Malcolm1980's 2021 Movie Review Thread

[malcolm1980]

12/24

The Woman from Nowhere (Louis Delluc) *** - A middle-aged woman returns to a place she lived 20 years before to reminisce about a lost love and meets a young woman who's thinking of leaving her home and family. This is a silent film from 1922 and the version I saw did not have any score accompaniment. And I have to admit, it was challenge getting into it with just the visuals and the title cards but the ending still had an impact and I was taken by the performances. I didn't think it's a masterpiece but it's a solid drama. You know what song you could score this film to? "I've Never Been to Me". Just a tip.

Distant Thunder (Satyajit Ray) *** - It is World War II. A Brahmin and his wife moves into a village and struggles to maintain their privileged status as a major famine is on its way. This is from director Satyajit Ray and the bad news is I would probably rank this as a middle-tier among his filmography but the good news is it's still a pretty darn good film. It is a film that sort of sneaks up upon you on the gravity of the situation. It doesn't really hit you over the head on what it's about until the very end. The ending shot in particular is quite haunting and beautiful. Still, I put this firmly in the "like and respect but not exactly love" category in Satyajit Ray's great oeuvre.

A Boy Called Christmas (Gil Kenan) *** - A boy named Nikolas sometimes called "Christmas" journeys to find his father who is on a quest to find a legendary village where magical elves live. Yep, this is yet another Santa Claus origin story from Netflix. I decided to watch it since it is Christmas season and it got decent enough reviews. And it's pretty good. Even though it's not even the best film about the origin of Santa Claus that's available on Netflix (that would be Klaus), it is quite entertaining for not only kids. This is thanks to a surprisingly strong supporting A-list cast, a lot of whom are actually giving their all especially Sally Hawkins and Kristen Wiig. You could do far worse than turn this on Christmas morning with your kids.

[malcolm1980]

12/25

Faya Dayi (Jessica Beshir) ***1/2 - The film documents the practice of chewing khat among the Ethiopian Sufi Muslims, following one family in particular. This film is mystical, poetic, hypnotic and almost dream-like, which are unusual adjectives to describe a documentary. Sometimes, it honestly doesn't feel like one. There are shots here that are simply jaw-dropping. Director Jessica Beshir's use of the black and white cinematography may be one of the best of the year, with all these films using black and white cinematography. This is Beshir's first feature-length documentary and already with this film she proves herself an exciting new voice in the genre. This is my favorite documentary of the year so far.

Being the Ricardos (Aaron Sorkin) ***1/2 - This is a biopic on Lucille Ball and her professional and personal relationship with Desi Arnaz chronicling their marriage through the week where Lucy was accused of being Communist during the height HUAC hearings. When I heard about this project and who got cast and who was working on it, I thought for sure it was gonna be a disaster. As it turns out, it's not! Yes, it's from Aaron Sorkin and it has all the Sorkin-y stuff that some people love and some people hate. But it still manages to be a very absorbing drama. It helps that I've actually never heard of this particular incident in the lives of Lucy and Desi so I was hooked. But it's the performances that make the movie. The cast, once derided in social media as poor choices when it was first announced, is actually quite stellar. Nicole Kidman is actually a great Lucille Ball and she's matched by Javier Bardem. But the supporting cast, particularly Tony Hale and Nina Arianda are great too. It won't be in my top 10 but it's a good movie.


Don't Look Up (Adam McKay) ** - Two scientists try to warn the U.S. government of an impending extinction level comet headed towards Earth but their efforts to try and save the planet are undermined by fake news, stupid bureaucracy and self-serving billionaires. I wonder what writer-director Adam McKay is trying to say. Apparently, he doesn't think I, or anyone else, can get it so he spells it out for us with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. As I watch him, I can almost hear him patting himself on the back as he writes his script. There's very little nuance. It's all obvious low-hanging fruit. And this is coming from someone who agrees with his basic message. There are some sparks of interesting things here and there, a few laughs here and there and there are nice performance moments by the always game and stellar ensemble cast. But the script fails them. This one has more of everything I did not like about Adam McKay's two previous "serious" films.

P.S. This is my 3,000th post!

[malcolm1980]

12/26

Daguerrotypes (Agnes Varda) ***1/2 - Filmmaker Agnes Varda just decided one day she would go around and film her neighbors in the street where she lived, Rue Daguerre. What she got was a film that proves how sometimes the ordinary and mundane can be as compelling and fascinating as the extraordinary and unusual. She interviews the butcher, the baker, the dressmakers, all the local businesses. It's a film with such a warm feeling. It feels like a low key celebration of humanity and it's also oddly life-affirming. It's a documentary that makes you appreciate the little things...which is what Agnes Varda documentaries can do as well.

Whether the Weather is Fine (Kung Maupay Man It Panahon) (Carlos Francisco Manatad) ***1/2 - A mother and a son sift through what remains of their lives during the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan for you outside the Philippines). The Philippines did not submit a film for the Oscars International Feature this year. I will say here that if it had submitted this, it would have had more than decent shot at making at least the Top 15 based purely on merit. This is a superb piece of work. It's a film which very uniquely deals with the grief and trauma of going through a calamity in a beautiful, poetic way, painting the landscape as almost otherworldly without wallowing in poverty or misery porn. But it manages to do it in a way which honest, respectful and feels truthful. Great performances by the cast. This is one of my favorite films of the year. Not just Filipino film but film period. Highly recommended.

Swan Song (Todd Stephens) ***1/2 - Not to be confused by the independent science fiction drama film that is also a 2021 release and also has the same title, this film is a drama about a retired hairdresser who escapes from his old-age home to walk back into his old hometown to give a rich regular client of his her last makeover for her funeral. So this is basically a gay Wild Strawberries or a gay Straight Story...a Gay Story (*badabumpching*). This independent drama is anchored by a superb performance by Udo Kier who is playing the lead in a film, for once. The film is quite lovely and moving and even funny at parts. It's warm and sweet without being overly cloying. It's not quite one of the best of the year but it's a lovely film which shouldn't get lost in the shuffle.

[NGL]

(12-27-2021 02:01 AM)malcolm1980 Wrote:  So this is basically a gay Wild Strawberries or a gay Straight Story...a Gay Story (*badabumpching*).

Or a gay Trip To Bountiful, which almost sound like a porno.

[malcolm1980]

12/27

The Life of Jesus (Bruno Dumont) *** - No, this is not about THAT Jesus. This is about a young man with epilepsy who likes to ride motorbikes, have sex with his girlfriend and hang out with friends. That is until a Muslim Arab family moves in the neighborhood which stirs up some racist feelings in him. This is from filmmaker Bruno Dumont. I've seen one film from him and after watching that film, it didn't compel me to dive into the rest of his filmography in a hurry, let's just say. This is my second film from him. It's kind of a slow burn, matter-of-fact almost mundane film about how someone so unremarkable and someone whom we actually do have some sympathy for could also be a racist a-hole. In the end, the message is kind of muddled but I guess that's the point. This is a film that's alternately frustrating and fascinating and definitely not for everyone.

[malcolm1980]

12/28

A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke) **** - This is a sort of anthology film of four stories with dark and violent elements, each one set in a different province in modern-day China. Director Jia Zhangke has been making films about the ever changing landscape of China and how it affects the culture, the way of life and the people for better or worse (more often the latter). It's been a recurring theme in his films. This particular one is more violent, feels more angry and more confrontational than the other ones I have seen. It's also probably my favorite. Being an anthology film, there's a danger that some stories are better than others and maybe one is a stinker. Not in this case. All four are quite great and sometimes doesn't feel like an anthology. It feels like a tapestry of the same cohesive story. That said, the first and the third are the best ones. This is definitely a must-see.

[malcolm1980]

12/29

The Summit of the Gods (Patrick Imbert) *** - Based on a manga, this film is about a young Japanese journalist researching about a famous climber in Mt. Everest which leads him to join a mountaineer to actually scale the highest mountain in the world. First, the positives: The animation in this film is GORGEOUS. It feels "realistic" without it being realistic, if that makes any sense. Choosing to tell this story in animated form is probably the safest (you don't have to shoot on location on Everest), most honest way of telling it. But the film eventually falls into the tropes of a lot of other mountaineering films I've seen. It kind of feels been-there-done-that. But, yeah, this is worth seeing for the animation.

Cyrano de Bergerac (Michael Gordon) ***1/2 - A witty man with a big nose, the titular character, helps out a young man in love with a young woman who falls in love with his beautiful words but he's also in love with that woman. With the latest version starring Peter Dinklage coming out this awards season, it just occurred to me I have never seen this particular story in full. Never read it, never saw any adaptation or performance of it. This is the 1950 version starring Jose Ferrer as Cyrano and he won the Oscar for Best Actor. At the very first scene, you can definitely see why. He is all at once funny, witty, compelling and in the later scenes, absolutely heartbreaking. His performance alone is worth seeing this film for. It's an absolute masterclass. The film surrounding him is fine enough but he's the main reason this film must be seen.

As Tears Go By (Wong Kar-Wai) ***1/2 - A young man has a love affair with a young woman while his brother who is in the Triad, is always getting into trouble. This is an early work from Wong Kar-Wai. It is both a romantic love story and this brutally violent crime thriller at the same time. The softness and romanticism of the former (to the tune of the Chinese version of "Take My Breath Away") juxtaposed by the brutal violence of the latter is something that I have to say, makes this unmistakably a Wong Kar-Wai film. It feels like a warm-up to Fallen Angels. It's not his best, I would rank this around mid-tier but it's still quite an excellent film. A must see for Wong Kar-wai fans.

[malcolm1980]

12/30

Big Night! (Jun Robles Lana) ***1/2 - A gay hairdresser finds himself on a government hit list of drug addicts and/or drug pushers and spends the day trying to clear his name. For those not in the know, during the Duterte regime, there is something called the "tokhang" where people get summarily extra-judicially killed simply because their name was on a list. It didn't matter if you were guilty or not. This film effectively brings light to that issue using dark comedy. And it is pretty funny and the satire is sharp. Christian Bables is great in the lead role and he's supported by A-list Filipino actors who pop in for a fun role here and there. It manages to be entertaining and have a message without being too preachy. More people should give this film a chance, quite frankly.

Champion (Mark Robson) *** - A boxer rises from poverty and obscurity and as he rises he becomes corrupted and alienates everyone around him: His coach, his brother, his wife. Kirk Douglas gives an incredible performance as the morally dubious titular character. This isn't the first blending of film noir and sports drama but it's one where the lead isn't exactly the best guy in the world which makes for a gritty watch. The first two acts are kind of hit and miss. However, it comes together in the last half hour. =he third act climactic fight scene in particular is quite surprisingly brutal despite it being made in 1949. This is a must for Kirk Douglas fans if you wanna see one of his best on-screen performances.

[malcolm1980]

12/31

Under the Sand (Francois Ozon) ***1/2 - A woman and her husband are vacationing on the beach. She goes to sleep and when she wakes up, her husband has disappeared. Then we follow her as she tries to cope with this tragedy in her life. This is one of those acclaimed films I'm just now getting caught up on. I love Charlotte Rampling. I love Francois Ozon. I've seen their subsequent collaboration but never this one for some reason. It is a rather unique take on grief in that throughout most of the film, you and the characters don't know the fate of the husband. So this is grief in limbo. It is brought to life expertly by Charlotte Rampling who gives a magnificent performance. She alone makes this film worth seeing.

The Day of the Jackal (Fred Zinnemann) ***1/2 - Based on a novel, this is about a group of disgruntled generals who hire a hit man known as "the Jackal" is hired to assassinate French president Charles de Gaulle and the race is on to stop that from happening. This is film is over two hours long but even in that length, this feels like a very lean, sharp, straightforward, no-nonsense old-fashioned thriller, the type that they often do in the 1970's. It is slower paced than the modern day thriller but the slower pace actually builds the tension and the paranoia quite well all way up to the end. It's the kind of film we don't see much anymore. It is also finely acted by a fine ensemble of British actors.

Un carnet de bal (Dance Program) (Julien Duvivier) **** - A woman is suddenly widowed but then feels that she has wasted a good portion of her life being married to her deceased husband so she embarks on a journey in which she visits the men she has gotten acquainted with and danced with during a ball. I would like to thank the late, great Stephen Sondheim for pointing me to this film. He listed this as one of his favorites of all time and it's obvious why. This is a great film. The film unfolds almost like a series of vignettes. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's heartbreaking, sometimes it's dark, sometimes it's moving. It takes you to surprising places. I have to say, it's always a delight to discover an older, more obscure that turns out to be an all-timer. This one most definitely is.

Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (Terrence Malick) ***1/2 - This is the IMAX documentary created by Terrence Malick as a sort of a companion piece to The Tree of Life. It is a contemplative, visual experience that takes us through the beginning of time all the way up to the modern day. No, I did not see this on IMAX, though I wish I did. This would have definitely have ruled on IMAX. I saw this on my TV courtesy of MUBI. Even in this format, the visuals that Malick presents is gorgeous and it wraps you into its mood and its tone. It really immerses you in its concept of our place in the universe and the enormity of space and time and of life itself. It builds upon the themes he has brought up in The Tree of Life as well. (FYI: This also could benefit if you take certain enhancers. *hint*hint*). But, yeah, if you're in the mood for a visual, plotless, contemplative film, this is your film. This is the last film I'm reviewing for 2021 so it's a good film to wrap the year up.