Anyone who is wondering if Guy Ritchie might have lost his edge as a result of a long hiatus since Rocknrolla can be assured he has not! The latest of his iconic films Gentlemen is an illustration of the tone, wit, rapid-fire dialogue, and intrigue that has endeared previous Guy Ritchie films to his fans. His stories tend to glorify the archetypes of his fictional, British gangsters. This film continues this trend and maintains the unique colloquial diction interwoven into the plot which electrifies the story. There is also a use of a multi-media of sorts to illustrate lengthy descriptions and exposition to boost the mood along the way. While I was watching this movie in the theatre, I was titillated with the idea that this is the first time to watch this movie that I know I will see time and time again.
Finch and I grabbed a bowl of spicy Japanese ramen in the shopping district near my home, then beetled over to the cinema to catch Shazam . This film is full of surprises for me. The first surprise is that it is a fantastic film. I was expecting a middling action film that tries a bit to hard too compete with Marvel films. The comedy was set up well, and easily interlaces with an inviting conflict. Both actors portraying the edifice of the main character did a great job of creating a combination of a single character. Levi stole the show as a convincing fifteen-year-old inside a 38-year-old super-hero. The second surprise is that the school that the boys attend is filmed at the same location of my rookie year as a high-school teacher in Toronto. It's not much of a fact, but it endears the movie to me a bit further.
Finch saw the Italian film Loro, and got me a ticket to see it later on in the Film Festival, since he knows that I quite like the writer/director, but also as he told me at a party, "I need someone to talk about it with!" The film is both literal and allegorical to the same end - that our politicians are greedy and manipulative, and it's destroying our lives and the world that we live in. It was, to an extreme, not in excess, a lot of T&A, but as an essential part of the world, part of the story. As my wife who had also seen the film put it as I was out the door to see the movie, "Watch out for your boner....". The main character's acting was invigorating. The imagery and symbolism were wonderful and confounding. This is one of those great films that once watched, the viewer is now able to begin digesting the message. On the downside, I think it will be difficult to find the second half of the film here in Busan.
Comments
Post a Comment