Is Diamantino going for hard-hitting social
commentary? Eurozone political satire? B-movie send-up? I spent the first half
of the film (written and directed by Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt)
eyeing the title hero with as much skepticism as those who surround him in the
movie. By the end, though, I found it impossible not to root for the surreal
star and his message of love, acceptance—and fluffy puppies. (Make that very
surreal.)
Diamantino (Carloto Cotta, whose captivating presence keeps
the film’s high-concept oddities aloft) is Portugal’s star soccer player. His skills
on the field are rivaled only by his childlike naivete, at least until the
superstar’s insular bubble gets popped by a succession of professional and
personal tragedies.
As the world beyond soccer infiltrates Diamantino’s Zen-like existence, he becomes enmeshed with—in no particular order—the refugee crisis, evil twins, the Portuguese Secret Service, a shadowy genetics conspiracy, Portugal’s place in the European Union and the rising tide of right-wing nationalism. Also giant puppies.
Abrantes and Schmidt clearly have a lot going on in the
tight script, but it’s a testament to the film’s good nature and convincing
leads (including Cleo Tavares as Diamantino’s adopted “refugee”) that the humor
lands more often than not, at least before the satire gives way to mysticism
with a detour through B-movie body humor. (Again, a lot going on.)
Not only is Diamantino funny, it’s also beautiful… at
least in its own fleeting way, before the film is just as likely to veer back
to deliberately cheesy sci-fi effects. But Cotta finds a way to redirect the
celebrity satire of Diamantino into tenderness, even when it’s something as
achingly funny as the soccer star putting his head down on his own branded
bedsheets.
For a film that hinges on so many hot-button current events, the unifying message that coalesces in the final act comes close to feeling like a cop-out. But even when it stumbles, Diamantino earns its cult status just for being so committed, so sincere, so weirdly joyous. And so unlike anything else you’re likely to see this year.
Kenneth Branagh and William Shakespeare have become synonymous with one another in the world of cinema. As a director, Branagh has made five of The Bard’s plays into movies, and in many of them, he’s joined the cast. It’s fitting that Branagh finally ends up playing Shakespeare himself in All is True.
In 1613, Shakespeare’s beloved Globe Theatre burned to the ground. Left without a homebase to stage his momentous plays, William Shakespeare returned to his country home. There, he’s “greeted” by the wife (the always amazing Judy Dench) and daughters he left behind while making his name in London. Away from the stage, Shakespeare struggles to come to terms with the legacy he’s created. The loss of a child haunts him, and the inadequacy instilled in him through his father bubbles to the surface and forces the famous playwright to face a life of personal mistakes.
Shakespeare was known for having his distinct tragedies (MacBeth, Othello) and comedies (Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It). The beauty of All Is True is how well Branagh intertwines both genres. The tragedy of losing a child never threatens to overwhelm the film nor do some of the “sillier” elements, such as the fascination a neighbor’s dog finds in William. The balance in tone doesn’t come easy, but it certainly keeps the film interesting.
There’s a casualness to All Is True that is very inviting. It’s a film that’s never in a hurry, but also doesn’t overstay its welcome. Scenes are allowed to breathe in a way that feels like you’re watching an intimate stage play—the epitome of this being a breathtaking scene between Branagh and Sir Ian McKellen. It’s a scene that consists mostly of tight close-ups, set in one location, and it’s riveting.
It’s no surprise that Branagh nails his portrayal. His William Shakespeare is a man that understands his legacy even if he hasn’t completely come to terms with it. Without his work, he’s a man that’s chasing happiness—a happiness he’s never been able to find as a husband or father.
By humanizing the world’s most famous playwright, All Is True tries to move past the legend of William Shakespeare and comment on the inner workings of the man himself.
Hey, remember back in ’06 when director Brett Ratner and writer Simon Kinberg crashed the X-Men franchise into oblivion by telling the story of how the perpetually boring Jean Grey was really the most powerful of all mutants, plus maybe she was bad, and not even the love of two good mutants and the misguided belief of Dr. Charles Xavier could save her?
You don’t?! Because it was so bad it tanked the promising series until director Matthew Vaughn revived it five years later with Ashley Miller’s clever time warp, X-Men: First Class. Then there was another good one, then a terrible one—basically, we’re back on that downside of this cycle.
So why not put some polish on that old turd about Jean Grey, and this time give it the overly ominous title Dark Phoenix?
Some elements are the same: Jean’s powers are beyond anyone’s control and there’s a dark power that’s overtaking her. But this go-round, writer Kinberg also makes his feature debut behind the camera, spinning a yarn with more aliens, more girl power and less Wolverine.
The writing is just as bad, though.
How bad? Exposition and inner monologues continually jockey for position, with lines bad enough to choke even the bona fide talent of Jessica Chastain, who joins the fray as alien leader Vuk.
Sophie Turner returns as Jean – the role she took on in 2016’s abysmal X-Men: Apocalypse – with little more charisma than she wielded three years ago. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence all also return because, one assumes, contracts are contracts.
There’s really no excuse for a film with this cast to fail, but Kinberg’s story weaves and bobs with no real anchor, all the veterans repeat the same old conflict/guilt/resolution spirals and the newbies simply lack the charisma to draw attention away from the weakly choreographed set pieces.
Okay, some of the mutant vs. alien throwdown on a moving train has zip, but it’s too little, too late.
By then the attempts to make us care about a character that’s always been lacking in investment – for us and these X superfriends – have pulled up lame.
To paraphrase social historian Regina George: Stop trying to make Jean Grey happen, she isn’t going to happen.
I’ve never understood people who prepare for the end of the world: those who stockpile supplies or buy secret caves in the wilderness (I knew a woman) to survive nuclear war or the zombie apocalypse. I’ve always thought if the world ended in some horrible way, I wouldn’t want to stick around. If we’re in a Thunderdome scenario in the future, count me out.
However, in writer/director Noble Jones’s film, The Tomorrow Man, Ed Hemsler (John Lithgow) is readying himself for the inevitable end of days. Spending his time on online message boards, watching the news, and gathering supplies at the local grocery store, he’s as prepared as one can be.
Into his well-organized life comes Ronnie (Blythe Danner). Ed immediately thinks he recognizes the signs of a fellow “prepper” and begins an unusual courtship to which Ronnie is receptive.
The film suffers from an abundance of quirkiness. Jones seems to be trying for a vibe similar to Moonrise Kingdom, but where Wes Anderson wisely chose children to convey the magic of new love, Jones focuses on two elderly adults who act more like children than grown-ups. Watching the two characters connect brings more questions on the wisdom of them living independently than any sweet enjoyment of their budding December/December romance.
Lithgow is endearing as the over-prepared Ed. Divorced and estranged from his grown son, it’s impossible not to root for Ed as he woos Ronnie. However, Danner seems as lost in her role as her character Ronnie is lost in life.
The supporting roles offer very little to the story, and no one is offered any opportunity to grow. These characters are the same people at the end of the film as they were at the beginning. Perhaps if Jones spent less time telling us about all of the characters’ various foibles, we’d get a meatier story.
There are a few comedic moments, but not nearly enough to balance the tedium of watching two peculiar people try to build a relationship. Everything about that relationship, like the film’s idiosyncrasies, feels forced. It’s unfortunate when we’ve seen the formula work before.
Sadly, The Tomorrow Man tries too hard to be something it’s not.
Not the strongest week in theaters, sad to say. This week we break down Dark Phoenix, Secret Life of Pets 2, All Is True, The Tomorrow Man and all that’s fit to watch in home entertainment.
Illumination, the animation giant behind all things Minion, returns to their blandly entertaining dog franchise for the blandly entertaining sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2.
In the 2016 original, Louis C.K. voiced a neurotic terrier named Max who needed to loosen up a little once his beloved owner brought home a huge, lovable Newfie mix (in a NYC apartment?!). And while life lessons were the name of the game, the real gimmick was to take the Toy Story approach to house pets, giving us a glimpse into what they’re up to when we’re not around.
Because we really don’t want to associate him with children anymore, C.K.’s been replaced by Patton Oswalt, whose Max has all new reasons for anxiety. There’s a new baby, whose presence suddenly reinforces all those fears about the big, scary world.
In a move that’s as disjointed as it is interesting,
returning writer Brian Lynch sends Max, Newfie Duke (Eric Stonestreet) and
family on a trip to the country, creating one of three separate episodes that
will eventually intersect. Well, crash into each other, anyway.
The main story deals
with trying to alpha Max up a bit with some problematically “masculine”
training by way of farm dog Rooster (Harrison Ford), who, among other things,
disregards therapy as weakness.
Basically, Lynch and director Chris Renaud think we’re all a
little too precious (the clear message of the original) and what they’d like to
do with their sequel is beat us about the head and neck with that idea.
Meanwhile, back in NYC, Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) and
Chloe the cat (Lake Bell – the film’s deadpan bright spot) train to retrieve a
chew toy from a crazy cat lady’s feline-overrun apartment. And separately,
Snowball the bunny (Kevin Hart), believing himself to be a super hero,
befriends Shih Tzu Daisy (Tiffany Haddish), and together they save a baby tiger
from an evil Russian circus.
For real.
That last bit gets seriously weird, I have no idea what they
feed this baby tiger the whole time, and on average, the actual lessons learned
are troublingly old school (read: conservative).
Teaching boys that pretending they’re not afraid so they can
take charge of every situation = literally every single problem on earth right
now. So let’s stop doing that.
Otherwise, though, Illumination offers yet another blandly entertaining, cute time waster.
The Souvenir rests at the hypnotic intersection of art and inspiration, an almost shockingly self-aware narrative from filmmaker Joanna Hogg that dares you to label its high level of artistry as pretense.
It is an ode to her craft and her experience, reflecting on both through an autobiographical tale of hard lessons learned.
Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne – Tilda’s daughter) is a young film school student with a privileged background and a cautiously supportive mother (played, of course, by Tilda, who’s customarily splendid). It is the early 1980s, and Julie has high aspirations for projects that will mine truths she has yet to experience.
That changes when she begins a relationship with Anthony (Tom Burke) a complicated older man who preys on Julie’s naivete.
Hogg lays the relationship bare, literally opening her diaries and projects for a portrait of the artist on her own unapologetic terms.
While other cast members had scripted dialog, Byrne worked improvisationally from Hogg’s own journal, with Julie’s student films also closely resembling those in the director’s past.
In her first major role, Byrne is tremendously effective (which, given her lineage, should not be that surprising). In her hands, Julie’s arc is at turns predictable, foolish and frustrating, yet always sympathetic and achingly real.
The intimacy of Hogg’s reflection on a toxic relationship is worthy on its own, but her story’s added resonance comes from its unconventional structure, and the brilliantly organic way Julie’s thoughts on filmmaking tell you why that has to be.
The Souvenir is finely crafted as a different kind of gain from pain, one that benefits both filmmaker and audience. It is artful and cinematic in its love for art and cinema, honest and forgiving in its acceptance, and beautifully appreciative for how life shapes us.
Our friend is looking to buy her first home and our only
advice was probably the same advice she got from everyone: check the basement
for the gateway to hell. That always causes trouble for new homebuyers, doesn’t
it?
Indeed, these netherworld exits and entrances don’t exist
only in suburban basements. Nope, you can find them anywhere. In fact, you can
even create your own. No idea why you would want to do that, but (assuming
horror films are how-tos), it can be done. Which are the best gateway to hell
horror movies, you ask? Luckily, we’ve done the math.
5. The Ninth Gate (1999)
A bunch of films nearly had this fifth slot: Amityville 3D (mainly so we could make fun of Laurie Laughlin), The Gate and its Harryhausen influences, Event Horizon’s blackhole to hell. But we landed on The Ninth Gate because we love Frank Langella and Lena Olin.
Johnny Depp plays a sleazy rare books dealer in Roman
Polanski’s adaptation of Arturo Perez-Reverte’s novel. Depp’s Dean Corso falls
into a mysterious adventure of finding and appraising three volumes allegedly
co-authored by Satan himself (or herself?).
Maybe the element of this film that makes it more
interesting than it might be is that, while the humans longing for the
knowledge in these volumes are terrible people, the film doesn’t seem to find
Satanism (the real worship of an actual Satan, not today’s activism branch) a
potentially worthwhile activity. Satan (Emmanuelle Seigner, Polanski’s wife) is
also an interesting character—in concept, anyway.
Plus, black masses! Love those!
4. The Beyond (1981)
Lucio Fulci was really preoccupied with the gateway to hell. He produced an entirely worthwhile trilogy on the topic. And while City of the Living Dead and House by the Cemetery have their charms (well, for one of us), The Beyond is by far the most entertaining of the three.
As is always the case in Fulci films, the dubbing is half
the fun, here unintentionally aiding in the overall surreal quality of the
picture. Liza Merrill (Catriona MacColl, who stars as different characters in
each of the three Gateway films) has inherited an old Louisiana hotel from her
dead uncle.
Guess what’s in the basement?!
Silly, gory as hell, hypnotic and oh-so-Fulci, The Beyond is a dreamy peek into hell. The clashing accents and lack of logic only strengthen the vibe.
3. Insidious (2010)
Yes, technically this one takes place in “The Further” – but
we don’t buy that this creepy red guy plays organ in limbo or purgatory. We’re
going with hell.
Director James Wan and writer (and co-star) Leigh Whannell launched
a second franchise with this clever, creepy, star-studded flick about a haunted
family.
Patrick Wilson (who would become a Wan/Whannell staple) and
Rose Byrne anchor the film as a married couple dealing with the peculiar coma-like
state affecting their son, not to mention the weird noises affecting their house.
But what makes this particular film so effective is that we get to go into The Further to reclaim the lost soul. It’s a risky move, but these filmmakers do what few are able to: they show us what we are afraid of.
2. The Sentinel (1977)
Journeyman writer/director Michael Winner helmed this weird
little gem about a damaged young woman and her journey toward the only destiny
that can save her.
It starts, as these things so often to, with the search for
a new place to live. New York model Alison (Cristina Raines) is offered an
incredibly great rate for a gorgeous NY brownstone apartment.
Is it the gateway to hell? Yes, but NY real estate being
what it is, she takes it.
Look at this cast: Burgess Meredith, John Carradine,
Christopher Walken, Ava Gardner, Jerry Orbach, Jose Ferrer, Beverly D’Angelo
and Chris Sarandon, mainly playing the various and fascinating demons hoping to
throw poor, fragile Alison off her path.
Meredith in particular is a magnificent Satan.
1. Baskin (2015)
Welcome to hell! Turkish filmmaker Can Evrenol invites you to follow a 5-man
police squad into the netherworld, where eye patches are all the rage,
pregnancy lasts well under the traditional 40 weeks, and you don’t want to
displease Daddy.
The serpentine sequencing of events evokes a dream logic
that gives the film an inescapable atmosphere of dread, creepily underscored by
its urgent synth score. Evrenol’s imagery is morbidly amazing. Much of it only
glimpsed, most of it left unarticulated, but all of it becomes
that much more disturbing for its lack of clarity.
As is always the case, the real kicker is the Satan character. Here, central figure Mehmet Cerrahoglu’s remarkable presence authenticates the hellscape. Evrenol’s imaginative set design and wise lighting choices envelope Cerrahoglu, his writhing followers, and his victims in a bloody horror like little else in cinema.
