Top Gun: Maverick

In June 2022, I watched Top Gun: Maverick for the first time at Movix Kameari. The action film was released in 2022. It is the sequel of Top Gun in 1986. Tom Cruise stars in both of them.

I had not watched the 1986 film for a long time because I did not like Tom Cruise in his twenties and thirties. In May 2022, I finally did it for the first time so that I could be more entertained by the 2022 one than I did not. It was released thirty-six years ago, so I felt some of the scenes to be kind of dated, however, it was worth watching more than expected, especially the friendship among the young excellent pilots, the death of a best friend, and the lovely Meg Ryan who I saw after a long time.

It follows Maverick performed by Tom Cruise, who used to be an instructor of a Navy school called TOPGUN after graduating it, returns to it to teach and train young brilliant pilots, and fights a rogue nation with the young aviators.

I had not had an emotional attachment to the film, unlike longtime fans who watched the previous one at theaters, so I remembered one of my most favorite ones The Right Stuff when Ed Harris appears and watches Maverick as a test pilot terribly trying to fly at over Much 10. If Sam Shepard had acted the role of Harris, the scene would have been perfect for me, though it could not have been helped because Mr. Shepard passed away in 2017.

Tom Cruise had a physical beauty as before and looked young as well as the young pilots when they play American football together at the beach in swimwear. The evergreen actor runs and run in Mission: Impossible - Fallout that I viewed at a theater just after the release. He would show his wonderful stunts in the next Mission: Impossible movie. I hope that he will do his best and keep from being killed.

The dogfight scenes of the older flick did not satisfy me so much because I had already gotten used to seeing action scenes of the latest ones, however, the ones of the newer one were so realistic and amazing that I regret that I did not see it at an IMAX theater.

Although the music of the last one made me just feel nostalgic despite of the enormous popularity of it, yet I felt comfortable hearing "Let's Dance" performed by David Bowie and "Get It On" by T. Rex in the latest one. Then I was really touched by the sound of a synthesizer in "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who when the fighter planes are flying. The three songs were released before Top Gun was. Lady Gaga was newly tapped for the score of Top Gun: Maverick in which such old songs were selected. Lady Gaga also gave a good act in House of Gucci for a professional musician. I feel pleased thinking that her musical taste might resemble mine.

It depicts well the feud between Maverick and Rooster who is a son of Maverick's best friend, Goose, in Top Gun, and the friendship between Rooster and his rival, Hangman with smirks, so the entertaining blockbuster is also a wonderful drama film. 

トップガン マーヴェリック

2022年６月、Movix亀有にて『トップガン マーヴェリック』を初観賞した。2022年公開のアクション映画。1986年に公開された『トップガン』の続編。両作ともにトム・クルーズ主演。

若い頃のトム・クルーズが好きではなかったので長い間観ていなかった前作。本作をより楽しむために、その公開直前の2022年５月にTV画面で観賞。36年前の作品なので所々古臭く感じたが、若い優秀なパイロット同士の友情やら親友の死やら、そして、久しぶりに見たメグ・ライアンの可愛らしさやらで、想像以上に観応えがあった。

優秀なパイロットをさらに訓練する学校、トップガンの卒業生でもあり元教官でもある、トム・クルーズ演じるマーヴェリックが、再び教官として復帰して彼の教え子たちと共にならず者国家と闘うお話。

前作を映画館でご覧になっていたファンの方々ほどの思い入れが無いので、マッハ10以上の記録を出すためにテスト・パイロットのマーヴェリックが無茶をする冒頭の場面では、エド・ハリスが現れた時に大好きな映画『ライトスタッフ』を思い出していた。ハリスではなくサム・シェパードだったら完璧なキャスティングだったが、もう亡くなっていらっしゃるので仕方がないな。

トム・クルーズの肉体美は相変わらずだった。若いパイロットたちに混じって海辺でアメフトに興じるマーヴェリックの水着姿は他の若者たちのそれと引けを取らないほど若々しかった。公開時に劇場観覧した『ミッション：インポッシブル/フォールアウト』では走りまくっていたトム様。『ミッション：インポッシブル』最新作でもまた素晴らしいアクションを披露してくれるだろう。死なない程度に頑張って頂きたい。

最新のアクション映画の映像に見慣れていたので、前作のドッグファイトには物足りなさを感じてしまったが、本作のそれは臨場感がハンパなくてとても素晴らしかった。観賞中、IMAXで観るべきだったと悔やみもした。

前作は音楽も評価されているが、私には懐かしさしか感じられなかった。だが、本作で聞こえてきたデヴィッド・ボウイの「レッツ・ダンス」やＴ・レックスの「ゲット・イット・オン」には鳥肌が立った。そして、極めつけは戦闘機の飛行中に流れたザ・フーの「無法の世界」のシンセサイザー。３曲とも前作公開前の発表曲。そんな古い曲たちが選ばれた本作の音楽担当には新たにレディ・ガガが加わっている。『ハウス・オブ・グッチ』では、歌手を本業としている割にはなかなかの演技を披露していたガガ様。彼女の好みが自分の好みと似ているのかもしれないと思えて嬉しい。

マーヴェリックと、前作で彼の親友だったグースの息子であるルースターとの確執や、ルースターと、彼のライバルでニヤケ顔のハングマンとの友情等、ドラマとしても観応え十分な素晴らしい超娯楽大作。

Knives Out

In May 2022, I watched Knives Out for the first time on the television set. The suspense film was released in 2019. Ana de Armas starred in it with Daniel Craig who acted a master detective.

I started to watch it thinking that the mystery would become clear toward the ending, like the films Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile based on the novels with the same titles written by Agatha Christie, however, it gradually does clear from the middle, moreover, the film is kind of comic overall.

The story is like this. The death of an aged famous novelist causes an ugly conflict among his family over his legacy and involves his nurse in it.

Seeing the bereaved family become heated to succeed his inheritance, I remembered the Japanese flick The Inugami Curse based on the book with the same name written by Seishi Yokomizo and I felt that people universally get ugly once they have a chance to obtain a lot of money, though they cannot help it because they get the money only if they win conflicts with others.  

Ana de Armas gave a good performance as the writer's nurse who gets involved in the dirty fight. I smiled scornfully at her habit of vomiting whenever she lies and I honestly thought that the role is more suitable for the Japanese actor Kasumi Arimura if she is fluent in English, however, Armas with a baby face appearing in most of it looked to be cute and charming. I first saw her in Blade Runner 2049. She acted a holographic AI and attracted me more than the lead, Ryan Gosling. Then she was lovely, bewitching and brilliant as a CIA agent in the latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die.

Daniel Craig acted as a crack detective who watches over the ugly dispute about the succession. His kind of comical performance and unique aura fascinated me, though, frankly, I had a feeling of strangeness a little about him because the image of him as James Bond was still strong.

I might be able to enjoy watching it many times and feel about it differently each time, for many famous actors appear in it. The sequel is planned to make. I hope that I will get used to Daniel Craig not as James Bond when it is released.

ナイブズ・アウト/名探偵と刃の館の秘密

2022年５月、『ナイブズ・アウト/名探偵と刃の館の秘密』をTV画面にて初観賞。2019年公開のサスペンス映画。主演はアル・デ・アルマ。名探偵役にダニエル・クレイグ。

アガサ・クリスティー原作の『オリエント急行殺人事件』や『ナイル殺人事件』のように終盤で事件の謎が明らかになるお話だろうと思って観賞に臨んだが、実際には、中盤から事の真相が徐々に明らかになる、そして、全般的に、若干コメディっぽい作品だった。

ある高齢の人気作家が亡くなり、彼の遺産の相続を巡る彼の家族たちの醜い争いに彼の看護師が巻き込まれるお話。

遺産を相続するために躍起になる人たちを見ながら横溝正史原作の映画『犬神家の一族』を連想して、お金が絡むと人が醜くなってしまうのは万国共通だなと思った。ま、その争いに勝てば莫大な金額を手にすることができるとなると人が変わってしまうのは仕方がないかなとも思うが。

そんな争いに巻き込まれる、その逝去した高名な作家の看護師をアル・デ・アルマスが好演。ただ、嘘をつくと吐いてしまうという癖には苦笑してしまった。また、正直、もし英語が流暢だったら、日本人俳優の有村架純の方が適役ではないかと思ったりもしたが、全編に渡って出ている童顔で可愛いアルマスは魅力的だった。彼女を初めて見たのは『ブレードランナー2049』でのAI役。主演のライアン・ゴズリングよりも目を惹く存在だった。そして、007シリーズ最新作『ノー・タイム・トゥ・ダイ』でのCIAエージェント役は妖艶で愛らしくて最高だった。

その醜い遺産相続争いを見守る名探偵を演じているのがダニエル・クレイグ。若干コミカルな演技と独特な雰囲気には魅せられたが、正直、ジェームズ・ボンドのイメージがまだ強く残っている為、違和感も覚えた。

有名俳優が多数出演しているため、観る度に感じ方が変わりそうな、何度も観賞できそうな良作。続編が製作中らしい。公開される頃には、ジェームズ・ボンドではないダニエル・クレイグへの違和感が無くなっていてほしいな。

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

In May 2022, I watched The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for the first time on the television set. The suspense film was released in 2011. It is a remake of the Swedish-language film with the same title released in 2009 and it is also based on the Swedish mystery novel with the same name written by Stieg Larsson and published in 2005.

It follows the journalist Mikael with the magazine Millennium who is asked by a big businessperson to investigate his niece missing for 40 years and struggles to solve the difficult case with a computer genius named Lisbeth.

I watched it because Daniel Craig stars in it but I was really amazed at Rooney Mara's performance that she seemed to put everything she then had into as the skinny Lisbeth in black. Before viewing it, I had known only about Rooney as pretty women in Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot, Carol and other films and I had never dreamed that she had already acted such harsh role in it, so her acting stunned me, moreover, I marveled at the fact that the cute Rooney accepted the role of Lisbeth who is sexually humiliated. I was also impressed by how cool she was with sorrow at the ending. As for Daniel Craig, I had known only about Craig as James Bond, so I was not satisfied so much with him, though men with no superhuman toughness like Mikael are something like that. I would get used to seeing Craig as a physically normal man if I saw several more movies in which he does not play 007.

The supporting actors Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgård showed their presence and fascinated me. Then, after watching it, I realized that Skarsgård had played the tall and slender professor of mathematics in Good Will Hunting. I have also seen him in Borg McEnroe and other films. The Swedish actor seems to have become dignified as he got older.

I got disgusted by the story as truth came out. Then the final phase reminded me of Chinatown starring Jack Nicholson. As well as the Roman Polanski film, it is good and stylish with tension as a whole, though it includes the ugly episodes. After all, the David Fincher pictures are also different.

ドラゴン・タトゥーの女

2022年５月、『ドラゴン・タトゥーの女』をTV画面にて初観賞した。2011年公開のサスペンス映画。2009年に公開されたスウェーデン映画『ミレニアム ドラゴン・タトゥーの女』のリメイクで、原作は2005年に出版されたスティーグ・ラーソンの推理小説『ミレニアム１ ドラゴン・タトゥーの女』。

ある大物実業家から40年前に行方不明になった彼の姪について調査するよう依頼された雑誌『ミレニアム』記者ミカエルが、天才ハッカーのリスベットと共にその失踪事件の解明を目指して奮闘するお話。

ダニエル・クレイグ主演との事で観る気になったが、痩せぎすで黒ずくめのリスベットを演じたルーニー・マーラの体当たり演技に度肝を抜かれた。ルーニーに関しては、『ドント・ウォーリー』や『キャロル』等で可愛い女性を演じていた彼女しか知らずにいて、本作であんな酷い目に遭う役を既に演じていたとは夢にも思っていなかったので、また、可憐なお顔でいらっしゃるのにあんな辱めを受ける役なんてよく引き受けたな、と驚いた。そして、ラストの切なさの滲んだカッコ良さに痺れた。クレイグはと言えば、ジェームズ・ボンド役の彼しか知らなかった為、本作でのミカエル役は少し物足りなかったが、超人的なタフネスさを持ち合わせていない人間なんてあんなものだ。ボンドではない彼が出演している作品をあと何本か観れば、身体能力が普通の男性役の彼にも慣れるだろう。

脇役では、存在感のあるクリストファー・プラマーとステラン・スカルスガルドにそれぞれ魅せられた。そして、今回、スカルスガルドが『グッド・ウィル・ハンティング』であの長身痩躯の数学教授を演じていた事に初めて気づいた。『ボルグ/マッケンロー』にも出ているが、年齢を重ねて貫録が増したようだ。

真実が明らかになるにつれて気分が悪くなる物語。終盤の観賞中、ジャック・ニコルソン主演の『チャイナタウン』を思い出した。あのロマン・ポランスキー監督作同様、下衆な話が盛り込まれているものの、全編に緊張感が漂うスタイリッシュな良作。やはり、デヴィット・フィンチャー監督作も一味違う。

Carol

In May 2022, I watched Carol for the first time on the television set. The drama film was released in 2015 and directed by Todd Haynes. It is based on the novel with the same tittle written by Patricia Highsmith and published in 1952. The novelist also wrote The Talented Mr. Ridley which was adapted for the French and Italian one Plein Soleil released in 1960 and starring Alain Delon and the American one The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999 and Matt Damon. The protagonists of the two book are homosexual.

The two leads, Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett, also costarred in Nightmare Alley as a young cute woman who most men long for and idealize and as a lovely lady hiding a devilish face. I watched the suspense film at a theater last month and then I knew the two actors had acted together in the 2015 one, so I recently viewed it.

It tells the story of Therese, a young cute woman working at a department store and dating with a man, falls in love with Carol, a lovely and elegant lady living with her husband and daughter.

I had not known that it depicts a lesbian romance, so I was puzzled a little when the two women start to love each other, however, I was never upset because I had already watched Booksmart, The Prom and Portrait de la jeune fille en feu, which all did a lesbian one. Then I felt anew that lesbian romances are almost essentially the same as heterosexual ones. I could understand that it needed to show how deeply the two woman fall in love with each other but I was surprised by how vividly it depicts that they are making love with each other at night, though the two actors are really beautiful on the bed.

During watching it, I thought that the director must be a woman because of the depictions of the men who tend to push their ideas against the two women. Although it is a man named Todd Haynes, yet Haynes has come out publicly as a gay. Our society has slightly but gradually changed from a male-dominated one to a gender equality one. I like to be a person with fair eyes so that I can catch up with the times.

The film is a wonderful but kind of painful romance filled with the charms of the two stunners, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

キャロル

2022年５月、『キャロル』をTV画面にて初観賞。2015年公開のドラマ映画。トッド・ヘインズ監督作。パトリシア・ハイスミスが1952年に発表した同名小説が原作。因みに、ハイスミスは、1960年公開のアラン・ドロン主演のフランス・イタリア映画『太陽がいっぱい』や1999年公開のマット・デイモンが主演した『リプリー』の原作小説『太陽がいっぱい』の著者でもある。２冊とも主人公は同性愛者。

先月観覧した『ナイトメア・アリー』にて、綺麗だが悪魔のような表情も見せたケイト・ブランシェットと世の男たちが恋焦がれる理想的な可愛い女性を演じたルーニー・マーラが、本作でダブル主演していると知り、早速観賞した。

彼氏がいる若くて可愛いデパートの店員テレーズが夫と娘を持つ綺麗で気品のある淑女キャロルと出会ってしまうお話。

レズビアンのロマンスが描かれているとは知らなかったので二人の女性がお互いに恋愛感情を持ち始めた時は若干戸惑ったが、それまでにレズビアンの恋愛が描かれた『ブックスマート』、『ザ・プロム』、そして、『燃ゆる女の肖像』を観ていたので動揺することはなかった。そして、二人の関係を見ながら、女同士の恋愛も男女のそれも本質的には変わらないなあと改めて感じた。二人の愛の深さを見せる必然性があったにせよ、二人が枕を交わす夜が濃密に描写されていた事には若干驚かされもしたが、そのベッドシーンを演じたお二人は本当に美しかった。

観賞中、自分の考えを押しつけがちな男たちの描かれ方から、女性監督作っぽいなと感じたが、観賞後に調べてみると監督は男性のトッド・ヘインズ。だが、ゲイであることをカミングアウトしているお方だった。社会が男性優位から僅かだが少しずつ男女平等社会に移行しているこのご時世。時代に置き去りにされぬよう公平な目を持ちたいものだ。

二人の美女、ケイト・ブランシェットとルーニー・マーラの魅力満載の、素敵で切ない恋愛映画。

The Professor

In October 2020, I watched The Professor for the first time at Kinema Junpo Theater. The comedy drama film is released in 2018 starring Johnny Depp. I came to want to watch Depp's superb act and a friendship between two college professors, one of whom Depp played, in it again after I saw a wonderful performance that Depp gave in Minamata at a theater in September 2021 and a friendship tale of a lame teacher played by Mads Mikkelsen and his three colleagues in Another Round at it in October 2021. I love the film which I have done several times since I first did it.

It depicts how the middle-aged professor Richard has lived since he was diagnosed as lung cancer and was told his remaining days.

Richard is told his days by his doctor and on the evening he has dinner and tries to speak about his cancer to his wife and their only daughter when their daughter comes out as a lesbian. Although his wife laughs it off saying to her that it is temporary, yet Richard shows an understanding of it. He should have agreed with his wife, been indifferent to it, or persuaded his daughter to keep it secret considering their reputation like an ordinary father if he had not known about his near future. Afterward, his wife confesses her affairs to him, however, he shows no anger at her and is just amazed by the fact that her lover is the dean of his college because he has despised the snobbish dean. His best friend, a colleague of him, eventually becomes the first person who he talks to about his terminal cancer. Richard starts to teach his students uniquely and soulfully in his classes like a teacher played Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, though he seemingly looks to be apathetic. Richard is amusing when he unkindly treats a student of feminism. He also reminded me Mads Mikkelsen acting a middle-aged teacher, who absorbs his student with the help of alcohol, when he gets drunk and high on marijuana in his classes. I believe that such classes are far more instructive for young students than boring ones just in order to get good grades on tests

Johnny Depp performed Richard charmingly and sometimes cynically through most of the flick. He looked to be really awesome, though he acted the role of a lame middle-aged man.

The film is also wonderful because you can watch it without pessimism and consider about death that is demanding when you do that myself.

グッバイ、リチャード！

2020年10月、キネマ旬報シアターにて『グッバイ、リチャード！』を初観賞。2018年公開のコメディドラマ。ジョニー・デップ主演。2021年９月に劇場観覧した『MINAMATA』でのデップの好演ぶりや、その翌月に観覧した『アナザーラウンド』でマッツ・ミケルセンが演じた冴えない高校教師とその親友であり同僚でもある３人との友情物語を観て、本作でも好演していたデップと彼が演じた教師とその同僚との友情物語をまた観たくなり、観賞。それ以降も何度か観ているお気に入りの作品。

肺がんと診断され余命宣告を受けた中年教師リチャードのその後の生き様が描かれている。

自分の残された時間を医者から知らされたその日の夜の家族の団らんで一人娘からレズである事をカミングアウトされるリチャード。彼の妻は一時的なものと一笑に付すもリチャードは娘に理解を示す。もし死期が近づいていなかったら、彼は、妻に同調するか、無関心でいるか、世間体を気にして黙っているように娘に諭す父親であっただろう。その後、妻から不倫をしていると告げられるも、特に怒るわけでもなく、その相手が普段から彼が軽蔑している俗物な学長であることを知って呆れるのみ。結局、自分が末期ガンだと初めて伝えたのは同僚の親友だった。学校でのリチャードは、一見投げやりだが、『いまを生きる』のロビン・ウィリアムズを彷彿とさせる魂の授業を始める。フェミニストの生徒を邪険に扱う様が愉快。その授業中に酒を飲んだりマリファナをやる姿は、『アナザーラウンド』でマッツ様が演じた酒の助けを借りながら生徒を熱中させる中年教師を連想させる。そういう授業は、テストの為の退屈なそれよりも断然刺激的で、若い生徒たちの為にもなると思う。

ジョニー・デップがそんなリチャードを全編に渡って、時にコミカルに、そして、魅力たっぷりに演じている。くたびれた中年役なのに本当にカッコいい。

そして、本作は、一人で向き合うにはすごくしんどい、「死」の観念について悲壮感をあまり覚えずに考えることができる素晴らしい映画だ。