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At Eternity's Gate (2018)
A tough watch and yet quite possibly the perfect portrayal of the tortured genius that was Vincent Van Gogh
At Eternity's Gate is the story and look into the mind of one of the greatest post-impressionist artists the world has ever seen.
Vincent Van Gogh was a deeply troubled man who was greatly misunderstood and undoubtedly underappreciated in his short time on this Earth. Van Gogh created over 2,000 works of art in his mere 37 years, all whilst receiving little to no treatment for his mental health issues that plagued his life. If ever there was a more fitting example for the term 'troubled genius', then Van Gogh is it.
The movie has an authenticity about it as it is written and directed by Julian Schnabel, a successful neo-expressionist painter himself. It peers into the mind of one painter from the other and the results are like art, messy and subjective yet on the whole when you take a step back and take it all in, lies undeniable talent. Techniques used in the movie like the fast moving handheld camera are never going to be popular with a viewer. Scenes with little clarity that leave you disorientated and yet they give a glimpse into the mind and through the eyes of how Van Gogh seen the world. It must be noted that Schnabel is no stranger to directing either, he is as talented in this domain as he is an artist. Being nominated for an Oscar himself and winning several awards, also being the director that helped Javier Bardem to his maiden Oscar nod.
Willem Dafoe puts everything into the role and it is a fantastic performance. Biographical portrayals really take something special for them to be recognised as creditable with so many books, documentaries and movies having already been presented on the subject. The supporting cast features some strong names in Rupert Friend and Oscar Isaac but for me Mads Mikkelsen is particularly notable. Mainly being because it is so far from his most recent roles that it is pleasantly unexpected to see him as a priest. The scene with him meeting Van Gogh is one of significance as it is when you get the biggest insight into how misunderstood he was and ultimately how his talent went significantly unnoticed during his lifetime.
At Eternity's Gate is a refined movie, it is a work of art about a great artist, from a gifted director and artist himself and featuring a talented cast. Just as with any piece of art though it is whether you fully invest in it's individual brilliance or fail to grasp what is so great about it and this movie fully encapsulates that viewer divide. 7/10
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
A poignantly funny and warm true tale
'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' is the true story of Lee Isreal, author and master of deceit played superbly by Melissa McCarthy and starring the impeccable Richard E Grant. It is the tale of a lonely author with an unknowingly creative skillset to forge a living.
The movie features some poignant scenes. McCarthy is particularly impressive when dealing with the loss of 'the only true thing that ever really loved her' and in the final scene between her and her friend Jack Hock. It is a testament to how well acted these scenes were and all throughout the movie, that I was able to totally forget that I was watching Melissa McCarthy, the comedic performer. I would like to see her delve into more serious roles more often, just as Jim Carrey started to do after establishing himself as the leading male in the comedy genre. It is fair to say Melissa is now that of her time but quite clearly she is more than capable of pulling out dramatic gems such as this Oscar contender.
Richard E Grant is also brilliant in this movie. When I think of him and his previous work, he always seems to play the quintessential English gent, all encompassing great acting and incredibly reliable. Here is no different but with a slight twist. The character, albeit a true depiction, really brings out the best in him. Hock has a cheekiness to him but at the same time a loneliness and the one thing I always notice with Richard E Grant are his eyes. He displays so much emotion through his eyes with his acting and this is really apparent in the previously mentioned closing scene of him. It is him at his absolute best.
Finally, the soundtrack does really leave it's mark on you. Two in particular 'I Thought of You Last Night' by Jeri Southern and 'Goodnight Ladies' by Justin Vivian Bond tie in perfectly with the overall theme and sombreness of the movie. Very nice touches.
This is a fine movie, the acting is of the highest calibre and it is more than worthy of your time. 7/10
Green Book (2018)
The Oscars frontrunner that is equally funny and heartwarming. An outstanding biographical drama
Green Book is directed by Peter Farrelly and is an Oscar contender for sure. That sentence is one that is still hard to fathom. That is because Peter Farrelly's previous credits as writer and director are for Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, Me,Myself & Irene, Shallow Hal and the awful Three Stooges and Dumb & Dumber sequel. He's a comedy writer. He has some great movies in that genre no doubt but this is such a huge leap in a biographical drama that is a commercial and critical success that it is a career turn that nobody seen coming. Yes, there are several laugh out loud moments in this movie and Farrelly will have been able to engineer those scenes to be as funny as they were. Nevertheless, this is still a huge achievement for the producer, director and writer and I hope he is acknowledged on the ultimate stage.
It is hard to speak of the plot to this film in such a brief description. That is because throughout the entire movie you really get the feel that everything played out on screen did actually happen. There are several reasons for this but mainly it is because of the involvement of Nick Vallelonga as co-writer, the son of the real life Tony Vallelonga in the movie. You get the sense that his involvement really added an authenticity to the story and he was able to project his vision and history of his late father onto screen.
Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali are both excellent in this movie. The characters themselves are very entertaining but Mortensen in particular really brings the Italian-American bouncer to life and he adds a charm and humour to the movie. It is amazing how well he pulls off Tony Lip when you compare it to his other roles in The Lord of the Rings, The Road and his 2 previous Oscar nominations Captain Fantastic and Eastern Promises. It really is a brilliant performance and it's a shame that once again he is likely to fall just short this year in the Leading Actor category. Mahershala Ali just goes from strength to strength. With his Oscar win last year for Moonlight still in the rear view mirror he adds another string to his bow here and I am looking forward to his turn in True Detective Series 3 this year. The pair of them have great on screen chemistry together and you really connect with the journey that they go on as a viewer.
I can't speak highly enough of this movie. It is a heartwarming tale of companionship and friendship at a time when circumstances prevented it culturally, socially and professionally. I would highly recommend this film and I think it has a real chance of winning Best Picture at the Oscars 2019. 9/10
The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
Robert Redford turns back the years in a fascinating true story
The Old Man & The Gun is an interesting true story about a group of old men who got away with bank heists and had people gripped in the 1980's.
You have to start with Robert Redford. The guy is a film legend. He is a brilliant actor, he is as smooth as a glass of whiskey and the guy doesn't age! He does everything with ease and is so smooth in his delivery. This depiction of Forrest Tucker was perfect for him. The charming gentlemanly bank robber who loves what he does. Redford even pulled off a performance with no dialogue at all in the movie All is Lost. If you haven't seen it, check it out. The last 10 years of his career have seen many great performances and he is still going strong.
Sissy Spacek was perfect casting to be opposite Redford and the romance is played out with the classiness you would expect from two classy actors.
Casey Affleck is good throughout as the frustrated policeman chasing down Redford and his accomplices. Speaking of which, I felt the casting was in keeping with the classy feel of the movie. Danny Glover is a legend in his own right and Tom Waits is multi-talented but I felt we could have had more screen time from both of them.
The soundtrack is a nice touch and fits the movie well. It is how I would describe this movie also. It is a nice easy watch. It keeps you interested and the movie is like a comfortable pair of slippers. Definitely worth a watch. 7.5/10 but an 8 because it's Robert Redford!
Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster pens a fresh modern horror with his first movie and Toni Collette is terrifyingly good
Hereditary doesn't have many negatives at all. It is a refreshingly good horror in a genre that relies on too may of the same old jump-scares and basic plot devices.
Written and Directed by Ari Aster, his first movie, Hereditary is a fantastic opener for the American. One of the main takeaways for a horror is to leave the viewer talking about and remembering the scares. Hereditary certainly achieves that. The plot feels different, certainly in how it builds and some of the scenes are certainly memorable. I am looking forward to Aster's second movie Midsommar later this year featuring the excellent Will Poulter.
Speaking of the cast, Toni Collette is simply outstanding in this movie. So much so, that she is in for Oscar contention. Her expressions in many scenes are simply terrifying on their own. The great thing about this movie is that this performance doesn't even need to carry the movie, the supporting cast is also good. Alex Wolff as the son, is also outstanding and he is involved in all of the major and scary scenes in the movie. Milly Shapiro plays a character that is particularly well written and she pulls off the creepy sibling with ease. Gabriel Byrne who plays the most sane character in the movie also is his typically solid self.
I need to mention the cinematography also, some of the scenes are really well shot. The house in particular, which reminded me of some of the hotel rooms and lobby in The Shining, was a very good choice. The open plan living area just added to the tension in one major scene with Collette, Byrne and the fire.
Overall, this is a very enjoyable watch for any horror fan and Ari Aster is definitely one to watch as a writer and director in this genre. 8/10
Tag (2018)
A stretched out true story that misses the mark
Tag is a comedy based on a true story about a group of school friends who continue to play a game of tag into their adult lives.
I personally really struggled with the plausibility of the plot. It is based on an article written in the Wall Street Journal about a real group of friends who tried to deceive each other one month a year by playing tag. It is very hard to believe that they actually did some of the things depicted in this movie.
The writers Mark Steilen and Rob McKittrick being involved in their first major film release here, pushed the realms of reality too far.
The only funny scenes in the movie for me all came from the same person. Lil Rel Howery (playing Reggie) has had a good few years starring in the Oscar winning Get Out, Tag and Bird Box. Nearly all of his scenes made me laugh and it was the only saving grace of the movie. Isla Fisher's character was interesting as the over competitive and aggressive member of the group. Jeremy Renner's scenes were all very superhero-esqe and it felt like a kids movie when he was involved, particularly early on.
Overall, for the cast in this film...it missed the mark for me. 5/10
The Boss Baby (2017)
A Fun watch, one of the best animated movies of the decade
Dreamworks announced a sequel to The Boss Baby to be released in 2021 and it is no surprise. This was their biggest grossing debuting film since The Croods all the way back in 2011. They have relied on churning out sequels and creating a franchise out of How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar and Shrek for many years now.
One of the key's to success for this film was the involvement of Tom McGrath as Director. He wrote and Directed the entire Madagascar franchise. He has been announced as the Director for The Boss Baby 2 also and he is yet to be involved in a bad movie with Dreamworks.
Alec Baldwin was a great choice to voice The Boss Baby and the titular character is head and shoulders the best character in the movie. The casting of Lisa Kudrow as the mum did confuse me, she is a fantastic comedy performer but she had zero comedic lines throughout the movie. Also Tobey Maguire had little voice time as the narrator and seemed a strange choice. But most confusing was the casting of Steve Buscemi as one of the main villains Francis Francis. It is the strongest example I can think of a voice not suiting the actual character. The way the character looks and the way he might sound just didn't suit Buscemi to me.
It is strange to me also that Hans Zimmer worked on the Soundtrack to this movie having been so used to his work on Inception and Interstellar. The ending song from Burt Bacharach is a very nice fit for this movie however.
Overall, this is a fun movie, does provide several laughs and with Baldwin on board I think the sequel will also be a hit. 7/10
Lucy (2014)
Writer Luc Besson, famous for Taken and Leon turns Scarlet Johansson into Sarah Connor
Lucy is a sci-fi, action movie written and directed by Luc Besson. The movie feels like it's split in two with the first half starting out fairly plausible and by the end of the movie grows into heavy CGI and sci-fi.
Luc Besson is famous for Taken, Leon, The Fifth Element and The Transporter. He is a very good writer. This film leans more towards The Fifth Element in its levels of sci-fi and plausibility but I personally believe Leon and Taken are his masterpieces.
The acting in the movie is good for an action movie, never likely to receive Oscar nods. I thought Min-Sik Choi was very good as the dictator boss and Morgan Freeman was his usual composed and impressive self as The Professor. Scarlet Johansson had some memorable scenes in the movie and she pulled off the change in her character superbly.
The way the film shows the origins of humanity and the development of time, particularly in the end sequence is very impressive and well done.
I was a little disappointed with the Soundtrack. I thought this movie could have done with something similar to the Drive Soundtrack or Tron...or even Terminator. Such distinguishable OST's from the action/sci-fi genre. But other than a few main scenes in the movie it lacked memorable backing.
This movie is very similar to The Terminator and has elements of The Matrix. In fact, during many scenes in the movie I thought that Scarlet Johansson reminded me of and would have made a great Sarah Connor when it was remade.
Overall, I would recommend this movie. It's an entertaining watch from a very creative writer and the plot is very interesting. 7/10
Halloween (2018)
A great ending to a great franchise
Halloween has always been a classic horror franchise. There's no doubt it has had dips in quality over the course of it's franchise but here it receives a fitting ending.
I must stress that by 'ending', I am referring to the end of this film. The beginnings of this movie did not fill me with much hope. In fact I was really worried they were going to produce the worst film yet.
The plot moved far too quickly. One of the first scenes is meeting Michael, soon after we catch up on the entire backstory of Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) in a couple of sentences. I just felt the writing could have been so much better. Not to mention the early dialogue, especially from the two journalists...played by Jefferson Hall and Rhian Ress. It was awful.
Fortunately, things improved. As ever the action scenes, if you can call them that, were very good. Jamie Lee Curtis pretty much is the blueprint in how to play the intense, scared yet fearless prey of the predator and the scenes with her and Michael in the house were some of the best scenes from not just this movie but the entire franchise.
I also must mention an unknown gem in the movie. That is the child actor Jibrail Nantambu. This kid is going to be a star. He was funny, believable and an outstanding actor for such a young age. He had relatively short screen time as the kid with his babysitter but he was excellent.
I thought they could have done a lot more with the plot here. So many interesting things could have been done with the Dr.Sartain character and slight twist. Despite that, I thought the ending was good and a fitting way to end the franchise. It scrapes a 7 based on the ending and the nostalgia that comes with all things Halloween and Michael Myers.
Short Term 12 (2013)
Great Acting in an absorbing drama
Short Term 12 is a powerful and moving drama that leaves you with warm feelings on conclusion. It depicts the personal struggles of a group of teenagers in supported care and their carers.
Dramas of this sort can sometimes leave you feeling gloomy and have a depressing feel. It certainly has dark moments of personal struggle, dealing in mental health, domestic abuse, self harm and suicide but the standard of acting and ending of the movie most definitely leave you feeling positive.
What stands out most about this film however is the cast. There are several strong performances even from the supporting cast with minor screen time.
Brie Larson in the lead role excels. A breakout performance in a slow moving drama. One particular scene that comes to mind is the scene with Frantz Turner playing Jack. The outburst is a culmination of her protecting Jayden (played very well by Kaitlyn Dever) who she has begun to understand
and create a close bond with, along with her own personal life frustrations. It is Jayden and not her boyfriend, despite his attempts, who allow Grace to open
up and deal with her own personal struggles and her past.
John Gallagher Jnr, who I had not seen much of prior to this movie also puts in an understated performance as the caring and supporting boyfriend and provides a few moments of comedic relief throughout the drama. I should also mention his scene at his foster family birthday celebration. The scene is only short but the emotion he displays in saying thank you to his foster parents was powerful.
This is also one of the early roles for Rami Malek, who has now gone on like Brie to much more significant roles. He doesn't have much screen time
in this and no particular scenes of note.
Other than Brie however I believe Lakeith Stanfield as Marcus puts in the best performance. His backstory doesn't get as much time as Jayden and it is
less central to the plot of the film which is mainly the Grace/Jayden/Mason arc, but all of his scenes are very strong and he is very believable.