Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Two great achievements by Todd Haynes here.  One is that he makes a fresh and stimulating biography that keeps you alert looking for references and working out which sides of Dylan the sick different actors play.  Two, is that it answers the question of how to do a biopic of someone so complex as Dylan.  You may not like it all but he manages something quite special.  I am not sure it is a great film but it is memorable and worthy.  Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale are my favourite Dylans, there is an accomplished supporting role by Charlotte Gainsbourg as his French wife.  Maybe a bit long in the end but definitely worth a look.

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Excellent sets, some very attractive scenes (The nightclub with K D Lang singing in is one), yet in the end, this Brain De Palma film smacks more of an exercise in film noir than a really convincing piece of cinema.  Some of the actors, notably Hilary Swank and Mia Kirshner really shine, Aaron Eckhart is satisfactory, a somewhat anachronistic Josh Harnett does his best to hold the film’s centre while Scarlett Johansson just doesn’t do it for me as Kay Lake.  Besides, the storyline confuses and the grainy yellow photography does get a bit monotonous.  Watchable and that is about it.

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No denying the talent of the director and the sheer brilliance of Daniel Day Lewis.  But why do we have to see films about such unlikeable and barely redeemable souls?  Robert Elswit’s photography and Paul Dano’s rise in a supporting role are added attractions in a long and dour film that is well-made but which I found somewhat repulsive.

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