Weekly Roundup! March 10th, 2024
Irma Vep gets another remake, Killers of the Flower Moon vies for an Oscar, and is Paris up for hosting the Olympics?
Welcome to Weekly Roundup!, where we explore captivating films, books, and stories that grabbed our attention this week.
Watches of the week
- Irma Vep (2022) tv-series by Olivier Assayas - 4/5
- Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) by Martin Scorsese - 4.5/5
Irma Vep, Episodes 1-4
Irma Vep —for the keen-eyed, an anagram of Vampire— is HBO's follow-up of the 1996 film of the same name and by the same director. Both are rooted in the 1916 French silent film serial Les Vampires by Louis Feuillade, which portrays the workings of a criminal organization in Paris that called themselves "The Vampires."
In the HBO series, Alicia Vikander plays Mira, an American actress who comes to France hot off the heels of a blockbuster superhero movie to help recreate "The Vampires." This opportunity to star in a film she likes and respects, under a great-if-not-slightly-unhinged director, is something Mira has long been waiting for.
Like the 1996 film version, the series is a "film within a film," offering an Inception-esque view of director René Vidal's efforts to recreate the classic 1916 version of Les Vampires. It comes to light that it's his second attempt at paying tribute to Les Vampires with a remake, and in an ironic yet, I assume, intentional connection, this is the actual director Olivier Assayas' second remake of Irma Vep.
The first four episodes are light and humorous, introducing characters and dialogue that cleverly paints a scene of the current state of film business. A few examples include:
A fresh film school grad explaining the deeper meaning of zombie movies:
" Zombies are the ultimate alienated individuals"
And the drug-addict actor saying he's:
"… eased up on a lot of things; I don't want to wind up like my friend Harvey Weinstein."
Killers of the Flower Moon
A 3.5-hour behemoth by Martin Scorsese depicts the series of murders plaguing the Osage Indians in 1920s Oklahoma after vast amounts of oil were found on their land.
We snuck this watch in just in time as the Academy Awards are tonight, and Killers of the Flower Moon faces off in a heavyweight bout against the likes of Oppenheimer, Anatomy of a Fall, and Maestro to name a few.1
Martin Scorsese's beautiful storytelling is a poignant portrayal of a dark period in U.S. history, enriched by the outstanding performances of Lily Gladstone, Leo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro. Admittedly, I was ignorant of this dark stain in American history, and I am glad the story continues to be told even a century later.
Reads of the week
Rings of Fire
The Olympics are a tradition like no other. A time where athletes and countries get together to "compete against each other on the playing field rather than on the battlefield." 2 For many athletes, it can be the pinnacle of a career. For the host city/country, the outcome and benefit is less clear.
It requires no stretch of the imagination to see the pride behind hosting a successful Olympics. However, does pride extend to economic benefit? Or is the burden of such an undertaking too high? Data on the recent host cities would point towards the latter, as every Olympics since 1960 has run over budget by an average of 172 percent, based on an analysis performed by Oxford University.
With a mere three months until the opening ceremonies, it appears this trend will not spare the City of Light. According to the article, 75 percent of Parisians are pessimistic and worried about public transport and cost overruns.
The woes facing Parisians and their current sentiment towards the flock of athletes, coaches, and spectators soon to descend on their city is summed up:
Street traffic is already so congested that scooters ride the sidewalks, which is especially concerning to the elderly and parents of young children. The metros are late and packed to the rafters. Indeed, to Parisians, adding 15 million more potential riders this summer, at almost double the normal fare, is unthinkable. It's enough to make you miss lockdown.
After all this negativity, the logical answer seems to be that no country or city should want to host the Games. That said, maybe it's one of those cases where heart trumps the brain. If it came to a vote, I wouldn't bet on myself to remain rational against the chance to see my favorite athletes compete for my nation so close to home.
Reader Recommendations
Now, I want to hear from you! What movies, books, or articles captured your attention this week? Share your top picks in the comments below; your insights might just lead someone to their next favorite film or book.
Stay tuned until next week!
- Unfortunately, Killers of the Flower Moon did not snag a single Oscar. ↩︎
- https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/business/olympics-economics.html?smid=url-share ↩︎
