Forget waiting for the weekend to bring in the heavy hitters, Mill Valley says “It’s Thursday. Let’s party!” And what better way to kick off an early weekend than with the stirring and emotionally sensational biopic of Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything. Already gaining significant accolade for his performance as Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne was in attendance at the screening, and in the Q & A following the film was awarded the Mill Valley Award. The film comes to U.S. theaters November 7, and has already received our stamp of approval after seeing it at TIFF, but based on this early screening’s audience reaction, awards season competition should be plenty steep.

The Perfect Equation

[Ananda]

When the filmmaker of one of the best documentaries ever made, Man on Wire, decides to take on a narrative feature about one of the greatest minds of our time, viewers can breathe easy. There’s an appreciation for the full spectrum of a life story that a documentary director must possess, not to mention the patience that is requisite for such work. James Marsh does justice to not only Jane Hawking’s memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, but provides incredible insight into the mind of one of the consummate theoretical physicists and cosmologists in existence, while providing a stunning view into the life of an ALS survivor. You can keep your ice bucket challenges folks, just go see Theory of Everything and soak up the insight therein.

Eddie Redmayne is a pillar of disciplined acting, contorting his body, speaking with his eyebrows, and encapsulating the debonair nonchalance of pure genius. His Mill Valley award is well deserved and it’s practically a given he should expect more statues in the months to come. With an entirely different sort of performance that’s equally fantastic, Felicity Jones is the life and energy of many of the film’s scenes, depicting the determined young woman who fell in love with the mind of a genius and took on the challenge of ensuring he’d live long enough to continue his brilliance. It takes a special person to support a person of such intimidating intelligence. It takes a special person to care for someone with such a debilitating disease; it takes an extraordinary actor to depict all of that AND instill this person with true humanity and grace. Jones nails it.

This cast + this director + this story = an absolute success of a film. A perfect reminder of the limitlessness in all of us — those who are caretakers and those who suffer — and an ode to those who have the capacity for enormous thought in our society.

Long Distance Never Works

[Ananda]

It’s sort of hard to have sympathy for the relationship depicted in 10,000 Km after seeing a film like The Theory of Everything, where a couple is challenged by an absolutely crippling disease that will affect every day of their lives together. In Carlos Marques-Marcet‘s film the couple in question, Alex (Natalia Tena) and Sergi (David Verdaguer) are tested when Alex is offered a photography residency in LA, far from the couple’s established home in Barcelona. After much discussion, they decide the offer is too good to pass up, and it’s only for a year, so Alex heads to LA and the two maintain their relationship via the Internet.

The film made our Must See Indie list recently, and while Marques-Marcet proves his worth with some expertly crafted filmmaking — long takes with little editing, maintaining viewer interest for a movie that basically takes place in two apartments and the imagery of Google Maps — what the film lacks is some perspective. Alex and Sergi are clearly the passionate sort of couple who find their separation to be incredibly difficult based on the chemistry that has fueled their relationship (the film is bookended with some intense sex scenes). But that’s where the film goes astray. The implication of the film is that technology is an ineffective tool in maintaining a relationship — even one with years of history — and can indeed lead to further destruction when Facebook becomes a stalking mechanism and video sex isn’t personal enough. But in the case of this film it doesn’t seem that the technology is actually the destructive factor in Alex and Sergi’s relationship, instead its their own hubrises: Sergi’s controlling and insecure temperament and Alex’s inability to defend herself and communicate her wants. They end up where you’d expect, but not for the reasons the film tries to suggest.

Close Your Eyes And I’ll Kiss You

[Bernard]

Now, let’s brighten things up a bit after all that romantic tumult. A fun-loving road movie set on the beautiful coast of Spain in the ’60s, Living is Easy With Eyes Closed follows Antonio (Javier Cámara), an optimistic, compassionate school teacher on a quest to meet his hero, John Lennon, who’s reportedly filming a movie in Almeria. Winding down the picturesque coastal roads on his way to meet the Beatle he picks up two companions: Belén (Natalia de Molina), a pretty, pregnant twenty-something, and Juano (Francesc Colomer), a runaway teenager with a Beatles haircut. Together, the trio share good times as they make their way to a small village just outside the movie set, where the indomitable Antonio must figure out a way to infiltrate the set and meet Mr. Lennon.

Directed by Spanish filmmaker David Trueba, the film is exhilaratingly upbeat, a three-way buddy movie that doesn’t hesitate when it comes to being adorable. It would be a mistake to scoff at the film’s relentlessly positive energy; you must be willing to let go of pretension and open yourself up to the good vibes to get the fully appreciate the film’s message. Cámara, with his knowing smiles and gentle eyes, serves as the perfect tour guide for this sun-drenched Spanish adventure. Those expecting the film to be set to a playlist of Beatles songs will be slightly let down (this is an indie film, after all, and The Beatles equals big bucks), but may be surprised to find themselves having so much fun they won’t miss the Fab Four classics.

When it was released in 1964, Time magazine called A Hard Day’s Night “One of the smoothest, freshest, funniest films ever made for purposes of exploitation.” It’s hard to find a modern cultural equivalent. Clearly the multiple Justin Bieber documentaries or silly pop-star musicals like From Justin to Kelly don’t hold a candle to Richard Lester’s witty and innovative film. The closest comparison I can think of is Spice World, where the Spice Girls also played scripted versions of themselves but parodying themselves in a way that panders to their fans but doesn’t exactly break cinematic ground.

Filmed a month after The Beatles invaded America, rocking out on the Ed Sullivan show, the film follows John, Paul, George, and Ringo as clever, cheeky versions of themselves (though it’s hard to believe that they weren’t just as cheeky in real life). The fab four are making their way to Liverpool for a TV appearance, barely making it to their train as they run madly away from an adoring mob. The boys accept their celebrity good-naturedly, while acknowledging how taxing it can be. On the train Paul introduces his Grandfather (Wilfrid Brambell), a “clean” old man with a proclivity for troublemaking. The boys lock Grandfather up in the cargo area of the train, using it as an excuse to bust out their instruments and treat some fellow traveling girls to a performance. At their destination, Grandfather steals an invite to a casino while the boys shirk fan-mail duties to dance. At the rehearsal for the TV show next day, Grandfather incites further mischief by convincing Ringo he’s not living life to his fullest resulting in his last-minute abandonment of his duties, forcing his bandmates to search the city for him. Of course they make it back in the nick of time for their performance, closing out the film with iconic footage of just how crazed their fans truly were as young girls and boys scream their heads off at the cool foursome playing a few more of their incredibly catchy hits.

The film takes advantage of the boys’ Liverpool accents, upbringing, and the cheeky humor associated with the area. They poke fun cleverly at their celebrity and the nature of celebrity itself. In one sketch George wanders into a casting call where he’s told what the latest fashions will soon be, declaring them “grotty” (short for grotesque) he shirks their show and their fashion choices. The casting director consults his trend calendar after he leaves, declaring that they’d better soon fire the show’s host, as she’s likely soon to be out of style and best to be ahead of the curve. Another scene involves John running into an actress in the hall who insists he looks just like “him” (without ever saying John’s name). John denies it and a very meta sort of conversation ensues where he claims to have heard rumors of the actress and “him” but that he stood up for her. Their conversation ends when the actress claims she can’t even see the resemblance now that she thinks of it, causing John to claim “she looks more like him than I do”. It’s a hilarious, introspective, and satirical bit that not only highlights the genius of the film’s writing but also showcases just how well the young stars were able to handle themselves when tasked with the challenge of simultaneously acting while being themselves.

A Hard Day’s Night was nominated for two Oscars, Best Screenplay and Best Score, and its distinctive style influenced countless future projects from The Monkees’ TV show to the advent of music videos. What I find most interesting about the film is the way it was so perfectly suited for The Beatles. Alun Owen was chosen as screenwriter because of his mastery of the particular humor associated with Liverpool and his screenplay and its unique vignette style were the perfect way to give fans the exposure they demanded of the band, while allowing the musicians to have fun, showcase their music, and yet also gain a sincere sense of character that makes them even more loveable.

Criterion’s edition is gorgeous having used the original 35mm camera negative. It was scanned in 4k resolution and retains the film’s singularity while enhancing a crystal clear and detailed picture. The film is in its original theatrical aspect ration of 1.75:1 and sounds exceptionally awesome. The final result was approved by director Richard Lester and while it is now available for purchase on Blu-Ray/DVD it is also getting a limited release in theaters, an experience hard to duplicate, so get out and see it if you are able.

A Hard Day’s Night is opening Nationwide July 4th and will be playing at The Cinefamily in Los Angeles from Friday, July 4th until Thursday, July 10th.

A Hard Day’s Night trailer