Top Fives: Tilda Swinton Movies (You Probably Haven't Seen)

She's great isn't she? Whether ginger, blonde, crazy, sane, boy, girl, naked, clothed you can always count on Tilda Swinton to be superb at what she's doing.

Inspired by a recent discussion of I Am Love here are five movies you should see in which her performance alone is worth the price of admission.

1. I Am Love (2009)

So yes this is the movie that inspired the post, I'll get it out of the way first. I was a bit blah on the movie but others have loved it and Tilda is especially good in it. In fact without here this would just be a really long art film.


2. Young Adam (2003)

Neatly combining last weeks list subject with this weeks, Young Adam is a bleak low budget period piece from Britain notable for allowing Ewan McGregor to use his own accent. It's a story of sexual desire and murder on a barge.


3. The War Zone (1999)

See this, be amazed, be appalled. Mr Orange directed this incredibly powerful film that has gone largely unnoticed, I would hazard a guess, because of it's content. Solid direction and really superb performances from Tilda and Ray "you fuckin slag" Winstone make this family drama well worth seeing. Warning: Contains strong content that isn't suitable for all.

4. Orlando (1992)

Tilda covers everything from medieval boy to modern day working mother in this fantastic piece of cinema based on Virginia Woolf's novel. Check out one of my new favourite blogs Feminising Film for a comprehensive review.

5. The Limits of Control (2009)

The most recent film from the great and weird Jim Jarmusch. This movie added Seville to our European trip next year, it made it look so appealing. In typical Jarmusch fashion it's a slow burn film filled with odd characters. It's a crime film, of sorts, about a hitman, maybe. It looks amazing and Tilda has this crazy little role as an intermediary. I can't say you'll love it as much as me but it's well worth experiencing.

What Tilda movies would you recommend? I'd love to hear from anyone who's seen The War Zone, what did you think? Any of these you think I shouldn't be suggesting? Leave your blah below.

The Week In Movies 22/8/11 - 28/8/11

The week started off well with a quickfire 3 films but then descended in to anarchy and lack of sleep as i only managed to watch another three in the following 5 days. I really must watch Tokyo Story today or it will be a late return to the DVD shop.


I saw The Merry Gentleman on Friday, a movie that is much loved by me but generally unheard of by the general population. Drawing similarities between such classics as Le Samourai, Michael Keaton's debut film is reviewed by me here for those who missed it.

Noir Night was a wonderfully entertaining double feature this week and the Tuesday reviews for Shanghai Express and Pepe Le Moko will hopefully be nearly as enjoyable.


Robocop was practically a first time viewing for me, I remember so little about having seen it when i was much younger. And I was a little disappointed to tell you the truth. I was expecting something, more. Perhaps it hasn't aged well? I do highly recommend you go see Edgar at Between The Seats for a full review from somebody who didn't seem to think it had anything lacking.

I saw I Am Love finally. I've been wanting to see this movie ever since I saw a poster for it on the underground at Cockfosters in 2009. I found the poster quite compelling but managed to miss it at the cinema and then as if by magic I was looking in the Japanese section at Starland and there it was. I Am Love is an Italian movie. It stars Tilda Swinton as a Russian matriarch. She learned Italian with a Russian accent specifically for the role apparently. It's a shame as the movie was a little too much style combined with not enough substance. It wasn't bad but once I got past the fact that every single shot looks like a work of art it wasn't that good either. Tilda Swinton is an entirely separate matter. She was great. As usual. Robert at His Eyes Were Watching Movies initially had the same reaction but changed his mind later, Stevee, yes, THE Stevee stuck to her guns and continued to dislike it and had this to say on the subject and BT gave it a 7.1 whilst including some of the beautiful images from the movie.

Final film of the week was a revisit to my least favourite Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I initially saw this on the one and only date I had with a girl I met whilst horrendously drunk at a VIP party in Covent Garden. When she sent me a message the next morning I had absolutely no idea who she was, I could barely remember getting home. Tequila girls and an free bar will do that to you by 9pm apparently. Anyway I was enamoured with this particular Anderson at the time and thought it would be a good way to show off how awesome I was with my taste in quirky indie type films. Backfired. Big time. We were both obviously bored throughout, it just didn't feel like a Wes Anderson at all. I never saw her again after that.

Leah hadn't seen it and I thought it was about time gave it another shot and I was much more impressed than the first time but I still can't place it anywhere near the level of his other movies. Leah however loved it, she laughed at it a lot more than me that's for sure. Bill Murray was especially great. I may not watch it again however. For a nice contrast of opinions check out a positive (Defiant Success) and a negative (NerdVampire) experience.

So that's it, a quick roundup and on to other things, like more work. What you guys been watching? Have I missed the point of Robocop? Can anyone offer any explanation for Life Aquatic other than the Noah Baumbach script? Who missed The Merry Gentleman review?