Category Archives: Drama Reviews

The Squid and the Whale

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Viewed – 05 August 2020 Blu-ray

I hadn’t heard of this movie up until now and only stumbled across it when browsing ‘The Criterion Collection’ releases. So a complete blind purchase that although I don’t regret, I don’t feel was entirely worth it. This follows the story of two brothers (one played by a young Jesse Eisenberg) who’s parents separate, leading them to have to spend their time living at each parent’s house … whilst also going through the trials of high school, first love and puberty.

trouble with Mom and Dad…

Jeff Daniels plays the Dad, a respected writer and teacher, who has a close bond with his eldest son (Eisenberg), whilst Laura Linney (Ozark) plays the Mom who gets sort of a bad rap due to having had an affair. William Baldwin also turns up as a tennis instructor. This very ‘indie’ drama, in the style of Gus Van Sant is very authentic and occasionally amusing with decent performances and astute observations of its various themes. It occasionally goes down avenues exploring the effect a breakup has on children that takes some weird turns … what with the youngest kid resorting to masturbation of all things, as a way of acting out (er…ok). Eisenberg also comes off as a bit of a brat, who whilst his usual brand of awkward is less likeable than usual.

For this kind of subject, I felt the movie offered very little we hadn’t seen before and didn’t go anywhere particularly interesting or all that optimistic. It also doesn’t really explore why the parent’s relationship hits the skids. A shame as it’s well acted (especially Linney who I’ve always liked) and has some good moments, but is otherwise forgettable.

The Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection has a an adequate image, thats very grainy and a bit lacking in detail, almost like 16mm – but it does create a distinct ‘look’ that suits the movie’s tone. Sound is clear in 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and showcases various unusual and obscure music choices. Extras consist of a making of documentary, interviews, audition footage and trailers. We also get a booklet that has an interview and a write up on the movie and it’s production. Not too bad for a movie a little undeserving of such treatment.

Verdict:

(the movie) Poor

(the Blu-ray) Good

The Rhythm Section

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Viewed – 28 July 2020 online rental

When a plane disaster kills Stephanie’s (Blake Lively) family, the government make out it was an accident. However when an ex-MI6 agent appears with information that suggests it was terrorism instead, Stephanie vows revenge. A quick glance online, this hasn’t had the most positive buzz, which is curious as overall I found it an enjoyably gritty thriller with a strong lead performance. Yes it’s a tad derivative of similar movies like French classic La Femme Nikita. Even though it lacks the style of a Luc Besson movies. This still delivers a semi-realistic experience with Jude Law on hand as another former agent who helps Lively become an Assassin.

Lively’s performance definitely has echoes of Noomi Rapace’s turn as Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, especially the down-trodden, self-destructive characteristics, and proved quite believable. The movie lacked a bit of exposition with the plane crash not being shown and the why ‘s and wherefor’s behind what really happened rather unclear. At time’s the cinematography lacked style also, with an overly murky atmosphere despite some glamorous locations. That being said one car chase and a fight do stand out. Jude Law also proves an enjoyably tough-talking mentor.

Apart from Stephanie’s motivation for revenge, why Jude Law or those that aid Stephanie turn to her in particular is anyone’s guess – considering she has no underlying skills to build on to make her an ideal assassin-type. It’s like the filmmakers really wanted to make a ‘girl with a gun thriller’, and didn’t concern themselves with the details. I’m guessing the book this is based on fairs better. Yet nit-picks aside this was still effective in places and Lively was decent.

Verdict: Good

Salvador

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Viewed – 22 July 2020. Blu-ray

Oliver Stone has always been one of my favourite directors. This at times politically-charged film-maker has often impressed with powerful war movies like Platoon or hard-hitting satire with his controversial Natural Born Killers. I recall being quite affected by this 1986 drama portraying the violence and civil unrest in El Salvador that broke out in the early eighties. James Woods plays a desperate, seasoned journalist on hard times out to get that big story, who travels into El Salvador along with his friend, played by James Belushi. However once there he realises he may have under-estimated the dangers of the situation as war breaks out.

Revisiting this movie many years after first seeing it, I didn’t remember much but it still packed a punch. There’s some recognisable faces amongst its support cast (is that the bad guy from Crocodile Dundee 2 and the girl from Predator?) that screams 80s. However the imagery can at times be surprisingly unflinching, mixed in with I’m guessing real-life victim footage and most likely real-life residents of the area for added authenticity. Woods, an actor I’ve often enjoyed watching is good but a little too caricature for the otherwise realistic tone. His motor-mouth performance also makes him stand out and look a bit out of place. Belushi is rather annoying too. John Savage on the other hand as a war photographer proves the most believable.

Above and beyond all of that, it’s Oliver Stone’s direction, his camera-work and the gradual, building tension and constant threat of.violence that stands out, even if the more shocking scenes can seem a tad forced (the scene with the women on the bus). Yet this still retained its power even 30+ years later. Worth a watch.

The Blu-Ray from Eureka’s ‘Masters of Cinema’ label has a good to very good image quality with only the occasional appearance of flickering. Close-ups and larger scale scenes all look detailed and vibrant. Audio is presented in either the original mono or a new 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio track which is mostly decent but occasionally sound seems to drop in quality like its reverting to its mono track. Doesn’t happen often enough to be a major issue though. Extras consist of a very worthwhile commentary by director Oliver Stone as well as a 62 minute making of called ‘Into the Valley of Death’, interviews, deleted scenes and a trailer. Also included in this release is a detailed booklet with an essay by film critic Barry Forshaw.

Verdict:

(the movie) Good

(the Blu-Ray) Recommended

Dark Waters

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Viewed – 18 July 2020 online rental

Following a series of unexplained cattle deaths on a farmer’s land in West Virginia, an attorney becomes involved in a case of chemical pollution and cover up that has him go up against a powerful and respected corporation that threatens his career and his health. Based on a shocking true story of the life-threatening chemical ‘c-8’ found in Teflon amongst other products, this follows the fifteen year battle against a seemingly untouchable industry giant.

sticking it to the man…

Mark Ruffalo, these days best know for playing Bruce Banner / The Hulk in The Avengers, is perfectly cast and delivers one of his best performances. I really got behind his character’s passion and drive and Ruffalo hammered home every emotion. He is aided by the often underrated Anne Hathaway as his wife, who proves very convincing as a woman struggling to cope with her husband’s obsession. Also on hand is Tim Robbins (remember him?) and a bizarre-sounding Bill Pullman. This was fascinating, filled with detail and investigation. As more and more was uncovered, the more powerful and heart-wrenching the movie got and as it drew to it’s conclusion I was rather affected. Yes, it seems some companies really do think they’re above the law and are too big to answer for things that they do.

Director Todd Haynes has delivered a gripping movie with several strong performances that really made this viewer think. Also, despite the magnitude of the case, it was presented in an easy to follow story that rarely got bogged down in the details. Check it out.

Verdict: Recommended

The Hidden Fortress

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Viewed – 17 July 2020. Blu-ray

(Akira Kurosawa season: part one)

I’d heard many good things about legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa over the years, how he had influenced so many directors, his style having defined much of cinema as we know it, from the John Ford Westerns to Sci-Fi sagas like Star Wars. So I thought it high time I sat down to one of his movies, having recently picked up a box set of some of his most famed titles.

This movie from 1958 starts out with a duo of squabbling farmers who stumble upon the plight of a missing Princess and an invading army hellbent on killing her and claiming the kingdom for themselves. Initially hoping to turn their fortunes around by finding the Princess and claiming the bounty, the farmers soon find themselves befriending her and her bodyguard – a former General.

This was easy to get into, as I had had some trepidation concerning if I’d like this sort of movie. However the bumbling, squabbling farmers are good fun and the General, played by Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune is a likeable yet imposing presence that I was quickly routing for. The actress playing the Princess was also appealing even if her dialogue is limited for the most part. Kurosawa’s direction is decent with a few stand-out sequences including a tense one on one fight, a large scale escape from a fortress involving a ton of extras, and an eye-catching ‘fire festival’ sequence. George Lucas has named this as an influence on Star Wars, yet apart from his similarity between the farmers and R2D2 and C3PO, that’s where I felt comparisons ended.

It’s a tad long at 138 minutes, and isn’t as eventful as it could have been, with much of the running time taken up by the (admittedly enjoyable) banter between the four main characters. It’s also unclear who the invading army are (the mongols?) and what the setting is. Yet for my first foray into the movies of Akira Kurosawa, I still got a lot out of this, enough to make me thirsty for more.

The Blu-Ray from the BFI box set I picked up has a very pleasing, clear B&W image that’s quite eye-catching at times. Subtitles are also well done and easy to follow. Sound is effective, with clear dialogue and a pounding score despite being in standard stereo. Extras are a let down though, with only an interview with George Lucas and a trailer. There’s also strangely no scene selection.

Verdict::

(the movie) Good

(the Blu-ray) Good