WISHING AND HOPING // A FILM REVIEW OF "THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING"

BY MATEO MORENO

Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is a woman who doesn't let feelings get in the way of her intellect. She's not easily shaken. Even as we first meet her, strange men begin appearing in front of her. She does react to it, but shakes it off as her seeing something that isn't there. That is, until she purchases a tiny glass bottle in Istanbul and when she brings it back to her hotel room, an enormous Djinn (Idris Elba) comes out of it. He fills up the room around her, like a giant trying to fit cozily inside a home. He tells her that she now has three wishes, which she immediately does not like. Stories involving wishes never turn out well. But he tells her that he must, if not for her, than for him. If she doesn't wish, he'll be trapped yet again inside of his bottle, the only thing close to death for a being such as himself.

Eventually, the Djinn shrinks down to a normal size and speaks to her of his past, of what his powers have brought him and those who have found his bottle. We know of these kind of stories, but where George Miller's film veers, and the original A.S. Byatt story for that matter, is that this Djinn is more or less auditioning to her. He wants to convince her that he can help her make logical wishes that don't end horribly. He tells her three stories, stories from his past of wishes and what became of them. By telling her these stories, he can hopefully help her avoid them. The first tale tells a tale involving the Queen of Sheba, the second tale concerns Suleiman the Magnificent and his Turkish court, while the third tale tells of Djinn's own love story. Where Alithea is not interested at all when the tales begin, as the stories go on she begins to be drawn closer and closer to him. Swinton and Elba are so good together, warmly filling the space with storytelling magic. Almost all of their scenes together are inside a hotel room or inside of her home. But the visual marvel really comes to life when we see the stories of Djinn's past, and they are fantastical, full of beauty and wonder.

THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING is a strange film and I mean that as a compliment. Where his last effort, Mad Max Fury Road, was wild and non-stop, we now see Miller slow and restrained, telling a tale as old as time and bringing it to life in front of us like a quiet and slow moving fairy tale. And honestly, that's what it is. It's a wonderfully charming film, full of allure and desire and a strong ask of patience. If you give it your ear and your time, the film will wash over you, enchant you. Let it. Let it sink over you like an age old tale and then make our own wishes. Lord knows we could use one or two these days. Or three...

GRADE: A-

BASED ON THE SHORT STORY "THE DJINN IN THE NIGHTINGALE'S EYE" WRITTEN BY A.S. Byatt SCREENPLAY BY George Miller, Augusta Gore DIRECTED BY George Miller STARRING Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Aamito Lagum, Nicholas Mouawad NOW PLAYING IN THEATRES

TO LOVE SOMEBODY // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE HUMAN VOICE"

BY MATEO MORENO

What's so extraordinary about the new short film THE HUMAN VOICE (premiering at this year's Venice and NYFF) is how simple it is. Or at least, how simple it appears to be. This is, after all, Pedro Almodóvar's new film, and nothing is ever quite what it seems. It's also Almodóvar's first English language film but don't think any of his usual weirdness and wonder is missing. It's all there, from the candy colored palette to the luscious score. Best of all, it stars a dynamic Tilda Swinton and ONLY Tilda Swinton. Although there's a few people in a store scene, this is a one-woman firestorm named Tilda and it works out wonderfully.

Based loosely off of Jean Cocteau's play "The Human Voice," which his 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios) also took inspiration from, we begin with Tilda in a shop, purchasing...a hatchet? Indeed it's a hatchet and she seems intent on using it. The storekeeper packages it up for her and she and her pint size dog are on their way. The rest of the film takes place in her apartment, as she has a very stressful phone call with her lover, who has decided to leave after four years. This apartment, a visual that's perfectly Almodóvar, seems bordering on what's real and what's not. There's bright splashes of color. Meticulous set design. But a set design it is indeed, as the camera slowly backs away to reveal just that. The camera allows us to see the breaks in reality: there is no ceiling, no outside other than a bare and concrete studio set. Because this home is a set. Or is it? That's the beauty of Almodóvar: it can be both. Seeing that it's a set brings you "behind the scenes" or allows you to believe this is indeed fiction.

Each time we head back to Swinton, we are reminded of the gravitas of her situation and the powerful performance she gives anchors you into your seat, thrilling you like few phone calls outside of your own life can. Is the hatchet for him? For her? Will she use it more than once? What is in store once this phone call is over? I won't spoil it here, but the build to it is marvelous, as is the splashy ending. Though only 30 minutes long, the dynamic duo of Pedro Almodóvar and Tilda Swinton in THE HUMAN VOICE is a beautiful match indeed. They perfectly complement each other, almost urging the universe to set up another pairing, a longer pairing. Which, I'm sure it will.

GRADE: A

BASED ON THE PLAY BY Jean Cocteau SCREENPLAY & DIRECTED BY Pedro Almodóvar STARRING Tilda Swinton. Featured as part of the 2020 New York Film Festival. For more info: https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2020/films/the-human-voice/

AN AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE // A FILM REVIEW OF "THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL"

BY MATEO MORENO

To march inside the mind of Wes Anderson is a guaranteed strange trip.  His films, from Rushmore to Moonrise Kingdom expound on originally, strangeness, and overall, to quote the great Mr. Wonka, pure imagination.  There are some that don’t particularly care for his brand of candy colored worlds and therefore pass up on the opportunities to see a new Anderson film.  I am, however, not one of those people.  THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL is, from the opening moments, a sublime journey into the best of Wes Anderson’s uniqueness.  It may very well be his best film yet, blending together so well comic moments, heartfelt strings, and a story that zings you right along without ever leaving you behind.

We start in the present, with a young girl visiting the grave of a famed author who wrote the novel “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”  We then zoom into the tale told within her book, where the writer (played by Tom Wilkinson) begins to tell a story of his younger self (Jude Law) visiting The Grand Budapest Hotel and a dinner with the owner M. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), filled with a grand spinning adventure.  He recounts a concierge from 1932 named Monsieur Gustave H. (played with exquisite touches of life by Ralph Fiennes) and how he stumbled into his biggest adventure ever.  Gustave’s friend, and lover, Madame Celine Villeneuve Desguffe und Taxis (Tilda Swinton under some amazing makeup) passes away, instructing Gustave to appear at the reading of her Will, which he is accompanied by his ever trusty apprentice and Budapest lobby boy Zero (Tony Revolori).  He is left a priceless painting, Boy With Apple, much to the chagrin of her son Dmitri (Adrian Brody) and his psychopathic goon Jopling (Williem Dafoe).  From there the film speeds off into a farce, sending Gustave to prison, sending Zero around the fictional former Republic of Zubrowska, and back again, stopping only occasionally for a beheading or two, some chopped fingers, delicious chocolates, and a birthmark in the shape of Mexico.  Nope, there is never a dull moment in the heart of the Budapest Hotel.

Ralph Fiennes is absolutely magnificent in the lead role of the dandy, dashing Gustave.  In his comic roles (most notably In Bruges) he always brings a fresh spin to the character and this is no exception.  He shines when on screen and his comic timing is simply sublime.  As his sidekick, Tony Revolori is deadpan genius, going toe to toe in strangeness with Fiennes.  Much like a dashing but villainous classic MGM movie villain, Adrian Brody explodes with finesse, and the always steller Williem Dafoe does not disappoint here (as is the same for the luminous Tilda Swinton).  In fact, no one does.  Even in the smallest of roles, every actors steps to the plate and knocks it out.  Wes Anderson’s script (from a story from himself and Hugo Guinness) is like a triumphant fairy tale masterpiece.  Anderson lays in pitch perfect direction and has brought us a film that immediately after you’ll want to watch again.  And so you should, for The Grand Budapest Hotel is not somewhere you want to only visit once.

Mateo’s Grade: A+

Written and Directed By: Wes Anderson Story by Wes Andreson, Hugo Guinness Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Tilda Swinton, Adrian Brody, Williem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, F. Murray Abraham, Jude Law, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton, Léa Seydoux, Tom Wilkinson Rated R (Adult Language, Mild Violence) Now in Limited Release

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re not a fan of Anderson’s, this is the film that will sway you.  If you are a fan, you will see it for what it truly is: a masterpiece.