Roze, Mon and I went to see Dorian Gray at Cinema Paris last night, apparently the only place in Sydney screening it. It is, of course, based on Oscar Wilde's only published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, detailing the life of a young man who trades his soul to remain eternally young and beautiful while the effects of his increasingly more corrupt and debauched lifestyle are reflected on a self-portrait he keeps in the attic.
The film is quite weird and does differ from the original text a bit as these things always do, but while it has gotten some mixed reviews, I loved it. I thought the production was slick, the characterisation of the society very effectively done, and that it was overall engaging. But honestly, after about five minutes of staring at Ben Barnes, who even cares anymore? It is true that originally the first thing I thought of when I looked at him was William Beckett, observe:
Ben
Beckett
But by the end of Dorian Gray however I think we were all more than a little enthralled. Besides, the more deranged Dorian becomes, the hotter he is. It is quite a kink fest. The debauchery made for lots of shirtless shots and we three girls certainly weren't complaining. It's shameless sure, but hey, the boy is worth the price of admission alone. Besides I doubt Oscar Wilde would blame us. We also had the opportunity to make so many stupid jokes and innuendo (which was actually delivered on) so really, could not have asked for a better night out. Oh, Colin Firth is in it too. He's always a good endorsement of a film.
This morning I had to be up at some ungodly hour as a guy was coming out to have a look at our garage door, so while I waited for him, I watched Idiocracy. This film first came to my attention in one of Abbi's film studies and it is every bit as great as she said it is. I was a bit iffy on pursuing this actually, since I'm really specific on what comedy I like and Abbi and I do have rather varied taste in that particular movie genre (despite our shared love of zany things like The Mighty Boosh, I wouldn't for example touch anything starring Will Ferrell even if you paid me.)
Regardless, I gave it then benefit of the doubt, and it paid off. Idiocracy is gold. Starring Luke Wilson as the distinctly average Joe Bauer who is frozen in a military experiment that goes slightly awry and awakes in a future devoid of any semblance of intelligence. It is a population spawned by advertising, junk food, and reality-tv tropes. The scary thing is that I can see it happening. Shudder. Despite the film being rather thin in parts, it is really enjoyable and just the perfect length for some escapism. It never feels forced, and doesn't feel stupid at all, which is rather ironic, but quirky nod to intelligence none the less. I'm surprised it wasn't a bigger film on release.
I followed this with There Will Be Blood. Um. I realise it is an award-winning, critically acclaimed film and all that, but the pacing was driving me mad. I tweeted this film silly, a sure sign that I was getting distracted during it. It is an odd one. I believe it goes for around ten minutes before there is even dialogue. It is very much about mood, and intensity. Loosely based on a novel entitled Oil!, it follows a miner-turned-oil-prospector as he pursues wealth in early 20th Century Southern California.
There is no denying that Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely fantastic as Daniel Plainview, the oil prospector in question. Paul Dano puts in a superb performance as the thorn in his side, the religious Eli. It is an intense film that really packs a punch in its last hour. At the end of the day though, I do not like films like this. It has no real plot. Okay yes he wants to buy up all the farms and build a pipeline to the coast, but there's no real opposition to this, it's just something that happens. That makes it a character piece, it's about Daniel Plainview and his descent into madness - power corrupts, money doesn't buy you happiness, yadda yadda yadda. Nothing you haven't heard before. He becomes progressively more and more nuts, and less and less likeable, which is hard when I barely cared in the first place. That's why, when it was nearing the two hour mark, I was about ready to throw in the towel. It's just too slow. Nothing happens. I was lying on the couch reading tweets. The only thing that kept me going was thinking of how many films Abbi has suffered through for her film study.
Then, suddenly, everything happens and we're ten or something years in the future and he's passed out across the two bowling lanes in his house. As you do. Then the film just ends, leaving me with only one response to the whole thing - um, okay. It must be said I was glued to the screen for the last half hour, but it's truly only a testament to the magnificent performances by Dano and Day-Lewis. This would have been a disaster if not for them and the absolute intensity of the landscape the film created. Still, wouldn't watch it again if I could help it.
By this point it was time for me to drive to Penrith in order to accompany Lizzie to a screening of The Time-Traveler's Wife. Again, a film based on a book. No, I have not read said book. Despite being told to do so by various individuals at various times, I never got around to it. It takes a lot of motivation for me to pick up a book like that. Yes, I'm being completely presumptuous but I have a bad track record with them. So I never bothered. I think in this instance it may have worked in my favour since it seems a lot of fans hate the movie version.
Anyway, it's a love story about Henry,a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to travel in time completely erratically, and his wife Clare, an artist who has to deal with his disappearances. She's known him since she was six years old and spends her entire life waiting to "meet" him in everyday life, which is actually the first time that he meets her. Then it's that whole time-travel headache of free will and you know, if he never met her in the meadow when she was six, she never would have met him later, but he only meets her because she told him and so on - cause and effect, who, where, what, why, and so on. Other than one brief scene, that's not actually really in the film, but something to ponder whenever time travel comes up in general I think.
I am entirely neutral on the film, I was neither awed nor disappointed. It's not really my thing. I never would have gone to see this if Lizzie hadn't wanted to, but I thought it was alright. Typical of its genre. I quite like Eric Bana so I don't mind. I did find Clare quite annoying though, something about the character just grated. Also am I the only one who thinks Rachel McAdams and Jennifer Garner look rather alike? The good thing is that with the time travel, the whole thing feels constantly in motion, so it never felt like it dragged to me. That said, the film does feel quite thin, as if it's missing something, but that might be remedied by reading the book, I don't know.
I think out of all of them I enjoyed Dorian Gray the most. Now, as it has yet again reverted back to winter, I think I shall get under the covers and watch some television. Hmm. Laziness. Bliss.
Music: Great Expectations - The Gaslight Anthem
Mood: Sleepy
Yay for Idiocracy! "I like money! We should hang out."
ReplyDeleteThe book of the Time Traveler's Wife is really lovely. I would recommend. I'm not touching the film with a bargepole though.