Critical Week: Summer holiday vibes

It's been a very sticky week in Britain, so I've enjoyed the chance to cool off in some air-conditioned cinemas. Screenings are still a bit thin on the ground, seeing as it's holiday season, but there are plenty of things to be watching. Bob Odenkirk is back in action for Nobody 2, in which the violence is perhaps a bit too gleeful. But it's also hilariously entertaining, expecially when a villainous Sharon Stone is chomping on the colourful scenery. Joaquin Phoenix leads the sprawling cast of Ari Aster's epic Eddington, a very dark satire about us-vs-them attitudes set in the pandemic-era Wild West. It's riveting, complex and very important. Costars include Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler. 

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Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter lead the cast of the nuanced romantic drama On Swift Horses, a beautifully made film that explores hidden desires in 1950s America. Orlando Bloom is a tough-guy boxer in The Cut, which rather unevenly shifts from gritty drama to psychological horror. Matilda Lutz leads the charge as Red Sonja in a new take on the comic heroine. Even with flashes of wit, it's too serious for its own good. And the adult-aimed animated comedy Fixed has a lot of fun with its raunchy premise about a dog getting the snip, but there's not much else going on.

This coming week I'll be watching Helen Mirren and an all-star cast in the whodunit The Thursday Murder Club, Peter Dinklage in a new take on The Toxic Avenger, the Irish care-system drama Christy, the fact-based epic Chinese WWII action film Dongji Rescue, and the animated racing-mice action romp Grand Prix of Europe.

On the road: Drop the mask

For my first trip out of Britain in two years, I returned to Southern California to visit family and friends. This is where I was when the first lockdown hit in March 2020, so it's been a bit surreal to be here as restrictions are finally lifting - and it's great to catch up with friends and family after such a long gap. Plus of course the fish tacos. 

I've caught up with just one movie here: Matt Reeves' new take on The Batman, starring Robert Pattison as the Dark Knight. It's a big film, bold in its emphasis on deeper emotions rather than the superficial action. But it's also overwhelmed by a cliched visual stylisation that stubbornly refuses to switch on a light or add much in the way of colour. Fans will love the earnestly whispered dialog, while serious filmgoers will roll their eyes.

On Saturday, I visited the Academy Museum with two university friends (an Instagram image set is below). We had a lot of fun with the extensive collection of clips and artefacts, but wondered why the curators so resolutely ignored the history of Hollywood and the studios. There are a variety of spaces that explore aspects of cinematic craft, and a fun space featuring clips and memorabilia from Oscar ceremonies, while sections dedicated to specific films and filmmakers felt more than a little random. I quite liked the Spike Lee exhibit, which centres around his influences. An enormous room dedicated to Almodóvar features lots of gorgeous posters and unidentified clips and nothing else. And it's fun to stand under the massive Moount Rushmore backdrop from North by Northwest. Other highlights include a large area exploring The Wizard of Oz, a collection of iconic movie creatures and a colourful special exhibition tracing the career of Hayao Miyazaki. Oddly, the small room celebrating Citizen Kane is the same size as the room celebrating Real Women Have Curves. And then there was the giftshop, which is completely lacking in souvenirs that feature Oscar, which seems like a seriously missed opportunity (the one Oscar photo op costs an extra $15). Another inexplicable error is omitting a snack bar on the vast open-air observation deck looking out over West Los Angeles. And lighting the exhibits in a way that makes selfies almost impossible. Let's hope they bring someone on board to make this museum something more properly amazing.

Because of The Batman, there are very few other films being released here these days. The only one in cinemas I'd kind of like to see is a guilty pleasure - the Foo Fighters' Studio 666 - but of course no one here wants to see that with me! So I'll probably wait until returning to London to see something new - plus the offerings at BFI Flare, a festival starting on March 16th.

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On the road: Bring it home

So here I sit in cold, rainy Southern California, all my plans derailed. I've seen some friends and family while I've been here, but not everyone I came out here to visit. And virtually everything has been cancelled due to covid-19, with cinemas and theatres closed, along with bars and restaurants. So as I distance myself socially, I have little to do. When not listening to music on hold, I've watched a few films. For example, out this week in the UK (perhaps!) is The Jesus Rolls, John Turturro's offbeat remake of the 1974 Les Valseuses featuring his Big Lebowski character Jesus Quintana. It's loose and perhaps too smiley.

I also watched, to review them, the engaging and creepy German arthouse thriller Darkroom, about a nice guy serial killer, and the adorable Swedish animated romance Top 3, about a guy with self-esteem issues. And exploring Netflix I found the warm Spanish film Live Twice, Love Once, an involving, very cleverly written and played drama about memory, as well as the concert video Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, which is as hilarious as you want it to be and leaves you wanting more.

I'll continue prowling around Netflix and, since cinemas are closing, I'll be covering more films released online over the next several weeks. The website will need to begin to reflect this new reality (this week's cover, right, replaces the planned one for A Quiet Place Part II). I'm still working out how this all looks, while I currently have review links for upcoming streaming movies titled: The Perfect Candidate, Hooking Up, The Other Lamb, Gold Dust, Just Sex Nothing Personal and, ahem, Butt Boy. So I have plenty to do whether I'm isolating in California or, hopefully, back home in London...

Shadows on the Screen: Autumn TV roundup

Still clearing my head by watching TV, which feels like a vacation from work (ie, the movies) to me. Here's what I watched over the summer...

DISCOVERIES 

Stranger Things

It seems like everyone was talking about this show this summer. And rightly so! This is a fiercely clever 1970s-style blending of the storytelling and character detail of a Stephen King novel with the childlike wonder and effortless magic of a Steven Spielberg movie. The show also cleverly works on three layers: with young boys discovering a strange girl with unusual abilities, teens looking into some freaky goings on, and adults investigating suspicious government activities. All of this was wrapped up in a period-style production that clicked together seamlessly. Gripping television that didn't need a second season, but we'll sure be looking forward to it.

The Night Of

A remake of the British series Criminal Justice, this forensic thriller has extremely sharp writing and direction and often astonishing performances. So even if the premise isn't terribly original - the criminal case, courtroom scenes and prison drama all feel rather standard - the show remains relentlessly gripping. It helps that scenes are full of contrasting characters played by the gifted Riz Ahmed, John Turturro, Peyman Moadi, Glenne Headly, Michael Kenneth Williams and more. Each actor invests so much detail into his or her role that it almost doesn't matter where the twisty plot takes them. And at the centre, Ahmed is excellent as a complex hero we wanted to cheer for even when things get very dark for him. 

Boy Meets Girl

I hadn't seen the first season of this short BBC sitcom, so I watch both series together and was pleasantly surprised. Set in Newcastle, the first six episodes trace the unlikely but warmly charming romance between the 26-year-old Leo (Harry Hepple) and his 40-year-old girlfriend Judy (Rebecca Root), who happens to be male-to-female trans. With that out of the way, the second series follows their somewhat wacky wedding plans. What's surprising is that even with a cast of standard sitcom characters (their families are deeply silly), the show manages to dig beneath the surface and uncover some much bigger themes about respect and human engagement. It's also so beautifully written and played that it can't help but charm the audience. A real gem.

CARRY ON

Chelsea

After her trio of Chelsea Does Netflix docs, Chelsea Handler has now reinvented the chat show with her new series. Appearing three nights per week, she sets a theme for each episode (some are looser than others) and then explores it with experts, celebrities and general silliness with her team of skilled writers and producers. Each episode is an entertaining collection of interviews, to-camera pieces, playful stunts and packaged clips shot all over the world as Handler interacts with a variety of people on a very wide range of topics. As her dog Chunk roams around the studio, Handler's refreshingly irreverent style (posing as the idiot who needs to learn something) is engaging, her observations telling and her delight in being free from censorship hilarious. She also has a knack for getting the very best out of her guests, putting them at ease like no one else on television at the moment.

Wayward Pines: series 2

This went from being an intriguing, mind-bending mystery in its first season to a rather standard thriller this year. The cast is up to the challenge, but the writing is much more formulaic, complete with annoying flashbacks and revelations. Jason Patric was a strong protagonist, but his foils were less complex (and no one could match the only occasionally appearing Hope Davis, Melissa Leo and Toby Jones in the reasonable villainy stakes). Intriguing themes were raised then abandoned for more violence-based plotting and hyper-grisly action, none of which was remotely compelling. So even though it ends on a hopeful note, it might be better to let sleeping dogs lie, as it were.

Younger

From Darren Star (Sex and the City), this high-concept sitcom imagines a 40-year-old divorced mother (the engagingly generic Sutton Foster) implausibly posing as a 26-year-old to return to her publishing career. The only person who knows about this deception is her artist best pal (Debi Mazar). Everyone else is in the dark: new best friend (Hilary Duff), hot young boyfriend (Nico Tortorella), comically stern boss (Miriam Shore). The show is funny and silly, with strong characters well-played by the likeable cast. But it never pushes the boundaries of its premise, remaining safe and badly far-fetched, with some truly terrible plot turns. It also has a simplistic view of the publishing world, relationships and ageing.

BINGE IT

Love

The generic title certainly won't help anyone discover this show (it's virtually unsearchable anywhere). But it's well worth a look for the relaxed performances of Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust as two loners who have given up on love, then reluctantly drift into a relationship. Their friends are from the wacky sitcom mould, and the entire premise feels like a kinder-gentler version of the frankly amazing You're the Worst. But what the show lacks in originality or nerve it makes up for with enjoyably messy characters and awkward situations. Indeed, much of the comedy here comes from humiliation, usually where something intimate is brought out into the spotlight. This makes the show feel oddly timid and a bit smug. But its heart seems to be in the right place.

Supergirl

This DC superhero adventure has all the hallmarks of a Greg Berlanti production (see also Arrow and The Flash): edgy comedy, romantic triangles, a handy uber-talented hacker, badly staged action and a combination of breezy comedy and extreme violence. It also has a very likeable hero in Melissa Benoist's Supergirl Kara, plus strong support from veterans David Harewood, Calista Flockhart and Peter Facinelli. Plus Mehcad Brooks and Jeremy Jordan in the aforementioned triangle. It's enjoyable enough as action fluff, although the plotlines need to be a lot more original to make it unmissable. And the show can only be improved by adding a more prominent recurring role for Kara's younger cousin Superman (Tyler Hoechlin). 

Jessica Jones

This is definitely an original approach to the Marvel superhero universe, although it's also gloomy, relentlessly violent and it badly stretches a relatively thin story over its 13 hour-long episodes. Kristin Rytter is good in the title role, although the character is relentlessly unlikeable. This is the point, but it's not easy to engage or sympathise with her. Surrounding characters played by Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss and Eka Darville are far more interesting, while David Tennant's villainously cruel Kilgrave steals the show. In other words, it's an intriguing idea that feels rather out of balance, mainly due to its slavish adherence to TV cliches even as it tries to be something new. Why they're spinning off Mike Colter's Luke Cage into his own series is anyone's guess; he's one of the best things about this show.

ONE EPISODE WONDERS

After just about enjoying the first season, I watched one episode of the 2nd season of Ballers and, as much as I like Dwayne Johnson and Rob Corddry, I simply couldn't stomach any more of the macho idiocy that infuses everything about this show. I also only made it through one episode of Versailles. I know it was acclaimed and beloved, but I found it turgid, trying far to hard to be scandalous and trashy.

At the moment I'm watching Victoria, The Get Down and the 13-years-later 6th series of Cold Feet, just about deciding to stick with this new season of Masters of Sex, and looking forward to Easy and several series with new seasons this autumn...

Critical Week: Inappropriate touching

At press screenings in London this week, one of the most anticipated films was In Secret, a new version of Emile Zola's 19th century romance novel Therese Raquin starring Elizabeth Olsen and Oscar Isaac. It's lavishly produced but almost overpoweringly bleak. Both actors have other films coming out in Britain on Friday: Isaac costars in The Two Faces of January, which we saw a few months ago, while Olsen is in the new Godzilla movie, which first screened on Monday. Gareth Edwards (Monsters) has managed to create a fresh spin on the genre: more character based, more moral complexity, grittier use of effects. It'll be a monster hit.

Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon lead the strikingly detailed true-crime drama Devil's Knot, Atom Egoyan's slightly too-meticulous dramatisation of the story already documented in West of Memphis and the Paradise Lost trilogy. John Turturro and Woody Allen lead the cast of the extremely gentle comedy Fading Gigolo, which is spiced up by Sharon Stone, Vanessa Paradis and Sofia Vergara. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is terrific as Belle, the true story of a mixed-race woman in 18th century London, with solid support from the extraordinary Tom Wilkinson.

A bit further afield, Leo Gregory headlines the underwhelming East End crime thriller Top Dog. Dinosaur 13 is a massively involving narrative documentary about the nasty seven-year battle for the most complete T-rex fossil ever found. And I caught up with two reissued films: Wet Hot American Summer is a hilarious summer-camp spoof starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler and others who went on to more accomplished comedies. And the horror-comedy Theater of Blood is a classic, unmissable romp starring Vincent Price at the peak of his powers. He's a hammy actor who takes Shakespearean-style grisly revenge against dismissive critics. Genius!

This coming week kicks off with Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart and pretty much everyone else in X-men: Days of Future Past, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler reunited for Blended, Jon Favreau's food-based comedy Chef, and more...