Films round-up
Thor: Ragnarok - This was a blast, but Marvel are treading a fine line. Not every film can be Guardians of the Galaxy. It's easily the best Thor film, with a galaxy-spanning plot, plenty for its expanding cast to do (special mentions for Loki, Hulk and Jeff Goldblum), and it's very, very funny - but there's the rub. Whereas the GOTG films knew when to be funny, when to play emotional and when both can work together, Thor 3 is funny all of the time. None of the jokes fall flat - I was laughing out loud a lot - but they undercut a lot of what should be major dramatic events and character-defining moments. This is a shame.
A Nightmare on Elm Street - I'd never managed to see this before, and it was re-released at the cinema for Halloween. Freddie Krueger, with his bladed fingers and burned face, killing teens in their dreams, is something of a horror legend. It was interesting to finally see this classic, and interesting too to see a very fresh-faced Johnny Depp in his first film. It's very much a product of its time. All the synth music makes it feel more like an '80s music video than a horror film, and it's more entertaining than scary. Stand-out gag: the coffee machine under the bed :o)
The Death of Stalin - Amando Iannucci does it again, bringing his own particular brand of satire to Soviet Russia. This is a very black comedy, full of important people making ridiculous yet terrifying decisions, where everyone is on edge and one false move can mean death. You couldn't ask for a better cast, including Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs and Jeffrey Tambor. Everyone is on top form, and although it's a comedy, Iannucci doesn't shy away from his bleak subject matter. It works because the situation is so absurd. Recommended.
Murder on the Orient Express - Ken Branagh's sumptuous production with an all-star cast, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp, and Ken himself as Poirot. I knew roughly what the twist was going in, but I'd never seen or read the story before. It's classic Agatha Christie; tense, claustrophobic and gripping. The costumes, sets and scenery all look gorgeous. Screen variety dictates it, but I do think the sense of being trapped with a killer would have been heightened if the cast hadn't got off the train quite so much, but that's a trivial point. As you'd expect, the storytelling and acting are top class. Branagh's overly-flamboyant moustache was a tad distracting tough.
The Villainess - I missed this at the cinema earlier this year, owing to its very limited release, but I managed to pick it up on DVD recently. It's a highly-stylised Korean revenge thriller, in the style of Kill Bill or Oldboy. Kim Ok-vin stars as the titular villainess, a trained assassin out for revenge and to break away from the government agents controlling her. The twisty plot is sometimes confusing, with its many flashbacks and betrayals, but that doesn't matter too much. This is high-adrenaline, ultra-violent, popcorn entertainment. If you like this genre, The Villainess is one of the best of its kind.
Wonder - This could have been sentimental schmaltz. Auggie (The Room's Jacob Trembley) is a ten-year-old kid with facial deformities due to Treacher Collins Syndrome, going to school for the first time. Will he be accepted for who he is, or will he be shunned because of his looks? Okay, it is sentimental schmaltz, but what lifts it up are the shifting viewpoints. The film doesn't just focus on Auggie, but on the impact his life has on his whole family (mum Julia Roberts, dad Owen Wilson and sister Izabela Vidovic), as well as others who come into their lives. For every character you think is acting like a complete jerk, you eventually learn the reasons why. The overall message is one of kindness and patience, as we all have our own baggage to bear. A heartfelt and rounded story, it's also the best film starring Chewbacca out at the cinema at the moment. Which leads me neatly on to...
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - I may post in more detail about this once I've gathered my thoughts and when there's less need to avoid spoilers. My immediate reaction is it's a deeply frustrating film. When on form it's superb; elsewhere it's just awful. The newer characters are becoming much more rounded, vulnerable and interesting, but this comes at the cost of side-lining the original cast (in some cases almost completely). Leia gets some good moments, and Luke's meeting with one character is handled brilliantly, but for the most part Mark Hamill seems to be playing a completely different person. It's impossible to reconcile some of his choices and actions with the Luke we know, and this is the film's biggest flaw. Beyond that, the action is pretty relentless from start to finish; it's entertaining, gripping and character-driven, but there are too many false climaxes and it drags on at least half an hour too long. There are some genuinely surprising and inventive bits, but it wastes too much potential and it's still far too close a re-tread of The Empire Strikes Back, with bits of Return of the Jedi thrown in for good measure. It can be touching and funny, but some of the jokes descend into parody and feel massively out of place. It often feels more like a Marvel or traditional Disney film than like Star Wars. It's better than The Force Awakens, though.
A Nightmare on Elm Street - I'd never managed to see this before, and it was re-released at the cinema for Halloween. Freddie Krueger, with his bladed fingers and burned face, killing teens in their dreams, is something of a horror legend. It was interesting to finally see this classic, and interesting too to see a very fresh-faced Johnny Depp in his first film. It's very much a product of its time. All the synth music makes it feel more like an '80s music video than a horror film, and it's more entertaining than scary. Stand-out gag: the coffee machine under the bed :o)
The Death of Stalin - Amando Iannucci does it again, bringing his own particular brand of satire to Soviet Russia. This is a very black comedy, full of important people making ridiculous yet terrifying decisions, where everyone is on edge and one false move can mean death. You couldn't ask for a better cast, including Steve Buscemi, Jason Isaacs and Jeffrey Tambor. Everyone is on top form, and although it's a comedy, Iannucci doesn't shy away from his bleak subject matter. It works because the situation is so absurd. Recommended.
Murder on the Orient Express - Ken Branagh's sumptuous production with an all-star cast, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, Johnny Depp, and Ken himself as Poirot. I knew roughly what the twist was going in, but I'd never seen or read the story before. It's classic Agatha Christie; tense, claustrophobic and gripping. The costumes, sets and scenery all look gorgeous. Screen variety dictates it, but I do think the sense of being trapped with a killer would have been heightened if the cast hadn't got off the train quite so much, but that's a trivial point. As you'd expect, the storytelling and acting are top class. Branagh's overly-flamboyant moustache was a tad distracting tough.
The Villainess - I missed this at the cinema earlier this year, owing to its very limited release, but I managed to pick it up on DVD recently. It's a highly-stylised Korean revenge thriller, in the style of Kill Bill or Oldboy. Kim Ok-vin stars as the titular villainess, a trained assassin out for revenge and to break away from the government agents controlling her. The twisty plot is sometimes confusing, with its many flashbacks and betrayals, but that doesn't matter too much. This is high-adrenaline, ultra-violent, popcorn entertainment. If you like this genre, The Villainess is one of the best of its kind.
Wonder - This could have been sentimental schmaltz. Auggie (The Room's Jacob Trembley) is a ten-year-old kid with facial deformities due to Treacher Collins Syndrome, going to school for the first time. Will he be accepted for who he is, or will he be shunned because of his looks? Okay, it is sentimental schmaltz, but what lifts it up are the shifting viewpoints. The film doesn't just focus on Auggie, but on the impact his life has on his whole family (mum Julia Roberts, dad Owen Wilson and sister Izabela Vidovic), as well as others who come into their lives. For every character you think is acting like a complete jerk, you eventually learn the reasons why. The overall message is one of kindness and patience, as we all have our own baggage to bear. A heartfelt and rounded story, it's also the best film starring Chewbacca out at the cinema at the moment. Which leads me neatly on to...
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - I may post in more detail about this once I've gathered my thoughts and when there's less need to avoid spoilers. My immediate reaction is it's a deeply frustrating film. When on form it's superb; elsewhere it's just awful. The newer characters are becoming much more rounded, vulnerable and interesting, but this comes at the cost of side-lining the original cast (in some cases almost completely). Leia gets some good moments, and Luke's meeting with one character is handled brilliantly, but for the most part Mark Hamill seems to be playing a completely different person. It's impossible to reconcile some of his choices and actions with the Luke we know, and this is the film's biggest flaw. Beyond that, the action is pretty relentless from start to finish; it's entertaining, gripping and character-driven, but there are too many false climaxes and it drags on at least half an hour too long. There are some genuinely surprising and inventive bits, but it wastes too much potential and it's still far too close a re-tread of The Empire Strikes Back, with bits of Return of the Jedi thrown in for good measure. It can be touching and funny, but some of the jokes descend into parody and feel massively out of place. It often feels more like a Marvel or traditional Disney film than like Star Wars. It's better than The Force Awakens, though.