Doctor Jekyll (2023)

Okay, I am going to start this review with a note. I will always strive to refer to people by their preferred names and pronouns. It's not being "woke", contrary to vocal idiots who keep crying about it. It's offering the basic level of politeness that we automatically tend to offer to anyone while not obsessing about what toilet facilities they want to use. With that in mind, Eddie Izzard is credited here as Eddie Izzard, and I'll be referring to them as such here.

A reworking of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale, Doctor Jekyll played well to horror film festival audiences last year, with many singling out the performance from Izzard as being well worth your time. I was eager for this to hit the VOD market, and made time for it this week when I was able to purchase a digital copy of it. I'm happy to have given it my support, but I am a bit surprised by those who heaped so much praise on it, suspecting this may be another case of the festival bump that can often occur when watching a new film with a like-minded group of genre fans (something I am sure I have been guilty of myself). Or maybe it was also helped by the love for the Hammer Studios name, who are behind the distribution of it here in the UK.

Scott Chambers plays Rob, a young man trying to get his life back together after serving some time in prison. He ends up being given a job caring for the enigmatic Doctor Nina Jekyll (Izzard). Doctor Jekyll seems to like Rob, keen to give him a chance even while her assistant, Sandra (Lindsay Duncan), just seems to want rid of him. As we all know, but our lead character here crucially doesn't, you tend to have a Hyde wherever you have a Jekyll. This particular Hyde (Rachel Hyde) has a plan, and Rob is an unwittingly vital part of it.

Written by Dan Kelly-Mulhern, his first and only credit so far, this is a decent reworking of the text that feels majorly boosted by the canny use of Izzard in the titular role. The thematic strands being explored, and tied together into a strong narrative rope, feel both timely and well worth including to modernise and rework the timeless tale of terror. Director Joe Stephenson isn't a complete newcomer, having previously worked on a number of TV shows and a previous film, Chicken, where he also worked with both Chambers and Morgan Watkins (who plays Rob's brother, Ewan), and he handles things here very well, keeping the focus on the performances without making it all feel hampered by the fairly limited locations and small cast.

I cannot overstate how great Izzard is in the lead role here, a casting coup so inspired that it makes it impossible to imagine the film without their presence. They weave between light and darkness in ways that anyone familiar with the tale should expect, and their eloquence and verbosity perfectly matches the way that the bifurcated character is written. It's a shame that Chambers, so good in the aforementioned Chicken, cannot come close to matching Izzard. His character seems a bit too resigned to failure in the first half of the movie, but then becomes far too easygoing and unguarded in time for the third act to play out. Watkins is fine in his role, Duncan is enjoyable for her limited amount of screentime, and Robyn Cara plays a figure from Rob's past who may end up jeopardising the job that he needs to keep hold of. Oh, there's also a cameo from Simon Callow, who is used well for his fleeting appearance.

This is very good stuff, although it's never as intriguing or transgressive as it could have been. It's messy, especially when it falls apart during the final scenes, but it's full of elements to admire, from the characterisations to the commentary on "big pharma", and recommended to those after something that nicely blends the familiar with a sprinkling of modern freshness.

7/10

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Shudder Saturday: A Banquet (2010)

There’s a lot in A Banquet to enjoy, from the central idea to the main performances, so it’s a bit of a shame that it feels very similar to the other excellent Saint Maud. People may watch this and start to think of that film, but that’s a bit unfair. Because there are also a couple of key differences that make this equally worthy of your time, mainly with the central mother-daughter relationship at the heart of things.

It all starts with Holly (Sienna Guillory) being shocked by the suicide of her seriously ill husband. This leaves Holly to bring up their two daughters, Betsey (Jessica Alexander) and the slightly younger Isabelle (Ruby Stokes), on her own, with occasional visits from their gran, June (Lindsay Duncan). Things become strained when Betsey falls ill, losing her appetite and quickly becoming convinced that her deteriorated state is being caused by something more than just a medical issue.

The first feature directed by Ruth Paxton, and also the first feature written by her long-time collaborator Justin Bull, A Banquet is a slow burn of a film that paces things perfectly with the help of some key scenes that are densely packed with disturbing imagery and complexity that separates it from more standard horror fare. As well as the central idea, someone feeling that their body no longer belongs to themselves, there are moments that will be identifiable to anyone who has tried to help a loved one in any kind of major difficulty, from illness to addiction, from problems with bullying to mental health issues. Things will resonate a lot more with those who have unwillingly engaged in a battle of wills with their children, especially with one character pushing away others during a major change of their personality, but it applies to any major relationship, be it between family or good friends.

Alexander is up to the task of delivering the strong performance that needs to be at the heart of the film, she does a pretty flawless job that marks her out as someone to keep an eye out for in other works, and Guillory matches her with her very believable turn as the concerned and loving mother. Stokes doesn't have to deal with quite as many of the truly heavy moments, but she also does good work, and Duncan is used well, playing a character who details some nightmare imagery that feeds into one or two scenes further down the line.

As redundant a phrase as it is, this is a film that isn't for everyone (no film is for everyone, I know, I know). I do think, however, that patient horror movie viewers will get a lot out of this. As much as it is about the pain of the people caught up in the situation, it's equally about the need for people to seek out answers, reassurances, and any small comfort that can support their ideas about what the giant and turbulent cosmos has in store for them.

8/10

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Mubi Monday: The Reflecting Skin (1990)

The story of a young boy, Seth Dove (Jeremy Cooper), who becomes intrigued by the idea that someone in his local area is a vampire, The Reflecting Skin is a strange, but also quite wonderful, coming-of-age story that uses a light touch throughout to blend darkness and sunshine until an end scene that hits you like a punch in the gut.

Enjoying hijinks with his friends, including a horrible trick in the opening sequence that involves an inflated frog and a catapult, young Seth is a very typical, spirited, lad. His life starts to take a turn, however, when children start to go missing, and then turn up dead. While the local law enforcement suspect Seth’s father, Seth himself starts to suspect a neighbouring single woman, Dolphin Blue (Lindsay Duncan). She could well be a vampire, and that is much more worrying when his brother (Cameron, played by Viggo Mortensen) returns from his military service and begins to develop a connection with Dolphin.

Written and directed by Philip Ridley, who also did the excellent, and underseen, Heartless (2009), as well as a few other movies well worth your time, this is a sun-kissed journey towards a face to face encounter with pure evil that brings to mind the work of various people, from David Lynch to Stephen King, while also feeling resolutely unique.

Great performances come from young Cooper, as well as everyone else onscreen, but it can be hard to recognise how well they are doing as Ridley uses people to enact moments in a slightly artificial way at times. Mortensen and Duncan become the focus of the film in the second half, but they are often being watched by Cooper’s character, which means some things are played up to show his interpretation of what he is seeing. Sheila Moore and Duncan Fraser play their characters, the parents of our lead, with obvious signs of problems in their lives, and they make a hell of an impression, especially when you think of their relatively small amount of screentime.

The Reflecting Skin is shot beautifully, with Dick Pope due some extra kudos there, and it seduces viewers with a constant sense of innocence as things move closer and closer to that innocence being lost. It shows the “silly” things that children decide to fixate on, and be afraid of, while other dangers lurk in plain sight around them. It manages to still play out like a vampire movie, but it puts forward the idea that vampirism takes on many different forms as people have their life energy reduced by various factors, both external and internal.

8/10

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Mubi Monday: Le Week-End (2013)

A tale of love, financial woes, and relationship stagnation, Le Week-End is a film that so often risks falling into a precipice no viewer cares to look into, but also keeps pulling things back. It could have been impossible to care about the central characters, but the main performances get around that issue.

Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan are a married couple who are spending some time in Paris, hoping to maybe rekindle a spark that seems to have dwindled to nearly nothing over the years. They cannot afford to eat in the places they used to, cannot afford the lovely hotel room they have booked into, and cannot afford to support a friend who is oblivious to their problems. But that friend, Jeff Goldblum, may provide them with an opportunity to be completely honest, to confess their current woes and put all their cards on the table.

Directed by Roger Michell and written by Hanif Kureishi, Le Week-End is, from start to finish, a film that tiptoes around the very edges of preciousness and cutesy affectation. This seems to be a major case of upper-middle-class people with “first world problems”, and that’s not a very engaging viewing experience for most people. Thankfully, Kureishi knows how to flesh out the characters and have their journey show what they are losing balanced by what they gain, and you could argue that they gain everything they need by the time the end credits roll. And Michell manages to keep Paris looking lovely as he maintains focus on a small cast of strong actors.

Broadbent may not be at his best here, but he certainly has a couple of his best moments, one being a speech and one being a lovely bit of physical work. Duncan is easily equal to him, having to work a bit harder, in subtle ways, because of the way her husband views her (vision shaded by jealousy and insecurity). Goldblum is the perfect third party, showing a life that the leads have been used to, effortlessly charming and erudite, yet also exemplifying the overwhelming need to finally be as honest as possible, even if that seems painful.

There are different lessons that you can take from Le Week-End, whether you see how important it is to recognise the strong core of love in any long-lasting relationship or how, as cheesy as it may sound, the truth can set you free. A problem shared is a problem halved, and other homilies, etc.

Aside from that, even if you don’t think this film has anything to offer you, the three main performances make it worth your time. So I recommend it, but with reservations for those who may bristle throughout most of the first half.

7/10

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About Time (2013)

The oh-so-lovely British bandwagon that has been built and driven by Richard Curtis, for some years now, rolls merrily on with this, his latest slice of harmless comedy fluff.

When Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) is 21, he is told by his father (Bill Nighy) about a special trait that all of the male family members have. They can all travel back in time. This is, of course, huge news. After a few experimental trips, attempting to improve his love life, Tim quickly realises that it's not as easy as you might think to make changes that will alter your future for the better. Thankfully, that doesn't stop him from using his unique gift when he falls for the lovely Mary (Rachel McAdams), and that makes up the main premise of the movie.

For anyone expecting something akin to Groundhog Day, or even The Butterfly Effect, be forewarned now. This is not a movie that uses the time travel aspect all that well. It does have elements of both of those movies just mentioned, but many scenes play out with very little interest in the more fantastical aspect of the plot. In fact, there's at least one sequence that's completely redundant, just there to illustrate a point that could have been mentioned to Tim at any other time in the movie.

The blame for the shortcomings of the movie rests entirely with Curtis. As writer-director, it would appear that he is now at his happiest when churning out another inoffensive "Richard Curtis rom-com". I like many of his movies, don't get me wrong, but I think it's a shame to try and sell About Time as something a bit different from his previous works when it is, in fact, almost completely the same. It makes the whole thing feel very lazy. The generic pop soundtrack, the big emotional moment accompanied by a classic track, the narration from the main character. This is Curtis 101, by the numbers stuff. The fact that the characters played by Lindsay Duncan and Bill Nighy are simply credited as Mum and Dad really tells you all you need to know. Curtis can do this stuff in his sleep and, considering the lack of care taken with this script, maybe this time he did.

The cast all do quite well, I guess, with what they're given. Gleeson isn't exactly standard leading man material, but that makes his need to tweak things all the more believable. McAdams is always lovely to see onscreen AND I WON'T HEAR A BAD WORD AGAINST HER (*breathe, breathe*). Sorry about that, but she IS pretty hard to ever dislike. Nighy is a cool dad, while Duncan barely registers in the role of Mum (she's just not given anything to do), and Lydia Wilson is the requisite slightly tragic character, Kit Kat (AKA Tim's sister). Tom Hollander steals a few scenes as Harry, a very angry man that Tim ends up living with at one point, Richard Cordery is a dotty uncle, and Margot Robbie is captivating in a small role, as the first major love in Tim's life.

If you're in the mood for a romantic comedy then I'd suggest you go for many better examples ahead of this one. Hell, go for almost any other Richard Curtis movie and you'll get more entertainment value. If you're in the mood for a good time travel movie then, again, there are far too many superior movies that you could choose from. Want a mix of the two? Yep, I'm willing to be that there are still others that you can prioritise ahead of this. It's not terrible. It's just not really worth your time, ironically enough.

5/10

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