2020-2029, Film Review

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Posted on May 27, 2024May 31, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Warner Bros. Pictures, Kennedy Miller Mitchell and Village Roadshow Pictures**

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Film Review

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Lachy Hulme

Director: George Miller

Synopsis: Years before the events of Fury Road, a young Furiosa is taken from her home and family by the warlord Dementus…

Review: It was nothing short of a spectacular triumph when the Mad Max franchise finally came revving back onto our screens after a 30-year absence (including a significant period being stuck in the deepest depths of development hell). Even with all the frustration that would have surely brewed following its severely troubled production, Mad Max: Fury Road blew our collective socks off when it was finally unleashed. Aside from the mind-blowingly impressive, practical effects-driven action sequences and flamethrowing guitars, it also introduced us to a character who would outshine Max himself. Namely, Imperator Furiosa, played immaculately by Charlize Theron. With the character having such an impact, it is not remotely surprising that in those long years spent trying to get Fury Road up and running, the visionary behind this franchise George Miller came up with a story centred on this one-armed badass warrior. As the trailer so succinctly summarised: this is her odyssey.

Approximately 15 to 20 years before she encounters the Road Warrior, a young Furiosa (Browne) lives with her family in the Green Place of Many Mothers. In this bountiful utopia, all the inhabitants are skilled warriors and resources are plentiful. However, after Furiosa is kidnapped by the minions of the Warlord Dementus and his dangerous gang of bikers, she is taken prisoner by Dementus. With Furiosa in tow, he travels to the Citadel to challenge the tyrannical rule of Immortan Joe, leading to Furiosa spending many years in servitude to both men. Yet through all these years, she retains that ferocious spirit and is determined to fulfil her promise to her mother to find her way back home.

For all the praise richly and justifiably heaped upon Fury Road as a masterclass in crafting heavy metal, balls-to-the-wall action spectacle. It cannot be argued that it was a little bit light on plot and could be summarised as one big, long car chase set over the course of a few days. Therefore, Miller and returning screenwriter Nico Lathouris have crafted a different beast, but one that serves as the perfect companion piece. Split into episodic chapters charting Furiosa’s journey and how she learns to adapt in the harshest of environments where lawlessness is rampant. She must also learn to survive while in the servitude of these despots looking to either gain or maintain their grip on power in the remnants of a society where lawlessness is rampant, with only a few places left that have not fallen into ruin.

Such was the charisma and sheer force of nature in the performance that Charlize Theron gave in initially bringing this character to the screen, Anya Taylor-Joy had some enormous shoes to fill stepping into this role and doing her justice. Yet it’s a challenge she rises to phenomenally, though admittedly not for the first third of the film as it falls to young Alyla Browne to portray the Imperator in her childhood. As she grows up in this brutal environment, Browne imbues the character with steely hardiness and resilience into her adult years.

As an adult, Furiosa does not have a substantial amount of dialogue. Still, sometimes actions speak louder than words, and Taylor-Joy fits the part of Furiosa like a prosthetic arm. Though in the same vein as how Furiosa outshone Mad Max in his own film, Chris Hemsworth as Dementus threatens to drive away with the film, atop his insanely cool motorcycle chariot. Sporting scraggly hair and beard and decaying teeth, a far cry away from the princely and regal aura of the God of Thunder, imagine a cross between the Joker and a pirate, and you have the craziness that is Dementus. Hemsworth is delightfully batshit bonkers in this role and he owns every minute of screen time he has. Meanwhile, taking over the role from the late Hugh Keays-Byrne, Lachy Hulme is equally menacing as Immortan Joe.

With a lot more emphasis on character, Miller takes his foot off the pedal when it comes to the action sequences and it is not full-throttle from practically the opening credits. Such was the intensity of those adrenaline-fuelled action scenes of Fury Road that have set the standard for filmmakers when it comes to action scenes, surely Miller couldn’t surpass himself again? Like his fellow master filmmaker Martin Scorsese, Miller is proving age is just a number because he is not allowing himself to slow down. One scene in particular, involving the iconic War Rig, is truly mind-blowing, worth the price of a ticket alone, and demands to be witnessed on the biggest screen possible.

For all the action mastery that Miller has in his arsenal, by splitting the story into episodic chapters, the pacing stalls from time to time resulting in the two-and-a-half-hour run time dragging in a couple of places. However, it remains crystal clear Miller is in his element developing and enriching this mad sandbox of a world he first brought to life back in 1979. 45 years later, he’s absolutely still going strong. Should he continue to sit in the driving seat of this franchise, audiences will likely be more than eager to start those engines and come along for the ride.

Considerably more character-driven but with plenty of mind-blowing action and a scene-stealing turn from Chris Hemsworth. Under the vision of the mad magnificent genius of George Miller, audiences shall bear witness to 2024 being the year of desert power!

2020-2029, Film Review

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Posted on May 9, 2024May 18, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© 20th Century Studios, Jason T. Reed Productions and Oddball Entertainment**

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – Film Review

Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Travis Jeffery, Lydia Peckham, Neil Sandilands, Eka Darville,

Director: Wes Ball

Synopsis: Many generations after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, a young ape goes on a journey of discovery after his clan comes under attack…

Review: When the Planet of the Apes franchise came roaring back to life after a near decade of absence in 2011, it was the foundation on which arguably the best trilogy of the 2010s was built. Centred on Caesar, a genetically advanced ape who in his lifetime, rose up and led the apes in a revolution, saw his authority challenged by a rogue ape, and later led the apes into a war against the humans before he succumbed to his injuries. Portrayed by the master of motion capture by Andy Serkis, this rebooted trilogy set an exceedingly high bar for any future films. It is a bar that this new instalment swings for but ultimately falls short of matching those lofty standards.

Set hundreds of years after Caesar’s passing, apes have become the planet’s most dominant species, with humans regressing into a more primitive and feral-like state. The apes are divided into clans, with one clan developing a strong bond with eagles, including young ape Noa (Teague) who’s being prepped by his father for an important ceremony and must complete a significant ritual beforehand. However, after his clan comes under attack from a military-minded clan, Noa must go on a journey to find any survivors and establish the motivations of this combative clan. Along the way, he encounters a human (Allen), who is being hunted by the clan as they believe she is smarter than all the other humans and has crucial knowledge to access something of great significance to the clan.

Such was the enormous cultural impact of Caesar during the previous films, a list of the best characters of the 2010s would be incomplete without his inclusion. Caesar’s shadow looms large over this new generation of apes, even several hundred years after his passing. With the passage of such a long time, Josh Friedman’s screenplay takes its time to introduce the new Eagle clan and their peaceful existence, which stands in unique contrast to the more warmongering apes. The latter have taken Caesar’s teachings and misinterpreted them as a means to perpetrate violence against both other ape clans and humans. By contrast, the likes of orangutang Raka (Macon), who is fighting hard to preserve Caesar’s teachings and their true meanings. This puts Noa in a tricky position as to what he should do with this human, and whether he should trust her, or leave her to the warmongering apes.

Teague brings a likeable presence to Noa and imbues him with a sense of honour and a determination to do what is right and to honour his family and his tribe. Unfortunately, though no one else at least in his tribe is as memorable or given nearly as much development as Noa. However, as far as the other ape characters go, Macon as Raka brings no shortage of wisdom and imparts valuable knowledge to Noa as he proceeds on his journey to rescue his family, who have fallen into the servitude of the militaristic tribe and its leader Proximus Caesar (played with a blend of charisma and arrogance by Kevin Durand). His name would suggest he is a descendant of Caesar, and while he certainly echoes Caesar’s prominent “Apes. Together. Strong” mantra, Proximus is a far cry from the legendary leader he idolises. He possesses a messiah complex and is driven by the belief that not only what he is doing is right, but precisely what Caesar would have wanted the apes to do, making the audience wish the great Caesar’s ghost would reincarnate and give him a sharp and thorough rebuking.

Having done the visual effects work for the previous instalments, the craftwork on display from the geniuses at Weta is once again nothing short of extraordinary with such photorealistic visuals, it completely makes you forget that these are human actors in some rather unusual-looking suits bringing these apes to life. Unfortunately, outside of the apes, the only human character who is given a substantial amount of development is Freya Allan’s mysterious character, whom Noa and Raka name Nova (in a callback to the character of the same name from War for the Planet of the Apes). There’s an element of mystery to her, but as the film progresses and we learn more about her, certain decisions she makes are extremely perplexing and ultimately leave the audience with more questions than answers as to her motivations. The script could have fleshed these out more.

At 145 minutes, Kingdom is also the longest movie in the series to date. While this runtime is sometimes necessary to establish this world generations after the events of the previous film, it can also be to its detriment, particularly in the latter half. With this being reported as the first journey in a brand new trilogy, it has laid solid but imperfect foundations for future films to build upon. Time will tell if this new group of apes prove to be as strong or as memorable as Caesar’s remarkable journey from genetically modified ape to messianic primate.

Retaining the visual splendour of its previous instalments, Kingdom goes for some big swings with weighty themes about legacy and differing interpretations of teachings but doesn’t quite hit the heights of Caesar’s trilogy.

2020-2029, Film Review

The Fall Guy (2024)

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Universal Pictures, 87North Productions and Entertainment 360**

The Fall Guy – Film Review

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu, Teresa Palmer

Director: David Leitch

Synopsis: A battle-scarred stuntman is recruited to save the production of a big blockbuster movie after its star goes missing…

Review: You might not know their names, (unless they go by the name of Tom Cruise), but some of the best action scenes in cinema history simply would not have been possible without the incredible feats of countless bravery from stunt performers. These courageous men and women, risk life and limb for the purposes of the audiences’ entertainment. Yet their incredible accomplishments have so far not been their dues by major award shows. While one can only hope that one day, that becomes a reality, the latest film from stuntman-turned-director David Leitch serves as a delightfully funny and brilliantly entertaining acknowledgement of the bravery of these professionals and their craft.

Colt Seavers (Gosling) is an experienced and battle-scarred stuntman who has worked as the stunt double for movie star Tom Ryder (Taylor-Johnson) for several years. One day, while working on set, Colt has a serious accident, and suffers a severe injury. This causes Colt to nurse his wounds, cease all contact with his co-workers and camera operator girlfriend Jody (Blunt), and hide away from the world. However, after a lengthy period away, Colt is called by executive producer Gail (Waddingham) and tasked to resume his stuntman duties, but also to save the production of Jody’s directorial debut Metal Storm, after Ryder has been reported missing.

Loosely based on the 1980s TV show of the same name, Drew Pearce’s screenplay is filled to the brim with witty meta-commentary of an inside look at the movie business. As well as being a tribute to the incredible bravery of stunt performers, it takes a look at what goes on behind the scenes of big-budget motion pictures, the decisions directors and studio executives may have to face when assembling such a massive blockbuster, and the efforts to which studios will go to secure the keynote spot at a certain flagship comic con to promote the film. On top of all this, it brings a sense of mystery to it as Colt must investigate the circumstances surrounding Ryder’s disappearance, which shall not be spoiled here but suffice to say, Colt certainly gets more than he bargained for.

Hot on the heels of his Oscar-nominated, scene-stealing performance as Ken in last year’s smash hit Barbie, Gosling once again combines charm, charisma and scorching good looks in his performance. There truly is nothing this man cannot do. Having worked so tremendously as one half of a hilarious double act in The Nice Guys, this is a further demonstration of his wonderful comedic talents (and endless bouts of Kenergy). Aside from Gosling’s committed and hilarious performance, a key component of what makes the humour so effective is the sizzling hot chemistry he shares with Emily Blunt’s Jody, a further demonstration of the lasting power of the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Jody, who is understandably not best pleased about Colt’s decision to isolate himself away from her after his accident, has enormous fun in the methods she chooses in her capacity as the director to get back at him for ghosting her and effectively ending their relationship.

After charming audiences for three seasons as the initially reluctant owner of a football club in Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham is having the time of her life as Metal Storm‘s executive producer and threatens to run away with the entire show. Spending the majority of its runtime on Colt and Jody’s dynamic as ex-boyfriend/girlfriend and stuntman/director, and the secretive efforts of Colt and Gail to find the missing movie star, results in the rest of the cast getting very little screentime. Fittingly, for a film giving these stunt performers their dues, what does have a lasting impact is the stunt work on display. Leitch and this incredible team of stunt performers go all out to accomplish remarkable stunts, all captured in camera with no hint of CGI trickery. From a gripping car chase across Sydney’s streets, to Colt being forced to do the same stunt repeatedly for multiple takes, as well as perhaps the most impressive stunt of them all, the breaking of a record for the amount of car flips that was once held by Casino Royale. James Bond, eat your heart out.

While the ensuing hi-jinks of the mission to find Ryder have no shortage of entertaining and comedic moments, it does begin to run a little out of steam towards the end due to a severely overstretched plot. However, the journey of getting there more than makes up for it. Audiences owe these stunt professionals so much for their fearlessness and dedication for as long as cinema has been around, and one can hope this finally cajoles the industry into giving them the long overdue awards and recognition they deserve.

A joyous and entertaining fusion of action, comedy and romance, with electric chemistry between its bona fide movie star leads ensures The Fall Guy is a non-stop blast of fun and a sincere love letter to the stunt community.

2020-2029, Film Review

Challengers (2024)

Posted on April 26, 2024May 16, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

© Amazon MGM Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Pascal Pictures

Challengers – Film Review

Cast: Zendaya, Mike Faist, Josh O’Connor

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Synopsis: A former tennis prospect turned coach must train her husband when he faces off against his former best friend…

Review: From the football pitch to the tennis court, to the racing tracks of Formula One, passion is usually never in short supply when it comes to professional sports. From the professional athletes playing the sports to the legions of fans in the stadium, and the countless millions watching on TV across the globe, there is a fervour for following our beloved team or individual player that cannot be outmatched. What if those feelings were not contained to merely the respective arenas on which the sports are played, and went beyond those and into the players’ personal lives? Relationships where the initial love and desire sour turn into seething resentment and acrimony in this steamy tennis drama from Luca Guadagnino.

Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) is a tennis prodigy, a star destined for the most unstoppable career trajectory to become one of the best players the sport has ever seen. She captures the attention of lifelong friends Art (Faist) and Patrick (O’Connor), who become instantly smitten by her and desperate to win her affection. She ensnares them both and lays down a tantalising gauntlet, that whoever wins in their upcoming match will be the one who gets Tashi’s number. This challenge to win Tashi’s heart is the first swing in a journey over multiple years in which romance blossoms, once promising careers are cruelly cut short due to injury, and Art and Patrick’s budding friendship in their youth irrevocably damaged. It all comes down to one specific Challenger tennis match, a grudge match in more ways than one, with Tashi watching on from the stands.

Sensuality, desire and seduction are three words inextricably linked to any film directed by Guadagnino. Even in films where you would have thought it would be near impossible to make these themes relevant, such as a story of two young lovers forced to live a life on the run due to their cannibalistic tendencies. It might have seemed impossible to match the sunshine-drenched seduction on display in Call Me By Your Name, but the tennis ball has the peach outmatched because this is arguably the most seductive and horniest film he has made to date. The desire to be the best in your profession, in this case, a tennis player, coincides with the pursuit of a romantic partner/relationship. In Tashi’s mind, tennis is akin to being in a relationship and requires two, or in this case, three people to make it work. It’s this relationship which takes centre court as the boys pursue Tashi, and the ensuing love triangle and the complexities and emotions that go along with their relationships only intensify as the years progress.

By the time the crucial match has come around, saying there’s no love lost would be a massive understatement. The stakes could not be higher, with much more than bruised egos on the line, it is utterly pulsating to watch. Justin Kuritzkes’s screenplay is sharp and fierce with ice-cold and devastatingly brutal jibes and insults, some of which should in time take their place in a montage of some of the best insults/rebukes in cinema. The piercing dialogue, combined with the fierce power struggles that ensue within this bitterly fraught love triangle makes for utterly fascinating viewing, and with three utterly magnetic performances.

O’Connor’s Patrick is exceedingly cocksure and with a smugness that by all rights should make you want to throw a racket, or fire a bunch of tennis balls out of a machine at top speed at him to wipe the smile off his face. Faist’s Art is considerably more withdrawn and focused on getting one over his former friend and arresting his slump in form. Yet the film’s ace is unquestionably Zendaya. She sets the wheels in motion, splintering apart the friendship between Art and Patrick like a tennis racket being mercilessly destroyed due to frustration. It’s a performance that serves as a reminder as to why she is one of the brightest talents in the industry and the best performance she has given on the big screen at least.

A cast fit and firing all on the top of their game is matched by their director. Guadagnino utilises several innovative style choices to illustrate the weight of the stakes that are riding on this match. Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s cinematography utilises intense, sweat-dripping close-ups of the players in action where drops of sweat even drip onto the camera lens, as if there wasn’t enough sensuality on the screen to pump up the horniness, to wide shots and POV shots of the tennis ball as it is furiously smacked across the tennis court with intense feeling by both players. The tub-thumping disco vibes of the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross only adds to the intensity of the rivalry being played out before our very eyes. Like a tennis rally constantly going back and forth, the film utilises a lot of time-hopping and non-linear narrative to illustrate the differing dynamics at various points in the lives of these people and how they go from lusting after each other to wanting nothing more than to go for each other’s throats.

It effectively illustrates how these emotions go from one extreme to the other over the course of many years, but with so much zipping around, the time jumps can get a tad confusing. Despite that minor fault, in a time when original ideas in Hollywood are certainly out there but don’t always come to the fore, it is refreshing to see such an exhilarating, original and thrilling piece of cinema be served up. Wimbledon and the other major tennis tournaments have a lot to live up to this year.

A fascinating and impassioned character study of desire, power and an insatiable hunger for success served with pulsating filmmaking and three electric performances. Game, set and match.

2020-2029, Film Review

Abigail (2024)

Posted on April 20, 2024May 12, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Universal Pictures and Radio Silence Productions**

Abigail – Film Review

Cast: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Synopsis: A group of criminals kidnap the daughter of a criminal overlord, only to discover she has a penchant for drinking blood…

Review: As mythical creatures go, vampires are up there with the most iconic and recognisable and have become a staple of modern popular culture. Taking many forms over the years, from the instantly recognisable and iconic Dracula to the less iconic sparkly variety. If you had to imagine a typical vampire, they’d probably picture an imposing figure in a black cape gleefully drinking the blood of their victims. You’d probably never expect a vampire to appear as a ballerina-loving girl, which is precisely what makes the latest film from the filmmaking duo known as Radio Silence so fascinating and entertaining.

A crew of criminals, overseen by the ringleader Lambert (Esposito), are recruited to kidnap a young girl named Abigail and hold her captive at an isolated mansion. The crew, who are told not to use real names while they’re on the job, consists of former army medic Joey (Barrera), ex-detective Frank (Stevens), hacker Sammy (Newton), driver Dean (Cloud in his final onscreen role), sniper Rickles (Catlett) and enforcer Peter (Durant). They are promised a $50m reward to be split between them if they can keep the girl safe and unharmed for 24 hours. The crew then make themselves comfortable and try to deduce the real identities of each other, all while Joey is tasked with ensuring Abigail is comfortable throughout her ordeal. This is until when some of them begin to be picked off by a mysterious assailant and it soon dawns on them that Abigail is no ordinary 12-year-old girl who is obsessed with ballet but is, in fact, a centuries-old vampire who wants to feast on their blood.

Based on and a reimagining of the 1936 film Dracula’s Daughter, the opening scenes of the titular character pirouetting to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake as she practises her ballet is probably the last way you would expect a vampire movie to open. It ensures the film stands out in a crowded genre by having a creature of the night feast on her victims while dressed in a tutu. In the same vein as how Ready or Not was a thrilling splice of horror-comedy and a deadly game of hide and seek, the script by Guy Busick (co-writer of Ready or Not and the two recent Scream movies) and Stephen Shields is cut from the same mythical cloth. Horror and comedy once again go splat, except this time it’s a heist movie that goes very very wrong for this crew of people, who frankly, are mostly so deplorable you are willing for Abigail to feast on their blood, because as she puts it “likes to play with her food”.

For a film centred on the premise of a ballerina-loving vampire, it is slow to get to the main course of the movie, where the crew realise what it is they are up against and how could they possibly defeat a creature of the night, which provides ample opportunities for some amusing and meta references from existing vampiric pop culture and how do they deal with the not-so-insignificant matter of a bloodthirsty vampire. Barrera, having been a central part of the revived Scream saga under Radio Silence, is the member of this crew who gets the most development. We learn about her circumstances and why she is in desperate need of some extra money. This plight, and her role as the one who is solely tasked with communicating with Abigail allows her to build trust between the two of them, which may come in handy when Abigail’s desire to drink the blood of every last member of this group of criminals takes hold. Every crew member gets a moment to shine, with no one having as much of a bloody good time as Stevens’ Frank.

However, the star of the show is unquestionably Alisha Weir as Abigail. Having announced herself onto the scene with her incredible performance as the titular character in 2022’s Matilda the Musical, this is another film where she not only plays the titular character but more than holds her own against her more experienced co-stars. She commits absolutely everything to the role in terms of the dancing and the twirling moves of a ballerina as she gleefully and gracefully hunts down her prey, effortlessly switching between the dual personality of a sweet and innocent ballerina-loving girl and a ferocious and bloodthirsty vampire.

Speaking of blood, because you simply can’t have a vampire film without it, after dabbling with the gritty real-world violence of the Ghostface killings, the switch back to the more supernatural setting allows Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillet to return to the over-the-top violence similar to Ready or Not. If you thought that film had a considerable amount of blood, it is nothing compared to the torrents of the stuff unleashed here. It would not be a shock to discover if it broke a world record for the most fake blood that has ever been utilised in a film. It takes a little while for the film to raise the stakes (pun absolutely) intended, but once she gets her fangs and the feeding frenzy begins, it is an absolute bloody riot. A monstrously fun time is to be had by all, well apart from those who end up having those fangs buried deep into their necks.

Another superb performance from Alisha Weir having the time of her life as the tiny but deadly titular vampire is the highlight of another deliciously exciting concoction of horror comedy from Radio Silence.

2020-2029, Film Review

Civil War (2024)

Posted on April 14, 2024April 23, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Civil War – Film Review

Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman, Sonoya Mizuno, Jesse Plemons

Director: Alex Garland

Synopsis: A team of photojournalists document events on the ground as the United States is in the midst of a brutal civil war…

Review: “A date which will live in infamy”, the words of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt after the US naval base of Pearl Harbour came under attack on December 1941. However, they could just as easily have been words uttered in the wake of January 6^th, 2021, when the world recoiled in horror as supporters of the disgraced former President Donald Trump, attacked the US Capitol in a violent insurrection after being told straight-up falsehoods about the Presidential election held just a few months prior. As the world watched, the ugliness and the depravity of those scenes were scarred into our memories as a moment where it felt like the US was at a tipping point and could very easily descend into the second Civil War in its history. This moment, an unprecedented one in history seems to have inspired this grounded and harrowing tale of war in a bitterly divided nation from Alex Garland.

Set in the near future, the country is in the midst of a civil war with multiple factions locked in a brutal fight against the other. On one side stands the Loyalist states which have stood by the President (Offerman), who it’s vaguely suggested has become something of a dictator as he is serving his third term in office. On the other side of the battlefield, stand numerous other factions which have seceded from the union, including the New People’s Army consisting of states in the north-west of the country, the Florida Alliance and crucially the Western Alliance consisting of the states of California and Texas. As the Western Alliance prepares for an offensive against Washington DC, war photojournalist Lee (Dunst), journalist Joel (Moura), and veteran journalist Sammy (McKinley-Henderson) prepare to make the perilous journey to the capital to document the events on the ground and in the hope of interviewing the president. They are joined by aspiring photojournalist Jessie (Spaeny), who idolises Lee’s work.

One would have to have been living under a rock to not know that in recent times, particularly since 2016, the United States has become a very divided nation, fraught with bitter political tension. Therefore, Garland’s script chooses to not pick a side in this conflict and instead frames the hostilities from the perspective of the journalists. Brave men and women who risk their lives to document the hostility objectively in the face of any conflict. The decision to frame the film from the perspective of the journalists is a pointed one, particularly given the fact their jobs have become considerably more challenging in recent years, stemming from certain former world leaders using their platform to viciously attack the media for simply doing their jobs and bringing the facts to light, even as such spurious terms like “fake news” have become rampant. It is a sharp and necessary reminder of the essential jobs of the media, particularly in fraught times where conflict is raging, certain politicians who are only too eager to launch attacks on them as the foundations of society have crumbled, and civilisation as we know it has completely fallen into ruin.

Garland also uses this as a means to examine how the humanity of such journalists would be impacted when they have been in such close proximity to brutality and death for extended periods, particularly Dunst’s Lee. Within minutes of meeting her, you get the impression this is someone who has been through and witnessed more barbaric acts of violence and horror than any person should have over their lifetime. Dunst’s performance exudes a sense of world-weariness and exhaustion, yet despite this, she knows she must plough on, particularly given Jessie’s adoration for her and her work. Lee recognises Jessie’s potential, which prompts her to take Jessie under her wing, in a similar vein to how Sammy took Lee under his wing when Lee first started out. All the while Jessie, while keen to learn under her idol, is left severely shaken by some of the horrifying sights she sees while the group makes the journey to Washington DC.

To say this is a perilous journey would be a severe understatement, as Garland does not hold back with depictions of what a modern-day Civil War in the States could look like. Striking images of former metropolises once teeming with life, reduced to barren wastelands with buildings smouldering in smoke. Shopping centres are left totally abandoned. Hostilities break out in broad daylight, with bodies strewn across the streets, and in some instances, soldiers proudly displaying their victories as a warning to the opposing forces. It is, at times, disturbing to watch and Garland’s direction is gritty and captures the brutality and ugliness of what would likely happen if a Civil War broke out on the streets of the US in the modern era. One scene is so fraught with tension and anxiety, that you could cut it with a knife, and will send audiences’ heart rates soaring.

In a time when the news cycle is dominated by seeing numerous regions the world over and utterly grim and heartbreaking stories emerging on a daily basis, Garland’s film is topical, to say the least about the horrors and devastation of war. However, while it drops hints here and there as to the causes, with Offerman’s President spouting very Trumpian rhetoric and the flashbacks to the Capitol insurrection, the key context for the events that led to the breakout of the war is left to the audience’s interpretation. You could certainly make the case the film had plenty more to say about the state of US politics. However, in an election year, with political tension showing no sign of letting up amid an ever-chaotic and violence-stricken world, the overarching message that war is hell is received loud and clear.

While it could have had more to say about the state of politics in our world today, Civil War remains a tense and gritty look at a society torn apart by conflict and the pivotal role of the media.

2020-2029, Film Review

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Posted on February 27, 2024September 23, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures**

Dune: Part Two – Film Review

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Synopsis: After joining forces with the Fremen in the deserts of Arrakis, Paul Atriedes vows revenge on those who conspired against his family and murdered his father…

Review: “This is only the beginning”, as those words spoken by Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya), with Hans Zimmer’s incredible score, rang in our ears by the conclusion of the first half of this adaptation of Frank Herbert’s revolutionary 1965 novel, it was a tantalising tease of what was to come. However, it might have all been for nought, as a second film was not guaranteed due to the decision to give it a simultaneous cinematic release and a day-and-date release on streaming. With a $400m haul at the box office (a mightily impressive feat given the pandemic) and viewed by 1.9 million households in the US on its opening weekend on streaming. The audiences spoke, as did the Academy with six Oscars, and the Spice Gods greenlit a sequel. After a few delayed release dates, the time has come to return to Arrakis, and Denis Villeneuve has again defied the odds to deliver another magnificent demonstration of desert power.

Set immediately after the events of Part One, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Ferguson) have fled to find shelter with the Fremen after his father Duke Leto and the majority of his House were murdered in a coup orchestrated by the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Skarsgård) aided by the Sardaukar troops provided by the Emperor Shaddam Corrino (Walken). Though Paul is determined to get revenge, he initially opts to put this to one side and seeks to learn the ways of the Fremen to gain their trust as they see him and his mother as outsiders. Meanwhile, given her status as Bene Gesserit, the Fremen give Jessica an extremely important role within their community. While Paul learns the ways of the Fremen, the work of the Bene Gesserit has convinced some Fremen that Paul is the Lisan Al Gaib or “Voice from the Outer World”. This puts Paul in a moral quandary as to whether he is the prophesied messiah for the Fremen as he simultaneously continues to have horrifying visions for what the future might lead to.

Adapting the first novel in Frank Herbert’s legendary series was always considered to be an unfilmable task, just ask David Lynch. It just goes to show that betting against Denis Villeneuve is never a good idea because he thoroughly proved all the naysayers wrong. With seriously impressive world-building to give any epic franchise of the like a run for its money, Part One immersed the audience in this universe as if you were walking on the sand dunes of Arrakis themselves. However, this was a mere prelude for what Villeneuve and returning screenwriter Jon Spaihts have in store.

Part One walked so Part Two could, like a native Fremen, ride a sandworm in tremendous style. Across 165 spice-fuelled minutes, Villeneuve and Spaiths take all the world-building and the foundations laid by the first film and turbocharge them to deliver an equally epic, but considerably darker, emotionally charged and more action-packed second chapter. Alongside Paul learning the ways, and language of the Fremen, Chani and Paul begin to develop a romance and furthermore, all-out war between the Fremen and House Harkonnen as the former works to disrupt the latter’s spice production. On another side of the Universe, the Emperor’s daughter Princess Irulan (Pugh), who is also a disciple of the Bene Gesserit, begins to grapple with the consequences of the Harkonnen’s attack on the Atreides and the part her father played in engineering their downfall.

Despite the extensive and star-studded cast, such epic franchises can live or die based on the central character at the centre of this journey. Once again, Chalamet demonstrates why he is one of the finest actors of his generation as he gives what could well be a career-defining performance. Part One was very much about Paul striving to learn from leaders around him, such as his father and others he looked up to. Now, he is very much thrust into the spotlight of becoming not just a leader of the Fremen, but something much more. Chalamet magnificently balances Paul’s desire to lead the Fremen to victory against the Harkonnens, but also shows hesitancy to embrace the path that has been put at his feet by the Bene Gesserit. Fremen leader Stilgar (Bardem) is only too eager to believe this notion of a messiah, much to Chani’s chagrin. Zendaya is thankfully given much more to do this time around, beyond the extended cameo she had in Part One. The chemistry between her and Paul, like the dunes of Ararakis, is scorching hot, though there is a lingering doubt in her mind as to whether Paul could be this messiah-like figure and if he is willing to embrace that destiny.

Like Gurney Halleck playing the baliset, there is not a false note in any of the performances. Though out of all the new cast members, the standout by far is the ruthless and psychotic Feyd-Rautha played by Austin Butler, another actor whose rise to stardom is also on an unstoppable trajectory. The perfection of the cast’s performances is matched by the incredible work of Villeneuve and his crew. Whether it’s the roar of the sandworms or the thrum of a thumper, the work of the sound design team makes you feel these sounds with maximum force, especially in IMAX. Likewise, Greig Fraiser’s cinematography be it the bright oranges of Arrakis deserts or the harsh black-and-white palette of the Harkonnen homeworld of Giedi Prime never fails to dazzle. The VFX work once again reinforces what happens when artists are given time to perfect their craft, and of course, Hans Zimmer once again delivers another impeccable and evocative score.

It would be easy to get lost down the wormhole of lore the film throws at the audience and while it does teeter on the brink of buckling under all of the weight of said lore, one cannot deny the spectacle and visual majesty of what Villeneuve has brought to the screen. Ever since he broke into the Hollywood mainstream – with a run stretching from 2013’s Prisoners to now – each passing film has shown Villeneuve to be a master at combining emotional human struggles, with the sort of spectacle which is absolutely worth the price of a ticket and a reminder of the sheer power that cinema can have. Villeneuve has made no secret of the impact the novel had on him in his youth and one that also changed science fiction forever. In what is an already superb filmography, this magnificent two-part adaptation will (like its source material) stand the test of time, as one of the most epic sci-franchises ever and perhaps the pièce de résistance of Villeneuve’s mightly impressive filmography so far. Power over spice is power over all, indeed.

Building on the epic foundations laid by its predecessor, this magnificent sequel is another visually majestic reminder of the unstoppable force of desert power and the force of nature behind the camera that is Denis Villeneuve.

2020-2029, Film Review

The Iron Claw (2024)

Posted on February 15, 2024November 21, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

© Access Entertainment, BBC Film, House Productions, A24 and Lionsgate

The Iron Claw – Film Review

Cast: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, Stanley Simons, Lily James

Director: Sean Durkin

Synopsis: Telling the true story of the Von Erich family as they forge their legacy in the world of wrestling in the 1980s…

Review: What comes to mind when you hear the word “wrestling”? Aside from the sight of impossibly muscular individuals wearing tight spandex, prominent wrestling figures from when the WWE was at the peak of its popularity in the late ’90s to early 2000s. Names such as The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, or The Undertaker may come to mind. However, for those who watched wrestling in the early to mid-80s, the names on everyone’s lips may well have been those of the von Erich family, whose rise to prominence and the subsequent tragedy that befell them is captured with raw and devastating emotion by Sean Durkin.

Opening in a car park after family patriarch Jack “Fritz” Von Erich has triumphed in a wrestling match at the peak of his career. After the fight, he impresses on his young sons Kevin and David the importance of being the toughest, the strongest, and the greatest they could be. If they can do this, nothing could harm them in the face of adversity, which is particularly significant as Fritz harbours a superstition that there is a curse on the family. Flash forwards several years later and the four Von Erich brothers, Kevin (Efron), Kerrie (Allen White), David (Dickinson), and Mike (Simons) are being coached by their father and pushing them to be the best wrestlers they can be, for a shot at the world heavyweight title that eluded Fritz. Each one of them exhibits the passion, the fire inside, and the determination to be the one that brings the title home while they establish their names in the world of wrestling.

An essential goal for any sports film, irrespective of the sport, is to captivate the audience with a compelling story, even if they have no prior knowledge of the sport in question. Durkin’s screenplay is a powerful combination of how the world of wrestling works and how even though matches have pre-determined outcomes, it emphasizes the immense physical and mental strain placed on professional wrestlers to perform regularly, which is what they will need to do if they want to have a chance of being the best. Such mental and physical tolls, combined with the weight of expectation placed upon their shoulders by their father, bring the brothers together to form the most unbreakable of brotherly bonds, which will resonate with anyone who shares a similar relationship with a brother. Each of them has their own unique personality, whether it’s David’s no-nonsense pre-match fighting talk, Kerry’s athleticism, Kevin’s imposing physicality, or Mike’s more reserved demeanour. They all share warm and loving chemistry with each other, making it all the more emotionally crushing when the Von Erich curse strikes the family once more.

In an ensemble filled with brilliant and layered performances to leave the audience on the ropes with the emotional weight of the tragedy of the Von Erichs’ story, it is Zac Efron’s leading performance that delivers the knockout blow. Aside from the awe-inspiring physical transformation (he gained 15 pounds for the role), it is a role that is as far from a cry from his early career as a star of Disney musicals as physically possible. However, with his almost impossibly imposing physicality, he delivers arguably the best performance of his career and showcases his talent as a dramatic actor. He strongly loves his family and wrestling, though the love for the latter is severely tested. Durkin’s script examines the brotherhood between the Von Erichs and the stern tutelage of their father. However, such was the weight of expectation and burden placed on their shoulders, where the pressure on them to perform was insurmountable and the culture of toxic masculinity, took a severe toll on them both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, this doesn’t leave much time to explore Kevin’s relationship with Pam (James) as they begin a life together raising a family of their own, while Tierney as the Von Erich matriarch is also left on the sidelines.

The heart-breaking nature of this story means it would be easy for the audience to become too overwhelmed by an overpowering sense of devastation and melancholy. However, Durkin handles these emotional moments with care and sensitivity so that, like a signature wrestling move, they leave the audience floored for maximum impact when they hit. Durkin and his cinematographer Mátyás Erdély recreate the ’80s time period when it comes to the wrestling scenes, beautifully with immaculately choreographed scenes that look authentic and pack a tremendous punch, particularly when it comes to the iron claw itself, the von Erich family’s signature wrestling move. Wrestling is a sport with such physical demands on its performers, often taking the lives of many wrestlers well before their time. Many members of the Von Erich family may have seen their time on this Earth prematurely cut short, but their achievements in wrestling have ensured the Von Erich family has built a legacy that will live forever.

Powered by a career-defining performance from Zac Efron, The Iron Claw‘s tragic true story of brotherhood, wrestling and legacy stakes its claim for the title of one of the most harrowing sports dramas that will leave you down and out for the count.

2020-2029, Film Review, London Film Festival 2023

Poor Things (2023)

Posted on January 11, 2024March 7, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

© Searchlight Pictures, Film4, TSG Entertainment and Element Pictures

Poor Things – Film Review

Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael, Margaret Qualley, Kathryn Hunter

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Synopsis: In Victorian Europe, a young woman is brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist…

Review: The task of boiling down the filmography of any director to just one single word would be a challenge, to say the least. However, if one were to apply this challenge to the filmography of Yorgos Lanthimos’s career, the most suitable word would unquestionably be idiosyncratic. From the unique and absurdist romantic drama The Lobster, the unnerving psychological revenge thriller Killing of a Sacred Deer and a period drama unlike any other in The Favourite. Every time he steps behind the camera, the final product is alwas something unique, and he emphatically continues that streak with his quirkiest, funniest and quite possibly best film to date.

Set in Victorian times, after a young pregnant woman (Stone) commits suicide, the unorthodox scientist Dr Godwin Baxter (Dafoe), resurrects her by transplanting the brain of her still-born baby into her body. Now going by the name of Bella, a fully grown woman with all the behaviours and characteristics of a toddler, Bella is keen to grow and learn more about the world. However, Godwin or “God” as Bella affectionately calls him, wants to keep his Frankenstein-esque creation inside to study her. Yearning for freedom and autonomy from her “father”, she runs off with the sleazy and debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Ruffalo) where she becomes increasingly curious about the beautiful, mad and complicated world around her.

Adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, within the first few minutes, it becomes immediately apparent as to how perfectly suited the source material is to the Greek filmmaker’s quirky and unique style. Reuniting with Tony McNamara, who co-wrote The Favourite, the script balances the dark and let’s be honest, horrifying nature of Bella’s origin story with some of the blackest and outrageously funny humour, with some of the most hilarious euphemisms you will have ever heard. Seeing a character, essentially a child in the body of a full-grown woman, acting in the unfiltered manner she does, is uproariously entertaining.

She will blurt out anything and everything that comes to her mind, with no concept of manners or whether what she is saying is foul-mouthed or taboo while being blissfully unaware of the societal constraints that would have been expected of women at that time. As if that wasn’t hilarious enough, as her brain rapidly develops, the film gleefully extracts humour from the efforts of the men around her, particularly Wedderburn, from desperately trying to stop Bella from discovering herself. The film is unashamedly feminist and liberating in its celebration of empowerment and social discovery.

A bold and out-of-the-ordinary premise, featuring a character’s unique journey through the complexities of life could have completely fallen apart had the casting not been pitch-perfect. Fortunately, in Emma Stone’s hands, she rises to the challenge magnificently with one of the finest performances of her career, further reinforcing why she and Lanthimos have seemingly become each other’s muses. With her mannerisms and struggle to enunciate properly in the early stages, she expertly sells the early stages of Bella’s journey as a naïve and innocent soul who has effectively just been born. Furthermore, as the film progresses and her brain’s rapid development takes hold, to see her stifle the attempts of those around her to control her as she becomes her own woman who is firmly in control of her own destiny is endlessly satisfying.

Alongside Stone’s sublime leading performance, every member of this cast fully understands their assignments and are fully in tune with the film’s peculiar vibe. Having spent years as the calm and measured scientist in the MCU, who occasionally loses his cool and becomes a green rage monster, Ruffalo’s Wedderburn is worlds away from that. A slimy and rascally lawyer who seeks to use Bella as nothing more than an object to engage in sex to control his raging libido, only to become exasperated when her desires for education and discovery become too much for him to control is hilarious to watch. Meanwhile, Dafoe, who is no stranger to playing an eccentric scientist (albeit one is not quite so disfigured), is also on reliably excellent form with the screentime that he has.

Embracing the quirky madness of this dark and twisted fairytale (of sorts), Robbie Ryan’s cinematography visually dazzling blend of black-and-white and an extremely vivid colour palette, while regularly deploying fish-eye lenses (which is rather appropriate for this fish-out-of-water story) left the audience feeling disorientated through this fever dream of a journey through Victorian Europe. A journey that is beautifully complemented by Holly Waddington’s immaculate costume design and the production design by Shona Heath and James Price. The oddity of this odyssey from the perspective of one of the most unique characters will almost certainly rub some people up the wrong way. Yet, one cannot dispute that the world of Hollywood filmmaking is a better place with directors such as Lanthimos bringing one-of-a-kind films to the table, in every sense of the word.

Unabashedly bizarre and filled with riotous and offbeat dialogue, Lanthimos has made his most eccentric, darkest and funniest film yet, while getting a career-best performance from Emma Stone.

2020-2029, Film Review

Anyone But You (2023)

Posted on January 6, 2024December 22, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

(c) Sony Pictures Releasing, SK Global, RK Films, Olive Bridge Entertainment and Columbia Pictures

Anyone But You – Film Review

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths

Director: Will Gluck

Synopsis: A blossoming romance between a couple quickly sours and takes a turn for the worse when they find out they’re both attending a destination wedding…

Review: Perhaps it is Disney’s influence and the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with a happy-ever-after tale, but there’s something refreshingly simple and effective about a good romantic comedy. They have an effortless appeal, which we as human beings lap up, because who doesn’t love a good romance when two people, after much will-they-won’t-they antics, finally come to the realisation they are destined for each other and fall in love? It definitely doesn’t hurt when the two people at the centre of this particular tale are two of the most attractive human beings on earth, with an equally beautiful setting to go along with it.

Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) randomly meet at a coffee shop and strike up a romance, leading them to spend the night together at Ben’s place. Despite what seems to have been a perfect first date, Bea decides to leave first thing in the morning before Ben has woken up. A change of heart leads her to head back, only to hear Ben verbally lash out at her for leaving without saying a word, to his friend Pete (GaTa), all while she is in earshot. The sparks which initially flew at their first meeting are soon replaced by uncomfortable frostiness when they find themselves again in each other’s company at a party several months later. The two are further dismayed when, after being invited to the wedding of Bea’s sister Halle (Robinson) and Pete’s sister Claudia (Shipp) in Australia, they will be staying in the same house. Amid possible schemes from other wedding guests to get them together, Ben and Bea decide to pretend to be in a relationship to get the other wedding guests, as well as their parents, off their backs. Who knows, maybe this will make them realise what made their initial connection so memorable?

Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, the script by Will Gluck and Ilana Wolpert does everything it can to channel the spirit of the Bard himself, as the central couple at the centre of this love/hate relationship sharing the names of the protagonists for good measure (Beatrice and Benedick). Seeing two people who would almost certainly prefer to be in anyone else’s company other than each other’s lends itself to some humorous moments. Despite this animosity, they try to make things as seamless as possible and avoid making a scene at the wedding of two people close to them. Shenanigans are had, with one particular highlight being when the wedding party is out on a hike taking in the scenery that the land down under has to offer, as well as a recreation of the iconic scene from Titanic while the wedding guests are having a party on a boat, what could be more romantic than that? Well until, it goes just a bit wrong and ends up with an unplanned dip while wearing fancy party attire.

It is a fundamental aspect that any rom-com needs chemistry between its leads. Luckily, when you have two of the hottest (literally) rising stars in the business, it counts for a lot as Sweeney and Powell’s chemistry sizzles like the hot Australian sunshine. Their charisma and charm are enough to carry the film practically all by themselves, and Gluck seems to recognise the easy on the eye appeal of his leading couple as much as possible, while cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann utilises the beautiful, picturesque Australian scenery to his advantage. However, their blazing hot chemistry and on-screen charisma can only do so much to elevate the material, as it cannot escape the very formulaic nature of the plot. Despite their bitterness and resentment, they initially have, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the hostilities between them will inevitably give way to a realisation that maybe these two have romantic feelings for each other after all.

While Sweeney and Powell dominate much of the screentime, Dermot Mulroney provides excellent comedy relief as Bea’s father, scheming with some of the others to get his daughter and Ben to realise what is staring everyone in the face. While they have the limelight stolen from them due to the antics of Ben and Bea, Alexandra Shipp and Hadley Robinson get their time to shine, and so they should, what with them being the couple whose wedding is the reason for this gathering in the first place. It doesn’t break any new ground, but if you’re looking for some glorious sunshine, some attractive people and a simplistic but effective story of two souls taking a long time to realise what the audience knew from the beginning, it certainly ticks all the boxes. But be warned, you will not be able to get Natasha Bedingfield’s certified 2000s pop banger “Unwritten” out of your head for several days afterwards.