Critical Week: Nothing but a smile

As a critic, movies come at me at random, so it's very odd when a pattern emerges. This past week, for example, I saw two Belgian movies that were populated by people who were completely naked. And neither was about sex. Set in a naturist campground, Patrick is a quirky black comedy with a compelling mystery at its centre. And it features a global star in Jemaine Clement (above with non-nudist Hannah Hoekstra). Bare documents the production of a dance piece for 11 naked men from auditions to the premiere. It's a striking look at masculinity, including strength, weakness, diversity and unity. But you have to be relaxed about watching naked bodies on screen.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
WolfWalkers • Ammonite
No Hard Feelings • The Climb
 I Am Greta • Bare 
FULL REVIEWS >

Otherwise, the movies this week were the usual eclectic bunch - once Raindance ended on Sunday. There were two family-friendly films: David and Jacqui Morris' eye-catching new take on A Christmas Carol that uses Dickens' text faithfully, accompanied by an ambitious mix of dance and theatricality with an all-star voice cast; and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run is the latest adventure for that undersea gang of idiots, silly and also very funny (with added Keanu). There was some rude comedy in the gently engaging Malin Akerman comedy Chick Fight. And from Germany, the moving romance No Hard Feelings has a lot to say about the refugee experience.

Coming up this next week, films to watch include Aubrey Plaza in the drama Black Bear, Gary Oldman in the biopic Mank, Travis Fimmel in the heist comedy Finding Steve McQueen, the Jackie Chan action thriller Vanguard, the Romanian journalism drama Collective and the Shane MacGowan doc Crock of Gold.

Critical Week: Change the system

I've been playing catch-up since the festival ended, trying to watch things I'd been putting off, which means that several of the screening links have expired (why do they so rarely tell us there's an expiry date?). Oh well, I don't have time to watch everything, especially with two more festivals incoming.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK: 
Summer of 85 • The Climb
David Byrne's American Utopia
The Secret Garden
PERHAPS AVOID:
Honest Thief
Max Winslow & House of Secrets 
FULL REVIEWS >

Two movies I watched this past week star Sacha Baron Cohen, who gives a serious Oscar-contending performance in The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin's smart, all-star dramatisation of the events surrounding the 1968 Democratic Convention Riots. It's very dense but also riveting, and the film couldn't be much more timely. Baron Cohen's other movie is Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, in which he reprises his role as the bumbling Kazakh journalist. His schtick isn't as fresh this time, which is probably why it plays more like a scripted comedy. But he still manages to expose some shocking stuff.

Anne Hathaway goes for broke in The Witches, a new adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic novel. It's more gleeful than actually nasty, but still good fun. Malin Akerman stars in Friendsgiving, a chaotic holiday comedy that almost writes itself, but has some very nice touches. The Sundance hit The Climb is a terrific exploration of a long friendship between two rather dopey men, so it's very funny in between the emotional bits. The kids' fantasy Max Winslow and the House of Secrets has its moments but never quite finds anything fresh or new in the formula. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet is a beautiful, powerful documentary that's trying to be hopeful about how we can stop destroying the planet. But it feels pretty bleak. And The Italian Boys is a collection of five thoughtful, sharply well-made shorts about men and boys trying to make sense of their inner desires.

I've got more catching up to do next week, including Elizabeth Debicki in The Burnt Orange Heresy, Jaeden Martell in The True Adventures of Wolfboy, the British drama Philophobia, the Peruvian drama Song Without a Name, the Argentine drama Young Hunter and the doc Boys State, plus some titles for both FrightFest and Raindance. 

On the Road: The Book Thief and more

On holiday in rainy Southern California, I've been mainly spending time with my family up to now - very nice! Now over the next week or so it's time to run around the area seeing friends and relatives from  Orange County to Pasadena, from Santa Monica to Palm Springs. Am hoping to catch up with a few more films along the way too - a couple open next week, and there are also some awards-consideration screenings out here to catch. 

I caught one film on the plane flight out here: CBGB, the story of the famed music venue in New York, where punk and indie rock ruled the 70s and 80s. It's an enjoyable slice of history, with a solid performance from Alan Rickman at the centre and lots of big name cameos, but the movie is shot and edited in an annoying comic book style that continually distances us from the characters and situations. 

I also caught The Book Thief (pictured), starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and newcomer Sophie Nelisse. It's a great story about the power of words set in Nazi Germany and told from a child's perspective, and the actors are good (particularly Watsona a the gruff but ultimately too-kindly adoptive mum). Sadly, the whole film is glossy and sweet, focussing on Oscar-bait dramatics and cute touches that undermine the horror of the situation. It feels like a magical fairy tale rather than a story set in a real time and place in which thousands were dying. Every day.