Category: Movie Review

Flow

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★★Flow

Rated: TBC

Director: Gints Zilbalodis

Scenario: Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža

Production: Dream Well Studio (Latvia), Sacrebleu Productions (France), Take Five (Belgium)

Script Adaptation: Ron Dyens

Producers: Matīss Kaža, Gints Zilbalodis, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman

Composers: Gints Zilbalodis, Rihards Zaļupe

Sound Design:  Gurwal Coïc-Gallas

Director of Animation: Léo Silly-Pélissier.

A cat, Flow, sees itself in a reflection of a puddle.

Rain falls.

Dogs are running and barking.

Deer stampede.

Flow darts towards a meadow filled with lifting butterflies.  The light is golden as Flow wanders through cat statues leading to a cabin.

Flow makes her way through a broken window to then stretch and sleep as the rain continues to fall.

A flood rises, catching animals in the waters’ wake.

Flow meows as the flood waters threaten to rise above the cabin.

Then a sailboat comes by, shepherded by a capybara, heralding safety.

Flow jumps aboard.

The first thing I noticed about this gentle yet powerfully moving animation was the realistic clear water.

So clear and clean and a feature through-out the film with the rain, the puddles, the flooded forest, to the huge waves of an ocean.

The imagery of the animation is like a moving painting of watercolours yet defined and flowing.

It’s an animation set in a forest, where Flow and the capybara find other animals that need saving, each species carefully studied so the mannerisms of each animal are delightfully accurate, provoking an added smile of enjoyment.

The cat, Flow, is seen stretching and scratching, demure, scared, the pupil of the eyes depicting the mood to a soundtrack of meows that call for help or growl in distaste.

All the animal sounds in the film are real.  And there’s no dialogue.  Just the emersion into the personalities of each animal aboard the small sailboat:

The yellow lab that follows Flow pees on one of the cat statues.

The Lema collects.

The bird navigates.

Each species is different and wary of the other, yet there’s also a kindness that evolves, started by the rescuing capybara who remains steady and friendly to all in the boat.

A thoughtfulness rises with the flooding waters that sees a bird acting against its nature to give a cat a fish.

The film is sweet and funny and magical to watch like a circling perspective around a giant cat statue as Flow sits on top.

The view ducks underwater to see colourful fish and a friendly whale that follows the unlikely group.

And the soundtrack is the animal sounds that communicate the question of, Friend or foe?  Accented with an orchestral build, a crescendo for those poignant moments that enhance, not overtake, the gentle story about these animals who come together and grow to help each other while continuing to be who they are.

A genuine pleasure to watch.

Wolf Man

GoMovieReview Rating: ★★★1/2 Wolf Man

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Leigh Whannell

Written by: Leigh Whannell and Corbett Tuck

Produced by: Jason Blum p.g.a

Starring: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger, Matilda Firth, Benedict Hardie, Ben Prendergast, Zac Chandler, Beatriz Romilly and Milo Cawthorne.

‘It’s my job to protect you.’

There’s a build to Leigh Whannell’s reimagined Wolf Man.

Set in rural Oregan, Blake (Christopher Abbott) is living a farm life with his father.

There’s a, ‘No Trespassing, there’s nothing here worth dying for,’ sign on the gate.

It’s 1995.

At 07:00, father and son go hunting only to find themselves stalked by a creature just out of sight.  Only a movement, a glimpse through the crosshairs of a shotgun.  A growl.

Hiding, father and son see the condensation of breath rising above a door with scratch marks left as a warning.

It’s a frightening existence, a young boy growing up with a survivalist father communicating with a neighbour via radio about the sighting of the creature seen just out of sight like an apparition.

As soon as he’s old enough, Blake leaves the land to move to the city where 30 years later he lives with his successful journalist wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and young daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth).

Currently ‘in between’ jobs, Blake dedicates his life to looking after his daughter.

After his missing father is presumed dead, the house in Oregan is left to Blake.

To try and close the distance growing between husband and wife, Blake convinces Charlotte that going to the farm would help bring the family closer together.

Until a single scratch makes a once loving dad and husband become a monster.

Returning with another universal classic monster character after the success of his previous monster film, ‘The Invisible Man,’ Whannell states, ‘These classic monsters have endured for a reason […] Something about them is just too fascinating, creepy and mysterious to go away.’

There’s a clever device used here, to show the infection taking hold of Blake, with the light focusing on the monster he’s about to become.

He’s dying but doesn’t know it yet.

Words become jumbled but sounds are amplified so even the crawl of spider legs across a wall beat a heavy drum.

Even the perspective of a car accident is at an angle so the audience can feel the characters’ upturned world.

Working with cinematographer Stefan Duscio, the evolution of the infection is shown by adjusting the lighting using different lenses, so Blake’s night vision is seen in contrast to how his family sees the world, sees him, changing.

So the audience can see both sides of the evolution, Whannell stating, ‘One would live in the human world, and one in the animal one.’

The idea of a werewolf remake wasn’t very exciting to me, and the family drama felt heavy handed at times, but I was won over by Whannell’s focus on the evolution of infection rather than a monster baying at a full moon.

Whannell’s signature jump scares, and what I appreciated the most, the  perspective of change as the family becomes more terrified of their once loving husband and father makes, Wolf Man worth a watch.

Paddington In Peru

GoMovieReview Rating: ★★★★Paddington In Peru

Rated: PG

Directed by: Dougal Wilson

Produced by: Rosie Alison

Based on the Character, Paddington Bear, Created by: Michael Bond

Screen Story by: Paul King, Simon Farnaby, Mark Burton

Screenplay by: Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, & Julie Walters with Ben Whishaw & Imelda Staunton as the voices of ‘Paddington’ & ‘Aunt Lucy’.

‘When skies are grey, hope is the way’ – Aunt Lucy.

The third instalment of the Paddington franchise opens a few bears ago…

Amongst the ferns and red flowers (not the spiky red ones, that comes later) is a sniffing bear cub, reaching for one, lone, enticing orange, right at the end of a branch.  He reaches until the branch snaps…

Paddington in Peru unpacks Paddington’s origin story.  Of how he became lost, only to be found by Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton).

But now, Aunt Lucy is lost.

Receiving a letter from the Mother Superior (Olivia Colman) who looks after Aunt Lucy in the Home for Retired Bears in Peru, Paddington (Ben Whishaw) decides he must return to his birthplace to find the one who found him.  Took care of him.  Who said, ‘If you ever get lost again, roar and I’ll roar right back.’

It’s just what the Brown family needs.  An adventure.  Together.

Mrs. Brown (Emily Mortimer) is struggling with the changes in the family, the children drifting away with Judy (Madeleine Harris) applying for university and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) locked up in his room, inventing gadgets so he can spend more time chilling.

Mrs. Brown misses those years when the family would hang out together on the sofa, the ‘sofa years.’

Mr. Brown’s (Hugh Bonneville) new boss at the insurance company wants to embrace risk, so a dangerous trip to Peru sounds just the ticket, in spite of his risk averse nature.

When they meet river boat captain, Hunter (Antonio Banderas), along with his daughter Gina (Carla Tous), to hire a boat for their journey, the Brown family are quickly introduced to the perils of the amazon jungle.  Did I mention the spikey red things?  And the generational madness of Captain Hunter’s gold fever.

Paddington in Peru is a story of coming from somewhere but making another place home, of children flying the nest, of understanding and embracing change while holding on to what matters, family.

New director Dougal Wilson brings the same inventiveness as the previous Paddington films directed by Paul King, with the montage of moving painted portraits, the Brown family home shown as a doll’s house and ghosts brought to life like a fever dream.

Dougal states, ‘I thought it would be great fun to continue the style that Paul King had so brilliantly set up, using the feeling that the stories created in London and applying that to a place that wasn’t London. I aimed to bring that style, tone, and inventiveness to Peru.’

This film is filled with the green of the amazon and the heady views from ancient sites with filming locations from Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu, Centre of Lima, Cerro San Cristobal, Cusco – Maras Town, Cusco – Maras Fields, Palccoyo Mountain, Abra Malaga, Santa Maria Road, Amparaes, Yanatile Road, Cusco Quillabamba – Sant Maria, Cusco Quillabamba – Santa Teresa Road.

There’s also that classic humour with Mr. Brown trying to be tough with his hard walk, a bow legged, hands-on-hips ramble he also employs when the plumber comes around.

Paddington narrates the storyline as he writes his letter so there’s that genuine heartfelt interpretation of the goings on, Ben Whishaw returning as the voice of Paddington so it would be impossible to imagine any other voice for the lovable bear.

Antonio Banderas brings his suave brand to the character of Mr. Hunt and his ancestors, the resemblance lending hilarious moments to his gold madness.

And, Onward Christian soooldiers, Olivia Colman as the Mother Superior has the facial expressions to show the multifaceted, nothing-suspicious-going-on-here, shenanigans of an innocent, not-so-innocent, nun.

The whole production is detailed to delight and a whole lot of fun, with yes, a few tearful moments.

I can’t quite give a higher rating than Paddington 2.  Hugh Grant owned his character, the villain-of-many-disguises, Phoenix Buchanan, and I was chuffed to see his cameo here in Paddington 3.

But Paddington in Peru does not disappoint and is a good time, for, well, everyone.

Nat’s Top 5 Movies for 2024

Top 5 Movies of 2024Who needs to go on a rollercoaster when all you had to do was survive 2024?

There have been movies that have blown me away, Denis Villeneuve deserves a special mention, and there’s been some painful flops that left me scratching my head; Megalopolis and Joker: Folie À Deux pushing the boundaries, in my opinion, without success.

Then there’s the body horror of, Substance, and the not quite making it to my list, Longlegs, Heretic, Better Man and Monkey Man that are worth a watch.  And then there’s Wicked Part I that I enjoyed in spite of myself.

But when it comes to recommendations, I’ve compiled a Top 5 List that had me smiling, crying, shaking with hands in front of face to mouth agape at the spectacle that is the best cinema of 2024.

5. THE APPRENTICE Political / Drama Review ★★★★

4. THE PROMISED LAND Drama / Foreign Review ★★★★

3. CIVIL WAR Action / War Preview Review ★★★★

2. THE WILD ROBOT Animation / Family Review ★★★★☆ (4.2/5)

  1. DUNE: PART TWO SciFi/Political/Thriller Review ★★★★1/2

Worth a watch:

HERETIC Psychological Horror Preview Review ★★★☆ (3.8/5)

WICKED PART ONE Fantasy / Drama Preview Review ★★★☆ (3.8/5)

LONGLEGS Crime / Horror Preview Review ★★★☆ (3.8/5)

MONKEY MAN Action / Thriller Preview Review ★★★★

BETTER MAN Musical / Drama Preview Review ★★★★

Nosferatu

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★☆ (3.8/5)Nosferatu

Rated: TBA

Written for the Screen & Directed by: Robert Eggers

Inspired by the Screenplay: NOSFERATU by Henrick Galeen

and the Novel DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Produced by: Jeff Robinov, John Graham

Produced by: Chris Columbus, p.g.a., Eleanor Columbus, p.g.a., Robert Eggers, p.g.a.

Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Tayor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney.

What is the dark trauma that even death cannot erase? A heartbreaking notion. This is at the essence of the palpable belief in the vampire. The folk vampire is not a suave dinner-coat-wearing seducer, nor a sparkling, brooding hero. The folk vampire embodies disease, death, and sex in a base, brutal, and unforgiving way. This is the vampire I wanted to exhume for a modern audience.

-Robert Eggers

‘Blood is the life.’

Come to me, come to me.

You, you.

The wind blows through the sheer curtains.

I swear, she promises.

It’s a dreamy yet stark beginning; the girl, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) in a trance as she awakens Nosferatu (Bill Skarsgård) from his slumber to become an awoken corpse, walking upon the earth.

A corpse with appetites.

There’s a nightmarish quality to this gothic tale.  This is not a romantic version of a vampire story.  This vampire is a plague.

Jumping from 1830s Baltic Germany to years later shows Ellen married to Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult).

Newly home from their honeymoon, Thomas’ employer, Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) sends Thomas into the depths of Transylvania to complete a transfer of title to an ancient descendant from a long blood line; the count described as, eccentric.

For extra money, Thomas is willing to go even as Ellen begs him not to.

It’s the travelling to Count Orlok’s (Nosferatu) castle that mesmerises; the silence of Thomas walking down a road through an ancient forest as snow falls.

The beat and chink of horses pulling a carriage through the dark, the tilt as the world shifts, the perspective bending to the will of Nosferatu as the carriage door slowly opens an invitation.

Then the wolves that follow.

It’s an invitation to a new world that’s dark, where fire casts shadows of reaching fingers and pointed nails and nightmares of blood.

The soundtrack feeds the mood of foreboding, the rise and fall of breath.

It’s moody movie.

Composer Robin Carolan states, ‘There’s a lot of dread and claustrophobia in the film.  The score helps with the feeling of escalation, and of this thing that you can’t quite see but that you sense is closing in on you.’

Nosferatu knows Thomas is married to his bride.  Nosferatu travels across the ocean to reclaim Ellen.  She knows he’s coming.

Inspired by the Screenplay: NOSFERATU by Henrick Galeen and the Novel DRACULA by Bram Stoker, there’s the same lines of story, the travel of the husband to Transylvania to transfer the deed of a new home, the long-lost love.

There’s the best friend, here, Anna Harding (Emma Corrin) who wants to protect Ellen from the call of the monster.

But this is an inspiration not an adaptation so there’s something new here.

Unlike the tease of humour in the Frances Coppola film, like the unforgettable scene where a vampire’s head is cut off, a gruesome scene, that cuts to the professor tucking into a roast dinner – a well-timed shock to evoke a giggle.  There’s no humour here in Nosferatu.

This is cinematic horror.

There’s a spare feeling to the angles of panning, the movement of characters, the endless corridors of a castle that resonates with Bram Stoker’s classic novel, where Nosferatu is nothing more than a monster.

Collaborating with production designer Craig Lathrop, cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, costume designer Linda Muir, and editor Louise Ford, all of whom worked on The Northman, The Lighthouse, and The Witch, Eggers has created something that builds into a vision both magical and horrific.

Heretic

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★☆ (3.8/5)Heretic

HERETIC

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

Written by: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods

Produced by: Stacey Sher, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Julia Glausi, Jeanette Volturno

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Topher Grace, Elle Young.

‘How do you feel about awkward questions?’

Seeing Hugh Grant play a villain in a horror movie is a bit of a treat, especially when he flexes his storytelling skills.

Meet, Mr. Reed.  A man in search of the one true religion.

Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) take a break from door knocking and looking to recruit converts to sit on a bench, facing a huge mountain talking sex and if the magnum condom is actually as advertised, massive.

It’s two innocent girls talking about something unexpected yet gives insight into their character – Sister Paxton showing a naive curiosity, Sister Barnes from the streets of Philadelphia with a tougher backstory where she lost her dad to illness.

After tolerating yet another humiliating show of people’s dislike or misunderstanding of their calling, ‘they think we’re weird,’ the two Sisters’ ride their bikes through the snow and rain to knock on the door of a potential convert.

Sister Paxton can barely hide her determination.

It’s the little things that hint of Mr. Reed’s intention.

‘I’ve never had a Wendy.  I mean, met a Wendy.’

The film’s foundation is word play, dialogue and the dance of theological argument; but the build of suspense is about the close up of the eyes, the sharpness of a look.  Of looking too closely.

The tension builds with the back and forth between the Sisters as they come to understand the game Mr. Reed is playing is a trap.  And it’s the realisation of the game Mr. Reed has trapped them into playing that heightens the suspense – the surprise of each character as they reveal themselves in dialogue that twists through intellectual debate about religion in order to navigate a way through the psychology of a madman who has gotten lost in his search of the one true religion.

He’s not wrong.  And neither are they.

It becomes a matter of argument.  Of faith.

Most of the film is set in the house of Mr. Reed.  A deceptively simple stop to highlight the dialogue and closeups of facial expressions.  To show the fear of: Belief or Disbelief.

Both are terrifying.

Hugh Grant states, ‘I found Heretic to be daring, not just because it questions a lot of things that many people hold sacred, but for the fact that it’s set in one house over the course of one long night and features a lot of talking — hardly normal practice for a horror film.’

The house itself becomes part of the game.

Director and writer, Scott Beck (also screenwriter, along with Bryan Woods of, A Quiet Place (2018)) states, “We had to figure out the psychology of Reed early on in order to understand why his house appears the way it does, serving as a kind of weapon against his young visitors,” says Beck. “Reed is God-playing in a way, pulling these characters through each room so it feels like a gauntlet or a game, consistently evolving to worse and worse places. It became about marrying the character of Reed with the production design and finding a methodology behind it to show how his mind works.”

Heretic is unique in that it’s a storyteller thriller.  Not explosive but a well-rounded creeping poetry based on theological argument from a man driven mad by the search for meaning.

For me the film peters out a little at the end but as Beck states, ‘Hugh has quietly become one the greatest character actors working today,’ making Heretic worth a watch.

 

Wicked Part I

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★☆ (3.8/5)Wicked Part I

Rated: PG

Directed by: Jon M. Chu

Written by: Winnie Holzman

Based on the Musical Wicked, music and lyrics by: Stephen Schwartz,

Book by: Winnie Holzman

From the Novel by: Gregory Maguire

Produced by: Marc Platt, David Stone

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle and Peter Dinklage.

Cinematic from the beginning, Wicked Part I opens on a black witch’s hat reflected in a pool of water.  And of course, flying monkeys, the yellow brick road, then the cry, ‘The Wicked Witch is dead.  The Wicked Witch of the West.’

‘Why does wickedness happen?’ one of the townspeople asks.

After telling people, ‘It’s good to see me, isn’t it?’  Galinda/Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) tells the people, let me tell you the whole story.

The screenplay is written by Winnie Holzman who also wrote the book for the musical; she returns with lyricist Stephen Schwartz to adapt the Gregory Maguire’s reinvented bestseller into a spectacle for the screen.  Expectations for this film are high.

However, I admit, I have not seen the stage play.  Not really my cup of tea.  So you can stop reading the review now or read the review of someone who wouldn’t usually watch a musical but enjoyed this one despite herself.

I just got won over by the characters, Galinda described by Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) as well, blonde.

And Elphaba green and pretending not to care about the laughter at her expense.  That she cares more about the animals that are being silenced and blamed for everything wrong in Oz, then her own lifetime of hurt.

Then the little asides from Galinda about her self-obsession to keep it light as the two who loathed and detested each other become friends.

Rather than feeling like just a musical, the singing was balanced by the storyline and visual effects and attention to detail, the turn of a scrunched page the beginning of the next scene, the floating spinning flowers dusting everyone to sleep, the silhouette of a taloned hand.

The previous collaboration of Schwartz and Holzman pays off because the story and song balance each other so well, ‘Winnie and I tell the story together,” Schwartz says. “Some of it through dialogue, which is Winnie’s department, and some through song, which is mine.’

And the two characters Elphaba and Galinda have a genuine chemistry, ‘We got tattoos together,’ Grande says. ‘I got an ‘E’ for Elphaba in a heart on the back of my leg and she had a little ‘G’ for Glinda on the back of hers.’ Erivo says that their bond is anchored by a sense of joyful exploration. ‘I hope that we don’t lose our love of play,’ Erivo says. ‘That’s something that I really enjoyed—this need to keep wanting to learn and discover. Ariana and I used that to make these beings as humane and full as possible. When we worked together, something special happened.’

Cinematographer Alice Brooks explains Elphaba and Glinda are often shot within a single frame. ‘The 2.40 aspect ratio is frequently beautifully divided in half between these two women.’

Brook goes on to say, ‘Light, to me, embodies everything—it reveals desires and conceals secrets. That’s what captivates me about Wicked so deeply. Early in our preparations, Jon and I delved into themes of good versus evil, light versus darkness. In Wicked, light paradoxically represents darkness, and darkness, light.’

Director, Jon M. Chu, a longtime superfan of the stage production, has embraced all the elements of this film, showing his enthusiasm in the attention to detail that makes Wicked Part I so very watchable.

I’m not saying I absolutely loved the film, but those 2 hours and 41 minutes went by pretty quickly.  And I did leave the cinema with a smile humming ‘Defying Gravity.’

Did I just enjoy watching musical?

Yes.  Yes, I did.

 

Weekend In Taipei

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★1/2Weekend in Taipei

Rated: MA15+

Directed by: George Huang

Written by: George Huang & Luc Besson

Produced by: Virginie Besson-Silla & Luc Besson

Starring: Luke Evans, Gwei Lun-Mei, Sung Kang, Wyatt Yang.

‘Who’s the snitch?’

The opening of, A Weekend in Taipei is the city shown in a fast-paced montage of images of the street life; to dead fish on the pavement, motorbikes, toys and temples – all shot in contrasting saturated colour to black and white to introduce the style of the film: action featuring car chases and fight scenes but also the drama of an unhappy family and a woman waiting for The One to finally come back.

Kwang (Sung Kang) is a corrupt billionaire being charged with the only crime that sticks – fishing license violations.

Surrounded by media, Kwang curses at his staff as he gets into his car.  He tries to call his wife, Joey (Gwei Lun-Mei).  She ignores him.

Instead, Joey takes a Ferrari for a test drive.  She drives, fast.

Joey’s been married to Kwang for 15 years.  Her son, Raymond (Wyatt Yang) hates him.  Raymond doesn’t understand why she’s with him.

But Joey explains that a long time ago, she needed help.  And Kwang was there.

Cut-to Minneapolis where John Lawlor (Luke Evans) is getting arrested holding a goldfish in a glass.

An undercover DEA agent, Lawlor is on the trail of Kwang after uncovering a delivery of heroin with Kwang’s name all over it.

It’s time to spend a weekend in Taipei.

Amongst the action, knife fights and car chases, there’s a lightness to this film that adds a sense of fun.

Lawlor’s fellow agent in a restaurant fight unintentionally getting more injured as Lawlor tries to protect him is hilarious – grater across the hand, the kitchen on fire, ‘oh, no.’

This is a classic- style action movie with humour that hits the mark.  And there’s some fresh ideas here, like knocking the power board off the lift, then the door handle off the exit door to the stairs, delaying the bad guys giving chase.

Director George Huang explains one the biggest challenges making the film was shooting in Taipei in the summer.  It was so hot that the final fight scene was moved indoors to a cinema where, ‘images from Zhang Yimou’s The Secret of the Flying Daggers are projected onto the actors.’

It’s a clever device that adds another layer to the fight and another point of difference to the action that I enjoyed.

The film does feel stilted at the beginning but the chemistry between Agent Lawlor and mother, wife, badass-driver Joey lifts the film up a level.

There’s a good balance as young actor Wyatt Yang who plays the son Raymond states, ‘It’s a very exciting film, it has lots of fast cars, guns, and blood, but at the heart is a family story.’

Not the deepest dive into the characters but there’s enough amusement and action thrills – who doesn’t like a car chase featuring a beach buggy?! – to make for an entertaining watch.

Speak No Evil

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★1/2Speak No Evil

Rated: MA15+

Written for the Screen and Directed by: James Watkins

Based on the Screenplay by: Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup

Produced by: Jason Blum, Paul Ritchie

Executive Producers: Beatriz Sequeira, Jacob Jarek, Christian Tafdrup

Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Alix West and Dan Hough.

‘I promise you guys, it’s going to be a great weekend.’

You know when you’re in a bad situation and you want to get out.  Do get out.  Only to be pulled back in against your better judgment? But someone continually plays you, pulls those strings so you get burnt, played, burnt again.

Based on the screenplay of Gæsterne, written by Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup, Speak No Evil shows the game, the cat playing with the mouse.

Meet Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) with their daughter, Agnes (Alix West).

Ben is newly redundant and a little bored.  Louise fusses over their anxious daughter, Agnes, ‘Use your indoor voice.’

Then there’s Paddy (James McAvoy) cracking beers and getting it on with his young wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi).  Paddy’s forward and fun.

Ciara is lovely and they have a child who’s also awkward, a son, Ant (Dan Hough), who doesn’t speak because of a condition dwarfing his tongue.

The two families get along.

Paddy is a breath of fresh air so after Louise and Ben get home to London and disappointment, they decide it’s not such a bad idea to go to the Western Country to visit their good-time new friends.

The opening scene sets up the film well: a car being driven along a dark isolated road.  The reflection of a child’s face seen in the rearview mirror.  The adults get out of the car, leaving the child, his reflection watching.

It’s that ominous feeling of knowing something isn’t right that continues through-out the film.  The tension keeps building.  But the pacing gets annoying after a while.

It’s a gradual change as Paddy’s mask begins to slip, the sly comments, ‘Don’t put yourself down, that’s my job.’

The more off-colour Paddy becomes, the more precious Louise seems so Ben doesn’t know if they should just relax and get along or get out of there.

It’s a back and forth where the subtle becomes not so subtle to then lean into the unhinged to become so crazy it’s funny.  On purpose.

McAvoy steals the show as the charismatic, unhinged Paddy.

Paddy takes control through his constant manipulation, his presence claustrophobic, to the extent scenes felt empty without him.

But it’s frustrating to watch, that back and forth.  I couldn’t help but groan when the family continued to get sucked in again and again.

It’s a well-made film. I just got annoyed with it.

Longlegs

GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★☆ (3.8/5)Longlegs

Rated: MA15+

Written and Directed by: Osgood Perkins

Produced by: Dave Caplan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Oddfellows, Dan Kagan

Director of Photography: Adrés Arochi

Starring: Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, Blair Underwood, Alica Witt, Kiernan Shipka.

‘You’re a dirty sweet girl.  You’re my girl.’

T. Rex 1971.

Longlegs is one of the creepier serial killer movies I’ve seen.

The film is created with odd camera angles, the texture of the film, stark.

There’s a quiet tone to the film as FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) makes her way through the case of a satanic serial killer, AKA Longlegs (Nicolas Cage): a killer who doesn’t leave a trace.

The only reason the FBI know about Longlegs is because he leaves a note.  A cipher.

Agent Harker is able to decipher the notes because Longlegs breaks into her house and leaves her the solution to the code.

And then the dance between Longlegs and Harker begins.

The toneless affect of Harker blankets the film in a monotone, making the feeling flat.  It’s a strange device but I get the connection to the life-sized dolls that are introduced later in the film; however, the dampening of Harker made her character borderline dull.

Aside from the flat affect, this is a carefully crafted film with thought put into the build, the montages of crime scene photos, the sometimes up-side-down perspective, the quiet then screech of strings, all to build that unnerving feeling.

Then add Nicolas Cage as Longlegs spouting the bizarre while looking directly into the camera so it’s like Longlegs is speaking directly to you as you watch the movie and you get one unique film that gets under your skin because it takes risks in the storytelling.

On rare occasions when a film has a particular poetic flavour, I’ll re-read my notes and take that as a synopsis:

A corner camera angle, looking through the front windscreen and side window of a car.

A snowy forest.

A little girl watches from her bedroom window.

Just the lower half of the face, a weirdly made-up face, a powdered face.  A male’s high voice.

Strings screech.

Knock, knock.

Have you seen this man?

She’s quiet – he’s in there.

Half psychic.

Ciphers – ten families.

Making the father murder.

Like a tapping on the shoulder.

Highly intuitive.

14th: happy birthday.

911 call.

Flashes of crime scene photos.

Boiling black ink that overflows.

All your things.

Not nice things.

Our prayers protect us from the devil.

Newspaper clippings.

A  life-sized doll.

A nowhere between here and there.

The man down the stairs.

From the perspective of the doll.

Looks right down the camera.

Birthday girls.

The doll maker.

You’ve won.

Happy birthday.

Creepy.

 

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