Category: REVIEWS

Never Look Away review. By Halli Burton.

A 189-minute work of art

There are so many joyous and equally horrific moments in this 3-hour visual masterpiece, written and directed by Oscar winner (The Lives of Others) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. His latest Academy Award contender, Never Look Away, otherwise known in German as Werk ohne Autor (Work Without Author) is a romantic historical drama loosely based on the life of painter Gerhard Richter (renamed Kurt Barnert in the film).

The film takes its audience on a kaleidoscopic 30-year journey through every human emotion, from the most innocent of all at one end, love, to the most terrifying at the other, that being unimaginable cruelty.

The opening scene is set in Nazi East Germany in 1937, with a young Kurt on a day trip to a museum with his adored but troubled aunt Elizabeth (played by the beautiful Saskia Rosendahl), who advises him to ‘never look away’ and that ‘everything true is beautiful’. Words of wisdom that Kurt later applies to his work, leading him to become an acclaimed artist in his hometown, Dresden, and to further notoriety in 1960s West Germany.

After an unfortunate self-harming incident, Elizabeth is diagnosed with schizophrenia and is sent away to an asylum, which led to her not only being brutally sterilised but also to her death in a gas chamber. This was Hitler’s Germany after all, where the nation’s bloodline had to be kept pure by any means necessary. Kurt never forgets his aunt, who becomes the subject of some of his most famous work.

The man in charge of the asylum is gynaecologist and let’s face it, killer, Professor Carl Seaband (the brilliant Sebastian Koch). Rather conflictingly, he’s a member of the SS and a doting father to fashion student Ellie (Paula Beer), whom the adult Kurt (Tom Schilling) falls in love with and later marries. It becomes apparent that Professor Seaband’s cruelty extends beyond his place of work to his home, where upon finding out that Ellie is pregnant with Kurt’s child, performs a botched abortion thus ensuring that she never conceives again. Why would the professor condemn his own daughter to heartbreaking infertility? For the simple reason that Kurt mentions his family’s history of mental illness and his love of art, both of which are considered worthy of Nazi contempt and elimination.

That being said, this is the same man who years earlier, and unbeknown to Kurt, signed the order to sterilise his beloved Aunt Elizabeth. Professor Seaband doesn’t make the connection either until many years later, when he sees Kurt’s portraits of his aunt in his studio. It’s at this point that Henckel von Donnersmarck’s superb storytelling reaches its climax. Professor Seaband’s shock, pain and fear is palpable.

There’s an inevitability about the professor’s past catching up with him, it was never about when, but rather how. He escaped capture before when a Russian soldier showed him mercy after safely delivering his child, and again when he fled to West Germany with Ellie’s mother. But it becomes apparent to viewers that Professor Seaband has been suffering in his own mental prison for years.

Never Look Away is a compelling masterclass in creativity, history, politics and the complexities of human behaviour.

Robocop Trilogy: Review

The first ‘Robocop’, directed by Paul Verhoeven, is an action packed yet hilariously satirical look at the rising crime and  greed of the 1980’s.  I’ve never been that big of a Verhoeven fan other than with this movie and ‘Starship Troopers’, but this is most definitely some of the best work that he has ever done.

The mix of action, science fiction and satire work really well together.  They end up having you both on the edge of your seat as you experience Murphy’s journey in to becoming Robocop but also laughing until you cry with some of the jokes that come flying off of the screen  in amongst the various body parts.

This is most definitely the Peter Weller show however.  In the hands of anyone else, the role of Murphy and Robocop could have been riddled with action movie cliches and would have had next to no depth, as evidenced by the performance in the third movie of the trilogy but I’m ahead of myself here.  Weller gives the character such an emotional slant that you actually care about what happens to him and even root for him throughout the movie.

With the second movie in the Robocop trilogy, some of the satire is toned down massively.  That’s one of the things that hurts it the most.  The satire and look at the things that ruled the 1980’s is one of the things that set the original head and shoulders above other science fiction and action based movies of that decade.  Here the absence of that makes the movie a more action based movie.

That’s not to say it’s a bad movie.  It’s really not.  It’s an enjoyable movie for the most part but it just lacks the depth of the original.

The set pieces here are absolutely action packed here and the special effects have actually aged really well when you consider just how old the movie actually is.

Peter Weller once again reprises his role as Murphy and Robocop and again rules the movie with his superb performance.  There’s slightly less chance for emotional moments in this movie as it is pretty ‘balls to the wall’ for the most part but Weller still gives such a good performance that you can’t take your eyes off of him.

However, that quality goes massively downhill with the third installment and it’s easy to see why.  While the first two movies were serious  looks at crime, punishment and greed albeit with satire lashed over the top of it, this third movie comes across as little more than a limp parody of those movies.
There is no satire at all and the looks at the violence of action movies are completely washed away here.  Instead, the action descends in to slapstick on more than once occasion and that really jarred me. 

Also, without Weller, the character of Robocop comes across as little more than a tired science fiction cliche.  It was Weller’s performances that gave the character the multiple layers that it need to raise it above the pitfall of other such movies.  Here Robert Burke is the man that dons the suit and he just doesn’t do the character justice at all.

All across the board the performances here range from being awful to being massively over the top and melodramatic but not in the well handled way of the first two movies.  There were so many groan worthy moments that I ended up feeling glad when the movie ended as I felt so disappointed by it.
All in all, this is a very good set. 

Sadly the Robocop trilogy is let down by the really poor third movie that pretty much ignores everything that the first two movies set in to motion.  That said, this set is well worth getting for the legendary original ‘Robocop’ movie as well as it’s slightly less successful but entertaining sequel.  The third one is one that’s worth missing though.

Musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) wants to make it big in the music industry and become the next big sensation with the help of his lifelong manager Ellie Appleton (Lily James) but it ultimately goes nowhere, much to the disappointment of both. However, one day after an accident, while performing the hit song “Yesterday” by English band The Beatles, Malik is shocked to learn that neither Ellie nor the rest of the world knows who they are. Now, Jack will do whatever it takes to show the world their songs and to introduce their music to the world for the first time.

When it comes to the performances in this movie, they are all exceptional, but the most notable is from Patel who portrays lead protagonist Jack Malik. He has to do quite a lot of acting with just facial expressions and expressing deep emotions and he does so really well. It is also quite nice to hear his singing voice while performing hit songs such as “Let It Be” and “Hey Jude”. His vocals are actually incredibly strong and he was a fantastic choice for this character.

Lily James is additionally exceptional here, and her chemistry with Patel is electric. The two genuinely feel as if they have been friends in real life for many years and I absolutely bought them as these characters here. Throughout the film, we see Jack constantly struggling to get even a few fans from his music, but Ellie has been there ever since the beginning and was his first true fan, even if she is his manager at the end of the day. Their relationship was quite charming and fun to watch unfold.

It is also a greatly humorous movie as well, with a lot of the jokes landing and managed to make me genuinely laugh at times. That being said, there are a few times where the comedy did not land and came across rather bizarre, but for the most part it worked well and provided some smiles.

Since this is a picture about a man who discovers that the entire world has no idea who The Beatles are, one would certainly expect to see a deep dive into how different the world would be had this massively inspirational band had never existed. Unfortunately, this is the biggest issue with Yesterday – it just did not delve that deep into its gleefully intriguing premise. Yes, there are some scenes in which we do see individuals unbeknownst as to who the band is, but they never really do much with it.

In fact, it is established fairly early on in this movie that Coldplay exists as well as Ed Sheeran, who is actually quite good here, but honestly, Coldplay or Sheeran may not even be around had it not been for The Beatles. So many things are established as being around or not being around and it creates for some glaring plot holes that, at times, can be a bit too big to ignore.

Some of the editing is also jarring at times. During certain moments, we will see characters travelling somewhere, with text and music accompanied on screen telling us where this new scene is taking place, and the music dies out rather quickly and it felt off.

It also suffers from some pacing issues, most notably in the first act. It took quite a long time before the interesting premise actually began, and for a little while, it seemed bizarre that the actual plot of the film had not kicked in yet.

Yesterday boasts great performances all across the board and is exceptionally comedic, but falls flat due to its underexplored premise.

Seth (Adam Weppler) is down on his luck and looking to start a business. So, when he gets an invitation from somebody he doesn’t know, to go to a mansion he’s never been to before, he sees no reason not to go. This was his first mistake. When he gets there, Seth is greeted by Richard (Nicholas Tucci) who proudly tells him that he is his half-brother and welcomes him into his home.

Richard is a man with an obscene wealth and a very blunt, straightforward manner. So, when he tells Seth that he knows everything there is to know about him and wants to do what he can to make him feel comfortable, Seth unquestioningly settles down and looks forward to a relaxing weekend. The trouble is that Richard has a rather unsettling way about him, and when the mind games start and Seth meets Richard’s alluring girlfriend, Abby (Catherine Corcoran), his time with his long-lost brother is going to get a lot more complicated.

Long Lost is a psychological thriller in a compact setting, with a small cast and an ambitious idea. Over the course of the weekend, Seth is confronted by many things; his brother’s erratic behaviour, his growing attraction to Abby and the sense that he has no idea what is going on as the tensions heighten in the house. However, Seth isn’t the only one that doesn’t know what’s going on, because along with a lack of structure and character motivation (other than money) the audience may start to feel as confused and frustrated as Seth.

The cast all do a fine job and as Seth’s position in the household gets more complicated, Weppler manages to keep the level of anxiety in a realistic space as the events of the film get more and more bizarre. However, the best part undoubtedly goes to Tucci who revels in the role as the eccentric millionaire who gives his character an intimidating, erratic and often hilarious nature as his penchant for gambling and competing with his little half-brother gets increasingly ridiculous.

Evoking Ex Machina, Long Lost had a promising start which for the most part is well thought out, giving the audience something to mull over while the somewhat slow pacing tells the audience that not everything may be as it seems. However, it’s a shame that it’s final twenty minutes are not quite as strong, and the big twist is revealed as to what is really going on with Richard, and how much danger Seth is really in.

Ultimately though, after all of the film’s good work setting the characters in place, the film leaves the audience feeling unsatisfied as it ends on a note that thinks it’s cleverer than it actually is. The intentions were clear and the script, its setting and the characters were all clearly showing potential of something much deeper, but in the end it’s sad to say that Long Lost must have got lost whilst trying to think of an ending that was both unique and well earned.

Once Aurora: Review

Benjamin Langeland and Stian Servoss’ new documentary, Once Aurora, focuses on the Norwegian pop sensation as she works on her sophomore album while simultaneously touring her debut. This may sound like a fairly straightforward music documentary, but there is actually far more to it than that. 

The film is an unparalleled look at someone trying to figure out who she is, both as a person and as an artist, and trying to keep true to that identity while in an environment in which she is surrounded by people trying to make that decision for her. 

Aurora was thrown into fame at a very young age, when a friend of hers filmed her perform and uploaded the video online. The clip went viral, and Aurora went on to quit school and pursue a career as an artist. Of course, while teenagers may think they know everything, the truth is that nobody really knows who they are at that age, or what exactly they want to get out of life. Now in her early twenties, the film follows Aurora as she comes to terms with this reality, having already made a life-changing decision before she really knew all the answers.

At one point, Aurora says that she isn’t sure if she even wants to be an artist, and it is clear that she struggles with the lifestyle it entails. She is visibly exhausted, both mentally and physically, by the constant touring and recording sessions she is required to do, and the calmest we see her is upon her return home. 

The affection from fans is something she also struggles with, despite clearly appreciating it. Aurora is happy to meet her fans and undoubtedly cares for them much the same, but her internal struggles and anxieties become apparent the moment she walks away. It’s truly an eye-opening look behind the curtain at someone who feels out of place in her own world. 

Another theme running through the course of the picture is that of Aurora’s refusal to relinquish creative control despite being surrounded by people who would gladly take it. Her manager keeps telling her that the album needs more ‘radio hits’, something which she is reluctant to create, and she has a clear disdain for her song Conqueror, which she cries at the thought of performing and admits to hating promote. 

Aurora says that she’ll quit if she has to release another song she doesn’t like, but this doesn’t seem to matter to her team. When she tells her manager she needs somebody who thinks differently, he simply tells her that her refusal to give up creative control is actually part of the problem. Moments like this are genuinely troublesome, precisely because of the relaxed manner in which they occur. 

The team Aurora has surrounded herself with are much older and overwhelmingly male, offering valuable insight into the industry in the post #MeToo era. They see Aurora as being vulnerable and easy to manipulate, and, while the stresses of the job often prove too much for her to handle, one thing she admirably stands by is her music. Her team are pushing her in one direction while she intends to follow another, and the film observes her as she tries her utmost not to get swallowed up the many pressures of the career she’s pursuing. 

The film is well-directed by Langeland and Servoss, with a clever use of close-ups and quick cuts to convey the cluttered and confused nature of the subject’s mind. Langeland is a childhood friend of Aurora’s, and the clear trust she has in him radiates in every frame as she welcomes him into her world and wears her heart on her sleeve. 

Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the film is far from upsetting or moody, in spite of Aurora’s lost and confused mind. This is because she is simply such a warm and likeable presence, vulnerable and innocent yet talented and strong-willed. It’s hard not to be taken in by her in her struggle to remain in control of her own life, as she wrestles with the blurred lines between Aurora the person and AURORA the star.

Once Aurora is a sobering look into the music industry through the eyes of a young, talented girl trying to find her way in the world amid her label’s attempts to take control. It’s an intimate and revealing picture, brought to life by an extremely watchable and charming central character. This is terrifically engaging viewing, whether you are aware of AURORA or not, and will resonate with millions in the current climate.