April 6th 2023
Air
EO
Mavka: The Forest Song
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (streaming on Netflix)
This week sees a high profile mainstream release in the shape of Air. Plus a worthy school hols animation from Ukraine, a film whose main star is a donkey, and for those wanting something darker, another Netflix film on Ted Bundy. Enjoy!
Dir: Ben Affleck
Length: 112 mins
 |
© Universal - the team working on the shoe
that will change the world of basketball |
It's 1984 and manufacturer Nike has dominated the running shoe market. But Nike wants more - to sign up basketball players to endorse their basketball shoes. Enter Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon), a "basketball guru", who obsessively watches tapes of up and coming players. Sonny's boss, CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), wants to split the pitch money among three lesser players, but Sonny has a deep conviction that 18-year-old Michael Jordan will be the sport's next big thing. So the company goes up against Adidas and Converse to try to woo over Michael Jordan. Sonny's inspiration is to go via Michael's mum, Deloris (Viola Davis), a canny woman who, with the deal she strikes, ultimately changes the face of sponsorship in favor of a better deal for athletes. Now I'm no sports film fan, but this one is a winner! Sure, on one level it is about marketing, sponsorship and corporate goings-on, but is also about teamwork, trust, friendship, taking risks, perseverance and the ascendance of the underdog. The scripting of the dialogue feels so real - relaxed relations between certain members of the Nike team and mutual abuse (with a grudging friendship) between Sonny and Michael Jordon's manager David Falk (a hilarious Chris Messina). Jason Bateman, Chris Tucker, Matt Maher and Marlon Wayans play other important characters critical to the Nike team, and every performance is pretty much a stand out. Davis is simply electric as the intractable mother, who knows the worth of her son, while Damon shines in his impassioned role. This true story, delivered in a classic entertaining way and with a great feel for the era, generates a surprising level of emotion all round, including in something as simple as the revelation of a new shoe, the Air Jordan! The film is sure to score a lot of goals! (Did I mention the fantastic 80s soundtrack?)4 - highly recommended
EO
Dir: Jerzy Skolimowski
Length: 88 mins
 |
© Hi Gloss - life, as experienced by a donkey:
human cruelty, kindness and randomness |
A finalist in this year's Foreign Language films at the Oscars, EO is the story of a small grey donkey who starts life in a circus. He is much loved by his trainer, but when the circus is shut down EO moves on to various different lifestyles. To itemise the different things EO goes through would perhaps take away the surprise of this unusual film. Suffice to say the animal sees humans at their worst and occasionally at their best. He sees towns where people are disconnected from nature, and at one point is rescued by a young man whose stepmother is a countess, played by Isabelle Huppert. (This is a bizarre part of the film, almost out of kilter with the rest). There is a surreal quality to much of the movie, both in the style of shooting, camera angles and colour choices. Animal lovers need to be warned there are a couple of very disturbing moments. Optimists beware, most of the people are not very pleasant and humanity is not seen in a good light. Donkey aficionados (like me) will relish the luxury of gazing at this incredible creature, all liquid melancholy brown eyes that we humans like to imbue with wisdom, and other qualities animals no doubt don't have. Ultimately maybe the film is just about the good, the bad, and the complete randomness of life. 3.5 - well recommended
Mavka: The Forest Song
Dir: Oleh Malamuzh & Oleksandra Ruban
Length: 90 mins
 |
© Rialto - visually lovely with some good
messages for kiddies - and the world |
Here's something we don't often get to see: a Ukrainian feature animation. Based partly around a Ukrainian fairy-tale, the film tells the story of a young woman (or is she a sprite?) chosen to be Guardian of the Forest. Years earlier, a war between humans and the forest creatures caused a seemingly irreparable rift, and the forest Guardians now make sure no humans enter their domain, while the humans believe the forest dwellers to be demons. In the quest for eternal youth, the evil human Kalynka sends Lucas into the forest, searching for a powerful healing leaf in the Heart of the Forest. Lucas meets Mavka who has just taken on her role as Guardian, and the two fall in love. Some difficult choices will have to be made. Although many of the themes have been seen before and the film feels a bit Disney-esque, it is such beautiful animation, vibrantly colored, with gorgeously created characters, lovely music, and a very sweet heart. It's very much a family film, and littlies should get a lot out of it. It also has strong messages so relevant in today's world: the dangers of humans exploiting nature, and the hope that enemies can somehow reconcile through love.3.5 - well recommended
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
Dir: Jo Berlinger
Length: 110 mins
Streaming on Netflix
 |
© Netflix - his charm and looks
belie the evil that lurks beneath |
In 1969, single mum Liz Kendall (Lily Collins) was thrilled to meet a handsome man who didn't run from her having a child, and soon she was head over heels in love. Trouble was, that man was Ted Bundy (Zac Efron), America's most notorious serial killer. The Bundy story has fascinated peple for years - how could such a seemingly charming, intelligent man have committed so many heinous crimes? This time the narrative is seen from Liz's perspective. Again this is a film that has totally split the critics into a 50-50 for and against (check out Metacritic for polarised reviews!) For me it works, largely because of a rivetting performance from Efron who is so compelling as to have us see why someone would fall for him and his clever manipoulation. As the police investigation closes in, we also get insight into a woman in total denial, and Collins makes that quite credible too. The circus of Bundy's trial, in which he represents himself, sees John Malkovitch in top form playing the judge. Maybe it's not as authentic as The Ted Bundy tapes (same director), but nevertheless its a creepily fascinating insight into a psychopath and his evil charisma.3.5 - well recommended
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