Malcolm1980's 2023 Film Review Thread

[malcolm1980]

1/14

The Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker (Colette Camden) *** - This is Netflix true crime documentary about Kai Lawrence, a homeless by choice nomad who became a viral hero after saving people from being beaten by a man. But the story becomes weird and disturbing afterwards. I do not remember this story at all, I must admit despite being active on social media at the time.I may have overlooked it or forgotten about it so all of this was new to me. It is a fairly compelling piece of true crime which really makes you think about those seemingly lovable free spirits. Personally, I thought he was kind of sketchy from the get-go but that’s just me. It’s a Netflix documentary that is not a waste of time and that’s praise enough.

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Kasi Lemmons) **1/2 -This is authorized biopic of singer Whitney Houston (co-produced by Clive Davis and the late singer’s sister-in-law) which is of course pretty much a highlight reel of her various triumphs and tragedies. It pretty much follows what you would expect a Whitney Houston biopic would. Screenwriter Anthony McCarten tries to break it up by pretty much jumping from year to year to the detriment of the film since it makes it more obvious. The performances are nice though. They’re usually the saving grace of this tiresome subgenre. It at least makes it not painful. Oh and the soundtrack which made want to listen to some Whitney tunes. Not great but watchable.

[malcolm1980]

1/16

A Man Called Ove (Hannes Holm) *** - A grouchy misanthropic widower's plans to join his late wife are thwarted when a young family moves in next door. The Tom Hanks-led Hollywood remake is coming out so I thought I'd watch the original Swedish version first. This is a perfectly fine comedy-drama. Even though you pretty much know where it's headed, we do get to know the central character and how he came to be and understand where he's coming from. Yes, it is often pretty funny but it can jerk your tears as well. While it's understandable why there's a Hollywood remake, I personally don't know if anything can be added or improved with this particular story. Overall, it's good and worth a watch.

[malcolm1980]

1/17

Pearl (Ti West) ***1/2 - This is the prequel to the earlier horror film X which explores the back story of its primary antagonist, Pearl, in her younger years and how she came to be. I usually like Ti West. I liked his previous couple of films a lot. Though I did like X, I was not as an enthusiastic fan of it like some of my other peers in the film geek community. So I was not dying to see this (interested but not dripping with excitement). Now, I've gotten around to seeing it. I have to say: I'm now a fan. I've heard this described as "if Douglas Sirk directed a slasher film" and it is quite accurate. It is a highly stylized and intentionally campy with a stellar performance by Mia Goth, who manages to be over the top yet still believable, no small feat. So, yes, this is one of the best horror films of 2022.

The Open Road (Claude Friese-Greene) *** - This is a silent travelogue directed by Claude Friese-Greene in which he goes on a road trip in England and films the various sights and places along the way. It was shot completely in color and was shown in 26 episodes weekly in movie screens. Though the film is no The Man With a Movie Camera (but then again, no film is, really), it is a fascinating time capsule and document of a time and a place. We can actually what life was like in that part of the world during the 1920's in full color. This is probably the closest we will get to time-traveling especially since the version I saw was a restored version and it has a "you are there" feel like you're glimpsing into a window to the past. It's free on YouTube if you're interested.

[malcolm1980]

1/18

Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku) ***1/2 - In Japan in a not-so-distant future, a randomly selected high school class is brought to an island and force them to kill each other until there's only one survivor. This is the film that pretty much started the modern-day violent dystopian death game sub-genre on the veins of The Hunger Games and Squid Game. It's also one of those big, major films I haven't seen until now which me being a cinephile who sees everything is becoming rare. I will say, despite having seen films and TV shows which have been influenced and have emulated this film, it does not lose its power. It's still quite shocking and outrageously violent. There's also quite a bit of dark humor sprinkled all over it which is an element I wasn't expecting. So, yeah, this is indeed a great one.

So This Is Paris (Ernst Lubitsch) ***1/2 - A married couple who are dancers who wear revealing outfits move in next to a more uptight couple. After the husband finds out the woman dancer is an old flame, things get complicated. This is an early silent film from director Ernst Lubitsch and I have to say this is quite probably my favorite of his silent films. It is a very funny silent comedy that manages to be as witty as his talkies. And I watched this without a score and I still laughed a lot! That is how well-constructed this comedy is. This is another uncovered gem and I highly, highly recommended. You can watch it for free on YouTube.

[malcolm1980]

1/20

Retrograde (Matthew Heineman) *** - This is a documentary that chronicles the final days of U.S. troops in Afghanistan as seen through the eyes of General Khoshai Sadat, a high-ranking official of the Afghan army who are dedicated to fighting the Taliban. The film does not really say anything we don't already know or what most people were already aware of about Afghanistan (we know it's a U.S. government screw-up, we know the Taliban is bad, etc.). So there's nothing groundbreaking in that way. Until the final minutes where the film really has most of its impact. I won't spoil it but you can see what the general was fighting for in those final minutes. It lifts up the whole film and it's the one that you will remember about it and in my book, makes it worth a look.

Moana (Robert Flaherty/Frances Flaherty) *** - First things first: This has absolutely nothing to do with the Disney movie. For one thing, the titular Moana in this is a dude. What this is is a silent "docufiction" film from director Robert Flaherty of Nanook of the North fame. "Docufiction" in that it blends narrative and staged scenes with actual documentary footage. It chronicles Moana, a Samoan man undergoing his tribal passage into adulthood ritual as we see him and his people do what they do: fish, hunt, live in their huts, etc. The version I saw is the restored "sound" version (with recorded ambient sound effects and dubbed dialogue incorporated) and it's really great to look at. Although beyond the fact that it's old, it's nothing you don't see done better and more ethically in the Discovery Channel. But still, it's part of film history and it must be seen. It's on YouTube for any student of film out there.

[malcolm1980]

1/21

Licence to Kill (John Glen) *** - After his friend is left for dead and his friend's wife murdered during their wedding night, James Bond 007 goes rogue to after the escaped drug lord responsible. This is Timothy Dalton's second and last appearance as James Bond (and the last of the "official" James Bond movies I haven't seen). And it's really too bad because I thought he was a great James Bond. It's the script and probably the circumstances surrounding his character that failed him. Nevertheless, this is still a very entertaining entry in the Bond franchise that is very much mid-tier. It is far from the best but also far from the worst. The story is forgettable but you'll be entertained. I have one more Bond movie to go and I will have finally completed it.

The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg) **** - This is director Steven Spielberg's entry to the "autofiction" genre as he tells the story of a young aspiring filmmaker having to deal with his parents' troubled marriage as the usual adolescent issues like girls and bullies. I'm not sure if this is one of Spielberg's best works. I'm not even sure if this is one of Spielberg's best works of the 21st century but there are lots of beautiful and powerful moments that I would rank among the most unforgettable scenes Spielberg has done. The performances of the cast are uniformly excellent, even those in small supporting parts. This film is certainly his most personal since E.T. and you can feel it in every frame. Where would I rank this among Spielberg's filmography? He's done so many, it's tough. I would say maybe lower-upper-tier? Maybe? I might think about this in a few years. But it is an excellent film nevertheless.

[malcolm1980]

1/22

Daughter of the Nile (Hou Hsiao-Hsien) ***1/2 - After her mother and older brother die, a young woman tries to keep her family together by working in KFC and going to night school but her younger siblings still descend to a life of crime. Despite the plot, this is actually a fairly slow-burn film. No surprise since it's from director Hou Hsiao-Hsien who keeps things grounded and real by simply allowing the characters to be and not have the dramatics of the plot take over. It requires patience which some viewers may not have (you're in his wavelength or not) but when it does pay off, it is more effective and resonant. I wouldn't say this is among his best work but it's a solid drama nevertheless and worth checking out especially if you're already an admirer of his work.

Ticket of No Return (Ulrike Ottinger) ***1/2 - A woman arrives in Berlin determined to live the rest of her life as a drunkard. Wow. It's tough to describe this film. The closest I can come up with is if Play Time and Daisies had a dark, demented baby, that would approximate this film. And I kind of loved it. It is episodic and it is alternately wacky and disturbing but feels like cohesive whole and very well-put-together. This is from filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger, someone I've never heard of until recently and based on this, she's yet another filmmaker I should be exploring. It is not for all tastes but if you are cinematically adventurous, this one will scratch that itch. Highly recommended.

[malcolm1980]

1/24

The Territory (Alex Pritz) ***1/2 - This documentary follows a young man from the indigenous Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau tribe of Brazil as he leads his people in the fight against the invaders who are slashing and burning the Amazon rain forest under the Jair Bolsanaro regime. This is one of my personal favorite documentaries of 2022 so far. There's plenty of genuine suspense. You will of course feel righteous anger. But there's also nuance because the "invaders" get a voice and you know where they're coming from (even though you're still on the tribe's side). There are also moments of inspiration and hope and you get swept up in it. This is a remarkable piece of work. It's currently on Disney+/National Geographic and it is well worth your time.

[malcolm1980]

1/25


Marcel The Shell With Shoes On (Dean Fleischer Camp) ***1/2 - Marcel is a young shell with shoes on who's being interviewed by a filmmaker who has moved into the house where he was living and in the process, he is looking for his lost family. I've been hearing a lot about this stop-motion animation-live-action hybrid film for a while. Now that I've seen it, I have to say, that while I liked it very much, I'm not as head over heels enamored of it like its fans. Yes, the character is adorable. It is quite funny. It is also quite sweet and genuinely moving. It handles sincere goodness without being cloying or sappy which is not an easy thing to do. Jenny Slate and Isabella Rossellini both give wonderful voice performances. Yes, it is a very good film that I highly recommend but it is not my favorite animated film of the year which is the worst thing I can say about it.

[malcolm1980]

1/26

To Leslie (Michael Morris) *** - Years after squandering her lottery winnings on drugs and alcohol, a woman tries to get her life together and reconnect with her estranged son and does not always succeed. So this film came to my attention like most people because of its unusual Oscar campaign for its lead actress Andrea Riseborough which involved actually e-mailing and calling Academy members to see the film and host screenings...and it worked! She got a Best Actress Oscar nomination. But what about the film and performance? I can definitely why actors loved this film. Riseborough is ACTING! (all-caps-with-an-exclamation point acting). The story is a fairly standard addiction drama that's made watchable by the very good performances. Yes, Riseborough is very good but it would've been a miserable experience if she didn't have the fine supporting work of Marc Maron and Andre Royo who ground the film and provide some humor and levity to it. It's far from a masterpiece but not a bad film.