Movie Monday: Fight Club

On January 31st, 2017, I wrote a Movie Monday post that echo's some of the thoughts I am about to share. The difference is, that in 2017 I felt comfortable in sharing my feelings and being out spoken. Fast forward to present time, where life is quite different and many have started using code words to avoid the sen sir. So hard to believe this is occurring in 2022, in what once was the land of the free.

What felt like doom and gloom after the 2017 election was just a primer for what was to come. Auspiciously, the film Fight Club, released in 1999 and directed by David Fincher, also reeks of the searing burnt flesh my soul was feeling back then. 

Watching Fight Club again, in the winter of 2022, is uncomfortably prophetic. It is a masterpiece of film making, which like the original Blade Runner, was castrated by critics at the time. Yea, its gritty, dark, bloody and muy, muy macho, so much so that most sensitives and feminist's won't be able to sit through it. I don't plan to share any spoilers, just in case you haven't read the book or seen the movie.

What makes this film brilliant, besides the impeccable acting by Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter, is a combination of Fincher's direction, stunning visuals, brilliant editing with an equally brilliant sound track. The original novel the film is based on was written by Chuck Palahnuik. Published in gluttanous 1996, a young man is confronted with the emptiness of his life as a white collar worker. Set mostly in an edgy, city environment of nocturnal animals, similar to the underbelly of Batman's Gotham City, the story telling and dialogue are smart as we are shown a picture of just how tragic modern life in a bustling metropolitan city has become.

The film reveals more about our lives than is comfortable to confront, particularly in the hindsight of current reality, as more and more people fall into depression and suicide rates continue to escalate. Fight Club is a symbol of what happens when the masculine completely loses its soul, where the lower chakra runs the show, where boys never grow up and humans blindly follow a Trojan Horse or Emperors without clothes. The main character lives a soul less life, living within a concrete grid without the benefit of dreaming. He wonders through his life in a self induced somatic state, feeling small and worthless until the hip, confident Tyler Durden enters the picture. Tyler is everything our protagonist is not, sexy, handsome and energizing, he represents an even more dangerous persona than the lost insomniac. One of Tylers slogans is "empowerment through chaos & disruption", which as someone interested in personal growth, I totally get.

The prophetic aspect of Fight Club includes the destruction of buildings via controlled demolition by a group of terrorists. Consider that the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 10, 1999, two years almost to the day the Twin Towers came down.

There is also this idea of "fighting" that we all must ponder. Why are we fighting each other, doesn't it make more sense to fight the beast among us instead? Is the true monster a difference of opinion, blue versus red, or is the true monster the corporate regime that has blinded and muzzled us? As some of us attempt to fight back with small or large acts, we are met with individuals in daze of righteousness and obedience, often resorting to childish name calling.

Getting back to the film Fight Club I am intending that we will rise above the some of the ugly aspects in the film that are mirrored in our everyday lives, such as being ruled by a patriarchal system, the feeling of living a soul-less life in a somatic state and a need to slay each other. The real task before us is to shine the light on what is lurking within our own shadow realm, inside of us. What is it that keeps us feeling separate from our fellow human beings. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to:

• Use our ears in proportion to our mouths
• Understand each others point of view
• and, perhaps most of all, pay attention to your inner voice not what is being broadcasted.

It's a very chilly and windy evening on this last day of February, I am aware that the planet Uranus, associated with revolution and the unexpected, is square to Saturn. This placement is auspicious and signals change during these intense and turbulent times. Instead of staying safe, I practice cultivating love, peace and aligning with The Green Knight...cutting off my head (the ego / monkey mind) and operating from the heart.

Opening image from the San Diego Comic Con in 2014 ©Roxana Villa, screen shot of Brad Pitt found on the web from the film Fight Club.

Movie Monday: When Life Imitates Art

Do you ever get the feeling we are living a Sci-Fi film? Besides pondering such concepts as: am I living amidst a bunch of muggles or zombies, topics from alchemy creep into my mind, like am I really co-creating this reality and if so why? Is it to experience the shadow and fear on a  level that the current masses have not yet lived through? Is it the adjustment that needed to occur for balance as we continue to move out of the Kali Yuga cycle, is it a test to see if humans can move out of fear and create balance?

There is also a point of view referring to "timelines", frequency fields shared to me by a view intuitive folk that have visited the perfumery. It was explained to me that many individuals here on planet Earth are stuck in 3D timelines and are not experiencing what those in higher timelines are experiencing. Here is what has been shared with me:

"The lower timelines have dropped away but people are still living in them because they keep creating them everyday. Many of us feel very blissful as the energy waves come in and we completely feel out of place with anyone or anything in the old timelines. This is what is creating the bifurcation. The split in the road where you choose to go one way or choose to go the other. We met critical mass of 10% of the higher frequency folks about 2 years ago so we are able to use our magic for many different things now in our New Earth which we have created. Some will still move up into
the higher frequencies but the process is very slow for them and may take decades more.
Higher frequency folks should shift completely in August, that is our latest intel."

And then there is the really strange things that are worth considering, like an episode of the Dead Zone TV Show titled Plague, which aired on July 13, 2003 which mimics exactly what we have going on now! Pretty weird. Is life imitating art or vice versa?

Human imagination is a powerful tool, a doorway, operating from the right brain. Symbols and signs beckon us to view a different perspective, an alternative way of perceiving the world, beyond the pragmatic left brain….and the news media. Part of being human is the capacity to reflect, shift our attitude and deepen our wisdom. It’s a balance between remaining grounded, and deeply experiencing the tough stuff like grief and sorrow, deepening our compassion and empathy for others. If we plant ourselves to deeply in the bedrock of the left brain, rather than the creative right brain, our heart we miss the full the experience of being creative and fully enlightened human being.

Here is a list of some thought provoking films, add your favorites in the comments.

Solaris (1972) by Tarkovsky, any of his films are thought-provoking and reflective. Like many Eastern European and Russian artists, his work is steeped in symbolism, coming out of the terrain of the right brain with themes of: childhood, dreams, memory, metaphysics, etc.

Space Odyssey
Altered States
Matrix (1)
Contact
Fight Club
The Fountain
The Fall
The Truman Show
Donnie Darko
Minority Report
Twelve Monkeys
Vanilla Sky
Edge of Tomorrow
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Cloud Atlas
Orlando
Inception
The Great Year
Mr. Nobody, which is a tribute to Blind Chance, a 1987 film written and directed by famed Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowsk

and one of my absolute favorites: Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch

Artwork: ©GregSpalenka

Movie Monday: Phantom Thread

On Friday evening Greg and I headed over to the Violet Crown to see Phantom Thread, the latest and supposedly last film of the formidable Daniel Day-Lewis. He portrays Reynolds Woodcock, a British couturier in 1950's London with impeccable taste and a rather extreme and demanding temperament. If I were to choose an astrological sign for him Virgo comes to mind with his obsession to detail mixed with a bit of the cardinal signs of Capricorn and Aires who tend toward control. This compulsion for attentions to intricate parts of a whole, intense work ethic and commanding others is inherent in most genius artists who are committed to mastery and a defined aesthetic, Coco Chanel is a great example.

The film is beautifully rich, threaded with symbolic messages which hid themselves at first, presenting themselves on a conscious level as I continued to ponder and savor all the little details carefully stitched throughout—literally and metaphorically.

Film maker and director Paul Thomas Anderson co-wrote and produced this glamour packed, elegant morsel with Daniel-Day, previously the two had collaborated on There Will Be Blood (2007).  Mr. Anderson also undertook the role of "director of photography" which leads one to speculate that he himself contains some of the same eccentric devotions to quality we see in Mr. Woodcock.

The film also stars Vicky Krieps as Alma, his strong willed, young muse and Lesley Manville as Cyril, the very discerning and observant assistant and sister. Both Alma and Cyril have a similar look, which before I knew of the brother/sister relationship, had me speculating that the two red heads may have metaphorically been aspects of the same character. Something else to note is that the word alma means soul in Spanish.

Viscerally compelling from the start where we get a glimpse into Mr. Woodcock as master craftsman in the fashion house of a post war, London master craftsman and his entourage of assistants as they arrive at dawn and put on their uniforms.

The exquisite scrolling, calligraphic title is what captured me instantly in the trailer, followed by the setting of Londons mid century, high glamour fashion world coupled with Daniel Dy-Lewis and Paul Thomas. The haunting soundtrack weaved throughout was composed by Jonny Greenwood.

SPOILER ALERT

Before continuing, I recommend to STOP READING from this point forward so that you can view this cinematic gem in pure ignorance of the spoilers I am about to share.

As we drove out of the parking lot of the theater, Greg shared that he found the film troubling and was left with an uncomfortable feeling. I on the other hand didn't have that impression, in my mind I thought how in a way it was a modern day Taming of the Shrew in reverse. And to be completely honest, can see how in a partnership there are all sorts of issues going on simultaneously as each person makes concessions, or not, for the other—or over time one becomes resentful of the other. Relationships, especially close ones, are extremely complicated, as I am sure you are keenly aware of. To be the wife of a celebrated artist with a healthy ego can be anguish, daunting and constantly work on your own self esteem, it demands you to stand up and be heard, even when the other has no interest in having his shadowy self revealed.

So, where Greg was made uncomfortable, I relish Alma finding her own way of dealing with the bully and bringing him to his knees in an act of equanimity.

Another intriguing aspect that came to mind was how Alma, symbolic of the creative, circular womb, would go out into the forest to harvest mushrooms. I thought about how in many of the old faery tales untamed nature is so often needed to bring restoration to a life out of balance. There is also the concept of the mushrooms acting as a detox.

I'm sure as I continue to contemplate Phantom Thread and see it again and again, more of its inner linings will be revealed.

Movie Monday: Epic

The 2013 animated film Epic, by Blue Sky Studios, is loosely based on the children's book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs by William Joyce. Why the marketing department at Fox choose to go with Epic as the title instead of The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs or just plain Leaf Men is difficult to understand. But alas, most marketing decisions are archiac to those of us who dwell in the land of imagination.

Writer/illustrator William Joyce has authored over fifty children's books, received an Academy Award for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and three Emmys for Rolie Polie Olie.

Although the Epic film received mixed reviews from the critics, I thought it was absolutely wonderful, crafted with a rare beauty seen in American animation. This little gem, in my opinion does not contain the over stylization of humans and over the top songs, seen in so many animated features these days. The creators did add an annoying pop songsat the end—but at least one can turn the volume down when watching from the luxury of your home or device.

The critics main challenge with this viscerally rich film was that they'd already seen this story, citing Fern Gully and Avatar as examples. I read a few reviews which felt the characters appeared very "plastic-y and doll-like", where as for me they looked so much better than the plasticine-like characters that Disney churns out of their profit driven animation factories.

I was captivated with the depiction of the wee fairy folk in the forest, particularly the leaf men and their arch nemesis, a Boggan named Mandrake. The lighting of the scenes, character textures and costumes, and the fantastical depiction of nature in all her glory, including decay. Perhaps the critics are correct, this is a story that we've heard told over and over again, but humans are dense, slow moving creatures who need to hear things over and over again, particularly when the subtleties of nature are competing various forms of technology and an onslaught of loud, gore driven media.

Movie Monday: Blade Runner 2049

The original Blade Runner is one of my husbands absolute favorite films, he owns every version that has ever been released, including two copies of a few of those. I'm a fan too, but not quite to that extent. My draw to the sequel was mostly curiosity after having seen the trailer and heard the hype amongst our artist friends, along with being a fan of Ridley Scott and Denis Villeneuve. Greg and I both saw the original in the theater back in 1982, it was one of those films like Star Wars and the Matrix that caused a ripple in artistic direction.

"Ryan Gosling plays an LAPD officer heading for an encounter with Harrison Ford’s Deckard in a film whose sheer scale leaves you hyperventilating" ~ The Guardian

Although Santa Fe, New Mexico isn't quite the "movie town" that Los Angeles is, we do have lots of industry people living here which is most likely why we have an awesome new theater called The Violet Crown Cinema located at the Rail Yard, the new arts district.

So, over a week ago now, we purchased our tickets online and headed over to a 10pm showing after making ourselves a delicious meal. Since Santa Fe tends not to be a "late night" we thought the show would be fairly empty, especially since we were the only ones in the theater when we bought our tickets online. To our surprise, by the time the film started the theater was almost filled from teens to the silver hair community like Greg and myself.

Blade Runner 2049 is an extraordinary visual epic, which had me gasping at rich hued landscapes, in fact I had a hard time keeping my convulsive utterances silent. The set design, use of color, sound and music push this lucid dreamscape into new boundaries of cinematic excellence. Even the opening scene with the Columbia picture logo suggests you are entering something visionary in film history.

The story begins thirty years after the first film in wasteland Los Angeles with Ryan Gosling and his very cool futuristic car. Gosling is an LAPD officer named "KD6.3-7" hunting first generation replicants. As I write this it occurs to me that this film , like the first, is going to be more for men than women Although not quite as patriarchal as the first Blade Runner, this futuristic dystopia is very male driven, despite several strong female characters like Lieutenant Joshi played by Robin Wright. My favorite scene is with a female character we encounter working with an insect in what appears to be a tropical forest, this is the only scene with nature and offers some hope due to her very creative power of imagination.

It's pretty amazing to conceive that the first film was based on the simple short story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Phillip K. Dick. Hmmm, could the middle initial in Phillips name be a reference to our protagonist?

Ryan Goslings character K is subjected to a “Post-Trauma Baseline Test” each time he returns from a mission where he responds to specific key words. The test contains a verse from Nabokov's novel "Pale Fire", a nice little piece thrown in to compound the mystery and captivate book nerds.

I couldn't help but remember of Somni-415 of Cloud Atlas throughout this majestic journey into a surreal nightmare that suggests humans and their need for greed and technology have led is down a very dark future. I didn't have a problem with the length of the film, 152 minutes, in fact I was thrilled that the eye candy continued for as long as it did and delighted in the slow pace of the journey.

What fragrances shall we associate with the dystopic worlds of the Blade Runner films, would they be the same or different? Dark, dusty, melancholic and lifeless are some descriptives that come to mind. Blade Runner 2049 references a tree which made me think of frankincense when I saw it onscreen. Since frankincense has a bit of a dusty element in some varieties that could work nicely as a note to build upon. My fragrances featuring frankincense would be Vespertina and Chaparral, which don't quite work. Perhaps Figure 1: Noir, what do you think?

Images: Stolen movie promotional material from various sites on the internet.

Movie Monday: Oscar 2017

I haven't done a post about the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards since 2013, due to a little window of time today I thought I'd contribute a few impressions about last nights award show.

Besides the massive blunder at the end, I felt the 2017 Oscar show was one of the best ever, at least as far as I can re-call. The goofy dance numbers and most, not all, the boring segments from the past have been removed. Thank you! Jimmy Kimmel's humor as the Master of Ceremonies, was extremely engaging and entertaining, on par with Ellen Degeneres.

The challenge and criticism of Mr. Kimmel, which in complete honesty I didn't even notice, was regarding his remarks in reference to ethic names. The small detail illustrates our evolution in the melting pot of the US. Clearly Jimmy Kimmel is a fairly open minded fellow, but not as conscious as he may think. We are living in an age and a country where respect of individuals and how we refer to them has become more obvious in peoples mind and criticism. The audience is not only those sitting in the audience but a very vocal public which will make there opinion know within seconds due to social media—no one can escape this.

Living in Los Angeles, still the main hub for the motion picture / entertainment industry, conversations relating to the field is in every molecule of the cities air. We breath it in whether we want to or not. Almost all of us living in this city of stars or angels, works in some capacity within the industry or knows people who do. Although I don't "watch" the news, listen to the radio or even forage on facebook, I am constantly hearing from friends, family and acquaintances what is transpiring in the latest TV shows, media outlets, etc.

My daughter Eve attempts to watch most of the films that are getting a buzz and those that are nominated. I, in turn, accompany her to see many of these. One film that I felt was excellent that received absolutely no attention by the Academy was Queen of Katwe.

Why this film was completely shunned is not clear to me, perhaps the film makers and distributors choose not to promote it with the same fervor that the others were. I was convinced that at the very least Lupita Nyong'o's portrayal of a single mother raising her children in a slum in Uganda would have received a nod. As much as I appreciate Emma Stone, her performance was not worthy of the golden statue. I also do not agree with La La Land receiving the award for best cinematography, especially when compared to Arrival, or even Moonlight.

When the nominations were first shared it was generally thought that perhaps the academy had chosen to make a nod toward La La Land because it was up-lifting. Well, hello, did they actually watch Hidden Figures? That was one heck of an uplifting film, and more poignant because it is based on real lives. This is a good reminder of how an "award" does not represent the best work.

MOST INSPIRING ACCEPTANCE SPEECH: Viola Davis, hands down!

I am most thrilled that Moonlight (eventually) won best picture, what a turn in the story, not necessarily very well done though. Generally turns in a story are a good thing in terms of story telling. That massively embarrassing moment at the end is going to be discussed for decades and will most likely show up in a SNL skit.

Another small faux pas was that the academy forgot to include Eliseo Subiela in the In Memoriam Tribute. Eliseo is an Argentine drama-science fiction film writer and director who received an academy award for Hombre Mirando al Sudeste, Man Facing Southeast, in 1986. Regrettably Eliseo left this plane on December 27, 2016.

I wish I could have been a little insect flying around the Dolby, formerly known as the Kodak, theater and sniffed what perfumes were being worn and by who. Perhaps the pre-show commentators will one day ask that question.

Some of the trends I noticed at this years award gala were fishtail gowns, lots of sequins and lace, velvet jackets on the dudes and a couple pretty eclectic hairdos.

Arrival photo: Paramount Pictures

Related posts
Movie Monday: 2013 Oscars

Movie Monday: La La Land and City of Gold

The doom and gloom of the election is settling in like a stinky unwelcome visitor, a bit like the scent in the 2015 sea glass green Prius I purchased two weeks ago. Since most of the people I choose to surround myself with wanted Bernie as our President and are, in general, very forward thinking artistic types, the current landscape is more than troubling. I've tried to throw myself into my work, sequestered behind the locked door of the beautiful aromas and romantic decor of the perfumery. The illusion works pretty well, except for that my health is declining, bills are piling up and patience is wearing thin. I feel like at any moment, life as I know it will end, which was almost the case on Saturday afternoon when a huge Pepper tree crashed across two lanes of Canoga, just seconds after I had passed.

Life as an artist has always been challenging, whether it was getting out of ones comfort zone by calling an art director for an appointment or standing in the corner of an important gathering where networking was the goal. Now however, the razor sharp edge of where I've built my world is a bit sharper than usual.

On the bright side, militaristic, social conservative views are a hot bed for art. In the 1980's, I was attending Otis Parsons Art Institute, located in the highest crime area of the City of Angles history. To illustrate how bad the neighborhood had become, the nearby lake at MacArthur Park would get drained regularly for dead bodies. Despite the political atmosphere, we had some of the most provocative art and social political illustration of that decade. I suspect that the next few years will be another fertile period.

For todays Movie Monday post, I thought I'd share two views of a Los Angeles which I live in and am far from. On one hand we have La La Land, written and directed by Damien Chazelle the fellow behind the brilliant film Whiplash. Regardless of the buzz I was not interested in seeing this film, mainly because I don't generally like musicals and it didn't appear to have much depth. Standing alongside La La Land there is the documentary City of Gold about restaurant critic Jonathan Gold.

I went to see La La Land because my husband Greg had heard from a friend he respected that it was good. Getting out of the studio and house for a film is usually a good thing and indeed was the case, however, I'm a bit surprised by how much the critics and the academy are loving this film. The movie industry generally adores films about themselves (except for Trumbo) which may be where the source of the love fest. It's also very possible I'm missing something because I actually live in Los Angeles, have a daughter who is an actor and just don't like those darn palm trees that keep showing up in films about LA!

The documentary about Jonathan Gold was a Netflix DVD that arrived by way of my actor daughter Eve, who like most millennials, have a very discerning taste in food. Is it a coincidence that the main song in La La Land is called City of Stars, yes it is.

Although the palm trees are once again overused, the documentary does a great job at capturing the grittiness and diversity of Los Angeles while telling the story of a Pulitzer Prize winning writer who really does love this city and its rich, ethnic food culture.

Overall 2016 was a pretty dry year for great films, why exactly this is the case is still a bit of a mystery, even after discussions with friends in the industry and out. There are still a few films on my list to see like The Lobster and When A Monster Calls.

Movie Monday: Vertigo

"The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them."

~ Alfred Hitchcock

When what I perceive as reality becomes a three ring circus I retreat to the inner sanctum of my being and great stories that remind me of the illusion of it all. I've decided not to engage in the current political theater and find a tremendous amount of peace by hanging with my tribe of like minded individuals, made up of a select group of artists and visionaries. I don't believe what I hear in the media and after writing two entire lessons devoted to alchemy for my class on botanical perfume, I've learned how easy humans can be controlled by fear. No thanks, next!

Along those lines, I finally have started watching more Hitchcock films. I know, it's ridiculous, but there you have it.

Alfred Hitchcock was born in on August 13, 1899 in London, England. He was extremely prolific and pioneered many styles of direction that have become a standard in visual storytelling. In 1939 he moved to Hollywood, after having worked as a graphic designer and writer for The Henley Telegraph followed by designing titles for silent films and eventually combining his skills to make films.

His first critical acclaim arrived in 1927 with the film The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, which incorporated expressionistic techniques he had learned in Germany. Vertigo came out in 1958 and is considered by many one of the best films ever made.

The main character Scottie, a newly retired investigator is played by James Stewart opposite the beautiful Kim Novak.

If you have not seen the film I recommend watching it without reading much and then re-watching it once you have read some of the literature about the film. The techniques Hitchcock used throughout the film are quite compelling, particularly when you then realize how he leads you through the scenes with expert direction. I've chosen not to add the trailer here so that, if you haven't seen it, you can have the experience I did.

For those of you with an interest in design, you'll love the opening sequence with graphics designed by Saul Bass, you can see it here: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/vertigo/ The costumes were done by the infamous Edith Head.

After watching the film head on over to this site for a good read and then watch it again. You'll also start to notice how many modern films use many of the styles Hitchcock evolved.

Movie Monday: MacBeth

The latest interpretation of the Scottish play MacBeth stars Michael Fassbender with Marion Cotillard. The scene opens with a breath taking shot of a pale faced child lying on a bleak landscape which the camera slowly pulls out from to reveal a pyre and group of sorrowful faces. A briefly alluded to snippet in this interpretation the violent story of a tyrannical Scot King.

Along with the riveting performances the director Justin Kurzel and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw have created a breathtaking piece of visual poetry. The slow moving adaptation veers from the traditional telling of story, removing and re-imaging scenes like the iconic witches.

Michael Fassbender embodies MacBeth so fiercely and profoundly that it feels like this is the role he was meant to play. At the very least he deserves a nod (nomination), if not oscar, from the his fellow actors who are part of the Academy of Motion Pictures. As a natural progression I am sure that soon he will follow up this film performance with one live on stage.

The contrast in the color script moving from pale foggy gray with small strokes of yellow to the fiery oranges and reds of war and savagery with languid wails of the hurly burley adding more depth to a cinematically beautiful piece of dark artistry.

Movie Monday: Trumbo, Spotlight and The Big Short

There seemed to be a large period of time for films that sounded appealing and worth going to the theater to see until recently. The film industry must think that people on the whole don't go see content driven movies during the Summer and early Autumn. During those months in 2015 we were hammered with plenty of animated films, romantic comedies, horror flicks and super hero movies, ugh! Remakes and ongoing stories from comic books have also been super popular.

Luckily "award season" is approaching and thus Hollywoodland is showing some of their gems under limited release in smaller theaters. Besides getting the film out in time for the awards the likely theory is that they are hoping for some word of mouth buzz before officially opening.

I've lumped Trumbo, Spotlight and The Big Short into one short review since these three films share a similar backbone. Each of these stories is based on actual events where we witness the ignorance of the masses and how power hungry, morally corrupt and greedy groups attempt to control their special interests. In one way or another what is depicted is fairly depressing content told in a provocative story, especially in The Big Short. Each film contains fabulous performances like Bryan Cranston playing the very witty and morally driven Dalton Trumbo, Mark Ruffalo as Boston Globe journalist Michael Rezendes and Christian Bale as the barefooted, awkward visionary Michael Burry.

Although I adored and sympathized the most with Bryan Cranston as Dalton Trumbo I was most affected by Mark Ruffalo in Spotlight. There was also an element of familiarity for me in this film since I use to illustrate for the Boston Globe and other publications back when journalism had balls and wasn't controlled by huge multi-national corporations.

Then there is The Big Short with a plethora of performances worth mentioning but instead lets discuss how absolutely disgusting it is that Wall Street is one horrific Godzilla of a monster is still playing puppeteer to our government leaders along with the pharmaceutical, food and other mega cartel sectors that kill the free market.

The issues in all three of these films disturb me to no end, but what I find even more troubling is that these type of stories are shared over and over with no collective awakening or shift in consciousness. It's pretty obvious that Michael Burry is indeed smarter and wiser than Alan Greenspan.

Movie Monday: Suffragettes

After filling orders and tending to customers at the perfumery today Eve and I went over to a tiny theater up the way that was showing the film Suffragettes for limited release in the US to gain Oscar qualification. (Sure is nice having Eve around.)

Based on true events from the late 19th and early 20th century, the movie tells the tale of the early feminist movement in London where women were forced to become foot soldiers in a battle to gain equal rights.

The tale is compelling and although we've seen it before there is a rawness to it that is fresh, likely due to director Sarah Gavron, screenwriter: Abi Morgan and a couple female producers. The all star, epic cast including Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter was phenomenal along with gorgeous sets, lighting and the costumes.

Back row (L-R): Sarah Gavron (director), Helen Pankhurst (great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst), 

Laura Pankhurst (great-great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst), Alison Owen (producer); 

front row (L-R): Abi Morgan (screenwriter), Anne-Marie Duff (actor), Meryl Streep (actor), Carey Mulligan (actor), 

Helena Bonham Carter (actor), Faye Ward (producer).

The costumes!! Let's drool over those a bit shall we....

"Patriarchal power is a problem, even in the hands of women who have lost their connection to matriarchal principals of love, beauty and nature. Sure, there was a female prime minister in England and now have a female running for president in the US, however what we fail to realize is that what we need is balance. "The Aquarian Age is meant to reconcile ancient dichotomies, to integrate male and female energies, and to coordinate heart and mind and right and left hemispheres of the brain. Wherever polarities exist, we have an opportunity to raise consciousness and find a higher perspective from which to view life-a more balanced position, if you will."1 

"Sure, a female president in the US would potentially give some hope to young girls but not when the lady is from a patriarchal tribe and has aligned her self with those outdated systems.  Based on recent events, we still seem to have a way to go don't we? The great thing about films of this sort that are told from a holistic point of view is they get us thinking out of the box and into the circle. We all live together in a very complex system with many points of view, ultimately things change when we are able to shift consciousness. Regrettably the shift does not come easy. In the last Movie Monday post the character Lucy says "Ignorance brings chaos, not knowledge." Indeed. Read more quotes from Lucy here.

Read about the history of the Suffragettes and the women behind the movement by following this link to Bio.

1. Crystalinks blog
Photos: UK film poster, group (via The Guardian), Emmeline Pankhurst Ribbon (via Wikipedia), Annie Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst (via Wikipedia) and assorted stills from varied sources on the internet.

Movie Monday: Lucy

This evening on my way back home from the perfumery and picking up groceries I stopped by the library to see if I could find an interesting film to watch this evening. Although I was hunting for Kingsman, I quite happily came across Lucy by Luc Bresson.

If you are a lover of sci-fi/ fantasy and french films, like me, you may recognize the name Luc Bresson from "La Femme Nikita" (1990), "The Professional" (1994) or "The Fifth Element" (1997). I picked up the film based on the trailer back in 2014, if I had remembered that Luc was the writer director I would have been even more anxious to see it! What had me since last Spring when I became conscious of the film was the tagline "The average person uses 10% of their brain capacity. Imagine what she could do with 100%."

As you know from reading this blog or my presentation at Bastyr last year or perhaps being one of my students, I am very much into accessing higher realms of consciousness. In my foundation year at Otis Art Institute, freshly and happily out of the confides of Catholic high school, I was a very hard working, focused student with the aim to be a hyperrealist illustrator like Gottfried Helnwein. In order to accomplish this feat I needed to get my drawing skills up which was accomplished by a teacher recommending Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain. That book accomplishment the task of shifting my way of seeing and thus heightening my draftmanship skills and got me super interested in how the brain works, which has stuck with me ever since. Thus the Matrix and Limitless being some of my favorite films of that genre.

Lucy has elements of the two films just mentioned and has subtle connotations to the re-emerging Gnosticism ideas of matriarchal culture. Clearly, Mr. Besson, has a since of this based on his pattern of choosing females as his heroines, particularly in the Fifth Element where

The story begins like a similar hero tale of an unsuspecting human who obtains super powers by accident The difference here is that the human happens to be Lucy, played by the beautiful Scarlett Johansson alongside Morgan Freeman co-starring as a brilliant brain scientist.

I found the film highly entertaining and wish it didn't end so quick! In the meantime I'm still searching for ways of expanding my consciousness. How shall we scent Lucy? Hmm, I'll choose Vespertina, since that is the perfume designed for the super hero who uses about 20% of her brain with the fragrance containing essential oils related to elevated consciousness.

Movie Monday: A Single Man

In 2009 fashion icon Tom Ford made his directorial debut with the gorgeous film A Single Man. Our man, who happens to be single, is the meticulous and handsome George, impeccably played by Colin Firth. The film is adapted from the 1964 novel by the writer Christopher Isherwood.

Winner of several awards, the beautifully styled portrait is one of those little gems of film and story that the masses seemed to be fairly ignorant of. In our household we devoured it like a freshly made key lime pie, I invite you to do the same.

Tom Ford is representative of those rare individuals that that has such a clear sense of design and vision that he appears to effortlessly move from one visual medium to another. Besides being extremely handsome, containing exemplary taste and attention to detail he is also an extremely warm and charismatic individual.

The costume designer for A Single Man is Arianne Phillips, best known for being Madonna's stylist. Ms Phillips has received Oscar nominations for Walk the Line and W.E. She is currently working with Tom on his next film Noctural Animals based on the book Tony and Susan.

Movie Monday: The Martian

Last night we met friends at Cafe Carolina for a delicious meal of gnocchi and filet of sole braised with crushed tomatoes, black olives, capers, garlic, and basil followed by a coconut and cashew torte for dessert. After enjoying a very satisfying meal and catching up on all our various adventures we headed further east to the 8:55pm showing of The Martian at the Arclight Cinema. My draw to the film was Matt Damon, I've adored him as an actor since GoodWill Hunting and The Bourne Identity.

The Martian is an intimate yet epic, outer space survival film set on Mars with themes of courage, tenacity and teamwork. The opening scene is set on the bleak landscape of the red planet with the astronauts gathering soil samples. Immediately one is struck by the awesome visuals coupled with warm, fun interplay between the crew members.

During the film Greg whispered to me, have you noticed the color scripting? I hadn't consciously noticed the shift in hues until he mentioned it, then I instantly became aware of the warm and dusty terrain with Matt Damon as Mark Watney versus the steely blue, grays on plant Earth and the Hermes space craft.

Based on Andy Weir’s fiction novel and with screenwriter Drew Goddard’s very geek-centric adaptation Ridley Scott once again manages to enthrall us with a heroic journey set on Mars. The character Mark Watley is a NASA botanist who is left behind by his fellow crew mates during a fierce sandstorm.

The botany piece and my feeling of being an astronaut each time I step into my bee suit had me even more invested in the thrilling adventure. Part of great story telling is when we can identify with characters. Don't we all want to be as courageous and savvy as Mark, work with a team of like minded people for something bigger than ourselves?

As you readers know, I am attracted to films that are crafted with beauty, content and leave you thinking. Add in some geekery with a courageous, inspiring character converts me to a fanatic! However, there were two items that left cold, the first is this obsession big industry has with its interest in colonizing other planets instead of focusing and fixing the problems they, the industrial complex, has created here on planet earth. I am not cool with going to a new planet and basically destroying it for wealth and profit. This film, along with Interstellar gave me a bit of that feeling which I find extremely uncomfortable and distressing.

The second item I found offensive was the statement after the long list of credits that stated something like this: This film created over 15,000 jobs. The part the was blatantly omitted from that sentence is the word overseas, not in the US. Clearly all big budget films create lots of jobs (!), how about keeping them in the US where people are in need of employment instead of farming them out so that the profit margins can be higher for movie execs? Hello!?!

What fragrances shall we associate with dystopic Mars? I've heard that space smells "metallic" which isn't something easily found in botanical perfume. Aldehydes, in essential oils like Lemongrass, fall into a metallic arena as well as some spices which in turn would tie into Mars nicely.

Images: Stolen movie promotional material from various sites on the internet.

Movie Monday: Madame Bovary

The 2014 Madame Bovary film by director Sophie Barthes is an exquisitely beautiful visual sketch starring Mia Wasikowska as the restless Emma Bovary. I am calling this adaptation a "visual sketch" because the screenwriter and director have taken an epic novel and condensed it into something of a thumbnail, albeit it a lavishly gorgeous one.

The cinematography by Andrij Parekh is impeccable and seamless with the costume designers Christian Gasc and Valerie Ranchoux adding their lush, ornate contributions, particularly to the jewel toned gowns worn to perfection by Mia.  “Madame Bovary” is never less than lovely to look at.

I have not read the book but I am told by my daughter Eve that Mia Wasikowska as Emma Bovary was not the best casting decisions. The book describes Emma as dynamic, vivacious and naive which for one reason or other they choose not to have Mia embody. As a huge fan of Wasikowska I can't say I have seen her portray these qualities except for perhaps a bit in Only Lovers Left Alive.

I wanted to see this film because of the combination of Mia and delicious visuals that reminded me of the Cary Joji Fukunaga adaptation of Jane Eyre from 2011.

"A Heart Without Love Is a Heart Without a Voice."

~ Gustave Flaubert from Madame Bovary

I had a conversation with Eve the other day about how many people don't like historically set films because they believe them to have no added value to modern life....besides beauty, which some perceive as frivolous. Well, as you know dear readers, beauty to me is one of the most treasured things of life so I beg to differ and despite that this story is over 100 years old it has survived centuries because we are still dealing with the same challenges.

I found this DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT from MSP Film Society

"The entire value of my novel, if it has any, will consist of walking straight ahead on a tight rope, balanced above the two abysses of lyricism and vulgarity."

"Everyone believes I’m fond of reality but I loathe it. It’s my deep hatred of realism that pushed me to write this novel. But I nonetheless hate the false idealism that fools us these days."

- Gustave Flaubert

Those few words by Gustave Flaubert wonderfully reflect his state of mind while writing Madame Bovary. It is precisely this state of mind, this tension between realism and romanticism, between vulgarity and poetry, that have fueled my desire to work on a film adaptation of Madame Bovary. I find this tension very accurate and in tune with the human experience. Flaubert's obsession with finding the "accurate word" is legendary, my obsession as a filmmaker will be to find the accurate tone. Our intention is to respect the spirit of the novel and remain faithful to the psychology of the characters while creating a modern film, which will, hopefully, appeal to a young audience and entice them to discover the book as well as bring a more mature audience to rediscover with pleasure Flaubert’s masterpiece.

The Gustave Flaubert novel takes place in eighteen twenty seven which predates the release of the first modern perfume in France by about fifty years. Thus, her fragrances would have been more akin to colognes and solifleurs. From the novel we have this tidbit which refers to her using "pomade" which is a solid perfume....

“She repeated it in a low voice, for the mere pleasure of it; it rang in her ears like a great cathedral bell; it shone before her eyes, even on the labels of her pomade-pots.”

I will scent Madame Bovary with the solid version of Figure 1: Noir to match her melancholy contrasted by her beauty. Figure 1: Noir contains a dynamic juxtaposition between darkness and light with roots and wood in the base & heart balanced against the fruitiness of the cognac and artemisia in the top notes.