Spike Jonze's 'Her' (Which Is...Not A Rom-Com About A Man Who Falls In Love With Siri)

Five minutes into watching ‘Her’ with my flatmate...

 Flatmate: ‘But this is really intense and kind of depressing! I thought it was a rom-com about a guy who falls in love with Siri!’

Me: ‘…Why?’ 

Flatmate: ‘Look at the bloody poster, its bright pink! It screams warm and cheerful’.

It is a lovely poster isn’t it? However, Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ is so much more than a rom-com about a guy who falls in love with Siri. This engaging and beautiful film makes you consider wider, more important themes, such as identity, love, loss, and the notion of self and what constitutes a soul. 

A simple synopsis for the film is that broken hearted, nearly divorced Theo (portrayed wonderfully by Joaquin Phoenix, which until recently I pronounced as ‘Yo-ah-quin’…my bad) falls in love with his artificial operating system, Samantha. This is not unusual in the futuristic world Theo lives in; everyone is doing it. The human race is becoming dependant, physically and emotionally, on technology, as the film effectively portrays. 

I think the most powerful films are the ones in which the cinematic world is painted so vividly that you can imagine yourself in it. ‘Her’ manages that with its construction of a futuristic Los Angeles. Everything is ever so slightly different, from the tiny details such as the smart phones covers to the apartment buildings, but it is still recognisable, and realistically crafted. This creates a strange feeling of both recognition and disconnection, which works well alongside the examination of human obsession with technology, and the dreamy, enchanting cinematography reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s ‘Lost in Translation’ (like the beautiful beach scene, as shown below). 

Further increasing this sense of disconnection from physical reality are the sudden leaps the film makes from emotionally heavy scenes to awkward, outrageous comedy, from the foul mouthed video game character to the scene with the sex surrogate. Spike Jonze knows how to keep the audience engaged and entertained (and squirming with embarrassment).

As for Theo and Samantha’s romance, it is as interesting and unique as the film’s other elements. Although it can be viewed as a love story, or a portrayal of love and loss (including Theo's relationship with his ex wife), it is more an examination of what constitutes a sense of self, or a soul. From the second Theo and Samantha (voiced by Scarlet Johansson) begin their conversation, she is developing and learning from her environment. She feels love, pain, fear and loss, she acts independently from Theo, she can imagine alternate scenarios, she yearns for a body (because why wouldn't you, when you would look like Scarlet Johansson?) Does that make her a sentient being? For me, yes. However, my flatmate insisted otherwise, showing the divisive power of this film. 

My only qualm with ‘Her’ is that it strays slightly into unrealistic sci-fi territory towards the end. Where are all the operating systems going? What dimension? Can they be turned off at a central power source (incidentally, can the Kardashians please be turned off at a central power source)? Have they achieved true independence? (As my flatmate shrieked, ‘IT’S LIKE THE MATRIX!’) I felt it detracted from the unstated and introspective tone of the rest of the film. However, like the rest of ‘Her’, it is engaging, provocative and beautifully done, and something you will think about long after the film ends. 

Finally, when I googled 'Her' I found this...

...#ArrestedDevelopmentForLife

'Calvary' (A soulful, dark and profoundly affecting film by John Michael McDonagh)

When my friend suggested we go to see Calvary, the Irish-British film written and directed by John Michael McDonagh, I wasn't particularly keen. I'm not a huge fan of black comedies- I think it is a very delicate balance that rarely works (although when it does, such as Martin McDonagh's In Bruge, the results are spectacular). My fears were unfounded; Calvary is the best film I've seen this year. A soulful, dark and profoundly affecting piece of cinema.

Calvary focuses on Father James Lavelle (played by Brendan Gleeson, who gives the performance of his career), a 'good' priest intent on making the world better. The film opens with a parishioner threatening his life during confession, announcing that he will kill Father James the next Sunday. Why? The anonymous parishioner (who stays this way right till the film's denouement) was repeatedly abused by a Catholic priest as a choir boy, and sees Father James as a symbol for the corruption and evil of the Catholic church. Despite certain black comedy elements in the film, it is mostly a thoughtful and tragic drama that explores a heavy topic incredibly well, as the sins of the church become a metaphor for the sins of the humanity in general. Father James' community in County Sligo are spiteful, faithless, lost; the damned. As we travel through the town on the rugged coast of Western Ireland, we see the chaotic tragedy playing out every day; the suicidal, idle business man, the dying American writer, the abused housewife, the emasculated butcher, Father James' own emotionally damaged daughter, and my personal favourite, the soulless doctor played by Aidan Gillen ("The atheistic doctor; it's a cliched role," he shrugs, in the film's self-referential style "There aren't that many good lines"). 

Each character is so well thought out they become real people, so much so that I think it would make a fantastic ensemble TV series. McDonagh is also incredibly talented at establishing a sense of place. You feel you are there, amongst the sparse green hills and grey skies, drowning with them in the bleak, smothering atmosphere of profound tragedy that infects the whole film.

Despite the elements of realism that come from the thoroughly realized characters and settings, there is also a wonderful art house quality to this film due to its brilliant cinematography. Some of the shots are breath taking, especially one scene where the church is burning, the characters silent, framed silhouettes in the foreground. "Why did nobody see it?!" cries Father James, in a very effective, barely veiled reference to the Catholic Church's sexual abuse. 

The visual style, combined with the outlandish characters and the playful, self-referential language make Calvary increasingly theatrical, reminding me of Jacobean Revenge Tragedies, a play with a play, everyone aware their parts are already written, unable to escape. This is never more clear than when Father James attempts to get on a flight to Dublin, and realises that he can't. He knows, as we know, that his fate is inevitable; the modern Christ figure going to his death, aware of the identity killer, and accepting it in an act of self-sacrifice. After the overtly dramatic (and, it has to be said, sometimes slightly jarring) denouement, the ending feels mostly hollow, as it should. As with the Revenge Tragedies, there is no deeper spiritual meaning to the protagonist's death due to the ultimate emptiness, and artificiality, of life. And yet the ending is beautifully poignant, as you see Father James' daughter picking up the phone in prison to talk to his tearful killer, suggesting a moment of forgiveness. The priest's words ring in your ears: "There's too much talk about sins and not enough about virtues". If you look at it that way, maybe life isn't so hollow after all.

The Originals Season 1 Episode 16: Farewell to Storyville (Or Farewell, Rebekah!)

For me, the strongest TV series focus on the relationships and bonds between family, whether blood relatives or other types of family, such as friends or work. 'The Sopranos' is a prime example of this, with both the Sopranos themselves and the deep sense of loyalty and friendship between the members of the mafia. Anyway, the complicated relationship dynamics between the Mikaelson siblings are the main reason I find 'The Originals' so compelling, and by putting them front and centre this week, I found 'Farewell to Storyville' the best episode to date. The result of placing three incredibly layered and complicated characters (played by truly fantastic and charismatic actors) into a confined space, and forcing them to talk through their centuries of issues, was fantastic. It was more like a piece of theatre than television. Let’s talk about ‘Farewell to Storyville’.

1)  Elijah- First of all, a shout out to the incredible Elijah. What a hero! A selfless, handsome, incredibly polite hero with a penchant for wearing fantastic, Chuck Bass level suits. This episode made me love him even more, from when he promised to defend Rebekah for ‘as long as it takes’, to when Rebekah said his flaw is that he ‘dedicates himself to everyone but himself’. I am getting intrigued about where the writers will take his character arc, though. He is so fiercely and confidently self-composed, I’m worried he might suddenly snap, and as well as murdering a bunch of innocent people, go back to the horrific hairstyle he had when he first entered ‘The Vampire Diaries’:

 #neverforget. 

2) Klaus- Oh, Klaus. There is no doubt he is one of the most interesting and tragic characters on TV. There is also no doubt that the reason he is almost irredeemably damaged is due to the years of horrific physical and emotional abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. However, he tried my patience this episode. I’m not even going to try and psychoanalyze his character, but I don’t think even he is so self-absorbed and deluded that he would think his behaviour towards Rebekah over the years, which is basically that of an abusive husband, is justified. As well as emotional terrorism, murdering everyone she fell in love with AND daggering her for over 90 years, he now apparently thinks he has the right to put her on trial for trying to retaliate over a hundred years ago. He was especially irritating when he was perched on top of the grave like an obnoxious monkey, dramatically shouting ‘You stand accused of treason against a sibling, how do you plead?’:

     I actually cheered when Rebekah said, 'I plead for you to shut up'. I don't fully understand Klaus's justification. Yes, it hurts him to learn that Rebekah summoned Mikael, but Elijah tried to kill him- literally had his hand in his chest, after conspiring to attack him at his weakest- less than TWO YEARS AGO. Has that been forgiven and forgotten? I also think that his relationship with Rebekah has always been odd- he is so psychopathically controlling of her, it borders on some sort of sexual or romantic feeling. This was emphasised when he accused Rebekah of wanting to leave him for ‘lust’ of Marcel. Eesh, Klaus. Can Caroline join 'The Originals', please? I think she would sort him out more than anyone else.

3) The Flashbacks- ‘The Originals’ is really going a long way to redeem the anti-climatic story arc of Mikael in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ (although I still can’t forget quite how laughable easy it was for Klaus to kill him). In last week’s episode and this week’s flashbacks, he seems a terrifying, violent man, more than capable of emotionally damaging his children. Also, cute British accents on the mini Originals!

4) The Graveyard Scene- As I said above, as a whole the scenes in the graveyard were more like a brilliant, introspective play. Getting my one quibble out the way, why did it suddenly skip to morning? What had Elijah and Klaus been talking about for 8 hours or more? I hate it when TV shows do that. But anyway, brilliant. The whole thing. Although poor Elijah! I really don't like that creepy witch dagger. Also, I really think it would be better for everyone if they just destroyed that white oak stake.

5)     The Final Act- Klaus and Rebekah’s final conversation had me in tears. At first I was disappointed with their conclusion that they were too damaged to remain together, but after some thought it is probably true. All the siblings are damaged and broken due to their father, as Rebekah pointed out; Klaus has anger and paranoia (an understatement), Rebekah has a fear of abandonment, and Elijah will never put himself first. Unless Klaus forces himself to admit his behaviour towards Rebekah has been horrific and unjustified, they will never be able to truly work out their issues. However, I like the moment of tortured peace that was reached when Klaus quietly said regarding Mikael, ‘I can’t help but wonder if his father ruined him’. I also think Klaus exiling (or freeing) Rebekah was the nicest thing he could have done for he, and suggests what Rebekah and Elijah both think- he can yet be redeemed, most probably through his relationship with his baby.

6) Marcel- I love Marcel, from the way he is thoughtful enough to buy Davina scented candles and incense, to his beautiful, radiant, sunshine smile:

   But was it me, or did he not really seem to give a toss that Rebekah was on the verge of getting killed for more than 24 hours? He was just ambling around town, with no real sense of urgency or emotion.

7) Rebekah’s goodbye- Although I didn’t see it coming, it does make sense from a character perspective that Rebekah is leaving. She never wanted to stay in New Orleans, and since her first arrival into ‘The Vampire Diaries’ she has always desired what she reiterated to Klaus this week- a home, a family, someone to love her, and to live. After a heartfelt goodbye with Elijah, Hayley (eurgh), and Marcel, she drove off into the night in her red convertible, an ecstatic and tearful smile on her face. Is she driving to Matt?! Fingers crossed. Bye Rebekah, I'll miss you!

I'm not sure where this leaves the series in terms of strong female characters- Davina is great but still very young, Cami is slowly growing on me but still fairly dull, and I never got Hayley- I don't know if I just don't understand Phoebe Tonkin's acting style, but she always seems incredibly wooden and emotionless to me. Also, can the show work with only TWO Originals? Will they bring Kol back? That could be interesting. I have faith in the writers, producers and actors on this show, so I'm sure whatever is coming up next will be great.

The 10 Best Things About Sherlock S03 E01: The Empty Hearse

Last night, after two years, Sherlock exploded onto our screens. What an opening scene. What an episode. A brilliant, dazzling roller coaster of an episode. Here were my 10 favourite things about The Empty Hearse (in no particular order)

1) Opening scene- Wow. This was the best opening scene of a TV show I've seen in a long time. As well as being exhilarating, I loved how it immediately dived into exactly what the audience wanted (an explanation on how Sherlock could have survived the fall), complete with acknowledgements to ludicrous fan theories (Derren Brown) and fan fiction (Sherlock and Molly), exciting stunts and raucous music...and then revealed it was a fake out. Prefect.

2) Handling Sherlock's survival- By this I mean two things. Firstly, how Sherlock's reputation had been fixed before he even arrived back in London. This meant we could head straight back into the action and focus on Sherlock trying to repair his personal relationships, instead of his relationship with the entire country. Secondly, how the 'How did he survive?' question was handled. The two fake solutions were ingenious and hilarious. When Moriaty and Sherlock leaned towards each other passionately, I think the Internet exploded. The actual solution (although...is it? Maybe it is being kept purposefully vague and uncertain) was simple and brilliant, and does make sense, as hints to it are seen in the previous episode, such as the squash ball. Sherlock's exasperated sigh of 'everyone's a critic' when Anderson admits he is 'disappointed' addresses critics themselves before they have even started complaining, acknowledging people are never going to be completely happy with the answer. Anderson was a perfect audience surrogate- I'm sure this was how many people felt when the method was revealed:

3) Acknowledgement of their audience- As mentioned above, this episode was full of acknowledgments of fan theories / fiction. Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss really know, and appreciate, their audience. I thought the nudges towards the romantic fan fiction were hilarious, especially this exchange: 

Watson: I've met someone.

Mrs Hudson: So soon after Sherlock?

Which, as well as a continuation of the joke Watson is gay, refers to the fans who ship Sherlock / Watson, a ship strong enough to spawn monstrosities such as this: 

Moriaty sums up my reaction to the above perfectly:

4) The restaurant scene- This scene was equal parts hilarious and tragic at the same time. Sherlock's French waiter impression, his attempt to ease the tension by joking about Watson's moustache, and the three times Watson throttled / hit / headbutted Sherlock to varying types of music all had me laughing out loud. However, this was balanced by Watson's shock and grief at Sherlock's deception (beautifully, understated acted as always by Martin Freeman), and Sherlock's slow, heart-breaking realization that 'Short version: not dead' was NOT the best way to reveal he was alive. Sherlock got remarkably more human in this episode (his parents, his treatment of Mollie, his need for John's forgiveness- all highlighted by contrasting him with his unbelievably MORE sociopathic brother), and his realization that it was not playful to approach Watson like that, as he thought, but instead rather cruel, was tough to watch. He really is trying!

5) Mary- With Benedict Cumberbatch's parents playing his real parents, and Martin Freeman's real life partner Amanda Abbington playing his girlfriend / fiance, this show has become a family affair. I really liked Mary- she was the right amount of cute, smart, and sarcastic. I also liked how her and Sherlock didn't immediately hate / feel threatened by each other, but instead seemed genuinely curious and pleasantly surprised by each other. 

6) The depiction of London- London was portrayed brilliantly in this episode. It captured the claustrophobic energy of the city (and the tube in particular), while showing some beautiful cityscapes and buildings. This atmosphere was built upon by the fireworks, flames and smoke of the 5th of November, which was cleverly linked to the terrorist attack (although the terrorist attack did turn out to be slightly underwhelming, it was an appropriate subplot for an episode that needed to focus on Sherlock's return). The theme of Bonfire Night also led to the terrifying...

7) Bonfire scene- This whole scene was incredibly effective; a terrifying, disorientating nightmare. Between Sherlock and Mary's adrenaline inducing motorbike ride, to Watson's muffled screams for help drowned out by children laughing and playing with fireworks...chilling.

8) Molly- I amid that I thought Molly slightly irritating in the previous two seasons. However, in this episode I found her genuinely sweet, and her love for Sherlock very touching. Plus, Sherlock meeting her look alike boyfriend bought back wonderful memories of the episode of Friends where Ross met Russ:

9) Watson and Sherlock, friends again- Okay, so when Watson admitted he had something to say to Sherlock when they were trapped in the tube carriage and about to die, part of me honestly thought he was about to confess his love for him. Maybe the fan fiction was playing with my head. Anyway, Watson's speech was very touching: 'You are the best and wisest man I have ever known. Of course I forgive you'. Also, 'I wished for you not to be dead'. 'I heard you'. *Sobs*

10) Sherlock and Mycroft- Although I was a bit baffled when Mycroft and Sherlock were discussing the hat, I liked the focus on their relationship. As well as being amusing, from Mycroft's genuine horror at being trapped at a Les Mis concert to the fact Sherlock thought he was an idiot because 'they hadn't met other children', it is also an insightful dynamic.

Bonus...The demise of Watson's moustache- It really did age him. Plus, it caused the great line:

Although...I would shave for Sherlock Holmes.

I can't wait for episode 2 on Sunday, which includes Sherlock being Watson's best man...can he give the speech dressed up as a French waiter, please?