Bookmark and follow our exclusive coverage of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. At a dinner party in the first act of Nocturnal Animals, Susan (Amy Adams) admits that she doesn't particularly care for the art at her gallery. She hangs the art up and forgets about, finding little to no deeper meaning or purpose in any of it. It's a scene that's supposed to cement the protagonist's ennui-ridden struggles with the trappings of her unfulfilling one-percenter life, but it's a sentiment that could just as easily be said about Tom Ford's relationship with themes in his sophomore film, based on the novel by Tony and Susan by Austin Wright. Stuck in a crumbling marriage and almost equally unfulfilled at work as a gallery owner, Susan is sleepwalking and sighing through life when she receives a package from her estranged ex-husband, Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal). It's a manuscript for a novel called Nocturnal Animals, one that, the attached note explains, she inspired him to write. Left alone in her sprawling mansion when her husband leaves on a âbusinessâ trip, Susan begins to read it and quickly becomes absorbed in the narrative. Weaving together Susan's current life, the narrative of Tony's manuscript (in which the life of a mild-mannered teacher, also played by Gyllenhaal, falls apart when his wife and daughter are abducted during a family vacation), and flashbacks to the former couple's shared past, Ford consistently flirts with greatness but never once follows through. The problem isn't a simple matter of quality. The acting is almost uniformly excellent. Adams puts in an even better than usual performance as both a jaded middle-aged woman on the verge of a crisis and her still wide-eyed younger self. Michael Sheen and Jena Malone charm in what would have been disposable roles in less capable hands. Laura Linney destroys both audiences and her daughter's will to live as Susan's ice-cold, status-hungry mother. And Michael Shannon blows all of those excellent turns away by Michael Shannon-ing his way through the novel narrative as a grizzled, wry detective who befriends the beleaguered Edward. The talent behind the camera is equally skilled. Ford's eye remains as sharp as ever and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey stuns in all three storylines, from the straightforward neutral tones of Susan's past to her cold, minimalistic present, to the sun-soaked Texas exteriors of Tony's book. But none of the thoughtfulness, care, or compassion that was so evident in Ford's 2009 directorial debut A Single Man is evident in this follow-up feature. Much like Susan herself, it's all very well-funded, well put-together, and agonizingly empty. The interplay of the three plot lines looks sleek, and moves along a solid pace, but the parallels themselves aren't nearly as profound as they present themselves to be. And the overlapping visuals are even less clever. (At one point, Ford alternates between shots of Edward and Susan taking baths at the same time. He later pulls a similar trick with showers. And another with bare bottoms.) Lofty ideas of class, thwarted ambition, the superficiality of L.A. life, the nature of love, and the meaning of art are all explicitly addressed â and maybe discussed in a pretentious conversation or two â and then just as easily dropped, as if the simple act of naming themes is enough to establish their continued relevance in the film. It's really not, though, and these moderately-baked concepts merely become more half-hearted fodder thrown into an undeniably stylish but unsubstantial concoction that promises probing thrills and delivers little more than listless melodrama and self-satisfied satire. It might work on a meta-level, if you consider the interaction between artist and audience a fourth layer of narrative, one in which the way that Ford toys with his viewers begins to mimic the way that Tony seems to bait Susan as the plots progress, but even that would be more of a clever parlor trick than an inspired work of genius.
0 Comments
Bookmark and follow our exclusive coverage of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. At a dinner party in the first act of Nocturnal Animals, Susan (Amy Adams) admits that she doesn't particularly care for the art at her gallery. She hangs the art up and forgets about, finding little to no deeper meaning or purpose in any of it. It's a scene that's supposed to cement the protagonist's ennui-ridden struggles with the trappings of her unfulfilling one-percenter life, but it's a sentiment that could just as easily be said about Tom Ford's relationship with themes in his sophomore film, based on the novel by Tony and Susan by Austin Wright. Stuck in a crumbling marriage and almost equally unfulfilled at work as a gallery owner, Susan is sleepwalking and sighing through life when she receives a package from her estranged ex-husband, Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal). It's a manuscript for a novel called Nocturnal Animals, one that, the attached note explains, she inspired him to write. Left alone in her sprawling mansion when her husband leaves on a âbusinessâ trip, Susan begins to read it and quickly becomes absorbed in the narrative. Weaving together Susan's current life, the narrative of Tony's manuscript (in which the life of a mild-mannered teacher, also played by Gyllenhaal, falls apart when his wife and daughter are abducted during a family vacation), and flashbacks to the former couple's shared past, Ford consistently flirts with greatness but never once follows through. The problem isn't a simple matter of quality. The acting is almost uniformly excellent. Adams puts in an even better than usual performance as both a jaded middle-aged woman on the verge of a crisis and her still wide-eyed younger self. Michael Sheen and Jena Malone charm in what would have been disposable roles in less capable hands. Laura Linney destroys both audiences and her daughter's will to live as Susan's ice-cold, status-hungry mother. And Michael Shannon blows all of those excellent turns away by Michael Shannon-ing his way through the novel narrative as a grizzled, wry detective who befriends the beleaguered Edward. The talent behind the camera is equally skilled. Ford's eye remains as sharp as ever and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey stuns in all three storylines, from the straightforward neutral tones of Susan's past to her cold, minimalistic present, to the sun-soaked Texas exteriors of Tony's book. But none of the thoughtfulness, care, or compassion that was so evident in Ford's 2009 directorial debut A Single Man is evident in this follow-up feature. Much like Susan herself, it's all very well-funded, well put-together, and agonizingly empty. The interplay of the three plot lines looks sleek, and moves along a solid pace, but the parallels themselves aren't nearly as profound as they present themselves to be. And the overlapping visuals are even less clever. (At one point, Ford alternates between shots of Edward and Susan taking baths at the same time. He later pulls a similar trick with showers. And another with bare bottoms.) Lofty ideas of class, thwarted ambition, the superficiality of L.A. life, the nature of love, and the meaning of art are all explicitly addressed â and maybe discussed in a pretentious conversation or two â and then just as easily dropped, as if the simple act of naming themes is enough to establish their continued relevance in the film. It's really not, though, and these moderately-baked concepts merely become more half-hearted fodder thrown into an undeniably stylish but unsubstantial concoction that promises probing thrills and delivers little more than listless melodrama and self-satisfied satire. It might work on a meta-level, if you consider the interaction between artist and audience a fourth layer of narrative, one in which the way that Ford toys with his viewers begins to mimic the way that Tony seems to bait Susan as the plots progress, but even that would be more of a clever parlor trick than an inspired work of genius. Bookmark and follow our exclusive coverage of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. At a dinner party in the first act of Nocturnal Animals, Susan (Amy Adams) admits that she doesn't particularly care for the art at her gallery. She hangs the art up and forgets about, finding little to no deeper meaning or purpose in any of it. It's a scene that's supposed to cement the protagonist's ennui-ridden struggles with the trappings of her unfulfilling one-percenter life, but it's a sentiment that could just as easily be said about Tom Ford's relationship with themes in his sophomore film, based on the novel by Tony and Susan by Austin Wright. Stuck in a crumbling marriage and almost equally unfulfilled at work as a gallery owner, Susan is sleepwalking and sighing through life when she receives a package from her estranged ex-husband, Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal). It's a manuscript for a novel called Nocturnal Animals, one that, the attached note explains, she inspired him to write. Left alone in her sprawling mansion when her husband leaves on a âbusinessâ trip, Susan begins to read it and quickly becomes absorbed in the narrative. Weaving together Susan's current life, the narrative of Tony's manuscript (in which the life of a mild-mannered teacher, also played by Gyllenhaal, falls apart when his wife and daughter are abducted during a family vacation), and flashbacks to the former couple's shared past, Ford consistently flirts with greatness but never once follows through. The problem isn't a simple matter of quality. The acting is almost uniformly excellent. Adams puts in an even better than usual performance as both a jaded middle-aged woman on the verge of a crisis and her still wide-eyed younger self. Michael Sheen and Jena Malone charm in what would have been disposable roles in less capable hands. Laura Linney destroys both audiences and her daughter's will to live as Susan's ice-cold, status-hungry mother. And Michael Shannon blows all of those excellent turns away by Michael Shannon-ing his way through the novel narrative as a grizzled, wry detective who befriends the beleaguered Edward. The talent behind the camera is equally skilled. Ford's eye remains as sharp as ever and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey stuns in all three storylines, from the straightforward neutral tones of Susan's past to her cold, minimalistic present, to the sun-soaked Texas exteriors of Tony's book. But none of the thoughtfulness, care, or compassion that was so evident in Ford's 2009 directorial debut A Single Man is evident in this follow-up feature. Much like Susan herself, it's all very well-funded, well put-together, and agonizingly empty. The interplay of the three plot lines looks sleek, and moves along a solid pace, but the parallels themselves aren't nearly as profound as they present themselves to be. And the overlapping visuals are even less clever. (At one point, Ford alternates between shots of Edward and Susan taking baths at the same time. He later pulls a similar trick with showers. And another with bare bottoms.) Lofty ideas of class, thwarted ambition, the superficiality of L.A. life, the nature of love, and the meaning of art are all explicitly addressed â and maybe discussed in a pretentious conversation or two â and then just as easily dropped, as if the simple act of naming themes is enough to establish their continued relevance in the film. It's really not, though, and these moderately-baked concepts merely become more half-hearted fodder thrown into an undeniably stylish but unsubstantial concoction that promises probing thrills and delivers little more than listless melodrama and self-satisfied satire. It might work on a meta-level, if you consider the interaction between artist and audience a fourth layer of narrative, one in which the way that Ford toys with his viewers begins to mimic the way that Tony seems to bait Susan as the plots progress, but even that would be more of a clever parlor trick than an inspired work of genius. Beyonce held a 70s-themed fancy dress party to celebrate her 35th birthday at the weekend.
Stars including her husband Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Chance The Rapper, Janelle Monae, Usher, Puff Daddy and Swizz Beatz got dressed up to keep in the theme of honouring influential 1970s TV show Soul Train. The night marked a Destiny's Child reunion with Beyonce's former bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams in attendance. Happy bday TT! You are so good to me! @Beyonce pic.twitter.com/2K0MM0vwFI- Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) September 6, 2016 It also saw a rapprochement between Jay Z and Beyonce's younger sister Solange Knowles, who famously attacked Jay in apparent fury at his alleged affair documented on Beyonce's album 'Lemonade'. Chance The Rapper attended hours after embarrassing Beyonce on stage at Made In America festival in Philadelphia. Chance led the crowd in a singalong of 'Happy Birthday', with cameras showing a clearly embarrassed Beyonce watching on. We partied hard A photo posted by detailgo (@detailgo) on Sep 6, 2016 at 1:33am PDT There was no sign of former US president Bill Clinton, who had also joined Beyonce and Jay Z at the festival alongside the couple's friends, basketball star Carmelo Anthony and his TV presenter wife La La Anthony. Hours after the party, Beyonce cancelled her show at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. Due to have taken place tonight (September 7), the gig was cancelled under doctor's orders with Beyonce told to rest her voice. Her 'Formation' tour now resumes on Saturday. The first rung on the ladder in learning to play the guitar is to get the right instructions. Try this site, just type in your details and it will support you in finding the best guitar classes in the Gold Coast.
Getting the right instructor is not a simple job. Looking for one can be tough. Give this a try. Just key in your details to get connected with the best electric guitar classes here in Yellow metal Coast. Learning the guitar is no easy task. Getting the best teachers is the key in learning. Just type in your details and get linked with the best guitar classes Gold Coast has to offer. https://vimeo.com/176253226 The identity of Banksy remains a great mystery of our time - or does it? A Scottish writer named Craig Williams seems to think he's uncovered the truth behind the renowned, yet mysterious graffiti street artist, as The Daily Mail points out. Banksy is not a singular person, Williams argues, but rather a group of artists led by - wait for it - Massive Attack co-founder Robert â3Dâ Del Naja. As evidence, Williams points to 12 particular instances in which Banksy artwork appeared in a city at the same time as a Massive Attack concert or recording session. He also notes how both Massive Attack and Banksy got their starts in the city of Bristol, Del Naja's early years as a graffiti artist of his own, and Massive Attack's sudden cancelation of a performance at Banksy's Dismaland last year. There's also the long history of collaboration between the two artists; Del Naja appeared in Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop documentary, and Banksy penned the forward to 2015's 3D & the Art of Massive Attack. Each has also cited the other as an inspiration. While it's impossible to know for sure, many who've studied the topic extensively believe that British artist Robin Gunningham is the true Banksy. Nonetheless, it's a cool theory, which you can read it in full here. |
Maureen Lave
Archives
January 2019
Categories |