Tags: blog, film, animation, drama, 2024, essential
Author: KickingK
Date: Monday April 01st, 2024
A lonely dog builds a robot to be his best friend
A beautiful movie that never goes where you expect it to. The animation is clean, un-showy and yet packed with detail and imagination. The story matches it precisely, characters are clearly defined, their motivations always explained plainly through the story.
And yet, it has no easy answers to the questions it poses. I was left with an ache in my heart, unsure just how happy the ending I’d just witnessed really was.
Funny, poignant and wonderful.
Tags: blog, film, comedy, 2024
Author: KickingK
Date: Tuesday April 02nd, 2024
Michael Jai White takes the Black Dynamite formula way out west.
Bit of an odd one as the dramatic elements are good enough to stand on their own two feet without the comedy. And the comedy is good enough to not need the well thought out story.
So it ends up with the jokes being too spaced out to be truly riotous, and the drama never quite builds up enough momentum to properly excite. And the representation of Native Americans is awful, just awful.
That said, it is funny and the plot is engaging, so it works none the less.
Special props go to Erica Ash who steals every scene she's in. One of the best film comedy performances I've seen for a while.
Tags: blog, film, drama, 2024, recommended
Author: KickingK
Date: Wednesday April 03rd, 2024
Something of a magic trick, this one.
An entirely fictional story, based on the life of artist Audrey Amiss, played here by the ever brilliant Monica Dolan. Kelly Macdonald (also brilliant) plays her psychiatric nurse who ends up being brow beaten/suckered into taking Audrey across country to enter her work into an exhibition.
It’s a fantastically well done odd-couple, road trip movie that hits all the right comedy and pathos beats that you expect of this kind of story. And does so with aplomb and some degree of gusto.
Except that’s a sleight of hand. Because the story building in the background is one of an extraordinarily talented artist whose life was ruined by poor mental health and societies attitudes towards it.
The uplifting, feel good film promised by the trailer is absolutely delivered. And yet I finished the film profoundly upset, even angry at the great injustice done to Audrey. Hell, even a little bit of guilt… I wouldn’t be watching a film about her life if she’d received the recognition she deserved in her lifetime.
Is she being defined more by her battles with her mental health than her talents as an artist? The film shows enough of her wonderful art to balance the story and allows you to feel your own conclusions.
Author: KickingK
Date: Thursday April 04th, 2024
Less than the sum of it’s magnificent parts
I won’t describe the plot here, this is more of a tonal piece, a meditation on loss, longing and what might have been.
There really isn’t any part of this film that I can criticise. Everything from the music, cinematography, script and acting are superb. Jamie Bell and Claire Foy in particular are both pitch perfect.
And yet it didn’t add up to anything for me. I kept thinking of other films that dealt with similar themes and felt this came up short in comparison. Aftersun dealt with loss and grief far better. And Skeletons was better at evoking that feeling of warmth that comes from dwelling on a nostalgic past.
The best thing I can say about this film is that it felt incredibly personal. Like the writer/director Andrew Haigh (who made the superb Lean on Pete) made exactly the film he wanted to make. Which is enough of a recommendation I think.
But sadly, it didn’t speak to me at all.
Tags: blog, film, comedy, drama, 2024, recommended
Author: KickingK
Date: Friday April 05th, 2024
Marissa Tomei is a tugboat captain
I’d much rather a film shoot for greatness and not achieve it, have eyes bigger than it’s belly. I’d rather watch something that reaches for the stars and falls short than something that has no interest in the stars at all.
Having said that, if you are going to do something slight and charming, do it like She Came to Me.
Peter Dinklage plays an opera composer suffering from writers block and whose marriage to Anne Hathaway may be on the rocks. A one afternoon stand with tugboat captain Marisa Tomei unlocks his creative process and gives everyone a lot more than he bargained for.
Everything about this film oozes effortless charm, humour and wit. I laughed the whole way through and enjoyed my time with the characters to the point I cared about them a lot. Even if the plot is light and more than a little contrived.
And Marisa Tomei is a tugboat captain. Wonderful.