Inside Llewyn Davis!!!!

Inside Llewyn Davis.

When it comes to directors who make new films no matter what style, type or genre of film they decide to make it I will always go and see it. Two directors, brothers at that Joel and Ethan Coen have been making films for years and they have covered many different genres, comedy which is their strongest suit definitely comes through in this film for sure.

Set in the early 60's you see a man sat playing an acoustic guitar on a dark small lit stage, Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a down and out musician. Having recently lost his music partner who committed suicide he has gone it alone with his own solo record 'Inside Llewyn Davis', couch surfing and playing the local cafe/bar he isn't the most successful of musicians. With the news that his friend Jean (Carey Mulligan) married to Jim (Justin Timberlake) is pregnant and the baby might be his his life isn't going in the right direction. 

With disaster after disaster Llewyn doesn't catch a break, settling for just $200 for a song instead of royalties, losing his seamen's licence, visiting his dying father and being told he's no good as a solo artist everything is not going well. With the addition of a ginger cat he accidentlly has to look after you really do feel for Llewyn but has he just brought it all onto himself?.

During the film you question yourself and work out what he truly is, a creative genious yet to be given his big break or just a down and out musician with no talent and going nowhere. Using his friends when he only really needs them to then pay for Jean's abortion and asking how she is he shows different parts of his personality. 

Inside Llewyn Davis shares many features from the Coen's past films, the musicality from 'O Brother Where Art Thou' and the comedy from 'Burn After Reading' and 'Fargo'. This is a more sombre affair of a film, it doesn't have the violence or crazy off the wall comedy from past films and feels like new territory for the brothers. One aspect in which I really loved in this film is the music used, Oscar Issac has a really impressive voice and most of his own performances are used. Casting Justin Timberlake was an obvious reason as he sings on two stand out songs, the trio song 'Five Hundred Miles' and the tongue in cheek space advert 'Please Mr Kennedy'. 

For a film that has been shunned by the Oscar's and BAFTA's it makes no sense as this a pure Coen brothers film: comedy, sincerity and a story of life with some added great music make it stand out. Also to mention an impressive performance by Oscar Isaac not only from his acting but his on point vocals make this film so great and worth seeing.

9/10.

How I Live Now!!!!

How I Live Now.

One thing that was close to happening in the UK in the early 1960's was the Cuban Missile crisis where the UK was at panic stations and under threat from all out nuclear war. With the United States finally agreeing to a un-heard kept quiet arrangement with Cuba the threat of Nuclear War was to be stopped dead in its tracks. 

This is where the premise of How I Live Now comes in. A young girl Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) is flown from her home in the United States to spend a summer in the UK with her cousins Edward (George MacKay), Isaac (Tom Holland) and Piper (Harley Bird). As the three are left to fend for themselves in the countryside while Daisy's Aunt Penn (Anna Chancellor) travels back and forth to London as she works for the government the four get along well. Daisy soon starts to become attracted to Edward as he shows her that she doesn't need to be so uptight and nerurotic all the time, finally giving in the two soon become a couple and enjoy each others company. 

As a bomb goes off in London the whole of the UK is now into lockdown, with a US consulate arriving to give Daisy a flight back to the US she has to decide what to do. Staying with her cousins they are soon rounded up by the Army and are sent to different locations within the UK. Edward shouts to Daisy to travel back to the house if they have the chance as he will meet them there and they can be together again as a family. Situations change for the girls and for the boys, being attacked and nearly held hostage, staring death in the face and learning to love what you have in life now they go through alot of motions. 

For a film that has the underlying theme of a Nuclear bomb going off in the UK it shows how the government would have reacted to this and how to protect their own residents. It is of course a typical boy meets girl, get seperated, vow to find each other, bad things happen, find each other and live happily ever after type of film which I didn't expect. Ronan as Daisy is the main impressive force in the film and you see her character change and learn to be a better person over the course of the quite short film. The on screen love story between Ronan and MacKay could be seen as happening for real on screen as the two outside of the film are now dating. 

For a film about a Nuclear threat I found it too bland and not enough information was given out, who attacked the UK, what happened to change the situation in the end, what was the resolve and what happened to the mother/aunty. Obviously it wasn't to go into too much detail as it would baffle and confuse a much younger generation in which this film is mainly aimed at. A nice film that lacks that information based history that I wanted to get from the film but praise to Ronan again showing she is a strong actor and on the verge of great things. 

7/10.