All that time I was sick before my trip meant I was hitting the Netflix hard, as there's nothing that heals illness like curling up with the cat and watching part of a flick before passing out cold. A quick catch-up:
- Family Law (Daniel Burman, 2006) - Streamed this because I was trying to develop a feel for Argentinian Spanish and got a gentle and funny drama about a young Buenos Aires lawyer in the process. Great shots of the city too; watch for a cameo by Eduardo Catalano's amazing Floralis Generica sculpture.
- The Girl on the Bridge (Patrice Leconte, 1999) - Unconventionally romantic story of a knife thrower and the girl who changes his luck for the better. Starring Vanessa Paradis and Daniel Auteuil the film features some sharp editing and luscious cinematography in black-and-white, and the sequences soundtracked by Marianne Faithfull's "Who Will Take My Dreams Away" are downright breathtaking. I would expect nothing less from the director of The Hairdresser's Husband and Ridicule.
- I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino, 2009) - I'm not even sure I liked this film, but I couldn't stop thinking about it for a week after I saw it. Really beautiful camerawork, background music by John Adams, and Tilda fucking Swinton create a heady cocktail indeed. It also made me want to don immaculate Fendi dresses and stride around Milano like I own it a la Swinton. That woman is pure luminous magic and carries the film all on her own.
- Zoolander (Ben Stiller, 2001) - And then sometimes I just need to laugh at Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson doing their "sexy" male model faces. In truth any movie that features David Bowie even in the smallest of roles is going to be an easy win with me too. See also: Christopher Nolan's The Prestige.