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: Movie night

I've started off the new year catching up on things I had hoped to see last year, including three acclaimed foreign-language titles that have been in this year's awards conversation. From Spain, Alcarras is a lively, remarkably authentic drama about a family facing a big change. From Pakistan, Joyland is a proper stunner about a young couple straining against a society full of expectations and restrictions. From Brazil, Mars One is a lovely, loose drama about four family members who have their own distinct dreams.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Till • Piggy • Alcarras
Mars One • Women Talking
ALL REVIEWS >

Two films coming out this week are The Enforcer, a skilfully made thriller with an under-developed plot, anchored by a terrific Antonio Banderas as a growly mob heavy. And the mystery thriller Exploited is enjoyably lurid even if it's awkwardly assembled.

I also caught up with Disney's latest animated adventure Strange World, an enjoyably colourful romp that feels a bit simplistic in its themes. A sequel to the guilty-pleasure hit Enchanted, Disenchanted has lots of great songs but a story that feels rushed and, well, all wrong. The British period whodunit See How They Run creates an enjoyably witty vibe but strains to engage the audience. The animated romance Entergalactic looks fantastic, and has some nice underlying themes, but ultimately sticks too close to the genre rules. And then there was The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, a throwback to those vintage TV specials. It's nutty and entertaining, and offers some terrific scenes with favourite characters, but it's never quite as bonkers as we hope it will be.

Movies I'll be watching this coming week include the horror thriller M3gan, Jim Parsons in Spoiler Alert, Nicolas Cage in The Old Way, Gillian Jacobs in The Seven Faces of Jane, and catch-up screenings of Cha Cha Real Smooth, Broker, The Swimmers and others.

Critical Week: In your face

After a very long five-month lockdown, cinemas are once again open in the UK, and distributors are flooding screens with both new films and several that have been previously released online but really should get some big screen love. I'm hoping to revisit some titles over the coming weeks. New films I watched this week include Mainstream, which stars Andrew Garfield as an influencer who takes social media by storm. It's a bold, overreaching film that demands attention. On the big screen with an awesome sound system, I watched John Krasinski's sequel A Quiet Place Part II, once again starring Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe as a family trying to keep silent around terrifying monsters. It's a nail-biter, packed with thrillingly scary set-pieces.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Hating Peter Tatchell • Nomadland
Ammonite • Minari • Undergods
PERHAPS AVOID:
Those Who Wish Me Dead
Rare Beasts
ALL REVIEWS >

Less effective was the thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead, with Angelina Jolie as a tough guy smokejumper. The plot was even more contrived than that, but the filmmaking is solid. A Hitchcock homage, The Woman in the Window is gloriously well-made, with a terrific cast led by Amy Adams and a plot that barely holds water. Finn Whitehead stars in the loose, relaxed drama Port Authority, as a homeless teen who falls for a trans dancer. Another British-based animated drama from Studio Ghibli, Earwig and the Witch is visually innovative but narratively awkward. From Austria, Why Not You is an involving, very dark drama about a young man struggling in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. And from Australia, Hating Peter Tatchell is a riveting, expertly assembled doc about the groundbreaking London-based activist.

Oddly, press screenings seem to be re-opening very slowly, and I only have one in the diary for this coming week, namely the dark drama Zebra Girl. But I suspect more will come along soon. In the mean time, there are screener links to watch for Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, Emma Stone in Cruella, the Hollywood romcom Introducing Jodea and the documentary A Space in Time. I also have some theatre and dance performances to attend, so watch for those reviews here.

Critical Week: Stay classy

Over halfway through our month-long Lockdown 2.0, it's clear that everyone is seriously bored with all of this now, longing for a reopening of cinemas, restaurants, pubs, theatres and everything really in time for Christmas. Meanwhile I've had three days and counting without internet, thanks to Virgin Media's astonishing inability to solve whatever the problem is in my neighbourhood. This means that I've had to use my phone's 4G to watch movies this week. And the films were a mixed bag. Ron Howard's new movie Hillbilly Elegy, which stars Glenn Close and Amy Adams. It's watchable but too simplistic to have any kind of kick. David Fincher's biopic Mank, starring Gary Oldman as the screenwriter of Citizen Kane, has equally great performances (especially from Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies), and much more visual panache, although Fincher's perfectionism drains the story of passion.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK: 

Lovers Rock • Another Round

Mosul • Happiest Season

Possessor

PERHAPS AVOID:

Hillbilly Elegy • Buddy Games

The Ringmaster

FULL REVIEWS >

And then there's the messy romantic comedy Love, Weddings & Other Disasters, a frothy, corny multi-strand affair starring Diane Keaton and Jeremy Irons. Jungleland stars the superb Charlie Hunnam and Jack O'Connell as brothers on a road trip with the always excellent Jessica Barden, but the film is too hushed to come to life. Lost at Christmas is an awkward little holiday rom-com from Scotland, with just about enough charm to win us over. Host is a refreshingly original British horror movie set entirely on a Zoom screen, and it's skilfully terrifying. And The Ringmaster is a sickeningly derivative Danish horror movie that's uber-grisly but not very scary.

There were also two docs: Zappa uses extensive archival material to trace the iconic musician's career, while Markie in Milwaukee is about a 7-foot deeply religious trans woman who decides to live as a man again, then has to face her true nature. I also caught Kevin Hart's new stand-up show, Zero F**ks Given, which has a nicely intimate feel in his house, including some very personal jokes. And then there was The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special, a giddy bit of Christmas fluff that felt like just what I needed.

This coming week I'll catch up with Red, White and Blue, the third film in Steve McQueen's Small Axe series, as well as the all-star musical The Prom, Viggo Mortensen's Falling, Diane Lane in Let Him Go, Drew Barrymore in The Stand-In, Margot Robbie in Dreamland, the psychological thriller Muscle and the shorts collection The American Boys.

Critical Week: Catch the wave

Amid a flurry of last-minute awards-consideration screenings (my first voting deadline is Friday night), I'm still covering movies that are coming into the cinemas at the moment. This week included two blockbusters, a welcome break from the heavier "prestige films" I've been watching. Carrying on from Justice League, Aquaman is an unabashedly corny romp with cartoonish effects and a simplistic script, but lots of fun. The Transformers prequel Bumblebee is even better, maintaining a nice character focus in between the robot-bashing action. The connection between Hailee Steinfeld and her car/alien is as involving as her relationships with her parents and the cute boy next door.

And then there was the high-powered cast of the Dick Cheney biopic Vice, with Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell easily transcending the makeup and prosthetics. The glib script is more problematic. The Coens' The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a delightful collection of Western shorts, each with great actors and a twist in its tale. Capernaum is a flat-out masterpiece, a Lebanese drama about life on the streets that feels so real that it shakes us to the core. Free Solo is one of the most jaw-dropping docs of the year, following an intrepid climber up an impossible wall of granite. And there was also the generally strong Male Shorts: International V2, a collection of five gay-themed short films exploring intimacy issues (full disclosure: I never saw V1). There were also two film events...

---

P R E V I E W
Alita: Battle Angel
Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron's sci-fi action epic was previewed for the press with a collection of about 20 minutes of short scenes and a new trailer, shown to us in Imax 3D with a video intro from Cameron and an in-person Q&A with Rodriguez and producer Jon Landau. The effects are seriously impressive, even if the design work is a little cartoonish - Alita (Rosa Salazar, right) has massive eyes. But it definitely makes me want to see the whole movie when it opens in February.

---

E X H I B I T I O N
The Favourite at Kensington Palace
Now here's a brilliant idea: Sandy Powell's insanely clever costumes from the film The Favourite are on display at Kensington Palace until mid-February, set out in the rooms where Queen Anne actually lived. At the press launch this week, it was amazing to be able to walk all the way around these elaborate outfits, marvelling at the stunning textures and layers (and at how tiny Emma Stone is). Meanwhile portraits of royals who lived here are peering down at you from the walls. And one of the story's main events took place right in this very room. Pretty cool. Full information: www.hrp.org.uk

---

This coming week, I have more catching up to do, including Steve Carell in Welcome to Marwen, Ian McKellen and Judi Dench in All Is True, Jennifer Aniston in Dumplin', Paul Giamatti in Private Life, the remake of Papillon and the Russian dance drama Polina.

Shadows on the Screen: Autumn TV roundup

There have been some good shows on over the summer, and perhaps I managed to avoid the truly awful ones. As always, TV gives me a break from cinema, which is work for me. Watching an episode or two after finishing a writing deadline is a great reboot. And this first show was something truly special...

Pose

Exploring the colourful vogueing subculture in 1980s New York, this series is warm, involving, funny, sad and often exhilarating as it digs into its characters. The interaction is raw and honest, the situations are resonant and the glamorous balls are magnificent. A side-plot involving Evan Peters and Kate Mara sometimes feels tacked on to unnecessarily provide white star power, but both are superb in complex, textured roles. Still, the stars of the show are awesome - likeable, compelling, inspiring and full of wonderful contradictions. Special mention to Mj Rodriguez as Mother Bianca, Dominique Jackson as Mother Elektra (above), Ryan Jamaal Swain as young dancer Damon and the astounding Billy Porter as the host of the ball. These are important, urgent stories that have never been told like this.

Patrick Melrose

Edward St Aubyn's five autobiographical novels are adapted into this full-on five-part series centred on a magnificent tour-de-force by Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. Opening with the death of Patrick's loathed father (Hugo Weaving) in 1982, after which he makes a vow to get off heroin, the story is a snappy blend of torturous flashbacks and wickedly funny inner monologs. Edward Berger's direction is bracingly inventive, and all of the characters are cleverly larger than life. It's a staggeringly involving story with properly deep twists and turns, as Patrick tries to put his past into perspective in order to make something of his life. Profound and important. 

Who Is America 

Sacha Baron Cohen creates several more pranking alter-egos (see also Ali G, Borat, Bruno) for this seven-part series, which provokes people's opinions from politics to art. Playing various characters allows him to shift the tone from wildly obvious buffoonery to more subtle satire. Entertainment, often of the most chilling kind, comes when the guests fail to catch on, mainly luring gullible conservatives with crazy ideas they already want to hear. By contrast he confronts liberals with contrary ideas. When someone refuses to rise to his provocation, it says a lot. In other words, this is a telling comment on the state of a divided nation. Although it doesn't feel as subversive at a time when politicians say appalling things all on their own.

Sharp Objects

The setup may be a bit hackneyed (jaded alcoholic journalist assigned to cover murders in her sleepy Missouri hometown), but Amy Adams shines in the role as a woman reluctantly confronting her past, most notably her fearsome mother (the awesome Patricia Clarkson). This does kind of make the escalating murder mystery feel a little distracting, while the gurgling romance between the journalist and the hot detective (an almost-as-jaded Chris Messina) feels more than a little contrived. But then it is based on a novel by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl). Thankfully, the writing is powerfully internalised, while Jean-Marc Vallee's textured, sultry direction is mesmerising.

The Innocents

A British series with heavy Scandinavian overtones, this is insinuating and evocative, but it requires patience as it slowly reveals its story amid editing trickery, unfinished conversations and simplistic melodrama. The supernatural flourishes (mainly shapeshifting) are hard to get a grip on, but the emotions of the characters are raw and urgent. This helps carry the viewer through the infuriatingly vague Norwegian scenes in which whatever the calmly unreasonable Guy Pearce is up to with those women is pretentiously unclear. The real secret weapon in this series is the leading young duo, Sorcha Groundsell and Percelle Ascott. They are terrific together, and their journey is powerfully packed with yearning, confusion, intelligence and hope.

The First
The opening title for this series couldn't be more pretentious if it tried, but then the whole show's tone is often painfully over-serious. Still, it's watchable due to the solid cast anchored by a beefy Sean Penn and complex Natascha McElhone. And there are big ideas swirling as these people prepare to launch the first Mars mission. It's rare to see such a big-scale series resolutely refuse to indulge in the usual rush to urgency. The story takes its time to develop. So why have the show's producers given into the fad for chopping things into ribbons of flashbacks, dreams and imagination, making it a challenge to find the narrative line. It's evocative, and an intriguing story to tell, but it's packed with corny symbolism and inexplicable cutaways.

Lodge 49

Wyatt Russell is a slacker surfer dude who stumbles across a signet ring that introduces him to an oddball fraternal society that feels eerily familiar. He's such an idiot that he shouldn't be as likeable as he is, but there's a sense of yearning to the character, as he endeavours to get back everything his family lost. As his sister Liz, Sonya Cassidy is just as good, but the show's writers aren't confident or clever enough to give her storyline as much weight, so she seems to flutter around the edges. Thankfully, the screen is full of lively oddballs who hold the interest as the mystery spirals in unexpected directions. It never quite comes together, but it's engaging.

Castle Rock

There's a lot of clever stuff going on in this series, which harks back to characters and settings from various Stephen King novels. Whether or not you get all the references is irrelevant, because there's plenty to enjoy, starting with excellent performances from Andre Holland, Melanie Lynskey, Bill Skarsgard and especially the great Sissy Spacek. There are elements of this series that are trying far too hard to be clever, but there's also a raw, honest thread of emotion that underscores everything that happens. So even when there's something wildly unexplained happening, it's grounded in the people. Just like King's novels.

Insatiable
Every element of this show is packed with double entendre, although it feels like rather a lot of bluster. Despite being a Netflix show, this would almost be safe for network primetime, as the edginess is purely superficial. Thankfully, it's also very funny, playing up the dodgy things most people are thinking about, but these characters can't help but blurt out loud. Sparky supporting roles are enjoyably absurd, played by ace scene-stealers. In the lead role, Dallas Roberts has a great time skilfully layering innuendo into everything he does and says. Opposite him Debby Ryan is also superbly unfiltered, although for a satire about beauty pageants and eating disorders, her casting is perhaps tone-deaf. But at least it tackles the issues. And it takes some intriguing, dark turns in the final few episodes.

Dietland

A remarkably quirky series, this starts out as something I would never be interested in (a drama about someone on a diet), but it quickly becomes much, much more than that. The surreal plot turns and wildly colourful characters continually send the audience in unexpected directions. The writing, direction and acting take absolutely no prisoners as they pointedly satirise a culture in which women are sidelined, especially those perceived as overweight. And the cast (anchored by the terrific Joy Nash) takes no prisoners as they fill every moment with subtle subtext and implication. This helps the central revolution take on a stand-and-cheer importance, even if the radicalised violence feels a bit over the top.

ANOTHER SEASON

Ozark: series 2

Things continue to close in as Jason Bateman and Laura Linney remain just about one step ahead of being killed. Both actors are superb, as are the surrounding cast of equally desperate people. Even the fearsome new cartel lawyer (the magical Janet McTeer) seems to always be looking over her shoulder. The message isn't that crime doesn't pay, because it clearly does. But this is a rare show that presents the moral quagmire that results when rules are bent, twisted and broken. The writers continue to send these people spiralling ever deeper into trouble. For example, they're no longer just covering up murders, but actually responsible for killing people. And adding local politicians to their web is very clever. But the master stroke was the messy, awful relationship Ruth (the astoundingly full-on Julia Garner) had with her vile ex-con dad (Trevor Long).

The Handmaid's Tale: series 2

The second season of this show launched with a powerful bang, throwing the audience right back into this disturbing dystopia while propelling the forwards into the unknown. This season also spends more time looking backwards through flashbacks that looks eerily like present-day America, just as the fanatics are taking over the government. This portrayal of freedoms being removed in tiny increments is just as terrifying as the depiction of religious zealots running the country unfettered. This season got a little awkward plot-wise, including a few story strands that fell oddly flat. But the central narrative and themes remain riveting.

I'm Dying Up Here: series 2

The characters have deepened considerably in this series about stand-up comics in late-70s Los Angeles, as the writers send them into a variety of personal clashes. This includes some obvious moral issues, as they compromise to achieve their dreams: Ron (Clark Duke) earns a fortune as a soulless one-line joke on a sitcom, Eddie (Michael Angarano) scrapes a living writing for a fading star (a superb Brad Garrett), Adam (RJ Cyler) finds success on any front elusive, Nick (Jake Lacy) and Cassie (Ari Graynor) have deeply personal conflicts, Goldie (Melissa Leo) faces the wrath of her acolytes by refusing to pay them. Yes, the plotting feels obvious, so it's a good thing the actors are so good.

The Good Place: series 2

I binge-watched the first two seasons of this comedy and thoroughly enjoyed its unusually high-concept premise. The first season is about a woman (the great Kristen Bell) who finds herself in heaven and knows she doesn't belong. A big twist turns everything on its head for the second season, as she teams up with the supernatural being (the fabulous Ted Danson) running the place on an elaborate scam. Over both series, the show resists the usual structures as it develops the characters in hilarious directions. Side roles for Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto are hugely engaging, as is the ever-evolving not-a-robot assistant Janet (D'Arcy Carden). Can't wait to see where the incoming third season takes them.

Younger: series 5
The writing on this show isn't any better, but it's worth watching for unpredictable scene-stealers Miriam Shor and Debi Mazar. And Nico Tortorella is simply too loveable for words. Otherwise, it's flatly ridiculous that anyone still believes Sutton Foster's Liza is in her mid-20s (thankfully there aren't many who still do). And her romantic muddle is dull. It would be much more engaging to see her set up house and have a baby with Josh, twisting the title's meaning in a new direction. Hilary Duff's character has better storylines this time, entangled with two very different men. And the take on the shifting role of publishing, while still a bit fantastical, at least tackles relevant themes while playing with super-current media.

Insecure: series 3

Issa Rae is back for this sharp comedy, which still relies a bit too heavily on personal awkwardness and misery, with tiresome predictable calamities at every turn. Y'lan Noel and Kendrick Sampson are nicely beefing up Issa's love life, plus the lingering ghost of Jay Ellis. The side characters are fun (and funny), but their plots are less involving, and the new storyline for Yvonne Orji's Molly feels under-developed. At least this season they finally took on the issue of the workplace, its endemic racism and particularly Issa's tone-deaf boss. But frankly I would also rather see the show-runners give Issa and Molly a few triumphs, maybe a bit of self-confidence that will make the show's title more ironic and less simplistically defeating.

NOW WATCHING

Maniac, Wanderlust, Kidding, Vanity Fair, Rel, Shameless, The Deuce, I Love You America 

COMING SOON 

House of Cards (2 Nov), The Man in the High Castle (5 Oct), The Good Place (27 Sep), Victoria and more...

LFF 5: Stare into the abyss

Amy Adams was on hand to lend some Hollywood glamour to the red carpet for the 60th London Film Festival tonight - with the gala screening of her new film Arrival (pictured above). And she'll be back later in the week for Nocturnal Animals. There are quite a few actors pulling double duty this year, including David Oyelowo and Natalie Portman. Meanwhile, those of us in the ranks of the film journalists are starting to look like the walking dead, as too many movies and too little sleep begins to catch up with us. Here are some highlights from Monday...

Paterson
dir-scr Jim Jarmusch; with Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani 16/US ****
Evoking the poetry of William Carlos Williams, this whimsical comedy-drama explores the profundity of everyday details in Williams' hometown of Paterson, New Jersey. Writer-director Jim Jarmusch lets this hilarious story unfold gently, taking the time to soak in the small things that liven up both our seemingly monotonous lives and our seemingly similar personalities.

After the Storm
dir-scr Hirokazu Kore-eda; with Hiroshi Abe, Kirin Kiki 16/Jpn ****
Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda continues his string of gently revelatory dramas with this story about a rather typical modern family. As they explore the connections between them, the characters are pondering the past and the future, and realising that they may need to live in the present if they're ever going to be happy. There are no fireworks in this movie, but Kore-eda's writing and directing are simply beautiful, as always.

Sweet Dreams [Fai Bei Sogni]
dir Marco Bellocchio; with Valerio Mastandrea, Berenice Bejo 16/It **
Italian maestro Marco Bellocchio makes bold movies, and this one feels deeply personal as it explores the very Italian topic of the mother-son bond. It's beautifully shot, with insinuating performances and an ambitious approach to the narrative structure. But it's also oddly over-serious, and the fragmented style of storytelling stubbornly refuses to properly let the audience into the characters' inner lives.

Being 17  [Quand On a 17 Ans] 
dir Andre Techine; with Sandrine Kiberlain, Kacey Mottet Klein 16/Fr ***.
An intriguing teaming of French filmmakers Andre Techine and Celine Sciamma, this drama tackles a series of emotive issues head-on with strong characters and striking honesty. The problem is that it feels like two separate films have been mashed together, so each storyline undercuts the power of the other one. Is this about the challenges of a community doctor whose husband works abroad? Or an edgy romance between two teen outcasts?

The Ornithologist [O Ornitólogo]
dir-scr Joao Pedro Rodrigues; with Paul Hamy, Xelo Cagiao 16/Por **.
This experimental film from Portugal starts promisingly, as it follows a bird-watcher on a trip into a spectacular wilderness. It's an intriguingly internalised odyssey, beautifully shot and played, with tantalising clues about a variety of issues. But as it continues, writer-director Joao Pedro Rodrigues drifts into pretentious metaphorical nuttiness that overwhelms any sense of narrative drama and loses the audience deep in the forest.

And two more films I saw in Venice that are showing here in London: Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner in Arrival and the Italian road movie These Days.

Venezia 73: Staring out at day 3

Frankly, it isn't easy to spend all day in a cinema when the weather is this spectacular - and when you can see the beach from the press workroom. But this is life at the 73rd Venice Film Festival: watch movies and write about them, and if time allows gawk at the stars in press conferences or on the red carpet. Here on the Lido there are two other urgent requirements: finding food and wifi, neither of which is remotely easy. Here are more recent films (and that's Amy Adams again, above) ...

Nocturnal Animals
dir-scr Tom Ford; with Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal 16/US ***.
For his second film as writer-director, Tom Ford takes on an ambitious, three-sided story that's a romantic drama, violent thriller and darkly internal odyssey. Of course it all looks gorgeous, designed and edited to perfection. And it's packed with terrific moments that hit us right between the eyes with intensity and emotion. But some elements outshine the others, which throws things somewhat off the balance.

Frantz
dir Francois Ozon; with Pierre Niney, Paula Beer 16/Fr ****.
French filmmaker Francois Ozon tackles another genre with this historical drama, which has shades of Haneke in its multi-layered story of forgiveness and redemption. Shot in black and white with moments of blossoming colour, the film harks back to period war dramas due to the visual style and the way the story evolves. But of course, Ozon puts his own subtle spin on everything. And the result is darkly moving.

Summertime [L'Estate Addosso]
dir Gabriele Muccino; with Brando Pacitto, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz 16/It ***
Bright and energetic, this Italian-American drama is packed with likeable characters and perceptive observations. But it's somewhat cursory in the way it approaches both the characters and story, full of picturesque montages with beautiful people in gorgeous locations. And while the core message is strong, the plotting feels rather random.

The Last Things [Le Ultime Cose]
dir-scr Irene Dionisio; with Fabrizio Falco, Roberto De Francesco 16/It ***
While this gentle Italian drama taps nicely into the zeitgeist, it seems to focus more on situation than the people who are caught up in it. The characters each have a journey to follow, and writer-director Irene Dionisio observes them without ever quite getting under their skin. Still, there are some strong moral dilemmas that pull the audience in. And the way it highlights a culture of desperation is haunting.

Coming up: Jude Law in The Young Pope, Dakota Fanning in Brimstone, James Franco's In Dubious Battle...

Venezia 73: First contact on day 2

The press room was buzzing after this morning's screening of Denis Villeneuve's brainy new sci-fi thriller Arrival (that's Amy Adams above), which was also the starry red carpet tonight, along with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, of course. Here's what I saw today...

Arrival
dir Denis Villeneuve; with Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner 16/Can ****.
With an enormous suggestion about the potential of humanity, this darkly emotive science-fiction thriller grabs the audience by the brain and never lets go. So while the film feels somewhat overserious and densely packed, director Denis Villeneuve also offers huge rewards to viewers who pay close attention. And his actors deliver performances that burst with both intelligence and emotion.


Prevenge
dir-scr Alice Lowe; with Alice Lowe, Jo Hartley 16/UK ****
Call this a serial killer movie from the heart. With her debut feature as director, Alice Lowe creates a rare black comedy that makes the audience complicit with murder. But even more than a riotous rampage of grisliness, this is an emotionally resonant exploration of the innate craziness of pregnancy, vividly capturing that feeling that an alien creature is living inside, taking over your life.

Pamilya Ordinaryo
dir-scr Eduardo W Roy Jr; with Ronwaldo Martin, Hasmine Kilip 16/Ph ***.
Relentlessly grim in its realism, this is a drama of desperation from the streets of Manila. It explores an underclass of people living rough with no hope of getting a fair shake. Even though the central story is hugely compelling, justice is elusive here. This is bracingly honest filmmaking that finds glimmers of humanity at every turn, even as hope seems to disappear.

Films on the slate for tomorrow are Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals, Francois Ozon's Frantz and the Italian drama Le Ultime Cose.

Critical Week: Let the race begin

Awards season officially kicked off this week with a flurry of accolades including the New York Film Critics and the British Independent Film Awards. I've been voting already, and have more to do in the coming weeks. In my last few days in California, I caught up with a few more contenders, including Angelina Jolie's biopic Unbroken, starring Jack O'Connell as Olympic runner Louie Zamperini, who later survived 47 days adrift at sea before being captured by the Japanese during WWII. It's a staggering story of resilience, made with unexpected subtlety. Tim Burton's Big Eyes is another gorgeously made biopic. It stars Amy Adams as Margaret Keane, who painted all of those sad-eyed children in the 60s and 70s while her husband (Christoph Waltz) took the credit. It may look sunnier than most of Burton's films, but it's just as gleefully deranged, and it carries a big emotional kick.

But of course the biggest film screened to the press this past week was Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, another enormous epic of a film, packed with lively characters, first-rate effects and huge, expertly staged action sequences. Frankly, until some engaging personal drama emerges in the second half, it's a bit exhausting. Somewhat smaller films included The Face of Love, a gimmicky, melodramatic romance starring Annette Bening and Ed Harris. And The Great Museum is a riveting fly-on-the-wall doc about the backstage workings of Vienna's national gallery.

Coming this week: Julianne Moore in Still Alice, Ben Stiller in Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Quevenzhane Wallis in a remake of the musical Annie, Christian Bale in Exodus: Gods and Kings, Aardman Animation's Shaun the Sheep Movie, the acclaimed Spanish anthology Wild Tales and the British drama Wasp. I'll also finally catch up with the sequel Dumb and Dumber To, although frankly I'd rather not.

Critical Week: Mountain-top experience

Year-end screenings continue as distributors try to show us their films before voting deadlines (London Critics' Circle votes for nominees on Friday; Online Film Critics Society votes in the final round on Saturday). This week's big hitters included Ben Stiller's remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, an earnest movie about life choices; Out of the Furnace, a gritty Rust Belt drama starring Christian Bale and Casey Affleck; and Spike Jonze's lovely romantic drama Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls in love with his computer operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), and we believe it.

The other big one was Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, the silly 10-years-later sequel to WIll Ferrell's cult classic. We also had the late-scheduled press screening for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the livelier and more involving sequel to last year's An Unexpected Journey, which ends in a cliffhanger until next year's There and Back Again. I also caught up with Paolo Sorrentino's gorgeous Fellini anthem The Great Beauty, as well as the German drama Two Mothers, an engaging, personal story of two women grappling with inequality in fertility treatment.

Next week things start to slow down for the holidays, although I still need to catch Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, and there's also Walking With Dinosaurs: The 3D Movie, the acclaimed doc Tim's Vermeer, and Mark Cousins' Albanian road movie Here Be Dragons. I'm also on the jury panel for a Shorts on Tap event on Tuesday evening in Shoreditch!

Critical week: More than movies

I've only seen one film since Sunday's report from L.A., but it was a doozy: David O Russell's American Hustle not only features an enticing ensemble cast in full-on 1970s regalia, but it's also based on the real events surrounding Abscam, when the FBI used low-life con-men to entrap big-time mobsters and politicians. Everything is unmissable - cast, script, direction, music, costumes and especially hair. It's hardly surprising that it won the New York film critics' best of the year award.

Now back in London, I have a few screenings beginning to pop up, filling in the final candidates before I vote in both the online and London film critics' awards. These include The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, Spike Jonze's Her and Will Ferrell's triumphant return for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~
SHADOWS OFF THE WALL

And here are some comments on film tie-ins that have crossed my desk this month, just in time for Christmas...

Now That's What I Call Movies is a three-disc set of 58 film songs with an emphasis on 1980s power ballads like I Will Always Love You, (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Take My Breath Away, Up Where We Belong, Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now and, of course, My Heart Will Go On. Newer songs come from Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables), Lana Del Rey (The Great Gatsby) and Maroon 5 (Love Actually). And there are also classics like Nat King Cole's Stardust and Tony Bennett's The Way You Look Tonight, plus Brown-eyed Girl, Unchained Melody, Stuck in the Middle With You, You Sexy Thing and even White Wedding. Alas, there are no Bond themes, but all the big title songs of the 1980s are present: Fame, Flashdance, Ghostbusters, Footloose, 9 to 5, Against All Odds, even The Never Ending Story. It's a strong hit-to-dud ratio, and most of these songs are pretty essential.

Series aficionados may also want to take a look at the all new 2013 Now That's What I Call Christmas compilation, another three-disc set containing 62 holiday classics. All the expected songs are present, from Dean Martin to Coldplay, White Christmas to Blue Christmas, and both the original and 20-years-later versions of Do They Know It's Christmas. And there are lots of surprises too.

To tie in with the release of Saving Mr Banks, those savvy Disney folk have released a 50th Anniversary edition of the Mary Poppins soundtrack. This includes the 26 tracks from the film, as well as a second disc with four never-heard demos and early recordings performed by composers Richard and Robert Sherman, plus 21 snippets from the story meetings depicted in Saving Mr Banks - yes, conversations between the real PL Travers, the Sherman brothers and screenwriter Don DaGradi. Finally, there's a 16-minute track in which the Shermans reminisce about their work on the movie. All pretty indispensable for any Mary Poppins fan.

We also occasionally receive books! Cher: Strong Enough is a biography by Josiah Howard, tracing the Oscar/Grammy/Emmy-winner's career through five decades with a special emphasis on her 1975 TV variety series. It's packed with telling anecdotes and accounts of her various career reinventions over the years. There are even a few photos, but not nearly enough. By contrast, Joanna Benecke's 100 Reasons to Love Ryan Gosling is completely centred around photos of the outrageously photogenic actor. Most of these reasons relate to his way with the ladies - and the men. Many of them are dreamy hero-worship: he's a dog whisperer (58), he likes knitting (72), he makes deaf kids happy (79). Others are hilariously breathless: public displays of torso (10), he has tiny cute little ears (39), even super-cool actresses get star-struck when kissing Ryan (83). And you don't have to agree with reason number 9 (The Notebook) to find this book entertaining.