The Head (2020)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Head (2020) – D. Pastor & A. Pastor

Six-episode miniseries set in Antarctica that plays like a classic whodunit, although with a bit more visceral violence than in the Hollywood fare of the thirties or forties.  This is an international co-production, although mostly in English.  Basically, a group of 7 or 8 scientists seeking a cure for global warming (in the form of a bacterium that absorbs CO₂) are isolated down there during the long dark winter.  Their radio goes dead and so a search party arrives to find out what has gone wrong, including the leader of the summer team who is married to one of the scientists on the winter team.  There is one survivor, Maggie Mitchell (Katharine O’Donnelly) and all of the rest of the crew are dead or missing – she is suffering from T3 and traumatic shock but gradually remembers the details of what happened (which we see in flashback from start to finish across the episodes).  At all times, she is treated as a potentially unreliable narrator, particularly when another survivor materialises and offers a conflicting story.  It is all very suspenseful, although like the serials of yore, there is a bit of a formula leading to cliffhanger endings for each episode or at least momentous discoveries just before the credits roll.  At the end of the first episode, in flashback, we see the crew discover that one of their members has been killed and decapitated (hence the series title), for example.  The backstory has a little to do with the politics of research but it’s only a backstory and the real plot unfolds as we learn about each character and their possible motives for wanting others dead. But the central protagonist here is probably the hostile environment, which dominates everything and provides constraints for everyone’s actions.  It all comes together rather predictably in the final episode (of course) but there are still twists to reckon with (of course).  In the end, I did feel compelled to watch and the conclusion is mostly satisfying – but perhaps it’s not much more than solid genre fare, which is something I certainly need during these challenging times.  

 

Extra Ordinary (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Extra Ordinary (2019) – M. Ahern & E. Loughman

 I’m sure this Irish horror-comedy is a cult classic in-the-making, particularly because it eschews gore and has a tender feeling for its misfit characters.  The comedy is goofy, sometimes adult, and often pretty funny.  The horror is not really to be taken seriously either.  The plot, for all its ridiculousness, fits together very neatly.  Maeve Higgins plays a driving school instructor with the ability to contact and exorcise unruly ghosts (the kind who possess recycling bins, for example); however, she doesn’t want to use her powers due to a tragedy in her past.  Yet when poor Martin Martin (Barry Ward) requires her assistance, not to exorcise his nagging ex-wife’s ghost but to rescue his teen daughter from becoming a virgin sacrifice in the Satanic rites of pompous muso Christian Winter (hilarious Will Forte), she yields.  What follows is a silly set of anecdotes as they exorcise and collect ectoplasm from ghosts around their community (cue character actors).  The finale employs real special effects to hit things home, sealing the deal.  Often these sorts of genre offerings flop somewhere along the line but happily this one holds together all the way through.  Recommended!

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Sisters Brothers (2018) – J. Audiard

The most immediately noticeable thing about The Sisters Brothers is the cinematography by Benoît Debie (who has worked with Gaspar Noe and Harmony Korine) – each shot seems to include possibly only natural light – patches of sunlight by day and candlelight and other time-period relevant sources by night (although this may be an illusion and not an record-breaking achievement like Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon). Beyond that, there is the powerhouse acting by John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed – no slouches here – with Reilly getting the lion’s share of the run-time and the most well-rounded character.  He’s the older Sisters brother, an outlaw working for the Commodore with his violent younger brother (Phoenix), following tracker John Morris (Gyllenhaal) who is meant to capture chemist Herman Warm (Ahmed) who has devised a formula for making gold nuggets glow in the water for easy picking by prospectors.  The Commodore wants the brothers to torture Ahmed to get the secret formula but clearly Reilly’s character no longer has his heart in this work.  So, it’s a Western set on the Pacific coast, with its adventure moving from Oregon down to San Francisco.  The four men have their own psychological profiles (and goals) which director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet) provides time to explore while still keeping the action moving and the Western tropes alive.  It’s a good film, particularly with its final coda (shot miraculously in one continuous take), but somehow it doesn’t achieve maximum elevation.

 

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) – J. J. Abrams

It is tempting to compare what director J. J. Abrams has delivered in this final instalment of the Star Wars saga to what could have been – and you would invariably be disappointed (as many or most viewers were).  Instead, it may be more fruitful to think about the pleasures that the film does offer.  So, if, like me, you saw the first Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope) when you were 9 or 10 years old, what would you be hoping for now? If you were the director, what would you include?  Abrams (born 1966) probably found himself exactly in this situation.  So, when he directed Episode VII: The Force Awakens, he set about recreating the plot of the 1977 film, albeit with new protagonists (Daisy Ridley as Rey is the new Luke etc.) but also bringing back the original actors from the first trilogy to play key cameo roles in the new film.  I enjoyed that “remake” myself.  But now, in his second go at Star Wars, could Abrams really use the same formula again?  The answer is yes.  So, we do see some older actors returning to reprise their roles (surprises included) and we get some nods to the past (Luke lifts his x-wing out of the swamp…finally) and some retreads (what! Another bar with aliens in it?).  The Rebels have to fight the Empire/First Order/Final Order all over again – and guess what? They win.  (Sorry for the spoiler).  As in the earlier films, generational conflict is the main subtext – we know that Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is the son of Han Solo (Harrison Ford, appearing as a force ghost) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher appearing in footage found on the cutting room floor from Episode VII sadly repurposed).  He’s turned to the dark side and wants to take Rey with him – but will he prevail?  And what about Rey’s own family tree?  In this film, we do discover her lineage.  However, and here’s where we shouldn’t be tempted, not much tension or even exploration is made about these discoveries and conflicts.  They are just another cog in the plot mechanics, which, it must be said, move swiftly from one action sequence to another.  Truly, the art direction and special effects look amazing (the wreckage of the original Death Star!).  But, but, but, the result feels hollow inside (nowhere worse than the nonresponsive Carrie Fisher slotted into interactions with live actors), with the schematic plot structure designed only to connect the action sequences and to allow Abrams and his team to slot in the various required memes (“I’ve got a bad feeling about this”, death of pivotal characters, etc.).  I say this as someone for whom the original trilogy was something special (and who mostly skipped the prequel trilogy or forgot about it) – but how would children growing up now feel about these films? Would they love the new characters played by Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley, as much as we loved Han, Leia, and Luke? I suspect not, but hey, it’s Disney’s franchise now and they certainly know how to make a buck.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

An American Werewolf in London (1981) – J. Landis

Although there is seemingly an endless supply of 21^st century horror films, reading the reviews suggests that there are few diamonds in the mine (and I’ve watched them already – but please, tell me if I’m wrong).  So, I’ve returned to the past, to a film I vaguely remember.  As it turns out, it is only average (an easy watch) but notable for blending horror with light comedy, I guess (director John Landis made his mark in that other genre).  David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are hiking in northern England when they are attacked by a wolf creature and Jack is killed.  Predictably, David shows some unusual symptoms and when the full moon arrives, we get some Rick Baker special make-up effects.  For 1981, these are pretty good.  But the plot has nowhere to turn, as love interest Jenny Agutter tries helplessly to save David.  One interesting angle not found in other films in this genre: when innocents are killed by a werewolf, they must forever walk the Earth in limbo, gradually decomposing, and visible only to the werewolf (and each other). But I still prefer the Lon Chaney Jr. film.

  

Searching (2018)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Searching (2018) – A. Chaganty

In fact, the gimmick here works pretty smoothly – all images are mediated through computer screens (that is, social media, facetime, news broadcasts, security cameras, etc.).  Director Aneesh Chaganty (in his feature debut) keeps things moving along with one clue to the disappearance of teenager Margot Kim (Michelle La) after another in reasonably rapid succession and through a variety of different online methods.  John Cho plays the distraught dad, who hasn’t kept up with his daughter’s activities as well as he could, after his wife/her mum died of cancer.  Debra Messing is the police detective assigned to the case.  I wasn’t bored but after all was said and done, perhaps this is just an enjoyable thriller and nothing deeper (the fact that we all engage in so much screen time now and leave so many traces of ourselves is hardly surprising). Interestingly, only a couple of years later, the technology already feels a bit out-of-date – but I’m not an Apple person, so perhaps that’s it. 

Panic in the Streets (1950)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Panic in the Streets (1950) – E. Kazan

Richard Widmark is the Public Health Service doctor who discovers a case of Pneumonic Plague (cousin of the Bubonic variety but sounding a lot like Coronavirus – it’s transmitted through the air) in a murder victim in New Orleans. The next step is contact tracing – which is hard because the body has not been identified (and is immediately cremated). Widmark contacts the Mayor who orders the police (led by Paul Douglas) to start a search.  Of course, WE know that the victim was an illegal immigrant who arrived by ship, because we see him lose a poker game, flee and get killed by Blackie (Jack Palance in his frightening debut) and his simpering flunky (Zero Mostel).  To avoid panic (and those contagious fleeing to other parts of the USA), Widmark advises the city to keep the presence of the virus under wraps.  The result, as directed by Elia Kazan, is one pulse-pounding night as the heroes desperately track the killers before it’s too late. Any similarities to present day events stop short because they have a vaccine for the plague in this movie and simply give everyone exposed a quick hypodermic.  Also, they manage to avoid hundreds of thousands of deaths – a consequence mentioned explicitly.  But otherwise, yeah, it’s pretty scary.

Ball of Fire (1941)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Ball of Fire (1941) – H. Hawks

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve always found Gary Cooper to be a bit stiff – he isn’t my favourite lead actor from the period.  But in this picture he plays a naïve and rather wooden English Professor, so perhaps he’s apt – but his portrayal does slow down the pace of what is designed to be a screwball comedy.  In contrast, Barbara Stanwyck is wondrous (she was nominated for an Oscar, as was Billy Wilder for writing the screenplay) as the trashy nightclub singer who Cooper wants to study to collect slang for the encyclopedia he is writing with seven other professors.  She comes to live with them (á la Snow White), mostly to hide from the cops who are seeking her to testify as a witness against her gangster boyfriend (Dana Andrews).  However, because wives can’t testify against their husbands, said boyfriend is suddenly ready for marriage – but, you know, in screwball comedy, you can’t quite predict who will marry who!  The seven character actors playing the professors are fun, but director Howard Hawks has produced other screwballs with more laughs (and chaos) than this one.

 

Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) – V. Minnelli

Ten years on, director Vincente Minnelli, writer Charles Schnee, and star Kirk Douglas try to recapture the bite of their earlier successful insider slam of Hollywood’s moral failings (The Bad and the Beautiful, 1952) with this spiritual successor.  Here, Douglas plays a washed up actor (Jack Andrus) who is contacted in the sanitorium by his former director Maurice Kruger, played by Edward G. Robinson, who is now also past his creative peak and working in Italy (at Cinecitta, no less).  It isn’t clear why Kruger calls Andrus but once he arrives in Italy, the histrionics begin.  Andrus is confronted by his ex-wife (Cyd Charisse) also in Rome and ready to become reacquainted despite being on the arm of a rich industrialist.  Andrus finds solace in the arms of Veronica, the girlfriend of the film’s self-destructive star, Davie Drew (George Hamilton).  Although Kruger ultimately decides that Andrus won’t appear onscreen (he is asked to supervise the dubbing), a sudden heart attack gives Andrus a second chance.  But can anyone forgive his narcissistic past? Claire Trevor also appears as Kruger’s wife who variously attacks and defends him.  So, it is all a bit soapy, occasionally over-the-top, sad in its knowingness about the arc of Hollywood careers, but not sharp enough to really be satisfying.    

  

The Good Liar (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

The Good Liar (2019) – B. Condon

Given the presence of Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, I had high hopes that this tale of an elderly con-man swindling (not quite so) defenceless old widows would have some spark to it.  The acting is indeed strong but somehow let down by Bill Condon’s middling direction which fails to fully grasp the darkness in the plot.  Things get very disturbing, yes, but I feel that the horror of the events depicted could have hit home more fully through some different choices; there is less edge here than expected and that may be a calculated choice to appeal to audiences who appreciate more comfortable film fare.  Of course, the plot does telegraph the fact that Mirren’s character is craftier than she appears – that’s part of the suspense, as we wait for her to turn the tables on McKellen.  But the deeper themes that arise from knowing the characters’ history don’t seem to me to be fully explored, leaving the actors, as great as they are, hanging out in a difficult position trying to reveal all this explication on their faces over some rather banal dialogue.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a perfectly passable evening’s entertainment – it’s just that I had hoped for more.

Illustrious Corpses (1976)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Illustrious Corpses (1976) – F. Rosi

I’ve been delighted to discover that there are seemingly endless choices of films starring Lino Ventura as a weary police inspector (competing with his portrayals of gangsters under stress).  So, when I heard about this Italian offering from director Francesco Rosi, I tracked it down but could not find a matching subtitle file (and instead watched it with subtitles trailing the spoken word by about 90 seconds – adding considerable confusion).  The plot sees Ventura investigating the murder of an Italian High Court judge which quickly turns into a series of murders of judges on the bench.  The clues start to lead into a political direction at which point Ventura gets cautioned by his superiors – you know the drill.  However, you might not expect where the film goes next and I won’t spoil the rather downbeat conclusion.  Suffice it to say that the ending makes the film, although everything looks quite beautiful in Italy as shot by Pasqualino De Santis.  Even with (or especially with) problematic subtitles, I still can’t get over the Italian habit of post-synched sound though… but I guess it solves the problem of having Max von Sydow feature as the Chief Justice of the High Court (unless he speaks Italian).

 

All These Women (1964)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

All These Women (1964) – I. Bergman

Rather weird Bergman comedy, his first film in colour -- which some argue is his response to Fellini’s 8 ½ while others maintain it is his worst film ever.  I wouldn’t go that far but the plot about a famous cellist (always offscreen) besieged by a critic/biographer and surrounded by both wife and mistresses does offer a faint echo of the Italian maestro.  Clearly Bergman is trying to poke some fun at himself while also lashing out at those who might judge him. Jarl Kulle (also seen in The Devil’s Eye) plays the critic as a sort of Daffy Duck, always winding up with egg on his face, engaged in one slapstick moment after another.  He lusts after all these women (including Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, and Eva Dahlbeck) and suggests that he will write a “tell-all” biography, unless the cellist plays the critics own composition on his next radio program.  Oh yes, and it is set in the 1920s with stereotypic costumes, hairstyles, and music:  prominently “Yes, We Have No Bananas”. It’s variously naughty, stagey, boring, and curious, but definitely not canonical.   

The Ωmega Man (1971)

 ☆ ☆ ½

The Ωmega Man (1971) – B. Sagal

If I wasn’t already familiar with the Vincent Price version of Richard Matheson’s novella “I am Legend” (entitled The Last Man on Earth, 1964), then perhaps I would have enjoyed this Charlton Heston version a bit more. There are some differences in the plotlines with Heston battling a religious cult of albino survivors of a virus spread by biological warfare and Price dealing with more traditional zombies (also created by a virus). Perhaps, yes, the middle of a pandemic is not the right time to watch this – or perhaps it is an especially right time?  Whereas Price had to contend with family members and former friends turning into zombies, Heston is more of a lone gun (foreshadowing his NRA affiliation?), a military scientist now on a vendetta to destroy the mutant cult.  Both are safe during the day (roaming the burnt-out city and “stealing” supplies) but in danger at night (when their foes wake up and attack). The very Seventies atmosphere here, including relevant cultural talking points such as an inter-racial love affair, made me think of TV shows like the Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, or similar – the special effects and costumes are, uh, that good. But at the end of the day, for all its weirdness, the Ωmega Man just isn’t as good as the similarly low budget (though B&W) earlier film.  

 

True Detective (Season 3, 2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

True Detective (Season 3, 2019) – N. Pizzolatto

Watching the third season of True Detective has left me with an uneasy feeling.  Of course, any drama/thriller about abducted children is bound to do that -- and also raise questions about whether there is entertainment value to be found in such a horror.  Worse, the show seems to lean toward suggesting that there could be pedophile rings that include members of the rich and powerful in society, a conspiracy theory that has attracted attention with the rise of QAnon and similar groups that thrive on sowing discord and confusion. No need to add more fuel to that dumpster fire, please.  Points about the way that the rich can get a free pass are well taken however (especially as compared to the fates of those who are poor or stigmatised). The plot finds Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali), a Vietnam vet turned police detective, stuck in a rut, reliving the same (child abduction) case over and over, beginning in 1980, then again in 1990 when the case is re-opened, and finally in 2015, when suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, he is interviewed about the case by, yes, a conspiracy theorist.  The bouts of dementia mean that Hays is partly living in the past in his memories, which viewers get to see, such that it is never entirely clear how objective our information is (although some scenes that do not involve Hays are included, so who knows?).  The cast is rounded out by his partner (Stephen Dorff), with whom there is conflict and camaraderie, and his wife (Carmen Ejogo), who writes a book about the case, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.  The writers slowly dole out the clues and character developments across the 8 episodes, often showing us consequences before we see their cause – but at the end of the day, the big reveal is somewhat less than it could have been and we are left with a fantasy finale that can’t possibly be true.  The strong acting carries the day but I left feeling rather dissatisfied…and uneasy.