PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
Celine Sciamma’s passionate love story rates amongst the best of the year! It is also an articulate examination of art in the late 18th century France which follows the story of Marianne (Noemie Merlant), a free spirited Paris painter commissioned by a wealthy countess (Valeria Golino) to paint her daughter’s portrait.
Marianne nearly loses her canvas at sea before she arrives at this remote island in Brittany to meet her new employer. She has strict instructions to paint Heloise (Adele Haenel) but without her knowledge as the Countess intends to send her daughter’s portrait to Italy for a potential husband…
Sciamma’s exquisite, award winning screenplay creates fully fleshed characters in a world where men hardly feature. We hear about the wealthy Italian man that Heloise may marry by proxy while the loyal servant Sophie distressed by her pregnancy tries to find ways to lose the baby.
The performances are tremendous – Merlant and Haenel are sensational together and their passion for each other burns up the screen in grand fashion. Sciamma first came to prominence with WATER LILIES in 2007 and since then she has written and directed terrific female led features like TOMBOY and GIRLHOOD. Her elegant, intelligent new film is complimented perfectly by Claire Mathon’s stunning cinematography. Unmissable!
DARK WATERS
This compelling film based on true events follows the story of Rob Billott (Mark Ruffalo), a Cincinnati corporate environmental attorney, who puts his career on the line after he agrees to represent a farmer in a law suit against the giant plant corporation DuPont for dumping toxic waste in the fields which destroys crops and animals.
It is a David and Goliath story that lasted over a decade before any justice was achieved. This is an unusual project for Todd Haynes who is more known for his colourful melodramas like FAR FROM HEAVEN and rock extravaganza VELVET GOLDMINE. A dark subject that develops like a conspiracy thriller wisely underplayed by a superb cast especially by the brilliant Mark Ruffalo. A must!
THE INVISIBLE MAN
Australian director Leigh Whannell showed great promise a couple of years ago with his sci-fi chiller UPGRADE. He now delivers a thrilling new version of H.G.Wells’ classic novel which has been brought to the screen on numerous occasions since the thirties Cecilia Kass (Elizabeth Moss) manages to escape from the abuse clutches of her boyfriend or so she thinks, who even beyond the grave he seems to be stalking her every move…
A terrific thriller with a stunning Moss whose luminous performance lights up the screen. She is in practically every scene and carries the film in the most remarkable fashion while her determination brings to mind Sarah Connor in THE TERMINATOR.
One of the best directed thrillers out at the moment with terrific use of sound and a pulsating score from Benjamin Wallfisch.
TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG
A true cinematic experience superbly made by great visionary director Justin Kurzel. The familiar story of the Kelly Gang is now based on Peter Carey’s novel which examines the early years of Ned Kelly before he becomes the notorious Australian outlaw in the late 1870’s.
In the beginning Ted is a sensitive boy raised by his fiercely independent mother (Essie Davis) before he sets out all on his own in the wilderness. It is superbly photographed by Ari Wegner, the classy cinematographer of LADY MACBETH and here every composition is perfectly framed and a work of art. Man of the moment George McKay as the eponymous hero – made this before Sam Mendes’ glorious 1917- cements his reputation as one of the most exciting young actors working in cinema today!
DOWNHILL
It is quite rare to see a Hollywood remake that doesn’t erase good memories of the original. FORCE MEJEURE was a triumph for Ruben Ostlund, the award winning Swedish director who received plaudits for his perfectly crafted film before he made the equally compelling THE SQUARE. Now Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Will Ferrell are the married couple who travel to the Alps with their two sons for a skiing holiday. Everything is perfect until an avalanche heads for their open air restaurant…
Directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash plays this more for comedy especially in the presence of Will Farrell as the father whose actions during the avalanche has major repercussions with his relationship with his family. Louis-Dreyfuss gains more sympathy as the American attorney ready to sue anyone at a drop of a hat.
COLOUR OUT OF SPACE
This sci-fi horror based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft was screened at last year’s London Film Festival. It takes place at the remote farmhouse of the Gardners in rural New England where the serenity of this idyllic environment is disturbed when a meteorite crashes into their front yard.
It is suitably atmospheric and Nicolas Cage as the patriarch is curiously restrained until everyone around him including his loving wife Theresa (Joely Richardson) begin to get affected by the alien invasion…
A colourful psychedelic nightmare but still, It feels like an overextended short story despite clever designs and director Richard Stanley’s best efforts.
Also out this week:
PUSH: This dynamic documentary follows Leilani Farha, an Adequate Housing UN representative as she travels across the globe struggling to comprehend the unfair system that pushes the poor out of cities. She attends meetings around the world about this increasing crisis and in London she gets to know some of the Grenfell survivors who are still waiting to be re-housed following the tragedy over two years ago and there are now suggestions that they may be re-housed in other cities against their will. A film that needs to be seen especially by politicians and corporate businesses that abuse their powers!
MIDWAY: Roland Emmerich’s epic blockbuster (now available on DVD and on Digital download) revisits the heroic navy battle of MIDWAY in the South Pacific The apathy of the Americans in regard to Hitler’s rise and invasion of Europe comes to an end following the Japanese catastrophic attack on Pearl Harbour. Now the Americans have no alternative but to face the Japanese fleet in the Pacific in a battle that will soon change the course of war…It is an ambitious film with breath-taking GCI effects but lacking in tension and suspense. The attractive cast that includes Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Patrick Wilson and Luke Evans deliver “heroic” performances to match the action.
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