#JonathanAris

[fabioemme78]

[therealmrpositive]

The War of the Worlds (2019)

In today's review, I find that early 20th-century earth might not spar well with aliens. As I attempt a #positive review of the 2019 miniseries The War of the Worlds #EleanorTomlinson #RafeSpall #RupertGraves #NicholasLePrevost #HarryMelling #JonathanAris

Often in sci-fi action spectacles, the aliens pose some threat, and then we kick their butt and send them with the tail between their legs. However, hardly any screen time left to focus on the momentous task of trying to rebuild society, after this world-ravage conquest. In 2019, almost a century after the groundbreaking volume of alien invasion was written, the B.B.C. produced a three-part…

[doomonfilm]

Review : Vivarium (2020)

With such a large selection of movies to take in during my race towards wrapping up 2020, certain factors help me make decisions in regards to which films take priorities over others.  Vivarium ticked several very important boxes while I was doing my research, with suspenseful horror, science-fiction and Jesse Eisenberg especially standing out.  I am certainly glad that I took these markers into consideration, as Vivarium thoroughly impressed me.

Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are a young couple looking to purchase their first home together.  After a brief and eccentric meeting with real estate agent Martin (Jonathan Aris), the couple is convinced to follow him to Yonder, a new development full of similar looking homes laid out in a labyrinth-like fashion.  Martin shows the couple a home marked No. 9, but disappears before Tom or Gemma are able to talk to him about their decision.  Seemingly stranded in the Yonder neighborhood, the couple tries to drive out, but find themselves stuck in a supposed loop that continuously returns them back to No. 9.  Frustrated and out of gas, the couple opts to stay the night to prepare for an escape on foot the following day, but after finding themselves victim to the same loop, Tom burns the house to the ground.  The couple falls asleep as the house burns, but when they wake up the next morning, not only is the home fully restored, but a baby in a box awaits them with the inclusion of odd, ominous instructions : “Raise the child and be released”.

Vivarium has a strange ability to seem vaguely familiar while also coming off as completely unique, at times reading like an extremely dark and less comical take on Groundhog’s Day, an updated version of the Twilight Zone, or a twisted Truman Show.  The Martin character exhibits a spider and the fly approach, luring his victims unknowingly deeper and deeper into his web until they are snared.  Similar to a spider’s web, Tom and Gemma find themselves pulled deeper in the more they fight the very unnatural events, up to the point that acceptance becomes the only way of coping with an unknown dark fate.  The touches of horror and science-fiction are present, though not heavily pronounced... the “hell is other people” approach runs vibrant throughout the proceedings.  Tom and Gemma do their best to rationalize their circumstances and find a logical approach to escape, but ultimately, find themselves taking shots in the dark at an unknown target.  The human struggle of trying to imprint our humanity onto the unfamiliar is also a vibrant driving force for the narrative.

The madness of repetition, the monotony of the mundane and the dark uncertainty of predetermination create a trident of suspense and psychological terror that not only cages our protagonists, but creates an unease in the viewer.  The pressure is turned higher when the “son” that Tom and Gemma are presented turns out to be a dark, sick cosmic joke in the form of absurdist, off-kilter mockery.  The fear of being put in unknown isolation is also a key, with Tom and Gemma having to result to defending themselves against a literal nothing through a back and forth of trial and error-based primal and routine instincts.  The cherry on top of all of this is the son, who is one of the creepiest cinematic creations to date as his innocent form reveals a psychological monster capable of grotesque divide and conquer games.

The bold, abstractly-styled pastels that adorn Yonder make the tone extremely uneasy, to the point where its painting-like “familiarity” is off-putting.  These pastels are so permeant that it gives the film a very uncanny valley feel, as if the characters are occupying a living and breathing painting.  The voyeuristic cinematography and artistic editing pitch the tension to feverish heights, making the viewer feel just as lost and hopeless as Tom and Gemma.   The score use is minimal, especially in the first half of the film, which not only amplifies the uneasiness of the silent moments, but makes the points where music does invade feel like lightning-charged moments of life.  The strong writing and performances create masterful tone shifts between fearful suspense and existential sadness.

Jesse Eisenberg brings an unfamiliar edge and sharpness to his performance that is normally used for comedy, but is embraced and ramped up to a standoffish, prideful level.  In opposition of this is the curiosity and need to understand presented by Imogen Poots, who has her own sense of brooding darkness the comes from the sly deceptiveness she wrestles for control of.  Senan Jennings uses a controlled and extremely directed still sinisterness that is downright unnerving when used in tandem with the vocal pitching.  Eanna Hardwicke is slightly less effective as an enlarged version of Jennings, largely (no pun intended) due to less post-production trickery usage, but he does use the foundation Jennings provides to continue emitting an aggressively unnerving presence.  Jonathan Aris and his calculated, off-putting behavior set a strong early tone for the absurdness to follow.  

Films like Vivarium are the reason that I like to try and play catch-up at the end of most years.  I went from knowing nothing about this film’s existence to having it place relatively high on what will be my top films list, and I know for a fact that I will revisit this film numerous times as the years progress.  If you’re looking for a quality movie that you may have overlooked, then Vivarium has you covered.

[yanarchy072]

・ ・ 『ビバリウム』観た。 ・ 短い文だが【ネタバレ注意‼️】。 マイホームが欲しいカップルが迷宮に入り込むだけのお話ではない。 ヒトという種にとっては危険な｢托卵(仮親)｣に陥るというお話。 ハッピーエンドを期待してはいけないほど皮肉と風刺がたっぷりな“ある意味”コメディである。 ・ #ビバリウム #vivarium #ロルカンフィネガン #lorcanfinnegan ・ #イモージェンプーツ #imogenpoots #ジェ��ーアイゼンバーグ #jesseeisenberg #ジョナサンアリス #jonathanaris ・ #ラビリンススリラー #labyrinththriller #サイファイ #scifi ・ #映画 #movie #ビバムビ #instamovie #moviestagram #instagood #instapic ・ #staysafe #socialdistancing #withコロナ #newnormal (TOHOシネマズシャンテ) https://www.instagram.com/p/CMY1wkqAHp8/?igshid=nqpzhpwjkc6k

[thehipsterzombiejointexperience]

#RepostPlus @obsessedwithmovies - - - - - - A new international poster and trailer for Amazon Studios’ upcoming bio-drama “Radioactive” have been released. The film, which stars Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley, Anya Taylor-Joy, Aneurin Barnard, Jonathan Aris, Simon Russell Beale, and Corey Johnson, was directed by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis, The Voices) from a screenplay by Jack Thorne (Wonder, A Long Way Down), based on Lauren Redniss’ graphic novel “Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout.” The film will tell “the story of Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie and her extraordinary scientific discoveries — through the prism of her marriage to husband Pierre — and the seismic and transformative effects their discovery of radium had on the 20th century.” “Radioactive” will be released sometime in 2020. What are your guys’ thoughts on the poster and trailer? #Radioactive #MarjaneSatrapi #RosamundPike #SamRiley #AnyaTaylorJoy #AneurinBarnard #JonathanAris #SimonRussellBeale #CoreyJohnson #JackThorne #LaurenRedniss #NewPoster #NewTrailer https://www.instagram.com/p/B2YWvYGjGTI/?igshid=11sei3d6h6xcg

[fangirllock]

So Jonathan Aris just confirmed that Anderson had “Strong Feelings™” for Sherlock and Anderson is bisexual.

[ledbytheunknown]

Some of my favorite photos i took with my camera. My camera got a bit of water damage last year so its a bit slow. But it still takes awesome pictures. #sherlock #sherlockedUSA #alisterpetrie #markgatiss #andrewscott #jonathanaris #wandaventham #timothycarlton

[kelly-mads]

#sherlockedUSA guests yesterday for the opening #markgatiss #stevenmoffat #suevertue #andrewscott #unastubbs #louismoffat #arwelwynjones #alistairpetrie #jonathanaris #sherlock #con #convention #sherlocked #bbcsherlock #writers #producer #actors #setdesign #filmmaking (at Los Angeles, California)

[undead-hamilton-blog]

♡♡♡ 👑 Aesthetic Two 👑 🐱 -Account Credibility @Undead.Desires 🐱 🌺 -Feel free to contact me for requests here or in my DM 🌺 🔥 -Tag me if you repost 🔥 🍒 Tags- #benedictcumberbatch #martinfreeman #markgatiss #amandaabbington #louisebrealey #andrewscott #unastubbs #rupertgraves #jonathanaris #vinetterobinson #tanyamoodie #sherlock #sherlockholmes #john #johnwatson #watson #mycroftholmes #holmesbrothers #johnlock #marymorstan #marywatson #mollyhooper #moriarty #mrshudson #greglestrade #lestrade #anderson #sallydonovan #ella #aesthetic #tumblr #sherlockaesthetic #sherlockfanart #fanart #johnlockfanart 🍒 👑 -Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/night 👑 ♡♡♡

[tayduagyllencevans]

Coincidence

I wonder if there are any Sherlock fans watching Stan Lee’s Lucky Man on Sky 1 because in episode two of series 2 that is currently airing a new character was introduced is a forensic examiner and the actor who plays this character is Jonathan Aris (Philip Anderson) and this episode starts with a gay couple in their stag party and one of them gets killed in what happens to be a hate crime the gay man that was killed was engaged to one of the detectives that works alongside the protagonist Harry( James Nesbitt).The episode was amazing. Anyway I love this series and the fact that Jonathan Aris is playing a forensic examiner is amazing and the character is quite funny.

[jyolight]

#sherlock #sherlockholmes #sherlocked #sherlockbbc #sherlockian #astrology #vedicastrology #signs #zodiacsigns #moonsigns #benedictcumberbatch #aries #martinfreeman #aries #markgatiss #scorpio️ #louisebrealey #aquarius️ #pisces #amandaabbington #aries #taurus #andrewscott #virgo️ #rupertgraves #virgo️ #libra️ #unastubbs #saggitarius️ #jonathanaris #saggitarius #larsmikkelsen #aquarius https://www.instagram.com/p/B-sW-_JHeBw/?igshid=trzd7nyt9qvs

[doomonfilm]

Review : Black Mirror - Bandersnatch (2018)

From day one, Charlie Brooker and the team behind Black Mirror have pushed the boundaries of what science fiction storytelling can be in the modern era.  Once Netflix jumped aboard, the budget and possibilities expanded vastly, and fans were left wondering what the future of the series held in store.  Rumors of a groundbreaking new season started to hit the circuit in 2018, but all of that subsided late in the year as word of a movie begin to spread.  Many of us were excited, but I am not sure if anyone was ready for the interactive experience that is Black Mirror : Bandersnatch.  

Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead) is a young programmer with visions of turning Bandersnatch, a book written by author (and killer) Jerome F. Davies (Jeff Minter), into a videogame where the user makes choices to move through the story.  Stefan presents the game to Tuckersoft boss Mohan Thakur (Asim Chaudhry) and famed programmer Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), who offer him the chance to finish the game for Tuckersoft and have it released to the masses.  Stefan accepts the challenge, much to the behest of his father Peter Butler (Craig Parkinson).  As Stefan spirals deeper and deeper into the stress that surrounds him and the game, his mental state begins to fracture.  He visits Dr. Haynes (Alice Lowe), which provides awakenings to his feelings about his father in light of his mother’s death, as well as medication that he takes to keep his mental state together.  As the deadline fast approaches, however, the pressure begins to get to Stefan, causing a series of choices and events that bring a world of grisly and ghastly possibilities.

The way that the illusion of control is celebrated within a film based on the entire principle of giving viewers choices is fascinating.  On top of that, we are dealing with a meta-narrative within a meta-narrative, as we are watching a video game programmer who feels as if they are being controlled create a game about choices based on a book where readers make choices to navigate the narrative.  The subtext of medication and psychoactive drugs as control devices creates a sense of paranoia and an unsure nature that makes both Stefan and the viewer equally lost.  On the surface, it appears as if the majority of the choices lead to one inevitable conclusion with a few revisions, but I imagine that if you stray far enough off track without derailing the story, other strange endings will emerge.

That illusion bleeds into the realm of choice equally, with most every aspect of the narrative tainted by false choice systems or choice-based regrets.  The story of Stefan’s mother’s death not only cripples him emotionally and poisons his relationship with his father, the reality of the event being put into question puts him over the edge.  The dreams and flashbacks initially seem like indicators, as Colin mentions briefly, but upon further reflection, they come off more like skewed justifications for horrible actions.  The entire narrative seems to loop back around to a handful of key points, and these serve as the splinter points for things to shift direction.

The stark colors not only work as emotional cues, but they blend together as if they are slightly programmed, blending the line between reality and programming quite well.  The choice system that Netflix gives works well, with the pauses built into the performances for viewers to make selections masked as seamlessly as possible.  There are easter eggs abound throughout the film that further blur the chronology of events with the Black Mirror canon.  For such a lofty concept, the writing is sharp and connects together throughout, sometimes even breaking narrative structure altogether to force viewers to choose between difficult extremes.  The option to dig around amongst endings upon conclusion of your viewing session is cool, but the system lends itself to repeat viewings with gaps of time spacing them out.

The world is peppered with a number of individuals, but a handful of performances in particular stand out for this particular project.  Fionn Whitehead’s measured reluctance, troubled spirit and eventual fractured emotional state are all portrayed confidently and assuredly, many of those beats shifted within the space of a scene.  Will Poulter and his offbeat nature work well in contrast, as you’re never quite sure how aware he is of the overall meta-situation.  Asim Chaudhry takes what could have easily been a trope of a character and injects it with just enough personality to make him equal parts endearing and sleazy.  Craig Parkinson hits all the proper beats of a concerned father who has no idea how their kid truly resents them, and even plays into the twist-tone that is briefly presented in one of Stefan’s dreams.  Alice Lowe invokes the spirit of a therapist quite well, to the point where you slightly forget she is an actor.  Appearances by Tallulah Haddon, Alan Asaad, Jonathan Aris and Jeff Minter also stand out.

I very much look forward to watching this one a few times over in hopes of not only seeing if I can decipher a pattern, but uncover some of the crazier endings I’ve heard of.  As a one-off idea, Black Mirror has a bonafide hit on their hands with this one. 

[tramp963]

#Vivarium, #2019s, #Trailer, #directedby #LorcanFinnegan https://buff.ly/2Rntrhs #movieby #JesseEisenberg, #ImogenPoots, #JonathanAris  #scifi #mystery #movies

[darkstorm1720]

I'm watching The End of the F***ing World 2x08 "Episode 8" @JesssyBarden #AlexLawther #SteveOram @ChrissyBotto #JonathanAris @happygeeklove

[ledbytheunknown]

Jonathan is such an amazing guy! Super sweet and nice. #sherlock #sherlockedUSA #jonathanaris #anderson

[kelly-mads]

All my lovely #photos with the guests! #unastubbs #andrewscott #markgatiss #alistairpetrie #stevenmoffat #suevertue #jonathanaris #arwelwynjones #timothycarlton #wandaventham #louismoffat #sherlockedUSA #convention #bbcsherlock #con #sherlockholmes #losangeles #sherlock #photoop (at Los Angeles Airport Marriott)