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  • New Order: Another Review

    New Order: Another Review

    New Order Synopsis: In the near future, a popular uprising in Mexico City interrupts a wedding held at the home of a wealthy family. After the riots have been quashed, they discover the bride (Naian González Norvind) has gone missing and plea with the military to help locate her.

    Every festival season delivers a handful of wildly controversial titles. 2020’s New Order easily ranked as the most divisive of the bunch, scoring scathing responses from critics and director Michel Franco’s home country of Mexico. Claims of over-simplification and downright racist depictions of Mexico’s class disparity followed the film like a pervasive stench. To be fair, the extreme sensibility of festival audiences doesn’t always represent a film’s total merits (Inglorious Basterds was booed at Cannes).

    With the film now reaching the masses, I can completely understand the extreme divide behind New Order’s reactions. Franco’s unrelenting and brutal vision of class warfare manhandles audiences with its abrasive delivery. In the writer/director’s assured hands, New Order delivers a compelling and occasionally articulate descent into human cruelty.

    Franco’s no-nonsense sensibility whisks the audience into the heart of its brutal class divide. From the opening frames onward, the filmmaker jockeys between the high-class luxuries of a blissfully undisposed wedding versus the chaotic revolution surrounding the gated event. Painted with sharp green symbols of rebirth, the disenfranchised lower class soon breaks the invisible wall separating the two sides.

    What ensues is a shocking display of depravity, both from the callously cold rich and the enraged poor populous. I can see many cry foul about simplistic depictions on both sides, but I viewed Franco’s archetypical delivery as a vulgar representation of both sides’ lingering distaste. Franco’s repurposing of historical events represents the dynamic at its most violent and provocative, mirroring the two group’s extremes to comment on our own world’s growing disparity. New Order dystopian worldview feels refreshingly grounded in real-world zeitgeist, with Franco’s poised hand never drifting into absurdist Hollywodized territory.

    Franco’s frenetic verve behind the camera consistently keeps audiences on their toes. His penchant for steady long-takes displays impressive coordination and naturalism with every frame. This is a relatively low-budget effort, but Franco utilizes every bit of his assets to create a lively landscape. I also admire Franco for his tactful approach to the film’s occasionally vile content. By framing the anguished reactions rather than the violence itself, the director conveys unnerving horrors without a gratuitous edge.

    New Order transfixed me through its brutal spell. I just wish its social commentary rendered a bit more onscreen. Franco’s film certainly isn’t one for subtlety, which can occasionally make its points feel laborsome in their heavy-handed delivery. The third act is perhaps the biggest perpetrator of this issue. The movie loses much of its dramatic steam in favor of a predictable and overly simplistic climax. It’s a shame Franco loses his ferocity when it matters most.

    While it will certainly divide audiences, New Order‘s bold vision has a certain intoxicating allure. Franco creates a dynamic take on class warfare that won’t soon be forgotten.

    New Order is now playing in select theaters.

  • Army Of The Dead: The BRWC Review

    Army Of The Dead: The BRWC Review

    Army of the Dead Synopsis: Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble: venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted. Stars Dave Bautista, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Tig Notaro, Matthias Shweighöfer, Nora Arnezender, Ella Purnell, Huma Qureshi, Raúl Castillo, and Theo Rossi comprise the death-defying team.

    After a decade toiling in the DC Universe, Zack Snyder has finally escaped the restrictions of rigid studio filmmaking. What better way to celebrate than returning to his zombified roots. Snyder’s debut film, 2004’s breakout remake Dawn of the Dead, served as the igniting force behind his glossy auteur style. Now teaming with Netflix, Snyder’s latest bombastic epic Army of the Dead finds the zombie genre operating at its most opulent. For what the director envisions, Army of the Dead provides exhilarating blockbuster entertainment.

    Akin to the film’s high-class setting, Snyder sinfully basks in the violent and downright deranged aspects of his indulgent sensibility. The director’s typically self-serious demeanor is completely absent, a choice that refreshingly magnifies Snyder’s penchant for gonzo bombast. He imbues wildcard energy and a spirited shamelessness while embracing the pure mania of its zombies meets heist movie premise. After grueling duels with studio heads over his creative vision, it’s a joy to see Snyder cheerfully playing in the sandbox of genre mechanics.

    Whether he’s referencing 50’s B-movies (the opening vignette is timeless while maintaining a modern verve) or the haunting iconography of classics like Predator, the director proudly wears a bevy of thoughtfully incorporated influences on his sleeve. Serving as director and cinematographer, Snyder revitalizes familiar staples through his unkempt panache behind the camera. I don’t want to sound hyperbolic, but Army of the Dead boasts some of the most jaw-dropping, ready for YouTube replay setpieces I’ve seen in some time. The dynamic framing and boundary-pushing stunt work create a medley of brilliantly unhinged sequences. I love seeing an auteur director push his sensibility to its absolute apex, with Snyder skillfully blending the horror, heist, and blockbuster pastiches into one satisfying concoction.

    Army of the Dead’s greatest charm lies in its star-studded cast. Dave Bautista continues to prove he’s a flat-out star. As the firm leader Scott, the brilliant character actor commands the screen with self-assured gravity and charisma (he’s the grounding anchor to all the chaos surrounding him). Scott’s team of rag-tag misfits also elevates their archetype roles. Omari Hardwick and Garrett Dillahunt present a playful swagger onscreen as bold tough guys. Tig Notaro shines as a deft comedic scene-stealer, while the film’s biggest breakout Matthias Schweighöfer has a blast as the team’s quirky safebreaker. The whole cast shows enough affability to engage audiences despite their inevitability as zombie bait.

    Army of the Dead might be Snyder’s best work to date, but that doesn’t prevent the film from featuring his typical falterings. Even as the romp entertains throughout its 148-minute duration, the project can’t help feeling bloated with the vast array of characters and story beats. Another pass in the editing room could’ve properly trimmed the experience to a razor-tight two-hour thrill ride. I also don’t think the film’s emotional anchor (the distant father-daughter dynamic between Scott and Ella Purnell’s Kate) works as well as it should. A few touching moments are mostly overwhelmed by melodramatic writing and flat contrivances.

    Missteps aside, Army of the Dead is the roaring crowdpleaser I’ve been missing since last year’s pandemic. I had a blast seeing Snyder create his own inventive amalgam of genre influences, and I can’t wait to see what he does with this new cinematic universe (Army of the Thieves is a spin-off featuring Matthias Schweighöfer’s character).

    Army of the Dead is now playing in theaters before its May 21st Netflix Debut.

  • Zebra Girl: Review

    Zebra Girl: Review

    Zebra Girl: Review. By Julius Tabel.

    Zebra Girl tells the story of a woman with a traumatizing past who calls an old friend, so she can help making the dead body of her husband disappear, that she killed because she suspected that he was watching porn. Obviously, the protagonist turns out to be a psychopath and the film tries to portray this by flashbacks and hallucinations.

    At some point, this independent production feels actually pretty well-made, but mediocre performances and an easy screenplay with many clichés prove that this never had the chance to be something special. The cinematography is quite creative, and the psychopathic protagonist seems realistic, but unfortunately not very likable, which makes “Zebra Girl”difficult to enjoy.

    First of all, the direction by Stephanie Zari seems mostly professional. The cinematography is pretty experimental with many long dollies, interesting perspectives, and even some dolly- zooms. From time to time there are very quick cuts that feel like an anecdote to Darren Aronofsky ́s “Requiem for a Dream”, and this supported the feeling that this person is a psychopath.

    This was just a small part of creating a convincing psycho which “Zebra Girl” succeeded to do. We are also shown flashbacks of a disturbing incident in the protagonist ́s childhood. At first, the film confuses the audience with very weird and questionable actions, but the more time it has to explain, the more reasonable this protagonist gets. Another example of that would be her hallucinations. Normally, a cold-blooded killer wouldn ́t have doubts, but this psychopath fears something that only at the end makes very sense.

    However, this person is not very likable. On the one hand, she is very annoying with a quick and smart-aleck voice and a not ultimately convincing performance, and on the other hand, she is not a relatable character. It is difficult to link insanity with the audience, but in this case, “Zebra Girl” fails completely. And if you have a story with only very few characters, and your protagonist cannot catch the viewer ́s eye, then it ́s not easy to capture any interests.

    Another unconvincing part was the marriage. The film often flashes back to the first date and some happy scenes in the past, but these scenes never emerge the feeling that there is love in this relationship. I liked the approach that Zari (Director) wanted to create some context and a reason why she actually murdered him, but she couldn ́t achieve that. Most of these scenes are unnecessary for the overall understanding and additionally, they make the

    entirety feel very weird and uncomfortable. I often had to think about David Fincher ́s “Gone Girl” which is more or less pretty similar to “Zebra Girl”, but Fincher gave us an interesting insight into the happy and sad moments of the marriage. Zari made these scenes feel very misplaced in this already very short feature.

    Next on, the friendship between the protagonist and the friend she called to help her is pretty interesting. It starts of very questionably and they seem like close friends, but like they haven ́t seen each other for a very long time. Considering this subject, the film works equally as with the psyche of the protagonist. Every second explains the situation more and more until the audience is presented a very good climax referring to the close friend.

    All in all though, “Zebra Girl” stays inside of its own boundaries. It feels really like Zari built a comfort zone and is too afraid to leave it. Although the ending climax is quite surprising, it doesn ́t bring you to the edge of your seat. After the first 5 minutes of the film, there is nothing shocking about it. It ́s not very special.

    Considering all these aspects, I can ́t recommend “Zebra Girl”. The best part is the directional approach with nice cinematography and good storytelling in order to portray a convincing psychopath. However, it fails to be relatable, and because of that, most moments left me very cold and not impressed.

  • Enfant Terrible: Review

    Enfant Terrible: Review

    Enfant Terrible: Review. By Will Steele.

    Enfant Terrible is a title more than befitting the infamous Rainer Werner Fassbinder. A pioneer of German New Wave Cinema, Fassbinder was a bona fide genius who cut his teeth in the theatres of Munich before transitioning into feature filmmaking where he directed 41 films within a 14 year period. His prolific career saw his celebrity rise and his reputation grow immeasurably controversial due to the boundaries he pushed in his work and his personal life. 

    Whether his work was broadcast, staged, taped or screened, every tale tended to focus on isolated and vulnerable characters caught up, out of their depth and exploited by cruel facets of modern society. The transparent distillation of Fassbinder’s turbulent personal life into his writing enriched his work hugely despite the tragic circumstances of its creation. If art is said to imitate life, then Enfant Terrible is the imitation of an artist. So does this portrait of Rainier Werner Fassbinder do justice to the life and legacy of one of the most controversial and renowned European directors of the 20th century?

     Director Oskar Roehler’s biographical approach to Rainer Werner Fassbinder attempts to emulate Fassbinder’s style within a meta-commentary of the artist’s career. Enfant Terrible is staged like a play paying reverence to the early Brechtian efforts of Fassbinder: a deliberate choice which initially works but soon wears thin. The exorbitant 134 runtime feels inappropriately padded for the rapid pace at which Fassbinder lived. Any potential for nuance or ambiguity is promptly squandered by way of clunky expository dialogue and an immediately shallow caricature of our titular artist. 

    Oliver Masucci portrays Rainer Werner Fassbinder and naturally his performance is the lynch-pin by which the film shall succeed or fail. Despite a valiant effort, Masucci cannot overcome the melodrama of the piece and one wonders why the 52 year old actor was cast to portray the baby-faced Fassbinder whose life we follow throughout his 20s and 30s. The supporting cast similarly play to the rafters resulting in an unpalatably hammy rendition of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s relationships. 

    If the recent oversaturation of biopics has taught us anything it is that this particular sub-genre has the dangerous tendencies of deifying their protagonists and retroactively glamourizing the past. Refreshingly Enfant Terrible largely avoids both by way of casting an unflinching eye across the murky and taboo elements of Fassbinder’s life which earned him so much controversy. Roehler distils the dramatic excess of Rainier Werner Fassbinder’s life into drug and alcohol abuse so frequent that it becomes casual and commonplace thus replicating the haze of addiction which Fassbinder worked and ultimately perished in. 

    The intersection where these abuses meet the shadowy underworld of the burgeoning gay nightlife in Europe certainly make for the most compelling scenes of the film. Unlike many biopics of LGBTQ+ artists, Enfant Terrible delves into the complex and unconventional sexuality Fassbinder exhibited through his numerous affairs with both men and women, many of which were fraught with violence and cruelty. However the film fails when it comes to the more predatory inclinations of our lead in his professional life. Roehler seems irksomely neutral when portraying Fassbinder’s tortuous and predatory behaviour towards his cast and crew. So whilst Enfant Terrible avoids the tired trappings of the modern biopic, it excuses the bad behaviour of a male director for the sake of the art which came from process: an all-too common injustice in the way male artists are portrayed. 

    Enfant Terrible is a manic and muddled tribute to the life and work of one of Germany’s greatest directors. Oskar Roehler has intentionally captured the cinematic language of Rainer Werner Fassbinder whilst perhaps unintentionally mirroring Fassbinder’s talent for alienating his audiences. It is ultimately the failure of the film to find an intimate or refined approach to Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s life as a whole which makes the project feel tragically redundant. 

  • Dinner In America: Review

    Dinner In America: Review

    Dinner In America: Review. By Alif Majeed.

    Right from the beginning, Dinner in America comes across as a definitive Gen Z version of Hal Hartley’s wonderful Long Island trilogy. Specifically, the misfit lovers from Trust and The Unbelievable Truth found a present-day counterpart in Simon and Patty. And every time Patty breaks into a dance, you get taken back to that iconic dance scene from Simple Men with a dash of Reality Bites thrown in. However, unlike the passive, introspective nature of the lovers in the Hal Hartley movies, the duo here are dying to explode at the slightest provocation. Even if their interactions as idiosyncratic as their predecessors.

    I mean, Simon is undoubtedly an angry man and wants to be seen as a rebel. That much is certain. Who is his anger directed at, or why is he mad? Even he is unsure as he comes out as just confused and trying too hard to be a nonconformist despite the threat of jail time looming large. It starts right with Kyle Gallner’s character Simon and his explosive introduction when he burns the front lawn of a girl who had invited him to dinner. Right after being chased around by her family for hitting on her mom. 

    That first scene was almost a misdirection, as that family doesn’t show up later even though what he did would come back to haunt him throughout the movie. We move on to Patty (Emily Skeggs) and her family, with their first interaction almost a callback to American Beauty. They have gone to great lengths to make her look as plain as possible. Still, her character is interesting enough (or weird as per indie movie standards) to keep Simon curious. When Simon pulls a Freddie Prinze Jr from She’s All That in the middle of the film by removing her glasses and shaking her hair, she remains plain. And he remains interested. 

    You almost think Simon would show up with the boom box at the house again, proclaiming his love by the end. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, but the ending works because the chemistry between Kyle and Emily is brilliant and you remain invested in them. 

    They sell the fact that these two misfits are made for each other and even buy into their fantasy of being a suburban Bonnie and Clyde duo. (Their first interaction is also very similar to the first time Warren Beatty and Fay Dunaway meet in that classic). 

    But this is not a road movie as you realize they just keep driving around their local suburbs and never really go anywhere. The grand delusions they have of a crime spree extend to creating a ruckus and pulling a couple of fast ones on some local kids. When she asks him if they are going to jail, he deadpans, “Probably”. His hesitant expression when Patty wonders alond if he is her boyfriend also says a lot about his confused state of mind.

    It is ultimately the tale of three suburban meals. Maybe the director Adam Rehmeier was shining light and providing a broader light on suburban America. Many important details are revealed during their interactions with their families and others they meet with during mealtime. Like the zinger about Kyle’s family was a delightful surprise. 

    That is when you realize that, though they like to believe they are a couple of star-crossed lovers on a spree, they are just a couple of normal suburban kids. Or as Patty puts it, trying to get through the best day of their lives. Before things get worse and they lose their chance at a decent dinner in America. 

    And pastiche or not, Dinner in America is an adequate tribute to all the movies it tips its hat to. It might come across as an imitator to all lovers on the run movies that came before it. But Kyle and Emily give the movie enough personality to make you want to take that ride with them. Or on second thoughts, maybe walk away in the opposite direction in case they decide to get you to pose with a dead racoon after knocking you out.