January 25th 2023
Babylon
What's Love Got To Do With It?
Tar
Things are hotting up with Oscars just a few weeks away, and plenty of big releases out there on the big screen. Plus the festivals will soon be rolling out of the starting blocks, with Europa! Europa first up on February 16th. I'm a bit suss about my own ratings system this week: two films which are more creative in a purely filmic sense have got lower scores from me than one more mainstream and formulaic offering, but I guess I'm driven this week purely by what entertained me most. However, all are well worth seeing.
Babylon
Dir: Damien Chazelle
Length: 189 mins
 |
© Paramount - crazy stuff - some wonderful
moments, some questionable aspects. |
Inspired by real characters and by the transition in 1920s Hollywood from silent movies to sound, this extravaganza celebrates the excesses of the time, and the lives of individuals who lived and died during the era. It's near impossible to shoe-horn this one into one of my "five-minute" nutshells, but let's say the main characters are Manny Torres (Diego Calva), a guy who stumbles by accident into movie producing while helping transport an elephant to a Bacchanalian Hollywood party. There he falls head over heels for wannabe upstart Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), loosely modelled on "It Girl" Clara Bow. Put into the mix leading man Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), whose star is waning, plus an eclectic assortment of larger than life characters, and you have a movie that is daring, audacious, brazen, overly long, cinematographically brilliant, superbly acted, and totally divisive within the reviewing community. Several scenes seem almost gratuitous and self-indulgent; others are works of near-genius. With an electric driving soundtrack, several near shocking scenes of debauchery, and an unforgettable performance from Robbie, it makes for challenging viewing, that ultimately did not bore me for a moment, and left me both perplexed and impressed at Chazelle's film-making chops. The final few minutes, though anachronistic, show Chazelle's absolute love of film as an art form. Whether you love it or hate it, see it on the big screen!3.5 - well recommended
What's Love Got To Do With It?
Dir: Shekhar Kapur
Length: 108 mins
 |
© StudioCanal - sweet, touching and
a delightful entertainment |
Film-maker Zoe (Lily James) is commissioned to make a documentary about her childhood friend and lifelong pal Kazim (Shazid Latif). Zoe's Mum Cath (Emma Thompson) is great pals with Kazim's family, her long-time neighbours, who hail from Pakistan. Although a doctor and eligible London bachelor, Kazim opts for an arranged marriage. When he is matched up with Maymouna (Sajal Ali) everyone travels to Pakistan for the wedding. The less said about the plot from here the better. I must admit I was worried at first that the film could stray into formulaic territory. But the script remains fresh, and interestingly comes from Jemima Khan, no stranger to cross-cultural relationships, she being Jewish and once married to Muslim cricketer (and prime minister), Imran Khan. Overall this is a delightful romantic comedy, at times quirky, moving, and with plenty of heart. The ensemble cast is uniformly strong and I found myself totally believing in the characters. It's a lovely light ride, that nevertheless gets you thinking more deeply about what it takes for a successful relationship. 4 - highly recommended
Tar
Dir: Todd Field
Length: 158 mins
 |
© Universal - Blanchett gives the performance
of her career |
Lydia Tar (Cate Blanchett), the first female conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, is about to make a seminal recording of Mahler's Fifth Symphony, and to release an autobiographical book. But in the course of a week her life starts to unravel in a most dramatic way, with troubles at home with her wife Sharon (Barbara Hoss), and insinuations of Lydia's predatory sexual behavior towards women she favours and wants in her orchestra. If you're a Blanchett fan you MUST see this film for Cate's most remarkable and powerful performance. If you are perplexed by complex musing on the nature of musical composition and gender politics, you may find it somewhat challenging, as I did. I think my reaction says more about a lack in me of totally grasping exactly what was going on; I believe it's a film I would benefit from seeing a second time. But there is no denying it's worth watching for Blanchett's magnificent performance which has already won her the Golden Globe, just one among an unbelievable 52 awards and 205 nominations for every aspect of filmmaking imaginable.3.5 - well recommended
Very well written, indeed!
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