The Revenant Review

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s latest team-up is hardly a film and more like a wildly poetic audio-visual experience. From the moment the film begins to when the credits roll The Revenant is an exquisitely engaging affair that transports you into the icy and unforgiving world of a group of fur trappers and hunters trying to navigate the 19th century Louisiana Purchase.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy are exceptional in their roles as Hugh Glass and John Fitzgerald respectively and it is therefore unsurprising that both have received Academy Award nominations for their brutal performances. DiCaprio’s Glass is a man hellbent on exacting his revenge for the unlawful murder of his beloved son and his ferocity and tenacious hold onto his life is somewhat awe-inspiring seeing that he almost dies on several occasions (The superbly shot Bear Mauling, near suffocation, Falling off a cliff, being shot at and stabbed)  and in most cases it would have been easier for him to give in to the cold embrace of death. And it’s through this obsessive determination that sees Glass soldier on through one tortuous ordeal after another that when he finally meets with the cowardly Fitzgerald that one of the most nail-biting scenes take place that I’ve seen in a film for a very long time.

Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is perhaps the greatest thing about this film, sure the performances are superb and the soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto is hauntingly beautiful, and there’s that certain quote “I ain’t afraid to die anymore. I’d done it already” which is surely going to become iconic someday, but its the visuals of this film that really make it as truly sublime as it is. And while watching The Revenant I found myself comparing it to another piece of Lubezki’s work The New World by the illustrious Terrence Malick. And I found that what these two films had in common (apart from Mr Lubezki) was that they were both slow and poetic journeys and what better way to capture these profound films than with long languid lingering shots of action and in doing so I believe that this film is in all its visceral and grisly realism cinematically perfect.

Overall The Revenant is a gloriously bloody tale of one man’s struggle to appease his desire to seek revenge against another man and if you love great (I need a better word!) exceptional, stunning, awe-inspiring, simply sumptuous cinematography and a damn good storyline then go and see The Revenant, yes its 3 hours long but its filmmaking at its finest and those 12 Academy Award nominations just go to prove my point.

Carol Review

Todd Haynes has made a perfect film with Carol, in the lead roles Mara and Blanchett are sensational, the mise-en-scene is sublime, the shooting of the film on Super 16 mm gives it this utterly gorgeous vintage feel and the story is really quite heart wrenching (and while it doesn’t take much to make me cry at the cinema this film hit me quite hard).

Set in 1950’s America, Carol explores the burgeoning relationship between a young shop girl Therese and an unhappily married housewife the eponymous Carol and how giving into their feelings for each other potentially ruins the laters life. Based on Patricia Highsmith’s Semi-autobiographical novel The Price of Salt the film feels very much rooted in reality which makes some of the scenes hard to watch, particularly when Carol and Therese discover that a seemingly kind and down on his luck salesman turns out to be a private investigator charged with the task of gathering evidence for Carol’s Husband to use against her in court and when Carol breaks down in a meeting between lawyers to settle the matter of custody she essentially gives in and admits defeat as there was no way she could win due to the overwhelming evidence of her homosexual behaviour that would essentially deem her to be an unfit mother if it were to be exposed.

All in all Carol is a very important film, it signifies how far society has come from the 1950s (when a woman had to be psychiatrically tested to see if she was sane for having a sexual relationship with another woman) to now, and while the LGBT community is slowly finding acceptance in society there still is a long way and therefore perhaps this film (like Blue is the Warmest Colour did in 2013) can help highlight the completely and utterly beautiful and real love that two women can share for each other so that society can stop judging and continue accepting.

This was stunningly shot, emotionally beautiful cinema at its best and most certainly one of the finest films of the year.

P.S. I’ll leave you with this haunting song from the Final episode of Hannibal as it kind of fits…and I’m just obsessed with Hannibal 😂

My Black Forest Porridge Recipe

Are you having breakfast blues? Try my Black Forest Porridge its a quick and simple breakfast that’s so delicious and surprisingly healthy for you and you’ll be ready to face any kind of day.

Ingredients::

♥ Oats (choose the quantity to suit you)

♥ Chia Seeds (1 heaped tablespoon)

♥ Milk (this can be Cow’s Milk, Almond Milk, Soya Milk etc)

♥ Pecan nuts (a handful) – Optional, I do this recipe with and without them!

♥ Cocoa nibs (1 Heaped tablespoon)

♥ Blackberries (1 large handful washed)

♥ Maple Syrup (a drizzle)

METHOD:

Pour your oats into a bowl, add the chia seeds and your selected milk. You want to have the oats completely submerged in the milk as the porridge will thicken and the Chia Seeds will expand. Either microwave for 2 mins or cook on the hob until it’s at the desired consistency. Add the blackberries, Cacao nibs and Pecan nuts. And lastly, drizzle some Maple syrup over the top and voila you have a yummy healthy warm and filling breakfast.

♥ ps. if you want pink porridge just add the berries before you cook the porridge!

French Cinema - L'écume des jours (Mood Indigo) Review

I decided to watch L’Écume des Jours (Mood Indigo) for three reasons: it’s French (I’m trying to learn this beautiful language with the help of cinema), it stars Audrey Tautou (from Amelie, which is one of my all-time favourite films ever) and the film is directed and written by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

My goodness, what a bizarrely surreal and poetical film. In Mood Indigo everything is extremely unusual, the visuals are mind blowing and the characters are so absurd it’s brilliant. The story takes place in a world so unlike ours, where everything seems to be alive and the people a larger than life itself. For the duration of the film, we follow the relationship of Colin (Romain Duris) and Chloé (Audrey Tautou) from its awkward inception at a friends party to the bittersweet end. It’s so strange (but reassuring) how a storyline so simple and generic as love could be made into such a groundbreaking and stunning piece of cinema, and it just goes to  show it’s not what you do but how you do it that sets things apart (another unusual love story that comes to mind is the inventive 500 Days of Summer).

Early on in the film, Colin is jealous of his two closest friends Nicolas (played supremely by Omar Sy) and Chick having found love, he boldly stands up and proclaims “I demand to fall in love, too!” I found this small moment quite interesting as we as humans seem to feel as if it’s our absolute right to find love when in reality to find true love is pure luck, coincidence and a matter of being in the right place at the right time. This is expressed quite well when Colin meets Chloé, Colin had to be invited by Nicolas who just so happened to be romantically involved with the Hostess Isis. All these coincidences and chances lead to the beautiful romance the two main characters shared. Perhaps the secret is to demand it after all as surely then we would actively seek love?

Overall this film is stunning and so quirky that I don’t want to give too much of it away in this review (everything you need to know is in the Trailer). So if you love French Cinema starring likeable leads in a story that is utterly surreal then have a watch, if not well you’re missing out on one of the most interesting films of the 21st Century.

Macbeth Review

Justin Kurzel’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Scottish saga is a wonder to behold and is perhaps the most beautifully shot film that this year has seen. It was no surprise that the film was a contender for the Palm d’Or at this year’s Cannes film festival, however, the surprise for me was that it didn’t win (but then again I haven’t seen the films it was up against).

Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard are perfection as the twisted treacherous couple, their performances are so visceral and poetic it is a pleasure to see their story unfold even though it is common knowledge as to what happens in the play. Macbeth’s ephemeral reign is doomed due to the nature of how he succeeded to the throne, and it is during this segment of the film that Fassbender shines where he teeters on the edge of full-blown madness and desperation that turns him into a tyrannical maniac. Also, Cotillard expertly navigates the conflicted Lady Macbeth who begins the film urging her husband to commit murder and supports him fully in their transition to royalty until she too is consumed by guilt and fear as her husband slowly becomes more demented.

The wild Scottish landscape is so beautifully moody it becomes a character itself which coupled with the sublime score by Jed Kurzel elevates this adaptation of Macbeth to the level of grandiose that Shakespeare’s tragedy deserves. The battle scenes that both open and close the film stood out with transcendent cinematography courtesy of Adam Arkapaw, they were whimsically savage and utterly awe-inspiring. Interestingly the final battle between Macbeth and MacDuff had a twist from the play, instead of the army carrying shields made form Birnam Wood a colossal fire lighted by Macduff brings the ashes of the prophetic trees to Dunsinane Castle which then, in turn, brings a beautiful orange glow to the battle with flecks of smouldering ashes floating stunningly through the air as the men battle to death. In other words, this moment was pure genius while looking gorgeous the fiery battle also reflects Macduff’s line ‘Turn Hell-Hound turn’ as a fitting reflection of the nature of Macbeth’s demonic actions and that he thus must descend to hell for his crimes in this predestined end.

To me, this film was nothing short of exceptional therefore I urge lovers of film and any fellow Shakespeare nuts to see this gem on the big screen as it is not just a film but a piece of exquisite art.

Overall I give this Film: An Infinite amount of stars.