Reviews
Nickel Boys (2024)
"The game is rigged."
Incredible piece of experential filmmaking, and especially impressive for a directorial debut. The firstperson/point-of-view storytelling does wonders for not only the subjectivity of the two boys, taking you on a journey of discovery, nostalgia, wonder, existentialism, imprisonment, sadness, racism, darkness, and freedom. What surprised me is that the book isn't even written in firstperson, so this is quite the inspired choice, and the film is quite non-linear anyway, dreamlike, definitely evoking the philosophical and bucolic vibes of a Malick film (particularly the child perspective scenes in Tree Of Life), so it's taking full advantage of the medium rather than being a straight adaptation. It recalls the Impressionistic nostalgia of films like Aftersun and Moonlight. The only time it changes perspectives is to be over-the-shoulder is done in a very clever plot twist. There are some shots that don't seem realistic or fit what one would see with their eyes, but for the most part this PoV style allows for so much intimacy and vulnerability, where even looking down at the ground or on a table gives relatibility and meaning. It's no surprise the film is stunning in its cinematography (DoP Jomo Fray and All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt is on my watchlist), with RaMell Ross having a photography background, and some shots are like Instagram-perfect, but it's not so distracting or self-indulgent. There are some unforgettable shots and even throwaway ones like a time-lapse train sequence is gorgeous. The editing for this kind of film needs to be top-notch, and it is thanks to Nicholas Monsour (Key and Peele, Us, Nope) with also some great match cuts. Alex Somers and Scott Alario's score is disconcerting, beautiful, and foreboding. The surrealism of the alligator in Turner's scenes speaks to a Southern Gothic hallucination and contributes to the foreboding atmosphere.
The film pulls no punches in the level of white supremacism and persecution here. Elwood is a pretty straight kid, obedient to a fault and ends up unfairly in a reform school for boys with the same uniform of cowboy-like blue jeans and white t-shirts and severe punishment if they fall out of line. It's pretty much a prison film, but it doesn't follow the tropes of one outside of escape plans and survivalism. Elwood's relationship with his mum is so endearing and heartbreaking, played fantastically by Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor. Brandon Wilson as Turner and Ethan Harisse as Elwood give really good performances, and Hamish Linklater as Spencer is terrifying because of seeming to have southern charm and discipline. It's a devastating American history that is weaved throughout the narrative, and hints that reform schools are all across the country, abusing young boys, much like how it is for native americans at residential boarding schools gives it a horrific, foreboding atmosphere. This has to be seen in a cinema not just because it's an amazing film that is grand in scope and aesthetic, but also the moment when the film goes from the depressing darkness of the school to the bright sunlight of freedom when they escape on bicycles is blinding and cathartic. The ending is gut-wrenching and left me in tears. I don't know how RaMell Ross will follow this up because it's an amazing narrative debut. Easily one of the best films of 2024.
Memoria (2021)
Disappointing
"Our kind never dreams."
I was a bit disappointed with Apitchatpong's first English film. There are still his trademarks of a dreamy atmosphere and narrative logic, surrealism, ghosts, memories, and non-linear structure. But I couldn't connect to Tilda Swinton's character who's in Colombia for her sister and keeps hearing this earthquake-level banging sound. The mystery is intriguing and making sense of where the film is going kept me engaged. The most fascinating aspect was when there's a long conversation that Tilda's character has with a local fisherman about memories through sounds, basically time travelling through sounds. There's an undercurrent of nature Vs industrial, and I like the subtle sci-fi tinges until the final shot. I just wish the cinematography was more memorable outside of the still being used of a glass box containing grass with stark lighting. No matter if I don't fully grasp the storytelling, memorable imagery is a certain for an Apitchatpong film and it was lacking here. Maybe a rewatch later down the line will be more fruitful.
Queer (2024)
Haunting, surreal, melancholic romance
"I'm not queer. I'm disembodied."
Incredibly faithful adaptation of William S Burroughs' QUEER gives way to a haunting, melancholic, surreal romance film that goes further than just being Carol for the boys with the focus on existentialism, addiction, communication, bodies, dreams, and memories. This reminds me more of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's haunting and magical realist films. On top of having a phenomenal score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with an unforgettable piano and woodwind theme motif ("Pure Love" track) and credits song "Vaster than Empires" that references Burroughs' memoirs ("How can a man who sees and feels be other than sad"). There are some other fantastic and anachronistic needle drops, particularly involving Nirvana and Verdana's "Puzzle". The fivesome team of Justin Kuritzkes, Luca Guadagnino, Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross deliver an even stronger best film of the year than Challengers, especially when it comes to emotional resonance. I was teary-eyed by the end, and the book never even took me there. The racist edges of Burroughs' characters are sanded off here but this is still about privileged American immigrants drifting about in '50s Mexico and some slurs are still casually thrown out of their mouths and a lot of the dialogue is lifted directly from the book. Jason Schwartzman as Joe in heavy makeup and fat suit as the chubby comedic relief almost steals the scenes he's in. Daniel Craig delivers an amazing Oscar-worthy performance but Drew Starkey as Eugene Allerton is no slouch either, and their aching body language speaks more than any of the words which are often mumbled anyway, particularly a recurring thing of their cuddles and the legs over each other, or how Craig's Lee touches the back and ribs. The dreams have some unforgettable imagery that bolsters the haunting atmosphere, along with the astral projections of his hands reaching out as externalisations of Lee's desires. There is a memorable naked dance in Ecuador when they're on ayahuasca (yage) that reaches Cronenbergian levels as their bodies meld into each other. The centipede signifies the danger of this obsessive romance that has Lee going into teen-like giddy silliness and awkwardness as he pursues a young man and requesting for him to be nice to him twice a week. The painstakingly detailed props and mise en scene add a lot to the character of the sets and locations, and there are some fantastic uses of miniatures (Lee's eye looks into a hotel and sees himself) and painted backdrops that speaks to the surrealist tendencies, along with the unforgettable practical effects when they're high and vomiting scrotums containing organs. There is so much love and pain instilled into this film that it is easily one of Guadagnino's best and also possibly my favourite film of 2024.
My Old Ass (2024)
Heartfelt magical realism
The magical realist twist of your older self being able to see your younger self via a high trip and advise them is just a foil for a sentimental, heartfelt story about the importance of closure. Maisy Stella does a fantastic job having to carry most of the film's emotions on her shoulders, supported by the ever reliable indie darling Aubrey Plaza (older Elliott) and Kerrice Brooks stands out as the reliable friend Ro. Percy Hynes White does a decent job as the empathetic and sweet love interest Chad who allows for Elliott's sexual awakening from considering herself as previously lesbian and now contending whether she's bisexual or pansexual. The cinematography won't win awards, but Kristin Correll does a good job particularly with the summery lighting. Megan Park does a great job as the director and writer to make the gen z dialogue believable of a young 18 year old girl and her peers, and the scenarios don't get bogged down with expositions on the magical realism but focus on the themes squarely. While it is kind of an unrelatable premise that Elliott has to come to grips with her upper middle class family selling their farm which they come to for holidays and have fun at the lake each year, the theme of nostalgia and saying your final goodbyes to a place still hits home.
Funny Pages (2022)
Looks great but not quite the indie cult classic I was hoping
(watched on March 19, 2023)
Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed because I'm such a fan of the underground comics scene, dark comedies, R Crumb, American Splendor, and the aesthetic of super 16mm film. But maybe I expected too much for Owen Kline's debut feature. Aesthetically, this is a gorgeous film (DP: Hunter Zimny, Sean Price Williams), evoking the look of 70s films, and no surprise the Safdie bros are producers here. The cringe comedy and grossness peaks when Daniel Zolghardi's Robert leaves the family home and moves into an awful apartment in New Jersey. The atmosphere is sweaty, dingy, and grotesque, where Michael Wright's comb-over, sweat-drenched Barry (a highlight) keeps the temperature to boiling levels for no logical reason. Robert wants to pursue a career as a cartoonist and gets involved with Wallace (Matthew Maher), a former Image Comics color separator who has issues with the law. Their burgeoning relationship and tension is fantastic and full of painful comedy. However, maybe due to insecurities of his own, Robert is a right dick to his friend Miles as he's pursuing this career, and this is more painful to watch than humorous. And while it's not necessary to have good morals in a dark comedy, everyone being mean when things get serious can become draining. This doesn't touch the dramatic heights of American Splendor or Ghost World, which might not be fair as those are based on acclaimed comics while this is entirely original and they're some of the best comic book films of all time. However, I'm definitely down for more from Owen Kline and Daniel Zolghardi (he was also great in Tales From The Loop).
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Come for the cinematography, stay for the heartbreak
I have seen Kubrick's films but wouldn't call myself a fan, just appreciate his craft and the influence he's had as a singular voice in the art of filmmaking. I hadn't seen any footage of this film other than still shots when people would talk about the best cinematography in films. When my friend invited me to go see it, I was expecting a stuffy and brooding adventure, with great use of classical music. So it was a surprise to see how darkly humorous and satirical the first half of the film was. I saw this in 35mm at the Princes Charles Cinema, and it drew many laughs (and my own) throughout many scenes. Kubrick's hallmarks are still there, such as the dark humour which has been a constant in most of his works, and this does become more brooding, ponderous, and miserabilist in the second half. It's also a natural evolution of tone, in line with the rise and fall of Barry's status from being an Irish farm boy to an exiled wanderer with many disguises, in the vein of a conman-opportunist, and then finally living up to the eponymous title as the husband to Lady Lyndon.
As a tale of greed and class climbing, it's perfect material for Kubrick to explore the darker recesses of the human condition and class consciousness. While Kubrick's films can sometimes be cold, this is brimming with emotions under the surface, such as with Lady Lyndon's sadness or with Lord Bullingdon's anger towards his step-dad Barry. Ryan O'Neal and Marisa Berenson are ridiculously attractive people, and Kubrick uses the close-ups of their faces to maximum effect to display a well of emotions without words. For being a 3-hour Kubrick film (love intermissions!), the pacing is perfect (editing by Tony Lawson) as the first half being full of adventure and mischief being almost fast-paced, whereas the second half has longer shot lengths and slower movements in line with the change in tone. The film is undeniably stunning in its cinematography (John Alcott), with the use of natural light, unforgettable costume work (Milena Canonero, Ulla-Britt Söderlund), and great use of real locations that make most of the frames like paintings (inspired by the 18th century Rococo-style paintings of the period the film is set in). Again, while the film is painterly and is full of slow zooms, inviting a colder detached look, there is a lot of interiority explored for each of these characters and their plights. I couldn't help but wish for Barry to be a loving husband and great step-dad (especially as Lady Lyndon was already in a loveless marriage), so it hits even harder when the downfall happens, but he is genuinely caring for his blood son. Without that emotional exploration, the second half's tragic tone and miserabilist tendencies wouldn't be as heart-breaking. Michael Hordern's documentary-like narration brings a lot of the satire to the proceedings. It's a memorable final shot and made me think about the opening shot foreshadowing the tragic tone. It's an excellent film and makes sense why people keep talking about this film, but there's more to talk about this film than the amazing cinematography.
A Different Man (2024)
The Substance for the boys!
It's The Substance for the boys! On top of focusing on beauty standards, body dysmorphia, confused identity, and transformations, it's more gendered in the aspects that men get insecure about such as status and success. From looking at the poster (hadn't watched the trailer), I assumed it was an empathic social drama about people with facial deformities, so I was surprised when this turned out to be an intensely surreal and meta Charlie Kaufman-esque nightmare. Much like Adaptation., there is so much foreshadowing that it's like the story commenting on itself ironically, and as this is about Sebastian Stan's Edward/Guy living a double life, it's doubly strong.
If you're the type of person who gets bothered when a piece of art doesn't follow real world logic (why doesn't he ever get the roof fixed?!), you'll find this film very frustrating. If you suspend your disbelief, then you're in for one hell of a ride. There is a point where this living nightmare could have been prevented with more honest communication, but theme of insecurity is key with Edward where after an experimental procedure goes well, he's suddenly faced with not having a facial deformity and how to explain that to others. So, he doesn't! The domestic anxiety (reminded of Beau Is Afraid) with the in-your-face editing by Taylor Levy and zooms, coupled with the body horror in this first act is particularly squirm-inducing, especially the face peeling scene (props to Mike Marino and the prosthetic makeup team). Sebastian Stan is such a good actor that when he loses the deformity and his demeanour becomes less awkward and "nervous nelly", I thought there was an original Edward actor who actually had a facial deformity and that's why Sebastian doesn't quite match up as being the same person despite wearing the same clothes. Complimenting the old-school tech is the filmic look in Wyatt Garfield's warm cinematography.
Renate Reinsve as Ingrid Vold is phenomenal as the girl-next-door love interest, off the heels of her star-making role in The Worst Person In The World. Her character veers almost to manic pixie dream girl but she is given more agency and a deeper role as the film progresses, revealing her own flaws and weirdness (the mask play sex scene is very uncomfortable). Adam Pearson is fantastic as Oswald, basically a more confident Edward and bringing out the most toxic actions out of Edward. Michael Shannon has a great cameo. There are points in the film where it seems like the film is looking at us viewing these characters and their deformities, such as one scene in a doctor's office when Edward looks directly at the camera. There are plenty of metanarrative elements like that, since it's about the creation and awkwardness of semiautobiographical art when Ingrid is inspired to write her screenplay about Edward. The conflict between Oswald and Edward breeds a lot of dark comedy and tragedy. The last few minutes and final shot with the final line is plenty thought-provoking. Aaron Schimberg's direction and screenplay is smart, keeping you on your toes until the very end. One of my favourite films of 2024.
Rukku bakku (2024)
Best animated film of 2024
"If you just follow me, everything will go smoothly."
Absolutely heart-wrenching film about two aspiring female mangaka that is accomplished through a lot of visual creativity and excellent editing. It may be less than an hour long but it's all killer and no filler. The theme of friendship is also fuelled by competition, jealousy, and guilt on Fujino's side. The first time we see Fujino, we see her back, and her foot impatiently tapping away while also being quite tired after drawing the 4-panel manga strip for the school's newspaper. We only see her face in the reflection of a mirror on a table, and her clothing is gender ambiguous, which caused me to mistake her for a boy until her voice comes out. You only notice she's a girl when there's a zoom out to her clothes at school much later. She gets bigged up hard at school where everyone praises her First Kiss sci-fi romance strip, and it's clear she cares a lot about external validation. This comes crashing down when a rival to her comic strip also shows up in the newspaper, from truant student Kyomoto who stays at home because she's scared of people (hence why her art is of backgrounds such as buildings). There is a scene where Fujino is walking across a field, cross-cut with comments from others praising Kyomoto's strip and now Fujino's art is seen as "average" in comparison. Fujino is asked by a teacher to take this younger girl under her wing. Fujino develops an obsession over a whole year to be better, incurring social and education costs. She then quits, and only until she finally visits Kyomoto to deliver a graduation certificate and gets fangirl'ed, also seeing they both stacks of drawing notebooks piled up, does her interest in being a mangaka get reignited. They both improve each other in ways, such as encouraging Kyomoto to get out of the house and meet people, become less shy, and travel together. From here a strong and bittersweet friendship grows.
Kiyotaka Oshiyama's character designs, screenplay, and direction along with the rest of the team deliver a phenomenal audiovisual adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's manga, that has to be seen at a cinema. The animation is amazing throughout, with some variety in art styles, and one section of the First Kiss manga strip reminding of Masaaki Yuasa's simpler and wacky style. Fujino's character arc from overly confident and arrogant to more social and collaborative with Kyomoto is beautiful to see, which is why when Kyo doesn't decide to stick with her to become a manga series artist and wants to go to art university instead regresses Fujino back to a more guilt-tripping and mean side. The form of manga itself is playful and magically realist towards the final stretch. I was drawn to tears towards the last 20 minutes, especially when there is a montage of stills as they draw and hang out together. The ending is one of the saddest for any film this year. Not only the best animated film of the year but in general, one of the best films of 2024.
A Prayer Before Dawn (2017)
One of the most visceral boxing films ever
(Watched Jul 25, 2018)
A Prayer Before Dawn has to be one of the most visceral boxing films ever. The sound design is top notch. Most of the fights are long shots except for the final because its got more stages and tension to the choreography. Possibly the best physical acting of the whole year. All the hits look real, excellent stunt work. It feels so authentic. I wouldn't have minded if the Thai people had English subtitles but like the cinematography of the fights incessantly focusing on Billy, this is a very subjective experience where you're immersed in his view of feeling foreign. Thankfully this doesn't make villainising the Thai people easier as there are sympathetic characters. Cleverly paced, with the intense prison proceedings being almost relentless for the first hour. Then when it gets more comforting when it focuses on the boxing and not the sadistic rapist gangs, the stakes are raised again to keep you engaged. Thankfully the film avoids the white saviour trope and has a respectful trans woman character ("ladyboy") played well by Pornchanok Mabklang. Joe Cole is amazing, hope he does as intense roles from here on out. Nice little cameo of Vithaya from Only God Forgives. If you want a grimy prison boxing audio visual assault on the senses, seek this out at the cinema pronto. Hope this puts Jean-Stephane Sauvaire on the map as a director to watch.
The Room Next Door (2024)
Exquisite melodrama about friendship and death
Red Herrings: The Film. You're waiting for dramatic twists, lies, secrets, and a thriller (even the poster reminds of Bergman's Persona) as Ingrid struggles with cancer-stricken Martha's desire for euthanasia but it subverts to be more of a radically honest melodrama about two old friends reconnecting for one last time. Julianne Moore and melodrama just works so well with her acting style. Right after Todd Haynes' exceptional May December, Julianne as Ingrid plays the less anxious person of the duo, opposite to Tilda Swinton's more moody and determined Martha. The film even brings in Tilda Swinton's more androgenous style into her profession as a war reporter who had to be like the boys and maybe missed the maternal touch when she had a child. I still find it hard to believe her character is fully straight! Having not seen many Almodovar's films, I was struck with the bold saturated colours in costume and production design, and they're as big a character as the duo. Green, yellow, and red become in line with the moods of the scenes and characters. It's a gorgeous film that deserves to be seen in cinemas. The orchestral music by Alberto Iglesias throughout the film is another character, perfectly establishing the melodrama.
To borrow a line from the film, the symmetry struck me with the gesture of having Tilda Swinton also playing her character's daughter (and she is an agent for classical music, while the film has an orchestral score itself) and then also having Ingrid deal with death right after publishing a book about the topic. The film is opening a frank and curious conversation about death, not just about euthanasia being a more dignified death than suffering and losing all personality, but also the potential death of the planet due to climate change brought on by neoliberalism and the rise of the far right being in lockstep. The latter is slightly clunky in its presentation by John Turturro's Damian and isn't explored past the one conversation, but it's in line with the theme of elegy. Art such as Edward Hopper's paintings, James Joyce's The Dead, and poems are far more intertwined with the theming throughout the film. It's an empathic film about friendship, death, art, and acceptance. Now I need to see some more Douglas Sirk and Almodovar films!
The Wild Robot (2024)
Sentimental and funny
"I don't have the programming to be a mother."
"You never do. You make it up."
Sentimental and funny film about the relationship between a robot mommy and a (not-ryan) gosling and creating found families, with some fun survivalist segments in the first half. There is also the main theme about free will vs destiny, such as the robot and animals having to break their "programming" to become a community. The painterly art direction is amazing, more akin to moving concept art, so it's visually pleasing throughout. The robot learning to talk to the animals, fix herself back up, develop trust, crawl up a cliff like a crab, or settle interpersonal conflicts between the animals is easily engrossing. Most of the characters in the wild are well-written, but Matt Berry as the beaver steals the show as the curmudgeon oldhead of the forest ("Are you dying? Expire somewhere downstream"). The possums bring out some dark comedy, and the film isn't afraid to go dark in places, such as Brightbill being orphaned inadvertently, how nature can be brutal between animals, or about bereavement and even one blink-and-miss moment features a decapitated bird head. This isn't edgy but just not quite the Disney-fied view of talking animals all getting together in harmony. My wife was surprised this was written by a man (although I think women helped with the story such as Heidi Jo Gilbert), as she commented that they nailed motherhood and I particularly liked the conflict resolution and empathy building when Brightbill is essentially in his teenage phase. There are some lines that hit like a ton of bricks like when the reluctant dad fox says, "When you grow up without something, you spend a lot of time thinking about it". There is one moment where me and my wife teared up when the robot says what is potentially the final goodbye to her son, and our 3yo daughter found it to be emotionally involving too. The plot is predictable at times, particularly towards the last act, and the robot antagonists are forgettable, but it also helps drive the connection between all the characters and makes for a very heartwarming ending.
Anyone But You (2023)
Trying way too hard
Glen Powell is a really good actor, and his perfect Hollywood looks are a bonus but he's the only one carrying this predictable, cringe-worthy mid-budget romcom that tries way too hard to hit the classic romcom tropes but just done way more awkwardly and forced. Sydney Sweeney, I just don't know what's going on with her performance or voice, but she can't sell the awkward ditsy girl. The physical and sexual humour falls really flat (especially the butt-grab and naked scene). There is a sing-along near the credits to Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten and it at least shows the cast had fun. This comes across more as an Australian holiday for them than anything artistic. Here's me hoping the next great romcom (last great one was Rye Lane which was just dumped onto streaming) can also be be a box office winner.
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
KStew dates She-Hulk in a scuzzy midwest crime saga
What if KStew with a dirtbag mullet dated She-Hulk and there's a scuzzy midwest crime saga in the background? As far away as from British director Rose Glass' debut Saint Maud (Persona-like religious psych thriller) as you can get, I was skeptical of this being a great follow-up just from reading the premise. But the confident direction once again, and the fantastic performances from Kirsten Stewart, Katy O'Brian, and Ed Harris along with the neon-drenched cinematography by Ben Fordesman (Saint Maud also) sold me on this romantic crime caper. The magical realism was unexpected and much appreciated especially when Jackie starts hulking out ( or is towering above bodies like a giant or when there are fully surreal escapist moments. Shout-out to the excellent foley work (Ian Waggott) and crunchy sound design, along with beautifully grotesque SFX makeup by Bryan Perkal. Dave Franco is really good at playing an abusive POS to Jena Malone's Beth. Jackie's descent into madness due to steroids is a visual treat. This is a big step-up in production design from Rose Glass' debut and the mise en scene is particularly authentic to this 80s vibe. While the finale isn't as mindblowing as her debut, the touches of dark comedy run through to the violent ending. I'm highly anticipating where Rose goes from here as a director.
Southland Tales (2006)
Massive disappointment
I read the comic before seeing it to understand The Rock's character and all the weird stuff. The only movie I've ever taken a notebook with to the cinema. Even my Richard Kelly fanboyism can't defend this movie. It's stuffed full of ideas, conspiracies, whackiness and very little of it lands in execution. It's novel to see Dwayne play against type as a nervous dude but it wears off. An overly convoluted and wholly unsatisfying movie, while blatantly ripping off his own Donnie Darko with the shot-out eye bit. When a Justin Timberlake musical number is the best part of the movie, that's saying something.
The Substance (2024)
Cronenbergian
"You are one. You can't escape yourself."
Like an unholy fusion of hyperpop and body horror, this Cronenbergian dystopia about unrealistic beauty standards, body hypercapitalism, pretty privilege's halo effect, desirability, mortality, and misogyny is intensely memorable, grotesque, and stylish. The in-your-face shot composition, fish eye lenses, and camera angles by DOP Benjamin Kracun often lay out the symbolism very quickly, without needing much dialogue or exposition. It's crude, campy, maximalist, and not subtle whatsoever which is an unexpected style change from Coralie Fargeat's previous Revenge which was more minimalist and realistic (if you told me Julia Ducournau directed this, I wouldn't have questioned). My wife didn't know the director was a woman cause of all the objectifying camera angles of Margaret Qualley's Sue, which I found to be an interesting comment. I would say that's the point, especially with the workout scenes where the camera ogles with intense butt closeups for the audience and shareholders who unsurprisingly are old creepy white men. The DOP being a man but the director and writer being a woman, it's an interesting juxtaposition and maybe it's meant to be the objectifying male gaze under Coralie's direction. I can't help but be a sucker for bookended full circle editing (Coralie Fargeat also edited along with Jerome Eltabet and Valentin Féron), and here it involves the star of fame plaque. Valerie Deloof's sound design and Victor Praud's foley work are the standout backbone of the squeamish, wince-inducing body horror and surrealism. The practical effects by Pierre Hugueny's team and Olivier Afonso's special makeup effects team are absolutely phenomenal in selling the grotesque body transformations and I won't get the visual of Demi Moore's agape face with pained noises out of my head. There are so many memorable visuals like that of teeth, tumours, and viscera that will stick with me.
However, it's not just an aesthetically rapturous work. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley work brilliantly as they descend into madness and it works really well as a two-hander even if they don't share the screen often. The lengths they go to battle each other is excruciating and tragic. There are some cutting lines like, "You are the only lovable part of me, I need you because I hate myself". Their character motivations are believable even if unwise, when their career or will to live are on the line. Dennis Quaid, thanks to the sound design and intense closeups, is the most repulsive male character in recent history. The very first short of him is him peeing at a urinal with his face jammed uncomfortably close into the side of the camera and his next shot is him eating prawns with nauseating sound effects and closeups. The two main characters get introduced with huge title cards but the film does an awesome late stage addition that really takes the climax to the next level that speaks to homage of Requiem of a Dream, Carrie and The Thing. It's not the most complex of performances or character arcs asked of these actors but they sell it with such aplomb. There is a certain moment that speaks to the misogyny latent in a lot of horror films when it comes to old women and ugliness as being so horrific.
Fans of Cronenberg, body horror, surrealism, dystopian satire, anticapitalist critiques, and maximalist style, will be eating well here, but I can see others see this as gross and just a style exercise although I found plenty here to be thought-provoking. When I got home from the cinema, I was looking at myself in the mirror and wanted to avoid hyperfixating at my body just like the characters do here, picking out any imperfections and wanting to try quick fixes like Ozempic, fad diets, and surgeries. We are already living in a dystopia, it's just not as stylish as the movies.
Past Lives (2023)
Think When Harry Met Sally but with Buddhist philosophy and the immigration story
(Watched Sep 30, 2023)
"What if this is a past life and we are already something else to each other in the next life?"
A decades-spanning Korean American romantic epic that explores memories, fateful connections (inyeon), how people transform over time into different versions of themselves, almost as if the past was another life, and how hard we can cling onto nostalgia. Think When Harry Met Sally but with Buddhist philosophy and the immigration story behind it.
We start with a medium shot and then a slow zoom onto the three main characters at a bar, the Korean man (Teo Yoo) and woman (Greta Lee) talking, while this white guy (John Magaro) seems like a third wheel. We hear narration from two people commenting on what they're witnessing ("who do you think they are to each other?"), and since the dialogue between the main characters is inaudible, the two are speculating whether the Koreans are a couple, or whether the Korean woman and white American man are a couple. Then the Korean woman played by Greta Lee looks directly into the camera. This is present day and then we jump back 12 years to South Korea when the two Korean people are schoolmates. They are walking up a hilly area with lots of stairs, as seems to be iconic for Asian cities seemingly built on mountains. Hae Sung is the boy's name, and Na Young is the girl's name. She's crying because she got beaten by him on a test result. He deems her to be a crybaby.
When she immigrates suddenly at 12 years of age to USA with her film director dad and artist mum, it seems to be a bit of shock to Hae Sung. She gives the reason that she needs to move to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and she can't do that staying in Korea. He eventually reaches out to her 12 years later when they're both 24yo through Facebook (were now in 2011-2012). She's now a playwright and he's an engineer. They are both excited to reconnect and then get to talking through Skype. She's now brushing up on her Korean. She's reconnecting with her culture thanks to him. He notices some changes about how she's not a crybaby anymore and she confirms as much, but he comments "you can't cry in New York?". There's a double meaning here, one as a joke on the ridiculousness that just because she's moved, doesn't mean she can't cry, but there's also the pressure to survive and focus on success rather than emotions. Maybe that was a past life. Maybe she always cared more about success than him. The opposite is shown to be the case with Hae Sung (despite being in the military) and his boys, where they will openly cry about a breakup and encourage each other to express their emotions, depicting some healthy masculinity. However, we also see Na Young care a lot about him and begs him to visit New York, to then be very upset when he has the decision to move to China to learn Mandarin because it'll be useful for his field of work, and because of how much she's emotionally invested, she asks for a break in their communications. Instead of focusing on her work, she's been looking up flights to Seoul. So they take a break. He was to only stay in China for 1.5 years but they won't reconnect until another 12 years later. Now she's been married to the white Jewish man from the artist residency and he's still single.
There's a reason for that first shot where the white man seems like a third wheel. Despite him being married to her, when they both talk, they talk in Korean, so he's left out of the conversation (she does try a lot to translate but it fades away as the conversation becomes complex). The film doesn't give him a name until the last act where we find out he's called Arthur. He seems fine? Maybe she got with him to repel the sadness from breaking up with Haw Sung? Why does he cuddle her like the Good Luck Chuck poster (one of the worst photoshop-heavy film posters of all time) with Dave Cook and Jessica Alba? He's fully aware of what could be happening, whether it's through jealousy of a past friend reconnecting with her in-person after two decades, or just aware of their inyeon and even lampshades this as a romantic story trope. He notices her unconsciously connected to her roots, with the observation "you only dream in Korean". She denies this but we as the viewers know, like we the people in the first shot narrating, there's more than just friendship between them. She still yearns for her Korean past. Maybe if they both had visited each other sooner in Seoul or NY, they could have been a couple?
Of particular note is Keith Frasse's editing that breathes life into these scenes, with Shabier Kirchner's stunning cinematography focusing a lot on not just the faces and emotions through lovely close-ups but also with elegant lateral shots being like a visual metaphor for time passing. An example being a blink-and-miss shot where both Na Young (English name is Nora Moon) and Hae Sung are on a train, with the camera first focusing on Hae Sung, then thanks to the train's turning, moves to Na Young. When both Na Young and Hae Sung occupy the frame, there is a tragic tension that them spending time in the shot together is fraught. In the finale, there is a long lateral shot that is down to go into the books as one of the saddest climaxes for a romantic film. The final lateral shot is another example of the camera being curious of the environment around the character. The xylophone-heavy and contemplative score by Christopher Bear and Daniel Rossen is beautiful, tapping into the wistful sadness that is the energy of the film. While this didn't hit me in the feels as much as last year's A24-distributed debut film about memories (Aftersun), the reconnecting of the diaspora and immigration stories was very emotionally resonant for me who's lived in various countries and changed identities, and it's formally a delight to bask in thanks to wonderful filmmaking by Celine Song. Hope her next films are as emotionally powerful.
Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (2023)
Really good
(Watched Dec 26, 2023)
"Sincere one. No wonder you reek of death."
There's a certain satisfying nostalgia that is being activated when a Ghibli film can tap into the weird, cute, horrifying, and fantastic delights that are possible in animation in the form of bodies. This very much reminded of Spirited Away's more horrific creature subversions, such as the image of a man's mouth inside the mouth of the titular grey heron. Most of the hallmarks of a Miyazaki film are here, even including aviation briefly by Mahito's dad's factories producing airplane glass covers. Particularly appreciated Shinya Ohira's characteristic sketchy and kinetic animation (Masaaki Yuasa projects like especially Ping Pong The Animation, Akira, Ghost In The Shell 2, Kill Bill Vol 1, Animatrix: Kid's Story, and most Ghibli films) such as in the opening with the fire scenes, when you see Mahito running into the fire.
I'm also reminded of Pan's Labyrinth because of this fantastical adventure being set amongst the ruins of war. The film has such a strong confidence in turning the mundane into magic which often involved water in this Sea World, and this made the the magical realist fan in me soar. There are even psychedelic surreal '70s sci-fi visuals here involving white universe-altering blocks and a triangle hallway leading to evocatively huge arched hallways like out of a classical painting, and then interdimensional doors. There's very much a focus on awe-inspiring architecture such as in the physics-defying scale of the tower that in the Sea World reaches to the clouds or a gigantic boat that can grow a forest on the deck.
Mahito's character development from grieving avoidant child to heroic and caring parkour-friendly adventurer is a joy to watch. While the creatures here don't measure to the level of weird memorability as Spirited Away, they are still as cute and occasionally threatening, such as giant parakeets that carry bladed weapons or cute white blobs called warawara that turn into people in the real world and are under threat from pelicans. The relationship between Mahito and his new pregnant mom is sensitively handled, with a memorable sequence involving a delivery room.
The film is really good. The animation is amazing as expected, and you can see the years of hard work in the expressive animation and stunning painted backgrounds (although the little of the food here isn't as scrumptious looking). What takes it away from greatness is some of the ideas aren't fully fleshed out, the lack of cohesion in the fantasy world, and there isn't as believable a living ecosystem compared to things like the bath-house in Spirited Away. Because of this, we move from one location to another without the connective tissue, so we just watch things happening. The final shot is slightly anticlimactic in its abruptness, while I hoped it lingered on the sentimentality. As a "final film" for Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises is a more thematically coherent and emotionally satisfying send-off to his career.
Évolution (2015)
Unforgettably chilling
(Watched Nov 17, 2016)
Mindblowing and unsettling sci-fi arthouse coming-of-age film about boys and echinoderms. The imagery is unforgettably chilling. If you're into unsettling arthouse sci-fi films that unfold their unique world slowly but surely (why is this seaside town only populated by young boys and adult women?), this should be right up your alley. It's a mesmerising slow burn. I'm a bit squeamish over on-screen depictions of needles, and this is probably the most realistic depiction I've ever seen of injections and sewing up your skin like I couldn't spot the FX skin pads as the hand was still moving while a gash was sewn up by a nurse. Gonna have to keep Lucile Hadzihalilovic's work on my radar now.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015)
Insightful
(Watched Nov 14, 2016)
Stanley Nelson's Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution documentary is amazing and insightful, glad I picked it up. Of course, very relevant to today. Some parallels you can make to BLM, but BLM doesn't quite have leaders so maybe won't fall to cults of personality or targeted attacks by government/FBI to cause in-fighting. Then again, big enough changes haven't happened for social reform such as stop-and-frisk, voter ID suppression, etc but might be too much to expect from a movement that still is a social media phenomenon. And there isn't the cool trendy outfit to catch on with the general public like the beret/leather/shades combo, so not hitting mainstream media as much. Although DeRay McKesson could be considered a vanguard of BLM now, much like the campaign for Bobby Seale to be mayor.
Green Room (2015)
Bloody great fun
(Watched May 08, 2016)
"We can't play real war."
"Then let's pretend."
Lean mean siege thriller with violence on the levels of Raid and Drive (especially the immediacy). Not exactly the most innovative with having intense violence cordoned off in a quiet town, here being the beautiful Pacific Northwest, but it plays out in surprising ways thanks to dogs, shotguns, and blades. A lot of bloody great fun, and had me coming out of the cinema with an adrenaline rush wanting to take someone on in a fight. It's also darkly funny which I appreciated to give some levity in such an unrelenting film, such as the desert island band stuff or when one of the group let out the horror cliche "we should split up" which garnered the biggest laugh in our screening. The most resounding revelation from this is not that Patrick Stewart can pull off a neo nazi leader but that Imogen Poots can play an absolute badass! Great punk soundtrack and nice cinematography.
Kneecap (2024)
The best comedy film of 2024
"Every word of Irish spoken is a bullet fired for Irish freedom."
Rich Peppiat's Kneecap is a fiery, highly quotable ("sometimes change hits like a filthy bass line"), and stylish Irish language revolution comedy-drama underneath the surface of a rap group biography that is firing on all cylinders. Easily the funniest film of 2024 so far. Recalling the likes of Straight Outta Compton with being a music biopic, Edgar Wright's films with the editing and kineticism, and Trainspotting with being a drug-addled young men's' exploits, but has its own voice and energy. Once the film started with a forest baptism of Arlo's son that is ambushed by a RUC helicopter's spotlight and then match cuts to the son looking up at spotlight in a club, I knew I was in good hands in terms of the filmmaking. The songs are all grand, especially HOOD, which is now on repeat on my phone. What is truly impressive is how good the actual rap group who are playing as themselves are in their acting, as if they're comedy veterans.
Ryan Kernaghan's cinematography is full of delights, like some lovely split shots and kinetic movement, bolstered by Chris Gill and Julian Ulrichs' editing when the match cuts and transitions happen. The establishing shots are often of violent Irish resistance revolutionary figures throughout Irish and even black history in the form of graffiti in Belfast. At one point there is a Palestine flag flying from the brothers' apartment. There is also a visual gag with the graffiti threatening a car will get burnt if parked. Drug trips have been depicted in various ways on film, but even here there are still some refreshing visuals such as a stop motion claymation bit or a reverse Inception-like dance while on ketamine. There is also the meta-narration that the group is aware you're watching a semi-fictionalised take on their rise, being very playful such as when they're getting beaten up, they fast forward or how the language is shown on-screen.
The film also doesn't slouch on the drama, particularly with Simone Kirby as Dolores, the neglected and depressed mother who pines for the return of revolutionary fugitive Arlo (Michael Fassbender), and their dealings with the steely antagonist Detective Ellis played by Josie Walker or the RRAD gang. The relationship between Michael Fassbender's Arlo and his sons keeps on getting developed in snippets throughout until the concert finale with a satisfying climax and acceptance that protest comes in different forms than just violence. Also it can't be coincidence that Fassbender was picked for this role even just visually, with his green eyes, orange facial hair, and white skin, or is that just me?! The romantic relationship between DJ Próvai and Fionnuala Flaherty's Caitlin is well-developed, while Jessica Reynolds as Georgia plays up the language of sectarianism for jokes ("North of Ireland!" and "Our day will cum!") in her sexual relationship with Mo Chara.
Fully memorable in scenes and characters, this is a top-notch comedy film with more layers to it and will be highly rewatchable thanks to the whip-smart screenplay and stylish filmmaking, definitely making for impressive feature film debuts for the director and actors.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
More emotionally involving
Paul: "If I go south, all my visions lead to horror. Millions of people dead because of me."
Gurney: "Because you lose control?"
Paul Atreides: "Because I gain it."
Denis Villeneuve and his team continue to do phenomenal work on world-building, atmosphere, visual effects, mystery, and mythos that hasn't been achieved by epic blockbuster films in a while. Particularly the focus on Harkonnen society through the use of IR cameras to give a black-and-white look consistent thematically with their harsh fascism is a clever choice. It's still an audiovisual treat but this time, there is more emotion, character arcs, and drama. Chani and Paul's relationship is much more realised than the book which is why the final shot hits emotionally as much as it does (a better ending than the book). It was clever to make Chani become more of the audience surrogate at some point when Paul is starting to believe in his need to be a religious authoritarian. Rebecca Ferguson's performance as Lady Jessica has a seductive and dark charm as she gets to manipulate the Fremen and Paul.
But leaving Paul out of it, building more pathos with the Fremen culture and practices is much more appreciated this time around, which gives the film its subversive anticolonialist vibes (and hits harder right now while the settler colonial state of Israel is committing genocide on Palestinians). I still wish Arab actors were at the forefront, and it's not like Denis is a stranger to such casting like if you've seen his 2010 film Incendies (Lubna Azabel had an award-winning performance). No doubt the film is inspired by The Battle of Algiers with the focus on guerrilla tactics, which leads to some phenomenal action setpieces when the Fremen hide underneath the sand and ambush the spice harvesters with RPGs in clean wide shots. There are less hand-to-hand battles here and more grand scale military action which gives it an epic scale but also the major hand-to-hand battles are fantastically cchoreographed. Aurally, this needs to be experienced in the cinema as the sound team have done amazing work in making certain moments more foreboding like when Lady Jessica drinks the poison which left our auditorium shaking l, on top of Hans Zimmer's ominous score. Visually, there is so much unforgettable imagery such as whole communities being led on a sandworm or the otherwordly ink-black spiky guards in the Harkonnen arena. But also the downtime is used beautifully, like Paul and Chani sandwalking like a romantic synchronised dance. Timothee and Zendaya get to widen their acting range here far more than the first film, which is why the betrayal drama resonates here more.
Civil War (2024)
Not the most politically astute, but there are joys in the filmmaking
"We record so other people ask."
If you take it as a hellish road trip film and a thought-provoking meditation on the murky ethics of war journalism that bears more in similarity to Nightcrawler and 28 Days Later than Apocalypse Now, it's a commendable blockbuster with some of the best audiovisual presentation this generation for a war film. The gunshots feel as impactful as the king of this which is Michael Mann's Heat. The ending battle is epic and intense, and despite it seeming like an anti-war film, its still exciting to watch.
Alex Garland is quite deliberate in avoiding explicit politics and factions, other than name-dropping antifa or MAGA and showing a real protest at the start (which explains the dubious credit the far right provocateur Andy Ngo gets). The most explicit is when Jesse Plemons shows up as the scene-stealing white supremacist ("what kind of American?"). It can be reasoned that America is so deep into this civil war that factions and ideologies don't matter anymore, which is affirmed by a couple of ghillied up soldiers (the ones from the film posters) when they're asked what's going on other than them being in a gunfight with a sniper. Stephen McKinley's character Sammy says, "As soon as DC falls, they'll turn on each other". There are pockets of America that are blissfully ignorant like Colorado or Missouri. So it's decidedly a centrist approach and the director's comments in interviews come across as more politically naive and uninformed than the craft of the film.
But as a film, it boasts some unforgettable violent imagery, fantastic tension, beautiful cinematography by Garland regular Rob Hardy, and good acting across the board. Kristen Dunst gives her all as the world-weary journalist and reluctant mentor, and Cailee Spaeny is the young and naive protégé. The characters are stereotypical but they have a lived-in nature that is bbelievable. Unlike many other blockbusters that are mired in obvious CGI done by overworked and crunched VFX workers, here the VFX and practical effects are on-point. The effect of desensitisation of the characters is conveyed to the audience congruently with distracting needle drops and montages at violent moments. And again, if you like roadtrip films, there's a lot of fun in them coming across different pockets of the society, and the chill downtimes at night as characters chat while tracer fire goes in the background. There is some wonderful visual irony and juxtaposition like a Building America sign or a violent killing scene juxtaposed with the West Virginia billboard ("wild and wonderful"). So while it's not the most politically astute, there are joys to be had in the filmmaking and thematic exploration.
Femme (2023)
One of the most tense finales of 2024
The finale is one of the most tense and tragic of any film I've seen this year. Excellent neon-soaked erotic thriller about gender performance, toxic masculinity, and internalised homophobia projected out as reaction formation. There's a brilliant dom/sub relationship between Nathan Stewart-Jarrett's Jules and George MacKay's Preston that switches and this shifting dynamic is so fascinating to watch, you forget there's a revenge element to it and almost don't want Jules to go through with it. The duo's performances are brilliant, and I had hoped Nathan would go on to big things like this after Misfits and Utopia (two great UK tv series). The cinematography (James Rhodes) is on point, along with the lighting and exquisite colour grading (Joseph Bicknell). Another role that stands out is Buki Ebiesuwa's costume designs, which are so integral to the masculine and feminine performances for the duo. Ng Choon Ping and Sam H Freeman are a formidable directing duo from this debut, and can't wait for what they make next.
How to Have Sex (2023)
Vulnerable
For the first half-hour, Mia McKenna-Bruce's Tara/Taz is the exact kind of loud-mouthed drunk partygoer I hate when I'm around town at night and want to avoid, so kudos for a very accurate performance! It's like a female Inbetweeners film for the first half of girl friends trying to hook up on a Greek party island. However, the focus on friendship is believable and the performances are convincing. The film goes to genuine vulnerability for the characters and their own problems they're dealing with back home, especially laid bare when Taz finds out her school grade results are very bad compared to the rest. It's here where the friendship angle is sweet and endearing. It goes to more awkward and dark places as sadly expected when it's about a young girl's sexual awakening, but it is not exploitative and is sensitive. Molly has a great eye for picking vulnerable shots with characters, and that is the strongest aspect of this film.