Month: April 2014

THE CONSEQUENCES OF LOVE ‘Le conseguenze dell’amore’ (2004)

I recently watched La Grande Bellezza by Paolo Sorrentino and was blown away.

I had been recently thinking about why I hadn’t seen any decent films coming out of Italy, it’s probably because I hadn’t seen any Italian films but this is not for lack of want.
If anyone has any recent recommendations, chuck em my way please.

Spending 2 hours in the company of Tony Servillo is like drinking a very good vintage. Smooth, deep and full of flavour and expression. All contained in one bottle, not spilling out but contained.
He does this very well and I love watching him.

I’m not going to get into the story, that’s half the fun, Paolo’s films seem to not be about a neatly tied up topic rather an truthful rendition of someone’s story at a certain point in their lives.

This is another beautiful film in which Paolo shows his love of music, people, Italy, mise en scene and stillness/space.
I love the fact that Servillo’s Titta La Girolamo takes his time in everything, answering questions, moving places, speaking in general, like he says “I am not a frivolous man”.

A stunning look at a man for whom life has become a prison of sorts and the consequences of allowing oneself to feel love again. Just beautiful. Sorrentino is becoming one of my favourite directors.

4/5

BUY THE DVD HERE

DOWNLOAD THE FILM ON iTUNES HERE

THE SPECTACULAR NOW (2013)

The title is, in fact, ironic. For Miles Teller’s popular kid, Sutter, the now is what it’s all about.

It is a love story, of sorts, an awakening, of sorts, a journey.
Great, all these things are part of the recipe for great storytelling. However, I was underwhelmed. Maybe it’s because I am so far removed from the experience of what it’s like to be a teenager in this day and age. But, I don’t think so.
I can only imagine (and even then, not very realistically) the struggles and problems kids today go through. Not counting the usual, normal everyday struggles of a teen, more the state of the world they live in, the technology at their fingertips and their access to an array of information.

Very different to when I was a youth.

Emotionally, the same obstacles are there but I can’t sit in judgement about how they are like this or like that as these are very different times.

This is a film that may speak to a certain demographic but whatever the film is about it is telling a story and although it may be different from the norm it didn’t rock my boat like they said it would.

I will give props to Shailene Woodley, however, she was grounded in the character’s reality and always seemed to be present and sensitive in her scenes. She was good in The Descendants but even better in this. An actress to watch.

3/5

BUY THE BLU-RAY DVD HERE