the wolf of wall street – Smaller Pictures

Palm Springs (2020)

Palm Springs has finally landed on Amazon Prime in the UK and it was definitely worth the wait. A modern take on time loops, this film follows carefree Nyles (Andy Samberg) and troubled Sarah (Cristin Milloti) as they find themselves living the same day again and again and again. As Nyles has become used to the time loop life and enjoys it, Sarah is adamant to get out as soon as she can. Naturally, the two begin to bond due to their circumstance and a relationship blossoms. It’s a film that has garnered a lot of praise since its premiere and deservedly so. Directed by Max Barbakow from a script written by Barbakow and Andy Siara, Palm Springs is guaranteed to have you in stitches and in tears as we see how living the same day over and over can actually offer a different perspective on life.

The direction and nonlinear structure makes it different from your average Groundhog Day situation. The topic is actually quite dark as the protagonists cannot escape but Barbakow contrasts this with the idyllic setting of the Palm Springs desert. The nonlinear structure works perfectly with the plot and Barbakow isn’t afraid to let the audience piece everything together rather than spoonfeeding the plot bit by bit. Rather than leading the audience into the time loop, we’re already thrown in there immediately which makes it feel like a puzzle that we have to put together ourselves. It is this unpredictable nature that makes Palm Springs an entertaining watch as we really don’t know what the characters are going to do next even though we know what their day would be like.

Andy Samberg can always be relied upon to turn wonderful comedic performances and his turn as Nyles is no exception. Although Palm Springs is primarily a comedy, there are some brilliant dramatic moments in there as well, especially when Nyles has to decide whether he wants to stay in the time loop or attempt to get back to reality. Samberg’s carefree character quickly becomes affected by his growing relationship with Sarah as she finds herself stuck in the same loop. It is during these moments of inner turmoil that we really see how Nyles’ carefree persona is really just bravado as he has become complacent in this life. Samberg is well known for his comedic roles, mainly as Detective Jake Peralta on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, however, this film marks a small step in drama at times and it would be interesting to see him take on more dramatic roles in the future.

Cristin Milloti has been building an interesting career to date spanning TV (How I Met Your Mother), theatre (Once) and film (The Wolf of Wall Street) but with Palm Springs she gets the leading role she needs to properly breakout. Milloti is absolutely wonderful as Sarah and showcases the character’s conflicted feelings perfectly throughout the film. The chemistry she has with Samberg is great and they work really well on building the jokes and making the film an enjoyable experience. We never feel that Sarah has to rely on Nyles to be saved, she looks to herself for the solution and proves to be more practical and reliable than Nyles is. This is because we are actually seeing the film through her eyes as we are introduced to the time loop through Sarah’s eyes.

JK Simmons is phenomenal as Roy, a man who Nyles accidentally introduced to the time loop life when the two were inebriated with alcohol and drugs. Set on hellbent revenge, he appears every so often to torture and kill Nyles knowing that the two of them will spawn again the next day. It’s great seeing Simmons take on interesting roles that allow him to become immersed in a character. After winning his Oscar, it would have been easy for him to take on leading man roles in blockbusters but Simmons has carried on doing the roles he is clearly passionate about and it really adds in excitement to the overall film as we anticipate his return in the film.

The soundtrack is one of the best parts of this film. With an eclectic mix of genres from a variety of decades including a brilliant use of Kate Bush’s “Cloudbusting” which is used in the film’s climactic scene, the random quality of the soundtrack helps brings the absurdity of the film’s plot. A lot of period films incorporate music from their respective time period to help the audience get a feel for the sounds of the time, however, Palm Springs completely rejects this and refuses to allow its music choices to conform to this. We are not supposed to get a feel for its time and it is wonderfully unpredictable with tunes from Leonard Cohen and David Bowie.

Palm Springs proves to be an incredibly original take on a subject that has been done lots of times before. Despite the time loop making the repeated day a predicted experience, it is actually the film’s unpredictability that makes it exciting to watch. From the beautiful cinematography to the brilliant script, Palm Springs may only be an hour and a half but it makes the most out of every second and never puts a foot wrong.

What did you think of Palm Springs? Let me know in the comments below!

Palm Springs is available to watch on Amazon Prime UK now!

Top 5 Leonardo DiCaprio Performances

Leonardo DiCaprio is a rare sort of actor nowadays. He is the most profitable outside of those who have worked in superhero franchises and manages to still pull in an audience of all kinds. Beloved since his career-making turn as an autistic teenager in 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? DiCaprio has evolved from child star to young heartthrob, playboy to a mature rounded actor who can seemingly master any role he plays. This year saw his second collaboration with renowned director, Quentin Tarantino and it hs propelled him into the race for the Best Actor gongs this awards season.

During a time where his star someone seems to still be on a rise despite being at the top of his game, I thought I’d compile a list of my top 5 performances from DiCaprio. This proved difficult and it’s not to say that anything excluded means that it’s bad, I just didn’t have the space.

Here’s my top 5 in chronological order:

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)

The film that brought DiCaprio to worldwide attention and melted the hearts of a global audience, DiCaprio plays Arnie Grape, the younger brother of the titular character (played by Johnny Depp), who acts as his carer. Playing a role such as Arnie is deeply complex and requires much maturity that a lot of actors don’t possess, but DiCaprio shows his dedication to the craft beautifully. Arnie is a hopeful individual who Gilbert thinks the world of. DiCaprio’s performance is tender and layered as we see the character’s frustration rise throughout the film until it explodes. It earned DiCaprio a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor (many people even think he should have won). A role such as this would be a good enough highlight for any actor’s resume, but for DiCaprio, this is only the beginning of a blossoming career.

Titanic (1997)

I would be lying if I said this wasn’t my favourite DiCaprio performance. The iconic love story that defines the Hollywood blockbuster and tells the fictional story of two star-crossed lovers on the doomed 1912 liner that sank to the sea after hitting an iceberg. DiCaprio plays Jack Dawson, an artist with a hard-working attitude who wins tickets for the Titanic at a game of poker. He stays in a third-class cabin with his friend Fabrizio (Danny Nucci) and fate hands him a meeting with the beautiful first-class passenger, Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet). If What’s Eating GIlbert Grape? was a stroke of luck then Titanic cemented his superstar status. He lost out on a much-deserved Oscar-nomination but he was instantly recognised by fans everywhere. Jack and Rose’s story immediately became synonamous with classic Hollywood and the film is still loved around the world. I can’t even begin to explain how much I love this film. It must be among my most watched films of all time and partly because of the sincerity and heart in DiCaprio’s performance.

The Aviator (2004)

DiCaprio’s first collaboration with Martin Scorsese showed that DiCaprio is more than capable of leading a dramatic feature at top billing. He does so perfectly in this Howard Hughes biopic in his turn as the legendary producer through the high times of his career. DiCaprio won a Golden Globe for his performance and lost out on an Academy Award. The Aviator is an interesting insight into the Golden Age of Hollywood and what people will do to hold onto the power and fame that they have. Even against a strong supporting cast, particularly Cate blanchett in an Oscar-winning turn as Hughes’ love interest, Katharine Hepburn, DiCaprio holds himself with ease. I was torn between this and his more recent Scorsese collaboration, The Wolf of Wall Street but I think that this film bridges the gap between his heartthrob days and his breaking into “serious” acting as he isn’t afraid of allowing him to become immersed in the role.

Django Unchained (2012)

After scheduling conflicts got in the way of him playing Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds (2009), Quentin Tarantino cast DiCaprio as the evil plantation owner, Calvin Candie who is introduced into the 3 hour film halfway through but manages to make such an impact that it influences the entire film. The film follows former slave, Django (Jamie Foxx) as he and bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) seek to track down and free Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) who has been sold to Candie and works at his Candieland plantation. It’s a film that was mired in controversy from the beginning due to its excessive use of racial slur and extreme violence. The hard-hitting parts of the film come from Candie’s treatment of the slaves such as forcing them to partake in “Mandingo fighting” where two black men are forced to fight to the death for their owners’ entertainment. The scene is brutal and hard to watch as Django looks on helplessly as Candie cheers as his man wins. What makes this role so different for DiCaprio is that this role is the first where his character is not lovable in any way. Candie’s evil nature is clear when he has a slave ripped to shreds by dogs in front of Django to show his power as a white man.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

In his second collaboration with Tarantino, DiCaprio is promoted to the leading role as fading actor, Rick Dalton. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is witty and shows DiCaprio in top form. I have written a full review which you can read here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see DiCaprio’s name filling up nomination spots come awards season as this is a role that he pulls off fantastically as the self-pitying, alcoholic actor.

As I come to the end of this list, I want to give a really special shoutout to his mega turn as Jordan Belfort in martin Scorsese’s 2013 hit, The Wolf of Wall Street. Admittedly, this is the top 5 that my gut went with and it breaks my heart not to include this or his Oscar-winning turn in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s The Revenant but as I said in my introduction, there are so many performances to choose from and they are the five that made the biggest impact on me.

What do you think? What’s your favourite Leonardo DiCaprio performance? Let me know in the comments below!