The Screen Addict | 2021 (Part III)

As is custom for me these days due to the overwhelming amount of content – yes, CONTENT – out there, I am fashionably late with my recommendation of two visual works of art.

I recognize that Guillermo del Toro is a singular filmmaker, but I wouldn’t count him as one of my, say, top five directors. I think Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) is an unquestionable masterpiece, but for me personally The Shape of Water (2017), Hellboy (2004), Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) and Pacific Rim (2013) are good but not great. I actually do very much like his US debut Mimic (1997), especially the 2011 director’s cut.

Another one of Del Toro’s films I now very much adore is Nightmare Alley (2021). Starring Bradley Cooper as a 1940s grifter who stumbles across the perfect hustle at a dodgy carnival, this film really reminded me of how good of a filmmaker Del Toro actually is.

Shot in the glorious 16:9 format – the ONLY way to watch at home – and clocking in at a mouthwatering 150 minutes, the whole thing just looks AH-MAZING.

The huge cast is to die for – Cooper! Jenkins! Collette! Mara! Perlman! Strathairn! Dafoe! Steenburgen! – but Cate Blanchett in particular is just spectacular. Oozing formidable Film Noir vibes and effortlessly out-menacing even the scariest blockbuster villain – save Hela, obviously – she really tied the film together for me (to paraphrase The Dude).

NA is not only a beautifully made, utterly engaging film, it is a pretty effective cautionary tale for the mediums, fortunetellers and snake handlers of every age to boot.

Del Toro might not be in my top five, but Ridley Scott most definitely is. In fact – he is by far my favorite filmmaker and very rarely misses the mark for me. I can think of maybe two films in his oeuvre that I was less impressed with – mind you, I am not in any way saying that these are bad – and all the rest I would happily take to a desert island with me as my only means of entertainment.

House Of Gucci (2021) would for sure be one of the titles I’d endlessly re-watch under my palm tree. Scott’s latest features the match made in heaven that is Adam Driver and Lady Gaga, headlining an all-star cast that also includes Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, Jared Leto and Salma Hayek.

The book on which HOG is based was brought to Scott’s attention by his wife Giannina Facio, who is also a producer on the film. The couple and their team chose to approach the wild tale of the Gucci family feud predominantly as a Dramedy, and I think that was a clever move.

Especially Gaga, Pacino and Leto really run with this idea. Amazingly, Gaga basically steals the show from the dozen or so veteran actors and Academy Award winners around her, proving her stellar performance in A Star Is Born (2018) was no fluke.

Scott’s ferocious attention to detail is second-to-none as always. Nothing more annoying than a period piece where, for example, the cars are from the wrong year – but you will find no such mistakes in a Ridley Scott film.

The deep focus on production design and soundtrack must have cost the producers a fortune, but it is money very well spent. I wholeheartedly believed I was being transported to the Gucci era.

At almost 160 minutes HOG is even longer than NA, but it never felt tedious to me – it’s like watching an haute couture version of The Godfather (1972).

Solid recommendations, both NA and HOG. Go seek them out.

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