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Napoleon (2023)
Good but feels TOO SHORT
After a long wait and my refusal to pay the high rental fee on AppleTV, I finally got to see Napoleon tonight on AppleTV+.
My expectations had been lowered by the poor reviews and bad word-of-mouth, so I was pleased to find it gripping and enjoyable. My main issue: at 2 hours 40 minutes it's too quick and TOO SHORT! It feels like it's been cut too much down to size, meaning the film leans more towards a narration of key events than a fully satisfying, unfolding drama. Too little emphasis is put on causality as the film leaps from one event to another without me understanding their full consequences or feeling all the full emotional impact.
After watching, I read this...
"In August 2023, Ridley Scott revealed that he has planned a director's cut of Napoleon that explores more of Empress Joséphine, and hopes that he will be able to release it in theaters and on Apple TV+, after the initial theatrical release. Scott indicated that the planned director's cut would run four hours and ten minutes." - Wikipedia
Good! I rarely enjoy a director's cut as much as I'm supposed to but imagine this will be a worthwhile viewing.
As for the historical 'inaccuracies', they didn't spoil it for me.
The acting is great by the way. As are the battle scenes - spectacular, emotional and the right level of disturbing.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Come n 'ave a go if you think you're 'ard enuff, my liege
What a sorry mess. Plays like a prolonged trailer. Ritchie only knows how to narrate, to summarise. He's no clue how to dramatise, build tension, and certainly no idea how to make us care. I get the feeling he doesn't care much about his characters either. The editing is an embarrassment, though I suspect Ritchie is mostly to blame. As for the acting, the way the film is cut does his decent cast no favours.
I would've given up watching early on but didn't want to spoil it for my friend who's actually enjoying it as a 'mindless entertainment. I'm writing this to burn up time until the film finishes.
Malignant (2021)
If was 14 years old and very stoned I might think this was good. But I'm not.
An extraordinary pile of juvenile, cliche-ridden horse-drivel. Laughably awful. Probably loved by Beavis and Butthead and the now generation.
Apparently I have to leave at least one hundred and fifty characters in this review to make it submitable. Bleugheghbleugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old (2021)
Great premise, shallow treatment
A great psychological premise that the filmmaker has no clue what to do with. What we end up with is trite, vacuous, psychologically shallow. Laughably bad. I'm so disappointed as I'd expected a really interesting horror drama about aging and our fear of mortality. But Shamalayan's movies always annoy me. All those stupid twists the tail. Just thought I'd give this one a chance. Why did I bother? Grrrr.
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes (2020)
An uplifting meeting of minds, style and subject
What an inspired and inspiring film. Catz and her team brilliantly bring to life the oddities and wonders of Delia Derbyshire's beautiful, rebellious, determined, ever-searching creative mind. This is such an uplifting film - one that not only honours its subject well but does so by drawing its visual and sonic inspiration from this remarkable and, until recently, overlooked composer (and yes, sometimes troubled 'de-composer'.) It makes me want to make music again. And noise. Our human need for and affinity with organised sound (isn't that what music really is?) filled my living room with light from my TV screen. And I was only smoking plain English tobacco with a few mugs of English tea. A good end to a good day and maybe even the first bubble-clouds of new sounds forming in my head like familiar, unfamiliar smoke. Thank you so much, Delia, Cosey and Ms. Catz. I'm now in love with all three of you. And very high.
Unforgiven (1992)
A note-perfect masterpiece
Superb down to the finest detail. Tense, contemplative, tragic, rich, intelligent, myth-busting and yet still myth-making. The screenplay is very special and provides a beautifully crafted foundation to this wonderful film. You won't see better screenwriting than this. David Webb Peoples' script is genius.
Prisoners (2013)
Disappointing after a compelling set-up
This feels like a great idea burned by weak plotting and an extraordinarily dumb cop protagonist. We were ahead of him all the way, despairing at his inability to spot the most obvious clues while refusing to question what was obviously very questionable evidence. The parents of the missing children also behave so foolishly that I lost sympathy for them. I did watch to the end though, as I did at least hope they'd find the missing children. But even the ending proved to be predictable and anti-climactic. A real shame, as the story itself is a good one - it's how it's told lets it down. In a detective movie like this, the audience shouldn't be ahead of the detective. We despaired over the cop's stupidity.
I hope Jake Gyllenhall isn't going make a habit of playing numbskulls; his character in Life is equally dim-witted.
Nocturnal Animals (2016)
Superb
This is seriously good. Brilliantly acted. Great script. Amy Adams - maybe she's a genius. She's never less than great but her performance here is... well, watch it and see for yourself.
Jellyfish (2018)
Powerful, moving, often painful social drama
The acting here is consistently good, with two excellent central performances: LIV HILL in the lead as a fifteen year old forced to grow up early and parent her younger siblings as well as her utterly incapable mother - who's superbly portayed in all her highs, lows and broken chaos by SINEAD MATTHEWS. Both are outstanding.
Apostle (2018)
Creates a powerful story world but the story's a mess
This feels like it was once a much longer, more coherent film that's been cut down (butchered?) into just over two hours. I might be wrong, but that's how it feels. Tonally it's all over the place too, with one foot in fantasy melodrama and another in a more grounded, human, psychological horror thriller. Dan Stevens' performance in the lead relies too often on heavy duty scowling, Michael Sheen is convincing as the despotic cult leader, Lucy Boynon lights up the screen and gives the film some heart. Oh, and there's too many endings. Ultimately I didn't care enough who lived and who died. A shame really, as it has its merits: nicely shot, some good acting, good visuals at times (when it steers clear of the 'magical' nature goddess stuff) and some disturbing (though sometimes gratuitously violent) set pieces. Less effective than better cult-set horrors such as The Wicker Man or Midsommar, both of which wisely remain in realism to be all the more disturbing.
Life (2017)
An international crew of human morons screw up repeatedly in space
Starts off quite well but the story is such let down, mainly because the characters are so feeble minded. The sheer stupidity and over-emotional irrationality of the supposedly scientific space station crew stretched my patience to breaking point. In the end I laughed my way to the climax instead of screaming from fear. Worse, it plays every cliché in the book. What a mess. What a shame. And the ending plays such a cheap trick that we saw coming a mile off. Avoid.
Small Axe: Lovers Rock (2020)
A masterpiece
Small Axe S1/2 Lovers Rock. Once in a while something really special comes along. The writing, direction, acting, production design, casting, music, cinematography, editing make this a masterpiece. Not a word I use lightly. Turn up the bass.