Critical Week: Making movies

It's been a busy week at the movies, as the London Film Festival came to an end and screening schedules kick into high gear for awards season. Basically, we have about eight weeks to see all the contenders before we fill in our ballots, so everyone wants to make sure we see their movies. Winning the top LFF prize, the animated Memoir of a Snail is a gorgeous stop-motion movie recounting a kid's journey for an adult audience. It's quite dark, but also wonderfully uplifting. Another animated film about kids, The Colours Within follows the Japanese anime tradition while adding terrific visual and narrative detail. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Conclave • Emilia Perez
Memoir of a Snail
ALL REVIEWS >

The starriest screening was for Pablo Larrain's biopic Maria, as Angelina Jolie turned up to chat about playing the iconic diva. It's a fascinating, cleverly made film that's worth a look. Tom Hardy is back for more action in Venom: The Last Dance, which like the previous two films is messy but watchable. Elizabeth Banks plays a paranoid health specialist in Skincare, a nutty thriller that takes some silly twists and turns. Even sillier, Jordana Brewster and Scott Speedman star in Cellar Door, in which everyone is keeping secrets, including the house. Christmas Eve in Miller's Point is an overcrowded ensemble piece without a central plot, but the mini-adventures are involving.

As for festival fare, there was the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, in which he's depicted as a chimp. Along with lots of panache, the film is surprisingly earthy and serious, and powerfully moving. Walter Salles' superbly well-made I'm Still Here is a riveting true-life family drama, while the beautifully observed Indian drama All We Imagine as Light gently follows three women at a crossroads. There were two docs: Mati Diop's inventive and haunting Dahomey, about returning plundered antiquities to Benin, and the delicately balanced The Divided Island, which skilfully outlines the complex situation in Cyprus. I also saw two live performances: Filibuster at Jackson's Lane and Stories at the Peacock. And I attended the glamorous premiere of the TV series The Day of the Jackal, starring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch. Now I want to see more episodes.

This coming week shouldn't be quite so jam-packed. But I'll be watching Nicholas Hoult in Juror #2, Cate Blanchett in Rumours, Liam Neeson in Absolution, Pharrell's Lego movie Piece by Piece, the Aussie comedy Secrets of a Wallaby Boy, the Christopher Reeve documentary Super/Man and the disinformation doc How to Build a Truth Engine.

Dance: Run, stop, fall, rise

Stories
by Romain Rachline Borgeaud
with Paul Redier, Angel Cubero, Lisa Delolme, Sandra Pericou, Geoffrey Goutorbe, Deborah Lotti, Antoine Nya, Aaron Colston Avella Hiles, Camille Lambese, Malory Hyvelin
sets Federica Mugnai • lighting Alex Hardellet
costumes Margaux Ponsard & Janie Loriault
Peacock Theatre, London • 23.Oct-2.Nov.24 ★★★★

After a sold-out tour of Europe, France's Got Talent finalists RB Dance Company present the UK premiere of their thumping show in London. A refreshingly new take on tap dance from writer-director-composer-choreographer Romain Rachline Borgeaud, this a loose take on the Icarus myth is packed with show-stopping numbers and breathtaking stagecraft. The plot may be a bit blurry, and the group numbers may sometimes feel repetitious, but this is a thrilling night at the theatre.

Set in a pastiche of Prohibition-era America, the show centres on a rising-star actor (Redier) who is pursued by both fans and the tabloids. But he is struggling to control his own destiny in the face of a movie director (Cubero) who calls the shots both on the set and in his private life. This leads to a fierce confrontation and a swirling nighttime odyssey into the city's streets, alleyways, hotels and speakeasies. Along the way he contends with a fiery femme fatale, an angry club owner and violent goons. But it's the director who guides his actions.

All of this plays out with enormous energy, as the company performs elaborate, pulsating tap numbers with staggering precision to a catchy collection of rhythmically growling songs. Even the sets themselves are in sync, moving and transforming accompanied by inventive lighting flourishes and visual trickery that add to both the narrative and the mood. The tone is robust and very masculine, even if half of the dancers are women, because the choreography demands strength and intensity. And along the way, there are several heart-stopping moments, including a couple of dives from dizzy heights.

Even more impressive is how the story generates a powerful emotional connection, allowing us to experience big feelings along with this tenacious young man. The story is very dark, sometimes downright grim, but it continually erupts in wildly energetic colour and movement that reflects the need for release and expression. Sequences around a gambling table, in lively bars or a bustling hotel lobby are remarkably vibrant. And in the end we're left almost as out of breath as the seriously gifted performers.

For information, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Aline Gérard • 23.Oct.24

Stage: Elasticity and emotion

Filibuster
by Kook Ensemble
with Tom Gaskin
dir Sean Kempton
set & costume Adrian Linford • sound design Pete Buffery
Jackson's Lane, London • on tour 14.Sep-8.Nov.24 ★★★★

Inspired by the classical silent movies of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, this one-man show combines mime, juggling, slapstick and circus performance to tell the gentle story of a lonely man longing for love. Performed with physical elasticity and engaging emotion by Tom Gaskin, this is an amusing and warm one-hour piece punctuated with moments of expert balance and juggling work. There may be a bit too much dead space in the show to hold the attention of young children, but grown-ups will find plenty to connect with.

It opens as Gaskin's character moves to an isolated cottage pulling a pile of luggage and an armchair, cleans up a bit and makes himself at home. After a very cool sequence in which he balances and juggles with a hat, umbrella and cigar, he produces a mannequin torso dressed as his butler, who keeps him company and provides some witty interaction, largely because the butler proves to be rather possessive. This extends as Gaskin pulls up an audience member to perform the butler in a series of scenes, starting with a breadstick sword fight. Later there's a clever and seriously impressive block juggling sequence and a lively birthday party that leads to balancing an entire row of chairs.

Through all of this, the plot evokes emotion in this man's yearning for companionship. Sight gags abound as the set itself comes to life, opening hatchways that reveal wonderfully inventive props, images and even mini sets. And as the show continues, props pile up on stage in an enjoyable mess. There's very little actual dialog, but Gaskin mumbles words accompanied background music to make it very clear what he's thinking and saying. And there's also some very clever audio wordplay. His audience work is remarkably easy, flirting with a woman, using someone as a letterbox through which he posts various messages and orchestrating the crowd in a call and response moment. 

The show is a very astute mix of cute silliness and awkward humanity, as Gaskin playfully tries to look smooth even in his clumsiest moments. The narrative feels a bit random, and Gaskin spends rather a lot of time waiting for the next thing to happen, which allows everything to dribble to a halt. Then the music wakes things up, and we're off again, culminating in an elaborate bit of balancing and juggling that once again combines a collection of unexpected objects. So even if the show feels like it could be a bit tighter, it's so thoroughly endearing that we'd happily watch it again, simply to see how Gaskin responds to the chaos this time.

For info, KOOK ENSEMBLE >

Photos by Roy Riley and Jackson's Lane • 18.Oct.24

Critical Week: Backstage glamour

The 68th London Film Festival continues into this weekend with a range of terrific movies. I'm taking it easy this year, just seeing some of the top titles during these days, often including Q&As and receptions where we can chat with the filmmakers and actors. So it's been a lot of fun (see my Insta for pics!), and there's a bit more to come this weekend. One of the bigger titles was Jason Reitman's Saturday Night, a rollercoaster ride of a film recounting a tense 90 minutes before the first SNL show went live in October 1975. The cast is excellent, and it's skilfully written, shot and edited to be both funny and moving, although perhaps only for fans. It was also the surprise film at LFF this week.

Also this week, I finally caught up with the animated adventure The Wild Robot, which I saw preview footage from in June when I hung out with the creative team at Annecy Animation Film Fest. So expectations were very high, and the film more than lived up to them. It's one of the most gorgeously animated movies I've ever seen, and the story has unusual depth and textures.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Anora • The Wild Robot
The Crime Is Mine
The Summer With Carmen
 In Restless Dreams
ALL REVIEWS >

There were lots of good festival movies this week. Amy Adams goes for broke in Nightbitch, a seriously clever film that's deliberately uncomfortable. Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong are astonishing as Donald Trump and Roy Cohn in The Apprentice, a biopic that never takes a cheap shot but leaves us chilled. Thomasin McKenzie shines in Joy, a rather typical lively true British drama, this time about the development of IVF. Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin spark amazing chemistry as cousins in A Real Pain, a smart road movie set in Poland. The Indian comedy Superboys of Malegaon provides a lot of fun as a group of guys create a mini-film industry in their town. 

Outside LFF, there was the always watchable Alex Wolff in rather over-familiar fraternity drama The Line. And there were two docs: Mark Cousins' fascinating collage-style doc A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things, about artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, and the lively Studio One Forever, exploring the iconic Los Angeles nightclub.

Things are clearly getting back to normal for me, as I have a final flurry of LFF films this weekend: Elizabeth Banks' Skincare, the animated Memoir of a Snail, Walter Salles' I'm Still Here, Mati Diop's Dahomey, Indian drama All We Imagine as Light and more. Then next week it's Tom Hardy in Venom: The Last Dance, Eddie Redmayne in The Day of the Jackal and Jordana Brewster in Cellar Door.

Critical Week: It's party time

The 68th BFI London Film Festival kicked off this week, just as my two-month stint on a television series wrapped, so there's been no time to kill! But I'm taking the festival more lightly this year, with just one or two films per day. I'll catch up with other movies later. Meanwhile, awards season is fully underway in London, with Q&A screenings most evenings. And over the next week many of these are also in the festival. This week's screenings included Sean Baker's Palme d'Or winner Anora, a lively romantic comedy that spins into something even more interesting as it goes along. It's a proper stunner.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Transformers One
We Live in Time
ALL REVIEWS >

LFF opened with Steve McQueen's Blitz, a gorgeously produced recreation of 1940 London under attack, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan. The story doesn't quite work, but it looks astonishing. Ralph Fiennes leads a strong cast in Conclave, Edward Berger's drama about the selection of a new Pope. It's smart, nuanced and riveting. John David Washington, Samuel L Jackson and Danielle Deadwyler lead an adaptation of August Wilson's play The Piano Lesson, which is beefy and intense, but remains rather stagebound. Mike Leigh is back with Hard Truths, an edgy family drama starring the terrific Marianne Jean-Baptists and Michele Austin. And apart from LFF/awards season, the lively Hong Kong action movie Stuntman pays playful and sometimes melodramatic homage to the stunt performing community. I also caught Chicos Mambo's amusing live show Tutu at the Peacock. 

Most films I'm watching this coming week are also screening at LFF, including the animated adventure The Wild Robot, the SNL romp Saturday Night, Angelina Jolie in Maria, Amy Adams in Nightbitch, Thomasin McKenzie in Joy, Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain, the Indian comedy Superboys of Malegaon and the psychic doc Look Into My Eye. There's also Alex Wolff in The Line, Mark Cousins' A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things and the doc Studio One Forever, plus Fillibuster at Jackson's Lane. 

Dance: Lighten up

Chicos Mambo
Tutu
choreography Philippe Lafeuille
with Marc Behra, David Guasgua, Julien Mercier, Kamil Pawel Jasinski, Vincent Simon, Vincenzo Veneruso, Corinne Barbara
costumes Corinne Petitpierre • lighting Dominique Mabileau
Peacock Theatre, London • 1-5.Oct.24 ★★★

Barcelona-based Chicos Mambo brings their playful show Tutu to London, and it's a real crowd-pleaser, peppering a range of dance pieces with cheeky humour and lively slapstick. And it continually finds clever ways to invert masculine cliches and gender issues, continually poking fun at social structures. For dance fans, it might be a bit frustrating that they can't get through a single number without some shameless clowning. But it's beautifully designed for a family audience, naughty enough to get children giggling and impressive enough for adults. It also has some very strong points to make, which are impossible to miss.

Many sections in this show are pure pastiche, such as the Swan Lake segment in which the dancers prance around in furry duckling outfits, or goofy takes on both Strictly Come Dancing and Dirty Dancing. There are also random gags, such as a perplexing hair-ography piece later on in which whey march around in long dresses flinging their wigs around. Most of this is very funny, stirring a wide range of music, dance and humour together in an entertaining way. And much of it is aimed at children, including some big circus-style touches and a segment featuring fluffy nappies.

Through all of this these six boys (plus one woman) play on their diversity, with differing ages, ethnicities and body types, while injecting moments of big personality. Each also gets his one stripped-back solo. Their dialog often sounds like hilarious Minions-style gibberish. But under the silliness, these are serious dancers, displaying both lyrical fluidity and feats of physical strength. Much of the movement is classical ballet, often impressively en pointe, although poses are exaggerated, faces are pulled and hand gestures continually puncture the tone. But several moments have a stronger impact in between the gags, such as a muscly solo in which the dancer doesn't move his feet.

Colourful lighting and costume tricks add to the visual impact, with characters clad in black assisting with some epic lifts, while a shimmering tutu floats through the show until Barbara reveals herself in the curtain call, which turns into a lively call-and-response dance class with choreographer Lafeuille. In the final act, a deeper theme emerges to comment on how it feels to be a male dancer in a world of machismo. The point is sharp, and quickly expressed before moving on. But watching these muscly men in tiny tutus expressing pure joy for 100 minutes or so is wonderfully infectious. And it's a terrific reminder of the importance of artistic expression, freestyle playfulness and staying in touch with your body.

For details, SADLER'S WELLS >

photos by Michael Cavalca • 5.Oct.24

Stage: Who wants to live forever

Foreverland
by Emma Hemingford
dir Frederick Wienand
with Emma McDonald, Christopher York, Valerie Antwi, Una Byrne, Emily Butler
sets & costumes Peiyao Wang
lighting Lily Woodford • sound Jamie Lu
Southwark Playhouse Borough, London • 2-19.Oct.24 ★★★★

Set in the near future, Emma Hemingford's new play cleverly uses emerging science to explore the effect of extended longevity on various relationships. The approach is thoughtful and sometimes very pointed, but is nicely grounded in earthy humour, nuanced performances and inventively simple staging. It also never gets bogged down in its central biotechnology, which helps make sure that the audience is looking at the deeper ideas and feelings these people are struggling to understand, let alone express.

It opens in 2035, as Alice and Jay (McDonald and York) are in consultation with Dr Lane (Antwi) on the day of their "fixing", a surgical procedure that will rejuvenate every cell in their body and stop them from ageing. Wealthy due to Jay's tech job, they can afford this hugely expensive treatment, but Alice worries that her father can't. Then as they begin their now-extended life, time ceases to have much meaning for them, allowing them to leave much about their day-to-day experiences unresolved, including the decision to have a child, as well as then parenting their daughter Annie (Butler), who grows to be in her mid-30s (now Byrne) like them and must decide for herself if she's ready for fixing.

The actors are excellent at creating real people we can identify with as their situation shifts in unexpected ways. In the smaller studio theatre, a raised stage effectively keeps the actors at eye level, with minimal props to signify settings and situations. And some sequences inventively deploy cinematic styles of editing and focus, while the script remembers to include offhanded but telling details. The actors create a terrific sense of connection, with dialog that never feels cliched, from playful banter between Alice and Jay to their ongoing conversations with Dr Lane and the parents' ever-shifting relationship with their daughter. Some of the elements feel a bit pushy and undercooked, such as Jay's alcohol addiction. But the more subtle interaction carries a strong kick, such as young Annie's simple inability to accept the idea of death.

There's an eerie resonance here, as this kind of DNA restoration is already being studied. So the premise feels thoroughly believable. And Hemingford's script never simplifies the themes or issues, touching on a range of provocative questions, including the way this pricey treatment intensifies the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Even more intriguing is how immortality so profoundly changes a person's sense of motivation in every aspect of life. And bigger questions about what creates day-to-day meaning are sharply examined in the dialog. Does having more time bring happiness? Would losing the pressure of mortality stop ambition on a global scale? While the drama gets a bit heightened here and there, these loudly gurgling ideas hold the interest, leaving us with plenty to think about.

For details, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE > 

photos by Charlie Lyne • 4.Oct.24

Critical Week: Keep an eye out

Working on a television crew kept me out of cinemas for much of this week, but I had a couple of days off to catch up on movies and other things. New films this week included Salem's Lot, yet another adaptation of one of my favourite Stephen King novels, although this film's approach features standard cheap scares rather than the book's brainer chills. Joaquin Phoenix is back for Todd Phillips' sequel Joker: Folie a Deux, starring with Lady Gaga in a very well-made, twisted drama about mental illness. But it's unnecessarily bleak. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Things Will Be Different
Daaaaaali • Maya and the Wave
PERHAPS AVOID:
Salem's Lot
ALL REVIEWS >

Further afield, there was Quentin Dupieux's wonderfully surreal biopic Daaaaaali!, taking an appropriately bonkers look at the iconic artist. Two low-budget American films were worth a look: All Kinds of Love is a relaxed romcom with strong characters, while Beauty Grace Malice is an offbeat thriller with engaging themes. And the doc Maya and the Wave recounts the astonishing story of surf champ Maya Gabeira with some jaw-dropping footage. I also attended a special screening of the TV series La Máquina with a lively intro from Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. And I reviewed two live events: Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada at Sadler's Wells and Foreverland at Southwark Playhouse.

The TV series I'm working on wraps this week after shooting eight episodes, just in time for the start of the 68th London Film Festival on Wednesday. In the diary this coming week: Steve McQueen's Blitz, Sean Baker's Palme d'Or winner Anora, Ralph Fiennes in Conclave, Samuel L Jackson in The Piano Lesson and the Chinese action movie Stuntman, plus Chicos Mambo's live show Tutu. 

Dance: Dazzling and demanding

The National Ballet of Canada
Frontiers: Choreographers of Canada
Crystal Pite / James Kudelka / Emma Portner
Sadler's Wells, London • 2-6.Oct.24 ★★★★

This programme features pieces by three of Canada's top choreographers, each with a distinct perspective. They are sharply designed and performed, although the impact they carry is a mixed bag, each deploying its own style of dazzling visuals and demanding movement...

Passion
choreography James Kudelka
with McGee Maddox, Heather Ogden, Larkin Miller, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Donald Thom, Chelsy Meiss, Isaac Wright, Monika Haczkiewicz, Nio Hirano, Clare Peterson, Ayano Haneishi, Connor Hamilton, Miyoko Koyasu
music Ludwig van Beethoven • piano soloist Zhenya Vitort
costumes Dennis Lavoie • lighting Michael Mazzola

Hugely ambitious, this features three separate dances sharing the same stage.The concept is impressive, and the choreography is often beautiful, although it sometimes feels like it's about to spiral badly out of control as dancers bump each other, stumble or lose synchronicity, as if the performers are struggling with the dimensions of a new stage or the pacing of the live orchestra. Even so, it's visually impressive. The central narrative focusses on a couple (Maddox and Ogden) performing an emotive modern ballet with witty touches, prowling around the edge of the dance floor before coming together with a kick of intensity. Meanwhile, a traditional couple (Miller and Nabity) dance in classical ballet style and costumes around them, often accompanied by two matching couples. And snaking between them the whole time is a line of five twirling ballerinas. The effect is vivid and often powerful, creating intriguing barriers while highlighting different forms of physical expression and connection. So even if it's a bit rough around the edges, and even if more progressive casting would make it even more impactful, this is a lovely piece.

Islands
choreography Emma Portner
with Heather Ogden, Genevieve Penn Nabity
music Brambles, Guillaume Ferran, David Spinelli, Forest Swords, Lily Koningsberg, Bing & Ruth
costumes Stephanie Hutchinson
lighting Paul Vidar Saevarang

In a rectangle of projected light, two dancers (Ogden and Nabity) are pressed together creating shapes and striking poses as one. Always in contact, their movements are vivid and sometimes amusing, offering fascinating visuals by skilfully maintaining a tight connection. Sometimes pushing or lifting each other into position, they begin to emerge from their locked-in perspective, untangling their limbs and removing their leggings to allow for even more expressive movement as the light on the stage grows, shrinks and changes shape. All of this is performed to a striking soundscape that mixes in snippets of music, and as it progresses the performance emerges as an intimate duet. This is a remarkably physical piece, often breathtaking in the way it presses the dancers together then pulls them apart with synchronicity. The movement is light and fluid, offering a celebration of freedom within a union.

Angels’ Atlas
choreography Crystal Pite
with Svetlana Lunkina, Ben Rudisin, Alexandra MacDonald, Spencer Hack, Hannah Galway, Siphesihle November, Genevieve Penn Nabity, Spencer Hack, Donald Thom
music Owen Belton, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Morten Lauridsen
costumes Nancy Bryant • lighting Tom Visser

As usual, Crystal Pite stuns the audience with visual spectacle that carries a powerful emotional gut-punch. The main event in the Frontiers programme, this piece is staggeringly expressive on multiple levels, challenging gifted dancers who rise to the challenge to put their bodies into a range of insistent positions. There are some 35 performers on the stage at times, moving together in waves of choreography with attention to the finest detail, flowing, surging and offering standout moments for individuals. This takes place in front of a screen featuring jaggedly refracted light that shimmers above the performers, combining with choral music to create an almost magisterial spectacle. As the light and music shift, the dancers do too, creating seemingly weightless movements that express a vibrant sense of yearning, as if they are battling for their lives. Unusually visual and visceral, this piece features heart-stopping breakout sequences that cleverly use both the intensity of the light and the large group dynamic for context. Pulsing rhythms also bring out enormous emotional resonance in a story that grows in its impact. In the end, it feels both devastating and hopeful. And the audience is almost as out of breath as the dancers.

For details, SADLER'S WELLS > 

photos by Johan Persson, Karolina Kuras, Bruce Zinger • 2.Oct.24