 |
| BEST OUT THIS WEEK: My Old Ass • Sleep The Outrun • Megalopolis ALL REVIEWS > |
Showing posts with label aubrey plaza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aubrey plaza. Show all posts
Saturday, 28 September 2024
Critical Week: The boy is back
Sunday, 9 June 2024
Sundance: Find yourself
Dìdi
dir-scr Sean Wang; with Izaac Wang, Joan Chen 24/US ***.
Clearly autobiographical in nature, this teen drama isn't quite a coming-of-age movie, but writer-director Sean Wang refreshingly creates complex moments while making sharply pointed observations. So while this may be the usual collection of comically awkward and painfully embarrassing adolescent events, it also has several lovely things to say about generational issues in immigrant families. It may feel somewhat familiar, but there's a freshness to the approach... FULL REVIEW >
Kinds of Kindness
dir Yorgos Lanthimos; with Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons 24/UK ****
Returning to their surreally challenging storytelling style, Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimos Filippou have concocted three separate stories starring the same core cast. Each is a rather warped quest for some sort of redemption, with elements that ring true only within the reality of the narrative. And the actors deliver committed, eerily realistic performances that are often disarmingly emotional. With continual surprises, this is fiercely original and unforgettable... FULL REVIEW >
dir-scr Megan Park; with Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza 24/Can ****
Rippling with authenticity, the dialog in this comedy-drama continually resonates, encouraging the audience to think deeply about things we take for granted. Writer-director Megan Park skilfully crafts a witty story that's packed with fully rounded characters who are hugely likeable even if they're imperfect. And with a wacky touch of hallucinogenic magic, the script finds a fresh new path into the coming-of-age genre that never feels simplistic or sentimental... FULL REVIEW >
dir-scr Chiwetel Ejiofor; with Jay Will, Mary J Blige 24/US ***
There's a very strong true story at the heart of this film, full of complexities and issues that provoke thought. Although actor-filmmaker Chiwetel Ejiofor doesn't allow for much nuance in the way it's written, edited and played. Much of the dialog, as well as the overstated voiceover, are so on-the-nose that it's impossible to miss the properly important themes here. Still, it's finely played by a terrific cast, and the final sequence at least makes an attempt at feeling hopeful.
dir-scr Shuchi Talati; with Preeti Panigrahi; Kani Kusruti 24/In ****
From India, this is a distinctive coming-of-age drama, beautifully shot and assembled to depict events through the eyes of a bright teen girl who is having her first encounter with love. This is a complex and remarkably insightful film, as writer-director Shuchi Talati draws on her own experiences, adding details that bring scenes to life with unusual subtlety. And unlike most teen movies, the story unfolds with an unflinching honesty in the way various events are depicted.
I also saw seven short films in the UK Shorts programme. My favourites were the surreal comedy Good Boy, starring Ben Whishaw as a guy grappling with the reality of his life; the beautifully shot and acted drama Essex Girls, about a teen girl who makes a discovery about who she is; and the amusing collage of Salone Love, which centres around a vox pop about love in Sierra Leone.
My Sundance London reviews will be linked on the website's FESTIVAL PAGE >
Thursday, 2 March 2023
Critical Week: Cool kids
 |
| BEST OUT THIS WEEK: Close • Wandering Heart ALL REVIEWS > |
I also caught up with the British romantic comedy What's Love Got to Do With It, which adds some South Asian spice into the comfy mix with a snappy story that circles around arranged marriage in Pakistani immigrant families. Colourful cultural touches and strong turns from Lily James, Emma Thompson and Shazad Latif make it engaging. Michael Shannon is a bit too subdued in A Little White Lie, as a handyman posing as a reclusive author. Despite lacking energy, the film does generate some charm, and has a solid supporting cast. And from France, Love According to Dalva centres around a remarkable performance from Zelda Samson as a 12-year-old who believes she's a grown woman. It's a provocative, important take on the realities of child abuse.
Tuesday, 20 December 2022
Screen: December TV Roundup
O H T H E D R A M A
The White Lotus: series 2
Shifting to Italy with only the awesome Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya as a returning character, writer-director Mike White gets even more ambitious this time around. Enormous themes, ideas and even plot points are hidden in between the dialog and situations, offering constant moments of discovery for the audience. And just enough remains ambiguous to keep our brains spinning. It's still a story about haves and have-nots, but this time the lines are even more fiendishly blurred. And the first-rate cast includes Aubrey Plaza, F Murray Abraham, Theo James, Tom Hollander, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Imperioli and Will Sharpe. Provocative, unmissable television. (HBO)
It's all change once again for this series, which follows the British royal family into the 1990s with Imelda Staunton now playing Queen Elizabeth. Appropriately, she's a bit more aloof than before, although this makes the show far less engaging. This also leaves her in the background as episodes centre more on Diana (Elizabeth Debicki) and Charles (Dominic West), plus a very odd episode that spirals away to tell the story of Mohamed Al-Fayed (Salim Daw). But the show is still immaculately produced and beautifully acted across the board. And it finds intriguing angles on things like press intrusion and the collapse of the Soviet Union. (Netflix)
Diving even further into darkly disturbing thriller territory, this show is unafraid to send its characters into some properly horrific corners, although it perhaps seems a bit odd that almost all of them are still alive considering the hideous violence all around them. Elisabeth Moss continues to shine as June, and she directed a few belting episodes as well. She's now in exile in Canada with her husband (O-T Fagbenle), but still intricately involved in the goings-on in Gilead, especially with Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) and the now-more-sinister Joseph (Bradley Whitford). In its penultimate season, the stakes are getting higher, and characters continue to get more complicated. So bring it on. (Hulu)
Ambitiously adapting Neil Gaiman's darkly complex comic book, this series is visually stunning, with an excellent ensemble cast circling around a skilfully nuanced Tom Sturridge as Lord Morpheus, the ruler of the Dreaming. The show's structure, which sees Morpheus trying to restore order after he's released from a century of captivity, involves frequent shifts in settings and tone, veering from wacky comedy to grim horror to wrenching drama. This makes it feel uneven at times, but each scene is dazzling. And when you have ace costars like Gwendoline Christie, David Thewlis, Charles Dance, Joely Richardson and John Cameron Mitchell on hand, it's impossible to look away. (Netflix)
Oddly dry and dull, this Star Wars series is a prequel to the 2016 film Rogue One, shifting between bickering officials in the Empire and the bickering rebels who are trying to undermine them. While it's enjoyably layered and intriguing, the narrative is scattered over a wide range of characters, each of whom has something interesting to do. But even with a terrific cast, no one emerges as a person who is terribly engaging. Even Diego Luna, in the pivotal role, feels like a side character. While expertly staged the action sequences seem oddly random, and the plot's spiralling political machinations remain rather clinical. So let's hope for a more personal approach in the second season. (Disney)
I was intrigued because this show was created by Andy Siara (Palm Springs) and has a cool cast that includes William Jackson Harper, Cristin Milioti, Skyler Gisondo and the always fabulous Nick Offerman. A sometimes remarkably dark mix of comedy and fantasy, the story centres around a holiday resort in the Yucatan and two young people who went missing 15 years earlier. Then tantalising clues hint that there's time travel involved. The gradually unfolding mystery is engaging, but it's the edgy humour and continuous stream of quirky characters that keeps us entertained. So there's a slightly bittersweet tone as things begin to come together, because we know this will mean that the gang will break up. Then the conclusion suggests that there's more to come. (Peacock)
This guilty-pleasure drama from Spain continues to get darker, nastier and more convoluted. And also repetitive. After killing off another central character, the teens continue to indulge in drugs and partying while occasionally attending school. This time they're grappling with horrific violence in the form of a vicious public outing, attempted hit-and-run murder, drug-fuelled gang rape and homophobic murder, among other things. Yes, what these kids are dealing with is extremely grim, and the fact that they're all wildly wealthy doesn't help them at all. It leaves us hoping there's a glimmer of hope in the next season. (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building: series 2
After setting up a new mystery at the end of the first season, this show slides effortlessly into back into its groove, with a confident storytelling approach that's even more engaging. The writing crackles with wit, including continuous references to the difficulty of ramping things up for a second season of the eponymous podcast. All three leads (Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) add amusing wrinkles to their characters as they interact with a collection of properly ridiculous people. In addition, the central mystery is genuinely knotted and intriguing, offering lots of twists, turns and scene-stealing moments for the fabulously hammy cast. (Hulu)
Marvel stays in sitcom mode (see also Ms Marvel) for this refreshingly silly series starring Tatiana Maslany as the cousin of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, who is inadvertently infected with his blood and develops her own distinct giant green alter-ego. Hilariously, she hates the name "She-Hulk", as she should, and the show centres on her efforts to live a normal life as a lawyer, as if she could. Some of her antics are a bit gimmicky, such as trying to date as either Jennifer or She-Hulk, but the show is grounded by her relationships with friends, family and of course her various super-powered clients (including Tim Roth and Megan Thee Stallion). Maslany has a wonderful offhanded charm in the role, although She-Hulk's digital design is somewhat iffy. (Disney)
An unusually edgy tone makes this comedy-drama remarkably riveting, as it charges through a situation that never quite feels under control. Set in Chicago, it's anchored by another powerful performance by Jeremy Allen White (see also Shameless) as a disgraced world-class chef who returns home to run his family's sandwich shop. Clashes abound with relatives (including the fearlessly abrasive Ebon Moss-Bacharach) and employees, and everywhere else for that matter. Ayo Edebiri shines as a young genius who joins the team. But then the entire cast is strikingly realistic, as is the claustrophobic mayhem in the kitchen. (FX)
After ramping things up in the previous season, it's been fun to watch the heightened craziness boil over in various directions in these episodes. The writers continue to gleefully lampoon a range of societal issues, with added nuttiness as Nandor (Kayvan Novak) is granted a series of wishes by a slippery djinn (Anoop Desai), Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) starts taking a stand for himself, and Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) is reborn as a bratty kid. These episodes progress at a remarkably brisk pace, throwing all kinds of nuttiness into the mix, with Nandor remarrying his favourite wife (Parisa Fakhri) and Nadja (Nastasia Demetriou) opening a nightclub, both with predictably messy results. (FX)
This brightly inventive comedy further develops its now-and-then plot strands by sending Eugenio Derbez's Maximo to Mexico with his nephew (Raphael Alejandro) while reminiscing about his adventures as a young man (Enrique Arrizon). Much of the story centres around romantic complications this time, including a big Valentine's Day episode that makes particularly good use of the show's candy-hued nostalgic colour palette. A bit of intrigue emerges this season as well. But what sets this show apart is its terrific depth for such comical characters, strongly complex relationships and some deeper themes in subplots involving diversity and gossip. (Apple)
There's a lot to like about this gimmicky comedy, with sees Hannah (Rachel Bloom) set out to revive the vintage sitcom her father (Paul Reiser) turned into a hit a couple of decades ago. As the reuniting original cast members, Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Judy Greer and Calum Worthy have a lot of fun with their seriously messy characters. The interaction between them is gleefully soapy, making pointed jokes about the television and film industries and the nature of being an actor. And while it leans heavily toward both goofy and sentimental moments, there's enough knowing realism to make it genuinely hilarious. (Hulu)
The title may refer to the emoticon, but it's also indicative of the tone of this Spanish comedy, which keeps the audience happy with its sometimes simplistic romcom tale about two men who seem completely wrong for each other and yet still click. Carlos Cuevas and Miki Esparbé are terrific in the roles, as a sexy bartender and a slightly nerdy architect who know that having a relationship won't work, but of course they can't resist each other. Their circle of friends is unusually sparky for a series like this, taking the show in some refreshingly offbeat directions. And the complexity of the situation gives the comedy an unusually unpredictable tone. (Netflix)
For the fifth season, this sketch show comes back with five episodes that are tightly written and performed to take on specific themes. While poking fun at everyday life, the media and politics, the scenes dig more deeply into the way we react to these things. So everything strikes a nerve, and it's expertly played by Schumer and her terrific ensemble of costars, including Tim Meadows and Cara Delevingne, plus witty music from Ron Weiner. Most impressive is the momentum these episodes build as they go along, almost creating an overall narrative that touches on topics we all grapple with. And Schumer's unapologetic approach is engaging and refreshing. (MTV)
T H A T ' S A L L F O L K S
Kevin Can F**k Himself: series 2
Annie Murphy is back for a second and final season of this offbeat hybrid sitcom/thriller, which feels much darker this time around. Even the studio-audience sequences have a bleak edge to them, as Murphy's Allison continues to try to escape her hellish marriage to the goofball Kevin (Eric Petersen), this time plotting with her pal Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden) to fake her own death. The mix between the bleak comedy and pitch-black drama feels a little forced now, but the point the show is making about male and female perspectives is provocative and important. And where the story goes is genuinely involving, and chilling too. (AMC)
Lively and more than a little absurd, this comedy thriller series concludes with a snaky series of episodes in which our heroines (Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini) desperately scramble to avoid trouble with the police, even as they become increasingly entangled with them for a variety of random reasons. We also get the return of James Marsden, as the twin brother of the late Steve. And the show's dance with death continues through a cancer diagnosis. But at its heart, this is the story of an unexpected friendship, and Applegate and Cardellini make it hugely enjoyable even when the plot begins to get very silly indeed. (Netflix)
I G I V E U P
From 1989 to 1993, this zippy time-travel series was a guilty pleasure, so it's almost surprising that it took three decades to reboot it. Alas, the writing this time is abysmal, including the feeble attempt to create an ensemble cast and the painfully undercooked adventures as Ben (Raymond Lee) leaps from period to period. Scripts aren't rooted in even the most cursory logic or detail, leaving it impossible to connect with, so I stopped trying. (NBC)
NOW WATCHING: Welcome to Chippendales, Marie-Antoinette, Abbott Elementary (2), His Dark Materials (3), Young Rock (3), The Conners (5).
COMING SOON: That 90s Show, Shrinking, Extrapolations, Ted Lasso (3), Star Trek: Picard (3), The Mandalorian (3).
Previous roundup: AUGUST 2022 >
Monday, 10 October 2022
LFF: Soak it in
Causeway
dir Lila Neugebauer; with Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry 22/US ****.
Theatre director Lila Neigebauer makes a remarkable feature film debut with this delicately crafted drama, which explores a topical issue through an especially internalised perspective. This requires sensitive performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry, who are extraordinary as two people struggling to get their lives back on track after serious injuries. Never obvious about anything, the film gets deep under the skin.
dir Richard Eyre; with Jennifer Saunders, Bally Gill 22/UK ****
Based on the Alan Bennett play, this gently edgy comedy is a celebration of the tenacity of Britain's National Health Service in the face of relentless government interference, from sell-offs to cut-backs. It's is a remarkably complex, engagingly freeform romp. And coming on the heels of a pandemic, it could hardly be more timely. But the filmmakers hold back their biggest statement until a seriously powerful wallop the final moments.
dir-scr John Patton Ford; with Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi 22/US ***.
There's a serious theme running through this engaging drama set in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles. Writer-director John Patton Ford cleverly pulls the audience in along with a hugely engaging central character adeptly played by Aubrey Plaza. It's a remarkable look at a society that makes it almost impossible for someone to escape their past. So even if it dips into several thriller cliches, it remains gripping.
dir-scr Hlynur Palmason; with Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurdsson 22/Ice ****
Under gloomy skies in unforgiving landscapes, this visually striking epic follows a Danish priest to rural Iceland in the 19th century, where he confronts both a strange new land and also his own beliefs. It's a dark and brooding drama, but continual moments of wit and artistry make it remarkably compelling. And writer-director Hlynur Palmason digs deeply into the souls of the characters to challenge the audience to think about big issues in new ways
dir Manuela Martelli; with Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolas Sepulveda 22/Chl ****
This strikingly thoughtful dramatic thriller tells a story set in the wake of Chile's 1973 coup, as a dictator cracked down on the country. Filmmaker Manuela Martelli takes an observational approach, letting the narrative take shape in bits and pieces with characters who are afraid to say too much to each other. It's beautifully shot and edited, and performed with steely understatement by a gifted cast.
And four more LFF films that I saw in Venice...
dir Laura Poitras; with Nan Goldin, Megan Kapler 22/US ****.
With this extraordinary film, documentarian Laura Poitras takes a multifaceted look at a fascinating artist. As a biography of photographer Nan Goldin, this is a clear-eyed look at her life, work and survival. And it seamlessly connects her efforts to raise awareness of the Sackler family's direct responsibility in more than half a million deaths from opioid addiction. All of this is skilfully woven together with a remarkably gentle hand... FULL REVIEW >
dir-scr Jafar Panahi; with Jafar Panahi, Vahid Mobasheri 22/Irn ****.
Despite being banned from making movies, master filmmaker Jafar Panahi continues to tell powerful cinematic stories from Iran. This hugely involving film uses wry humour to capture cultural absurdities that have an impact on two love stories, while further complicating the process of making movies. More importantly, this is a personal depiction of people who are struggling to survive when traditions and borders turn them into desperate refugees... FULL REVIEW >
dir Florian Zeller; with Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern 22/UK ***
After The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller adapts another of his thorny plays for the big screen, this time about parents trying to help a troubled teen son. It's a dark story, with rare moments of lightness as characters struggle with elusive ideas that defeat almost everybody. Clinical depression is an important topic to dramatise, although it also means that the plot needs to retain a nagging level of uncertainty... FULL REVIEW >
dir Alice Diop; with Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanga 22/Fr **.
There's a terrific story at the centre of this French drama, bursting with powerful themes and clever juxtapositions. But filmmaker Alice Diop remains in her head while she puts this onto the screen, as chilly, inexpressive scenes remain stubbornly out of reach. It's very sharply shot, as a genuinely riveting courtroom case steals focus from the loosely undeveloped plot thread that is clearly meant to be the film's main thrust... FULL REVIEW >
All London Film Festival reviews, once they're uploaded, will be linked to SHADOWS' LFF PAGE >
Saturday, 30 October 2021
Raindance: Get up and go
Best Sellers
dir Lina Roessler; with Michael Caine, Aubrey Plaza 20/Can ***
A snappy comedy centred on a generation gap, this movie is brisk enough to hold the interest, layering bigger ideas under a silly situation. Director Lina Roessler tells the story with a jaunty sensibility that plays on character eccentricities and narrative gimmicks. Little about the plot is unpredictable, but the tension between the characters touches a few nerves. It's also a gentle celebration of the power of literature... FULL REVIEW >
dir-scr Christopher Amos; with Peter Tatchell, Ian McKellen 21/Aus ****
Quick-paced and packed with terrific footage, this documentary traces the life and work of someone who's been called the most disliked man in Britain. Australian-born Peter Tatchell has unapologetically pursued justice on human rights issues, using civil disobedience to protest against wars, oppressive regimes and inequality based on race, gender and sexuality. This is a riveting, intimate, remarkably balanced film that carries a series of urgent kicks... FULL REVIEW >
dir-scr Stelios Kammitsis; with Vasilis Magouliotis, Anton Weil 21/Gr ****
With an understated storytelling style, writer-director Stelios Kammitsis takes the audience on a road trip that meanders engagingly while exploring an unexpected connection between two young men. With its gently loping pace and warm comical touches, film is beautifully shot in lovely locations, sharply capturing the characters' personalities and physicality. And it has a lot to say about the freedom that comes from being honest with yourself and others... FULL REVIEW >
dir-scr Ben Charles Edwards; with Keaton Tetlow, Page Ruth 21/US ***
Building a queasy sense of unease with disjointed imagery, writer-director Ben Charles Edwards further augments this horror film with cheap filmmaking tricks using music to create jump scares. While the tone is effectively nasty, and there are quite a few superbly chilling moments along the way, the film as a whole feels like a somewhat thin variation on the solid freak-out concept of the wicked stepmother.
dir Tracey Deer; with Kiawentiio, Rainbow Dickerson 20/Can ****
Recounting an involving story that's set during a 78-day land rights stand-off in 1990 Canada, this involving film skilfully mixes dramatic and documentary elements. Seen through the eyes of an alert child, the story has an earthy resonance that has strong echoes in current conflicts on a range of issues. In addition, writer-director Tracey Deer infuses the film with autobiographical elements that add insight and unexpected emotions.
Full reviews of festival films will be linked at Shadows' RAINDANCE HOMEPAGE
For full festival information, visit RAINDANCE FILM FEST
Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Critical Week: The holiday's over
 |
| BEST OUT THIS WEEK: Getting Away With Murder(s) No Time to Die Freshman Year • The Carnival ALL REVIEWS > |
Other films paled in comparison. Best Sellers is a mildly amusing literary comedy with Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza. Falling for Figaro is a silly opera comedy with Danielle Macdonald and Joanna Lumley, but there's more going under the surface. And then there was American Night, a lurid Italian made Tarantino-wannabe thriller that has some style but never gels. Much better were two astute docs: David Wilkinson's Getting Away With Murder(s) takes a fresh approach to seeking justice for those who carried out the Holocaust, while Marco Berger provocatively explores masculinity in The Carnival. I also saw a preview screening of a beautifully delicate British drama that I can't say anything about - it's not out until next year.
London Film Festival screenings this week included the bonkers but strongly pointed Berlin winner Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, the sharply astute Belgian drama Playground, the stylish British horror Shepherd, and the gorgeously animated Japanese drama Belle.
Thursday, 19 November 2020
Critical Week: Happy place
 |
| BEST OUT THIS WEEK: Collective • Mangrove Supernova • Roobha • Born to Be FULL REVIEWS > |
Off the beaten path, Mosul is an American-made film set in Iraq during the battle against Daesh, and it's a riveting, powerfully involving thriller that has an emotional kick. There were two very sexy films from Brazil: Divine Love is a provocative drama set in a near-future Christian community, while Dry Wind is a stylised collision of gay machismo. And from Romania, the documentary Collective is one of the most urgent films of the year, exploring a political corruption scandal in the style of a heart-stopping journalistic thriller.
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Critical week: He's behind you!
Three small-screen movies will be covered in another blog entry: Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler reunite for the dopey Europe-set comedy whodunit Murder Mystery, Randall Park and Ali Wong star in the snappy-silly rom-com Always Be My Maybe, and Matthew McConaughey plays to type as the stoner title character in the somewhat unfocussed comedy The Beach Bum (out this week on VOD).
As for more arthouse fare, there was Joanna Hogg's new film The Souvenir, another exploration of British upper-class repression, starring Tilda Swinton and her daughter Honor Swinton Byrne, plus Tom Burke. All are excellent, and the film is deeply chilling. Swinging Safari is a wild and woolly Aussie 1970s-set comedy starring Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue and Radha Mitchell. It's a bit over-the-top and chaotic. The American-set British thriller Division 19 is set in a near-future society in which privacy is outlawed. It looks great but makes little sense. From South Africa, the musical Kanarie is a powerful exploration of bigotry and self-acceptance, as a young man goes through his mandatory military service as a member of a choir. From India, Unsaid is a dark drama about deep family secrets, powerfully well played. And the British documentary Are You Proud explores the Pride movement with an intriguingly critical eye.
Coming up this next week, we have Benedict Cumberbatch in The Current War, Alicia Vikander in Euphoria, Angus Macfadyen in Robert the Bruce, the Oscar-nominated drama Never Look Away, the French water polo comedy The Shiny Shrimps, the Indian drama Roobha, and the doc Southern Pride, among others....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
