listen to me ramble about films i saw at cannes
While at Cannes, I saw over twenty films.
A few are coming out now or soon from now, and people have been asking for my opinion on a notable few.
So, quickly, here are some of my opinions without all of the technical details I should provide you with such as year and director:
Marie Antoinette-Overall, I was underwhelmed by this film. I was very excited to see it but ultimately left disappointed (as the French audience actually booed it). Aesthetically, it is a stunning movie. The visuals are magnificent, and I personally loved the anachronistic use of music. Small things that bothered me include whenever Kirsten Dunst spoke (I thought her expressions were great, but when she opened her mouth I became immediately vexed) and the use of inconsistent accents in the manner of Amadeus. But those were just petty annoyances. I love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Kirsten Dunst is also in that film. I also quite enjoyed Amadeus despite the seemingly cluttered variety of accents (although, I think Amadeus uses this somewhat skillfully to add depth to its characters). My main complaint with the film is its weak storyline. I felt that everything was too slow and repetitious. I do suspect that this was intentional to illustrate the routine life of Versailles, but I was not sold on this representation. I also did not sympathize with Marie Antoinette by the end of the film, which (for me) made the ending entirely anticlimactic. Basically, the film is an orgy for the senses. But in both content and emotion, it is lacking.
Borat- This is easily one of the funniest films I have ever seen. I don’t want to talk about it at length, because I really want people to go see it for themselves and (hopefully) savor it as I did. I definitely plan on seeing it again. When I saw the film, Sacha Baron Cohen sat behind me and then ran out as fast as he could with his girlfriend during the credits! It does contain controversial content, but if you’re intelligent then you’ll understand the point of the "joke." Borat is a great character to use to expose prejudices within our society. The reactions of some of the people he encounters are shocking. But go see the fucking film, okay. I’m excited, because I am curious to see what has been edited out since the first time I saw the film. There was some male nudity that I doubt could pass into mainstream theaters. But I love it. Omfg. The more I think about it, the more I want to see it again. I will stop gushing now.
Shortbus- Well, I actually got to know John Cameron Mitchell (the director; he also directed and was in Hedwig and the Angry Inch) during my time in Cannes, because he (along with a few members of the cast) would hang out with my friends and me. Perhaps I am slightly biased. Basically, this film contains a lot of sex. It contributes to the controversy of what is art versus what is pornography. It really pushes the envelope. For some, the tough thing to understand about the film is that it is not entirely about sex. Yes, we watch people really have sex, we watch an actual orgy, and we even watch a guy suck his own dick. But the quasi-pornographic images are not meant to arouse or even to shock despite the fact that they may come off as shocking upon initial viewing. The purpose is to desensitize the viewers to the act of sex. Let’s face it, (almost) everyone fucking does it. Yet, it is often a subject repressed by society. JCM works to make sex ordinary. And once you get past its presence in the film, you find an amazingly beautiful story. I felt like a better person by the end of the film, and I have such a huge emotional attachment to it. It also uses a few Animal Collective songs, so that only makes the movie that much cooler. I would recommend this film to a person who would not get stuck on the graphic displays of sexual acts. This film made me cry like a little baby.
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints- The people I watched this film with truly enjoyed it. I felt as though the film had a lot of potential to become a powerful piece. The performances given by everyone in the film are some of the strongest I have seen in a long while. But the story itself is a bit disjointed and bloated. There is a chance that I did not see the final cut, which would definitely explain this.
A few are coming out now or soon from now, and people have been asking for my opinion on a notable few.
So, quickly, here are some of my opinions without all of the technical details I should provide you with such as year and director:
Marie Antoinette-Overall, I was underwhelmed by this film. I was very excited to see it but ultimately left disappointed (as the French audience actually booed it). Aesthetically, it is a stunning movie. The visuals are magnificent, and I personally loved the anachronistic use of music. Small things that bothered me include whenever Kirsten Dunst spoke (I thought her expressions were great, but when she opened her mouth I became immediately vexed) and the use of inconsistent accents in the manner of Amadeus. But those were just petty annoyances. I love Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Kirsten Dunst is also in that film. I also quite enjoyed Amadeus despite the seemingly cluttered variety of accents (although, I think Amadeus uses this somewhat skillfully to add depth to its characters). My main complaint with the film is its weak storyline. I felt that everything was too slow and repetitious. I do suspect that this was intentional to illustrate the routine life of Versailles, but I was not sold on this representation. I also did not sympathize with Marie Antoinette by the end of the film, which (for me) made the ending entirely anticlimactic. Basically, the film is an orgy for the senses. But in both content and emotion, it is lacking.
Borat- This is easily one of the funniest films I have ever seen. I don’t want to talk about it at length, because I really want people to go see it for themselves and (hopefully) savor it as I did. I definitely plan on seeing it again. When I saw the film, Sacha Baron Cohen sat behind me and then ran out as fast as he could with his girlfriend during the credits! It does contain controversial content, but if you’re intelligent then you’ll understand the point of the "joke." Borat is a great character to use to expose prejudices within our society. The reactions of some of the people he encounters are shocking. But go see the fucking film, okay. I’m excited, because I am curious to see what has been edited out since the first time I saw the film. There was some male nudity that I doubt could pass into mainstream theaters. But I love it. Omfg. The more I think about it, the more I want to see it again. I will stop gushing now.
Shortbus- Well, I actually got to know John Cameron Mitchell (the director; he also directed and was in Hedwig and the Angry Inch) during my time in Cannes, because he (along with a few members of the cast) would hang out with my friends and me. Perhaps I am slightly biased. Basically, this film contains a lot of sex. It contributes to the controversy of what is art versus what is pornography. It really pushes the envelope. For some, the tough thing to understand about the film is that it is not entirely about sex. Yes, we watch people really have sex, we watch an actual orgy, and we even watch a guy suck his own dick. But the quasi-pornographic images are not meant to arouse or even to shock despite the fact that they may come off as shocking upon initial viewing. The purpose is to desensitize the viewers to the act of sex. Let’s face it, (almost) everyone fucking does it. Yet, it is often a subject repressed by society. JCM works to make sex ordinary. And once you get past its presence in the film, you find an amazingly beautiful story. I felt like a better person by the end of the film, and I have such a huge emotional attachment to it. It also uses a few Animal Collective songs, so that only makes the movie that much cooler. I would recommend this film to a person who would not get stuck on the graphic displays of sexual acts. This film made me cry like a little baby.
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints- The people I watched this film with truly enjoyed it. I felt as though the film had a lot of potential to become a powerful piece. The performances given by everyone in the film are some of the strongest I have seen in a long while. But the story itself is a bit disjointed and bloated. There is a chance that I did not see the final cut, which would definitely explain this.