Tilda Swinton in JULIA

[Chris L]

She is really entertaining in this as an aging, pathologically lying party girl.  I'm posting this here because early on I kept thinking how her character might come across on Intervention (of which I've seen maybe 10 actual minutes, but feels familiar to me thanks to the Mike Show).  The plot is gripping enough, but the film is at its best during her desperate one-on-one improvisations.  Haven't seen Cassavetes' GLORIA, the film on which this one is loosely based, so I can't compare the two. Apparently this is only director Erick Zonca's second film since The Dreamlife of Angels about a dozen years ago.  

[samir]

It's on Streaming Netflix, if anyone else is interested in checking it out.

[Pat K]

I just watched this via Netflix stream  on Friday, and was riveted for the whole 2.5 hr running time.

I'm not that into Tilda Swinton as Great Actress, so all the praise that I heard heaped on her performance in this made me suspicious about whether or not I'd like it. She's great in it (small-'g' great, but that's another story), but just in terms of the movie as a thriller - WOW. It's one of those great rare cases where it establishes early on that the main character is capable of anything, and that the movie will not turn away but will follow her all the way down the rabbit holes of her crazy choices, so the rest of the movie has that "anything can happen at any moment" tension that makes for a great, twisty thriller. If you come into it with those expectations, rather than looking at it like a MONSTER-esque character study, you'll get a great movie in return.

It reminded me of seeing NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN for the first time. Every time Javier Bardem was on screen I had that same feeling ("Is he going to politely buy some gas and leave, or is he going to slaughter everyone in sight?"), and every time he wasn't on screen I was worried he was going to jump out from somewhere in the background at any moment. Same thing with JULIA. For the whole movie - especially whenever she starts waving that gun around - I was sitting there with my stomach in knots wondering "what the fuck is this crazy chick going to do next?" Great fun at the movies.

[David]

Agreed. I saw it a couple months ago, and I get why it didn't get a wider release, but man, Swinton's performance is just begging for all kinds of awards. And not in the classy Oscar-y way, but in the SHE DESERVES EVERY AWARD OUT THERE FOR HER BAT-PLOP CRAZY PERFORMANCE kind of way.

[buffcoat]

I get her and Toni Collette mixed up.

Along with REM and REO Speedwagon.

And Glenn Close and Meryl Streep.



I have problems.

[Joe Rogaine]

She is really entertaining in this as an aging, pathologically lying party girl.  I'm posting this here because early on I kept thinking how her character might come across on Intervention (of which I've seen maybe 10 actual minutes, but feels familiar to me thanks to the Mike Show).  The plot is gripping enough, but the film is at its best during her desperate one-on-one improvisations.  Haven't seen Cassavetes' GLORIA, the film on which this one is loosely based, so I can't compare the two. Apparently this is only director Erick Zonca's second film since The Dreamlife of Angels about a dozen years ago.  

Gloria? Is Julie on the run from the mob in this?

[Pat K]

Gloria? Is Julie on the run from the mob in this?

No, although she does get mixed up in various underworlds. I don't know anything whatsoever about GLORIA, but I'm guessing it's more of an "inspired by the spirit of-" kinda thing.