Tuesday, July 29, 2014

What I've Been Watching #7



HATESHIP LOVESHIP (2013) » I'd never thought I could see Guy Pearce, Nick Nolte, Hailee Steinfeld and Jennifer Jason Leigh in the same film but well, it happened. Awkward and adorable, this is a nice so-called indie gem - a slow paced story about love, loss, grief, recovery and eventually, hope. You know the drill, ordinary people and modern world problems. 

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014) » This one is beyond brilliant! Not only it struck me as one of the most visually pleasing movies I've ever watched but also made me feel nostalgic in a bittersweet way, given its dramatically dreamy tone set in 1930s Europe. Phenomenal characters, eye-candy cinematography, a lovely storyline loaded with wit and an absurd sense of humour... Not to mention the stellar cast. How wonderful! It's sad. It's funny. It's quirky. It's Wes Anderson.

TOMBOY (2011) » Zoé Héran 10-year-old Laure, who pretends to be a boy (Mikhael) as she moves into a new neighbourhood. The film follows Laure's struggle to experience life as a transgender, hiding the truth from her friends. I think many people (parents and kids) should watch this coming-of-age French film, in order to understand a bit more about gender identity, social interaction, and the innocence present in every childhood, instead of hiding behind their own taboos.



GUINEVERE (1999) » Believe it or not, I loved this film. I know, it's full of clichés and it's not exactly a masterpiece... Harper (Sarah Polley) is a mousy young woman living in San Francisco, who turns down a Harvard degree for an older man, this Irish bohemian photographer named Connie Fitzpatrick (Stephen Rea) who takes advantage of how impressionable she is. She becomes his pupil, protege and lover... Oh, and ego-feeder, of course. They embark on a free spirited lifestyle which obviously will end in tears, given the fact he's a self-destructive alcoholic sharing his dingy apartment with a vulnerable girl who's not sure if the experience of a lifetime means salvation or downfall.

NORA (2000) » Here's an incredibly underrated film with an insightful directing and ravishing acting. Ewan McGregor sings, Susan Lynch steals the show and the photography itself is reminiscent of an impressionist painting. Even if James Joyce isn't your cup of tea, his passion for Nora Barnacle has to be! She was his wild muse - just read his smutty letters to her. Their journey from Dublin to Trieste triggers inspiration in Joyce and also jealousy, resulting into an emotional chaos. Instead of focusing on the writer's mind and work, the film explores his intense love story with Nora loaded with steamy sexual content and emotional tension. The early 20th century costumes are to die for, I loved Nora's hats and dresses. In a nutshell, I loved it.

MARIE KRØYER (2012) » Another dramatic and fascinating biopic, this one about the Krøyers, insanely beautiful Marie and the famous Danish painter P.S. Krøyer. Directed by Bille August, this film narrates the marriage and adultery of Marie, Kroyer's manic depression and treatment attempts and the tragic consequences awaiting both. A tale of love, scandal and insanity, with a slight Anna Karenina vibe, featuring breathtaking Scandinavian scenery that made me google "copenhagen stockholm ryanair" right after watching this period drama.

11 comments:

  1. Vi a Guinevere - parece que foi há uma vida atrás, diga-se - e não gostei na altura, achei... cliché!! Quero muito ver Nora, tenho tido dificuldade em encontrar, mas sou teimosa que nem uma mula e hei-de ver, loool.
    http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/

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  2. Nunca vi nenhum desses e só tinha ouvido falar do Grand Budapest Hotel. Você assisti uns filmes super diferentes, da pra conhecer bastante coisa. Já viu a nova versão de Jane Eyre, com o Michael Fassbender? Eu fiquei apaixonada pelo filme <3

    http://www.cerejasnotopo.com

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  3. Grand Budapest Hotel!! I felt so inspired after watching that, it's wonderful xx

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  4. Gostei de ler as tuas impressões acerca dos filmes.
    Deste lote não me importaria de ver The Grand Budapest Hotel, O Tomboy, porque me interessam as questões da infância, altura em em que as identidades se formam.
    E tanto Nora como Marie Kroyer me parecem imperdíveis.
    xx

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  5. Vi o Grand Budapest Hotel há dias e tive a mesma reacção que tu. Acabei por investigar mais filmes dele e só te penso agora em fotografar como ele faz filmes, daaaaamn

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  6. i want to see tomboy so much!!!!

    http://rrriotdontdiet.blogspot.pt/

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  7. Destes só vi o Budapest e gostei. Por estranho que pareça não ligo muito ao Wes, gosto apenas do lado visual forte e característico que ele tem, mas gostei do argumento deste filme :)

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  8. I love my little indie films! I loved the Grand Budapest! & Tomboy! Need to watch that Hateship Loveship! Great blog xx

    www.roseandmuse.com
    www.roseandmusevintage.com

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  9. I really want to like Wes Anderson but I can't, there's always something missing. Maybe in me.

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  10. Vou só dizer já isto, mas os teus comentários em relação às minhas fotos deixam-me absolutamente babada e all giggles! Muito, muito obrigada, rapariga, for realz :3 Em relação às tuas escolhas cinematográficas, tenho-te em muita conta e acredito que sejam verdadeiramente bons filmes, a ver se averiguo alguns deles!

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  11. I adore Wes Anderson films. The Grand Budapest hotel was amazing.

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