The Green Knight (2021)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Green Knight (2021) – D. Lowery

I do have a soft spot in my heart for Boorman’s Excalibur (1981), so when I heard that director David Lowery (A Ghost Story, 2017) was making a film of another Arthurian legend (from the 14^th century poem), I thought I may as well check it out (on an Amazon Prime free trial). And Lowery’s evocation of the medieval milieu does not disappoint (kudos to cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo and the art and design team). The story itself begins with a flourish – King Arthur’s layabout nephew Gawain (Dev Patel) is called to a Christmas dinner with the King where a mysterious Green Knight offers a challenge: anyone who dares can strike him but will have to receive a matching blow in return one year hence at the Green Chapel. Gawain takes up the challenge (borrowing Arthur’s sword – presumably Excalibur itself) and hacks off the knight’s head (presumably to prove himself in the eyes of the assembled knights/king/queen). Surprisingly, the Green Knight picks up his head, laughs, and tells Gawain he will see him next Christmas. The year passes quickly and the bulk of the movie follows Gawain on his journey to meet his fate. It’s a slow and dreamlike journey (with little action-adventure to speak of). He meets a few mysterious characters along the way, has some unusual or unfortunate episodes, and, well – he isn’t your usual hero. A magic belt that will protect its owner from any blow is his only protection, a fig leaf for his courage, if he can hold onto it. I won’t spoil the ending but suffice it to say that in the guise of telling a tale of yore, Lowery is really asking big questions about life’s purpose and about our expectations about bravery, success, and perhaps masculinity. Although the answers are far from clear here, one suspects that Lowery sees the classical values as misguided.

 

Candyman (2021)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

Candyman (2021) – N. Da Costa

I never have watched the original 1992 film (nor any of its sequels) – but this Jordan Peele produced film, directed by Nia DaCosta, seemed like it could hold promise. The interweaving of genre tropes and black history/black anger that Peele’s community has produced manages to have enough bite (often positioned as satire) while also ticking the horror check-boxes (Get Out, 2017, is the standout film, of course). Unfortunately, this update/call-and-response to Candyman does not really make the grade. The idea that the murderous ghost with a hook for a hand (summoned by saying his name five times in front of a mirror) is actually the embodiment of the collective black deaths at the hands of whites (cops or otherwise) is a good idea. The shadow puppets that act out the historical events (including from the 92 film) are ace.  I also liked the contrast between the art world (where Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris live and conjure up the ghost) and the Cabrini-Green housing project (where the Candyman originated). But seeing the abandoned rowhouses from that notorious ghetto now brought me right back to Frederick Wiseman’s Public Housing (actually shot in the Ida B. Wells projects, also Chicago) – true horror.  (Startling to find out now that Good Times (the 70s sitcom starring Jimmie Walker) took place in Cabrini-Green -- a subtheme here about white appropriation/appreciation of black culture might cast light on that). Unfortunately, DaCosta’s film doesn’t quite maintain a coherent plot (perhaps I should have watched the first film) and, even at only 90 minutes, seems to have superfluous scenes and characters. The body-horror sure is gross though.  

 

A White, White Day (2019)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

A White, White Day (2019) – H. Pálmason

Ingvar Sigurdsson stars as Ingimundur, a widower grandfather and ex-policeman, grieving for his recently deceased wife. He’s stoic and devotes himself to building a house in a remote and scenic part of the country (Iceland). Director Hlynur Pálmason employs static shots of this house at different times of the day and different seasons to convey the sense of time passing. There is some beautiful camerawork here and mesmerising shots and vistas. Ingimundur is seeing a psychologist (and not very forthcoming) but only gradually do we realise that he has been obsessing over some thoughts about his wife’s possible infidelity. The actions he takes are not rational but they are emotionally consistent. Call it toxic masculinity, if you will, and he is not the only man marred by this in the film.  It's slow cinema but eventually the film crescendos with violence, an awkward almost embarrassing violence (made more so because it’s witnessed by Ingimundur’s 8 year old granddaughter). The ending is open to interpretation but may suggest that for men of a certain constricted type, there may be no peace without a full-throttled defence of their (precarious) masculinity.

 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) – D. D. Cretton

Not a Marvel fan myself, but this entry seemed to have a few things going for it, so we checked it out.  It’s always good to see some cultural diversity in Hollywood, so the all-Asian cast was a drawcard. Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love) and Michelle Yeoh (Police Story 3: Supercop) are always worth seeing. Personally, I don’t mind Awkwafina (but I’ve only ever seen her in films), present here for comic relief, mostly. The plot is an interesting blend of tough modern action and historical fantasy (both with martial arts). Simu Liu plays Shaun/Shang-Chi who left China at age 15, fleeing his violent father (Leung, who adds nuance to his role) after his mother has died, leaving his sister behind.  We meet him 10 or 15 years later, working as an auto valet in San Francisco (with co-worker Awkwafina) and totally Clark Kent-like – until a gang of menacing guys attacks him on a moving bus (nod to Jackie Chan and Speed -- but a lot more CGI) and he buffs up and we learn his backstory. The film then shifts to Macau and then shifts again to a hidden village trapped in time and fantasy. Along the way, the story develops more and more outlandish elements until people are riding on dragons and fighting soul-sucking beasts.  I stayed with it as much as I could – about ¾ -- before it was just all kooky CGI and the usual battle between good and evil with the uplifting finale. I’ll admit I probably didn’t get any of the Marvel references (who is Benedict Wong supposed to be?) but this was mostly fun.

 

Alucarda (1977)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

Alucarda (1977) – J. L. Moctezuma

Psychotronic insanity here. Horror but not scary. Exploitation, for sure, but not leering (despite the plentiful nudity). After her parents are killed, Justine is sent to a convent/girl’s school where she falls under the influence of Alucarda, another girl who is too curious for her own good.  In the woods, they meet a satyr-like man (with billy goat beard) who may actually be Satan himself. After an orgy (and lesbian tryst) they shock the nuns with a Satanic pledge. In response, the nuns organise an exorcism for Justine – but it goes horribly wrong. Soon everyone is covered in blood (some also naked), Alucarda is summoning demons, Justine is murderous, and nuns are dying left and right. You’ve got to marvel at the sheer craziness on display and the willingness for all involved to go for the gusto.  Mexican director Moctezuma captures something weird here, using limited resources to good effect – of course, it’s not for the easily offended.

 

Naked Alibi (1954)

 ☆ ☆ ☆

Naked Alibi (1954) – J. Hopper

This B-noir feels very studio-bound, beginning with the police department and city streets of the generic US city (presumably California) where we first see a belligerent drunk (Gene Barry) being questioned by a few cops. He starts a fight but is released when they are able to ID him as a citizen, Al Willis, with no previous arrests. Police chief Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) briefly observes the event but only later, when one of the cops is murdered, does he figure the drunk as his key suspect. After harassing him a bit, Conroy loses his job and his badge but still pursues Willis to Border City (likely Tijuana).  The film manages to keep us uncertain about whether Conroy is psycho or Willis is guilty.  Hayden provides a typical cool (almost one-note) performance and soon, we know he’s right, as Willis is leading a double life, with a girlfriend (played by Gloria Grahame), unknown to his wife, south of the border.  Her singing is terribly dubbed, but she’s the same smart but resigned cookie we’ve seen in other noirs.  She helps Conroy – but he’s still left walking into the Mexican darkness at the end.  Just okay.

 

The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Whistle at Eaton Falls (1951) – R. Siodmak

You really don’t see too many films that try to tackle the complexity of labor-management relations but this recently revived Robert Siodmak gem does so incisively. Lloyd Bridges plays Brad Adams, the head of Union Local 145 at Doubleday Plastics in (fictional) Eaton Falls, New Hampshire (shot in Portsmouth and neighbouring towns!).  When the kindly head of the company approaches him about serious budget problems and the cost-cutting necessary, he is willing to brainstorm ideas but resistant to job cuts required if the factory is going to upgrade its machinery.  Then, suddenly, the company president is killed in an accident and his widow (Dorothy Gish) names Adams as his replacement. This creates a conflict with his old mates when he inherits the same desperate budget situation. To make things worse, a rebel union member is really stirring everyone up AND the company’s old production manager (now at a competitor) is undermining Adams’ authority and encouraging rebellion.  Only a few familiar faces (Ernest Borgnine!) appear in the cast of mostly unknowns, lending authenticity in addition to the location shooting. Of course, the film’s Hollywood ending belies the real historical narrative about unions and their relationships with corporations in the US and globally, but it feels genuinely earned and also fittingly precarious.