February 13th 2026
"Wuthering Heights"
Is This Thing On?
Little Wonder Bear
Die My Love (streaming on MUBI)
A huge week, with two of our internationally-acclaimed, home-grown actors starring in the latest version of a classic tale. Plus several other worthy offerings.
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© Universal - Elordi and Robbie conjure up
a tale of sexual longing |
I love it . . . when the critics go into a frenzied box-on of lauding and reviling the same film. I woke, still thinking about this memorable film which I saw last night; a good sign. Trying to cobble my own conflicting thoughts about the movie is the challenge. First, let Bronte purists note the quotation marks around the film's title, indicating this is very much an adaptation of a classic tale. And this version goes all-in to make the tragic love story decidedly more erotic and sexualised than the original, with a hefty side-serve of gothic melodrama. The film's early scenes feature young Cathy (Charlotte Mellington) bonding with a wild orphan (Owen Cooper) her father has brought home to raise. Cathy names him Heathcliffe, and over the years their strong affinity for each other turns into something more. As the kids grow to adulthood, the young man is made a servant in the household and their obvious attraction for each other is suppressed and denied by Cathy (Margot Robbie), who takes up the offer to marry wealthy neighbor Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). The scene is set for heartbreak and tragedy all round, as Heathcliffe (Jacob Elordi) flees after misinterpreting an overheard conversation. Without any more plot elaboration, (this is after all my fiveminutefilm review), I find the first part of the film to be really powerful, evoking repressed sexual desires, and compellingly depicting just what true soulmates the two are. Everything about the early part of the film feels earthy, sensual and authentic. Later, once Cathy is in wealthy Edgar's home, the director goes all in for elaborate excess, reflected in sumptuous sets and costumes. The illicit affair between Cathy and a returned, now wealthy, Heathcliffe are played for breathless bodice-ripping eroticness, yet they feel somewhat overdone. When Heathcliffe takes ultimate revenge by marrying the twitty Isabella (Alison Oliver), his cruelty takes on elements of bondage and discipline that become somewhat laughable. And yet the wildness of the moors, the squalor of Cathy's childhood home, and the lavishness of Edgar's home make for stunning cinematography and excellent atmosphere. And, under all the melodramatic tropes, Elordi's and Robbie's performances are to be admired. The big omission from the original story is leaving out the intergenerational trauma, and any elements of a supernatural overtone to the eternal lovers. While I admire Fennell's expansive vision for reinterpreting the classic tale, it is telling for me that I didn't cry, meaning something I can't pinpoint is missing. Nevertheless I was very entertained, and this is definitely a film to which each viewer must bring their own judgment to. So, I fence sit . . .3 - recommended
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© Searchlight - a moving depiction of a
marrriage in crisis |
Alex Novak (Will Arnett) and his wife Tess (Laura Dern) have been married for about 20 years, and have two delightfully sensible young sons. When they amicably agree to call it a day on their marriage, Tess, once an Olympic level volleyball player, decides to revisit the sport, as a coach. Will accidentally stumbles into a comedy club downtown, and, unable to pay the $15 entrance fees, signs himself up to do a small improv. His enjoyment of stand-up gradually grows. As they share the kids and go about their new lives, unexpected ways of relating to each other emerge. I love this film; for me Cooper has written a script that feels so real, capturing some of the mysteries that go into two people sharing lives - why they get together in the first place, and for what, sometimes inexplicable, reasons they part. Where do individual identities go when merged in marriage, and what does happiness in the mundanities of day to day life look like? These questions are asked, and setting it against the comedy improv scene, which Alex uses almost as personal therapy, works a treat. Supporting cast are all excellent: Bradley Coooper as Alex's best friend and aspiring actor Balls, Andra Day as his overbearing wife Christine, Christine Ebersole as Alex's mother Marilyn and a wonderful Ciaran Hinds as Jan, Alex's father. This beautifully scripted film blends humour, poignancy, scepticism and romance in a story in which so many of us will see reflections of our own lives.4 - highly recommended
Little Wonder Bear
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| © Potential - good message, lovely characters |
If you want children to understand the environmental damage being done to the planet's wild forests, this could be just the film to help you explain. It is a very cute animation, centred around a family of spectacled bears, deep in the Peruvian Amazon. Siblings Yana Yana and Achachilla (also known as Milagros, meaning 'miracle') are orphaned after their mother is killed. They are separated, captured and taken into the world of humans. Little Milagros goes in search of her brother who she promised to protect, and in between makes a firm friendship with a fox who is captive of a cruel man who runs a circus. For me the use of very Americanised overdubbed voices takes away from the Peruvian feel of the story, but I guess little kids can't read well, so it's needed. The cuteness and humour in the characters certainly have a lot of appeal to youngsters. The important thing is the values the film brings - with emphasis on family, friendship and courage. 3 - recommended
Die My Love
Dir: Lynn Ramsay
Length: 119 mins
Streaming on MUBI
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| © MUBI - love and post-partum madness |
Grace (Jennifer Lawrence) is a wild child at heart. But after the birth of her baby, she seems to tip over the edge into mental illness. Her partner Jackson (Robert Pattinson) is at a loss to cope, and yet the strength of their love manages to bind them together through all Grace's mood swings and manic outbursts. This is a challenging film to watch in some ways, as so much of it relies upon going with the flow of Grace's bizarre, confronting behaviour. The film's major strength relies upon Lawrence's career-best performance which has garnered many nominations for its rawness and capturing of post-partum madness. Pattinson, as always, inhabits his role as the baffled husband, struggling to cope with his off-kilter wife. The two leads are ably supported by Sissy Spacek as the mother-in-law struggling to understand, as are so many of the women surrounding Grace, and who see motherhood as only positive. Quite a different and disturbing look at average lives, and with an ambiguous and unexpected ending.3.5 - well recommended
About MUBI:
MUBI features some fine retrospectives, with spotlights on themes and directors. In February it features six of French auteur Francois Ozon's films, plus a Jafar Panahi retrospective, among the many other fine films available to stream.
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