Mubi Monday: Benedetta (2021)

It's been a while since I've actually watched a new Paul Verhoeven movie, despite the fact that I own both Black Book and Elle, two films that had very good reviews when released. Benedetta was just impossible to resist though, being the story of a nun who develops a reputation for her religious visions, as well as an erotic relationship with another woman.

Based on a book by Judith C. Brown that surely drew Verhoeven to it like a moth to a lightbulb, titled "Immodest Acts: The Life Of A Lesbian Nun In Renaissance Italy", Benedetta may have the lurid plot synopsis and plot elements that seem designed to surely titillate viewers, but it allows for Verhoeven to work in his typically subversive style, confidently and maturely exploring ideas of love, faith, and power in the hands of those who seek to manipulate a situation to best suit their own needs.

Virginie Efira plays Benedetta, a woman who has given her life to god since she was a small child. Occasionally butting heads with her Abbess (Charlotte Rampling), Benedetta finds herself confused and succumbing to a healthy does of pleasures of the flesh when she convinces the convent to take in a young woman named Bartolomea (Daphne Patakia). Then there's a case of stigmata, which leads to a change in structure at the convent, as well as divided opinion of just how holy Benedetta might be.

Written by Verhoeven and David Birke (who worked with the director on Elle), Benedetta is a film you can take a number of different ways. There are times when it just feels like nunsploitation, that's true, but a lot of the film points out religious hypocrisy, and questioning why love and lust are such a great sin, especially when the person battling such "sin" is also apparently responsible for a lot of good. And there's an interesting look at just what constitutes a miracle or an act of god, considering how god is supposed to move through people. This is brought to the fore when Benedetta is questioned about the cause of her stigmata.

Of course, being a Verhoeven film, there's also more to dig into. The way those who purport to do good can be complicit in evil deeds by simply remaining silent is another important point, but there's also the double-standards that become more obvious when learning about the behaviour of those who place themselves as morally superior to all others.

Efira is excellent in the main role, a perfect mixture of innocence and possible deceit. I have been a fan of her since seeing In Bed With Victoria and Sybil (both recommended), and I went into this knowing that there would be at least one great performance. Rampling, someone who I think can be hit or miss, depending on the writing, also does great work. Her character is justifiably cynical, yet also tries often to do things as they should be done (in terms of the religious hierarchy). Patakia is a little bit weaker than the two more experienced actresses that she ends up working with, but she does well in conveying someone with a wild streak who has found the convent as a salvation, more than a calling. The other very important character in the whole story is played by Lambert Wilson, who is excellent at acting superior to everyone around him, looking to maintain control of people even as his grasp on the situation seems to become untenable.

Surprisingly tasteful throughout, and I realise I am saying this about a film in which a character uses a piece of religious iconography to craft a wooden dildo, Benedetta is a very well-made film that will only shock those who are more easily affected by nudity and any exploration of human sexuality. Sex isn't evil, it's not a sin, and the way it is used by those who want to take power away from Benedetta is typical of attitudes still disappointingly prevalent in modern society. 

9/10

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Mubi Monday: Apostasy (2017)

While it is a quote that has been attributed to a number of different people, because the internet can take any quote and place a celebrity alongside it, I thoroughly agree with the opinion that a religious belief is like a penis. It's fine to have one, but it's not good to keep trying to force it upon other people. That goes for any religion, but it's something I feel more strongly about when people try to get me to respect the religious beliefs of those that hold on to their beliefs at the cost of the potential safety of their loved ones. 

Apostasy is a film about Jehovah's Witnesses, focusing on three main characters to show the impact, both positive and negative, that the religion has on their lives. Okay, I'm trying to be diplomatic here, but it's almost all negative, despite one character deluding themselves into thinking otherwise. Ivanna (Siobhan Finneran) is the mother of two girls. There's Alex (Molly Wright) and Luisa (Sacha Parkinson). A rift forms between them when Luisa falls pregnant, leading to her being cast out from the "flock". There's also a medical issue that forces Alex into a difficult position.

An astonishingly brilliant and confident feature debut from writer-director Daniel Kokotajlo, Apostasy is a film that perfectly illustrates the dangers of religious dogma while showing everyone involved believing themselves to have the best intentions. People ready to criticise it for the viewpoint it takes would do well to consider how much more damning it could have been, which also allows viewers to consider how varied any one group of people can be, even those following the same religious beliefs.

The central performances help a lot. The focus may be on the younger characters, both of them played superbly by Wright and Parkinson, the former a more committed believer and the latter a doubter who keeps trying for the sake of people she loves, but Finneran is the strained heart of the whole thing. Playing a character who seems to think she has nothing else going for her, if not her faith, Finneran plays someone who could easily be loathsome and over the top as someone quite sad and surprisingly vulnerable. Even as things start to look worse, her faith is all she has. Which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, a cycle she cannot get out of.

Apostasy is not a showy or stylish film, with many shots being fairly static and focusing on one or two characters in conversation, but it is no less brilliant than many other slices of thought-provoking, carefully-crafted, cinema.

Kokotajlo makes his feelings on the central subject clear, but he is also at pains to show that he recognises various aspects of humanity, whether it is conforming to certain rules, rebelling against them, or trying to find some middle ground.

9/10

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Netflix And Chill: Apostle (2018)

The latest film from writer-director Gareth Evans is a world away from the action movies that made him a favourite among film fans. There is violence here, but it's often slow and excruciating, rather than the wham bam fist and foot work displayed in the likes of The Raid. He has, of course, done horror before (in V/H/S 2), and there are a number of elements here that run alongside that particular segment, but this is a much more restrained and strange bit of work.

Dan Stevens plays a young man, Thomas, who is sent on a mission to retrieve his kidnapped sister. He is to locate her and make sure she is safe, and only then is he to make a payment of the ransom demanded for her. Unfortunately, the isolated religious cult that has her in their grasp is aware that someone will be coming. That makes his mission all the harder, as does the mysterious truth that he starts to uncover about the mystery at the heart of the cult.

Stevens is as good as he always is in the lead role, Michael Sheen plays the leader of the cult with aplomb (and, god, I wish Sheen picked up more roles, it feels like forever since I have seen him really sink his teeth into a role as good as this one), Mark Lewis Jones is menacing as an acolyte who starts to think things should be done differently, apparently for the benefit of the people, and there are excellent supporting turns from Bill Milner, Kristine Froseth, Lucy Boynton, Sharon Morgan, and Paul Higgins.

There's a good film here, it's all put together well by Evans, helped enormously by that great cast that he's assembled, but the biggest problem with Apostle is that it's never as good as the many films that seem to have so clearly influenced it (the main title being The Wicker Man, of course, but there are also shades of Witchfinder General, The Blood On Satan's Claw, and every movie that has come along in the intervening years, from The Village to A Field In England). A number of those movies are hard to equal, of course, but if you're going to evoke them so clearly then you'd better be prepared to pull out all the stops and try your best to get even close to them. It doesn't feel as if Evans tried as hard as he could, instead being distracted by plot elements that come together for a disappointingly predictable climax (which is not the same as a disappointing climax, and it must be said that it fits well enough for the film we are given).

There are a few standout scenes, a couple of them so wince-inducing that even hardened gorehounds may be surprised when they occur, but this is a 130-minute film that still manages to feel as if it doesn't give you enough meaty chunks in the broth it is offering, if that analogy makes sense to anyone but me. You will be entertained at times, you will be intrigued, but most viewers will find that neither of those feelings last all the way through to the end credits.

Apostle is definitely worth your time. Just don't listen to the many articles that have already popped up declaring it as the new unmissable, most terrifying, most brutal movie on Netflix. Hyperbole is where the traffic is, a lack of hyperbole is usually where the truth lies.

7/10

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Dead By Dawn 2016: She Who Must Burn (2015)

I REALLY want to punch Shane Twerdum in the face. REALLY HARD. That's nothing personal against Twerdum, although I understand why that would be hard to believe, but it's a testament to how great he is in his portrayal of a particularly reprehensible character in She Who Must Burn. Watch the movie and tell me I'm wrong.

Twerdum plays Jeremiah Baarker, a fanatic evangelist who ends up leading his "followers" to ever more dangerous and violent acts as they attempt to convince people that everything is part of god's plan. A woman should always do as her husband wants. Everything is justified if it is done in the name of the almighty. And abortion is a huge sin. It's this last part, more than any other, that drives Baarker again and again to butt heads with Angela (Sarah Smyth), a wman who offers advice to other women, and in some cases help to escape abuse.

There are a number of other characters mixed in to the plot of She Who Must Burn and I'm not ignoring them here as any comment on their depictions, or the talents of the actors in those roles. I'm simply choosing to focus on Jeremiah and Angela because they represent the eye of the storm here. Despite the two characters not actually sharing too much screentime together, relatively speaking, the film often feels like a two-hander in the way that it's either showing events as viewed through one filter or the other.

Twerdum may have been thinking of giving himself the best role when he wrote the script with director Larry Kent, but this never feels like any kind of vanity project. It's not even as morally simplistic as it could be, mainly thanks to a quietly audacious and thought-provoking finale that will lead to some interesting questions and conversations after the credits roll.

Smyth is also very good, despite the fact that she has the less showy role, and she's believable as a woman with no major aims or agenda other than helping out others in times of distress. She's obviously a strong individual, and this comes over in both her moments of comforting others and her confrontations with those protesting outside her home.

Abortion and religious extremism aren't necessarily ingredients for a fun time at the movies, and you'll struggle to come out of She Who Must Burn and tell others that you enjoyed it, in the traditional sense, but this is well worth your time. It's an interesting story, it's told well, and some of the attitudes on display serve as a sombre reminder of attitudes that we still need to, sadly, work against in these more (supposedly) enlightened times.

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8/10

Christmas With A Capital C (2011)

There are times when I'm watching a movie that I start to wonder if I should continue watching it right through to the end. I always do. I'm a completist when it comes to movies. Even the worst films end up becoming some kind of endurance test. Yet a film like Christmas With A Capital C ends up being one of the more challenging viewings for me. Because I'm so far removed from the target audience. Should I even bother giving my opinion on it? Will my opinion be worth anything? Well, as conceited and arrogant as I have to be to keep writing nonsense like this daily, I tend to believe that I can always come at something from an angle which makes it worthwhile. In this case, I have to be upfront about why I realised I wasn't the target audience.

Christmas With A Capital C is a movie that could almost be summed up thus - one man (Daniel Baldwin) returns to his home town, intent on taking Christ out of Christmas. Locals, led by their mayor (Ted McGinley) fight back against him. Meanwhile, kids act sweet, adults are all warm and neighbourly to one another, and a little digging around unearths the fact that this troublemaker may have issues with something other than Christmas. Maybe he just needs shown the right path.

I am, and have been for many years, a happy atheist. That doesn't mean that I disparage, and dismiss, any personal beliefs. It just means that, yes, I start to feel irked when those beliefs are either thrust upon myself, or society as a whole. Many people will know what I'm talking about, I'm not going to use this review as an excuse to take a major sideroad. And that's why I wasn't sure about what to say about this movie. Because it's clearly very pro-religion. The title, and main driving factor of the plot, is derived from a song by Go Fish (a contemporary Christian band who tend nowadays to aim a lot of their music towards kids).

Yet, and I'm as surprised as anyone else by what I'm about to say, it's not actually THAT bad. And there are two reasons for that. First of all, the moments that show characters unable to repress their urge to shout out about Christmas having a capital C are settled among other moments that deliver some standard, pleasant family moments. Second, the scenes that show how the law can be used to keep religious activity/paraphernalia separate from government business are quite interesting. Whether they are based on truth or not, I have no idea. But I hope so, simply because I like to believe in that separation of church and state, as it were.

There is actually also a third reason for this film not being as bad as it could have been, and that's the cast. McGinley is very likable, even when he's being a bit self-assured and pious. Baldwin is appropriately unwavering in his attempt to keep the town a relatively Christianity-free zone, Nancy Stafford is fine as the wife of McGinley's character, and Cooper Peltz and Francesca Derosa play the two main kids, with the former being a teenage lad and the latter a young girl who just wants to be a singing angel at this time of year. They both do fine. In fact, they're better than Brad Stine, who is saddled with playing the kind of guy who assumes that kids will be entertained by short plays that comedically reinterpret the story of Christmas (and, in this film, they ARE).

The script by Andrea Gyertson Nasfell is pretty horrible at times, and director Helmut Schleppi seems content to stick scenes together with no fluidity or thought of context, so it's amazing that this doesn't sink right to the bottom of the barrel. It's preachy during many moments, of course, but it's aiming to preach to the converted, literally, in a way that feels just as positive and schmaltzy as many other festive outings.

4/10

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Capital-Blu-ray-Ted-McGinley/dp/B005BRX8RY/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1417728676&sr=1-1&keywords=christmas+with+a+capital+c

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The Prince Of Egypt (1998)

Be warned. I will be starting this review, as I sometimes do, with a bit of a ramble. But I do have a point. I sometimes use this blog to promote my personal views on subjects that I feel strongly about. Sometimes. The reasons I don't do it more often are that a) it's a MOVIE blog and b) I may often think I know what I'm talking about, but am wise enough to remember just how much I also don't know about any given subject. Having said that, one of my personal stances that I am happy to mention, but simply feel little need to go on about, is the fact that I'm an atheist. I have mentioned my lack of religious belief in other movie reviews, especially when the film being watched and reviewed is something with a very spiritual core, but it doesn't happen often because I don't think it really matters all that much if the movie succeeds in whatever it sets out to do. I also try not to offend people with religious beliefs because I love personal freedoms and the power to believe in anything as much as I loathe organised religion and what warped readings of ancient texts can do to certain, misguided, individuals.

Why do I need to say all this at the start of a review of an animated movie about the life of Moses? Do I need to have firm religious beliefs to enjoy this film? No, of course not. Not at all. Although it might help. The strange thing is that I have always loved the better-known biblical tales and the parables that I was taught as a young boy. I think that they're decent stories, often with a good moral to take away and think about them. Decent stories, from any source, should make for decent movies. Sadly, that's not the case here.

The life of Moses (voiced here by Val Kilmer) is an exciting one. It starts with the young boy being sent downriver in his baby basket to save him from slavery and/or death and develops into a tale that includes a burning bush, a bit of strife with Rameses (Ralph Fiennes), ten terrible plagues, the parting of the Red Sea and more.

Exciting stuff, I'm sure you'll agree. Which is why The Prince Of Egypt is so frustrating for most of its runtime. It's just far too dull. The animation is nice enough, and there are plenty of sequences full of great visuals showcasing a nice stylised take on ancient Egypt, and the vocal cast, including Sandra Bullock, Michelle Pfeiffer, Danny Glover, Steve Martin and Jeff Goldblum among many others, certainly doesn't lack star power. Sadly, the film takes these elements and does nothing with them. Songs are drab and unmemorable, and set-pieces never take off in the way that they should. There are moments when things seem about to lift up, then it just crumples once again.

Philip LaZebnik is the man responsible for the lifeless script, with additional material from Nicholas Meyer, and Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner and Simon Wells are the directors failing to find any other ways to liven up the material. Having sat through this while feeling quite bored throughout, I can't imagine any kids ever being enthralled by it. Knowing how much I enjoyed these tales when I first learned of them as a youngster, that just emphasises what a failed opportunity this is.

4/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Prince-Egypt-DVD-Kilmer/dp/B000059HL2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375655130&sr=8-1&keywords=the+prince+of+egypt

Religulous (2008)

As an ex-barman, I am used to a golden rule when it comes to harmless, time-wasting conversation. Don't talk about politics, don't talk about any sport that involves local teams/rivalries and don't talk about religion. Above all other things, never talk about religion. It's a contentious subject that only those unfettered by the restrictions of some organised belief system seem able to discuss calmly. I believe that someone once said that the worst thing to ever happen to religion was when it became organised. This doesn't mean that I'm against personal beliefs. No sir. But I am against people believing in those things as if all other beliefs are wrong, unacceptable and/or downright unworthy. And let's not get started on the levels of tolerance shown by the more extreme believers. I have many friends who are religious and believe in their own god and they are wonderful people. I am well aware that the worst examples are the extreme examples, so let's not cover everyone under the same Turin Shroud.

I guess the following exchange that I genuinely, and I swear to it, had with a young girl outside a nightclub one night may better illustrate my point.
"I'm a vegetarian," she said.
"Oh, really?" I replied. "Any religious reason or just moral ones?" *Vegetarianism is something I respect if people are doing it properly, even if I don't agree with it but there's one kind of vegetarian I hate*
"No. I'm just a vegetarian. I only eat vegetables, fruit, chicken and fish."
*The one kind of "vegetarian" I hate.
"Oh really, yeah. Those well known vegetables known as chicken and fish."
She proceeded to get quite angry and I decided to provoke her more because I am honestly annoyed every time I hear someone say "I'm a vegetarian, but I also eat chicken and fish. Well, I don't eat red meat." That's NOT being a vegetarian.
Anyway, we finally got to the crux of the matter.
"I don't eat any creature that God allowed to smile," she said. She ACTUALLY said that.
"WHAT??? Is this a joke. Chickens and fish were made by God, if you believe in him, surely."
"Yes, but he didn't make them able to smile and that's why it's okay to eat them."
I stopped even being polite at that point and openly laughed in her face, at which point her lovely boyfriend took her away from me while she shouted about how I wouldn't understand if I was a non-believer and he just kept apologising.
TRUE STORY!!!

But I digress. Ahem. Back to Religulous.

Bill Maher has a clear agenda in this documentary looking at different organised religions and their more extreme "teachings". I like to think that he's like a lot of us, very tolerant of personal beliefs that are not being put forward as absolute truths and placed as influential factors in life. I like to think that but I'm not sure. Bill certainly doesn't pull any punches and he's admirably honest with those he interviews. The editing and cheeky comic interruptions make sure that Bill keeps the whole thing decidedly biased in his favour but there are, sadly, far too many moments when he just leads people to give answers to stupendous in their stupidity that it makes the case far better than 100 little barbed asides ever could. Just witness the senator, Mark Pryor, who somehow thinks he's defending his beliefs by saying "you don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate, though".

Directed by Larry Charles, there's no doubt that this documentary really belongs to Bill Maher and his own voyage of discovery. He doesn't hide his agenda, he doesn't hide his disdain for certain practices and he doesn't hide from the fact that sometimes someone can make him pause for thought. Sadly, that happens very, very rarely (though when it does I must admit that I was as impressed and admiring of the tenacious believer as I had been by Maher himself).

But there's nothing more to Religulous. It's a very good watch but it won't change the thoughts of anyone watching it. Believers will still believe while doubters will still doubt, though perhaps both will do so with a little bit more conviction after watching this. Maybe.

People are horrible. People need anything that offers them hope, reward, peace, etc. People do things they know that other people do. Religulous reminds you of this. But it also reminds you, even if only via the unfailing cynicism of Bill Maher, that every individual can be worth so much more than any homogenous group.

7/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Religulous-DVD/dp/B0027Z83V4