issue 17 / volume 40

 

Austin Landry,
The Argosy

Still of Joaquin Phoenix from Her // By www.nerdacy.com

Finding a real connection
in the modern age

» A review of the Oscar-nominee for Best Picture ‘Her’

: “How can one approach
: relationships differently?”
: and “How does one process

heartbreak?”
: Phoenix has exceeded

SACKVILLE (CUP) — EM
Forster said to “only connect,”
but how far did he expect us

to carry that? Spike Jonze,

the director of Being John
Malkovich and Adaptation,
answers with Her, arguably the
best film of 2013. In the age of
blockbusters and sequels, here
is a movie so original that it
surprised me as much in its last
30 minutes as it did in its first.

Jonze’s latest work concerns :

itself with Theodore Twombly
(Joaquin Phoenix), a writer for
BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.

com. He has an immense knack :
for what he does simply because :
he, like Jonze (who also scripted :

the film), has a keen eye for
human nature.

Twombly is a lonely man,
and much like Jack Lemmon
in The Apartment, when left to
his own devices, his thoughts

linger on how he longs for more :

connection with those around
him. This is a Spike Jonze
script, though, and he doesn't
explore just the longing most
of us encounter at one point or
another. He asks the questions

: expectations with the

: astounding variety of work he’s
: done, from Gladiator to Walk

: the Line to The Master, but

: nothing he’s done approaches

: his performance here. He is

: flawlessly endearing and just

: subtle enough when delivering
: the lines to channel his deepest,
: most tender meditations on

: love. Most actors I can think of
: would see such raw dialogue

: and be unable to resist the

: temptation of playing them

: up; however, that would result

: only in contrived melodrama.

: Phoenix wisely maintains the

: right amount of restraint that

: his very introverted character

: requires.

: Scarlett Johansson voices

: Samantha, an operating system
: whom Twombly develops a

: relationship with. More than

: holding her own, Johansson

: gives the best, most nuanced

: vocal performance I’ve ever

: heard, though unsurprising on
: the whole, the fact that neither
: she nor Phoenix received Oscar

: nominations for their work here
: mark of a great filmmaker.

is nothing short of highway
: robbery.

: Working with cinematographer
: Hoyte van Hoytema (The

: Fighter, Tinker Tailor Soldier

: Spy), Jonze bathes his quasi-

: futuristic Los Angeles scape

: with warm, serene light; it

: seeps from the screen like an

: embrace. Quebec’s Arcade Fire
: scored the film with music that
: never distracts, instead dancing
: gracefully alongside its poetic

: settings.

Her is a movie that

: examines love in a way we've

: never seen before, but it’s also
: one of the funniest of the year.
: Jonze throws one original

: concept after another into his

: film. For instance, early on in

: the film, Twombly is playing

: an interactive video game that
: requires him to more or less

: “play along” with the game’s

: character in order to move

: forward. Have we ever thought
: of video games in such a way?

: Jonze explores this possibility as
: well as a dozen others in Her.

Whether or not we find

these concepts intriguing,

: confusing, off-putting, honest,
: or forward-thinking, we can

: at least admire Jonze’s ability

: to move through them with

: such mastery that it seems

effortlessly achieved. That is a

arts // 9

 

Saga // By Fionna Staples (Tumblr)

Comic Corner:
An extraterrestrial
love story

Brittney MacDonald
Senior Columnist

OOOOS

» ‘Saga, Vol. l’ review

Ss” definitely lives up to its name. Described as a space
opera, this graphic novel incorporates the technology
of science fiction, the magic of fantasy, and the hilarity
of good old-fashioned romantic comedies. The art and
writing blend perfectly to create the Holy Grail of nerd
obsession, be you a Trekkie or Tolkienite.

Written by Brian Vaughan, Saga begins with the birth
of Hazel, an alien hybrid whose parents are in a Romeo
and Juliet-situation: they’re on the run from both their
planets, which happen to be at war with one another.

The series follows Alana, a winged humanoid from the
technology-obsessed Landfall, and Marko, a ram-horned
man from the magic-wielding Wreath. After meeting in
prison, the pair escapes and conceives a child, Hazel, who
they must keep hidden from both their worlds despite
being chased by mercenaries hired to find and separate
the new family.

Fiona Staples, whose previous works include
Mystery Society and Proof, continues with her signature
art style of heavy inks. Her use of bold colours with
the Landfallians and more muted earth tones for the
Wreathers accentuates the differences between the two
warring societies while still looking cohesive for the book
as a whole.

Saga has won many awards and the reasons why are
obvious: its broad appeal to so many different fan bases,
as well as the amazing art and engaging plot make this a
highly recommended graphic novel for anyone looking to
cater to all of their nerdy needs.