Critical Week: Feeling grinchy

As movies get increasingly heartwarming, it can be a challenge to ward off that inner Scrooge. Thankfully I have been watching quite a few more disturbing arthouse movies alongside the more warmly emotional wide-audience titles. And then there's A Man Called Otto, the engaging forthcoming Tom Hanks comedy that's a sentimental remake of the much edgier Swedish hit A Man Called Ove. Blockbuster sequel Avatar: The Way of Water also adds an undercurrent of emotion to its visually stunning action violence, as James Cameron creates another epic that entertains on various levels. 

BEST FILMS OUT NOW:
Rimini • The Silent Twins • Lynch/Oz
She Said • Matilda the Musical • Nanny
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
ALL REVIEWS >

More offbeat movies contending for awards included, appropriately, the UK's international film entry Winners, an enjoyable romp set about an Oscar statuette that takes its own mini-adventure in rural Iran. Ulrich Seidl's Rimini is a riveting pitch-black comedy about a desperate has-been singer in an off-season seaside resort town. Lukas Dhont's moving drama Close traces a pre-teen's harsh coming-of-age through the disruption of his relationship with his best friend. The hugely involving Polish odyssey EO follows a loveable donkey on an incredible journey that's sweet, challenging and often scary. And last year's crowd-pleasing Oscar nominee Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom is set in a gorgeous isolated corner of Bhutan. And outside awards contention were two indie titles: the Italian comedy-drama Marscapone, a warmly intimate look at maintaining your identity within a relationship, and American drama Peridot, an intriguingly loose portrait of a street hustler.

There are still a lot of movies to catch up with as year-end voting deadlines approach, including Will Smith in Emancipation, Lea Seydoux in One Find Morning, Toni Collette in The Estate, Christian Bale in The Pale Blue Eye, the animated adventure The Amazing Maurice, the war epic All Quiet on the Western Front and the David Bowie doc Moonage Daydream.

Stage: Sharp as a tack

Cracked: Snow White ... With Extra Bite
by Tim Benzie and Paul Joseph
dir Tim McArthur
musical director Aaron Clingham
with Grant Cartwright, Charlie Wood, Stewart Briggs, Lucy Penrose, Josh Sing Sian
Royal Vauxhall Tavern, London • 24.Nov.22-6.Jan.23

For their seasonal panto, the team at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern have created yet another wonderfully naughty take on the children's theatre format, adapting the Snow White fairy tale into a witty adventure into modern obsessions with social media. Everything about this show feels sharp as a tack, from the snappy script to the engagingly silly performances.

In this version of the story, Snow White (Cartwright) is a self-absorbed princess who hasn't a clue what's going on around her. Even more preening, the Wicked Queen (Stewart Briggs) relies on affirmation from her Magic Mirror (Wood). But the truth-telling mirror has been lying to her, which results in a series of cracks until it only has one lie left. Enter dwarf Sleepy (Penrose), the tale's narrator, who is trying to make a new mirror for the Queen before she realises that she's not actually the fairest in the land. And there's also a huntsman (Sian) who works for the Queen but is secretly in love with Snow White.

Staged with colourful costumes on the RVT's tiny stage, the plot is deliberately chaotic, resulting in various nutty encounters that are merely excuses for riotously warped renditions of pop songs from Abba to Harry Styles, by way of several classic musical theatre numbers. Kate Bush even comes to the rescue at one point, just one of many smart cultural references. And amusingly lacerating political gags are peppered throughout the script, eliciting pointed cheers from the audience.

Some of the tropes of the panto tradition feel a bit over-extended, such as the big number that's sung in the round (which seems unnecessary after the more fleet-footed rendition of Godspell's similarly complex All for the Best) or the big audience-competition song. But it's performed with so much charm that we don't mind at all. This is a very clever show that addresses the audience like children while taking a gleefully adult approach to innuendo and more overt smuttiness. And what it has to say about the impact of social media makes us think in between the laughter.

For information, visit ROYAL VAUXHALL TAVERN >

photos by Chris Jepson • 13.Dec.22

Critical Week: All for one and one for all

I'm back in London today after a few weeks in Los Angeles visiting friends and family, celebrating Thanksgiving with them, and catching up with a few films there as well. Jet lag will make the next few days a challenge, as will Britain's icy cold snap, but I have too much going on during awards season to give in to that feeling that I should be sleeping. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Matilda the Musical
The Silent Twins
The Alleys • Hidden Letters
PERHAPS AVOID: The Leech
ALL REVIEWS >

The forthcoming sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish continues the lively antics of the swashbuckling cat voiced by Antonio Banderas, alongside Salma Hayek's Kitty Softpaws. It's hilariously entertaining, as expected. Less satisfying is Devotion, based on an inspiring true story about Korean War pilots that's told with far too much earnest reverence. There's enough to hold the interest and stir the emotions, but the film feels like it plays out in slow motion. And then there's the doc All That Breathes, which sneaks up on us with its bracing insights and vividly involving people who rescue traumatised birds in Delhi.

I also managed to catch up with two movies on the flight home. Infinite Storm, directed by Malgorzata Szumowska, stars Naomi Watts, Billy Howle, Denis O'Hare and Parker Sawyers in a contained, often silent story of survival on a snowy mountain. A jaw-dropping true story, it's spectacularly shot to put the audience in the situation with Watts' tenacious rescue worker. Ad The Outfit, directed by Graham Moore, stars Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O'Brien and the fabulous Nikki Amuka-Bird in a 1950s Chicago-set tale of a suit maker who becomes entangled with feuding mob bosses. The twisty plot is great fun, even if the film is rather uneven.

Movies this coming week include the blockbuster sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Broker, Ulrich Seidl's Rimini, Pakistani drama Joyland, the Iranian drama Winners, Italian comedy Marscapone, Spanish musical The Phantom of the Sauna and last year's surprise Oscar nominee Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.

On the Road: Where's the party

Another week of sunshine in Southern California, spending rather too much time in the car driving up and down the 5 from Orange County (where I'm staying with family) and Hollywood (where awards-consideration screenings take place). My main purpose for this trip is to see friends and family, so it's a bonus to be able to take them to screenings with me. The biggest movie this week, screened right on the Paramount lot, was Damien Chazelle's 1920s Hollywood epic Babylon. There's so much going on that it's understandably uneven, but it's also dazzling, with a series of breathtaking set-pieces that need to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Steven Spielberg is also exploring the nature of filmmaking in The Fabelmans, his autobiographical film about growing up in a messy family while developing a love of storytelling. There's a lot to love about this film. Florence Pugh gives yet another powerfully involving performance in The Wonder, a provocative period drama set in Ireland and directed with style by Sebastian Lelio. The often outrageously over-the-top adaptation Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical is a lot of fun, with some darkly pointed themes and a scene-stealing Emma Thompson. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a little more difficult to love, even if its stop-motion animation is wonderfully designed. As artful and passionate as it is, the dark story and dull songs are tricky to engage with. And Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi's Holy Spider is far more than a scary thriller based on the true story of a serial killer in Iran's holiest city; it's also a knowing, almost terrifyingly timely look at power dynamics in a nation where women are sidelined.

Films coming up this week include Noah Baumbach's White Noise, the spinoff-sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Disney's Strange World and the doc All That Breathes. I'm also travelling back to London next week - annoyingly missing the Avatar 2 screenings both in London (on Sunday) and Los Angeles (on Tuesday). I'll catch up with it later...

On the Road: Can we talk?

This week my main focus has been on family and friends, hanging out and celebrating Thanksgiving in California. Of course, since I grew up in Ecuador, I've also been keeping an eye on the World Cup! And my family had a full Ecuadorian meal instead of turkey, sitting outside in the sunshine. 

I only watched one movie this week: the powerful drama She Said, which traces the true story of two New York Times journalists (played by Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan) as they investigate stories of abuse surrounding Harvey Weinstein. It's a must-see film - urgent and powerfully well-made. REVIEW >

There was also a trip to the theatre, seeing Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, starring Richard Thomas. It's a terrific approach to Harper Lee's classic novel, packed with present-day resonance that's strongly played.

Still to come are screenings of films like Damien Chazelle's Babylon, Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, Hirokazu Kore-eda's Broker and the war drama Devotion, among other awards contenders before my first nominations ballot deadline on 7th December.

On the Road: Family time

Hello from sunny Southern California. I'm in Orange County for a couple of weeks visiting my parents, family and friends. And also watching movies, because I can't help myself. Since its movie awards season, there are a lot of screenings on, so I'll be occasionally driving up into Hollywood to see things there. And there are also a few movies in theatres now that haven't opened in the UK yet, such as the first one here, which I saw with my parents yesterday. The other two were films I caught up with on the plane...

Armageddon Time
dir-scr James Gray; with Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong 22/US ***.
Filmmaker James Gray makes by far his most personal project yet, tapping into his own childhood for a coming-of-age drama set in 1980 Queens with a plot that plays largely in the subtext. Even as it takes on enormous political and social issues, film has a lovely delicacy, although this subtlety can be challenging for viewers who like to have a clear idea of what the story is trying to say. That said, it bristles with provocative themes, bracingly complex characters and nuanced performances from a strong cast ably anchored by the young teen Banks Repeta.

Clerks III
dir-scr Kevin Smith; with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson22/US ***.
Kevin Smith revisits his now iconic characters once again for another flurry of nutty antics and snappy movie references. All of the main cast is back, with added cameos, for a meta-comedy that takes a remarkably moving look at middle-aged men grappling with their mortality. Things kick off when Randal (Anderson) has a heart attack and decides it’s finally time to make a movie of his own, enlisting Dante (O'Halloran) and the gang to play themselves. What follows is witty and messy, as expected, with Smith’s charming-scruffy filmmaking quietly revealing a rather sophisticated exploration of ambition, regret and grief. There are plenty of goofy sequences along the way, but the most memorable moments involve nostalgia and big emotions.

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On
dir Dean Fleischer-Camp; voices Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini 21/US ****
Disarmingly surreal, this surreal animated romp is so relentlessly charming that its big emotional climax sneaks up on us. It’s the story of a tiny shell named Marcel (Slate) who finds himself alone in a big house with his grandmother Connie (Rossellini) after the owner (Thomas Mann) leaves, inadvertently taking the rest of Marcel's eclectic family with him. Then filmmaker Dean rents the house on Airbnb. He befriends Marcel and starts shooting documentary footage, which goes viral online and attracts the attention of a 60 Minutes producer. Where this goes is wonderfully bonkers, and along the way the amusing details and Marcel’s hilariously sarcastic humour completely win us over, leading to some unexpected moving moments. Watching this micro-gem of a film is pure joy.

In addition to catching up with family and friends (the main purpose of this trip!), while in Southern California I'll also be attending a few awards-consideration screenings, and also seeing some things in cinemas. Over the coming week, I'm looking forward to Sarah Polley's Women Talking, Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans, Disney's animated Strange World and Damien Chazelle's Babylon. Others are sure to pop up...

Dance: Free expression

Julie Cunningham & Company
Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells, London • 10-11.Nov.22

In response to two iconic pieces of Western classical music, Jules Cunningham and company present a queer spin on music that is normally danced traditionally. As a choreographer, Cunningham creates remarkably expressive work that catches nuances of the music in ways that feel almost off-handed. They also convey a remarkable range of very personal emotions, with vivid highs and lows.

M/y-kovsky
choreographer Jules Cunningham
performers Yu-Chien Cheng, Jules Cunningham, Eleanor Perry, Owen Ridley-DeMonick, Stephen Quildan
assistant director/dramaturg Harry Alexander
lighting Imogen Clarke
music Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 second movement performed by Berlin Philmarmonic (1996), first movement performed by Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (1975)

Using Tchaikovsky's second movement as this piece's first half, Cunningham and Perry are on-stage acting out cheeky meeting with a roll of paper that becomes what looks like a picnic blanket, feeding into their flirtatious interaction. They then separate, using two more rolls to create bed-like scenarios across the stage, writing notes to each other before reuniting to exchange them. The interaction is never quite what we expect, full of witty twists and turns, performed with mischievous glee.

In the second half, four dancers perform to Tchaikovsky's triumphant first movement, combining classical and modern moves, barefoot in shiny black overalls that allow for some terrific pocket work. The tone shifts with the music, from a soaring march to more darkly emotive moments. Dancers move as a united group then spiral out into individual flourishes or break off in pairs. This use of the space with layers of personal interaction puts a playful spin on a familiar classical piece, including a witty interlude in which Cunningham enters the stage, joining, disrupting and coaxing the action.

Fire bird
choreographer/performer Jules Cunningham
featuring JD Samson
assistant director/dramaturg Joyce Henderson
lighting Imogen Clarke
costume/design Tim Spooner, Jules Cunningham
music Stravinsky's The Firebird performed by Bergen Philharmonic (2012)

With red string zig-zagging above the stage, Cunningham begins against the wall, casting dramatic shadows that seem to fight for dominance, pushing and pulling before they break free of each other. What follows is an epic 40-minute intimate performance that follows the ebb and flow of the music, shifting in tone from energetic expressiveness to contained darkness. The physical strain is considerable, as Cunningham pushes their body to extremes to reveal vulnerability and defiance.

Along the way, a video square appears on a wall showing a recording booth where mumbling vocals are added to the orchestration. Then Cunningham grabs a microphone and hums along while continuing to dance. They also find a pair of trainers in a corner, which allows for even more intense physicality, leading to a very big finish that echoes Stravinsky's musicality. Pretty much every emotion is demonstrated in this piece, with moves that are huge as well as quietly internalised, reacting and interacting to the music while being fearlessly individualistic.

Both of these pieces are powerful to watch, as they take on the nature of dance history itself, rewriting it for a more fluid generation. And while it may sometimes feel a bit meandering, the intensely personal nature of Cunningham's work carries a proper kick.

m/y-kovsky photo by Zbigniew Kotklewicz from an earlier production
fire bird photos by Christa Holka • 10.Nov.22