Phillips takes his ‘alternative take’ on the anti-hero Joker a step further from his previous film. While that previous film was already more of a drama based on the troubled character Arthur Fleck who became the Joker unwillingly, here we find Fleck in prison where he finds the love of his life: Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga).
Besides drama, Phillips added singing scenes which appear to play in Flecks head. ‘Folly / madness for two’ is not your average big audience Hollywood film. It is slow, gloomy and -like we saw- has musical elements.
Two great actors carry the entire film and makes ‘Folie à Deux’ a much better film -in my opinion- than the current IMDb rating of 5.2. It just does not live up to the expectation of the popcorn audience.
I had thought that a Scandinavian series about Scandinavian mythology would have had their sources better. Every episode opens with what is supposed to be an encyclopaedia quote. There you have things like: “Tyr is the God of war, he lost his hand in battle”. Right. And why would you give the ‘pater familias’ of the giants, the name of a son of Odin (Vidar)? But, there are also elements that are somewhat amusing when you know the myths.
A mother and her two sons move back to the small town where the father of the family passed away. The village has the unimaginable name “Edda”. The small town is largely dependent on a rich family with a metal factory, which -as you soon learn- is led by giants.
One of the adolescent sons, “Magne” soon develops ‘superpowers’. There is a suggestion that he is in some way a God. His brother amusingly develops genderbending traits which easily connects him to another Norse God. Other funny details are the way in which the bloodbrothership between Odin and Loki takes place and a tapeworm that grows out to be the Midgard serpent.
On and off, Magne takes and leaves the role of being a God and with or without a team he sets out after the giants. Allegiances change, there is the usual adolescent (overdone) drama, whiny kids and often fairly shallow use of the myths. There are some contemporary themes woven into the story, such as environmental problems.
The series are not all bad, but they are certainly not great either. Especially the final episode is very poor.
An oldie, obviously based on the Decamerone of Boccaccio (1330-1375). The book contains 100 stories, the film only a handful.
The book is infamous for its criticism of the Church and the licentiousness of the stories. Still, it is regarded as the highlight of Italian literature.
The film is a view into old Italian film making, spoken in the director’s accent, with gritty characters, humor and of course sex, but not as much as some descriptions of the film have it.
Because the earth is full, a commercial company created a new earth. People can emigrate. The trip is a 120 years voyage in ‘cryo sleep’. Just before the ship arrives, everybody wakes up (passengers and staff) and learns about the ways of the new world.
After some problems underway, Jim wakes up, only to find out that he is alone on a ship which has yet 90 years to travel. After a year of trying options and being lonely, he wakes up Aurora. Initially a relationship blooms, but when Aurora finds out why she is awake, that (of course) cools.
After a few more adventures, the two decide to make the best of their time.
Presented as an “erotic thriller” I am sure I am not the only one who had to think of the late 20th century style that was popular at the time, thrillers with sex scenes. “Babygirl” is not really a thriller though. Basically, it is a long string of sex scenes.
The ever beautiful Nicole Kidman (1967-) plays Romy, a successful CEO of a company that she started herself. She leads the life of a powerful woman with a loving husband (Antonio Banderas) and two children. People look up at her.
Even though Romy sees herself as strong woman, for many years she had the sexual fantasy of being dominated. He husband does not get the clues though. A young intern at work perfectly senses Romy’s craving and an odd relationship develops.
The thriller element is of course the fear that the relationship between Romy and Samuel comes out. “Mutual concent” sounds interesting, but even in a relationship between two people, more people are involved. Not in the least place a husband and children. And of course there is work. Samuel pushes boundaries by bringing this larger environment of Romy into their play.
Tossed between her public role and the image she has of herself, the fantasies she has always suppressed and the effect that Samuel has on her, Romy goes from powerwoman to docile sheep within seconds. The film shows Romy as a role model woman, but also one with an inner life and desires. This should not be strange, but it is uncommon to be so visible and I guess that is the reason why the film is applauded. What is more, in spite of everything, at the end Romy is still a self assured woman and she even managed to work things out with her husband.
These series had been on my watch list for a while, but I kept skipping them. Once I did watch the first episode, I wished I had watched it earlier.
“Good Omens” is a very amusing series, created by Neil Gaiman, the man to go to for mythology inspired series such as “American Gods”, “Lucifer” and “The Sandman”.
Aziraphale and Crowley make an unlikely couple. They have known each other since Creation, but when both originally angels, Crowley hobbled along with the great Rebellion and became a demon in stead. The two keep running into each other while both living on earth for many centuries. A friendship of sorts develops, even though this is -of course- not allowed by either “side”.
By now there are two seasons. Just before I watched the last episode, I heard that work is being done on the third season. Season two ends with a massive spoiler, so this is not really a surprise.
Story wise, the first season is the most interesting. Heaven plans on Armageddon. Not that they really know why, but it’s part of “the plan”. Hell looks forward to finally having to do something. Aziraphale and Crowley like earth so much, that they decide to thwart Armageddon.
In the second season Supreme Arch Angel Gabriel stumbles naked into Aziraphale’s London bookshop. It is not like our amusing couple decides to really help him, but both Heaven and Hell do think so and both decide that they have to take possession of Gabriel.
“Good Omens” is full of subtle humour, well-place jokes, an amusing story of a hidden friendship that has the suggestion of being something more, funny inhabitants of Heaven and Hell, the relationship of angels and demons with humans, a bit of critique on modern living, etc. Well written, funny, great looking with with very funny opening titles.
Oh, Crowley is played by a great David Tenant who you may know as twice “The Doctor” in the 2005-2022 “Doctor Who” series.
A slow, minimalist, somewhat surrealistic and interesting science-fiction drama.
A strange, purple cloud is visibe in the night sky, somewhat near Jupiter. Apparently, a mission has been sent there to investigate. When the film starts, Jakub Prochazka has been on his way on this solo mission for half a year. He is getting closer to the strange cloud.
Slowly losing his mind due to the loneliness of his job, Jakub encounters a strange, spider like fellow passenger on his ship. “Hanus” seems to be an alien life form who is interested in the human condition. Hanus not only becomes some sort of psychiatrist to Jakub, but he also explains what the cloud actually is. In the meanwhile some drama is added when Jakub’s pregnant wife, who remained on earth, has second thoughts about their relationship.
In story and atmosphere, “Spaceman” perhaps holds the middle between “Interstellar” (but not as good and not that complex a story”) and “Ad Astra” (but better).
The bored and boring Greg Wittle has visions of another world. These visions cause him to loose his job. When he tries to drown his misery in the local pub, Wittle is approached by Isabel (Salma Hayek) who appears to know a lot about him.
A bit like in the first Matrix film, Wittle learns that the world that he is used to is not the real world, and Isabel teaches him to manipulate his surroundings and eventually, they go to the actual ‘real world’.
Needless to say, the film plays with the question which world actually is the real one. With no real surprises the idea is tossed back and forth and a bit of a tragic romance story unfolds.
A minimalist short (20 min) taking place in Suriname.
A man in the early stages of dementia who lives in some small village near a river, decides that he wants to visit his brother, whom he has not spoken for 50 years, one last time. He wants to try to get his brother get his life back together. The man and his grandson take a boat to where the brother was last known to live.
Spoken in the local variety of Dutch, accompanied with native language curses and swearings, grandfather and grandson speak of memory loss, the past and life in general. Nothing much happens, but “Up The River” is a descent watch.
