Review: Passion

Year: 2012

Certificate: 15

Director: Brian De Palma

Screenwriter: Brian De Palma

Cast: Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapace, Karoline Herfurth, Paul Anderson

Passion charts the toxic relationship of predatory advertising executive Christine (Rachel McAdams) and her shy but sharp subordinate Isabelle (Noomi Rapace). As their amicable dynamic gradually becomes poisoned by jealousy, betrayal and ambition both professional and personal, Isabelle finds herself accused of a terrible crime.

An English-language remake of 2010’s Love Crime, De Palma weaves a well-made if irredeemably pulpy tale of executive backbiting. Saturated in bright colours, dark shadows and consecutive Dutch angles, the cinematography reflects the heightened nature of the connection between Christine and Isabelle, by turns erotically charged, heady and- ultimately- deadly. McAdams is on top form here, although her casting has an unfortunate side effect of framing the film as an almost-plausible ‘10 years on’ scenario for her poisonous teen diva Regina George from 2004’s Mean Girls. Similar to George, Christine is a committed life-ruiner, her charming facade hiding an impressively sadistic personality. Rapace also excels playing the apparent ingénue who comes to take her role as Christine’s protégée perhaps more literally than Christine intended.

Riffing heavily on the connection between professional ambition and romantic desire, De Palma perhaps oversteps the mark a little, ultimately coming off more schlocky than sinister. The much trailed girl-on-girl eroticism is aimed squarely at a hetero male audience, and the framing of the career ambitions of its female characters as cut-throat, two-faced and irrevocably intertwined with their sexuality betrays an ambivalence towards women that feels at best old-fashioned.

Verdict: 2/5

Image credit: imdb.com

Mini review: Freeheld

Year: 2015

Certificate: 15

Director: Peter Sollett

Screenwriter: Ron Nyswaner

Cast: Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, Steve Carell

Julianne Moore stars as Laurel Hester, whose struggle to transfer her police pension to her partner Stacie Andree (Ellen Page) in the wake of Laurel’s terminal cancer diagnosis had a lasting impact on gay rights in the States. Despite excellent central performances from Page and Moore, the by-the-numbers screenplay and straightforward direction leave Freeheld feeling ultimately televisual. Frustratingly, the civil rights element and domestic drama element seem to jostle for position, each ultimately undermining the other as Laurel and Stacie’s relationship is not allowed sufficient screen time before the cancer diagnosis and subsequent legal struggle (with the supporting characters it brings in) become the central focus of the narrative.

Verdict: 3/5

Image: Fandango.com

BFI Flare review: The Girl King

Year: 2015

Certificate: 15

Director: Mika Kaurismäki

Screenwriter: Michel Mark Bouchard

Cast: Malin Buska, Sarah Gadon, Michael Nyqvist, Patrick Bauchau

Amid the Catholic-Protestant conflict raging throughout 17^th century Europe, Kristina (Malin Buska), only child of the late King Gustav II of Sweden, is raised under the watchful eyes of Sweden’s Lutheran court and it’s chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna (Michael Nyqvist). However, when Kristina comes of age and begins to rule as queen, her* radical proclamations and unconventional conduct in private cause tensions within the court.

A Sweden-Canada co-production, The Girl King is a valiant if ultimately flawed attempt to illustrate the life of an extremely unusual monarch. Buska, already a well-known theatrical actress in Sweden, is a perfect choice for the intelligent and rakish Kristina, and is a commanding screen presence. However, one can’t help wonder if she is being held back slightly by the requirements of performing in a second language (other than the occasional exchange in French, the film is spoken in English), as her delivery of the lines doesn’t quite equal the exquisite subtlety of her facial expressions. Michael Nyqvist (known for the Swedish Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy) does admirable work here as Sweden’s Chancellor, showing a surprising deftness in the more comic moments. The exchanges between Axel and Kristina, particularly when he is trying to delicately approach the subject of her tomboyish nature, are some of the best scenes in the film. Other highlights are Sarah Gadon as Kristina’s love interest, Countess Ebba Sparre, and Patrick Bauchau as the French philosopher René Descartes, with whom Kristina strikes up a correspondence which scandalises the pious members of her court (while Sweden and France had a mutual enemy in Germany, France’s allegiance to the Pope made their truce an uneasy one).

Despite the quality of the acting and some clever cinematography courtesy of Guy Dufaux, The Girl King ultimately feels a little ramshackle. Bouchard’s screenplay makes much of Kristina’s love for Ebba, and while it’s refreshing to see such an unapologetically queer historical figure pursuing their desires, the arc of Kristina and Ebba’s romance feels clichéd and despite an elegant turn from Gadon as a character Ebba is paper-thin. Indeed, even Kristina’s crisis of faith- surely hugely important for her as a character- feels glossed over here, and this lack of achievement of the script in really getting under her skin leaves the whole piece feeling too light. This, coupled with the slightly uneven tone where moments of high camp sit uncomfortably next to overwrought emotional scenes, serves to eject the audience from the narrative. A few moments of sloppy editing further underscore these problems.

All in all The Girl King feels like a film which is punching below its weight somewhat. However, there is still much to like here, particularly given the dearth of LGBT historical figures represented on screen. The narrative holds together well enough to showcase the film’s stronger components, and if this is Malin Buska’s Hollywood calling card she will certainly be one to watch in the future.

Verdict: 3/5

BFI Flare is the British Film Institute’s annual LGBT film festival in London. More information about the festival can be found here.

*A note on pronouns: in terms of the historical record, there seems to be a fair amount of debate between academics over both Kristina’s gender and sexuality, with varied theories suggesting Kristina may have been any one of what we now know as gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex. As there is little historical consensus on this, and as the film portrays her fairly unwaveringly as a cis lesbian, I have used female pronouns in my review. If this is a problem let me know and I can edit to gender neutral. Many thanks to my historian friend Katie for doing some academic investigation into Kristina’s history.

Image credit: facebook.com/TheGirlKingFilm

Mini review: Deadpool

Year: 2016

Certificate: 15

Director: Tim Miller

Screenwriters: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, TJ Miller, Gina Carano, Karan Soni, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapicic

Ryan Reynolds finally finds his metier as Wade Wilson, a smart-mouthed thug for hire turned superhuman on the hunt for revenge against the man who tortured and disfigured him. Fast-paced, sharp and hyperbolically violent, Deadpool explodes out of the gate with a slow-mo car-crash fight sequence set to the strains of Juice Newton’s Angel of the Morning, and proceeds to flash back, forwards and sideways to fill in the recent history of its vengeful protagonist. Reynolds- who, despite his considerable aptitude as an actor, has heretofore been pushed from pillar to post in Hollywood- is a revelation here, his physicality and voice acting adding up to a magnetic performance underneath Deadpool’s bright red and black mask. Director Tim Miller does an admirable job of keeping a firm hand on the tiller while driving the action forward at such a pace that it’s easy not to notice until afterwards how generic the story actually is. Disappointingly, despite Deadpool’s eagerness to poke fun at the foibles of superhero movies (quips about green spandex and the straight-lacedness of the X-Men abound), it makes little effort to subvert that genre’s underlying tropes. A case in point is Wade’s girlfriend Vanessa (Morenna Baccarin), whose ‘dream girl/ damsel in distress/ prize for the hero’ story arc couldn’t be more clichéd, a fact not quite remedied by her sharp tongue and Baccarin’s admittedly strong performance.

Verdict: 4/5

Image credit: foxmovies.com

Review: Room

Year: 2015

Certificate: 15

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Screenwriter: Emma Donoghue

Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, Tom McCamus

Jack (Jacob Tremblay) is five and he lives with Ma (Brie Larson) in Room, a situation which as far as he is concerned is completely normal. But when Jack turns five, Ma begins to tell him about the world outside of Room, and how she and Jack came to live- as prisoners- inside it.

Lenny Abrahamson’s powerful adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s equally powerful 2010 novel is an account of an unspeakably awful crime told through the eyes of a five-year old child. Jack’s voiceover narration orientates us within his life: he tells us what is real (lamp and light-switch) and what is not (trees), but as the camera bounces around the walls of Jack’s home, this cheerful description is at odds with the grotty and claustrophobic enclosure where Jack and his mother have been forced to live by Ma’s kidnapper (Sean Bridgers), known only to Jack as Old Nick. Room is an example of how truly harrowing subject matter can be discussed in a way which exhibits the full horror of the situation without ever being gratuitous. Seeing through Jack’s eyes softens the hard edges of the story as he absorbs everything with the equanimity of childhood. Having been born in room, he has never known things to be any different.

The impressive achievement of creating a film that deals with terrible circumstances honestly but without voyeurism is in large part due to the extraordinary performances of the two leads. Larson, who is most often seen brightening up daft Hollywood comedies but who delivered an absolutely astonishing lead turn in 2013’s Short Term 12, commands the screen as Ma. Her performance is so communicative that the camera does not need to provide an explicit description of what is done to her- it is evident in her every move and facial expression, and in her interactions with Jack. Ma is torn between the need to protect him and the desire to liberate them both, knowing that in order to do so she must force the knowledge of Jack’s incarceration upon him. Newcomer Jacob Tremblay, too, is a remarkable find, and the mother-son bond between the two characters is utterly believable. Tremblay comes into his own in the latter half of the film, brilliantly communicating Jack’s reaction to changing circumstances and an evolving relationship with Ma.

Emma Donoghue’s screenplay is an elegant distillation of the novel which maintains the effect of telling the story from Jack’s perspective (the novel is entirely written in the first person) without the overuse of the device of voiceover. A downside of the inherently visual medium of film is that the initial gradual reveal of the reality of Jack and Ma’s situation which is a strong (and devastating) element of the book cannot be preserved here. Furthermore Abrahamson, while clearly an expert at getting excellent performances from his actors, has a rather straightforward visual style. However, Danny Cohen’s cinematography is not without some flair. The camera initially bounces around, reflecting Jack’s innocence and childish energy, but becomes increasingly static as his understanding of his situation increases. Another (perhaps unavoidable) weakness is the occurrence of an emotional crescendo around the midpoint that, while allowing the narrative to shift into something more subtle that might be suggested by the film’s first act, also unbalances the pacing slightly, at times making the second half feel overlong.

Despite these reservations it’s hard to see how a better adaptation could have been made. Although at times an extremely touch watch, the story is told with such emotional sensitivity and such perfect performances that it transcends it’s headline-grabbing start point to access something altogether deeper and more affecting.

Verdict: 4/5

Image credit: aceshowbiz.com

Review: The Hateful Eight

Year: 2015

Certificate: 18

Director: Quentin Tarentino

Screenwriter: Quentin Tarentino

Cast: Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern

Tarentino returns for his (arguably) eighth feature with a frost-bitten tale of treachery in the outback of post-civil war Wyoming. Bounty hunter John ‘the hangman’ Ruth (Kurt Russell) is on the way to deliver captive outlaw Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to Red Rock for the pleasure of watching her hang when the arrival of a blizzard forces his stagecoach to spend the night at Minnie’s Haberdashery en route. Cooped up together under trying circumstances, suspicions begin to run rife between the Haberdashery’s incumbents. Is Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins) really the new sheriff of Red Rock? Why is Domergue so blasé about her situation? And- since this is Minnie’s Haberdashery- just where, exactly, is Minnie?

Tarentino’s trademark fondness for loquacious exuberance shines through, and the dramatis personae is littered with raconteurs who, by and large, feel well-realised and (although they are indeed as hateful as the title suggests) are entertaining to watch. This character-based drama drives the narrative until the splashy final half when everything goes to hell in a tainted coffee tin and the bullets (and viscera) begin to fly in typically hyperbolic style. The cast go all-in, with Samuel L Jackson putting in a commanding performance as Major Marquis Warren, a Union soldier turned bounty hunter who, facing a room partially populated by ex-confederate racists, is determined to give as good as he gets. Jennifer Jason Leigh is also mesmerising as the delightfully despicable Daisy Domergue, her scenery-chewing antics contrasting well with Kurt Russel’s perennially wry John Ruth, to whom she spends most of the film handcuffed.

Although the language and violence is unarguably gratuitous and the film is perhaps a little baggy at just under 3 hours, The Hateful Eight is a surprisingly coherent and entertaining piece featuring a well-told story and exciting performances.

Verdict: 4/5

Image credit: facebook.com/thehatefuleightmovie

Review: Grandma

Year: 2015

Certificate: 15

Director: Paul Weitz

Screenwriter: Paul Weitz

Cast: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Judy Greer, Marcia Gay Harden, Laverne Cox, Sam Elliott

A welcome return to the big screen for Lily Tomlin, Grandma is a beautifully balanced comedic drama in which Tomlin’s retired (and broke) poet Elle sets out on a quest to call in enough favours to raise the money necessary to procure an abortion for her teenage granddaughter, Sage (Judy Greer). Their progress is hampered by the havoc (past and present) wreaked by Elle’s flashbulb temper, and the skeletons in Elle’s closet which begin to rattle as, becoming increasingly desperate, she turns to more and more tenuous connections for help.

Despite the simple premise, Weitz’s film is a work of surprising delicacy, bringing together its seemingly disparate strands of pathos, frank wit and almost knockabout comedy in a way that never feels mishandled. Garner’s sage is a perfect comic foil for the mercurial Elle, providing the audience with a perspective through which to view Elle’s antics with affection as well as incredulity. Garner’s performance is note-perfect, with the spot-on comic timing of her facial expressions providing a counterpoint to Elle’s bursts of temper. In fact, Grandma is consistently funny throughout, with moments of absurdity both underscoring the verisimilitude of the drama (one of the best sight gags I’ve ever seen involving a toy truck occurs in the midst of a bitter reunion between Elle and an ex-lover) and providing a light counterpoint to the film’s more serious elements.

As displayed in his earlier work (most notably 2002’s About a Boy and 2013’s Admission), Weitz has a keen eye for interpersonal relationships, and one of Grandma’s triumphs is its exploration of the complicated web of familial and social connections surrounding Elle. While barely discussed directly, it becomes clear that the death of Elle’s partner of 38 years, Violet, weighs heavily on her, and this loss has fractured the already strained relationship between Elle and her daughter Judy (Marcia Gay Harden). It also causes her to pull back from a fledgling love affair with a younger woman, Olivia (Judy Greer), and the break-up which forms the first scene of the film has lasting consequences.

It is an absolute pleasure (and a rare one) to watch a film which affords such dignity and grants such complexity to an older, female protagonist. Elle is allowed to be by turns relatable and alien, warm and abrasive, and the subtle character development that occurs as she is forced to confront the trail of destruction that her acerbic temperament has wrought is utterly compelling. In fact, despite its wide supporting cast (including accomplished turns from Laverne Cox and Sam Elliott) and lean running time, all of the characters in Grandma feel like real people whose lives continue outside of the frame. Tobias Datum’s unobtrusive and naturalistic camerawork adds to this, placing the audience as almost fly-on-the-wall observers of the unfolding social drama.

Verdict: 5/5

Image credit: sonyclassics.com

Mini review: Joy

Year: 2015

Certificate: 12A

Director: David O Russell

Screenwriter: David O Russell

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Dascha Polanco, Bradley Cooper, Isabella Rossellini

David O Russell and Jennifer Lawrence’s latest collaboration is a frustratingly histrionic dramedy loosely based on the life of Joy Mogano, inventor of the self-wringing mop. While Lawrence is- as always- note perfect and the supporting cast all put in strong performances, O Russell’s love of surreal hyperbole obstructs rather than enhances what should be an inspiring story. While there are several strong sequences (such as a particularly fist-pumping late-stage confrontation with a rival businessman), it feels overlong at just over two hours and one can’t help but feel a little more simplicity and a little less self-aware oddness would have created a more cogent piece.

Verdict: 3/5

Image credit: foxmovies.com

2015 in movies: Anna’s top ten

2015 is rapidly drawing to a close (hello, the future!) and with the end of the year comes the irresistible temptation to look back and assess the year gone past. So here’s my tuppence worth: my top ten movies released in the UK in 2015.

10. Selma (Dir: Ava DuVernay)

Eschewing traditional biopic trappings to focus on a period of months approaching the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, DuVernay’s dynamic direction melded perfectly with David Oyelowo’s masterful performance to deliver a powerful and relevant film. SITCS rating: 4/5

9. Suffragette (Dir: Sarah Gavron)

Scripted by the superlative Abi Morgan, Suffragette harnessed the considerable talents of Carey Mulligan to bring humanity to the tale of the suffragette movement in the early 1900s. Although key players are glimpsed (Meryl Streep as Emmeline Pankhurst and Natalie Press as Emily Davison), at the heart of the story are the ordinary women who were inspired to stand up for what they believed was right.

8. The Falling (Dir: Carol Morley)

Strange and hypnotic, Morley’s tale of a 1960s girls school seized by a fainting epidemic was as enchanting as it was unsettling. Featuring a show-stopping performance from Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, along with a strong supporting cast, The Falling’s many twists, turns and ambiguities provided food for thought long after the credits rolled. SITCS rating: 5/5

7. While We’re Young (Dir: Noah Baumbach)

Baumbach’s most serious film first matched and then pitted Ben Stiller’s documentary film maker with (/against) Adam Driver’s young upstart in a comedic tale of ambition. Although it felt like a move away from the screwball elements of Frances Ha, Baumbach’s signature line of absurdist humour was still very much present, such as in a surreal encounter between Stiller’s Josh and a bemused financier.

6. Les Combattants (Dir: Thomas Cailley)

A remarkably accomplished debut feature for French director Thomas Cailley, Les Combattants is a gently comedic tale about the aimless Arnaud (Kévin Azaïs), who follows apocalypse-obsessed Madeleine (the always excellent Adèle Haenel) into a military boot camp. Offering a wry look at youthful expectations of life and romance and featuring a fascinating third act tone-shift, Les Combattants delivered enjoyment above and beyond its simple premise, and Cailley will definitely be one to watch. SITCS rating: 4/5

5. Grandma (Dir: Paul Weitz)

Squeaking in at the last minute (it didn’t make it to Bristol until Dec 28^th) Grandma was a surprise entry into my top 10 this year. The straightforward story- a pregnant teen, fearing the wrath of her mother, goes to her grandmother for the cash necessary to get an abortion- is brought into vibrant life by a razor sharp comedic script and impressive performances, including Lily Tomlin as the gloriously acerbic titular matriarch, Elle. Although the slim running time doesn’t leave much time for exposition, the characters feel fully realised, and it’s a pleasure to be in their company. I found myself glued to the screen throughout.

4. Clouds of Sils Maria (Dir: Olivier Assayas)

Assayas’ postmodern tale of actress Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) wrestling with insecurities brought bubbling to the surface in the wake of agreeing to play the role of the tragic older woman in a play about a relationship gone sour provided a fascinating exploration of the relationship between performer and material. This, combined with a complex friendship between Enders and her assistant Valentine (a César award winning turn from the increasingly impressive Kristen Stewart) and the breathtaking environs of the Swiss Alps amounted to a fascinating piece. SITCS rating: 4/5

3. Appropriate Behaviour (Dir: Desiree Akhavan)

A hilarious, warm and poignant coming of age tale following Shirin (Akhavan) as she attempts to recover from a breakup with her first girlfriend Maxine (Rebecca Henderson) and navigate the dual identities of being both bisexual and Iranian. Akhavan’s frank take on sexuality, family relationships and the foibles of generation Y works as both a knockabout comedy and an interesting illumination of one of the more frequently overlooked letters in the LGBTQ acronym. SITCS rating: 5/5

2. Ex Machina (Dir: Alex Garland)

2015 was an interesting year for sci-fi, with big blockbusters (The Martian, Star Wars: the Force Awakens) sitting easily alongside indie releases (from the frustrating The Signal to fascinating on-demand releases such as Predestination and Advantageous). Ex Machina was released in January and made enough of an impression on me that it’s still in the top three of the year. Nimbly navigating the potentially problematic premise of having a female-appearing AI under the gaze of two male observers, Ex Machina is a slow-burning thriller unafraid to dig its nails into the full implications of creating an artificial being capable of passing the Turing test. Standout performances from Domnhall Gleeson and the increasingly ubiquitous Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac compliment the well-considered script and neat direction. SITCS rating: 5/5

1. Carol (Dir: Todd Haynes)

It’s not often a straight-up (no pun intended) romance makes it near my top ten, but Todd Haynes’ glorious film stood out above all else this year. All oblique angles and loaded gazes, Haynes and screenwriter Phyllis Nagy’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt elegantly captured the love affair between unhappy socialite Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) and young photographer Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara). Charting the heady highs and lows of an improbable but irresistible infatuation without ever becoming overwrought, Blanchett and Mara put in career-best performances as the two lovers and provide a masterclass in acting between the lines. SITCS rating: 5/5

Happy 2016 everyone!

Mini review: Sisters

Year: 2015
Certificate: 15
Director: Jason Moore
Screenwriter: Paula Pell
Cast: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Ike Barinholtz, Maya Rudolph, Madison Davenport.

Comedy dream team Fey and Poehler star as the titular siblings who, upon learning that their parents are selling the family home, decide to throw one last house party to relive those teenage years.

This kind of situational comedy Fey and Poehler can do in their sleep, and it’s good fun to see them off the leash for a rare R-rated venture. Fey plays deliciously against type as the 40-going-on-14 beautician Kate, a comic foil to Poehler’s pathologically sensible ‘party mom’ Maura. Although the plot- a chalk and cheese sisterly dynamic, drunken antics and a will-they-won’t-they romance – is nothing new, the script, coupled with Fey and Poehler’s improv, is sharp enough to deliver plenty of laughs and even a few surprises.

Verdict: 4/5

Image credit: sistersmovie.co.uk