Saturday, September 30
The New World
Against bad judgement, I watched that silly Collin Farrell movie expecting of course, that it was going to be bad. I mean, it's Collin Farrell!! After pitfully sticking it through to the end of Alexander, I'm just over him. Sure, he's talented. I quite enjoyed him...in some role, probably, ages ago. But his reputation has preceded him and the ONLY recent film I've seen him in is Intermission and we all know I just watched that for Cilian Murphy and that really cute lady from that Emma Thompson movie, Nanny Ogg or whatever. (It's the Irish accent! It's so adorable.)
Back off my tangent, the movie was actually excellent, almost riveting. Despite Farrell, the girl (I can't be bothered iMDBing) or should I call her Pocahontas is amazing wonderful. NOT for one second did I think she was an actor and I haven't been captivated like that since...White Teeth. Oh Christopher! Cinematically, the movie is brilliant. The focus on nature and through it, the metaphors and symbolism that comes through her and her interaction between the villages/ways of life is very memorable. It's such a poetic, grand movie and hard not to watch once you're in.
So as the story goes, Virginia is invaded by new settlers and Pocahontas saves Smith's life and after a tenuous peace, peppered with short battles, gets kicked out of her tribe and falls in love with Collin Farrell who abuses her in the most non-abusive way possible (he just doesn't love her right, takes her for granted etc) and then leaves halfway through. And then of course she goes all piney...and then for no reason, except thanks to the Disney sequel, we all know she gets married to John Rolfe, Christian Bale appears in all long locks glory. Kissed my stars, here. Yay. Laurie is back. Wearing really puffy pantaloons. But his hair! It's so pretty and really does wonders for his quite harshly angled.
See, here's my argument. Watching The 300, Gerard Butler can have his hair short or even bald BECAUSE his face is kinda curvy or poofy if you like. He can do menancing but there are no harsh angles. And this my reason why I like Bale so much because he can do adorable with those long locks. Then again, he did pull off the short cut in Empire of the Sun but then, he was like 6.
Anyway back to it. So, in a most Fushigi Yuugi way, HE falls in love with her (audience, keep in mind that she is indeed 14-16 years old...so eeeee) and they of course marry and she is taken back to England and granted a successful audience with the Queen. She of course, is still in love with Farrell - at which point, I threw my hands up and went 'Oh god, why?', because who in their RIGHT MIND would choose Farrell over Bale? - /vent - meets Farrell and in that period realises that she does not love him anymore/they are in separate places and then chases her son about a garden and then in a voiceover by Rolfe, we find out she dies on the trek back.
Le FIN!
So okay, the ending not so great. Even though she likes Farrell, I was sad that it was tragically bittersweet. But the way this film is shot, made, produced, whatever you want to call it is amazingly poignant. It made me want to go trekking in Virginia and wash Christian Bale's back because admittedly, that scene was pretty hot DESPITE the fact that she's like 14 and he creepily watches her while she sleeps. Ahem. It's actually pretty sad that this movie bombed so epicly. It actually isn't so bad. And Farrell can act.
That is WITHOUT blonde hair.
In a non-Oliver Stone film. (Miami Vice was good!)
And Christian Bale helps. As always. OMG. THE PRESTIGE. A'mes, tell me how it goes!!
~ M.M.W ~
PS: Thanks to Em, for doing the research, Q'Orianka is actually 16 years old THIS YEAR. Which means that at 14, she kissed guys at least twice her age. And wow, here's me thinking she must have been 20 playing someone 15. Wow, a whole new 'EW'. I used to think that Emmy Rossum playing Christine at 16 and Gerard being 35 was disgusting but this far surpasses it.
