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I Am Love

bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
edited August 2010 in Strut Central
We have discussed style/substance in films before and I Am Love has the most successful intersection of the two I have seen in a long time. It achieves exactly what it set out to do, which is tell a slightly melodramatic, but even-handed love story that looks and feels and moves like the best movies of the 1940s and 1950s.

I am a huge fan of Tilda Swinton, I would gladly watch her watch paint dry, and that she learned both Italian and Russian for the film makes her even more gorgeous to me.

Every frame has stunning art direction, set design and attention to detail. The clothes are amazing, the music perfect. Food and sex are put on their rightful pedestals, but are not so high that you can't relate.
In its own way, it is the most satisfying film I have seen in a long time.
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  • Options
    Unknown
    Pokemon fashion flash - episode 28...

    ...that is the one on VHS I bought for my young friend at SPCA on 50% off day (see "Great Day!!!" post).
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I don't understand very much of your post.
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    Lilmonstu dropping little turds on a bunch of threads. Sometimes funny little nuggets but sometimes not. Most of the posts have an air of spambot.

    I'll have to check out I am love, starring conan's twin. Your description sounds cool.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I should mention it has very good female characters, too. I know how important that is to Strutters.
  • Controller_7Controller_7 4,052 Posts
    I like Tilda Swinton. I'll have to add this to the netflix cue. Your description made me think of In The Mood For Love, which I feel is very stylish with a good storyline and is so smooth in its pacing.

    edit: just watched the trailer. Not the same feel as In The Mood For Love. Looks interesting. That trailer was kind of crazy. It's all 1 second edits, kind of boom boom boom.
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    Tilda Swinton creeps me out.
  • incompletejigsawincompletejigsaw 756 Posts
    I saw the trailer some months ago and wanted to go see it, but I just haven't been in the mood to see films for the past few months. But I have to go see this along with Animal Kingdom and The Extra Man.
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,903 Posts
    Throwing out flicks I'd like to check out...

    Johnny Knoxville's doc

    http://www.leftlanenews.com/johnny-knoxville-films-documentary-on-emerging-detroit.html
  • dwyhajlodwyhajlo 420 Posts
    From what I heard, Raf Simons did a some of the "costume" design, which probably contributes to the understated or minimal costuming aesthetic - not to mention that having a single designer, with a fully developed vision at the reins there should be key for creating a movie of this scale. At the very least, it looks like it should be beautiful to look at; visually, it looks very "sensual". Been looking forward to this for a while.

    Apparently there's a bedbug infestation in one of the theaters here in the city, though (WTF). I guess I won't be seeing too many movies in the theater for the next little while (or ever again). Ugh, this is beyond irritating.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
  • JoeMojoJoeMojo 720 Posts
    I need to try and track down full text of this 2002 New Yorker profile of Swinton... wild stuff.
    http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2002/03/18/020318fa_fact_als
  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    batmon said:

    Hahah yeah that's what I thought the tread was about initially as well. But the movie looks cool. Love me some Tilda Swinton.
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    bassie said:
    I am a huge fan of Tilda Swinton, I would gladly watch her watch paint dry, and that she learned both Italian and Russian for the film makes her even more gorgeous to me.
    I once worked with Tilda Swinton. She was a bitch.
  • ketanketan Warmly booming riffs 3,170 Posts
    Been wanting to see I Am Love for a while - it's had a long run in Toronto theatres!

    DOR said:
    Throwing out flicks I'd like to check out...

    Johnny Knoxville's doc

    http://www.leftlanenews.com/johnny-knoxville-films-documentary-on-emerging-detroit.html

    Didn't expect to see a boot company and Johnny Knoxville make that story. Should be interesting.
  • onetetonetet 1,754 Posts
    I wasn't able to get into this one, unfortunately. I felt like the romance aspect was overdone and a little trite. I agree that the female leads were strong (performances and writing both). Also, I watched it on disc, so maybe on a big screen I would've been more caught up in the grandeur of the visuals.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I was expecting a lot less from the story going in ??? I thought it was going to be two hours of eye candy and nothing but. It is a very modern film in some aspects, but I find the soap opera factor - the overdone and trite aspects - to be part of its ode to movies of yesteryear. I actually liked that the love story was formulaic because it didn't take away from the visuals.
  • ketanketan Warmly booming riffs 3,170 Posts
    bassie said:
    I was expecting a lot less from the story going in ??? I thought it was going to be two hours of eye candy and nothing but. It is a very modern film in some aspects, but I find the soap opera factor - the overdone and trite aspects - to be part of its ode to movies of yesteryear. I actually liked that the love story was formulaic because it didn't take away from the visuals.

    That description reminds me of Far From Heaven, which I love. It also reeked of yesteryear.
  • ketanketan Warmly booming riffs 3,170 Posts
    While we're talking movies, who is going to TIFF, and what are you hoping to see?

    The ticket packs were sold out when we FINALLY got around to buying on the weekend, so we opted for the World Cinema "programmer's pick" pack (6 flicks).
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    ketan said:
    bassie said:
    I was expecting a lot less from the story going in ??? I thought it was going to be two hours of eye candy and nothing but. It is a very modern film in some aspects, but I find the soap opera factor - the overdone and trite aspects - to be part of its ode to movies of yesteryear. I actually liked that the love story was formulaic because it didn't take away from the visuals.

    That description reminds me of Far From Heaven, which I love. It also reeked of yesteryear.

    It's funny you say that - I thought it was a huge disappointment. And I love Todd Haynes' movies.
    The whole thing fell (and felt) really flat for me. The film stock was all wrong, the sharpness and attitude and overall feel of the whole thing was undeniably 2002 to me. It was just now dressed up as then. Even though I Am Love was set only about 10 years ago, it felt more like a period piece than Heaven.
    I thought about Far From Heaven when I came out of I Am Love and felt it was everything Heaven could have been.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I was supposed to email this to onetet, but might as well do it here. I have no idea when any of these are playing and I have not looked at the list as carefully as I should. These are my first round picks, but those couple of weeks are looking bonkers for me with other stuff. I am not sure what I'll get to...


    Block C
    The Big Picture
    Brownian Movement
    Champagne
    Distant
    I Am Slave
    Leap Year
    Little White Lies
    Microphone
    Outside The Law
    The Place In-Between
  • ketanketan Warmly booming riffs 3,170 Posts
    bassie said:
    ketan said:
    bassie said:
    I was expecting a lot less from the story going in ??? I thought it was going to be two hours of eye candy and nothing but. It is a very modern film in some aspects, but I find the soap opera factor - the overdone and trite aspects - to be part of its ode to movies of yesteryear. I actually liked that the love story was formulaic because it didn't take away from the visuals.

    That description reminds me of Far From Heaven, which I love. It also reeked of yesteryear.

    It's funny you say that - I thought it was a huge disappointment. And I love Todd Haynes' movies.
    The whole thing fell (and felt) really flat for me. The film stock was all wrong, the sharpness and attitude and overall feel of the whole thing was undeniably 2002 to me. It was just now dressed up as then. Even though I Am Love was set only about 10 years ago, it felt more like a period piece than Heaven.
    I thought about Far From Heaven when I came out of I Am Love and felt it was everything Heaven could have been.

    I will have to check I Am Love, then!
  • phongonephongone 1,652 Posts
    Looks like a cool flick. Im amazed at how Tilda Swinton can change her look movie-to-movie. She actually looks pretty in this.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    lol - I can't wait for people to come back and be all "that was a piece of shit!"
    I guess I've really built it up, but I did love it. I'm thinking of going to see it again :O

    Yea, I love her blank slate, red-head androgynous looks.
  • onetetonetet 1,754 Posts
    bassie said:
    I was supposed to email this to onetet, but might as well do it here. I have no idea when any of these are playing and I have not looked at the list as carefully as I should. These are my first round picks, but those couple of weeks are looking bonkers for me with other stuff. I am not sure what I'll get to...


    Block C
    The Big Picture
    Brownian Movement
    Champagne
    Distant
    I Am Slave
    Leap Year
    Little White Lies
    Microphone
    Outside The Law
    The Place In-Between

    I've seen Distant and Leap Year, and vouch for them both as being at least interesting -- both have slow, meditative paces, but you probably gleaned that from the descriptions.

    Otherwise you just named all the films that I wanted to see but couldn't fit in my schedule! (except for Champagne, hadn't looked through the short films very closely).
  • Options
    Unknown
    Ok, I posted hastily because I got so excited and was in a rush (as usual.)

    what I mean is that I agree that the interface between style and substance interesting. I have been thinking about it recently too.

    style vs. substance is the theme of the 28th episode, in the first season, of pokemon - "Fashion Flash." Psyduck is one of the major characters in that episode and I wish I could explain it better. (Sorry Controller 7...I don't write english that effectively.)

    anyway, I think a good recipe for success is, as they say in the pokemon episode, "substance WITH style!"

    thank you
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    I'm a Looney Tunes gal myself.
  • Options
    Unknown
    golly, I am not trying to talk up pokemon. I like Looney Tunes. I even like the older cartoon before they had reoccurring characters.

    I know it is not high art, but it has a similar message. thats it.
  • sabadabadasabadabada 5,966 Posts
    Between Bassie and now Almond, there are just tooooooo many girls on here.
  • ReynaldoReynaldo 6,054 Posts
    lilmonstu said:

    style vs. substance is the theme of the 28th episode, in the first season, of pokemon - "Fashion Flash." Psyduck is one of the major characters in that episode and I wish I could explain it better.
    Pokemon? Really? How old are you, six?
  • dwyhajlodwyhajlo 420 Posts
    bassie said:
    I was supposed to email this to onetet, but might as well do it here. I have no idea when any of these are playing and I have not looked at the list as carefully as I should. These are my first round picks, but those couple of weeks are looking bonkers for me with other stuff. I am not sure what I'll get to...


    Block C
    The Big Picture
    Brownian Movement
    Champagne
    Distant
    I Am Slave
    Leap Year
    Little White Lies
    Microphone
    Outside The Law
    The Place In-Between

    What is this? TIFF? I have not heard of, nor seen any of these.
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