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The French Dispatch (2021)

Official poster for The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson (art by Javi Aznarez)

It was the evening of October 31st, 2021, Halloween. Too old to trick or treat and too young to drink the night away, my girlfriend (Elizabeth) and I decided to spend the Sunday night watching the newly released Wes Anderson flick, The French Dispatch. Scrambling to our theater with a butter-filled bag of popcorn, an unnecessarily large cup of an off brand sprite-like soda, and some obscure vanilla candy Elizabeth picked out at a Winn-Dixie; we found ourselves completely alone in the theater — the best feeling ever. What transpired for approximately the next two hours could only be described as the most fun and magical time I have had in a theater in forever!

All of Wes Anderson’s previous works all seem to have come together for this ultimate culmination that is a beautiful love letter to journalists and France. This is the same for all of the actors involved. Wes Anderson must have dialed every single phone number to have brought this many people together. If you have watched his previous films, many of these faces will seem familiar such as Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, and Tilda Swinton. Some minor characters are also played by very recognizable actors, but I shan't spoil that for the blind readers. In addition, there are some fresh faces which I welcome very much such as Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, and Benicio Del Toro.

Image from <<https://www.javiaznarez.com/the-french-dispatch>>

More than a love letter, I believe this film captures how much Wes Anderson would like to have sexual relations with the culture and landscape of France. I do not blame him. The film is obviously visually inspired by many classic French films such as Jean-Luc Godard’s La Chinoise and Jacques Tati’s Mon Oncle.

I am a big fan of the narrative structure that this film follows — an anthological retelling of stories being written for ‘The French Dispatch’. The newspaper within the film is a French outpost for an American publication company based out of Kansas. All the writers have such different charming character moments within their own stories; nailing in the idea that these are journalists doing what they love. I was particular in love with the characterization they gave Jeffery Wright’s character in his story, which is clearly reflected in the way he writes the story. 

I really do wish I could have seen what the day-to-day operations of The French Dispatch outpost were like aside form the very short introduction, however, I understand it would have been difficult to fit something like that in there in an already crowded movie. Which, by the way, I understand how some may feel that this movie can feel over-crowded at times or a bit much when it comes to Wes Anderson’s visual language. I, however, being the ignorant optimist that I am, completely enjoyed the vast and uncompromised nature of Anderson's vision at work. It’s comforting to know he isn’t willing to double down on what makes his films so unique.

The French Dispatch is, one, a Wes Anderson film, and two, a great film at that. I will definitely be revisiting this movie for the years to come and will be loving it every time I do. This movie gets the first ever BADGE OF APPROVAL by moi, Luka Terselich. One more thing, the amazing New Yorker-like poster art you have been seeing revolving around this movie and this here blog post is from artist Javi Aznarez. He worked on a multitude of illustrations for the film which can all be viewed on his website @ https://www.javiaznarez.com/the-french-dispatch. He also worked on a special “Aline” music video with Wes Anderson directing it as well. Definitely go check it out! Welp, that is all folks, watch this movie, let me know what you think, and do take care! <3

[cinemalang]

The Tragedy of Hollywood Trailers

If there is something that really sucks, it’s modern trailers for blockbuster movies. I’m sure a majority of us can agree that the current cinematic landscape does not gain anything from these copy and paste trailers. I believe clever and creative marketing can reduce the need for an expensive trailer that already reveals too much of a movie to its future audience anyways. If it was up to me, I would lure my potential audience in with teases of the world my film takes place in, give them a little taste of what it would feel like to see the movie... I mean shit, if it was really up to me, I would film whole scenes dedicated to marketing just to not use them in the final cut. One of my personal favorite trailers is for EVANGELION: 3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME. An anime movie recently released, this trailer uses a song and no actual audio from the film to present to you an immersive experience for what is to come. It doesn’t bother mouth-feeding you plot points and characters moments. This is a topic that I would like to revisit and delve deeper into.

EVANGELION: 3.0+1.01 THRICE UPON A TIME https://youtu.be/GZfuWMDEJpw

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Funny video XD

[cinemalang]

Cocaine Cowboys (2006)

Image from <<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380268/>>

Growing up in Miami, it would be difficult for you to escape the stories and images of Miami’s past. Embedded within the media, the buildings in the city, and in the memories of those who have lived here for the longest. If you have family in the city you might even know someone who knew someone involved. Involved in what? Involved in some of the largest drug cases in U.S history with profits in the billions. If you would like to see Miami at its most wild wild west, I suggest none other than the classic documentary Cocaine Cowboys. Directed by Billy Corben, this documentary tells the story of drug lords and gangsters running 1970s/80s Miami through their enriching cocaine importation. Told through the eyes of several key characters during the era, the documentary displays Miami as how it used to be and how it got to where we are today. What surprised me the most is how much that era of South Florida influenced what is the core foundation of current day Miami. I especially recommend this documentary to anyone who grew up here in South Florida but has yet to delve into the history of the city, especially one that is portrayed a countless amount of time in different forms of media.

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Saint Laurent’s Visual Flair

Image from << https://www.thecut.com/2021/04/saint-laurents-strange-short-film-french-water.html >>

One of the reasons I find myself so attracted to the brand of Saint Laurent is primarily due to the consistency within their visual DNA. Two shorts from the brand sit on the top of my mind. A 9-minute short called, “French Water”, and a 8-minute glamour piece named, “Summer of ‘21″. Directed by Gaspar Noe, Summer of ‘21 is a thrilling display of Saint Laurent beauty with its warm colors and gorgeous setting. Walking about are some of Saint Laurent’s most iconic models wearing the brand’s latest garments in all black. French Water’s star studded cast includes the likes of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Indya Moore, Julianne Moore, Chloë Sevigny & Leo Reilly. Directed by Jim Jarmusch, this short features a dreamlike sequence full of cool tonal blues front and center. The short itself, focuses on our characters attempting to find each other after a party late at night, with the waiter offering them “French water”. All in all, these shorts make for pleasurable viewing experiences which I believe, serves the Saint Laurent brand a unique signature look within a medium beyond fashion.

SAINT LAURENT - FRENCH WATER : https://youtu.be/f1Sty3Crl2E

SAINT LAURENT - SUMMER OF ‘21 : https://youtu.be/Dd5vHr-RJPg

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CASTELLO CVALCANTI (2013)

Image from <<filmforone.wordpress.com>>

With the recent release of Wes Anderson’s newest film, The French Dispatch, I decided to revisit one of my personal favorite pieces of work by the director. CASTELLO CAVALCANTI is a seven minute short directed by Wes Anderson for PRADA. Starring Jason Schwartzman the film takes place in a small Italian village. A race is being held with part of the track taking place through the middle of the town center. A café off to the side hosts a number of the village locals where they await the passing of the cars. The picturesque setting is accompanied by pleasantly composed shots, colors popping off their surfaces, and witty dialogue; all signature elements of a Wes Anderson visual. One will often forget that this is a PRADA advertisement. A wonderful mixture of fashion and cinema, this brings together two of my favorite worlds together in a hidden gem I wish more people would appreciate. If you haven't already seen it, do yourself a pleasure and watch it whenever you can. 

CASTELLO CAVALCANTI can be watched through this link here: https://youtu.be/b87B7zyucgI

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Dune (2021)

Image from <<dune.fandom.com>>

Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 space epic Dune is a must see for every science fiction fan out there. This is especially true for fans of the original Dune novel from Frank Herbert. Last night, I caught a screening of the film in Imax and let me just say, this film is every bit worth the attention it is receiving. Denis’s vision is front and center in what seems to be part one of an epic trilogy. The visuals are outstanding and other worldly but also grounded at the same time. Dragonfly like helicopters breeze across Arrakis’s desert and massive brutalist cruisers boom overhead with a prevailing presence. Many of the film’s criticism come from the abrupt ending, however I believe the ending leaves for a perfect avenue into part 2 which has been recently announced. Dune: Part 2 is set for release in 2023.