Manchester by the Sea (2016)**

Severely overrated, this drama about a guy losing his brother and having to take care of his nephew turned out pretty disappointing. I expected emotional punch, but the film just did not touch me. This was down to several factors: the glacial pace made for a really boring watch. The characters were life-like, but unlikeable and seemed utterly unaffected by the death of their brother and father respectively. I guess the poor script was to blame for most of this, trying to come up with too much unnecessarily dramatic backstory. Everyone was just being super-tough and manly about their grief, which is not a contemporary depiction in my view. Men should be allowed more emotion in the media nowadays.

The acting was serviceable but not mind-blowing. The choppy editing and unimaginative, lazy soundtrack of sad arias did the rest to make this film not really appealing or engaging. In fact, I was bored before the first half was over. 2/5

 

Manchester by the Sea on Imdb

Mr. Nobody (2009) ***

 

This mystery sifi drama parable about a man’s convoluted journey along the many different possible paths of his life was nothing like I expected. Jared Leto and his younger counterparts, Toby Regbo and Thomas Byrne, were excellent choices for the roles, but I can’t get over how much Leto as Nemo looks like a grown-up Harry Potter. It’s absolutely mind-blowing. I also really enjoyed Juno Temple’s performance. The story, however, was a convoluted amalgamation of parallel timelines, visions and fantasies that was a bit hard to follow, somewhere between “Inception”, “The Fountain” and “Benjamin Button”. It looked a lot like a Darren Aronofsky film and I did not understand the ending at all. But the message is clear: we all constantly make choices in life that shape our paths. Would we be able to choose if we knew the outcome of each choice? Does it really matter how we choose, because how do we know time is constant and irreversible? Though the film is quite long, and feels that way too as we stumble from scene to scene in search of a red thread, it may warrant repeat viewing.

Technically, this seemed like a challenging project. There were many different scenarios that required separate concepts to help the viewer orientate themselves. A lot of locations were utilised (anything from New York to Mars). The directing and editing was great, though. Some excellent shot transitions were used, turning your head even more. All in all, an interesting film somewhere between mystery thriller, sifi, psycho-drama and philosophical parable. 3/5

 

Mr. Nobody on Imdb

Dallas Buyers Club (2013) ***

This drama about HIV patients being left to fend mostly for themselves in 1980ies America was well-acted and expertly produced. Though it lacks the emotional depth of “Philadelphia”, it is still quite captivating at times. Matthew McConaughey is giving his all to the role, portraying a character who has surprising drive and compassion, and throught his illness and the struggle with money-grabbing drug companies that own the FDA appears to become a better person and find purpose in his life. Jared Leto absolutely dazzles as trans man Rayon, giving a heartfelt, fearless and absolutely credible performance. Jennifer Garner is a bit colourless as a young idealistic doctor, though. I didn’t quite grasp the purpose of her character. Still, this was a well-cast drama down to the last supporting role. The script, however, struggled to build a tension arc. It felt like watching snapshots of Ron’s life, scenes that appeared almost unconnected emotionally. The film dealt very much with the present moment on screen, which I guess is fair when telling the story of doomed lives that could end at any moment. All they have is the present.

As this was set mostly in the 80ies, I guess you could almost call it a period piece. To that end, the wardrobe and sets were flawless. The colour palette reflected the era as well. Hair and make-up did a marvellous job at transforming – presumably – healthy actors into individuals near death. Excellent work!

All in all, both a frustrating look at how big pharma is hiding behind legislation they wrote for their own gain, preventing people from getting help out of spite, and the beauty of human compassion and determination when faced with dire odds. 3/5

 

Dallas Buyers Club on Imdb

Marriage Story (2019) **

This drama about a dissolving marriage was hyped a lot but bored me to death, so much so that I didn’t even finish watching it, which is a rare occurrence. Though Scarlett Johansson gave a good performance, I don’t really see what everyone sees in Adam Driver. I didn't like the characters. The script was long-winded and frustrating. I was hoping for a neutral perspective, but it was hopelessly unbalanced in Johansson’s character’s favour. I’ll still give it 2/5 for not being the worst movie I’ve ever seen and for having a delightfully warm-hearted performance by Alan Alda in it.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) ****

Source: fanart.tv

I thought this romantic comedy would be annoying and painful to watch. I was wrong. Even though I am not a huge fan of Steve Carell, he pulled together a project here that stands out from the crowd. His performance is genuine and heartfelt, and even though he toes the edge of his brand of humour at times, he keeps himself in check and stays on the serious side of acting. The ensemble cast surrounding him is excellent, too. Ryan Gosling seems so much himself – like he is not acting at all - as a serial womanizer that it’s mind-boggling it is all a performance, albeit a very natural one. Emma Stone is delightful as strong-willed law student. I’m becoming more of a fan every time I see her. The same goes for Julianne Moore. By now, I really appreciate her, and though her role as a cheating house wife didn’t give her much to work with, her chemistry with Carell was genuine and she fit in with her colleagues perfectly. Funnily enough, she also had great chemistry with Kevin Bacon, who gave a memorable, surprisingly likeable turn as the fling from work. Great casting all around! (I should also mention Josh Groban, who delivered a surprisingly solid performance.)

The script was surprising as well. What looked like a run-off-the-mill romantic comedy as a concept on paper worked beautifully on screen. The twists were mostly unpredictable, and even where I saw them coming, they were not cringy. The same goes for the humour: I had a few genuine, good laughs here, both at the dialogue and the situational comedy, and I don’t remember when the last time was that I saw a film that was able to do that. Yet, the script was full of authentic emotions, too, and they were not played for laughs. This serious undertone helped the film make a memorable impression.

The technical side of things was handled impeccably. Not much more I can say about that. 4/5

The Madness of King George III (1994) ***

I have no idea how this historical drama about a king almost losing his throne to insanity ended up on my watch list, but it is an enjoyable period piece. Nigel Hawthorne was absolutely magnificent as King George, likeable and endearingly charming, yet with the right amount of unpredictability to befit a mad monarch. At his side, Helen Mirren gave a touching performance as his wife (though the French accent needs work). I particularly enjoyed seeing a young Rupert Graves as the king’s aid. He delivered a stellar performance as a steadfastly loyal, kind man who seemed to genuinely care about George’s wellbeing. Everybody else was very well cast, too, but these three stood out in particular (which is not surprising, as they are the main characters).

The script was enjoyable, toeing the line between tragedy and comedy. With at times slightly tongue-in-cheek dialogue and almost grotesque side characters, paired with family drama and the stark loneliness of a once-powerful man in desperate need of real friends, the tone was a balancing act.

The overall production quality was great, too. Opulent period wardrobe and authentic shooting locations provided the right frame work for the story and imbued it with the necessary degree of seriousness. The depiction of period medicine and a new governmental system being implemented even made this somewhat educational. I’m glad I watched this. Easy 3/5

 

The Madness of King George III on Imdb

The Lighthouse (2019) ***

Source: posterspy.com

I’m not sure if this dense and tense film was more of a psycho thriller or a mystery thriller. It was definitely arthouse cinema, though. What’s with Rob Pattinson ending up in weird slimy-sex films, anyway? He and Willem Dafoe were great. It clearly wasn’t just their characters egging each other on: They played really well off each other, pushing each other to the maximum in this intimate two-person play. It’s particularly gratifying to see Pattinson rise above his teenage fame a little more with every role he takes. He is a serious actor and certainly on the same level as Dafoe here, who is of course a true veteran of the craft. Seeing the madness grow in the unequal relationship between them is both terrifying and mesmerising.

The choice to produce this film in black and white as well as 3:4 ration definitely benefited the project, aiding the dreary, oppressive tone of the lonely, windswept lighthouse and the narrow radius of action the characters are confined to. The constant, ominous roaring of the fog horn in the background pressurised the atmosphere even more. Additionally, the minimal score was just as creepy. And the seagulls! I don’t particularly like them in real life and they are perfect as dark omens, harbingers of destruction and madness. Wardrobe and sets looked 100% authentic, too.

All in all, this film is tricky to rate. The production and performances are of exceptional quality and it is certainly a memorable one warranting a second viewing, yet it is quite heavy and does inexplicably lose tension in the second half. 3/5

The Lighthouse on Imdb

Mulan (2020) **

Source: Imdb

I was looking forward to this re-make of a beloved Disney classic, but I was sorely disappointed with this hollow, soulless rehash that failed to engage me. The movie doesn’t start out very promising, with an utterly ridiculous sequence of a young Mulan chasing a chicken. Dominated by bad CGI, a comic-book look and inane dialogue, the scene unfortunately sets the tone for the entire film. Overall, the whole project seemed quite tone-deaf culturally and from a feminist perspective. Any attempt at humour felt forced and fell utterly flat.

The casting was questionable as most actors just weren’t very good. Also, Mulan’s parents are positively ancient. They could be her grandparents. Though lead Yifei Liu must be complimented for performing her own stunts, she lacked any depth or subtlety in her performance. As with “The Last Airbender”, casting an actor who is a proficient martial artist isn’t everything. To be fair, though, the terrible script didn’t help at all, setting out cringy, cryptic, boring and sometimes plain gibberish dialogue and introducing unnecessary elements such as the witch, a completely superfluous plot addition that took up quite a lot of screen time while adding absolutely no value. She didn’t make any sense as a character. Talking of elements that didn’t add up, Mulan’s decision to completely unnecessarily and intentionally blow her cover, or the sudden inexplicable loyalty of the general were other twists that stood out like sore thumbs. Maybe it is the editors’ fault, but the flow of the story is just impaired by illogical turns like that. One detail that annoyed me personally was that the script left out the iconic hair-cutting scene – another gaffe I find hard to overlook as the reasoning behind this decision does not appear to serve the project. In general, I found it hard to get behind Mulan as a heroin because her character was just so ill-defined. This rendition provoked none of the engagement and held nothing of the tension of the original. To be honest, I can see why, on top of everything, they chose to forgo the romance, but in this instance, I would have welcomed it just to provide some plot goal I could truly subscribe to, cliché as it might have been.

On another note, they were clearly aiming for visual opulence, but ended up with ridiculousness. The colour palette was much too bright and cartoonish. There was terribly obvious CGI and wire work everywhere. It all seemed jarring instead of beautiful. To top it off, Harry Gregson-Williams delivered his weakest work yet with this score.

All in all, 2/5 because this didn’t outright bore me, but really, it’s not a very good film. I much prefer the classic.

Mulan on Imdb

Koe no katachi (A silent voice) (2016) ***

 

Source: Imdb

This touching and unusual anime about a deaf girl and her school bully was very different from what I expected. The subtitles were in very bad English which made it difficult to follow the finer plot points and character details, but the broader strokes of the story were enough to see the unconventional themes of this project. Dealing with heavy topics such as physical disability, mobbing, depression and suicide, presented in the foreign context of Japanese society, the film was quite ambitious in taking on so much at once. The script didn’t help, providing flashbacks and disconnected vision-like scenes and dream sequences that confused me even more. Still: even though I couldn’t truly understand the characters, the story moved me. The visual execution was good as well. Though not a Miyazaki-level masterpiece, there were some nice pictures in here.  I would like to see this again in the dubbed version. 3/5

Koe no katachi on Imdb

Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)***

Source: wikipedia

Another entertaining Tom Cruise action flick of the same make as the previous ones. Using the same tried-and-true tropes, they still managed to produce a somewhat engaging script. The characters grow more and more on me, especially Benji, perfectly portrayed by Simon Pegg. Tom Cruise is his old reliable self, too. He is just very, very good at what he does. The story meandered a bit and had some convolutions that bored me. If you need what feels like half an hour of exposition at the beginning to set up the plot, you are doing something not quite right. There was not need to make things THAT complicated.

That said, the action sequences were of very high quality, as always. I wouldn’t have believed it if anyone had told me they could make vehicle chases seem even mildly interesting at this point, but those parts didn’t even bore me too much. In fact, I LOVED that they featured so much of my beloved home town, London (I think my dad even saw them film, back then), in an extended chase. Still, there was quite a bit of material that needlessly lengthened the film. The scrip needs tightening. The editing should do the rest to get rid of the excess runtime. I did have a few moments where I lost interest due to lack of tension.

All in all, it’s a pretty decent action film, though. 3/5 

 

Mission Impossible: Fallout on Imdb

The Wrestler (2008) ***

 

Source: filmofilia.com

This classic about an aging pro wrestler fighting his last battles was a bit unusual in tone, as far as Darren Aronofsky films go. Sure, it was still kind of bleak and tragic following the failing careers of two people capitalising on their aging bodies, but also unexpectedly mellow and mundane, in a way. There is no doubt that everyone delivered stellar performances. Mickey Rourke played his role with full body application. There was not a moment where I doubted that he was in it 100%. Marisa Tomei had a slightly different job as a stripper past her prime, but her performance was equally fearless and heart-felt without being over-the-top.

The film was well made, too. I expected nothing less from Aronofsky. He has a knack for picking the right actors, giving them an extraordinary script and then trusting them to work their magic. My only regret is that Clint Mansell didn’t get much of a chance to deliver a great score.

3/5 for being unexpectedly spell-binding.

 

The Wrestler on Imdb