Malcolm1980's 2024 Review Thread

[malcolm1980]

1/24

20 Days in Mariupol (Mstyslav Chernov) ***1/2 - This documentary chronicles what the director and his colleagues saw and experienced during the early days of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. It's heavy, tragic and downright apocalyptic. I've been trying to catch up on the documentaries and I was very interested in seeing this one. This is a very difficult (but in a way, necessary) watch. It will horrify, frighten and anger you. You get to see first-hand how horrific war is and its toll on the civilians especially the ones most vulnerable. It is quite a downer of a film so I suggest pairing this with something lighter if you're going to watch it. Recommended but get ready to for a bad time.

[malcolm1980]

1/25

The Teachers' Lounge (İlker Çatak) ***1/2 - A school is experiencing a series of thefts and one teacher's action to try and get to the bottom of it produces unintended consequences throughout the school. This is the German entry to the Best International Feature Oscar race which recently got nominated. I can see why. This is one riveting film. I honestly did not know where this film was going. The naturalistic performances by the entire cast including the children almost makes me forget that I'm watching a fictional narrative. The ending though which I won't spoil leaves much to be desired and prevent this from being one of my favorites of the year. Perhaps a rewatch might help convince me otherwise, but right now, I would say this is a very good, worth seeing but imperfect film.

[malcolm1980]

1/26

Intruder in the Dust (Clarence Brown) ***1/2 - Based on a William Faulkner novel, this film is about a white teenage boy wanting to prove the innocence of a black man accused of murder. Clarence Brown isn't a name that's often mentioned among the great auteurs. He's a solid journeyman filmmaker at best. However, I think he does his best work in this picture, a truly compelling anti-racist piece (especially for its time) that's all at once thrilling and thought provoking. The themes being tackled is still relevant to this day. Claude Jarman Jr. follows up with another good juvenile performance but it's Juano Hernandez as the falsely accused who shines. This is a title worth definitely seeking out.

[malcolm1980]

1/27

Rollerball (Norman Jewison) *** - In a dystopian future where corporations pretty much run the world, there exists a popular contact sport where killing perfectly legal, the titular Rollerball. One of the most popular players is asked to retire for mysterious reasons. This was supposed to be my Norman Jewison tribute watch but my office internet wasn't jiving with Prime Video for some reason. Oh, well. This is an interesting film. Like a lot of dystopian science-fiction, the themes tackled here are often prescient and still resonate. The unique world-building (the future as imagined in the 1960's/'70s) is fascinating to watch. The film and narrative itself is solid but I personally found some script/narrative decisions to be problematic which prevents me from going all out in my recommendation. But James Caan makes for a compelling lead and it's just a good but not quite great film that's worth a look especially if you like the sub-genre.

Walk on the Wild Side (Edward Dymytryk) *** - A man journeys to try to find his long-lost love. But as it turns out, this long lost love of his has been working as a prostitute in a high-class bordello ran by a ruthless madam. This film had a lot of potential to be either a great Douglas Sirk melodrama or a campy John Waters style melodramatic dark comedy but it's neither. The script and the direction does not allow it. The film is a tad too long and seems to be unaware of its potential to be great campy melodrama (I guess the writer and director are straight). The actors, however, are all game. Barbara Stanwyck is fun the watch as the aforementioned ruthless madam. Her performance alone makes the film worth seeing. This is also an early role for Jane Fonda who has a supporting role here. So, yeah, I would say recommended but with reservations.

A Swedish Love Story (Roy Andersson) ***1/2 - A teenage boy and a teenage girl fall in love and start to explore their sexuality while the adults in their lives are engaged in their own childish endeavors. Before he regaled us with odd and surreal cinematic masterpieces like Songs from the Second Floor, director Roy Andersson made this fairly straightforward narrative film. It's a very tasteful but almost unsentimental depiction of first love and sexual awakening. I would say some of it reminds me of a Francois Truffaut film (let's say this is the Antoine Doinel film Truffaut never made). The entire cast including the kids all give great performances. This is a little hidden gem from Swedish cinema and it's on MUBI so more people should give it a try.

[malcolm1980]

1/28

The Madness of King George (Nicholas Hytner) ***1/2 - This film depicts descent into apparent madness of King George III shortly after he lost the American colonies and all the political maneuverings of both his heirs and the politicians to gain power. This is one of those films which I personally can't believe I haven't seen. It's period film but it's far from stuffy. It is intriguing, feels modern and even surprisingly funny in parts. Nigel Hawthhorne got a Best Actor Oscar nomination and it is more than warranted. He is superb. It's easy to go too over the top with this type of role. He never does. He keeps it believable. If you're the type who are not too keen on historical/period films, give this a try.

Bobi Wine: The People's President (Christopher Sharp/Moses Bwayo) ***1/2 - This documentary chronicles the rise of a pop star turned politician, Bobi Wine as he becomes an MP in Uganda then eventually runs for president in opposition to a corrupt president who has been in power for more than 30 years. I know nothing of Ugandan politics before seeing this film but I am VERY, VERY familiar with what's happening in it since it's so similar to what's happening in my own country so this film quite resonates with me. As a pop star and musician, I have to say, Bobi Wine's songs are quite catchy and helps with giving you a sense of hope even as the events of the film seem bleak and dark. This got an Oscar nomination and though it's not my favorite documentary of the year, it's well worth seeing (it's on Disney+ locally).

[malcolm1980]

1/30

Laugh, Clown, Laugh (Herbert Brenon) *** - A circus clown adopts an abandoned little girl and raises her as his own. When she grows into a beautiful young woman, he falls for her but feels conflicted for obvious reasons. The girl is also courted by a count. Even though it's technically neither incest nor pedophilia, falling for someone who you raised as a child is creepy. That's probably one of the reasons why a lot of people will not take to this tragic drama starring Lon Chaney. However, it is Lon Chaney's truly great performance is what sells the entire thing. He frames his feelings for who is essentially his adopted child as a tragedy and he's heartbreaking. I have to say he is truly one of the great silent film actors. It's what makes this film worth a look even if you're not quite sure of the premise.

[malcolm1980]

2/1

The Greatest Night in Pop (Bao Nguyen) *** - This is a documentary on Netflix that details the making of the "We Are The World" charity single which assembled a large group of the some of the biggest names in music at the time. As it turns out, it is actually much more interesting than it sounds. Come to think of it, assembling that many big-named artists in one room to record a song is no easy task. The film details how they managed to pull it off and it is quite fascinating and even surprisingly sweet and moving in parts. The film is a pretty standard music documentary but it's a very entertaining, enlightening look at this song that's been part of our culture for decades. It's a good Netflix watch.

[malcolm1980]

2/2

When Strangers Marry (William Castle) ***1/2 - A young woman goes to New York to meet her new husband who she barely knew and who could also be a murderer. I discovered this film thanks to the Criterion Channel. It is barely over an hour long but it packs a lot in that hour. Robert Mitchum and Kim Hunter shines as the helpful friend and the naive bride respectively and gives this film a lot of its substance. Director William Castle mostly known for horror and B-pictures does give this film a pulpier aesthetic which actually helps with the mystery and all the film's twists and turns. It may not be an A-tier noir but it is a very good one and wonderful discovery. Highly recommended.

[malcolm1980]

2/3

Priscilla (Sofia Coppola) ***- Based on her memoirs, this film chronicles Priscilla Presley's relationship and marriage to Elvis Presley from the time she met him when she was 14 through their separation/divorce in the early '70s. This is almost like an anti-Baz Luhrmann Elvis. While that biopic was big, colorful and flamboyant, this is a far more subdued, quiet film which is more of a character study than your typical music biopic. It would make for an interesting double-feature. Director Sofia Coppola does not shy away from the more problematic and toxic elements of their relationships but still makes it clear that Priscilla actually really did love Elvis. Which makes the performances of both Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi all the more impressive because of this tricky balancing act. But as for the film itself, it's a film I admire more than I actually like. I like Sofia Coppola's films in general but I seem to have trouble getting into the wavelength of this one. So I recommend it but not as enthusiastically as other people.

Orion and the Dark (Sean Charmatz) ***1/2- A young boy who's afraid of most everything especially the dark is visited by the actual entity Dark who will take him on a journey to prove that there's nothing to be scared of. This is my first narrative 2024 film review. One of the selling points of this Netflix animated film is that it's written by Charlie Kaufman. And yes, even though this is obviously aimed at children and families and there's funny, colorful characters and a pretty straightforward narrative, it is still quite obvious Charlie Kaufman wrote it. There are elements here that I've never seen an animated film aimed at kids do which I won't reveal here so as not to spoil it but I will say that some of it may work for some people but some of it may not. It is genuinely funny, sweet and surprising and features some great voice work by the two leads Jacob Tremblay and Paul Walter Hauser as well as beautiful animation. I highly recommend this not only for kids or adults with kids.

[malcolm1980]

2/4

The Missouri Breaks (Arthur Penn) *** - A ruthless land baron hires a sharpshooter to get rid of a gang of cattle rustlers. This is a Western starring Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando and directed by Arthur Penn. So it's a wonder why this film seems to be relatively obscure compared to their other works. Well, it's an interesting film with some great elements in it. The cinematography is on point. The performances are pretty good. Marlon Brando, in particular, is starting to go into the crazy nutty character mode. But the film is far from their best work. Heck, it's not even Nicholson's, Brando's and Penn's best Western even. But there's enough interesting stuff here that I could make a mild recommendation for fans of both the genre, actors and director.