My Review of Ammonite (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Francis Lee

Charlotte (to Mary): "You, were the most fascinating person there tonight. And I think, the most beautiful."

I'm a huge fan of Francis Lee's God's Own Country and I've been meaning to catch up with Ammonite for the longest time. As Pride Month heads into its final week of sorts, it was time to finally watch this film. I'm glad that I did.

Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan are two incredibly talented actresses and here, they're both well cast as two women who form a connection with one another under the most trying of circumstances for both of them.

Mary Anning (Winslet), a paleontologist and small shop owner lived with her mother, Molly (Gemma Jones). Her talent for digging fossils and identifying ammonites have given her quite a reputation. In fact, archaeologist Roderick Murchison (James McArdle) was eager to learn from Mary's unmatched skills.

Roderick was also eager to offload his depressed wife, Charlotte (Ronan) onto Mary while he went on his own adventure. Mary and Charlotte weren't particularly keen on one another to begin with. Then Charlotte got sick and Mary had to play nursemaid under the advice of Charlotte's doctor, Lieberson (Alec Secăreanu).

From that point, there was a bond that was formed between the two women. I think both Molly and Lieberson noticed it a little and Mary's ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth Philpot (Fiona Shaw) certainly noticed it. In fact, Elizabeth went out of her way to encourage Mary to act on her feelings towards Charlotte, following Molly's untimely death.

These sort of period based films are never an easy time for gay or lesbian couples. Mary and Charlotte had some form of domestic bliss until the latter had to go home. Charlotte's attempts to recreate that in her home with Mary went awry. Saying that, there's a nice final moment between both women in the British museum.

- Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot of course were real life people as was Charlotte. The movie doesn't cover their deaths.

- Alec Secăreanu, who played Dr. Lieberson previously appeared in God's Own Country as Gheorgie. 

- Standout music: Gesellschafts - Walzer, Op. 5, composed by Johann Strauss Sr.

- Chronology: 1840s, Lyme Regis, Dorset as well as London.

Ammonite (2020) isn't exactly a laugh a minute but it's a breathtakingly somber affair with dynamic performances between Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan. Both women are incredible to watch and have very strong chemistry. Francis Lee's writing and directing were on fine form.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

 

Written by David Reynolds And Chris Williams And Mark Dindal

Directed by Mark Dindal

Pacha: "Why did I risk my life for a selfish brat like you? I was always taught that there was some good in everyone, but, oh, you proved me wrong."

Kuzco: "Oh, boo-hoo. Now I feel really bad. Bad llama."

I'll admit that this movie was a recent watch for me. As someone who's a fan of Eartha Kitt, I do slightly regret not watching this one much sooner but what can you do?

In this movie, she's the scheming advisor/alchemist Yzma and she's out to take over the Incan empire. Considering that the emperor in question Kuzco (David Spade) actually sucks at being an emperor and thinks that tearing down a village was the way to celebrate turning eighteen, perhaps Yzma had a point.

Unfortunately for Yzma, she had a rather incompetent henchman in the form of Kronk (Patrick Warburton). Instead of killing off Kuzco, the latter ended up being changed into a llama and let's just say, it took Kuzco a while to prove he was capable of being a decent person.

It somewhat helped that he ended up being paired with villager Pacha (John Goodman). The whole Kuzco and Pacha dynamic made the movie. They're a fun pair who undermined one another as they gradually grew to rely on each other.

As a villain though, there's something delightfully menacing about Yzma. While she's not as iconic as other bigger Disney baddies, I liked how ruthless she got as things went along. Saying that, it took little for Pacha's family to get the better of her and Kronk's last minute heel turn somewhat became her undoing.

- Kuzco was named after Peruvian city, Cuzco. It still exists in the Andes mountains.

- Despite some similarities, it's not based on The Emperor's New Clothes.

- Standout music: My Funny Friend And Me and Perfect World, both courtesy of Sting and Tom Jones.

- Chronology: South American during the Incan empire.

The Emperor's New Groove turned out to be a fine 2000s addition to Disney animated movies. While I don't think it's a classic, there's plenty of fun to be had and Eartha Kitt unsurprisingly steals the show from David Spade and John Goodman, though they're good too.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of House Of The Dragon: "Salt And Sea, Fire And Blood"

 

Written by Ryan Condal

Directed by Loni Peristere

Jacaerys: "If you die."

Rhaenyra: "Then you will at last be king."

Oh, those words didn't age well at all. I knew going into this episode that Jacaerys wasn't long for the world and of course this was going to be the infamous Battle Of The Gullet. It's just that I found his death a little underwhelming.

For an opening episode, it's probably the weakest we've had of the three so far but there was still plenty to mull over nonetheless. Circling back to Jace, he was absolutely right in being sceptical about Alicent wanting to help Rhaenyra reclaim King's Landing. I wouldn't trust Alicent as far as I could throw her but unfortunately for Jace, his mistrust of her was unfounded. Oh boy.

Jace locking Rhaenyra in her chambers might have spared her life but it put him and Vermax in danger as well as Baela and Moondancer. The presence of Rhaena and her newly acquired dragon, Sheepstealer also made the situation even more of a disaster than expected. I'm not as mad at Rhaena as everyone else online seems to be but talk about a terrible first outing for both Rhaena and Sheepstealer.

The Battle of the Gullet definitely felt like it should've been the previous season finale. It's well executed and provided an opportunity for Lohar and Corlys to do battle with one another. I did find it oddly humourous that Lohar was quick to abandon the Greens, her own shipmates just to get some petty revenge. It did not end well for her by the way.

Focusing on Team Green, what a splintered they've become. Both Aegon and Larys ended up being captured by supporters of Team Black. I laughed when Larys ratted out their identities. That man's survival instincts were on point. In that particular scenario, Larys made the right call.

Then there was Aemond. He quickly took over the throne and in a stomach churning scene, kissed his own mother. Alicent had the decency to at least look disgusted, while quietly undermining her psychotic son and keeping her treachery under wraps. Even when Alicent was doing the right thing, she still created more carnage in her wake.

Continuing with the Greens, there was a new player introduced in the form of Ormond Hightower (James Norton). He's like a more tactical and competent version of Ser Criston, leaving Gwayne yet again as the only decent Hightower in the mix. I'm rooting for Gwayne to come out of this mess unscathed. Unfortunately, I very much doubt he will.

Back to the Blacks though, at least Daemon was able to take out some enemies and even gained new allies with the Winter Wolves, who are led by Roderick Dustin (Tommy Flanagan). The Blacks need all the help they can get and the Greens need to start losing some players.

- The title sequence has been updated with new aspects of the tapestry and new cast members of course.

- Alys had little screen time but she managed to make her presence known to the likes of Addam, Hugh and Ulf. We also saw a Green Man very briefly.

- Benjamin Evan Ainsworth appeared but is his playing the real Daeron Targaryan or a fake? His hair is more Hightower though.

- The circumstances behind Jack's death in the book are different from what the episode did. I don't mind the change too much.

- Are both Lannister twins dead now? Good on Gwayne for opposing the knight assaulting women. Typical that Criston didn't care.

- Chronology: Not long from the events of the previous season.

Salt And Sea, Fire And Blood felt like it was absolutely meant to be the finale to the previous season rather than the opening to this one. It plodded a little in the first half before it blew up big time during the actual battle itself. On reflection, I did like it a bit more than when I first watched it.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of My Adventures With Superman: "Mobile Suit Toyman"

 

Written by Angela Entzminger

Directed by Chris Palmer

Whip: "Your low income is real turnoff, Superman!"

Superman: "I am not discussing my personal finances with a super-villain."

Okay, this was an episode that had our Kryptonian duo put through their paces. Superman got the workout from a minor villain and Supergirl had more of an emotional turmoil to work through.

I'll go with Supergirl first. She's got feelings for Jimmy and while he clearly has feelings for her, Jimmy also encouraged Kara to keep her options open. Unfortunately for Jimmy, Kara's not short of admirers whatsoever.

Then there's the Super-Fest panel being moderated by Cat Grant. Cat certainly had a way of making Kara feel like she had no purpose. Fortunately for Kara, a young woman named Jessica Cruz (Auli'l Cravalho) was able to give Kara the much needed pep talk that she needed to hear.

As for Superman, he got to tangle with a low level criminal named Whip. I say low level but she also had access to Kryptonite and had problems using it to cause Superman much distress. Of course she was more annoyed by his financial status and altruism before Superman eventually got the better of her.

Last but not least, there was Lois Lane. She wasn't her best here but she managed to recognise that Toyman hadn't reformed and she pretty much goaded him into using his new suit. Toyman's actions also served as a way for Lex Luthor to get great publicity for Cyborg Superman. Lex certainly took everyone by surprise this week with that stunt of his.

- Jimmy's comic Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen had a villain version of Lois and didn't seem to impress Lex either.

- Jessica Cruz will be headlining her own spin-off, My Adventures With Green Lantern. Supergirl also "kidnapped" the actors from Challengers Of The Unknown for a brief moment.

- Bizarro cosplayed as Superman during Super-Fest. There were cosplayers for Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy as well.

- Chronology: Not long since the previous episode.

Mobile Suit Toyman was a strong second episode for both the Superman and Supergirl plots as well as Lex blind sighting everyone. Lois and Jimmy's scenes were a bit weaker but not by much.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Trial (1962)

 

Written And Directed by Orson Welles

Josef K.: "I only came here because I wanted to see if the inside of this famous legal system was as loathsome as I guessed it was. And now I'm too depressed to want to see anything more. I just want to get out of here and be alone."

Well, this was on my list of films from Anthony Perkins that I knew I needed to watch and I did late last night. Kafkaesque or what? 

It wasn't too long since his star making turn as Norman Bates that Anthony Perkins took on the role of office worker Josef K. With this role, he was playing a man who was being tried for a crime that he had no idea he had committed.

If you're hoping for clarity on the very nature of the crime that Josef K had committed, the one thing this movie committed to was not giving the audience any clue to it. There's no confirmation of what Josef K actually did to be put on trial whatsoever.

Throughout the movie and as Josef K's trial progresses and devolves, there's a myriad of characters that Josef K interacted with. On the romance front there's the likes of neighbour Marika Bürstner (Jeanne Moreau), and Leni (Romy Schneider) - the assistant to The Advocate aka Albert Hastler (Orson Welles). I hate to admit it but Perkins doesn't have any romantic chemistry with either woman.

The amount of people that interact with Josef K are numerous but memorable enough. The Advocate in particular served as a good foil while family members such as Uncle Max (Max Haufler) and Cousin Irmie (Naydra Shore) added some context to the type of man Josef K happened to be.

My favourite interactions were between Josef K and his landlady, Mrs. Grubach (Madeleine Robinson), Bloch (Akim Tamiroff) and the artist Titorelli (William Chappell). I think they're some of the strongest scenes but there's no interactions (bar the ones that unsuccessfully try to frame Josef K as a ladies man) that don't work.

Then there's the conclusion itself. Of course Josef K's trial wouldn't go in his favour and death was the only way it would end. It's a particularly brutal ending for him, though not entirely unexpected.

- Orson Welles did the opening and closing narrations as The Advocate.

- Yes, it's based on Franz Kafka's 1925 book of the same name with the chapter order somewhat different from the source material. Josef died differently in the book too.

- I definitely got more closet gay vibes off Josef K than the ladies man that Anthony Perkins tried but didn't succeed in depicting here.

- Chronology: Josef K was killed on the evening before his thirty first birthday.

The Trial (1962) did have an amazing central performance from Anthony Perkins in an adaptation that was relentless from start to finish. It's tense, brutal, took various turns and then landed that ending all too well.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Gaslight (1944)

 

Written by John Van Druten And Walter Reisch And John L. Balderston

Directed by George Cukor

Gregory: "I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were dangerous to me."

Brian: "I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were dangerous to her."

Okay, there's a version from 1940 of this particular movie that I will catch up with at some point but I had to skip ahead and watch this one first. I'm somewhat glad that I did.

Based on the 1938 play Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton, this version had the talents of Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman at the heart of this production. They're both exceptionally good as the gaslighting between the pair dominated proceedings.

Boyer took on the role of Gregory Anton, the accompanist to Paula Alquist Anton (Bergman). Paula was the orphaned niece o  recently murdered opera singer Alice Alquist. Paula also inherited Alice's home in London but her aunt's murder has become a trigger for her.

Gregory in public did appear to be the ideal husband, showing genuine concern for his wife's health. Privately and given the title of the movie, Gregory spent the entire movie gaslighting Paula, causing her no end of distress and rendering her into being a shut in. 

It also didn't help that Gregory would shamelessly flirt with Nancy (Angela Lansbury) while continuing to dim the lamp in order to mess with Paula all the more. Fortunately for Paula, at least had both the cook Elizabeth (Barbara Everest) and Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten) on her side.

There's something extremely gratifying in watching the table turn between Paula and Gregory when she eventually got the upper hand. Gregory's motives for what he was doing to Paula made sense for his character and he almost got away with it. 

- This was the first movie role for the legendary Angela Lansbury. She's great, even if Nancy isn't a particularly likable character.

- Both the opening and closing credits use a burning gaslight.

- Standout music: Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 by Frédéric Chopin.

- Chronology: 1875 in both London and briefly, Italy. Then there was a ten year time jump.

Gaslight (1944) turned out to be a superb adaptation with absolutely brilliant performances from Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten respectively. It's an absolute masterclass in cinema with George Cukor's direction being very on point.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Addiction (1995)

 

Written by Nicholas St. John

Directed by Abel Ferrara

Kathleen: "To face what we are in the end, we stand before the light and our true nature is revealed. Self-revelation is annihilation of self."

Was I in the mood for a vampire movie that was a long metaphor for drug addiction with a bit of Catholicism thrown into the mix? Funnily enough, I wasn't but for some reason, I decided to watch this movie.

I gotta be honest, prior to watching it, I had no idea this movie even existed. The joys of discovering old movies when going through apps like Plex, huh? Not that I'd say this was a particularly joyful movie to watch in itself.

Lili Taylor might be one of the most underrated actors around. Even when she plays a character that I don't particularly like, I always find her compelling to watch. The character in this movie was a philosophy student named Kathleen Conklin. What's so bad about Kathleen?

At first, she just came across as a fairly jaded student but her encounter with Casanova (Annabella Sciorra) turned Kathleen into a vampire and soon enough, Kathleen was a lot more than a jaded student. She was a woman who went philosophical while finding ways to sate her growing hunger.

This was where characters like Peina (Christopher Walker) and Jean (Edie Falco) came into play. Peina tried to show Kathleen that she could survive as a vampire without killing while Jean tried to be that good friend. Kathleen couldn't beat her addiction and Jean ended up becoming a vampire as a result.

There's a particularly gruesome orgy by the third act that seemed to be the wake up call that Kathleen wanted. By the end of the movie, she had gotten her own complicated sense of closure. It seemed an appropriate enough ending for her.

- Michael Imperioli appeared briefly as a Missionary that resisted Kathleen's charms. Both him and Lili Taylor were a couple at the time of this movie being made.

- Along with the use of Catholicism and drug addiction, allusions to HIV and AIDS were made too.

- Standout music: 

- Chronology: 1990s New York City.

The Addiction was a little bit different for a vampire movie. It's use of drug addiction and Catholicism are far from subtle but they're certainly effective enough. It's also one of the most interesting roles that I've ever seen Lili Taylor in.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Fright Night (2011)

 

Written by Marti Noxon And Tom Holland

Directed by Craig Gillespie 

Charley (re Jerry): "I'm gonna end him. Or he's gonna end me. That's how it's gonna be."

A couple of years ago, I reviewed the 1985 vampire classic, Fright Night and while I'm bypassing the sequel for now (I'll get to it later in the year), I found myself drawn to seeking out thr 2011 remake.

This version took a few different steps but ultimately, it's not too different from the original version. There's a single mother named Jane Brewster (Toni Colette) and her son, Charley (Anton Yelchin). They live in a seemingly normal neighbourhood and then they get a new neighbour.

The neighbour being the mysterious Jerry Dandridge (Colin Farrell). It's not before Charley and his estranged friend Edward "Evil Ed" Lee (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) realise that Jerry's actually a vampire. It also didn't take long before Ed became one too, having come afoul of the scheming Jerry.

From that point onwards, Charley's attempts to protect his mother as well as girlfriend Amy Peterson (Imogen Poots) were something of a challenge. Charley made a powerful enemy in Jerry and the latter had no problem showing Charley how powerful he truly was.

Fortunately Charley had a reluctant ally of sorts in Las Vegas magician Peter Vincent (David Tennant). Granted, Peter didn't immediately go out of his way to be of use. Things had to happen along with past traumas resurfacing for Peter to step a notch. Oh and then there was Amy being turned into a vampire.

As you can imagine, it played out similar enough with Jerry eventually getting his comeuppance and his victims being restored. For Charley, this meant being reunited with Amy and Peter getting a new perspective.

- Other actors who popped up in this movie included Dave Franco, Will Denton and Dee Bradley Baker to name a few. Chris Sarandon also appeared.

- Peter's parents were former victims of Jerry's. I hated the Russell Brand look for the character.

- Standout music: Brian de Mercia's Blank Sabbath.

- Chronology: Present day Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fright Night (2011) might not hit the same way as it's 1985 version but it's one of the better horror remakes from the 2010s. Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant are on particularly good form.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Matthias And Maxime (2019)

 

Written And Directed by Xavier Dolan 

Matthias: "Max, it'll be weird not having you around but you'll come back a different person. So, to Max."

About a month ago, I hadn't seen any of Xavier Dolan's movies and now, I'm reviewing the last one that he's directed for now. It's been an interesting few weeks venturing into this filmmaker.

This movie focused on two men - Matthias Rivas (Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas) and his friend, Maxime Leduc (Xavier Dolan). They're friends but the movie somewhat hinted at their relationship being deeper than that. There's a longing between both men going beyond a simple friendship.

Matthias has a nice girlfriend named Sarah (Marilyn Castonguay) and was a successful businessman. Maxime on the other hand worked as a bartender and had an alcoholic mother that he fought with. Then there's the kiss between both men.

This was a topic brought up when their wealthy friend, Rivette (Pier-Luc Funk) had his pushy sister Erika (Camille Felton) got both Matthias and Maxime to kiss for a film project she was doing after her actors had dropped out for it. Needless to say that stirred some awkwardness between the pair.

Then there was the bigger issue. Maxime was leaving for Australia for work and Matthias didn't want him to go. Matthias ruined Maxime's leaving do and then made things even weirder with a confusing sexual encounter between the pair.

Throw in a rather offbeat appearance from Harris Dickinson as Kevin McAfee, a client of Matthias and there's a last minute ditch attempt for our title characters to rekindle their romance. 

- Anne Dorval appeared in the movie as Manon. Maxime had a facial scarring that Matthias brought up in one awkward scene.

- Xavier Dolan dedicated this movie to Eliza Hittman, Francis Lee, Joel Edgerton and Luca Guadagnino. They directed coming of age gay themed movies.

- Standout music: Britney Spears Work Bitch, Pet Shop Boys Always On My Mind and Alex Cameron's Stranger's Kiss.

- Chronology: 2019 in Montreal. Both characters left for Australia at the last minute.

Matthias And Maxime was a nice look into a complicated friendship between the title characters. Once again, there's strong performances from the leads and strong chemistry from both Xavier Dolan and Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan (2018)

 

Written by Xavier Dolan And Jacob Tierney 

Directed by Xavier Dolan

Audrey: "This last letter suggests he was full of hope..."

Rupert: "Which is why I am sure you will understand that, for obvious reasons, that is the version that I chose to believe."

After having watching six movies in French and predominantly set in Canada, I was interested to see what Xavier Dolan would be like out of his comfort zone. This movie felt like it was an adaptation but it's actually an original idea, co-written with Heated Rivalry creator/executive producer Jacob Tierney.

Focusing on an interview with Times journalist Audrey Newhouse (Thandiwe Newton) and an actor turned author named Rupert Turner (Ben Schnetzer), this film would also focus on the titular John F. Donovan (Kit Harington). In particular, the relationship between John and Rupert, which certainly impacted both of them.

In his younger years, Rupert (Jacob Tremblay) was enamoured with John's role in a show called Hellsome High. It's an undeniably cheesy show and it made Rupert the source of ridicule from his more mean spirited classmates. I got my own secondary school flashbacks when I was obsessed with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and I remember reading a similar essay about the show itself, so a certain scene made me want the ground to swallow me up. I hadn't thought about that in a very long time.

Anyways, while Rupert had a sympathetic teacher in Miss Kureshi (Amara Karan), he had a more turbulent relationship with his mother, Sam (Natalie Portman). Sam was furious about Rupert's writing to John and her resentment over her acting dreams never taking off was something she projected onto Rupert. However both mother and son did make amends and Sam encouraged Rupert's acting aspirations.

Going back to John - although it did hurt Rupert's feelings, it's not hard to see why he chose to deny the correspondence between them. John was a closeted gay man that the press were constantly trying to out. His relationships with his wife Amy (Emily Hampshire), mother Grace (Susan Sarandon), agent Barbara (Kathy Bates) and lover Will (Chris Zylka) all suffered for it as did John's career.

It wasn't so shocking to learn that John's life went down the pan and that he died shortly after being fired from the show that made his career. It's tragic and there's a gorgeously written scene between John and an elderly man (Michael Gambon) that was easily the best part of the movie. There's a lot of great scenes in a partly uneven movie.

Audrey started the film being scornful over the idea of having to interview Rupert and the latter seemed to take a delight in challenging her snobbery. By the end of the movie, I got the impression that maybe a friendship between the two had developed. 

- Rupert did turn out to be gay. He even had a boyfriend played by Gijs Blom. The latter popped up briefly at the end.

- Jessica Chastain had a role as an antagonistic journalist but her scenes were cut.

- Standout music: Adele's Rolling In The Deep, Lifehouse's Hanging By A Moment and Green Day's Jesus Of Suburbia.

- Chronology: Set in 2017 in Prague. Flashbacks in mid 2000s England and America.

The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan isn't Xavier Dolan's strongest movie and there's a few scenes that I did find a little cringe (and one that gave me secondary school flashbacks). Saying that, there's strong performances throughout.

Rating: 7 out of 10