Tag: movie review

Movie Review — Still Not His World: A Review of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’

I was actually excited for ‘Captain America: Brave New World.’ I really, really enjoyed ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ on Disney+ and I personally believe that Anthony Mackie is the new Captain America. Yes, Chris Evans was amazing in that role. He will always be the original MCU Captain America, but time has moved on. And so should we. And I can’t believe that this is how I’m beginning a movie review because the politics and the emotions surrounding this movie is just out of this world. It is also a clear example of the power of the movies and the image.

Now with all that said, why is Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross stealing the movie from Anthony Mackie? It’s because unlike previous Captain America movies or in his own show, ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier,’ our protagonist isn’t having a crisis of faith or identity. As Sam Wilson, the new Captain, he’s just out there trying to unravel a complex conspiracy that threatens the very leadership of his country. He’s trying to stop a world war, but he doesn’t have any conflict of self throughout this whole movie. The one who has this arc is Ford’s Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross. And I feel that it was such a great disservice to the character of Sam Wilson and the actor, Anthony Mackie.

(L-R): Prime Minister Ozaki (Takehiro Hira), Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.

From Phase 2 onwards, we know that Sam Wilson and Thaddeus Ross are not in the best of terms. Ross has even put Wilson in the brig for joining Steve Rogers during the events of ‘Captain America: Civil War.’ Ideologically, they are not in the same team. But Sam is the captain now and Ross has just won the presidential election. He’s trying to create a legacy by brokering a treaty among other nations to cooperate in making full use of Celestial Island (the Celestial in the Indian Ocean, which formed during the events of the film ‘Eternals’). Wilson and Ross agree to work together but a failed assassination attempt at Ross by Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) puts the two back in the opposition and Wilson must figure out what’s happening and who’s pulling the strings as Ross tries to keep the treaty from breaking down.

(L-R) The Falcon/Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2024 MARVEL.

The film introduces a whole new set of characters from Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres, who takes over the mantle of Falcon. Ramirez is a breath of fresh air and gives the movie the comic-book energy the fill needs. He’s charming and draws you in and does a wonderful counterpoint to Mackie’s Wilson, who is carrying the burden a little too much. Giancarlo Esposito is always amazing, and he shows up as the assassin Sidewinder, who is more than a match for Captain America. It’s always fun to watch Esposito work and this is no exception. Shira Haas plays Ruth Bat-Seraph, a former black widow who is now the security officer of Ross, and plot-wise, acts as Ross’ muscle to face off Wilson and Torres when they must come at odds.

(L-R): Director Julius Onah, Xosha Roquemore, and Anthony Mackie behind the scenes of Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo by Eli Adé. © 2024 MARVEL.

Directed by Julius Onah, there’s a sort of realism to the fight sequences (especially at the beginning) because it sorts of underlines that unlike the rest of the Avengers, Sam Wilson is a not super soldier. He gets tired. He gets badly hurt. And he’s not as fast. The film has its fair share of fight choreography, though the best parts are when both Captain America and the Falcon are in the air in a dog fight trying to stop two nations from killing each other. It’s pretty exciting. But that happens mid-way and all the stuff that happens after feels a little less thought-out. As seen on the trailer, we know that Ross turns into the Red Hulk, and then the film shows a ton of US military coming at him as if they think they can make a dent. It feels so counter intuitive. You have Captain America in the scene. It’s a hulk. Shouldn’t you just run? It doesn’t help that the film is known for its reshoots and you can see it in full glory in the final scenes. The CGI and the green screen effects look dodgy and rushed. It’s a far cry from the first half of the film where everything looked good (except for the folding of the wings).

(L-R) Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), Joaquin Torres/The Falcon (Danny Ramirez) and Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.

While I appreciated the attempt of the film to hold on to its thriller/intrigue tone, the person who is actually pulling the strings is a little to all-encompassing to accomplish what he has at this point in the film. You can say that Hydra did the same in ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier” but Hydra is an organization and they’ve been fully established in the first Captain America movie. While this is not an unknown character, what this character is able to do is equal to that level of far-reaching circumstances. It just felt so convenient.

Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 MARVEL.

The thing about it is that ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is not a bad movie but it’s not a great one. I felt more invested in Ross’ story because Ford did such a good job with it and his character had the most character development. Everything Sam Wilson was problematizing on an individual, character-level he’d already managed in his own series. In the end, it felt like an episode of a tv show rather than a movie of its own. Steve Rogers had a crisis of faith and patriotism in his second and third movie. I guess I wanted the stakes to be that high for Sam Wilson too, because he deserves it. Mackie has earned that shield and we’ve seen him grow into it in his own show. I wish the movie pushed him further.

My Rating:

Captain America: Brave New World is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

February 16, 2025
Movie Review — Someone Else’s Story: A review of ‘Gitling’

I missed ‘Gitling’ when it came out during Cinemalaya and all of its little pocket screenings around the metro and I’ve wanted to see it on the big screen. Fortunately, the film returns to the cinemas from February 5 to February 11 in Ayala Cinemas and FDCP Cinematheques around the country (take note that sometimes it’s labeled with its English title ‘Hyphen’). Written and directed by Jopy Arnaldo, ‘Gitling’ is a quiet, intimate film about two people in the midst of flux who come together for professional reasons but bond over the personal and in the process, find some form of resolution for their own issues.

Makoto Kanno (Ken Yamamura) is a Japanese film director who finds himself in Bacolod City to screen his film at a film festival. Jamie Lazaro (Gabby Padilla) is the local who is hired to act as his interpreter and translator for his new film. They bond over language and movies, they discuss Makoto’s film, which leads them to opening about their own troubles. Makoto is separated from his wife and some scenes show his awkward, strained phone conversations with his wife while Jamie just ended her engagement with her fiancé under difficult circumstances. One is trying to repair a broken relationship while the other is trying to unburden herself from the fallout of the breakup.

This is a story that can only be told in a movie because it’s told in five languages – Japanese, English, Filipino, Hiligaynon, and a made-up language that Jamie invented – and the subtitles play a big part in this, each translation coloured to signal what language is being used in what is being said. The two leads navigate their character’s feelings as they tiptoe around potentially difficult conversation topics jumping from Japanese and English, with Jamie having to shift to Filipino or Hiligaynon when she’s speaking to the world outside of their little intimate space, and later on, as Makoto begins to study and learn Jamie’s language, they speak to each other creating even more walls to shut them out from the world around them.

Arnaldo emphasizes this isolation by his exquisite use of extreme close-ups and his preference to shoot his characters from behind or at their profile. Makoto and Jamie are tearing away any sort of awkwardness by getting through the small talk and pushing deeper and deeper into who they are inside, vulnerable and bare, and Arnoldo, by way of Mycko David’s brilliant cinematography, pushes us away by focusing on their hands, the food they eat while talking, the back of Jamie’s neck, Makoto’s jawline, the blaze of the hot coals that grill their orders of chicken inasal. Arnaldo makes us voyeurs, trying to keep us away from this intimate moment that is entirely theirs to keep for themselves.

And here is where I find myself conflicted as I love the piece on an intellectual level. The performances of Gabby Padilla and Ken Yamamura are pitch perfect. It’s natural and nuanced and it feels so unscripted, so real and authentic. The script is verbose, wordy but these are two people who love language and are trying to connect, to talk about difficult things and finding the words to describe the wealth of emotions they have but also keeping some of it to themselves because this connection is creating complications. Then, at some point, the film that they are both working on, becomes the film that we are watching – the conceit of subtitles transcribing the subtext, the things unsaid on screen for the audience to mull over – and this whole exercise of the film in the film being somewhat the film we are watching. It’s an intellectual exercise that is so enjoyable to sink your teeth into.

But on an emotional level, I feel quite distant from the characters. Their stories, their struggle, I feel the film didn’t give me permission to enjoy it. Their release, their insights were kept at a distance from me. The film protected their safe space. It’s wonderful to take note of as an outsider but as someone watching a movie about healing and relationships, I felt like an intruder. It’s an interesting feeling to have while watching a film, especially one in the romantic drama genre. Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, great direction, and excellent music by Emmanuel Aguila, ‘Gitling’ is an intelligent movie that made me feel like an unwanted visitor in someone else’s story. There are no easy answers in ‘Gitling’ and the film will make you work for the resolution for yourself but it’s done so beautifully that you should just give in.

My Rating:

Gitling (Hyphen) is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

February 7, 2025
Movie Review — An Assault to the Senses, ‘Dark Nuns’ Is Bombastic Filmmaking but Lacking in Scares

Considering its stellar cast – Song Hye-kyo, Jeon Yeo-been, Lee Jin-wook, and a breakthrough performance from young star Moon Woo-jin – there’s a lot that feels missing in the horror film ‘Dark Nuns’ by director Kwon Hyeok-jae. The filmmaking is flashy: lots of extreme close-ups, quick cuts, loud sound design, and imagery that’s meant to be dark, vague, and disturbing. All this is great in the first twenty minutes of the film but as the film unfolds, it cannot substitute the lack of genuine scares or the absence of a stronger, compelling story.

Song Hye-kyo plays Sister Junia, an unordained nun who performs exorcisms for a sect within the Catholic Church. She is known as the “dark nun,” who is knowledgeable in all matters of demonic possession. It opens with her arriving at a home where a priest is struggling to exorcise a demon possessing a young boy named Hee-joon (Moon Woo-jin). We know she’s tough and experienced because she doesn’t go straight to the scene on her arrival. She first has a cigarette and bides her time before she makes her move. There she battles the demon and while she rescues the priest, she only manages to force the demon back into hiding. Hee-joon is transferred to a hospital where Sister Junia finds opposition from Father Paolo (Lee Jin-wook), a priest who is also a doctor, and he frowns upon exorcisms, insisting that these are psychological issues that can be fixed medically. Caught in-between is Father Paolo’s protege, Sister Michela (Jeon Yeo-been). Sister Michela is also a doctor and a nun, but she also has visions and has the potential to be a shaman

The two sisters must find common ground to save Hee-joon from the demon inside of him before… well, this is where the film becomes sketchy because it never really underlines the stakes. Yes, we know the child must be free of the possessing spirit, but the film muddles the cost. Will the child die? Will the demon – a personification of something called “the 12 manifestations,” an idea that is never really explored in depth – become more powerful after a certain point? What is this “12 manifestations” and does it have any effect on the world outside of this child?

The film skirts through most of the story elements. We know Sister Junia is not well, but we don’t know of her life before this. Sister Michela has an implied history with the supernatural, which seems to have caused someone’s suicide. But this is not fully explored either. Aside from saving the boy’s life, we don’t really know what this exorcism means for the two women, and it sort of diminishes the sense of accomplishment one may feel from this whole exercise.

The whole film, from the very opening scene, until it’s conclusion, is completely centered on this one possession. What is wonderful is how, on the orders to save this boy by “any means necessary,” Sister Junia employs shamans and include shamanistic rites to aid in the exorcism creates a wonderful intersection of cultures. Western prayers spoken in Latin (or is it Italian, I’m not sure) while the colorful, energetic rituals of Korean shamanism are playing in the foreground and in the background is such an exciting imagery that is at work.

But the film has no genuine scares. The boy is restrained, he’s shouting expletives and saying vulgar and disgusting things – with an excellent performance by Moon Woo-jin who delivers this with such commitment – while the two sisters are praying over him and demanding him to leave the body. It’s dramatic for the first 20 minutes or so but as the film progresses (and the film is almost two-hours long) it starts to get repetitive. And you start to realise that there’s no inherent danger here.

Despite it being a horror film that isn’t horrifying and with characters that I feel distant and indifferent towards, I do appreciate director Kwon Hyeok-jae’s approach to filming this religious aspect of the film. There’s no reverence or mystery to how he captures the Catholic faith. In fact, he’s not afraid to show the in-fighting within the sects and battles of ideology that is happening inside the church. All of the religious aspects of the film are really just decoration here, juxtaposed side-by-side with Korean shamanism, not favoring one over the other in an imagery sense, Kwon Hyeok-jae creates a battle not between a demon and religion but that of a demon and a human being, who just happened to be a nun. Sister Junia could have been a plain doctor or a shaman or a Filipina witch doctor and it would have been the same movie. The de-mystification of the Catholic faith feels refreshing and new. I wished the film just took less time trying to impress us with its mood shots and dramatics and explored a bit more of the characters to give us something to chew on.

My Rating:

Dark Nuns is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

February 1, 2025
Movie Review — ‘Companion’ Succeeds with Its Expert Mix of Comedy and Thriller

I went into the cinema to watch the thriller ‘Companion’ without any knowledge about the film. I didn’t watch a trailer. I didn’t read any notes or reviews. All I know was that it was marketed as “from the creators of Barbarian,” which is one of my favourite films of 2022. ‘Barbarian’ was written and directed by Zach Cregger and he produced ‘Companion,’ which is directed and written by Drew Hancock. The film is a creepy thriller that is a refreshing take of the genre of films populated by films like ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ and ‘Blink Twice.’ Watching the trailer now that I’ve seen the movie, it’s safe for me to say that the film involves the power struggle between a woman and a man but is further complicated by the commodification of AI and the human form.

Sophie Thatcher is incredible as Iris, a woman who is going out of town for the weekend with her boyfriend Josh (Jack Quaid). They are going to a secluded mansion in the woods to spend a weekend with Josh’s friends. There she meets Eli (Harvey Guillen) and his boyfriend Patrick (Lukas Gage), Kat (Megan Suri), and her partner Sergey (Rupert Friend). Iris is not comfortable in that crowd, her attachment to Josh seems weak and laughable to Kat, and it triggers her anxiety and discomfort. But things turn chaotic and murderous when Iris inadvertently discovers that she is a companion robot and that Josh is not the man she thought he was.

Much like the uneven ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ and the brilliant ‘Blink Twice,’ ‘Companion’ explores how women are manipulated and controlled by men. But unlike both movies, ‘Companion’ finds its own voice by being whimsical, funny, irreverent, and takes pleasure in giving space for the woman in question – here, represented by a robot – to find her revenge. Unlike the other two movies mentioned that focuses on the depravity of the men who do these things and the imperative of women to fight for their freedom, ‘Companion’ is more geared towards entertaining us with the thoughts of getting back at the people who did this to her.

It is riding a wave of a political discourse that is fighting oppression with the same fire that has fueled the oppressors. This has the same tone as the eat-the-rich films that have sprouted in the past few years, but this film has set its sights on the men who abuse and dominate women. In this sense, the film feels related to even the recent MMFF film ‘Uninvited’ with the way that it stirs the audiences and gets them to cheer for Iris when she takes the reigns and fights back. The way that Hancock has maneuvered his plot, and his character development allows the audience to actually cheer when the tables are turned and the robot finds their power to enact their vengeance.

And that’s really the power of comedy to use humor to allow us to embrace darker themes and ideas. By making us laugh, we lower our guard and allow us to cheer for what is essential murder but allowing us to justify it by focusing on the heinous actions of the perpetrator. We leave the cinema entertained but the film has planted that seed that we will think harshly of anyone who will be caught doing these acts in real life. Hopefully, not murder, but we will take it seriously.

Thatcher is incredibly arresting as Iris. The nuance of her performance becomes even more apparent as we see her at the point of discovery that her life is a lie. Every look, every reaction is connected to her character being a sentient robot. The other stand out here is Guillen, whose comedic timing is pitch perfect.

Surprising at every turn. If you like bloody gore, violence, and female-driven movies, ‘Companion’ is the film to watch and it’s best to not see the trailer coming in. It’s best to be surprised.

My Rating:

Companion is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

January 30, 2025
Movie Review — ‘A Real Pain’ Makes an Excellent Case for the Return of the Mid-Budget Dramas and Comedies

I genuinely miss the mid-range and small budget dramas and comedies like ‘Sideways’ or ‘The Holdovers.’ These are personal, intimate stories that’s completely character-driven and while the story feels contained, the writing and the performances expand the scope that makes it feel universal and authentic. This is where the Jesse Eisenberg written and directed film ‘A Real Pain’ falls under and it does so quite well.

On the surface, it’s about two Jewish cousins, polar opposites of each other, who travel to Poland to reconnect with their recently passed grandmother and with their heritage. They join a tourist group for a holocaust tour and in the process the cousins collide as their personalities clash and their histories are dug up and strung out for everyone to see. It’s funny but also painful and embarrassing at times but it’s also honest. But deep down, the film really is a study on mental health, but it also explores the burden and weight of the immigrant narrative, how the stories of their grandparents and the struggles they had in coming to America can sometimes spark a sense of responsibility and, in the other, a sense of guilt.

(From L-R): Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Gray, Jesse Eisenberg, Kurt Egyiawan, David Oreskes and Will Sharpe in A REAL PAIN. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures, © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

While the film feels so far removed from our own experiences here in the Philippines, I got to see shades of these emotions bubbling over all my cousins and friends who are first generation immigrants to the United States, and even some in the second-generation. We may never have suffered the ranks of genocide the way that Jewish people have during World War II or the genocide that one of the characters in the film shared, as he was from Rwanda, but we Filipinos have also seen the horrors of war.

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in A REAL PAIN. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures, © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

And this is the magic of Jesse Eisenberg’s script. The story is so rooted in the cousins – the anxious David (Jesse Eisenberg) and the charismatic but also destructive Benji (Kieran Culkin) – and their story and their connection to the holocaust but the way they interact with each other, the way that David is scared to call out Benji when he’s being rude or destructive and the way that Benji can’t help but be disappointed that his cousin did not grow up to be the person he thought he would be. These little dynamics of their relationship and the precision of Eisenberg and Culkin’s performances convey these nuances really remind us of our interactions with our family. We have siblings or cousins that are like this, and we tiptoe around them while others just bulldoze over us and it’s all out there for us to see in this lovely little film.

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A REAL PAIN. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

It’s wonderful to be in a dark, cold cinema and seeing these seemingly ordinary lives struggling through a life moment but seeing it on full screen. It’s so humanizing. This is the cinema that I miss. Sure, the blockbusters are fun. They are a feast for the eyes but as the studios release one big tentpole blockbuster after another, one sequel after the next, it all gets muddled and boring. But movies like ‘A Real Pain’ helps me get back to myself and to my own little issues and personal demons.

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin on the set of A REAL PAIN. Photo by Agata Grzybowska, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures, © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

There’s no question as to why Culkin is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the current award season rush, including winning the Golden Globe. It’s a bravura performance that truly encapsulates Benji’s issues. The film never openly states it but, from my experience, his manic followed by depressive and confrontational states is just representative of bi-polar disorder; as I’ve seen it in family members, friends, and even co-workers. Eisenberg has played this character before so we know he does it well but the rest of the cast – Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes, and the ever-reliable Will Sharpe – help fill out this world and gives the two leads a space to really play out their character’s inner worlds.

Director Jesse Eisenberg on the set of A REAL PAIN. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures, © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

I really want more movies like this to return to the cinemas rather than just immediately sending them over to streaming. These intimate; personal stories are elevated by putting them on the big screen. It reminds us of our humanity in the most surprising of ways.

My Rating:

A Real Pain is now showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

January 30, 2025
Movie Review — Playing with Form, Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’ Is a Marvel of a Study of a Family in Duress

Director Steven Soderbergh is the consummate filmmaker, who is always unafraid to play with form and technique. He is constantly pushing the boundaries of what you can do with cinema as a storytelling device and while the idea of a film shot entirely in the first-person point-of-view is not exactly new, to do it throughout the whole film and in the POV of a spirit puts a completely different spin on what you’ve come to expect from him. Though, Soderbergh has played around with multiple genres before. ‘Presence’ begins first as a novelty as we see the narrative unfold only from the perspective of the ghost complete with long takes that glide up and down and throughout the single location – a lavish two-storey, three bedroom house in the suburbs – but as the characters of the family who just moved into the home are revealed and the drama starts to unravel, the novelty of the technique disappears and we become the ghost itself, listening in and watching this family struggle.

The family – Chris, Rebecca, Tyler, and Chloe – seem like a typical bi-racial family. Chris (Chris Sullivan) is white and dotes on his daughter Chloe (Callina Liang) while Rebecca (Lucy Liu) is dismissive of her daughter and is more supportive and encouraging to her swim varsity champion of a son Tyler (Eddy Maday). Chris and Rebecca are constantly disagreeing while Rebecca seems to be having trouble with work. Tyler is dismissive of his younger sister and is hostile to her grieving state. Chloe has just recently lost her best friend. The circumstances are unclear at first, but the film soon lays everything clear later on. Sometimes, Ryan (West Mulholland), a friend of Tyler comes over and he sells weed to Chloe and they start getting closer.

Callina Liang (Chloe) in Presence directed by Steven Soderbergh | Photo by Peter Andrews
Copyright The Spectral Spirit Company

While the film explores the brittle dynamics of this family and how fragile these connections are – at any moment, they are going to break apart – the ghost feels most connected to Chloe, most probably because of her grief. Her longing for her recently passed friend is causing the rift between her and her brother but also allows her to feel the presence in their home.

The film actually shifts again from novelty to a family drama and then into a supernatural mystery as the eponymous presence begins to move things. This ghost and its attachment to Chloe begins to stir the film towards its surprising conclusion that begins to tie in parts of backstory that was being carefully laid out at the start.

Chris Sullivan (Chris) and Lucy Liu (Rebekah) in Presence directed by Steven Soderbergh
Photo by Peter Andrews | Copyright The Spectral Spirit Company

By using the first-person perspective, Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp can control the amount of information the audience can get. We are piecing together along with the presence the story of this family. While it sits in and listens to the conversation of the parents in the kitchen, a word will trigger the presence and it rushes up to the bedroom to watch Chloe in bed, moping. We don’t have the context of some of their conversations. The family’s history is unknown to us. Sometimes, they make phone calls, and we have to assume what they are referencing to, if it’s important at all.

In this way, Soderbergh turns us into the presence and when we begin to see the manipulations enacted upon Chloe by some of the characters, we are not rendered helpless because the ghost does act in her defense. Interestingly enough, the film surprises us with its feminist theme that begins to blossom half-way through the film, and organically too.

Callina Liang (Chloe), Chris Sullivan (Chris), Eddy Maday (Tyler), Lucy Liu (Rebekah), and Julia Fox (Cece) in Presence directed by Steven Soderbergh
Photo by Peter Andrews | Copyright The Spectral Spirit Company

The cast is utterly brilliant as they are performing in such a natural and spontaneous way. While the family do have their moments, the cast never goes for the explosive choices and tries to keep things leveled. As large as that house is, the proximity is forcing them to go interior and it makes for an interesting watch.

‘Presence’ is a deceptively enjoyable film as it vacillates between an experiment in form but also a study of a family in duress. How the two collide creates an arresting movie that, at a tight 85-minutes, never overstays its welcome.

My Rating:

Presence is still showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

January 26, 2025
Movie Review — The Church and Human Frailty: A Review of ‘Conclave’

A political thriller set during the closed-door session of the College of Cardinals as they are electing the next pope? The whole premise of ‘Conclave’ was very intriguing to me as the possibilities of criticism of the church would come into play. What I loved about director Edward Berger’s tone and imagery in his filmmaking was how he completely stripped away the reverence and moral authority that the audience may have for this gathering of Cardinals in the most holy of Catholic cities. The emphasis on their humanity, and most especially, their frailty was very welcomed in this rather stirring and controversial film.

Berger brings the camera (through Director of Photography Stephane Fontaine) extremely close to his subjects, oftentimes highlighting the age of his characters, their vulnerabilities, their hopes and fears, and for some, their guilt or lust for power. Despite all the pomp and circumstance of this occasion – the pope has just died, and the cardinals are convening to vote and elect the successor – and so they are dressed in their best regalia, fed rather lavishly, attended to by the nuns, and are surrounded by the finest furniture that the Vatican can buy. We see them drink, smoke, and scheme amongst each other; politicking to direct the path of the church to what they believe is right. Berger’s camera takes them in long shots to show the power plays at work and then would cut away to show dozens and dozens of cigarette butts scattered on the ground. Throughout the film, it feels like Berger’s intention is to render these people human and thus impressing upon us that the church and all that it proclaims all depends on who succeeds the papacy.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

John Lithgow stars as Cardinal Tremblay in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved.

Leading the impressive cast is Ralph Fiennes, as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, the dean of the College of Cardinals. It is his task to administer and manage the election. Unfortunately, the sudden passing of the previous pope has left a lot of unanswered questions and some mysteries that need to be resolved. There are rumors that Cardinal Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow) from Canada, how an argument with the previous pope and his viability for being elected is in question.

(L to R) Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence and Stanley Tucci as Cardinal Bellini in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

The biggest rivals are the American Cardinal, Cardinal Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci) and the Italian Cardinal, Cardinal Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), where Bellini is of the more progressive and liberal group while Tedesco is more traditionalist, more conservative. Surprisingly, the Nigerian Cardinal Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) is proving to be extremely popular and has a great chance of becoming the first black pope. The power plays are happening fast, and Cardinal Lawrence must also deal with Cardinal Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), a cardinal who has worked in secret and is not in any of the list, who suddenly shows up.

Sergio Castellitto stars as Cardinal Tedesco in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

Cardinal Lawrence must navigate through the politicking and the gray areas of every little thing happening during this conclave, while discovering that even he is getting votes and may have a chance of getting the papacy except he doesn’t want it. Adding additional ingredients to an already explosive brew is Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes, a nun who is the cardinal’s head caterer and housekeeper. It’s a relatively short role – this is, after all, a man’s world – but her scenes are powerful and has ramifications that tie-in to the surprising ending of Peter Straughan’s screenplay based on the book by Robert Harris.

Isabella Rossellini stars as Sister Agnes in director Edward Berger’s CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.

This is a thriller without any violence or murder, or fear of murder. But it is thrilling as we are seeing a church in a state of flux, where its heart and soul is being pulled into many different directions. There’s a lot of great insights here about the world and the way the Catholic church has served and failed the world. Berger and company seem to take a stand and it’s most surprising and farcical is such a powerful statement that truly provokes much thought and questions.

(L to R) Director Edward Berger and actor Ralph Fiennes on the set of CONCLAVE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Philippe Antonello/Focus Features ©2024 All Rights Reserved.

It’s so refreshing to see this moral debate argued through the genre of the political thriller. It highlights that more than anything, the battleground that is the church has practical, economical, and social repercussions for both believers and non-believers alike. How the film manages to reference this without showing the world outside the sequestered halls of the conclave is a brilliant work of writing and direction. I am not surprised of its eight Academy Award nominations, including Ralph Fiennes for Best Actor and Volker Bertelmann for Best Original Score. The music of the film is always pressing the fact that this is serious and that the stakes are high. It is relentless and gives the film that added dread that keeps the energy going.

My Rating:

Conclave is still showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

January 25, 2025
Movie Review — A Dark and Gritty Cinderella Story, Anora Is Funny, Poignant, and Real All at the Same Time

Even with all the profanity, nudity, graphic sex, and violence, Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ is still a charming romantic-comedy that shows a mastery of tone. The film manages to present the love story between an exotic dancer and her young Russian client with such care that it allows the audience to laugh and marvel and cheer them on despite the transactional nature of how they met and the gross indulgence of the Russian youth’s wealth. It’s more gritty, sexually-charged and drug-laden version of a Cinderella story and it somehow manages to surprise us at every turn.

Anora (Mikey Madison), who prefers to be called Ani, is a 23-year-old stripper at a club. Her boss tells her to take care of their Russian guest as Ani can speak and understand Russian. The guest is 21-year old Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), a son of a Russian oligarch who is in the US to study. The two hit it off immediately and he asks Ani if she’s willing to come and work outside of the club. One night turns to two, and then he invites her to join him at a huge New Year’s Party at his place before he invites her to stay with him for a week. During this time, she’s introduced to his friends as her girlfriend and they fly off to Vegas where he asks her to marry him so he can be a citizen and he doesn’t have to return to Russia to work for his dad.

Unfortunately, when news of their marriage reaches Russia, Vanya’s dad sends his godfather Toros (Karren Karagulian) to collect the two, get them annulled and to prepare for Vanya to return to Russia. With his two goons, Garnick (Vache Toymasyan) and Igor (Yuri Borisov), Toros attempts to bring the newlyweds to heel but instead Vanya runs off leaving Ani to deal with the rest, whom she is able to handle on her own. When calmer heads prevail, the four now journey throughout the Russian community of Brooklyn to find Vanya and settle everything before Vanya’s parents arrive.

The film runs a bit over two hours, taking its time to establish the characters of Ani and Vanya and showing us that whatever we may think of the transactional nature of their relationship – the payment for sex, the drug use, the excessive partying, the lack of any adult responsibilities or accountability – that the two found some level of safety within each other. The film never shies away from the fact that Vanya is a rich tool and then Ani is looking at this as an escape from her sordid life, but the film treats it as real without hiding the fact that Vanya is paying for Ani’s company and that the two are probably using each other to run away from their problems. It’s the magic of director Sean Baker’s use of extreme close-ups and handheld shots that gives the film an almost documentary feel. He unabashedly shows us the drug use and the sex but juxtaposes it with the two youths feeling safe in each other’s arms (and in the luxury of Vanya’s seemingly unending supply of cash).

When all of this starts to crumble, Ani’s background and history comes to the foreground and we see her fighting Toros, Garnick, and Igor with all her might. And boy is she formidable. The 25-minute scene of their confrontation is a hilarious farce that shows off each actor magnificent comedic timing as well as their full use of their physicality to make that scene one of the most memorable scenes in the past decade. It’s funny and well-executed but it is also incredible in how it turns the whole movie over and shifts it from an R-18 rom-com into an odyssey. As Baker takes us through the ins-and-outs of the Russian community in Brooklyn, we get to see another side of America that is usually left out in all its usual Hollywood propaganda of how the US is the greatest country in the world.

It’s here where we realise that Ani is just another child of immigrants trying to find her piece of the American dream. She thought she found it in the arms of a son of a Russian oligarch but, instead, she faces yet another American truth: only the rich get richer, and everyone still has to pay their dues.

Madison and Borisov are so deserving of all the award nominations they’ve been receiving this award season. Madison keeps Ani from being boring or cloying or fictional. Borisov’s Igor is a powerful presence in the film by the way he just stands in the background watching everything unfolding, receiving the full brunt of Ani’s anger, and finding space for his own voice to serve as a wonderful counterpoint to all the madness going on in the film.

‘Anora’ is such a splendid movie with how it takes the Cinderella story and turns it on its head. It never shies away from universal truths about how unfair this world is; how the class divide knows no culture or border and how deep down inside, we all just want to be loved. It’s funny and poignant and dark and bright all at the same time. It’s such an enjoyable two hours in the cinema and it’s probably going to be in my list of favourites for years to come.

My Rating:

Anora is still showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

January 21, 2025
Movie Review — Dreadful and Genuinely Scary, ‘Wolf Man’ Loses Steams by Its Third Act

With a 15-minute prologue that really sets the mood, Leigh Whannell’s ‘Wolf Man’ establishes itself as a horror film that is rooted in dread. It’s a long exposition that details the tension-filled relationship between a young boy and his father who are living isolated in the woods of Oregon. The father, a military-man by his demeanor and language, is teaching his son about survival and hunting when they are attacked by a large animal that appears to be standing on two legs. It’s barely seen but knowing this film and what it’s about, we know it’s the wolf man and it sets us up for what we expect to be a scary ride.

We jump thirty years later and that young boy, Blake, is not a father to Ginger and is married to journalist Charlotte. Ginger and Blake have a very strong connection, obviously a far cry from Blake’s own relationship with his father but Charlotte seems the odd one out. The marriage is not doing well, and Charlotte seems disconnected to both her husband and child. But when Blake receives news that his father is now officially declared dead, he decides to bring everyone to Oregon to help him pack his father’s belongings and would love to use that time for the family to get closer together. Unfortunately, the wolf man that we’ve seen in the prologue is still in those woods and at the arrival of Blake and his family, they become his new prey.

With a cast of four performers, ‘Wolf Man’ is economical and tight. At 103 minutes, the film feels fast and never boring. Whannell makes full use of long shots to show how isolated the family is the moment they get to Oregon, which helps sets the fear knowing that they are all alone and far away from any sort of civilization. When they are attacked by the wolf man and forced to run and take shelter at Blake’s childhood home, it becomes a battle for survival. When the meat of the story happens, it all unfolds within one night, which allows for Whannell’s and director of photography Stefan Duscio to really play with light and shadows to create the suspense. We know the wolf man is just outside the house. We know they are all alone. And what’s worse, Blake is hurt and is slowly turning into a wolf man himself.

The way by which Blake becomes a wolf man is quite well-done. The volume starts to increase showing us his hearing is getting stronger and when he gets dizzy, a symptom of his transformation, the camera shifts angles to accompany his disorientation, and when the scene is covered in darkness, the camera shifts to his point-of-view and we start to see through his heightened vision. It’s techniques like these that really immerses us into Blake’s transformation: how he is slowly losing himself to this affliction.

Christopher Abbott as Blake in Wolf Man, directed by Leigh Whannell

What the film failed to immerse us into is Charlotte’s point-of-view. Blake and Ginger’s relationship had been established quite early on and so Ginger’s insistence on making room for her dad even when she can see that he’s changing makes sense. Their connection is the grounding element of the film. But Charlotte never has a moment to be vulnerable or to show her humanity. She’s presented to us as cold and distant and the trip to Oregon was supposed to be a chance for her and Blake and her and her daughter to get closer – a chance for the audience to see her softer side. Instead, she finds herself in a horror movie and as the protagonist role shifts from Blake to Charlotte, the film begins to lose its anchor. The love she has for her family which motivates all her actions at the latter half of the film has not been explored or developed throughout the film leaving it sort of hollow or empty.

All of a sudden, the moment Charlotte takes the lead, the film isn’t so scary. Surviving isn’t so vital to the enjoyment of the film. Julia Garner, who plays Charlotte, is doing the best she can but there’s very little space for her in the script to give her character more humanity as she’s thrust into survival mode before she has a chance to show us what she’s got. Christopher Abbott manages to keep us invested in his character with his earnestness in the role. Even the way he speaks to Ginger (Matilda Firth) is so adult and so straightforward, but you know it’s rooted in his own difficult relationship with his father. It could feel so awkward for a script but without having to explain it, Abbott justifies it through the performance.

‘Wolf Man’ has genuine frightening moments and some really good set ups and doesn’t rely on jump scares to create fear and dread. Unfortunately, it forgot to take time to develop and grow its second lead and that’s where it loses its steam.

My Rating:

Wolf Man is still showing in cinemas. Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

January 18, 2025
Movie Review — ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ Is a Formulaic Plot-Heavy Mess Even Two Jim Carreys Can’t Save

I was very much surprised and charmed by the first ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, but I don’t remember if I have seen the sequel or if I missed it. So, coming into ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ meant there was a lot of goodwill from the first film that was carried into the cinema with me. Surrounded by a family with their unruly children (really, parents should learn to discipline their kids in public spaces), I was expecting to have a really good time with the third installment of this series. I was quite disappointed when the charm and warmth that the first film had was gone and was replaced by an over emphasis on plot while, at the same time, sidelining it to give way for Jim Carrey to have his gags.

In the third installment, we are introduced to Shadow (voiced by Keanu Reeves), another hedgehog who appears faster and stronger than Sonic and unlike our protagonist, he’s not a nice hedgehog. Shadow has been locked up in a containment cell for the last 50 years, but he awakens in the first ten minutes of the film, frees himself, and wreaks havoc in the nearby city of Tokyo. In the other side of the world, Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy), and Knuckles (Idris Elba) are having a picnic with Tom (James Marsden) and Madie (Tika Sumpter), They celebrate Sonic’s first arrival on earth and at a race, they manage to find Sonic’s old cave (from the first movie). Here, Sonic and Tom get to talk about choices and being a good person – a very scripted scene that underlines the theme of the whole film and you know will be important later on – before the agents of G.U.N, come to take Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to Tokyo to face off Shadow.

Jim Carrey as Ivo Robotnik and Gerald Robotnik, Shadow (Keanu Reeves) and Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.

When Shadow proves invincible, Sonic must resort to working with Dr Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who is determined to find out who is using his technology without his permission. The team-up is short-lived, though, for they discover that Shadow is working with Professor Robotnik (also played by Carrey), Dr. Robotnik’s grandfather.

Knuckles (Idris Elba), Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles must reunite with Tom and Madie and figure out how to stop Shadow, and the two evil Robotnik’s from taking over the world.

Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey, James Marsden as Tom and Tika Sumpter as Maddie in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.

What makes ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ arduous is that the film feels like multiple segments leading up to an obvious realisation at the end of the film for its two main characters (three if you count Dr. Robotnik). The film’s formula is way out in the open for you to see and nothing about its elaborate plot feels surprising. What makes it even worse is that the film’s tedious plot ends up pausing and taking breaks so that Jim Carrey can play out a sketch or a gag – and with two Jim Carreys in a scene, it can get a little overindulgent – and the whole pacing of the film is ruined. Some gags are funny. Some feel tired and old. Some the kids in the audience loved and others went way above their heads.

When the big finale comes, without that feeling of surprise and the callback to the obviously scripted parts about the choices people need to make, the film feels spoiled before it even got a chance to get good.

Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba) and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.

The only thing that still manages to surprise me is how good James Marsden is with such a flimsy script. He is practically performing to a CGI character and I’m not privy to how the scenes were shot, if there was a puppet or if Ben Schwartz was actually there, but Marsden really sells Tom’s good guy persona and makes it believable that he’s talking to a blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog from another part of the universe. It’s such an amazing performance. Jim Carrey is Jim Carrey. He’s good at that. Whether you are tired of his shtick or if it can still capture you (like it still sometimes does, for me), then that’s a personal thing.

It’s unfortunate that none of the heart and warmth of the first film found its way to ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ but consider the response of the kids in the cinema when that mid credit scene came out, the fourth looks like it still has an audience excited and waiting for the sequel.

My Rating:

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now showing in cinemas! Check showtimes and buy your tickets here.

January 18, 2025