When word spreads that an anonymous Sardinian has laid claim to none other but the moon, the entire planet Earth shivers. Secret services across the globe are sent into a frenzy trying to find the man in question.
An unlikely bleach blonde secret agent, Sardinian born paratrooper Kevin Pirelli (Jacopo Cullin), is blackmailed into fulfilling such a vital mission. However, Kevin needs to undertake a strict training regime to become a ‘proper’ Sardinian, fully versed in all its quirky traditions and mannerisms, before he’s ready to leave mainland behind to cross the Tyrrhenian Sea. And that’s when he’s paired up with terrifying expat Badore (Benito Ugo) and undertakes a series of improbable challenges to prove that he’s got what it takes to blend with the locals and complete the mission.
The movie, presented in London at the Cinema Made in Italyfestival, was accurately described by its programmer Adrian Wootton as a ‘zany Sardinian set slapstick comedy, a sort of Italian Johnny English as an inept spy trying to infiltrate a traditional community”.
And that’s precisely whatThe Man Who Bought The Moonis, a surreal, absurdist journey aiming to push the boundaries of comedic drama while handing out a succession of breathtaking sceneries.
Toying with stereotypes, caricatures and exaggerations of all sorts, the result is a deliciously arty and far fetched slapstick. Not your average comedy, Paolo Zucca’s The Man Who Bought The Moonturns into an unexpectedly touching narrative with a visually spectacular ending.
By Fergus Henderson. Winterlong, the directorial debut of David Jackson, is an understated film, full of quiet looks and silent nods. Francis is a gruff, off-the-grid kind of man with a big beard. He lives in a self-made shack in East Sussex, wears bomber hats and drinks spirits straight. Julian, his estranged son (Harper Jackson), is almost non-verbal to begin with, prone as teenagers are to staring with blank intensity. When Julian’s mother abandons him to Francis at the film’s beginning they are forced to learn how to function as family do (or don’t), and to reckon with themselves, until an accident creates yet more trouble for them.
Jackson, stepping from television to film, finds a
natural lead in Francis Magee (Francis). It turns out that the two have known
each other for a number of years. Jackson wrote the character with an image of
Magee in mind. It shows: from the first moment we see him we are in no doubt as
to Magee’s investment in and understanding of his role.
Luckily for his fellow actors Magee is a generous
player whose easy charm and well-worn humanity gives them ample room to work
their characters around, reflecting light onto everyone around. The total
realisation of Francis’ character does, unfortunately, leave the other
characters, and the narrative at large, lacking in comparison.
The film is ostensibly Julian’s coming-of-age story,
his emotionally withdrawn father accidentally teaching him confidence and
self-belief as he adapts to his new living situation. Jackson cannot get around
his interest in Magee’s character to the extent that Julian is an underwritten
character afforded the vaguest of character arcs. Consequentially both audience
and film want to return to Magee whenever the plot allows.
Jackson professes a desire to merge poetic filmmaking
with the classic British social realism. There are many moments in the film’s
middle section in which such an idea could very well have come to fruition.
Francis’ tenuous relationship with singer Carole (Carole Weyers), or Julian’s
uneasy new school experience and subsequent romance with classmate Taylor. Moments
of romance, defiance, self-realisation.
This is the raw material of life that British film poets like Bill Douglas, Andrea Arnold, and Terrence Davies have mined. If their films, to continue the metaphor, are pages filled with stanzas, Jackson appears too timid to allow more than the briefest haiku of filmic poetry. The moments and ideas are very much there but more insinuated than fully expressed.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOdhueoiOs8
Which is a shame, as there is a beating heart on clear
display here. The film abounds in gentle humour and displays clever,
unpretentious decision making. Likewise every actor inhabits their character
without the script needing to spell things out. They are sensitively observed
and feel true and believable, using the sparse dialogue to satisfying effect. A
bad accident late in the film gives the narrative a well-timed jolt that
carries it quickly and dramatically to its conclusion.
As a film it is too slight to enter any great
pantheon, and feels more like a television film than a truly cinematic one.
What it does offer, and its biggest asset, is its tremendous central
performance. Francis Magee is without a doubt a worthy actor all too often
underutilised by the projects he has been given. In Winterlong he is at last on full display, and it is a wonderful
thing to see.
Destination: Dewsbury is a comedy about getting older,
friendship and coming to terms with what life has handed out to you. Peter
(Matt Sheahan) is a teacher. He’s tired of his job, his wife has thrown him out
and to top it all off the father of his childhood friend, Frankie (Michael
Kinsey) has told him that Frankie is dying of cancer. So, Peter goes about
getting his old friends back together for one last road trip to Dewsbury to see
their old friend.
Gaz (Dan Shelton), Adam (David J. Keogh) and Smithy (Tom Gilling) all have their reasons for getting away for a little while so after a few pints to catch up, they head off on the road.
However, things don’t go exactly as they planned. Destination: Dewsbury is a film that proudly wears its heart on its sleeve as well as a lot of the influences that went into making the film. The kinds of movies about gangs of friends have been seen from City Slickers, American Pie and more recently The Inbetweeners Movie however some of the humour in Destination: Dewsbury works better than others.
It was a good start for the film with Peter’s dry wit voiceover telling the audience about his life since school but unfortunately after that it descends into the more juvenile, gross out humour that I didn’t think fit with the tone of the rest of the movie. The two-dimensional central characters didn’t help either and the Russian gangster subplot was entirely unnecessary. The second act plays like a string of jokes that had been seen in movies aimed at a much younger audience and I feel that its target audience would have seen a lot of them before when they were much younger themselves. I even get the feeling that the people who the film is aimed at probably wouldn’t appreciate them now as much as they did back then.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nm7KwmgUr0
However, when it came time to speak about the heart behind the film then I am glad to say that it fully gave its emotional punch and it was very affective.
The bonding between the friends really helped to pull them together and the speeches about cancer seemed to come from a very real and heartfelt place. No doubt inspired by the film’s dedication. Destination: Dewsbury did make me laugh and hit all the right notes when it mattered, but like its protagonists when telling their touching story it benefits more when it starts acting its age.
I’ve been a fan of ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ ever since I was 3 years old. I watched the 1977 film, and the majority of the animated films afterwards, and my oldest possession is a Winnie-the-Pooh bear, which I’ve had since I was 3. So, when I discovered that Disney were making a live-action film based around the bear’s human friend, Christopher Robin, I was extremely excited to see it.
‘Christopher Robin’ stars Ewan McGregor as the titular character who, in a similar vein to the 1991 film ‘Hook’, has grown up and forgotten about his childhood friends (Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo). After finding Winnie-the-Pooh in a small park near his house, Christopher is told that the rest of his stuffed animal friends are missing, and that he must return to the Hundred Acre Wood. From there, he learns to reconnect with his childhood friends and learns the true meaning of family.
If there were two words to describe this film, it would be nostalgic and charming. The film features a lot of references and quotes from previous films, including the ‘Tigger Song’ (‘Wonderful Thing About Tiggers’), and ‘The Exercise Song’, both of which were introduced in the 1977 film. Even some of the gorgeous musical score features the original theme tune.
Ewan McGregor is fantastic as a Christopher Robin who has become distant from his family. He’s believable and likeable from the second he appears on-screen. His interaction with Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends is also believable and charming. Jim Cummings returns to voice Pooh and Tigger, characters that he’s voiced since the TV series ‘The New Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh’, which aired from 1988-1991. This was the best, and most obvious, casting choice for the two characters because Cummings has become memorable with the tiger and bear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m74pkFkg7e0
Most of the voice cast fit beautifully with each character. The only voice that doesn’t suit their appearance is Piglet; a younger voice actor should’ve been chosen. As well as the iconic talent from Cummings to take moviegoers back to their childhood, the look of the stuffed animals, and the Hundred Acre Wood, reflect the original designs from the books, written by A.A. Mile. The attention to detail in the film is incredible, and love clearly went into making ‘Christopher Robin’.
Overall, ‘Christopher Robin’ is charming, nostalgic, and tugs at the heartstrings; whether you grew up with Winnie-the-Pooh or are a new fan, this film will appeal to all ages.
In 1923, when George Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest (a desire that would ultimately lead to his death), he famously replied with a simple ‘because it’s there’.
That’s perhaps the closest we’ll ever to get to understanding why somebody like this would dream of doing something quite so dangerous, and the same can be said of Alex Honnold, the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo.
The latest feature from married couple Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, themselves both filmmakers and rock climbers, follows Honnold as he attempts to achieve the impossible: climbing El Capitan, a 3,000 foot cliff in Yosemite Valley considered to be one of the toughest climbs on the planet, using only his hands and feet, with no ropes or safety harnesses.
The magnitude of such a feat is something that can hardly be put into words, but instead must be seen to be believed, and Free Solo is a film that simply demands to be seen.
Perhaps the only notable flaw with this film is the fact that Honnold is far from being the most relatable person on Earth. It feels harsh to bring this up as a criticism, since it really is the fault of no-one involved. In order to live such a life, one must be a little selfish. This isn’t something you could take away from Honnold. His passion and determination is nothing short of admirable, and he’s certainly a fascinating person. The downside of this is that it becomes virtually impossible to engage with him on a personal level. He’s interesting, watchable, and impressive, but he’s certainly not empathetic.
This hardly impacts the film at all, since the directors aren’t all that interested in answering the impossible question of why Honnold is doing this. The most interesting themes discussed in the film are actually that of what it must be like to be close to someone like this. Seeing his friends and family suffer as they watch him work towards his dream is something that every viewer will be able to feel.
Perhaps the most interesting person to watch in Free Solo is Honnold’s girlfriend, Sanni McCandless, who serves as the entry-point for the audience. She is the voice of reason in a world of uncertainty and danger. Despite Honnold’s emotionless exterior, McCandless is able to bond with him in a way that nobody else has.
She tries all she can to convince her boyfriend to live a normal, safe life, but deep down she knows that it’s a fool’s errand. Honnold has no interest in stopping. Watching her suffer as he carries out his final climb is the most gut-wrenchingly human moment in the film.
The filmmakers don’t need to consistently remind their audience just how risky this climb really is, as many other climbers in Honnold’s life do that for them. Tommy Caldwell, who himself completed a dangerous El Capitan climb that was the subject of its own documentary, The Dawn Wall, says numerous times that this is a frankly insane goal to have, and one that freaks out even the most daring of climbers.
Of course, the film’s third act, in which we see Honnold achieve the incredible, is the film’s biggest selling point, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s frankly breath-taking cinema that lingers in your mind long after it draws to a close. If this had been in a Mission: Impossiblefilm, it would be celebrated as one of the greatest action scenes in all of cinema, and yet this is actually happening before our very eyes. It was a jaw-dropping IMAX experience, but thankfully the sequence is so suspenseful and terrifying that it shouldn’t lose any impact on home viewing.
It’s an extremely intense moment, helped by the fact that we’ve seen him unsuccessfully test the route several times before. Honnold climbs El Capitan with ropes several times, simply to figure out said route, and there is one moment in particular which he’s not able to complete successfully at any point before free soloing. As he reaches this mark, there was audible wincing in the audience.
Vasarhelyi and Chin capture the climb beautifully, getting across just how high Honnold really is and just how far he could fall. We’re also treated to intimate moments with the crew as they reluctantly watch Honnold risk his life for fun. Mikey Schaefer, one of the main cameramen, is physically unable to look, spending the majority of his time with his back to the camera.
It’s this level of fear that makes this moment what it is. We’re reminded that if Honnold makes one single mistake, he will fall to a certain death. Everyone filming is fully aware that he could fall at any second, and what was once intended as a documentary film could instead capture his final moments. More than one free soloist in the world dies during the making of Free Solo, and it’s important to remember that Honnold was constantly at risk of being one of them. This level of tension is something that simply cannot be replicated in fiction, and that’s precisely what makes it so absorbing.
It also feels like a tremendous privilege to view what must be one of mankind’s greatest ever achievements.
Free Solo is rewarding on a great many levels. It’s a film that you don’t simply watch. Rather, it’s one that you experience. Alex Honnold may not be the most empathetic subject you’ll see in the genre, but it’s impossible not to find him fascinating or be fully engaged in what it is he’s doing. It’s also fair to say that the far more human reactions we gleam from his friends, crew and his girlfriend, provide more than enough connection for the viewer.
Above all else, as terrifying as it all is, it’s really quite exhilarating watching Honnold risk his life like this. It’s always interesting to see someone that is so passionate about something, however insane it may seem to us. Free Solo is far scarier than horror films, and more suspenseful than most thrillers. It’s an unforgettable picture that was fully deserving of an Academy Award, and an experience that you’ll want to revisit.
