a bit baffled by the negative reviews because unstable rich baroness jessica chastain absolutely dominating her irish valet colin farrell by ordering him to toast her and kiss her shoes is exactly what i am looking for in my motion pictures? i mean, LOOK at the lboxd header!! the power dynamics between the two are deliciously intricate, constantly pushing and pulling and baiting and switching from cat to mouse and back again. 

the incomparable liv ullman’s script (adapted from august strindberg’s 1888 play) and direction simmer in a palpable longing, eloquently critiquing our tendency towards false idealization of beautiful strangers. john (colin) grew up with a massive crush on miss julie (jessica), even proclaiming he would’ve died for her despite never…

TIFF 2014 film #15

Reason for pick: To quote my wife ( who picks all the picks ) “’Cause it’s Liv Ullmann and Chastain and Morton are in it” 'nuff said.

Having just recently watched Persona I was intrigued by the idea of Ullmann directing a film at this stage in her career and potentially how Chastain might be the modern realization of Ullmann's roles with Bergman. Both are beautifully sculptured women that you just know are complex and powerful under the skin. Both are capable of ice cold realizations that can turn on a dime to emotional fire.

Ullmann doesn’t shy away from Burgmanesque close-ups. As it happened, we were in a Cineplex AVX theatre that had a screen…

Thoughts post-TIFF:

Time after time of trying to watch lavish period-piece films have left me disappointed. That nose-in-the-air snobbishness and issues I can't relate to just don't appeal to me. I know for a fact that, even with the intrigue of Liv Ullmann as a director, I wouldn't have cared to watch this film had it not been for the always great Jessica Chastain as the title character.

The play adaptation takes place over a midsummer's night in 1890s Ireland as Miss Julie attempts to sway the long-standing servant John (Colin Farrell) into seduction. We see that John is already committed to servant and cook Kathleen (Samantha Morton) and is hesitant to obey Miss Julie's orders - from kissing her…

August Strindberg's Miss Julie is a story that begins with all the familiar conventions of the upstairs-downstairs drama: the impassable class divide, the long-suffering servants, the haughty baron's daughter who torments them. But over the 133-minute course of Liv Ullman's new film adaptation of Stringberg's 1888 play, those conventions are warped, eroded, and finally destroyed as its intense, multifaceted characters flit between costume drama, ethereal romance, Dionysian tragicomedy, grueling class warfare, sexual awakening, gothic horror and Hamlet.

These characters are given life by a supercharged pair of performances from Colin Farrell and Jessica Chastain. In a story that begins a little off-kilter and quickly veers off the emotional rails, often into pitch-black comedy, the commitment of both actors is essential,…

a bit baffled by the negative reviews because unstable rich baroness jessica chastain absolutely dominating her irish valet colin farrell by ordering him to toast her and kiss her shoes is exactly what i am looking for in my motion pictures? i mean, LOOK at the lboxd header!! the power dynamics between the two are deliciously intricate, constantly pushing and pulling and baiting and switching from cat to mouse and back again. 

the incomparable liv ullman’s script (adapted from august strindberg’s 1888 play) and direction simmer in a palpable longing, eloquently critiquing our tendency towards false idealization of beautiful strangers. john (colin) grew up with a massive crush on miss julie (jessica), even proclaiming he would’ve died for her despite never…