Burning 버닝

Lee Chang-dong successfully and faithfully translated Haruki Murakami’s beautiful, poetic prose to the screen. 

A slow-burn psychological thriller / character study that weaved an ambiguous narrative with haunting imageries. There are cats, jazz, running and even a sprinkle of magical realism, but all yet grounded in Lee’s reality of KPop, societal isolation, the desolation of youth and the dichotomy of classes. 

Three actors held “Burning” together, and although Steve Yeun and Jeon Jong-seo were great in their role, especially the latter who had a haunting yet magnetic presence, it really was Yoo Ah-in’s story that Lee was telling and Yoo was exceptional. He was emotive without being exaggerating, and sincere without being superficial. And through the film, we do end up caring about him and for him.

Burning was possibly one of the best Murakami’s adaptation and rewarding for both fans of Murakami and cinephiles.

Avengers: Endgame

One word: Epic. Two words: Fan Service. 

Nonetheless, kudos to the Russo brothers and Kevin Feige for crafting a fitting finale that never felt at all like it was 3-hours long. An unabashed fan service final film that daftly balanced character work, action/CGI extravaganza, emotional drama and physical comedy. However, as epic as Endgame was, it was surprisingly a tighter ensemble drama than Infinity War. There were emotional payoffs that felt earned, although ultimately the story - and the storytellers - lacked the bravery to have more consequential narrative beats.

The film was neatly divided into three acts and each act could easily have been a movie unto itself. This was good in terms of structure and storytelling. It was clear, objective and succinct, but then it also resulted in briefer and narrower character arcs that did not allow non-major characters to be anything more than narrative devices or plot contrivances. And it was this that made the film felt fan service-y. But, this film/franchise was for the fans...we cannot deny that or complain about it.

Narratively, there were a couple moments that zigged when you'd expect it to zag, and that was surprising and rather well done. Initially, the story never actually went where you'd expect it to go (especially, if like me, you had been absolutely spoiler-free). However, by the end of the first act, things got more predictable - still fun, but predictable. And that predictability stayed till the end which dulled some of the more emotional beats. As aforesaid, nothing truly consequential or unexpected happened in the end.

There were lots of hero moments, and my fellow theatre-goers were great sports! Lots of whoops, claps, and ooooohs. But the best kick-ass moment happened at the final climatic scene. Woo hoo!

And as for the final battle, it was well-directed, and every hero got a chance to shine but...back to the beginning...fun, epic, predictable and inconsequential.

The three leads were ostensibly Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth and this film was essentially culmination of their respective films and the end of their story for this Phase of the MCU (or as Marvel calls it, the Infinity Saga). They get the most screen time and the most significant character developments, and it really did pay off for the fans. Especially for Iron Man and Thor, the Russo brothers honoured their history whilst forging a suitable ending to their arcs.

The second tier actors would be Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and surprisingly Karen Gillan. Johansson, Renner and to a lesser extent Gillan carried the heavier emotional weight of the film, whereas Ruffalo and Rudd (and Bradley Cooper's Rocket) were more comic relief. And that was a great balance.

Speaking of comedy, Hemsworth’s and Tessa Thompson’s comedic talent should really make the new Men in Black worth a watch!

These last two Avenger films were clearly different from the first two Joss Whedon entries. They got larger in scale and more epic, but smaller in character moments. And although Endgame tried to address it, eventually it still became a big comic book-wide, universe-wide, battle against the bad guy. The first Avengers film was more about a group of heroes learning to work together to defeat an intergalactic threat; this last film was about a group of heroes already working together to defeat an intergalactic villain. That slight difference altered the tone and dynamics of the films. 

In all, the Infinity Saga was an exciting experience with a satisfying conclusion. It will be exciting to see how the MCU continues on after this. Who will be anchoring the next Saga?

PS: There are no mid- or post-credits scenes...at last!

A Private War

This was the film and character that Rosamund Pike deserved to get nominated for an Oscar for. She should have been there along side Olivia Colman, Yerlitza Arpacio and Glenn Close (the other two - not naming names - not so much). 

A strong, ferocious portrayal of the equally strong and courageous Marie Colvin, Pike was magnetic. It was a vanity-free performance that was layered and nuanced and convincing. 

The biggest drawback however, was that director Matthew Heineman and writer Arash Amel chose to focus primarily on Colvin’s career and less on who she was and why she was how she was. Luckily, Pike managed to elucidate some of that of mystery through her interpretation and her performance, and we do get some sort of idea of the kind of person Colvin might have been in private. 

Jamie Dornan, Tom Hollander and Stanley Tucci rounded out the main men supporting Pike, and they all sparred with Pike to give her the moments to shine. 

Heineman’s film was tight, brisk and taut and Colvin’s story was told with little over the top dramatics or saccharine manipulations. But, nonetheless, the message of the film was clear. Thank you to all the journalists that do what they do. 

Thank you.

Vox Lux

An uneven film that was unsure of its purpose, does it want to be a satire about pop and celebrity culture or a family drama of two sisters or a social commentary about America and/or modern society? 

Director and co-writer Brady Corbet seemed to want to be experimental but the final product just ended up being unfocused. And was the Wilem Dafoe narration really necessary? Show, not tell...

However, Natalie Portman was magnificent! This was her film. 

Portman appeared in like a tornado in the second half and absolutely Black Swan-ed her way from start to end. With her, the film finally gained some momentum and even Corbet’s unnecessary and indulgent long takes were improved by having Portman owning the screen. 

Raffey Cassidy - as the young Portman and then her daughter - held her own in the first half, but she lacked the screen charisma of Portman. 

Jennifer Ehle, Jude Law and Stacey Martin rounded out the main cast. They supported Cassidy and the film in the beginning but were there really in service of the Cassidy’s character; with Portman, they raised their game and became proper characters and individuals. 

This was Portman’s film and truly one of her best performances. That finale, again unnecessary long by Corbet, was so brilliantly owned by Portman! She utterly deserved to have had some recognition for this phenomenal, alternative “A Star is Born” performance. If Lady Gaga could get Oscar noms, Portman and songwriter Sia were definitely snubbed. Unsurprising though, as this was a much harder film to sell and like.

Dumbo

A true family-film and crowd-pleaser. The first, proper four-quadrant winner of 2019. An absolute delightful mix of Disney nostalgia and Tim Burton aesthetics. Burton's storytelling was a perfect fit for Dumbo and this will surely appeal to children and also their Gen X/Y parents who still remembered the 1941 cartoon and Burton back in his heydays of Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands.

Gorgeously shot with beautiful visuals and a great score, this was Burton and Danny Elfman at their best...finally, again! Kudos to cinematographer Ben Davis who is doing better work here than he did for MCU. Maybe he should work with Burton more.

Dumbo was funny, touching, scary, exciting, tense, exhilarating, and most of all, simple. True, it was a bit too simple (but hey, we do not need to complicate it for children) and the screenplay by Ehren Kruger was the weakest link. Some of the heart and sincerity of the original's story telling got lost by expanding the film to nearly 2 hours. However, the simplicity of the story allowed Burton's visuals to shine through which it does and often eclipsed it. Burton expertly - and unashamedly - manipulate us with Dumbo's big, wide, expressive, fall-in-love-with-me-and-never-leave-me eyes. And those damn children.

Burton's aesthetics was a perfect fit for this retelling. From the gorgeous opening sequence to the nightmarish climax, this film was entirely, 100% pure Burton. He never shied away from tugging at the heart strings, but neither does he flinch from shining a light on darkness. There were so many outstanding sequences which really captured the magic of Disney and the encapsulates the power of film. You do feel like a child again.

That Pink Elephant sequence...outstanding!

Consequently, the acting played second fiddle to style and effects, but Collin Farrell, Eva Green and Danny DeVito more than held their own, with Michael Keaton chewing the scenery and Alan Arkin stealing his scenes. Nico Parker is a carbon copy to her mother, Thandie Newton, and I do hope that if she pursues this career will be as accomplished as her mother.

Elfman's score was the best he has done since 2003's Big Fish. It complemented the story, drove the narrative and punctuated the action but never ever got too distracting. Together with Davis' cinematography, they both brought Burton's vision of Dumbo to live.

But having said all that, Dumbo may not make big money in the end because Burton's style may not be for all. Ultimately, Dumbo was what it was - a simple, fun escape into the world of Burton's Disney.

Us

The only reason to watch Us was Lupita Nyong'o's performance; it definitely was not for Jordan Peele's writing or direction, although granted there were some good directorial/cinematographic choices. However, overall, Peele's execution was left wanting. A great concept that had ambitious, lofty goals to examine themes of Consumerisms, self and identity, the American Dream and class conflicts (Us vs Them, the Have-nots vs the Have-lots), but ended up feeling scattered and unfocused. And way too much logic holes and gaps that interfered with the storytelling.

All good horror and sci-fi films either have some truth that ground the story or just be totally out-there, but Us could never commit to either. The result was a film that was flat and never really kicked into gear. As a horror film it was un-horrifying (even less so than Get Out) and un-terrifying; as a thriller it lacked tension and the pacing was awkward (most of the comedic moments felt out of place and really screwed with the pacing).

Us might have been better served as a pure satire or allegory or even fable and left the supernatural and mysterious alone without trying to explain it. Trust the audience, Peele.

Ultimately, the predictable ending just did not land nor was it well-earned. But, hey, there was Nyong'o who was fierce, engaging and charismatic and owned the screen. She tore into her role like a lioness and that penultimate scene - the supposedly - big showdown worked because of her despite the ridiculous storytelling and myth-making by Peele.

The two child-actresses, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Maddison Curry, were also standouts. Both were expressive and helped to sell the terror.

Winston Duke served as the comedic distraction and the role-reversal subject for Nyong'o. However, distraction is the operative word with the comedy, as aforementioned, not the strongest aspect of this film.

Elisabeth Moss was deliciously underused and loved that callback to her The Handmaid's Tale Offred.

The score was by Michael Abels which was typical of most genre/horror films, with the strings reaching a crescendo when necessary. Although the payoffs were usually not that at the end.

Mike Gioulakis lensed the film, and like the score, nothing imaginative was wrought, but the penultimate fight scene was beautiful.

It is highly doubtful that Us will garner as much awards and accolades as Get Out did, but who knows?

Captain Marvel [IMAX]

Comparisons will be inevitable, so let’s just say that “Captain Marvel” ain’t no “Wonder Woman”, and Brie Larson did not have the screen charisma of Gal Gadot. But it definitely landed the ending unlike WW which petered and crashed out in the end. The film ran on first gear throughout and only untill the last act did it rock out. But that was awesome! And you know you are in trouble when the best character on screen is named “Goose”. Larson’s hero moment was worth it (and justified the IMAX) but getting there, the first two acts suffered a major dearth of emotionality or audience empathy. “Captain Marvel” can be best classified as a Buddy Cop Comedy meets Intergalactic Drama, but Larson was never really dramatic nor funny. She appeared wooden most of the time and constantly seemed blanked rather than confused/unsure (as good as “Room” was, Cate, Saoirse or Charlotte should have won that Oscar); and her chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson seemed forced. There were plenty of quips strewn around but most did not land. There were chuckles but no laugh out loud moments. The writers (all 5 of them! - and it clearly showed) definitely were no Josh Whedon or even James Gunn. It is always neater when the writer(s) and the director(s) are the same. Also the action sequences were uninspiring and the bit with No Doubt’s “I’m Just a Girl” was no GOTG. As for the rest of the cast, every MCU film really ought to have Ben Mendelsohn and Annette Bening in it, and also Agent Coulson, they almost instantaneously make every scene better. Well, stay for the mid-credits scene, that tied into “Infinity War”, and also the post-credits scene which...(let it be a surprise).