"I believe it's time for another piece of papaya." If there were ever any words to inspire me to write on a Monday night like tonight, it's probably these.
It's too bad the papaya is over. I'm not in the mood for grapes, which is highly unusual. Oh well, apples and oranges.
I just watched 'Never Let Me Go', a "... 2010 British dystopian drama film based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel of the same name."
I could quote a little more Wikipedia but it will suffice to mention that this movie is about a world in which cloning is a means to improving longevity thanks to live human specimens acting as donors. Basically your average Tuesday afternoon fleeting hypothesis. It's been done before in 'The Island', but I think this film does it better. The story is more compelling and possibly even relatable because of the stellar acting and also because wearing spandex and having an odd coloured drink with Scarlett Johansson seems less than real.
Anyway, so this movie isn't half bad. Andrew Garfield is a fine actor. I saw him first in the spectacular Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and I can't help but think he's going to go on to live a very wealthy life thanks to the success of The Social Network. I don't usually review movies here because of the frightening number I watch and it simply wouldn't be fair. And I'm not about to start. Well, not just yet anyway.
This piece is, instead, an ode to the lovely Carey Mulligan, who has me terribly and irrevocably smitten.
I first met this enchanting thing in 'An Education' and she hasn't left my mind since. She plays a nearly 17 year old school girl with an exceptionally bright mind, a fair talent with the cello and a penchant for all things French (bourgeois). In a time when educating oneself was the proper thing to do for a young woman, this character begins to ask questions way beyond her years. Her dreams of going to read English at Oxford start to fall to pieces upon meeting a charming and worldly older man, a Mr. David... who leads her into a tale of romance and excitement, the likes of which she had only imagined. (It's worth noting here that Peter Sarsgaard plays David... an amazingly talented actor himself.)
The movie is actually based on the true story of British journalist Lynn Barber and the 'education' she received before exiting her teenage years. The movie is terrific... but more so, this Carey Mulligan is where the gold is. Her eyes are filled to the brim with fantasy and those little dimples complement her timid smiles all too well. Like magic.
Honestly, so cute and man, those eyes can hold a litre of water! There was this moment just before Jenny was being seduced by David... when I actually had to pause to see how old she is in real life! Proper protective feelings arose. One could say that's conservative, but let's just call it "normal".
So she's 25. Turning 26 in May this year, I know you didn't ask. People like her make me instantly happy. Actors who manage to familiarize themselves with you to the point that you forge a personal relationship with them... no matter what their role. They get in your head and become a part of your friend circle, as creepy as it sounds. I think it takes a special kind of talent to endear yourself to another person via celluloid.
Dustin Hoffman is a man who continually does that to me. He makes me feel comfortable and warm and I can't help but smile when he does... or become tremendously worried when he does, as in the case of Kramer vs. Kramer. Lately however, he's been doing fun roles... and even during voice overs like in Kung Fu Panda as Shifu, his Dustin-ness comes through like a wave of brilliance.
James Franco is definitely on that list. So is David Duchovny, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera and not to get too mannish here but so is Zooey Deschanel, Ellen Page and Penelope Cruz to name a few.
(Although I will admit women actors endear themselves to me for reasons besides their thespian skills.)
Gotta love Dustin Hoffman, though :)
No comments:
Post a Comment