Tale of Tales (Review)

Tale of Tales (Film Review) 2016

Directed by Matteo Garonne
Starring Salma Hayek, Toby Jones and Vincent Cassel

The film is split into three distinct plot lines, an infertile queen longing for a child, two old women longing for beauty, and a king and his flea. I found the ''Two Old Women'' plot line to be vastly superior to the other two. It was the most intriguing and never felt dragged out. The majority of the third act is dominated by the flea story, one which I felt ran overtime, but was the most humorous. The queen plot line also didn't intrigue me to the same extent, having some low-interest moments.

While the acting wasn't the aspect of the film which stuck with me, there are no complaints about any of the actors. Salma Hayek felt so natural in her role, along with Vincent Cassel.

The set design and makeup design was remarkable, completely transforming the film into an authentic middle-age tale. Mixed with the cinematography, Tale of Tales was visually amazing.

Tale of Tales is an eccentric and visually beautiful film, although it drops in intrigue in its finishing act.

7.5/10.

Rated 15a, runtime 134 minutes.

Suburra (Review)

Suburra (Film Review) 2016

Directed by Stefano Rulli
Starring Pierfrancesco Favino and Elio Germano

Suburra is an Italian neo-noir mafia film. The film is set in 2011 in Rome, when a major mob were bribing and threatening politicians to pass a law to convert a traditionally Italian town into a gambling and partying, mafia run, location, focusing on the mafia's control of Italian politics and the Vatican. It also focuses on the rivalries between gangs. ''Everyone can be bought.''

The rain-filled cinematography definitely tells the story's tone. Hyper-violence, political and Vatican corruption, and traditional mafia activity, the film isn't easy to watch. But the film's visuals, even including the violence, are done masterfully. The graphic violence adds the gritty sense that this film required.

I admire that the film went with an intelligent plot, rather than a solely action-filled one. The hard-hitting violence is only justified by the plot. An intriguing plot, at that.

The entire soundtrack was curated by the French band M83, and the music works unbelievably well with the visuals, as made obvious by the trailer. The tracks all sounds very modern, matching what the mafia wish to transform a traditional town into.

I don't have any major complaints, other than that it could have swayed further from the Italian mafia-film stereotype, and feel the film is gritty but visually beautiful.

9/10.

Rated 18, runtime 135 minutes.

The Nice Guys (Review)

The Nice Guys (Film Review) 2016

Directed by Shane Black

Starring Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe

The Nice Guys is a 2016 buddy-cop, action-comedy. Action-comedy, a genre I always must be cautious of. The Nice Guys falls short of my approval.

Neither of the genre's points work or flow. The action/thriller aspect of the film failed, due to the fact that the film is simply not thrilling. The characters cannot be described as engaging, and I therefore felt no empathy towards them, or their fate. The ''comedy'' was generally slapstick humour, mostly consisting of feminine shrieks from Ryan Gosling.

Russell Crowe's performance was wooden and constricted by his masculine character. The child actress (Angourie Rice) was unimpressive, and at times, irritating. Though, overall, I found the performances to be quite weak, there were some above-average performances from some side-characters.

The plot wasn't entirely flawed, although the movie did not benefit from withholding the amount of information that it did until the finale. It's introductory scene did utilise withholding of information well, infusing the film with mystery. I felt that the film took a dip following the first act or so.

Overall, The Nice Guys is a buddy-cop film littered with flaws and unimpressive performances. 

5.5/10.

Rated 15a, runtime 116 minutes.

Nola and The Clones (Review)

Nola and The Clones (Film Review)

Directed by Graham Jones

Starring Caoimhe Cassidy

Nola and The Clones is a 2016 Irish indie film, released entirely on YouTube as part of gthe cinematic movement ''Nuascannan''. The film follows a homeless woman fleeing the societal pressures put on women. She begins to meet a series of men ''appearing strikingly similar to each other''.

The city of Dublin is depicted beautifully visually. It was surreal to recognise landmarks and buildings, but presented in such a cinematic quality.

Caoimhe Cassidy's performance is impressive. The feminist statement of her character is definitely intriguing and though-provoking, although marginally exaggerated. Cassidy is a convincing and natural actress.

The film is quite slow-burning, and very stereotypical of an indie. A minimalist plot, and old-fashioned dialogue and camera-work. The music compliments the visuals very nicely.

Although it may not interest everyone, Nola and The Clones is an Indie worth watching for those more inclined, with an interesting political message and metaphorical resonance. It's definitely worth a watch on Youtube. The entire film is available below.

7.510.

Wendy and Lucy (Review)

Wendy and Lucy (Film Review) 2008

Directed by Kelly Reichardt

Starring Michelle Williams

Wendy and Lucy follows the journey of Wendy (Michelle Williams), and her canine companion Lucy to reach utopian Alaska, where labour is supposedly in need. Kelly Reichardt brings another slow-burning introspective film, with a minimalistic plot and stellar acting.

Wendy and Lucy acts as a frighteningly honest portrayal of capitalist America. ''You can't get an address without an address. You can't get a job without a job.'' This piece brings a new perspective to homelessness and poverty. Wendy is not a run-of-the-mill impoverished drug addict, she is a person with real emotions and issues, a character beautifully performed by Michelle Williams. She could simply be summarised as an unlucky person, being completely cheated by the cruelty of the American economy. It's also ironic that the addition of the dog brings more humanity to the story. There isn't much emotional release throughout the film, the constant negativity builds up in the viewer, and the character. Along with a minimalist plot, Williams' acting can be described with that exact word.

The film manages to capture the mundane landscape of the area, and create beautiful colouring and shots. Reichardt's mixture of close-ups (such as the one displayed above) and long-shots works brilliantly throughout the film. Some shots linger, and some shots are cut quickly. Overall, the film is quite slow, but I feel that this is a positive aspect to this particular film. I found the pacing to be quite strange, much like how I felt with Night Moves, but, again, this wasn't a negative. The film definitely holds back in all aspects. From the drama, plot, and the short runtime of 80 minutes.

Wendy and Lucy focuses on the reality of life. As stated, the situation which Wendy finds herself in is a realistic portrayal of the United States. Wendy's struggle stems from unluckiness, and a lack of monetary support from family. The film also highlights the realism of financial problems, and the sacrifices people must endure due to them. In this system, money is always prioritised.

In conclusion, Wendy and Lucy is a brilliant indie drama portraying the difficulties of capitalist America. Michelle Williams portrayed her intriguing character in her sleep, holding back on emotion for a final heartbreaking release.

9/10.

Rated 15, runtime 80 minutes.