Empire of Light - Olivia Colman & Sam Mendes

[Cremildo]

I liked this. A low-key drama, shot beautifully and boasting another commendable performance by Olivia Colman.

[VictoryAtNight]

I’m watching HBO’s First Look, a behind the scenes of this movie. I am going to find time to watch this over the weekend.

[An4h0ny]

Sorry to be the odd duck but I absolutely loved it.

Everything was top form, imo. Sentiment is not a Cinematic sin when it's done properly.

Mendes has a deft hand.

[Synchg]

i kinda hated it, because it made me feel funny. not funny haha, but funny-weird

[An4h0ny]

Originally Posted by Synchg

i kinda hated it, because it made me feel funny. not funny haha, but funny-weird

At least it made you feel something.

[Shingster]

Finally caught this tonight and it's something of a miracle to sit in front of a film like this where you can witness an absolutely undeniable master of their craft demonstrating what the epitome of their respective field of filmmaking should be: Roger Deakin made every single frame of this film a masterpiece. Olivia Colman again proving why a couple of decades from now we'll be talking about her with the same level of reverence as a Judi Dench or Meryl Streep (if we're not already). Just a shame it's so poorly written, meandering between too many themes instead of focusing on just one and relying on groanworthy contrivances and clichés to move things forward. It's depiction of mental health disorders in particular was just meh, the sand castle scene being the only realy moment in the film for me. Whenever bipolar disorder is tackled as a general theme in film and TV they never seem to get mania right.

Can't help but wonder what this would have been without the romance angle (which never really feels concrete or vital) and either focusing on Hilary's life or Norman/Stephen's friendship, either on within the cinema setting, and truly celebrating the restorative/inspirational powers of film.

[jeangreyforever]

Originally Posted by Shingster

Olivia Colman again proving why a couple of decades from now we'll be talking about her with the same level of reverence as a Judi Dench or Meryl Streep (if we're not already).

Jessica Chastain thankfully has already pointed out that Olivia Colman is an equal (if not better) of the overrated Streep. The British talents are all worlds apart from their American counterparts (or I should say counterpart in this case because Hollywood pretends any actress of a certain age doesn't exist outside of the big M), whether it's Redgrave, Smith, Dench, Mirren, Thompson, Watson, or Colman.

And just in case I have to clarify, Watson is a reference to Emily Watson, not Emma Watson. Although Emily Watson has said she's been mistaken for Emma Watson on multiple occasions and has always felt complimented by it.

[Shingster]

I don't think that's true at all (american performers being inferior to british), but my point isn't really about Streep or Dench's relative skill level as performers, just their unversally accepted status because they keep getting and nailing the kind of roles that bring that level of respect, or they just wade into mediocre material and deliver the kind of performance that makes it look like a Shakespearean masterpiece.

[jeangreyforever]

Britain offers far greater roles for older women. There's a reason that Mirren, Dench, Thompson, or Colman can still headline movies in a way that you don't really see anymore with Close, Sarandon, Lange, Weaver, Spacek, Burstyn, etc. It's not that these American women are any less talented (although I would say that about M but even she seems like she doesn't headline hit movies anymore now that Weinstein isn't around to produce her films) but Hollywood doesn't grant them plum roles anymore which is why most of them act in supporting roles or stick to the stage or TV. Kathleen Turner has frequently stated that once she started getting older and gaining in weight, there were no parts for her anymore in film, whereas there's no dearth of roles for older women on stage.

[CreasyBear]

Really loved this. Arguably my favorite film from Mendes at this point.

[Shingster]

Originally Posted by jeangreyforever

Britain offers far greater roles for older women. There's a reason that Mirren, Dench, Thompson, or Colman can still headline movies in a way that you don't really see anymore with Close, Sarandon, Lange, Weaver, Spacek, Burstyn, etc. It's not that these American women are any less talented (although I would say that about M but even she seems like she doesn't headline hit movies anymore now that Weinstein isn't around to produce her films) but Hollywood doesn't grant them plum roles anymore which is why most of them act in supporting roles or stick to the stage or TV. Kathleen Turner has frequently stated that once she started getting older and gaining in weight, there were no parts for her anymore in film, whereas there's no dearth of roles for older women on stage.

I guess it depends on how you categorise older women? Colmon is middle aged, not old (she's still in her 40s), but are the American ladies not working because the roels aren't there, or because they'd rather not. Mirren, Dench, Thompson haven't been any more prolific than, say Streep, Weaver, Frances McDormand, et al. I mean, you could argue there's been better roles for the elderly British legends in recent years, but heck, I'm struggling to name many films Dench ever headlined outright and Mirren tbf stars in a lot of typical Hollywoody dreck.

[jeangreyforever]

Originally Posted by Shingster

I guess it depends on how you categorise older women? Colmon is middle aged, not old (she's still in her 40s), but are the American ladies not working because the roels aren't there, or because they'd rather not. Mirren, Dench, Thompson haven't been any more prolific than, say Streep, Weaver, Frances McDormand, et al. I mean, you could argue there's been better roles for the elderly British legends in recent years, but heck, I'm struggling to name many films Dench ever headlined outright and Mirren tbf stars in a lot of typical Hollywoody dreck.

The thing that's impressive about Colman is that most Hollywood actresses start off in their 20s (or even younger) and even if they keep working decades later, they usually don't have a commercial or critical peak in their later years. Colman's been acting for a while but she didn't really become known in the US until The Favourite. 40 isn't very old for us but it would be for Hollywood. Susan Sarandon is one of the few actresses I can think of who was at her critical and commercial peak in her 40s and very few actresses can say that. She was one of the leading actresses of the 90s that included Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder, all of whom were much younger than Sarandon so she really sticks out there. In her movies, she wasn't playing ingenues, awkward teenagers, or sexpots.

I forgot about Frances McDormand and she's one of the few American exceptions to the rule but that's because she executive produces her movies now and she's the wife of a director/writer so she can always get roles automatically in any Coen Brothers picture. Nomadland, Woman Talking, and The Tragedy of Macbeth were all executive produced by her. Note also that the most prolific actresses who have turned from film to prestige TV are actresses who are executive producers of their shows like Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Sigourney Weaver has really only had the Avatar movies that have kept her relevant lately. Defenders was a critical flop and most of her roles have been strictly supporting roles in films that weren't box office successes and failed to net her any Oscar nominations. Her last movie as a lead was The Good House and alongside her supporting role in Call Jane, that's been her only meaty role in years. Streep was getting nomination after nomination as long as Weinstein was producing her movies but her last major film role was The Post, which coincidentally was also her last Oscar nomination. Most of her movies since then have had her in supporting roles and the few where she was a lead like Let Them All Talk were streaming exclusives and essentially flops. Between Big Little Lies and now Only Murders in the Building, she's shifted more to TV. Her prolific days as a lead actress in just about every prestige film have faded.

Emma Thompson in the last few years alone, has acted in Last Christmas, Cruella, Matilda the Musical, What's Love Got to Do with It? and she was BAFTA nominated for Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. She was the writer for Last Christmas as well. Mirren has the upcoming Golda and also the Wonder spinoff movie. I agree though that Mirren stars in a lot of Hollywood tentpole films that aren't really that great, but they seem to be projects she picks because she enjoys them for whatever reason (like the Shazam sequel or The Fast and the Furious) and she does balance them out with more prestigious roles like in Woman in Gold, Trumbo, Hitchcock, and The Hundred-Foot Journey, and she's gotten BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominations for all of these. Judi Dench headlined Philomena, Notes on a Scandal, Iris, Victoria & Abdul, and Red Joan, just to name a few movies. The first three netted her Oscar nominations and Victora & Abdul was a sequel to Mrs. Brown, her BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated film performance that essentially launched her in the US. Dench's output has decreased in the last few years but that's because she's going blind and can't read lines anymore. Even then, she was Oscar-nominated for Belfast and had a major role in Cats as part of the ensemble cast. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel were both hits and featured an ensemble cast where Dench was given top billing.

Vanessa Redgrave doesn't have the stamina to act in lead roles anymore, but she still pops up in lots of films as a supporting player picking the films she believes in. She's never sold out to commercial fare which is also why I believe Liam Neeson supports her financially, because most of her earnings she donates to her causes. Maggie Smith's pace has also decreased because she's the oldest (along with Dench) out of this group of British actresses. Even then, she's got a film with Kathy Bates and Laura Linney coming out and her hit stage show, A German Life, is getting a film adaptation. That's not even considering her prior work in the past decade like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films, Downton Abbey, and also her BAFTA nominated performance in The Lady in the Van.

If you look at the leading roles these British women were still getting in films (and it's also important to remember that most of them are much older than the American actresses), the only real American equivalent was Meryl when Weinstein was around, alongside Frances McDormand and Glenn Close. Even with Glenn Close, she turned to TV in the 2000s because the film parts weren't there anymore and it was a big deal back then that a major star like her was working in network TV. She fought for 15 years to get Albert Nobbs made into a film after having played the role on stage, and that was her first Oscar nomination since 1989. She's had The Wife as her only other leading role in a prestige film. She's been working for years to get Andrew Lloyd Weber's musical adaptation of Sunset Boulevard made into a movie, but even with his involvement and her name, they've struggled to get any studio to back the film. If you look at the contemporaries of Streep and Close, you have Lange who turned to TV almost exclusively, while Sarandon's major projects have only been TV and her films haven't been very good or relevant while Spacek works very intermittently. The only other exception I can think of is Diane Keaton who continues to star in leading roles, but quite frankly, her films over the last decade have mostly been garbage and unwatchable. To the point that Anjelica Huston was criticizing her for selling out to play demeaning parts, something she accused Robert De Niro of as well. Speaking of Huston, she was also very candid about the fact that there are no good film roles for women of her age which is why she doesn't act much anymore because unlike Keaton, she refuses to subject herself to humiliation.

[VictoryAtNight]

Watched this yesterday on HBO. I liked this movie. Good acting & interesting story. The locale of this theater is cool; right on the boardwalk overlooking the beach & ocean.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by VictoryAtNight

The locale of this theater is cool; right on the boardwalk overlooking the beach & ocean.

See a flick, enjoy the beach right after.

[An4h0ny]

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

Really loved this. Arguably my favorite film from Mendes at this point.

That's really saying something.

I'm still stuck on Perdition.

But that's just down to taste.

[HipsterTrash]

Really enjoying that some filmmakers want to make earnest, sentimental films that don't wink to the audience and make fun of anyone.

Mendes crafted a simple yet sweet little film that is light on appreciation for cinema and heavy on the struggles of marginalized people. To me this film has an undercurrent of representation flowing through it.

Well acted, wonderfully shot, and nicely composed. This will be a minor in Mendes filmography rivaling the likes of Revolutionary Road and Away We Go.

Also enjoy that Mendes is challenging himself. After co-scribing 1917, he tackles a solo effort on this. And while it could have done with another hand just to lift particular elements up, this one works and feels personal like his film before this.

[FabioPirovano]

there's no DVD or Bluray edition of this masterpiece in ITALY.. why.. why?!?!