"Velvet Goldmine" Review

We’ve all seen it countless times; celebrity sensations stealing the stage. With gaudy outfits, daring ideas, and an excess of glitter, glam-rock stars were no exception. These 1970s idols of the U.K. dressed, behaved, and performed in audacious ways that were impossible to ignore. Todd Haynes, director of “Poison” and “Safe,” demands the same attention in his film “Velvet Goldmine,” and it deserves the spotlight. Though liberal, in your face, and somewhat absurd at times, this work of art is as unique and infectious as the era it illuminates.

“Velvet Goldmine” follows Arthur Stuart, a British journalist played by Christian Bale who is assigned to cover a story on the infamous Brian Slade; a bisexual, glam-rock idol played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers whose life loosely parallels that of David Bowie. Ten years after Slade’s controversial death, Stuart sets out to uncover the discrepancies behind Slade’s demise. In a series of interviews and flashbacks, Stuart reveals Slade’s rise and fall as a distinguished icon, his marriage, and his love affair with both music and Curt Wilde; another rising star played by Ewan McGregor whose biography is roughly based off the lives of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.

Acclaimed costume designer Sandy Powell, Oscar nominee for “The Wings of the Dove” and “Orlando,” epitomizes the glam in glam-rock in “Velvet Goldmine.” Glitter, glitz, sparkle: she does it all. Draping characters in everything from psychedelic, Victorian-inspired outfits to skin-tight, metallic pants to outrageous platform boots, Powell has the costumes screaming for just as much attention as their dramatic wearers. Most impressive is Slade who is a true icon at a concert in a luminescent body-suit adorned with glistening jewels and sequins complete with an impressive collar of plumes. Taking the stage, this distorted angel shimmers just as brightly as the silver confetti that engulfs him.

Celebrated hair and makeup artist Peter King, known for “The Portrait of a Lady” and “The Tango Lesson,” pinpoints an era with swooping lashes, charcoal eyeliner, and lots and lots of hairspray. In true glam-rock style, the characters are over-the-top and don futuristic, artificial looks; Slade sports an electric-blue hairdo, and Wild’s milky blue eyes, framed in heavy, black makeup, peer out of a greasy blonde, shoulder-length veil. In a Slade music video, humans become abstract, alien-like forms with bejeweled bodies painted blue and doused in a coat of glitter. It seems flashy and overdone, but because it is flamboyant and impossible to ignore, it captures the essence of a phenomenon that boldly took risks and tested boundaries.

The “Velvet Goldmine” soundtrack is just as emotionally charged and sensational as the characters, mirroring their constantly changing, unpredictable moods. One moment, Slade is stealing the stage to the roar of the audience and the scream of electric guitars, and the next, he is exhausted or depressed accompanied by an ensemble of melancholy string and wind instruments. The music, though spontaneous, still seems to establish a flow and relationship between the often-disconnected scenes and characters. This fluidity stems from multilayered melodies that weave together dialogue, background noise, and contrasting themes, such as pop and folk.

Though controversial and somewhat shocking, “Velvet Goldmine” is as outrageous and compelling as any rock concert: heavy make-up, guitar solos, outlandish outfits, and all.

-For Readers of the Kalamazoo Gazette

Articles

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/26/091026fa_fact_goodyear

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/books/review/Shone-t.html?

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Scrapping the quote and hoping to start my lede with a more concrete idea, I decided to zero-in on James Cameron, the director of "Avatar." Though I will admit that I did not read the majority of these articles until after writing my own review, as I did not want to allow them to greatly alter my ideas or my writing, I still found them helpful. Having never seen any of Cameron's films, besides the legendary "Titanic," I obviously needed a little background information for my review. These articles helped me to understand not only more about Cameron's other films, such as "The Terminator" and "Aliens," but they also gave me a greater understanding of the inspiration behind such films and the patterns and reoccurring themes that appear in several of Cameron's works. Though I didn't write about his personal life at all, I thought the biographical elements included in both of these articles were very interesting. The parallels between his experiences and his films are fascinating.

Avatar Revised

A cyborg assassin decked out in black leather and shades, horrific alien creatures, and a colossal, unsinkable ship: James Cameron, renowned writer and director best known for “Titanic” and “The Terminator,” seemed to disappear from the film scene when “Titanic,” which made its debut over a decade ago, sunk into the frigid waters of the Atlantic.

Cameron has finally returned though, and not quietly but in his trademark, over-the-top fashion, with “Avatar,” his newest masterpiece. Nearly fifteen years in the making, “Avatar” stuns with state-of-the-art technology, drawing audiences into the world of Pandora, a land that seamlessly combines live action and computer-generated characters. Though “Avatar” at first seems reminiscent of stories such as “Pocahontas” and “Dances With Wolves,” the recycled storyline not only works, it impresses when set on the paradise of Pandora.

In his film, Cameron creates an Eden-like utopia on the planet of Pandora. This visually stunning land offers unparalleled power and promise. Humans escape a war-ridden earth for Pandora’s opportunity, and, especially, for its unobtanium, a mineral more valuable than gold. Jake Sully, a wheelchair-bound, ex-marine played by Sam Worthington, known for his recent role in “Terminator Salvation,” arrives on Pandora simply by chance. Agreeing to continue his deceased, twin brother’s science endeavor, he enters the body of an avatar, a scientifically-created being composed of both human and na’vi (native) DNA. Stepping into Pandora, literally, for the first time, Sully personally encounters the na’vi. Accepted into their private world, he becomes immersed in their riveting culture and experience. Quickly, however, Sully experiences the tension between his newfound relationships and earth authorities’ desire to destroy their community, a location highly rich in unobtanium. Ultimately, Sully’s allegiance can lie in only one of two realities: humanity or his newfound identity.

Having completed the first script even before the release of “Titanic,” Cameron had to wait on advancements in technology to make Pandora a reality. The wait was worth it. “Avatar” is a visual masterpiece: vivid, teeming with fantastic creatures, boasting lush jungle landscapes and mountains suspended in midair. The na’vi especially, with their slender, vibrant blue bodies and radiant, wide eyes, appear positively alive. From a furrowed brow to the flick of a tail, these CGI people flawlessly express movement and emotion.

Though “Avatar” doesn’t exactly introduce a new storyline, the recycled plot doesn’t fail to entertain. A little short of three hours, this blockbuster hit throws viewers in suspension, whisking them back and forth between human bases and the center of Pandora. By the time these parallel worlds intersect, the audience has braved Pandora’s skies atop a dragon-like beast, witnessed humans’ terribly magnificent military power, and learned various utterances of the melodic na’vi language.

Although “Avatar” lacks in originality and has the Hollywood trademark of unnecessary violence, it still manages to effortlessly capture viewers. Employing cutting-edge technology, Cameron invites viewers to a visual feast, and he has them guessing, at every moment, what Pandora could hold beyond every exotic twist and turn of its chaotic yet enthralling landscape.

Avatar Film Review

“It is hard to fill a cup that is already full,” says Mo’at, a na’vi (or native) of Pandora, the fantastic world in the new blockbuster phenomenon Avatar. Written and directed by renowned director James Cameron, Avatar challenges viewers to step beyond their experience, emptying themselves of judgment and expectation, in order to understand and respect an alternate world and lifestyle. Thus, Cameron’s long envisioned fantasy (he wrote the first script in 1994) becomes an incredible reality. Beckoning audiences into its magnificently created landscape and culture, Cameron artfully pinpoints a timeless message in a specific time and place.

In his film, Cameron creates an Eden-like paradise on the planet of Pandora. This visually stunning land offers unparalleled power and promise. Humans escape a war-ridden earth for Pandora’s opportunity, and, especially, for its unobtanium, a mineral even more costly than gold. Jake Sully, a wheelchair bound, ex-marine played by Sam Worthington, arrives on Pandora simply by chance. Agreeing to continue his deceased, twin brother’s science endeavor, he enters the body of an avatar, a scientifically created being composed of both human and na’vi DNA. Stepping into Pandora, literally, for the first time, Sully personally encounters the na’vi. Accepted into their private world, he becomes immersed in their riveting culture and experience. Quickly, however, Sully experiences the tension between his newfound relationships and earth authorities’ desire to destroy their community, a location highly rich in unobtanium. Ultimately, Sully’s allegiance can lie in only one of two realities, humanity or his newfound identity.

At first, Avatar can seem like one of many twists on the somewhat cliché story of the human discovery of a new world and the conflicts that follow. After seeing the trailer, many found the plot to be reminiscent of films such as Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves. Once immersed in the phenomenal world of Pandora, however, one realizes the complexities of this created place and its inhabitants. Using state of the art technology, Cameron overwhelms viewers with luscious, jungle landscapes teeming with fantastic creatures, the melodic sounds of the na’vi language, and the strong, spiritual connection between all living things and Ewya, their deity. The multidimensional characters only enhance this imagined world through their genuine emotion and experience. Viewers can easily become engulfed in the characters’ journey, almost becoming part of what the na’vi describe as the network of energy that connects all living beings. Viewers, thus entangled in the na’vi culture and struggle, then have perspective to witness all that Pandora unleashes in humanity. Artfully and realistically, Cameron uses his created world to powerfully challenge human nature and morality. Ultimately, viewers can find themselves in Sully’s shoes, facing the question of whether or not to betray their very own race. Though not necessarily a new story or message, Avatar is not short lived or a simple battle between good and evil. It is a complex world that intricately connects itself to our own experience, and, upon leaving the theatre, I hoped, like Sully, that “my cup is empty.”