Distant Tales: Another Review. By Richard Schertzer.
It might have some good actors, but that doesn’t mean there’s any coherence in the execution of this film. The story tells a series of bizarre tales that seem to mostly take place over zoom. It starts off with two people seemingly having a sexual relationship over Zoom, which turns into something extremely toxic and deadly.
There’s something of the theme of the COVID-19 lockdown that seems omnipresent in the realm of the narrative for this film. I understand that director Shem Bitterman was trying to make a COVID-type film, but it would have been a lot better as one cohesive movie instead of a series of vignettes that seem to feel more eerie and disjointed than endearing.
If one idea of one story was given more screen time and expanded upon, the structure might have worked a lot better than what was given and if I am going to be frank, each story seems rushed and never feels like a fully fleshed-out project.
It almost makes you wonder how Bitteman got the idea to combine a sexual relationship, a testing patient and doctor, a new employee and interviewee, and a struggling father and right-wing commentator. It seems as if Bitterman thought that these were the only types of people that sprang up during the COVID-19 lockdown.
What seems a lot more frustrating is the fact that the vignettes never seem to collide with one another in any meaningful way to help culminate the story to a rousing finale and it seems that many portions of the plot were left unresolved and didn’t have a decent resolution.
Moreover, the film has some great performances, but ultimately succumbs to the pitfalls of a jumbled narrative.
Ashley Avis is the director of the Black Beauty remake starring Kate Winslet and her latest documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang of the Spirit West.
Richard: How did you get your start as a filmmaker?
Ashley: I knew that I always wanted to write from a very young age. I read a lot of poetry and I thought that maybe when I was 10 or 12 years old that I’d become a novelist or go into sci-fi fiction or poetry and then I started dabbling in journalism. At a younger age, I ended up going to the Poynter Institute of Journalism and then went to New York City and that was after a childhood of being around the world of horses. So, when I went to Manhattan, I worked as a journalist and realized that that wasn’t quite it and then I started reading screenplays after an internship at a production company and that completely changed my whole world because I believe screenplays are like poetry. I started writing my own screenplays behind my economics books and I ended up moving to Los Angeles after saving up some money working différent odd jobs and I produced my first spec pilot at 22 and that was the window into realizing that I also wanted to direct.
Richard: Who are some of your greatest inspirations in filmmaking?
Ashley: Terrence Malick, Days of Heaven. I’d love to shoot everything in that golden hour. Robert Redford and some of the work he’s done. Films like Dances with Wolves have been extremely impactful. Out of Africa and those are some of the ones that shaped the direction that I wanted to go into my career. Even as a young person I was always out in the woods climbing trees and diving into the ocean and a lot of the stories I’m attracted to take place in the natural world.
Richard: Do you have any upcoming projects?
Ashley: I do. I’m writing and directing a reimagining of City of Angels. The classic film for Warner Brothers for Charles Roven who produced Oppenheimer and then I’ve got another project about wolves that hasn’t been announced yet but is a narrative version in some ways to our documentary and that’s going to be a pretty big studio project.
Richard: As a filmmaker, what do you enjoy most about your work and what do you enjoy the least?
Ashley: That’s evolved over time, as well. I love going out in the wild and being able to capture moments that are perhaps unplanned. I think that those unexpected moments are some of the most exciting when an actor has an idea and there’s something that just works. What I like least is definitely money. I hate talking about money. So, that’s a big part of the conversation.
In 1997, Nickelodeon decided to try out a sketch from their hit TV show, All That, as a full-length movie. While Good Burger didn’t make much noise at the box office it has gone on to become a cult classic among kids that were born in the 90’s. Now, 26 years later, Paramount brings back Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as their lovable characters Dexter and Ed as they set off on a new adventure in Good Burger 2. Does this sequel live up to the mildly funny comedy from the 90’s or did they wait too long to put a sequel together?
This is a case of a little bit of both. The issue with so many of the recent sequels, remakes, reboots and requels is that the filmmakers are having to cater to two different audiences. On the one hand you want to have something for the people who grew up with the first movie, but you also want to have something to attract a new and younger audience to the product as well. Unfortunately, Good Burger 2 doesn’t do much of it that well. There are plenty of call backs to the original and cameos from returning characters but that’s not enough to give fans that nostalgic feeling they’re seeking out. New fans don’t get much brought to the table either. Sure, there’s new characters and the movie is set up for a more modern audience but in the end, it doesn’t feel like there’s enough here to attract a new audience.
The basic plot of Good Burger 2 is a similar set up as in the original. Ed and Dexter lose the ownership rights to Good Burger to a new company that wants to franchise out the restaurant and modernize it to the point of having no workers and everything being run by new technology. They band together with other members of the Good Burger team to try take down the new company and get their restaurant back. It is about as straightforward as the plot could be, it just feels like they could have done something more than what’s put on the screen.
While a lot here isn’t executed very well there is still a decent number of things to enjoy. Both Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell fall right back into their roles of Dexter and Ed, and they still have great chemistry like they did in the 90’s. The rest of the cast is fine although they aren’t given much to do. There is a never-ending number of cameos that feels like just a bit too many, however there are a few that are fun like seeing some returning faces from the previous movie. As far as the comedy goes it is very hit or miss but there are some genuine laughs to be had and the movie does have some great callbacks to the original.
Good Burger 2 more than likely won’t attract too many new fans that didn’t grow up with the original movie. If you did grow up with the original, this should be about what you’d expect from it. It is a mildly funny family movie that overdoes it with cameos and dumbs down the comedic elements a little too much to try and cater to a younger audience. All in all, it’s worth a watch if you are a fan of the original but it is a very forgettable movie that won’t leave much of an impression.
Sir Ridley Scott is about to turn 86 in a few days, and yet the director still brings the energy of a filmmaker in his forties. His latest muscular historical epic is Napoleon, with Joaquin Phoenix playing the French military commander and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. While Scott and screenwriter David Scarpa try to cram a lot of Napoleon’s life into a film under three hours and Phoenix is a bit old to be playing the man in the earlier scenes, the three of them and their collaborators still bring some admirable efforts to the project.
The film takes place between 1793 and 1821, from the execution of Marie Antoinette to Napoleon’s exile and death on Saint Helena. Major battles from his life are covered, including Toulon, Austerlitz, and Waterloo. His relationship with Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby) is also explored as the two struggle to have a child – and heir – over the years.
Napoleon often feels like a disjointed bullet point list as it rushes through many of the title character’s accomplishments and controversial actions. The Battle of the Pyramids, for example, is reduced to Napoleon just ordering a cannon to fire upon a pyramid. In Between these sections are scenes of Napoleon and Joséphine’s relationship, which boils down to toxic arguments, playful and sexual bickering, and narration for the reading of love letters. The first hour of the film can feel sluggish as it establishes Napoleon’s rise to power and this key relationship.
Though Scott’s film feels messy, it still has many aspects that work, starting with the cast. Phoenix and Kirby have gripping moments of verbal battles, some of them even surprisingly amusing. Seeing a leader like Napoleon reduced to whining and throwing food in order to get his way from Joséphine certainly removes the character from any hero-worship display. Scott and Scarpa paint these lovers as selfish humans first and popular public figures second while Phoenix and Kirby bounce off of each other well.
As expected for an epic directed by Scott, the production is handsome and impressive. The battles have real weight and scale to them and the costumes and production design are top-notch. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, who has become a frequent collaborator of Scott, captures the landscapes, period details, and carnage with an expert eye. I do wish the color palette was less drab though as Scott and Wolski have decided to give Napoleon the same blue-gray, cold look that they chose for The Last Duel (2021).
The Battle of Austerlitz scene is the highlight of the film and one of the standout scenes of the year. Unlike some of the other battles, Scott doesn’t rush through this one. It builds suspensefully and provides a magnificent display of Napoleon’s skills as a war strategist. There are underwater shots with ice and blood mixing together that are quite eye-opening. The Waterloo climax is exciting as well, but the Austerlitz scene takes the crown.
Scott, who frequently provides various cuts of his films, is apparently working on a four-hour version of Napoleon for Apple TV+. The current theatrical length is 158 minutes. The extra time will likely help with the film’s pacing, but I don’t think four hours will be enough either in covering so many major events in this figure’s life. Scarpa should have chosen to focus on one part of Napoleon’s life or written this as a long miniseries instead. Even so, much of Napoleon still works thanks to Scott’s guidance. The whole may be a mess, but the individual parts are often commendable.
Poor, nasty, brutish, and short – a description befitting of a Hobbesian nightmare and of the sinister teens inhabiting Eden Lake. Uncompromising in its brutality and relentless in its hopelessness, Eden Lake is as startling a directorial debut as James Watkins could have hoped for. Fifteen years have passed since its release and in those years, the film’s viciousness has earnt itself a frequent spot in British horror-thriller discourse.
Co-leads Kelly Reilly and Michael Fassbender play Jenny and Steve, a young couple on their way to enjoy a woodland lake retreat. That is, until they discover that developers have arrived on the scene and intend to turn the once-secluded spot into a gated community tackily named Eden Lake. Undeterred, Steve leads Jenny towards the inviting waters and the two press on with their planned frolicking. The tranquility of their private paradise is soon trampled upon by the arrival of rowdy local yobs, accompanied by a blaring stereo and high-strung rottweiler.
Bravely (and foolishly), Steve strolls over to the group, asking them to turn their music down. His request is predictably met with sneering from the unmoving recipients, and spiky ringleader Brett (Jack O’Connell) dismisses him. Wisely cutting his losses, Steve returns to Jenny and they eventually hunker down for the night in their tent. The following day, they head into the local village in search of a bite to eat, and Steve also uses this as an opportunity to complain to the waitress about the behaviour of the hooligans. His remarks receive an icy reception as the waitress denies that the children would ever misbehave in such a way.
After returning to the lake, the lovers continue with their relaxation, unaware that their car keys and money have been stolen. Quickly connecting the dots, they trudge back towards the village on foot, only to narrowly miss being mowed down by their own commandeered vehicle, the thuggish Brett behind the wheel. Following a search that stretches into nightfall, their four-wheeler is found with the gang loitering nearby. Steve confronts the group demanding the return of his belongings, knives are brandished, and a scuffle ensues. In the ensuing chaos, Brett’s rottweiler is accidentally stabbed. This sends him flying into a blistering rage and unbeknownst to Jenny and Steve, so begins the worst night of their lives.
Dubbed at the time by one journalist as a work of ‘chavsploitation’, there’s little wonder that immediately following, and in years subsequent to its release, Eden Lake has been the subject of heated discourse surrounding its unfortunate Broken Britain class politics. A product of the frenzied tabloid fearmongering of the ASBO era, Eden Lake gives a cinematic voice to the late-noughties paranoia towards teenagers and council estates.
The publicly perceived dividing wall between loutish youth and civilised adults is pronounced with the lovely middle-class city folks finding themselves undeservedly terrorised by the troglodyte working-class villagers. Apparently incapable of hobbies beyond troublemaking, the teens are able to cunningly exploit their youth in order to masquerade as typical mischief-makers, their cruelty hiding behind their doe-eyed masks. It’s unsurprising that comparisons have been made to Straw Dogs and Deliverance, the otherness of backwater residents being unmistakable.
However, it would be heavy-handed to entirely dismiss Watkins’ debut on the basis of its treatment of class politics. Though they largely passed beneath the radar in international noughties consciousness, British filmmakers ushered in a small wave of ultra-gritty thrillers and horrors (Christopher Smith’s Creep, Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes, and Neil Marshall’s The Descent to name a few), the comparatively tame horror-thrillers of the US not quite whetting the British palette. Eden Lake triumphantly joined their ranks in 2008.
Despite the way in which some characters were written, the cast deliver excellent performances across the board, their vulnerability, fear, and ruthlessness woven intricately into their respective roles. Alongside the performances by Reilly and Fassbender (still in his acting ascendancy), teenagers O’Connell and Turgoose (most well-known to audiences as Shaun in This Is England) are notably accomplished in th, the two cleverly communicating their own characters’ power imbalance, never explicitly drawing attention to it.
To call Eden Lake ‘bleak’ would be to undersell it. Characters and audience alike, very little reprieve is offered from the lurking terror, the tension often hitting the ceiling but never settling back onto the floor. And therein lies much of its success; tapping into the now-seemingly-distant fears of the ‘hug a hoodie’ days, the unfolding events of the film spoke to British audiences, their worries resonating and seemingly being validated – it’s a great shame that this was at the expense of working-class people. Eden Lake is a cracking horror-thriller, albeit one marred by its blindness to its own class gaze.
