Wednesday, 15 January 2025

January 16th 2025

We Live in Time
Emilia Perez
Wolf Man

You can laugh, cry, or be scared with this week's films - a wonderfully diverse selection. Emilia Perez has just gone ballistic at the Golden Globes, and is my pick of the week. 


We Live in Time
Dir:  John Crowley
Length: 108 mins
© StudioCanal - 
Tobias (Andrew Garfield) is on the brink of a divorce, while Almut (Florence Pugh) is fancy-free and an up-and-coming chef. When Almut runs into Tobias with her car, a passionate romance ensues. But fate has a way of bringing challenges and sometimes tragedy to young lives, and the pair must figure how to deal with it, treasuring each moment they share. Some viewers will hate this sort of tear-jerking romance; I loved it, mainly because it's fresh, with a non-linear timeline structure, and features two heart-breaking performances from its leads. Following the plot is like leafing through a photo album where the chronological order has been jumbled up, and though I often dislike this type of time-jumping, it works wonderfully here, each segment expanding upon our overview of the entire story of the couple; a snapshot in time. Garfield and Pugh conjure up a sizzling yet tender chemistry, and Grace Delaney is natural and adorable as little daughter Ella. The dialogue feels natural and is never predictable, and the nature of the two lovers - Tobias's puppy-eyed devotion and Almut's feisty pragmatism - make for a lovely contrast. Fortunately, the film never descends into mawkishness, but you'd still better get the tissues out!
4 - highly recommended

Emilia Perez
Dir:  Jacques Audiard
Length: 132 mins
© Kismet - Golden Globe Winner 
blitzes in this incredible role
The words audacious, wild, imaginative and original barely do justice to this magnificent musical story of a Mexican drug lord, who harbors the secret desire to transform his life and become a woman. Cartel boss Manitas (Karla Sofia Gascon) hires disillusioned lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldana) to help him put his plan into action. First gender reassignation surgery, then a faked death, followed by planned relocation of his wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and their two children to Switzerland. Enough said of plot lines. The film's 60 wins and 150 nominations for huge awards speak for themselves. Trans actress Gascon shines in the lead role, (she just got the Golden Globe) while Saldana's Rita is tough, tender, and gutsy all at once. The songs and the dance sequences could have felt contrived, yet they erupt seamlessly and vibrantly at each stage of the plot. This is film-making on the cutting edge. While the blend of musical numbers, gang violence, self-reflection, and redemption may be a challenging mix, they work to perfection, creating an energising, compassionate and simply transformative film experience. I loved it!
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

Wolf Man
Dir:  Leigh Whannell 
Length: 103 mins
© Universal - uh-oh - something scary
out in them-there woods!
Young Blake and his dad (Sam Jaeger) go hunting in the Oregon woods, encountering a shadowy, humanlike figure in the distance. Now, between writing jobs, stay-at-home-dad Blake (Christopher Abbott) learns of his father's official death years after the man has gone missing. Together with workaholic, no-nonsense wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and Daddy's girl Ginger (Matilda Firth), 
Blake decides to head up to the remote home in the Oregon forest and clear out his dad's belongings. The family bonding holiday quickly goes pear-shaped when, nearly hitting a huge "animal", the rental truck crashes, and the family must flee from the creature to safety in the old house. They barricade themselves in from a mysterious large prowler, but Blake has unfortunately been scratched by the creature and starts to slowly transform into something his family cannot recognise. I make no comparisons with past werewolf films, but this one has a slight problem in that it tries to walk between worlds, flirting with themes that never fully develop: a child's unconditional love for a parent, regardless of what they become; parents' determination to protect the child at any cost; a distant mother having to step up to the plate; and unknown symptoms of illness dividing families. (Director Whannell speaks of the COVID isolation times as having influenced his approach to the film, along with his own fears about how to protect your family.) All this is played out against the tradition of well-worn horror flicks with some excellent  and very gruesome special effects in the body-horror transformation department. Some weird choices, such as Charlotte's hair staying immaculate regardless of what she goes through, really disturbed me. Though unnerved, I was not excessively scared, and the big twist near the end came as something of an anti-climax, but overall I was well entertained.
3 - recommended






Wednesday, 8 January 2025

January 9th 2025

Paddington
Conclave 
The Children's Train (streaming on Netflix) 

Happy New Year, readers. Another year, another umpteen films to revel in. Sometimes I think I score too highly, so I've started off more circumspectly, but I have to say I'm tempted to give the lot of them this week a 4! Every film is absolutely worth the watch. 

Paddington in Peru
Dir:  Dougal Wilson
Length: 106 mins
© Studiocanal  - a bear will go to the ends of the
earth for those he loves!
The marmalade-loving bear is back, in a new adventure, chock-full of high profile British stars, and CGI-generated bears. Voiced by Ben Wishaw, Paddington learns that his beloved aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) has gone missing from the home for retired bears in Peru, so heads over to try to find her. The Brown family go with him, and they all head upriver in a boat skippered by smooth-talking Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), but not before meeting the seemingly amiable nun in charge of the bears' retirement home, Reverend Mother (Olivia Coleman).  I'm still in awe of the way CGI images are integrated with human actors, making the whole thing totally credible. And with much of the landscape footage shot in Columbia and at Macchu Picchu in Peru it looks absolutely magnificent. There's endless fun and action, some of it laugh-out-loud and some of it possibly a little scary for very tiny kids. The writers have had a good time referencing other films such as Sound of Music, Indiana Jones, 2001 and more, probably nodding to the adults in the audience. The values espoused (family, home, loyalty, gratitude and politeness) are all so solid, that there's something for small-fry to learn as well!  The notable cast includes Julie Walters, Emily Mortimer, and Hugh Bonneville, and don't leave before the end of the credits for a surprise guest. Though not able to replicate the originality and freshness of the previous Paddingtons, it is really a total delight and Entertainment with a capital E. ( . . . and cute, and furry and feel-good).
3.5 - well recommended

Conclave
Dir:  Miguel Gomes
Length: 129 mins
© Roadshow - Fiennes delivers another
compelling performance
Another film vying for the most awards and nominations is this quasi-thriller based around the election of a new Pope. After the death of the incumbent Pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is appointed head of a conclave that must tussle until some sort of consensus vote on the next Holy Father is reached. Much politicking and revelations of past misdemeanours and scandals emerge, and while there is a moderate level of intrigue, the major revelation is the insider's peek at what goes on behind closed doors in the Vatican. Grand settings and gilt-edged costumes are meticulously recreated, while the score creates a gravitas suited to the occasion. Conservative cardinals like Tedesco, (Sergio Castellito), and Tremblay (John Lithgow) are at odds with the more progressive Lawrence and Bellini (Stanley Tucci), and under the religous robes they are mostly power hungry men, just like in mainstream political arenas. Though I'm not swept away with excitement by this type of story, I am, as usual, wholeheartedly impressed by the wonderful Ralph Fiennes, always a joy to watch on the big screen.
3.5 - well recommended

The Children's Train
Dir:  Cristina Comencini
Length: 106 mins
Streaming on Netflix - new release
© Netflix
Naples in 1946 was a city with little hope for children growing up impoverished after the war. They were even at risk of starvation, so the newly empowered Communist party, in conjunction with a women's organisation, arranged for tens of thousands of kids to be transported to the north of the country where wealthier families would host them. Based upon these historical facts, the film tells the story of a fictionalised family, where a single mother reluctantly sends her son Amerigo (Christian Cervone) north. The film opens with a successful adult Amerigo (Stefano Accorsi) performing a violin concerto, so we know there has been a good outcome for him. The film then flashes back to his childhood experiences, in which he finds himself conflicted between his northern host "mother" Derna (Barbara Ronchi), and his life back in Naples. This is a very touching film, with terrific period recreations, strong performances, and a powerful story.
3.5 - well recommended