Love Lies Bleeding: Movie Review

In this fun queer romp with elements of fantasy and road movie classics that I won’t insult you by naming we get under the skin of a typically world weary Kristen Stewart (a grimy dead end gym employee called Lou) and Katy O’Brian as Jackie, a passing through drifter that’s proud owner of a hugely ripped body. She’s en-route to a muscles competition in Las Vegas. And she’s really rather beautiful.

The two fall in love whilst carnage plays out in their lives. Wife beating, drug dealing, revenge killings, and so on mean that the movie is peered with sub-Tarantino violence, some black humour, some meta moments and the possibility of Jackie turning green.

It’s not A24’s greatest film and it’s not Kristen Stewart’s, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.

It is.

It’s beautifully shot with quite a dark grading and it’s hot and sweaty throughout, reflecting the grime of where they live in middle America (it’s actually filmed in New Mexico).

A24 (along with Film 4 here in the UK) make challenging, arty, but approachable films, this is another of them. It might not hit the heights of Mia Goth’s movies but it’s fine fare.

The whole queer aspect of the movie could be its raison detre but I liked how it was just there, not flag flying, not political. It added great value to the movie.

The scene where Kristen Stewart is regurgitated/birthed by mouth is particularly amusing and noteworthy.

Kristen Stewart has to be applauded, not just for this but for most of her work which has moved her a million miles from Twilight (Kerching , job done) She is a very fine actor and should be building a war chest of Oscars. Not for this one. But I thought her Diana was extraordinary.

Spencer: Movie Review

It’s a horror movie, not a historical drama.

It’s The Shining for our Royal Family. A family that don’t come out of this well.

i mean, Sandringham is The Overlook Hotel.

The corridors are eternal.

Now, I should say, this is a work of fiction, but anyone with half a brain that lived through those times in Britain and sees what is happening to Diana’s sons (one Charles’, one Hewitts’) will know that this is really the truth.

It’s set over three days at Sandringham, my that’s a pad. in which Diana, at the height of her tortured bulimia, despises the royal family, herself, and their hideous traditions that involve killing animals and killing commoners.

Of course, she was never a commoner, but she was just a sort of ordinary girl and that is what I think the remarkable direction of Pablo Larrain (Jackie) captures.

The direction is magnificent with his weird horror tropes, fantasy segments and an ability to walk away for long segments of the film from straight narrative.

Again, I say, it is a modern day The Shining, made horrifying by Jonny Greenwood’s hideous score. Deafening and discordant at times, fusing jazz and classical, it is not singalong, but it it truly brilliant.

But now, let’s focus on Kristen Stewart. Her first Oscar nomination surely in the bag. She’s a brave method actor, always has been, and I admire her for this immensely.

Timothy Spall is superb and so are the two commoners that Stewart makes a relationship with – her Dresser, Maggie (a brilliant cameo by Sally Hawkins) and the chef Darren (Sean Harris, so sympathetic, so lovely). These two keep Diana alive.

The genius of the casting is to make none of the Royal family characters (including Charles) matter. This isn’t about these horrible people. They ARE the enemy, the reason for Diana’s illness, bulimia, self harming, but Larraín chooses to make them incidental scum and I love that choice he made.

The exception being William and Harry who are the only other reasons Diana survives the movie. You can see now why Hewitt’s son, Harry, has distanced himself from this evil institution, and good on him.

This is high quality art house cinema. not for your Aunty Mavis, but I loved it.

Kubrick would too.

And the album cover…