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Quickie Review - Only Lovers Left Alive

Jim Jarmusch is a genius. Most people didn't realize this until they saw Bill Murray in Broken Flowers, but those in the know have been singing his praises since the early 80's when Stranger Than Paradise hit. For me, he made Tom Waits a great actor who sang, then I got into his music and realized it was really just the opposite. From Down By Law to Mystery Train (Fuckin' Joe Strummer is in this man!) to Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, he has thrilled us with his melodic take on everything, in a way that only he sees the world. So why not take on the most popular genre going?

Tom Hiddleston, who I must admit, I'm not very familiar with other than the silly portrayal of Loki in the Thor movie is the male lead, who in any other world, would have dominated the screen. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for us, he shares most scenes with Tilda Swinton, who is easily one of the top five actresses in the world without this ever coming out. Her ability to transform herself into the character is more than simply makeup and fake teeth (something that seems to be a trend in her recent films (see Snowpiercer). To say she redefines the genre is an understatement. She is, what anyone who gets it would do with immortality. Even in her own personal life, she's pretty much embraced the bohemian lifestyle and dabbles in everything. Everything she touches turns to gold. Maybe that's why she needs the gloves.

Without giving anything away, what makes this so brilliant is that it can be taken or mistaken in any way and I don't think Jarmusch would ever tell you that you're wrong. The entire movie is the contents of Marcellus Wallace's briefcase, but we're all allowed to see what's inside. There's social commentary, there's humor, there's so much in here that if I ever did decide to write real reviews, with references and details, I'd end up writing a thesis. The main thing I took away from it is this. If we were given the ability to see the entire world through history and see how man has treated it, how would we look at man? Would we see the advancements or the wasted opportunity. Would we bask in individual achievements or be saddened by the overall lack of care? Would we covet or realize it's all just stuff? One movie, taking on this teen frenzy fueled genre, shouldn't have us thinking about how Socrates would see the world or if Christopher Marlowe would fake his own death to escape it, but it does....and more.

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