Film, life and everything in between
Weekly Review -- Diving into thyself
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) -- As touching and thrilling as it is evocative, this Julian Schnabel masterpiece serves to remind us about the beauty and fragility of human existence. This is the true story of ELLE magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, faced with insurmountable odds, still managed to come out a winner in the game of life. After a stroke, Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) finds himself victim of "locked-in syndrome" -- completely aware of everything around him, he is only able to communicate using his left eye, the one part of his body that is not paralyzed. With the help of a speech therapist (Marie-Josée Croze), who has devised a special alphabet-based system, Bauby succeeds in communicating his wants and frustrations to family and friends. More than that, however, he starts using his imagination to spiritually escape his physical prison... Having proved with Basquiat that he is a visually oriented filmmaker, Schnabel demonstrates his skills as a neo-expressionist painter on celluloid once again, using imagery of exotic landscapes and lush decadence to show a world that Bauby transports himself to. The film envelops the audience in layers of insular emotions and hard-pressed longing. The world shuts down through Bauby's condition, but also opens up through his mind's eye and ingenious fantasies. The acting is admirable. Amalric is fantastic as the protagonist, expressing an otherworldly measure of emotion through practically non-existent physical expression. Max von Sydow's portrayal of Bauby's father is equally poignant, while Emmanuelle Seigner is impressive as Bauby's long-suffering companion. The first-person perspective is, in my opinion, the only way to tell this story in its authenticity; any other way of storytelling would have taken away the truth of the narrative. As a whole, the film is mesmerizing, taking us on a journey through an escape and, above all, celebrating the joy of life. If you seek to find a light in the darkness, this is the film to watch. 10/10
Summer Review #1 -- Iron Man
My excitement for this movie has been growing over the past six months. Besides the fact that I love comic book adaptations, it is well known that a good screenplay, director and cast can make any of these stories human and witty, and all of these elements seemed to gel from the get-go with Iron Man. And the movie is... GREAT. Yes, in all capitals.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a billionaire industrialist who inherited an arms manufacturing conglomerate from his father. On a trip to Afghanistan, where he demonstrates his company's newest missile, he gets caught up in an attack. He is subsequently captured by a terrorist group, his heart seriously damaged, and ordered to build the ultra-missile. Instead, Stark builds an invincible armor suit that helps him get away. The experience changes his playboy, money-guzzling ways, and he decides to use the new technology to fight evil. His sprightly assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his best friend Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard) welcome the change, but things do not bode so well with Tony's closest associate, Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), who does not see the point in losing millions due to questions of ethics.
Right off the bat, I will say that, after seeing the movie, Downey Jr. is the only actor I can imagine in the role of Stark. His portrayal is playful, exciting, zany, occasionally dark and always dynamic. I remember seeing a message board discussion about the previous series of Batman movies, during which a viewer divided the actors' performances into three categories -- Bruce Wayne, Batman and Wayne/Batman. Downey Jr. is not only utterly convincing as Stark, he is also impressive as his alter ego, Iron Man, showing a balanced measure of awkwardness and confidence in the suit.
The rest of the cast is also well chosen. Paltrow charms as Potts, while Bridges projects megalomaniac madness as Stane and Howard injects the role of Rhodes with nobility and loyalty. Jon Favreau's direction is lively and precise. He knows when to emphasize human emotion, when to emphasize the action and when to blend the two perfectly. The screenplay etches out the characters well, particularly Stark and Potts, and brings humor and a human dimension to the proceedings.
Iron Man is an intelligent comic book adaptation, but it is also an excellent movie in its own right. It is a well-crafted movie, with a brain and a heart, and it marks the perfect start to this year's summer movie season.
9/10
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) -- As touching and thrilling as it is evocative, this Julian Schnabel masterpiece serves to remind us about the beauty and fragility of human existence. This is the true story of ELLE magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, faced with insurmountable odds, still managed to come out a winner in the game of life. After a stroke, Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) finds himself victim of "locked-in syndrome" -- completely aware of everything around him, he is only able to communicate using his left eye, the one part of his body that is not paralyzed. With the help of a speech therapist (Marie-Josée Croze), who has devised a special alphabet-based system, Bauby succeeds in communicating his wants and frustrations to family and friends. More than that, however, he starts using his imagination to spiritually escape his physical prison... Having proved with Basquiat that he is a visually oriented filmmaker, Schnabel demonstrates his skills as a neo-expressionist painter on celluloid once again, using imagery of exotic landscapes and lush decadence to show a world that Bauby transports himself to. The film envelops the audience in layers of insular emotions and hard-pressed longing. The world shuts down through Bauby's condition, but also opens up through his mind's eye and ingenious fantasies. The acting is admirable. Amalric is fantastic as the protagonist, expressing an otherworldly measure of emotion through practically non-existent physical expression. Max von Sydow's portrayal of Bauby's father is equally poignant, while Emmanuelle Seigner is impressive as Bauby's long-suffering companion. The first-person perspective is, in my opinion, the only way to tell this story in its authenticity; any other way of storytelling would have taken away the truth of the narrative. As a whole, the film is mesmerizing, taking us on a journey through an escape and, above all, celebrating the joy of life. If you seek to find a light in the darkness, this is the film to watch. 
