Barry Lyndon (1975) Review

Title: Barry Lyndon
Year: 1975
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Country: UK
Language: English

I've heard about Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon since I was a teenager, watching A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999) in secret. I've been a big fan of his work, but I suspected that at least one of his films would be a dud. Barry Lyndon is a 3 hours long period piece that isn't a talking pointin popular culture anymore. Lyndon has to be the dud...right? I'm not going to waste that much time on a bad movie that's abs- oh wait, it's a MASTERPIECE!? Every frame looks like a painting!? Its easily one of the best Kubricks!? Oh my! 

An Irish rogue (Ryan O'Neal) wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England.

Initially Kubrick had set out to make a film about Napoleon, but financing collapsed. Despite the setback, he chose to adapt an obscure novel, The Luck of Barry Lyndon, for the big screen. It's a fairly balanced film, in terms of drama and comedy, that reminds me of Best Picture winner Tom Jones (1963). Both characters are dumbasses who stumble upwardly into wealth & nobility. Both characters create their own problems that are somehow resolved via blind luck. Both are rare films that make a mockery of nobility, while also being in reverence of it.

Barry Lyndon is a gorgeous film; its set design and scene composition allows each frame to look like a painting. It is a lavish, opulent piece of exquisite cinema that allows a breathtaking score, remarkable cinematography and beautiful costume design to flourish. Honestly, this is one of the best looking films I have ever seen. Its a lengthy film, but no minute is wasted in giving an encompassing, engaging story. Its use of natural lighting - many scenes are shot in candlelight  - is utterly remarkable. 

Barry Lyndon is a must-watch for anybody who is interested in Kubrick. It is a great film that certainly has become one of my favourites. A technical marvel - every sequence is a sight to behold. 

Marie Antoinette (2006) Review

Title: Marie Antoinette
Year: 2006
Director: Sophia Coppola
Country: US
Language: English

I avoided Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006) for a long time because I had a strong distaste for period movies with modern soundtracks. I felt that Bow Wow's I Want Candy had no place in 18th Century aristocratic France. However, overtime my tastes have changed. Not every film has to have the period accurate film score of Milos Forman's Amadeus (1984). Therefore I decided to give this a chance...and I'm glad I did! 

This is the retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst). From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI  (Jason Shwartzman) at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles.

Something else that would have triggered me into a rant would be Marie Antoinette's complete lack of interest in politics. The film briefly discusses the trials and tribulations of the time, "My dear, you're overspending/" but its interest primarily lies in the character study of a woman overwhelmed by strange customs and her desire to escape via lavish parties. It's more a commentary patriarchy, the absurdity of rigid customs, and what it means to be a woman. It is quite difficult to empathize with the absurdly wealthy, but this film does a good job at constructing a complex character. 

Like Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, Marie Antoinette is a vibrant picture filled with magnificent set design, eye-popping costumes and remarkable cinematography. Kirsten Dunst truly shines as the alleged "let them eat cake" queen of France. I actually was impressed with the soundtrack, as it gave the film a modern feel; giving it more accessibility to younger audiences who might be put off by a period piece. 

I went into the viewing expecting to dislike the film, but I'm glad I was wrong. Marie Antoinette was a joy to watch, even during the sadder moments (hey, she sort of deserved her fate). Sophia Coppola has an excellent cinematography, she's a director who proves my skepticism wrong on every occasion. 

I Walked With a Zombie (1943) Review

Title: I Walked With a Zombie
Year: 1943
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Country: US
Language: English

I have a great affection for RKO Studios' films of the 1940's. From grand melodramas like Orson Welles' Citizen Kane to creepy thrillers like Jacques Tourneur's Cat People (1942), the studio is a showcase for old Hollywood classics. I Walked With a Zombie (1943) is a studio film that alluded me for quite some time. I imagined it being a lesser version of Night of The Living Dead, but actually the film is far more about an atmosphere of dread, rather than a creature feature. 

A nurse (Francis Dee) is hired to care for the wife of a sugar plantation owner, who has been acting strangely, on a Caribbean island.

I Walked With a Zombie is Val Lewton's second collaboration with Tournuer, who had directed Cat People a year prior. The story, partially lifted from Jane Eyre, is a powerful story about the power of belief, free will, race relations, and the problematic history of our ancestors. It is a film remarkably ahead of its time in regards to its anti-colonialist message; showing how African culture could be co-opted by the white man as an element of control. 

Director Tourneur and cinematographer J. Roy Hunt give us a surreal macabre film that jolts the senses in both a visual and audio presentation. Each time we hear the sound of the villagers' drums our hearts beat with more intensity. I Walked With a Zombie also has power in its silence; there are many quiet scenes that rattle the senses. 

Joker: Folie a deux (2024)

Title: Joker 2 
Year: 2024
Director: Todd Phillips
Country: US
Language: English

Todd Phillips Joker (2019) was a cultural phenomenon when it was released. It was a huge hit with critics & audiences, raking in over a $1 Billion in Worldwide gross revenue. I was at Toronto Film Festival, where Joker made its North American debut, and there were entire city blocks worth of people in Joker cosplay. Such a hit meant a sequel was inevitable. Would Joker: Folie a deux live up to the hype? Nope!

Struggling with his dual identity, failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) , while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital.

There's a lot of discussion about how Todd Phillips went out of his way to make an anti-film; deliberately trolling the audience by making a film that is the exact opposite of their expectations. I think this is giving too much credit to the Director of Starsky & Hutch (2004). Joker 2 is awful, not because it doesn't give the audience what it wants, but because the writing is incomprehensible garbage. Harley Quinn's motivation is all over the place; plot points are introduced and abandoned at a whim; entire scenes serve no purpose but to fill time. 

Joker had a lot of misses in its writing as well, such as implying that Thomas Wayne was his father, but it stole enough from Martin Scorsese to make the film as a whole work. Folie a Deux's concept has been done before, it was inspired by The Singing Detective, but Todd Phillips and co. aren't talented enough to Tarantino themselves into a good movie twice. 

The only thing Joker: Folie a Deux might do well is serve as a test to weed out pretentious cinema snobs. Is your friend convinced that this film is actually a Kaufman-esque avant guard anti-cinema masterpiece? There's a bridge you may be able to sell to them!

Leave Her to Heaven (1945) Review

Title: Leave Her to Heaven
Year: 1945
Director: John M. Stahl
Country: US
Language: English

Have you ever watched a classic movie and thought "How did THIS get made!?" Not because of quality, but rather, subject matter. How did Leave Her to Heaven pass the unrelenting censors of the Hays Code when other pictures had to recut entire scenes to make theatrical distribution? This film has one of the most perverse and remorseless femme fatales in the history of cinema. 

A writer falls in love with a young socialite named Ellen Harland (Gene Tierney) and they're soon married, but her obsessive love for him threatens to be the undoing of them both as well as everyone around them.

While most femme fatales have driven motivations - money, security, love - Ellen Harland's issue is more psychological and Freudian. She desires to conform to traditional femininity, but her impulsive emotions and obsession make this an impossibility. She is at odds with her society, and thus finds her self succumbing to madness. 

Filmed in beautiful technicolor, Leave Her to Heaven has the look of a Douglas Sirk melodrama (John Stahl is known as a director of "women's pictures") , but its as cold as Double Indemnity.  Tierney is a beautiful woman, often thought of as one of the most beautiful women in cinema, but her actions definitely make us forget about the beauty. 

Leave Her to Heaven is a well made film with a remarkable script and stunning cinematography. This picture transcends what you thought a noir could be, albeit at nearly 2 hours it feels a bit long. If this film cut 20-30 minutes it would be one of the best colour-noirs of all time. Overall it's a fascinating one-time viewing. 

Challengers (2024) Review

Title: Challengers
Year: 2024
Director: Luca Guadagino
Country: US
Language: English

With Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Bones and All (2022) in his filmography, it would seem Director Luca Guadagino is no stranger to portraying complex, multi-faceted relationships unfold on the big screen. Using tennis to portray a love-triangle is bold, and easily could have fell apart with a poor screenplay, but thankfully Guadagino works with Past Lives (2023) playwright Justin Kuritzkes to weave a fascinating character study of three intense athletes. 

Tashi (Zendaya) , a former tennis prodigy turned coach, transformed her husband (Mike Faist)  into a champion. But to overcome a recent losing streak and redeem himself, he'll need to face off against his former best friend, and Tashi's ex-boyfriend (Josh O' Connor).

The film's narrative leaps back and forth, between present day and the past. The structure does a great job at slowly revealing the positions of each participant in this love triangle. Advertised as the "sexy threesome" movie; Challengers is far more interested in how body language and subtle conversation add to the story structure & creates an engaging work of art. 

The cinematography, by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, provides an array of unique camerawork that makes a tennis match feel like a visual epic event. The electronic score, by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, gives Challengers a pulsating, energetic feel that intensifies the emotions onscreen. 

Challengers proves that Zendaya should be a big star. Her ability to emote through small shifts in her body language is outstanding. Faist (West Side Story) & O'Connor (God's Own Country) are also perfectly cast. This may become my favourite film of 2024, it is superb in every way. 

The World is Not Enough (1999) Review

 Title: The World is Not Enough
Year: 1999
Director: Michael Apted
Country: UK
Language; English

The World is Not Enough is a tearjerker, but not for the reason you'd expect. This was the last feature film of Desmond Llewelyn, who played Q throughout the Bond franchise. He had been a staple of the series since From Russia With Love (1963). and many fans looked forward to his scenes, which often featured him giving Bond a ridiculous gadget. Seeing his last scene  At 85 years old, he lived a long life, but we all wish he lived a lot longer. 

James Bond (Piece Brosnan) uncovers a nuclear plot while protecting an oil heiress from her former kidnapper, an international terrorist who can't feel pain.

The last James Bond film of the Twentieth Century, The World is Not Enough features a great opening song by Garbage & is one of the most impressive of t007 features when it comes to thrilling, pulse pounding action scenes. TWINE is fast-paced, with the 2 hours feeling like 20minutes.

I like Bond Girl Christmas Jones, if only for the name & associated puns. "Christmas came early this year."  & I think Pierce Brosnan has a better developed personality than his previous two outings. I would argue that the plot is a bit weak; the story itself is not very engaging or providing a lot of depth. TWINE is very much style over substance.

The World is Not Enough is a pretty average film that is enjoyable, but not very memorable. Cinephiles often site 1999 as one of the best years in film history, but that's because of The Matrix, American Beauty, and The Sixth Sense. Nobody claims 1999 was great because of Bond. 

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) Review

Title: Tomorrow Never Dies
Year: 1997
Director: Roger Spottiswoods
Country: UK
Language: English

Roger Moore's first two Bond films of the 1980's  (Octopussy & For Your Eyes Only) were too conservative for my liking. They were too influenced by  the Reagan/Thatcher politics of the time. Tomorrow Never Dies comes during a more liberal 90's when Tony Blair (US), John Chretien (Canada) & Bill Clinton (UK) were in charge. Concerns became more focused on technology, rather than the pointless "war on drugs".

James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) sets out to stop a media mogul's plan to induce a war between China and the United Kingdom.

Tomorrow Never Dies takes Bond into the Information Era and is shockingly relevant considering politics of today. Perhaps it is the most relevant film in the franchise, and that is including the most recent No Time to Die (2021). There are many examples (*cough*FoxNews*cough*) of media being manipulated in order to influence our elections. Brexit was partly driven by media influence. 

Michelle Yeoh's stock has risen immensely since Tomorrow Never Dies. She won Best Actress at the Academy Awards in 2023 for Everything Everywhere All At Once. It is fascinating to watch her in an earlier role where she is kicking ass along with Bond. She is a great Bond girl. 

Tomorrow Never Dies is a fast paced, thrilling Bond film that is an underrated gem in the franchise. Its impressive set design, exquisite cinematography and jaw-dropping fight choreography make this entry a contender for one of the best Bonds. 

Goldeneye (1995) Review

 Title: Goldeneye
Year: 1995
Director: Martin Campbell
Country: UK
Language: English

Ah, Goldeneye! Most of us millennials know of this 007 entry as our favorite childhood video game. We spent countless hours on the N64 beating our friends in "slappers only" combat. Nobody played as Oddjob, because his small stature was considered cheating. Many of us didn't ever end up seeing the film Goldeneye, which is a shame, because it's a damn good movie!

When a powerful secret defense system is stolen, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is assigned to stop a Russian crime syndicate from using it.

The first Bond film made since the end of the Cold War, Goldeneye was an ambitious project for the producers to make. Mel Gibson, Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson were all offered the part of Bond, but they all passed. Pierce Brosnan accepted the role. He's a good middle0ground between the goofy camp of Moore & the extreme seriousness of Timothy Dalton. Brosnan is an instantly credible Bond.

"I think you're a sexist misogynistic dinosaur. A relic of the cold war." - M

Goldenye updates the Franchise to reflect attitudes of the time. This entry is the first time Bond is called out, and made fun of, for his outdated views. It's also the first entry to feature a female M, which was huge at the time. The film itself has an adequate script, but is visually impressive. Its impressive cinematography, intense fight choreography and outstanding set design give Goldeneye an epic feel that is rarely matched throughout the Bond Franchise. 

Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp is a memorable femme fatale. Sean Bean as Trevelyan is an iconic Bond villain. I love how personal Trevelyan & Bond's showdown is at the end of the film. Goldeneye is certainly worthy of being highly regarded. 

 

Licence to Kill (1989) Review

Title: Licence to Kill 
Year: 1989
Director: John Glen
Country: UK
English: English

While Roger Moore's Bond was busy shagging every lady who could find, Timothy Dalton's James Bond was practically abstinent. Reporters at the time wondered if the AIDS epidemic had contributed to 007's reduced sexuality. Dalton initially denied these claims, but decades later he admitted this was true. Dalton's Bond would be darker, grittier and more of a killer-for-hire than the previous incarnation.  

A vengeful James Bond (Timothy Dalton) goes rogue to infiltrate and take down the organization of a drug lord who has murdered his friend's new wife and left him near death.

Licence to Kill feels like the true sequel to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, rather than the atrocious Diamonds are Forever (1971).  The events of Lazenby's film gave 007 a relentless desire for revenge against his enemies. It turned this quirky ladies man into a cold blooded killer. Dalton really has an intensity that no other Bond actor has had since. Its easy to tell that he came from a Shakesperean acting background. 

While the story & acting is great, the visual presentation of Licence to Kill feels quite dated. It looks, and sounds, like a late 80's television show. It's like the cinematographer, set designer and costumer designer all decided to model this outing after Miami Vice. While a View to a Kill (1985) reminds viewers of the fun Cyndi Lauper era of the 80's that everyone is nostalgic for, Licence to Kill resembles a part of the 80's that only your grandmother liked.

If Licence to Kill had a visual presentation that didn't look like Dallas it would be a top tier Bond flick. Unfortunately, it looks dated & won't age gracefully as time goes on. I love the story however & I would tell everybody to watch it at least once.