April 23 2026
Michael
Calle Malaga
Alphabet Lane
This week I'm definitely at odds with several other critics, especially on the Michael Jackson biopic, and the new Aussie film. However, the Moroccan film Calle Malaga seems a winner for everyone. Ah well, thanks heavens we don't all have the same taste in films! It makes life more interesting.
Michael
Dir: Antoine Fuqua
Length: 127 mins
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| © Universal - energy and excitement - Michael Jackson brought back to life |
How can we have a biopic celebrating an accused child-molester, I hear you ask. How do we separate the man from his art? If you are able to put this aside, (some won't, and some will be influenced by negative reviews), you'll get real entertainment from this film. It's the first part in the story of an extraordinary young talent, whose father exploited, abused and terrorised him, but who goes on to become one of the biggest pop stars who ever lived. The film deals only with the early part of Michael Jackson's life, as child star of the Jackson 5, then as a solo performer. Ruthless father Joseph (Colman Domingo), sees his five sons as a ticket to fame and fortune. Young Michael is the real star of the five, and his immense talent and drive push him to forge his own path in life and break free. The film concludes with the singer's first solo concert Bad; the pedophile accusations, his bizarre marriages and his increasing eccentricity, came later. Yes, the movie borders on hagiography - MJ is portrayed in a relentlessly positive light, sweet-natured, generous-spirited and totally committed to his art. Yes, the film gives little insight into the rest of the Jackson siblings, and yes, maybe it simplifies everything. But, taken as a tribute to the soaring talent of MJ, it works really well. And we get an insight into the whys of the star's downfall-to-come - the tragedy that can arise from extreme talent, isolating stardom and never having had a true childhood. The film features two of the most extraordinary performances you'll see in the world of music biopics. Juliano Valdi channels Michael as a small boy, while Jaafar Jackson, real-life nephew of the star, astonishes with his recreation of the grown Michael: the voice, the gestures, the dance moves are all perfect. And when the camera focuses on that lovely face, we see the loneliness, vulnerability and eternal inner child. Production values are impressive (Graham King also produced Bohemian Rhapsody) with slick editing and above all the driving energy and excitement in the recreation of the dazzling stage shows. Supporting cast of Miles Teller as Branca, MJ's manager, Nia Long as his loving but cowed mother, and KeiLyn Durrell Jones as Bill, MJ's loyal friend and bodyguard all add a little extra to the story. I would hope that the mooted sequel goes into MJ's dark side, though being authorised by the Jackson estate, that remains to be seen. If you never got a chance to see Michael Jackson in concert, this could be the next best thing.
4 - highly recommended
Calle Malaga
Dir: Maryam Touzani
Length: 116 mins
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| © Potential - old age, despair, then new joys discovered |
79-year-old Maria Angeles (Carmen Maura) comes from a Spanish family, and was born and raised and lived her whole life in the Spanish Quarter in Tangier, Morocco. She loves her daily routine, is obvously adored by the locals, and life is sweet. Then her daughter Clara (Marta Etura) arrives from Madrid, about to divorce and needing money. Bluntly Clara tells her mother she intends to sell the family home in which the aging woman has spent her life. A home full of happy memories is something Maria Angeles will not lightly give up. In battling to retain her autonomy, she will find a new and unexpected life along the way. Secondhand furniture dealer Abslam (Ahmed Boulane) will be integral to Maria Angele's rediscovering of a part of herself she thought long gone. The film captures a lovely balance between heartbreaking events (putting an independent woman into an aged-care home), joyous uplifting sequences (hosting raucous soccer viewing events at home), and the tenderness of getting in touch with love and sensuality in one's older years. Maura, a veteran of Spanish cinema, creates a gorgeous chemistry with Boulane. Touzani, who directed a favorite of mine, The Blue Kaftan, has a way of tapping into the small but critically important things in life. There is a delicacy to her direction with nothing ever rammed home. Even the final scene leaves the viewer to decide what the ultimate outcome might be. With many audience awards (and more) to its name, this is certainly a film for lovers of gentle but truthful story-telling.
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Alphabet Lane
Dir: James Litchfield
Length: 80 mins
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| © Screen Inc - a couple let their imaginary friends overrun their lives |
Anna (Tilda Cobham Hervey) and Jack (Nicholas Denton) have moved to Cooma for his work on a hydroelectricity project. They live on an isolated country property and seem excited about the tree change. She works nightshift as a doctor at a local hospital and they sometimes cross paths, meeting up for a quick kiss on a country road. When Jack announces one day he met a farmer on the road, the couple start to elaborate on the imaginary friendship they have with said farmer, Joe, and his wife Michelle. Shot on the director's farm near Cooma in NSW, the film looks lovely and conjures up the loneliness of remote country living. The unexpected twist at the end, involving Joe's actual work colleague also named Michelle (Bishanyia Vincent) certainly comes as a surprise, but that's after a fairly plodding plot up to this point. Something about the film really jars with me. The couple use their letters to the imaginary friends to work through issues in their own relationship, but their constant conversations about Joe and Michelle, and the pretence, even with a pair of real friends visiting from the city, simply feels false. I find Hervey's acting style offputting (again she fails to convince me), so overall this film left me generally uninspired.
2.5 - maybe
