film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Thomas White

  • Last Man Standing: Review

    Last Man Standing: Review

    Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie & Tupac 

    Nick Broomfield’s follow up to his feature-length documentary Biggie & Tupac (2002) is a solid postscript to the two rappers’ tragic murders, with the benefit of some added retrospection during the intervening years. 

    Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur were the central characters involved in a media hyped feud between East and West coast gangsta rap. Bloomfield suggested in his first film that Suge Knight, head of Death Row Records, who ran the business with the iron fist of a racketeer, was the one who conspired to have both rappers killed. 

    Last Man Standing offers renewed interest in the story. The interviewees seem more willing to open up about events. Family, friends, colleagues and ex-police officers all have strong opinions which seem more candid now, without the imperious threat of Knight and his far reaching power, even after he was jailed. 

    The emotion is palpable. Seeing big tough gang affiliated bodyguards break down in tears, you know the suffering and loss is still deeply felt to this day. To his credit Bloomfield sensitively allows his subjects time in which to tell their stories at their own pace, only interjecting when necessary to pursue a thought or expand on an idea. 

    There are further revealing moments which show the rapport and lasting trust built since the initial interviews back in 2002. It makes this latest instalment all the more genuine and honest. These people confide in and vouch for him, appreciating his personal investment and seeing he’s not out simply to do a hatchet job. 

    As in the 2002 film, there is a strong focus on the alleged involvement behind the murders from the L. A. Police Department, both their affiliation with and facilitation of violent street gang culture. It says just as much about American society and its relationship with law enforcement, predominantly in black inner-city areas. 

    Former LAPD officer David Mack’s trainer, Leila Steinberg, summed it up best explaining: “The streets are controlled by the biggest gang that we have, and that’s the police.” Mack was implicated in police corruption and conspiracy to murder, and later jailed in federal prison. 

    Last Man Standing is a bleak but engaging continuation of Bloomfield’s journey through the personal and social intricacies behind one of the largest hyped and deadly feuds in the music business, even if it does use a large amount of previously used footage. On the plus side you don’t have to have seen the first one, this works successfully as a standalone film. 

  • Charming The Hearts Of Men: Review

    Charming The Hearts Of Men: Review

    Charming The Hearts Of Men: Review – To paraphrase Jane Austen: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman without possession of good fortune, must be in need of a husband for means of support. 

    There are clear parallels here to Austen’s frequent premise of a woman (in this case Grace Gordon, played by Anna Friel) having to marry into wealth for lack of her own financial security. Before the legislation of equal gender rights, women’s prospects and opportunities have always been limited. This is true both of their status in society and, in this particular instance, the workforce. 

    Directed, written and produced by S.E. DeRose, Charming the Hearts of Men is witty, lighthearted and set firmly in the mould of romantic comedy drama. This soothingly upbeat tone might, therefore, be a little at odds with the rest of the story’s harder hitting comments of civil rights, not just of gender but also, as a parallel theme race. 

    Though not played strictly for laughs, the levity is such that the film, thankfully, does not become preachy, although it does also lack some edge which would have been nice to see as a contrast. 

    Kelsey Grammer has gravitas as The Congressman, also the most eligible bachelor on whom Grace sets her sights. Cast to type he exudes the same verbose pomposity and bumbling self satisfaction he brought to his famed television character Frasier. It’s a role he slips into easily and is a pleasure to watch. 

    Friel carries the film well enough, with ample support from the rest of the cast, American small town caricatures from the 1960’s, with attitudes to match. Sean Astin brings depth and a refreshing humanity to his character, George, a kindly shopkeeper who shows sympathy towards Grace. 

    The attention to period detail is impressive and the production certainly looks the part. The costumes, cars, pastel shades and colours lend themselves to the steamy Southern location. It’s smoothly shot, with a warmth which captures the heat and politically charged atmosphere, but the pace is flat, it stays too much on an even keel, leaving little emotional or narrative dynamic which is needed to give more tension to the drama. 

    As an important moment in history this is definitely a story which deserves telling. It’s told in a pleasant enough way but is let down by its slowness momentum and inconsistency of tone. 

  • Andie The Great: Review

    Andie The Great: Review

    Andie Offerman (Matreya Scarrwener) moves back in with her parents after dropping out of university. Spending time reconnecting with friends and meeting new acquaintances, she contemplates the future and her place in the world. 

    My expectations for this were not astronomically high. Another millennial mumblecore debut feature covering well trodden ground. But it turned out this rather hasty preconception was, in fact, delightfully unwarranted. I was pleasantly surprised by just how competently David Laurence and John Romyn’s film was, well structured and with a tone which deftly balanced the tribulations of navigating young adult life with both humour and subtlety. 

    The film’s events are made up of a collage of scenes showing various aspects of Andie’s life. Episodic slices of life as opposed to a formal narrative structure. Intertitles, giving specific dates as the days roll by, further enhance the sense of this being more like a chronicle of her experiences. 

    Flitting between home life, temporary jobs, socialising with friends, interacting with people in the community, Andie’s life is actually quite compelling. Even her more humdrum moments, in which little happens, are interesting to watch. This is largely down to Scarrwener’s honest portrayal of an anxious young woman, well-meaning but adrift. 

    This is also the case for the rest of the ensemble cast. Performances are naturalistic, unforced and totally believable. The domestic scenes in particular accurately illustrate the antagonistic, frustrating and affectionate qualities of family relationships. There is a good contrast between Andie’s parents, the mother Karen (Dolly Scarr) being tougher and more pushy with her daughter, while the father Dean (Michael Wener) encourages a more free-spirited outlook on life. Another thing which is refreshing to see is less of the usual brattish or narcissistic character stereotypes prevalent in films of the same style. Conflicts, when they arise, are still dynamic but generally not malicious or bitchy, making for more layered characterisations with more depth.  

    It is enough simply to illustrate the film’s simple theme without having to have too much of a definitive point or message. It sets out merely to examine that difficult period in burgeoning adult life where certain decisions can effect the direction of one’s life. Or, in the words of one of Andie’s rather boorish peer’s, ‘Your trajectory’. 

    Andie The Great is a humorous, warmhearted drama with plenty of heart and soul. An enjoyable watch. If you’re satisfied with observational snapshots of a young person’s life in transition, as opposed to a more conventional narrative arc, then I would recommend it. 

  • Country Of Hotels: Review

    Country Of Hotels: Review

    It is hard to know exactly what to make of Country of Hotels as it comes across as a film which isn’t quite sure what it wants to be. Not necessarily a bad thing, as many films do manage to sit successfully in the wings of recognised form and genre. This, however, is not one of them. It’s a confused mishmash of stylised eccentricity which misses its mark. Division and uncertainty needn’t always be a bad thing, but here it just doesn’t make any sense. 

    The story, if you can call it that, is a fragmented and hallucinatory journey set in a seedy, run-down hotel, with one room in particular playing host to a series of different guests, a mixed bunch of desperate souls, each dealing with fractious relationships, battling their own demons and facing existential crises. A simple set up with a large scope in which to create some interesting characters and situations. Sadly, though, it ends up being a wasted opportunity. Not capitalising on its possibilities there is little else to fall back on, neither a decent plot structure nor the edginess of, say, an arthouse film. It swims around in a noncommittal sort of way, just treading water. 

    As for the visual style it lies further from conventional genres and more towards surrealist works of directors such as David Lynch or Peter Strickland, for example. A film where the focus is more on capturing an overall vibe. It does at least manage to achieve this, there is a consistency to the dilapidated, shabby interiors and dour atmosphere. 

    Director Julio Maria Martino’s transition from directing plays to this, his debut feature, is ponderous and stagey. Perhaps some of its shortcomings were down to working within this new, unfamiliar artistic medium. The characters here are conventionally stock, their mannerisms and dialogue cliched. This is equally the fault of a flimsy script and weak performances. What would have helped is for them to have more depth, or at least reflect the same uneasiness of mood. Instead they come across merely as self-absorbed cliches, none of whom compel us to feel any sympathy or engagement towards them. 

    The monotony is occasionally punctuated with moments of action, usually violent or sexual outbursts, though even these fail to spark a dynamic shift in pace or tone. Some further development could have provided a bit of insight, or at least some interest, and also helped the narrative flow. But without the chance to expand substantially on these events they defuse the drama and the film reverts to its flat, dull rhythm. 

    Needless to say I found Country of Hotels hard work. The film didn’t really have anything to say, with no plot to speak of, no purpose and no point, or maybe I just missed it. Either way it left me disappointed and fatigued. 

  • Guest House: Review

    Guest House: Review

    A young couple on a weekend break find themselves stranded without internet access. Confronted with the prospect of having to make their own fun they decide to play a creepily amusing game, one which quickly turns into an evening of supernatural scares and a dreadful curse. 

    This simple, formulaic premise has the makings of an effective and concise little short, yet it never quite manages to achieve its potential. 

    This is primarily down to a lack of chemistry between the couple, an issue further compounded by weak performances. Their relationship, even though intentionally fraught in response to the situation, does not ring true, either on an antagonistic level or otherwise. 

    The script does not help matters. Being rather perfunctory it fails to offer sufficient character qualities for us to warm to or invest in. These scenes also suffer from poor soundtrack quality. Low level, mumbly dialogue is a strain to listen to and makes conversation difficult to catch, a distraction which takes you out of the film. 

    What does work successfully is the main action involving the game itself. A high level of tension is created without being forcibly built up in an overblown way. It is played more subtly than that, allowing the couple’s panic and the overall unnerving atmosphere to develop in its own time. 

    A few visual touches, not always immediately apparent, do impress, proving that director Dave Thorpe is technically adept and aware of the intricacies of the genre. It is not a requirement to pick up on these directly, rather their effect is felt in the general air of unease. However, when watched a second time they are nice little details to observe if you enjoy looking out for such things. 

    Guest House, despite its flaws, is not completely without merit, but the concept and technical execution by far outweighs the characterisation and performance. Ultimately, any satisfaction drawn from its conclusion comes by and large from Thorpe’s practical proficiency and decent understanding of the genre.