Sunshine

directed by István Szabó (1999)

This was a strange flick, half pretentious period drama, part weirdo tragic taboo romance, and Ralph Fiennes plays all of the characters.  I exaggerate some, it's not a Being John Malkovich experimental thang, but Fiennes does play 3 successive generations, father to son to grandson, and it's narrated by him too.  It's set in Hungary and tracks a Jewish family from the late 1800's to just after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

The generations spanning epic starts off with a bang, a couple of them actually.  The first patriarch, (who should have been played by Ralph Fiennes too,) is tavern owner who dies in a distillery accident.  His 12 year old son sets off with the secret recipe for his father's elixir, Taste of Sunshine, and eventually though it's not shown, builds  a successful business based on that drink.  The next bang is figurative, though more shocking. Ralph Fiennes is the son of the Taste of Sunshine elixir maker, and he falls in love with his cousin/sister Valerie (Jennifer Ehle) What?!!  I know! It's weird and the transgressive coupling happens so quickly - within the first 10 minutes of the film.  It's kinda cheeseball, but it does creates great tension.  Taboo love is so much more fraught.

Since it covers such a great length of time, the cyclical nature of history is established.  The new boss same as the old boss kind of thing.  The nasty repercussions of and abuses of political power are not limited to Imperialism, Fascism, Nationalism, or Communism.  The all had their secret police.  The effects of anti-semitism are illustrated well, especially along the subtler lines of assimilation and self hatred, repression of religion and identity to get ahead, identifying with the oppressor and such.  I thought this was the best part of the film.  

The romance stuff is pretty juicy, but overwrought and awful too.  The 2nd generation Ralph Fiennes, Adam, is also a taboo buster.  His sister in law Greta, (Rachel Weisz), has the hots for him and tries to seduce him in a scene with dialogue that made me literally laugh aloud.

(Fiennes/Adam just had a fight with a man)

Adam:  I nearly killed him.

Greta:   But you didn't

Adam:  No, I didn't

Greta:   Perhaps you'll kill me one day when you've had enough of me.

Adam:  Perhaps I will.

Greta:   How will you kill me?  Strangle me?

Adam:   Good idea.

Greta:   Try it. Hold my neck. Tight.

She puts his hands around her throat and leans in to kiss him.  He pushes her away.

Adam:  What are you doing!

Greta:   I can't bear not being with you.

Adam:   You're my brother's wife Greta.

Greta:    I'm not anybody's wife. I am myself.

Adam:   Ishtvan is my brother! I love him! What makes you think that I would steal his wife.

Greta:   You can't steal what's already yours.  Why don't you let yourself be loved?  You are the great love of my love Adam, not Ishtvan.

Adam:   No.  (shakes head.)  No Greta.


Another wrong love!  His mouth says no, but his body says yes.  There's nudity in this, boobs and such.  You'll see a bit of humpety bumpety.  It's definitely not the main show, but there is some R rated action, probably because you get to see Fiennes's butt and tackle too.  Man junk almost always means an R rating. 

It has a whole bunch of interesting bits, aside from the Fiennes dangler, but it's far too long (that doesn't sound right), and it was bizarre casting having Fiennes do 3 roles. He did a really good job, it's just why go that way when you could simply hire more actors?  When Fiennes would show up playing his son it was always jarring to the suspension of disbelief.  Another bit of stunt casting that actually worked was having Jennifer Ehle's mother, Rosemary Harris, play the elder version of Valerie.  I think it would have worked better as a mini series.
 
The end of the movie ties up everything with a great monologue when the final Ralph Fiennes is reading a letter from his grandfather.  It brings home the value of NOT surrendering your identity and ideals in order to get ahead.

Coriolanus

directed by Ralph Fiennes (2011)

I didn't even know there was a play called Coriolanus.  Shakespeare no less.  It set me up the bomb, thinking dayum, why ain't this ever been made into a movie?  Is it Shakespeare's shittiest work or what?  What's the story mang?

Well, I dunno why this isn't more popular, probably because it's too bloodthirsty.  Joe was hating on it, feeling bored and eye rolly of it.  We got into a heated discussion about how believable or translatable it is to modern times.

It's done up with modern trappings. No Togas, or laurel wreaths.  Instead of Roman garb,  soldier/general Coriolanus wears a conventional uniform, a dressier one when he's getting his accolades with the politicians and in green battle fatigues when he's in the field killing the enemy like the super soldier he is.

That's another aspect that bugged Joe.  The whole idea of a super soldier.

I felt like it was condemning of a militaristic ideology, while he more felt it promoted and glorified one, because it neglected to include other more important factors like who controls the military.  Rogue generals are fewer and farther between in the modern era.  I still feel it was more a story of the individual - another thing that bugged him.  The emphasis on individual actions.

But the personal is political.  Coriolanus's mom, (Vanessa Redgrave), bred herself a super soldier, and he bred himself a son who was gonna be a super soldier too.  The context of the conflict was less important than the essential nature of the conflict, that of one nation or state, subjugating another.  And what does a warrior culture do but justify the need for a warrior class by making sure that war continues.  Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.  This cynical tale shines a light some on the machinations behind the scenes that makes sure the ballet of blood and bullets is a neverending story, and that might be disheartening, but it's honest.  It's human weakness and moral flaws that exacerbate conflict.

I like watching Shakespeare. I like how I have to pay attention to what's going on and try figure out what was said.  I spend much of the time watching in a state of huh?  Whatssat?  Ohhhh ok,  and I don't get that much from most any other kind of flick.  Most flicks are OBVIOUS.   Everything is telegraphed and that can be BORING.  Shakespeare makes you work a bit for your entertainment.

It's got some damn fine scenes of the sexy mens too.  Probably the most war mongery homoerotic flick I've seen since 300, and that starred Gerard Butler too.  Though there might be others that are more sexier, just that I ain't seen them.  I'm not often watching war oriented flicks generally, but I hear they're popular with the macho set.  I'm thinking this might fly with all the dudes what like FPS war games since the action scenes are modern warfare.  Could be a cross promotional venture -   Coriolanus coming soon to a console system near you!!

hand to hand combats - boss fight