December 19th 2025
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The History of Sound
Steve (streaming on Netflix)
After the Hunt (streaming on Prime)
Blockbuster! The third in the Avatar franchise arrives. The other three films reviewed are somewhat less mainstream fare, each distinctively different, two of them for home streaming.
Coming next week: Hursto's top films for 2025
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Dir: James Cameron
Length: 197 mins
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| © 20th Century Studios - a visual stunner |
The original Avatar in 2009 blew me and the rest of the world away. It made my top ten for the year. Unfortunately this third film in the trilogy won't. But not because it isn't visually and technically spectacular, but simply because it is too long, tries too hard to be epic, and ends up feeling bloated. Your fave characters are still here - Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a US marine now inhabiting a Na'vi body and married to native Pandoran Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), along with his four kids. Antagonistic marine Quaritch (Stephen Lang) plays a large role, while the new villain of the piece is Varang (Oona Chaplain), vicious and seductive leader of a war-mongering, seemingly brainless tribe, and in cahoots with the humans on the planet. Building a new world is definitely the franchise's forte: every visual is breath-takingly lovely, and Cameron's awesome action scenes are filled with sound and fury - it's just that there are too many of them and they are too repetitive. We revisit the old theme of the humans (or sky people) as the Na'vi call them, being hellbent on pillaging the planet they are trying to colonise, killing all the Tulkun (whale-like creatures) for age-defying substances in their brains, and their new mission: capturing Spider, Jake's adopted son, as he has learned to breathe the air on Pandora, and this would really give the humans an advantage. I certainly enjoyed immersing in the world, (how could one not?) Seeing it in 3D is almost mandatory, but a bit of serious editing and script tightening may have given Cameron the epic he was aiming for.3 - recommended
The History of Sound
Dir: Oliver Hermanus
Length: 128 mins
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© Universal - melancholy with strong
lead perfs and great music |
Lionel (Paul Mescal) is a country boy with a gift for music. At the Boston Conservatory in the early 1900s he meets fellow student and composer David (Josh O'Connor) and the two instantly connect and become lovers. War interrupts their life, David is posted, but on his return he invites Lionel to join him on a trip, collecting and recording traditional American folksongs. But their ways part again. Years later, and after various relationships with men and women, Lionel decides to track down David, and to hopefully find the wax cylinders on which they recorded the music. This film has a melancholy understated lyrical quality, redolent of longing and nostalgia. While both Mescal and O'Connor perform wonderfully, the film is a little coy about their forbidden love, not letting us ever feel the depth of their passion. The music collecting is an interesting insight into an era of US folk music (also highlighted in the film Songcatcher), and the film's style and production values cannot be faulted. I'm not sure if the film is a love story, a homage to folk music, or a meditation upon loss. I guess it's all three, and while I'm not 100% emotionally drawn in by the handling of any single one of these themes, the film makes for worthwhile and engaging watching.3.5 - well recommended
Steve
Dir: Tim Mielants
Length: 93 mins
Streaming on Netflix
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© Netflix - a teacher battles himself
and the disturbed boys of his school |
Steve (Cillian Murphy) is head teacher at a boys' reform school. The movie follows one chaotic day in the life of the students and the staff. A film crew comes to document the school, and one of Steve's favorite students Shy (Jay Lycurgo) has a near meltdown. The frenetic and immersive style of the film puts the viewer front and centre into the school environment, with constant crises, both small and large. As the movie crew shoot, we get an insight into the boys as they are asked to describe themselves in three words. The staff battle overwhelming odds. Emily Watson plays the school counsellor, trying to maintain a modicum of sanity, but it is Steve who obviously adores the boys but has his own demons of guilt and addiction to overcome. Featuring a gripping performance from Murphy, this is a film that never feels comfortable to watch, but is so important on many levels, dealing with the dedication of teachers, mental illness, and the compassion needed to mend broken lives and a broken system.4 - highly recommended
After the Hunt
Dir: Luca Guadagnino
Length: 138 mins
Streaming on Amazon Prime
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© Prime - the acting is stronger
than the convoluted plot |
University academia can be a somewhat rarefied area. But when it gets down to "he said, she said" allegations of sexual harrassment, people are often dragged from their lofty perches. So it is in this provocative, sometimes muddled tale of professor of philosophy Alma (Julia Roberts), her co-worker and friend Hank (Andrew Garfield), and star student Maggie (Ayo Edebiri, well known from The Bear). The number of issues and plot twists are at times too overwhelming and convoluted, but there's no denying the quality of the acting on show here, from the leads and all supporting cast. The film can certainly provide a strong catalyst for conversations on class, academia, truth, and the ever-murky realm of human relationships.3 - recommended
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