Critical Week: On the road

I'm still in California this week, hanging out with family and friends and trying to avoid work for the most part, and yet I still managed to see two more movies that were out here before opening in the UK ... so that was work for me (reviews are already on the site). First was Ethan Coen's road-trip action comedy Drive-Away Dolls, a pastiche exploitation romp that's smart and funny but also rather thin and corny. But the chemistry between central duo Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan is terrific.

Second was the inspirational true-life drama Ordinary Angels, starring an up-for-it Hilary Swank as a blowsy hairdresser who decides to help a beefy widower (Alan Ritchson) whose young daughter needs a liver transplant. The film thankfully remains grounded in realistic characters and earthy humour, so it's genuinely moving.

As I head back to London, I have no movies in the diary, although I'm hoping to catch up with something on the flight if possible. Finding something I haven't seen on the airline's entertainment system - and that I actually want to see as well - isn't always easy. It'll be Wednesday next week before I begin to get back into normal gear, just as Oscar night arrives.

Venezia74: Checking the line-up on Day 4

At the 74th Venice Film Festival, I scheduled today one film lighter to give me a bit of time to catch up on writing, and also hopefully to see a bit of the city. Well, the thunder and lightning prevented me from getting out, but I did catch up on my work. And it was nice not being around the venues all day, as they were heaving. Here's what I saw...

Suburbicon
dir George Clooney; with Matt Damon, Julianne Moore 17/US ****
On the surface, this is a 1950s-tinged noir thriller with comical overtones But it also has a pungent undercurrent of satirical social commentary, which isn't partiularly surprising for a team-up between George Clooney and the Coens. There are so many facets to this film that it can't help but keep us engaged, whether being gripped by the mystery, feeling challenged about the injustice or identifying with one young boy's rather horrific coming of age.

Reinventing Marvin [Marvin]
dir Anne Fontaine; with Finnegan Oldfield, Catherine Salee 17/Fr ****
The thoughtful story of a young artist's journey to self-expression, this film is sometimes brutally honest about the tension between what are known as provincial attitudes and so-called enlightened liberal sensibilities. The film may be in need of some judicial editing, but the material here is resonant and important. And it's also beautifully played by an intriguingly eclectic cast that includes Isabelle Huppert in a witty role as herself.

Martyr
dir-scr Mazen Khaled; with Carol Abboud, Hamza Mekdad 17/Leb ***
An experimental exploration of masculinity and male friendship, this Lebanese film is very tactile as it follows a young man over the course of a fateful day. While touching on some social issues, the main focus is on his friends, who remain by his side through a very detailed ordeal. There isn't much plot, and very little sense of character for the actors to work with, so it never quite resonates emotionally as it should. But it's darkly involving.