Cloud Atlas

[osprey_archer]

Last night we watched Cloud Atlas, a movie of such surpassing trippiness that I'm not even sure how to describe it. There are like six different story lines in different time periods? Which feature most of the same actors, but you usually can't tell, because the make-up is kind of terrifyingly stunning?

There's a birthmark shaped like a comet which shows that they're all, like, reincarnated from each other or something! And cannibals on horseback who reminded me inescapably of LOTR's Black Riders! Also twisted conspiracies and anarchy!

Anyway, it's very good, well worth seeing. We all agreed it was a crying shame that it got completely ignored by the Oscars.

***

I really liked the modern-day story, about a group of old people who plan a madcap escape from a Dickensian retirement home. I always seem to enjoy stories about older people; I should search them out more often. Anyone have any recommendations of this kind - movies, books, TV shows? Maybe I should finally watch Golden Girls.

***

And finally, we ate dates stuffed with gorgonzola cheese. These were my brainchild, and they were surpassingly delicious.

Comments

[savvierthanu.livejournal.com]

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was wonderful and includes some of my favorite elder British actors. Bill Nighy! Judi Dench! Maggie Smith!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

That movie looks like a who's-who of all of Britain's older actors. Definitely adding it to my Netflix queue.

[silverusagi]

Ditto'ing Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

But yes, you should watch The Golden Girls! I've watched that show forever, and it's one of the few sitcoms I like.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Does it have a laugh track? I don't reject shows with laugh tracks out of hand, but I need to mentally prepare myself for it.

[silverusagi]

Yeah, it does.

[anait.livejournal.com]

I loved Cloud Atlas! The themes especially. People working together in different times and places to overcome oppression. Interconnectedness.

Also some of the specifics, like the music, certain characters being very appealing, and some of the storylines being very moving. And trying to spot the actor through the phenomenal make-up jobs! It was a long movie but not once did my attention wander!

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Yes, so many interesting storylines! I ended up talking about the break-out from the nursing home because it was the one that most suggested to me other movies I would like to see, but I also really liked the 1930s storyline with the composer (though it was so sad. WORST TIMING EVER), and the 1800s story on the ship with the runaway slave.

Which were your favorites?

[anait.livejournal.com]

I liked them all! The nursing home storyline was delightful! It made me laugh, which was important to balance out the heartbreak of the Frobisher/Sixsmith story and the horrifying parts in the New Seoul story and the 1800's with slavery story.

I really liked the relationship between Tom Hanks and Halle Berry's characters whenever they met up--in the nuclear power plant coverup story and the post-apocalyptic Hawaii story. Ben Whishaw and James D'Arcy had me deeply invested in their characters' relationship. Though I ship Frobisher/Music as hard as Frobisher/Sixsmith!

Hugo Weaving: terrifying in every role, hee!

While I watched the movie, I kept waiting for the New Seoul storyline, because that's the one I remembered best from the book. It didn't disappoint.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I actually found the New Seoul storyline the hardest to follow, because I never quite figured out their plan. (Was it really "We need a fabricant who shows that fabricants have real human feelings, and we'll have her give a speech on TV"?) Very stylish, though!

And I think the contrast with the other storylines was definitely part of what made the nursing home storyline so fun - it made us laugh, and we really needed it at that point!

[anait.livejournal.com]

Was it really "We need a fabricant who shows that fabricants have real human feelings, and we'll have her give a speech on TV"?

The New Seoul storyline-- that may very well have been the rebels' plan. I don't remember all the details from the book. I do remember, however, that in the book, you found out that the rebellion was orchestrated by the government, so that they could completely control the nonconformists in their society. (Oh the betrayal! You can't even rebel properly!!) They chose not to put that bit in the movie. Maybe it made things too complicated. I thought the writers did a fantastic job with weaving the parts they chose to take from a very long, detailed book into a unified and meaningful whole.

What I liked about the New Seoul storyline was Sonmi choosing to live as fully as possible, embracing every part of her humanity, in a society that did its best to dehumanize her. The parallels between that society and the food industry in North America are uncomfortable enough to make the futuristic storyline relevant.

Humans risking their lives to help fabricants. I liked that Sonmi's speech inspires sympathetic people to start a religion around her beliefs, and that you see the religion is still present and important in the Post-Apocalyptic Hawaii story, whereas the New Seoul society is probably long gone.