I hate every blockbuster I see from Movie A to Movie Z, thus my decision not to make a monkey out of myself and watch Something of the Planet of The Apes may be considered justified. However, that is a lie as sometimes I like the big films. There were big films out this month otherwise, with the big car one and the tennis one, as well as a slew of smaller films from all over. Despite a slight change of job and a bout of illness, I did get to see some films, so let’s see which films were wrong and which had the spirit of Earth all along.
Challengers is a real thrill ride. It’s a real back and forth between two people in a rivalry which has built as both players look to use strength, luck and working out what the other player will do. There is an intensity which is beautifully captured for quite a unique experience. That is my review of one of my favourite card/board games. The tennis movie, however, was rather underwhelming. The third big feature by Luca Guadagnino following the great Call Me By Your Name and the totally average Bones and All just doesn’t quite hit the spot. Two tennis players who both like the same third tennis player (Zendaya), who is married to one (Mike Faist). When Faist’s player goes through a bad run, his coach-wife who is living through him sends him to a rubbish tournament to get his form back when, oh my word, he ends up back against his old best friend and her ex played by Josh O’Connor.
The film fails as a tennis movie. It’s clearly not made for fans of the sport, both players come cross as geeky and whiney instead of athletes. There is a dissonance in what the director wants to do and what is done. The film also tries to be fun and raunchy, which again it isn’t really. Maybe for the grave-humping TikTok watching Saltburn slurping generation, some people kissing is proper scandal, but compared to what the film wanted to market itself as, it was just a bit dull. Josh O’Connor was tragically under used in a basic script, more on him later though, while Zendaya showed that maybe she should stick to super hero and Disney movies. Whatever, watch it if you want to. Fault.
Hit Man is the new Richard Linklater (School of Rock/Boyhood/Before Trilogy) film, which is due to/has (depending on when I publish this) come out on Netflix. It fundamentally has a really fun idea behind it. Gary Johnson is a nobody teacher who lives a dull life. In his spare time, he helps police with the tech for stake outs when hunting down people who look to hire hit men to kill their loved ones. When the usual actor is suspended, he is thrown in as a fake hit man, a role he revels in. One day, however, he meets a woman fleeing an abusive husband and decides to help give her a second chance. From there, things spiral in this comedy caper.
This film is well made, well enough acted, and probably an interesting story. However, there was one big problem which really stopped me enjoying this film. When in the School of Rock, Jack Black plays a fake teacher, it’s dodgy, but well intentioned. I could get past it. However, when Gary Johnson, the lead character, carries on his fake persona, from a police based position of authority, to sleep with a vulnerable woman and is framed as a hero. This isn’t a 5 minute bit, it’s the whole movie. It just feels creepy and uncomfortable, but hey if you can get over that, you might really like this film.
Confession time, I haven’t seen Mad Max Fury Road. It’s been on my list of films to get around to, however I’ve been saving it for a big screen. This may have meant that I am missing vital context for the prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Furiosa was abducted from her home by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and saw her mother killed. Naturally, she wants to avenge her mother and return home (which she may or may not do depending on people’s knowledge of what’s in the sequel, again I don’t know). The world, however, is full of nutters in fast cars trying to survive and trade or loot food and gas, which means she needs to become a fighter.
The film has some great elements. It looks great, and I really like the hair and make up and set pieces. It has all the quality elements of a blockbuster done well. Does it re-invent the wheel? No, not particularly. It’s not a film which shows how scarcity and fear lead to tyranny and how we parallel this and can avoid it. It’s a simple bang crash movie which if you’re into you’ll enjoy. A harmless enough picture.
Kidnapped is an Italian mid-budget film based on a true story about a Jewish boy who was taken from his family into the Catholic Church in the twentieth century. Focussing on the moments from his kidnapping until his adulthood, it looks at how this child looks to resist, and the church pressures him. Meanwhile, we also see his family struggle to get him back.
The film is never horrible or properly intense until towards the end. It tonally feels much like those old primary school Secret Garden films which you’d watch and probably find boring as a kid. The actors are all polished and the movie comes with a nice score, meaning it’s not some micro-budget indie film. Telling a story more than saying anything of depth, the simplicity of this film is in its strength, as even if you don’t have the historical knowledge you can still follow what is happening pretty easily. A solid movie.
Love Lies Bleeding sits in an awkward middle ground. While it’s certainly a bit too edgy to be mainstream, Rose Glass’ new film doesn’t quite feel body-horror enough to be a full on cult movie. When Lou, played by the always amazing Kristen Stewart, sees Jackie working out in her gym, it’s love at first sight. Jackie is a body builder who is looking to compete, and naturally Lou fosters a healthy relationship by pumping her with steroids. Meanwhile, Lou’s family is being a bit dodgy with murder and domestic abuse, a situation which she finds herself and Jackie drawn more and more into.
There is plenty to like in this film. Stewart is just wonderful, as is Ed Harris, and the story is novel. I was surprised at how tame it felt compared to Saint Maud, Rose Glass’ previous film, instead taking a more upbeat and hopeful tone, despite the substance abuse. It was clearly made for an art house crowd, but I’m not sure if being in the middle lane will find its audience. The film felt like it could be grim by its sounds, however the last 5/10 minutes just felt silly compared to the grittiness of the rest of the movie. On the whole, a really solid movie.
Pakistani tragic romantic, patriarchy bashing horror movies aren’t for everybody, however if they’re for you, boy is there a good movie which will be up your street, it’s In Flames. Following the death of Mariam’s grandfather, she and her mother Fariha are at a bit of a loss and drifting apart. When Mariam seems to be getting her life back together, tragedy strikes her again, as the worst of both super-natural and the natural start to follow her, men. Meanwhile, her mother is struggling with keeping her flat following her uncle’s attempt to take it from them. Again, men. Can they combine to unite against the patriarchy and the ghosts of the world?
A soft horror in terms of the scale of it all with few jump scares, more a feeling of unease, what this film does best as with most of the genre’s top films is to reflect its society. It’s an angry film with something to say about the treatment of women. It does this in a clever way looking at different forms of mis-treatment they may suffer from micro-aggressions to aggressions. It’s really well written, and fantastically acted by first time actors Ramesha Nawal as the daughter and Bakhtawa Mazhar as the mother. It has a very limited cinema run, but is out on Curzon Home Cinema and is well worth watching.
A goal of mine has been to tick off one film from every country in the world, therefore when Lithuania’s recent submission for best international film at the Oscars came on, was there any way I could give Slow a miss? And what a gem it was. A cute low budget romantic film, it shows dance instructor Elena meet sign-language interpreter Dovydas. This is quite intentional as they communicate and use their bodies to say things that words don’t. As their relationship blossoms she finds out he’s asexual, which means he isn’t sexually attracted to anybody.
This film was beautiful, with two characters being vulnerable with one another. It looked at things quite maturely, with them trying to build a relationship in a way which isn’t familiar to either. There is a bedrock of insecurity as Elena seems to be used to validation through sex and Dovydas has feelings of inadequacy and not being enough for her. The two actors have so much chemistry and you care so much for them. Meanwhile, the grainy film and handheld cameras reminded me of Once, the Irish singing film. This relationship carries the same intimate feeling as that does, with everything feeling natural. It’s the sort of film which will both break and mend your heart.
Worst Film of the Month
I’m aware that most of the films in my lower rankings this month were big budget, while those which were higher up were smaller independent films. That may make me look snobby, but I don’t care. The biggest flop of the month was also one of the most expensive. It was full of star power, money, loud action but also awful humour and the sort of self loving we all despise in Hollywood. The worst film of the month was The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling is a stunt man who went through a bad accident, he comes back on set with the director played by Emily Blunt. He finds a dead body, then becomes some sort of spy. It’s like if Cars 2 was real. It’s just really bad. The two actors throw in half baked performances, the story is at best heavily convoluted. There’s really not much to say. Don’t bother. There are better films out there.
Best Film of the Month
When Alice Rohrwacher made Happy As Lazzaro seven or eight years ago, it was this beautiful quiet meditative film that I couldn’t find anyone else whom had watched. Rohrwacher’s new film La Chimera is just as good in very similar ways. Josh O’Connor (that guy again) plays an architect recently released from prison. Still grieving the loss of his wife, he and his gang of grave robbers go around finding shrines using his super-natural gift full of old possessions. The gang claim it to be a victimless crime, as we see death and capitalism together. However, as the film goes on O’Connor’s character meets others who change his ways of thinking.
While not much actively happens during the run-time, there is a powerful pull within which is difficult to put one’s finger on. Of course the acting is brilliant and the story pure, however there’s a quiet spirituality to the movie which creates intrigue. It almost creates a form of fairy tale, relying on grief and character growth. The slow pace may put some people off, however those who truly engage are rewarded with a rich experience. Some beautiful cinematography made this a tapestry to behold, and I left the film afterwards with a quiet sense of profoundness.
The Film Ramble 