Review: Memoria

Any film with Tilda Swinton as the lead is an instant attraction for me. Her screen presence is quite something and I cannot recall a bad performance she has ever made.

With the film also being billed as having Sci-Fi elements, I was excited to see what this has to offer.

Sadly, I left disappointed, confused and yet I remained intrigued.

The film contains a lot scenes that essentially shows nothing happening. Whether it's the style of the director, or those lingering shots are meant to say something, it felt unnecessary for the most part.

The most interesting aspect of the story did make those lengthy parts have me pretty tense that something dramatic was about to happen. But the longer the film went, the less interested I became.

It does start with some promise. There are some solid set-pieces that pose potential ideas and topics that will be explored. But by the end, it lost me.

I thought Swinton did a solid job with what she was given. It was a convincing performance that certainly made me feel that there is something there in this story. But unfortunately, I couldn't quite grasp it.

I can see certain critics going nuts for this. But I think my feelings are what I I hear from praised art installation pieces where it is liked despite not knowing what it is saying to you at all.

Liking something for the sake of it being strange is not for me I'm afraid.

I will praise it for its cinematography, sound design and Swinton's performance. But I cannot give it a pass I'm afraid.

It was only until after seeing it, that I realised that director Apichatpong Weerasethakul was the same director who did 'Uncle Boonemee Who Can Recall His Past Lives'. If I had known about this going into it, then it is possible I may have been a bit more lenient on certain aspects.

But with an unclear narrative, it was a tough watch. I hope over time I can find something in this film that will make this watchable. For now, I cannot recommend this.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Intregalde

This was a bit of a strange watch overall. But nevertheless, there is stuff admire about this.

A part of me feels this was only half a story. But another part of me thinks was an interesting portrayal of how humans behave in these particular situations, and makes the audience think of what they would do.

It even teases us at time that it this break into a horror with dashes of comedy.

There are some good performances by the main cast. I can see Maria Popistasu being the next 'Ripley' like character in a major franchise as the character she portrayed felt strong-willed and very determined. The support by Ilona Brezoianu and Alex Bogan made them a memorable trio.

Stealing the scenes however, was Luca Sabin. Walking a fine line between annoying and hilarious made him stand-out for better and worse.

The imagery is solid and the landscape effectively transports you.

All in all, I'll give it enough of a pass despite me feeling it could have been much more. The strong engagement of the characters make this film work. But the tussle with the story and being undecided if it's good or not, stops me from going any further with my praise.

I cannot see it being a boring watch for a lot of people, but I don't think it has good re-watchability.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Mr. Bachmann And His Class

When a film is over 3hrs long, it is already facing an uphill struggle.

Certain demographics get put off by films with durations this length. So the question posed before the film, is does the film warrant its length?

I won't beat around the bush, as I'll say it's totally worth it.

Showing what seems like a year of a school group while focusing on a particular teachers classes sound so simple with great potential of being effective viewing.

A teacher's greatest part of their job is seeing the progress of a student and seeing them learn right in front of them. This films gives that and more.

This is such a heartwarming watch that took me back to my primary school days.

Seeing the personalities of all the different pupils, how certain ones connected well with others and how they were unknowingly such a strong group. 

It all just reminded me of the group I was in at primary school, where most of us where there from nursery all the way through to year 6.

Seeing them develop and learn was such rich content and makes you so happy as the way you see them in class and interact makes you want them to succeed as much as Mr. Bachmann wants them to.

For a film that is 3hrs 37mins long, this has to be recommended. It flew by, and that alone shows that the film clearly works.

Rating : 8/10

Review: Drive My Car

When I think of Japanese films, I think of anime, horror and crime thrillers. It's not often that I discover meaningful dramas outside of the 1950's and 60's.

While this one is most definitely a drama, it makes choices that almost give this genre new life.

The slow pacing and almost 3hrs duration does give this story time to stretch out it's narrative, characters and it's topics.

The way it opens is like it's hypnotising you and gradually absorbing you into this world. It also kept me guessing as to where this was as certain moments surprised and shifts in themes gave it an unexpected amount of depth.

Exploring topics such as grief, betrayal and the art of acting has put this film onto a pedestal that film studies will jump at and pick apart. 

It even messes with the conventional structure of filmmaking as it had me thinking the film was over after around 50 minutes.

The performances are all pretty strong. None of them are showy as the style and pacing all has them being subtle and nuanced. But they all gradually blossom by the end of it.

The dead pan look of everyone may not show anything on a surface level. But the strength of the writing by director Ryusuke Hamaguchi and the rest of the writing team gave them great conviction that resonated well with me. So props have to do Hidetoshi Nishijima, Took Miura, Masaki Okada, Yoo-Rim Par and Reika Kirishima especially.

This film has given me a weird feeling, because there is a lot to like and explore with this film. But I think the journey getting there felt too long for me and the execution with the pacing and extension on certain scenes was enough to slightly downgrade it unfortunately.

Even with this personal view, I am confident that certain audiences will be engrossed by this. There's a lot to discuss about this and it will be a great film to dissect. It's possible that I may rate this higher over time. So whether or not you like this, I will be surprised if you don't appreciate this.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Hope

Whilst expanding my knowledge of world cinema, films from Scandinavia really know how to work your emotions. I have certainly felt satisfied more than anything else when checking out films from this part of the world.

For this one, it does subtely build its foundations with a slow-burn beginning. The once a certain revelation is revealed, that then puts the film in motion.

For the rest of the film, every aspect is gradually elevated to a very moving and impactful finale. This reminded me a lot of a fairly recent British film 'Ordrinary Love'. The effectiveness of the situations portrayed on screen made it very grounded and authentic. I can see working with many demographics as many will have been part of similar scenarios.

The performances of the entire cast made this really work.  Andrea Braein Hovig was great in the lead. The reactions she gave during her character's struggles elevated the film's authenticity and the chemistry with Scandinavian acting icon Stella Skarsgard was incredibly believable. Despite the rest of minor cast not getting many moments to shine on screen, they all did their job of adding those small touches to make this the complete package.

All in all, this was a very emotional watch, with strong performances from everyone and many memorable scenes.

The way director Maria Sodahl and her team executed everything felt so gripping, it had me invested and on the edge of my seat praying no more bad news will be announced.

Yes, it's something we've seen before in film. But when it feels so real, it will always strike a chord with many people and this is no different.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Story Of Film: A New Generation

This is not your typical current film documentary style. The more lecture approach isn't seen that often, and I personally feel it would some spectacular content for it to compete with the more successful film documentaries.

This one does have a promising start. From the topics covered, to the examples used that feel relatable to me. I was certainly intrigued for what was being said.

But the longer it went on, the more the style felt monotonous and borderline tiresome. It is 2hrs 40mins long, and it did warrant for me by the end.

Plus, some of what being said felt almost pretentious on the levels of fellow film documentary 'Room 237'.

Despite its issues, I thought this was solid overall and interesting up to a point. As mentioned, I liked some of the films that they used to expand on their intros to each section and the topics covered will create great moments of discussion afterwards.

But ultimately, I see this best used as a piece to show 'Media Studies' students on the evolution of film and showing certain techniques that are forever effective.

Rating: 7/10 

Review: The Hand Of God

I've had mixed feelings with Italian director Paolo Sorrentine so far.

While his films are beautifully shot, the tone doesn't always work for me. I really like 'Youth' eventually and I appreciated the look of 'The Great Beauty', but never getting into the story that much.

I was surprised to see his latest project grab my attention from the very beginning. The cheeky and Italian banter style of humour and the charismatic characters made me feel like I was at the most fun party.

That build very strong foundations and I was there enjoying the rest of the ride.

There is emotional drama in there as well with moved seamlessly from the comedy. There were a few random sequences that were a bit surreal at times and some I wasn't how to react at all.

But whenever I had those moments of confusion, the cinematography by Daria D'Antonio was always there to make it look amazing. It was that level of camerawork that saw every frame look like a painting.

I felt this very strong piece of work and easily the best I've seen of Sorrentino's works.

It's funny, emotional and has small amounts of surrealness. There are some great performances by this quirky ensemble cast. Filippo Scotti was a great lead and carried the film like an experienced pro. Seeing the film from his point of view painted a great picture of life in 80's Naples. The chemistry with Toni Servillo and Teresa Saponangelo was authentic, sweet and a treat to watch develop.

A few other mentions have to go to the incredibly sexy Luisa Rangieri and Betty Pedrazzi.

As mentioned, it's a feast for the eyes. Naples looks fantastic and if it doesn't tempt to want to see it for yourself, then there's something wrong with you.

As a complete package, this is an effective coming-of-age story with themes of family, love and loss that I would happily watch again.

Rating: 8/10