Tag: sam mendes

I’m just a poor wayfaring stranger. “1917” (2019)

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directed by Sam Mendes
© 2019 Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

This film is officially my favourite production of 2019. Personally, I’m not a fan of war films, but I decided to see this one because of its numerous nominations. And you know what? I think The Academy should just throw all the Oscars at Sam Mendes, the cinematographer Roger Deakins and everyone who worked on this production. I don’t see the point of having the ceremony, because no matter how good last year’s productions were, this is an absolute masterpiece of cinematography. The story is partially based on Mendes’ grandfather’s stories, Alfred Mendes, who was a messenger for the British. The film starts with two young soldiers, Will (George MacKay) and Tom (Dean-Charles Chapman), getting and order to deliver a message to Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) from the Second Battalion. It’s an incredibly important message, because according to General Erinmore (Colin Firth), they should call off the attack that is planned for the following day. Apparently, it’s a trap and around 1600 people may die. There’s no other way to communicate with the that second battalion so Will and Tom are the only hope to stop the possible massacre. It’s even more important for Tom, because his brother serves in that battalion and if they don’t manage to inform Colonel MacKenzie, it’s almost sure that his brother will be killed by Germans. The two soldiers begin a very dangerous and long journey across the territory where Germans used to station. It’s said that they are gone, but nobody’s 100% sure. As I said, for me it’s the best film of 2019. Not only the story is interesting, the script is very well-written (no unnecessary scenes), but the camerawork in this one… this should be taught at schools. When it began, I thought “Okay, the guys are walking, but there’s something strange here, I feel it”. Then I realised they’d been walking for quite some time and there hadn’t been a single cut. And the longer it took, the louder that voice in my head was screaming “Come on, this long shot cannot be THAT long”. The whole film is made of several long shots which are so well edited and connected, that we may feel as if the whole story was presented in just one shot. Absolutely magnificent! Sometimes I had chills thinking how they’d done it. The camera could squeeze in a narrow trench, then go through a crowd of soldiers to suddenly fly over water. You may say that now they have an advanced technology for that, but still, I believe it takes a lot of creativity to tell a story in such wonderful way. I’m truly amazed and, despite some other good productions nominated this year, I see no other option – “1917” is the best film of 2019.

My rating: 9.5/10
S.

Where is the love? “Away We Go” (2009)

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directed by Sam Mendes
© 2009 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

Since we have the V day today, I decided to share with you some romance or romantic comedy to get you into the mood of this overly cute holiday. However, recently I haven’t seen any of those kinds. Or rather haven’t seen any worth recommending. That’s why I’m taking you back to 2009 when this story was created. As always in such films, we have a couple. This time they are Verona and Burt. They are about to have a child soon, as Verona is pregnant, and they decide to search their place on Earth, where they could buy a house and start the family. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy when someone writes a very realistic script. What I absolutely loved (keyword for today) about this film is that they presented such a true struggle of young couples. They love (keyword) one another, they share every minute together, they are like pizza and extra cheese, you know what I mean? But the problem in the story is not their relationship, but the reality around them. They live in a… “house”, they don’t really have money to buy anything, their family aren’t willing to help them (even when a small guy is on the way)… basically – life. I honestly hate those lame love (KEYWORD) stories that make you feel like “Are you kidding me? When does that happen? Where? To whom?”. This one, I could relate so much! Perhaps because it’s a “child” of Sam Mendes, the “father” of “American Beauty” (1999) and “Revolutionary Road” (2008), two amazing productions. And despite presenting quite depressive reality, the film can be pretty uplifting, no matter if you’re single or in a relationship. It makes you believe that life, even in a relationship, is not black and white, but there’s a lot of grey that can be quite beautiful if you’re really in love (KEEEEYWORD!).

My rating: 7/10
S.