Hollywood Insider - News Entertainment & Culture

Substance & Meaningful Entertainment

Against Gossip & Scandal

Independent Media Network

Global Stories From Local Perspective

Factual Culture News

Hollywood Insider Bliss Review, Amazon Studios, Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek

Photo: ‘Bliss’/Amazon Studios

Get ready for a mind-bending, reality questioning rollercoaster ride of a film that manipulates viewer expectations and breaks the traditions of Hollywood’s catering to general audiences. Writer and director of ‘BlissMike Cahill, whose last feature films ‘I Origins’ and ‘Another Earth’ were both sci-fi drama romances were received well critically, offers an interesting perspective to this sci-fi drama romance that’s stylistically unmatched by anything Amazon-produced, and pushes postmodern Cinematic techniques to a level that’s difficult to grasp for the viewer, but one must respect its creativity.

The set design and lighting in just about every shot is beautiful and ranges from alluring color coordination to rugged worldly authenticity. This accompanied by the wonderful performances bring a quality to this film that makes it worth watching until the end, and sometimes even glosses over the flaws from the editing and futile plot points. There’s a chance not many viewers will walk away from this film fully satisfied, but there is merit to it that brings it value. 

Related article: New Releases: Your Comprehensive Guide to Every New Movie Coming Out in February 2021

Related article: The Biggest Golden Globes 2021 Snubs and Film Upsets

The setup of ‘Bliss’ is the strongest part of the film, with the first act establishing an easy to understand plot and dimensional characters that many people can relate to. The events that unfold hook the viewer, and keep them engaged trying to get one step ahead of the plot, but never being able to prevail. Though the overall plot and logic of the film become disjointed and certain points and many viewers are going to find themselves rewinding or Googling for clarity, there is something great here.

Cahill creatively approaches the topic of perception, the way people see things, and how their experiences influence that in a way that mainstream filmmakers are not doing, which shows that once Cahill regains his traction as he did with his last two films, and focuses those essential qualities to his work that makes it comprehensible to general audiences, he’s going to be a game-changer in Cinema. Even though ‘Bliss’ has many flaws due to its seemingly inadvertent hollow open-endedness, it’s certainly worthy of a watch as a palette cleanser to the traditional Hollywood sci-fi structure. 

Related article: MUST WATCH – Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s Love Letter to Black Lives Matter – VIDEO

Subscribe to Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. 

‘Bliss’ – As Expected, Salma Hayek and Owen Wilson Deliver Incredible Performances

Owen Wilson plays a character who has just learned that reality as he knows it isn’t what he always thought, with Salma Hayek playing the powerful guide through this new way of thinking, along with a unique perspective of reality that even leads to manipulation of reality. They both perform their characters extraordinarily, with so much raw emotion stemming from misery to going through the highs and lows of this adventurous story, while their performances keep the viewer magnetized to how they handle the insane plotline. Wilson is known for both his comedic roles and his more recent dramatic ones. He rose up with and contributed significantly to the beginning of the career of auteur filmmaker Wes Anderson, and was even nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay along with Wes Anderson for their writing work on ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ in 2002, a year after the film was released.

He’s had an impressive career, so it’s refreshing for lifelong fans to see him continue to mature and develop as a versatile actor, even when the script is a head-scratcher most of the time. Salma Hayek has had a similar career trajectory, except in terms of genre, and when they started exploring different genres, the opposite. She started out in mostly serious roles, with her gaining prominence with Robert Rodriguez’s 1995 hit ‘Desperado’ where she starred alongside another at the time rising LatinX star Antonio Banderas. Like Wilson, it took a few years for Hayek’s talents to be recognized by the Academy, and was later nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for starring in the 2002 biography ‘Frida’ directed by Julie Taymor.

Related article: The Power of Positivity: Ikorodu Bois + Chris Hemsworth + Russo Brothers + Sam Hargrave

Limited Time Offer – FREE Subscription to Hollywood Insider

Click here to read more on Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy. 

Later in her career, Hayek branched out and explored her comedic talents, which she proved to be great at as well. She would later work with iconic Independent filmmaker Kevin Smith in ‘Dogma’, ‘Ugly Betty’, and comedy legend Adam Sandler in ‘Grown Ups’, along with the sequel, expanding beyond the typecasts she had been trapped in throughout the 90s. ‘Bliss’ will not be a glowing part of their resume, but it can’t be denied that Wilson and Hayek did the best they could, and even performed incredibly in some scenes, within the parameters they had with a confusing, unclear, novel, and ambitious script.  They stole the show, and their presence on screen bolsters this film’s quality tremendously. 

New Director Mike Cahill Is Making Big Moves With This New Hit With Amazon

Mike Cahill’s career thus far appears to be geared towards selective, original works that express Cahill’s unique artistry and perspective. His last two films grew momentously with quality, and was well-received critically, and even somewhat commercially. With the streaming age congesting Cinema to certain extents, Cahill was a breath of fresh air amongst the standard, pattern-filled, formulaic movies that have been coming out the past decade. Cinema lovers must support Cahill’s goal and intention with ‘Bliss’, but sometimes amazing filmmakers miss the mark, or simply audiences don’t get it. Although its ambiguity and unclear meaning may implode it from reaching a high level, it’s possible that ‘Bliss’ is simply ahead of its time. Perhaps after digesting the rollercoaster plot and concept, and re-watching it, the quality will enhance with it.  

Related article: Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase: “The Importance of Venice Film Festival as the Protector of Cinema”

Related article: The Masters of Cinema Archives: Hollywood Insider Pays Tribute to ‘La Vie En Rose’, Exclusive Interview with Director Olivier Dahan

Anyone who’s a fan of sci-fi’s or romance stories will see a lot of positive qualities in ‘Bliss’, especially scenes where Cahill purposefully drags in conventions of the genre and breaks them. There’s value in the film in the aspect of it subverting viewer expectations, and playing with Cinematic patterns and traits in a way that doesn’t cater towards general audiences, but filmmakers, lovers of Cinema, and mostly, Mike Cahill himself. 

Cast: Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Nesta Cooper, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Ronny Chieng, Steve Zissis, Joshua Leanard, Madeline Zima, Bill Nye

Director: Mike Cahill | Writer: Mike Cahill

Cinematography: Markus Forderer | Editor: Troy Takaki | | Producers: Adam Haggiag, Lucas Smith, James D. Stern, Marsha L. Swinton, Diego Zanco 

By Armando Brigham

Click here to read Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Black Lives Matter, in which he tackles more than just police reform, press freedom and more – click here.

An excerpt from the love letter: Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “Hollywood Insider fully supports the much-needed Black Lives Matter movement. We are actively, physically and digitally a part of this global movement. We will continue reporting on this major issue of police brutality and legal murders of Black people to hold the system accountable. We will continue reporting on this major issue with kindness and respect to all Black people, as each and every one of them are seen and heard. Just a reminder, that the Black Lives Matter movement is about more than just police brutality and extends into banking, housing, education, medical, infrastructure, etc. We have the space and time for all your stories. We believe in peaceful/non-violent protests and I would like to request the rest of media to focus on 95% of the protests that are peaceful and working effectively with positive changes happening daily. Media has a responsibility to better the world and Hollywood Insider will continue to do so.”

Ways to support Black Lives Matter Movement to end systemic racism

More Interesting Stories From Hollywood Insider

– Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY

– Compilation: All James Bond 007 Opening Sequences From 1962 Sean Connery to Daniel Craig

– Do you know the hidden messages in ‘Call Me By Your Name’? Find out behind the scenes facts in the full commentary and In-depth analysis of the cinematic masterpiece

– A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Denzel Washington, Halle Berry & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond

– In the 32nd Year Of His Career, Keanu Reeves’ Face Continues To Reign After Launching Movies Earning Over $4.3 Billion In Total – “John Wick”, “Toy Story 4”, “Matrix”, And Many More

bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss, bliss

Author

  • Armando Brigham

    Armando Brigham is a writer, comedian, and actor who blends his adoration of film & TV with his passion for writing. Armando has a keen interest in the powerful impact art and entertainment can make. He sets out to write features and reviews full of honesty, encouragement, and vigor, which is why he’s writing for the Hollywood Insider, a place that champions facts, quality writing, and building art up.

    View all posts
Website It Up