Tristana (Luis Buñuel, 1970) 9/10
Wicked black comedy as Buñuel once again takes apart sexual double standards of the Spanish patriarchal society with side jabs at religion. An innocent young girl, Tristana (Catherine Deneuve), comes to live with her suave but impoverished nobleman benefactor (Fernando Rey) after her mother (who was the man's mistress) dies. He is a notorious ladies man, old enough to be her father and soon seduces her into becoming his mistress. Overbearingly possessive he does not allow her to leave the house. Soon she begins sneaking out, meets a young painter (Franco Nero) and runs off with him. She returns after two years ill with a malignant tumor on her leg and moves back in with the old man - her father/lover - who nurses her after her leg is amputated. The story is the journey of a young girl who is seduced into maturity and coldly seeks revenge. It is also the story of a lecherous old man who finds that roles in life can suddenly reverse. Both Rey and Deneuve (unfortunately dubbed) superbly play out their game of chess as the victim coldly and surely turns into the victor. Tristana is not Buñuel's best but this quiet little intimate drama is certainly amongst his top five.
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Ma mére / My Mother (Christophe Honoré, 2004) 8/10
This is not a film for the faint of heart. Is it mere Euro trash or a desperate scream for attention most of us crave secretly? A sexually graphic tale about the initiation of a young teenager (Louis Garrel), straight out of Catholic school, into a life of depraved sexual proclivities by his mother (Isabelle Huppert). A hedonist, alcoholic and into sex games, the woman leads her depressed young son onto a path of no return as the boy gets deeper and deeper into a world of utter deparavity as the film explores the world of sadomasochism, love, family dysfunction and ends with incest. By the time the sudden and abrasive ending appears (paging Oedipus) our senses have already been assaulted by scenes of masturbation, full frontal urination, rimming, whippings, boot licking and public fornication. What must have seemed like the lowest depths of human behaviour in 1962 (as it's based on a book by Georges Battaile from that year) it seems pretty tame today keeping in mind the scarred psychology of the characters. The sex scenes are almost clinical in nature devoid of any love or feeling. Huppert is an extremely brave actress who takes on challenging and very difficult characters to play. Her natural hauteur, elegance and poise hide a vulnerability beneath the surface of her often fearless characters. Garrel compliments her every step of the way playing a deeply troubled soul desperate for his mother's love which when he almost receives results in yet another reprehensible act. Weird and yes, pretentious, the film nevertheless is a fascinating peek into human psychology.
This is not a film for the faint of heart. Is it mere Euro trash or a desperate scream for attention most of us crave secretly? A sexually graphic tale about the initiation of a young teenager (Louis Garrel), straight out of Catholic school, into a life of depraved sexual proclivities by his mother (Isabelle Huppert). A hedonist, alcoholic and into sex games, the woman leads her depressed young son onto a path of no return as the boy gets deeper and deeper into a world of utter deparavity as the film explores the world of sadomasochism, love, family dysfunction and ends with incest. By the time the sudden and abrasive ending appears (paging Oedipus) our senses have already been assaulted by scenes of masturbation, full frontal urination, rimming, whippings, boot licking and public fornication. What must have seemed like the lowest depths of human behaviour in 1962 (as it's based on a book by Georges Battaile from that year) it seems pretty tame today keeping in mind the scarred psychology of the characters. The sex scenes are almost clinical in nature devoid of any love or feeling. Huppert is an extremely brave actress who takes on challenging and very difficult characters to play. Her natural hauteur, elegance and poise hide a vulnerability beneath the surface of her often fearless characters. Garrel compliments her every step of the way playing a deeply troubled soul desperate for his mother's love which when he almost receives results in yet another reprehensible act. Weird and yes, pretentious, the film nevertheless is a fascinating peek into human psychology.
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Vincere (Marco Bellocchio, 2009) 8/10
"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned". And she most certainly creates a storm for young Mussolini (Filippo Timi) who falls in lust with Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) during his early firebrand socialist days when he meets the idealistic woman at a rally. They connect in bed passionately, get married and have a son. When he returns from the war he abandons his wife and son and gets married to his mistress. Ida does not take this change in status kindly, to say the least. Grandly operatic film - sumptuously designed and photographed - is more fascinating as a history of Italy during that time than it is of the anguish Ida goes through in trying to re-connect with Mussolini in order for him to publicly acknowledge his son. She ends up in an asylum after being repeatedly rebuffed and her son in an orphanage. The second half of the film centering on Ida's obsession does not include Mussolini who is throughout then shown in newsreels as he ages. These little known facts of Il Duce's life, which were suppressed for years, show him in a different perspective. The film offers no explanation why Ida was abandoned which makes it hard to understand the man. The story is one of obsession (Ida's) and madness (the path Italy followed when Il Duce made an alliance with the equally power mad Hitler. The film is a tour-de-force for Mezzogiorno who creates a fully lucid flesh and blood character who cannot fathom why she fell from grace. It is also a story about the madness perpetuated by one man on not only his family but also upon the whole nation.
"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned". And she most certainly creates a storm for young Mussolini (Filippo Timi) who falls in lust with Ida Dalser (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) during his early firebrand socialist days when he meets the idealistic woman at a rally. They connect in bed passionately, get married and have a son. When he returns from the war he abandons his wife and son and gets married to his mistress. Ida does not take this change in status kindly, to say the least. Grandly operatic film - sumptuously designed and photographed - is more fascinating as a history of Italy during that time than it is of the anguish Ida goes through in trying to re-connect with Mussolini in order for him to publicly acknowledge his son. She ends up in an asylum after being repeatedly rebuffed and her son in an orphanage. The second half of the film centering on Ida's obsession does not include Mussolini who is throughout then shown in newsreels as he ages. These little known facts of Il Duce's life, which were suppressed for years, show him in a different perspective. The film offers no explanation why Ida was abandoned which makes it hard to understand the man. The story is one of obsession (Ida's) and madness (the path Italy followed when Il Duce made an alliance with the equally power mad Hitler. The film is a tour-de-force for Mezzogiorno who creates a fully lucid flesh and blood character who cannot fathom why she fell from grace. It is also a story about the madness perpetuated by one man on not only his family but also upon the whole nation.
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The 25th Hour (Henri Verneuil, 1967) 6/10
During WWII a simple Romanian peasant (Anthony Quinn) is wrongfully labeled a jew by a corrupt police official (Grégorie Aslan) who covets his sexy wife (Virna Lisi) and transported off to a labour camp. Through a series of coincidences, signifying the horrific displacement of so many innocent people during the war, the peasant is later unbelievably labeled an Aryan and made to wear the German uniform. He ends up on trial at Nuremberg. Throughout his neverending ordeal the man does not lose hope thinking the mistake will be rectified. A rare film that appears to be lost today gets it's anti-war message across but in a rather heavy handed way with Georges Delerue's bombastic score underlining every event. An international cast of familiar faces pop up in bit parts - Marcel Dalio, Serge Reggiani, Françoise Rosay, Marius Goring, Michael Redgrave, Alexander Knox, John Le Meseurier, Robert Beatty, Jean Desailly. Carlo Ponti produced the film.
During WWII a simple Romanian peasant (Anthony Quinn) is wrongfully labeled a jew by a corrupt police official (Grégorie Aslan) who covets his sexy wife (Virna Lisi) and transported off to a labour camp. Through a series of coincidences, signifying the horrific displacement of so many innocent people during the war, the peasant is later unbelievably labeled an Aryan and made to wear the German uniform. He ends up on trial at Nuremberg. Throughout his neverending ordeal the man does not lose hope thinking the mistake will be rectified. A rare film that appears to be lost today gets it's anti-war message across but in a rather heavy handed way with Georges Delerue's bombastic score underlining every event. An international cast of familiar faces pop up in bit parts - Marcel Dalio, Serge Reggiani, Françoise Rosay, Marius Goring, Michael Redgrave, Alexander Knox, John Le Meseurier, Robert Beatty, Jean Desailly. Carlo Ponti produced the film.
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Chungking Express (Wong Kar-Wai, 1994) 8/10
Wong Kar-Wai's ode to Cassavetes (the seemingly improvisational dialogue) and especially the later period Godard (the jumpy editing, the flashing neon lights, signs, slogans, pop music) is about loneliness in a huge modern metropolitan city (Hong Kong) with it's crowded streets and bazaars populated by a potpourri of nationalities - I was "delighted" to see Pakistanis in full "criminal" mode (although they are mentioned as Indians in the subtitles) as they wheel and deal with heroin smuggling courtesy of a hot babe (Brigitte Lin) in a Marilyn Monroe-like lacquered blonde wig and wearing black shades and a raincoat (Bogart comes to mind). The story, if there is really one, is framed around a downtown fast food joint called "Chungking Express". It involves two depressed cops, in unrelated stories, both of whom have recently been dumped by their girlfriends. One cop (Takeshi Kaneshiro) spends all his time collecting expired cans of pineapple and looking to hook up with another woman - enter the the blonde wigged babe. The second cop (Tony Leung - Hong Kong cinema's Clark Gable) is unaware of the boyish waitress (Faye Wang), who has a crush on him and likes the song "California Dreaming", and who breaks into his apartment and redecorates it. The film has more style - the flashy cinematography by Christopher Doyle makes all the "grime" look stunningly beautiful - than any real substance. However, the film has a certain charm about it - like a music video - and is an important early film in this director's far greater filmography.
Wong Kar-Wai's ode to Cassavetes (the seemingly improvisational dialogue) and especially the later period Godard (the jumpy editing, the flashing neon lights, signs, slogans, pop music) is about loneliness in a huge modern metropolitan city (Hong Kong) with it's crowded streets and bazaars populated by a potpourri of nationalities - I was "delighted" to see Pakistanis in full "criminal" mode (although they are mentioned as Indians in the subtitles) as they wheel and deal with heroin smuggling courtesy of a hot babe (Brigitte Lin) in a Marilyn Monroe-like lacquered blonde wig and wearing black shades and a raincoat (Bogart comes to mind). The story, if there is really one, is framed around a downtown fast food joint called "Chungking Express". It involves two depressed cops, in unrelated stories, both of whom have recently been dumped by their girlfriends. One cop (Takeshi Kaneshiro) spends all his time collecting expired cans of pineapple and looking to hook up with another woman - enter the the blonde wigged babe. The second cop (Tony Leung - Hong Kong cinema's Clark Gable) is unaware of the boyish waitress (Faye Wang), who has a crush on him and likes the song "California Dreaming", and who breaks into his apartment and redecorates it. The film has more style - the flashy cinematography by Christopher Doyle makes all the "grime" look stunningly beautiful - than any real substance. However, the film has a certain charm about it - like a music video - and is an important early film in this director's far greater filmography.
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Hail Caesar! (Joel & Ethan Cohen, 2016) 2/10
The Coens in "silly" mode go all out spoofing Hollywood of the 1950s as they pay unfunny homage to various genres. The Biblical cycle - via a Roman-Christ epic being filmed complete with hoary dialogue and an All-American (George Clooney) miscast in the lead (shades of John Wayne) - the water ballets with an Esther Williams-like star (Scarlett Johannson) and tap dancing musicals with sailors â la "Anchors Aweigh" and "On the Town" with Channing Tatum hoofing it up only to defect to Russia (the Coens throw in THE hot topic of the 1950s: Communism). Also into this heady hodgepodge is a studio head (Josh Brolin) juggling things, an indignantly frazzled European director (Ralph Fiennes) and twin gossip columnists (Tilda Swinton) who wear elaborate hats like Hedda Hopper. Frances McDormand appears briefly as a camera operator at a cinema. Great production design, costumes and cinematography (by Roger Deakins) but as a whole the film is an absolute mess. And it's just NOT funny.
The Coens in "silly" mode go all out spoofing Hollywood of the 1950s as they pay unfunny homage to various genres. The Biblical cycle - via a Roman-Christ epic being filmed complete with hoary dialogue and an All-American (George Clooney) miscast in the lead (shades of John Wayne) - the water ballets with an Esther Williams-like star (Scarlett Johannson) and tap dancing musicals with sailors â la "Anchors Aweigh" and "On the Town" with Channing Tatum hoofing it up only to defect to Russia (the Coens throw in THE hot topic of the 1950s: Communism). Also into this heady hodgepodge is a studio head (Josh Brolin) juggling things, an indignantly frazzled European director (Ralph Fiennes) and twin gossip columnists (Tilda Swinton) who wear elaborate hats like Hedda Hopper. Frances McDormand appears briefly as a camera operator at a cinema. Great production design, costumes and cinematography (by Roger Deakins) but as a whole the film is an absolute mess. And it's just NOT funny.
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Risen (Kevin Reynolds, 2016) 7/10
Atmospheric mystery as a Roman Tribune (Joseph Fiennes) is asked by Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the dead body of a man who was recently crucified. The man, who had claimed he was a messiah, goes missing from the tomb his body was placed in. The battle-worn soldier finds himself pursuing a "ghost" whom his followers claim to be still alive. The bleak and authentic desert landscapes and Reynold's unique take - as a police procedural - on the story of Jesus's resurrection make this one of the interesting versions of this oft filmed story. It is a classic variation, minus the gaudy spectacle, of an ancient theme. Fiennes is good as the sceptical man who gradually realises with wonder that the missing dead body is indeed alive.
Atmospheric mystery as a Roman Tribune (Joseph Fiennes) is asked by Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the dead body of a man who was recently crucified. The man, who had claimed he was a messiah, goes missing from the tomb his body was placed in. The battle-worn soldier finds himself pursuing a "ghost" whom his followers claim to be still alive. The bleak and authentic desert landscapes and Reynold's unique take - as a police procedural - on the story of Jesus's resurrection make this one of the interesting versions of this oft filmed story. It is a classic variation, minus the gaudy spectacle, of an ancient theme. Fiennes is good as the sceptical man who gradually realises with wonder that the missing dead body is indeed alive.
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The Night Manager (Susanne Bier, 2016) 10/10
Riveting adaptation (with changes) of the John Le Carré book filmed stunningly across the globe - Cairo, Mallorca, Zermatt, Istanbul, London, Marrakech. A section of MI5 - headed by Olivia Colman - uses a mole (Tom Hiddleston) to infiltrate a Company headed by Roper (Hugh Laurie) that deals in selling arms to Third World countries with the covert backup of the Whitehall establishment. Tautly paced, gripping thriller is in the James Bond vein but without the elaborate action set pieces. Instead the plot is a cat-and-mouse game between the evil Blofeld-like megalomaniac and the sharp mole as the latter barely manages to stay one step ahead of having his cover blown. The superb cast also includes Tom Hollander (playing against type) as a particularly nasty henchman who prefers members of his own sex and statuesque Elizabeth Debicki as Roper's wife who becomes a pawn in the games being played. Bier directs with a sure hand keeping things moving at lightning pace (probably to deflect all the implausabilities in the plot). Tom Hiddleston, in an underwritten role, creates a blandly enigmatic character whom he brings to life through sheer star presence. Hopefully this six part television production will make him a big star.
Riveting adaptation (with changes) of the John Le Carré book filmed stunningly across the globe - Cairo, Mallorca, Zermatt, Istanbul, London, Marrakech. A section of MI5 - headed by Olivia Colman - uses a mole (Tom Hiddleston) to infiltrate a Company headed by Roper (Hugh Laurie) that deals in selling arms to Third World countries with the covert backup of the Whitehall establishment. Tautly paced, gripping thriller is in the James Bond vein but without the elaborate action set pieces. Instead the plot is a cat-and-mouse game between the evil Blofeld-like megalomaniac and the sharp mole as the latter barely manages to stay one step ahead of having his cover blown. The superb cast also includes Tom Hollander (playing against type) as a particularly nasty henchman who prefers members of his own sex and statuesque Elizabeth Debicki as Roper's wife who becomes a pawn in the games being played. Bier directs with a sure hand keeping things moving at lightning pace (probably to deflect all the implausabilities in the plot). Tom Hiddleston, in an underwritten role, creates a blandly enigmatic character whom he brings to life through sheer star presence. Hopefully this six part television production will make him a big star.
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Out of Time (Carl Franklin, 2003) 7/10
Atmospheric neo-noir that is more fun than plausable. A cop (Denzel Washington) in a small Florida town gets way in over his head - his marriage to a homicide detective (Eva Mendes) is coming to an end and he is having an affair with his high school sweetheart (Sanaa Lathan) who is married to a psychotic petty criminal (Dean Cain). Like all noirs there is insurance money involved and dead bodies eventually turn up with the cop running around trying to avoid the mess he has gotten himself into. Franklin's stylized direction along with Washington's effortless charm go a long way in making this an interesting little thriller.
Atmospheric neo-noir that is more fun than plausable. A cop (Denzel Washington) in a small Florida town gets way in over his head - his marriage to a homicide detective (Eva Mendes) is coming to an end and he is having an affair with his high school sweetheart (Sanaa Lathan) who is married to a psychotic petty criminal (Dean Cain). Like all noirs there is insurance money involved and dead bodies eventually turn up with the cop running around trying to avoid the mess he has gotten himself into. Franklin's stylized direction along with Washington's effortless charm go a long way in making this an interesting little thriller.
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Captain America: Civil War (Anthony Russo & Joe Russo, 2016) 7/10
It appears to be the season for super heroes going for each others' throats - first it was Superman and Batman at loggerheads and now we have Captain America and Iron Man battling it out. The World (118 countries, give or take a few) decides that there is too much collateral damage when the Avengers fly around doing their good deeds and it is decided that they will now be controlled by the U.N. Captain America (Chris Evans) refuses to sign on the agreement while Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) agrees to sign. The rest of the Avengers - Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Ant-Man (Paul Judd), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) - end up taking sides and battle it out amongst themselves while also falling prey to the evil machinations of a Russian (Daniel Brühl) who wants them to do just that. The film also introduces two new members into the Avengers' fold - Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). A witty script and wonderfully choreographed action sequences add to the fun quotient in this exciting, if a bit overlong, film.
It appears to be the season for super heroes going for each others' throats - first it was Superman and Batman at loggerheads and now we have Captain America and Iron Man battling it out. The World (118 countries, give or take a few) decides that there is too much collateral damage when the Avengers fly around doing their good deeds and it is decided that they will now be controlled by the U.N. Captain America (Chris Evans) refuses to sign on the agreement while Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) agrees to sign. The rest of the Avengers - Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Ant-Man (Paul Judd), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) - end up taking sides and battle it out amongst themselves while also falling prey to the evil machinations of a Russian (Daniel Brühl) who wants them to do just that. The film also introduces two new members into the Avengers' fold - Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). A witty script and wonderfully choreographed action sequences add to the fun quotient in this exciting, if a bit overlong, film.
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Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) 10/10
Scorsese's nightmarish vision of New York - the filth around a neon-lit Times Square where pimps and prostitutes hustle and squalor and degradation are the order of the day - as seen through the eyes of a lonely and paranoid cab driver (Robert De Niro) who drives around on the night shift and gradually begins to lose the plot and shifts into madness. De Niro's electric performance holds it all together whether showing gentle tenderness with a beautiful election campaign worker (Cybill Shepherd who is a true vision in white - Scorsese appears in one of two cameos in one of which he oogles her as she walks by) or suddenly turning vicious when she rejects him during a date at a porno cinema. He turns almost paternal with a 12-year-old hooker (Jodie Foster giving an outstanding performance) and shows his brutal side with her pimp (Harvey Keitel). The film would not be a classic if it weren't for everyone's collaborative efforts - Paul Schrader's superb screenplay, Michael Chapman's evocative cinematography, Ruth Morley's costumes and especially Bernard Herrmann's evocative score which perfectly compliments the disturbing nightlife scenes. The violent ending is just perfect as it is a fitting conclusion to all that has gone before. This is Scorsese's masterpiece and the best of the many great films he has made with De Niro. A must-watch.
Scorsese's nightmarish vision of New York - the filth around a neon-lit Times Square where pimps and prostitutes hustle and squalor and degradation are the order of the day - as seen through the eyes of a lonely and paranoid cab driver (Robert De Niro) who drives around on the night shift and gradually begins to lose the plot and shifts into madness. De Niro's electric performance holds it all together whether showing gentle tenderness with a beautiful election campaign worker (Cybill Shepherd who is a true vision in white - Scorsese appears in one of two cameos in one of which he oogles her as she walks by) or suddenly turning vicious when she rejects him during a date at a porno cinema. He turns almost paternal with a 12-year-old hooker (Jodie Foster giving an outstanding performance) and shows his brutal side with her pimp (Harvey Keitel). The film would not be a classic if it weren't for everyone's collaborative efforts - Paul Schrader's superb screenplay, Michael Chapman's evocative cinematography, Ruth Morley's costumes and especially Bernard Herrmann's evocative score which perfectly compliments the disturbing nightlife scenes. The violent ending is just perfect as it is a fitting conclusion to all that has gone before. This is Scorsese's masterpiece and the best of the many great films he has made with De Niro. A must-watch.
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The Ruins (Carter Smith, 2008) 7/10
Slasher film with a twist - the plot reverts to the "B" horror movies of the 1950s. Six young kids on a Mexican holiday end up at an undisclosed architectural excavation site at a Mayan temple which is covered with a leafy vine-like plant. The kids find themselves trapped up on the temple as the local population hold them hostage and refuse to let them leave. The blood quotient is spectacular with stabbings, an amputation, assorted flesh cutting, spearing with arrows and shootings. The suspense is maintained till the last shot of the film.
Slasher film with a twist - the plot reverts to the "B" horror movies of the 1950s. Six young kids on a Mexican holiday end up at an undisclosed architectural excavation site at a Mayan temple which is covered with a leafy vine-like plant. The kids find themselves trapped up on the temple as the local population hold them hostage and refuse to let them leave. The blood quotient is spectacular with stabbings, an amputation, assorted flesh cutting, spearing with arrows and shootings. The suspense is maintained till the last shot of the film.
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The Client (Joel Shumacher, 1994) 5/10
Hopelessly contrived drama with lawyer Susan Sarandon helping a kid (Brad Renfro), son of a trailer trash woman (Mary Louise Parker), who was witness to a suicide. As the kid has vital information divulged by the man before he killed himself, the FBI, the Mob (Anthony LaPaglia) and the D.A. (Tommy Lee Jones hamming it up) are all after him for their own interests. The best parts in the film are the ones between the kid and the man who shoots himself. The rest of the film is a silly cat-and-mouse game as the kid is pursued and Sarandon acts sassy as she turns into Nancy Drew looking for a buried dead body. Renfro alternates being a wise young boy and an annoying teenager. The actor sadly died of a drug overdose at 25. Sarandon was nominated for an Oscar in an extremely weak year for actresses. As this was based on a John Grisham book the film, like all his adaptations, has a starry cast with many familiar character actors playing small roles - J.T. Walsh, Anthony Edwards, Will Patton, Bradley Whitford, Anthony Heald, William H. Macy and Ossie Davis. The film is strikingly shot on location in Memphis and New Orleans by Tony Pierce-Roberts.
Hopelessly contrived drama with lawyer Susan Sarandon helping a kid (Brad Renfro), son of a trailer trash woman (Mary Louise Parker), who was witness to a suicide. As the kid has vital information divulged by the man before he killed himself, the FBI, the Mob (Anthony LaPaglia) and the D.A. (Tommy Lee Jones hamming it up) are all after him for their own interests. The best parts in the film are the ones between the kid and the man who shoots himself. The rest of the film is a silly cat-and-mouse game as the kid is pursued and Sarandon acts sassy as she turns into Nancy Drew looking for a buried dead body. Renfro alternates being a wise young boy and an annoying teenager. The actor sadly died of a drug overdose at 25. Sarandon was nominated for an Oscar in an extremely weak year for actresses. As this was based on a John Grisham book the film, like all his adaptations, has a starry cast with many familiar character actors playing small roles - J.T. Walsh, Anthony Edwards, Will Patton, Bradley Whitford, Anthony Heald, William H. Macy and Ossie Davis. The film is strikingly shot on location in Memphis and New Orleans by Tony Pierce-Roberts.
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The Guest (Adam Wingard, 2014) 7/10
A fantastic performance by Dan Stevens and a suspenseful screenplay keep things moving in this variation of the slasher genre. A man arrives on the doorstep of a family and is welcomed in when they are told that he was in the army with their late son. Gradually he wins over every member of the family - the father, the mother and their teenage son - all of whom benefit from his "good deeds". Only the daughter is suspicious and keeps him at arm's length. The first half of the film is very good as the man worms himself into their lives gaining their trust. The second half changes tracks with a rather prepostrous plot twist leading to bloody mayhem. Stevens is superb as the calm and friendly man whose eyes betray an inner demon. Worth a watch.
A fantastic performance by Dan Stevens and a suspenseful screenplay keep things moving in this variation of the slasher genre. A man arrives on the doorstep of a family and is welcomed in when they are told that he was in the army with their late son. Gradually he wins over every member of the family - the father, the mother and their teenage son - all of whom benefit from his "good deeds". Only the daughter is suspicious and keeps him at arm's length. The first half of the film is very good as the man worms himself into their lives gaining their trust. The second half changes tracks with a rather prepostrous plot twist leading to bloody mayhem. Stevens is superb as the calm and friendly man whose eyes betray an inner demon. Worth a watch.
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The Age of Innocence (Martin Scorsese, 1993) 9/10
Exquisitely produced adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about old and rigid New York society during the gilded age. Scorsese touches on his favorite city once again but this time he sees a very different aspect of it - a world of wealth where people's polished lives are controlled by tightly held rigid rules even though underneath runs a silent streak of machinations. Wharton's vivid description of how the rich lived is brought to the screen with impeccable detail as the camera of Michael Ballhaus glides like a snake through oppulent drawing rooms filled with lovely period furniture, glancing along the way at delicate crystal ornaments on display around the rooms, perfect crockery and cutlery laid out on dining tables - Dante Ferretti's production design along with Gabriella Pescucci's Oscar winning costumes are beyond exemplary as they help to create a world that no longer exists. An eclectic cast of character actors - Alec McCowen, Geraldine Chaplin, Richard E. Grant, the outstanding Miriam Margolyes, Mary Beth Hurt, Stuart Wilson, Michael Gough, Siân Phillips, Alexis Smith, Jonathan Pryce and Robert Sean Leonard (narration by Joanne Woodward) - play the assorted family members who gravitate around the three main protagonists forming the tragic social love triangle. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a promising young lawyer and heir to one of the prominent families, is engaged to the highly sheltered and beautiful May Welland (Winona Ryder) which is considered in society to be the perfect match. Into their lives arrives her cousin the Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has left her husband after a scandal and who continues to flout the rules of society with her european sensibility and forward ways. Archer falls in love with her and has to decide if he should live in a passionless marriage with a woman who fits into society versus living with the woman whom he loves but who is deemed an outcast by society. This sense of loss, sadness, resignation, repressed longing and spiritual suffering is presented by Scorsese with elegant authority.
Exquisitely produced adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel about old and rigid New York society during the gilded age. Scorsese touches on his favorite city once again but this time he sees a very different aspect of it - a world of wealth where people's polished lives are controlled by tightly held rigid rules even though underneath runs a silent streak of machinations. Wharton's vivid description of how the rich lived is brought to the screen with impeccable detail as the camera of Michael Ballhaus glides like a snake through oppulent drawing rooms filled with lovely period furniture, glancing along the way at delicate crystal ornaments on display around the rooms, perfect crockery and cutlery laid out on dining tables - Dante Ferretti's production design along with Gabriella Pescucci's Oscar winning costumes are beyond exemplary as they help to create a world that no longer exists. An eclectic cast of character actors - Alec McCowen, Geraldine Chaplin, Richard E. Grant, the outstanding Miriam Margolyes, Mary Beth Hurt, Stuart Wilson, Michael Gough, Siân Phillips, Alexis Smith, Jonathan Pryce and Robert Sean Leonard (narration by Joanne Woodward) - play the assorted family members who gravitate around the three main protagonists forming the tragic social love triangle. Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a promising young lawyer and heir to one of the prominent families, is engaged to the highly sheltered and beautiful May Welland (Winona Ryder) which is considered in society to be the perfect match. Into their lives arrives her cousin the Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has left her husband after a scandal and who continues to flout the rules of society with her european sensibility and forward ways. Archer falls in love with her and has to decide if he should live in a passionless marriage with a woman who fits into society versus living with the woman whom he loves but who is deemed an outcast by society. This sense of loss, sadness, resignation, repressed longing and spiritual suffering is presented by Scorsese with elegant authority.