Critical Week: Holding on...

I've been enjoying hanging out with family in Southern California, not worrying about the rather iffy weather, which turned downright nasty just in time for me to trek across town to see Dune: Part Two on the Warner Bros lot (which was cool - see Insta post below). It was quite surreal to be feeling so wet and soggy while watching such a dry and sandy movie. But of course I loved it; Denis Villeneuve's imagination and attention to detail being this dense story to life in constantly surprising ways. Each shot looks simply spectacular, and the powerhouse acting ensemble gets a lot to do as well.

I also caught Lisa Frankenstein in a cinema, directed by Zelda Williams (daughter of Robin) from a script by Diablo Cody. It's a bit of a messy concoction, but is packed with genuinely hilarious dialog and up-for-it performances from a strong cast that includes Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano and Carla Gugino. Its 1980s setting offers some strong gags as well.

Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls opens this weekend, so I plan to catch that in a local cinema. I am also asking around for contacts for a Kung Fu Panda 4 press screening here, as it opens the week I return to London. There may be some other things that pop up along the way, and I do have some screener links to watch, but am reluctant yo give up family time for that.

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Critical Week: Take my hand

As Venice Film Festival wrapped up and Toronto Film Festival kicked off, things are heating up here in London, with the 65th London Film Festival press screening schedule starting next Monday morning. I'm looking forward to catching up with the big titles from Sundance, Cannes and Venice over the next few weeks - both at in-person screenings and using online links. But more and more screenings are taking place in cinemas now, and the biggest one so far was Dune: Part One on Britain's largest Imax screen. Frankly, movies don't get much more momentous, or jaw-droppingly satisfying, than this. Essential to see on a huge screen.

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Other movies I watched this week included the filmed version of the hugely engaging, life-affirming stage musical Come From Away, the rather uneven but urgently pointed British drama A Brixton Tale, the remarkably thoughtful horror drama The Djinn, the loose and rather nutty social media comedy-thriller The Influencer. Even further afield, there was Bruce La Bruce's latest provocation, the superbly intriguing Saint-Narcisse; the stylised and remarkably involving Norwegian pregnancy comedy-drama Ninjababy; and the earthy, intensely provocative Hungarian war drama Natural Light.

In the coming week, I already have six screenings in the diary for London Film Festival (which starts on October 6th). In addition, I'll be watching the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, Dev Patel in The Green Knight, Ben Whishaw in Surge, the horror thriller Gaia and the shorts collection Parental Guidance.

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.