December 10th

Kinky Boots

Possessor

Corpus Christi

Tenet

Let Him Go

Hope Gap

This week we've got it all. Two brain-frying sci-fi films, a powerful drama of possible redemption in a religious context, two family dramas of very different natures, and one uplifting, roof-raising joyous musical featuring drag queens and their boots.

Kinky Boots The Musical
Dir: Jerry Mitchell, Brett Sullivan

Length: 135 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jnECAOdhvs

© Sharmill - Lola is a most memorable character

You may remember the film Kinky Boots (2005), with our own Joel Edgerton, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola, who helped turn around an ailing shoes factory by designing boots for the large feet of drag queens. Seven years later it was turned into a Broadway musical with scripting by Harvey Fierstein (of La Cage au Folles fame), and songs written by the renowned Cyndi Lauper. Now the story comes to our big screens, in all its joyousness. This is one of the best filmed live-stage musicals I've seen, with camera angles just right for optimum audience engagement. There is plenty of fun, top choreography, and a serious underlying theme about acceptance. The script moves along at a great pace, with a plethora of wonderfully tuneful songs, all with intelligent lyrics and stunningly rendered by the cast. Matt Henry is a revelation as Lola, with a perfect balance of empathy, flamboyance and wit, not to mention his arrestingly powerful stage presence. A film to be delighted by!

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

Possessor
Dir: Brandon Cronenberg

Length: 103 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyRkoL45JGk

© Monster Pictures - "can't get you out 
of my head" takes on a sinister meaning.

Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is an elite assassin with a difference - her handlers use brain implant technology, to make Vos's mind takes over the bodies of others. In this way she can get close to high profile targets and do the hit. But when she possesses the body of Colin Tate (Christopher Abbott), her power over his mind is not what it should be, and a battle that threatens to obliterate her ensues. Like father like son: Brandon inherits father David Cronenberg's penchant for classy, intelligent horror, and here he has made a stunning movie that blends both high-tech futurism with stomach-churning violence and body horror. There's also a strong subplot related to the fact that Vos is a recently separated mother. The cinematography is impressive, capturing difficult concepts with powerful visuals. Those viewers who aren't squeamish are in for a thought-provoking and thrilling story with relentless tension, and top performances from the two leads (with great support from Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sean Bean.) One of the best sci-fi films you'll see in a long while.

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

Corpus Christi
Dir: Jan Komasa

Length: 115 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFFvje2A2vE

© Palace - thoughtful and well-crafted 
examination of redemption and the ways
of Catholicism in Poland

Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia) has been in juvenile detention where he has "found religion". Sent to work in a sawmill, he knows he wants to become a priest but is not allowed. Through a series of coincidences at a parish church where the priest is on leave, Daniel dresses in the garb and masquerades as the replacement, taking confessions and holding masses. His unorthodox ways make him both a big hit and a threat to tradition within the congregation. As Poland's Oscar nomination for Best International Feature, this is a worthy contender. Bielenia's central role is performed with passion and a total embracing of the ambiguity of his situation - his genuine faith and modern approach make him a worthy "priest" to the locals, and his determination to heal a bitter rift within the community sits firmly with Christian principles. But Daniel's past, along with his mortal desires, make priesthood unattainable, so the question becomes, what will give him the redemption he deserves? This is subtle and powerful film-making, with serious issues at the core. 

4 - highly recommended

Tenet
Dir: Christopher Nolan

Length: 150 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3pk_TBkihU

© Roadshow - brain-boggling time travel blends
with blockbuster 

Memento, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, several Batman films, and now Tenet, the much anticipated film of the year - all are from the directorial hand of Nolan, almost worshipped for his creative plots and ability to blend blockbuster elements with intelligent movie-making. There's no denying the creativity of this concept, which (surprise!) deals with time travel, except this time some people and things go forward in time while others go backwards (known as inversion), much in a military style exercise to prevent (guess what?) total annihilation of the world. Characters include arms dealer and ultimate master-mind baddie, Sator, (Kenneth Branagh sporting an immaculate Russian accent) and his oppressed wife, art dealer, Kat (Elizabeth Debicki). The unnamed Protagonist (John David Washington) is a CIA agent hired by the organisation Tenet, while Neil (Robert Pattinson) is the Protagonist's handler. Throw in time inversion turnstiles and mysterious algorithms, and you have a recipe to do my head in, which films of this nature usually do to me. Suffice to say, I am not the person to tell you whether to go see this; die-hard Nolan fans and time-travel junkies will probably love it. I know there is a great concept here, but fail to understand the subtleties, and the very Americanised gung-ho battle scenes leave me underwhelmed. 

3 - recommended (maybe?)

Let Him Go
Dir: Thomas Bezucha

Length: 113 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE8pwEF-3TI

© Universal - powerful performances, strong plot
in an all-round strong film

Retired Sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and wife Margaret (Diane Lane) drive to Dakota to track down their grandson, child of their son who has died in a horse accident. The boy has been whisked away by his mother and new husband, Donnie Weboy,  and the grandparents are concerned about his welfare. When they finally find the Weboy clan, living in the back of beyond and headed up by tyrannical matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville), they know why they are worried. It's great to see Costner and Lane back in meaty roles, and this slow-burn thriller showcases their talents, especially in portraying authentically the nuances of a long marriage. Empathy is built up for the couple and their concern, as well as for their oppressed daughter-in-law. The tension builds unrelentingly as they close in on Weboy territory, but when the film changes from subtle tension to more overt confrontation, it lets itself sneak into less credible territory. Nevertheless, this is compelling story-telling, set in the 1960s, a time when family values seemed to matter.

4 - highly recommended

Hope Gap
Dir: William Nicholson

Length: 100 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAP1fA-bp5k

© Transmission - affecting marital drama 

Grace (Annette Bening) and husband Edward (Bill Nighy) have rubbed along together for 29 years. When their son Jamie (Josh O'Connor) comes home for the weekend, Edward announces he is leaving; he's found love with another woman. Can Grace ever accept this, let alone move on with her life? This well-acted, rather depressing story, is a low-key examination of something many couples will relate to: expectation. Edward's new love accepts him for what he is; Grace has always wanted something he can't give. And poor old Jamie, despite being an adult, is nevertheless caught up in the middle. Bening plays a fairly unlikable character, and yet both she and Nighy bring an authenticity to their roles, and the story takes an even-handed approach that doesn't apportion blame, but more compassion for both sides. If you feel like wallowing in an affecting marital drama, this is one for you.

3.5 - well recommended