From the very first frame of Justin Kurzel's Macbeth, it's apparent that this version is going to be a visual feast for the eyes. Kurzel's film is a stunning retelling of the story of the rise and fall of Macbeth, a man consumed by his own ambitions for power. Let me make this clear right now, I haven't read Shakespeare's Macbeth for over a decade, so if you are looking for a review centered around the adaptation being faithful to the story, this isn't the review for you. Personally, even if I did have a stronger recollection of the source material, I personally find these types of critiques vapid and quite frankly uninteresting, as for me a film's merits are more related to what they do, then whether if they live up to the preconceived notions the viewer has. Anyway, Kurzel's re-imaging of Macbeth is very stylistic and intense, with Kurzel not showing a penchant for any type of restraint when it comes to attempting to capture the inner psychology of his characters, most notably Macbeth. Some of these lavish, stylistic touches work better than others, but the way the film's art direction and production design give the film a naturalistic quality go a very long way in helping to balance the film with its more intense, stylistic flourishes. One of my favorite sequences in the entire film comes when Macbeth murders the king under the darkness of night, as Kurzel injects the scene with a very moody, expressionistic quality, one that feels larger than the death of one man, but a titantical shift for the lives of many. For those curious, Michael Fassbinder as Macbeth and Marion Cotillard's Lady Macbeth are both performed to perfection, with Cotillard bringing a transfixing quality of self-awareness to her character, one who knows the evil she is capable of. Feeling both intensely medievel yet painstakingly contemporary, Justin Kurzel's Macbeth is an interesting adaptation of Shakespeares' Macbeth, that uses an abundance of style and even some surrealism, to explore the deteriorating psyche of Macbeth, a character who is destroyed by his own lust for power.
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With Creed, Ryan Coogler has done was so many recent filmmakers have failed to achieve, making an almost seamless transition from small indie filmmaking to a major studio release. Creed is an impressive studio feature that is exciting, well-paced, and features characters that are emotionally complex, making it an impressive continuation of the Rocky film series as well as a film that stands on its own two feet. Centered around Adonis Johnson, the bastard son of former heavy weight champion Apollo Creed, this is a film very much about a character who wants to prove his own worth, breaking free of the shadow of his legendary father by forging his own path. The paternal exploration in Creed is one of its most interesting and well-executed attributes, capturing both the deep-seeded love but also underlying disdain which young Adonis has for a father which he ever knew. There is a borderline obsessive quality to Adonis desire to be a fighter like his father, and the film does a great job of using this determination to explore legacy, paternity, and individuality, with Adonis being a character who grows to realize he can honor his father's name and forge his own path simultaneously. While Adonis' natural talent in the boxing ring is undeniable, he has trouble finding anyone willing to help him to train, moving to Philadelphia to seek out his father's old friend Rocky Balboa. Rocky reluctantly decides to help train young Adonis, unable to deny the young man of his fierce competitiveness and determination. Without question something Ryan Coogler brings to the table with Creed is the naturalistic exploration of the boxing world, with Creed being a film that never shows judgement towards fighters but also acknowledges the world of boxing for what it is. Adonis comes from a family of privileged, something which is extremely rare in the world of boxing, where many individuals fight as a way to escape the harsh world around them. Creed has a lot more dimension than many major studio releases, and another interesting undercurrent is the film's suggestion that life is too short to not do what you love. From Adonis character taking up a violent sport despite having the resources to stay out of boxing, to his primary love interest pushing forward with her musician aspirations despite her progressive hearing loss, one of the Creed's finest attributes is how it subtlety reminds the viewer that life is far too short to live in fear and doing what you want is all the matters, regardless of how long or short your time is on this planet. Considering it's a boxing movie, I should probably mention the fight sequences. Well, I used to box a bit in my youth, and lets just say this film was very effective at making me miss the sport and want to take it back up. The boxing sequences are well shot, using a heavy dose of steady cam and long takes which add a visceral element to the fight, putting the viewer into the middle of the ring with very little time to breath. Featuring strong performances and characterizations all around, skilled direction, and a story that honors the original films legacy while still managing to forge its own path, Ryan Coogler's Creed is one of the best mainstream studio releases of the year. Taking place in the Ottoman province of Hijaz during World War I, Naji Abu Nowar's Theeb is a quietly observant coming of age tale with a pessimistic bite. The story follows a young Bedouin boy, who along with his older brother, embarks on a journey across the desert to guide a British officer to an undisclosed destination. On their journey, the expedition is attacked by bandits, leaving only this young boy alive. Introduced to the harsh reality of life and death, the young boy's coming of age is hastened as he befriends one of the wounded bandits in order to survive. Personally, I've grown a bit tired of the coming of age story, which has got to be the most consistently overdone narratives in the history of cinema. That being said, one of Theeb's best attributes is how it captures the desert, which essentially feels like its own character in the film. From the dry, desolate landscapes to the constant barrage insects, Theeb makes the desert an unrelenting, all encompassing character, almost taking on a mystical quality. Theeb really captures the vast contrast between the desert during the day and night, giving each time period very different atmospheres, as the nighttime sequences give off a cold, dark, isolation atmosphere where one can't even see more than three feet in front of their face. There is a different type of mystery during the day, where everything is revealed due to the punishing sunlight, with the utter desolation of the world around them creating a distinct type of mystery even though so much is visible to their eyes. Theeb captures an exotic world through the impressionistic eye of a young boy who is forced to grow up much to fast. While I'd argue the film stumbles a tad when it comes to examining its main protagonist, Theeb is more than satisfied with showing how the harsh reality of the world, 'the survival of the fittest mentality', shapes so many, using the backdrop of World War I and this young boy's perilous journey to do so. While Theeb offers a lot of promise from a director's standpoint, the story itself doesn't bring all that much to the table, being a simple, albeit engrossing story of survival which finds the young boy becoming a man through violence and the discovery of his individuality. Josh Mond's James White is the story of a troubled twenty-something who is trying desperately to stay afloat after the death of his father. Living in New York City, James dulls the pain and anguish of loss with drugs and alcohol, unwilling to confront his emotions, opting instead to head towards a path of self-destruction. When his mother is diagnosed with brain cancer, James finds himself confronted with his self-destructive behavior, as he attempts to be there for his mother and once again deal with emotional grief. James White introduces its titular character as a not so flattering man, showing a somewhat privileged individual who is void of responsibility, as he drinks and does drugs by himself in a club during the middle of the day. The sequence sets James White up as a character who many would have little empathy for, soon after shattering that expectation as the film slowly reveals his circumstances. Perhaps James White's greatest attribute is its ability to take a character who isn't very likable from initial impressions and slowly expose the audience to his world, creating a great deal of empathy for a character who has been driven down a dark path by unyielding tragedy. Josh Mond's James White is a transfixing character study about a character who doesn't know how to deal with his emotions. James is a character who neglects his pain instead of dealing with it, which sends the young man on a downward spiral which he struggles to come back from. The film captures the importance of confronting ones own grief, showing how bottling up feelings of anger and sadness can only lead to isolation, creating a very dangerous me vs. the world mentality. Loneliness is a major component of this character study, and even though James routinely finds himself in the company of either his friend, Nick, or his girlfriend, Jayne, there is a great sense of loneliness throughout the film's running time, with the only warmth in James' character truly coming when he spends time with his dying mother. The cinematography does a great job at capturing the emotion of the character in James White, using claustrophobic framing which routinely focuses solely on James' face, putting him at center frame, a technique that visually expresses the loneliness and me vs. the world mentality which James' self-destructive behavior encapsulates. I always struggle to put into words why a film like this is so effective, but I think James White works so well simply because it captures in essence the tragedy and fear associated with losing deeply-important loved ones. Featuring a fantastic central performance by Christopher Abbott, who captures James deep-rooted loneliness and grief with nuance, Josh Mond's James White is a powerful character study about loss. |
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June 2023
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