Critical Week: Made for each other

Finally, we reach Oscar weekend after what has felt like an unusually long awards season. My predictions will be here on Saturday as always. Jesse Buckley looks like a sure thing to win Best Actress for Hamnet, and she has a very different film in cinemas right now, which I caught up on the day it opened: The Bride! is Maggie Gyllenhaal's ambitious reimagining of The Bride of Frankenstein, costarring Christian Bale, Annette Bening and Penelope Cruz. It's enjoyably outrageous, but also badly uneven. Screening this week just before it opens, Reminders of Him is a slushy romantic drama with Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers that lays on the sentimentality rather thickly. And the story is too simple to carry the emotional weight. But it looks great.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Everybody to Kenmure Street
The Love That Remains • Scarlet
PERHAPS AVOID:
How to Make a Killing
Reminders of Him
ALL REVIEWS >

Further afield, I caught up with Steven Soderbergh's The Christophers, a smart and thoughtful art-world comedy-drama with excellent roles for Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel. Callum Scott Howells has fun chewing the scenery in the eye-catching Madfabulous, an involving and surprisingly moving tale based on a true story from the British aristocracy. And then there was Ferzan Ozpetek's lavishly gorgeous Diamonds, an involving multi-strand love letter to 1970s Italian costume designers. I also saw six movies in the Cinema Made in Italy season at BFI Southbank. 

Outside the theatre, I had a couple of Project Hail Mary experiences: After briefly meeting Ryan Gosling and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller in London, I took a wonderful trip to the Pinewood Studios Creature Shop, where I got to meet Ryan's on-screen alien buddy Rocky, his vocal and puppet performer James Ortiz and creature maestro Neal Scanlan (full report with pics to come). Finally, there was also a live performance of Sam Morrison's witty one-man show Sugar Daddy at Underbelly Boulevard. It's basically about grief, but he's a gifted comic and he makes it very, very funny too.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Aneurin Barnard in Past Life, Irish drama Abode, German drama Miroirs No 3, the Marianne Faithfull doc Broken English, staying up all night to see the Oscars on Sunday night and watching lots of movies as part of the 40th BFI Flare film fest, which kicks off Wednesday on the Southbank with a documentary called Hunky Jesus. I'll also see a live performance of Where There Is No Time at Seven Dials Theatre.

A season of Italian films...

Over five days, a flurry of acclaimed films were specially screened at BFI Southbank as part of Cinema Made in Italy in London, sponsored by the British Film Institute and Rome's Cinecittà studios. I caught six of the films, and I spoke with two of my long-time favourites: actor-filmmaker Valeria Golino and director Isabel Coixet (interviews to come). There was a clear focus this year on women's stories, which provided a superb point of view to a variety of powerful stories. Here are notes on the films I watched...

La Gioia [aka Joy]
dir Nicolangelo Gelormini; with Valeria Golino, Saul Nanni 25/It ***.
Brisk and involving, this Italian drama pulls us in with characters who have vivid internal lives, including yearnings for companionship that are easy to identify with. At the centre, this is the story of a complex relationship, and director Nicolangelo Gelormini inventively depicts how it awakens the heart of a woman who had given up hope for herself. This is a dark, multi-layered story full of ideas that get deep under the skin.

The Last One for the Road [Le Città di Pianura]

dir Francesco Sossai; with Filippo Scotti, Sergio Romano 25/It ****

Set in Veneto (the original title translates ironically as The Cities of the Plain), this lively comedy deconstructs the road movie genre as three men travel in circles looking for their next final drink together. While highlighting local culture and landscapes, director-cowriter Francesco Sossai cleverly explores generational issues using offhanded comedy. It's such a charmer of a film that it's impossible to watch without a smile on your face.

Three Goodbyes  [Tre Ciotole]
dir Isabel Coixet; with Alba Rohrwacher, Elio Germano 25/It ****
Diving straight into the life of a long-term couple, this Italian drama immediately finds resonance with its authentic dialog and transparent performances. This isn't easy watch, as it circles the disintegration of a relationship. But director-cowriter Isabel Coixet balances the pain by filling the screen with honest emotion, warm humour and genuine affection. This is a lovely, involving film with something important to say.

Fuori [aka Outside]
dir Mario Martone; with Valeria Golino, Matilda De Angelis 25/It ***.
Recounting the story of noted Italian actress and author Goliarda Sapienza, hinging around her brief but life-changing stint in prison, this slightly overlong film jumps around in time, which can be a little tricky to keep up with. But director Mario Martone grounds each scene in earthy realism, while Valeria Golino delves deeply under the lead character's skin. There's nothing remotely simple about this offbeat portrait of an artist.

A Brief Affair [Breve Storia d'Amore]
dir-scr Ludovica Rampoldi; with Pilar Fogliati, Adriano Giannini 26/It ****
Opening amusingly with a chess game that includes a boxing interlude, this Italian comedy takes an offhanded approach to illicit attraction. Writer-director Ludovica Rampoldi playfully explores a fling that slides into a relationship. Then as the comedy becomes increasingly dark, the film builds some rather bonkers tension. But even if it starts to feel silly, it's impossible to look away. And it ends with a series of proper kicks.

Heads or Tails? [Testa o Croce?]
dir Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis; with Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Alessandro Borghi 25/It ***
From Italy, this beefy Western is told through the eyes of a woman who finds herself on the wrong side of the law with a handsome buttero, or cow-herder. Director-cowriter Alessio Rigo de Righi creates traditional genre imagery in terrific Italian locations while adding artful internalised touches that see into the characters' thoughts. The film has a meandering plot and a jaunty tone, finding edgy humour while poking fun at cliches.

NB. Full reviews will be posted on the website when these films are released in the UK and/or US. At this point, only The Last One for the Road has distribution, 1st May in the US and 10th July in the UK

Critical Week: To the stars

It's been nice to see new films coming into cinemas for a change, alongside the continuing trickle of festival gems from last year. Perhaps the biggest movie yet, Project Hail Mary is almost a one-man show for Ryan Gosling, and it's enormously entertaining on several levels: as a comedy, thriller and outer space adventure. Include Sandra Huller back on earth and a genuinely charming friendship with a rock-like alien. Glen Powell leads How to Make a Killing, a remake of the classic black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets that starts well but struggles to find a consistent tone. And Pixar's first film this year is Hoppers, a colourfully amiable romp with adorable critters and a wacky sci-fi twist in the premise.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Sound of Falling • Heel
ALL REVIEWS >

Further afield, I caught a big-screen presentation of the inventive Chinese epic Resurrection, with an on-screen Q&A with filmmaker Bi Gan. It's fiercely original, visually stunning, thematically a bit bewildering. The French drama Wild Foxes is a beautifully assembled drama about teen boxers, exploring machismo with a remarkably light touch. Also from France, the rather talky but beautifully animated biopic A Magnificent Life traces author and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol's life as a history of cinema itself. And from Japan, the anime crime drama The Last Blossom gets under the skin with its quietly involving storytelling. I also attended the European premiere of the emotionally intense TV series The Madison, with the entire cast in attendance, including Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell (see below).

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Jesse Buckley in The Bride (buying a cinema ticket tomorrow because I couldn't attend the one press screening), Maika Monroe in Reminders of Him, Ferzan Ozpetek's Diamonds, Japanese/British drama A Pale View of Hills, Oscar-nominated doc Cutting Through Rocks, and quite a few movies in the BFI's Cinema Made in Italy season. I'll also attend a live performance of Sugar Daddy at Underbelly Boulevard.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rich Jack Cline (@ukcline)

Critical Week: Mother knows best

The glittering Bafta Film Awards on Sunday had controversy in their wake, thanks to some bad decisions by both Bafta and the BBC regarding editing, disclaimers and an offensive but completely involuntary Tourette's tick. But the show itself included some terrific surprises that have shaken up awards season, including Wunmi Mosaku's well-deserved supporting actress award and especially Robert Aramayo taking lead actor alongside his rising star award for I Swear, a film that speaks far more meaningfully to the controversy than clumsy online commentators. Jessie Buckley also cemented her hold on lead actress with the best speech of the night. And the biggest highlight was seeing Huntr/x perform Golden live.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Sirat • All You Need Is Kill
The Testament of Ann Lee
ThePresident's Cake
Palestine Comedy Club
PERHAPS AVOID:
Scream 7
ALL REVIEWS >

As for movies this week, Neve Campbell is back for Scream 7, a fact that fuels the movie's wittiest meta-jokes. Otherwise, this is the least scary, knowing, twisty instalment yet in the series. Lithuanian filmmaker Romas Zabarauskas is back with another thoughtful drama, The Activist, and this one has ripples of a thriller as it explores anti-LGBTQ+ violence. Matthew Simpson made the London-set thriller Disremember entirely on his own (both on camera and behind it), and it's a stylishly riveting thriller about memory and mental instability. And the documentary Palestine Comedy Club follows a group of seriously intrepid standups as they face the outbreak of war in their homeland with sharply observational wit. I also attended a special premiere of the steamy fifth episode of Bridgerton season 4 part 2, followed by a Q&A with cast members Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha, plus showrunner Jess Brownell and director Tom Verica (see below).

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Ryan Gosling in Project Hail Mary, Glen Powell in How to Make a Killing, Pixar's new movie Hoppers, acclaimed Chinese epic Resurrection, Belgian drama Wild Foxes and anime crime drama The Last Blossom. I'm also attending the UK premiere of the new series The Madison, which stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rich Jack Cline (@ukcline)

Critical Week: Up against the wall

London is gearing up for Sunday night's Baftas (aka the British Academy Film Awards), which sends awards season into its final lap before Oscar night in three weeks. I still have a few nominees to catch up with (namely documentaries), and I will be rooting for underdogs while watching the ceremony on TV on Sunday ... then congratulating them in person at the after-party. As for movies watched this past week, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is an energetic and very scrappy sci-fi action comedy starring Sam Rockwell as a man from the future trying to recruit a team of sceptics to prevent an AI apocalypse. It's a lot of messy fun even if it doesn't quite hang together.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Kokuho • The Secret Agent
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Wasteman • Cold Storage
A Private Life
ALL REVIEWS >

Even messier is the crazy alien invasion mayhem of Jimmy and Stiggs, which was home-made by actor-filmmaker Jeff Begos. It's riotously yucky. And then there were the slick thrills of Scare Out, a spy thriller from China that has too much choppy dialog for its own good. But Jackson Yee and Zhu Yilong are terrific leads. From North Macedonia, DJ Ahmet is a wonderfully involving comedy-drama about the collision between sparky youth and old world tradition. And the gorgeously shot documentary Underland explores human fascination with travelling below Earth's surface. Speaking of underground, I also attended an immersive premiere for the second season of the Disney TV series Paradise, elaborately held in a network of caverns under Waterloo station (see below). And I was at the programme launch party for the 40th BFI Flare, a favourite festival that I have covered for 30 years.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Neve Campbell in Scream 7, the Lithuanian drama The Activist, the acclaimed one-man psychological thriller Disremember and the documentary Palestine Comedy Club. I'll also attend Netflix's big party after the Baftas on Sunday night and a special screening premiering Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rich Jack Cline (@ukcline)

Critical Week: It's a slam dunk

It's been a fairly busy week for screenings, with another eclectic bunch of movies to sift through. There is an unusually large number of films opening this weekend, including several animated movies to coincide with school holidays, date-night movies for Valentine's Day and some awards-season gems that are finally getting into cinemas. Most are well worth seeing. One of the bigger ones screened for us this week was the animated adventure Goat, a lively basketball-adjacent comedy about a goat who wants to be the greatest of all time. Painterly animation and sparky characters make it worth a look. And then there's Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in Emerald Fennell's unsurprisingly lascivious adaptation of Wuthering Heights. I'm a fan of her deranged style of storytelling, and this movie is deliciously full-on.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Crime 101 • Wuthering Heights
Palestine 36 • Cold Storage
Goat • The President's Cake
Stitch Head • Little Amelie
My Father's Shadow
PERHAPS AVOID:
The Day the Earth Blew Up
ALL REVIEWS >

Other films screened this week include the nutty horror thriller Whistle, starring the gifted Daphne Keen. It's corny, but fun. Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough take a tearaway Anson Boon into their home in The Good Boy (retitled Heel in the US), an unnervingly dark British drama that raises some enjoyably provocative moral questions. Danny Dyer puts on a one-man show in One Last Deal as a London sports agent trying to save his career, or maybe his soul. It's rather thin, but riveting. And the Swedish-produced Egyptian drama Eagles of the Republic, starring the terrific Fares Fares, starts as a satire about politics and moviemaking before shifting into a tensely mind-spinning thriller. I also attended a live performance of Pina Bausch's Sweet Mambo at Sadler's Wells. And at a special awards-season brunch in honour of Sentimental Value, I enjoyed chatting with Oscar and Bafta nominated filmmakers Joaquim Trier and Eskil Vogt.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Sam Rockwell in Good Luck Have Fun Don't Die, coming-of-age drama DJ Ahmet, subterranean doc Underland, tour doc Palestine Comedy Club, plus attending the London premiere of Paradise season 2 and the programme launch event for the 40th BFI Flare.

Dance: Remember my name

Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch
Sweet Mambo
direction & choreography Pina Bausch
dancers Andrey Berezin, Naomi Brito, Nayoung Kim, Daphnis Kokkinos, Alexander López Guerra, Reginald Lefebvre, Nazareth Panadero, Helena Pikon, Julie Shanahan, Julie Anne Stanzak, Aida Vainieri
sets & video Peter Pabst
costumes Marion Cito
music Matthias Burkert, Andreas Eisenschneider
Sadler's Wells, London • 11-21.Feb.26 ★★★★

First staged in 2008, the legendary Pina Bausch's penultimate work is only now making its London premiere. It's a sprawling expressionistic exploration of human emotion that touches on everything from love and joy to isolation and fear over two hours. It's also an unusually intimate piece that allows nine dancers to express their personalities and interact with the audience. These six women and three men are a fascinating mix of nationalities and ages (seven were in the original 2008 cast), and each asks us to remember their name.

They all get to perform a range of solos and duets, with tonal shifts provided by an eclectic mix of musical genres and sound that often lifts the choreography but also sits cleverly at odds with it. All of this is assembled almost like a sketch show, with vignettes flowing into each other, echoing back and forth with running gags and repeated movement. Much of this is very funny, as scenes use both subtle wit, archly camp moments and some full-on nuttiness. As the primary comic in the piece, the delightful Nazareth Panadero adds Lynchian surrealism to her hilarious riffs.

By contrast, Julie Shanahan has the most emotional elements, especially in a stormy sequence in which she is held back again and again by men while she cries out, "Let me go!" She's also nearly run over by a table and drenched with buckets of water. Then at the very end she runs into the audience, where she grabbed me on press night begging for help because another dancer wouldn't leave her alone.

One of the key repeating images is of the three men, dressed in black, drawn to the women in their flowing colourful gowns, bothering them, pushing and pulling them (by skirts and hair), while the women both assert control and defiantly express their independence. Some scenes are sweetly romantic, others are downright harrowing. But the overall tone reflects the balance of life experiences. Highlights include young Alexander López Guerra's show-stopping twisty, groovy solo. And Naomi Brito gets a glorious spotlight turn inside a billowing curtain to Lisa Ekdahl's Cry Me a River.

Curtains feature dramatically on the bare stage, often fluttering in the breeze, occasionally with images from the 1938 German comedy The Blue Fox projected onto them. Props include pillows, masks and champagne glasses, as Julie Anne Stanzak amusingly coaxes us to whisper "brush" to look magnetic at parties. And to perform cartwheels everywhere we go. In other words, this wondrously offbeat show traverses a huge range of moods and attitudes, with choreography that is joyfully extended as well as sensually evocative, mischievous and tormented, loose, free and magical. It may feel somewhat random, but the visceral effect is powerfully celebratory.

For details, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Karl-Heinz Krauskopf, Oliver Look • 11.Feb.26