The Seagull (2018)

Absolutely Fantastic

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

I saw THE SEAGULL last night at Tower Theater here in Sacramento, California. I'm glad I did. The agony of love, the agony of art . . . the pleasure and pain of human relationships and the joy and trauma of creativity--the tragic comedy of unrequited work & love. How could I not love it? I'm the sweet-spot of their target audience: a heartbroken artist.This smart, entertaining, soul-searching riff on Checkhov's play by screenwriter Stephen Karam and director Michael Mayer looks and sounds beautiful on film.I burst into a catharsis induced cry at the crucial moment, the thematic climax of the story, blissfully blindsided by the storytellers' beautiful insight into what it takes to be an artist. Once again, I experienced the power of art to lift me up and help me soar when my wings feel clipped or I feel shot down.My Silver Knight Rating of THE SEAGULL--White Knight (Form): 7.5Black Knight (Story): 8.0= Silver Knight (Form & Story): 7.757.75 CamerasThe Silver Knight Rating scores a movie's level of play in what I call the Chess Game of Art. (See my IMDb commentary on ARRIVAL.)

Now I realize that The Seagull is a play by Anton Chekov. However, I dont think it translated well onto screen or perhaps the director didnt translate it well onto screen. Just some of the dialogue and the way the actors delivered their lines didnt feel very natural. Like it felt at times that I was watching a play rather than a film. In film you can be more subtle and nuanced rather than on stage where you have to play for the person in the back row. I think the only person who really stood out to me was Elisabeth Moss who played Masha. And I love Saoirse Ronan but for me it just seemed like such a odd choice to cast her since she had to put on an American accent to play a Russian in the setting of Russia.Story wise it was ok. Very heavy handed with the symbolism. Which again, might be better suited in the play. For me, it picks up more in the second act. I think one of the more powerful moments is when Nina returns and speaks to Konstantin and the somewhat ambiguous ending. The costumes are beautiful as well the settings. It can be a pretty film to watch. But overall, I dont think this film really added anything new that I couldnt get out of seeing the show live. It was good but nothing you have to immediately run out and see either.

This was one of best artful camera work, soundtrack, acting and directing I have seen in a long time. All women's characters are in the foreground and are so well developed, so different, so rich, so interesting ... with something peculiar about each one of them. The camera was seeing every woman with love.... bravo!Annette Benning is such a vulnerable, profound, complex, genius and tender comic. Please crown this regal actor - she is perfection...Costumes!!!! Spectacular... - Oscars due!!!! Exquisite execution.... eye candy... The garments are big players in this film. >> Appreciate what an important role a bustier plays in the scene where Gorina is begging her lover to not leave her: touching, funny, embarrassing, sexy, paradoxically perfect. The men were terrific too, and in the ensemble, I did care about all of the characters. The Seagull delivers to the viewers pure tender pleasure to revel in human drama of love while allowing them to chuckle at least a dozen times in the comedy of life.

SPOILER: The Seagull. Heart wrenching, hilarious, appalling, and the only one who gets out alive is the seagull, shot early on. So much ambition, so little success. From the estate staff, cooks, & caretaker to renowned stage and literary stars, breathtaking in life's limitations.