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  • Hunted: Review

    Hunted: Review

    Ève (Lucie Debay) is having a bad night, she’s out at a bar when a man approaches her and when she says no, he just keeps going. That’s when she meets The Guy (Arieh Worthalter) who will change her life, they have drinks together and dance and he even offers to take her home. However, as soon as they’re in his car, The Accomplice (Ciarian O’Brien) gets into the driving seat and off they go. Luckily, Ève escapes, but after a while The Guy catches up with her and soon the hunt is on.

    Hunted is an arthouse inflected horror movie from writer/director Vincent Paronnaud, co-written by Léa Pernollet and Stephen Shields and is available to watch on Shudder. There are many horror movies where women are the victims and Hunted doesn’t shy away from this either, in fact going back to probably what was the first tale of terror – Little Red Riding Hood.

    However, prior knowledge of this would be needed because without knowing this, besides Ève’s red hooded coat, the movie bares very little resemblance to the story.

    Although Little Red Riding Hood may indeed be a tale of the dangers of trusting strangers, there are very little similarities left between the fairy tale and the movie, unless you count the character The Guy meets along the way who’s credited as The Huntress (Simone Milsdochter).

    There’s a certain aspect of the movie which could be left open to interpretation, but for the casual viewer who wants to watch an uncomplicated horror movie then they may be left confused.

    Of course, there are certain subversions to the original story where the confused little girl is saved by the big, burly woodsman, however this has come to be expected. In fact, although Worthalter’s performance is good, albeit a little over the top, the other factors such as his accomplice and seemingly no motivation other than to do evil seem quite one dimensional.

    Fairy tales have been misread and interpreted over many movies and will probably consider to be done. There may even be a gritty Humpty Dumpty movie on the horizon, hopefully when that happens though there may be more depth.

  • Judas And The Black Messiah: Sundance 2021 Review

    Judas And The Black Messiah: Sundance 2021 Review

    Judas and the Black Messiah Synopsis: The story of Fred Hampton, who served as the passionate chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party. While he rises through the ranks through his commanding speeches, his life changes forever when FBI informant William O’Neal.

    As its biblically apropos title suggests, Judas and the Black Messiah paints itself as a battle of values against the turning tides of betrayal. Writer/director Shaka King allows his overlooked true story to stand taller than your typical biopic fare, evoking a powerful testament against the external suppression of equality.

    King, a director who cut his teeth overseeing various TV shows, elicits a powerful breakout effort within Hampton’s meteoric rise to fame. His fittingly bleak aesthetics have an engaging allure (I took to his brutal, no-thrills depictions of violence), but it’s his intelligent choice to let Hampton exist outside of his roaring speeches that proves the most impactful. King’s script intimately explores the trials and tribulations of martyrdom through Hampton’s prophetic understanding of his untimely fate. As Fred intimately reveals to his spouse, giving everything to a cause means giving away every part of one’s self to see it through.

    Judas and the Black Messiah’s conflict of interests speaks to a generational struggle of values amidst our capitalistic environment. Hampton spends most of the runtime uniting groups to stand as one against racial oppression, with King presenting an exceedingly relevant pulse on the inequitable rights for profiled protestors. On the flip side, William O’Neal operates as a callous agent of chaos, stripping his humanity at every turn while profiting off Hampton’s demise. The draining journey O’Neal undertakes reflects the inherent vapidness of his relentless chase for success, as well as delving into the vicious intentions of shadowy government forces. King’s examination of the character’s dual existences adds nuanced inclusions to the tense conflict at hand.

    All of these viable conceits would mean little if the performances weren’t up to snuff. In Judas’ case, the talented ensemble offers some of the year’s best work to date. If it were up to me, Daniel Kaluuya would already have an Oscar in his hands for his equally volatile and vulnerable depiction of Fred Hampton. Through every speech and intimate moment of reflection, Kaluuya embraces Hampton’s verbose wisdom with emotional authenticity while effortlessly disappearing into his unique persona.

    LaKeith Stanfield continues his run as a dedicated character actor, imbuing Fred with twitchy energy that ultimately builds towards complete mania. Jesse Plemons, Ashton Sanders, and Dominique Fishback also offer strong work, with Fishback often stealing the show as one of the film’s emotional anchors.

    Concluding with a painfully bleak finale that speaks to society’s ongoing struggles, Judas and the Black Messiah thrives as a breathless showstopper deserving of all the praise sung upon it.

    Judas and the Black Messiah opens in theaters and on HBO Max on February 12th.

  • Earwig And The Witch: The BRWC Review

    Earwig And The Witch: The BRWC Review

    Earwig (Kokoro Hirasawa/Taylor Henderson) was given to an orphanage by her mother (Sherina Muraf/Kacey Musgraves) when she was a baby because her mother feared that there were 12 witches after her. Being in the safest place possible, Earwig grows up and over the years she becomes a somewhat precocious and mischievous child that likes nothing better than spending time with her best friend, Custard (Logan Hannan) and seeing what trouble she can pull him into. Then one day the orphanage is visited by a peculiar couple, a woman named Bella Yaga (Shinobu Terajima/Vanessa Marshall) and her partner known as The Mandrake (Etsushi Toyokawa/Richard E. Grant).

    After having the children line up and inspecting them, Bella and Mandrake take Earwig home with them and being very up front, Bella tells Earwig that she’s a witch and that she’ll be a new pair of hands to help her out around the house. Earwig is delighted at first and is eager to learn magic although Bella clearly made no such promise. Also, Earwig is told never to disturb The Mandrake.

    However, soon Earwig gets sick of her treatment and decides to hatch a plan to get back at Bella and uncover the secret behind the supposedly evil Mandrake. At first Earwig thinks she’s alone, but soon she finds an ally when Bella’s cat, Thomas (Gaku Hamada/Dan Stevens) starts talking to her.

    Earwig and The Witch is the latest film from Studio Ghibli and directed by Gorô Miyazaki, son of Ghibli pioneer, Hayao Miyazaki. It’s also Studio Ghibli’s first feature length CGI animation. Whereas this may put some purists off who love the charm of Studio Ghibli’s 2D hand drawn work, Earwig and The Witch shows how the studio have progressed over time. Perhaps this could be the beginning of a new era in Japanese animation, because it’s most certainly the end of one.

    Based on the novel by Dianna Wynne Jones, Earwig and The Witch sets its story in England in the 90’s and so there’s a little disjoint between the Ghibli style and its location. However, the style is still maintained so although the CGI animation does look a little plastic at times, there are hints of Ghibli’s origins.

    It’s just a shame that although Wynne Jones’ story may be wonderful, the adaptation doesn’t know how to end properly and whereas Earwig’s story could have been about love and acceptance in a new home, it ends up leaving a bad taste in the mouth.

    The cast do well and names like Richard E. Grant, Dan Stevens and Kacey Musgraves may bring interest to a western audience. However, it all just feels like something that nobody would particularly warm to or consider to be a Ghibli classic.

  • The Dig: The BRWC Review

    The Dig: The BRWC Review

    Countless moments make up the grand expanse of time, many of them little, a select few exceptionally large. Some are so monumental that they cast shadows over all the other moments happening simultaneously, leaving us pieces of history that, whilst not necessarily forgotten, are certainly overlooked.

    The second World War overshadowed many moments, and cinema, and all other forms of art and many forms of academia have endeavoured to shine new light upon them. One such effort is Simon Stone’s latest feature “The Dig”. It’s a tale told in that tumultuous time leading into WWII, one which reminds us that even amongst such raw chaos, the great and heartwarming stories of existence are still occurring.

    This tale is about Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes), a self-taught archaeologist and excavator who comes into the employ of widow Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan), as tensions rapidly rise throughout Europe in 1938. What follows is an exploration of one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in history and truth about the man who began the monumental undertaking. Eventually joining them are a plethora of both charming and antagonising figures who come to make up one of the great moments lost amongst humanity destroying itself. 

    Basil Brown grew up on dig sites; his father would bring him along and teach him the trade. It became a livelihood for Basil, and something he had a deep, immeasurable love for, born from the fact he was very good at it. When Edith Pretty contacts him about digging up mounds on her property you can tell Basil senses he has made it. Not thanks to any burst of excitement, or any outward showing of relief or gratitude, but because of how he examines the land. He knows he will find something, he may not pick the exact spot, but he knows that this land is special, just as Edith does. 

    Upon getting the job things move along rather spectacularly, and all is well until national authorities get involved. When it becomes apparent that Basil is uncovering a burial ship potentially full of priceless artefacts, the British museum is sent in to take over. It is these men sent in who for years were given the credit of the discoveries at Sutton Hoo, and as the films end text states, it is only recently that Basil has received his due. This catapults the film further into the realms of conflict as the minds trying to lead the excavation clash and the peripheral figures grow in prominence.

    And that’s precisely why this film is so moving. Everyone involved knows this is special, from Edith’s young son Robert (Archie Barnes) to the often-antagonistic British museum representative Charles Phillips (Ken Stott), and when it matters, they are all in it together. Supplemented wonderfully by two rising British stars in Johnny Flynn and Lily James and the ensemble is one of Netflix’s most loveable to date, especially when it comes to their UK endeavours. 

    As things roll along and the drama amps up seeing Edith’s health fail, the actors raise their game and as do those behind the camera. Stone and his cinematographer Mike Eley capture an England bathed in summer sunlight and juxtapose it brilliantly against vicious rain. Their efforts further buoyed by the simply gorgeous score composed by Stefan Gregory in his first-ever feature film.

    When everything comes together, you feel that this team had every desire to tell this story properly and spark their figures’ legacies to life on screen. So touching and compassionate is near every moment that you completely ignore the generally straightforward way they present the events.

    Sometimes a bit of heart-warming movie magic is enough, and it’s enough for The Dig.

  • Bliss: The BRWC Review

    Bliss: The BRWC Review

    Bliss: The BRWC Review. By Hugues Porquier.

    Bliss is a film by Mike Cahill, mainly known for two films “Another Earth” and “I Origins” which both won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the 2011 and 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It will be released on February 5, 2021 on the Amazon Prime Video platform.

    It’s an Amazon Original film, so it will join films such as ‘Sound Of Metal’ or ‘One Night in Miami’. Amazon Original continues to grow, with the goal of being able to compete with Netflix and its original productions. We can find big names such as Owen Wilson (Inherent Vice, Hall Pass and a large part of Wes Anderson’s films) as well as Salma Hayek (Frida, Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn).

    We also find a scenario with ambition and very good ideas, which will surely be compared to Matrix for example. Mike Cahill, accustomed to science fiction movies, has everything to make a great film with experienced actors and an interesting script.

    In Bliss, we follow Greg (Owen Wilson), a forty-year-old man trapped in a dull life within an impersonal bureaucracy where personal initiatives and dreams are not encouraged. He finds himself dreaming of a completely different life through his drawings, a colorful life by the sea with a beautiful woman. This dream life is an escape for Greg.

    He will be fired for these drawings and his lack of assiduity at work, his life will be totally turned upside down by this dismissal. He will quickly meet Isabel (Salma Hayek), an eccentric woman who seems to be full of secrets. She will persuade Greg that he is living inside a simulation, and that a very small number of people are “real”.

    Then we will discover the world of Isabel, who lives like an outcast under a bridge, and who has been waiting for Greg’s arrival for a long time. She sees him as her soulmate, with whom she has already shared her life in the real world for many years. At the same time we also follow Greg’s daughter Emely (played by Nesta Marlee Cooper), who is trying to find her father for whom she is worried.

    In order to prove that what she says is true, Isabel will introduce Greg to the ‘real world’, outside of the simulation. In this world, free from poverty, Greg and Isabel are a couple, have a beautiful house and live in a dream location next to the sea. The same place that was depicted in Greg’s drawings. A struggle between these two worlds will emerge. Between the love of a daughter who is not supposed to be real and who lives in a dull world and the love of his wife who lives in an ideal world.

    Although the original idea of Bliss is really interesting, we might remain a little dissatisfied with the presentation and the development of the two worlds. Which is not sufficiently accomplished in either case.  Indeed, on the one hand it’s difficult to grasp the issues involved in the ideal world, we remain in the dark about the situation in this world.

    In the other world “the dull one”, the presentation of Greg’s family is not enough, we would like to know more about his life and his past. The interesting point of the film is that we can’t really be quite sure that Greg isn’t imagining the whole story, and that the shock of being fired has made him lose his mind. This would make more sense for his daughter behavior, who, seeing her father go down, tries to bring him back to reality.

    In view of these negative points, we can regret that the script has not been adapted into a series. In which the stakes and characters could have been further developed. This film allows us to see that Amazon is now able to bring together major actors in its productions. We can also see this with for example Riz Ahmed in “Sound Of Metal” or Orlando Bloom in “Carnival Row”. The competition with Netflix in the coming years will be tough. Won’t this rivalry between the two giants, coupled with the health context, lead to the gradual disappearance of a more classical cinema?