Cinema, Classic Film Reviews, Films That Got Away, Reviews

CLASSIC FILM REVIEW: THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966)

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CLASSIC FILM REVIEW: THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966)

Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo

Written by Franco Solinas

Story by Franco Solinas and Gillo Pontecorvo – Based on Souvenirs de la Bataille d’Alger by Saadi Yacef

Produced by Antonio Musu and Saadi Yacef

Main Cast: Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef, Brahim Haggiag, Tommaso Neri and ensemble.

Cinematography by Marcello Gatti

Edited by Mario Morra and Mario Serandrei

Music by Ennio Morricone and Gillo Pontecorvo

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

The Battle of Algiers (1966) was one of the greatest films I had NEVER seen. Now, The Battle of Algiers (1966) is one of the greatest films I have EVER seen. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had, for some unknown reason, not found the time to watch it. But wow, the “best films of all time” lists it appears on are NOT wrong. For sure, I don’t always get on with the critics’ list released by respected publications such as Sight and Sound, nevertheless with this incendiary work of cinema I am in total agreement of its deserved high ranking. In fact it could be higher.

The Battle of Algiers (1966) is set during a particularly brutal period of the Algerian War of Independence which occurred between 1954 and 1962. It is not a conflict I am too familiar with historically, nonetheless, I am aware of the desire by the Algerian National Liberation Front to decolonize themselves from French rule. Their demands were rejected by French leaders, thus the Algerian people took to the streets to wage a guerrilla campaign against both civilian and military targets.

Like many a bloody conflict lives, families, businesses, homes, properties and animals were savagely hurt and left irreparably damaged. As the prolonged fighting ensued in Algiers both sides resorted to more extreme combat measures. But with Algiers becoming a politically adverse battlefield, France’s external allies, such as the USA, moved their support away and eventually the Algerian people would overcome the hostile landlords. For the French, the Algerian rebels were terrorists. But remember, one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter.

A short review on a humble film blog cannot pretend to imagine the currency of horror, grief and pain encapsulated within this brutal conflict. Yet, incredibly, Gillo Pontercorvo, as well as producing a searing indictment against the barbarity of war, has in The Battle of Algiers (1966) made palpable such horror, grief and pain through sheer formal cinematic ingenuity. In two hours, Pontercorvo and his production team, employ a stark black-and-white-film-documentary-style, non-professional actors, chopping episodic narrative, percussive and beating sounds, handheld cameras, vérité production design and dynamic, dialectic montage to spectacularly bring the psychological power of war to the screen. Not to mention the iconic Morricone and Pontercorvo composition which pulsates throughout the soundtrack.

Intrinsically focussed on events in the Casbah, Algiers between 1954 and 1957, as the story is bookended from the perspective of Ali la Pointe (Brahim Haggiag). La Pointe is a petty criminal who is politically radicalized while in prison, but becomes a formidable force in the fight. The narrative events display a variety of bombings he organizes against the French and his attacks lead the French to bringing in experienced soldier, Lieutenant-Colonel Mathieu (the sole professional actor, Jean Martin). The paratrooper commander is tasked with bringing down the Algerian Liberation Front and his methods of torturing prisoners soon begin to turn the bloody tide.

I cannot overstate how moved I was emotionally and intellectually by The Battle of Algiers (1966). It is momentous filmmaking and made me feel both a fraud and horribly depressed at how evil human beings can behave. I am a fraud because I am safely able to live out my privileged life thankfully free of the horror I have witnessed in the film. Moreover, it is so depressing that we never learn as conflict continues to blight this poisoned planet we exist on. Lastly, Pontercorvo, redefines for me the job a what a director does. The Battle of Algiers (1966) is a pinnacle of how filmmaking style and form can match the heartfelt agony of the narrative themes on show. It is not only one of the greatest anti-war films of all time, but simply one of the most complete films ever made.

Cinema, Reviews

CINEMA REVIEW: SICK OF MYSELF (2022)

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CINEMA REVIEW: SICK OF MYSELF (2022)

Written and Directed by: Kristoffer Borgli

Produced by: Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Dyveke Bjørkly Graver

Cast: Kristine Kujath Thorp , Eirik Sæther, Fanny Vaager, Henrik Mestad, Andrea Bræin Hovig, Steinar Klouman Hallert, Fredrik Stenberg, etc.

Cinematography by Benjamin Loeb

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

Human beings are capable of incredible acts of compassion, creativity, kindness, artistry, charity, care and beauty. But I have to admit there is a flaw, and in some people a sickness, which makes them narcissistic, selfish and image-obsessed with the constant need for attention. Indeed, with the advent of mobile phones and social media anyone with an internet connection can drop a video on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok or Instagram and get instant gratification. Not to mention the plague of TV talent and reality programming which showcase the epitome of this “me-me-me” generation.

Maybe society has always been like this, full of attention seekers desiring to become actors or singers or comedians or artists. But now there is a constant platform for the talented, untalented and arguably mentally unbalanced to post their wares online for an ego hit, likes and if they’re lucky, to “go viral.” But it’s just a bit entertainment isn’t it? A bit of a laugh? Getting a bit of attention and maybe even becoming famous. But there is a dark, horrific side to social media and reality show attention. The internet is replete with stories about people who have killed themselves having found “fame” this way. Sometimes too much attention becomes too much for some.

The Norwegian black comedy, Sick of Myself (2022) written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, darkly explores the themes of narcissism, art and attention-seeking through the twentysomething characters of Signe and Thomas. The couple live somewhat regular lives in Oslo. Signe is a coffee shop server, while Thomas is an aspiring artist. Two excellent scenes introduce their characters succinctly. Thomas, who it is revealed throughout to be a kleptomaniac, initially gets a hit stealing an expensive bottle of wine from a posh restaurant. While Signe gets a massive adrenaline punch from the attention she receives when assisting a bloodied customer savaged by a dog. These fascinating narrative strands are the foundation for a series of funny, cringeworthy and horrific scenes expertly developed by Borgli.

The film is very much delivered in a believable and realistic style as, Sick of Myself (2022), develops its character and thematic analysis with understated direction. But the actions of the characters are anything but understated. Signe diverts attention away from Thomas’ growing fame in the art world by resorting to more extreme ways to get people to notice to her. The initial comedic situations, such as Signe faking a nut allergy to interrupt Thomas’ speech in a restaurant, give way to constant lying and actual self-harm, as her personality is blighted by undiagnosed Munchausen’s syndrome. With echoes of DeNiro’s and Scorsese’s The King of Comedy (1983), Signe is a grotesque creation reflecting a dangerous side within our society. But whereas Rupert Pupkin had a goal to become a famous stand-up comedian, Signe, as portrayed with muted and natural brilliance by Kristine Kujath Thorp, has no such career desire other than to just be constantly noticed. She is a tragic character, like many in society, who desperately need psychological help.

Mark: 8 out of 11

Cinema, Raindance, Reviews

Film Review: TO LESLIE (2022)

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Film Review: TO LESLIE (2022)

Directed by: Michael Morris

Written by: Ryan Binaco

Produced by: Claude Dal Farra, Brian Keady, Kelsey Law, Philip Waley, Jason Shuman, Eduardo Cisneros, etc.

Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Andre Royo, Owen Teague, Stephen Root, James Landry Hebert, Marc Maron, Allison Janney, etc.

Cinematography Larkin Seiple


*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

Cinema and booze have always been two of my favourite things to distract me before I stagger off to the great pub in the sky! And there have been some of the great drunken characters and performances over the years on the box or at the cinema. The drunk is an often-used archetype employed for tragic, humorous and, on occasions, heroically redemptive narrative purposes.

Getting drunk actually is certainly easier than acting drunk on screen. Al Pacino in Scarface (1983) was a monstrous example of venal intoxication, Richard E. Grant in Withnail and I (1987) gave us one of the most hilarious drunkards, while Dean Martin’s, Dude in Rio Bravo (1959) and Kilmer’s Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1994) were fine Western inebriates. Romantic dramas Leaving Las Vegas (1996) and Days of Wine and Roses (1962) fiercely show the power alcohol has as it systematically shakes you like a rabid dog until one’s soul is hollowed out.

Ray Milland won an Oscar in The Lost Weekend (1949) as the epitome of liquid self-destruction. While my favourite “drunk actor” of all time is the imperious soak, Willie Ross.  His lagging-pisshead renditions are the best I have ever seen on screen!  His character in Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987) is a racist, sexist, unemployable, drunken bully who when stood up to would simply cower amidst his own weakness.  Club comedian, Willie Ross would repeat the feat in classic British TV drama Our Friends in The North (1996) as Daniel Craig’s vicious alcoholic father.

So, how does Andrea Riseborough compare as a screen drunk in, To Leslie (2022), to the luminaries mentioned above. Well, along with director Michael Morris and writer Ryan Binaco, Riseborough is at the top of her game in this painfully accurate indie character study. They bravely make no attempt to make Leslie sympathetic or charismatic. She is an absolute car crash of a human being. The film opens with a flashback via television news report announcing Leslie as a major lottery winner. Back in the present day she is hammered, broke and getting chucked out of her dingy motel room. Does she attempt to recover and change? No, she tracks down her estranged son, James (Owen Teague), and immediately begins to leech from him and his friends. Teague is really impressive as a naïve and kindly soul trying his best not to get dragged down by his mother’s self-destructive impulses.

As the narrative progresses, Leslie defiantly refuses to adhere to any structure of sobriety, but gets lucky when Marc Maron’s hotel owner takes pity, providing her with a cleaning job and free board. Maron is on fine form here too, playing softer than some of his previously more alpha-male roles. Even after his help the addictive power of booze threatens to destroy what little Leslie has. Addiction is an illness and fatal flaw, strangling Leslie’s body and soulful quintessence.

Riseborough’s Leslie is an infuriating character to watch and experience. I have to admit that at times I even hated her. But that’s the point. Her drunk is a lost soul scrabbling to find the will to survive. Redemption is a town Leslie cannot locate. Later in the film there comes hope for Leslie, but I felt that the filmmakers arguably spent too much time on the pathetic and paralytic Leslie, rather than the silver-lined one. Her road to recovery was somewhat skimmed over in the final act. Nonetheless, Riseborough is magnetic, certainly deserving the Oscar nomination she received. However, I would not want to spend any further time with Leslie Rowland again. Drunk or sober.

Mark: 8 out of 11

Book Review, Cinema

[Book review:] The Hollywood Standard (3rd Edition) – by Christopher Riley

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[Book review:] The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style (3rd Edition) – by Christopher Riley

INT. BASEMENT OFFICE – RAINDANCE FILM SCHOOL – NIGHT

The WRITER (early 50s), balding, could be in better shape but he’s a slave to his work and not the gym. Hunched over his laptop the Writer stares at a blank screen. Thinking. Suddenly a flurry of TYPING.

INSERT COMPUTER SCREEN:

INT. BASEMENT OFFICE – RAINDANCE FILM SCHOOL – NIGHT

BACK TO: the Writer YAWNING.

THE WRITER (V.O.)
Nothing like a looming deadline
to help get things done. Everything
except hitting that looming deadline.
Cleaning. I tend to clean a lot
when I have a deadline. My flat and
office have never been so clean
The kitchen too. It wasn’t even
my kitchen.

The Writer checks his watch. It’s 8.15pm. Rubs his eyes.


THE WRITER (V.O.)
I’d been tasked with writing a review
of Christopher Riley’s formidable
guide script format and style called
The Hollywood Standard.
I was struggling. How could I write this
review in an interesting way?
What could I say that hasn’t already been
said by way more talented people than me?
What I can say is this book is the bible
and a must buy for screenwriters of all
levels. Not only does Riley write with
authority about the basics of script
formatting, but he also gives us a vital
chapter on ‘Deadly Mistakes to Avoid’ while
writing one’s screenplay.
I mean, you may have the greatest story
known to humanity, but if you don’t
write with clarity, accuracy and follow
the basic rules, then those hard-to-impress
studio script readers will throw your
hard work and dreams to the proverbial pyre!

The Writer’s mobile phone BUZZES with a text.

Looks at his phone. Eyes roll. Pushes the phone away.

THE WRITER (V.O.)
Moreover, Riley brilliantly
backs up pages of fine advice, with
examples of classic scriptwriting by
the likes of Vince Gilligan, Guillermo
Del Toro, Jordan Peele, and the Coen
Brothers.


The Writer’s mobile phone VIBRATES from a call.


THE WRITER
(to the PHONE)
Not now!
(won’t go away, so answers)
Yes. . . sorry. I’m tired. 
Got stuck here writing this
book review.
(listens)
Soon. . . I know I work too hard.
(listens)
Okay, my dear. . . The book?
It’s brilliant. I’m close to
concluding. Just about to
write how important a clear writing
style is when conveying your
cinematic vision on the page.
(listens)
Funny you should ask, Riley
covers dialogue, action, dream,
montage, flashback sequences,
CAPITALIZATION, sounds,
texts, [parentheticals], transitions,
and more. . . Yeah, The Hollywood
Standard is invaluable. . .
I’d better go. Need to get home.
(listens)
Yes, I know this conversation’s
in my head. I’m just typing this for
a meta-conclusion. To be clever.
The review is finished. Got to
start writing that feature film I’m
getting paid for. You’re right!
Right! THAT fridge won’t clean itself.

Buy the book from HERE:

Publication from https://mwp.com/product/hollywood-standard-third-edition-complete-authoritative-guide-script-format-style/


Michael Wiese Productions (MWP) was launched in San Francisco in 1976 primarily to produce films. Today, the company is known worldwide having published some 200 books. Some of the bestsellers have been translated into 28 languages, are used in over 1000 film courses, in the Hollywood studios and by emerging filmmakers.

(Note from THE WRITER: I know the script above should be in Courier New font, but WordPress won’t let me change it or I don’t know how.)

Films That Got Away, Great Ensemble Film Casts, Reviews

FILMS THAT GOT AWAY #15: SHORT TERM 12 (2013)

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FILMS THAT GOT AWAY #15: SHORT TERM 12 (2013)

Written and Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton

Produced by: Maren Olson, Asher Goldstein, Joshua Astrachan, Ron Najor

Cast: Brie Larson, John Gallagher, Jr., Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, Lakeith Stanfield, Kevin Hernandez, Melora Walters, Stephanie Beatriz, etc.

Cinematography: Brett Pawlak

Bloody Marvel!

I refer to both this film, Short Term 12 (2013), and the Disney-owned behemoth studio which, while releasing some incredible film works over the years, currently pumps out generic product of variant quality. I say “Bloody Marvel” because the studio continue to poach some amazingly talented filmmakers with indie roots to front their entertaining cookie-cutter templates. I, of course, include Short Term 12 (2013), writer-director, Destin Daniel Cretton who, having adapted his own short film for a reported $400,000, has subsequently been directing stupidly expensive super-hero films for the studio giant.

Short Term 12 (2013) is one of those films I missed seeing on release. I then, for some unknown series of reasons, did not see it on video until earlier this month. It is a brilliant drama, full of fascinating characters, amazing dialogue, poignant moments of humanity and some really funny scenes also. Moreover, it has almost the perfect low-budget film screenplay, so it is no surprise to find out Destin Daniel Cretton’s script won a Nicholls Fellowship Screenwriting Award. The casting director also deserves a mention too. I am not sure what kind of crystal ball they had because the ensemble is a who’s-who of “before they were famous” castings including: Brie Larson, Lakeith Stanfield, Rami Malek, John Gallagher, Kaitlyn Dever and Stephanie Beatriz.

Set in a group care home, Short Term 12 (2013), centres around the staff and teenage children and their daily ups and downs. At the heart of the story is Grace (Brie Larson) and her work/romance partner, Mason (John Gallagher). As well as working to resolve the often harrowing issues of teenagers such as Marcus (Lakeith Stanfield) and Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), Grace strives to overcome the post-traumatic scars her childhood has caused her. Aside from a slight tragedy overload in the final act, Short Term 12 (2013), is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. The emotional gravity I felt for many of these characters was so powerful. It is very rare that a film can make me laugh and cry in equal measures. And it was all shot, acted and directed in just twenty days. Destin Daniel Cretton’s sophomore feature film is a true indie marvel!

Mark: 10 out of 11

Cinema, Netflix, Reviews

NETFLIX SPRING FILM REVIEWS – PART TWO! Including Pinocchio (2022), The Wonder (2022), White Noise (2022) and more. . .

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So, here’s PART TWO of my Netflix spring film reviews. PART ONE is HERE if you are interested.

Happy Holidays everyone!

THE PALE BLUE EYE (2022)

Scott Cooper and Christian Bale combined to brutal and intense impact with the dark Western, Hostiles (2017). Their follow-up is an equally bleak, but not so riveting character study, based on the detective novel by Louis Bayard. Bale portrays a world-weary detective, during the 1830s, tasked with solving the suspicious deaths of cadets at military school, West Point. Moody, murky, and dour in performance, production design and plotting, The Pale Blue Eye (2022), is a draining experience. Further, Bale’s Augustus Landor is not the most charismatic of protagonists and only Harry Melling’s eccentric rendition of a young Edgar Allen Poe, occasionally raises the gloom. There’s some terrific cinematography in this cold thriller and a great story in there. I especially enjoyed the Edgar Allen Poe elements too. But, the film is suffocated by the slow pacing and lack of empathy for the victims or lead characters.

Mark: 7 out of 11

PINOCCHIO (2022)

I have to be honest, but I have never really had a big emotional connection with the story of Pinocchio. It’s great to have goals in life, but the desire to ascend to a higher plain of humanity and be “real”, whether you are made of wood or machine (see Artificial Intelligence (2001)) is a desire I cannot align too. Maybe I am too dumb or privileged? However, I think that is probably the point of the writer Carlo Colludi’s classic tale. Because it is all about finding peace within yourself whatever you are made of. Indeed, it is a fantastic rites-of-passage, journey of discovery narrative and deserving of classic status. Let’s not forget that Disney, Kubrick, Spielberg, Garrone, Zemeckis, and now Guillermo Del Toro have produced versions of Pinocchio (2022). But how many more do we need? Del Toro, Mark Gustafson and their genius production team’s stop-motion version is a stunning rendition though. Setting it during World War II darkens the flavour and colour, with Del Toro breathing fresh life into this overfamiliar fairy story.

Mark: 8.5 out of 11

THE TRIP (2021)

Norwegian genre movie director, Tommy Wirkola, unofficially remakes Haneke’s Funny Games (1997), with this bloody hilarious live-action cartoon comedy. Noomi Rapace and Aksel Hannie are Lars and Lisa, a couple whose marriage is crumbling. Both decide that divorce is not the best way to end their relationship. A trip away is not an attempt for the couple to reconcile, but to destroy each other. Before you can say War of the Roses (1989), the film takes a violent twist as their unromantic getaway descends further into destruction with the introduction of a surprising criminal element. I won’t give it away, but I was thoroughly entertained by the gory and bone-shredding silliness of it all. Noomi Rapace is always brilliant too!

Mark: 8 out of 11

WHITE NOISE (2022)

Kubrick is quoted as saying, “If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.” But does that necessarily mean it should be filmed? So, when you read a literary classic is apparently unfilmable, and then discover that it is being filmed, you wonder how they have filmed it. Well, in the case of Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of postmodern classic, Dom DeLillo’s White Noise (2022), I genuinely wonder why they bothered. Perhaps, the apparent $100 million spent will allow Noel Baumbach and Greta Gerwig to develop more interesting projects in the future, but this really is an over-expensive 1980s set cinematic folly. Having said that Gerwig and Adam Driver light up the screen and Baumbach’s witty script had some genuinely delightful dialogue exchanges between the energetic and intellectual ensemble. However, overall the film was too self-consciously eccentric and over-long. I’m glad the filmmaking team got a grand payday, but arguably the book should have remained unfilmed and on the page. Sticking it out to the bitter end is well worth it though. It has a fantastic final credits sequence.

Mark: 7 out of 11

THE WONDER (2022)

Is there a better actor around than Florence Pugh? I am not so sure. She is formidably brilliant in every role I have seen her in. I think that Pugh is so clever, emotional and magnetic in her screen performances, none more so than in this intense period drama directed by Sebastian Lelio. The Wonder (2022), an adaptation of a novel by Emma Donoghue, is set during 1862 in rural Ireland shortly after the Great Famine. Pugh’s English nurse, Elizabeth Wright, is summoned to attend a young girl who apparently has not eaten for months. Is it a religious miracle or are there supernatural forces at play? Such themes are intelligently explored in this atmospheric and brooding drama which had me gripped throughout. The subtext of religious control, Catholic guilt and the English stranglehold over Ireland also exist between the dramatic lines in an intimate epic, anchored by Pugh’s dominant force-of-human-nature performance.

Mark: 9 out of 11

Netflix, Reviews

NETFLIX SPRING FILM REVIEWS – PART ONE! Including: All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), Glass Onion (2022), Passing (2021) and more . . .

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Having not been too impressed by Netflix’s summer 2022 blockbuster releases – see my reviews here – I questioned the amount of money spent on big budget productions which had very average scripts and indifferent storytelling. Well, Netflix have certainly redeemed themselves of late, because the majority of the films I have seen on the platform recently have been excellent.

Indeed, I have watched so many Netflix films since the turn of 2023, I have decided to split the reviews into two parts. I have been so busy at work that I just don’t have time to review them all separately. Many of these films are so impressive they do deserve longer critical pieces, but there you go. I have even passed over reviewing John Wick 4 (2023) and Scream 6 (2023). While they are decent genre films, they offer nothing new to The Cinema Fix reviewing realm.

Ultimately, I hope you enjoyed these films as much as did. All power to Netflix – keep up the amazing work!

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (2022)

The German war film adaptation of the classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque has been made twice before. This big budget version is directed by Edward Berger and certainly has a powerful and spectacular visual style, allied to some formidable filmmaking expertise. I fear the television screen was not the right medium to witness the muddy majesty on show as it can barely contain the crunching metallic and bloody horrors of the first World War. The film has unsurprisingly been nominated for and won many awards, and benefits from a brilliant debutant screen performance from Felix Kammerer. Personally, I still feel that the original 1930 film adaptation has more human emotion to it, as the characters in this version aren’t as well set-up from the start in comparison. A phenomenal achievement in sound and vision though nonetheless. The cinematography and soundtrack are as good as gets.

Mark: 8.5 out 11

ATHENA (2022)

Imagine taking the anger and social commentary within La Haine (1996), and adding vivid colour, pyrotechnics, kinetic cameras, long takes, and turning it all the way up to eleven? If so, then you have an idea of what Roman Gavras’ socio-political-action-thriller, Athena (2022) delivers. The death of a youth at the hands of police brutality kicks off rioting from the underclasses on a French council estate. What follows is a stunning group of frantic and explosive action set-pieces as fraternal loyalties are tested between the main protagonists with police, youth and gangsters at each other’s throats. Arguably though, the fast pace and fireworks dampen the sociological message in an otherwise breath-taking directorial and cinematographic achievement.

Mark: 8.5 out of 11

GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (2022)

I really enjoyed the first Knives Out (2019) reviewed here. It was one of my films of the year. I also absolutely love Agatha Christie’s model of ensemble characters being investigated by a brilliant detective, with complex plotting and surprise twists and dark secrets being uncovered as a “whodunnit” is solved. Rian Johnson’s brilliant screenwriting abilities also breathed fresh air into a well-worn subgenre. He attempts to capture lightning in a bottle again with Glass Onion (2022), and while the famous cast, notably Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, and Kathryn Hahn stand out among the over-actors, the devilish plot concerning rich people trying to out-do each other just did not connect and make me care. Also, am I the only one who still thinks Daniel Craig is miscast in this role? Even though I really enjoyed the cleverness of the script, his appalling “Foghorn Leghorn” accent still grates me.

Mark: 7.5 out of 11

THE HOUSE (2022)

From the leading voices in independent stop motion animation – Emma de Swaef & Marc Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr and Paloma Baeza – The House (2022) is a triumph of eccentric imagination, artistic talent and surreal vision. But the three bizarre tales contained within this anthology, while kind of enjoyable, were just TOO weird for me to thoroughly enjoy in a conventional sense. File under impressive avant-garde and experimental genius, rather than safe popcorn entertainment, and that is probably what the filmmakers were aiming for.

Mark: 7 out of 11

PASSING (2021)

I wish I’d seen this amazingly powerful film on release as it would certainly have been in my top ten films of the year. It’s a low budget, intimate and yet emotionally resonant adaptation of Nella Larson’s novel. Set in 1920s New York, the heartfelt drama juxtaposes the lives of two black women, portrayed by Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga, with the latter passing herself as white within the racially charged era of the time. As their friendship develops their respective life choices are explored with subtlety and intensity by the impressive cast and director, Rebecca Hall. The choice to employ black-and-white cinematography, while often an over-used artistic indie-film trope, is absolutely the right choice. Lastly, Tessa Thompson is wonderful, but Ruth Negga is quite sublime in a complex, pathos-laden and unforgettable tragic screen personification.

Mark: 9.5 out of 11

Cinema, Reviews

CINEMA REVIEW: COCAINE BEAR (2023)

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CINEMA REVIEW: COCAINE BEAR (2023)

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Written by Jimmy Warden

Produced by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Aditya Sood, Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman and Brian Duffield

Main Cast: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale and Ray Liotta

*** CONTAINS SPOILERS ***

Every now and then a film title hooks you in immediately. Snakes on a Plane (2006) anyone? Now, another beast driven movie comes along and says, “Hold. . . My. . . Bear!” Enter based-on-a-crazy-true-story Cocaine Bear (2023)! Yes, incredibly, the B-movie comedy-horror film is based on the real-life events in 1985, when a drug smuggler chucked themselves, and over forty bags of cocaine, out of a mechanically flailing aeroplane. When his parachute failed to open the smuggler plummeted to his death. The raining coke fell into Georgia forest terrain, only to be found by a black bear who, thinking it was food perhaps, tucked into the white powder.

Cocaine Bear (2023) imagines what happened next to this bizarre but somehow tragic series of unfortunate events. Let’s just say that P.E.T.A would certainly not approve of what happens to the bear in this film. Although they may enjoy the many grisly and bone-crunching deaths that occur to the mostly two-dimensional human characters on show. But while the cast, notably Alden Ehrenreich and Keri Russell, do their best with the material, the film lacks the wit and ensemble acting strength of a far superior movie involving an apex predator gone rogue, Lake Placid (1999).

Safe to say that Cocaine Bear (2023) is a pretty terrible movie. It is, however, very entertaining in a stupid way. It is deliberately intended to be that way by the writer, Jimmy Warden and director Elizabeth Banks. The flimsy characterisation, over-acting and half-witted plotting place the film on the verge of parody, without reaching the richly, gag-heavy scripts of say the Naked Gun series. There are some fantastically funny scenes involving the kids finding the cocaine and the realistic CGI bear causing carnage killing dumb teenage gang members and bickering gangsters. So, go into Cocaine Bear (2023) with low expectations and you will be rewarded with a funny and bloody B-movie monster flick. Ultimately, it has a great trailer and clickbait title, and contains enough crowd-pleasing carnage and dumb fun to make it worth a trip to the cinema.

Mark: 6.5 out of 11

Cinema, New Releases, Reviews

CINEMA REVIEW: KNOCK AT THE CABIN (2023)

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CINEMA REVIEW: KNOCK AT THE CABIN (2023)

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Screenplay by: M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman

Based on The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay

Produced by: M. Night Shyamalan, Marc Bienstock, Ashwin Rajan

Main cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint etc.

Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, Lowell A. Meyer

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

M. Night Shyamalan is arguably one of the most critically divisive directors working today. Not because his films are particularly controversial, but mainly because he is a risk-taker that tests the boundaries of genre expectations. He has so many different ideas and concepts that quite often his movies have back-fired spectacularly, however, when he gets it right his genre films are highly entertaining and compelling. Superior genre films such as: The Sixth Sense (1999), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), and The Village (2004), were full of invention, suspense and wicked twists. Many people felt The Village stretched the limits of suspending disbelief, but it was a masterpiece compared to his filmic failures like: The Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008) and The Last Airbender (2010).

I missed seeing the apparent disaster that was After Earth (2013), yet it was opined that Shyamalan returned to some essence of form with the horror film The Visit (2015). However, I still felt there were some dodgy creative decisions in that, such as the story-filler-white-middle-class-rapping kid in amidst a creepy thriller. Yet, with Split (2016), Shyamalan was back to his best, weaving an exploitational B-movie kidnap-plot with a searing psycho-performance from James McAvoy. The ending, which found Anya Taylor-Joy’s ultra resilient Casey fighting back against McAvoy’s twenty-plus split-personality maniac, then brilliantly linked the film to Shyamalan’s Unbreakable (2000). Glass (2019), was a solid finale to the unlikely trilogy and his adaptation of the novel, Sandcastle, titled Old (2021), received mixed reviews. However, despite the over-cooked ending, I thought it was a brilliant Twilight Zone infused ensemble suspense twister.

Shyamalan’s latest cinema offering, Knock at the Cabin (2023) is another literary adaptation and contains a simple yet compelling premise. As same-sex couple, Eric and Andrew, plus their adopted daughter, Wen, are enjoying a relaxing getaway in a peaceful and bucolic wood, four strangers carrying home made medieval-type weapons arrive and give them a horrific choice. If they do not sacrifice and kill one of their family, the end of the world will begin. This apocalyptic game of “would you rather” immediately raises the drama and stakes to a critical point, after which events become darker and tense. I was immediately drawn in as I really enjoy narratives where the characters have unenviable choices to make. What would I do in that situation?

As the family are tied up and threatened, the four strangers introduce themselves and how they came to the cabin. The tension increases as the world events seem to back up what the seemingly crazy people are saying. Interspersed with the scenes in the cabin are some moving flashbacks which establish the humanity and relationships of the victims. This creates empathy and texture to the middle-class every-couple family unit. They are not action stars or superheroes, but are us, the audience, facing a hard-to-stomach decision. Of course, a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is asked by Knock at the Cabin (2023). However, I was certainly gripped by the narrative throughout.

M. Night Shyamalan’s films often contain social commentary or reference to larger external forces impacting the characters. Here my interpretation was that, the book it is adapted from and the script, are dealing with themes relating to environmental allegory. If we, as a species, are all prepared to make a sacrifice we can ultimately save the world from disaster. Yet, Shyamalan succeeds here where The Happening (2008) failed because the message is more subtle, without bludgeoning us over the head with a massive weapon. Talking of which Dave Bautista gives a revelatory performance as the gentle giant, Leonard, a man cursed to carry out the portentous visions which haunt him and his group of deadly seers. His performance, some fascinating frame and shot choices, and Shyamalan’s ability to create psychological tension without resorting to shock tactics are all great reasons to answer the door to this apocalyptic thriller.

Mark: 8 out of 11

Cinema, New Releases

CINEMA REVIEW: THE WHALE (2022)

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CINEMA REVIEW: THE WHALE (2022)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Screenplay by Samuel D. Hunter (based on his play of the same name.)

Produced by: Jeremy Dawson, Ari Handel, Darren Aronofsky

Main cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton

Cinematography Matthew Libatique

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

Darren Aronofsky is a risk-taking, boundary-pushing genius of a genre filmmaker. He is one of those film experimenters who threatens and breaks the chains of narrative convention, form and style. Films such as Pi (1998), Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Wrestler (2008) and Black Swan (2010) are intelligent, moving and often controversial cinematic visions. The least said about the indulgent, pretentious and nihilistic void of a film, Mother (2017), the better. Many went crazy for that allegorical nervous breakdown on the screen, but not me.

Aronofsky’s latest film, The Whale (2022) finds his excesses stripped back in terms of setting, colour, camera movement, lighting and editing design. The story of an obese man, Charlie (Brendan Fraser), finds him trapped by his own weight, addiction to food, grief and ill-health within an apartment. The colour scheme is stained and grey, while the dialogue-heavy script, naturally lit set, mostly static camera and claustrophobic drama betray The Whale’s origin as a play. Online English teacher Charlie’s journey is slow-burning and tragic, as he attempts to reconcile himself with his bitter, teenage daughter, Ellie, (Sadie Sink) and deal with his ever-worsening health. This familial thematic echoes The Wrestler (2008) as a lead protagonist strives to redeem his life decisions and find value to his existence. Ellie, however, is far less sympathetic and angry when compared to The Wrestler‘s, Evan Rachel Wood’s, Stephanie.

As with Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Whale (2022) contains the theme of addiction. Aronofsky’s earlier film found the characters hooked on heroin. Here, Charlie is wholly dependent on food. His dealer is also his carer, Liz (Hong Chau), and their relationship, as well as Ellie’s verbal outbursts, power much of the guilt and conflict within the play. Because Charlie is lost in hurt, he distracts himself with fizzy soda, pizza and massive torpedo rolls. He hides indoors in the shadows and behind an avatar on his computer screen. Charlie’s students never see him, only hearing his slowly breaking voice, stymied by an inability to breathe due to his expanding heart and squeezed lungs.

I feel it’s an almost integral part of the human condition to satisfy a compulsive need to feed on a substance that destroys one’s body and soul. I believe everyone is an addict, but some have more will power than others and can handle their compulsions. However, if you lose someone or suffer from depression, feeding one’s addiction is a way of blocking out the pain. Thus, I really connected with Charlie’s character in The Whale (2022), because he is in a painful tailspin with no apparent way out. Brendan Fraser delivers a stunningly moving character study. It truly is an admirable physical and mental achievement. Hong Chau is also impressive as the both caring and controlling carer who proves to be both Charlie’s best friend and worst enemy.

To conclude, The Whale (2022) is a compelling chamber piece with some finely written dialogue, empathetic heart, controlled direction, incredible make-up and prosthetics, and a singularly mighty performance from Fraser. Ultimately, the film holds a mirror up to the human condition, finding that the reflection, however upsetting and disturbing it may be, still deserves our compassion and understanding.

Mark: 8.5 out of 11

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