Month: July 2021

I must apologise for my recent lack of updates on this website. I’ve been doing some covert surveillance for the alliance to ban popcorn (ABP). I have recently made some significant progress by infiltrating the Rebel Wilson Fan Club. To get in, I had to answer one seemingly simple question “What is your favourite Rebel Wilson Movie?” Of course, the correct answer is none, they are rubbish. However, I decided to bite my tongue. It was clear the answer they wanted was Pitch Perfect. For Fat Amy to have never gotten an Oscar was blasphemous, but as I went to type Pitch Perfect, I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t worth the cost of this. So I found a middle ground. My response was “Jojo Rabbit. Rebel Wilson is very funny is the movie.”. You may notice the typo and think that was stupid, but alas it was not. Fans of Rebel will naturally have lower intelligence, so this was the perfect intentional cover.

And it worked. We are now on the inside. So far, most communications have been utter rubbish. Someone sharing a mediocre dance videos and regular sharing of what a psychic said. Of course, it is the case that people who like Rebel Wilson will believe in such a fraudulent profession. Anyway, we are in and ready to break it down and I’ll update you with more progress soon.

Review Starts Here: Speaking of places which aren’t special, you are probably here to read a review of the film “Nowhere Special”. John (James Norton) is a 34 year old window cleaner who is a single parent to Michael, his six year old child. His life is incredibly unremarkable as he goes about his day, but we very quickly see his bond with his son is so special.  We see him going around and meeting families who are all talking about adoption and then it becomes clear to us that James is terminally ill and is looking for a new family to adopt Michael once he has passed away.

This is no easy task for John, who can’t quite work out exactly what he’s looking for. At one point he says he thought it would be as easy as yes or no and director Uberto Pasolini is incredibly good at letting us see these potential candidates and why John would think against them even though they are lovely people. These are offset by moments of John and Michael bonding, which are the most beautiful and fun moments over the course of the entire film.

As you will probably realise from this opening description, Nowhere special is a very sad film. It’s wonderfully tender and authentic. You believe in what you’re seeing on the screen.

James Norton does a wonderful job of bringing his character alive. Along with a great script, we are slowly fed more information which help us understand his psyche, especially around making this decision and we see the impacts of what people say to him, especially around the importance of having a mother around. These comments play on his doubts brilliantly. He has a subtle inferiority concern having raised his child on his own in a not very glamorous, yet incredibly caring way. He also has concerns about his legacy and a feeling that he is betraying his young son. For most of the movie, they don’t discuss what is going to happen, John wants to protect his child. However, much like The Farewell, there is a question of how much Michael is picking up on during all these home visits.

He also has to come to terms with his own mortality and limits. Part of the reason this task is so difficult is because he doesn’t quite seem to accept how little time he has left. This isn’t ever said as much out loud as it is in his actions.

As well as the script, the way the film is made is very subtle. It is an independent film with lots of intimate face shots which give us a full insight into the characters. The look of the film is grey and overcast, until one shot where it notably isn’t. This may just be a consequence of shooting in Ireland, or maybe it was more deliberate.

Of course, as we get to the conclusion, things become more emotional. These moments are dealt in a respectful, understated way. Throughout the movie, the make-up artists make the most subtle changes to make the lead character look slightly more ill and show his deterioration. Then when we see the conversations which are needed, they feel authentically sad and not confrontational, leading to a crescendo where I shed a tear.

Summary

Nowhere Special is a sweet intimate film with a tragic story and theme. It doesn’t avoid its difficult moments but deals with them in a respectful human way. The script is incredible and James Norton provides a career defining performance. [Grade: A-]

Any cinema worker in the south west area of London will know me as the one with the rucksack and green lid water bottle who shoots a disgusted look when asked if I would like to buy any food. It’s part of my persona, like the big guy who brings his folding chair and table to takeaways all over the country (If you don’t know who I’m talking about, look up Rate My Takeaway on YouTube). However, this week I decided to change it up and for the first time ever, I consumed alcohol in my sacred temple. Was I going off the rails? No. Was there reason to celebrate? No. Instead, it was to immerse myself into Best International Film Oscar winner Another Round.

I must say that going into this film, my expectations were sky high. Having been a fan of director Thomas Vinterberg’s previous films such as Festen and The Hunt, I really had a feeling this would be special. Unfortunately, when you think this way, most films let you down. But not this one.

The film focuses on a group of four teachers, the main protagonist of whom is Martin (Mads Mikklesen). They are all missing some spark in their life. Martin in particular seems to have been worn down and has low self confidence and his relationship with his wife is stagnating. None of the others are especially happy either. One has young children and hasn’t slept a whole night in years, one is totally alone with his elderly dog and one is worried he will be forgotten and has no children. Each one is slightly lost, so at a birthday party, it is suggested they undertake an experiment to test a hypothesis that the human is born with a blood alcohol content level of 0.05%. Of course, they start doing this and see some interesting results. At first, it seems to increase their confidence, but as they further the experiment, things will start to go wrong.

A dark Danish comedy about the dangers of alcoholism doesn’t sound like most people’s cup of tea (or alcoholic equivalent), but the film really does hold up as a comedy. It’s the funniest film I’ve seen in a while. These men with their hijinks and interactions with those around them were extremely entertaining and humane. You see them let go when compared to their uptight beginnings. There are of course dark moments as you’d expect in this subject matter, but the use of humour is insane.

The whole film is a real romp. It’s snappy and electric. For the first 90 minutes, it doesn’t let up at all. When you’re in you’re in and it doesn’t break your focus at all. You care for the characters and the cracks come about slowly and organically. The thing about them is that it isn’t one character trying to make the others agree to a crack pot scheme, but at each junction a different member of the group will lead them on to their next step.

While the film will be known as the Danish drinking film, it looks at so much more than that. It’s a celebration of friendship and of living. In a world which has been so flat, it’s about seizing your life and being your best self. The methods of achieving this had some dire consequences, but the use of alcohol allowed the characters to push slightly closer to what they wanted to be and helps them discover it, particularly lead character Martin. The film lets you think about what was right or wrong. It doesn’t just say alcohol is bad or alcohol is great. It looks at Denmark’s drinking culture and looks at the characters, gives you a story and lets you make your own judgement. You’ll either want to drink ten shots after this film or never touch another drink again.

The story is engaging and remains human. It focuses on its characters and the effects of their actions. It keeps an air of unpredictability as it makes sure to be more than just alcoholism.

The great story was brought to life by some of Denmark’s finest actors. Mads Mikklesen (who you will probably recognise from Hannibal or Doctor Strange, but should recognise from The Hunt) will no doubt get most of the plaudits for his leading role, however it is at your peril that you forget the performances of Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe and especially Vinterberg’s long time acting choice Thomas Bo Larsen who acts with grace and nuance despite stumbling around the town off his face.

As with The Hunt, I really loved Vinterberg’s choice of music. He switches interchangably between Danish pop music, classical piano themes and choral music for his most devistatingly intense moments. The switch between all of them is subtle, yet very powerful. It shows the whole film isn’t a party and can bring everything back to earth with a sobering effect.

The whole movie is put together tightly. The use of cinematography is great, with the greys at the beginning of the film showing the dullness of the group’s lives soon replaced by a much more vibrant pallette as it becomes more upbeat. There aren’t many effects as the film docuses on its writing and story more than anything else, however when used sparingly, any extraordinary technique is used well.

The film really is a lot of fun culminating in the best dance based ending since Paddington 2! (Spoiler hidden)

Summary

Another Round is an incredible dark comedy about the effects of drink which is also a celebration of life and living as your best self. The story is great fun running at a great pace throughout with brilliant acting and directing making it one of the standout films of the year. [Grade: A+]