Author: BRWC

By Naseem Ally. The Green Book also referred to as The Negro Motorist Green Book was a detailed guidebook for African-American roadtrippers during the Jim Crow law era from 1936 to 1966.  This helps to understand and set the tone, for what audiences should expect in terms of the racial themes, that are heavily displayed in the film. 

It’s a biographical comedy drama that’s been directed by Peter Farrelly. The director’s previous work includes, the cult comedy classics There’s Something About Mary (1998) and Dumb & Dumber (1994) starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. With the success of the great road trip film Dumb & Dumber, I think Peter has scored himself another one with the Green Book. 

With Peter, mostly being known for his work on comedic and rom com films, it’s refreshing to see that he has managed to keep this DNA whilst also being able to have serious and prevalent themes throughout the duration of Green Book.  Green Book set in 1962, is inspired by and based on the actual true story of the African American jazz and classical pianist Don Shirley, portrayed by Mahershala Ali and Italian American bouncer Frank ‘‘Tony Lip’’ Vallelonga played by Viggo Mortensen.

Personally, I think Viggo was robbed of the Best Actor Win at the Oscars but that’s a subject for another day…slowly moving on.  I’m glad the authenticity in this film wasn’t watered down like most films based on a true story (cough..cough..Bohemian..cough..Rhapsody!)  With the film also being written by Peter, and co-written with the help of Nick Vallelonga, the son of Frank AKA ‘‘Tony Lip’’ it really shines through in this film, and audiences will get their money’s worth. 

The comedic timing in this film is superb!  Straight away from the beginning of Green Book, we are drawn into Tony Lip’s world played by the brilliant Viggo Mortensen.  A brawny bouncer working at the Copacabana Club, who is a no-nonsense guy doing whatever necessary to keep things running smoothly.  One of the club attendees kicks up a fuss about a missing hat, which forces Viggo’s character into action. 

‘Guard this hat with your life’ 

The theme of guardianship runs throughout the duration of the film as we see the growth of the bond between Tony and Dr.Shirley, even with Tony’s racial biases as it’s essentially his job to guard his black client, over his tour of the Deep South.  Along the way, there are many twists and turns due to Tony’s hot headed nature.  He very often gets into sticky situations which we see unravel, to the detriment of Dr.Shirley. 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0

Starting with punching a guy at the Copacabana Club, losing his job and then having to rely on hot dog eating competitions to earn his bucks.  The constant eating that Viggo’s character made for some great laughs.  One again hats off to him, his dedication to the role was well evident throughout the film.  From the thick Italian American New York accent to the hefty weight he put on from eating ALL THAT FOOD! 

Linda Cardellini did a great job too, as part of the supporting cast playing Tony’s wife Dolores.  She is a key catalyst in the film that aims to change Tony’s perception of Dr. Shirley.  A particular scene strikes to mind, where two plumbers come to work on their kitchen and are offered some drinks.  It is a very powerful scene! 

The pacing of the film is great. From the start of Tony being a bouncer to his transition of now working as a driver for Dr. Shirley.  All of this occurs within the first, say 15 to 20 minutes. They have a brilliant encounter when they first meet – it’s hilarious!  Tony’s comment about doing ‘public relations’ work is brilliant.  It’s clear to see why Dr. Shirley hired Tony for his innate ability to handle trouble. 

As well as being a tough guy, Tony is a family man who learns to get in touch with his ‘romantic’ side with the help of Dr. Shirley explaining to Tony how to write love letters to his wife.  There’s some great camera work in this film.  A scene pops to mind involving Mahershala and Viggo having a powerful exchange in the rain, with green hue lighting.  Look out for another great scene as they make a pit stop, near a plain of farmers who look on at the sight of Tony and Dr.Shirley. 

At times I felt, the constant racial references to eggplants was played out a bit too much.  Perhaps, the writers really wanted the racial aspect to hit home due to the time it was set it in.  There’s a lot of this sort of dialogue, that some audience members may be sensitive to, however in general I think this film is as honest as it could possibly be.  I do admit though there could have been a lot less ‘ballbusting’ from Dr. Shirley as the constant nannying of Tony’s etiquette started to interfere with moving the story forward.  At times I was wondering whether or not I was watching a rerun of Jo Frost’s Supernanny. 

‘10 and 2 on the wheels Tony’ ‘Put it back Tony’
‘Don’t be vulgar Tony’

Ok, we get it. 

But I have to admit, there was a funny moment with a ‘lucky rock’ that Tony…finds. Throughout all of their escapades and conflicts they face in the Deep South, the growth shown between Mahershala and Viggo’s characters really make you root for them over their tour.  From the initial hostility, they eventually develop a genuine bond and care for one another to the point, where near the end of the film Dr.Shirley took on the mantle as a guard for Tony to ensure he got back to his family on time for Christmas. 

A heartwarming film, great comedic timing, slightly too much nannying from Mahershala, but with that being said, it’s a very powerful and profound film. 

Green Book is definitely worth a watch! 

By J Simpson.

Thai director/polymath Pradba Yoon’s directorial debut is a disturbing, gorgeous arthouse head trip with style and substance. Warning: it’s not for the faint of heart or those easily offended.

The horror and sci-fi elements of Motel Mist – the directorial debut from Thai interdisciplinary artist Pradba Yoon – don’t kick in until around the 80-minute mark. Until then, it’s mostly a squalid, sordid revenge flick – but a particularly lovely one. Motel Mist is shot in glowing, numinous HD, along the lines of the neon-soaked visions of Nicholas Winding Refn. The pacing and framing of Motel Mist are more Dogme 95, however. Long, unflinching gazes at the ugliness and madness that Humans are capable of, made all the more hideous in their slow, stately unfurling.

Motel Mist is an example of hyperlink cinema – a particularly modern format following three seemingly unrelated stories, other than the fact that they play out in the Hotel Mistress. A pedophile gets his dues, a concierge juggles fire, and a missing actor talks to aliens, in this nutso lysergic vision.

Motel Mist starts off with Laila, a waifish teenage girl, played by Prapamonton Eiamchan, being taken to the ‘love motel’ by Sopol, a middle-aged pervert portrayed by Surapol Poonpiriya. Laila is the perfect victim, seemingly naive and defenseless. Sopol subjects her to all manner of degradations and humiliations in the film’s first third. It’s a hard watch, to be sure, and is pretty much guaranteed to offend or disturb pretty much everybody. It’s worth plodding through the filth, however, to watch Motel Mist unfurl its surreal, head-splitting vision.

Simultaneously, the film introduces us to Tot, played by Wissanu Likitsathaporn, the hotel concierge who just wants to juggle fire on the beach for a living. We also see numerous references about Tul, played by Vasuphon Kriangprapakit, a former child actor who’s been experiencing a seeming psychotic break, talking about all manner of crackpot, wingnut theories.

These theories aren’t as crackpot as they may seem, we find out as the film plays out into its increasingly bizarre second and third acts.

Things begin to shift when Vicky, a more self-confident young woman played by Katareeya Theapchatri, shows up to ‘play’ with Laila. The play quickly turns deadly, however, as the pair trick and over-power Sopol, turning the tables. The prey have become the predator, and they relish their newfound power in all manner of unspeakable ways.

Meanwhile, we spend a little more time with Tul, in his spaceship-like hotel room, as we begin to find out perhaps he’s not as paranoid as we first thought.

From here, things quickly boil over into a truly psychotropic mixture of exploitation sleaze and psychedelic sci-fi, all viewed through the long, languorous gaze of slow cinema. Before beginning his career as a director, Prabda Yoon worked as a Thai translator. He translated Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, and The Catcher In The Rye into Thai, giving you an idea of his pre-occupations, and also what you’re in store for.

The website Morbidly Beautiful compares Motel Mist to a “Thai version of the hang-out film,” referencing the talk-oriented films of Richard Linklater and Jim Jarmusch. The problem is, they just happen to be hanging out in the most seamy underbelly of human existence. It’s like taking a long, relaxing bath in lukewarm sewage. It’s not for the faint of heart, or the casual viewer.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0lzK7A_ADs

At its heart, Motel Mist is mostly a revenge flick, but one with numerous mind-melting flourishes. It raises the questions that any revenge flick asks – is the director relishing what they’re depicting? Is this exploitative? Are we complicit, as viewers?

In the case of Motel Mist, the answer is: no. Yoon doesn’t seem to be relishing or glorifying any of the depravity he depicts. He’s merely showing it, in all of its ugliness and brutality. Sopol is shown to be the depraved loser he is. His comeuppance is satisfying, if painful, to watch.

Full disclosure: I often have a hard time viewing sexual abuse, which are in no short supply in Motel Mist. Yet I found the film to be ultimately rewarding. Yoon doesn’t seem to be glorifying sexual abuse, merely depicting it. These things do happen – happen every day, in fact – which is part of why it’s important to look at and talk about the hard topics.

It’s more horrific than 100 slasher flicks run through Seth Brundle’s transmogrifier, made all the more so by the fact that it’s not particularly portrayed as a horror film.

Horror movies – and genre films in general – usually come right out and tell you what they are. The tense string stingers; the ominous thud of sub-bass, like a lumpen malformed heart; the crepuscular creaking menace. You know what you’re in for and you’re braced for it. Sure, the jump scares might get you, leaving you tittering with nervous laughter like a child whistling past the graveyard, but for the most part these terrors simply roll right off of your steeled carapace, never really sinking in.

It’s a stretch to call Motel Mist a horror film, per se, although it depicts some of the most horrific moments you’re likely to see this year. Instead, this artful arthouse headfuck of a film lands somewhere between slow cinema and trashy exploitation film. And it’s so much the better for it.

The closest comparison for Motel Mist might be the ’90s films of Greg Araki, like Doom Generation or Nowhere, where the mundane is stripped of its smiley veneer and the surreality and horror that surround us every day are brought into the unflinching light of day. In the case of Motel Mist, it’s more like the dingy neon lights of a run-down hotel by the hour, but the end result is the same.

Motel Mist is finally getting an American release. Motel Mist will be available on VOD and DVD, via Breaking Glass Productions, on April 9.

Sarah Jayne’s short film Daughter takes a look at the ways in which women are viewed in society, following three main protagonists who cross paths one night on the streets of St Kilda, Australia.

This is a film with a good heart but not a great deal of style. One can’t help but wonder if this story should be a lot more interesting than it is. Scarlett, Jemma and Alethea all come from various different backgrounds and upbringings, and the film’s concept relies heavily on the unpredictability surrounding where the evening is going and who it will affect the most. Sadly, the film never really grabs the viewer’s attention enough to build that tension successfully.

It also fails to connect on an emotional level, as we aren’t given enough time to really bond with the characters. We see a little about Jemma, a prostitute working the streets at night, and we learn that Scarlett has had a difficult time recently, but we aren’t offered much else. We are expected to express concern over these characters, but are never given enough reason to.

It’s not enough to simply show us women in trouble. The script should give us a reason to sympathise with these three women in particular, and it fails to achieve that. The main flaw here is that the film seems too preoccupied with sending a message than it does telling an interesting story. Daughter feels less of a film than it does a lecture, even going on to have Katherine Langford give a speech and literally look at the camera. It’s possible to tell a story that also touches on serious themes and contains a message, but Sarah Jayne doesn’t seem to have gotten the balance right here.

https://vimeo.com/146362676

The film isn’t that enticing to look at, either. It’s quite blandly shot, and the editing doesn’t always work, often feeling erratic and misjudged. The performances are also fairly hit and miss. Katherine Langford, who has recently found success in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, is fairly convincing as Scarlett, and Aisha Jakszewicz is engaging as Jemma, but Carolyn Rey is relatively awkward as Alethea, unable to show much conviction with what is already a wooden script.

There are genuinely good intentions behind Daughter, and the crowdfunding background behind the production demonstrates that there is clearly a great deal of support for the topics it’s discussing, but as a film in its own right it feels a little awkward and misplaced. The script is fairly week and the vision dull, and its performers are unable to bring much life to what little they have. The film isn’t letting its audience in, but rather talking directly at them in a way that almost feels patronising. Sarah Jayne is clearly a passionate filmmaker with a good heart, but Daughter feels like a misstep.