FILM OF THE WEEK
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH 3D
The eagerly awaited third part of James Cameron’s spectacular franchise is finally here. The original AVATAR, which was made in 2009, broke all box office records and its 2022 sequel THE WAY OF WATER was equally successful.
The action takes place a year after Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) have settled with the Metkayina clan along with their family. They are still mourning the death of their son Neteyam until a new enemy shows its ugly face. It is Varang (Oona Chaplin), the vitriolic tribe leader of the Magnkwan clan also called the Ash People and to make matters even worse she joins forces with Jake’s old nemesis Quaritch (Stephen Lang)…
This is epic cinema of the best kind with breathtaking visual effects and truly remarkable performance capture sequences. It is visually stunning with many jaw dropping scenes both underwater and high up in the sky with continuous climactic sequences. It is an exciting but a very long film with a feeling of déjà vu. I particularly enjoyed the sequence where the sea creatures attack the villains but that is also an extension from the previous instalment.
This is big screen entrainment at its finest best experienced on the largest screen possible and in glorious 3D!
THE SUPER ELFKINS
This likeable German animated feature is inspired by August Kopisch’s poem, and it follows the story of Elfie, a free-spirited Elf who discovers that there is a rival, high tech gang on the block led by the daring Bo. Even though she is happy with her own clan, Elfie is seduced with the idea of a new adventure and soon enough she joins Bo’s clan for more excitement and thrills…
The dubbing into English is decent and is suitable especially for undemanding younger children who will find a lot of pleasure in watching the rival two Elkin clans fighting one another while being chased by a vitriolic policewoman and her mischievous cat.
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT
Mike P. Nelson’s remake of the 1984 slasher horror arrives in cinemas just in time for Christmas. A man dressed as Santa Claus murders little Billy’ s parents right in front of his eyes and this tragic experience scars him for life. When Billy (Rohan Campberll) grows up during the festive season, he follows the footsteps of the killer and begins a killing spree dress as Santa himself…
The original version focuses on Billy’s trauma during his years in an orphanage run by nuns whereas this one has a more supernatural feel and Billy’s murders are specifically chosen like the dreadful woman at a Nazi rally. The first one sparked a sequel, and this one inevitably is open for an encore. Fans of the genre might enjoy this more than I did!
BABY
Marcelo Caetano’s award-winning film follows the story of Wellington (Joao Pedro Mariano), an 18-year-old who gets released from a juvenile detention centre but is unable to find his parents’ whereabouts. They have moved away and he is now all alone in the streets of Sao Paulo. One day he enters a gay porn cinema where he meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), an experienced escort who takes him under his wing and changes his name to Baby…
The first half of the film is rough and sexuality explicit before it changes its tone when Baby travels to Rio in search of his mother. It is well observed with a strong central performance from Mariano who begins a long journey of discovery in front of our eyes and losing his innocence along the way. It is worth discovering!
SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE
Even though this is a totally different film, comparisons are inevitable with last year’s A COMPLETE UNKNOWN which told a slice of Bob Dylan’s life. Now Scott Cooper, the distinguished director of CRAZY HEART and THE PALE BLUE EYE adapts Warren Zanes’ book which follows the story of Bruce Springsteen during 1982 at the time when he was on the brink of international success. Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) is preparing his “Nebraska” album and is also flirting with the idea of “Born in the U.S.A” but first he needs to exorcise his own demons from the past…
It is an honourable project with a mesmerising performance by Allen White as Bruce but overall, it lacks fire and passion.
APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS
Petra Costa’s cleverly constructed documentary is centred around Brazilian politics of the last decade. It is a daring film that enters darkness and despair where religion threatens to eclipse democracy.
At the start of the film, Costa purposely plays devil’s advocate by following the brutal, right-wing campaign of televangelist Silas Malafaia and his plethora of blinkered followers. It is a scary prospect of an increasingly turbulent society before she switches her narrative into a much more liberal perspective offering a light at the end of a long and dark tunnel for a brighter future. (Netflix)
ETOILE
This ambitious television series follows the story of two ballet companies, its dancers and artistic staff. One is in Paris and the other in New York and in a desperate attempt to save their companies they decide to swap their most talented dancers…
It is superbly photographed in stunning locations with an elite cast that includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, as Genevieve Lavigne, the acting artistic director of Le Ballet National in Paris and Luke Kirby as Jack McMillan , the artistic director of the New York Metropolitan Ballet.
It is an enjoyable eight-part series, which may lose its momentum during the middle section, but it is worth seeing just for the thrilling, award-winning choreography alone. (Amazon Prime)
WEDNESDAY
Tim Burton’s gives THE ADDAMS FAMILY, which was originally created by American cartoonist Charles Addams, a new lease of life in this imaginative two season television series. He follows the adventures of Wednesday Addams (Jenny Ortega) during her student years at Nevermore Academy, and it is evident from the start that she has inherited much more than her eccentric parents’ (Catherine Zeta-Jones & Luis Guzman) ability for the macabre and the grotesque. She sets out to solve an unsolved supernatural mystery that has been haunting the Academy for years…
It is delightfully dark and deeply atmospheric with a strong ensemble of actors including Gwendoline Christie and Steve Buscemi as the creepy Principals past and present as well as the scene stealing Romanian magician Victor Dorobantu as Thing. It is superbly photographed and perfectly complemented by Danny Elfman’s magical score. Some episodes work better than others, but it is still one of the most imaginative series currently on TV. (Netflix)
Any feedback is welcome: georgesavvides@hotmail.co.uk