Films round-up
Nov. 28th, 2022 05:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rich_jackoDon't Worry, Darling - Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) live the American dream in a 1950s utopia, all under the benevolent eye of Jack's boss, Frank (Chris Pine). But something feels wrong. Why aren't the women allowed out of town? Are deaths being covered up? Why can't Alice remember things? And what is the Victory Project all about? There are shades of The Truman Show, but with a much darker undertone. You can see the big reveal coming a mile off, as the carefully curated world begins to unravel and things descend into a battle of wills between Alice, Jack and Frank. It's perfectly fine as films go; I don't regret seeing it, but it's nothing special, so I wouldn't recommend it.
The Woman King - Forget Black Panther's Dora Milaje, this is the real deal. The Agojie were a real-life army of female warriors who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey against slavers. The film follows a trio of Agojie - Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a young girl in training, who is the audience's window into the world; Izogie (Lashana Lynch), the experienced warrior she befriends; and General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who dominates the screen whenever she appears. John Boyega as the King and Jordon Bolger as a European slaver round out the lead cast. This isn't a simple tale of European colonisers vs African natives; the neighbouring kingdom is helping the Europeans to capture people from Dahomey, and the alliances, politics and power plays are complex. There are personal revelations too. And, of course, there are desperate missions and battles to be fought. This is a grand and gritty historical epic about a little-known piece of history, and thoroughly recommended.
Amsterdam - There is a lot going on in these 134 minutes. Broadly speaking, it follows the lives of a doctor (Christian Bale), a nurse (Margot Robbie) and a lawyer (John David Washington), who originally met during WW1 and, 15 years later, find themselves investigating a murder, which leads to a bigger conspiracy. Throw in a bundle of comedy, romance, politics, musings on war and on life, heroes on the run from hitmen, an all-star cast and a story spanning decades and many different locations. It got mediocre reviews, with many critics complaining that there's just too much going on and that the tone is a mess, but I really enjoyed it. This is thanks in no small part to the chemistry between the three leads and its quirky take on the bonds of friendship. I was invested in the characters; I thought the story (complex though it is) hung together well and cracked along at such a pace it was impossible to get bored. No, this was a good one.
Trick 'r Treat - A cinematic re-release of a 2007 comedy horror I'd missed the first time round. It's Hallowe'en in a small town in America, and a collection of short horror stories play out, loosely connected to each other and all overseen by Sam, the creepy, sack-headed poster child for the film. It's based on a DC comic and produced by Bryan Singer, who brings back two of his X-Men cast, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin, as the film's star names. The anthology of tales covers a serial killer, a ghost story connected to an abandoned quarry, supernatural predators stalking party-goers, a monster in the house, and victims punished for foolishly not following traditions. None of it is winning any originality awards, but it does what it does very well. The knowing black humour plays with well-trodden Hallowe'en tropes, but never undermines the scares and manages to be entertainingly silly without becoming too silly. It's a strangely endearing little film in its own way.
Decision To Leave - A Korean crime drama from Oldboy writer/director, Park Chan-wook. Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is a detective investigating the death of a climber found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Prime suspect is the man's wife, Soe-Rae (Tang Wei), who is acting strangely, but appears to have a rock-solid alibi. As Hae-jun continues to investigate Soe-Rae, he finds himself getting closer to the truth, but also being drawn to her in a very unprofessional way, which risks destroying his marriage and his career. What follows is a psychological game between the two, as each tries to stay one step ahead of the other. Even once the mystery is solved and the film skips forward in time, the twists keep turning and the stakes keep rising. Beautifully shot and acted, and at heart a very human drama about two lonely people, this deserves all the rave reviews it's been getting.
Barbarian - Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives in the middle of a storm at her Airbnb in a largely-deserted small town, only to find someone else (Keith, played by Bill Skarsgård) already there, apparently due to a double-booking. Is it safe for her to stay with this stranger? What is hidden beneath the house? And why does everyone warn her away from the neighbourhood? This has had exceptionally good reviews, and I can sort-of see why, but unfortunately it just doesn't hold together for me. The explanation of what's going on (when it comes) doesn't really explain enough. There are too many plot holes and things that don't make sense. And the end is just plain silly. A certain level of silliness in a certain kind of horror film is fine (see Trick 'r Treat), but this one seemed to be going for terrifying, gritty realism, and fell apart when it turned into something else. Disappointing.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - A difficult sequel which has to deal with the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman (who gets a suitable tribute at both the beginning and end of the film). But with his absence, the women of Wakanda really get to step to the fore - particularly Shuri (Letitia Wright), Okaye (Danai Gurira) and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett). And they need to, to defend their country from not just greedy global interests, but also new baddie Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his army of blue underwater warriors who look rather like they've just jumped straight out of the Avatar franchise. It's too long, burdened by too many characters, and lacks the tight plotting of the first instalment, but it's still a worthy addition to the MCU canon. The theme of Western exploitation of developing country resources is handled well, without ever being preachy or getting in the way of its several decent slices of comic book action.
The Menu - Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) offers the most elite of elite dining experiences, a multi-course affair for a select few on a private island, where everything is meticulously planned to perfection with his army of obedient kitchen staff ("Yes, Chef!"). But one of the guests, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) wasn't supposed to be there, which upsets the plan. Also, the theme running through the evening seems to be turning murderous... This is a pitch-black comedy, poking fun at pretentious foodie types as well as the rich and famous. There are a few twists along the way but, if you've seen the trailer, you've got the gist of the film. It's fine and there are some strong performances but, like the titular menu in its story, it's rather forced and over-elaborate, and ultimately not all that satisfying.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites a group of his "disrupter" friends to a murder mystery party on his private Greek island. But Miles has made a lot of enemies, and soon there's a real murder to be solved. A spoilt billionnaire ruining the lives of others is suitably topical, though I found the early Covid lockdown scenes slightly triggering (too soon). Daniel Craig's Benoir Blanc is the only recurring character but, in common with the first Knives Out, there's another turning-everything-on-its-head twist part-way through. On the other hand, I don't remember the first film being anywhere near this funny - Glass Onion is genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious. But it's clever too, a genuinely satisfying mystery where you feel you could've pieced the clues together, rather than feeling cheated by the writer just picking one of the many suspects at random (I'm looking at you, Agatha Christie!).
She Said - Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor in this adaptation of their book about the investigation into Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct - the history of which went back years and was symbolic of a wider culture. Twohey and Kantor's story was a watershed movement which led to many other women coming forward and sparked the #MeToo movement. Of course, any of us who weren't under a rock in 2017 already know a lot of this stuff, but it doesn't make it any less hard-hitting, even if the film often feels more like an extended advert for how good the New York Times's investigative journalism is, rather than concentrating at the shocking behaviour behind Hollywood's closed doors. It's hard to disentangle the real life bits from the fictionalised bits, and you have to get your head around some actors playing themselves and others playing characters. But this doesn't really matter; it's a compelling story that drags you in.
Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical - I haven't seen the stage show, but I've always loved the book, and I had no doubt that pairing it with songs by Tim Minchin would be a fine fit. There's absolutely no realism; this is full-on, technicolour, larger-than-life musical theatre, right from the start. It fits, given Roald Dahl stories are so much larger than life anyway. The cast throw themselves into it with gusto, led by Emma Thompson chewing the scenery as the dastardly Miss Trunchbull, Lashana Lynch doing the proper acting job as Miss Honey and young Alisha Weir doing a good line in righteous indignation in the title role (Her hate has made her powerful...). The (few) changes from the book generally work. The talkie bits are fine, but really just filler between all the songs, which are where the film comes alive. They may not be the most memorable tunes ever, but they bounce along well enough and the lyrics are clever and anarchic, with a clear love for the source material. It's fun.
The Woman King - Forget Black Panther's Dora Milaje, this is the real deal. The Agojie were a real-life army of female warriors who protected the African kingdom of Dahomey against slavers. The film follows a trio of Agojie - Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a young girl in training, who is the audience's window into the world; Izogie (Lashana Lynch), the experienced warrior she befriends; and General Nanisca (Viola Davis), who dominates the screen whenever she appears. John Boyega as the King and Jordon Bolger as a European slaver round out the lead cast. This isn't a simple tale of European colonisers vs African natives; the neighbouring kingdom is helping the Europeans to capture people from Dahomey, and the alliances, politics and power plays are complex. There are personal revelations too. And, of course, there are desperate missions and battles to be fought. This is a grand and gritty historical epic about a little-known piece of history, and thoroughly recommended.
Amsterdam - There is a lot going on in these 134 minutes. Broadly speaking, it follows the lives of a doctor (Christian Bale), a nurse (Margot Robbie) and a lawyer (John David Washington), who originally met during WW1 and, 15 years later, find themselves investigating a murder, which leads to a bigger conspiracy. Throw in a bundle of comedy, romance, politics, musings on war and on life, heroes on the run from hitmen, an all-star cast and a story spanning decades and many different locations. It got mediocre reviews, with many critics complaining that there's just too much going on and that the tone is a mess, but I really enjoyed it. This is thanks in no small part to the chemistry between the three leads and its quirky take on the bonds of friendship. I was invested in the characters; I thought the story (complex though it is) hung together well and cracked along at such a pace it was impossible to get bored. No, this was a good one.
Trick 'r Treat - A cinematic re-release of a 2007 comedy horror I'd missed the first time round. It's Hallowe'en in a small town in America, and a collection of short horror stories play out, loosely connected to each other and all overseen by Sam, the creepy, sack-headed poster child for the film. It's based on a DC comic and produced by Bryan Singer, who brings back two of his X-Men cast, Brian Cox and Anna Paquin, as the film's star names. The anthology of tales covers a serial killer, a ghost story connected to an abandoned quarry, supernatural predators stalking party-goers, a monster in the house, and victims punished for foolishly not following traditions. None of it is winning any originality awards, but it does what it does very well. The knowing black humour plays with well-trodden Hallowe'en tropes, but never undermines the scares and manages to be entertainingly silly without becoming too silly. It's a strangely endearing little film in its own way.
Decision To Leave - A Korean crime drama from Oldboy writer/director, Park Chan-wook. Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is a detective investigating the death of a climber found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Prime suspect is the man's wife, Soe-Rae (Tang Wei), who is acting strangely, but appears to have a rock-solid alibi. As Hae-jun continues to investigate Soe-Rae, he finds himself getting closer to the truth, but also being drawn to her in a very unprofessional way, which risks destroying his marriage and his career. What follows is a psychological game between the two, as each tries to stay one step ahead of the other. Even once the mystery is solved and the film skips forward in time, the twists keep turning and the stakes keep rising. Beautifully shot and acted, and at heart a very human drama about two lonely people, this deserves all the rave reviews it's been getting.
Barbarian - Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives in the middle of a storm at her Airbnb in a largely-deserted small town, only to find someone else (Keith, played by Bill Skarsgård) already there, apparently due to a double-booking. Is it safe for her to stay with this stranger? What is hidden beneath the house? And why does everyone warn her away from the neighbourhood? This has had exceptionally good reviews, and I can sort-of see why, but unfortunately it just doesn't hold together for me. The explanation of what's going on (when it comes) doesn't really explain enough. There are too many plot holes and things that don't make sense. And the end is just plain silly. A certain level of silliness in a certain kind of horror film is fine (see Trick 'r Treat), but this one seemed to be going for terrifying, gritty realism, and fell apart when it turned into something else. Disappointing.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - A difficult sequel which has to deal with the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman (who gets a suitable tribute at both the beginning and end of the film). But with his absence, the women of Wakanda really get to step to the fore - particularly Shuri (Letitia Wright), Okaye (Danai Gurira) and Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett). And they need to, to defend their country from not just greedy global interests, but also new baddie Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and his army of blue underwater warriors who look rather like they've just jumped straight out of the Avatar franchise. It's too long, burdened by too many characters, and lacks the tight plotting of the first instalment, but it's still a worthy addition to the MCU canon. The theme of Western exploitation of developing country resources is handled well, without ever being preachy or getting in the way of its several decent slices of comic book action.
The Menu - Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) offers the most elite of elite dining experiences, a multi-course affair for a select few on a private island, where everything is meticulously planned to perfection with his army of obedient kitchen staff ("Yes, Chef!"). But one of the guests, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) wasn't supposed to be there, which upsets the plan. Also, the theme running through the evening seems to be turning murderous... This is a pitch-black comedy, poking fun at pretentious foodie types as well as the rich and famous. There are a few twists along the way but, if you've seen the trailer, you've got the gist of the film. It's fine and there are some strong performances but, like the titular menu in its story, it's rather forced and over-elaborate, and ultimately not all that satisfying.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites a group of his "disrupter" friends to a murder mystery party on his private Greek island. But Miles has made a lot of enemies, and soon there's a real murder to be solved. A spoilt billionnaire ruining the lives of others is suitably topical, though I found the early Covid lockdown scenes slightly triggering (too soon). Daniel Craig's Benoir Blanc is the only recurring character but, in common with the first Knives Out, there's another turning-everything-on-its-head twist part-way through. On the other hand, I don't remember the first film being anywhere near this funny - Glass Onion is genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious. But it's clever too, a genuinely satisfying mystery where you feel you could've pieced the clues together, rather than feeling cheated by the writer just picking one of the many suspects at random (I'm looking at you, Agatha Christie!).
She Said - Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor in this adaptation of their book about the investigation into Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct - the history of which went back years and was symbolic of a wider culture. Twohey and Kantor's story was a watershed movement which led to many other women coming forward and sparked the #MeToo movement. Of course, any of us who weren't under a rock in 2017 already know a lot of this stuff, but it doesn't make it any less hard-hitting, even if the film often feels more like an extended advert for how good the New York Times's investigative journalism is, rather than concentrating at the shocking behaviour behind Hollywood's closed doors. It's hard to disentangle the real life bits from the fictionalised bits, and you have to get your head around some actors playing themselves and others playing characters. But this doesn't really matter; it's a compelling story that drags you in.
Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical - I haven't seen the stage show, but I've always loved the book, and I had no doubt that pairing it with songs by Tim Minchin would be a fine fit. There's absolutely no realism; this is full-on, technicolour, larger-than-life musical theatre, right from the start. It fits, given Roald Dahl stories are so much larger than life anyway. The cast throw themselves into it with gusto, led by Emma Thompson chewing the scenery as the dastardly Miss Trunchbull, Lashana Lynch doing the proper acting job as Miss Honey and young Alisha Weir doing a good line in righteous indignation in the title role (Her hate has made her powerful...). The (few) changes from the book generally work. The talkie bits are fine, but really just filler between all the songs, which are where the film comes alive. They may not be the most memorable tunes ever, but they bounce along well enough and the lyrics are clever and anarchic, with a clear love for the source material. It's fun.
