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Ridley Scott

House of Gucci – Desire Destroys a Family

December 5, 2021 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.” (Gen. 4:8 NRSV)

It is worth remembering that humankind’s first murder was a family affair. Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci is the newest way of telling the story of a family that destroys itself because of the greed, ambition, and hubris of its members. Certainly, that concept has fueled storytelling for eons. We think of the TV shows like Dallas and Dynasty, and currently HBO’s Succession. But House of Gucci is “inspired by the true events”. This is a real life version of that age old story.

Adam Driver stars as Maurizio Gucci and Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s HOUSE OF GUCCI A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Fabio Lovino © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The film’s center is Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), a young working-class woman. Her father owns a small trucking company. At a party one night, she meets Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), the introverted scion of the fashion dynasty. When she hears his last name, her eyes light up, and we can tell she wants in. She works her way into Maurizio’s life and heart. His father Rudolfo (Jeremy Irons) thinks she’s nothing but a gold digger. He’s not far off, but there is more to it than that. When Rudolfo cuts off Maurizio’s money, Maurizio goes to work for Patrizia’s father until they marry, living a simple working-class life.

But Maurizio’s uncle Aldo (Al Pacino) connects to them, and the lira-sign lights in Patrizia’s eyes go off again. Aldo is the business brains of Gucci. He wants to expand. Rudolfo lives in the past and doesn’t want to change anything. Aldo’s son Paulo (Jered Leto, who steals every scene he’s in) wants to be a designer but is talentless. Aldo calls him an idiot, “but he’s my idiot”. He sees Maurizio as the future of the family business. Between Aldo and Patrizia, plans are made to bring Maurizio into the business. Now the conniving and manipulations can begin. Patrizia seems to always be at the center of it all. It is her ambition that drives the story—and in the process destroys the family.

(l-r.) Jared Leto stars as Paolo Gucci, Florence Andrews as Jenny Gucci, Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci, Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani and Al Pacino as Aldo Gucci in Ridley Scott’s HOUSE OF GUCCI A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc. © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The story covers the period of the late 70s to the 90s. Along the way we watch as fashion changes. This is a world of extravagance, and Patrizia especially shows it to the world. In time Maurizio will also be drawn into this world of ostentation, just as he’s drawn into Patrizia’s ambition and cunning.

There is an interesting use of music in the film. Some of the time, the music is the popular music of the day. That feeds our nostalgia. But often we hear operatic music driving the scenes. The music reminds us that this is that thrives in the world of tabloids and people’s fascination with the rich and famous, but it is also a story of epic proportions that tells of the elemental mythos of the destructive power of ambition and hubris. That mythos that goes back to the story of Cain and Abel.

Adam Driver stars as Maurizio Gucci and Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s HOUSE OF GUCCI A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc. © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Watching a movie is always something of a voyeuristic experience. That is especially the case here as we watch the rise and downfall of Patrizia and others. But we should also note that many of the desires that drive and ultimately destroy these characters often live within each of us. As it says in the story of Cain and Abel, “. . . Sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” House of Gucci shows us the dangers in nor mastering our desires.

Al Pacino stars as Aldo Gucci and Mãdãline Ghenea as Sophia Loren in Ridley Scott’s HOUSE OF GUCCI A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc. © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

House of Gucci is in wide theatrical release.

Photos courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Adam Driver, based on a book, family drama, Fashion, Gucci, House of Gucci, inspired by true events, Lady Gaga, murder, Ridley Scott, wealth

The Last Duel: Pain from Another Perspective

October 15, 2021 by ScreenFish Staff Leave a Comment

By Seun Olowo-Ake

Directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, The Last Duel is set in the 12th Century and is based on the true story of Marguerite de Carrouge (Jodie Comer), Jean de Carrouge (Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) and the accusation that put all their lives at risk.

Knowing nothing about the movie before I went in, I admit that I didn’t think that I would enjoy Last Duel. However, the more the story unfolded, the more interested I became. I liked how the film decided to tell the story from the three different perspectives and found it fun seeing how all three people saw the exact same situations in such different ways. I also really enjoyed the performances. Damon captured the hot-headedness of Jean; Driver exemplified the charming, eloquent womanizer that was Jacques; Affleck brought so much humour with his portrayal of the more secondary Lord Pierre; and Comer did an exceptional job portraying the devoted, meek wife, the subtle flirt, and the striving-but-not-quite-good-enough wife that Jean, Jacques and her narratives respectively show her to be.

The film begins by showing us the deterioration of Jean and Jacques’ relationship as fortune continues to smile on Jacque, often at the expense of Jean. The resentment that builds in the already brash Jean reaches its tipping point when his wife, Marguerite, accuses Jacques of rape. Jacques insists that he is innocent, and Jean insists that he is ready to fight to the death to prove that he is guilty. This leads us to the duel itself, which was the last one permitted by the Parliament of Paris. (I just discovered that. The title of the movie makes sense now.)

Many people have called this movie a ‘medieval #MeToo film’, and it very obviously has those undertones. From the characters that did not quite believe Marguerite to the women in the film that came forward with their own stories while simultaneously wondering why on earth Marguerite would ‘bring shame to her family in this way’, to the invasive questioning that she endures on the way to her potential death, The Last Duel certainly shows the struggle of women who have suffered to speak out against the toxic men in their lives.

However, another thing that stood out to me is the idea that we are the centre of our stories and that our actions are reactions to what we perceive around us. We see this in all three main characters, but particularly in Jacques who maintains his innocence because of how the world works to him and how he interpreted the behaviour of Marguerite.

I also found it fascinating that the person with the most drastic character change in all three accounts is Marguerite. Both Jean and Jacques were men who had professed in some way to love her, yet they did not truly see her. In fact, the movie constantly shows her struggling to be seen and heard by her husband, by Jacques and by society. It makes me wonder if we as the main characters in our stories view other people the way they truly are, or the way we want them to be. This idea gains more significance when we consider again that our actions are results of how we see the things around us and that we are constantly interacting with other people who are directly or indirectly affected by what we do. The Last Duel (and historical account) gives the more extreme example of assault, but that is something for us all to ponder as we go about our lives.

True love is putting others before ourselves and, in the context of this movie, seeking to truly understand their motivations before reacting- which I’ll admit is really hard, but no one ever said love was easy.

The Last Duel is available in theatres on Friday, October 15th, 2021.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Adam Driver, Ben Affleck, Jodie Cormer, Matt Damon, metoo, Nicole Holofcener, Ridley Scott, The Last Duel

All the Money in the World – What Are Riches For?

January 4, 2018 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“Everything has a price. The real struggle in life is to determine what that is.”

How do you determine the price of the important things in life? That question lies in the background all through All the Money in the World. “Inspired by true events”, it is a thriller based on the 1973 kidnapping of a grandson of “the richest man who had ever lived”, J. Paul Getty. But it is also an examination of the way money can shape or distort our lives.

J. Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped off the streets in Rome. When the kidnappers call his mother Gail (Michelle Williams), her first reaction is that it is a joke. Paul has often joked that faking his kidnapping would be a way to get money from his tight-fisted grandfather and namesake (Christopher Plummer). The elder Getty enlists the aid of a former CIA operative, now his head of security, Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlburg), to get young Paul back. When Getty is unwilling to part with any of his fortune for Paul’s return, Fletcher and Gail become allies in trying to get save Paul.

The thriller aspect of the film, with various twists along the way, is compelling to keep our interest, but that just serves to lead us to consideration of the role money has in our lives. Do we see it as a means to an end? Can we use money to achieve happiness or to buy things we want? Or is money an end in itself? Does having wealth fulfill us?

Although Getty is exceedingly rich, in this film we see him as a miser. An early scene shows him in his lavish Roman hotel suite, with his laundry draped over bathroom fixtures. Why pay someone to do that? he asks. When he eventually does pay the ransom (negotiated down over several months while Paul is held captive and facing brutal treatment), it is based on what he can write off on taxes and as a loan to Paul. He uses his wealth as a weapon to punish Gail for the divorce settlement with his son.

Getty, at least as portrayed in the film, uses his vast wealth to acquire great art. He places his trust (and his hope for fulfillment and happiness) in possessions. He does not expect people—even his family—to provide those things. He only trusts in the tangible. The attitude that money has inherent value and should be obtained is something that Getty has in common with the kidnappers. They all consider money as more important than people. For Fletcher Chase and Gail Getty, money is only valuable for what can be done with it—and especially done to aid someone in need.

Wealth is a topic that comes up frequently in the Bible. At times it is seen as evidence on God’s blessing, but it is frequently seen as an illusion or even as a hindrance in our relationship with God. Some scriptures that could be appropriate to consider in thinking of this film:

  • The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
  • It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. (Mark 10: 25 and parallels)
  • The Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12: 16ff
  • The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10a)
  • For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away. (James 1:11)

Our attitude towards riches often shapes our spiritual lives just as much as it provides the trappings of our day to day lives. All the Money in the World gives us a chance to reflect on how our approach to money affects the way we understand so much more.

Photos courtesy of All the Money US, LLC

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Charlie Plummer, christopher plummer, inspired by true events, Italy, J. Paul Getty, kidnapping, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Money, Ridley Scott

3.21 Attacking ALIEN: COVENANT

May 28, 2017 by Steve Norton 4 Comments

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/3.21-Alien-Covenant.mp3

This week, Steve assembles his  Mikey Fissel (Reel World Theology) and Paul Muzzin (director, CHASING ATLANTIS) as they dig into ALIEN: COVENANT, Ridley Scott’s controversial sequel to PROMETHEUS. The film has proven itself divisive amongst fans and critics but has a lot more to say than people think (or does it?).

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.21 Alien Covenant

A special thanks to Mikey (Reel World Theology) and Paul (Chasing Atlantis)

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: Alien, Alien Covenant, aliens, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, David Fincher, Demian Bichir, horror, James Cameron, Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, Ridley Scott, SciFi, xenomorph

3.16 The Meaning of LIFE

April 10, 2017 by Steve Norton 3 Comments

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/3.16-Life.mp3

This week, Steve is joined by special guest and friend to the show, Wade Bearden (Seeing and Believing) to talk about whether or not there’s a meaning to LIFE, the newest sci-fi actioner to hit the big screen.  Yes, the film is tense but does it have something to say?  Plus, the guys give their top 3 remakes since the year 2000!  Only on ScreenFish.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.16 Life

A special thanks to Wade for coming on the show!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: Action, Alien, Deadpool, George Clooney, Jake Gyllenhaal, life, Rebecca Ferguson, Ridley Scott, Ryan Reynolds, sci-fi, science fiction

Seeing and Believing: SciFi Returns to the 80s

November 2, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

“There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?”   -Supreme Leader Snoke, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) Ph: Film Frame © 2014 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Right Reserved..

There’s always been a tension between seeing and believing.

Especially over the last few decades, there has been an increasingly heavy emphasis that truth exists only when we can prove things scientifically or experience them for ourselves. Over that time, this debate has caused a real tension between the church and the scientific community, seemingly forcing people to ‘pick a side’.

Unsurprisingly, this has also shown up on the big screen.

For instance, let’s just look at some of the most popular science fiction stories in recent years. Films like Prometheus, Interstellar, and The Martian have all been hits at the box office and explored questions of our purpose in life. In each case, the films shoot for lofty ideas but land on the idea that life is really about us and what we can do. (For instance, often called a ‘love letter to science’, The Martian also explains that, “if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.”)

martian-gallery3-gallery-image

In an interesting twist, even some of the most recent Biblical epics attempted to explain God’s interaction with creation in a more scientific manner. Films such as Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings and (arguably) Aronovsky’s Noah have both offered new depictions of the Biblical stories with a smaller focus on God and a greater emphasis on our human perspective and understandings as a source of hope.

Now, hear me out. I’m not, in anyway, taking a shot at science. Not at all. It’s our primary way of understanding our world. However, what I am noticing is that the pendulum of knowledge has swung so far in the ‘seeing to believe’ direction that our culture seems to have lost it’s ability to believe in anything other than itself.

But I think that the pendulum is about to swing back.

strangerthings4

All of a sudden, science fiction has opened the door a crack to admit that, sometimes, they don’t have all the answers. This year alone, there have been some substantial film releases that take a scientific approach that, although helpful and meaningful, isn’t always the final word on what’s real. Films like Jeff Nichol’s Midnight Special, Marvel’s Dr. Strange, this summer’s underrated Ghostbusters reboot or even Netflix’s massive hit, Stranger Things, have all fused a scientific worldview with an eye staring keenly into the spiritual.

Now, these films tell us that we have to believe to see.

Just look at Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

finn2

When rebooting the franchise, one of the most important factors in the film’s success was bringing back an emphasis on the mystery of ‘the Force’. Whereas George Lucas wanted to explain away this amazing power in his infamous prequels—remember Midichlorians?—the fans and director J. J. Abrams wanted the Force to be seen as mysterious. By emphasizing the power of the Force, Abrams breathed new life into an idea that had lost its grandeur, without taking away any scientific explanations the Lucas had introduced.

Science and faith were friends again.

Interestingly, all of these examples are ‘throwback’ feel to them. Whether they take place in the 1980s themselves or are simply reboots of old franchises, each case seems to point to a ‘simpler time’. With this in mind, one has to ask if, maybe, our world is wondering if, for all our advancements, we’ve lost something along the way. Is it possible that, with all we’ve learned, we’re starting to realize that there’s still something powerful that we can’t explain? Does God really fit into our scientific worldview?

Maybe, our culture has finally realized that, to understand our world, we need both seeing and believing.

doctor-strange-poster-slice-600x200

Filed Under: Editorial, Film Tagged With: Benedict Cumberbatch, Darren Aronovsky, Dr. Strange, Exodus, Finn, J. J. Abrams, Jedi, lightsaber, Marvel, Matt Damon, Noah, Ridley Scott, Star Wars, stranger things, The Force Awakens, The Martian

And the Nominees are… Important?

January 14, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

The 85th Academy Awards® will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013.
The 85th Academy Awards® will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013.

The announcement of this year’s Academy Awards nominations always brings with it the usual debates.  Who surprised?  (Straight Outta Compton!)  Who got snubbed?  (Ridley Scott!)

Momentum.  Controversy.  Favourite.  Underdog.  Every year, all of these words are used to argue about the Academy’s picks.  In fact, I’m even sure that I’ll address these issues as time draws nearer to the eventual opening of the envelopes.

Though really, the question for the Church today is something different…

“Should we care?”

revenant2

Most people give a resounding ‘No!’ to this issue.  After all, the Oscars is really nothing more than an opportunity for Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Brie Larson to gear up in Versace and Prada and walk the red carpet.  It seems to be frivolous fluff.  (See Globes, Golden) Besides, they haven’t seen the other movies anyways.

As a church, however, I don’t think we should be so quick to tune out.

Although the Academy has always been accused of being ‘out of touch’, the films that win (and are even nominated) demonstrate themselves to be cultural touch points.  Because everything is always a product of its own time, we learn a lot about the worldview and values of our culture from the stories it feels the need to tell.  Films like The Big Short, Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Revenant are films which speak our moment in time (even if they’re not set in it).  For the Church at large to ignore this fact is to miss an opportunity to engage Hollywood on their turf.

Christian Bale plays Michael Burry in The Big Short from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises
Christian Bale plays Michael Burry in The Big Short from Paramount Pictures and Regency Enterprises

Art is a doorway to a culture.  The Apostle Paul knew that and would study the poetry and art of a city upon his arrival.  (Lest we forget the statue to the ‘Unknown god’ in Acts 17)  As Christians, we have been called into our world to speak hope in a relevant manner with humble hearts.  We don’t always like the messages we hear from the cinema–but that doesn’t make them less important.  How can we truly speak the Kingdom of God into a culture if we aren’t willing to listen to them first?  (After all, Karl Barth once said that the best theologians are the ones that “have a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.”)

At the same time, I also think that the answer to our question about the Oscars can also be ‘No’ as well.  (Though maybe not for the reason you’d expect.)  The truth is that, as important as it is to engage the stories of our dominant culture, it doesn’t hold a candle to the truth of the stories of those in our nearest proximity and community.  In other words, although understanding the theological values inherent within The Martian and Room is a healthy exercise of the mind, the stories that matter most are the ones from the people we know.  To contemporize the Gospel, we must first engage our own world.  The values in our area may be entirely different than those that are revealed in this year’s Oscar race.

room1

Wrestling with the texts of those worthy of even being mentioned with the phrase “Best Picture Nominee” needs to be vital exercise within the church if it is to stay relevant.  Still, we also can’t assume they reflect the views of everyone we know.

And seriously, what does Ridley Scott have to do to get a win for directing?  Not even for Gladiator?  Throw him a bone, people…

martian-gallery3-gallery-image

Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial, News Tagged With: Brie Larson, Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscars, Ridley Scott, Room, Straight Outta Compton, The Martian

TIFF Hits: THE MARTIAN

October 1, 2015 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

The-Martian-book-cover

Are we truly alone in the universe?

It’s a question asked by a number of entries into the sci-fi genre.

However, The Martian is not like other films.

Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner), The Martian doesn’t wrestle with this question in terms of alien life on other planets. Rather, it is far more interested on what it takes to survive when you are alone–and whether or not we are alone spiritually.

The Martian tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) who, on a mission to Mars, is accidentally left stranded on the surface of the planet by his crew. Alone and presumed dead, Watney opts to fight for his life, rather than cower under the circumstances. As NASA gets wind of his plight, they begin to move forward with a plan to bring their boy home, assuming that he can stay alive long enough to be rescued at all.

Far more Cast Away than Gravity, The Martian chooses to tackle its subject matter with a sober tone. In fact, one of the things that the film prides itself on is the fact that the various methods of survival Watney chooses throughout his experience are all scientifically possible. Although the term ‘non-stop thrill-ride’ doesn’t apply to this film, Matt Damon is charming as Watney and keeps your interest with his engaging asides to his journal. (Incidentally, while I admit the film is really well made and quite interesting to watch, I would also argue that this lack of action prevented the film from truly ascending to amazing heights. Personally, I just didn’t feel that the film carried much drama.)

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Similar to The Man Who Knew Infinity, The Martian is also a ‘love letter to science’. Interestingly, though, the two films differ in their spiritual dynamics. While Infinity pointed towards a joint venture between science and faith, Martian has no such goals. Faith is mentioned only in passing, and it’s always ‘someone else’s’. For example, Damon refers to the faith of another team member rather than his own. In another instance, during a scene at mission control, faith is mentioned but in the context of “well, hopefully, that’ll work.” Although this isn’t really a surprise–director Ridley Scott has explored faith issues before and clearly struggles with the idea–it does put the emphasis solely on the efforts of human achievement.

Matt Damon literally says at one point that, given impossible odds, he’s going to have to ‘science the [crap] out of it’… and manages to do so. Again, like Infinity, the world is broken down into a series of mathematical equations, yet the wonder is taken away, substituted with a simple pat on the back for the human race and what we’ve accomplished. While this actually makes for a fascinating film (and offers an encouraging view for human achievement), it does subtly inform the audience that life is ultimately about us.

Personally, I found that to be the most tragic part of the film.

martian-gallery3-gallery-image

 

The Martian

Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain

d. Ridley Scott

(out of five)

Filed Under: Current Events, Film, Reviews, TIFF Tagged With: Matt Damon, Ridley Scott, The Martian, TIFF

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