From director, Benedict Andrews (who directed Una in 2016 and two National Theatre Live events), comes what I thought was going to be an intriguing adaptation that was going to intrigue me.  Instead, I ended up thinking the film was mediocre on many levels. Seberg has a captivating plot, strong cinematography, and great acting, but the film is not focused. Kristen Stewart fits the role of Jean Seberg, however, she her portrayal does not seem to care much about the background of Seberg or what would grab the attention of most audiences. This was one of the films that I almost saw at the 2019 Chicago International Film Festival. And now that I’ve seen it, I will stick to my own rule of not being overly negative even if I dislike a film. Alternatively, I believe in elaborating on why a film fails to speak to me and that is what I will do with Seberg.

The focus of the film which is set in the late 1960s gears on the French New Wave Icon, Jean Seberg.  During this time frame, the FBI targeted Seberg because of her relationship that had political implications with Hakim Jamal (played by Anthony Mackie). This raised a concern because of Jamal being a civil rights activist. Two detectives, Jack Solomon and Carl Kowalski (Jack O’Connell and Vince Vaughn), go on a deep spy investigation watching the relationship between the two which they believe is a conspiracy. The investigative moments are the primary intention of the film’s plot.

As I said earlier, Stewart is brilliant in her role, however, the film lacks displaying the importance of Seberg herself. The film does gear on her luxury lifestyle and briefly on former relationship conflicts, but barely mentions her historic background. Instead the film drags as it turns into a crime thriller focused on humiliating her and Jamal due to their discreet relationship. That is a disappointing plot for me, because as a cinema enthusiast, the French New Wave era speaks to me. Unfortunately, the film failed to focus on that intriguing subject matter at all. Instead of picking up other important events or accomplishments of Seberg, it is over done with annoyances faced by the detectives trying to humiliate her based on their investigations.

The film that revolutionized Seberg back in the day was Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. There was no focus in that film on the sensational or the steps that Seberg took to become a high-profiled actress. With Seberg as the title of the film, I expected a little background development of the FBI conspiracies. And, the FBI conspiracies could have still been the plot, but it should have been built up to it, instead of jumping into that focus entirely. The lack of plot development is why I was not fond of Seberg.

Due to this, I am giving just a solid two stars for Seberg. There was great acting and cinematography, but a structure that was rushed. I believe this is one of those films that should be true to what is important to an icon like Seberg. If there was a chronological setup from her earlier days, the film may have had a chance at being more engrossing. It was a watch once for me, but if film aficionados want to watch this and see for themselves, then go for it.

While still being in quarantine, my mood led me to watch a film by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film I chose was his 2007 masterpiece, There Will Be Blood. What motivated me to choose this movie again is not just because of its brilliant plot, acting, or cinematography, but also because of how it is set in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. In an era where there was barely any technological advancement, most business involved long travel and complex logistics. This film explores the early days of the oil industry with much greed, hatred, and irreparable consequences in the hands of our main character and enemy Daniel Plainview (played by Daniel Day-Lewis). Day-Lewis won the Oscar for Best Actor, and the film also won for Best Cinematography. It is a film set in a haunting era that had its viewers compelled by its outcomes.

Daniel Plainview starts out as a silver miner. With his greed and lies, he uses his adopted son to help him grow a business as an oil prospector. Plainview and his adopted son make their way to empty land in California that is known to have tons of oil to be processed for growth and business. He acts like he is a family man (he uses his adopted son in networking scenarios), but he is a con artist. By creating scenarios that are based on lies from the past, Plainview convinces landowners to sell him property for oiling processes. The problem is the pastor of the town, Eli Sunday (played by Paul Dano), realizes people are losing what is valuable, violent disasters begin to arise. Plainview does not have a heart for anything that has been damaged due to his projects and business goals. Plainview only cares about his own earnings from processing more oil so he can be an even wealthier man.

Daniel Day-Lewis is always brilliant in the films he has starred in.  However, in There Will Be Blood, his acting scenarios have some of the most memorable moments. He portrays the greedy personality, the evil background, and the attitude that is in denial whenever he believes it is a benefit to himself and others. His lines are also what sells his Oscar-worthy performance. and we see it in a moment of an oil disaster as he yells, “There’s a whole ocean of oil under our feet! No one can get at it except for me!” In that moment he does not care about how the disaster has impacted his adopted son or others that have been injured, he only cares that it signals more profit.

I find this movie to be a classic because of the tension created by the unrealistic promises that Plainview makes throughout the movie. That is what held my attention most in the times I have watched There Will Be Blood. Plainview makes promises regarding events or issues to resolve, but then he does the opposite. By Sunday being a pastor of his own church with strong religious belief, this makes him feel that the land that Plainview has purchased is cursed with more bad things to come. Sunday also believes that if Plainview rejects his requests then that sets off a curse with a life-threatening outcome. Plainview believes that Sunday’s strong religious beliefs and erratic behavior are getting in the way of him achieving his goals. These two sets of opposing beliefs become a cat and mouse game between the two that goes on throughout the movie. That conflict starts to escalate once Sunday realizes that the land is in the hands of Plainview.

Overall, There Will Be Blood is a film that I have grown to love over the years. At first, I was not into it, but it was one of those movies that slowly made me admire Paul Thomas Anderson. It made me come to realize that the slow and quiet tone is his style of filmmaking. When I watched it a couple more times, I grew to respect and admire the film since I enjoy watching the conflicts grow with the use of well-timed scoring and unexplained disasters. There Will Be Blood is a four- star rating film.

While still being in quarantine, The Criterion Channel has allowed me to explore and figure out why particular films fall under the category of Criterion. I came across the 2006 thriller and drama, Red Road (directed by Andrea Arnold). Red Road is a contemporary film in which the main character, Jackie (played by Katie Dickie), finds herself warped in an obsession with following someone who has impacted her life in the past. Jackie monitors security cameras daily to catch anything that looks suspicious or crime related. Red Road is a quiet film with faded cinematography which effectively depicts Jackie’s obsession which leads her on a trail to seek revenge.

The film takes place in the United Kingdom. Jackie works as a CCTV security operator and her mind is always consumed with identifying emergencies. That all changes when she comes across a man on the monitors that has caused severe damage and (supposedly) was the reason why she has suffered from post-traumatic-stress-disorder for some time. In the film, we learn that Jackie lost a daughter, and she believes Clyde (played by Tony Curran) was the reason for that tragedy. As Jackie becomes fixated on following Clyde’s everyday adventures on the security monitors, she feels compelled to follow him. She starts to exhibit elements of stalkerish behavior, and it is not just through the security monitors, but by involving herself in his life outside of her job. This leads to Jackie to put herself in some harmful situations as she is determined to figure out if the damage he caused her was intentional or accidental.

Red Road’s tone was subdued but technologically inviting. I was captivated by the film, not due to the story alone, but because of its technological brilliance. The realism of the emotional story is shown through the method of the Dogme 95 movement. This is where the cinematography is in use with visceral handheld camera work and natural lighting. Since the film had no high-end cinematography computer effects, it makes Red Road feel like the main characters are in a real-life conflict especially through the showcasing of Jackie’s emotions. The film’s conflict is realistic in that it is not unusual for someone to wants answers to why their life may have had a tragic encounter.

I found that the film was intriguing due to the outcomes of Jackie’s persistent, stalkerish behavior. There are moments where she over assumes what may or may not be true. Also, she realizes that elements of Clyde are what she believed them to be. And, with Clyde’s dark past, her judgment impacts him more by causing additional legal troubles, given he already is on parole due to prior charges. This makes Jackie start to consider if she wants him to suffer more or if she wants to understand whether the tragedy which impacted her was truly a mistake as many car accidents are.  Red Road is a film that is a journey searching for answers through both security cameras and personal stalking.

This film is not for everyone and reviews have been mixed over time. I feel like it does fit with the Criterion Channel and because of its contemporary technical advancements. Red Road is a film that speaks to a limited type of audience, an audience who can handle emotional elements, and who feel that true independent movies speak to them. Red Road is a cleverly crafted thriller, but it is not amazing. However, it did hold my attention through the natural cinematography that the film has throughout its two-hour running time. I give Red Road three stars.