Titane (2021)

Ducournau made a splash with her debut Raw and follows it up with the equally audacious Titane, a film whose "gimmick" of a woman having sex with a car remains a small aspect of the film which ends up being about something very different. Even beyond the salacious premise, Titane is a bold, colourful film that presents uncomfortable ideas within its gripping story. 

Titane is more the story of a psychopath, a serial killer, who finds a space for herself with a grieving man who she adopts as a father figure as she self-destructs. The film shows us who she is at the beginning, even as a child, putting others at risk and purposefully bothering or harming others. Then as an adult the film takes an interesting and fairly challenging take on her. We see her become the victim of a sexual assault and to violently defend herself. This is a trope we've seen many times. But what Titane does surprisingly here is to reveal that she choses to violently attack many others, even those who have not "wronged" her. She is a serial killer who appears to enjoy the violence that she inflicts, even when it might be well deserved. 

The film does revel in its violence, like many male driven films of this genre. But what it does which is so interesting is how she blurs this line of how we see our heroine/villain. We can sympathize but also are horrified by her actions. And thrown in is the bit of a sense of humour about it. Everything about it is uncomfortable in how the film asks us to engage with what we are seeing. 

Yes there is a scene where she has sex with a car, it is brief and perhaps a bit fantastic. It is left to interpretation if it actually happened.  But then the film shifts as she encounters a man whose son was abducted. She has created a new identity, a male one, and the films explores some interesting things about gender here too, and the man accepts her as his missing son grown up, even though he likely suspects she is not. And here is where the film becomes the most fascinating. Watching these two very broken people find connection by abandoning reality, even this very disturbing connection presented here is revelatory. I wish the film had focused more on that as often the body-horror genre stuff pulls me out of where the film was the strongest. The sci fi car pregnancy (yes her car sex makes her pregnant) felt besides the point and weakened some of the meaningfulness for me. 

Still the film is powerfully watchable, even when you want to look away. Ducournau washes her film with incredible colour which emboldens the emotions present in each scene. Her narrative pace is quick meaning Titane never drags. She packs a lot into her little story so even when it is going off the rails a bit it remains gripping. I just wish she didn't let herself get distracted with the heavy metal aspects which distract what what I felt to be the most compelling parts of the story. 

Titane

Starring: Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon

Writer/Director: Julia Ducournau 

 

The Starling (2021)

Not all movies have to be great. Sometimes they are just enough. I appreciate it when McCarthy tackles roles that give her more dramatic opportunity but also allow her brilliant comedic chops to shine through. This film which casts her and Chris O'Dowd as a couple recovering from the death of their infant child may not be the greatest and may have some flaws. But it is rather touching and finds the balance between the tragedy and the humour in life that works. 

I didn't feel The Starling trivializes anything in a film with a subject matter that ends up being rather heavy. I also felt the film didn't wallow in its subject either. Perhaps it doesn't get deep enough into it. And perhaps it doesn't quite find the catharsis necessary to truly capture it. But also perhaps it finds a tone that is manageable to scratch the surface of what it is struggling with. 

But it is really about seeing McCarthy and O'Dowd stretch a bit as actors. Both have already proven they can do more than make us laugh and here they do just that. The film may be light and may not be the sort of film that sits with you for a while, but it remained rather entertaining and just touching enough to work. 

The Starling

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Kevin Kline, Skyler Gisondo, Timothy Olyphant, Daveed Diggs, Loretta Devine, Rosalind Cho

Director: Theodore Melfi

Writer: Matt Harris

 

Dear Evan Hansen (2021)

Dear Evan Hansen is a story that I have a hard time appreciating. It's convoluted and requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief in terms of the coincidences along the way. It offers the chicken-soup-for-the-soul sorts of "insights" into human connection which feel phoney and disingenuous. And the songs are light non-offensive pop songs which are so blandly vanilla that they start to ache with saccharine insincerity.

But I imagine even for fans of the hit musical this film will be a disappointment. Perhaps it the sort of story that doesn't translate well to the screen. Honestly I don't believe in such things. Some stories might be harder to effectively tell as a movie but I think anything can work as a movie if you find the right way. But the choices here seem strange. Everything from casting Platt in the opposite of old age makeup (which looks as awkward as the old age makeup most films use) to the lack of chemistry between any of the characters.  Everything about the film feels like misfire.

But for me it's so much more than that. I have so many problems with the story of Evan Hansen and the way it commodifies trauma. Its reliance on easy outs to difficult questions so that we can revel in what is essentially "inspiration porn" keep frustrating me. I find the entire exercise simply crafted to illicit emotion without earning it. I rolled my eyes instead of crying like I'm supposed to.  

And I got sad seeing such a great cast from Adams to Moore to Dever to Stenberg all suffering through this. I guess people who are fans of the show may enjoy this as a filmed version but for the rest of us we should skip it. 

Dear Evan Hansen

Starring: Ben Platt, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Danny Pino, Colton Ryan, Nik Dodani

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Writer: Steven Levenson 

 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

I don't usually go in for these kind of mimicking, caricature performances where a famous actor transforms themselves through heavy make up and prosthetics into a famous celebrity or historical figure (think Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady) and what "celebrity" is more associated with heavy make up than Tammy Faye Bakker? But like the best of her craft, Jessica Chastain performs underneath all of her trappings to give a pained and powerful performance. 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye tells the story of a devout christian woman who believes more in the "love your neighbour" side of her faith than in the conservative political side of it and who is used and discarded by the man she helped build up and the movement they built together. It is a story that explores the gas lighting and abuse rife within the evangelical movement, the corrupt business practices of the movement, and the celebrity gaze itself. At the centre of all this is Chastain balancing bringing forth the honest and subtle emotions while playing the larger than life, and cartoony character to which all of this is happening to. 

The film itself goes through its motions with little flare but competently tells its story. It makes its point quite clearly about a woman surviving in her unique way as she is beaten down time and again. Garfield and D'Onofrio do fine in their impressions. Cherry Jones stands out with her seething pursed lips and the breakthroughs of love that shine through. But this is really all about Chastain giving a tour de force. 

The film leans into its 80s excesses and for the subject matter I guess that is appropriate. The run time is a little excessive too. Perhaps the film does too much to make her a martyr. However what it does is show us just how much range Chastain can pull off.  

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio

Director: Michael Showalter

Writer: Abe Sylvia

 

Copshop (2021)

I'll admit I have a soft spot for these sorts of action character studies, the kind that Tarantino perfected, ensemble pieces featuring a lot of pulpy, morally grey characters that talk their way through usually one isolated event, leaving very few alive at the end, but along the way we get portraits of damaged individuals and usually a (tiny) bit of good triumphing over evil. Director Carnahan's Copshop is well within this tradition and although it remains rather predictable and has some questionable dialogue choices, manages to be an entertaining 107 minutes, mostly because of the character at the centre of this story. 

Alexis Louder hasn't made much of a splash until now but here she steals the show amongst all the grubby men who are hell bent on shooting each other up. Her Valerie Young is the sort of earnest cop who we know we are to root for, outsmarting all the criminals and in the end refusing to give up until she gets her man. She is a cliche in a film of cliches, but through her performance she rises above it, as do most of the rest of the cast, all bringing more to this film that likely could have been there. Toby Huss is also just too damn enjoyable for words as the psychopathic hit man that sets her in his sights. 

So Copshop doesn't rise to the heights of the genre but still manages to be a fun time. And as film came to the end I really wanted to see Copshop Part II. Let's hope Young gets a chance to continue her chase. 

Copshop

Starring: Alexis Louder, Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo, Toby Huss, Ryan O'Neil

Director: Joe Carnahan

Writers: Kurt McLeod, Joe Carnahan

 

Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021)

Inspiring, with catchy songs, this musical about a high school boy who dreams of being a drag queen is the kind of film that will slap a smile on your face, make you tear up a little bit, and leave you humming. Really what more could you ask for. Like its spiritual theatrical cousin Kinky Boots, Everybody's Talking About Jamie is delightful if a little on the safe side. But it does blow the snoozey Prom out of the water by having actually singable music and characters that feel more than phoned in. 

This story is based on a real life event which was captured in a British documentary. While I'm sure it glosses over some of the more challenging events, it sounds like the real Jamie's story is quite similar to this and thank God we live in a time when a boy can perhaps cause a stir by showing up to prom in drag, but become a folk hero in doing so. Yet for me stories like that, which cast the hero as outsider, never allow him to have sexual or at least (age appropriate) romantic agency, and have him magically redeem all those around him who have oppressed him, always leave me a little disappointed. We can all be inspired by the boy in a dress but we don't necessarily want to see him kiss another boy and we certainly don't want to see the way our heteronormative violence toward queer youth gets reinforced by our society norms. Instead lets just cheer for him and his fashion choices as he... doesn't even get a dance in at the end? In the world of this film, in the end Jamie is loved and accepted by all (with one notable exception) and Jamie goes out of his way to make sure his bullies also feel included and loved. What a saint!  

But, that's the end of my rant on this. Jamie is a delightful film and the cast is joyful. Newcomer Harwood kicks down the door and struts right into stardom. Everyone is having a great time in this and it is infectious. One are in which the film truly succeeds is the way it pays tribute to the generations past, those that maybe didn't have it so easy, perhaps didn't all survive, and yet paved the way for Jamie and his generation to strut. 

So perhaps it's a little on the inspiration porn side of the equation. It sure will make you smile and believe that it does get better. 

Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Starring: Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Richard E Grant, Shobna Gulati, John McCrea, Bianca Del Rio

Director: Johnathan Butterell

Writer: Tom MacRae

 

Mogul Mowgli (2021)

Mogul Mowgli ends up hitting harder than you would originally assume. This story of a rapper who struggles with an autoimmune condition is filmed in a raw, non-narrative style that focuses on the emotional and visceral toll. Sometimes the story meanders enough and gets lost and there are a lot of images that are there to provoke without perhaps making complete sense. But in the end it ravages you and leaves you breathless. 

Riz Ahmed is central to this in his singular performance which is relentless. He is a force and following up his also remarkable turn in Sound of Metal, he shows that wasn't a one trick pony. He is one of the most exciting actors working today and he fills each frame with his energy and presence. 

There are times when Mogul Mowgli does get off course a bit but this feels appropriate in that perhaps we get more from the story not being so clear and explained. Perhaps we can relate to Zed a bit more as we are also frustrated and confused. Mogul Mowgli just needs to be seen and experienced. 

Mogul Mowgli

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Alyy Khan

Director: Bassam Tariq

Writers: Riz Ahmed, Bassam Tariq 

 

Torn Curtain (1966) REVISIT

For all its attempts to be a Cold War thriller, there is little thrilling about Torn Curtain. There is little to no mystery here and any supposed twist that the film produces seems telegraphed. Even the screen presence of Paul Newman and Julie Andrews can't make the film more entertaining. 

There is little "bad" about Torn Curtain it is just quite dull overall. A film like this needs a "who can you trust" feel to it and the film never makes any character even remotely questionable. The lines of right and wrong and good and evil are thick black lines here. Even the idea of suspense is suspended as there were few times I felt the leads were in any real jeopardy. Even in the climax (filmed on the set of Phantom of the Opera no less) I never got a sense of real risk. 

Despite being Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, the leads just really have no chemistry together. Both are good and in their own way they are each amazing performances. But here they feel underused and lacking much of their usual appeal. Where there is charisma is in some of the colourful side characters they encounter along the way, even though many of these are a bit over the top. 

So perhaps sometimes a plan just doesn't all come together. Again, there is little really wrong with Torn Curtain it just never really finds any magic.

Torn Curtain

Starring: Paul Newman, Julie Andrews

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers: Willis Hall, Keith Waterhouse

 

Kate (2021)

Kate is better than it should be. From the director of The Huntsman: Winters War (right??) comes an American made film set in Japan but focusing on white heroes. Female assassin movies have become a genre that usually lacks substance and here everything about this screams low rent Kill Bill. But the film pulls off a minor miracle being completely engaging and delivering an emotional punch while also having some of the best fight sequences I've seen in a while. 

First good decision? Casting the remarkable Mary Elizabeth Winstead who proves to me again that I always enjoy her. She delivers a believable Kate that rises above the cliche that her character could have been. She made me believe that person could be and could pull off what she does, even in the hyper realized Tokyo that she inhabits. 

Second, the film purposefully inverts gender expectations. Kate is not Ripley or Sarah Connor. She's not a female version of masculinity. She is also not the supermodel with a gun caricature of the Atomic Blonde or Wanted variety. She brings her fem vibe to her badassery in a way that is refreshing and maybe more rare. 

Third, the film upends queer coding by presenting a villain whose presentation of queerness isn't used to make us question his morality or make us dislike him but to emphasizes his power. he is one of the most threatening characters to Kate and one of the most memorable parts of the film. 

Fourth the film gives real time to the Japanese-ness of the story. Kate feels like an outsider in her own story. Instead of centring her experience, the film tells a yakuza story that she just happens to be in, so the Japanese characters aren't background, they are real players in the arc.

The film leans into its pulpy genre roots so you have to embrace that to truly enjoy this story. But for fans of the genre, or those who will take the leap, Kate is a satisfying and rewatchable experience. 

Kate

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Woody Harrelson, Miku Martineau, Tabanobu Asano, Jun Kunimura, Miyavi, Michael Huisman

Director: Cedric Nicholas-Troyan

Writer: Umair Aleem

 

Worth (2021)

The premise imbedded in Worth is the problematic ways we deal formally with the loss of life in our capitalist culture. The film centres on lawyers who are tasked with the job of arguing over the monetary value to be paid out to families and victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and as we follow them we begin to see the futility of the exercise, the sheer lack of ability to even accomplish the task. Worth tackles this subtly, investing us in the human beings attempting to do this, so we can be in their shoes, and feel the utter futility. It is a quiet yet effective means of deconstructing the capitalist world view and how limited it is in solving so many problems we are faced with. 

Director Colangelo shoots her film is washed out tones, quietly focusing on formal interviews and conversations, wrapped up in a business like approach, which slowly dissolve until we can see the humanity of the humans underneath. It is an effective approach and one that helps us wrestle with so much of the complications which arise from attempting to associate financial value with human life. 

Keaton, Tucci, and Ryan are all strong, each playing close to the vest without dramatic set pieces which might have overloaded the balance. I appreciated how naturally all the players, and the film itself, lives into the story, a story that is based on real people and their losses. It was a sensitive way to approach this. Perhaps much of this is quite remarkable due to the fact that this sensitive and naturalist script comes from the writer of the Godzilla/King Kong movies of late. 

"True" stories are difficult to pull off as they often struggle with presenting an effective capturing of what real people lived through, but Worth attempts to own this responsibility and suggests that its audience might get to feel some of what these people went through in struggling with their loss. It asks us to wrestle with how to address that loss and if it's even possible. It gets us to think about it even if the answers aren't easy. 

For me the film struggles with its ending. As a movie it needs a "happy ending" and the film builds this around the acceptance of the fund overall. I'm not sure this works narratively. However the film still succeeds in getting us to think about these issues and in that it is a success. 

Worth

Starring: Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci, Amy Ryan, Tate Donovan

Director: Sara Colangelo

Writer: Max Borenstein

 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

By now the whole Marvel formula feels, well... formulaic. Same deal each time, only this time with a woman or this time with a wizard. Well this time it's with an Asian guy. Shang-Chi feels pretty much like every other Marvel movie down to specific plot points from Black Panther or Spider-man. I've never found director Destin Daniel Cretton's work to be that inspiring and here he's pretty much plunked into the formula. I mean seeing this cast together, especially Yeoh and Leung, and really I'd watch Awkwafina do anything, is a treat so I'm not complaining. I just know exactly what I'm going to get and I got it. 

Where the film really does come alive is its wuxia elements. The film apes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (perhaps reminded of that because of Yeoh) and honestly does so beautifully. Once the fighting starts the film gets really fun. The choreography is exquisite and Cretton's camera comes alive during the moments. Sure it feels like it's just the flavour if this Marvel outing, but it works. 

Also props for the way it handles Iron Man 3's horrible Mandarin plot point. 

But when it gets back to its formula story it feels like formula. The ending has some pretty serious deus ex machina problems and I kept hoping for a potential twist which never arrived. But again, if the Marvel schtick is what you are looking for Shang-Chi delivers and you get to look at Simu Liu so that's always a plus. 

On that note... I was a little frustrated that up until the very end it appeared he wasn't getting any love interest. Now let me explain a little. Normally I find an action movie with no romance plot can be refreshing. Often those parts of the story feel shoehorned in, perhaps to ensure the audience that the action hero is truly heterosexual. But as Hollywood has a bad history of not casting Asian men as romantic leads, to make their one Marvel Action Hero Man who is Asian not have a love interest felt... well, yucky. The film fumbles this recovery at the end by implying there might be a romance with Awkwafina although the film never gives us any real pay off for that so it's still a mystery. 

Anyway, if this is your bag you'll dig it. It doesn't mess with the formula. If it ain't broke don't fix it! But if the Marvel thing wears on you then this one doesn't offer much new. I will give it props for having a consequential end credits scene. Stick to the end (the very end), the last scene is a game changer. 

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Starring: Simon Liu, Awkwafina, Meng'er Zhang, Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Florian Munteanu, Ben Kingsley, Benedict Wong

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Writers: Dave Callaham, Andrew Lanham, Destin Daniel Cretton

 

Cinderella (2021)

How do you screw up a movie starring Billy Porter, Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Pierce Brosnan? Well if you want to know the answer to this you just need to watch Amazon's lacklustre, jukebox take on the famous fairytale. It doesn't take much into the runtime before it becomes clear Cinderella isn't going to take itself seriously and doesn't have the camp heart to be muster anything more than a rare chuckle here and there. It recycles karaoke versions of decades old pop songs with little to no inspiration to them. The script is laden with platitude feminism and there is absolutely no chemistry in the cast. Almost everything about Cinderella feels half-assed. 

Camila Cabello is passable but has no real spark as the central character. She doesn't break out as having much potential as an actress or comedian. She manages okay but has too many overly dramatic arm waiving, lip trembling moments to be taken too seriously. Even Cabello's original songs are just "meh" with little to none of the flare she's exhibited in her recording career. 

The vanilla Galitzine tries desperately to be funny but is so transparent he fades into the background. There is a moment in the film when the cast sings What a Man about him but the film does nothing to make him seem in anyway interesting or redeeming. 

The film takes far too long to get to its one redeeming quality, Porter's Fabulous Godmother. He flies in, brings some joy into a rather joyless production and then flies out all too fleetingly. But even he is punished by the film's lack of artfulness. His musical number is too short and just has him walking in a circle. 

Cringey they name is Cinderella...

Cinderella

Starring: Camila Cabello, Nicholas Galitzine, Idina Menzel, Pierce Brosnan, Billy Porter, Mini Driver, Maddie Baillio, Charlotte Spencer, James Cordon, Tallulah Greive, Ben Bailey Smith

Writer/Director: Kay Cannon