The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Overall a pleasing prequel. Set 64 years before the first Hunger Games of Katniss Everdeen, the film charts the rise of a teenage Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) on his way to becoming President of Panem. The film is set closer to the time of the first rebellion by the Districts against the Capitol. Snow's father, a General fighting for the Capitol in a feudal Panem has recently died as . The family falls from grace and power and Coriolanus sets about reviving the family's status and fortunes.

As an 18 year-old Academy student, Snow is selected to mentor District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) in the 10th annual Hunger Games which are suffering a ratings slump. The games' creator Casca Highbottom (Peter Drinklage) is anxious to revive the popularity of the spectacle and offers both encouragement and sadistic twists to Snow and the other mentors.

In a dystopian world that is increasingly mirroring our own, the Hunger Games play out with Snow closely involved in the Games and at times actually appearing in the arena. His mentee, tribute Lucy Gray Baird, is a free-spirited songstress who charms viewers by her singing during the reaping ceremony. The Games proceed with the usual violence and spilling of blood under the direction of scary head gamemaker Dr Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davies).

Lucy Gray is depicted as a 'type' of Katniss Everdeen - she is her own woman, charming and beautiful with an inherent distrust of all but her own own people. She is resourceful, kind and compassionate - an underdog that everybody roots for. As the story unfolds, in a very lumpy and inconsistent way, Snow is shown to be ever the ruthless opportunist who will use everyone and everything to his advantage to advance his power and status.

Fans of the franchise will probably be satisfied with this offering with the Hanging Tree motif linking it with the earlier trilogy. The end certainly leaves the door open for further explorations and with the box office bringing in over $250m in the first two weeks of release, the film has already recouped the estimated production budget of $100m. This film could have been a lot worse - but then it could also have been a lot better. The strong points are Drinklage's performance which gives the film gravitas and Zegler's singing. I'll give it 7/10.

The Fabelmans

First section no plot spoilers 😁

Steven Spielberg's long-awaited semi-autobiographical movie delivers the greatest home movie ever made! The film was in gestation for over 20 years, but out of sensitivity to his parents remained unmade until their passing. That in itself demonstrates Spielberg's sensitivity to the emotions of others - a central theme of this film's plot. This sensitivity is like one of two cords twisted together, the other being a passion for storytelling through film. I imagine that it would be possible to view the film and see only one cord which would present a good movie. However, to recognise the two cords and how they are linked in the soul of Spielberg is to watch a great movie!

This allows the film to be seen on the one hand as a two and half hour session of family therapy, whilst on the other, a record of how someone's vocation to be a storyteller through film, is sparked into life and nurtured to powerful fruition. Choosing for himself the family name Fabelman in the film, reinforces his storytelling credentials.

There is so much in this film. It is a gift from a legend whose 34 movies include some of the most memorable of the last 50 years. You could watch this film from its Jewish angle, or from a family dynamics angle, or a love triangle, or movie making or the power of a story to move you. You cannot miss the impact that editing in the art of storytelling has, and how Sam, from an early age, understood and used this power to great effect. If a story doesn't move you, it has failed. This is a most moving film and I'm very happy to give it 9/10.

This fuller section contains some plot spoilers

The opening scene of the film sets up the twin cords beautifully. Outside a New Jersey movie theatre, Sam Fabelman's parents are anxious as they take five year old Sammy to see his first movie - The Greatest show on Earth. They are worried about his reaction to the film. Sammy's father Burt (Paul Dano), explains the technical and scientific principles that underlie filmmaking and why the characters will appear to be so large on the screen. Sammy then turns 180 degrees to receive his mother Mitzi's (Michelle Williams) explanations which are all about art, creativity and emotion. This sets up the central tension between Sammy's parents - the nerdy, scientific, seemingly cold father and the existentialist, creative and passionate mother.

Young Sammy is traumatised by a train crash in the film in which a train carrying a circus on tour, hits a car on the track before ploughing into a second train, also part of the circus entourage. The ensuing violent destruction of people and property is what causes Sammy his difficulty. So affected by what he saw, Sammy asks for a train set for Hanukkah and after receiving it, one night stages a reconstruction of the train crash with his toy train, a car and a wooden Noah's Ark filled with animals like the circus train.

The noise wakens the sleeping the family and Sammy is chastised by his father for damaging expensive engineering whilst his mother immediately sees it as Sammy's way of trying to understand and in some way control the crash he had seen in the film. Recognising how important this process is to Sammy, his mother gives him the family 16mm film camera and invites him to recreate the crash one more time and film it. That way he can watch the film over and over again rather than having to smash up the train set. She says to him "don't tell your father. It will be our little secret".

This introduces a recurring theme whereby on a number of occasions, Sammy is told by a variety of people "this will be our little secret". Sammy becomes the keeper of secrets. Realising the power of film to tell a story Sammy begins making home movies with his sisters before advancing to making films with his Scout Troop. The acquisition of an editing machine allows him to cut and paste different scenes which adds another dimension to Sammy's ability to tell stories through film.

Burt's understanding of the developing technology of computing means that he is head-hunted and given a senior role in a tech company in Phoenix, Arizona meaning that the family uproots and moves south. Burt's best friend and business colleague Bennie (Seth Rogen) is given a job in the same company and relocates with the family to maintain his relationship to Sammy as a surrogate uncle and friend of the family.

The family, along with the ever present Bennie, who is as annoying and he is likeable, take a camping holiday in the Arizona countryside. Sammy captures the fun and frolicking of the holiday on film. Shortly after the vacation, Mitzi's mother dies. In the death scene we have one of many cinematic 'devices' that the film contains. The camera zooms in on the mother's pulsating jugular as the monitor beeps in rhythm. The pulsating stops, the monitor falls silent and the worst is feared. Mitzi is distraught.

Slumping into a depression, Mitzi mopes around the house and is unable to energise and find an outlet for her creativity or passion. Sammy has more movie shooting scheduled with the Scouts when his father asks him to set aside his 'hobby' and edit the vacation film in an effort to produce something that will lift Mitzi's spirits. In the same way that Sammy's earlier home movie of the train crash was a vehicle for his understanding and response to develop, so Burt asks Sammy to make a movie to achieve similar outcomes for Mitzi.

As he reluctantly edits the pieces of film together, Sammy notices that the camera has caught several scenes with Mitzi and Bennie in the background carrying on in  away that clearly shows they have feelings for each other. Sammy decides not to put these scenes in the final edit for his mother but edits them into another movie telling a very different story.

A surprise visit from Mitzi's uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch) a former lion-tamer who has also worked in the movies results in a physical and violent encounter between Boris and Sammy where Boris tells Sammy that both his family and his art will tear his heart apart! This leaves a lastin impression on Sammy.

Sammy increasingly cold-shoulders his mother and they have a confrontation after which Sammy shows Mitzi his Mitzi/Bennie movie by way of explanation. She again becomes distraught and they are reconciled. This becomes another little secret to keep. Bennie is also given the cold-shoulder by Sammy.

Burt's success in his field results in another act of head-hunting which uproots the settled family as they move to Saratoga, California - this time without Bennie. Tensions increase, the family becomes even more dysfunctional and at High School Sam experience anti-Semitism, bullying and romance. As the family relocate from a rental property to a new build, Mitzi's growing depression and Burt's discovery of the affair, result in the announcement of a divorce which devastates Sam and his three sisters.

Mitzi and the girls return to Phoenix and Bennie, whilst Sam lives with Burt in Los Angeles. Sam wants to drop out of college and pursue his vocation of film making. Burt finally encourages Sam to continue writing to film and TV production companies and finally he is offered a junior role on the production of Hogan's Heroes (which I remember fondly from my childhood!). He is introduced to legendary Director John Ford who, in an ill-tempered five minutes, gives him a lesson on where to place the horizon in a shot to make it more interesting. Elated by this gem of advice he skips down the studio lot and the camera tilts to reposition the horizon!

There is plenty of the story that I have not touched on, so I hope I haven't spoiled it for anyone who hasn't seen it. Enjoy!

The Big Lebowski

 

I am a huge fan of the Coen brothers and rate No Country for old men amongst my top ten all time films. I'm not sure how I managed to miss this film and had been looking forward to it. As genius as the Coen brothers can be, they can also make films that simply provoke the question "why?".  Burn After Reading, Hudsucker Proxy and Brother Where art thou among them. Sadly for me, this film joins that list.

This is not a plot driven film - it is character driven by Jeff Bridges' portrayal of the Little Lebowski - The Dude. The film is slapstick comedy with many inept characters. The constancy of Bridges' performance is the unifying thread that draws the film together. Julianne Moore delivers a trademark excellent and offbeat performance as a naked abstract painter - the daughter of the Big Lebowski.

Quite why this has become a cult classic I'm not sure. That a Church of the Latter Day Dude exists is as bizarre as the film itself and the phrase "The Dude Abides" sums up the religion the Dude's disciples follow. 

A major part of the film is set in a Bowling Alley -  The Dude's other activity - his main one being to lounge around drinking White Russians. An unemployed layabout, The Dude is never deflected from the course he sets himself despite a number of extreme and at times violent interventions against him and his possessions. He is not concerned with the detail of events that surround and impact him, but remains focussed on being The Dude.

The are good performances from John Goodman as Walter Sobchak and Steve Buscemi as Donny Kerabatsos as The Dude's friends and bowling partners. But the fanciful plot involving a porn king, his trophy wife and nihilist Germans is too fanciful to be fulfilling. The absurdism is of course intentional and a part of the Coen's storytelling art. I guess you either get it or you don't and on this occasion I didn't. I was looking forward to watching it and was disappointed in the end. I'll give it 5/10.

Barbie

This film makes a simple point in a nuanced and complex way. It is a point worth making and the film does it well. I did however feel it was a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut - it was like having got the Barbie juggernaut rolling, the producers were intent on milking the franchise for all they could get. Not unlike the portrayal of Mattel in the film.

Margot Robbie in the titular role is stunning and Ryan Gosling is well cast as an all singing and all dancing Ken. The film explores fantasy and imagination and our ability to create worlds. It is essentially a film about making meaning and being true to yourself. 

PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT

At the opening of the film, Barbieland is filled with a variety of Barbies and Kens - and an Alan as a nod to those who don't identify as either a Barbie or Ken. The lead Barbie is a 'Stereotypical Barbie' - a point made so many times that it becomes too repetitive in the film. Yes, we are all guilty of stereotyping through unconscious bias and for too long we have allowed consumerism to cajole us into colluding with the status quo.

The utopian Barbieland serves up a pastel, syrupy and idealised beach-front landscape from the American Dream of the post-war era. All the jobs in Barbieland are filled by women from the President to the bin collectors. Ken's function is to do 'beach'. Whilst Barbie is happy to drive to the beach and back every day and host a girls' night in her house every night, Ken is left aching for attention from Barbie for whom he has been made and for whom he has unrequited love. This is the first indication of dysfunction in Barbieland.

Barbie's monotonous routine is broken when she awakens one morning with a preoccupation with death and everything begins to turn sour - even her breakfast milk is off! Such is the state of her malady, that she is sent by the Barbies to see the Scary Barbie who is the only one capable of offering a remedy.

It transpires that Stereotypical Barbie has been affected by the fears and anxieties of her owner playing with her in the real world. In a scene reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz Barbie travels to the real world to confront her owner. Like an alien encounter from Star Trek, Barbie, accompanied by Ken, blunder their way through Venice Beach which is completely strange yet confusingly familiar to them. Having mentioned two films, many more are referenced by a clever script: 2001, Toy Story 3, Matrix, La La Land, Clueless, Midnight Cowboy, Singing in the Rain - the list goes on and on and Director Greta Gerwig admits to being 'inspired' by 29 films in an interview with Letterboxd.

There is much to laugh at in this film and much to shed a tear over. It holds up a mirror and allows the viewer to examine themselves, their prejudices and relationships. The placement of Mattel is brazen as the creator of Barbie and the world's second largest toy maker. The Board of the company is beautifully portrayed in a stereotypically Barbie-kind-of-way and Will Ferrell as the CEO is fantastic. Mattel allowed themselves to be cynically portrayed as a mega-corporation because the film will no doubt launch a massive range of new Barbie paraphernalia - only this time the target will be much wider than has traditionally been the case. Undoubtedly this film will make a lot of money for Mattel. 

I won't spoil all the fun - I'll leave you to watch the film and work out how the dysfunction is accommodated in an evolving Barbieland. But I will say that in another wonderful piece of stereotyping, the pivot around which the story moves, is a speech from Latina single mum Gloria:

It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow we're always doing it wrong.

You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass. You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas. You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman but also always be looking out for other people.

You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood.

But always stand out and always be grateful. But never forget that the system is rigged. So find a way to acknowledge that but also always be grateful.

You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It's too hard! It's too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.

I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know.

My significant other helpfully suggests that this speech could just as easily be about men - the point the film makes (repeatedly).

This film is very clever and full in your face, it is visually stunning. It is very pink. The acting is very good and Greta Gerwig as Director and screenplay co-writer deserves plaudits for her creativity, inventiveness and ability to handle a tricky subject in a way that leaves all kinds of people in a better place. For me the film was too long and had too much to say that was repetitive. For its quirkiness and courage, I'll give it 7/10.

Oppenheimer

 The scope of this film is huge. I watched on an IMAX screen which together with a stunning soundtrack made for a completely immersive experience. Often the camera is pulled back offering a wide vista but each frame is packed tight with so much detail. My eyes were kept busy for the entire 3 hours which flew by. This is one of the best films I have ever seen.

This film is not a documentary, neither is exclusively a biopic about Oppenheimer. Essentially this is about people having to make difficult decisions, often with only partial knowledge, in difficult and often time-pressured times. There is no doubt that Christopher Nolan's screenplay depicts Oppenheimer as a conflicted genius with a high moral code and unwavering allegiance to the USA. The way the story is told shows that others saw him differently. My reflections below are not intended to spoil the plot as that has long been in the public domain. As I left the cinema I immediately wanted to go back in and view it again simply because there is so much going on in the film and I wanted to check out my understanding of some of the roles of some characters in the stories. 

The story of this film is non-linear as there are three intertwined threads which are edited together as the narrative progresses in each of them - a trademark of Nolan's film-making:

• Oppenheimer's journey from Cambridge in 1929 to Los Alamos in 1945.
• Oppenheimer's security clearance hearing in 1954.
• Admiral Lewis Strauss' congressional clearance hearing in 1959.

Each of the threads has its own different pace which is a very clever device - the 1954 security hearing being shot in black and white - a first for IMAX. This works very well but seeing many of the same characters simultaneously in three different time-frames takes a lot of concentration.

In addition to Cillian Murphy in the title role, the film contains many of the great names of scientific advancement made in the twentieth century. Tom Conti delivers an endearing characterisation of Albert Einstein,  Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr, Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg and Benny Safdie as Edward Teller. There are very strong acting performances from Robert Downey Junior, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. A stellar cast.

The film clearly depicts Oppenheimer as a driven man but it also shows him as being impulsive, at times petulant, able to show high degrees of empathy and understanding of people and always highly principled. Once appointed to lead the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, Oppenheimer shows a deft touch in recruiting the right scientists to work on the different aspects of the project and in resolving the inevitable clashes of personality and ego. His clashes with Lt General Groves (Matt Damon) over the project's progress being slowed by the need for security-driven compartmentalisation brought energy and passion from both characters. His sexual liaisons with the Communist Jean Tatlock (Pugh) who herself was psychologically unstable, added intrigue and the masterfully shot sex fantasy scene during the security clearance hearing was pure artistry from Nolan. 

Oppenheimer's continued association with known Communists and the fact that his brother was one, served to undermine Federal confidence in his allegiance. His oral and financial support for Spanish Republicans was also seen as a possible indication of a lack of patriotism as the monies were channelled through Spanish Communists. Oppenheimer's wife Kitty (Blunt) was also a former Communist which added further ammunition to those seeking to question Oppenheimer's allegiance. The weight of circumstantial evidence was growing.

From early on, the film sketched out the ethical considerations of turning the theory of atomic fission into reality and the possible consequences of that in military hands. Einstein cautions Oppenheimer who is throughout the film exercised by doubt about the human and political cost of detonating such a weapon of mass destruction. He was not in a hurry to divert resources to developing the even more powerful Hydrogen Bomb and in a later meeting with Truman urged the President to exercise restraint and caution which was seen as a sign of Oppenheimer's weakness. It is clear that Oppenheimer was haunted by the destructive power of what he had created and showed remorse for the thousands of innocent civilians killed in the two Japanese cities. He is portrayed as regretting not having completed the project in time for the bomb to be deployed against Hitler to end the Holocaust whilst noting that the majority of top German scientists working on the project were also Jewish.

The race was on between the Germans, Russians and Americans to develop the technology first and therein lies the intermingling of politics and militarised science. As soon as the experimental Trinity detonation was successful, the project was completely taken over by the military and symbolically the bombs were driven away from Los Alamos for deployment to Japan. As the trucks drove across the New Mexico desert, the chains on the cases clanked as though to symbolise that humanity was now in bondage to the deadly potential of this technology.

An area of contrast that ran throughout the story was that of morality and ethical standards. This was explored in a number of ways from Oppenheimer's support for a wide range of social causes to the politicians using whatever means to advance their own position. In the end, this became focussed in the persons of Oppenheimer and Strauss and their respective hearings. One side was shown to be shallow, manipulative and completely narcissistic, whilst the other was principled and did things for the greater good at considerable personal cost. The politicians came out this very poorly whilst the scientists gave me faith that they had acted in the best of the majority's interest. Whether this was a construct of Nolan's screenplay or close to the truth I don't know - but I like to believe it.

As I said this was so good I wanted to back in to watch it again - one of the best films I have ever seen. I cannot give it anything other than 10/10!

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

If cinematically, the Wachowskis, Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick were to have a love child, this would be it! The Matrix meets Cloud Atlas meets Kill Bill meets 2001. Yes this film is highly derivative, but it makes no attempt to disguise it as it mishmashes a number of genres together in a high-octane psycho-philosophy fantasy that is also a morality tale. It is at the same time highly original. The format and many of the ideas are very Asian but the context, visualisation and narrative arc are Western. All very postmodern! I liked it.

To enter into watching this film unprepared would leave many viewers confused and numb. I felt I would number among them if I didn't do a little research before diving in. I'm glad I did as this is one film where knowing something of the plot before you watch enhances the viewing experience - at least it did for me. I reveal some of the plot below - but with this film, I really don't think it matters!

I'm not sure where to start. There are some very good acting performances here. For me the stand out was from Jamie Lee Curtis who played her 'dominating female in charge' role to chilling perfection as an IRS Tax Agent. A masterstroke was for her desk to contain a number of Employee of the Month awards in the shape of butt plugs. A wonderful comment on the necessary evil of tax gathering regimes worldwide.

The central character Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), is having a midlife crisis in the midst of an IRS audit whilst her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), is desperately trying to get her attention for a simple conversation, her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) is in a committed same sex relationship with Becky (Tallie Medel) which risks upsetting Evelyn's father Gong Gong (James Hong) and spoiling the upcoming Chinese New Year Party for family and customers at the Laundromat they run. The dialogue is fast and furious, as is the action.

If all of this wasn't complicated enough, the story is told across a multiverse where each character exists in parallel dimensions created by the options and choices they face in their lives. Consequently, there is a lot of jumping between different parallel universes and differing expressions of the same characters within those universes in a titanic battle of good over evil. Evelyn is battling for good and has to make completely unpredictable choices, which is what she usually does anyway, as she flips between universes taking on the manifestation of evil in her daughter, who has created the everything bagel with everything on it, which has become a quantum singularity pulling everything into its gravitational field. All pretty non-routine stuff! I felt at home in the multiverse of this film as it reflected pretty well what is going on inside my head most of the time!

There is a lot of psychology, of varying traditions, in this film along with Freudian explorations of sexual fantasy, S & M and dominatrix scenes involving fingers that are hot dogs filled with American mustard! There is a lot of Kung Fu fighting and violence in the style of Kill Bill and The Matrix - all beautifully choreographed and fantasised.  As I said - non-routine.

If you can navigate your way through this cosmos of confusion, you might get to enjoy many of the comedic moments which manifest themselves when often least expected. What the film does offer is a story where courage, doubt, sacrifice and love all feature prominently. If you are looking for a postmodern retelling of the Gospel with a female Saviour, this film may just be for you.  The film invites us to reflect on our motivation for the choices we make in life and the possible consequences, both intended and unintended that arise. It also invites reflection on our relationships and how we invest in them and maintain them. As I said, I liked it. I'll give it 8/10.

Gemini Man

 

Maybe I'm getting back into watching movies - one of my long Covid symptoms. I feel I can agree to concentrate on the film for its entirety once again. Feels good. 😁

I hadn't seen this before and caught it on TV recently. Will Smith usually turns in performances in likeable characters and this time is no exception as he play DIA assassin Henry Brogan. There is plenty of action in this film, some clever special effects and a strong performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Danny Zakarewski in support.

PLOT SPOILER

The premise of the film is quite simple although it takes a while to emerge. As an ageing assassin, Brogan is looking to retire. He is deemed to be such a valuable asset that the DIA cannot allow the loss of his services. One of Brogan's superiors, Clay Varris (Clive Owen) has seen this scenario developing and has taken action some years ago to negate the consequences. He sends Brogan on a mission with false data about the target who turns out to be an innocent scientist rather than an terrorist. This creates the pretext for Brogan to be labelled rogue, giving Brogan's Director the means to eliminate him. 

This is established fairly early on in the film and the narrative develops into a series of high action sequences as Brogan escapes his pursuers. As we might expect, any film directed by Ang Lee is going to have a lot of action!

Having eliminated the 'pack of pursuers' Brogan is left being hunted down by someone who seems to know exactly what he will do - even before he knows himself. It turns out the bent Director Varris cloned a new Brogan from a DNA sample some years before and the fitter, faster new version of Brogan seems to have the upper edge. Once the likeness has been established, clever CGI presents us with a youthful Will Smith trying to kill an older version of himself. Hence the title Gemini Man.

Apart from the questions about governments carrying out targeted assassinations on our behalf for the greater good (James Bond?), it raises questions about Eugenics where genetics are tweaked to enhance and improve the human condition, removing natural selection from the equation. If you want to explore movies with this theme, there are plenty more here.

At the end of the day this is an action film about good versus evil that uses an interesting mechanism to offer the entertainment. Standard Hollywood output. The film is set within the brutal world of clandestine cloak and dagger morality and lacks any finesse in the way the story lines are explored. Things are very black and white, which I guess is a good thing because I for one, really don't want this kind of thing going on - even if it is for my greater well-being. I'll give it 6/10.