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Reviews
Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
The Abbey Has a Leaky Room
True to form, the Abbey is showing its age. On the surface, it seems to be the same monument to class distinctions as seen in the beginning. But the place has aged along with its upstairs and downstairs occupants. Many promised character developments have been realized, but the big one remains in the air, dangling like a lure on a fishing line: the promise of a revitalized, reshaped aristocracy or class structure. The final episodes of the TV series indicated that such is inevitable, but in this film, it is forgotten. In its place is a curious notation about the new game in town: filmmaking. Warning: if you like "Singing in the Rain," you may cringe a little at one of the major plot points. Though not a waste of time, the film did not encourage me to return to the original series. That must wait for more of an invitation.
Thirteen Lives (2022)
A brilliant film
When Ron Howard gets his hands on a quality script with a hugely talented cast to support it, he doesn't go wrong. Yes, we know how the story ends, but that's irrelevant: getting to that end is what is worthy about this film and others like it. Kudos to all involved, especially the stunt men and women who made the leads seem so adept at diving. Kudos, too, for allowing the local citizenry to retain their language. And a massive kudo to the technicians who made the waterlogged cave seem not only real but genuinely frightening.
Finally, kudos to Daniel Boone and Rod McQueen for providing the actors with such a riveting screenplay. I would watch this film a second time if for no other reason than to explore how these two writers went about accomplishing their goal.
First Cow (2019)
A sacred cow
Two skeletons, discovered in each other's grasp, is the prompt for the question: how did two men come to be buried in such a fashion. There is the question, and the answer is long in coming, thankfully. This superb indie film is worthy of anyone's careful consideration. It poses so many ethical, commercial, and humanistic questions that it will leave you pondering it for weeks on end. Give it a go.
Dýrið (2021)
The horror of fairy tales
LAMB surprised me. It shocked me. It has given me an artistic challenge that refuses to be quelled. It haunts me weeks after seeing it. It makes me want to see it again. I probably will but not soon. Why is it that folk tales like this one seem inevitably to edge toward the dark side? The greatest of the Nordic myth-makers, Hans Christian Anderson, was bleak. But then, perhaps bleakness is the quality that is most desired. If so, LAMB is for you.
The Last Bus (2021)
Spall once again enthralls
I stumbled into this film by accident. Having Timothy Spall as the headliner in the cast was the draw, and I was not disappointed. In fact, I list this tiny British film as one of the best of 2022. Don't take my word for it: give it a go. I predict that you, too, will be as enchanted as I.
Persuasion (2022)
Better than ballyhooed.
Put Jane Austen aside and allow the film do what it sets out to do: tell a compelling story. If you want to trash a flawed depiction of an Austen novel, go to FIRE ISLAND. So, this Persuasion does not meet the purist's vision for an Austen novel, enough said. Now, look at its other attributes: a solid performance from Dakota Johnson, marvelous vistas of non-London England, a curious use of the camera as a confessional. All in all, I enjoyed this version of the story and recommend it for its virtues, not for its failings.
Don't Make Me Go (2022)
More to dislike than like.
There are sufficient reasons to dislike DON'T MAKE ME GO, beginning with the title, than to like it. The narrative overlay provided by Molly coming from her grave, the obvious heartbreak that the father is keeping secret from his daughter, the compulsion to test Molly's implanted "goodness" of heart and intentions, the absurd fist fight in the bar--all add up to uck time.
But Molly is so cute and the vistas seen in the cross country excursion are so compelling and the strength of John Cho's acting almost make the film bearable. Almost, not quite. There is still more to dislike than to like. But there are worse films out there.
Foreign Uncle (2021)
An unexpected delight.
My quest to find short films that exemplify the structural and character-driven narrative that I espouse has been met: "Foreign Uncle" fits the bill perfectly. Everything about this 20-minute film is exceptional and offers an excellent example for the study of all films, not just short ones. It isn't message driven though it offers a valuable lesson if one is required. It isn't overly populated with tried-and-true cliches, even though it contains a few, the right number. It isn't hard-nosed American, nor is it tight-fisted Chinese. It is human. And as a study of two cultures exploring one another, it feels not just right but down-right perfect. It isn't struggling with the good, the bad, and the desperate to be found in the Foreign Uncle or in the family he is visiting. Instead, it is a carefully observed commentary on the expectations of one group (the matrons) and the acceptances in another (the nephew). Watching Sining's splendid short film is probably the best twenty minutes that I've had in a long, long time.