Critical Week: On an adventure

It's been another very warm week in London, which has taken its toll on movie box office numbers as we spend rather a lot more time outdoors than usual. I haven't had any theatre to cover, but the movies keep rolling in, with yet another huge blockbuster arriving like clockwork over the next few months. Coming next week, Harrison Ford is back for a sixth adventure in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which was screened for London press earlier this week. It's a hugely crowd-pleasing action romp, nonstop fun and unapologetic about its silly plot. Jennifer Lawrence gets to flex her comical skills in No Hard Feelings, an enjoyably rude comedy with a sweet centre.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
The Stroll • Sublime
Desperate Souls, Dark City
No Hard Feelings
ALL REVIEWS >

From France, Quentin Dupieux returns with yet another absurdly brilliant comedy: Smoking Causes Coughing is a cleverly bonkers take on superhero movies. The British indie drama To Nowhere is beautifully shot, mixing moving character layers into a simple premise. From Japan, The Tunnel of Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes is a thoughtful and beautifully animated drama about two teens who have a fantastical journey,. And I also saw two documentaries: Name Me Lawand is the moving story of a deaf teen from Iraq who only learns to communicate as a refugee in Britain, and The Last Rider allows cycling champion Greg Lemond to narrate his life story, most notably his incredible comeback after a shooting accident.

I have a few more films to watch before I fly to Seoul next week to begin service on the jury at the 27th Bifan: Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Look for regular updates here.

Critical Week: Movie night

With the sunshine blazing across Great Britain, cinema box office is likely to take a hit these days. Although maybe the air conditioning will lure people to escape from the heat. I've certainly enjoyed attending press screenings this week, a cool break from the sweaty sunshine. I caught up with Pixar's new animated feature Elemental, which premiered at Cannes. It's a little uneven plotwise, but the characters are terrific and it looks spectacular. And then there's the return of Chris Hemsworth in Extraction II, an even more confident thrill-ride. It's ripping entertainment, but very violent.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
You Can Live Forever • The Flash
Elemental • Extraction II
ALL REVIEWS >

Also at Cannes, Wes Anderson's new slice of whimsy is Asteroid City, in which a vast ensemble of A-listers circle around strange goings on in a desert crater. It's quirky and has moments of genius, but little resonance. Take That's songs were adapted into the British stage musical The Band, which has now become the comedy romp Greatest Days. But the laughs are undermined by several pushy dark plot points.  And I also saw two smaller films centred around addicts: God's Petting You is an offbeat, messy heist comedy about a junkie who teams up with a sex addict to rob a pornstar, while Sunlight is a likeable but contrived Irish drama about an addict trying to have a final connection with his dying sponsor.

This next week I'll be watching Harrison Ford in action in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, British drama To Nowhere, French drama Mother & Son and two documentaries: Baato from the Himalayas in Nepal and The Last Rider about the 1989 Tour de France.

Critical Week: Wine o'clock

Heading into the summer, the movies are an eclectic bunch, a surreal swirl of effects-based blockbusters, crowd-pleasing comedies, offbeat independent films and rather a lot of documentaries. At least this keeps us critics on our toes, and the main challenge is to watch all these films and still find time to enjoy the sunny weather. But it does help that so many of these films are things we're looking forward to (and bracing ourselves for disappointment). So the occasional unexpected gem is extremely welcome. This week I caught up with Catherine Hardwicke's Mafia Mamma, starring Toni Collette and Monica Bellucci in a silly comedy with a more serious drama lurking inside it. Out on digital this week in the US, it still doesn't have a UK release date. And the Bumblebee sequel Transformers: Rise of the Beasts was a very pleasant surprise: a big action movie that's actually a lot of fun, with strong characters and deeper ideas that grab the interest.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Medusa Deluxe • Blue Jean
Squaring the Circle
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
ALL REVIEWS >

Further afield, the web series Bridesman has been edited into a feature, and is much stronger. It's still silly and queeny, but has more bite now. From Canada, You Can Live Forever is a very nicely made low-key romantic drama about two girls who fall in love in their religious community. From Australia, Talk to Me is a particularly nasty and very effective horror movie about a demonic hand. And the engaging documentary All Man: The International Male Story traces the rise and fall of a fashion catalog that changed the way men dress themselves. I also attended the experimental film double bill Motion Picture at Sadler's Wells, which was fascinating and very beautiful. And once again, I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards along with a terrific range of nominees, winners and, yes, critics.

This next week I'll be watching Pixar's new animated feature Elemental, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings and the Take That musical Greatest Days. I'm also preparing to serve on the jury at this year's Bifan in Bucheon, South Korea, at the end of the month.

Dance/Film: Worlds collide

Motion Picture
New Collaborations in Dance and Film
Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells, London • 7.Jun.23

A world premiere event on a big screen, this special programme featured two short films made by a choreographer in partnership with a film director. It was a terrific evening attended by the filmmakers, including a number of cast and crew. The two shorts are evocative and inventive, experimentally using dance to tell a story. And they look glorious on the big screen. Each was accompanied by a behind-the-scenes doc, and the event concluded with a terrific Q&A and drinks reception. The films are now available on Sadler's Wells Digital Stage.

Inside the Blind Iris
dir Douglas Bernardt • choreo Botis Seva
with Botis Seva, Victoria Shulungu, Joshua Nash, Joshua Shanny-Wynter, Jordan Douglas, Hayleigh Sellors, Rory Clarke, Amanda Pefkou • 23/UK

Unfolding like a dream, this poetic piece features dancer-choreographer Botis Seva, waking up outside an imposing warehouse. Going inside, he is confronted by a range of intense memories and haunting figures that challenge him. The dancing has an edgy urgency that's fascinating, as performers occupy shapes and spaces with a range of attitudes. As if designed by Salvador Dali, there are puppetmasters pulling strings, eyeballs watching through doorways and enormous hands reaching out from the shadows. It's staggeringly visceral and visually punchy, shot in bold colours and grainy 16mm black and white, so it feels like a vintage experimental film. 

The engaging documentary short Beyond the Camera: Botis X Doug, directed by Sarah Vaughan-Jones, explores how Seva and Brazilian filmmaker Douglas Bernardt developed the project together over six months, then ambitiously shot it on location with their cast and crew. Their creative personalities come through strongly, as does the thrill they get working together.

Air de Temps
dir Ben Williams  • choreo Alesandra Seutin 
text Alesandra Seutin, Lisette Ma Neza, Assata Shakur
with Amy Collé Seck, Fatou Niang, Dieynaba Ndoye, Astou Diop, Ousmane Cissé Diané, Latif Arafan Wahab Diedhiou, Birame Faye, Amadou Diop, Cheikh Ibrahim Thiam, Gana Thioune • 23/Senegal

Shot in the coastal town of Bargny in Senegal, this short adapts a theatre piece by the same name, but places it into real-world locations. Because scenes are set in run-down warehouses, abandoned swimming pools, muddy streets or littered beaches, there's a proper sense that this community is feeling left behind. So the words and movement become a fierce expression of empowerment, people demanding that they aren't forgotten and reclaiming both the land and the history for future generations. This film is a powerful protest that comes from the heart and is witnessed in the determined faces of the dancers.

The process of making this film is described in the short doc Beyond the Camera: Alesandra X Ben, also directed by Sarah Vaughan-Jones. It traces how choreographer Alesandra Seutin and director Ben Williams team up to adapt the stage piece for the screen, adapting it into something new. Shot in just three long, hot days, the tenacity of the filmmakers and their cast is vivid.

After the screening, a Q&A was hosted by Digital Stage Director Bia Oliveira with Seva, Bernardt and Williams present, and Seutin on a video link from Senegal. Their good-natured banter revealed fascinating details about their working processes, including witty anecdotes and lots of well-deserved mutual praise.

Watch the films on SADLER'S WELLS DIGITAL STAGE >

7.Jun.23

Screen: June TV Roundup

This is the time of year when we vote in TV awards, and I'm still making my own shortlists before submitting my nominations for the Dorian Awards. This has meant catching up with various shows, and there will be more to watch once the nominations are announced. But I always enjoy watching an episode or two between movies. And the past two months have featured several terrific new shows, a lot of returning series and three high-profile final seasons...

A L L   T H I N G S   M U S T   E N D

Ted Lasso: series 3 
This season of the almost painfully loveable show feels rather darker and more intense than usual, sending Ted and his cohorts on a rollercoaster journey. Few shows have stronger story arcs for each of their central characters, and several of these episodes are simply sublime (the Amsterdam one is a masterpiece). While some side roles feel a bit cursory, at least they allow the scripts to touch on big themes without too much preaching. And the way Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and the whole ensemble brought their characters full-circle was lovely to watch. (Apple)

Succession:
series 4  
Jesse Armstrong's riotously hard-edged series reaches its operatic climax with the long-promised death of imperious patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), which escalates the scramble for, yes, succession. These episodes have densely entangled grief with desperate power-grabbing on so many levels that it's almost overwhelming to watch. Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen are the most powerful players of this season, with staggeringly layered characters who are painful to watch as they squirm. But it's also impossible to look away. The interrelationships are brilliantly played. (HBO)

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel: series 5
More rapid-fire than ever, this furiously busy comedy feels more focussed in on Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) for this final season, thankfully leaving plotlines for the side characters to gurgle in the margins. And Midge is funnier than ever. Along with the revelatory flash-forwards, this season has a remarkable sense of momentum, catching the passage of time in scenes that sometimes get a bit too goofy. Each character takes his or her own journey along the way, with particularly lovely textures between Midge and Susie (Alex Borstein), a relationship that becomes the core through-line for the entire series. (Amazon)

T H E Y ’ R E   B A C K

Dave: series 3 
Somehow still under the radar, this show gets deeper and more powerful with each season, intelligently exploring meaning in life through the lens of offbeat musician Dave Burd. These shows hinge on his search for true love, and the scripts tackle enormous issues with insight, creating an unflinching discussion that grapples with everything from sex to religion. Burd's performance feels effortless, but is packed with nuance. There's a delightful range of A-list guest stars riffing on their own experiences with celebrity. And Burd's witty songs become more knowingly pointed with each episode. (FX)

Schmigadoon: series 2
To energise to their childless marriage, Josh and Melissa (Keegan-Michael Key and Cecily Strong) try to return to the magical musical land, but instead end up in Schmicago, which draws inspiration from gloomier 1960s and 1970s musicals. The returning cast includes Kristen Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose and Aaron Tveit in new roles, plus the fabulous Titus Burgess as the narrator. While the producers seriously miss a trick by using a Patti LuPone impersonator instead of the real thing, these six episodes again feature wonderful pastiche Broadway numbers and a thin but likeable storyline. (Apple)

Shadow and Bone: series 2
The fantasy premise put me off initially, but friends encouraged me to catch up for the second season, and I'm glad I did. Less dense than Game of Thrones but equally well-realised, this show is populated by sparky rogue characters who are easy to identify with. They're also played with humour and quirky energy by a largely unknown cast. The plotlines are the usual mix of action chaos, sinister machinations and romantic yearning, but they're also surprisingly complex for a show like this. And the production design is also first-rate, with above-average effects. Looking forward to more. (Netflix)

S O M E T H I N G   N E W

Jury Duty
This exhilaratingly clever reality series is a jaw-dropping experiment on human nature, as one normal guy (Ronald Gladden) is surrounded by actors in a fake courtroom trial, constantly pushed into moral dilemmas to see if he will emerge as a hero. It's a stroke of genius to have James Marsden play a riotously heightened version of himself. The cast and crew are terrific at improvising around Gladden, the only person who doesn't know that there's a script. Rather a lot of footage has been edited into eight brisk, entertaining episodes. And what it reveals makes it a must-see. (Prime)

Queen Charlotte:
A Bridgerton Story
Shamelessly entertaining, this lavishly produced spin-off takes real elements from the life of Charlotte and George III and adds plenty of fiction. The cast is excellent at bridging the gap between the two, cleverly blending present-day sensibilities in a 18th century setting, plus flash-forwards to Bridgerton's Lady Whistledown era. Most intriguing is how Shonda Rhimes weaves a gentle exploration of mental illness into the plot, taking a new look at King George's legendary "madness". This adds some proper emotional resonance, as well as some challenging themes amid the watchable romance. (Netflix)

Bupkis 
While mixing in some thinly veiled fiction, Pete Davidson dramatises his own life in this sometimes astonishingly honest comedy-drama. With Edie Falco as his mother and Joe Pesci as his grandfather, plus a continual parade of A-list costars, everything here feels exaggerated for comical but pointed effect. But there's also the sense that some things have been toned down, perhaps for legal reasons. It's a superbly assembled show, eager to unsettle the audience in all kinds of provocative ways. And Davidson's performance is almost startlingly raw, offering an unusually clear-eyed view of celebrity. (Peacock)

White House Plumbers 
Based on the astonishing true story behind the Watergate break-in, pretty much everything in this series feels stranger than fiction. Events are recounted with a freewheeling slapstick sensibility, as swaggering ex-CIA operative Howard Hunt (Woody Harrelson) teams up with trigger-happy ex-FBI nutcase Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) to orchestrate a series of "dirty tricks" to guarantee Richard Nixon's re-election in 1972. The things they do are shocking, revealing deep-seated bigotries and a callous disregard for democracy. Playing this for laughs sometimes feels horrific, but it's hugely entertaining. (HBO)

Mrs Davis 
A bonkers premise and wildly ridiculous visual panache keeps this action-comedy enjoyably unpredictable. It centres around nun Simone (Betty Gilpin), who is avoiding contact with Mrs Davis, the pervasive artificial intelligence that has achieved world peace. And now Mrs Davis wants Simone to take her down by, well, finding and destroying the Holy Grail. It's utterly nuts, but has an eerie resonance in the characters' quirky spiritual yearnings. Performances from the entire ensemble are terrific, including Jake McDorman, Elizabeth Marvel, Ben Chaplin and the great Margot Martindale. (Peacock)

The Big Door Prize 
For some reason, the title of this comedy-drama never reveals itself. This is a warmly engaging comedy about a small town populated by eccentrics who are thrown off balance by an arcade game that presents you with your true life purpose. The solid ensemble cast, led by Chris O'Dowd, creates charmingly offbeat characters who are amusingly entangled with each other. And the way everyone begins to change is fascinating, because the machine's pronouncements are cleverly enigmatic. But the show builds the mystery without answering anything in 10 episodes, leaving it hanging for a potential season 2. (Apple)

Citadel 
Clearly designed to launch a franchise, this globe-hopping adventure is mindless fun that patches together spy movie elements with little connective logic. Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville are on peak form in a tale of amnesia, double-crossing, world-domination, and so forth. It's flatly ridiculous but plays out with a straight face, so you either have to give up or go with it. International locations add textures, and seductive actors make it worth the ride, most notably Tucci and Manville in rare intense roles, plus the dashing Madden auditioning for Bond. (Amazon)

GUILTY PLEASURES: Queer Eye, Britain's Got Talent, Selling Sunset, RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, I Kissed a Boy.

NOW WATCHING: Fubar, The Other Two (3), I Think You Should Leave (3), Never Have I Ever (4).

COMING SOON: The Crowded Room, Based on a True Story, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2), And Just Like That (2), The Bear (2), Black Mirror (6).

Previous roundup: APRIL 2023 >

Critical Week: Bugging out

With yet another long weekend in the UK, we're all getting used to the idea of a four-day week. But the next holiday here isn't until the end of August. Between now and then, we'll be getting roughly one enormous studio blockbuster movie per week. Some of these are greatly anticipated, while others induce a feeling of dread. This week I caught up with two that I was actually looking forward to. Sony was very late in screening Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, perhaps so they could treat us to a star-studded blue-carpet premiere experience. The film is even more eye-popping than the first one, and the story is nicely involving amid the visual mayhem. And then there was an early screening of The Flash, easily the best DC movie in years, with a lively sense of humour and two terrific performances from Ezra Miller.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Unidentified Objects • Reality
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Amanda • Fragments of Paradise
ALL REVIEWS >

I also caught up with Paul Mescal and Melissa Barrera in the ambitious and intriguing, but ultimately awkward Carmen, which is infused with music and dance. The low-budget Breaking Infinity is an enjoyably brain-bending time-travel romp.  From France, The Innocent is a superb mashup of romcom, heist caper and crime thriller from actor-filmmaker Louis Garrel. And from Italy, The Neighbor is a dark drama about a man grappling with homophobia in his partner's family. 

I also attended three live performances: as a critic for State Shift at Sadler's Wells; as an audience member for Re-Member Me, Dickie Beau's clever but difficult one-man show about Hamlet at Hampstead; and as part of the crowd right in the middle of Guys and Dolls, the wonderfully lively and engaging new version of the classic musical at the Bridge.

This next week I'll be watching the franchise reboot blockbuster Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Toni Collette in Mafia Mamma, the Canadian drama You Can Live Forever, the series-turned-feature comedy Bridesman, and the Chilean documentary My Imaginary Country. I'll also attend live performances of Inside the Blind Iris / Air de Temps at Sadler's Wells (review here soon) and the Critics' Circle National Dance Awards.