Casablanca

Casablanca is a film that stood the test of time. It gave us a pair of leading actors that sizzled with on-screen chemistry and a Romance for the ages. It also gifted us with two immortal lines that are still oft-quoted these days, some sixty years later, and an iconic love song/theme that still echoes a great love and the promise it held.

At a surprisingly brisk 102 minutes, Casablanca had a tightly paced story of love, intrigue, spy-games, politicking and patriotism. There was nary an ounce of fat on it, and sometimes that could be detrimental as we see in a few scenes where director Michael Curtiz fell prey to expositional dumping to move the plot along. Thankfully, these narrative hand-holdings were usually brief and the actors competent enough to deliver them without losing interest.

However, the opposite was true for Humphrey Bogart's Rick who, throughout the film, maintained a mysterious backstory that only served to make him an even more interesting character and his motivations less clear cut.

Similarly, the luminous and stunningly beautiful Ingrid Bergman, was also not the archetypal damsel-in-distress. She was a well-rounded character that had her own agency and had to made difficult choices. It was never clear until the final moment who she would choose, although some would argue, that the choice was made for her. But, she could have not gone along with it - we have seen her being headstrong.

Together, Bogart and Bergman were electrifying and their chemistry utterly palpable.

Also outstanding, was fellow Best Supporting Actor nominee Claude Rains who delivered a number of the funniest lines in the film.

Max Steiner's score for the film was sublime and the refrains and variations of As Time Goes By was so effective in conveying the emotional weight of the Llsa and Rick's varying relationship. And that scene of the dueling National Anthems, was equal beats rousing and emotionally resonant.

A 1942 Best Picture winner, Casablanca is a classic that remained very watchable now. Great Romances never go out of style. "Here's looking at your, kid! We will always Paris!"

Never Rarely Sometimes Always [VOD]

Superbly written and directed by Eliza Hittman (go watch Beach Rats on Netflix), with a star-making turn by Sidney Flanigan, supported by an equally impressive Talia Ryder, this Sundance Special Jury Prize winner and Berlin Silver Bear winner was a harrowing, highly affective and emotionally draining film. It will definitely not be for everyone for this was clearly a pro-choice, libber flag-waving film. But, boy, was this film powerful! This film should be watched by as many people as possible, but for all those who believe in a woman's choice over her own body and that termination of pregnancy is a healthcare right,  then this film should be essential. It made me feel so proud of the strong, powerful, proud women amongst us and so damn ashamed of my gender.

All the male characters in the film were of varying degree of nastiness, i.e. all men are creeps but some are more so and some are less so, but creeps nonetheless. That might turn some male viewers off, but is your male ego really that fragile? Although some brutal honesty might make you a more honest man. And, only a female-led creative team could have pushed this message out, so kudos to them!

Hittman's directing was riveting. Filmed in a 70s docu-like style, the honesty of the narrative was brutal. Quite frequently dialogue-free, the emotional and physical journey of Flanigan's character was brought out through her raw acting (her acting debut!) and Hittman's intimate yet tender and non-intrusive camera work. We were always with her and that emotional resonance and empathy was electrifying, yet also sometimes scarily suffocating.

Towards the end of Act Two, where the title of the movie gets repeated (and it all made so much sense...no spoiler here), Hittman and Flanigan absolutely knocked it out of the park in that one long take that was a roller coaster ride of emotions and catharsis. Absolutely brilliant.

Yes, there was a bit of meandering in the middle where the film got a bit less tight, especially the subplot with Ryder's character and a boy; and yes, there were times when you would just want to grab Flanigan through the screen and lead her to the right decision. But then that would be missing the film's point, that our lead character is a flawed character, however for all her flaws, it was not her fault that she ended up where she was. True, she made choices but similarly she should also be allowed to be all other choices. As the film's tagline goes, it is her journey and her choice.

Flanigan and Ryder will have exciting careers to come and definitely two young stars to look out for.

And with Beach Rats and Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Hittman is definitely on the brink of a big breakout. Both films, so different in subject matter, yet similar in approach, felt honest, authentic and sincere. Will she go the way of Lynne Ramsay or Katherine Bigelow? Hopefully, both.

Unorthodox [Netflix]

An emotionally powerful and smartly written mini-series, mainly in Yiddish!, that, unlike many of Netflix's series, was just of the right length (4 episodes) with no bloat and no unnecessary tangents. A superb cast led by the utterly fascinating and totally engaging Shira Haas, this miniseries not only shone a spot light on the Hasidic Jewish community but also dove unflinchingly into the exploration of self-actualisation, gender equality, love and marriage, and communal bonds. Created by an all women behind-the-screen team, this series created an uniquely strong and individualistic character in Esther Shapiro nee Schwartz aka Etsy whose journey of self-realisation we follow closely over four hours. Sometimes intimately but never exploitvely nor removed. There were no outright finger-pointing here and almost all the main characters were fully realised, each with their own faults, demons, way of thinking and strengths. Ultimately, we end up sympathising with  all of them - yes even the Moishes, "There's always a Moishe" - and that is the power of great writing and directing. The last hour of this series was a powerful, roller coaster of emotions that culminated with a cathartic and satisfying end for us and for Etsy. This was not necessarily an escapism sort of TV for the quarantine age, but if you are looking for quality binge - looking at you Tiger King - you cannot get better than Unorthodox.

Emma.

If nothing else this was one of the most stylish Jane Austen adaptation, but that was about all it had going for it. Then again, the period in its title should have clued us in that this Autumn de Wilde adaptation would be more style over substance. The costumes were the real star of this film and if still remains in the conversation at year-end, it might get a nomination for Best Costume Design. Anya Taylor-Joy and Austen's prose were a tied-second. The former had large, expressive eyes and wore the period fashion beautifully, while the latter's prose made the film came alive although there was a strong discordant with the rest of the screenplay by acclaimed novelist Eleanor Catton which unfortunately seemed clunky and inelegant next to Austen's rhythmic monologues.

De Wilde told the story aptly and succinctly, but other than gorgeous costumes and sumptuous production designs, she did not elicit anything new from the source novel that has not already been done. Consequently, this iteration might appeal more to newer audience who are unfamiliar with the novel or the previous films.

Taylor-Joy portrayed Emma with bright-eyed confidence and it was not difficult to imagine that her Emma was as Austen described: clever, handsome and rich. However, she seemed to lack the inherent wit that characterised Austen's heroines and which was so wonderfully personified by the likes of Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Keira Knightley.

The boys, played by Johnny Flynn and Callum Turner, appeared to match, physically at least, with Taylor-Joy and the period itself, but neither had the flair or charisma to light up the screen or ignite genuine chemistry with Taylor-Joy.

Bill Nighy was hilarious and he and Josh O'Connor got the best laughs with their physical comedy.

Also getting some laughs were the mostly-silent manservants and maids.

Cinematography was by Christopher Blauvelt who did a great job with a lot of the indoor scenes; music was by Isobel Waller-Bridge (sister of Phoebe) and David Schweitzer, and it was time-period appropriate but also not entirely memorable.

Emma. was a beautiful film that offered little to seasoned movie-goers and Janeites, however it will be a good, simple introduction to Austen's works and the beauty of her language.

Onward

This was a mid-to-lower tier Pixar animated film that had the usual Disney/Pixar heart but lacked the innovation or originality that elevated the best of pre-merger Pixar. It was a G-rated fantasy/action quest that was solely targeted at children and hence the simplicity of the story, the emotions, and the action. Also, its lead characters -  though capably and convincingly voiced by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt - lacked depth and were more annoying than endearing. Their quips, some good ones by Pratt, also felt more juvenile than layered. Then again, it could have been a directorial choice for realistic teenage portrayal, but in that case, Dan Scanlon failed to connect that angst with audience's empathy.

The animation here was nothing to shout at and I highly doubt that this film will even crack the Best Animated Film Oscar shortlist next year. It was a 103 minutes long child-friendly animation that seemed like yet another placeholder until Pete Doctor's Soul arrives later in the year.

The story was straightforward and uncomplicated, but the journey was littered with well-tread tropes that could seem refreshing to young viewers, but for adults it bordered on tediousness and repetitiveness. Thematically, the film was on-brand for Disney/Pixar and the bright colours, large-eyes, cuteness factors will surely enchant the younglings, and the lesson was definitely worth learning for them. Accompanying parents and other adults will not be utterly bored. At least the film was brisk.

The voice cast was a highlight. Holland, with his Peter Parker/Spider Man, could be the embodiment of America's awkward male teenage angst. Pratt was more Andy Dwyer than Star Lord which suits him better. Julia Louis-Dreyfus seemed to be having fun, but not more so than Octavia Spencer who sounded like she was on some sort of sugar-rush!

Music was by Mychael and Jeff Danna, and unfortunately it was unmemorable. Similarly, the title song, "Carried Me with You" by Brandi Charlie was also forgettable. They  will not be getting any Oscar nominations next year.

Onwards was a watchable Pixar film - as they all are - but it was definitely not one to remember. Although I will not be surprised if a sequel comes along.

The Invisible Man

Elizabeth Moss is the main reason to watch this film. Leigh Whannell wrote and directed this modern reiteration of the classic story and he definitely gave it a refreshing spin. However, after an excellent opening sequence, the story started to drag and Moss played the victim for far too long. Unfortunately, when she started kicking-ass, the movie was almost over. As brilliant and as enrapturing as Moss was, her character was too passive to be totally engaging. And Whannell also succumbed to the M Night Shyamalan syndrome with an unnecessary double-ending (hint hint...no spoilers).

Whannell is a great horror director and the first Saw and Insidious can rightfully be claimed as cornerstones of the modern horror genre. And he used his skill to great effect here with long, wandering shots and wide-angles, daring you to blink or take a breath just in case you missed something.

However as a writer, Whannell tended to be indulgent and clunky. His storylines lacked depth and his characters lacked substance. They all appear as stock characters with default emotions and storyline. If it was not for Moss, this film would have been even flatter.

This film ran just over two hours (124 minutes) and it could have been shorter and tighter. The story is well known so there is no surprise there regarding who/what the antagonist was, and in that case the narrative had to focus on the journey, but in that regard it just meandered. Whannell's screenplay was too simplistic and predictable to be effective, so thankfully we had Moss to make it all worth it.

Moss is going to win an Oscar one day. With Mad Men, Top of the Lake and The Handmaid's Tale, she has established herself as a tremendous actress with incredible range and depth. And once Handmaid's is over, perhaps she can focus fully on her feature film career and that might lead to a lot more exciting projects.

In The Invisible Man, Moss commanded the screen and her emotional breakdown was spectacular. A pity Whannell did not harness that raw power to his advantage. Everybody else around her were less spectacular, so luckily the antagonist was invisible and Moss really only had to act against herself.

This film was a showcase for Moss and reaffirmed Whannell as an accomplished, albeit unexciting, genre director. But it will be so much more exciting if we paired Moss with Hereditary/Midsommar's Ari Aster or The Witch/The Lighthouse's Robert Eggers.

The Gentlemen

This film returned Guy Ritchie back to his roots of the low budget, gangster/crime caper after doing his tours of tentpole blockbusters like “Aladdin”, “King Arthur” and “Sherlock Holmes”. However, “The Gentlemen” is still no “Snatch” or “Lock, Stocking and Two Smoking Barrels”. 

It maintained Ritchie's signature unreliable narrative with a twisty-turny plotline, and coupled it with Ritchie’s patented quick edits, smash cuts, slow-mos and of course British wit. But, the general story was essentially too simplistic and unnecessarily complicated. It seemed at times to have been deliberately stretched out just to fill the run time. Then again, at 113 minutes, the film was not that long. 

Thankfully Ritchie assembled an ace cast that helped to sell the film and maintained the audience’s attention. 

Hugh Grant was the main standout and he is definitely having a late career renaissance embodying more dastardly characters than the lovable fops of his youth. Grant’s main scene partner was Charlie Hunnam who was great as the straight man to Grant’s whimsiness and also to Matthew McConaughey’s even straighter crime lord. 

McConaughey was well cast here but it begs to wonder how much of the story was changed, if any, to have this American take centre stage. His casting probably led to the casting of Jeremy Strong as the other American., although Strong delivered on Ritchie’s dry, Brit humour better than McConaughey. The campiness helped. 

The other standout was a barely-recognisable Colin Farrell who only had a few scenes but was  great/hilarious in them. 

Michelle Dockery held her own but she really was the Julia Roberts in “Ocean’s Eleven” - pretty, independent, but superfluous. 

And new “heartthrob” Henry Golding needs to try harder. 

Ritchie needs to make a full fledged all-British gangster caper again, but at least with “The Gentlemen” fans know he has not fully sold out...yet.