February 7th 2025
Queer
The Presence
Widow Cliquot
The Order (streaming on Prime)
Terrific viewing again this week. My pic of the week is actually a streaming film starring a wonderful Jude Law and based upon the true story of nailing a right-wing group of fanatics in the USA. But again there is something for every taste, from historical, to queer identity, to supernatural. Get watching!
Queer
Dir: Luca Guadagnino
 |
© Madman - Daniel Craig loses his 007 image
to become like you've never seen him |
William Lee (Daniel Craig) is an ex-pat American living in Mexico in the 1950s. Sporting his shabby white linen suit, he cruises bars, indulges in all manner of opiates, and hooks up with younger men, all the time seemingly craving a deeper intimacy. He meets Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey) who, despite their getting involved sexually, keeps his distance and hangs out with women. Lee invites Allerton on a trip to the Ecuadorian jungle in search of a drug that he believes will open telepathic corridors in the mind. Not so much "queer" as "weird", this is an oddly intriguing film, made compelling by a much nominated performance from Daniel Craig, who nails it as the dissolute, lonely man. (As far from 007 as you could imagine!) Based upon William Burroughs' semi-autobiographical book, the film certainly successfully evokes a languid, tropical, steamy and seamy feel, with terrific settings and a strong score. Along with Craig's amazing performance, there's an almost unrecognisable, excellent turn from Jason Schwartzmann. But things get really weird, making it feel almost like two separate films, when Lee and Allerton stumble across Dr Cotter (an almost unrecognisable Lesley Manville), researching psychotropic drugs in the middle of the jungle. I don't purport to get some of the strange goings on, but definitely recommend it for Craig's mesmerising performance. 3.5 - well recommended
Presence
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
 |
© Rialto - the house is scary, but so
is the dysfunctional family! |
A typical American family of parents Rebecca (Lucy Liu) and Chris (Chris Sullivan) and their two older teen kids Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday) are buying a lovely large new home. We meet them just as the estate agent welcomes them in, but the camera's point of view makes it instantly clear that they are all being observed by someone (something?) else. Yep, there is a presence in the home, and everything that happens from that moment on will be observed from this third-party point of view. Before you jump to conclusions that this is just another horror film, let me assure you there is a whole lot more going on than this. In fact Soderbergh smartly never goes for cheap thrills and fright-inducing scares; the horror is of a deeper and more human nature. Daughter Chloe suffers from grief at the death of one of her schoolmates. Her mother shows little empathy, her brother seems to dislike her, the parents marriage is dodgy, and when Chloe meets new schoolmate Ryan (West Mulholland) it seems like a new flirtation may snap her out of her depression. But then the big twist and the real scariness sets in, with the ghostly presence possibly the most decent thing in a house where certain characters seem hell-bent on doing each other harm. The film works very well on this psychological level, eschewing too much music (silence speaks volumes), and employing the restlessly sweeping and swooping eye of "the presence", via the camera, to chilling tense effect.3.5 - well recommended
Widow Cliquot
Dir: Thomas Napper
 |
© - a handsome production tellling the story
of the woman behind our favourite fizz! |
A mini history lesson for champagne lovers: In 1772 Phillipe Cliquot (Ben Miles) founded a champagne house, and when his son Francois (Tom Sturridge) was married off to Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin (Haley Bennett), he was made his father's partner. In 1805 Francois fell ill and died. Phillippe wanted to dissolve the company but the young widow Barbe-Nicole Cliquot insisted she would carry on her husband's legacy. In a time when women were denied most rights, the idea of her running a champagne house was almost unthinkable, but this, her story, is testament to the monumental success she made of it, creating an iconic champers still loved around the world today. She was ably assisted by an old friend of Francois, gun salesman Louis Bohne (Sam Riley). This is a handsome production, shot across some glorious regions of rural France. It's quite an eye opener into what goes into making a top vintage, even if at times all the mixing, distilling and tasting gets a little slow to watch. Bennett is terrific as the strong woman who won't bow to male pressure, and overall it's a very watchable and lovely film.3.5 - well recommended
The Order
Dir: Justin Kurzel
Length: 116 mins
Streaming on Prime
 |
© Amazon Prime - Law in one of his
best roles to date |
FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) heads to a small Pacific north-west town in the USA to recover from injuries and a marriage breakdown. He gets involved in solving a series of bank robberies and heists and becomes convinced this is not the work of financially motivated criminals, rather people acquiring funds to bankroll something rather more sinister - a white supremacist terrorist group plotting to possibly overthrow the government. The group, known as The Order, is led by Bob Matthews (a chillingly menacing Nicolas Hoult.) Based upon a true story, this intelligently scripted, high action film couldn't be more timely, with the current rise in right-wing attitudes and organisations around the world. This is one of the best performances I've ever seen from Jude Law; he's not your stereotypical FBI dude; his grizzled appearance and gruff manner belie the nuanced layers to his character as he grapples with personal demons. Backing up Law's and Hoult's star turns is Ty Sheridan as Deputy Bowen. Every single smaller role oozes with the evil that is right-wing fanaticism. Aussie director Kurzel, known for Snowtown, knows how to ramp up the tension, making the film a worthy Golden Lion nominee at Venice FF 2024. Gripping and important viewing.4 - highly recommended
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