Where the Wild Things Are

I'm very, very excited by the prospect of this film.
For me, it's pretty much the best book ever written.

Dave Eggers & Spike Jonze have scriopted it, so it could be very interesting indeed.

Dance in the moonlight Max, and let the wild rumpus begin!

The embedding from youtube hasn't come through, so have a look at the following link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NOkQ4dYVaM

The Fountain

When I first moved to the island of Mull I started listening to the radio in earnest.

One of the first programmes I remember hearing was something along the lines of Front Row or Saturday Review on Radio 4. In it the reviewers talked about Darren Aronofsky's film, The Fountain.

It seemed to divide the reviewers, some thought it utter tosh, while others thought it well worth a look.

It sounded like a mad conceit – two characters spread out through three eras, on the quest for eternal life.

The only other thing I'd heard that had divided the reviewers in such a way was Jonathon Strange and Mr Norell, by Sussanah Clark. It so happened that I got a hold of said book not long after the programme and fell totally in love with it.

So I thought The Fountain may, perhaps, be worth a gander.

For a couple of years now, while it's been out on DVD, I've heard friends talk about it in shocked tones, not quite knowing what they make of it, loving it or hating it. Some fell for it totally, others were not so keen.

The Fountain finally arrived via my love film account a few days ago, and last night Georgia and I sat down to watch it.

Firstly I must say that it is flawed. There are some moments of it that are just a touch too sentimental, too over played. But it is brilliantly flawed. Those moments pale in to insignificance beside the sweeping majesty and sheer joyful nonsense of the tale.

It feels like a very personal musing on love and obsession to me, much like Soderbergh's superb remake of Solaris (which I much prefer to the original, as it leaves so much to your imagination).

Hugh Jackman is just brilliant as an the threefold man Tom (possibly four fold if you consider what he's revealed to be). He must have had a great, crazy time making this film. He's always good value for money, but boy is he suoperb in this. He completely enters in to the madness and obsession of the character.

Rachel Weisz is ethereal, enigmatic and stunningly beautiful in this. She captures a great tenderness in the threefold character (possibly fourfold too), sparkling as Izzi in the modern day section. It's from her side that you really feel the relationship between the two characters. Where Jackman is focused and obsessed, she floats realistically at his side, driving him on subtly by her wonderful presence.

The music of The Fountain is totally intoxicating. It gives the images so much space to breath, it's quite brilliant. I've listened to the soundtrack twice today already. I bow down before Clint Mansell and doff my cap at his toes.

But what is it about?

God knows.

If you sup of the tree do you become at one through several points of time – and also the others who, too, supped? From the creator of the tree all the way to the end of the star?

Is God, an ecumenical sort, the absent character in the piece?

Or is it there all along?

It quite clearly states there is something bigger than all of us put together going on.

But what?

The images of this film will stay with me for ever. The macro photographed scenes of petri dish based outer space blew my mind.

The ending as the ship arrives at Xibalba and the attending silence made me whoop and cheer.

How that ties in to everything else is quite simply superb.

I'm not going to rant on about this film any more, but bloomin heck, I'm going to be digesting it for a long time to come.

Superb.