Only lovers left alive (2013) ****

This little gem about two vampires struggling with their immortality is probably one of the best films to ever run at Cannes (usually a sure sign that I won’t like them). Tom Hiddleston as depressed musician and Tilda Swinton as his slightly more life-affirming wife were delightful (though a bit mismatched as a couple), and Mia Wasikowska’s little sister was just so incredibly annoying in an impressive way. The script was captivating and gently ironic, but also thought-provoking. I especially liked that Adam and Eve where still treating each other with genuine love and so much respect, even after all this time, while also giving each other space. A perfect, mature model relationship without unnecessary drama.

Because the entire film was shot at night, the atmosphere stayed gloomy throughout, which was helped along by the great locations they selected. Sets and costumes looked fabulous, sort of dated and post-modern at the same time. The actors were given very long takes to work with, which lead to some great material that mercifully wasn’t sacrificed to the efficient editing.

The only thing missing was a clear story arc, which led to a slight slump in tension in the middle, once the obvious mystery was revealed and no goals manifested. Still 4/5

 

Only lovers left alive on Imdb

Unga Astrid (Becoming Astrid) (2018) ***

This biopic about the teen years of famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren was beautifully done and very moving. The translation of the title from "Young Astrid" to "Becoming Astrid" is a bit misleading, though, suggesting a sort of origin story for the great writer, when it's really just about her youth. The story followed the troubled fate of Astrid as a teen mom with a baby out of wedlock in 1920ies Sweden – an experience that does not readily translate to her later career as an author of children’s books. In fact, I felt that the characters could have had any names. The story still would have worked. What I found interesting all the same was how progressive Sweden seems to have been even back then.

Astrid was beautifully portrait by Alba August, though her age never quite seemed to match the character. The rest of the cast was good as well, but the project suffered from weak and uneven directing as the ensemble didn’t really seem to fit together harmoniously. Particularly with Astrid’s mom I had the feeling that the actress was approaching her role from an angle that didn’t really tie in with the rest of the picture, and the scenes with the toddler actors were just not well-directed at all. The erratic editing didn’t help there, either.

The cinematography was beautifully, though, with a consistent colour palette and nicely framed shots. Composer Nicklas Schmidt provided a gorgeous score on top of everything.

Despite its flaws, the project came together as a touching and somewhat memorable film. 3/5

 

Unga Astrid on Imdb

Sleeping Beauty (1959) **

Another Disney classic off my list. The visuals were somewhat pleasing, but the story was a bit thin on the ground. I took issue with calling a child a “possession”, even a precious one, and Prince Philipp is awfully handsy when he meets Aurora for the first time, grabbing her again and again without her consent while she draws away (nevermind that they inexplicably fall in love later). I also thought the excessive drinking was a bit uncalled-for in a children’s film.

On the plus side: the singing was beautiful.

2/5

 

Sleeping Beauty on Imdb

Mr. Turner (2014) ***

 

This biopic about English painter Turner was not quite as boring as I expected, but didn’t really captivate me. The performances were great, but Timothy Spall's Turner didn't exactly elicit my sympathies. Also, there didn’t seem to be a tension arc of any description. The camera was simply following Turner through his adult life. The visuals, of course, were quite beautiful; carefully composed and lit in soft tones. The colour filter tried to imitate the yellowish hue that often appears to saturate Turner’s paintings. Yet this could not entertain me for the entire runtime of this unnecessarily lengthy film. The only notable titbit I have is that the German spoken by the Queen and King was excellent! They must have had extensive coaching for these two lines. 3/5

 

Mr. Turner on Imdb

Beautiful boy (2018)***

 

This drama about a young man slipping deeper and deeper into drug addiction despite the best efforts of his caring family to help him was well-made, but failed to touch me. This was despite Nic reminding me SO MUCH of my brother (not a drug addict at any point to the best of my knowledge, but the surly and aggressive teenager resistant to any help seemed very familiar. Like a window to the past.)

Still, it is refreshing to see Steve Carell make a name for himself in serious productions these days, and Thimothée Chalamet is always a joy (though I didn’t feel like the script was using his full potential here. It was also great to see Maura Tierney - Abby from E.R. – again in a major supporting role. The child actors were particularly well-cast, delivering serious and organic performances.

The film was accompanied by a noteworthy soundtrack with hits from the 90ies/early 2000s by artists like Massive Attacke and Sigur Ros, but in expected Amazon/Netflix fashion, the musical background seemed a bit disjointed, making everything look like a lazy montage.

Production-wise, this was solid, but it would have needed to be edited down. The pacing was even, but positively glacial. I got bored after 40 minutes and couldn’t believe I was nowhere near the end.

3/5 for effort.

Les Misérables (2012) ***

This remake of a classic musical was a high-quality production, but it still bored me. The plot dragged through endless musical numbers that didn’t seem to move the story forward, all the way from the beginning to its (mostly) unsatisfying ending. I cannot fault the cast for that, though. Not only did they have emotional roles to play – they had to do it while singing! Hugh Jackman did an absolutely marvellous job, confident and competent in his impressive performance. I also enjoyed Anne Hatherway's and Eddie Redmayne’s contributions very much. Russell Crowe, on the other hand, was struggling both with his singing and his shallow character (to be fair, he didn’t have much to work with. His were the most redundant musical songs). While I did enjoy seeing Sacha Baron Cohen, I thought his and Helena Bonham-Carter’s characters were utterly unnecessary and incredibly annoying screentime-eaters. On top of that, the songs all sounded the same!

At least the whole thing was a visual masterpiece, with long takes and great lighting and composition. The emotional impact remained minimal, though, and I would probably not re-watch this. I just don’t like musicals very much, I guess. 3/5 for effort.

 

Les Misérables on Imdb

The Aristocats (1970) ****

 

I remember liking this Disney classic as a child, and now I know why. It’s an engaging, entertaining, visually pleasing story about small adventures and found family. The characters are likeable and life-like. I thought it was quite progressive for the time in terms of female autonomy. (As for class, who’s the single mom here? I’m not saying she’s a slut, but… clearly she has experience with alley cats. She is not a hypocrite about it, though, so that’s fine.) I was also surprised by the number of adult jokes („Swingers“. Really?) In terms of the animations, this had a lot more to offer than most other old Disney films. To top it off, we don't have to put up with all that much singing in this one. All in all, a good watch. Feeling generous, so 4/5

The Aristocats on Imdb

Melancholia (2011) ***

 

This arthouse drama about a woman with severe depression bearing witness to Earth’s destruction is astonishingly engaging after an extremely slow start, despite the annoying characters. I am really not a huge fan of Kirsten Dunst or Charlotte Gainsborough and both of their characters were very irritating (on top of the bewildering fact that, for supposedly being sister here, they have wildly different accents). In fact, almost all characters were caricatures. The only two that I liked were Alexander Skarsgård’s and – surprisingly – Kiefer Sutherland’s. everyone else had some form of psychological condition.

Script-wise, this could work well as a play, I think. The material deals with serious issues, such as the dark places severe depression can take you – it may feel like the inevitable end of the world; and obvious metaphor in this piece -, suicide, and the inevitability of death. I am sure that a second viewing would yield a rich spread of allegories and symbolism that I couldn’t grasp on the first viewing.

The cinematography was stunning, with beautifully composed shots and great lighting. However, it also featured a disturbingly unstable, probably hand-held, camera, which is very grating. The score seemed a bit melodramatic.

Anyway, after some starting difficulties, this turned into a somewhat interesting drama, even though it didn’t really seem to have all that much of a direction to aim for. 3/5

 

Melancholia on Imdb

Dunkirk (2017) *****

This visually stunning, gripping WW2 drama did live up to the hype. I can’t think of a single thing to criticise. The performances were stunning all around. I’m not a huge fan of Tom Hardy, but he did some beautiful and truly touching work with his pilot character. I particularly loved the moment where we watch him decide to stay and fight. That was some Oscar-worthy non-verbal acting, and his end stings all the more. In terms of characters, I particularly enjoyed Kenneth Brannagh as the brave, paternal commander, Mark Rylance as steadfast and calm captain of a civilian boat, and his son portrayed by Tom Glynn-Carney. Also, Jack Lowden as fighter plane pilot number 2 was great, and Harry Styles gave a truly impressive debut, holding his own against much more experienced actors. I could go on. There was not a single bad or even average performance in this film. Everyone did a magnificent job, down to the last soldier. Excellent casting and director Christopher Nolan clearly got the maximum out of his artists.

The script itself is quite refreshing as well. Though it took me some time to get on board, so to speak, with the split timeline narrative, the way the entire story was told worked brilliantly. Despite the numerous characters, they took time to develop each one of them and make them stand out on their own merits without bloating the script. In the end, I cared for all of them in a way, which made the individual story lines all the more touching. It is impossible to say who was the hero or protagonist of this film because – presumably intentionally – all characters somehow ended up as heroes, big or small, of more or less equal importance. I loved the resulting feeling of camaraderie, unity in the face of a common threat – and I do mean “threat” and not “enemy”. It was such a relief to not hear the word “Nazi” even once throughout the film. Rather, the threat remained a faceless, mostly unseen menace. This film was not about the fight, about hate and aggression. It was about human reactions under pressure and how we ultimately help each other more than hurt, even in dire circumstances. Without coming across as kitschy or romanticised, the story highlighted the goodness and heroism innate in humankind, despite the atrocities of war. And, somehow, they managed to make do with barely any visual violence, bodies or guts and blood, despite the setting. It's a mark of true quality that the film did not need to utilize injuries and gore to shock and sensationalise. I really appreciated that.

The visual execution of this is flawless, with top-shelf cinematography. Enormous set piece and hundreds of extras truly give the film an epic feel. The effects and CGI blend so seamlessly into the picture that I couldn’t tell even for a second where reality ended and graphics began. It was that faultless, and only by virtue of logic do I know there even was CGI. Particularly the fighter plane scenes stood out as masterfully done; they were so convincing. For the most part, with all the water and sand, it looks like miserable shooting conditions for all involved, but it paid off, leading to a gritty, realistic depiction where you can practically feel the cold and wet seeping through the screen on top of the fear and despair.

Interestingly, despite all this, the overall atmosphere is completely dependent on the score. The music single-handedly creates the tension as Hans Zimmer provides one of his most fitting soundtracks yet, deviating from his bombastic style in favour of atmospheric soundscapes. In harmony with the perfect editing, everything condenses into an incredibly tight, polished product. I appreciate that they did not blow up the runtime unnecessarily with some of the expensive mass scenes they doubtlessly did, but stayed on the efficient side of cinema.

A masterfully produced piece of cinema. 5/5

 

Dunkirk on Imdb

Milk (2008) ****

This biopic about one of the first openly gay politicians in America does live up to its reputation. The cast was very well-chosen and clearly, everybody felt deeply for this project. All actors obviously put their heart and soul into the production. Sean Penn delivers a fearless and unbridled performance as Harvey Milk. He truly inhabits his character of a loving man driven, almost against his will, to stand up and fight for what’s right. James Franco gives an equally impressive turn as his partner during the first half of the film. Emile Hirsch, Alison Pill, Joseph Cross and many others provide their brilliant contributions in various supporting roles.

The script struggles a bit to establish the narrative, but turns into a gripping drama in the second half. While the outcome is known to the audience from the get-go, it still hits hard. I’m happy to know that we now live in a more tolerant world thanks to Harvey Milk and people like him.

The project was very well-made, too, with flawless period wardrobe and sets, fantastic make-up and an undeniable 70ies sepia colour palette. Expertly edited and scored, it was surprisingly intimate and touching to look into the private lives of the characters, as well as witness their public struggles.

A relevant and high-quality film. 4/5

 

Milk on Imdb

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) ***

This arthouse drama about an unsuccessful folk singer was surprisingly engaging and felt very close to home. Oscar Isaac’s performance was flawless, both with the acting and the music. He does a great job of portraying a young man who is fighting for his dream, but facing a constant uphill battle while gradually running out of steam to keep going. Slowly, disillusionment and depression are creeping in, and Isaac conveys the whole struggle with piercing accuracy. Most of the supporting cast were very well-chosen, too. It was fun to see Justin Timberlake here, clearly a man of many talents, and Adam Driver was unrecognisable but delivered the best performance I’ve seen out of him yet. The only truly disappointing performance came from Carey Mulligan. Her acting seemed wooden and uninspired, pulling the whole ensemble down in the first half hour of the film.

The script seemed both comically random and slice-of-life realistic at the same time. It felt like watching a normal person struggle, a protagonist on the same level as all of us, with no superpowers, amazing talent or special means. That made me feel all the closer to him. In fact, when Llewyn is finally sitting in front of a potential manager, ready to play something, I could feel his nervousness in myself, and the hope that finally, success would strike.

The production was very well-made. I enjoyed the long shots, the beautifully composed frames with atmospheric lighting and the bleak colour palette. The editing provided an even pace, too. The music – a major part of the film - was good as well.

All in all, a sort of the anti-“Once”. 3/5

 

Inside Llewyn Davis on Imdb