Indie Gems: Maps to the Stars

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Cronenberg's take on satire. 

Remember when Julianne Moore got nominated for a Golden Globe in the comedy category for this film? Well sure, her character is amusing, but this film is not a comedy. Or a traditional satire for that matter, and that's okay.

Havana Segrand (Moore) is an actress determined to star in a remake of a film her late mother did. She thinks is has "Best Supporting Actress" written all over it. She also hallucinates her young mother (Sarah Gadon) who taunts her and calls her a liar. She see's a strange therapist (John Cusak) who happens to be the father of an insanely bratty child star, Benji. (Evan Bird) Then there's Agatha, (Mia Wasikowska) who has just arrived in Los Angeles for a very specific reason that she does not share at first.

Like I said before, it's not a traditional satire, though for some reason it's talked about as one. It never felt like Cronenberg was poking fun at this lifestyle to me. It was like he was showing how fucked up it really is. It also had interesting commentary on mental illness, which plagues several characters, if not all of them in this film.I loved it though, as I tend to love everything other than Cosmopolis from him. (Robert Pattinson is unfortunately in this too, but only ocassionally.)

Moore was great, even better than she was in Still Alice. Wasikowska and Bird were stands outs as well. Really, everyone fit in their parts perfectly. This movie is very weird, but in the best way possible.

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "Whenever I said that, they went away." - Agatha (Mia Wasikowska)

Comments

  1. s.June 19, 2015 at 8:11 AM

    I don't know why this one got such bad reviews, I thought it was pretty good and I agree that Moore here was much better ihan in that snoozefest

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 19, 2015 at 10:22 AM

      Neither did I. I think it's probably because it was sort of different for Cronenberg and people had their expectations? I'd take this performance over Still Alice any day.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJune 19, 2015 at 9:17 AM

    I really can't wait to see this one. It sounds pretty good.

    ReplyDelete
  3. m.brownJune 19, 2015 at 1:09 PM

    Another one I gotta add to the list. I haven't seen much of Cronenberg's stuff, so this seems totally doable.

    You know, I find myself wanting to watch just about everything you post, so...yes. Carry on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 20, 2015 at 6:39 AM

      Aw, thank you! :) Seeing Moore play a valley girl like this is definitely worth it.

      Delete
  4. thevoid99June 19, 2015 at 7:53 PM

    I think this is one of Cronenberg's better films and certainly one of his funniest. It's a major improvement over Cosmopolis which I fucking hated.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Candice FrederickJune 19, 2015 at 9:50 PM

    I haven't seen Still Alice yet, but I thought this entire film was unbearable. I wish I liked it as much as u did.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 20, 2015 at 6:37 AM

      Oh no! That's sad. Still Alice was just bleh. I also watched it knowing Julianne Moore was going to beat Rosamund Pike and that just wasn't fair. lol

      Delete
  6. UnknownJune 20, 2015 at 1:35 PM

    This sounds excellent. Thank God Pattinson wasn't in it for long.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 23, 2015 at 6:58 AM

      lol Right? He was not good in Cosmopolis at all.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousJune 22, 2015 at 1:04 PM

    It's a bizarre little movie that won't get the audience it deserves, but it's kind of a gem in a hot mess kind of way and I admire Moore's ability to just go for it all the time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 23, 2015 at 6:56 AM

      Yes! You are so right. Moore's a fearless actress. I wish she would've won her Oscar for this over Still Alice. (If she HAD to win of course. I still think Rosamund was the best last year)

      Delete
  8. JoshJune 24, 2015 at 6:07 AM

    Yay! I loved this as well. So weird, but so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamJune 24, 2015 at 6:47 AM

      Definitely weird, but a step in the right direction for Cronenberg. Cosmopolis was so bad.

      Delete

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