Mathieu Amalric in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a beautiful film about author and Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominque Bauby, who, following a stroke that leaves him paralyzed, is only able to communicate with the use of his left eye.


Mathieu Amalric plays Bauby (or "Jean-Do" to his friends) and he has a couple of pretty significant challenges. One being the obvious physical limitations placed on him, but also he runs the risk of being lost in Julian Schnabel's direction. Neither of these challenges seem to be a problem for Amalric.

Before I get to the meat of the performance, I think it's important to talk about the flashbacks where we see Bauby fully-functioning and healthy. Two in particular are very important to his characterization. The first being when we flashback to Bauby's trip with his girlfriend to Lourdes. Bauby clearly went on the trip expecting a sexual getaway, but his girlfriend was there to "see the Madonna and drink holy water." Amalric is excellent in this scene as he shows a very direct cynicism in Bauby, and perhaps some conflict. This is shown when he tells his girlfriend that he can't have sex with the image of the Madonna looking on. He then suggests that when they get home they should break up. Amalric is marvelous in this sequence as he shows the entire history of the relationship which has now come to it's tired end.

The other major flashback shows a very different kind of man, as Bauby goes for a drive with his son. Amalric is terrific as he shows a very real love for his son, asking him about problems at school, and just loving being a father. In this moment, Amalric shows us a man truly happy with life. This doesn't last long though, as Bauby suffers his stroke. Amalric isn't given much focus here, but he delivers showing the very real fear in Bauby's eyes.

Now comes the crux of the performance, how Amalric portrays his paralysis. The first 40 minutes of the film in particular are a challenge, as we see everything through Bauby's point of view, and only hear his thoughts through voice over. Amalric's delivery of the voice over throughout this portion of the film is quite frankly astounding as he brings us right into Bauby's mind. At first there seems to be nothing but cynicism and frustration at his situation and the fact that nobody talking to him can hear him respond. Bauby is then introduced to a speech therapist, Henriette (Marie-Josee Croze), who helps him communicate using a system of blinking his left eye in response to a letter she reads out. Amalric's delivery here is fantastic, showing how truly frustrated Bauby is at the fact that he can only respond with his eye, and can't keep up with Henriette, or his mind.


As Bauby becomes more comfortable with Henriette and the communication system, Amalric's delivery becomes less harsh as Bauby begins to think back on his life, and fantasize of better times. There's still a cynical edge at points, but Amalric counters this with his beautifully reflective delivery. This whole journey is portrayed so artfully by Amalric, entirely through voice over, which is a remarkable achievement.

After those first 40 minutes, the perspective shifts to us being able to observe Bauby for ourselves, instead of being stuck as his eyes. Amalric is remarkable in his physical portrayal of Bauby's paralysis, as he never for a moment makes any aspect of it seem forced. The way his mouth is distorted in particular is pretty exceptional, as it feels absolutely natural. One vital aspect of the role though is Bauby's use of his left eye and Amalric absolutely excels at this.

A key part of this film is Bauby's relationship with Claude (Anne Consigny), the woman he hires to take his dictation as he writes his autobiography. This relationship is beautifully handled by both actors as there is a growing respect and love between them, and their relationship ends up being very heartwarming in the end.


Another key relationship in Bauby's life is the one he has with his father (Max von Sydow, in a very brief but absolutely heartbreaking performance), a 92-year-old man who can't leave his home because he can't get down the stairs. Perhaps the best scene in the film is the scene where Bauby's father calls him at the hospital. von Sydow is amazing in the scene, but Amalric never lets himself be overshadowed. Amalric is heartbreaking as he shows in his face all the things he wants to say to his father, but is physically unable to. It also must be said that in this scene, and one brief flashback, Amalric and von Sydow absolutely show the entire history of their relationship, and it is pretty amazing to watch.

Another amazing scene comes very near the end of the film, as he's being visited by the mother of his children, Celine (Emmanuelle Seigner), and receives a phone call from his girlfriend. As Celine is the only one available, she has to dictate Bauby's responses. Amalric is excellent here as he shows the hesitation to speak with his mistress in front of the mother of his children. When Celine is asked to leave the room, Bauby is left alone with his girlfriend's voice but cannot respond. Amalric is astonishing here as he expresses so beautifully, just with the use of one eye, every thing the call means to him, even if he can't say it.

The end of the film, as Bauby gets pneumonia and hears reviews of his book, is really all about Julian Schnabel's direction, as we are once again Bauby's eyes, although this time we don't get any voice over, but it's not a problem because at this point we are so invested in Bauby's fate because Amalric has made us connect with him on such a deep level.

This is a truly amazing performance by Mathieu Amalric as he manages to not be hampered at all by the severe physical limitations of the role, nor is he overshadowed by the film's direction. He manages to carry the film by making us understand and feel every part of this man's journey, largely through just the use of his voice and one eye.

5/5

Emma Stone in La La Land

La La Land is an incredible film about a struggling jazz musician (Ryan Gosling), who falls in love with a struggling actress.

Emma Stone plays Mia Dolan, the aforementioned struggling actress who, in between auditions, works at a coffee shop on a Hollywood lot. Stone is certainly believable in this aspect, but really what's so remarkable is how absolutely luminous she is in every single scene of this film. Stone's eyes couldn't be more expressive here, of particular note in this regard is her first audition scene. Speaking of the audition scenes, Stone is excellent in every single one. She brings Mia's passion truly to life and when one audition after the other doesn't go the way she hoped, Stone portrays each defeat as a little more crushing each time, leading up to the final one, which I will get to later.

One of the biggest strengths of this performance is really just the sheer star power that radiates off of Stone in every frame. She is impossibly endearing here, and I honestly couldn't get enough of her. Stone has such a perfect grasp on the tone of the film that she makes every moment work, even the smaller ones like forcing a smile at the end of an awkward audition or running lines in her car, not a single moment is wasted in Stone's performance.

The main crux of Stone's performance here is her chemistry with her co-star Ryan Gosling as Sebastian. Every other character besides Mia and Sebastian are basically extras, so it's essential the two lead actors have chemistry together, and boy do they. They are absolutely perfect together and create one of the great movie romances in years. The two are so completely in sync with each other and the film that it's pretty wonderful to watch. One moment in particular I love with the two of them is when Mia requests the song "I Ran" from the 80's tribute band Sebastian is reluctantly playing with. Stone's  dancing and mocking of Sebastian is hilarious (I specifically love the moment where she mimes "Me? Oh, stop." in response to the lyric "...meet a girl like you"), and she tops it all off with an absolutely perfect ear-to-ear grin in his direction.

It's not all joy though. Mia is struggling, after all, and as an actress Stone gets most of the emotional beats of the story, and she does not waste the opportunity. Every setback hurts Mia a little bit more, and because Stone has made her so likable it becomes particularly hard to watch, in particular her confrontation with Sebastian after the disastrous opening night of her play. Probably the best dialogue-based scene in the film is the dinner fight between Mia and Sebastian. Stone is incredible here as she desperately tries to make some sense out of Sebastian's sudden change in attitude, and when Sebastian shoots back at Mia that she only liked him because his failures made her feel better about herself, Stone is heartbreaking as she shows just how deeply this hurts her.

Now, this all leads to her final audition scene, in which she sings "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)". I promised I'd get back to this scene, because it's one that needs to be talked about. Stone is quite frankly astonishing in this scene. I haven't mentioned her singing at all in this review, because, frankly, I don't think it's all that important. Stone isn't a great singer, although she's certainly more than decent, but what I care about is how the singing is worked into the performance. This scene is one of the best examples of that I can think of as she starts telling her story very quietly and slowly starts to build as she becomes more emotional. Stone is truly amazing here, as she passionately and emotionally crafts this tribute to the "Fools Who Dream". I really can't praise her performance in this scene enough, she's just that great. This is one scene that never fails to hit me hard.

The finale of the film is really a showcase for the director Damien Chazelle, as it's more about showing off his great direction, the beautiful costumes, production design and cinematography, and the gorgeous score, but the very ending of the film is left to the actors. The two only share a look in the end, but it's more than enough. The final bittersweet smile is a perfect end to this absolutely flawless performance by Emma Stone.

5/5

Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet Christmas Carol is an entertaining version of the story although obviously it helps if you're a fan of the Muppets to begin with.


Michael Caine plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a role played by many actors before and since, but this is an especially notable take on the character because it's the only one that's surrounded by Muppets.


The first thing that must be noted about Caine's performance here is that despite the fact that he's acting against Muppets, he takes it completely seriously. He treats the Muppets as if they were living, breathing human beings and that is the exact right approach to take. By doing this, Caine grounds the film considerably so that it's not just a bunch of wacky Muppet comedy (although there's still plenty of that to go around, to be sure).

Caine's first scene is interesting to watch as we're not given a look at his face right away. Instead, we only see him from the shoulders down as he walks through the streets and the Muppets sing about what a horrble man Scrooge is. Caine's work shouldn't be taken for granted here as his stride is one of a man who means business and lends credence to the song's lyrics. At the song's end, Caine turns and utters the immortal Scrooge line "Humbug." Caine brings a very real sharpness in his delivery and you absolutely believe he'd be able to clear a street full of people just by snarling at them.

We are then introduced to Scrooge's treatment of his employees, especially poor Bob Cratchit, who in this version is Kermit the Frog. Caine actually brings a good deal of humour to the part through just how straight he plays it, considering once again that he's acting against Muppets.

The most notable thing though isn't simply that Caine keeps a straight face, it's that he actually manages to create a full character here, despite being quite limited by the style and length of the  There are very few scenes that actually linger on Scrooge being a cold, heartless man, but it's enough for Caine to show us this side of him.

The real meat of this performance starts when he's visited by his former business partners Marley and Marley. Caine is terrific in this scene as he sells the very real fear Scrooge is feeling as he's confronted by his very dead business partners. The news of being visited by three spirits is once again handled in a song, but the effect it has on Scrooge is made clear because of Caine's reaction.

The Ghost of Christmas Past sequence is probably one of the weaker scenes in the film, but this no fault of Caine's performance. In fact, the moment where he remembers is lost love is made exceptionally moving due to the fact that Caine portrays it as though Scrooge can't bear to remember this particular moment.

The entire Ghost of Christmas Present sequence is a wonderful showcase for Caine as he shows how what Scrooge has seen has already changed him to some extent. When the Muppets start singing a song of Christmas cheer, Caine joins in by dancing. It's a wonderful moment as Caine shows Scrooge briefly enjoying himself for the first time in a while.  This is shattered by when he sees Tiny Tim. Caine is very moving here as he shows a genuine concern for Timy Tim's well-being.

One of Caine's very best moments comes when he discovers that he's the awful man who is hated after his death. Caine makes Scrooge's pleading that of a man who is completely desperate to be saved, and Caine makes this a very affecting moment in just how genuine he is.

The absolute best part of Caine's performance though is the end of the film, where Scrooge sings "A Thankful Heart". Caine is far from a great singer, but that's so unimportant here as he is almost impossibly charming. Caine is absolutely wonderful here as he sings about how his heart is filled with joy, and how he'll always be good from now on.

Now, due to the nature of this film, the transformation of Scrooge is extremely rushed, in fact most of the screentime actually goes to the two Muppets who are telling the story. This doesn't hinder Michael Caine at all though, as he gives a complete portrait of Ebenezer Scrooge even with the limitations put upon him by the film. I will say this is not my absolute favourite take on Scrooge, but it is a great one.

4.5/5

Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina

Ex Machina is a fascinating film about a computer programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) who is selected for an experiment by the CEO of his company.

Now, once again, I have to mention that this review will contain *SPOILERS*.



The experiment Caleb has been selected for is to test an A.I. that the company's CEO, Nathan (Oscar Isaac) has built. Alicia Vikander plays said A.I., named Ava. From Ava's first scene, Vikander makes a strong impression. It is extremely remarkable how she is able to make Ava seem authentically robotic with just the right touch of "humanity". It's an incredibly difficult combination, but Vikander does it flawlessly, to the point that you never doubt that she is this highly intelligent A.I.

I have to admit, I found myself completely transfixed by this performance from the very beginning. Vikander brings such a mysterious quality to Ava that you can't help but fascinated by her. This is an essential element of the film, as the audience becomes just as intrigued by Ava as Caleb does.

As the film goes on, Caleb begins to grow attached to Ava. Vikander strikes up a very interesting chemistry with Dohmnall Gleeson as she shows Ava to be trying to flirt with Caleb in an odd way. The fact that Ava has been programmed to have sexuality is a major plot element, and Vikander delivers in this area exceptionally. She makes Ava so powerfully and mysteriously seductive that you never have a moment's doubt that Caleb would be attracted to her.

The relationship between Ava and Caleb is really what most of the film centers on (or seemingly. More on that later...) What's truly remarkable is that it appears the two have almost sort of fallen in love.  There's an excellent scene where Ava dresses up as a human being and describes the kind of date she wishes to go on with Caleb. The brilliant thing, is that Vikander shows it to almost be genuine, but with a definite falseness, although not entirely because of the reason you'd think.

Eventually, after seeing Nathan's behaviour towards things, he decides to help Ava escape from the compound. It turns out, however, that Ava had been manipulating both Nathan and Caleb the entire time, for her own benefit. The scene where she escapes the compound by brutally murdering Nathan is made absolutely chilling by Vikander in just how cold and, dare I say, mechanical it is.

The final scenes of the film are basically silent as Ava remakes herself to look exactly like a human woman. Vikander is absolutely masterful here as she wordlessly transforms herself. Her look in the mirror is haunting as there is no longer any real hint of the fact that she is a robot, but appears to be just another human being in a sea of many.

Alicia Vikander manages to make the core idea of the story, that an A.I. can be so advanced as to be virtually indistinguishable from a human, come completely to life through her mesmerizing and truly flawless work.

Rating: 5/5

John Goodman in 10 Cloverfield Lane

10 Cloverfield Lane is a very effective thriller about a woman named Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who wakes up after a car crash in the bunker of a survivalist (Goodman), who is convinced that some kind of attack has happened outside.


Before I begin I will mention that this review will have *SPOILERS* because it's kind of hard to talk about this performance or the film in general without getting into some of the twists.

John Goodman plays the survivalist Howard, and right from his first appearance it's clear that there's something off about him. Howard introduces himself to Michelle, who is he has handcuffed to a bed in a barren room. He attempts to explain that there's been an attack and that he saved her life. Goodman is terrific in this scene in that although it seems his intentions are good, there's something about the way Goodman carries himself that suggests something deeply unsettling about Howard. This is further explored when goes to berate the other "survivor" in his bunker, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.). Goodman is offscreen for this moment, but it's clear in this instance that Howard is not one who suffers fools gladly.

There is a constant air of dread throughout the entire film, and a good deal of that comes from Goodman's performance. I have to admit I was rather amazed by Goodman's ability to be so unnerving just through his manner here, as every glance and every word seems to have some menace behind it. A great example of this comes in the fantastic scene where Howard, Michelle and Emmett are having dinner together, and Emmett, in an attempt to ease the tension, begins to make jokes about their current situation. This is an incredible scene for Goodman as he very quietly shows an anger building in Howard. When Emmett cracks one joke too many, Goodman is great as he very harshly tells him to shut up so they can eat in peace. Emmett and Michelle then start to make more small talk and Goodman is extremely unnerving as he eyes them so carefully. When Michelle does something Howard does not approve of, he explodes in a fit of anger. Goodman is absolutely terrifying here as he makes Howard's anger so palpable that  you're unsure of what he will do.  That's one of the keys to Goodman's performance here, is just how unpredictable he makes Howard's behaviour.

It's not all menace with Goodman, though. There are a few scenes where he shows Howard in a slightly more laid back light. The masterstroke of Goodman's performance here is that no matter how calm or friendly Howard may seem, you can see in his eyes that he's a ticking time bomb just waiting to be set off.

A very interesting aspect of this performance is Howard's relationship with Michelle. As it turns out, Howard is for all intents and purposes grooming her to be his daughter. Goodman is exceptional in this regard, showing that Howard is so desperate to have a daughter that he goes way beyond overboard. There is an absolutely amazing scene where the three characters are playing a guessing where the answer is "little women" and Howard is physically unable to refer to Michelle as anything other than "girl", "child" or "princess". This is extremely unsettling just in how much trouble Howard has in seeing Michelle as a grown woman. This leads to an astonishing moment where Howard, in trying to get Michelle and Emmett to guess who he is, where he tells them that he's always watching and knows what they're doing at all times. The intensity Goodman has in this scene is almost unbearable.

Now, the climax of the film kinda lets Goodman's performance down a bit, as it basically makes him a standard slasher movie villain, whereas he was far more complex beforehand. This doesn't hurt the rest of Goodman's performance at all, but it did feel wrong to have the character end on that note.

This is absolutely brilliant work by John Goodman, as he manages to be so purely unnerving from beginning to end, even through the smallest of gestures. It's a fascinating performance, and one that I loved pretty much every second of.

Rating: 5/5

Adam Driver in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Adam Driver plays the main villain of The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren, and as with Harrison Ford's review, there will be spoilers.

Kylo Ren comes into the film dressed all in black with a flowing robe, a dark mask-helmet thing, and a deep modified voice. In these early scenes you'd be forgiven for thinking he's just a Darth Vader knock-off. But don't be fooled.

Driver takes a very particular approach in the early scenes in that he does convey a significant presence but in a much different way than Darth Vader. Vader had the bearing of David Prowse and the voice of James Earl Jones, Kylo Ren has neither. The way Driver moves and talks is very interesting in that it seems like Kylo Ren is actively trying to behave like Darth Vader, rather than be his own type of villain. This is very intentional on Driver's part, and it will eventually become clear why.

One of the first indications of what type of character Kylo Ren is exactly is when he's informed of a failed plan and goes into a rage, destroying some computer equipment with his lightsaber. This scene shows that Kylo Ren is clearly emotionally unstable, at least to some degree.

As the film goes on, it's revealed that Kylo Ren is actually Ben Solo, the son of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Leia (Carrie Fisher), thus making him the grandson of Darth Vader. This is shown explicitly in a fantastic scene where Kylo Ren prays to the charred remains of Darth Vader to give him strength to fight off the light side of the force. Driver is excellent in this scene as he shows almost a desperation in Kylo Ren to erase every part of good in him.

A pivotal scene for Driver comes when Kylo Ren has Rey (Daisley Ridley) captured and is trying to get information out of her. This is the first time we see Kylo Ren unmasked, and it's a terrific moment. As soon as the helmet comes off, we Driver's face for the first time and it is the face not of a monstrous titan, but of a confused young man. Driver is terrific in this scene in that he seems to almost plead with Rey to give him her secrets, showing again almost a desperation.

Now, all of Driver's scenes up to this point are great, but there is one that stands out above the rest, and it is of course the scene between Kylo Ren and Han Solo. I already talked about Harrison Ford's great performance in this scene, and Driver matches him every step of the way.

Driver starts out showing Ben's supreme anger at Han Solo. As Han tries to reach his son, Driver is exceptional in that it seems like it may be working. Driver is actually pretty heartbreaking in showing just how conflicted Ben is with himself, although not in the way it seems at first. The truth is, Ben is being tormented by the goodness that remains in him, and he feels that Han Solo is the reason it's there. So to rid himself of whatever light may be left, Ben kills his father. This is a completely astounding moment for Driver, as he shows that by killing his father, Kylo Ren has finally freed himself from any light that may have been left within him. I should also quickly mention how amazing it is that in this one scene, Driver and Ford completely manage to show the entire history of their relationship.

This is a very interesting and extremely clever performance by Adam Driver, as he portrays Kylo Ren not as a ruthless monster, but rather a confused and angry young man.

Rating: 4.5/5

Harrison Ford in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Force Awakens is a wonderful addition to the Star Wars saga. It technically may be a little too reminiscent of the original film, but I don't really care because I thoroughly enjoy every second of it.





Harrison Ford of course returns as Han Solo, and I must say right off bat that there will be spoilers in this review, although you really should have seen the movie by this point.

Ford first appears in the film as he stumbles upon Fin (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) hiding away in the Millennium Falcon. This is a fantastic scene as Ford burst on the scene poised like the action hero we know Han Solo to be. His immortal delivery of the line "Chewie, we're home" is absolutely wonderful as he lets the audience feel the same nostalgic joy that Han is feeling in that moment. After this, he discovers Fin and Rey hiding out and he becomes the Han Solo we remember from the previous films. Ford is exceptional in this regard as he seems so comfortable to the point that that you almost forget that he hasn't played this part in several decades.

Now I must say, as with his previous portrayals of Han Solo (my favourite Star Wars character, for the record) Ford is just an absolute blast to watch here. He is basically charisma incarnate as he is so charming while at the same time being, frankly, a snarky wise-ass. This aspect is the same as the previous film, but I find it especially enjoyable here.

There's more to his performance than just that though, as we must not forget that is an older, wiser Han Solo. In effect, Han plays the role of mentor to Fin and Rey, much in the same way that Ob-Wan was the mentor to Luke. Ford is excellent in this aspect because  he doesn't betray the character of Han, in fact he portrays him exactly how you'd imagine him as a mentor. Ford presents sort of an outward reluctance and annoyance in his role as mentor, but it's made clear through mostly brief moments, that this is only on the outside. One of my favourite moments of Ford's performance is when he tells Fin and Rey that all the stories they've been told are true. Ford in this one scene shows just how much the previous films have changed him. Where he was once a man who believed that "hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster by your side", he is now freely willing to admit that "it's true. All of it."

Some of Ford's best scenes are his interactions with his wife Leia (Carrie Fisher, of course). Ford is brilliant in these scenes as he shows the entire history of their relationship since Jedi through just the way he interacts with her.

Here's where the spoilers begin. It's revealed that the main villain of the film, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is in fact Han and Leia's son Ben. Anytime Han and Leia discuss their son, Ford is incredible in that he shows a deep love for his son and at the same time a deep regret that he couldn't keep him from turning to the dark side. This all leads to what is perhaps the best scene in the film.

The scene I'm referring to is of course when Han finally confronts his son. Ford and Driver actually only share this one scene in the entire film, but that's all that's needed. Ford is absolutely amazing throughout this entire scene as Han tries one last time to reach through to his son. Ford is heartbreaking as he shows that even though it's probably a lost cause, Han still has hope that some good remains in his son. This is of course shattered when Ben murders Han. Ford's reaction here is absolutely flawless in that more than any physical pain he's feeling, he shows that Han is heartbroken that he could not save his son.

This is an absolutely fantastic performance from Harrison Ford as he's not only the Han Solo we know and love from the previous films, he manages to go further than that and give a complete portrait of this man who's gone through so much. After so many years of phoning it in, it's so good to see that Ford still has it in him to give a great performance.

Rating: 5/5