For It Is Man's Number: February 2024

Thursday, 29 February 2024

Poor Things (2023)

Another film from director Yorgos Lanthimos, who has delivered one stunning feature after another for the past decade (and even his earlier work is of interest to those who appreciate his strange look at the world), Poor Things is a film I wish I had seen sooner, but I just couldn’t schedule the cinema trip. I am now even more regretful of that missed opportunity.

Emma Stone plays Bella, a young woman who has been created, in a way, by Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). As she rushes through various stages of development, from learning language to eventually learning about the pleasures of sex, Bella accepts a proposal from Godwin’s assistant, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef). She feels as if she should see a bit more of the world first though, and ends up travelling for a while with the caddish (although a number of other adjectives could also be listed here) Duncan Wedderburn.

Adapted from a novel by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things has a screenplay by Tony McNamara, wonderful cinematography from Robbie Ryan, and a suitably strange and wonderful score by Jerskin Fendrix. I am mentioning these people now before I forget them entirely, because my movie reviews simply don’t have the space to list every single person who contributed to this wonderful vision. Rest assured, however, that this is the kind of film that makes you want to take note of every name, from the production designers to the wardrobe department, from the make up to the lighting. It really is a brilliant group effort to deliver a vision that will be credited mainly to the director and cast.

Moving from what seems like a standard period drama setting to a cool, unexplained, steampunk sci-fi world, Lanthimos is once again having fun with an implausible concept that he can use to scrutinize the rules and hypocrisies of society. This would make an excellent companion piece to his masterpiece, The Lobster, covering the equally important topics of love and sex.

Stone is brilliant in the lead performance here, hilariously non-conformist and constantly questioning the rules and etiquette she sees as obstacles to her enjoyment of life. Ruffalo is equally good, and has many of the best lines in the film, swearing and klutzing his way through every scene as he tries to make himself out to be a much better man than he really is. Dafoe, working under some excellent make up, is as dependable as ever, even doing a decent job with what I think was meant to be a Scottish accent, and Youssef heads up a fine selection of supporting players, including Vicki Pepperdine, Margaret Qualley, and Christopher Abbott.

Simultaneously both funnier and darker than I expected, and also cruder and smarter, this has already been quite rightly praised as one of the best movies of 2023. It has plenty packed in every scene to reward repeat viewings, and I am already keen to make time for my own rewatch.

9/10

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Wednesday, 28 February 2024

Prime Time: Upgraded (2024)

A misunderstanding that leads to someone trying to maintain an unrealistic image of their life, a number of coincidences making everything more complicated on the way, and one or two supporting characters doing their best to trip up our lead. Yes, we’re firmly in rom-com territory with Upgraded, a film that I saw someone else cannily sum up as a standard rom-com mixed with more than a hint of The Devil Wears Prada.

Camila Mendes plays Ana, a young intern struggling to make the right impression in front of her boss, a hard taskmaster named Claire (Marisa Tomei). While heading to the UK to close a deal that will gain them a hefty commission, they are in the business of evaluating and auctioning art, Ana is mistreated at the airport so appallingly that she is upgraded to first class by a kind ticket agent. It is in this unfamiliar environment that Ana meets Will (Archie Renaux), getting on so well that she is befriended by his mother (Catherine, played by Lena Olin). Which is all well and good, until she starts to develop a busy social life that might create a clash with her work duties.

Writers Christine Lenig, Justin Matthews, and Luke Spencer Robert’s don’t have the most extensive filmographies, but it quickly becomes clear that each member of the team knows the formula needed at the heart of this film. There are some quirky supporting characters and some surprisingly funny lines of dialogue in the first half of the movie, but we all know where it needs to end up. The truth needs to come out, and at least one big romantic gesture is always welcome.

Director Carlson Young has a similarly small body of work, certainly in her directing role, but has been acting, mainly in TV shows, for a number of years. She is arguably best known for her role in the Scream TV series, where she played Brooke Maddox, but the skill and polish on display here bodes well for her future as a helmer of slick popular entertainment.

Mendes is perfectly fine in the lead role, and Renaux pairs up well enough with her. The two of them are as cute and safe as expected, but they actually feel like they have chemistry as their meet-cute turns into something more. Tomei has a lot of fun being the super-mean and super-demanding boss, Olin also seems to enjoy being a quirky and loving socialite/ex-model/actress, joined at times by a carefree and spirited artist (played by Anthony Head), and two “mean girls” are played well by Rachel Matthews and Fola Evans-Akingbola. There are also enjoyable supporting turns from Andrew Schulz, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, and Thomas Kretschmann.

Easy to enjoy, as long as you’re in the mood for this kind of thing, this is the kind of film that should manage to force a smile out of even the most resistant of viewers. You get a good mix of characters, the cast all seem to be enjoying themselves immensely, and the third act delivers one or two very satisfying moments. It’s not sophisticated, it’s far from perfect (I have already forgotten any of the score/soundtrack, for example), but it’s a bloody good time while it’s on.

7/10

Tuesday, 27 February 2024

The Zone Of Interest (2023)

If you want to go to the cinema and enjoy a fun bit of escapism then I don’t recommend rushing to see The Zone Of Interest. Director Jonathan Glazer doesn’t tend to deliver feelgood films. He does deliver greatness though, and I believe you could make a case for every one of his films to be considered a modern masterpiece.

In case you have missed any conversation about this one, The Zone Of Interest is the film all about Auschwitz that doesn’t ever show us the horrors inside the camp. We spend most of our time watching the house situated right beside the camp, the residence of camp commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), his wife (Hedwig, played by Sandra Hüller), and their young children. There are some other areas shown (an office and a basement “washroom” are used for one or two memorable moments), but the crux of the film is the idyllic family home juxtaposed against what we know is going on in Auschwitz.

We all know that Nazis were bad. We should all know that Nazis are still bad. I firmly believe in the “it’s always okay to punch a Nazi” adage, and I am constantly bewildered by people who try to use the freedom of speech argument to defend hatespeech and scapegoating a whole demographic to help turn everyone else against them. If you are reading this review, I assume we agree. So I can understand people rolling their eyes and sighing as they wondered why we even need this film. Well, I think it does a great job of highlighting just how evil deeds are normalised, and how a holocaust is propped up by the many people who decided to do nothing, either through ignorance, misplaced faith in others doing the right thing, or self-preservation.

Although both Friedel and Hüller are both excellent in their roles, with the latter having the kind of year, between this and Anatomy Of A Fall, that should take her career stratospheric, their performances are boosted by the location, and the atmosphere of dread and terror creeping around the edge of every frame. Whether it’s a shot of smoking chimneys or the top of a train arriving at the concentration camp, or even the constant soundtrack of muffled cries and pain, this is a film that knows the main character is Auschwitz itself, one of the most heinous places to have ever been constructed.

Glazer, adapting the novel by Martin Amis, knows exactly how to treat the material. The apparent banality of everything onscreen just makes you feel worse about what is going on “behind the scenes”, and some of the conversations, whether they are about increasing the efficiency of the death machine, being recognised for a job well done, or sorting through clothing, pack the kind of punch that may leave some viewers feeling slightly winded.

There’s a lot more I could say about this, despite struggling to find the right words and trying not to repeat myself too much, but I think the viewing experience speaks for itself. It would be good to think that we have learned from history, but a brief glance at the latest news headlines has me doubting that. Ah well, at least I have been reminded of my own willingness to punch Nazis. So maybe there is a bit of a feelgood factor to the film after all.

9/10

Monday, 26 February 2024

Mubi Monday: Adaptation. (2002)

I remember when I first saw Adaptation. Like many people, I loved it. Another collaboration between Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze, a great dual role for Nicolas Cage (playing an onscreen version of Kaufman and a fictional twin brother, Donald), and a cast that also includes Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, and Tilda Swinton, as well as one or two other very familiar faces. What’s not to love?

As almost everyone knows by now, Adaptation. is a film that stemmed from severe writer’s block. Charlie Kaufman was struggling to adapt The Orchid Thief from page to screen, and eventually creates something, with the help of Jonze, that explored his painful creative journey, full of personal insecurity, frustration, and a checklist of things he wanted to avoid.

Here’s the thing I need to say now, ripping the band-aid off (as it were). Adaptation. isn’t actually as great as I remembered it. I am not saying that everyone will agree with me, but there may be a reason why it tends to be forgotten/overlooked in conversations about the respective filmographies of Jonze and Kaufman. It’s not a terrible film, but it’s arguably the least interesting feature to come from either of the main creative forces behind the camera here.

There’s a fine line between making use of something to explore and have fun with various ideas, turning the negatives into major positives, and simply giving yourself an easy option by commenting on everything that you are doing, or are about to do. The former is smart and insightful. The latter is often called “lampshading”, I believe. Revisiting Adaptation. two decades after I first saw it, it simply feels like Lampshade: The Movie. Others may strongly disagree with that, but knowing where the film goes makes all of the dialogue and commentary feel much less enjoyable on a repeat viewing.

At least the cast are well worth your time though. Cage is great, giving a couple of performances that serve as a reminder of why so many people stuck by him through some difficult years. This plays to his preference for nervous energy, but one of his characters is also offset by the circumstances grinding him down. Streep and Cooper both have a lot of fun, playing various versions of their characters that show us written fictions compared to complete “reality”. Alongside the ever-reliable Swinton are the equally excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brian Cox, Judy Greer, and Cara Seymour, to name but a few welcome additions.

There is still a lot to enjoy here, not least of which is the brutal and hilarious honesty in the moments that have Kaufman showing his worries and struggles while facing a typewriter. I still like this, and would watch it again. I just don’t love it, and I don’t think it’s a truly great work any more.

7/10

Sunday, 25 February 2024

Netflix And Chill: King Richard (2021)

There are two big things that work against King Richard while you are watching it. One is the memory of that Oscar slap "heard around the world", especially when you realise how it underlines why Will Smith gave such a good performance in the role of a man who continues to believe in himself as others dismiss and disrespect him. The other is the fact that this is, ultimately, a film about two of the greatest sportswomen in history . . . told with a focus on the father who guided them to greatness. I'm not saying that the film isn't delivering the truth, or a truth presented to the world by the Williams sisters and their father, but it feels as if some more care could have been taken to show a bit more of the sisters dealing with the choices made by their father.

If you have even the most passing interest in sports, and particularly tennis, then you will be familiar with the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus, played here by Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney, respectively). Both hold multiple records, both are formidable athletes, and both have walked their career path with great dignity and a care to keep supporting, and inspiring, many others. And both were able to fully realise their potential thanks to the grand plan created by their father, apparently. This film shows how their father, Richard Williams (Will Smith), created opportunities that allowed them to break into a world that didn't look set to welcome them with open arms, and it's a superb tale of self-belief, staying grounded, and learning as much from any failures as you learn from victories.

The first developed script from writer Zach Baylin, it's easy to see why this would appeal to his sensibilities (especially when he has followed it up with a couple of other standard, and enjoyable, sport movies). There's everything you need in place for a story told within this sub-genre, and you have an idiosyncratic and flawed character in Richard. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green has half the work done from him by the time the cast is in place, and some more of the work done by editor Pamela Martin (because you have to love those transitions that show time passing from the time a tennis ball is thrown up into the air to the time it is forcefully hit over the net). That's not to take away from how he handles the material. He does a very good job, and I am just saying that getting all of the right people in the right positions is a big part of that job.

Smith is very good in the main role, although it's hard to decide whether it's a truly great performance or just something that seems better because of how far removed it is from most of his other onscreen work. Both Singleton and Sidney are excellent as the young Williams sisters, convincing on and off the tennis court, and Aunjanue Ellis does very good work as Oracene Williams, the wife/mother who supports her family at every turn, but also knows when her husband needs to have his perspective changed after too much time spent with his eyes on a distant prize while he makes decisions that start to require a bit more thought and diplomacy. Tony Goldwyn and Jon Bernthal are two main coaches who do their bit to help progress the careers of the sisters, and both give equally good performances (Bernthal particularly enjoyable playing someone much more acquiescent and passive than he usually does), and a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces pop in to play businessmen, sponsors, spectators, and tennis players (John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Jennifer Capriati, and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario being the other main pros shown).

Despite what works against this, as mentioned in the first paragraph, there are many positives that make it worth your time, not least of which is the feeling of jubilation and satisfaction as some of the end credits are interspersed with real-life footage of the Williams sisters and impressive stats about their sporting achievements. Whether you agree with the main character or not, the successful end result is impossible to deny. And that makes this another underdog story that is impossible not to appreciate and enjoy.

8/10

Saturday, 24 February 2024

Shudder Saturday: Megalomaniac (2022)

While this isn't the first feature from writer-director Karim Ouelhaj, Megalomaniac feels like the announcement of an incredible talent worth keeping an eye on. It's dark, grim, and very uncomfortable, but there are also moments of macabre beauty that serve to both interrupt the bleak plot and highlight the impressive eye of Ouelhaj.

The film follows the difficult life of Martha (Eline Schumacher), a young woman who spends time in her workplace being mistreated and abused (and her abuse includes sexual abuse, with Ouelhaj managing to show this in a way that is disturbing without ever being too graphic). When she is at home, Martha spends time in the company of her brother, Félix (Benjamin Ramon). Félix is a killer, and their home also currently houses his latest victim (Hélène Moor). As things start crumbling around her, Martha starts to become more envious of her brother's "skillset".

One of the most impressive discoveries I have stumbled across in recent times, thanks to randomly picking it on Shudder without knowing anything about it, I fear that I've already said far too much to other people who may have otherwise had a similar experience. This isn't just a great film. It's astonishing. Powerful, dark, unsettling, it keeps you alongside a very unpleasant central character that you end up rooting for, and explores the idea of people being shaped by their environment and the main events of their lives.

Schumacher is excellent in the lead role, rarely doing too much during the many scenes in which her character remains passive, but always with the potential to lean into a darkness that surrounds her at all times. Ramon also makes a strong impression, although he's onscreen for far less screentime. His killer is unnervingly calm and composed throughout, which allows him to continue his sadistic lifestyle for such a long time. Moor has to be bloodied and distressed, which she does convincingly, Raphaële Bruneau is a concerned social worker, and Wim Willaert, Pierre Nisse, and Quentin Laszbazeilles play Martha's work colleagues (either participating in abuse or enabling it by not intervening). There's also a small, but vital, role for Olivier Picard, playing Iblis, the late patriarch of the family AKA "The Butcher Of Mons".

Part of me suspects that I will never want to rewatch this, but another part of me thinks that it's something that I may want to own one day. It easily stands alongside some other towering titles in this grimy sub-genre (yes, I think it comes close to being as good as "Henry") and it constantly moves between the darkest horror and the macabre beauty of moments that look like they could have been painted by a freshly-awoken-from-a-nightmare Caravaggio (or maybe Goya, but with more black paint available to him than any other colour).

Ouelhaj has taken something that could have easily been turned into easy exploitation and made something unique and highly disturbing. I doubt that many people will respond to it in the same way that I did, but I hope it starts to develop a reputation that it deserves. Because, as unpleasant and painful as it is, and even I (despite enjoying thinking of myself as a hardened horror fan) had to look away once or twice, this is art.

9/10

Friday, 23 February 2024

River (2023)

A lot of people have rushed to recommend River as another timeloop film from the same team who delivered the inventive and wonderful Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes, but I think it is worth pointing out that writer Makoto Ueda has been working on films utilising time trickery in interesting and fun ways since his wonderful debut, Summer Time Machine Blues.

This film starts with Mikoto (Riko Fujitani) praying by the titular river. That river is beside a small inn, and everyone inside the inn, and in the surrounding area, is about to be caught in a 2-minute timeloop. When two minutes elapse, everyone ends up right back where they were, but they have full awareness of their situation. Is there a way out of it, or are they destined to repeat this small amount of time forever and ever?

Shot in numerous 2-minute takes (there may be hidden cuts here and there, nothing stood out to me as majorly fake), this is another blend of great characters, technical ingenuity, and satisfying interweaving storylines on a par with Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes. The only major downside is the third act reveal of what is actually causing the timeloop, although it is a good way to get absolutely everyone working together as a team to try and rescue themselves from their unusual predicament.

Junta Yamaguchi directs the whole thing with the same confidence and attention to detail that made his last timey-wimey feature so enjoyable, helped enormously by Ueda’s script, a deceptive creation that appears to be much lighter than it actually is, and the hard-working cast. Everyone gets a chance to shine, and you will be pleased to get to the end of the film and feel that you spent the runtime in such good company.

Fujitani carries the whole thing easily enough, and she is the focal point for every “reset”, but there are occasional delights from absolutely everyone onscreen, with my personal favourites being a frustrated writer realising he now has much more time to work towards his deadline (Yoshimasa Kondô), and the bemused and pro-active head clerk (Munenori Nagano) who seems to be the fastest thinker when it comes to making the best use of their limited time window to set things up for the next time around.

Also benefiting from the fact that it is shot in such a gorgeous location (seriously, let me book a long weekend in that inn, and I might not even mind being stuck in a timeloop there), the constantly delightful score that feels propulsive without ever overpowering the visuals, and some great little jokes, River is a delight that should easily satisfy those who enjoyed Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I appreciate this as being every bit as good as that film.

8/10

Thursday, 22 February 2024

Varan AKA Varan The Unbelievable (1958)

The worst thing about choosing to FINALLY watch every Godzilla movie, and every main movie tangentially connected to that long-running series, is the fact that so many of the films are very similar to one another. You get a big creature, you get some initial sense of mystery before the destruction occurs, and you get people then struggling to figure out a way to stop whatever new beast is trying to stomp all over them. I knew this when I started this ongoing “quest”, and people will just have to bear with me when it comes to the movies that don’t really give me too much to discuss.

Varan is one of those movies, but I also enjoyed watching it, and looked forward to reviewing it, because it felt like the most successful retread of the original Godzilla template yet. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this creature before, although that relative ignorance is part of my reason for watching all of these movies now, and it certainly feels like a Big G flick in all but name.

If you really need to know the plot, and I guess I should make some effort to summarize things here, just know that a large creature is discovered, it starts to roam around and cause some large-scale destruction, and everyone scrambled to figure out exactly how to destroy it. Flares might come in handy this time around, but only if the rest of the plan can be perfectly executed.

With the legendary (yeah, I think it is safe to cal him that nowadays) Ishirô Honda back in the director’s chair, and a screenplay written by Shin’ichi Sekizawa, this is a top-tier kaiju flick that features the usual visual trickery, melodrama, and an excellent creation wandering around and causing carnage. It’s only the sense of familiarity that may put most people off, but I was easily pleased by the fact that this felt like a great return to form after the mixed bag of the (still enjoyable) previous few movies.

The cast all do fine, and I will namecheck Kôzô Nomura, Ayumi Sonoda, Akihiko Hirata, and Koreya Senda here, but we all know who the real star is. Yes, it’s Varan, and the design and feel of the titular creature is a major asset. I am a fan, obviously, but it would seem that this creature wasn’t ever used again in the vast Toho filmography (not in a starring role anyway, and not including the American version of this film, which I am not rushing to check out).

A quick check on Wikizilla (a site I highly recommend to fans of these movies) shows me that I seem to be out of step with the general opinion of this. While many others appreciate the kaiju creation, very few seem to enjoy the movie as much as I did. Maybe this review will encourage one or two others to join me in my appreciation of it. Or maybe I will remain in a minority of one.

8/10

Wednesday, 21 February 2024

Prime Time: Mafia Mamma (2023)

Most days, if given a choice, I enjoy sitting down with a good horror movie. Well, let’s be completely honest, I just as often sit down with a bad horror movie, but you have to keep digging through the stinky stuff to find the nuggets of gold. Some days, however, I go out of my way to check out a movie that seems far removed from anything I would normally choose to watch. I will watch anything and everything, but some movies seem destined to stay lingering at the bottom of the “to watch” pile. That was the case with Mafia Mamma, a film that looked, quite frankly, absolutely dire. It seemed to come and go without anyone noticing, or caring about it, and the main premise (an American woman visits family after the death of her grandfather, then gets herself in the midst of a mafia turf war) is ridiculous.

Toni Collette is the lead here, Kristin, and we soon get to know how selfless and soft her character is. Which makes her even less likely to become a (temporary?) mafia don, although she is encouraged to take on her inherited role by Bianca (Monica Bellucci). It isn’t a world for the weak, and it isn’t often a world for women to lead the way. But after the difficult period of adjustment, realising how many people around her can die at any given moment, Kristin starts to do some good work, and might just be right for her new role. Some remain very unhappy about that, and those people are armed and dangerous.

I am not going to tell anyone that this is essential viewing. I am not going to say that it should be watched ahead of a good 50-100 better movies from the last couple of years. I had some fun with it though. Sometimes you are just in the mood for something light and silly, and this certainly fits the bill, aside from a few inconvenient deaths sprinkled throughout.

Written by J. Michael Feldman (who tends to be billed nowadays as Michael J. Feldman) and Debbie Jhoon, based on a story by Amanda Sthers, this is a pleasing comedy that presents itself honestly from the earliest scenes and allows you to decide whether or not you want to go along for the ride. I recommend people wanting to smile and enjoy a few chuckles just go with it. The repeated refrain of “eat, pray, f**k” alone was enough to amuse me.

Director Catherine Hardwicke is no stranger to silliness, having helmed a certain vampire werewolf love triangle blockbuster some time ago, but this is a very different type of silliness, and she does a perfectly good job of keeping everything as light and optimistic as the main character, even as the situation around her starts to become darker and more dangerous.

It helps a lot that Collette is such a delight in the lead role, playing the kind of character she seems to get so rarely nowadays (aka someone without a horrendous amount of pain and angst to deal with). She is allowed to be shown finding her light again as she moves away from just thinking about the needs of others and finally thinking about her own needs, and it is a joy to watch. Bellucci is also good fun, although she is a bit more one-note in her dedication to maintaining order and running the family business as directed. Sophia Nomvete is an enjoyable addition, as a supportive friend, Tim Daish is also good in his few scenes, as an unsupportive husband, and there are key roles played well by Eduardo Scarpetta, Giulio Corso, Francesco Mastroianni, and Alfonso Perugini.

While I am unlikely to revisit this, and I am just as unlikely to think of it first whenever someone asks me for a movie recommendation, I cannot deny that I enjoyed it while it was on. It was pleasant, a number of little moments surprised me into an extra big laugh (usually down to the fantastic work of Collette), and I would watch a similarly ridiculous sequel. Not sure how many will agree with me though.

6/10

Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Expend4bles (2023)

If there was ever a prime modern movie example of nominative determinism then I suggest you can find it here, where a fourth Expendables movie has been co-written by someone named Tad Daggerhart. He sounds like he should BE one of The Expendables, never mind writing their adventures. And, judging by this mess, maybe he could have improved things.

This is another film in which Sylvester Stallone leads a team of tough guys on a dangerous mission. Except he sort of doesn’t. So it is a film in which Jason Statham is put front and centre as the new leader. Except he sort of isn’t. So it’s up to Megan Fox to be sexy and badass, which she sort of . . . you get the picture. Nothing here works, nothing, and any further attempt to summarize the plot would simply give you false hope. Let’s just all be clear that this is a film that starts with Stallone getting his tough mate to confront and beat up a bar full of guys because he lost his ring in a gambling session. It wasn’t stolen. He wasn’t duped. He got drunk and sloppy, lost his precious ring, and now storms back in like some kid who has made up a story about another kid he wants to see cry when his dad gives him a telling off.

As well as Daggerhart, this mess was co-written by Kurt Wimmer (who at least did much better with Statham on his most recent film, The Beekeeper) and Max Adams. I am not sure if they had much freedom with the writing, a lot of these movies seem to be plotted around the stars and their screen presence, but they have to now shoulder the blame nonetheless.

The direction from Scott Waugh doesn’t help. Waugh has a few films under his belt now, none of them are particularly great, but few are as bad as this, and he seems unable to do the best with any material he is given. His best asset here is the cast, because he also has Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais at his disposal, but they are almost uniformly wasted.

Sly does what Sly always does, even if he steps back this time around to let others take more of the strain and the bruises, and Statham is as dependable as ever when he is given a decent amount of screentime. That is the big problem though. A whole host of people are here, with none of them getting to do anything truly worthwhile. Jaa is wasted, Uwais is wasted, Fox is wasted. Dolph Lundgren? Levy Tran? Andy Garcia? All wasted. But at least there’s time for Randy Coutoure and Jacob Scipio to have some unfunny and unwanted banter together, and 50 Cent gets to be part of the team long enough to be involved in a scene that creates a diversion using . . . a 50 Cent song.

I have enjoyed all of these movies, to some degree, and I am quite easily pleased. Not to offend a large group of people, but I think the majority of those who lapped up the blend of nostalgia and action presented in this concept are generally as easy to please as myself. This doesn’t please anyone though. It seems to forget the main reason why anyone would want to see an Expendables movie, which is a real shame. Easily the worst of the lot, and I hope they stop now before figuring out some way to hit a new low.

3/10

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Monday, 19 February 2024

Mubi Monday: Love Songs (2007)

I have generally enjoyed the films of writer-director Christophe Honoré, although there are one or two that are far below the usual standard of his other explorations of love and other emotions, often messy ones. Love Songs is a good one, and it's interesting to see it so soon after my recent rewatch of Past Lives, a film I noted as being all about a specific kind of grief. Love Songs is also about grief, but it's a more traditional grief, even if it is intertwined with love and sex.

Louis Garrel plays Ismaël, a young man in a relationship with Julie (Ludivine Sagnier). Julie ends up leading them into a playful love triangle with Alice (Clotilde Hesme), which seems like a win-win situation for all involved, until the whole thing is broken up by circumstances outwith their control. Ismaël struggles to deal with the best way to move forward, as do those who end up caring from her, whether close to him or standing a bit further away.

A film full of punctuation, in terms of both main plot points and occasional songs that the characters break into (hence the title), Love Songs is an engrossing and well-handled study of someone processing a whole load of conflicting feelings that are all hitting him from different directions at the same time. Garrel doesn’t so much play a young man as he does an actual buoy, staying in place as the choppy waters around him make him bob and shift around without being able to drag him under.

Honoré makes use of the chosen format to lighten what could have been a very draining viewing experience. The songs are sometimes rough, and you get no dazzling choreography or super-witty wordplay here, but they successfully show people bursting out emotions that they simply cannot keep to themselves any longer. What could have been tiresome and pretentious works brilliantly thanks to the committed cast and the juxtaposition of the form and content.

Garrel is very good in his main role, but the rest of the cast are just as good, and all cast a large shadow over his life. Sagnier and Hesme are both sweet and interestingly connected with different kinds of energy, Chiara Mastroianni is excellent in the role of Jeanne, Julie’s sister, and Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet is a good addition when he comes into the movie in the second half to provide some extra potential confusion and/or comfort.

It’s hard to think of who else will enjoy this as much as I did. I guess those who are familiar with other films from Honoré will get plenty from it, especially as he is using a few people he has worked with numerous times before, but some may be frustrated by it tip-toeing between darker themes and scenes often played out with some positivity being put on display for the benefit of others around the central character. It worked for me though, and if I end up being the only one who loved it . . . so be it. I hope that isn’t the case though.

8/10

Sunday, 18 February 2024

Netflix And Chill: Past Lives (2023)

An exploration of childhood connections maintained over the years, of roots that inevitably intertwine with others in a way that keeps you tangled up with others for decades, and the dangerous quicksand that can be created by the clash of memories blending with fleetingly idealistic moments in the present, Past Lives is a confident and moving debut from writer-director Celine Song that is entirely deserving of all the praise it has already received before I add my own extra helping here.

Nora (Greta Lee, although played briefly by Seung Ah Moon in scenes showing her childhood) is a woman who has moved from South Korea to the USA. She has tried to keep in touch with her childhood friend/crush, Hae Sung (Teo Yoo, with Seung Min Yim as the younger incarnation), but they both struggle with processing the unsaid thoughts and emotions while maintaining a long-distance friendship. Despite Nora eventually marrying an American man (Arthur, played by John Magaro), she is excited by the prospect of Hae Sung arranging a visit to see her. Which feels like it could be a difficult, but necessary, experience for all three individuals.

Concentrating on the characters, the carefully-chosen words used around one another, and the elements of many modern love stories (Arthur comments at one point that he would be the main obstacle in a standard tale written about Nora's quest for a perfect romance), Past Lives is a film that should speak to many people about something we've all gone through, despite it not often being displayed in this way. There's plenty to digest about diverging pathways, as well as some comments about language and cultural differences, but, to me, Past Lives is about grief. The grief of a lost love, whether it's a relationship that ended or a relationship that never quite went the way you wanted it to go. Because it's not often talked about, that kind of grief can hang on you like a soaking wet coat, weighing you down for a long time as you go through your daily routine, leaving those around you wondering why you're seeming a bit out of sorts. It's draining, and you yearn for some moment, whether it's big or small, that leads to a cathartic release. That moment can be positive or negative, it doesn't matter . . . what matters is the reaction it gets from you. A big laugh at your own ridiculousness, or the unfairness of the universe, a scream of frustration, a flood of tears, a sudden bout of nausea, anything that pulls you out of that darkness.

Song helps herself enormously by casting the leads so well. Lee, Yoo, and Magaro are three perfect sides of an equilateral triangle, all treating one another with care as they work on untying knots of their past, present, and future. Everyone is easy to like, which is essential when you're dealing with these complicated feelings, and Lee shines particularly bright at the heart of everything.

I've seen criticism of this, some of it seemingly in response to the many compliments it has received, and I can understand why some people may not appreciate the central concept. I side with the overwhelming majority this time though, as I have made clear throughout this review, and I appreciate this as a delicately-crafted, near-perfect, gem of modern cinema. Everyone should give it their time. You may not agree with me, but if you who end up loving it then you will REALLY love it.

9/10

Saturday, 17 February 2024

Shudder Saturday: The Night (2020)

I used to have a theory, one that I would bring up in many conversations about film, that most films could be shown, overtly or otherwise, to have a female villain/instigator at the heart of the plot. This didn't stem from any anti-female sentiment on my part, rather it was an attempt to show the misogyny that has permeated cinema for over a century. Now that I have written the idea down here, I guarantee that you can think of lots of movie titles that disprove my theory, but it's still surprising to realise how many films fall in line with it. I was moved to mention this now because The Night is, arguably, one such film.

Babak Naderi (Shahab Hosseini) is travelling home with his wife, Neda (Niousha Noor), and young child, after an evening of good conversation and a drink or two with friends. Needing to pull over and rest up for the night, they check into a hotel, where the only staff available seems to be a lone receptionist (George Maguire). And so begins a night of paranoia, strangeness, and fear. All culminating in, well, a disappointing flourish of nothing just before the end credits roll.

Directed by Kourosh Ahari, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Milad Jarmooz, this feels like a film made by people who were making things up as they went along. There are good moments here and there, a particular highlight being a scene involving a police officer (played by Michael Graham), but the meandering and unfocused narrative makes the 105-minute runtime feel much longer, which wouldn't have been so bad if it had all been leading to a worthwhile climax.

Both Hosseini and Noor do well in their roles, allowed to go through an enjoyable range of different feelings as they become increasingly distressed by the "twilight zone" they find themselves in. Graham is the other main cast member worth praising. Maguire, on the other hand, is a poor addition to the whole thing. That's not necessarily his fault, but he's required to deliver clunky dialogue in a way that does nothing more than highlight his role as "harbinger", rather than allowing him to keep up even the most minimal pretence of being a completely normal hotel receptionist.

There may be a bit more to this for anyone who identifies with some of the particular worries of the main characters (they are an Iranian family living in the USA), but the basic horror movie elements don't knit together, and I could easily namecheck a dozen better movies for every derivative scene bobbing around like some kind of genre flotsam and jetsam in a turbulent sea of toxic waste.

Am I being too harsh? Maybe. I still encourage others to give this a watch and make up your own mind about it. It's just a bit more frustrating because of the positive technical aspects, and some of the undeveloped and unexplored extra tension, that make me think Ahari could have delivered something much better. I think he has the potential to helm something impressive, despite this film being such a dull and plodding affair.

3/10

Friday, 16 February 2024

The Mysterians (1957)

Another film in which the people of Earth could face potential destruction, starting with an encounter that endangers the whole of Japan, The Mysterians is an amusing, if lesser, film in the extensive selection falling under the Toho banner. Those who enjoy the output from the company will find enough to enjoy here, but it doesn't have a main monster to serve up as a big highlight.

The plot is quite simple, and quite absurd when you type it out in plain text. A group of aliens land on Earth, negotiating for an area of land and the right to marry human women. They live in a seemingly-indestructible dome, can also send out a giant robot to cause some carnage (the closest the movie comes to serving up a monster), and hope to find a way to continue their race after being poisoned and changed by the death of their home planet. It soon becomes obvious that the Mysterians have other plans though, and the people of Earth need to find out a way to stop them.

Developed from story idea to final film form by Jôjirô Okami, Shigeru Kayama, and Takeshi Kimura, names you will recognise from other Japanese sci-fi/monster movies from this era, this is silliness of the highest order. And when I say it's silliness I actually mean that it's complete bobbins. If you don' believe me then please just re-read the last paragraph. It's still fun though, and everyone onscreen shows the right level of stress and concern, all working under the sure and steady hand of director Ishirô Honda.

The cast is also full of familiar names/faces if you've been watching any other Toho films from this period. Akihiko Hirata, Momoko Kôchi, Takashi Shimura, and Kenji Sahara are no strangers to battling for the integrity of Japan, and the safety of the people, and the the same can be said for the likes of Yumi Shirakawa, Susumu Fujita, and Hisaya Itô, all helping to fill out the central cast. Yoshio Tsuchiya also deserves a mention, playing the vital role of "Leader of the Mysterians".

It's a shame that there aren't too many positives to single out here, although I am not saying that the film is actually bad. There just aren't any real treats, nothing in line with the kind of thrills and spectacle you can find in a number of the other movies in the same vein. The stomping robot feels like a poor substitute for some fantastical creature, the destruction feels relatively tame, and the Mysterians themselves are just depicted as people in various coloured suits (pretty much Power Rangers decades before they were a thing).

It's no surprise that this isn't mentioned much by film fans, and I doubt we will ever see the day when it gets a much-heralded restoration and revival. I liked it, and I have to stress that after seeming so dismissive of it, but I can't imagine anyone loving it. It's there, it's amusing and cute, and it's something to watch once and then almost immediately forget.

6/10

Thursday, 15 February 2024

Anyone But You (2023)

The rom-com is a sub-genre that is often unfairly maligned. Yes, a bad one can feel extra painful, but a really good rom-com is cinematic comfort food. You can enjoy the fantasy, enjoy the chemistry between the main players, and hopefully feel a warm glow as a big grin stays on your face while the end credits roll. Anyone But You manages that. It is quite predictable, and tries to make itself stand out from other rom-coms by throwing around a bit more raunchiness and a few extra curse words, but it does exactly what you want it to do.

Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) meet one day in a coffee shop and end up on a date that ends in a great night for both of them. But Bea then heads away the next morning before Ben wakes up, having doubts about her feelings. Seeing sense while walking away, she returns to over hear Ben then putting on a front as he chats to his friend, Pete (GaTa). Ben claims that Bea was a disaster, not knowin what she wants to do with her life, and it was a meaningless one night thing. The two will probably never see one another again. That becomes much more difficult when, 6 months later, Bea's sister, Halle (Hadley Robinson), starts dating Pete's sister, Claudia (Alexandra Shipp), which leads to their engagement, which leads to a destination wedding in Sydney. Bea and Ben both attend the wedding, unable to conceal their dislike for one another, but it soon becomes clear that everyone around them will be happier, and stop meddling in their lives, if they pretend to make up, and fall in love with one another. That would stop Bea's parents trying to reunite her with her ex-fiancé, Jonathan (Darren Barnett), and Ben becoming unavailable might make him even more appealing to an ex that he still seems to hold a candle for (Margaret, played by Charlee Fraser). I am sure you know how things end up playing out from there.

Co-written by Ilana Wolpert and director Will Gluck, who have decided to loosely base the whole thing on Much Ado About Nothing, this shows you what can happen when you make use of genre tropes and audience expectations in a way that somehow feels more about delivering simple pleasures than being lazy. It's all very obvious, no need for subtlety here, but everything is signposted within the realm of logic established in the movie, and it's all helped by a cast that seem to be having a lot of fun with their roles.

Gluck directs the whole thing with a deft hand, keeping things moving along nicely in between the minor set-pieces, and there are so many different gags that at least one is guaranteed to make even the most stone-hearted viewer smirk, at the very least. The Australian scenery is used as an attractive backdrop, there's excellent use of a Natasha Bedingfield pop song, and almost every little detail feeds into the various highs and lows on the path to where we all know the characters will end up.

I was unfamiliar with Sweeney before this, and am unlikely to rush to anything else she does, but she's okay here. She's pretty enough, but delivers her dialogue in a strange way that makes her seem permanently dazed/stoned. That's obviously just the way she is, but it stops her from being the most captivating and watchable performer. Thankfully, Powell delivers enough star power to make both of them shine brighter together, and he's someone I will happily watch in anything he does (which should be plenty, considering how much his cache has risen in recent years). GaTa is fun, very laid back throughout almost every minute of his screentime, and both Shipp and Robinson are very good, and make a very cute couple, while Fraser gets to play the typically gorgeous and sexy "one that got away", even as she seems to be in a new relationship with what seems to be a stereotypical Australian surf-dude (Beau, played entertainingly enough by Joe Davidson). Barnett doesn't have much to do, although he's fine, but that allows for more amusing moments involving Bryan Brown, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, and Rachel Griffiths (all playing the parents of the two women to be wed).

Two attractive people resisting attraction to one another until they just give in to their feelings isn't anything new. But this film also includes a scene that involves a large spider, a mellow koala bear, and nudity that you won't find in any other rom-com. And that's just one of many highlights in a rom-com that serves as a reminder of how good it can be to just sit back and enjoy the formula when it is utilised as well as this.

7/10

Wednesday, 14 February 2024

Prime Time: Money Monster (2016)

While I like all three main cast members here (George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jack O’Connell), I had spent a long time delaying a viewing of Money Monster. I suspected I would enjoy it, but was never in just the right mood for it. And if there is one typical viewer who doesn’t need reminded of the evils of what many perceive as an unfair stock market system, it’s me.

Clooney plays Lee Gates, the smarmy and self-centres host of a TV show that offers advice to people looking play the stock market game. His producer, Patty Fenn (Roberts), knows exactly how to work with her onscreen star, allowing him to go off on occasional tangents before pulling him back to whatever should be the focus of the show. Both of these people are about to be put in a terrifying situation by Kyle Budwell (O’Connell), a young man who lost his stash of savings in an anomalous stock crash that he suspects was engineered without any consideration for those unable to afford such a dip in their fortunes. Kyle has a gun, a jacket packed with explosives, and a very strong desire to keep the cameras on him and have everything playing out live as he gets to the truth of what may be a financial scandal.

Written by Alan Difiore, Jim Kouf, and Jamie Linden, who have all worked on a wide variety of projects that I have enjoyed to varying degrees, this is a smart and tense thriller that provides a fantasy scenario in which an enraged failed “everyman” has a go at smashing at least one small part of the giant machinery of capitalism responsible for widening the chasm of social inequality. It’s easy to stay alongside Kyle, thanks to the script and O’Connell’s performance, and viewers will want an ending that provides some kind of the justice he is seeking.

As well as the famous faces front and centre, there is also an extra famous face behind the camera, this being another feature directed by the talented Jodie Foster. Not only does she do well with the material, probably well aware that the script is full of tasty little moments for the actors to sink their teeth into, but she shows admirable restraint by not casting herself in the role given to Roberts, a role that I could easily imagine her excelling in.

Not that Roberts is a lesser choice. She exudes the will and savvy of someone more than capable of keeping a cool head in such a crazy situation. Clooney uses his showbiz charm to deliver his smarmy host, but also enjoys allowing that facade to start crumbling as things look to get worse and worse for him. Then you have O’Connell, playing his desperate man almost like a confused child who had just learned of a terrible secret. He’s a sad figure, but also senses something that others should have already cottoned on to, and one scenes at about the mid-point, where police have his partner communicating with him, underlines just how much he has lost. Elsewhere, Dominic West is as watchable as ever, even as a slick businessman trying to stay on his plane long enough for everything to blow over, and Catriona Baife is very good as his strained assistant, trying to maintain the company line until she also starts questioning just how the financial “glitch” occurred.

Probably not a film anyone would consider essential viewing, and there are a couple of different elements mixed in that distract slightly from that great central idea, but Money Monster is old-fashioned entertainment with a bit of modern pizzazz added to it. You have great actors working with a solid script, and a commentary at the heart of it that has sadly featured in a number of other movies in recent years without any major change in sight. It may prove a bit frustrating, but it is also a perfectly enjoyable way to spend just under 100 minutes.

7/10

Tuesday, 13 February 2024

Night Swim (2024)

Let’s be brutally honest here. Night Swim isn’t just a bad horror movie. It is already an early contender for the worst horror movie of the year (certainly when it comes to those released into cinemas). It gives me no pleasure to write those words, especially considering how much I tend to enjoy Wyatt Russell in everything he does, but it’s sadly true. I would have probably preferred to see this concept hammered into shape by some low-budget film-makers who would then be forced to market it under the name Amityville Swimming Pool.

The basic plot concerns a family who move into a new home. There’s Ray Waller (Russell), a baseball player who has had his career curtailed by a debilitating illness, Eve Waller (Kerry Condon), and two children, Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren). Anyway, the new home has a swimming pool, which definitely doesn’t house some evil force that can sometimes help you feel physically better while threatening to endanger the lives of your loved ones. I think you get the idea.

The feature directorial debut of Bryce McGuire, adapting the short co-written with Rod Blackhurst, this is a laughable horror movie so consistently weak that even the jump scares fail to get a reaction. It’s a silly premise, but good entertainment has been made from lesser material.

Russell, Condon, Hoeferle, and Warren are certainly not to blame, even if Russell has to spend a couple of scenes being snarly and obviously affected by the watery evil, but they are saddled with a poor script that simply doesn’t give them enough development, or all that much to do, in between the infrequent attempts to (unsuccessfully) deliver scares.

On the plus side, this is easy to forget as soon as the end credits begin. It is also easy to review, mainly because there aren’t any elements I had to single out for praise. I am sure many people behind the scenes were trying their best, but the end result, the film that is shown onscreen, is absolutely dire. The audio may be fine, and the camerawork is okay, but the actual beats of the plot are all either laughably bad or painfully derivative, and if you care about how things turn out in the very final scenes then you have obviously appreciated something that I didn’t.

Don’t waste your time. Certainly don’t waste your money. McGuire really needs to do much better with his next feature, although I am not holding out much hope.

3/10

Monday, 12 February 2024

Mubi Monday: Junkyard Dog (2023)

Friends are good. Friends can be arranged into whatever kind of family unit you want around you. They can also hold you back though, whether it is the friend who doesn’t mind watching you spend too much and drink too much on a big night out or the friend who suddenly thinks you have become snobby and fake as you try to improve your life. Junkyard Dog looks at his second scenario, sort of, but also underlines the importance of those strong bonds that will keep people together through the many ups and downs of life.

Anthony Bajon is Dog, a young man who has spent many years under the wing of his friend, protector, and tormentor, Mirales (Raphaël Quenard). Dog is often picked on, but it’s all done without malice, apparently, and the upside is that he has few major worries. That all changes when Dog develops a relationship with a young woman, Elsa (Galatéa Bellugi). Mirales isn’t happy when Dog looks to be enjoying plenty of time without him, and there may be trouble brewing that will lead to Dog wishing he still had his protective friend alongside him at the right time.

An impressive feature directorial debut from Jean-Baptiste Durand, who also worked on the screenplay with Nicolas Fleureau and Emma Benestan, Junkyard Dog is an enjoyable drama that maintains just the right levels of tension throughout without making the central situation unpalatably sour. It’s a snapshot of that moment when you bump into someone you grew apart from, remembering the good times you had together, but unable to say anything more meaningful than “how have you been?” before ending the conversation with well-intentioned lies about how you will catch up properly soon. We have all been in that kind of situation at least once and, while there is an extra layer of danger added in the form of Dog’s lifestyle, this shows the good and bad of sticking by those decisions.

Both Bajon and Quenard are very good in the main roles, the former being just the right mix of bravado and inexperience while the latter displays more anger and disrespect as he hides his own insecurity and hurt feelings. Bellugi is an excellent third point in a triangle she soon realises needs to be broken, or at least mounded into a more comfortable shape. She sees the good in Dog, but you can see how her perception is shifted whenever he lefts Mirales affect his happiness.

Although a French film, many film fans will find this a nice complementary work to a number of British films that have wandered through similar territory. Put this alongside almost any Shane Meadows film, for example, and you have an excellent double-bill exploring friendship and the imbalance that can occur when someone exploits their connection to someone vulnerable. Yet it also manages to avoid feeling like something we have seen a hundred times before.

A very good piece of work that rewards viewers with an ending that reminds us of how worthwhile these journeys can be, Junkyard Dog is recommended . . . but you need to be prepared for a lot of darkness before being shown some faint rays of light.

8/10

Sunday, 11 February 2024

Netflix And Chill: The Kitchen (2023)

Considering what a talented and brilliant actor he is, I was immediately interested when I heard that Daniel Kaluuya had decided to try his hand at directing, working on this alongside Kibwe Tavares. As well as putting himself in that big chair, Kaluuya also co-wrote the script with Joe Murtagh. I was expecting great things.

I didn't get great things, but that doesn't mean that The Kitchen should be dismissed. It's a film with some interesting ideas tucked away inside it, even if the end result is a bit of a mess.

Kane Robinson (AKA Kano) plays Izi, a young man who lives in an area of London known as The Kitchen. It's not a great place to live, with resources being scarce and the inhabitants generally trying to get through their days without being beaten and harassed by police. Izi also works for a company that sells funeral plans "transforming the remains of loved ones into trees", although they may not be quite as pleasant and long-lasting as the marketing implies, and he has been saving up for a long time to earn the money to make his way up the social ladder and get a nice new home. But things change when Izi meets a young boy, Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman). Benji has just lost his mother, spots Izi at her funeral, and starts to consider the possibility that Izi is his father.

Working with limited resources, Kaluuya and co. do a good job of presenting an onscreen London that feels only a step or two away from how society is at the moment, depressingly enough. Those who can afford to live in comfort tend to have their own little bubble, far enough removed from the struggling members of society to enable them to stay carefree and happy, and those who are left to suffer end up pushed into smaller and smaller spaces until they start to turn on, and devour, themselves, helping to do the job of their oppressors without realising it.

Both Robinson and Bannerman are very good in the main roles, with the former in a role that I'm surprised Kaluuya didn't give to himself (although I'm sure he wanted to just focus on his main roles behind the camera). Hope Ikpoku Jnr also does well, playing a character named Staples who embodies a very different way of viewing that stairway to the rarefied air of those living in comfort. Ian Wright also impresses, playing a DJ named Lord Kitchener who delivers observations and messages of support and hope to the residents of The Kitchen. It's a bit of a cliché at this point, but Wright has the right voice and presence for it.

This is a film with some important things to say, about the importance of supporting and helping one another, and about the tactics of distraction and division that are used by those wanting to maintain the status quo of an unequal society, but it just doesn't quite do enough to be as effective as it should be. Everything about Izi's workplace feels like an afterthought, the other characters who move in and out of scenes add little, or nothing, to the whole thing, and it all ends with more of a whimper than a bang. I can understand why the third act plays out as it does, considering how we can look at the world around us and see that things are getting worse and worse for those who are already in a vulnerable position, but it doesn't work as an end point for the journey that Kaluuya and his creative partners have taken us on.

Not a disastrous directorial debut, but I hope for something much better when he gives it another go. But he should definitely give it another go, and I would even appreciate seeing another story set within the world that has been set up here.

5/10

Saturday, 10 February 2024

Shudder Saturday: Dario Argento: Panico (2023)

Although I like to watch them, I am never eager to review documentaries. It's rare to have much to say about them, especially when they often use very similar ways to convey information to viewers. Summarising a documentary is often just summarising the subject itself, but sometimes that subject is worth making others aware of. I'm not sure that can be said of Dario Argento.

Don't get me wrong. Argento remains a big name in the horror genre, a man responsible for some past glories that stand up as outright classics, but even some of his more generous fans would have to admit that it's been at least two decades since he showed anything like the kind of directorial talent and flair that made his reputation. Some argue that Dark Glasses showed some promise, a minor return to form, but I strongly disagree.

That's what puzzles me about this documentary. Who will get the most out of it, and why now? Argento isn't on some major upswing, which takes the documentary itself to an inevitably downbeat and depressing final act, and the fact that he keeps trying (the tenacity is admirable, to be fair) means that there's no definitive end point that can be used to bookend his film career. He may yet make another movie, or he may not, but nothing is known at this time, which gives the documentary a hugely anti-climactic feeling.

Director Simone Scafidi obviously thinks that this story is worth telling, and there's plenty of time dedicated to the complex relationship that Argento has with women (both offscreen and on), including some of the frank and raw speech you would expect from his daughter, Asia, but it doesn't get close enough to the bottom of a very murky pool. And then, after touching on topics that you know are interesting enough to require some more exploration, Scafidi and co. pull back, returning to the relative safety of Gaspar Noé, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Guillermo del Toro offering up their praise to someone they revere.

Although it may not seem like it from my words here, I am a huge fan of Argento, up to a certain point. He deserves a LOT of love and respect for the contributions he has made to giallo, and to the horror genre overall. At least two of his films are gold-plated classics. Which is why I was all the more frustrated by this documentary. I don't think it worked as intended, with the unimaginative construction and soundbites coalescing into something that rarely reminds you of the greatness of Argento's talent. You could make one feature alone by simply juxtaposing moments from Suspiria with many films and scenes it has influenced, but even that atmospheric classic feels as if it is given relatively short shrift here.

There is potential for a great documentary to be made about the life and works of Argento. This doesn't come close. Those present keep serving as a reminder of the many people not included, the film clips are assembled with very little thought or care (in my eyes anyway), and the end result is a huge wasted opportunity.

3/10

Friday, 9 February 2024

American Fiction (2023)

I remember a time, back in high school, when I had to write a book report. I thought I did a great job, I worked on it for a long time, and I felt happy with the end result. The teacher handed the report back to me and told ne I had to redo it. Now, I cannot recall how well my original piece was then (I vaguely remember citing specific examples from the text and trying hard to write a proper report, as opposed to a plot summary, but maybe it wasn’t good), but I can tell you what happened next. I felt that I had already put enough time and effort into something I had to completely rewrite. I decided to multi-task during my lunch break, delivering a page or so of what I considered to be absolute twaddle, phrases that my friends and I were laughing about as I wrote them down. That second incarnation of my book report received depressingly positive feedback, and that is when I realised that you sometimes need to write what people are expecting from you, rather than your absolute truth. It may have also started me on the path away from academia, and the conformity required until you make a unique impact that cannot be ignored.

While this may not seem connected to American Fiction, it really is. This is the tale of a black American writer (Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, played by Jeffrey Wright) who finds himself struggling to sell books in a market that he doesn’t want to be a part of. Resenting the label of “black literature”, with the stereotypes and “trauma porn” often contained within it, Monk seems destined to maintain his integrity at the expense of any major sales opportunities. Until he plays a big hole on everyone, writing a novel full of the kind of garbage that he hates to read, and using the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh. It is, of course, a huge success, and it just gets more and more praise as Monk tries to make it, and his character, more and more like the content he is mocking.

Based on a book, “Erasure”, by Percival Everett, this is a hell of a directorial debut from Cord Jefferson, who also adapted the source material into screenplay form. Picking at the frayed strands that have been woven together over centuries to make the mixed and vibrant quilt of the USA, nobody here is looking to offer easy answers to things like racial profiling, white guilt, the intersection of art and commerce, and the permission to use the lives of others as inspiration for creative endeavours, among other topics broached. But sometimes you don’t need, and may never get, definitive answers, especially from art. Sometimes it is enough to ask the questions.

Wright is brilliant in a lead role that feels like just the thing he has been long overdue. His character is bitter and acerbic throughout, but he has extra pressures on him, as well as a number of valid points about what he sees going on around him (all underlined by the fact that his joke starts to look like it will be an unstoppable success). There’s a great supporting cast, all holding their own alongside Wright, but other highlights include Sterling K. Brown (a gay sibling working through his feelings in a very different way), Erika Alexander (as Coraline, a potential love interest, but also a reader who has enjoyed previous books written by Monk), John Ortiz (an agent who disapproves of the new book until it gains major traction and sales interest), and Issa Rae (as a successful author, Sintara Golden, who seems to write the exact kind of material that Monk cannot stand). There are also excellent turns from Leslie Uggams (an ailing mother), Myra Lucretia Taylor, Raymond Anthony Thomas, Tracee Ellis Ross, Keith David (basically a cameo, but some Keith David is better than no Keith David), and Adam Brody.

Funny, thought-provoking, moving, and somehow galvanized by the fact that it springboards from a very observable reality all around us, American Fiction is a superb blend of satire and pathos, and I am all the happier if it gives a well-earned boost to the profiles of everyone involved, especially Wright.

8/10