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When Valerian and The City of a Thousand Planets came out last year, the film was met with an overall shrug of the shoulders. Luc Besson’s return to the sci-fi stylings of The Fifth Element didn’t herald the results that he wanted. However, there are a few champions of the film, me included, that feel it deserves a second chance.
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Based on Brian Selznick’s children’s book of the same name (who adapted his own story for the screenplay), Wonderstruck has two separate stories which are shot in their own individual ways. The sequences that take place in 1927 are shot in black and white, with music helping to recall back to the Silent film era. Whilst in 1977, the orange hue recalls the era of The French Connection and Taxi Driver, a gritty urban New York.
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It is going to be hard for me to write this review without first touching on the obvious. Firstly, this isn’t as good as Moon. Secondly, Netflix needs to sort out a theatrical release model. Thirdly, Mute does not deserve any of the hate that some critics have thrown at it. Finally, whilst not wholly original (to be fair, what is?) Mute draws on its influences, wears them on its sleeve and proudly shows you a story worth telling.
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An opening moment with Luke Skywalker sets the tone of the film. A closing shot that sets up what’s to come and what Star Wars means to people. Shots of striking beauty and composition. There are moments of sheer awe. There is more than one shot in the film that grasps hold of you and doesn’t let you go.
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Straight away Rian Johnson dumps us into the world of Looper. He trusts the audience with the information about Time Travel, the shift in time periods, and the faith in the timelines present.
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From the opening shot, to hearing the narration, there is a sense of fun and lightheartedness to The Brothers Bloom. Rian Johnson’s tale of con-men starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel Weisz and Rinko Kikuchi.
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Nathan Johnson’s syncopated composition plays over the screen. A reaction shot of a dead girl lying in a stream. A sad face contemplates what has been witnessed. Brick starts as confidently as it goes on.
