Critical Week: Let's make a plan

I'm late with most things this week, including this post, for two reasons: firstly I'm organising the 44th London Critics' Circle Film Awards, a seriously complicated event that's coming up in just a week and involves a myriad of variables to sort out. And secondly, I am migrating everything to a new computer, My vintage iMac has been slowing down after 15 years of faithful service, so I finally took the plunge. This new one is another world entirely, outrageously nimble and I can open websites again! But I have to learn how to do pretty much everything in a new way.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Totem • Samsara
All of Us Strangers
PERHAPS AVOID:
Padre Pio
ALL REVIEWS >

I've also of course been watching films, although not as many as I should have. I caught up with Snoop Dogg's comedy The Underdoggs, which takes a true story and bends it into the usual formula involving the foul-mouthed coach of a scrappy team. Watchable but not very funny. Ian McShane plays a bored hitman in American Star, gorgeously shot in the Canary Islands. It's very snow and meandering, but full of intrigue. The offbeat British drama-documentary hybrid This Blessed Plot traces the witty journey of a filmmaker who can talk to ghosts. And there were two rather elusive South American films: from Chile, The Settlers is a bold, gorgeous trek across the continent with historic repercussions, while the Argentinian odyssey Eureka is even more ambitious, opening in the Wild West (with Viggo Mortensen) and ending in the Amazon, with a North Dakota police chapter in between. Perplexing but fascinating exploration of indigenous cultures.

This coming week I'll be watching Henry Cavill in the spy romp Argylle, animated adventure Migration, black comedy Club Zero, Australian drama Shayda, musician documentary Dalton's Dream and the dark drama Pornomelancholia.

Critical Week: Taking care of business

I'm in Southern California visiting my family this week, so haven't exactly been trying to keep up with movies. I didn't even get to watch the Baftas - I had to read about them instead. I managed to catch one film that needed to be reviewed: John Wick: Chapter 2 sees Keanu Reeves return as the weary expert hitman dragged back from retirement to clean up another mess. It's a bit more reliant on the mythology this time, which makes it a little less fun. But the film is still slick and clever, and dares to pay attention to its plot and characters.

There were also a few films on the airplane. Keeping Up With the Joneses is a lively but inane action comedy with an ace cast led by Zac Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot and Isla Fisher. It's a nicely made, engaging romp about discovering that the new neighbours are spies, but it's also preposterous fluff. The Little Prince is an odd adaptation of the children's classic, which wraps it into the story of a little girl fantasising about the adventures of her old neighbour. While most of it looks great, some of the animation is simplistic and plasticky. And some of the story's gyrations lose the point. Morgan is a terrific little thriller starring Kate Mara as a corporate officer sent in to evaluate an experiment that might be going wrong. This involves the creation of an artificially engineered human-like being (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her nervous minders. Sharply well-made and seriously unnerving.

My holiday visiting friends and family in Los Angeles and nearby continues over the next week - doing my work remotely, but not in press screening mode. A couple of films opening here this weekend might be worth a look, including The Great Wall, A Cure for Wellness and Fist Fight. And I will attend the Galeca Dorian Awards winner's toast on Saturday - watch this space for a report.

Critical Week: Don't throw in the towel

Press screenings are still a bit thin in London, mainly because we saw most current releases at film festivals in the autumn. One new entry was the British movie Jawbone, starring Johnny Harris and Michael Smiley (above), along with Ray Winstone and Ian McShane. It's a remarkably thoughtful boxing drama with a proper emotional kick. The German drama Jonathan centres on a teen caring for his dying father and finally discovering why there's a rift in his family. It's also thoughtful and moving, and beautifully filmed. From Israel via London, Who's Gonna Love Me Now? is a startlingly honest documentary that meaningfully grapples with themes involving family, sexuality and life purpose. And I had a chance to revisit the 1969 classic Easy Rider, with sharply restored imagery and sound. A remarkably loose movie that has a lot to say about American culture, plus terrific performances from the young Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson. Finally, I also caught up with a TV series being released on video in the UK this week...

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Feral
dir-scr Morgan Jon Fox
with Jordan Nichols, Seth Daniel Rabinowitz, Jacob Rickert, Leah Beth Bolton, Ryan Masson, Chase Brother 
16/US Dekkoo 1h56 ***
There's an artistic sensibility to this web series that makes it worth a look, as creator Morgan Jon Fox uses swirling photography and non-linear editing to follow the emotional lives of his characters rather than create coherent plotlines. The problem is that this leaves everything feeling a bit thin and wispy, as events and characters are undefined even though they are going through some big emotions. The premise centres on two young artists in Memphis: Billy (Nichols) has an inexpressive boyfriend (Masson) with depression issues, while Daniel (Rabinowitz) wants to run off to the big city. They get a new housemate (Rickert) and have some personal crises, but while a lot happens to them, the filmmaking approach is so loose and mopey that there isn't much proper emotional impact. Frankly, the title of this series is a mystery. The relationships are written, never quite lived-in or believable, and only vaguely sexy. And some of the writing and acting isn't terribly convincing. But it looks great, the cast is likeable and the idea is clever enough to sustain itself through eight brief episodes.

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Films coming up this week include The Lego Batman Movie and the acclaimed British drama Lady Macbeth. I'm also getting ready for a trip to Los Angeles to visit my family and friends - I'll be there for both Bafta and Oscar, as it happens. Watch this space...

Requisite Blog Photo: Full of beans