Beau Is Afraid

 

Beau Is Afraid 2023

• Director: Ari Aster
• Seen by this director: Midsommar, Hereditary
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Kylie Rogers, Armen Nahapatian, Stephen McKinley Henderson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• Joaquin Phoenix – Many
• Patti LuPone – Last Christmas, Union Square, Driving Miss Daisy, Witness
• Amy Ryan – The Wire, Birdman, Dan in Real Life, Gone Baby Gone, War of the Worlds, You Can Count on Me, I’ll Fly Away
• Nathan Lane – Swing Vote, Absolutely Fabulous, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Birdcage, Frankie & Johnny, Ironweed
• Kylie Rogers – Skin
• Stephen McKinley Henderson - Dune, Lady Bird, Fences, Manchester by the Sea, Lincoln, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
• Why? Joaquin Phoenix
• Seen: 18 September 2024 

Beau (Phoenix) is a slightly overweight middle-aged man with serious phobias, anxieties and paralysing mum issues. In an attempt to visit her (LuPone) on the anniversary of his dad’s death everything in the cosmos conspires against him. Stolen keys. Blocked pay cards. Dead bodies. Poisonous spiders. Flooding bathtubs.

And it gets worse. And worse.

It’s absurd to the point of ludicrous, nightmarish but funny as nightmares can be. If it’s a film.

Poor Beau. Phoenix is phenomenal.

I’ve maybe seen weirder films but not recently. No doubt when I saw Midsummer by the same director. 

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

Zathura a Space Adventure

Zathura: A Space Adventure 2005

• Director: Jon Favreau
• Seen by this director: The Lion King, Iron Man etc
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo, Dax Shephard, Tim Robbins, Kristen Stewart
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• Josh Hutcherson – The Hunger Games
• Tim Robbins – Many
• Kristen Stewart - Many
• Why? Sci fi
• Seen: 17 September 2024 

Stressed divorced dad (Robbins) of three kids (Hutcherson, Bobo and Stewart) has got to go to an important meeting so leaves the kids at home in the care the indifferent sister.

They find a game called Zathura a Space Adventur, involving moving markers and drawing cards. Whatever is written on the cards happens. Including their house floating through outer space.

Cool. But scary.

It’s no Doctor Who but it’s fun with some clever effects. According to other viewers it’s pretty much a rip-off of a film called Jumanji but since I’ve neither seen it nor heard of it I don’t need to bother with it. I’m enjoying this one. Too bad it’s mostly for boys, and a little too long. 

3* of 5

 

 

 

  

All Quiet on the Western Front

 

All Quiet on the Western Front 1930

• Director: Lewis Milestone
• Based on the novel by Erick Maria Remarque
• Cast: Lew Ayres
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• Lew Ayres – mostly TV series
• Why? The book
• Seen: 15 September 2024  

In a fit of ignorant and burning patriotism, egged on by hysterically nationalistic adults, a class of young German lads enlist as soldiers in 1914. They soon learn that there is no glory in war, only rain, mud, sadistic officers, starvation, bombs, fear, injury, killing, death.

No glory, no honour, no meaning or purpose, no victory.

One of the strongest anti-war films made based on one of the best anti-war books written, but what good did it do? The next world war broke out 9 years after the film was released.

It’s a well-made film that has held up well but I find that I can’t give it a rating. War hasn’t ended. 

No rating

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Burning Plain

 

The Burning Plain 2008

• Director: Guillermo Arriaga
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Basinger
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• Charlize Theron – Many
• Jennifer Lawrence – Many
• Kim Bassinger – The Nice Guys, 8 Mile
• Why? Possibly interesting
• Seen: 14 September 2024      

Confusing, multi-charactered story. Adultery, teen-aged kids, dead parents. It jumps back and forth in time, which doesn’t help.

The acting is good but the interlocking stories with the mish-mash time line just doesn’t work for me. 

2 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crimson Peak

 

Crimson Peak 2015

• Director: Guillerma del Toro
• Seen by this director: The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim, Pan’s Labyrinth, Mimic  
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• Mia Wasikowska – Many
• Jessica Chastain – Many
• Tom Hiddleston – many including The Hollow Crown
• Why? The cast
• Seen: 13 September 2024 

Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) a radical young writer in late 19th century New York, sees ghosts, and writes about them ’as metaphores’, unappreciated by publishers.

Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) an inventor from London and impoverished aristocrat, unappreciated by Edith’s father who forbids him from seeing Edith.

Romance, class politics, ghosts and Tom Hiddleston – what more can we ask?

As followers of this blog know, I’m not fond of love stories but, I mean, Tom Hiddleston! Even if he is charmingly creepy here.

It’s a visually pleasing, spooky and entertaining Gothic romance. 

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

Together 99

 

Together 99 (Tillsammans 99)

• Director: Lukas Moodysson
• Seen by this director: Fucking Åmål, Lilja 4-ever, Tillsammans
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Lisa Lindgren, Gustaf Hammarsten, Anja Lundqvist, Shanti Roney, Sten Ljungren, Jonas Karlsson
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• Lisa Lindgren – Tusenbröder, Tillsammans
• Gustaf Hammarsten – Old, Stockholm, Cleo, Tillsammans
• David Dencik – Chernobyl, Snömannen, Regression, Fasanjägarna, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Män som hatar kvinnor, Upp till kamp
• Jonas Karlsson – Snömannen, Gustav III:s äktenskap, The Tempest at Sweden’s Dramatic Theatre
• Shanti Roney - Tusenbröder, Stockholm, Tillsammans
• Sten Ljungren – Gräns, Snoken, Tillsammans
• Why? Tillsammans
• Seen: 12 September 2024 

Twenty-four years later. Only two of them still live in the commune Tillsammans (Together), Göran (Hammarsten) and Klasse (Roney). They have weekly meetings (read: bickering) to discuss the washing up and the need to recruit new members.

Then Klasse invites the old gang to Göran’s birthday.

Awkward, awkward.

The abusive-turned loving husband (Michael Nyquist) has died – accident or suicide, no one knows. Michael Nyquist has died so they had to write him out the story (I miss him still) but he’s mentioned in the credits. Others, whereabouts unknown, or suffering mental illness or cancer, or spewing fanatical right-wing hatred, or successful in the real world but unhappy. And there’s a guy there who no one knows. Who’s he?

The first film is funny as well as sad. This one is just sad. Old dreams and friendships have faded or become scewed.

It’s as good as the first one.

4* of 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Together

 

Together (Tillsammans) 2000

• Director: Lukas Moodysson
• Seen by this director: Fucking Åmål, Lilja 4-ever
• Based on the novel: no
• Cast: Lisa Lindgren, Michael Nyquist, Emma Samuelsson, Sam Kessel, Gustaf Hammarsten, Anja Lundqvist, Ola Rapace, Shanti Roney, Sten Ljungren, Jessica Liedberg
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• Lisa Lindgren – Tusenbröder
• Michael Nyquist – Colonia, Min så kallade pappa, John Wick, Luftslottet som sprängdes, Flickan som lekte med elden, Män som hatar kvinnor, Grabben i graven bredvid,
• Gustaf Hammarsten – Old, Stockholm, Cleo
• Ola Rapace – Vit skräp, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Skyfall, Svinalängorna, Tusenbröder
• Shanti Roney - Tusenbröder, Stockholm
• Sten Ljungren – Gräns, Snoken
• Why? Michael Nyquist, a modern Swedish classic
• Seen: Once before. Now 11 September 2024 

Stockholm, 1975. Franco is dead and the members of Tillsammans, the commune Together, are jubilant.

This is the story of the lives and loves, conflicts, friendships, squabbles, worries, arguments over whose turn it is to do the dishes, socialism, joys, nudity, sex, lack thereof, hotdogs. The sister Elizabeth (Lindgren) of one of them, Göran (Hammarsten), leaves her abusive husband (Nyquist) and moves in with two reluctant and sullen kids.

It’s funny and sad, philosophical and political, realistic and gently mocking, painful and affectionate, a loving look at how difficult but important it is to try to live up to one’s principles, to try to create a world with a little more solidarity and equality.

OK, call me nostalgic. 

4* of 5