrific, as it feels fresh, exciting, and dangerous!

“The Wings of the Dove” (1997) starring Helena Bonham-Carter, Linus Roache, & Alison Elliott

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A young woman, Kate Croy (Helena Bonham Carter), is offered the opportunity to return to a life of wealth in London society her mother gave up. Her aunt, Maude (Charlotte Rampling), has some conditions; Kate MUST sever ties w/ her father (Michael Gambon) and the journalist she has been seeing, Merton Densher (Linus Roache). Kate reluctantly agrees; she then becomes friendly w/ Milly Theale (Alison Elliott), a young/single American heiress making the Grand Tour. Merton crashes a party that Kate and Milly are attending, and Milly becomes interested in him. When Kate learns that Milly is seriously ill, she comes up w/ a plan to have her cake and eat it too, BUT things don’t go as planned! The original Milly was a tribute to Henry James’ niece, Minny, who died of tuberculosis (TB).

Kate: She liked you.

Merton: That’s because she doesn’t know me.

Kate: You’re not nearly as bad as you’d like to be.

This film (which I re-watched after many yrs.) is based on a novel by James; he and his circle of writer friends were more concerned w/ character development than plot. Though James was born and raised in a wealthy family in America, he found himself in his travels, then settled in England to be a writer. This is a period/costume drama where the main characters aren’t cliched; they think/act NOT unlike modern people. Kate wants to be charge of her social/romantic life; she resents having to spend time w/ Lord Mark (Alex Jennings, recently seen in The Crown). Bonham-Carter played Princess Margaret in The Crown (Netflix); I haven’t yet gotten to her season. Merton is outspoken and reveals the ills of society in his articles; I wanted to know more re: his work. Roache (whose parents were actors) was part of the ensemble cast of Law & Order (NBC). Elizabeth McGovern (best known for Downton Abbey) plays Susan, Milly’s kindly companion; the American actress settled in England after marriage. One of the young journos in the pub scene is Ben Miles (also seen in The Crown).

Merton: I don’t believe in any of the things I write about. I fake passion. I fake conviction.

Milly: I think everything’s going to happen for you, Merton, sooner than you think.

The British director, Iain Softley, was rather young; he brings a fresh perspective. The cinematographer, Eduardo Serra, hails from Portugal; he went on to work on Girl with a Peal Earring, Unbreakable, and Blood Diamond. The music was composed by Edward Shearmur (a Brit); this is a crucial component and never goes over-the-top. The screenplay is terrific; it was written by Hossein Amini (a Brit of Iranian heritage). There is an intense chemistry btwn Bonham-Carter and Roache; you see their (often sad/troubled) reactions in their eyes. Elliott (a former model) does a good job for a relative newcomer; she brings in lightness/innocence to the trio.

Merton: My heart is sore pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove for then I would fly away and be at rest.”

The story was moved up from 1902 to 1910, in part at the suggestion of the costume designer, Sandy Powell. Fashion evolved much btwn those 8 yrs; Powell felt that the 1910 silhouette would help set this movie apart from those made by Merchant-Ivory Productions. Bonham-Carter’s 1st feature film was A Room with a View (1985) by Merchant-Ivory. Powell earned her an Oscar nom for Best Costume Design, but lost to Titanic. You can watch this movie on Pluto TV (free)!

We went into that with our eyes open. We had no qualms. We felt it was essential in indicating the sort of scene it was, and making it relevant and familiar in the most stark way possible. -Iain Softley, on the added love scene (NOT in the novel) at end of film

[1] Hossein Amini received an Oscar nomination for the film’s script, and it is not hard to see why. It is a literate, deliciously dark and beautifully nuanced script that is never devoid of emotion, and adapts very difficult source material remarkably cleverly and with utmost coherence.

[2] Helena Bonham-Carter, in the pinnacle of her career, embodies the fierce intelligence and ruthless determination of Kate Croy, a woman born in a wrong era, whose effort to hold on to both love and wealth tragically backfires. Linus Roache, playing Kate’s secret love, brings tortured Merton Densher (where does James come up with these names?) vividly to life. He has the sort of intense good looks and physical presence required for this role in spades; and his dramatic ability shines though, especially in his last scene with Millie…

[3] One character says of Kate, “There’s something going on behind those beautiful lashes,” and that can usually be said of the characters Bonham-Carter plays… Here, she’s completely engaged, and she pulls off the difficult trick of never losing our sympathies even when her character does something despicable.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Lady Macbeth” (2016) starring Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Paul Hilton, & Naomi Ackie

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Rural England, 1865. Katherine is stifled by her loveless marriage to a bitter man twice her age, whose family are cold and unforgiving. When she embarks on a passionate affair with a young worker on her husband’s estate, a force is unleashed inside her, so powerful that she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. -Synopsis

In the north of England, a young woman named Katherine (Florence Pugh) is sold into marriage (along w/ some land) to a middle-aged man, Alexander Lester (Paul Hilton- a character/theater actor). Sadly, there is no love or even common kindness involved here; this marriage was arranged by Boris Lester (Christopher Fairbank), Alexander’s domineering father. Katherine is prevented from leaving the house. Boris scolds her for not giving Alexander a son, but her husband doesn’t even touch her! One day, both men have to leave the estate for separate business matters, leaving Katherine alone with the housemaid, Anna (Naomi Ackie- also in an early role). Finally, Katherine is free to explore the area to alleviate her boredom!

This indie film (streaming on MUBI) is based on the Russian book Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov. I learned that iFeatures is a collab btwn the BBC and the BFI; every year, they produce 3 feature films for £350,000 as a stepping stone for 1st time directors. Lady Macbeth (directed by William Oldroyd) was chosen out of over 300 applicants- wow! It was filmed over 24 days on location at Lambton Castle, County Durham and Northumberland, UK. Shaheen Baig was the casting director on Florence Pugh’s 1st film, The Falling (2014); when the script came her way, she suggested Pugh (then just 19 y.o) to Oldroyd.

I loved the fact she was naked all the time. At that point in my life, I had been made to feel sh*t about what I looked like and that film was perfect. There was no room for me to feel insecure. -Florence Pugh, in an interview (ES Magazine)

This is a V dark tale; the first 35 mins. are quite slow and NOT much happens (w/ little dialogue); the next 45 mins. is an unbridled (and often) violent trip! There is almost no music to be heard. The setting is oppressive, the tone is foreboding, and there are bursts of violence (which will be quite jarring esp. to sensitive viewers). Unlike most period dramas you may be familiar w/, this film uses colorblind casting. Ackie is a Black woman from the UK w/ Caribbean roots, Cosmo Jarvis (Sebastian- the horse groomer) is of British/Armenian heritage from the US, and Golda Rosheuvel (most recently Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton) is a British biracial woman. The acting is quite effective, esp. from Pugh (mature beyond her years); I wanted to see more of Ackie’s character (as she does a fine job also). Ackie (only early 30s) went on to work on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. She plays the lead in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

[1] The film seems to be a pre-feminism manifesto for women’s rights. […]

The interesting thing is how Katherine evolves from victim to culprit. She seems to have learned from her husband how to use and misuse power. The lack of social conscience of which she at first is a victim, becomes a driving force for her own behaviour.

[2] Lady Macbeth features a mesmerising and beguiling performance from Florence Pugh. It is far away from these slushy chocolate box romantic period dramas. Katherine is steel edged and deadly.

[3] Several archetypal themes arise in this somber, artfully-photographed drama. For instance, one that emphasizes the wages of sin is prominent; another about the subjugated rising against the oppressor; and another about the danger of socially imprisoning smart women in a paternalistic society. A leitmotif also surfaces about the dangers of debilitating class distinctions, which are never a good thing in the long haul.

Ari Wegner’s cinematography is portrait-like if considering only the recurring shot of Katherine sitting on her Victorian couch in a consuming dress that seems to deteriorate with each similar shot. Underneath the dress is the corset, so long a symbol of the era’s tight hold on women.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews