Cinema, Oscar Bingo, Reviews

CINEMA REVIEWS: BABYLON (2022) and THE FABELMANS (2022)

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CINEMA REVIEWS: BABYLON (2022) and THE FABELMANS (2022)

I have been extremely busy with the day-job, itself working with the filmmakers of the future at Raindance Film School, so I have a number of reviews backed-up in “pre-production.” Meaning I am thematically linking the latest films from Damian Chazelle and Steven Spielberg in one double-bill review show. Both Babylon (2022) and The Fabelmans (2022) celebrate the seismic and life-changing power cinema has had on the culture and society, from a historical, professional and very personal perspective.

While I love watching, writing and making films, cinema offerings about filmmaking and the love of cinema can be construed as somewhat of an indulgence on the part of the filmmaker. Quentin Tarantino recently achieved high level juxtaposition between homage and impressive narrative style with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). Moreover, there have been some brilliant films about filmmaking as this Six of the Best Films about Filmmaking article illustrates. But when two of the finest directors around produce extremely different visions of the filmmaking process, then one immediately takes notice.

BABYLON (2022)

Directed and written by Damien Chazelle

Main cast: Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li etc.

Damian Chazelle has proved himself one of the most exciting cinematic voices of recent years. Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016) and First Man (2018) are all masterpieces of filmic storytelling. The absolute control displayed within First Man (2018) when contrasted with the aggression of his debut film and romantic vibrancy of his Oscar winning musical is a wonder to behold. Thus, I came to gonzo-period-drama-jazz-and-coke-fuelled-black-comedy-mash-up, Babylon (2022) with high expectations.

The opening scene of an elephant shitting on the camera / audience from a great height sets the tone of Chazelle’s unofficial adaptation of Kenneth Anger’s scurrilous book, Hollywood Babylon. And so at breakneck speed we hurtle, from 1926 onwards and a orgiastic party through the on and off-set lives, loves, highs and lows of Margot Robbie’s wild “child” actress, Brad Pitt’s silent movie heartthrob, Diego Calva’s ever-optimistic, Manny Torres, and the squeezed-out-of-the-story, jazz musician, portrayed by the under-used Jovan Adepo. It’s brash, bold and challenging cinema that left me with, I have to admit, motion picture sickness.

Babylon (2022) is not so much a love letter to Hollywood as a ratcheted-up-to-eleven tribute to the tragic heroes of the past who were chewed up and spat out by the relentless Hollywood machine. Despite Chazelle and his production team’s incredible dedication and attention to detail in creating a slew of astounding filmmaking set-pieces, I rarely cared about any of these mostly obnoxious characters and could not wait for this Hollywood rollercoaster to stop. Sadly, it goes on for far too long, with too many endings. Don’t get me wrong there are moments of genius, hilarity and grotesque pleasure to be had during Babylon (2022), however, this type of dysfunctional character-driven drama was done with way more heart by Paul Thomas Anderson’s far superior, Boogie Nights (1997).

Mark: 7 out of 11

THE FABELMANS (2022)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Written by: Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner

Main cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Gabriel LaBelle
Judd Hirsch, Jeannie Berlin etc.

“Movies are dreams!“, says a glowing, Mitzi (Michelle Williams), to her young son, Sammy, as she presents him with a camera. So it proved for Steven Spielberg with his career in filmmaking working like a dream, both behind the camera and up on the cinema screen. Indeed, there is no doubting Spielberg is one of the greatest directors of all time, having delivered a succession of incredibly popular film blockbusters and some seriously impressive genre films of spellbinding quality. Jaws (1975) is regularly screened on Sky Cinema and there isn’t a wasted scene or action or performance or line of dialogue in one of my favourite films of all time. The rest of Spielberg’s cinematic curriculum vitae isn’t too bad either.

So, what about The Fabelmans (2022)? Well, it’s a more loose and episodic when compared with Spielberg’s tightly plotted genre films. But if anyone has earned that right it’s one of the finest film storytellers. It’s such a personal project Spielberg even thanked the audience for coming to the cinema to watch it in a recorded clip. At the heart of the action is the aforementioned Sammy, who after his initial visit to the cinema is smitten at first sight. So much so he strives to create the spectacle on his Dad’s 8mm camera. As Sammy’s love affair with film grows into his teenage years he finds himself in the midst of a tug-of-war between his mother’s artistic and highly emotional personality and his father’s (Paul Dano) scientific, more logical mind.

Beautifully filmed, designed and edited, The Fabelmans (2022), is a majestic experience from an emotional and visual perspective. Spielberg’s love for cinema and his family is palpable, as he and Tony Kushner’s screenplay cleverly juxtaposes the filmmaking process with key emotional scenes from the director’s life. One specific moment where teenage Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) edits a home movie only to reveal something very painful is certainly one of the most memorable scenes of the year. Performances are intriguingly varied with LaBelle and Dano both impressing. The usually superlative Michelle Williams was great, but her character felt like she was from an otherworldly realm. I imagine that was Spielberg’s intention. In conclusion, The Fabelmans (2022), is a stunning and big-budgeted home movie. If you are captured by Spielberg’s personal journey and enjoy watching characters on a cinema screen as they stare in wonder at the cinema screen, then you will love this.

Mark: 8 out of 11

Star Trek, Television

TO BOLDLY REVIEW #14 – STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE (1993 -1999) – SEASONS 1 – 7

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TO BOLDLY REVIEW #14 – DEEP SPACE NINE (1993 -1999)

Created by: Rick Berman, Michael Piller

Based on Star Trek: by Gene Roddenberry

Showrunners: Michael Piller (1993–1995) and Ira Steven Behr (1995–1999)

Main Cast: Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig, Nana Visitor, Michael Dorn, Nicole de Boer, etc.

Theme music composer: Dennis McCarthy

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

It’s been over a year since I reviewed the Star Trek feature films here. Thus, much of 2022 was spent watching the seven series of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The fact that I got through all seven seasons of the show illustrates two things:

  1. I am determined to finish this viewing project of watching every Star Trek produced film and television show released from the original series to now!
  2. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was a really excellent show that made me want to watch it the end.

While containing lots of genre and narrative similarities to the previous Trek television productions, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), expanded further the characters, worlds and vision established brilliantly by The Next Generation. Crossing over and surpassing the TNG timeline, DS9‘s narratives centralized around the space station positioned close to the planet of Bajor.

The Bajorans occupy the Alpha Quadrant and had one of the oldest and richest cultures in Star Trek lore. Driven by a spirituality similar to Buddhism, they are a proud people who suffered greatly during the invasion by the Cardassians, who built Deep Space 9 to control the Bajorans and the Alpha Quadrant. After the defeat of the Cardassians, Starfleet were assigned to manage DS9 and the series starts with Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) taking his place as commander of the station. To his surprise, Sisko becomes “Emissary” to the Bajoran prophets. A holy position which drives many storylines throughout the series and conflicts with the logical aspects of his role as Captain.

Deep Space Nine has many fine standalone episodes, however, what makes it differ greatly from the previous franchise series is the complex narrative and character arcs which dominated the latter seasons. These were directly linked by the brutal war which developed between Starfleet, their allies and the Dominion and the Cardassians. Personally, I could have done without many of the romantic “pairings-off” we got between the characters, however, they did raise the emotional stakes for them and brought greater narrative resonance. Lastly, the expansion of the Star Trek universe through use of the wormhole, allowed many other alien species to be introduced to the ever-growing Star Trek universe.

While sci-fi shows can live and die on their scientific concepts and themes, great characters are always at the heart of Star Trek. Sisko is a commanding presence throughout, yet Odo (René Auberjonois), a shapeshifter, was arguably the most complex of all characters, especially when a massive narrative reveal is dropped during Season 3. The familiar face of Worf (Michael Dorn) joined in Season 4 and he provided seriousness when compared to the more energetic characters of Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) and the scheming, but humorous Ferengi, Quark (Armin Shimerman). The Bajorans on the station were represented by Nana Visitor’s formidable, Kira Nerys, while Doctor Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) had a fine bromance. Finally, Deep Space Nine also had some fantastic guest actors, notably Louise Fletcher, Frank Langella, Iggy Pop, Tony Todd, James Darren and Andrew Robinson as Garak. The latter two actors became virtual regulars and Garak, the mysterious and exiled Cardassian, was probably my favourite character in the whole show.

To end this short review I’d like to pick seven of my favourite episodes – one from each season. They represent some of the best examples of, Deep Space Nine, an often brilliantly written, powerfully acted, funny and moving science fiction series.

DEEP SPACE NINE – SEVEN GREAT EPISODES

1. EMISSARY – EPISODE 1

A fine introduction to the characters, setting and themes which will dominate the next seven seasons.

2. THE JEM HADAR – EPISODE 26

A brilliant episode which introduced the fearsome Dominion soldiers, The Jem Hadar.

3. IMPROBABLE CAUSE / THE DIE IS CAST – EPISODES 20 & 21

Odo investigates a murder attempt on Garak on the space station. Their complex relationship thickens within a superbly scripted espionage thriller, full of twists and revelations.

4. THE VISITOR – EPISODE 3

An amazingly involving narrative which finds Sisko lost in a temporal void, with his son, Jake, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his father.

5. TRIALS AND TRIBBLE-ATIONS – EPISODE 6

An incredible episode full of amazing production values as it merges both present and past characters from Star Trek. The DS9 crew are sent back in time where they encounter their Enterprise predecessors and those damned pesky Tribbles.

6. FAR BEYOND THE STARS – EPISODE 13

Developed like a BBC Play for Today drama, this episode is thematically meta-rich, exploring science-fiction writing and racism in 1950’s America. How Avery Brook’s dual identities of Benny Russell and Captain Sisko connect across the universe is enigmatic, poetic and utterly compelling.

7. WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND (Parts 1 and 2) – EPISODEs 25/26

Despite replacing Jadzia with an inferior (Ezri) Dax, and containing a few unnecessary filler episodes with that character, the final season ultimately brought the war with the Dominion to an astounding dramatic conclusion. Sisko’s journey as the Emissary also reached a spiritually emotional and intelligent denouement. One of the best final television seasons of all time, perhaps?

Articles, Book Review

[BOOK REVIEW] A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting by Neil Marshall Stevens

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A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting by Neil Marshall Stevens

As a filmgoer many people are willing to be frightened and induce anxiety and be sickeningly entertained through horror cinema. But why go out of your way to scare yourself?  On the other side, many others in society consider horror films to be depraved and lead to copycat crimes. I am not one of those individuals. I love horror. I love gore. I love watching and telling horror stories. I love being scared in the dark by sounds and images from the silver screen.

Other than being entertained on a primal level, horror cinema distracts me from my own mortality too. This artificial dread paradoxically relieves me from the fear of the end. It’s a way for me to face my fears head on, but safely hidden behind my popcorn.

Further, the horror genre provides one of the most shared experiences for audiences at the cinema. Collectively, this group experience scares us and provides ultimate relief by the time one leaves the cinema. Indeed, horror films are often a staple for teens or young adults looking for thrills on a Friday or Saturday night. They can also make great date movies that allow you to get closer to someone as you both share the fear in front of you.  

Don’t ever forget that horror cinema is big business. Often on a very low budget. The Blair Witch Project (1999), Eraserhead (1977), Paranormal Activity (2007) and the seminal, Night of the Living Dead (1968) are all great examples of low-budget horror films which did incredible numbers at the box office. Which is why if you’re a horror screenwriter or looking to get into creating fear on screen,  A Sense of Dread: Getting Under the Skin of Horror Screenwriting by Neil Marshall Stevens is an invaluable guide to get you started.

Neil Marshall Stevens is a screenwriter and film lecturer with many credits to his name. His book explores the nature of fear and developing the concept of fear within the horror genre. The opening chapters look at the science and biology of what scares us as a species. Are we born with such fears, or do we learn them? After which the writer digs downs into the specifics of what scares people and animals. We are animals after all. This takes in a plethora of phobias, creepy crawlies, urban legends, and things that go bump in the night. Stevens also superbly analyses the many fears prevalent within the real world and our nightmares. The final chapter exercises further cement the theories and concepts with valuable practical advice.

The second half of the book introduces the brilliant idea of the ‘Toolbox of Dread.’  Here Stevens takes some famous horror films and horror conventions and illustrates how filmmakers unnerve and frighten audiences. The ratcheting of suspense, fake tension and the classic jump scare are all explored in depth. These chapters certainly gave me great confidence when I write my next horror screenplay.

Stevens also further develops these ideas in analysing a treatment and scenes from his unproduced screenplay Horrorvision. Not only does this provide an excellent insight into the writing process, but it drills down into how to create tension and dread on the page. Ultimately, Stevens developed Horrorvision in 2000, but it never went into production due to the budget size and being too similar to another project.

I really connected with this book. It gave me a whole new set of approaches and ideas to bring to my next horror projects. It is written in an intelligent and digestible style and gave me a renewed appreciation of the horror film genre. Yes, of course many horror films can be exploitative and often produces some truly terrible movies. However, when directed by the horror experts such as: George A. Romero, James Wan, Ari Aster, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, and Julie Ducournau, to name a few, horror becomes a powerful and primal expression of the cinematic form.

Buy the book from here.

Publication from MWP.

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.

Cinema, New Releases, Reviews

Cinema Review: Tár (2022)

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Cinema Review: Tár (2022)

Written and directed by Todd Field

Produced by: Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert

Cast: Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Julian Glover, Allan Corduner, Mark Strong etc.

Cinematography Florian Hoffmeister

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

Tar (definition): a dark, thick flammable liquid distilled from wood or coal, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons, resins, alcohols, and other compounds. It is used in road-making and for coating and preserving timber.

Todd Field’s classical film masterpiece, Tár (2022), was hailed by critics when released late last year in the U.S.A and made many top ten film of the year lists. I saw it in the first week of 2023 and while I don’t always concur with the gushing hyperbole of professional film critics, I have to say if I see a better cinema release all year I will be amazed. Let’s hope I do.

Tár (2022) is a film which works on many genre and narrative layers. It is a psychological drama, an absorbing character study, a backstage musical, a complex morality play, with suggestions of hallucinatory horror during the final act of the film. It is a triumph of filmic brilliance expertly delivered by Todd Field. It is incredible to think this is only the third film he has directed. Certainly a case of high quality over quantity. But Field confirms himself an auteur, exerting absolute control over the material. Such is his, and the production team’s, meticulous research, writing, planning, design and execution that if I hadn’t seen the credits, I would have said the maestro Stanley Kubrick had made this film.

Tár (2022) opens with haunting singing over the imaginatively presented credits that slowly fill a black screen. Field demonstrates control from the start before we are introduced to Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett). Now, I thought the film may have been a story about a female conductor attempting to break into a traditionally male dominated world. However, Lydia Tár is at the top of her game as a conductor and composer, heralded for her genius interpretations of the music of Mahler and own oeuvre. Plus, having won numerous awards for her cinema, theatre and television compositions. Lydia Tár is soaring and about to release a book Tár on Tár and conduct a live recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony for the Berlin Philharmonic. So, where’s the drama? What could go wrong?

Field structures the linear narrative around Tár’s day-to-day working and family life and the process of rehearsing Mahler’s Fifth. Methodically we are then introduced to actions from Tár’s recent past which threaten to haunt her. As a character who is so revered and in control of her world, Tár’s talent and confidence is magnetic and admirable. However, having no doubt been a force of nature to make it this competitive world, her arrogance and lack of awareness of a changing culture threatens to cancel her prodigiously built dominion. I won’t say anymore but Todd Field brilliantly explores resonating themes of the zeitgeist with razor-sharp intelligence. There are no easy answers either.

I could not take my eyes or mind off the screen during Tár (2022). It is cerebrally, aesthetically and psychologically all-encompassing. The stark cinematography, exhilarating classically-driven soundtrack, imposing Berlin architecture and claustrophobic feel of the Philharmonic offices and rehearsal spaces collude to create further emotional tension. Further, the film not only works impressively as absorbing drama, but also as interpretive ambiguity with subtle and mysterious suspense. Lastly, if Cate Blanchett does not win a best acting Oscar for her performance in Tár (2022) I will be stunned. Never less than metronomically astounding, Blanchett has taken Field’s precise writing and breathed physical, mental and spiritual vivacity into a challenging personality. Thus, take many-a-bow maestros, Blanchett and Field. Encore! Encore! Encore!

Mark: 10 out of 11

Articles, Cinema

THE CINEMA FIX PRESENTS: 10 FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2022!

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THE CINEMA FIX PRESENTS: 10 FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2022!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2023!

I am slightly tardy on the list of my favourite films of 2022 as I had a couple of latter 2022 reviews to catch up on, plus the day job has been quite hectic.

Well, I thought it was a great year for cinema releases. It started slowly but improved steadily throughout with some tremendous films released in the latter half of 2022.

I say cinema releases, but we are now in an era of the streaming platforms threatening the multiplexes with their existence. I treat them all the same now and my list contains choices watched both at home and in the cinema. As long as they are new releases and I saw them in 2022, they qualify.

Obviously, I have not seen every new release from 2022, so if there are any glaring omissions from my list please recommend away!

As an aperitif I include my ten favourite films of 2021. Good luck and bon voyage in 2023!

TEN FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2021

ANOTHER ROUND (2020)
THE GREEN KNIGHT (2021)
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (2021)
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (2020)
MINARI (2020)
PIECES OF A WOMAN (2020)
THE POWER OF THE DOG (2021)
THE RENTAL (2020)
SOUND OF METAL (2019)
WEST SIDE STORY (2021)

TEN FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2022!

In alphabetical order for your consideration. . .

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022)

“I loved everything about The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). The look, the performances, the pacing, the locations, the script, the themes, the humour, the tragedy and Carter Burwell’s phenomenal score are all absolutely first class. . .”

BONES AND ALL (2022)

Bones and All (2022) is directed with glacial majesty by Luca Guadagnino. He expertly blends the genres of horror, period drama, rites-of-passage, romance and road movie with a well-balanced approach to tone. Extracting attractive performances from Chalamet and Russell, their onscreen chemistry is potent and touching.

CODA (2021)

“Unashamedly manipulative and occasionally cloying, Coda (2021), is a big-hearted familial comedy-drama with many powerful messages. Following your dream, respecting those around you and loving your family are integral to this feelgood film. . .”

DECISION TO LEAVE (2022)

“. . . did the exquisitely directed and intelligently scripted, Decision to Leave (2022), need to be so evasively complex and full of radiant ambiguity? The ending especially is both poetically exquisite and frustratingly cryptic. With a Park Chan-wook film, would I have it any way?“

DOCTOR STRANGE AND THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2022)

“Doctor Strange 2 (2022) is a big, dumb, fast-paced, scary, fantastic, mystical, surprising and funny chunk of visually stunning fantasy cinema. Benedict Cumberbatch is on superb hand-waving, cape-throwing, shape-shifting, death-defying, hair-flicking, multiverse-jumping, father-figuring form magically anchoring Sam Raimi’s directorial box of tricks!“

ELVIS (2022)

“I cannot praise Elvis (2022) enough as a cinematic biopic and musical spectacle. While the choppy editing style is jarring at the start, once the film settles down into a groove, Butler’s stunning incarnation shines through amidst the gospel, rhythm and blues, rap, rock, pop, ballad and protest songs throughout the scintillating soundtrack.”

EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE (2022)

“. . . Kwan and Scheinert succeed with Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022) because as well as a machine-gun splattering of hilarious ideas and gags combined with some pretty lofty themes, this film ultimately has a hell of a heart.”

THE MENU (2022)

“The Menu (2022) is a fantastically twisted and funny genre film. Fiennes, Taylor-Joy, Hoult and Hong Chau are on terrific acting form. Further, the production design and cinematography make the visuals succulent and palatable. Ultimately, for those who love food, fear and vengeance, this film is certainly best served hot!”

RRR (2022)

“. . . the scale and ambition of the film is to be totally admired, as is the vibrant direction by S. S. Rajamouli. N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, as the lead revolutionaries, are bona fide film stars. Their energy, physicality and charisma on screen really grabbed me, but amidst the kinetics there is also a big emotional heart within RRR (2022)!”

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (2022)

“. . . while the characters may not be the most likeable, that is never Ostlund’s aim. His desire is to critique capitalist hegemony through both high and low brow humour, style and form. He succeeds, making Triangle of Sadness (2022) one of the most thought-provoking and exhilarating cinema experiences of the year.”

Cinema, Netflix

FILM REVIEW: RRR (2022)

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FILM REVIEW: RRR (2022)

Directed by S. S. Rajamouli

Screenplay by S. S. Rajamouli and Story by V. Vijayendra Prasad

Produced by D. V. V. Danayya

Cast: N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, Olivia Morris, etc.

Cinematography: K. K. Senthil Kumar

Music by M. M. Keeravani

I have a couple of confessions to make before reviewing the exhilarating action-period-musical-drama-martial-arts-hybrid extravaganza that is RRR (2022). Firstly, I did not see it at the cinema. It was only a recommendation from a work colleague that there was an amazing and spectacular three-hour Indian-produced epic film on Netflix I should watch! I am so glad I did as it is a tremendous work of genre entertainment.

My second confession is, that while I call myself a film fanatic, I have not watched many films that could be classed as part of the Bollywood oeuvre. This is a massive admission of guilt because initial research reveals that Bollywood, the informal name for the vast Hindi-language cinema, is one of the world’s largest film producers. Yet, it is important to state that RRR (2022), the most expensively budgeted Indian film of all time, is not technically Bollywood, but rather ‘Tollywood’, being an Indian Telugu-language film.

Further research reveals the traditional Bollywood-style film will most certainly be a musical, full of scenes with joyous singing and dancing. Moreover, standard narratives involve family dramas, unrequited love, rich-girl-poor-boy romances, dividing settings between urban and rural landscapes. Conversely, RRR (2022) certainly has stunning song and dance set-pieces, but it is so much more than that. It is stupendously energetic and inventive, with so much amazing action I was left breathless. Arguably the songs get in the way of the high-octane brilliance, although one spectacular dance sequence at an English garden party left me with a massive cheesy grin.

The story is set in India, 1920, during the British Raj. This, if you were not aware, was part of the Empire, with the Crown ruling in India from 1858 to 1947. Safe to say that the British, aside from one main sympathiser, encapsulated within monstrous characters portrayed by Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody are the big baddies. Because, this is a film about overcoming oppression through the heroic and revolutionary acts of two larger-than-life characters named Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan). The inventive, if at times predictably structured screenplay, is inspired to incorporate the lives of these two real-life Indian rebels, who never met, but challenged the Raj and the Nizam of Hyderabad, respectively.

RRR (2022) is not an accurate historical epic. Who cares! This three-hour behemoth is a thrill-ride that successfully establishes not one, but two, kick-ass heroes. Bheem, who takes the name Akhtar, is introduced fighting a tiger in the jungle, while Ragu, an Officer in the British Army — for reasons which are revealed in a tremendously moving flashback later in the film — is launched into the story fighting a baying crowd of insurgents. The two action men are initially on opposing sides as we get plot strands which echo Infernal Affairs (2002) / The Departed (2006). As the two form a bromantic friendship we know that the script is building to a big face-off between them. It is certainly worth waiting for as S. S. Rajamouli and his production team deliver a gob-smacking action centrepiece midpoint that involves Akhtar and Ragu battling amidst wild animals, vehicles, British soldiers, explosions and bullets aplenty!

RRR (2022) is not without issues. The boo-hiss stereotypical British colonialists simplify the complex politics of the era. Having said that, the British did asset strip India of valuable resources, essentially enslaving and murdering the Indigenous population during its rule. So, any negative emotions against the British are deserved. The female characters, aside from one, were a tad one-dimensional. Moreover, the film is way too long with one or two songs too many. Finally, the CGI, while actually impressive in its own way, did not always gel perfectly with the live action. However, the scale and ambition of the film is to be totally admired, as is the vibrant direction by S. S. Rajamouli. N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan, as the lead revolutionaries, are bona fide film stars. Their energy, physicality and charisma on screen really grabbed me and never let go with fight scenes reminding me of the heart-stopping acrobatics of Tony Jaa . Amidst the kinetics there is an emotional heart within RRR (2022), but where the British once ruled India, now it’s the spectacular that reigns.

Mark: 9 out of 11

Cinema, MUBI, Reviews

CINEMA REVIEW: DECISION TO LEAVE (2022)

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CINEMA REVIEW: DECISION TO LEAVE (2022)

Directed by: Park Chan-wook

Written by: Jeong Seo-kyeong, Park Chan-wook

Produced by: Park Chan-wook

Main cast: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Lee Jung-hyun, Go Kyung-pyo, etc.

Cinematography Kim Ji-yong

Edited by Kim Sang-bum

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

Park Chan-wook is a proper filmmaker. Like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese, he embraces the artifice of the visual and aural medium crafting intelligent, thematically surprising and stylistically dazzling works of cinema. While watching his work one can see the clockwork precision of his filmic mind devising every frame, sound, camera move, cut, character action, acting nuance, being thought out expertly. In short: Park Chan-wook’s films are always an event for me and demand attention.

Chan-wook’s only Hollywood directed film was an under-rated gem of a noir thriller called Stoker (2013), after which he returned home to direct erotically charged period thriller, The Handmaiden (2016). This was a bigger-budgeted and thematically richer affair, taking a complex con-artist-twisting-plot and interweaving an explicit feminist love story. Of course, lest we forget Chan-wook’s classic early work, notably the gonzo revenger, Old Boy (2003). I re-watched it recently at the Raindance Film Festival and the furiously inventive exploitation film retains its beautifully transgressive power.

Like The Handmaiden (2016), Decision to Leave (2022) is a romance story set within a complex genre plot. While the former was a period crime film, Decision to Leave (2022) is a contemporary set police procedural with a central premise highly reminiscent of Basic Instinct (1992). Tang Wei as Song Seo-rae is suspected of killing her husband and as investigating cop, Park Hae-il as Det. Jang Hae-jun, delves deeper he finds himself more and more attracted to her. Where The Handmaiden (2016) and Basic Instinct (1992) used nudity and sexual imagery liberally, Decision to Leave (2022) is far more subtle and cerebral. The compelling romance is built on two fine lead performances, the cunning twists in the crime plot and Chan-wook’s masterful visuals with mountain, coastal and city landscapes being employed to powerful impact.

Now I must admit after watching Decision to Leave (2022) I was left slightly underwhelmed at the end from an emotional perspective. The visuals and storytelling were phenomenal, with Chan-wook and his writing partner crafting a devious series of inventive cat-and-mouse set-pieces. The suspense and doubt instilled as to whether Song Seo-rae is a murderer, despite her cast-iron alibi, is palpable. Simultaneously, the arc of the married mid-life crisis-detective, drawn to the suspect, flirting with disaster through flawed choices, creates much tension also. However, I didn’t immediately warm to the detective’s persona and wasn’t sure if I really cared. But I suspect, due to the complexity of the passion on show, a further watch will cement Chan-wook’s specific and symbolic vision.

Beneath the melding of romance, crime, mystery and action genres, I also considered the potential subtext in the screenplay. I wondered if Decision to Leave (2022) sought to explore the socio-political relationship between the nations of South Korea and China via the characters? Song Seo-rae is a Chinese migrant who came to Korea and via marriage was able to remain. An enigmatic soul she uses her wiles to survive, serenely attracting a series of men. But death follows her as closely as the male. Detective Hae-jun is drawn to her both professionally and romantically, no doubt thrilled by the danger. Yet, Chan-wook denies displaying physical consummation, and this makes the film more erotic than endless sex scenes do.

Lastly, Decision to Leave’s (2022) examination of language, both bodily and verbal, is deftly presented as a theme within the romance. The central crime of murder creates suspicion between the Korean and Chinese characters, but there’s a mutual and irresistible pull that cannot be denied. Song Seo-rae’s use of her phone translation application during her exchanges with the Detective create both a barrier and paradoxical intimacy. It’s just one of the fascinating bits of business, as well as the chainmail gauntlet used by the Detective, which elevate an already impressive script. But did Decision to Leave (2022) need to be so evasively complex and full of radiant ambiguity? The ending especially is both poetically exquisite and frustratingly cryptic. With a Park Chan-wook film, would I have it any other way?

Mark: 8.5 out of 11

Cinema, New Releases, Reviews

CINEMA REVIEW: BONES AND ALL (2022)

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CINEMA REVIEW: BONES AND ALL (2022)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

Screenplay by David Kajganich

Based on Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis

Produced by: Luca Guadagnino, Theresa Park, Marco Morabito, David Kajganich, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Lorenzo Mieli, Gabriele Moratti, Peter Spears, Timothée Chalamet

Cast: Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, David Gordon Green, Jessica Harper, Jake Horowitz, Mark Rylance, etc.

Cinematography: Arseni Khachaturan

*** CONTAINS STORY SPOILERS ***

After reviewing The Menu (2022) last time out, here’s another film where food and eating and death are at the very marrow of the narrative. I must confess though it’s very difficult to discuss the excellent hybrid genre film, Bones and All (2022) without giving away the main ingredient within this film. So, I give prior warning that I’m going to have to reveal it in the review. I will state therefore if this film had been called, Fine Young Cannibals, I would not have been surprised in the least. Because the theme of people eating human meat is at the heart of the story.

Bones and All (2022) is not a B-movie zombie film with bloody images of flesh-eating monsters devouring people. Yes, there are some gory scenes to satisfy horror fans, however, this arthouse adaptation of Camille DeAngelis’ 2016 novel, is more subtle and sympathetic to the young protagonists with a yearning for mortal flesh. Here murder and cannibalism occur, but it is represented as a curse for both Maren (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Timothee Chalamet), who struggle with their consumptive urges. Moreover, the feeding on flesh is highly symbolic, representing a sensual and almost religious experience for the couple. As they travel across various States, they grow as characters and people. They also explore their own love and share other people’s bodies, romance bleeding through in the process.

Bones and All (2022) is set in the 1980s. It begins with teenager Maren living with her father (Andre Holland) in Virginia. After hitting eighteen years of age, and causing a particularly nasty event at a friend’s sleepover, she is abandoned by him. Left with a cassette tape explaining her family history, Maren sets out to find her mother, meeting Lee along the way. The two are immediately drawn to each other and while driving set about sating their desire for fresh meat. This causes conflict between the couple as it is clear they are not comfortable with the nasty business of killing. Unlike the pursuing serial-killer-trophy-collecting antagonist, Sully (Mark Rylance). He is a venal force of nature, taking animalistic glee during the sacrifice of his victims.

Bones and All (2022) is directed with glacial majesty by Luca Guadagnino. He expertly blends and cooks the genres of horror, period drama, rites-of-passage, romance and road movie with a well balanced approach to tone. Extracting attractive performances from Chalamet and Russell, their onscreen chemistry is potent and touching. Acting legend Mark Rylance steals the show though as the slithery Sully. Overall, I felt the film could have been cut for pace slightly and the Romeo and Juliet-with-a-twist ending was too tragic for me. I think, despite their cannibalistic needs, Maren and Lee deserved a future together. But ultimately it’s all a matter of taste.

Mark: 8 out of 11

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CINEMA REVIEW: THE MENU (2022)

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CINEMA REVIEW: THE MENU (2022)

Directed by Mark Mylod

Written by: Seth Reiss, Will Tracy

Produced by: Adam McKay, Betsy Koch, Will Ferrell

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer, Reed Birney, Judith Light, John Leguizamo, etc.

Cinematography Peter Deming

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

I love cinema and films like The Menu (2022), as much as I love food and drink. Wow, some of the food shown on screen looked absolutely delicious, while some of it was that weird cuisine so gorged on by the pompous moneyed folk of this world. I must admit that I have had an unhealthy relationship with food. I have been an overeater and also overweight. I am a food addict, notably sugar and alcohol. I have attempted to control it with various dietary ventures. Low calorie, low carbohydrate, low sugar, running, gym, fasting, temperance and other (un)successful attempts at moderation have ensued. Presently, I am pretty fit from a cardio perspective, and twenty kilos lighter than I was ten years ago. But I could do much better.

I’ve always strived to eat healthily, but fine dining was never really for me. It was only when I met my wife eight years ago that I was introduced to gourmet dining and the dreaded tasting menu. Aside from the over-priced food, I just find those posh restaurants too pretentious for a working-class boy from Battersea. Yet, I would go out with my wife for a treat and eat at some wonderful restaurants in Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Cornwall, London and many more. Some were amazing and some I found were not really value for money. The personality cult of the celebrity chef continues to thrive also. Aside from enjoying Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares they’ve never really interested me. Yet, I was onboard while imbibing the skewered satire of The Menu (2022). Because it’s a sharply scripted horror film which comes to the boil slowly before delivering a killer set of courses throughout.

It’s best to experience The Menu (2022) without knowing too much. The surprises in the inventive script are a constant joy. The setting is an exclusive and expensive restaurant on a remote island called Hawthorne. The host, menu architect and epicurean is celebrity chef, Julian Slowik. Chef is portrayed with intense control and focus by Ralph Fiennes. Slowik finds himself worshipped by his kitchen acolytes, who adhere to his every demand. He is brilliant and to be feared, like many a charismatic cult leader before him. Eat your heart out, Gordon Ramsay.

Arriving by boat to the blighted isle are twelve restaurant-goers such as a team of rich finance guys, a once famous Hollywood actor (John Leguizamo) and his PA, a wealthy middle-aged couple, a food critic (Janet McTeer) and her yes-man assistant, plus the mis-matched couple, Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult). Tyler is a sycophantic fanboy of Slowik’s food and career, something that later comes to horrifying catharsis. Indeed, as well as the mysterious menu, many of the guests are harbouring a secret that this hell’s kitchen is more than prepared to burn.

Structured, unsurprisingly, around the courses of a tasting menu with titles separating each dish, the food delivered is both imaginative and beautifully presented. Margot’s character pushes back on what she considers to be both ostentatious and insubstantial food, much to Tyler’s annoyance. Their conflict intersperses the rising suspense that derives from Julian’s menu, which raises the stakes gradually, before events truly reach boiling point. In Slowik’s restaurant the customer is definitely NEVER right. Similar to Ready or Not (2019), The Menu (2022) is a fantastically twisted and funny genre film. Fiennes, Taylor-Joy, Hoult and Hong Chau are on terrific acting form. Further, the production design and cinematography make the visuals succulent and palatable. Ultimately, for those who love food, fear and vengeance, this film is certainly best served hot!

Mark: 8.5 out of 11

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NETFLIX FILM REVIEW: BLONDE (2022)

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NETFLIX FILM REVIEW: BLONDE (2022)

Directed and written by: Andrew Dominik

Based on: Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates

Produced by: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tracey Landon, Scott Robertson

Main cast: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, Julianne Nicholson, Evan Williams, Toby Huss, David Warshofsky, Caspar Phillipson, etc.

Cinematography: Chayse Irvin

*** CONTAINS HISTORICAL SPOILERS ***

Aside from expertly directing episodes of the Netflix drama, Mindhunter and the documentary One More Time with Feeling (2016), filmmaker Andrew Dominik’s directorial output has been sparse of late. Indeed, he hasn’t released a feature film since quirky gangster drama, Killing Them Softly (2012). I imagine this is due to many reasons including: slow-gestating methodology, several unrealized projects failing to see a greenlight, and the dreaded COVID-19. It’s a shame as I believe he is one of the most compelling filmmakers around at present. Chopper (2000) remains one of my favourite cult stories about a charismatic, larger-than-life criminal anti-hero. Similarly, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) is one of the best films I have seen from the last twenty years.  It was pretty much a box-office flop but everything about it screamed greatness to me: stunning cinematography; brilliant cast; and resonating themes regarding celebrity and legend in the Wild West.

After Chopper Read and Jesse James, once again Dominik explores the iconic life of a real person in Blonde (2022). You may have heard of her, Norma Jean Mortenson/Baker, or as she was more famously known: Marilyn Monroe. Using Joyce Carol Oates’ book as a springboard, plus no doubt many other written, visual and media sources available, Dominik has crafted a stylish and singular vision of the peroxide icon’s life and career. In no doubt should a viewer believe this to be a “true” story in the documentary-drama style, but rather an impressionistic, poetic and compelling imagining of Marilyn’s short, yet tumultuous, existence on this planet.

For me, Marilyn Monroe was one of the most stunning movie stars who ever existed. She lit up the screen and was a mightily under-rated actor also. In her heyday she was the biggest star in the world. Her role as Sugar in Some Like it Hot (1959), is one of the most gorgeously funny, beautiful and vulnerable performances ever committed to celluloid. Enter Ana De Armas as Marilyn in Blonde (2022). De Armas is a revelation on-screen in terms of her looks, movement, body language and the nuanced depth she brings to the screen siren. It’s a brave role too as the script demands much of her. Throughout many exquisitely filmed and edited scenes lies the ugly degradation of Marilyn’s body and soul. De Armas gives her all in these vignettes of domestic abuse, sexual assault, rape, abortions, overdoses, miscarriages, mental breakdowns and further sexual gaslighting at the hands of people she believed were friends.

So, why should you want to watch Blonde (2022), you may ask yourself. Well, De Armas’s performance alone is worth enduring much of the emotionally draining misery. Moreover, Dominik again proves himself to be a director of the highest quality. He’s a maverick and iconoclast who has an impressive and intelligent cinematic eye. The opening sequence where Norma, as a young child, is driven by her unwell mother through Los Angeles forest fires is a frightening and imperious interpretation of mental health, full of fear, heat, and portentous symbolism. Such fire and trauma foreshadows the distress and torment that is to come to young Norma throughout her life. A schizophrenic Mother also echoes the schism of persona that impacts Norma the individual, and Marilyn the movie star. The division of personalities is a theme which the screenplay sensitively explores, despite being buried in the more lurid and shocking events of Marilyn’s sad life.

Overall, Blonde (2022) is a startling and shocking rendition of Marilyn Monroe. Of course, hers was an existence full of drama, intensity, darkness and tragedy. But you have to think there was some light in there, some happiness, humour and joy. On some fleeting occasions during Blonde (2022), Dominik presents this, but ultimately this is a beautifully filmed yet ugly-hearted cinematic tragedy. On the surface the film genre is biopic, but it really is a horror film, as Marilyn’s exploitation by the men in her life is laid bare on the screen. I’ve read some critics describe the film as exploitational, however, this is a film ABOUT exploitation. Marilyn was exploited by agents, photographers, directors, producers, the press, the Hollywood system, the audience, her doctors, her lovers, her husbands and a President of the United States.

Dominik is perhaps suggesting Monroe did not kill herself, but was disintegrated by those who should have loved and cared for her. The ultimate tragedy is that Norma/Marilyn could not find the love and mental strength inside herself to survive those who perpetually sought to profit from this beautiful shining star. If the events realised in Blonde (2022) are to be believed, what person could?

Mark: 8 out of 11

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