Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

Posted on 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! 

Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Posted on 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.

 

Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

The Fall Guy (2024)

Posted on 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.

Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

Challengers (2024)

Posted on 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.

New shirts, please…

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.

 

Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

Abigail (2024)

Posted on 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. 

 

Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

Civil War (2024)

Posted on by Martin: Through the Silver Screen
© A24

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 6th, 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. 

Posted in 2020-2029, Awards Season, Oscars

96th Academy Awards: Final Predictions

Posted on by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

The envelopes are sealed, the bow ties are being tied and the dresses in all of their glory are ready to dazzle on the red carpet as Hollywood is preparing to celebrate its biggest night with the 96th Academy Awards. 2023 was not without its challenges for the film industry, but it was an incredible year for cinema, with a plethora of terrific films. With 23 of those prestigious trophies to be won, let me gaze into my metaphorical crystal ball to see who will take etch their name into history and be crowned with an Oscar.

Just a quick note, that my predictions won’t include the documentaries and the shorts as I have not seen them, though I will endeavour to make an effort to watch those and include them in my predictions next year.

 

Best Animated Feature Film

  • The Boy and the Heron  – Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
  • Elemental   – Peter Sohn and Denise Ream
  • Nimona  – Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary
  • Robot Dreams  – Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse  – Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal

Kicking us off, Best Animated is always a competitive category, but arguably this year more than most as there was a vast array of high-quality animated films, with the House of Mouse celebrating its 100th anniversary. The studio is represented here with another gem from Pixar in Elemental. Still, its hopes of winning here are slim to none, because this race is a battle of the astonishing animated wizardry of Across the Spider-Verse against what is believed to be the final bow from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki.  Both films are immaculately animated with ambitious stories in scope touching on very different but important themes, but while Boy and the Heron‘s story does get a bit convoluted, Spider-Verse does not. I hope I am wrong, but my spider-sense is telling me that the Academy might just favour giving this award to someone who has brought so much to this art form, but it could go either way.

Will Win: The Boy and The Heron 

Should Win: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Could have been nominated: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Best Supporting Actress

  • Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
  • Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple 
  • America Ferrera – Barbie 
  • Jodie Foster  – Nyad
  • Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers 

The first of the supporting actor categories, and unlike last year where there was no frontrunner, this is anything but. It is fantastic to see Danielle Brooks be recognised for  The Colour Purple, the fact she is the film’s sole representative across this entire awards season is extremely bewildering and speaks to the sheer scale of competition this year, where a great film only gets one nomination (more on that in a bit). With a lack of a Best Picture nom, the chances for her and Nyad’s Jodie Foster are slim to none.  It looked as though she might miss out, but America Ferrara’s nomination was thoroughly deserved for THAT monologue scene alone. Blunt, somehow is scoring the first nomination of her career and despite a somewhat frustrating role where she is reduced to a drunken housewife, she certainly left an impression with that fiery moment in the hearing scene at the end of the film. Yet, given that she has picked up just about every award going in this awards season, nothing is going to stop Da’Vine Joy Randolph from deservedly completing the set and bagging the Oscar for her wonderful performance in The Holdovers.

Will Win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Should Win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Could have been nominated: Claire Foy for All of Us Strangers or Sandra Huller for The Zone of Interest

 

Best Supporting Actor

  • Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction 
  • Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon 
  • Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer 
  • Ryan Gosling – Barbie 
  • Mark Ruffalo  – Poor Things 

For the past four years, two actors from the same film have cropped up in this category, and there was a chance it could have been a fifth year in a row had Willem Dafoe also been nominated for Poor Things. Sterling K. Brown is the only actor of this crop picking up his first nomination, for his memorable turn as the brother to Jeffrey Wright’s frustrated author in American Fiction. Mark Ruffalo’s hilarious turn as a slimy lawyer in Poor Things was another reminder of his incredible talent which he doesn’t get to explore in the MCU. Robert DeNiro”s turn as the reptilian William “King” Hale has brought the ninth nomination of his career, and in another year, it might have resulted in another win for the industry legend. Ryan Gosling certainly brought all the Kenergy he could to what was a scene-stealing performance, but not even the Kenergy Gosling brought to his performance will be able to stop Robert Downey Jr from claiming his first Oscar.

Like with Supporting Actress, this is not a contest, as Downey Jr has swept all before him with his incredible performance as Lewis Strauss. It is quite fitting that 15 years since the late Heath Ledger’s iconic performance in one Christopher Nolan masterpiece denied Downey an Oscar, another Nolan masterpiece will give him his first Oscar.

Will Win: Robert Downey Jr.

Should Win: Robert Downey Jr.

Could have been nominated: Willem Dafoe for Poor Things or Paul Mescal for All of Us Strangers 

Best Cinematography

  • El Conde  – Edward Lachman 
  • Killers of the Flower Moon  – Rodrigo Prieto 
  • Maestro  – Matthew Libatique 
  • Oppenheimer – Hoyte van Hoyetma 
  • Poor Things – Robbie Ryan 

There’s only one name on this Oscar, and that is Hoyte van Hoytema’s.

Will Win: Hoyte van Hoyetma 

Should Win: Hoyte van Hoyetma 

Could have been nominated: Łukasz Żal for The Zone of Interest

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

 

  • Golda – Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue
  • Maestro – Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
  • Oppenheimer  – Luisa Abel 
  • Poor Things  – Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
  • Society of the Snow – Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé

Usually, success in this category correlates with the transformative make-up work done to a particular actor in one of the acting races, but given the way I suspect the acting races will go, that logic does not apply here. Therefore, given the significant amount of chatter with which one particular nose generated (a big fuss over nothing really), and with Kazu Hiro having picked up two wins in this category for Darkest Hour and Bombshell, I am backing him to make it a hat-trick here, though Poor Things and Oppenheimer could be potential dark horses.

Will Win:  Maestro 

Should Win: Maestro

Should have been nominated: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Best Costume Design

  • Barbie  – Jacqueline Durran 
  • Killers of the Flower Moon  – Jacqueline West
  • Napoleon  – Janty Yates and David Crossman 
  • Oppenheimer   – Ellen Mirojnick 
  • Poor Things  – Holly Waddington 

This is the first of many battles that is likely to be a very close contest between Barbie and Poor Things, with round one going to Poor Things (or as my very good friend Jay McGrath so brilliantly called it, Arthouse Barbie!)

Will Win: Poor Things

Should Win: Poor Things 

Should have been nominated: Francine Jamison-Tanchuck for The Color Purple 

Best International Feature Film

 

  • Io capitano   (Italy)  – directed by Matteo Garrone
  • Perfect Days (Japan)  – directed by Wim Wenders  
  • Society of the Snow  (Spain)  – directed by J.A. Bayona 
  • The Teachers’ Lounge  (Germany)  – directed by İlker Çatak
  • The Zone of Interest  (United Kingdom)  – directed by Jonathan Glazer 

Had France submitted Anatomy of a Fall for its submission in this category, this could have been a very intriguing race between two Best Picture nominees. However, as the sole Best Picture nominee here, The Zone of Interest will make history by becoming the United Kingdom’s first winner in this category at the third time of asking.

Will Win: The Zone of Interest 

Should Win: The Zone of Interest

Best Production Design

  • Barbie  – Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer 
  • Killers of the Flower Moon – Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
  • Napoleon – Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff 
  • Oppenheimer – Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman 
  • Poor Things – Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek

Barbie VS Arthouse Barbie Round 2. Given the fact that the Barbie production design team used so much pink paint to design the world of Barbie Land, they caused a worldwide shortage, I feel like this should tip the scale in Barbie’s favour, particularly since Barbie duo Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer are on their seventh nomination and their incredible work to bring Barbie Land to life should merit them their first win. However, with wins from the Art Director’s Guild of America and BAFTA, the momentum is with Poor Things.

Will Win: Poor Things 

Should Win: Barbie

Best Original Score

  • American Fiction – Laura Karpman 
  • Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny  – John Williams 
  • Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson 
  • Oppenheimer  – Ludwig Göransson
  • Poor Things – Jerskin Fendrix 

I don’t think you will find anyone on planet Earth who would dispute John Williams’s status as one of the greatest composers in film history. His legend status is assured, but his nomination for the latest Indiana Jones is endlessly frustrating and borderline lazy. Was anything he composed for the film (the theme tune does not count) memorable? The Academy could have shown ambition by giving animated films nominations elsewhere and showed Daniel Pemberton some love for his brilliant Across the Spider-Verse score, or likewise for Joe Hisaishi for The Boy and the Heron. A posthumous win for Robbie Robertson would be a nice moment, but I hope Ludwig Göransson can hear the music when they announce his name because he will be claiming his second Oscar after his win for Black Panther.

Will Win: Ludwig Göransson

Should Win: Ludwig Göransson

Should have been nominated: Daniel Pemberton for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Sound

  • The Creator  – Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
  • Maestro  – Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
  • Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning  – Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
  • Oppenheimer  – Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O’Connell
  • The Zone of Interest – Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

From the minute Oppenheimer debuted and the enthralling Trinity Test sequences reverberated from cinema speakers across the world quite literally blasting people back into their seats, especially in IMAX, this race felt like an open and shut case and the names of those sound artists were already on the trophy. Yet, given the crucial role of sound utilised in The Zone of Interest to depict the horrors of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and its win over Oppenheimer at BAFTA, it has emerged as a potential upset on the former’s march towards an impressive sweep. It might well have surged too late, and given sound and editing usually go hand in hand, I don’t foresee another upset here.

Will Win: Oppenheimer 

Should Win: Oppenheimer

Best Original Song

  • “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot – Music and lyrics by Diane Warren
  • “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie  – Music and lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
  • “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony – Music and lyrics by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
  • “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon – Music and lyrics by Scott George
  • “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie   –  Music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

.Another year, another nomination for Dianne Warren, which brings her total number of nominations to 15. Yet, her wait for that Oscar is almost certainly going to continue as this year’s contest boils down to a battle of the Barbies VS Kens, as it’s a straight fight between the hilarious “I’m Just Ken” so tremendously well performed by Ryan Gosling and the more heartfelt “What Was I Made For” during the film’s emotional conclusion. The brother and sister duo of Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell were just 20 and 24 years old when they scooped their first Oscar in 2022 for the theme song from No Time to Die, and were they to win again, Eilish would become the youngest two-time winner in Oscars history, and it would be fully deserved. Though, the lack of nomination for “Live That Way Forever” from The Iron Claw (indeed, the lack of nominations for the film in general) really boggles the mind.

Will Win: “What Was I Made For” from Barbie 

Should Win: “What Was I Made For” from Barbie 

Should have been nominated: “Live That Way Forever” from The Iron Claw  

Best Film Editing

  • Anatomy of a Fall – Laurent Sénéchal
  • The Holdovers  – Kevin Tent 
  • Killers of the Flower Moon – Thelma Schoonmaker 
  • Opppenheimer  – Jennifer Lame 
  • Poor Things  – Yorgos  Mavropsaridis

To make three hours and three and a half hours fly by as quickly as they did is a testament to the immense editing work of both Jennifer Lame and Thelma Schoonmaker for Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon respectively. If Schoonmaker were to win, she would become the first person in this category to win four Oscars. However, as previously mentioned, sound and editing often go hand in hand, so you can add this to Oppenheimer‘s collection of awards.

Will Win: Oppenheimer 

Should Win: Oppenheimer

Best Visual Effects

 

  • The Creator – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts, and Neil Corbould
  • Godzilla Minus One – Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams, and Theo Bialek 
  • Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Alex Wutke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland, and Neil Corbould
  • Napoleon  – Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco, and Neil Corbould

Given that none of these films are Best Picture contenders, there is no immediate frontrunner here. Oppenheimer on the face of it seemed like a sure bet to win, but somewhat surprisingly it did not even make the shortlist, perhaps given Nolan’s desire to use practical effects whenever possible counted against him. Also, BAFTA winner Poor Things is absent, opening the door for another film to grab Oscar gold. For a film with a budget of just $80m, the work on The Creator is phenomenal, likewise for Godzilla Minus One and its even smaller budget of $10-12m nabbed the King of the Monsters’ first nomination. It amazes me that despite many nominations, an MCU film has never won this award. Guardians would be a worthy winner to break that streak. But in a battle of futuristic sci-fi vs a big Kaiju, the futuristic sci-fi has it.

Will Win: The Creator 

Should Win: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

 

Best Original Screenplay

  • Anatomy of a Fall   – Written by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari 
  • The Holdovers  – Written by David Hemingson 
  • Maestro   – Written by Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer 
  • May December   – Written by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Buch and Alex Mechanik 
  • Past Lives   – Written by Celine Song 

This might have been a very different race had there not been some category switcheroo taking place (more on that in a bit).

With its lack of Best Picture nomination, May December can immediately be discounted, leaving the four Best Picture contenders. Maestro seems to have taken on the mantra of everyone’s favourite punching bag of this year, a tad harsh for my money as the passion which went into the screenplay is there to see on screen, but this won’t end Bradley Cooper’s long wait for an Oscar. The buzz for Past Lives was massive when it premiered at Sundance last year but its momentum seems to have stalled at the worst possible time, while The Holdovers’ witticisms, its brilliant use of comedic insults, and the warm fuzziness it generates could help it to snag a win. Yet, that seems unlikely Anatomy of a Fall triumphed at the Golden Globes and BAFTA and is odds on to complete the hat trick with the Oscar, which is perhaps the best place to honour the Palme D’Or winner at Cannes, given it was not chosen by France as its submission for Best International Feature.

Will Win: Anatomy of a Fall

Should Win: Past Lives

Should have been nominated: The Iron Claw 

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • American Fiction  – Written by Cord Jefferson 
  • Barbie  – Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach 
  • Oppenheimer   – Written by Christopher Nolan 
  • Poor Things  – Written by Cord Tony McNamara
  • The Zone of Interest  – Written by Jonathan Glazer

And here’s where that category switcheroo comes into play which has made this race considerably spicier.

Across this awards season, Barbie has competed in Original, which does make sense as despite being based on Barbie characters, it does tell a wholly original story. Yet the Academy decreed it belonged in the adapted screenplay, so here we are. A very strong field of Best Picture contenders, Jonathan Glazer loosely adapted the novel of the same by Martin Amis into a timely and horrifying analysis of human complicity in the face of unspeakable evil. Tony McNamara’s adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel combines the film’s horror-ish elements with some of the blackest humour and the results were hilarious. Given he wrote parts of the script in the first person, a win for Nolan here is not out of the question and could add to Oppenheimer‘s likely sweep, which brings me to Barbie, the second half of the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Gerwig missed out on the Best Director nom, and given the impact this phenomenon had in getting people out to the cinemas, dressing up, and just the vibe it created, Gerwig and Baumbach deserve some recognition.

Part of me wants to say this will go Barbie’s way. However, what gives me pause is American Fiction has surged late on, particularly with it winning at BAFTA (the only category it was nominated in) is quite the feat, and perhaps given its sharp and satirical analysis of writing, it connected the most with the Writers branch of the Academy and looks on course to propel it, and Cord Jefferson to a win for his first foray into feature film writing and directing, which would be mightily impressive.

Will Win: American Fiction 

Should Win: Barbie

Should have been nominated: Andrew Haigh for All of Us Strangers or Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and David Callaham for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Director

  • Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
  • Martin Scorsese  – Killers of the Flower Moon
  • Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer 
  • Yorgos Lanthimos –Poor Things
  • Jonathan Glazer  – The Zone of Interest

The first of two categories that were guaranteed to cause chaos regardless of who was nominated. given the sheer quality of top-quality films competing this year, someone high profile was going to miss out, and that someone was Greta Gerwig. It is hard to argue who could Gerwig displace in what is a very strong field of nominees this year, but as I summarised in a tweet that went semi-viral, I just feel like given Barbie was the undisputed queen of the box office, becoming the first film by a solo female director to cross $1bn at the worldwide box office. It is historic and (in my opinion) should have merited her nomination.

Though, even if Gerwig had been nominated, her chances of winning are next to nought as this is Christopher Nolan’s time, he is well overdue a win given his phenomenal contribution to cinema throughout his career, and he deserves it for that phenomenal Trinity test scene alone. Academy Award winner Christopher Nolan, it has a very nice ring to it.

Will Win: Christopher Nolan

Should Win: Christopher Nolan

Could have been nominated: Greta Gerwig for Barbie

Best Actress in a Leading Role

  • Annette Benning – Nyad 
  • Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
  • Sandra Huller – Anatomy of a Fall
  • Carey Mulligan – Maestro 
  • Emma Stone – Poor Things 

The second of the categories that was bound to cause complete chaos when the nominations were unveiled as someone big was going to miss out, with Margot Robbie and Greta Lee finding themselves really unfortunate to miss out despite excellent performances in Barbie and Past Lives. Carey Mulligan’s wait for Oscar glory should have ended in 2021 when she should have won for Promising Young Woman, but alas her wait for an Oscar will go on despite another excellent performance in Maestro. Likewise for Annette Benning,  despite her performance in Nyad representing her fifth career nomination. Sandra Huller had a phenomenal 2023 appearing in two Best Picture films, and she seems the most likely to be a potential upset because this year’s Best Actress race is essentially a Battle of the Stones.

On the one hand, you have Lily Gladstone who outshone industry legends like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro with her understated and devastating performance as Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese’s latest masterpiece. She conveys, through her eyes and body language, such raw and devastating emotion, as her character endures horrific tragedy as her family members are killed, sometimes in the most horrific and brutal of ways. Yet on the other hand, you have Emma Stone’s fearless and arguably career-best performance as Bella Baxter, as she takes charge of her own destiny and goes on a fascinating journey through the complicated and beautiful world. It is definitely the riskier of the two performances and in the wrong actor’s hands it could have been an absolute disaster, but Stone’s talent comes to the fore. Either would be a tremendously worthy winner.

Gladstone was inexcusably snubbed at BAFTA, which could count against her. However, she did win the Critics Choice award, and as was the case last year with Michelle Yeoh, Gladstone has a potentially history-making narrative on her side as she would become the first Indigenous American actress to win. In any given year, Emma Stone would have it in the bag, but with that history-making caveat, I think this tips it in Gladstone’s favour and Gladstone is probably her film’s only shot at winning something. Otherwise, two consecutive Martin Scorsese films will have received a slew of nominations, only to walk away with nothing which honestly doesn’t bear thinking about.

Will Win: Lily Gladstone 

Should Win: Lily Gladstone

Should have been nominated: Greta Lee for Past Lives or Margot Robbie for Barbie

Best Actor in a Leading Role

  • Bradley Cooper – Maestro
  • Colman Domingo – Rustin 
  • Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
  • Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer 
  • Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

As is the case with his Maestro co-star, Bradley Cooper is someone whose wait for Oscars gold should have ended in 2019, for his beautiful work as an actor/writer/director in his work on A Star is Born. He has now garnered 12 nominations in his career, and yet still no Oscar. As previously mentioned, his work on the Leonard Bernstein biopic has attracted some criticism and ridicule as nothing more than Oscar bait and a desperate attempt to win an Oscar, which is a bit harsh as the passion for the project is evident. Colman Domingo’s excellent performance shines a light on a very prominent activist whom more people should know about, while Wright arguably gives the performance of his career as a frustrated author who unexpectedly finds success with a cliched novel he writes out of spite.

However, this race has essentially boiled down to a race between arguably the most important man who ever lived and a curmudgeonly classics professor who is reluctantly tasked with looking after a group of kids at a boarding school who have nowhere to go for the Christmas holidays. Giamatti’s character does have some of the most brilliant quips and witticisms and he is a well-respected actor. However, Murphy has the momentum of winning at BAFTA and the Critics Choice and is the central performance in the Best Picture frontrunner. If Murphy was not as brilliant as he was, then the entire film would have fallen apart. Murphy has enjoyed a productive collaborative relationship with Nolan over the last two decades, and to see both of them crowned as Oscar winners on the same evening will be a special moment.

Will Win: Cillian Murphy

Should Win: Cillian Murphy 

Could have been nominated: Zac Efron for The Iron Claw

And, last and certainly by no means least…

Best Picture

  • American Fiction  – Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson, and Jermaine Johnson
  • Anatomy of a Fall  – Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion
  • Barbie  – David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Robbie Brenner
  • The Holdovers  – Mark Johnson 
  • Killers of the Flower Moon – Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese, and Daniel Lupi
  • Maestro  – Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning, and Kristie Macosko Krieger
  • Oppenheimer   – Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan  
  • Past Lives  – David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler,
  • Poor Things  – Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Emma Stone
  • The Zone of Interest  – James Wilson  

Click here to see my ranking of the Best Picture contenders.

As I mentioned in my ranking of this year’s Best Picture nominees, I would argue this is the strongest lineup of nominees this category has seen for a good few years, perhaps since the 92nd Oscars in 2020 where Parasite made history. There is for my money, no film here that looks out of place and this year’s crop made history with three of the nominees being directed by women, long may that continue.

2023 will almost certainly be remembered as the year of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, which became a cultural event unlike anything we have seen for a while, and prompted people everywhere to return to the cinemas in droves. Barbie, unquestionably, ruled the box office, but Oppenheimer will to borrow a phrase, become the victor, the winner of Oscars. If my predictions are correct, Oppenehimer could become the most successful Oscar-winning film since 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, as it could take home as many as eight golden statues. Christopher Nolan is one of those directors whose name is instantly recognisable, with an impressive body of work that somehow hadn’t already won him an Oscar. This film is undoubtedly the crowning moment of his incredible career, fittingly hailed by many as his magnum opus, and will be the one to ensure he writes his name into the history books.

Will Win:  Oppenheimer 

Should Win: Oppenheimer

Should have been nominated: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse or The Iron Claw 

————————————————–

Final counts

Will win:

  • Oppenheimer – 8 (Picture, Actor, Director, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Score, Sound and Cinematography)  
  • Poor Things – 2 (Costumes and Production Design)  
  • American Fiction – 1 (Adapted Screenplay)  
  • Anatomy of a Fall – 1 (Original Screenplay)  
  • Barbie – 1 (Original Song)  
  • The Boy and the Heron  – 1 (Animated Feature) 
  • The Creator – 1 (Visual Effects)  
  • The Holdovers – 1 (Supporting Actress)  
  • Killers of the Flower Moon – 1 (Actress)  
  • Maestro – 1 (Makeup and Hairstyling)  
  • The Zone of Interest – 1 (International Feature)  

Should win:

  • Oppenheimer – 8 (Picture, Actor, Director, Supporting Actor, Film Editing, Score, Sound and Cinematography) 
  • Barbie – 3 (Adapted Screenplay, Production Design and Original Song)  
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 – 1 (Visual Effects)  
  • The Holdovers – 1 (Supporting Actress)  
  • Killers of the Flower Moon – 1 (Actress)  
  • Maestro – 1 (Makeup and Hairstyling)  
  • Past Lives – 1 (Original Screenplay)  
  • Poor Things – 1 (Costumes)  
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – 1 (Animated Feature)  
  • The Zone of Interest – 1 (International Feature)  
Posted in 2020-2029, Awards Season, Oscars, Ranking

96th Academy Awards: Best Picture Nominees ranked

Posted on by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

Another awards season is poised to come to a close, in a year filled with terrific movies and one of the best years for cinema in several years. It was also a tumultuous year as Hollywood was ground to a halt for several long months due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes. Though with both strikes now in the rearview mirror, it is time for Hollywood’s biggest night. Another ten films are competing for the top honour and these include a gripping courtroom drama, an extremely idiosyncratic black comedy, analyses of some dark and disturbing chapters in human history, a beautiful love story, a future festive classic, and a film centred on one of the most influential toys of all time.

One of the most impressive batch of Best Picture nominees we’ve had in a long time, perhaps since the 92nd Acadamy Awards in 2020, with no film sticking out like a sore thumb.

So, without further ado, I present my ranking of these films from worst to best. Starting with…

10. Maestro

Usually, I find that whenever awards season rolls around, there is always one film that I don’t understand the hype for. There were some films that this applied to, but in terms of the nominees, this is not applicable as all ten of these films, for my money, thoroughly deserve to be here. Therefore being at the bottom of a list of ten very strong films is not a slight on Bradley Cooper’s passion project exploring the life of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein and his complicated marriage to his wife Felicia Montealegre Bernstein (Mulligan). While Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg were attached to the project, it eventually landed in Cooper’s capable hands. Cooper’s passion for Bernstein’s work and who Bernstein was as a person shines through, with Cooper and Carey Mulligan both dynamic in their performances which thoroughly merited Oscar nominations.

The film is absolutely beautiful to look at, with the incredible cinematography from Matthew Libatique and incredible work and from the hair and make-up teams that are so transformative to the point where you don’t see the actor, you see the maestro himself. It suffers a little bit in terms of pacing, and while accusations of the film being nothing more than Oscar bait are unfair, Cooper has composed a film that is a fascinating character study of one of the most legendary composers of the 20th century.

 

9. American Fiction

 

If you’re a writer, no matter your field, it can be a funny old business. Even if you are extremely successful, you can find yourself struggling to put the words on the page for any number of reasons, be it writer’s block, fatigue/exhaustion or frustration with the industry. The latter is most applicable for Monk (Wright), an author/professor who after being put on a leave of absence, writes a novel that leans to tired cliches/stereotypes, only for it to become a massive, runaway success, much to his immense annoyance.  Biting sharp and hilarious satire about the media we consume and the marginalisation of voices of colour, with moving and impactful family drama, and an arguable career-best performance from Jeffrey Wright. An impressive first foray into the realm of feature filmmaking from Cord Jefferson, and one which could well merit an Oscar at the first time of asking.

 

8. Anatomy of a Fall

In a historic first for Best Picture nominees, three of this year’s nominees were directed by women. That fact alone deserves to be celebrated, and all three films thoroughly deserve their status as Best Picture Nominees. The first of these is Justine Triet’s Palme D’Or winner at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, which does what all great courtroom dramas should do, in that it keeps the audience on its toes as to whether novelist Sandra (Sandra Hüller) is innocent or guilty after she is accused of murder after her husband fell to his death at their remote home in the French Alps.

Throughout two and a half gripping hours, the audience – like a jury in a courtroom – watches and listens with eagle eyes and ears to the evidence and witness testimony being presented to determine if Sandra is guilty of the crime or whether she is innocent, all while showing the crucial backstory of the relationship with her husband which led to the breakdown of their relationship and the fall which led to his death.  In an extraordinary year for Huller, who also appeared in another Best Picture contender this year (more on that very shortly), she carries the film on her shoulders with a captivating performance that makes you sympathise with the plight in her family life but also really makes you question if she committed the crime she is being accused of. Tremendously compelling.

 

7. The Zone of Interest

review

Cinema is so often designed to entertain, but every once in a while, a film comes along designed to chill us to our core and serve as a lesson for humanity, and Jonathan Glazer’s latest film is one such example.  The horrors of the Holocaust are well-documented in our history textbooks and in previous films which have captured the brutalities inflicted upon millions of Jews during the Second World War by the Nazis in concentration camps. By depicting these horrors from the perspective of a Nazi commandant and his family as they go about their daily lives while living right next door to the Auschwitz concentration camp, it serves as a reminder of how humanity can be complicit in the face of unspeakable evil.

The horrors of the camp are kept of sight but never out of mind due to the unmistakable and horrifying sounds of gunshots, orders being yelled, cries for mercy, and the sight of the Auschwitz chimney splurging out smoke, are used to chill the audience to their very core. It is horrifying to hear these, all the while the family, and in particular the matriarch (another impressive performance from Sandra Huller) show complete indifference to the suffering taking place mere yards away. It is easy to see why the film has been hailed as one of the most important films of the century, with a final few minutes that unmistakeably connects the horrors witnessed in the Holocaust to the present day. Definitely not an easy watch, and probably not one that will lend itself to many rewatches. But, in this messy and very hostile world, we live in, a necessary one.

6. The Holdovers

review

If someone told me that Alexander Payne is a time traveller, I’d be very tempted to believe them based on this film, because it genuinely feels as though it was made in the 1970s and has been preserved all these years later. From those retro opening titles to the cinematography which immediately transports us to the 1970s and to Boston USA, where three unlikely souls are made to spend the festive period at their boarding school, the last place on Earth they probably would want to be.

The most joyous time of the year in a place not usually known for its joy is a recipe for both witty and sometimes sombre dialogue, which is exactly what David Hemingson’s script delivers as these unlikely souls spend time together, learning what it means to be a family during Christmas. The trio of central performances are all wonderfully well-drawn, with Giamatti’s cantankerous teacher going toe-to-toe with newcomer Dominic Sessa, and the brilliant and soon to be with soon to be Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph bringing warmth and heart to the group as she navigates a period in her life no one should have to go through alone. A film that evokes a warm fuzzy feeling whenever Christmas rolls around and one that is destined to become a future festive classic.

 

5. Poor Things

review

There is no director currently in the business who is making films quite like Yorgos Lanthimos, and honestly, all the better for it. Hollywood has been dominated by superheroes, reboots and sequels in recent years. Therefore you can always rely on Lanthimos, whether he’s adapting from existing source material or an entirely original concept, to make something wholly unique and thoroughly entertaining.

For his latest, it’s the former as he reteams with his The Favourite writer Tony McNamara to adapt the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray in which an eccentric scientist brings a dead woman back to life by replacing her brain with that of an infant. A premise on the base of it, sounds so bizarre and disturbing, in any other director’s hands it would probably be exactly that and not remotely entertaining. Yet, the Greek auteur delivers (like another film on this list) an unashamedly feminist tale of a woman on an emotional journey of self-discovery as she takes control of her destiny. Visually stunning, with some of the most outrageously humorous dialogue, and a career-best performance from Emma Stone. Lanthimos and Stone are clearly having a ball being each other’s muses, with another film set to come out later this year. Long may their collaborative partnership continue.

4. Barbie

review

Hi, Barbie! The undisputed queen of the box office in 2023,  one-half of a cinematic phenomenon unlike anything we have seen for quite a few years, and the second film on this list to be directed by a woman. Right from the moment the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s take on the iconic Mattel doll which changed the world forever dropped, you knew that audiences were in for something special that would not merely be a toy commercial. With one of the most impressively stacked casts of the entire year, the journey Gerwig took audiences on to Barbie Land, the real world and back again, probably went harder than anyone could have possibly imagined as it packs stark social commentary on gender roles, feminism, patriarchy and its treatment of women, and much more. Funny, full of heart, with no shortage of emotional and hard-hitting moments, and an endless amount of Kenergy. Life in Plastic is truly fantastic, especially for Greta Gerwig as every one of her movies has now been nominated for Best Picture. An incredible achievement for this filmmaker Barbie.

 

 

3. Past Lives 

review

Completing the trio of best picture nominees directed by women, and the second directorial debut on this list, is Celine Song’s heart-achingly beautiful romantic semi-autobiographical drama of the meeting of two former childhood sweethearts who meet in person after nearly two decades apart. At its heart, it’s a simple story of three people, who are in a very complex and emotional love triangle, meeting and ruminating on the choices they have made in their lives and what might have been had certain things transpired differently. Yet, in no small part due to the tremendous performances of Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, and given it is based on Song’s own life experiences, it has a lot more to say about destiny, love, regrets and what might have been, relatable themes as we all navigate this complex, messy and sometimes beautiful world we live in.

2. Killers of the Flower Moon 

review

Like The Zone of Interest, the latest epic from Martin Scorsese is another film which takes a look at a dark and disturbing chapter in human history. Over three and a half hours, Scorsese takes an unflinching look at how the ugliness of corruption, greed and white supremacy in the 1920s USA, a time known as the Roaring Twenties due to the economic upturn in the country, resulted in the white community systematically murdering wealthy Osage members just to secure their wealth, in a period that became known as the Reign of Terror. It’s not an easy watch, but seeing Leonardo DiCaprio share a screen with Robert DeNiro,  the latter of whom is chillingly terrifying in his performance, and the phenomenal Lily Gladstone outshines them both with masterful editing by Scorsese’s long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and one extremely powerful ending, this is one film you will not forget in a hurry, and proof that even at 81 years old, Scorsese is still at the very top of his game.

 

1. Oppenheimer 

review

What more is there to say about the latest masterpiece from Christopher Nolan? Since his debut feature back in 1998, he has become one of the most recognisable names in Hollywood. There has always been an interest in science and scientific discovery with his films, and this biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a man who the director considers one of the most important people to have ever lived, represents the culmination of his career.

It is a testament to his immense skill as a screenwriter/director, that Nolan made a film which is a very science-heavy dialogue-driven film about a very complex subject and yet made it accessible to audiences, primarily due to the phenomenal importance of the weapon built by Oppenheimer at Los Alamos and the consequences of the uses of such a weapon, consequences which are still being felt on the world stage today. Barbeneheimer defined cinema in 2023, so it is extremely fitting that one-half of that phenomenon will walk away with the biggest prize on the night and could well become the most successful Best Picture winner in more than a decade, since Slumdog Millionaire walked away with eight Oscars, a haul Oppy stands a very strong chance of matching.

And now he has become victor, the winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture… 

 

Could/should have been nominated…

That concludes my ranking of the ten films up for Best Picture this year. However, I always like to hypothesise what could have been, but given the quality in this year’s crop, this is considerably harder than normal as I can’t really say that none of these films deserve their place competing for the top prize. But, if push comes to shove, if I had a ballot to cast, I would eliminate Maestro and replace it with one of the following three films:

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – My favourite film of last year, the Academy’s tendency to not nominate animated films outside of the Best Animated category is starting to get particularly frustrating as with this year alone,  incredible film as well as displaying truly ground-breaking animation, could and perhaps should have got in for Best Picture, as well as Best Visual Effects, and certainly Best Score. Perhaps they are keeping those nominations for when Beyond the Spider-Verse swings its way into cinemas and blows our collective socks off.

The Iron Claw – The first of two films that absolutely broke me into a million pieces. I knew absolutely nothing about the Von Erich family going into this movie and by the end, I was uncontrollably sobbing in my seat. The mark of a great sports film is that even if you know nothing about the sport or the true story on which it is based, it still can have a profound impact, particularly if you have a brother. This was a stacked and fiercely competitive year for movies, absolutely. However,  how this didn’t, like a devastating wrestling move, leave Academy members floored and bestowing it with a tonne of nominations (Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Directing, Original Song) to name but a few is something I cannot fathom.

All of Us Strangers – The second of two films released in this awards season that reduced me to an absolute sobbing mess. As with The Iron Claw, how Andrew Haigh’s beautiful and devastating emotional drama of one man who makes a fateful journey to his childhood home, didn’t even get a single nomination at the Oscars totally eludes me. Seeing this at the London Film Festival, I genuinely don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. The experience after the film as everyone collectively processed their emotions after they were put through the wringer, was cathartic, to say the least.

Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Posted on 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.

a

Posted in 2020-2029, Film Review

The Iron Claw (2024)

Posted on 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.