Only Lovers Left Alive

http://www.sonyclassics.com/onlyloversleftalive/

The second film of the double bill I saw on Friday was the dark and moody vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive. I'd heard rumblings about this movie for some time, and despite my love of all things vampiric (books, films, you name it), it was my lack of love for Tom Hiddleston that was putting me off.

Before the Hiddlestoners descend and start throwing things at me, let me elaborate. It's not that I dislike Mr Hiddleston. From the films I have seen him in and the times I have seen him interviewed, I have witnessed a very fine actor indeed and someone who seems like a perfect gentleman (with a bit of a naughty side). He appears to be an absolute delight. And no-one can deny he is a pretty one. But he just doesn't do it for me. At this point you should really be thanking me, because I am one less fangirl you need to fight off for his affections. 

It took a review of the film by fellow blogger yourturnheather to make me change my mind and go and see the film. Her review described the movie as being something akin to the anti-Twilight, and also prepared me that the film went at a snails pace, achieving very little in the end. However, her description of the stylish directing and the superior performances was enough to convince me I should make the effort to see it, if I could. That was easier said than done as the film was not showing in my local area at all, meaning I had to go out of town, and at that point my friend and I decided to make it a double bill evening, to make the most of the journey.

After the disaster of film 1 - A New York Winter's Tale - film 2 had to be better. And it was. But only marginally. I'm not going to give you a synopsis, because much like August: Osage County, there isn't really a plot to give you a synopsis of. Adam (Hiddleston) and Eve (Swinton) are a married couple of vamps who, for reasons unspecified, live on opposite sides of the globe; he in Detroit, her in Tangier. They come together after around half an hour because he's depressed and she's worried about him. After around another half an hour of the two of them not doing very much of anything, but at least doing it together, Eve's sister Ava (Wasikowska) arrives, much to Adam's annoyance. Just when you think this might spice things up, it doesn't. Ava ends up getting thrown out of Adam's pad for doing something naughty, and then Adam and Eve decide to go back to her place in Tangier, where a change of lifestyle for the two of them is imminent. 

It is here where the film would probably start to have a little more life breathed into it, and yet it is here that the credits role. The thing is, despite all of that, I wasn't really disappointed with what I saw. Yourturnheather's review had prepared me for the fact that not much happened, and not much happened. It looked very stylish, there were fangs (which was something I wanted badly after Twilight) and nobody sparkled. But that fact that I wasn't disappointed does not mean that I wouldn't have been happy with something more. 

Hiddlestoners will no doubt love the movie, if just for the amount of shirtless (and in one scene completely naked) Hiddles on display. Oh and for my Tumblr readers, there is a ridiculous amount of hand porn in this movie. For those uninitiated, that does not mean masterbation, just that there are lots of close ups of Tom's very pretty hands and long fingers. He also plays a number of guitars, a violin and the drums (I have a thing for drummers). So hard core Hiddlestoners are going to be very happy indeed, even if they don't particularly enjoy the film overall, there is a LOT for them to like. 

Gratuitous appreciations aside, Tom is also very good at being undead and depressed, and he and Tilda have a lot of chemistry together. The best scenes are undoubtedly when they are sharing screen time, because they fit so well together that you have no difficulty in imagining they have been lovers for centuries. Nothing they do seems forced, which, for a movie about creatures of the night, is something of a victory really. 

The support from John Hurt, Mia Wasikowska and Anton Yelchin, is all top notch, as we have come to expect from these actors. It's just a shame there wasn't more for them to do. Definitely one for fans of Hiddleston or Swinton, or those enamoured with the idea of a more old school vampire movie. 7 out of 10.

 

Viewing Date - 21st February 2014

UK Release Date - 21st February 2014

Cast Overview:
Adam ~ Tom Hiddleston
Eve ~ Tilda Swinton
Ava ~ Mia Wasikowska
Marlowe ~ John Hurt
Ian ~ Anton Yelchin
Dr Watson ~ Jeffrey Wright

Director/Writer ~ Jim Jarmusch

We Need To Talk About Kevin

http://www.weneedtotalkaboutkevin.co.uk/

We Need To Talk About Kevin is a film I knew nothing about until the word of mouth started to filter through. This has surprised me as I had also not heard of the novel that the film is based on, which it turns out is rather well known and won the author, Lionel Shriver, the 2005 Orange Prize for female authors of any nationality writing in English.

The film - and the novel from which it is based - is about a writer and mother, Eva (Tilda Swinton), coming to grips with a heinous crime committed by her teenage son, Kevin (Ezra Miller). The film also details Kevin's upbringing and what Eva had to endure from her son on a day to day basis, from being a baby, through his toddler years and up to the present day.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is one of the toughest films I've yet had to review. And one which I discussed at length with the people I saw it with. The sign of a good film is how much it stays with you long after the credits have rolled. And this film definitely achieved that. 

We were all in agreement that the performances - especially by the three child actors who played Kevin at varying stages - were exemplary. And it has to be said that the casting of the three actors who played Kevin was flawless. You never felt like you were watching three different actors, you just felt like you were watching Kevin grow up. And the perfomances, from all three Kevins (Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell and Rock Duer) were chilling. To think these perfomances came from such young actors just astounds me.

The other thing we were in agreement on was how the film evoked all manor of emotions from us throughout the viewing. Anger, sadness, fear, sympathy, hate, compassion, you name it and we went through it just as the characters did.

The film also stands out because of the angle it takes. I imagine this is thanks to the novel (although I haven't read it myself), as most films with a subject matter of a high school massacre tend to show the story from the point of view of the killer or the victim. This is the first film of this kind that I have heard of which is shown from the mother's point of view. It's a fresh take on what could have been a film seen before and made for interesting viewing.

The reason a film like this is difficult to review is that the end result is not enjoyable, or fun. It's a hard movie to sit through and one which I'm not sure I would want to see again (not in a hurry anyway), but that's not to say that it isn't good or that I'm not glad I saw it, because it is good and I am glad I saw it.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea but I would recommend seeing it if you would like to see something more challenging than the below average fare that's littering the cinema these days. And something which will start a debate between you and your friends. 8 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 29th October 2011

UK Release Date - 21st October 2011

Cast Overview:

Ezra Miller ~ Teenage Kevin

Jasper Newell ~ Childhood Kevin

Rock Duer ~ Toddler Kevin

Tilda Swinton~ Eva

John C Reilly ~ Franklin

Ashley Gerasimovich ~ Celia

Director ~ Lynne Ramsay

Writer(s) ~ Lynne Ramsay (Screenplay) and Rory Kinnear (Screenplay). Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver