An Affair to Remember [AppleTV]

This 1957 rom-com starred two great leads who had fantastic chemistry that helped to sell the slightly implausible, but utterly fairy-tale romantic, plot. The banter between Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr was excellent, especially in the first half when they were on the cruise. However, once they landed in NYC, the film felt a bit more maudlin and less interesting with the two stars apart. Individually, they were good actors but together, they were more electrifying and fun to watch. It was a pity that the film did not try to give them more individualism as we explored their private life. Nonetheless, this film remained a classic and the blueprint for many a modern rom-coms. It was funny and touching, a romantic fantasy escape for all generations. Simpler times with simpler stories.

Da 5 Bloods [Netflix]

This film is possibly the year's first clear major Oscar contender. I see it already vying for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Original Screenplay. 

Spike Lee's latest film was a lot of everything. It was topical as it was entertaining; educational and yet thrilling. It had dramatic beats with worthy emotional payoffs, and also comedic moments that did not seem cheap. It had twists and turns and gunfights and bombs and laughs and tears. It was about brotherhood, and familial bonds; it was about secrets and guilt; it was about Black Lives Matter and the horrors of war. Perhaps the only thing that did not work was the shoehorning of a quasi-romance.

It was a long film, at 154 minutes, and with so many things on its plate, there were a number of discourses and the film definitely could have been more streamlined if Lee only stuck to the A-plot. But, the film was much richer because he did not and was much more interesting. The acting was also great all across the board with Delroy Lindo and Clarke Peters both being standouts, with Lindo being a potential Best Actor nominee. 

Lee co-wrote the screenplay and his influences and activism showed especially in the first act of the film. Although, undoubtedly, some Republicans and "President Bone Spurs"-supporters will be turned off by the political undertones. 

Lee's directing was superb and although the film was long, the pacing was great. It only lagged at a few moments, namely at the aforementioned romance (between Jonathan Majors and Melanie Thierry), which also highlighted Lee's weakness in writing female characters and authentic romances. This film definitely did not pass the Bechdel Test. And to be honest, the film did not require it, of if it did it should have been more all encompassing and included the females in all the characters' life which would have then made the movie even longer.

Lindo was fantastic in the lead role. From his first appearance as a MAGA-wearing, ex-GI to the film's closing moments, Lindo gave a captivating performance that felt rooted in plausibility. His was a complex character, holding on to so much emotional weight and trauma that it had begun to manifest itself outwardly and bled out into his physical behaviour. 

Peters was the other standout actor. He was the moral and emotional core of the story. A steady presence amidst the chaos, and a sympathetic audience surrogate. 

Other great supporting cast included Jean Reno in a great Trump-skewering role, Chadwick Boseman as the 5th Blood, and the always reliable Paul Walter Hauser in a bit role.

Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography was outstanding. The different aspect ratios used for different parts of the films was innovative and clear. The shots were beautiful especially of the gorgeous Vietnamese landscapes and also the odes to Apocalypse Now and Good Morning, Vietnam.

The score was by Terence Blanchard who also scored Lee's previous film, BlacKkKlansman. It was a fittingly beautiful and resounding score that helped to underpin the dramatic and adventure beats of the film, On the other spectrum, Blanchard's score, together with the soulful voice of Marvin Gaye, also helped to weave a lovely emotional tapestry that lifted and supported when the film got serious and honest.

This film would have been fantastic on a large screen, but Netflix would surely allow Lee's film to reach a wider audience. And in this climate, the film's message deserved to reach as big an audience as possible. Da 5 Bloods is a serious contender - more so than Lee's previous BlacKkKsman - and hopefully it can keep its momentum all the way to April 2021. #BLM

The Vast of Night [Amazon]

A fun, thrilling, little indie sci-fi film from first time film director and writer Andrew Patterson. It is always amazing what some talented film makers can do and come up with on a small budget, and that really gives you a sense of what kind of talent they are and what they can possibly achieve. In this case, Patterson direction and storytelling were his stronger suits than his actual writing.

This was a talky, 50s-era film set like an episode on Twilight Zone, and although there was a lot of bantering and rapid-fire cross-talking between the two leads - played by Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz - the quality of the banter lacked the energy, adrenaline, punchiness and zing of the likes of Joss Whedon or Amy Sherman-Palladino. 

However, Patterson really shone with the directing. The tension was ratcheted up appropriately and maintained, and the mystery unfolded slowly and with enough creepiness and dread to be engaging. The limited budget possibly forced him to limit the number of shoots and edits so there were lots of one takes and long, tracking shots which were used effectively rather than gimmicky. Although, somewhere between Act 1 and Act 2, there was an exhilarating, long, racing, tracking shot that was superbly done and sure to be Patterson's calling card for the big leagues. 

Similarly, his cinematographer, M. I. Littin-Menz will be a name to watch out for in the future. His lensing of the film was gorgeous and effectively fit the atmospheric mood of the film. 

It is quite exciting to spot talent early on in their career.

Acting wise, McCormick and Horowitz had chemistry together, but neither of them broke out. However, to give them credit, they did hold the film together in the opening minutes and before the film kicked into high-gear. And to be honest, the script itself was more narrative-based rather than character-based, therefore they had not much to work with. In addition, Patterson's direction to McCormick seemed to require her to be more reactive rather than being; and with Horowitz, it was more channel Dana Scully's sensibilities with Fox Mulder's dryness. It was the camera work that helped sell the story rather than the characters. 

At at breezy 89 minutes, this was an easy film to watch. It could even feel like, in this day and age, an extended episode of Black Mirror or Twilight Zone. But what Patterson and his team had achieved from their limited resources was incredible, and it will be very exciting to see what else he will come up with next.

Bad Education [HBO]

Fantastic performances by Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, who had superb onscreen chemistry, in this dramatisation of the largest public school embezzlement in American history. If this was a theatrical release, both Jackman and Janney will be definite shoo-ins for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominees. 

The film, on the other hand, was weaker than its stars. As with most true-story retelling (and even adaptations of popular novels), the cinematic tension and conflict will have to come from within the narrative or the characters, given that the audience would most likely already be aware of the final outcome. And in this case, director Cory Finley and screenwriter Mike Makowsky were not able to find a hook to fully engage the audience for them to care. Sure, Jackman's character was the lead but we never really got inside his head except for a few fleeting moments that were more due to Jackman's abilities rather than the story itself. It was the same for Janney's case, who had slightly more histrionic scenes and sold it much better than the materials that was handed her. 

The pacing was appropriate but it never felt like the story had any emotional or dramatic beats. It was more a retelling of an event rather than a fictional dramatisation of one; the premise was interesting, but the execution was flat. Other than the writing for the two stars, the rest of the of the writing was alternating between clunky, heavy exposition, and cringeworthy cliched.

Jackman was stellar. He held the screen and story together through all the faults. It was a perfectly fine-tuned, nuanced performance and a certainly a career best for him. He was a sociopath that was equally smarmy, charming, deceitful, manipulative, loving, caring and passionate. It was possible to believe all that in his portrayal of Dr Frank Tassone. Most people just think of Jackman as another Marvel superhero or that guy from Les Miserables, but many also forgot that his Logan was one of the memorable incarnation of a superhero and that Jean Valjean gave him his only Best Actor Oscar nomination. Not only that, he also gave great performances in The Prestige, Prisoners and even Eddie the Eagle. However, come the Emmys, his biggest challenger for the Best Actor in a TV Movie/Limited Series will be fellow Marvel superhero, the green-man himself, Mark Ruffalo for a fellow HBO production, I Know This Much Is True (one of the most devastating, perpetually sad and inconceivably heavy series about life, lost, death, mistakes...and ultimately hope).

Janney was ostensibly the lead actress in this film, but really she was a supporting character to Jackman. The early scenes between these two actors were the highlights of the film and Janney's downward spiral was a sight to marvel. However, it is hard not to feel like we have seen all that from her already. From her multiple Emmy wins as CJ in The West Wing and her most recent Oscar-winning turn in I. Tonya, it is almost starting to feel like we want another breakthrough from this undeniably thespian, and for her not to get typecast into a particular sort of role. There is a good chance she will get nominated for an Emmy for this role, but winning it will be challenging as she will most likely be up against the phenomenal ladies of Mrs America (a superb series that was riveting and educational given its subject matter - the Equal Rights Amendment - and had a seriously stacked cast of actress who all brought their A-plus game; Cate Blanchett might just get the Best Actress in a TV Movie/Limited Series for her turn as Phyllis Schlafly). 

The other main supporting cast included Geraldine Viswanathan who felt out of her league acting against Jackman and Janney, Ray Romano giving a very Romano-esque performance, and Annaleigh Ashford who did the best she could with what she was given.

The score was by Michael Abels and it was quite memorable although might not be entirely fitting for the film as a lot of time it stood out distinctively rather than assimilating with the look and texture of the screen. 

It is debatable whether it was the right decision for HBO to acquire this film. Given the current climate, it seemed likely that it will reach a bigger audience than a theatrical release. However, its cast did have a good chance of Oscar nominations which could have given the film legs to carry it through Oscar seasons.  Nonetheless, at a trim 108 minutes, this film was an easy and entertaining watch buoyed by great performances from its two leads.

13th [Netflix]

Educate yourself. Educate your children. Educate the people around you.

Bracing. Harsh. Terrifying. Honest. Brutal. Unbelievable. Shocking. Disgusted. Disbelief. Informative. Educational. Hopeful. These are just a few of the many words that suitably described this 2016 documentary by Ava DuVernay. And now, 4 years later, it is still relevant. Chillingly relevant.

As the documentary's tagline highlighted, "From slave to criminal with one amendment" and DuVernay and her interviewees strived to illuminate how America has gotten itself to its current - albeit 2016, although still extremely relevant in 2020 - state. There was a lot of information here and DuVernay had presented them in a clear, but not always concise, chronological order featuring a rotating cast of talking heads. 

The information provided comes from both sides of the partisan benches but not necessarily from both sides of the argument. DuVernay did try to insert some counter-balance into the documentary, but it was apparent from the editing that she had proportioned less weightage to those interviews. This document was an educational tool that leaned heavily on her point-of-view, which undeniably was where my own politics laid, but there was no space given for counter-rhetorics.  Nonetheless, it effectively accomplished its role in a brisk 100 minutes, i.e. to educate. Anything longer than that might strain the attention span of the ignorants, the casually curious, the on-the-fencers and lose recruits to her side.

Do listen to what DuVarney's interviewees have to say. They are not your typical celebrity activists, but, as their titles suggest, smart and invested people who are passionate about what they are saying and what they believe in. Perhaps, the only true "celebrity" will be Angela Davis, an icon of the Civil Rights Movement.

Do also watch the 30 minutes, Netflix-produced Oprah Winfrey interview with DuVernay after the documentary. It was equally illuminating and reassuring, and may answer a few questions that you may have had whilst watching 13th. Although DuVernany's mildly-rehearsed answer to Oprah questioning her about the ending of the documentary did help me to understand why it was ended that way, albeit I am still not entirely convinced that it was the right ending. 

Educate. Learn. Be Better.

Westworld (1973)

Back in 1973, this must have been one scary premise and Yul Brynner was one menacing gunslinger. Comparisons with HBO's Westworld series will be inevitable. Season 1 of the series followed closely to the central plot of the film but Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy clearly also expanded and deepened the mythology. In the film, nothing was really explained and the robots/hosts revolted assumingly because of some "computer virus". It was not explicitly stated whether they had actually gained sentience. In the end, this film felt more like a sci-fi horror rather than a sci-fi thriller. But at just a quick 88 minutes, this film was an easy and entertaining watch. 

Michael Crichton screenplay was effectively simple although the same could be said of his dialogue. Perhaps then it was a smart choice to make Brynner's The Gunslinger silent. However, that also led to many clunky, exposition-heavy exchanges between James Brolin and Richard Benjamin, and also from Alan Oppenheimer's Chief Technician/Supervisor. 

On the other hand, Crichton the director seemed to be having more fun. There were quite a number of fun scenes and tense moments. That final showdown was exciting and scary and riveting. However, at the same time there were also a few moments of excessive indulgent and unchecked quirkiness that seemed out of place. Regardless, having Crichton as the director of his own work likely did enable him to translate his vision more accurately to the big screen. 

To be honest, the acting here weren't great but the casting for our three leads were on point. Brynner was sufficiently creepy and enigmatic; Broslin was the handsome, suave, rich guy who treats Westworld as his own personal theme park; and Benjamin was the awkward newcomer, the audience surrogate, who ushered us into this new paradigm.The rest of the cast were rather unremarkable and easily forgettable.

Other than inspiring the Westworld series, the legacy of this film also includes another huge franchise. Crichton's further developed his theme of a theme park turning dangerous due to a "central malfunction" and 17 years later gave birth to Jurassic Park the book and three years after that, Spielberg's blockbuster hit that terrified a whole new generation, Jurassic Park the movie.

Zombieland: Double Tap [Netflix]

Missed this when it was on the big screen but looks like I did not actually missed much. The chemistry between our foursome was still intact and remained the main draw of the film. However, this sequel lacked the ingenuity and irreverence that marked the first film. The final act was great and the final action sequence kicked ass, but it was the meandering journey to that point that dragged. 

The spirit of the franchise was maintained but in its search for a deeper meaning, director Ruben Fleischer and his team of writer resorted to cliches and recycled tropes that were neither exciting or engaging. If not for the excellent banter (and chemistry) between Jesse Eisenberger and Woody Harrelson, and Emma Stone's droll, dry delivery, a lot of the lines would not have worked. 

Rosario Dawon was a welcomed addition and Zoey Deutch was surprisingly effective despite being annoying. Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch were thankfully only deployed for a limited period of time before they ran out of their welcome. 

Thankfully, the film only ran 99 minutes and had a strong ending, but another film to make this a trilogy is not necessary although the ending sure did leave that door open.

Stay through the credits for a great (seriously, better than film itself) mid-credits scene and post-credits scene. 

Network

Having had watched the fantastic stage play starring Bryan Cranston in Broadway last year, it was inevitable that comparisons would be made whilst watching this scarily prescient 1976 pitch-black satire. The biggest difference was that in Sidney Lumet's film, the three leads - Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch and William Holden - shared the screen almost equally with possibly Dunaway as the first lead. Whereas in the stage play, Cranston was ostensibly the lead with Tatiana Maslany and Tony Goldwyn (who has been aged down compared to Holden) as supporting characters. But what remained constant was the biting screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky which has hauntingly remained relevant now and chillingly foretold our current situation 40 years later. That was what made Network the play so relevant when it was staged.

Chayefsky's screenplay remained, to this day, a staggering tour de force. A bitingly funny satire not only about the newsroom, but also about how we consume culture and information. And the most piercing thing about it was that it was staggeringly relevant back in the 70s and still so bloody accurate in the new-20s! Our obsession with social media, the internet and fast culture simply replaced the 70s preoccupation with television and the burgeoning pop culture. So many great lines in the film and so many of them remained prescient and true till now.

Lumet's direction kept the film going at a brisk pace. The emotional entanglements never bogged down the satirical commentary and the supporting players like Robert Duvall (so very Duvall!), Ned Beatty and Marlene Warfield helped to keep the tempo going in their own scenes. Although Lumet did tend to veer towards the melodramatic at some points. 

Finch, a Best Actor Oscar winner for this role, was great in his role as Howard Beale who brought a different energy to Beale as compared to Cranston. Finch appeared to be more of a desperate, resigned revolutionary compared to Cranston's angry and ready-for-change prophet. Regardless, Finch was arresting and when he rants, he commanded the screen and everybody's attention.

Dunaway, also an Oscar winner for Best Actress, stole the show. For all of Finch's bluster and showboating, he was decidedly one-note. Dunaway, on the other hand, was a full blown concerto, a heady mixture of adjectives: brassy, uncompromising, brash, rash, sexual, smart, vulnerable, cynical. Here was a female character way ahead of her time and unapologetic for it. Kudos to Lumet, Chayefsky and Dunaway for giving life to this amazing character! Dunaway owned this film and very much deserved for Oscar for it. It was a pity they did not match her up against Finch. 

Holden, a fellow Best Actor nominee, had the quieter role. His Max Schumacher was more reserved and less showy, but was the emotional heart of the film. He represented the people of the older time who still cherished real emotional connect and not just the fleeting highs (and lows) offered by pop culture (and internet binges). His breakup scenes with Dunaway and Beatrice Straight (a Best Supporting Actress winner for an emotionally showy 5-minutes appearance) was an achingly honest bit of emotional vulnerability in a bleak tragicomedic satire.

Network was an utterly engaging and fascinating film to watch with a solid cast to match. A bleakly dark satire that delivered an emotional gut punch and (uncomfortable) laughs as it sent chills with its breathtakingly prescient insights.