The Bride!: I had heard and read a lot of negative reviews about this Maggie Gyllenhaal produced, directed and written film. I wanted to watch with an open mind and see how it goes. The cast is extremely impressive with recent Oscar Best Actress Jessie Buckley as the starring role, quite a coup for Maggie to secure her before her award. But also included in this cast is Christian Bale (as Frankenstein), Annette Bening, Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard (Maggie’s husband) and her brother Jake. With all this talent, then the story carries the day. For those who recently watched the Guillermo del Toro Frankenstein, you will be familiar with the basics of the Mary Shelley story, where Victor Frankenstein creates a human being from pieces of many dead bodies and then treats this human (the “Monster”) terribly. We learn that the real monster of the story isn’t the Monster but the doctor himself. The Monster learns about life through his interactions with humble people, and he actually seeks a companion because he is lonely. The story here is not written by Mary Shelley herself. She was 18 years old when she wrote Frankenstein the book, and it was published when she was 20yo. She died at the age of 53yo, without ever having penned this. Maggie Gyllenhaal decides to use, however, the Mark Shelley writer to impact her film. The story begins in black and white with Mary Shelley herself addressing the audience and wishing that she created a real monster. She will possess a female character, also played by Jessie Buckley and prepare for the creation of the Bride. This woman meets with an accident after she has a manic and rambling evening at a local popular restaurant and watering hole. She offends a few people with her rants, which at times seems almost like Tourette Syndrome.
We move forward to the Frankenstein character walking through those same streets of Chicago in the 1930s. Frank is dressed like Dark Man with a fedora, long black jacket and a scarf to hide his face. He is in town to meet up with a reknowned doctor, played by Bening who he thinks can assist him with creating a mate/life partner. She chooses to help him and things move quickly from there. Things happen. There are many scenes of movies and Frank attending movies, mostly with Jake G playing singing and dancing Ronnie Reed. There are dream sequences where Frank pictures himself in the movies that he watches and you see him projected on screen acting it out. It goes so far as to have Frank dancing with top hat and tux.
I didn’t like this. I can see where a lot of the bad reviews come from. The movie really isn’t sure what it wants to be. There are elements of horror, with hideous looking people, but then there’s modern music thrown in with dancing at a hedonistic club that the Bride takes Frank to convince him to dance. He refuses and then she dances provocatively which garners unwelcome sexual attention, in an aggressive The Accused type way, and then violence ensues, with Frank taking matters into his own hands. It is an odd turn but puts these two then squarely on the run and wanted. The scene moves from Chicago and then onto New York City oddly. The tone then becomes one of Bonnie and Clyde, which carries on. Penelope Cruz works as a detective, although without the title with fellow detective Peter Saarsgard. This is the 1930s and women are not put in positions of power and importance. The detectives are tracking down the monsters who have become media sensations, with copycat women lashing out against male authority. The women in the film are the most clever and competent throughout. The men are boors, criminals and creeps. The Bride herself is an agent of chaos and wants to be ungovernable. We learn more about her story as it unfolds, but when we do we are so confused that it falls flat and we don’t really care. I like the actors here. I wish that they had more to work with. Sadly, there are themes which shift and a tone that is inconsistent. Do you really want to cheer for Frank who will negatively impact the life of a deceased woman solely because he feels lonely and wants company? Does she have any say in this? Clearly we see that she does as she plays with it all out. There is plenty of violence and gun-toting. Given the explanation above and references one can surmise where the films goes. But ultimately the final act has Detective Cruz allowing for something else to occur. I cannot recommend and I am glad that I didn’t spend any money to see this. I look forward to the next Jessie Buckley effort because despite the weak storyline, she plays realistically a manic person. She looks at times like Cruella De Vil and that is unfortunate because it puts other inferred characteristics to her.
Anniversary: “The pen is mightier than the sword” written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839. This dystopian modern tale speaks of an American society in the future that is shaped by ideas from a young University student and makes the adage seem very appropriate. The whole film is clothed with a modern upper middle class family with a husband and wife with their four children. Mom is played by Diane Lane who is a professor of political science at Georgetown University. Her husband, played by Kyle Chandler, are celebrataing their 25th wedding anniversary in their backyard with family, friends and guests of the children. There are three daughters and a son. Bossy eldest daughter is married and driven with her husband. Son Josh, next in line was an aspiring writer who has a new girlfriend, Phoebe Dynavor, who he is completely smitten with, and who turns out was a former student of Mom. Next daughter is a well-known actor and comedien, while youngest daughter is a free spirit who is interested in the natural world and sprcifically biology. The family is well connected with good banter celebrating the love of their parents. The outlier early on seems to be Josh who is hoping that a new girlfriend can provide some well-needed direction for him.
Mom is on edge with this new girlfriend for Josh, but manages to place her as a former student who had some rather radical ideas that Mom feels are dangerous. Principally there is advocating of a single party system within the United States to have the government truly represent the collective will of the people. On its face, it doesn’t appear to be very democratic. The girlfriend leaves after a tension-filled conversation with Mom, and leaves a book behind. It is her manifesto called Change. Time passes and we see that the very popular book brings about wealth and influence for Josh and now new wife. She arrives at the family house pregnant. There are exchanges where the potential dangers of this new movement, which includes a new American flag with the blue field with stars in the centre with the stripes on either side. Middle daughter in entertainment is shown being on stage and speaking out against the Change, and she is attacked on stage. This is first of many situations which occur to the family members. While John and wife embrace this movement and become more arogant about its power, the rest of the family sees this as a threat and are minorities on the other side of it. A gang mentality overcomes in a Nazi-like way with threats, coersion, vandalism and a collective group of people feeling as though there are those with them and those against them. Steadily the impact on the family becomes more catastrophic including Josh, and the rest of the girls in the final act.
We have seen movies like these before. Having recently re-read 1984, I see familiar patterns with people (from fear or blindly following a leader) looks to control others. The fundamental principles of that society crumbling around them, like Rule of Law, and the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. This is a cautionary tale of speaking out and speaking up to forces which look to undermine a fragile democracy. Diane Lane is good, but the performance of Josh and his wife (Change Leader) are caricatures. Josh takes on a look of entitlement and arrogance, speaking at one point with his father extremely bluntly with direct threats. I can’t say that I recommend this. I think that there are better films that address the same dangers. The “Census” workers interogating the couple in their own home, and threatening them in the event that they don’t fully cooperate is a chilling exchange.
Mondays With Robbie 