Zeleanora

Christ…it’s been a real drought, at the theatre.

It, Chapter 2 hasn’t been performing, will probably be gone before Halloween…

The Downton Abbey movie and the latest in the I-can’t-believe-it’s-still-going Rambo franchise are bringing folks in, but not in the swells that the studios thought, I’d wager….

With no solid spooky movies coming out this fall—don’t even get me started on the sad bastardization of The Addams Family, just around the bend—it’ll be…dead. At least until Rise of Skywalker.

Furthermore, while listening to a podcast speaking to the sad franchisation of some once-beloved IPs, remembering my time well-spent watching this film puts a smile on my face…and a tear in my eye.

But, I digress…

It’s the films that sweep under the radar that tend to be the best. Anything A24 distributes (read: Midsommar, just a few months back, plus the much-anticipated The Lighthouse, next month), and little gems like this: Ad Astra—a film by a no-name director, but one that’s competently-made and moving like I haven’t experienced in years. Let’s jump into the black… I’ll do my best not to spoil anything.

Brad Pitt is amazing, and drives the whole story. It’s his story—Roy’s, that is, our lone protagonist on this journey of finding oneself and facing down personal demons. Combining the heart-pounding thrills of Interstellar with the slow, philosophical pacing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Pitt says a lot with his facial expressions and subtle movements that some actors in his position couldn’t even say with words. His arc, as well as the dynamic between his and Tommy Lee Jones’s character, is truly thrilling—I haven’t the words to articulate how I felt, walking out of this film. It’s a solitary, psychological character piece; slow, yes, but meaningfully-so—not at all wasting our time. It’s as much a mirror to us, the audience, as it is to the stone-cold work-a-day Roy. By traveling to the edge of our known universe, he finds himself, in the process.

The score emphasizes all the moments that need it, but doesn’t detract from the more serene, contemplative sequences. Directorially, it’s wonderfully-shot, as well. Lots of CGI, but it’s so well-done… It’s a window into the universe, itself. Only a couple, fleeting moments where I could pick out bad CG, but I was feeling too much to dwell on it. Edge-of-your-seat moments, followed up by gut-punching scenes of tear-jerking gravitas…and it all goes together so well.

I…bawled…at the end of the film. Walking out, I believe I described it to one of my ushers as “wrecking me”, salty tear streaks drying on my cheeks, but a hopeful smile on my face. The message is pure, and it’s just…a beautiful film. Definitely didn’t drag, just…full. Lots to say in two hours. James Gray knows his Kubrick, and how to evoke those same feelings of isolation and optimistic nihilism. I connected with the father-son dynamic, and loved the world-building, minus all the usual, clunky exposition we usually see.

A quote by sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke came to mind, while watching this…

“Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” A humbling notion, for sure. In the end, all we might have…is each other. This stupid little blue planet and the fragile life that exists here, may be the first and last of its kind in the whole of Creation. There may be nothing—no one else—waiting for us, out there in the endless black. It’s what we decide to do with that notion that shows our true colors, that makes us human—that picks us up when we’re down, pushes us to keep going.

Favorite film of 2019, easy. I will see it again in the theatre, and I will be buying it on Blu-Ray.

“Ad Astra“ by James Gray

Brad Pitt shows us a very long journey outward to complete a difficult journey inward. Set in the future, he’s an astronaut chosen for a mission to deep space. He subconsciously carries his issues from Earth all the way there and has to face them. An introspective film which puts our current political, climate, personal, economic issues in perspective.

#FilmReview This week I watched the almost perfect father issue movie #AdAstra, here are my thoughts #MovieReview #Cinema #Scifi #hollywood

The Answers We Seek Are Just Outside Our Reach

Director: James Gray

Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones

Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama/Action

Release Date: September 2019

Plot: Astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) undertakes a mission across an unforgiving solar system to uncover the truth about his missing father and his doomed expedition that now, 30 years later, threatens the universe.

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“Apocalypse Now meets 2001: A Space Odyssey” has rolled off the tongue of every film buff to describe the latest space epic Ad Astra, written and directed by James Gray. But that synopsis comes with it, a metaphorical high bar to surmount.  Brad Pitt plays an astronaut who must travel into the deep confines of space, with underlying texts on amnesty for our sins and the effects of perpetual isolation. Some of its far-reaching ideas are left grasping for, but the 123-minute spectacle is a thrilling and alluring one at that.

Pitt plays Major Roy McBride, the emotionally-stoic astronaut who remains calm and at mission-ready, even in the most harshest of circumstances that the cosmos can throw at someone. A terrifying power surge which send McBride into free-fall from his space-station back to Earth (a breath-takingly visual opener), barely breaks a sweat on his weathered forehead. But there is a source of these electrical surges could be traced back to the ghost of the “Lima project”, headed by Roy’s father Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones). All of Roy’s dedication and emotional self-control, came from a man now believed to have gone rogue and is causing these earth-endangering surges.

Pitt is our anchor on this space voyage, and it is his subtle and raw performance that gives the film a lot of its rigid veridity. He reiterates that he does not want to be his father, but it’s his flawed devotion that is leading him to walk the same path. This is also likely to have cost him his marriage to Eve (played by the underused Liv Tyler in flashback format only). His mental state begins to fade and he makes more emotionally-charged choices, as the thought of his father’s continued existence gnaws at his psyche.

The expanses of space are made to feel small compared to the unfolding family drama, but that doesn’t mean Gray skimps out on the detail of his visualised future. Interstellar cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema captures all the beautifully, weightless awe of space, while Gray provides a less fantastical, more witty depiction of a commercialised frontier (anyone want a Subway from the Moon?). Carnivorous baboons and an action-packed moon buggy chase make for occasional improbability upturns but they still prove to be fun and exciting detours. 

Like Event Horizon with a PhD, Ad Astra makes for visually-arresting viewing, and deeply examines ideas of future and humanity.

4/5

I saw Ad Astra, then stream of consciousnessed this review that attempts to touch the face of God. (Spoiler, I do not.)

Ad Astra means to face the stars, the complete quote in Latin means something along the lines of the road to the stars is rough. Either or, I love the title and with star power to spare this movie tells the story of a man searching for his pop, through space.

I can relate to this. I lost my father very young. He is still alive, just vanished into the paradise of holier-than-thou.

Just like…

Ad Astra  (2019)

Director    James Gray

Screenwriter    James Gray, Ethan Gross

Music    Max Richter, Lorne Balfe

Cinematography    Hoyte van Hoytema

Cast -  Brad Pitt, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, John Finn, Kayla Adams, Kimmy Shields, Bayardo De Murguia, Lorell Bird Dorfman, Sasha Compère, Afsheen Olyaie, Bobby Nish, John Ortiz, Greg Bryk, Kimberly Elise, Loren Dean, Anne McDaniels, Ravi Kapoor, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Halszka Kuza, Alyson Reed

Genre      Sci-Fi. Thriller