Sunday 21 February 2016

Thelma & Louise

This year I'm working at Glasgow Film Festival. One of the perks that comes with this job is attending and covering special events and screenings. Old favourites screened in new venues with themed events and plenty of surprises. So far I've seen Con Air in a warehouse with the skeleton of a plane and laser quest free to explore next door. I've watched Aidan Moffat and Paul Fegan present Where You're Meant To Be in the Barrowlands followed by a special performance from Moffat and co. And tonight I'm in Glasgow's Grand Ole Opry enjoying Duke Loopin' and his lasso, some line dancing and a screening of Thelma & Louise. 

Directed by Ridley Scott and starring a young Brad Pitt, it's quite surprising that I hadn't yet seen the classic before tonight. I'm a huge Ridley Scott fan and didn't even realise this was one of his. It boasts a cast as strong as it's feminist values and is, on paper, the ideal girls night film. Covering issues such as rape, female empowerment (or lack there of) and female friendship - I thought this film would be harder to swallow. But Scott and, writer, Callie Khouri worked together to create a film that had me laughing throughout.

Thelma and Louise are two best friends who set out on a two day break from their boring lives and Thelma's controlling husband. Whilst stopped for a drink, Thelma is threatened and nearly forced into sex by a man she'd been talking to all night. Louise steps in to save her friend but as the man continues to taunt she shoots him in the chest. The two, suddenly fugitives, head to Mexico to escape the law and their past. Eventually cornered by police the two decide to 'keep going' and drive off the cliff into the Grand Canyon. Quotes that come from this movie have been said in front of me a million times so it's nice to finally recognise the source. I was also impressed by the sheer power of the characters. Even when all hope seems to be lost, Thelma and Louise stand tall together. In particular, I enjoyed the scene in which the two finally get revenge on the sexist and sleazy truck driver that they encounter through the entire film.

The venue and atmosphere was a huge influence on my experience. The audience, mostly of women, hooped and hollered at each appearance of Brad Pitt, every sassy line and every hilarious incident. The Grand Ole Opry was the perfect setting and size for an intimate and friendly screening. The room was lined wall to wall with laughs and smiles during the pre-film entertainment. Duke Loopin', who I gather is a whip and lasso expert, wowed the crowd with an array of tricks before the audience was invited up to do some line dancing. GFT and GFF pulled out all the stops and truly made the night special for fans of the film and for people like me who were viewing Thelma & Louise for the very first time.

Every now and again, if you're given the opportunity to do so, go and see a screening of a classic. The big screen and live audience atmosphere cannot be beat.

Tuesday 2 February 2016

Bridge of Spies

Based on the 1960 U-2 incident during the cold war, Bridge of Spies is the story of James B. Donovan and his journey negotiating the release of Francis Gary Powers and Frederic Pryor from the Soviet Union after defending a KGB spy in his trial. He uses KGB Spy prisoner Rudolf Abel as a trade and as a source of bizarre friendship during the film. Written by the Coen brothers and Matt Charman and directed by Steven Spielberg, this film has the basic components for an Oscar winning film. Tom Hanks leads the relatively small core cast and isn't joined on screen by many other Hollywood a-listers. Although having said that, many smaller names such as Jesse Plemons were a welcome surprise to the films cast list even though his screen time was minimal.

The film's story, as I mentioned is based on true events, was gripping. The film flowed nicely from our introduction to Abel, to the court case, to Donovan's time in Germany. I felt the film was paced well and kept audience attention throughout. The setting for most of the film, Berlin, was a creative way of depicting additional international tensions alongside the main storyline revolving the US and the Soviet Union. One of the things that I found to be interesting was the way Abel was treated in the first third of the film. Although perceived to be the enemy, the way Spielberg focused on the nations opinion of Abel and Donovan as influenced by the media, is an insight into society today. We are so quick to judge when we're told the verdict by our 'trusted' media. For example, the drama surrounding the Making a Murderer series on Netflix. Many assume they know right from wrong, guilty from innocence because they've seen one, 10 part docu-series that has publicly acknowledged it's biased content. A nice touch was when the film circled back on itself. The final sequence mimics an earlier one where we first see the public opinion of Donovan and his work. But this time, he's given a polite smile of gratitude before gazing out the window to be reminded of his time in Germany.

Tom Hanks, whom I most recently saw in a Carly Rae Jepson music video, was great. I cannot fault his performance. He certainly stood strong and proud, as I suppose we would wish of any lawyer defending human rights. I think what struck me about his performance was that the role wasn't noteworthy. In fact, the story could be considered lack lustre too. Hanks brings attention to the film because of his existing reputation as an actor and performed well in a role that could have been overlooked had it been differently cast. I think as Hanks grows older, we will continue to see him tackle similar roles. Lawyers, fathers, officials of some capacity. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

I enjoyed this film and it's interpretation of the real events. Do I think it was Oscar nomination worthy? Perhaps not. The film was well constructed, acted and its themes were compelling. But what I felt the film lacked was punch. It didn't leave me speechless or, better yet, wanting to talk about it until my throat hurt. Having just seen the Revenant, this felt like it had a more subtle impact. Perhaps my opinion comes down to timing. Had I seen it before DiCaprio's film, I might have felt differently.