For It Is Man's Number: February 2025

Friday, 28 February 2025

I Saw The TV Glow (2024)

While I wasn't as big a fan of We're All Going To The World's Fair as some people, there was no doubt that writer-director Jane Schoenbrun had put forward a case for them being well worth keeping an eye on. A unique and intriguing new voice, I was keen to see what they would do for their second narrative feature (and I should also remember to head back and check out A Self-Induced Hallucination, a documentary about the very real horror and tragedy stemming from the internet legend of the Slender Man). I Saw The TV Glow is a huge step up, in my view, and shows a film-maker who is using their platform to deliver impressively unique thematic content wrapped up in some familiar genre trappings.

Ostensibly the tale of Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Jack Haven) forming and navigating a friendship that is then interrupted by one of them being absent for a number of years, this is also about people being strongly attached to a TV show that speaks to them, bonding with others over that shared interest, and then looking back on everything with an adult perspective that shows it in a slightly different light. It's also about the "egg crack", according to Schoenbrun, which is a term given to the moment in the life of a trans individual when they realise that their exterior body doesn't align with their gender identity.

Schoenbrun does a very good line in subtle and unnerving horror, easily creating and maintaining an atmosphere that will have many viewers sitting uncomfortably (or, as mentioned just above, seeing their own past or present discomfort and pain presented in a way not often seen onscreen). Allowing the plot to focus on something that so many of us can identify with, that TV show you found at the time in your life when you needed it most, one that felt as if it was speaking directly to you, allows it to have that paradoxical kind of specificity that also seems universal. Some people will feel as if this is uncanny in how it captures their feelings, but everyone should at least take something meaningful away from it.

Smith and Haven are both very good in the lead roles, but it's the former who will linger in your mind long after the credits have rolled, thanks to a third act that allows for one of the most heart-breaking and raw depictions of despair I have seen in a long time. Fred Durst is effective in his supporting role (playing Owen's father), and the casting of Amber Benson is a double bonus, considering how good she is onscreen and how she was a part of the beloved cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer (a major influence on the film, and the fictional show within it).

I watched a full movie here, something with a real journey and emotional arc for the characters, but I also fell under a spell. The visuals, the music, the building sense of oppression, it all made me think back to those nights when I was young and sometimes feeling lost within the familiar surroundings of my own bedroom. I Saw The TV Glow is disorientating and discombobulating in a way that is impressively unique and powerful. It gave me the feeling that I was hoping to get from Skinamarink, and I don't know if anyone else will read this and understand what I mean.

How do you release a full-blooded primal scream when your own body is working to keep you gagged? That's what I keep wondering when I think about I Saw The TV Glow. And I think about it more often than I think about many of the other movies I have watched throughout the past year.

8/10

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Thursday, 27 February 2025

Paddington In Peru (2024)

I do try to avoid listening to too many other opinions and/or reviews before checking out films for my self, but it's sometimes very difficult, especially when it comes to a big release like Paddington In Peru (the third film in a series that has proved to be both delightful and hilarious so far). A lot of people seemed to say the same thing. This wasn't as good as the previous two films, and part of the reason for that stems from taking Paddington back out of London. I would have to agree. The joy of watching Paddington in movies has been the joy of watching him seem confused about British life while also managing to embody the kind of pride and good nature that we should all aspire to.

Having received an alarming letter about Aunt Lucy and her health, Paddington and the Brown family embark on a trip to visit her at her retirement home in Peru. Unfortunately, Aunt Lucy has disappeared by the time they get there. There are one or two clues pointing to where she might have gone, and Paddington knows that he must do whatever it takes to find her. The Brown family will help, of course, and they might also be assisted by Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), a not-suspicious-at-all nun who keeps clarifying this by mentioning how unsuspicious things are, and a riverboat captain named Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), as well as his daughter, Gina (Carla Tous).

Dougal Wilson is now in the director's chair this time around, someone who seems to have spent a lot of time over the past two decades making music videos and short films for the likes of John Lewis and Apple (I say short films because they are sometimes a bit precious about their adverts, but they're adverts). And it's Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont responsible for the screenplay, with the latter two having spent some time writing for Paddington in his TV adventures. Nobody does a terrible job. They're just not great. There's nothing here that comes even close to rivalling some of the set-pieces or laughs from the previous two movies, and that's a real shame.

While things are weakened by the relocation of the main characters, they're also undermined by some strange casting choices. Emily Mortimer has taken over the role of Mary Brown from Sally Hawkins. I like Emily Mortimer, and she does well in the role, but I think it's particularly odd to recast such a central character in a film aimed at younger viewers, especially when everyone else manages to return. It may lead to parents being asked a few questions as children learn about the fickle nature of scheduling and movie roles, whereas a better screenplay might have been crafted around some premise that had Mrs. Brown absent (a journey through loss and/or grief could have been an interesting parallel with the physical journey through jungle environments). Bonneville puts on his Henry Brown persona like a comfortable sweater, and he's very good, while both Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin portray the now-young adult Brown children. I have nothing against Harris and Joslin, but if any characters could be recast without anyone really noticing then they were the most likely candidates. It might even have made sense to keep the children at a younger age, allowing them to seem more vulnerable and ill-equipped as they joined Paddington on his Peruvian adventure. As for the titular bear, it's hard to think of anyone other than Whishaw voicing him now, which makes his return to the role essential, and every line of dialogue that he speaks is a comforting little hug. Colman is fun, if a little underused, and Banderas is also a welcome addition, and especially entertaining when he also portrays a number of his ancestors who plague him in spirit form.

It doesn't feel right to spend too much time being critical of a Paddington movie. There are good intentions throughout all of them, it's just that this time around those good intentions aren't matched by the dialogue and plotting. There's still enough here to enjoy though, especially when you get around to a speech in the finale about the idea of home, family, and being able to embrace the idea of being firmly British and being a Brown. And the end credits provide one or two delights that ensure most people will have one last chuckle.

Worth a watch, and maybe a repeat viewing will see it grow on me, but I doubt anyone will revisit it as often as either Paddington or Paddington 2. Part of me hopes, and assumes, that this is the final part of a two-thirds-brilliant trilogy. Part of me also knows that I would still be optimistic about any fourth outing for our marmalade-sandwich-loving little pal.

6/10

Wednesday, 26 February 2025

Prime Time: Elevation (2024)

Set three years after a world-altering event, Elevation is the story of humans surviving in a new position on the food chain. They're safe if they stay over 8000 feet, but some supplies are required. In fact, Will (Anthony Mackie) knows that he must explore beyond the safety zone in order to get a filter for oxygen filters that are necessary for the health and life of his young son, Hunter (Danny Boyd Jr.). Will convinces Nina (Morena Baccarin) to join him on his journey. Nina is a scientist who has spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to destroy the seemingly-indestructible predators that turned their world upside-down, and she was on a previous expedition that involved the death of Will's wife, Tara. Joining this duo is Katie, a good friend who refuses to let Will head off on such a dangerous mission with only Nina alongside him. And so begins an illogical distraction that should at least keep most viewers mildly distracted for 92 minutes.

There are some ways in which I cannot help but think of Elevation as something truly terrible. Unless we're supposed to be able to figure out all of the science for ourselves, there isn't enough information given for a couple of key points. One major detail, the reason for the safety zone of 8000 feet, is so ridiculous that even one main character asks about it at one point and is answered with a simple "I don't know". It feels as if this wants to be another A Quiet Place, or at least something very similar, but that film had enough excellent moments to help you overlook the plot holes and implausibilities. This does not. What it has is a couple of very watchable cast members in main roles.

Mackie is always very good onscreen, and I'm always happy to see him make the most of any opportunities that allow him to sneak out from under the looming shadow of his Marvel employer, but he really needs to start making some better choices. A quick look at his filmography over the last five years doesn't paint a very pretty picture. I could say something similar about Morena Baccarin, but she has a knack for picking projects that at least feel a bit more eclectic, even if they're not actually very good. As the third wheel, Hasson does well alongside the two bigger names, even if she's only there to help give viewers someone else to be placed in peril as and when some more tension is required.

I've seen at least one other film directed by George Nolfi (that was The Adjustment Bureau way back when), and I've seen a few films written by John Glenn, but nothing, as far as I'm aware, from his co-writers, Jacob Roman and Kenny Ryan. That seems about right, considering how this feels strangely competent and slick, but also quite amateurish at times. It's a film made by throwing together elements that have worked better in many other films, but there's no real attempt made to then make it all a bit better. Pardon the pun, nobody seems to elevate the material.

That's the thing though. This is perfectly okay. If you have nothing better to hand. It's very standard content, and it feels like very standard content. I would have just preferred to have it feel like an actual movie though. Because movies are more than just content.

5/10

Tuesday, 25 February 2025

Heart Eyes (2025)

Christopher Landon has made a name for himself in the past few years by figuring out fun ways to blend slasher movie tropes with other sub-genres (e.g. timeloop movies, bodyswap films). He has written with Michael Kennedy before, and this time around both are joined by Phillip Murphy to deliver a film that places some bloody kill scenes in the middle of what is essentially a standard rom-com. Josh Ruben is in the director's chair, which means it's up to him to ensure that the dialogue and set-pieces are couched in something that comes close enough to that rom-com style, but can he manage to do that?

A killer is on the loose, the Heart Eyes Killer, and they're targeting couples. This has been happening for a couple of years now, every Valentine's Day, which makes it a big problem for those in a relationship. Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt) isn't in a relationship though, so she should be safe from the killer. Her biggest worry concerns trying to keep her job. In need of major guidance, and a way to overhaul her latest ad campaign that disastrously uses romantic tragedy at the heart of it, Ally ends up forced to work with Jay Simmons (Mason Gooding), a bit of a whizz drafted in to save the day. Ally and Jay need to spend some time together to brainstorm and plan, which leads to the Heart Eyes Killer viewing them as a couple, which leads to them being pursued, even as they try to explain to those around them that they really aren't a couple.

Heart Eyes works fairly well as a slasher. The pacing is decent for most of the runtime, aside from a third act that just has one or two scenes more than necessary, the kills are entertaining and bloody, and Holt and Gooding are very appealing leads. The most pleasant surprise, however, is just how well some of the rom-com moments work. There's a great meet-cute, a fun sense of external factors ensuring that our leads are destined to pair up, and stay paired up, some very fun cute klutziness that adds some non-lethal injuries to the onscreen catalogue of pain, and even the scenes of attempted murder often show a romance blossoming under unusually difficult circumstances. There are times when it tries to be too cute though, particularly when name-checking other movies and painfully winking at viewers, but nothing is bad enough to unbalance the whole thing.

Aside from Holt and Gooding, who are absolutely as enjoyable and likeable as they need to be in their roles, the cast also includes Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster as a pair of cops named . . . Hobbs and Shaw, Gigi Zumbado as the standard protective bestie, and Michaela Watkins as a demanding boss, as well as a number of people who make enough of an impression in their first few moments to make them plausible suspects as the killing spree starts to feel a bit more personal.

Despite the lighter touch, this is still a film aimed mainly at slasher movie fans. As long as you can enjoy the strange clash of sub-genres then you will be rewarded with some laughs, some entertaining bloodshed, and a killer working with some nicely-personalised deadly accessories.

7/10

Monday, 24 February 2025

Mubi Monday: The Taste Of Things (2023)

While internally debating my next viewing choice, I was drawn to this, a drama starring the fine Juliette Binoche that would also apparently make me very hungry while watching it. I love films that can strongly affect more than just your sight and hearing, and I hoped to be salivating as I watched this recipe being cooked into filmic perfection.

Binoche plays Eugénie, a cook who seems to be one of the very best. She has certainly impressed her fellow chef, Dodin (Benoît Magimel), who loves Eugénie and her cooking in almost equal measure. Eventually proposing to become more than just two people sharing cooking knowledge and kitchen space, Dodin has to be patient while Eugénie gently rebuffs him, wanting to maintain all of her focus on the cooking that she treats as an almost religious experience. The one main addition to the kitchen is Pauline (Bonnie Chagneau-Ravoire), a young girl who has some natural talent and a real willingness to learn. Dodin continues to hold a candle for Eugénie, but will she ever want to view him as anything other than a cooking colleague?

Based on a novel by Marcel Rouff, this is written and directed by Trần Anh Hùng, a film-maker who has already built up a small filmography of some acclaim. I have only seen one other film from them so far, Norwegian Wood (2010), but I see a lot that I like in their delicate and unrushed handling of material that explores human nature in the mix of some enjoyable onscreen characters.

As expected, Binoche is as wonderful here as ever. She always seems convincingly enthralled by the skill and care required to get the best out of every ingredient going into the dishes she is preparing, and her character manages to convey that sensation to others while managing to avoid seeming egotistical. Her meals are the best because everything she does is in service of the meal. Magimel is also very good, and it's easy for viewers to believe that he could fall so much in love with Binoche after spending so much time in close proximity to her work and her aura. Others appear onscreen, many discussing culinary highs and lows that they've experienced over the years, but Chagneau-Ravoire is the perfect complementary ingredient to the main course, allowing viewers to see the kind of innocence and real interest that Eugénie sees as possibly leading to a life-long vocation/passion.

I wish there had been a few more grand meals shown (sadly, I did not salivate), and the whole thing is actually a fairly slim premise to be dragged out to 135 minutes, but this was a sweet and effective melodrama. The leads are wonderful, the cinematography is lush, and it's another fine example of how careful and tender Hùng is when it comes to allowing us a peek into the lives of some fictional characters.

7/10

Sunday, 23 February 2025

Netflix And Chill: Something In The Water (2024)

As Mark Kermode would have you believe, Jaws is a film not actually about the shark. I strongly disagree with him on that point, although it's about much more than just the shark, but it's an interesting view. Something In The Water, on the other hand, is very much a shark film that seems not to be about the shark. That works well, until the moments when it becomes about the shark.

The whole thing starts with Kayla (Natalie Mitson) and Meg (Hiftu Quasem) on a night out. They encounter a group of teens who start throwing homophobic slurs at them, and then they attack Meg so viciously that she ends up hospitalised. One year later, Meg heads to the West Indies for the wedding of her friend, Lizzie (Lauren Lyle). Also present are Cam (Nicole Rietsu Setsuko) and Ruth (Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart). And Kayla. The friends know that Meg and Kayla have things to work through, which is why they take a boat trip the day before the wedding, dropping the two off on a beach and forcing them to spend some time together, in the hope that they can properly reconcile, and maybe get back together. Then it's time for everyone to become aware of a shark in the water. They get back to the boat, but things don't go as planned, soon leaving them looking out for fins as they figure out how to get themselves back to the safety of land.

With two relative newcomers behind the camera, director Hayley Easton Street and writer Cat Clarke, although Street worked for a number of years in the field of VFX, Something In The Water is an enjoyably ambitious thriller that at least tries to blend some more relatable problems with the cinematic thrills of avoiding becoming shark food. It doesn't quite come together in a completely satisfying way, but that's due to those involved remembering that they need to show a shark every so often, and bring it to the fore in a third act that would most probably be improved by us not actually seeing any more than the suggestion of the hungry predator(s).

The cast are also far from the most experienced lot, although they prove more than capable of carrying themselves through the many character moments and conversations that prove to be more interesting than many of the shark sequences. Quasem and Mitson are excellent as two people unable to see a way to repair the massive sinkhole that now keeps them distant from one another, Lyle is the kind of placid central figure who just wants everyone to get along and keep the peace, and both Shakespeare-Hart and Setsuko have energy and strength that may help the entire group, or may cause them to be further demotivated if either of them get dragged away by the shark.

Something In The Water starts off strong, then it settles into something full of great potential as our leads meet up and start to have conversations that were avoided for far too long. It continues to impress when the shark first appears. Sadly, things start to go downhill from there. Everyone is on a countdown as you start to see who is most likely to be left until the end, the set-pieces have to be shot and edited in a way that covers up the many shortcomings, leaving them far from thrilling, and that final sequence is so bad that it feels as if it was lifted in from an entirely different movie.

I'll still give it plenty of goodwill for trying to be a bit different, but the negatives almost outweigh the positives.

5/10

Saturday, 22 February 2025

Shudder Saturday: The Dead Thing (2024)

The first solo directorial feature from Elric Kane, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Webb Wilcoxen, The Dead Thing is a decent little horror movie that I believe has something to say about some very old and constant problems, albeit ones given a modern twist.

Blu Hunt plays Alex, a young woman who is used to finding some male company for a while by swiping her way through multiple candidates until she matches with someone. This is how she meets Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen). Kyle seems very nice, but there's also something about him that hints at, well, something not being quite right. That feeling grows stronger as Alex moves on with her life, and on to other random connections. Maybe she had something a bit more with Kyle, or maybe she just starts wanting more from that fleeting connection because it seems impossible to recapture.

The Dead Thing has some obvious points to make about dating in the modern age, where many sexual relationships can start with a simple swipe, but it's also very much about what people are willing to overlook as they consider the possibility of a real and meaningful chance at what might turn into love. This is shown in the problems that face Alex, but also the problems that face her friend, Cara (Katherine Hughes). And, aside from anything she is looking for, Alex has to spend a lot of time batting away unwanted attention, from co-workers and people she regrets hooking up with in the past. It's not a constant barrage, but you can certainly get the feeling of how difficult it is sometimes for a woman to be allowed to make decisions that don't always flatter the men who flutter around her like moths hitting against a bare lightbulb.

Hunt is decent in the lead role, and Smith-Petersen does well at being someone who is a bit of a blank slate until more details start to appear upon him, but I'd have to say that better performances come from Hughes, John Karna (as a co-worker who tries to shoot his shot, in increasingly uncomfortable moments), and others making up the rest of the small supporting cast.

While Kane stays focused and on point throughout the film, he doesn't always keep things consistent when it comes to the central characters and what they will or will not accept. There's no real sense of proper danger until it all needs to be there in time for the finale, and our two leads are irritatingly unbothered by a major revelation that is dropped in about a third of the way into the runtime. That means that viewers end up feeling just as unconcerned, which lessens any potential impact the film may have.

That's a minor quibble though, and the positive aspects of the film make up for the negatives. This is interesting and fairly intelligent in how it mixes the full-on horror movie elements with the commentary, although it reminded me of a few titles I would easily recommend ahead of it (one being an iconic classic, the other being Nina Forever). It's a shame that it didn't quite perfectly nail down the right tone, but I'll take a flawed and intriguing work ahead of something more polished and dull.

7/10

Friday, 21 February 2025

Wolf Man (2025)

Why can the modern movie landscape somehow not give us a great new werewolf movie? We've had some very good ones, but it's an archetypal monster that seems unable to be redefined and refreshed in a way that gives it a place in modern pop culture alongside the many vampires, zombies, and even bandage-swathed mummies. Thankfully, here's Leigh Whannell to put things right. Or not, as the case may be. I don't want to beat around the bush here. Wolf Man is awful.

Christopher Abbott is Blake, a man who ends up heading back to the family homestead with his wife (Charlotte, played by Julia Garner) and young daughter (Ginger, played by Matilda Firth) in tow. The property is in the middle of nowhere, and most of the locals don't venture outside after night has fallen. So the family getting a bit lost and trying to continue driving after sunset isn't a great idea. There's soon some trouble when they encounter a wild humanoid creature that seems intent on putting the bite on them. Eventually trapped in a house, it soon becomes obvious that at least one member of the family has been wounded. And the wound is starting to change them.

While Whannell is the director here, it's maybe telling that this is a screenplay co-written by himself and his wife, Corbett Tuck. The latter is a first-timer in that role, which would explain a lot of the inherent weakness of this. It wouldn't explain it all, and I'm sure both Whannell and Tuck thought they had stumbled upon a great new hook when they decided to let everything basically play out over one long night, but this feels like a sorely under-developed piece of work. There's no solid lore, which means no way to use or break any rules established within the confines of the film, there are too few characters, meaning very few moments have any real sense of danger, and, most damningly, the third act simply serves as a reminder of the last time someone tried to reinvigorate this IP (in a film that was much better than this one, in my opinion).

I don't want to completely dismiss Abbott and Garner, but it's worth noting that Firth, the youngest cast member, seems to do the best work. That may be down to the adults being weighed down by the screenplay, or maybe I was just put in such a sour mood that I was unable to enjoy anyone onscreen, with the exception of the innocent child. Sam Jaeger, Ben Predergast, and Benedict Hardie also have some screentime, and I'm equally loathe to give them any praise (although none of them are bad, they're just trapped in this mass of awfulness like the bug in the amber at the start of Jurassic Park).

The music from Benjamin Wallfisch isn't bad, but the people I really want to praise are those working in the sound department. The one real strength of Wolf Man is the soundscape; all rustling branches, bass-heavy growls, and strange frequencies showing the difference in hearing between some of the main characters. That's offset by the embarrassment of the creature effects and make-up though, which delivers viewers a werewolf that is one of the very worst to be put onscreen. Seriously. Look, I HAVE seen a lot worse than this, of course, but not in a film with some actual money and studio resources behind it.

Inept in almost every way, even (especially?) in the final scenes, this is a huge disappointment for fans of Whannell and/or his cast. It's a huge step down from his work on The Invisible Man, although it's clear that he wanted to emulate that style of blending the archetype with some relevant social commentary. Maybe he should have been clearer on what he wanted to comment on (masculinity, perceived emasculation, family bonds, and communities maintaining dangerous secrets are all in the mix), or maybe he should have just forgotten about that to focus on something that would have been entertaining and satisfying for those wanting loud howls and hairy scares.

3/10

Thursday, 20 February 2025

The Gorge (2025)

I am not sure how often I use the word derivative to describe movies, but it may be quite often. It certainly seems that way lately. I should emphasise that I'm not always using the word as a criticism though. It's just a description. So when I start this review of The Gorge by mentioning how derivative it is I don't want you to think that I'm about to give it a kicking. I had more fun with The Gorge than many other star vehicles I have seen in the last few months. And, whatever you think of Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, this IS a star vehicle for them, even if you only realise that as the end credits roll and you find yourself wanting to spend more time with the main characters.

Teller and Joy are Levi and Drasa, two very talented sharp-shooters. They don't know each other, but they end up inhabiting a tower on either side of the titular gorge. In the kind of summary that makes for a great trailer line, they soon find out that their job is not to stop anything from entering the gorge . . . but to stop anything from coming out. While they're not supposed to have contact with one another, Levi and Drasa soon start communicating via dialogue written on whiteboards. And they soon start to like one another. There's a huge gorge between them though, and something in it that seems to be eager for them to make just one small mistake.

I'm not going to pretend that writer Zach Dean is someone I am a fan of, you can check his fairly limited filmography to see a few films that nobody would ever rush to view, and the filmography of director Scott Derrickson is certainly a mixed bag, but this has the two men working together on something that ends up being a pleasant surprise, despite the obvious influences throughout. Anyone who has played The Last Of Us, Resident Evil, or Silent Hill will find some of the visuals and production design here very familiar, and there are sections that certainly feel like videogame levels, but the fact that it feels constructed with care, and takes a decent amount of time to flesh out the main characters before putting them into serious danger.

Teller and Joy, despite the distance between them for a lot of the movie, have great chemistry together, and it's more than enough to make up for their characters being a clumsy mix of clichés. The script develops their relationship nicely, using a nice sprinkling of humour to show them growing closer as they deal with the isolation and strange nature of their assignment. There are very small roles for Sope Dirisu and Sigourney Weaver, but the film basically rests on the shoulders of the two leads, which is perfectly fine when they're able to carry it so easily.

It's all silly nonsense, and there's even room for fun nods to both The Queen's Gambit and Whiplash, but it's pretty great silly nonsense. There's decent cinematography from Dan Laustsen, another worthwhile score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and some decent set-pieces that help to make the 127-minute runtime fairly fly by. I really enjoyed this, and I would quite happily watch it again any time. Which is more than I can say for the other films that Zach Dean has helped to write.

8/10

Wednesday, 19 February 2025

Prime Time: You're Cordially Invited (2025)

I'm not a big fan of writer-director Nicholas Stoller, but I always tend to forget this when I prepare to watch another movie from him. I'm not sure that I even noticed his name here while I was being distracted by the fact that it was a comedy pairing up Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon in the lead roles. The fact that the supporting cast included Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, Jimmy Tatro, and Jack McBrayer also seemed to bode well.

It's a simple premise, ripe with comedy potential. Ferrell plays Jim, a doting dad who is hoping to oversee a dream wedding day for his daughter, Jenni (Viswanathan), and her partner, Oliver (Stony Blyden). Witherspoon is a successful TV producer who wants to oversee a dream wedding for her sister, Neve (Hagner), and her partner, Dixon (Tatro). Their worlds collide when the island resort they have hired for the wedding celebrations has accidentally booked them both in for the same weekend . . . when they only have the ability to host one wedding at a time. And so begins a disappointingly unfunny series of spats, with both of our leads trying to shoulder one another out of the way as they make the most of the big wedding weekend.

I don't want to spend too much time going over how much this gets wrong, especially when I am already depressed by the memory of the movie and the memory of how I fooled myself into thinking that it wasn't TOO bad. It's bad, very bad, and it's a waste of the talent of pretty much everyone involved.

Stoller directs as if he's just sleepwalking through the whole thing, but maybe his own script had already knocked him unconscious. The plot beats feel tired and unsurprising, the running gags (including use of a very famous song) don't land well, and there's also an annoying lack of bite. Both of our leads swither between rolling up their sleeves to fight one another and then just using each other as a shoulder to cry on. And as for the very last scenes . . . I won't spoil anything, but I cannot think of a Ferrell comedy that has been so wildly misjudged in trying to make everything and everyone wrapped up in a neat bow.

There were times when I laughed at this, and those laughs were all caused by Ferrell blurting out some inappropriate insults. He's at his funniest in those moments, and you want Ferrell to be funny in a comedy movie that gives him one of the lead roles, but they are very few and far between. Witherspoon does the kind of uptight thing she has been doing for decades, although she is allowed to soften slightly here in a way that allows you to eventually warm to her character a bit more. Viswanathan and Blyde are fun, as are Hagner and Tatro, and there are moments that try to make the most of McBrayer, Leanne Morgan, Rory Scovel, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, and Celia Weston, as well as a few others. Everyone is far too hampered by the weak material though, sadly, and even a potential set-piece involving our leads in the same room as an alligator fails to prompt even a mild chuckle.

It's really hard to argue against people who see streaming movies as inferior alternatives to cinema releases when Amazon put their money into something like this. This has the stars, it has familiar songs on the soundtrack, and it at least has a runtime of under two hours (clocking in at about 109 minutes). It doesn't have any soul or artistry to it though. More importantly, it doesn't have many laughs.

3/10

Tuesday, 18 February 2025

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2025)

Coming along after three movies of varying quality (the superb "Diary", the lacklustre "Edge Of Reason", and the enjoyable "Baby" adventure), Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy has been pitched as a welcome return of a beloved female character that all women are eager to catch up with. It's more than that though. This is the return of a British institution, an iconic British woman (albeit played by an American) who yearns for a dash of the kind of romance that often feels left in the past while striding bravely through every pitfall of the modern world. Each movie is, at the very least, a great mix of comedy and comfort, and there's a fantastic selection of British acting talent on display (many of them reprising their roles here, even if only for a brief moment).

Time has moved along, and life continues to deny Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger again, as if there could be a replacement for her at this stage) any kind of permanent happiness, or so it seems. She now has two children (Mabel, played by Mila Jankovic, and the older Billy Darcy, played by Casper Knopf), but her life has a Mark Darcy-shaped hole in it. There's still the occasional flirting from Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant, once again at his caddish best), but things finally start to look up when Bridget tries out Tinder and meets a young man named Roxster (Leo Woodall). Meanwhile, the children aren't always doing well, especially Billy, and this leads to a number of uncomfortable encounters with a new teacher, Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

While the director of To Leslie doesn't really feel like a natural fit for this material, it turns out that making that assumption would just make an ass out of us and Michael Morris. Morris has the good sense to not get in the way of a talented cast all having fun with the screenplay co-written by Dan Mazer, Abi Morgan, and, of course, Helen Fielding, adapting her own novel. There's everything you want in terms of amusing embarrassments, satisfying swearing, and fine comedy moments, but Morris does a great job of balancing everything out with a more serious central strand exploring loss and how to keep moving forward when the destination ahead seems to have nothing there for you.

Zellweger continues to shine in the role that she'll be identified with for all time, and she seems natural and effortless onscreen in a way that seems to convey her own love for the character. Jankovic and Knodf are solid child actors, the former involved in more of the sequences that cause our heroine to get a red face, and everyone else onscreen, old or new, feels like a perfect addition to this (final?) chapter. Woodall is helped by the fact that he has scenes that show off the affect he has on others around him, especially in a sequence that has him arriving late to a party just in time to act the hero, Ejiofor is playing the typical hard-shelled individual with the soft centre, and both Firth and Grant continue to be delightful in their respective roles. Emma Thompson, Sally Phillips, James Callis, Shirley Henderson, Neil Pearson, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Joanna Scanlan, Celia Imrie, Nico Parker, Claire Skinner, Sarah Solemani, Josette Simon, and Leila Farzad are all wonderful, not one of them letting the side down, and I'm probably still forgetting one or two people I will later kick myself for not mentioning. It's a shame that Isla Fisher is only seen for mere seconds, and I suspect some of her work may have ended up on the cutting-room floor, but such an abundance of riches makes that much easier to accept.

I went into this hoping to enjoy it. I came out of the cinema knowing that it was easily my second favourite of the foursome. I can imagine many other people will feel the same. What could have felt lazy and by-the-numbers instead turns out to be as surprising, in terms of the themes being satisfactorily explored, as it is satisfying and eager to meet all expectations. The only downside is that I would now welcome another cinematic journey through a new Bridget diary, but I also know that this is just about the most perfect ending that we could all have wished for.

8/10

Monday, 17 February 2025

Mubi Monday: The Nightingale (2018)

While it's not a hill that I am willing to die on, or even willing to risk any minor injury on, it's worth noting that I wasn't as big a fan of The Babadook as so many other people. I also wasn't really taken with Jennifer Kent's episode in Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities series. So, despite hearing some good things about this a few years ago, I was in no rush to watch The Nightingale, a 136-minute grim tale of abuse and revenge. I'm glad I got around to it at last though, it's easily the best thing that Kent has done so far (although you may find that I am the only person to hold that opinion just now).

Aisling Franciosi plays Clare Carroll, an Irish convict who is working as a servant for some British forces serving in Tasmania in the early part of the nineteenth century. With the promise of freedom being held over their heads, Clare and her husband, Aidan, are kept in check by soldiers who think they can pretty much do what they want without any fear of repercussions. They go too far though, way too far, but think it won't matter when they are just about to set off on a lengthy journey through the dangerous Tasmanian wilderness. That leads to Clare enlisting an Aboriginal tracker, Billy (Baykali Ganambarr), to help her find the soldiers she is determined to make pay for their horrific crimes.

With Kent once again assuming both the directing and writing duties, this is another film that allows her to accept all of the praise or criticism headed her way. It's praise from me, although I can imagine a few people being put off by some of the content here, and I'm so impressed by this film that I'll now be quicker to check out whatever she does next. There were a few moments here that had me slack-jawed with astonishment, but even the many scenes without any shocks or bloodshed were livened up by a look at class divides, colonialism, and the mistreatment and mislabelling of people simply due to the colour of their skin.

Franciosi has been doing very good work for some time now, even if there's nothing yet to declare as a breakout role, and this is one of her best performances. She's very believable and sympathetic, whether being emotionally devastated by the actions of men overpowering her or trying to dig deep within herself to find the conviction to exact her revenge when faced with the reality of what that entails. Ganambarr is also great, portraying someone who sees in Clare a strength and rage that he knows should be shared by himself, and many others like him. He helps to carry Clare along when she stumbles, but she in turn helps to strengthen his own resolve when he considers some extreme action. Sam Claflin may be a bit hammy in the main villain role, but he's entertainingly loathsome and someone you want to see get their comeuppance in the most protractedly painful way possible, and the same goes for Damon Herriman and Harry Greenwood.

The cinematography from Radek Ladczuk helps beautify some real ugliness, there's a fantastic selection of music from Jed Kurzel (who seems to enjoy working with Kent as much as he enjoys working with his brother, Justin, in between his other jobs), and the tone is balanced in a way that allows viewers to endure both the misery and the sense of jubilation that the main characters experience on their journey through some very dark territory. It could have been a bit shorter, agreed, and there could have been a different way to portray the villains without them being so ready to twirl their moustaches, figuratively speaking, and leer in an over the top style, but neither of those things made me dislike the film. I almost rated it even higher, but the fact that I would be hesitant to rush to a rewatch made me consider dialling my enthusiasm down just a bit.

8/10

Sunday, 16 February 2025

Netflix And Chill: Time Cut (2024)

It's blindingly obvious that Netflix decided to offer up Time Cut to those who already enjoyed Totally Killer on Amazon Prime Video. Whereas that film had a young woman ending up back in the 1980s, where she may be able to stop the slasher who killed her mother, this film has a young woman ending up back in the early 2000s, where she may be able to stop the slasher who killed her sister. Do you already notice one of the big problems this might have in comparison to the film it most closely emulates? Yeah, someone time-travelling to the early 2000s just isn't as ripe for comedy as someone time-travelling to the 1980s. Although, to be fair, Time Cut isn't necessarily selling itself as a comedy. It's just a shame that it fails to sell itself as anything else, completely failing as a slasher, a sci-fi movie, and a thriller.

Madison Bailey plays Lucy Field, a high school student who feels that her life is overshadowed by the killings that devastated their town over twenty years ago, creating a wound that has never fully healed for her parents and others. Stumbling on to a time machine in a nearby hay barn, as you do, Lucy ends up back in 2003, where she meets her sister, Summer (Antonia Gentry), one of the victims of the killer all those years ago. Lucy wants to change the past, but that could also end up jeopardising her own existence. Thankfully, she has a young scientifically-minded man named Quinn (Griffin Gluck) ready to help her, but there's not too much to worry about when this time-travel movie decides to establish some rules that allow it to essentially do whatever it takes to get to the preferred ending of writers Michael Kennedy and Hannah Macpherson.

Macpherson also takes on the directing duties here, having crowd-funded some of her feature debut just over a decade ago before then spending most of her time working on shorts and TV shows (with the exception of something called Sickhouse and a film that slotted alongside others in the Into The Dark series). She may well have a lot of talent, but she's seriously hampered here by the clumsy writing from Kennedy, who also has the story credit. Kennedy likes to mix slashers with different high-concept ideas, having also written Freaky, It's A Wonderful Knife, and Heart Eyes, but I would suspect that you'd enjoy all of those films ahead of this one. Whether they succeed completely or not, they all have a stronger sense of commitment to the main concept. Time Cut feels like something made with extreme reluctance, like a school project written by teens who were keen on the whole idea when they started it, but then soon realised just how disinterested they were as they were forced to do more research and up their word count.

The sad thing is that the cast are generally very good. Bailey is a fantastic lead, making me wish I had more reason to be invested in her plight, and Gentry is absolutely fine as the potentially-doomed Summer. Gluck is enjoyable as Quinn, so good that he makes it easier to accept just how quickly he believes the wild truth as told to him by Lucy. There are others who do well, but the film works best when it shows the central trio trying to find their way to catching a killer and figuring out the butterfly effect of that.

Sadly, there's nothing here to make it worth recommending to others. As I said in the opening paragraph, this doesn't work as a slasher, nor a sci-fi movie, nor a thriller or mystery. It's just there, disappointingly determined to make the end of the film feel strangely inconsequential, despite at least one big change to the lives of our leads. Avoid.

3/10

Saturday, 15 February 2025

Shudder Saturday: The Breach (2022)

Based on a book by Nick Cutter, The Breach is a pleasingly entertaining slice of cosmic horror. It could have done with some more hard work from writer Ian Weir and director Rodrigo Gudiño, but there's enough here to please most horror fans.

Allan Hawco is John Hawkins, a Chief of Police who ends up investigating a case with a strangely mangled body at the heart of it. He hopes to clear everything up quickly enough, tying up loose ends before he leaves his position, but some people have other plans. Ending up at a fairly remote house in the middle of some woods, accompanied by Meg (Emily Alatalo) and Jacob (Wesley French), it soon becomes clear that some dangerous scientist chap has been doing some dangerous scientists stuff.

While this is a big move away from the last film I saw from Gudiño (that was The Last Will And Testament Of Rosalind Leigh), it's obvious that this is a man more interested in quiet moments of anticipation than any obvious scares. Which means that some people will have their patience tested by just how long it takes to present some enjoyable and traditional horror movie moments here. Thankfully, the thrills work really well when finally delivered in the third act.

Maybe we should be thankful that Weir has decided to pace things in the way that Gudiño prefers, considering the fact that he could have made the mistake of turning his first full feature screenplay into a hodgepodge of homages and clumsy jump scares. While I wasn't wholly satisfied by this, I prefer it to many other ways the material could have been presented.

The cast help, all of them being very watchable as they start to piece together the gruesome puzzle they end up in the middle of. Hawco is a solid lead, very much giving off the air of someone who can be depended on to do the right thing, and both Alatalo and French provide different kinds of tension in the way they interact with one another. Adam Kenneth Wilson has the right look for his scientist character, and Natalie Brown is very good as his wife, someone who perhaps knows more than she is letting on while the investigation seems to be leading the police no nearer to any answers.

Some decent practical effects here and there prove to be enjoyably distracting, and there's enough horror running through it to keep most genre fans interested, but there could have been just a bit more done to improve the pacing. Maybe adding one or two more characters, with one or two more people being put at risk, would have helped. By the time you get to the wilder moments, it makes you wish a few more shocks had been interwoven throughout the quieter sections. It's still a good time, but it's not a great one.

6/10

Friday, 14 February 2025

Babygirl (2024)

You've got to hand it to Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, the stars of Babygirl. This isn't an easy gig, as it never is when trying to explore adult sexual dynamics in a way that feels authentic and intriguing, but they rely on writer-director Halina Reijn to help them avoid looking like idiots. I'm not sure Reijn manages that though.

Kidman plays Romy, a powerful CEO who is dedicated to her job, has a loving husband (Antonio Banderas) and two daughters (Esther McGregor and Vaughan Reilly), and generally seems to have her life exactly as she wants it. She's unfulfilled sexually though, missing something that she can't define. And that's how she ends up risking a hell of a lot when she becomes drawn to a young intern, Samuel (Dickinson), who seems to make her want to submit control to him.

There are things to like about Babygirl, even things to admire. It has moments that show two people figuring out exactly what they want in a way that is as awkward and funny as any communication can be when individuals are exploring their sexual preferences and how they want to best complement one another. Occasionally embarrassing, and definitely bewildering to those who have gone through their life in complete vanilla mode, the film shows a good selection of conversations and situations that inform the consent and power-sharing between the two main characters. This subsequently allows the moments of passion to feel more heated, and it shows an escalation as they push for an ever-increasing thrill.

Reijn is clever enough to know that there are an awful lot of nerves and wariness before reaching the level of trust and confidence that these people need to have in one another, and that's where Babygirl excels. It's a lose-lose situation though, because those scenes have an inherent cringe factor for anyone simply looking on from the sidelines, as we all are while the movie plays. Where Reijn really stumbles, however, is in the ongoing, and quite tiresome, trope of always aiming to defend/support an extra-marital affair when the lead character engaging in one is female. There's no doubt that Kidman is causing harm, to herself and the ones she loves, but it's also seen as stemming from her lack of fulfilment, which is supposed to make it understandable.

Kidman and Dickinson are excellent in their roles, especially when navigating their more vulnerable moments, but their work is undermined by other elements in the script. The timeline gets a bit murky, some tensions don't really seem too bothersome in the grand scheme of things, and it's hard to remember that sensation that they're after, tied to the subterfuge and coding of their indiscretions, while they both become so relatively brazen in their behaviour. Banderas does well as the emasculated husband, helped hugely by the fact that he's Antonio Banderas, McGregor and Vaughan are fine as the two daughters who inevitably sense when things start to go sour, and Sophie Wilde does very well in the role of Esme, a PA to Kidman's character who wants to go to the next stage in her career.

It's, ironically, hard to put a finger on just why this doesn't quite work. The performances are all very good, there's an eclectic and enjoyable soundtrack, and it's refreshing to see someone even attempting to seriously explore this subject matter in a way that is responsible and quite authentic. Maybe it can't ever work in a straightforward film though, and that might be why we should be happy when we get wonderfully strange delights like Secretary and The Duke Of Burgundy.

5/10

Thursday, 13 February 2025

The Marvels (2023)

I have spent most of the last week or so finally getting around to watching Ms. Marvel, the TV show that gave us a 6-episode storyline introducing viewers to Kamala Khan AKA the titular Ms. Marvel (played by Iman Vellani). That's why I am now, FINALLY, getting around to seeing The Marvels. I think I'm almost up to date on my official Marvel entertainment, with only Secret Invasion and season 2 of Loki left to catch up on, but I have to say that it's odd diving back into the MCU after such a fairly extended hiatus. I didn't remember exactly who was who, in terms of enemies and villains, I wasn't sure if there was other stuff I should have watched before this, and there was no feeling of this being an essential piece of a much bigger picture. It was a bit of fun though.

Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Benn, the main villain of the piece. She is the leader of a race who saw their planet effectively sentenced to death by Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Dar-Benn wants revenge, and her chance comes along when Captain Marvel is stuck with a confusing problem that sees her often swapping places with young Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). It seems that using their powers somehow brings about the switcheroo, and all three need to learn to turn the potential negative into a positive if they want to stop Dar-Benn and co. from destroying the ones they love. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is also on hand to help, but he's still much more grounded and vulnerable than the superheroes he tries to advise.

The first half, maybe even the first two thirds, of The Marvels is good fun. The entanglement of powers causing the characters to literally crash into different environments is enjoyably hectic, the dialogue between the main characters (and also the bemused members of Khan's family) is enjoyable, and everything feels enjoyably lightweight, with no need to focus on any potential Earth-destroying threat. Then you get to the third act, which has to focus on a potential Earth-destroying threat, and it becomes sadly tiresome. That's without even mentioning the strange scenes set on a planet where everyone tends to sing instead of just speaking in a normal cadence (unless they're . . . bi-lingual).

Larson continues to cut a fine figure as arguably the most powerful superhero in the galaxy, and she is always helped by having her serious nature juxtaposed alongside some more light-hearted people around her. Parris is very good with what she has to do, although she feels ultimately short-changed by a fairly rushed journey as she makes various discoveries on the way to a final scene that once again serves as a reminder of just how often Marvel wants to have its cake and eat it. Vellani is the one who makes this all worthwhile though, a fantastic bundle of nervous energy and cute awkwardness, she is as good here as she was in her TV show, and the film does well to ensure that she isn't sidelined when it comes to action sequences featuring our main trio. Jackson does his Nick Fury schtick as well as ever, and Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh are great fun as the other Khans who end up dragged into the middle of the action. Ashton is stuck playing a disappointingly predictable villain, and you also get a few cameos from characters that, well . . . just don't pack the punch they may have a few years ago.

Highlights include the music by Laura Karpman, some fine editing that is showcased in a hugely entertaining montage/training sequence, and more ridiculous fun with Flerkens.

I'm a big fan of director Nia DaCosta, and love the fact that she also worked on the screenplay with Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik, but there's definitely a feeling that she was handed a poisoned chalice with this gig. The MCU was on a downturn, Captain Marvel is one character who seems to be a lightning rod for crybaby fan-boys all around the globe, and there didn't seem to be any cohesive vision at this time for wherever the MCU went next. This had the misfortune of feeling like a place-holder, a disposable bit of fun. But that place-holder just happened to cost over $350M, which meant that it really should have delivered a bit more.

6/10

Wednesday, 12 February 2025

Prime Time: The Order (2024)

With Justin Kurzel in the director's chair, a cast that includes Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, and Marc Maron (in a small, but pivotal role), and some gritty subject matter that relates to dangerous idiots who want what they see as a more pure version of their country, I was absolutely certain that The Order was a film to put high on my list of viewing priorities. I wasn't wrong.

Law plays Terry Husk, FBI agent, a man who believes that a number of robberies are being committed with some extra motivation. The robbers want the money, of course, but that money is for a very specific purpose. Sheridan is Jamie Bowen, a young officer who ends up helping him in his investigation. There are a number of bad people needing chased down here, but the one who ends up being the most dangerous ring-leader is Bob Mathews (Hoult), a white supremacist who plans to declare war on what he sees as a misguided and damaged America.

Based on a book, "The Silent Brotherhood", by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, The Order benefits from a great screenplay by Zach Baylin that ties everything together and shows how these ignorant racists have spent decades working from the same playbook (literally, considering how a work called "The Turner Diaries" seems to be a common link between a number of acts of domestic terrorism). It also has an excellent main cast doing some A+ work.

Law is as good as he's ever been, playing the standard cop who won't stop following the trail that we've seen many times before. He doesn't really care about himself, but he soon shows that he does care about how others around him may be hurt, especially if they're unprepared. And almost everyone around him seems relatively unprepared. Hoult does well to feel constantly dangerous and menacing without turning himself into a moustache-twirling villain. He's undoubtedly the big baddie, but he's also a normal man who believes that he's doing something for some noble purpose. Sheridan is a pleasing mix of good instinct and vulnerability, and Jurnee Smollett does well to shoulder her way through all of the testosterone for one or two little moments. As for Maron, his casting is perfect, and his voice is used well for a number of scenes before we see him, briefly, in the moment that made his character, Alan Berg, a shocking chapter in the ongoing history of white supremacist violence in the USA.

Kurzel seemed to lose his way slightly after making such an impact with his phenomenal feature debut, Snowtown, but he's certainly found his way back in over the past few years. I hope that he continues to make films as good as this one (I've also heard great things about Nitram, but have yet to see that one), which has a great blend of commentary, tension, and even standard action thrills here and there. I may even forgive him one day for the two major mis-steps he made with Michael Fassbender as his leading man.

8/10

Tuesday, 11 February 2025

Den Of Thieves (2018)

If you're going to emulate a modern crime thriller then Heat is one of the best that you could aim for, and that's exactly what Den Of Thieves does. The opening crime is a barrage of high-powered gunfire, and then things settle down a bit as we watch a number of professionals try to do what they're best at doing.

Pablo Schreiber plays Ray Merrimen, a professional robber about to lead a team on the biggest score of their lives. It's an audacious job, and he'll be helped by the likes of Enson Levoux (50 Cent) and Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.). Donnie is the wheelman, but he's also the weak spot, having had his collar felt by 'Big Nick' O'Brien (Gerard Butler). First being shown at a crime scene where he takes a doughnut from a blood-spattered box, Nick is the kind of cop who will let his life fall apart around him while he focuses on getting his man. Ray Merrimen is determined not to go back to prison though, but he starts to feed Nick information about their upcoming score. Is he that confident, or is it all a bluff?

Written and directed by Christian Gudegast, making his debut in the big chair, Den Of Thieves often feels like a film that shouldn't work. And yet it does. The main character is quite ridiculous, as is the game being played between him and the villains, there are a number of implausibilities that build up as everything plays out in the third act, the 140-minute runtime is too long, and there should be some more familiar faces sprinkled throughout the substantial amount of supporting cast members. The main players seem to be relishing their roles though, and that goes a hell of a long way to helping make this worth your time.

Butler is a lot of fun, playing someone who is only one or two steps away from an irredeemable Bad Lieutenant (although, crucially, he always seems to be attempting to do his job properly, albeit in unorthodox ways), and he's the main draw here, but Schreiber is very watchable and intense, Jackson Jr. continues to build a good selection of acting performances, and Curtis Jackson (AKA 50 Cent) proves himself able to work well alongside the leads. Evan Jones, Brian Van Holt, Mo McRae, Dawn Olivieri, and Cooper Andrews are also worth mentioning.

Created by Gudegast and Paul T. Scheuring with no attempt to be coy about their main influences, this feels somehow both like a standard action thriller and something quite a bit more bonkers than that. There's a vein of sly humour running throughout many of the scenes, and the very end is enjoyably amusing for how much it seems to directly lift from another classic '90s movie (which I won't mention here, that would spoil the impact). I'm not sure I would choose to rewatch this, but I am sure that I had a pretty good time while it was on. And, as much as I love McAvoy in the role, it kind of makes me wish that Butler had been given the lead role in Filth, because some of the same rules apply to his character here that apply to that reprobate. Oh yes, the same rules apply.

7/10

Monday, 10 February 2025

Mubi Monday: The Man Without A Past (2002)

I wasn't planning on reviewing another Aki Kaurismäki movie here, mainly because I try to keep things varied when reviewing older world cinema titles, but it turned out that The Man Without A Past just seemed like a good choice. I wanted some of that deadpan brilliance that Kaurismäki can deliver, although I didn't check any of the plot details ahead of time. I'm glad I picked this, because it made for a surprisingly timely, and surprisingly delightful, treat.

Markku Peltola plays the titular character, a man we see being beaten up and left for dead in the opening scenes. When he comes around, he is unable to remember anything. He has no ID on him, no money, and not even the smallest clue to his name. Helped by the goodwill of some other individuals, this man eventually starts to piece together a whole new life. He also falls for Irma (Kati Outinen), a Salvation Army worker who also spends some time helping him to get back on his feet. Is a completely new start possible, or will the past eventually crash into the present?

Considering the blunt nature of the opening, I was very pleasantly surprised by how sweet this was. Kaurismäki could have gone in any number of different directions, but he shows how a life can be completely changed by the accumulation of small kindnesses from strangers. While the immediate effect may not always be so obvious, this is why people should not stop caring for one another, ever. Everyone needs some help at some time in their life, even if it's not to this degree, and whether that is a bit of food, money, clothing, or just trust, it can make a huge impact.

Don't worry though, Kaurismäki doesn't forget to include a lot of his usual humour. A number of conversations are enjoyably ridiculous, and the second half of the film features at least one sequence that is almost Kafka-esque in the way our main character is questioned and doubted while he tries to explain his state of near-complete amnesia. Anyone familiar with other films from this man won't be disappointed.

Peltola is perfectly fine in the lead role, although he spends a lot of the runtime moving like a leaf blown around by a breeze. His performance is in line with many others throughout Kaurismäki's filmography, wonderfully deadpan and slow, no matter what other forces start to whirl around him. Outinen is just as good, and their connection is believable, rooted more in curiosity and consideration than any grand yearning or romantic gestures. Others provide great support, including Juhani Niemelä, Kaija Pakarinen, and Sakari Kuosmanen, but they are very much in orbit around the central figure/couple.

A lesson in benevolence wrapped in the trappings of absurdist humour and occasional off-kilter surrealism, this is another fine film from a director who may not have any duds in his entire filmography (although maybe that's just down to me having seen his best films first).

8/10

Sunday, 9 February 2025

Netflix And Chill: Kinda Pregnant (2025)

When I saw the trailer for this latest Amy Schumer comedy I must say that I wasn't keen to see it. It didn't look good, but I knew I would inevitably get around to it sooner or later. Well, here we are, much sooner than I expected. And let me start off by just saying that Kinda Pregnant is actually kinda funny.

Schumer plays Lainy Newton, a woman who is thrown for a bit of a loop when her best friend, Kate (Jillian Bell), falls pregnant as Lainy sees her life fall apart. Her boyfriend (Damon Wayans Jr.) turns out to be no good, and Kate ends up sharing a lot of her time with another mum-to-be, Shirley (Lizze Broadway). Trying on a fake maternity bump, Lainy is immediately uplifted by the reactions of strangers around her, which is why she decides to repeat the experience, eventually heading to a yoga class for pregnant women, where she meets Megan (Brianne Howey). The pair fast become firm friends, which means that Lainy has to keep up the charade of being pregnant, even when she starts to develop a relationship with Megan's brother-in-law, Josh (Will Forte).

Co-written by Schumer and Julie Paiva, Kinda Pregnant is directed by Tyler Spindel, who seems to have generally improved with each subsequent feature that he's helmed (although he's also been the director on a Rob Schneider TV special, but bills have got to be paid, I guess). It clocks in at about 97 minutes, paces the gags well on the way to a predictable third act, and actually has something running underneath all of the comedy that speaks to how women are treated differently, and have different expectations placed on them, when they have, or are about to have, children.

Schumer has fun in the lead role, whether being in appropriate in front of the classroom full of children she is teaching or being forgetful about the pregnant status she is showing to the world, and many laughs are shared with Bell, Howey, and Broadway. There's also a bit of scene-stealing from Urzila Carlson, who is hilariously blunt and ridiculous for a lot of the runtime, and Wayans Jr. is a very amusing jackass. Forte gets to be super-sweet throughout, and he does a great job of that, while Chris Geere, Alex Moffat, and Joel David Moore are all good fun as three very different husbands/expectant fathers.

A lot of the jokes are obvious, and most of them revolve around pratfalls or people saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, but they still made me laugh, and one or two made me laugh hard (a silly little gag about a restaurant band name was my favourite, I won't spoil it here, despite it just being very silly). This is easy enough to throw on and enjoy for the disposable entertainment it is, and it is the best thing that Amy Schumer has been Amy Schumer-y in for years.

6/10