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THE BRUTALIST (2024) Brady Corbet's ambitious film about a rugged individualist is not truly an epic despite it's length (215 including intermission). It's more of a deep, detailed portrait. That isn't to say the movie doesn't have size and scope (which it certainly does with its audacious look and sound), but it's more intimate.

Corbet and Mona Fasvold's screenplay centers on Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody), a Jewish Hungarian holocaust survivor who escapes to the United States, but is separated from his wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) and mute niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy). Toth was a noted architect before the German occupation. He emigrates to Philadelphia and stays with his cousin Atilla (Alessandro Nivola). It's a rocky relationship, but it does yield a job building a private library for a wealthy businessman Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) and his son Harry (Joe Alwyn). Unfortunately, it ends in disaster and Toth is out on the streets again doing menial labor. Fatefully, Harrison re-enters Toth's life a few years later and hires him for an even larger project - building a large community center. When Toth's wife and niece are finally allowed to join him, it's less than joyous as Erzsebet in now infirmed with a debilitating disease.

Toth is a difficult character. His brilliance as a visionary is matched by his arrogance and selfishness. He succumbs to not only those traits, but also to substance addictions. Toth's setbacks are a burden but he does himself no favors with how he deals with them. The Oscar-winning Brody is very good here, showing all aspects of his flawed, solitary personality. Jones is also praiseworthy as his strong-willed wife. Together they do their best to assimilate in gentile society, but it's always clear that the Van Buren's 'tolerate' them, rather than genuinely take them into their bosom. Harry, the son, is appropriately deemed a 'snake'.

Corbet's decision to have cinematographer Lol Crawley shoot in 35mm Vista Vision pays off with some impressive landscapes and traveling shots (roads, trains etc.). Similarly, Daniel Blumberg's expansive score makes it all feel more grand (each also won Oscars). Judy Becker's production design does wonders on a modest budget.

Still, what's odd here is that for a three and a half hour film, it feels incomplete. A lot of events happen, but one never feels that you get inside Toth. The finale is unsatisfactory with a reveal that is too base and bald a symbol. The epilogue is an awkward way to sum up such a long journey. The acting and production is at a high level and make it all worthwhile. Brutalism as architecture is defined by an almost lack of style and beauty. Corbet's film has plenty of both, but leaves its protagonist a bit of a blank. A brutalist indeed.

THE OLD OAK (2024) Ken Loach (KES, I DANIEL BLAKE), the great British filmmaker of the common man, shows that community extends beyond borders. THE OLD OAK is a deceptively simple tale written by longtime Loach colleague Paul Laverty set in 2016 of a pub owner TJ (Dave Turner) who runs the local watering hole, The Old Oak. The bar is about the only public establishment left in what was once bustling mining town.

The village is upended when a busload of Syrian refugees moves in. Many of the locals don't exactly greet them with open hearts. TJ befriends one of the young woman who has learned English, Yara (Ebla Mari). A few of TJ's friends help out the newcommers scraping up donations of clothing and household necessities, but along the way realize that many of the locals are also struggling to get by. It's long been one of Loach's trademarks to honor the working class and here he finds the bridge that links the immigrants with the natives. Things don't come easy - there is still considerable suspicion and prejudice, as well as personal hardships for the main characters.

Turner's career is exclusively limited to Loach's last three films (he was a firefighter), but he's extremely good here conveying simple humanity. Mari, a Syrian herself, is quite fine in her first acting role. Superb cinematographer Robbie Ryan (POOR THINGS) shoots in stately 35mm and George Fenton's (DANGEROUS LIASONS) score is spare but effective.

Loach has announced that this may be his final film. It's a worthy one. Yara's character states at one point: "If I stop hoping, my heart will stop beating". It's a perfect capstone to Loach's career.

FLIGHT TO MARS (1951) One of the earliest space travel films of the 1950s, FLIGHT TO MARS distinguished itself from the majority of its competitors by being in Color. Produced by Poverty Row studio, Monogram, they used the cheaper Cinecolor process in order to compete with George Pal's Technicolor classics.

FLIGHT TO MARS follows an intrepid crew as they become Earth's first trip to the Red Planet. The crew includes Dr. Baker (Arthur Franz), Steve (Cameron Mitchell) and Virginia Huston as Carol (she got her degree in 'space engineering' in only 3 years!). They land to find an underground population of humanoid inhabitants led by Ikron (genre stalwart Morris Ankrum). At first the natives seem friendly but it's only a facade. Fortunately, the lovely Martian scientist Alita (Margeurite Chapman) sympathizes with the astronauts. Alita is a nod to the silent film AELITA, QUEEN OF MARS.

Directed by Lesley Selander (who did dozens of Westerns) over a glorious five days, FLIGHT TO MARS is prime Saturday Matinee fodder running just 70 minutes. It re-uses props, costumes and effects from ROCKETSHIP X-M and DESTINATION MOON but it moves quick enough and the mini-skirted martians were certainly appealing to the largely male audience of the time.

FLIGHT TO MARS is no classic, but it's an enjoyable little voyage.