Tag Archives: Film Review

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

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

Cinema, New Releases, Reviews

Cinema Review: TAR (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

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

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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