Posts written by ShinjiRob

Ciao a tutti! Purtroppo sono costretta a rinunciare al pranzo questo weekend, causa problemi combinati tra famiglia e università Mi dispiace davvero molto, spero ci saranno altri sabba in centro-Italia cui potrò partecipare (o qualche bell'evento con Alan!). Buon viaggio a tutte!

Vabbe' che le cose scritte da uno che si chiama Gonzalo non possono essere prese troppo sul serio

Oh, stavo perdendo le speranze, ma ecco qui una recensione molto positiva da cinemablographer.com (anche questa linkata su IMDb):

Hat’s off to the Toronto International Film Festival. The TIFF folks pick a winner with their closing night selection of Alan Rickman’s latest film, A Little Chaos. This rousing comedy is one of the most pleasant surprises of the Festival. It’s an utter treat to end the fest on a high note of escapism and exuberance.

Rickman delivers a delightful comedy with A Little Chaos as Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts join him in spirited take on the revolutionary gardens at the Palais de Versailles. Winslet stars as Sabine de Barra, a headstrong gardener with an out-of-the-box approach on landscaping. Her green thumb clashes with the orderly planning of King Louis XIV (Rickman)’s chief landscape architect, André Le Notre (Schoenaerts), but Le Notre sees her as the right man for the job when her plans invite a little eclecticism to accent the opulence of Versailles. Everyone speaks English with British accents even though Versailles sits in France, but Rickman never shies away from having fun with this revisit to the past. A Little Chaos thankfully never takes itself too seriously, so audiences should permit the liveliness of film let escapism work its charm.

A Little Chaos is a bouncy comedy of manners in the vein of Tom Jones as the lavish period production accentuates the stiffness of the life at court to which Sabine is an outsider. The manners make A Little Chaos extra sexy, too, for the passion of cultivating the land and building this extravagant outdoor empire balances the masculine and the feminine as Sabine and André work in harmony. Winslet’s charming performance finds great chemistry with everyone else in the lively ensemble from Stanley Tucci as a dandy of the court to Jennifer Ehle as a subtly spirited mistress. Winslet finds her best match with Rickman, though, when Sabine unsuspectedly drops in on the King as he enjoys the decadent roses of his empire’s creation. Winslet and Rickman convey the loss their characters escape by digging in to their passions, humanizing these historical figures with their shared fondness for earthly pleasures.

Rickman crafts both a lively comedy and an exquisite period film as A Little Chaos spoofs courtly manners with jovial wordplay and manners. The costumes by Joan Bergin are gorgeous and provide fancy dressings for the comedy—Sabine sports the silliest opening-scene hat this side of Rose DeWitt Bukater—while the lively score by Peter Gregson adds to the whimsical spirit of Sabine’s tale. A Little Chaos is effervescently bubbly despite the corsets.

A Little Chaos features several dramatic turns in its 116 minute running time—the film could use a little trimming—including one enthusiastically directed sequence in which Sabine rushes to save her garden from a flood surging through a tampered aqueduct. Winslet goes in Titanic mode as Rickman plunges Sabine into an epically crafted sequence that dangles the heroine above rapid waters as she proves herself worthy of the court. The sequence shows Rickman’s adeptness at balancing the camera with his actors’ skills, although A Little Chaos is very much an actors’ picture, and the riveting flood of the scene lets the film flow nicely into unexpected dramatic turns that reveal Sabine’s fears and inadequacies that give her such fiery spirit. The latter act revelations might come a bit too late in the game, thus inviting notes of tonal chaos, but Winslet’s dramatic chops keep the film on course as Rickman gives a few close-ups in which to shine as the film crosscuts between Sabine’s memories of her lost family and her present-day grief that comes rushing out like the waters at Versailles.

Winslet’s charming performance makes A Little Chaos consistently enjoyable, but Sabine also makes the film an appropriate choice to cap off a festival that has consistently showcased strong female leads throughout the programming selections. The film puts at its core the folly of assuming women and men cannot excel at the same tasks. A Little Chaos defines Sabine by her passions, whether they be for gardening or for Le Notre, and infuses the rooms of Versailles with a modern sensibility. This delightfully bubbly escape is a refreshing comedy with which to end the Festival. It's a lot of fun.

Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)

Esattamente.


Credimi, non ti perdi nulla x) Ti riporto comunque quella spagnola, ma il signor Gonzalo mi sembra abbastanza prevenuto.

Cioè, ok, forse io sono di parte eh, ma leggendo quanto ha scritto mi vien da pensare che a questo i film di stampo britannico facciano cagare a priori ("Ambición que ha dado como resultado un folletín, al más puro estilo británico, sobre un romance forzadamente melodramático y una linealidad narrativa demasiado predecible" oppure "El problema principal reside en la falta de equilibrio del guion que firma Alison Deegan. Un libreto estructurado bajo instantes de humor puramente británico y [...]") e che se un film non ha un'etichetta ben precisa, cioè non è del tutto drammatico, del tutto commedia, del tutto qualcosa non ha senso ed è brutto.

Non sono assolutamente d'accordo, e mi vien da pensare che questo di cinema ne capisca ben poco! Non tanto perché non gli piacciono i film con humour britannico (de gustibus) ma perché si avvale di questo motivo (totalmente soggettivo) per sparare a zero sul film.

Poi dice che la regia non gli è piaciuta, e sarà che il mio spagnolo non è perfetto (so solo leggerlo), ma non mi è chiaro perché, cioè in cosa abbia effettivamente trovato "mal gusto".

Dovessi recensire questa recensione, direi che non ha senso. E' come se a me non piacessero film sui cani e andassi a recensire Io e Marley. Ok, magari tale Gonzalo c'è andato controvoglia perché unico inviato al TIFF, dunque diciamo che io son costretta a recensire Io e Marley... E che ci scrivo? Il film è una merda perché parla solo di cani (e grazie ar ca***) e non mi piacciono. Poi, prima è commedia e Marley fa divertire, poi alla fine diventa drammatico però, non si capisce niente. E' un casino, non è ben strutturato, poi è un film troppo scontato e si sa che se un prodotto non è un drammone di tre ore va necessariamente a scadere nella categoria "filmetto di serie B".

Se stai recensendo un film di un genere che non ti piace, cerca di essere più oggettivo ed entrare nell'ottica giusta. Bah. Spero che nessuno si sia preoccupato di tradurre ad Alan 'sta roba. E non c'entra che sono di parte, quando guarderò A Little Chaos, nel caso in cui non dovesse piacermi, lo scriverò a chiare lettere. Ma almeno argomenterò le mie opinioni!

A voi:


La mayor decepción hasta ahora del TIFF la ha dado Alan Rickman con A Little Chaos, uno de los filmes más esperados. Una ambiciosa propuesta, a priori, ambientada durante la concepción de los jardines de Versalles y en torno a la atracción que surge entre una jardinera paisajista y el arquitecto contratante. Ambición que ha dado como resultado un folletín, al más puro estilo británico, sobre un romance forzadamente melodramático y una linealidad narrativa demasiado predecible. Tampoco juega a su favor el escaso presupuesto de su producción que destroza sus posibilidades casi desde inicio, remarcado en un sorprendente mal gusto y cierto halo hortera en cuanto a vestuario y dirección. Todo esto, unido a afectación impostada y las numerosas licencias, tanto históricas como de tono, convierten a A Little Chaos en un trabajo con algún que otro buen detalle pero fallido al fin al cabo.

El problema principal reside en la falta de equilibrio del guion que firma Alison Deegan. Un libreto estructurado bajo instantes de humor puramente británico y otros de gran carga dramática a los que Rickman les añade un toque desacertado. En ningún momento queda claro qué estamos viendo. Si una comedia romántica de época, un melodrama descarnado, un manifiesto feminista —como ese corrillo poco creíble de damas de las corte haciendo terapia grupal—, o un enfrentamiento metafórico entre el orden y el caos —al que hace mención el título—, entre la racionalidad del arquitecto y la aparente falta de sentido de la jardinera. Esta última, una idea que podría haber dado para un filme complejo y bastante más interesante que éste, y que el guion desecha por completo en pro de unas intenciones amables pero poco autoexigentes. Se conforma con ocurrencias bastante insulsas en torno a la ridiculez de los miembros de la Corte, y una historia de amor que carece de cualquier atisbo de profundidad, por mucho sus intérpretes se esfuercen sobremanera en darle otro giro. Entre ellos, como era de esperar, destaca una Kate Winslet que dignifica al máximo un personaje prototípico y poco matizado. Le acompaña un hierático Matthias Schoenaerts, como el arquitecto en cuestión, y un Rickman, como monarca, bastante gracioso e inspirado.

El reparto es la única razón de ser una obra lastrada por una pobre planificación. En defensa de A Little Chaos hay que añadir que es inevitable acordarse de la María Antonieta de Sofía Coppola, como principal ejemplo de este subgénero, filme contemplativo y de una vacuidad hipnótica que, sin embargo, aprovechó como pocos la localización de la que pudo gozar la directora. Pero claro, Rickman no tuvo a su disposición los mismos privilegios y la modestia condena parte del apartado artístico, que es muy competente, pero lejos del perfeccionismo de las clásicas adaptaciones de Hollywood como pueden ser la ya vista en el TIFF Madame Bovary. Una serie B de producción de época con todos los errores recientes de películas similares. Otra fábula más sobre una mujer que ha sufrido una pérdida y encuentra la redención de la forma más inesperada. Una catarsis personal que se acaba resolviendo por el manido flashback al ritmo de una banda sonora de Peter Gregson convencional y nada llamativa. Moralina y sentimientos firmados por una aprendiz de Jane Austen adolescente y la triste sensación de desaprovechamiento de unos ingredientes de primer nivel. Penuria técnica y direccional. Las sobremesas televisivas ya tienen otra opción más. Si lo que Alan Rickman pretendía era crear un pequeño caos, lo ha conseguido con letras mayúsculas. | ★ su ★★★★★ |

Gonzalo Hernández
Enviado especial al Festival de Toronto 2014



(Comunque io amo i cani, eh).

Altra recensione, sempre abbastanza negativa, che però non sembra prevenuta e forzatamente "cattiva" su TheArtsGuild.com:

Directors and actors have great potential to draw audiences to their films. The work selected as the closing film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, A Little Chaos (2013), is directed by beloved actor Alan Rickman and stars the exceptionally talented actress Kate Winslet. An intriguing story also allows for great cinematic potential, so it is unfortunate that this film ends up equalling less than the sum of its parts. Instead of offering an illuminating look at the life of an undoubtedly fascinating individual, this movie is content to represent a typical love story and relegate the historical aspects to the background.

A Little Chaos promises to tell the story of revolutionary landscape designer Sabine de Barra (Winslet), a woman chosen against all odds to construct the garden of King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman) at Versailles. De Barra has her own ideas about order and its place in gardening, prompting her to butt heads with designer André Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts), who holds the ideals of symmetry and scale above all else. As the two begin to come around to the other’s way of thinking and the garden begins to take shape, they develop a relationship beyond the professional. De Barra also has an effect on the king himself, as her spontaneous ways of design are integrated into her character and ways of life.

In addition to directing the film, Rickman also stars as King Louis XIV, and the latter role is much better suited to this talented individual. As the king, Rickman is subtle and funny, bringing his characteristic dry wit to the part and imbuing the film with moments of sweetness that it is easy to enjoy. As director, however, Rickman unfortunately does not excel. A film about the importance of freedom, spontaneity, and chaos should reflect these themes in its style, yet this work often feels contrived, its shots overly set up, and its relationships forced. That being said, the score that accompanies the film is lovely to listen to, as are the lavish period sets and costumes enjoyable to view.

Kate Winslet has proven herself able to present strong female characters and can thrive in a period part. However, her talent was not given full opportunity to shine in a role where she was actually given very little to do. A character who I was able to enjoy was Stanley Tucci’s satirical court dandy, whose over-the-top performance worked to mock the frivolities of the time. De Barra’s character could have had a similar effect, had she been allowed to stand up and display her might. Instead, she becomes a helpless female in a saccharine romance that could have been portrayed by just about anybody, and Winslet’s casting feels almost like an attempt to elevate the work.

I approached A Little Chaos hoping to learn something about a historical person with whom I was largely unfamiliar but who fascinated nonetheless. Perhaps my expectations should have been adjusted, as the fanciful took precedence over the serious in a way that I found disappointing. Overall the work is pleasant to look at, and there are moments of lightness and humor throughout, yet I found A Little Chaos a little too syrupy and fluffy to equal anything of substance.

Direction
6
Performances
7
Screenplay
6
Cinematography
6
Music/Sound
7

TOTAL: 6.4



Gli spagnoli invece (o qualunque altro paese che scrive in spagnolo) lo stroncano non poco con un 1/5. La recensione la trovate qua.

Entrambe le ho prese su IMDb, dove il film è diventato votabile, intanto. Vediamo che succederà...

Altra recensione, negativa, da IndieWire: qui.

TIFF Review: 'A Little Chaos' Starring Kate Winslet And Matthias Schoenaerts

A story about an ordinary woman assimilating into crème de la crème royal society in 17th century Paris and falling in love above her station brims with potential, which makes our disappointment with Alan Rickman’s “A Little Chaos” that much more harsh. Romantic period dramas may no longer prompt audiences to stampede to the theater, but one need only turn to “Downton Abbey,” or the understated “The Young Victoria” to see that the genre doesn’t necessarily have to be somnolent. Then again, there are those that can put you to sleep quicker than you can say Nyquil, despite some good-looking costumes and loquacious language.

It’s 1682, and the gardens of Versailles need to be developed to appease his royal Highness, King Louis XIV (Rickman), who desires to make Versailles and France reach heavenly heights of splendor. Famous architect La Norte (Matthias Schoenaerts) is commissioned for the job, and his first order of business is to find a landscape artist who will assist him. Eventually Sabine De Barra (Kate Winslet), a commoner with a reputation belying her status, is called upon. Her first encounter with La Norte proves unfruitful. “Do you believe in order?” he asks her, a question he knows the answer to after examining her previous blueprints. Sabine’s chaotic, free-spirited, style stands in direct opposition to La Norte’s traditionalist and Renaissance-influenced inclinations. Despite these contradictions, La Norte is persuaded to take Sabine on, and she swiftly begins to make good on her own reputation, adjusting the designs in order to add something unique.

Sabine's traits slowly begins to draw La Norte closer, despite what his noble stature in society dictates or what his wife (Helen McCrory) might think. A visit to the countryside with one of La Norte’s dear friends (Stanley Tucci) proves to be the perfect setting for the beginnings of a blossoming mutual attraction, as Sabine starts to reciprocate La Norte’s feelings. But a tragic incident from her past prevents Sabine from opening up her heart to anyone, so the complications of social class, attraction, and personal reservations begin to simmer, as the garden progresses towards completion.

Despite her free spirit and chaotic nature, Sabine is a tepidly one-note character, which is only one of the most obvious faults in “A Little Chaos.” Winslet invests an enthusiasm and conviction worthy of the character’s bland individuality, which is to say that this is a minor performance from a major actress. It doesn’t help that the chemistry between her and Schoenaerts builds and then fizzles during their first encounter, never to ripple back into life again. The Belgian actor, who's been impressive lately, doesn’t seem to find any inspiration here, whether it’s because of the British accent he is forced to incorporate for a French character (though, to our ears, the accent sounds fine) or because La Norte, like Sabine, is less interesting than a 17th century doorknob. So a love meant to anchor this story has next to no passion. The film’s languid pacing, garish transitions from scene to scene, and a conflicting tone torn between drama, romance, and comedy each drag the entire affair ever-so-sluggishly towards a laughably kitsch conclusion.

The film’s greatest assets lie in screenwriter Alison Deegan’s dialogue and Joan Bergin’s costumes. It’s the dialogue, not the structure and development of the screenplay which produce the aforementioned defects, that stands out through the various exchanges. That being said, some of the gardening metaphors had us biting our knuckles and shaking our heads. “Like a plant, I submit” might go down as the year’s most dreadful five words in film. Still, a scene between Rickman and Winslet in the garden, some of the exchanges between Schoenaerts and McCrory, and pretty much everything Tucci says, make certain scenes memorable, adding layers to characters despite the story’s efforts to bring it all tumbling down. And then costumes, a period drama’s best friend, are more extravagant, lavish, and colorful than anything else in the film. That includes the cinematography, which unfortunately doesn’t get to shine as brightly as a Parisian tale set in Versailles would demand.

In “A Little Chaos,” Rickman has directed a story containing not a single iota of passion, and represents one woman’s battle with her past without a single genuine fight. The film tries to be a drama, then a comedy, and then a romance, and it ends up failing to be anything but a laborious thing suspended in air, neither here nor there. Some intriguing dialogue, and a closet full of fantastic frocks, can’t help an impressive ensemble cast save “A Little Chaos” from being a lackadaisical picture, far removed from anything remotely exciting as chaos. [C-]



Altra ancora, da HitFix:

Review: Kate Winslet can't stop 'A Little Chaos' from living up to its title

TORONTO — “Titanic” was a seminal moment in Kate Winslet’s career, but she made it clear even during the film's Oscar run and in the years following that it was a more grueling experience than she ever expected. In the years since she’s avoided anything that came close to those shooting conditions, when she spent weeks in water tanks and wading through water. That is until her new period drama, “A Little Chaos,” which screened for the press at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival Wednesday before its Saturday night premiere.

In the film, Winslet and her stunt person are drenched when her character tries to manually close an aqueduct from flooding a massive garden she’s been building at Versailles (yes, that Versailles). The long and the short of it is that the sequence found Winslet in a ton of water. And for her to do that, she must simply adore her co-star and director, Alan Rickman.

“Chaos” is Rickman’s second big screen directorial effort after 1997’s “The Winter’s Guest” and it finds his “Sense and Sensibility” co-star playing Sabine De Barra, a successful working woman who has been chosen to build an important garden at the new permanent residence of King Louis XIV in the 17th Century. Rickman plays the great French monarch, who, according to the movie at least, was a tremendous fan of horticulture and design. Burdened by a tragic event in her life, De Barra finds herself at odds with competing gardeners and members of Louis’ court who are jealous of the attention the King has bestowed on an outsider. A protector of sorts emerges in the head landscape architect of Versailles, Andrè Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts), who is the man who hired De Barra to build what is now known as “The Ballroom” garden. And like clockwork, a romance blooms between them.

While De Barra’s challenge is the primary storyline, Rickman and screenwriters Jeremy Brock and Alison Deegan take the movie through a number of unnecessary tangents that more than live up to the film’s title. For example, they spend a good deal of time exploring the King’s desire to escape his duties. It’s also very important to the filmmakers that the audience realizes how justified Le Notre is for cheating on his scheming wife (Helen McCrory).

Rickman recruits Stanley Tucci to play a major member of the court (obviously because Tucci brings instant comic relief in his sleep), but he also wants to make sure we know his character’s wife is OK with her husband having a male lover out in the open (which we are reminded of more than once). There is also a very well done but out of the blue scene where the ladies of the court reveal how down to earth they are outside of the King’s presence to an overwhelmed De Barra. And eventually, De Barra’s secret past is revealed to be much more melodramatic than it ever, ever needed to be.

As you can guess, this makes the tone of the film feel all over the place. For a few minutes you have Tucci and Rickman’s on-screen antics making the movie feel like a Meryl Streep comedy (yes, that’s a thing), and at other points Winslet’s dramatic instincts push it two degrees away from "The Reader." Rickman and cinematographer Ellen Kuras (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) also provide a hectic look, jumping back and forth between big movie studio period piece and an interesting artistic direction that is usually reserved for the art house. Compiled over 116 minutes, it's all sorts of jarring. Shockingly, none of these issues are the film’s biggest problem. That, sadly, lies in the casting of Schoenaerts.

Let us preface this by acknowledging that the Belgian actor is a huge talent. He’s been electric in films such as “Bullhead” and “Rust & Bone” and was one of the only reasons to sit through Guillaume Canet’s “Blood Ties.” Unfortunately, “A Little Chaos” is not his finest hour, but it’s not entirely his fault. First off, Schoenaerts and Winslet have almost zero chemistry on screen. There are no sparks between them no matter how hard the actors try. Their pairing is a total bust. Worse, because 90% of the cast is British playing French and speaking English, Schoenaerts’ continental European background makes him seem like a fish out of water (and he's from Belgium). You could argue if he’d played a similar role in Sofia Coppola’s Versailles-set drama “Marie Antoinette,” at least that cast was so diverse he’d fit in more. In this case, Schoenaerts' presence seems as though he showed up wearing a Halloween costume at a masquerade ball.

In theory, “Chaos” should live and die on Winslet’s performance, but the direction is so all over the place you just have to give her credit for trying. She puts more effort into giving De Barra a true dramatic arc than some of her peers would (you could see a number of Hollywood actresses easily sleepwalking through a film like this). What makes it more eyebrow raising is that Winslet has usually had good taste in the projects she’s chosen. Sure, there are paycheck moments like “The Holiday” and “Divergent,” but, at worst, her indie choices are challenging. “Chaos” is certainly not that.

All serious criticisms aside, “A Little Chaos” earns one compliment, but it's unfortunately a backhanded one: it’s watchable. This is a film that is just entertaining enough to watch a nice chunk of on pay cable or on a transatlantic flight. Frankly, there are worse fates.




QUI molte altre, ma non ricordo quali sono già state postate

Vabbe' non c'è niente di male nel "typical British period costume film", a me piacciono u.u

Concordo sull'assurdità del "target di riferimento"; penso che qualunque film possa avere un contenuto che trascenda il contesto storico in cui è ambientato, anzi mi sembra ovvio! Ad esempio, a quanto ho capito, in questo (tra l'altro) è importante il discorso sull'indipendenza femminile: dunque può piacere piacere a chi è interessato al tema indipendentemente dall'amore per i film in costume, non solo ai fan di pizzi e merletti.

Fermo restando che qualunque film ambientato in un'epoca diversa dalla nostra è "in costume", per forza di cose! Direi che la "minoranza etnica" è rappresentata da chi apprezza solo film girati in età contemporanea, a questo punto. Bah.

Spero che con "target audience" intendesse altro: non il fatto che il film sia in costume, quanto qualcosa riguardante i temi del film - qualcosa che non posso cogliere non avendolo visto.


Sarà il mio commento sotto la loro intervista Ora lo twitto a @BrentALang


Iniziamo bene. Immaginate la faccia di Alan appena ha letto Anzi, secondo me non le legge per disperazione.


Io avrei risposto "ma 'na manciata di ca*** tuoi?" Secondo me l'ha quantomeno pensato! Cosa non si fa pur di promuovere un film

Bellissima intervista


Speriamo le rilascino come contenuti speciali, ora sono curiosa

Anch'io ho visto foto e video di red carpet all'Odeon, pare sia come al Giffoni Cioè, la gente fa pochi autografi e a caso, bisognerebbe essere molto fortunati. Ma agli altri red carpet cui siete stati come avete fatto ad avvicinarlo? C'è un casino terrificante

Che cast! Spero sia vero, e soprattutto spero gli tocchi una bella parte! Sarà questo il "film con un ragazzo" di cui parlava al Giffoni? Quindi il ragazzo sarebbe Aaron Paul? Chissà perché immaginavo un qualche diciassettenne inesperto x)

Riguardo il Sud Africa, penso proprio che non li facciano girare in posti "a rischio"... Spero!

Potendo scegliere sarebbe meglio Ottobre, ma verrei in ogni caso (salvo cataclismi o scioperi ferroviari xD)

Vale anche per me! Sapevo solo il perché degli auguri. Grazie Chiara!

Ciao, benvenuta! Non vedo l'ora di vedere anche le tue foto

Grande! Sono di Napoli, quindi due ore di treno e arrivo u.u

Uh, magari potrei raggiungervi per un pranzo al volo, mi farebbe piacere conoscervi. Sempre se posso imbucarmi x)