Archive for October, 2020

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Posted in Comedy with tags on October 29, 2020 by Mark Hobin

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Unofficially this is Borat 2, but officially the unadulterated title of this effort is Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. The silly title is one of the funniest jokes. This is of course the sequel to Borat, a movie that came out in 2006.

It’s more of the same. If you’re familiar with his schtick, actor Sacha Baron Cohen interacts with the public as the Borat character to get them to say and do embarrassing things. The “story” here is that Borat journeys to America to offer his daughter Tutar as a gift to Vice President Mike Pence in order to redeem Kazakhstan in the eyes of America. Why not the president? Because apparently, he couldn’t get close enough to make him a part of this production. Although Cohen wears a Trump disguise in one segment. Mike Pence briefly appears unflappable from afar. Sasha Baron Cohen can no longer dupe individuals as Borat. He’s too recognizable. The script acknowledges this fact early on so he dons other disguises to portray individuals on the sidelines. As such, the real star is actress Maria Bakalova who plays Borat’s daughter. She is absolutely fearless in her pursuit of comedy. She displays some genuine acting chops in the process as well. Her admirable commitment to the role is a high point.

Comedy is extremely subjective. This is a slapdash effort where most of the antics revolve around cringe-inducing humor. Targets include a cosmetic surgeon, a pastry chef, QAnon conspiracy theorists, and a debutante coach. Some — like the baker for example — appear to be in on the joke. She decorates a chocolate cake at his behest with the phrase “the Jews will not replace us.” She looks amused. In other sketches, the victims practically go out of their way to put Sacha Baron Cohen at ease after he exhibits demeaning antics. It doesn’t speak well of your comedy when you actually feel sorry for the patsy. A particularly disgusting moment involves a father-daughter dance at a debutante ball. That’s all I’ll reveal about that gross-out scene but consider yourself warned.

There’s really no way to truly review a work like this for the masses. The barometer for me: Is it funny? The short answer is no. While there are a few amusing gags here and there, I didn’t laugh much. A lot has changed since the first film came out 14 years ago. Borat is no longer shocking. Before Cohen was satirizing America in the age of George W Bush. Now it’s Donald Trump where people openly say and do things on social media that are far more scandalous. Furthermore, we currently live in an America where people on both sides of the political spectrum are murdered for espousing their beliefs. There is nothing presented here that is as outrageous as what’s routinely on the nightly news. The complexity of our current political climate demands a more cogent satire. This movie is content to simply mock American cluelessness. Business as usual isn’t enough.

10-23-20

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Possessor

Posted in Drama, Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller with tags on October 22, 2020 by Mark Hobin

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Possessor is brutal. This is horror with the mischievous intent to disturb. I’m not surprised. It’s precisely what I would expect from the son of David Cronenberg. Brandon’s last effort was Antiviral which came out almost a decade ago in 2012. His belated follow-up concerns the degeneration of the human mind. It honors repellent gore at the expense of a compelling plot. Visually it’s a stunner though. Brandon Cronenberg includes all of the superficial affectations that make his father’s work fascinating, but he forgets the fact that story and character development matter too.

Plotwise there isn’t a lot to discuss. Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is a “possessor.” She works as a contract killer whose consciousness is implanted into the body of a person close to the target in order to carry out an assassination. She receives her orders from Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a relentless boss without any moral qualms whatsoever. Tasya is instructed to kill billionaire John Parse (Sean Bean). To do so, she is embedded into the psyche of Colin Tate (Christopher Abbott), the boyfriend of John’s daughter, Ava (Tuppence Middleton). Despite Andrea Riseborough’s top billing, it is Christopher Abbott who occupies the bulk of the narrative. He’s a handsome fellow with a wooden personality that never displays any more than the bare minimum required to convey a human being. If he had been revealed to be a robot at the end, his impassivity would’ve made perfect sense.

Possessor isn’t a complicated film. The saga details a murder gone wrong. Yet a science fiction milieu has been grafted onto a simplistic outline that travels at a snail’s pace. The futuristic cyberpunk vibe elevates the atmosphere into something far more convoluted than the facade. I’m not saying the concept couldn’t have inspired something great. Christopher Nolan took the notion and made Inception — one of the greatest films of the past 10 years. Give the idea to the progeny of a famous filmmaker and you get lots of macabre ways to creatively kill people. As the body count grows, it’s apparent that Cronenberg is more interested in making people uncomfortable than telling an appealing story. This is a thoroughly repellent production that cruelly assaults the viewer without engaging our emotions. At least Karim Hussain’s cinematography imbues the carnage with an elegant sheen. It’s a testament to its style that this film has garnered some very positive reviews from the cognoscenti. I want substance however, and stomach-churning violence doesn’t qualify.

09-01-20

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The Trial of the Chicago 7

Posted in Crime, Drama, History with tags on October 19, 2020 by Mark Hobin

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is the most significant film of 2020. No, not really, but that’s how this solemn melodrama is presented. Incoming attorney general John Mitchell (John Doman) and his justice department have cooked up a case against a list of Richard Nixon’s enemies. To underscore the point, Mitchell even describes the litigation to prosecutor Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as “the most important trial of your lifetime.” This is a gloomy and academic courtroom drama from writer Aaron Sorkin who is a talented writer who knows a thing or two about such things. Nearly 3 decades ago he gave us A Few Good Men which is a classic I truly adore. I was primed to love this. Alas, this is my reflection on a disappointment.

Chicago 7 has value because it’s a true story. However, as the chronicle is detailed here, it wouldn’t exist solely a fictional work to be enjoyed. This is the depiction of an event from the past that seeks to instruct and enlighten. The account is based on the prosecution of a group of anti-Vietnam War protesters. They were charged with conspiracy to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. This timely tale “ripped from the headlines” seizes the current zeitgeist. As such, it’s been hyped as a major awards contender this year.

Aaron Sorkin is an exceptional writer. Of that, I am convinced. He won an Oscar for his screenplay for The Social Network which is brilliant. Although that picture was directed by David Fincher who imbued its aesthetic with spectacular style. This is only Sorkin’s 2nd time directing (Molly’s Game was the first) and I truly wish someone else had taken over those duties. While he has an ear for crackerjack conversation, he’s less attuned to what makes a compelling movie. He’s famous for fast-paced dialogue and extended monologues. The saga runs 130 minutes so you’re going to get a lot of those. Nevertheless, the delivery of those speeches is so traditional and dated. This feels like something you’d watch in school. There’s a frustratingly long opening montage that clumsily introduces the characters. Then there’s the actual lawsuit which is the bulk of the movie. Flashbacks are peppered into the narrative. These interstitials illustrate why these defendants are before the court. None of it is innovative or emotionally galvanizing. It simply exists to educate. This is your standard-issue Hollywood legal drama with the good guys clearly defined on one side and the bad guys on the other.

The sprawling cast is composed of unique casting choices. The “saints” include Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin, John Carroll Lynch as David Dellinger, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale. They all have vignettes that will play well in the highlight reel on Oscar night — should they get nominated, that is. That clearly is the goal. Civil rights lawyer William Kunstler who defends the Chicago Seven is the designated hero so he has several moments. Actor Mark Rylance sporting long hair, is quite affecting in the role. Now for the “sinners.” If there’s a performance that’s begging for a prize, it’s Frank Langella as Judge Julius Hoffman. Initially, I was inclined to hate him as the villain of the piece. His grumpy old man character glaringly represents the establishment. However, I gradually regarded his over-the-top histrionics as a reactionary as a welcome comedic break from all the serious talk. I savored his cranky behavior in his verbal exchanges with William Kunstler.

It all climaxes with a conventional checklist of some of the most hackneyed elements ever put forth on film. The ending literally features a slow clap with the music swelling and a stirring speech. I mean it’s as cliched as anything I’ve ever seen and it’s the last thing you’re left to think about before the credits roll. Some will relish the theatrics. Overall Chicago 7 has some great writing about a historical milestone, but as entertainment it came up short for me. Be that as it may, it is just the type of didactic, politically left learning portrait that Hollywood adores. Its heart-tugging specifying is designed to win accolades. I suspect this will be recognized when nominations are announced on March 15th. It is a wee bit amusing when lesser-known defendant John Froines (Danny Flaherty) wonders aloud as to why he and Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins) have been included. “This is the Academy Awards of protests,” Lee deadpans. “It’s an honor just to be nominated.” At least the movie is self-aware.

10-16-20

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Fast Film Reviews on talkSPORT radio

Posted in Podcast with tags on October 19, 2020 by Mark Hobin

I’m on the radio! The show is talkSPORT with Martin Kelner where I discuss movies. We chat about I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (Netflix). Click below. My segment begins 21 minutes into the 2:30-3:00 section (about 9 minutes from the end). Enjoy!

Click the link below and hit play:

Source: The world’s biggest sports radio station | talkSPORT

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The Wolf House

Posted in Animation, Drama, Horror with tags on October 15, 2020 by Mark Hobin

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The Wolf House (La Casa Lobo) is like a fairy tale out of the Brothers Grimm. The twisted fables collected by those German authors definitely had an edge. Yet this is even more unnerving. Striking! Innovative! Hypnotic! Bizarre! Mere adjectives aren’t enough to do it justice. If you’re familiar with the work of the Brothers Quay or Jan Švankmajer then you’ll have a reference point at least. For others, this will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Regardless, it will undoubtedly be the strangest movie you will see this year. This first premiered in February 2018 at the Berlin International Film Festival. Since then it has won a slew of awards and garnered widespread critical acclaim. It finally received a release in May 2020 in the U.S.

Maria (Amalia Kassai) is a young woman who escapes from a German community in the south of Chile. She takes refuge in a mysterious house in the woods. From that seed of an idea, emerges a stop motion animated tableau that is an unforgettable display of creative ingenuity. Her thoughts progressively infect the walls of the dwelling in which she lives. The surfaces come to life in a nightmarish vision. The Wolf House is a living, breathing physical room that is a painstakingly created tactile world. The art installation combines papier-mâché, puppets, sculptures, paintings, and other artistic methods to create scenes that were staged and photographed in various galleries throughout the world. This was accomplished over the course of several years in full view of the public. Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña are artists turned filmmakers with a series of shorts to their credit. This is their first feature and judging by the warm response, not their last.

This dark tale has its roots in a very sinister reality. Paul Schäfer was a Nazi sergeant that ultimately fled Germany after he was charged with pedophilia. He escaped to South America and it was there that he formed Colonia Dignidad (Dignity Colony), an isolated cult in the Andean foothills of eastern Chile. It was portrayed to the public as a bucolic agrarian utopia but was in fact closer to an authoritarian Nazi police state. Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet used the colony as a detention camp to torture and execute political prisoners.

There are moments contained within this account I will never forget. Despite its disturbing inspiration, nothing presented is even remotely gory or violent. However, the eerie mood gradually works its way into your psyche and the effect can be unsettling. The narrative opens with an indoctrination video of an idyllic residence where the inhabitants live off the land in perfect harmony. The propaganda confers the settlement in a positive light. Supernatural developments ensue. Early on Maria finds two escaped pigs and she mothers them until they turn into human children. However, the ensuing production is not dependent on plot. Maria’s shoddy little shack is a constantly evolving nightmare of shapes and images. I sat there gobsmacked by the spectacle. During the chronicle, “the wolf” (Rainer Krause) is a foreboding presence that haunts Maria even after she escapes. His disembodied but seductive voice intones: “Maria…..Maria…..Maria.” He beckons her to return. It still gives me the chills.

09-03-20

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American Murder: The Family Next Door

Posted in Crime, Documentary with tags on October 11, 2020 by Mark Hobin

Rating: 3 out of 5.

True crime documentaries are all the rage. Nowhere is this more evident than on Netflix. Recent titles include: Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, and Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. As you can see, “killers” seem to be a focus. The list goes on and on. There are hundreds of titles available. The genre has become something of a cottage industry for the streaming service. This latest one was released on September 30 and quickly captured the public curiosity as it immediately shot to #1. This one is particularly haunting. The documentary does a great job of explaining “what” happened. It’s the “why” that left me confused.

The chronicle concerns the disappearance of Shan’ann Watts and her beautiful daughters: 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. She was also nearly 4 months pregnant at the time with her son Nico. Shan’ann was a big user of social media. She posted photos and videos online often to document her life. Director Jenny Popplewell utilizes this archival footage to construct an intriguing story. From the outside, it appears that she had an attractive picture-perfect family with husband Chris and daughters living in Colorado, but as we delve deeper, two extremely unhappy people within a disintegrating marriage are revealed.

This is a disturbing window into the annihilation of a family. Text messages between Shan’ann and her best friend are displayed across the screen popping up like real discussions back and forth. They discuss intimate matters and we are eavesdropping. I felt a little uneasy reading these confidential particulars. It’s a tragedy that Shan’ann is no longer around to object, so I sadly acknowledge they’re more like evidence at this point than a private chat. They do shed some light. Her fabulous marriage by all outward appearances wasn’t wonderful. She too is baffled by her increasingly distant husband. The portrait also highlights the idea that reality vs. an online persona can be wildly different things. Given that this largely details a police investigation, it effectively presents the facts, emphasizing certain developments, the subsequent procedural, and how they were able to secure a confession. The underlying psychology behind the murder is less clear. It feels incomplete. Perhaps that is a question that cannot be answered. However, the eerie feeling remains long after this unsettling account is over.

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Fast Film Reviews on talkSPORT radio

Posted in Podcast on October 10, 2020 by Mark Hobin

I’m on the radio! The show is talkSPORT with Martin Kelner where I discuss movies. We chat about MULAN which is now streaming on Disney+. Click below. My segment begins 23 minutes into the 2:30-3:00 section (about 7 minutes from the end). Enjoy!

Click the link below and hit play:

Source: The world’s biggest sports radio station | talkSPORT

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Tenet

Posted in Action, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller on October 5, 2020 by Mark Hobin

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

I feel I must acknowledge right from the beginning that Tenet was supposed to be the movie that would “save” cinema by inspiring people back into theaters. It didn’t. There was reason to think it would flourish. 10 years ago, the thematically similar Inception made nearly $300 million in the U.S. alone. Unfortunately, Tenet isn’t anywhere near as good. Don’t get me wrong. I liked the film and honestly, it was a success everywhere else in the world. Its poor showing at the U.S. box office has a lot more to do with the fact that many markets, including the two largest (New York, Los Angeles) weren’t even open when it was released on September 3.

In retrospect, a talky and confusing spy thriller from the creative imagination of Christopher Nolan wasn’t the best choice to welcome people back into theaters. There are those who will demand the astonishing visuals must be seen on the biggest screen available. They are indeed breathtaking. However, I’m here to say that this feature will probably find its greatest victory at home where viewers can pause and re-rewind to their heart’s content to fully comprehend Christopher Nolan’s impenetrable screenplay. Audiences have also complained that the dialogue can be hard to hear. I didn’t have a problem with it but closed captioning will be a godsend for those who feel this way. Now let’s discuss the story.

A CIA agent (John David Washington) is recruited by an organization from the future called Tenet to save the world. A Russian oligarch named Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) is dying. He wants to use a device called an Algorithm which allows him to alter time. His doomsday plan is to invert the universe and have humanity die with him. The CIA officer contacts Andrei’s estranged wife Kat Barton (Elizabeth Debicki) to aid him in his task. Also assisting the “Protagonist” (he’s not given a name) is Neil (Robert Pattinson), his handler in the mission. Of course that’s simplifying things considerably. The plot isn’t straightforward, but that’s all you need to know. This is the mind of Christopher Nolan where he complicates the notion of time travel with a facility called a Turnstile that uses red and blue rooms to invert and revert a traveler’s path. Whatever.

Nolan is obsessed with time. I submit Memento, Inception, and Interstellar as exhibits A, B, and C. It’s his fetish, and Tenet furthers that obsession. He would rather articulate how time travel could occur with verbose specificity and then manipulate that idea even further to the point of nonsense. He exploits that theorem as an excuse to create nifty setpieces where multiple timelines exist concurrently. Time is moving ahead in one chronology and reversed in another simultaneously right before our eyes. I’d argue that the mechanism of time travel never holds up intellectually. Once you accept that principle, the easier it will be to champion any movie that employs that concept.

Suspend your desire to understand the baffling exposition. Simply delight in the sheer scale of the extravaganza that is presented. You will be satisfied. There are spectacles created within this environment that are too beautiful to dismiss. A shootout at the opera, a fistfight in a hallway, a plane crash at an airport, a reverse car chase, and the climax when the protagonist is inverted and he goes back in time while another team is advancing forward. It is is a vivid action display that is easily the most thrilling sequence of the year. Buildings collapsing, coming back together, and exploding again is a sight I won’t soon forget. The action is highlighted by the type of blasting soundscape of a score we’ve come to expect in a Nolan production. Ludwig Göransson’s music reverberates with bass to thrillingly punctuate the action. Does the chronicle make coherent sense? No, but I enjoy Tenet for the same reasons I appreciate the 1946 adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. It’s not about rationalizing every plot detail or understanding the dense narrative. It’s about the manifestation of spectacular style that could only triumph within the world of cinema.

09-29-20

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Beats

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags on October 1, 2020 by Mark Hobin

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Beats is the tale of an unlikely friendship circa 1994. Johnno (Cristian Ortega) is a timid, dark-haired middle-class teen. His relatively stable background includes a single mom (Laura Fraser) and her boyfriend (Brian Ferguson) who is a policeman. Spanner (Lorn Macdonald) is his fair-skinned unpredictable best mate that is far less privileged. He’s apparently without any parental supervision living in a spartan flat with his abusive older brother Fido (Neil Leiper). Scotland is currently undergoing radical socio-political change set against the backdrop of the 1990s UK rave scene. The establishment has deemed unlicensed parties as “anti-social.” These feelings had culminated with the chaos surrounding the Castlemorton Common Festival in 1992 which led to The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act in 1994. The restrictive law attempts to ban gatherings with music characterized by “repetitive beats”.

It’s the mid-90s and the boys are all but consumed by the rave culture that has captivated the local adolescents. A local radio DJ (Ross Mann) helps fuel the revolution with his pirate radio show. He rebels against oppressive laws by encouraging his listeners to congregate at an enormous outdoor party at a secret location. Johnno’s exasperated mother Alison means well but she doesn’t relate with her son on a personal level. Her relationship with Robert only makes matters worse. The man has essentially become a stepfather to the boy. Johnno’s family are searching for a better life. They will be moving away and taking Johnno from the old neighborhood in about a week. He’s not happy about it. The upcoming underground rave is more than just another party. This will be the last time he will ever get to hang out with his friend. The party is a simple destination but the journey to get there will prove to be a little more difficult than they think.

Beats is a touching saga of an enduring friendship. These two disparate characters both live in a small town in central Scotland. Other than location, it’s not initially clear why Johnno and Spanner are buds. It turns out they’re unified by their love of electronic dance music. They also share a tortured relationship with their respective families. These outcasts support each other in a way they do not receive at home. Their connection is deep and overflowing with heart. Coming of age tales are nothing new. Beats may appear to be another teenage rebellion film but this transcends the genre. The raw, unfiltered portrait of Scottish youth is beautifully captured with such authenticity. Scottish teens do indeed speak English. However, their dialect is filled with enough slang and colloquialisms that it occasionally sounds like a different language. I suggest you watch with captions. It isn’t required though. It’s a fundamentally simple story that creates a mighty feeling.

This is a compelling exploration of freedom, social class, the UK dance subculture, and an undying devotion between two close pals. Director Brian Welsh and co-writer Kieran Hurley (who adapted his own play) emphasizes this rapport which affords the movie a poignancy. This fact this 90s set bildungsroman is filmed in black and white gives it a feeling of nostalgia. It all culminates on the dance floor at the rave — an egalitarian event that is an uniter of souls. The soundtrack features Human Resource, LFO, Inner City, N-Joi, Leftfield, The Prodigy, and other artists. Curated by JD Twitch, it’s a retro setlist that will propel fans of Techno, House, and Trance back in time. Meanwhile, neophytes may discover a new style of music. The glorious monochromatic cinematography is punctuated by bursts of color as the evening progresses. Like Dorothy arriving in the land of Oz, the effect visually underscores an emotionally powerful transformation of the characters. I felt what they experienced and the trip was an absolute joy.

09-14-20

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