Director: Mike Leigh Starring: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown, Jonathan Livingstone Certificate: 12A Run Time: 97 mins
Hard Truths is the new film by Mike Leigh film, who returns to the trademark kitchen sink improvised drama he’s most notable for. Leigh’s last two films – Mr Turner and Peterloo were historical dramas and while I loved the former, the latter was underwhelming. In Hard Truths, Leigh reunites with Secrets and Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who plays Pansy Deacon, a woman with a short temper who criticises anything and everything. She lives with her quiet plumber husband, Curtley (David Webber) and overweight and jobless but kind-hearted adult son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett). It quickly becomes apparent, though, that Pansy is a deeply troubled woman battling severe anxiety and depression and her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin) tries to ease her out of it.
Hard Truths is another striking addition in Leigh’s filmography and is often very funny but simultaneously devastating. An early scene in a supermarket is particularly rib-tickling as Pansy comes to blows with fellow customers. That devastation slowly invades the humour, though, as the film progresses, and the result is one of Leigh’s most crushing works.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste is phenomenal as Pansy, but her performance is matched by both Webber and Barrett as her husband and son and the dynamic between the three of them is perfectly judged. I really felt for all of them and could understand their perspectives on the simmering situation. In what’s sadly his last film, the late Dick Pope shoots the film beautifully and it’s complimented by a prickly score by Leigh-regular Gary Yershon.
But I wanted more. Aside from Career Girls, Hard Truths is Leigh’s shortest film. The film ends on an affecting dilemma, leaving how the scenario is going to play out to the audience’s imagination. While that’s an effective technique and leaves one wanting more, the lack of development towards this crescendo (compared to his other films where he tends to take his time) felt uncharacteristically slight. Ultimately, it’s testament to the powerful and vivid characters Leigh’s created that meant I wanted more. Still, Hard Truths is a very powerful piece of work that goes straight up into his top tier of work.
Director: Brady Corbet Starring: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé, Alessandro Nivola Certificate: 18 Run Time: 215 mins
The Brutalist is an epic period drama directed by Brady Corbet, who last made the excellent Vox Lux. Undeniably more ambitious in scope, Corbet’s latest spans over thirty years and a three and a half hour run time. Adrien Brody plays László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor and Bauhaus-trained architect who immigrates to America. He stays with his cousin, Attila (Alessandro Nivola) and wife Audrey (Emma Laird), while László’s wife, Erszébet (Felicity Jones) stays behind in Europe due to her weak health. László is soon commissioned to renovate the library of the wealthy Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) at the behest of his son, Harry (Joe Alwyn) as he tries to integrate into American culture.
The Brutalist has received quite the critical acclaim and it’s up for ten Oscars – does it live up to the hype? It does. The film isn’t perfect but The Brutalist is directed with real bravura and has a lot to say – although it’s about Tóth’s architectural career on the surface, there are plenty of parallels with the idea of how someone suffers for their art and how they are the person remembered rather than the entity throwing money at a project. Of course, that means there’s themes of compromise and interference and although its last 30 minutes may seem to take a different, seemingly incomprehensible tone, I found it very thought-provoking.
Adrien Brody turns in a career-best performance as the suffering artist, nailing the Slavic accent and mannerisms – he’s fully deserving of his Best Actor nomination and he’s the clear winner. Guy Pearce is also a standout as the slimy financier in a very multi-faceted performance. Pearce is no stranger to playing villains – his deliciously evil turn in Lawless is evidence of that – but this is a complex individual with all the qualities of someone who has too much money. The smaller, supporting roles that stand out the most beyond Brody and Pearce are Raffey Cassidy as Tóth’s niece , Alessandro Nivola, Isaach de Bankolé as a single father he befriends and Jonathan Hyde as one of Harrison’s builders.
I was less taken with Felicity Jones’ turn as Erszébet, who doesn’t feel as authentic as Brody or Pearce. But I don’t think all of the blame should be placed on Jones because her relationship with László is underdeveloped and in my opinion, that’s the film’s main flaw. That said, Jones absolutely nails her final scene in a shouty and intense feud which reminded me of Daniel Day-Lewis’ “I drink your milkshake” speech in There Will Be Blood.
Daniel Blumberg’s prickly score is wonderful, lending the film a simmering intensity and he crafts many memorable themes that develop throughout the film. The Brutalist is also beautifully shot by Lol Crawley, resurrecting the VistaVision process to authentically portray the period. It’s staggering how good the film looks, considering its modest $9.6 million budget and bearing in mind its epic run time. I also loved the intended intermission – the two halves of the film feel distinct and it comes in a natural place. It really helped create an authenticity to this type of epic filmmaking that once soared and isn’t made anymore.
While not perfect, I loved The Brutalist and it’s fully deserving of its Awards praise. It’s teeming with brilliant performances, a sharp script and endlessly striking visuals. Granted, some elements are underdeveloped but this is a film that earns its lengthy runtime and I was engrossed from start to finish. I can’t wait to see what Brady Corbet does next.
Director: Steven Soderbergh Starring: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Muholland Certificate: 15 Run Time: 85 mins
Presence is the new film by Steven Soderbergh, perhaps the most versatile director of his generation. Written by David Koepp, who previously wrote Soderbergh’s Kimi, Presence follows a family of four who move into a house inhabited by a poltergeist. The family includes mother Rebecca (Lucy Liu), father Chris (Chris Sullivan), bratty elder brother Tyler (Eddy Maday) and troubled younger sister Chloe (Callina Liang). They’re all suffering from various problems – Rebecca clearly prefers her son and has been committing financial fraud, Chris suffers from depression and is considering separation from Rebecca and Chloe is grieving the death of her best friend, Nadia, who recently died in her sleep. Almost immediately after moving in, Chloe starts to complain of a supernatural presence.
The film is presented in a series of long takes rom the poltergeist’s point of view – an interesting creative decision. As such, the camera never leaves the house, for example whenever the family go onto the decking, instead peering from the window. A similar technique is also used in Nickel Boys, one of this year’s Best Picture hopefuls. While it received near unanimous praise, the film really didn’t work for me precisely for this filming technique, primarily because the first person point of view detracted from the important story being told.
Fortunately, Soderbergh is a far more competent director and I really enjoyed Presence. The film does a really good job of slowly building a sense of unease with a tinge of sadness and there’s some excellent character development among the family. You can really see the cracks start to grow, particularly as the strained marriage falls apart. Chris Sullivan stands out as the father in a very understated performance who generates a lot of empathy. Calling Liang also impresses as the developing but vulnerable daughter who hasn’t quite worked out her purpose yet. Lucy Liu’s mother isn’t particularly likeable, but that’s the point and her performance satisfies the brief.
The first person point of view also works here, even if it occasionally falters under scrutiny. It compliments the narrative and the dream-like images of the wide lens (Soderbergh is on cinematographer duties, too), forcing us to question what the spirit’s intentions are and if it’s malicious by the way the camera studies its subjects. There’s a melodically moody score too from Zack Ryan and 85 minutes, the film is lean and doesn’t outstay its welcome. If anything, I wish it were a bit more substantial.
Presence is proof that Soderbergh can effortlessly fit into any genre and although it’s flawed, this is an intriguing film that builds to a memorable conclusion, which stays with you long after the credits roll. Move over Nosferatu – this is a great note for the horror genre to start on this year.
Director: Mel Gibson Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, Topher Grace Certificate: 15 Run Time: 91 mins
Flight Risk is the new Mel Gibson film, and his first since 2016’s Best Picture-nominated Hacksaw Ridge. Gibson’s proven a skilled hand behind the camera, with Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto, all proving visceral experiences. It seems rather uncharacteristic for Gibson to pick a 90-minute action thriller chamber piece as his latest project. This film follows Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery), a U.S. Marshal who is transporting fugitive Winston (Topher Grace) from Alaska to testify against a crime family. The plane is piloted by Daryl Booth (Mark Wahlberg), who might not be as innocent as he seems with an ulterior motive.
Even if it’s his weakest effort to date in its slightness, Flight Risk delivers and is big, dumb fun. It’s always entertaining and there’s a palpable tension in how things are going to play out and Gibson gets more than enough mileage out of the largely single location. It’s satisfyingly bloody too, with some crunchy fight and smatterings of gory injuries. The film’s visually interesting too, bolstered by a fitting Antonio Pinto score.
Although there isn’t much meat to the bone, Dockery and Grace both turn in committed performances and share a decent chemistry. Wahlberg, on the other hand, is quite something – he really chews the scenery as the completely nuts pilot with an outrageous bald patch. The actor reportedly shaved his head every day during filming instead of wearing a bald cap, but the effort is so distracting that it looks more like a wig. He’s entrusted with some truly despicable dialogue and I hated the character but I suppose that means Wahlberg satisfies the brief.
Flight Risk is undeniably trashy but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. Casting a wider context as a Mel Gibson film, it’s undoubtedly not up to the rest of his work and I’m not sure what he saw when decided to take on this project. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Flight Risk become a future so-bad-it’s-good classic for its outrageous Mark Wahlberg performance.
Director: Leigh Whannell Starring: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger, Matilda Firth Certificate: 15 Run Time: 103 mins
Wolf Man is the new film by Leigh Whannell, a modernised reboot of the 1941 original with a relatively modest $25 million budget. Of course, there’s been no shortage of other attempts at remaking the gothic horror Universal monster and although it was negatively received, I loved Joe Johnston’s 2010 Benicio Del Toro-starring effort. Whannell knows a thing or two about making intelligent horror films on a relative budget, being best known for his writing collaborations with director James Wan with films such as Saw and Insidious. He’s also proven an adept director, making Insidious: Chapter 3 (which I consider to be the best sequel in the series), Upgrade and The Invisible Man.
Like The Invisible Man, Whannell updates the creature feature for modern times. Gone is the quintessential British setting, stately estates and a stage actor. Instead, we follow a young family man, Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott) who lives with his workaholic wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). Blake had had a rough childhood in the remote Oregon mountains with his father and decides that that the best way to rekindle his relationship with his wife is to return to his childhood home on holiday. However, a creature drives them off the road as soon as they arrive and… you know the rest.
Unfortunately, Wolf Man is a complete and utter misfire – a surprise for this otherwise reliable director. The idea of lycanthropy being a metaphor for toxic masculinity and family trauma is very heavy-handedly done and the script, which Whannell co-wrote with Corbett Tuck is a rewrite away from being reasonable. It’s poorly paced –the film would have benefitted from another 15 minutes to flesh out its characters and not just throw them into a new setting almost immediately. Characters make stupid decisions and I didn’t find either Blake or Charlotte to be likeable, despite both Abbott and Garner trying their best. The characters simply aren’t developed enough and the film lack the grand scale of its predecessors in that it largely confines itself to a single location. The lower budget isn’t a problem in itself but Whannell doesn’t do anything interesting with it.
On the plus side, the film’s lusciously shot by Whannell-regular Stefan Duscio, who captures the isolated and solemn nature of the forest, lending the film a sporadically claustrophobic quality. There’s also a couple of ambitious attempts at body horror but the lack of budget is painfully apparent. I think Wolf Man would have fared better if it had divorced itself from the Universal original and been an original horror – the result feels much closer to It Comes At Night, even if it’s nowhere near as competent. It’s a shame Whannell wasn’t able to crack this one and Wolf Man proves that some stories are best left in the past.
Director: James Mangold Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy Certificate: 15 Run Time: 140 mins
A Complete Unknown is the latest by James Mangold after the disappointingIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The director returns to the music biopic, a genre he’s proven influential in with the Oscar-winning Walk the Line. Here, Mangold tells the story of Bob Dylan, adapting a 2015 book by Elijah Wald called Dylan Goes Electric! which covers his earliest folk music success to his controversial use of electric instruments at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Mangold co-writes the script with Jay Cocks, his first since Martin Scorsese’s Silence.
I must confess my knowledge of Dylan’s discography is very elementary. But perhaps that’s a positive because I really enjoyed A Complete Unknown, even if it succumbs to convention, the very antithesis of Dylan’s persona. But straight from the opening scene, Mangold directs the film with a real warmth and energy and I loved the film’s tone. I especially liked its commentary on how genres evolve and how fellow artists support each other, even if that example isn’t followed by the public. It also has plenty to say on what it’s like to meet your idols. The film’s lusciously shot by Phedon Papamichael, and the production design of the 1960s is brilliantly captured.
Timothée Chalamet is magnetic as Dylan, proving himself ever the versatile actor, with leading roles in Call Me By Your Name, Dune and Wonka. Chalamet completely sells himself as Dylan, balancing his sheer talent while being somewhat impenetrable and unlikeable at times. The actor’s fully deserving of Awards attention. I’d have like to have seen even more development about his earlier life to make him less of a mystery.
Chalamet’s bolstered by some terrific supporting performances. The standout’s Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, who brings a real warmth to the singer and like Chalamet, also does all her own singing. This is a star-making turn and I hope she gets Oscar recognition. Edward Norton’s great too as the caring and gentle Pete Seeger and Mangold-regular Boyd Holbrook’s unrecognisable as Johnny Cash.
It may follow a conventional biopic structure, but I still found A Complete Unknown gripping from start to finish, with Mangold at the top of his game paired with many impressive performances. Sometimes, convention is what’s required, if the subject matter and talent behind the screen can make an engaging experience of it, and Mangold certainly does that.
Director: RaMell Ross Starring: Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Certificate: 12A Run Time: 140 mins
Nickel Boys is RaMell Ross’ narrative feature directorial debut, previously known for his 2018 Oscar-nominated documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening. An adaptation of the 2019 novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead, Nickel Boys tells the story story of Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse), a young African-American living in a segregated Tallahassee, Florida. He excels at school and is accepted into a tuition-free accelerated study program at a historically black school. Unfortunately, he accepts a lift from a man driving a stolen car while hitchhiking to campus and the police send him to Nickel Academy, a reform school notorious for its abusive treatment of students. There, he meets Turner (Brandon Wilson) and despite their initially opposite ideals, become friends.
The film is shot in a first-person point-of-view so we see the plot unfold through the eyes of Elwood (the perspective is then shared with Turner in the film’s second half). That’s certainly an unconventional way to tell a story and stands Nickel Boys apart from more conventional historical drama biopics.
Unfortunately, despite its novel filmmaking technique, I found Nickel Boys to be very dull and I think that first-person point-of-view decision is to blame. It detracts from the important story being told, which tackles some incredibly heavy themes, but the film never conveys its emotions. The stilted script doesn’t flow in a natural way and and I found it very difficult to connect with any of the characters. None of the performances worked for me, even Hamish Linklater who made such a powerful impression in Midnight Mass. The film is also drastically overlong at 140 minutes and a generic title card revealing some images of the true events feels emotionally manipulative – especially for a film that’s trying to defy convention. The only real plus side is Jomo Fray’s sporadically stirring cinematography, especially a scene of Elwood and Turner conversing underneath a window that’s featured in the theatrical release poster.
I really wanted to like Nickel Boys, especially considering the rapturous response it has received. But I found it to be an patience-testing exercise in style over substance and the novel filming style robbed the film of any emotional impact.
Director: Robert Eggers Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe Certificate: 15 Run Time: 132 mins
Nosferatu is the new Robert Eggers film, one of the most exciting auteurs working today whose made a name for himself with thoroughly well-researched, period-correct films, with authentic scripts and stunning visuals. I loved The Witch, his fearsomely original and unsettling folk horror debut. I admired but didn’t love his next films – The Lighthouse and The Northman. A remake of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 German Expressionist silent film, Eggers has long-publicised his adoration for the blood-thirsty vampire tale and was originally going to make it after The Witch before deciding to delay its production to get it right.
If you’re familiar with the original, or Bram Stoker’s Dracula, then there’s no surprises story-wise. Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp play the married Hutter couple, Thomas and Ellen, who live in Wisborg, Germany. Thomas is an aspiring estate agent, who is sent by Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) to travel to Transylvania’s Carpathian Mountains to sell a decrepit stately home to the reclusive Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). But Orlok has a more sinister motive.
It pains me to say that Nosferatu is unfortunately a crushing disappointment and a case of style over substance. The style is undoubtedly the biggest positive, with the film beautifully shot Eggers’ favoured cinematographer Jarin Blaschke. Many of the visually arresting images are akin to paintings, with my two standouts a shot of a horse and rider traipsing their way through a forest in the twinkling night and a crepuscular figure’s decaying body over a sea of blood in a bed. The creature design of Count Orlok is also striking and a construction that only Eggers could dream of. After dazzling as Pennywise in It, the unrecognisable Bill Skarsgård stuns as the parasitic Orlok, with an unsettling voice he worked to lower by an octave for the role. Robin Carolan’s swooning score is also brilliant, with recognisable and haunting themes developing as the film progresses.
Sadly, that’s where the positives end. Nosfetaru’s most significant problem is the utterly erratic pacing. Eggers races through the first hour and fails to establish the ensemble cast or convey how epic the journey is to Transylvania. This was something Werner Herzog excelled at in his Klaus Kinski-fronted 1979 remake, Nosferatu the Vampyre, with beautiful images of the dangerous, mountainous terrain the estate agent exhaustedly travels through to reach the isolated castle. The local Romani community who plead with Thomas not to continue with his quest are glossed over and there’s a real lack of tension between Thomas and Orlok, with Eggers impatient to bring the vampire back to Germany. The voyage back on the ghost ship is also rushed and once the film’s back on German soil, Orlok’s invasive hold over the town is protracted. What’s most peculiar is that Herzog’s 1979 remake also suffers from a languorous pace but Eggers’ film has the advantage of being half an hour longer but fails to develop a sense of dread or tension.
There’s also some seriously wonky performances amongst the star-studded cast. Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp have clearly put in a lot of effort, but they lack chemistry together and Hoult’s Thomas is particularly underdeveloped – I never felt pity for him once he’s under Orlok’s hold. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin are both terrible as the Harding’s, also lacking chemistry and being subject to some pretty perfunctory dialogue. Even Willem Dafoe fails to impress, content to simply repeat his Poor Things shtick as Albin Eberhart Von Franz (an Abraham Van Helsing equivalent), a controversial Swiss philosopher whom Eggers’ script resorts to him being an exposition device. Fortunately, Simon McBurney as the repulsive Herr Knock and Ralph Ineson as a well-meaning doctor fare well.
You’d think for all Eggers’ passion that he’d try and do something innovative and justify his vision. But instead, this is a film that simply retreads its forebears (there’s even heavy lifting from various Dracula adaptations, too). By the time we reach the signature sequence with Orlok’s shadow reaching out for his victim reflected on a wall, all I could stifle was a groan. I was never gripped by the film, nor did I find it frightening and Eggers’ script, while period-correct, is strangely wordy and leaves nothing to the imagination. Murnau’s 1922 original didn’t just impress as a standalone film but functions as one of the horror genre’s most important staples, its influence felt throughout the medium’s history. While Eggers has made a film that repeats its visuals and narrative beats, that’s all he’s managed to achieve – aside from a handful of impressive elements, there’s strangely little to justify or show for the filmmaker’s passion.
Director: Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham Starring: (voices of) Ben Whitehead, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Reece Shearsmith Certificate: U Run Time: 79 mins
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the new Aardman film featuring the good-natured cheese-loving inventor and his intelligent anthropomorphic beagle, in what’s been a lengthy wait. The last time we saw the lovable clay-based duo was in A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008) and this is the first feature-length film since The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), which I consider to be a masterpiece. With Peter Sallis (the voice of Wallace) sadly passing away in 2017, he’s now been replaced by Ben Whitehead. This new film also sees the return of the villainous Feathers McGraw from The Wrong Trousers (1995), a scheming penguin who enacts his revenge on the duo by reprogramming Wallace’s new invention – Norbot, a robotic garden gnome – to an ‘evil’ setting.
And it’s another triumph – Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is an excellent sequel with plenty of laughs and a typically sharp and witty script. The rapport between Wallace and Gromit is as strong as ever and the film has a lot to say on the reliance of AI and automation, the resurgence of old technology and police incompetence. There’s some fabulous action sequences (especially a climactic boat chase) and the film’s typically brimming with small details to pick up on future rewatches. Feathers McGraw steals the show yet again with some delicious gags and Ben Whitehead fits in seamlessly as Wallace – you’d be hard-pressed to tell it’s not Peter Sallis.
That said, after two viewings, I don’t think it’s quite as strong as The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Vengeance Most Fowl is decidedly smaller-scale and there’s a surprising lack of cheese jokes (although the film makes up for it with plenty of other gags). This is yet another Wallace and Gromit adventure that’s impossible to resist and it does nothing to tarnish their revered reputation.
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Starring: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi, Logan Marshall-Green, Jason Bateman Certificate: 15 Run Time: 119 mins
Carry-On is an action thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, returning to the genre he’s most comfortable in. After directing a spate of Liam Neeson-fronted actioners on various modes of transport, Collet-Serra progressed to bigger budget fare and made Jungle Cruise and Black Adam. Set on Christmas Eve, Carry-On follows Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) who lives with his girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson). They both work at Los Angeles International Airport, and Ethan feels pretty unfulfilled at his TSA job, after he failed to get into the police force after concealing his father’s criminal history. He manages to talk his supervisor into manning the baggage scanning machine. Well, he couldn’t have picked a more testing day to demonstrate his merits because he comes into contact with a group of terrorists who threaten him, as they try to get a bag filled with Novichok nerve agent through and onto a plane.
Unfortunately, Carry-On is content to just go through the motions with its workmanlike direction and an ear-scraping script. It also requires one to seriously suspend disbelief with plot holes you could drive a truck through. The usually charismatic Egerton fails to make much of an impression and the rest of the cast also struggle to register. The biggest disappointment is undoubtedly Jason Bateman, who I had high expectations for, given he’s impressed in the past whenever he’s diverted from comedic fare with excellent performances in The Gift and Air. Unfortunately, his villain is overly talky and lacks nuance, resulting in a real lack of tension.
The far-fetched action sequences are shot with an annoyingly glossy sheen, and Los Angeles airport is portrayed as being almost clinically clean. A thankless and implausible sub-plot featuring Danielle Deadwyler as a detective further presses on the brakes of this inert affair and Lorne Balfe’s score isn’t memorable in the slightest.
Christmas Eve turmoil at an airport has been done to great success in the past, with films such as Die Hard 2. But Carry-On never manages to reach the heights of the films it’s inspired by and while it’s just about watchable if you suspend disbelief, that’s not good enough amongst the competition.
The Film Meister 
