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Reviews
True Detective: Night Country: Part 4 (2024)
This is true drama, grow up!
No spoilers here, just encouragement to watch the series and form your own view.
There is so much choice on streaming services now, it is hard to separate rubbish from quality. Perhaps, that volume also dulls people's perception?
Some writing and directing spoon feeds a plot in a linear and easy to interpret way. Is that quality? Is that art?
Some people set out stories with people in white hats and black hats. This isn't quite so clear in this case. Our "heros" in this series are flawed. They don't always make the right decisions. Does that make it less good..., or better?
Getting an actress the quality of Jodie Foster is a coup. And episode four allows her to stretch her wings. What are her motivations? What are her reasons for behaving as she does?
All I can say is it's worth your time to watch this and form you own view. In mine, it heads and shoulders above the usual dross being served up on Amazon and Netflix. No, it's not A to B. No, the lead characters are not "pure of heart and soul". Is real life?
Anatomie d'une chute (2023)
Edge of seat courtroom drama
I love the fact the film left me with questions. It was also fascinating to see how differently a courtroom works in France than it does in my homes (UK/US).
But onto the substance... The acting was superb. It's always best when it feels so natural you don't even consider the acting until the film was over.
Linking literature with life. Making decisions without all the data. The frustration of having your life exposed and examined without the full context. All these themes were explored, and I will think about them again.
It's the opposite of a forgettable film. It's one to consider and reconsider.
The Book of Clarence (2023)
It lost me in the 3rd act
Imagine The Life of Brian ending with dire seriousness, rather than a joyously silly ending with the crucified singing from their crosses. This film evolved from something I enjoyed to something I would avoid.
There were new ideas explored in the first two acts, and there were genuine laughs. For example, there was a slapstick scene with John the Baptist I found particularly funny.
The colours were saturated, and the Italian town standing in for Jerusalem was impressive. The musical score was developed by the writer/director, and it added humour at times. I didn't expect to see choreographed disco dancing in first century Jerusalem.
However, in the third act, the film changes course and tone. The film turns earnest, and there is a miraculously "happy" ending. It was such a disappointment. The writer/director comes across as a true believer recruiting for the faith. If it had held its tone and retained its healthy scepticism, I would have rated it.
Unfortunately, the third act turns deadly serious, and is more The Passion of the Christ than The Life of Brian. It was jarring and out of step with the rest of the film.
The Wonder (2022)
Greed and ambition versus love and compassion
The men in power are blinded by their greed and ambition. They use the faith of others to control and corrupt. It takes compassion and love to find the truth, and the powerless find their power in the truth.
The director, writer and DP are all on top form, and they deliver a wonderful story here, and it's very well told. Stories enlighten, but they can also be used to mislead and misinform.
Like the Banshees of Inisherin, this is set in rural Ireland, and it deals with failure of those in authority to protect the innocent. The historical context is interesting, but the alliance formed from respect is the truth and the desire to do the right thing trumps dogma.
Le tout nouveau testament (2015)
Extraordinarily creative and thought provoking
This film will never leave me. It makes you question you motivations and how you are spending your time on Earth.
At the same time it has you questioning your life decisions, it has you laughing out loud. It reminds me of Monty Python humour. You know it's questioning what you hold dear, but it's funny!
Munich: The Edge of War (2021)
Concept good - Execution amateurish
The casting and acting are such a disappointment in what could have been an engaging story.
The leads look like children pretending to be adults. The street scenes in Berlin, with every other person in the street in a military uniform lose all credibility.
A good film draws you in, and forget your are watch a film at all. This is not a good film. This film reminds you, time and again, you are watch an incompetent group of people failing to live up to their material.
Severance (2022)
Slow burner - worth the wait
You have to be patient, but it is worth the wait. I don't want to give spoilers. It doesn't deserve that. You are taken on a ride with the characters, who surprise themselves.
Season 2, and the must be a Season 2, cannot come soon enough.
An Cailín Ciúin (2022)
Transformative power
A quiet voice often speaks louder than those trying to drown it out. I will go to the cinema to sit back and be entertained, but I often go to experience lives lived in other circumstances. Roger Ebert referred to cinema as a machine for generating empathy, and this film is a wonderful example.
The film takes a child's-eye view of the world, much like Petit Maman. This film, however, gave me a real sense of place. The thoughtfulness with which it constructed the home the girl left and the home at which she arrived was the frame within which a beautiful story played out.
In the cinema, the aspect ratio changed from wide screen in the trailers to a box view. It gave me pause. Why would the director choose to constrain views of the Irish countryside? Within seconds, all I cared about was the people in focus.
As the story unfolds, motivations become clear, and behaviours, which seemed odd at the beginning, make sense. The lead actor and director allow the flower to open slowly. The transformative power of love is there to see, but it does require patience and care.
All you needed was a bit of mindin'