Instead of full reviews I've grouped films together by their defining characteristics - be them strong central performances, cinematography or set design, for example - and made a brief comment on each. I felt that'd be much better than a never-ending list of reviews!
From Brooklyn to Burnt, The Intern to The Program, Anomalisa to Bridge of Spies, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens to Sicario I've seen a wide range of films over the last few months: so much so that it's pretty helpful to have them all finally written down!
Graduates of the Nancy Meyers School of Set Design
THE INTERN * * * // BURNT * *
Both The Intern and Burnt have very little substance but the most beautiful sets. It feels like you've stepped directly into a carefully curated Pinterest board, from the edgy iMac filled Brooklyn warehouse in The Intern to the state-of-the-art pristine stainless steel kitchens and monochrome restaurants in Burnt. The films themselves are pretty forgettable - at least The Intern is enjoyable along the way: Burnt is just dismal - but you'll be dreaming of redecorating your kitchen and working in an open plan, uber-modern office for an awful lot longer than either film truly deserves.
Technical Spotlight: cinematography so stunning you'll shed a tear
MACBETH * * * * // SICARIO * * * * *
Macbeth and Sicario seemed to be gathering awards season chatter during the festivals throughout the year - Cannes in particular - but sadly they've been all but steam-rolled out of the conversation by flashier offerings recently. To me that's an absolute travesty as both films are spectacularly impressive. Macbeth not only features a powerhouse performance from Michael Fassbender in the titular role but is shot in such a striking manner that the harsh, unforgiving nature of the Scottish countryside is almost an additional character in itself. Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw floods the screen with the battle-spilled blood, upping the intensity and giving an innovative edge to the iconic Shakespearean tragedy. Similarly, Roger Deakins utilises the sprawling Arizona landscape to his advantage in Sicaro, treating the audience to stunning aerial shots of the Pheonix suburbs and the intricate inner-city rabbit warrens across the border in Mexico, highlighting the enormity of the task facing FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) in tracking a drug cartel. Working hand-in-hand with a remarkably tense script and masterful performances from Blunt and Benicio Del Toro, Deakins frames a simply wonderful film, and in the process produces some of the most beautiful images on film this year.
(Potentially) Funny Comedy
THE LOBSTER * * // THE LADY IN THE VAN * * // SISTERS * * * *
Technically these three are classed as comedies - hence why they're grouped together - but I fell asleep in one, didn't smile once in another, and then almost developed a stitch from laughing so hard in the last. They definitely fall along a wide spectrum of comedy, and I think a lot of it is to do with personal taste as none of them are bad films by any stretch of the imagination: they're just extremely different. The Lobster is weird, arty and has such a bonkers premise that it's almost impossible to not watch. The dark, dry humour didn't really appeal to me (or anyone else in the audience of the screening I attended) but it's had rave reviews and Olivia Colman plays a fantastic supporting role so it's worth seeing if only to formulate your own opinion on it. The Lady in the Van, similarly, is supposed to be funny, and while my local cinema had to put on numerous extra showings because pensioners were selling out every screen, I honestly cannot understand the appeal. It's horrendously boring, odd, and the characterisation of Alan Bennett in two bodies just didn't work for me.
On the other hand, Sisters is just brilliant. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will always be a winning combination, and the rest of the cast is a who's who of SNL alumni and respected American comedians. The jokes are a plenty, it's surprisingly sweet, and there's a scene involving a misplaced ballerina figurine that made cry and gasp for air in-between hysterical laughter. It's fighting for a slice of the box office this weekend against Star Wars, and if there's any film that's worthy competition to the force this Christmas it's Sisters.
The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear...
CHRISTMAS WITH THE COOPERS * * // THE NIGHT BEFORE * *
Son of a nutcracker. Finding a good Christmas film is like finding the world's best cup of coffee, and sadly 2015 hasn't thrown up any new offerings that make me want to shout "congratulations! You did it!" Both Christmas with the Coopers and The Night Before aren't short of Christmas spirit, but that's about it. They're not great films, but if you do see them this holiday season then you'll certainly be feeling extraordinarily Christmassy in no time at all.
Animation for all ages
THE GOOD DINOSAUR * * // ANOMALISA * (* * * * *)
I simply love an animated film. For the first time Pixar has released 2 films in the same year, and I can't help thinking that it was a huge mistake. The Good Dinosaur doesn't come remotely close to the dizzying heights of the glorious Inside Out and as such looks even worse than if it had been the sole Pixar offering this year. Young apatosaurus Arlo is thrust into a terrifying adventure where he's supposed to conquer his fears and discover what he's truly capable of, with his new human companion - who has the traditional animal sidekick role - by his side. Unfortunately he's ridiculously annoying and whiny, making him hard to watch and even harder to sympathise with. All is not lost though, as the animated short Sanjay's Super Team that plays before the film begins is utterly fantastic. In a complete contrast, Anomalisa couldn't be further from The Good Dinosaur if it tried. The stop motion animation from Charlie Kaufman was the Surprise Film at the London Film Festival this year, and I feel awful for saying so, but I absolutely detested it. Anomalisa is technically brilliant, hence the 5* rating in brackets: the animation is stunning, the story is told in the most ingenious way, and the mundane is made utterly captivating. David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan do so much to bring the characters to life with so little, and I can fully understand why it's been so lauded with praise from critics. It just really wasn't to my taste at all, and if I'm being perfectly honest I really could have done without having to watch two puppets have awkward sex.
Important & Unmissable
SUFFRAGETTE * * * // HE NAMED ME MALALA * * *
It seems ridiculous that it's taken so long for the fight of the suffragettes to take centre stage in a feature film but given how feminism is finally having a moment, 2015 makes perfect sense. Sadly Suffragette is a largely underwhelming film despite the excellent central performances from Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff and Helena Bonham Carter. However, the message is unrelenting and vitally important, and a rolling timeline at the end of the film of the dates countries around the world granted women the vote is a shocking and heart-breaking conclusion. It's a rousing message that's cleverly delivered, and would make the film a welcome addition to classrooms across the country, particularly as it emerged during the press tour how few children were actually educated about the suffrage movement. Working with the theme of inspiring women, Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai is given centre stage in the documentary He Named Me Malala, but the astonishingly brave and intelligent schoolgirl isn't given the film she deserves by director Davis Guggenheim. He appears to use the 90 minutes to contradict Malala's message of female equality by largely focussing on the work of her father. Maybe reading her book would be a much better move...
Blockbuster Season
SPECTRE * * * * // THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2 * * *
Offsetting all of the serious awards season dramas over the last few months have been a number of epic blockbusters. Donning his Tom Ford suits and taking his martinis shaken and not stirred once more, Daniel Craig steps up as everyone's favourite womanising secret agent once again in Spectre. Whilst it didn't quite live up to the love letter to Britain - serenaded by Adele - that was Skyfall, it was still largely enjoyable (unexpected and eye-roll worthy romantic declarations aside) and ticked all of the James Bond boxes we've come to expect over the years. The supporting cast shone by proving that there's life after Judi Dench, and the action set pieces were predictably spectacular. It's a worthy addition to the franchise, but definitely not the best. In a similar vein, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 finally delivers the action that was missing from the last instalment, but the conclusion to the wildly popular young adult series doesn't have the impact that the earlier films hinted at. In comparison to the book I felt it was rather tame, and while loose ends were successfully tied it would have been much more satisfying for the project to go out with a real bang.
THE MARTIAN * * * * * // STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS * * * *
Space has never been so appealing. Ridley Scott made science super cool with surprise hit The Martian. I don't think it was anything like the film people were expecting (I definitely didn't book my tickets thinking it'd be remotely funny, focussed on potato farming, have as much 1970s disco music or be even half as genuinely intelligent) but nonetheless it was brilliant. The ensemble cast featured any number of actors that could have carried the film as the lead, and rather geekily I simply adored that the high level of science in the film was awarded the NASA seal of approval. There's something inherently magical about a fictional mission to Mars that features technically accurate science - it makes the whole film feel so real and that the possibilities and scope of human exploration into space has no limit. I like to think that it's inspired a generation of children to become astronauts and I know that if I didn't struggle with science so much I'd consider a change of career purely off the back of multiple viewings of The Martian. Yes, I saw it 3 times, and yes, it's that good.
In a different galaxy entirely Star Wars has awoken, and it's really, really good. I'm not the biggest Star Wars fan in the world - in fact, I'm not really a fan at all - but The Force Awakens is brilliant. I'm not going to spoil anything here, as even as a total novice I felt that there were huge reveals that would have ruined the film for me if I'd heard about them before going in, but safe to say J. J. Abrams hasn't messed this up! It feels like a return the original three and nothing at all like the prequels, thank goodness, and the diverse and talented new cast really do hold their own against the likes of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. The action is astonishing, and more than anything John Williams' score is just breathtaking. Die hard fans will be so pleased: what a Christmas treat!
Serious Biopics Strategically Released During Awards Season
BLACK MASS * * // THE PROGRAM * * * // TRUMBO * * *
There have been more biopics and historical films recently than normal, so it seemed only fair to bunch them together towards the end, particularly as they're clearly being strategically released in an attempt to garner awards nominations and eventual wins. The first three here, though, have no chance of any such success despite featuring transformative and career-best performances from their male leads.
Black Mass was truly awful - all terrible Boston accents, hilariously bad make-up and prosthetics, and poorly executed excessive violence - but Johnny Depp was good as famous gangster Whitey Bulger. However, I'm in the absolute minority here as quite literally everyone else I've spoken to about it couldn't praise it highly enough... I think we might have seen different versions of the same film?! Slightly better was The Program, a tense, heart-pounding account of the unfolding scandal of Lance Armstrong's doping. Ben Foster shines with an unbridled intensity in Armstrong's shoes, making him a ferocious protagonist. Quite frankly I don't understand all the love that's being bestowed upon Trumbo at the moment as nominations are gradually being announced. I saw it at the London Film Festival and was wholly underwhelmed. Hollywood loves stories about Hollywood, so maybe that's it, but even though it's harmless and enjoyable enough Bryan Cranston's excellent portrayal of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo can't really save it from being a little dull.
THE WALK * * // BRIDGE OF SPIES * * * // STEVE JOBS * * * *
These next few historical films have all been spectacular for completely different reasons. The Walk wasn't fantastic, but seeing it in IMAX 3D was an event in itself. With reports that journalists had been sick or fainted in press screenings due to vertigo made it a must-watch, and the final half an hour didn't disappoint. Robert Zemeckis successfully guided the audience across the tight-rope between the Twin Towers in 1974 right alongside Frenchman Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt): the astonishing graphics made you feel like you were tottering around in the clouds too, and being forced to look down really wasn't fun at all! Bridge of Spies reunited Steven Spielberg with Tom Hanks in the best possible way, and the two reconnect with a Cold War thriller that allowed communism to be defeated on the silver screen once more, and for America to storm to a glorious moral triumph over the Soviet Union again. Ironically it's Soviet spy Rudolf Abel that steals the show, as veteran British theatre stalwart Mark Rylance crafts an introverted, mysterious and intricately layered character who can't help but demand the lion's share of attention, and deservedly so.
In an entirely different league was the Aaron Sorkin/Danny Boyle/Michael Fassbender biopic, Steve Jobs. Divided into three distinct acts based around the launch of three Apple products, it's a highly intelligent and witty drama that somehow maintains a formidable lightening fast pace in spite of the density of the dialogue from Aaron Sorkin's script. Fassbender may look nothing like Jobs, but his presence here is as impressive as his physically domineering transformation into Macbeth - there is no question that he just is Jobs. Plus, ingeniously the three acts were filmed on 16mm, 35mm and digital purely to demonstrate the advancement of Apple technology over the years, and it has an incredible effect. This attention to detail is subtle but makes an enormous difference, elevating the overall effect of the film.
Personal Highlights (Girl Power)
BROOKLYN * * * * * // CAROL * * * * * // ROOM * * * * *
I've now seen Brooklyn three times, and wish I could see it again. To me, it's the perfect film: the ideal mixture of drama and comedy; touching on themes such as home-sickness, grief and having to thrive in unfamiliar situations; and more than anything it's heart-achingly romantic. The chemistry between Saoirse Ronan and her male co-stars Emory Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson lights the screen on fire, making it effortlessly easy to fall head over heels in love with them and the film. It's the most beautiful film I've ever seen and one that I know I'll come back to time and time again in the future.
Set in exactly the same year as Brooklyn, Carol is equally as exquisite and startlingly romantic. It's a more mature and nuanced film, however, where lingering and heavily-weighted glances say more than any words ever could, and a propinquity for microscopic details in everything from nail varnish colours to cigarettes ensure that it's a work of art from start to finish. This is film-making at its most sophisticated, poised and masterful and it feels like a privilege to be able to watch two such vulnerable, complex and superb characters fall deeply and irrevocably in love. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have never been better, which will undoubtedly make for a difficult awards season...
From the beautiful to the brutal: Room was the surprise film at last week's Odeon Screen Unseen, and was the first film I've ever seen that forced me to pull over on the way home as I couldn't stop crying. I'm not talking about dainty tears either, but rather full-on heaving sobs that I had absolutely no control over. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that affected me so strongly, but I'd hedge a bet that Brie Larson's heart-breaking portrayal of a woman kidnapped, routinely raped and held against her will in a man's garden shed for 7 years with her son was probably something to do with it! Her performance is utterly raw, honest and so believable that it hurts to think about it. Newcomer Jacob Tremblay also carries the film with his innocence and wonder at the world around him. I'm not sure if I'd be able to cope seeing it again in January, but I'd love everyone else to so I can gauge quite how emotional I was against others' reactions!
So, that's it for The Ciné File this year. What have you seen recently that you'd wholeheartedly recommend? Were there any turkeys you wish you'd avoided? What are you looking forward to seeing in 2016? Do let me know in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment