M&M: Big Fish

Dear reader,

imagine you've got an egoist and story teller as a father. He's so much an egoist and story teller that even in his speech at your own wedding, he tells stories of his own childhood, instead of something nice about you. Can you imagine how that would be? Well, if the answer is “yes”, you might have an idea of how Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) felt at his wedding in the movie “Big Fish” from the year 2003. The result is not surprising: Vater, Ed Bloom (Albert Finney) and son don't talk much with each other or if they do, it's through the mother, Sandra Bloom (Jessia Lange).

Until that day when the mother calls the son, to tell her that the father is going to die and he should come by for a reconciliation. The son then goes to his parents. He is accompanied by his wife, Josephine (Marion Cotillard). She didn't hear the stories of the father and she's curious. So he gets another chance to tell his adventures.

The younger Ed Bloom is played by Ewan McGregor, who has a striking resemblance to Albert Finney as the old Ed Bloom. Which was in fact the reason why Ewan McGregor got the part. Also part of the movie is Helena Bonham Carter in no less than three roles: the young and old Jenny as well as the witch. Danny DeVito can be seen as the circus director and Steve Buscemi might also be known to some film enthusiasts, to name only a couple of other stars of the film.

With all the fantastic and wonderful adventures, you might almost forget why the son actually went to the father. But the end is as sad as it is funny. Even after his death the story of the father's story is by far not completely told.

Behind every story is also some truth. Just how much truth in the case of Ed Bloom, you'll have to find out yourself by watching the film. Altogether I'd say that the film makes a skilful, successful balancing act: the life of Ed Bloom is not quite normal, but also not totally far-fetched. This film might bring back people, who themselves have listened to the parents telling stories to the children or parents, who have and still tell stories to their children. I believe that especially Ewan McGregor, who was able to play all the adventures of the young Ed Bloom, had certainly fun making the film. At least it seems like that for me watching the film, but also when I watch the extras and “behind the scenes” and Ewan McGregor as well as the others involved talk about it. Speaking of involved in the film: the film music was composed by Danny Elfman, like it was for (almost) all Tim Burton films. This Tim Burton film is not as scary as most of his other films. But it is a varied collection of many smaller, mostly funny stories in one single film.

Until next blog,
sarah 

M&M: Stay

Dear reader,

in 2005 the movie “Stay” came out, one of my favourite movies. The story is somewhat dark and the ending is frustratingly open. What I like most though are the visual elements: the use of colours and transitions from one scene to another. Also I like Ewan McGregor and Ryan Gosling, who are both playing the lead roles in this movie.

Ryan Gosling is playing Henry Letham, a young man, who we see driving a car at the beginning. Then a tire blows and an accident happens. Cut. He's sitting on the street and as the camera moves away from him allowing us a wider view of the scene, we see the car burning behind him. He stands up and just walks along the street.

The psychiatrist Dr. Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor) had a bad night and overslept. But this should only be the beginning of a couple of very strange days for him. On the university campus he meets his friend and teacher Lila (Naomi Watts), who asks him what's wrong. The neighbours baby kept him awake. Lila is confused. The neighbours are 80 years old. Sam takes over for a sick colleague, among her patients is also Henry. He doesn't like the fact that suddenly someone else is his therapist. Is his therapist unable to cope with him and let that other one take over? But eventually Henry opens up and tells about his plan: “Saturday. Midnight.” That's when he's going to kill himself. On his 21^st birthday.

Over the course of this movie, we see Henry and others driving in a car. Those scenes in the car are from a different time or indeed a different world(?) than the rest and in fact most part of the movie. I think I don't anticipate too much, when I write, that Henry in fact was badly injured during the car accident and is about to die. The psychiatrist “story” is all in his head and is his way of thinking whether he wants to live or die. He wants to live really. Otherwise he wouldn't have gone to Sam for help, who is in reality the driver of another car and now is giving first aid. Another woman, who Henry in his mind makes to be Sam's girlfriend, checks the car and tells him that the others are dead. Many things and people in the movie are twisted in Henry's head and used for the reality in his mind. Finding those things, what is used and how and finding what's reality, makes the movie fun and interesting for me. Henry's full name is Henry Letham. Letham being an anagram for Hamlet. A young woman, who served Henry a couple of times in a diner and could maybe help Henry is also actually rehearsing for a Hamlet play.

Some wonder about the ending and what Henry's choice was in the end. Because we never actually see whether he is dead or alive. Many are certain that his decision is obvious however. Watch the movie and make your own decision about that. For those of you who like rather calm soundtracks “Stay” might be one for you. It was written and played by Asche & Spencer.

Until next blog,

sarah

M&M: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Dear reader,

based on the book with the same title by Paul Torday the film came out in 2011 with Ewan McGregor as Dr. Alfred Jones, Emily Blunt ad Harriet Chetwode-Talbot and Amr Waked as Sheikh Muhammadin as leading roles.

The sheikh is a fishing enthusiast and wants to be able to fish salmon in the jemen. So he hires the financial adviser Harriet to take care of that. Now she contacts the fishing expert Dr. Alfred Jones. At first he thinks this is all a bad joke. But Harriet is on fire and Alfred has many difficulties, to bring this project to an end. Alfred doesn't have much of a choice but to take part, the british prime minister's press secretary forces him to, after she realises what a project like this could mean for britain, should it succeed. Alfred and Harriet soon turn this into a sort of game. All just in theory, of course, because salmon fishing in a desert area like the yemen is pretty crazy. Alfred one by one puts high requirements on Harriet for the project, in the hope that she has to say it can't be done... and Harriet fulfils them without an exception. Through this salmon project Alfred and Harriet get closer to each other. Alfred has a wife, but she thinks about her own career a lot and with that their emotional relationship has gone rather cold. Alfred has a wife though... Harriet on the other hand met the soldier Robert only a couple of weeks ago. He's now stationed in afghanistan. Then she gets a message that Robert has gone missing. Is that the chance for Alfred and Harriet to get close? Everything seems to go well, the fish are swimming and the sheikh can go fishing. Just then Robert is back and for PR-purposes he gets flown to Yemen to Harriet as a surprise for her. But that project of salmon fishing in the yemen has gone too well so far. A small group of rebels don't like that there is a dam for fish for the oh so open-minded sheikh to be able to go fishing. They blow up the dam and then everything seems lost for the fish. But is it really? And who will Harriet go for: Alfred or Robert?

It's a lot of fun to watch Harriet and Alfred together, the way they interact with each other. First how they're working all in a theoretical way and against each other and then work with each other and for salmon fishing in the yemen. Maybe sometimes what it needs is people, who are bound and determined and a big, nearly impossible project to work on step by step and for starters purely on a theoretical level. In the end it may just really work for real. A very beautiful film about the possibility of (seemingly) impossible projects.

Until next blog,

sarah