Parasite: Film Review

Parasite: Film Review

Director: Bong Joon-Ho

A searing cross-genre look at the chasms between the classes, Bong Joon-Ho's latest, which took top honours at Cannes this year, is, for the great majority of its run time, an edge-of-your-seat piece, that slightly loses it in the last 15 minutes.

Centring on a family of four who live under the line (in this case, literally, the family lives below the street and often look up to people urinating near their one solitary window), Parasite follows Ki-woo, who's offered a well-paid tutoring job, proffering the family hope of escape from their hand-to-mouth routine.

Inveigling his way into the Park household, Ki-woo manages to seize an opportunity for his sister to become a fellow tutor to the youngest of the household...

To say more about Parasite is to go against director Bong Joon-Ho's wishes in terms of spoilers, but suffice it to say that Parasite dances an extremely fine line between edge-of-your-seat suspense, utter revulsion and horror, and excoriating commentary on the classes that has become the norm for his other films.

There's much to unpack in Parasite - and much of it can't be debated without spoilers.
Whether it's the way the rich refer to and interact with the poor, or the subtleties of microcosms of society which are laid bare, there's a tapestry here to explore that's brilliantly writ large on the big screen.

In all honesty, at times, it's depressing stuff if you're clued into the social mores laid bare, and laid thick with the blackest humour one could find for such an outing.

But it deserves commendation for the way the director and scriptwriters pivot the film roughly half-way through. What seems obvious is given a gut-punch and turned into something that becomes not what you expected.

All of that said, and a coda ending aside which seems like a tonal mismatch from what's transpired, Parasite is a thrilling ride at the cinema, and easily one of the best films of the year.

It's a subversive, subtle and subliminal ride that's as rewarding as it is compelling.

With its subtle genre changes, and its dancing neatly on the taut tightrope of thrills and suspense, it's a game-changer in terms of subverting expectations, and yet delivering a wide broad film that's begging for a Hollywood remake, but which will be all the better if they don't.

Simply put, a must-see.

If Beale Street Could Talk: DVD Review

If Beale Street Could Talk: DVD Review

Based on James Baldwin's novel, and opening with a quote from him, the gorgeously shot If Beale Street Could Talk is once again proof that Jenkins knows lighting perfection from shot to shot.

Told across different time periods, Jenkins' latest is the story of childhood friends and lovers Tish (Layne) and Fonny (James) who in the 1970s in downtown Harlem found themselves the victims of an egregious crime of the times.

When Fonny's arrested and imprisoned for the rape of a neighbourhood woman, Tish vows to fight to clear his name and get him out of jail. But their plans for a future together are derailed by constant stops and starts in the quest to reunite.

If Beale Street Could Talk is lyrical poetry personified.

Much like Moonlight did, the film takes a deep dive into its subjects, placing them front and centre of every shot, bathed in different lighting moments to evoke mood and internal turmoil and emotion.

But it also conveys the deep love of the duo, with many shots being close ups of their face as the slow, quiet and deliberate tale weaves its web over the audience. However, it has to be said, despite the layered performances of the central leads, and the sterling work done by King in a supporting role as the mother, the film feels like it holds you away at emotional arm's length.

It's an interesting stance, with its languid pace doing much to keep the audience at bay, and stopping the anger at the injustice rising up. Sure, there are some racist cops of the period, that feel like they've been ripped from the fringes of movie Detroit; and there's some commentary on life of the time, but there's never the righteous indignation being given the chance to rise up and continue.

It's perhaps Jenkins' approach to the story which has been told time and time again; he cares not for the well-worn tropes (all of which are present and correct), but is rather more consumed with the details of the situation, lacing all of it with a trembling OST that evocatively quivers when needed.

As commentary on the time, and the period as well as the crimes, If Beale Street Could Talk falls short - but what it does provide is something more mellow, more intimate and perhaps more astounding because of it.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but If Beale Street Could Talk is a masterclass of how to make a film and a well-worn subject look incredibly good, deeply rich and resonant, even if it does feel emotionally aloof. 

NZIFF 2019 Auckland Programme Launched

NZIFF 2019 Auckland Programme Launched

The full programme for the 51^st New Zealand International Film Festival has been revealed in Auckland this evening. 144 feature-length films from 45 countries will screen over 18 days beginning on Thursday 18 July.

“We’re delighted to finally unveil and launch the full programme, with its typically eclectic and far-roaming range of local and world cinema,” says programmer Sandra Reid. “It’s always an inspiring experience selecting the films and getting to share our choices with our audience. May they enliven your winter.”

NZIFF has previously announced that 25 films from Cannes will screen in 2019. Eight of the films come from the Competition section of the festival including tied Jury Prize winners Les Misérables and Bacurau. NZIFF's 2019 Cannes selection also includes NZIFF’s Opening Night film, La Belle Époque, and Centrepiece film and winner of both the Queer Palm (Feature) and Best Screenplay, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. 

Two sections in the programme are dedicated to achievements by women in cinema. 

The previously announced retrospective, Vive la Varda! honours the legacy of the late pioneer filmmaker, Agnès Varda, and includes Varda’s last documentary, Varda by Agnès. The Women in Cinema strand features four timely documentaries about women in the film industry; Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché; What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael; Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound and This Changes Everything.

Thirteen New Zealand films, including nine world premieres and the Closing Night film Herbs: Songs of Freedom have previously been announced. 

The full Auckland NZIFF programme is available online now: https://www.nziff.co.nz/2019/auckland/

NZIFF is run by a charitable trust and encourages lively interactions between films, filmmakers and New Zealand audiences in 13 towns and cities around the country. The full NZIFF programme will be on the streets from Tuesday 25 June for Auckland, and Friday 28 June for Wellington. NZIFF starts in Auckland on 18 July and in Wellington from 26 July in 2019.

Toy Story 4: Film Review

Toy Story 4: Film Review

Vocal cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Tony Hale, Christina Hendricks, Annie Potts, Keanu Reeves
Director: Josh Cooley

It's hard to know where to start with Toy Story 4.

The third film wrapped things up so well, that anyone moving forward with the series was always going to face a monumental challenge of epic proportions.

But while the fourth Toy Story doesn't hit the peaks of the first film, it does prove a solid, if uncertain entrant into the series. There's some good within though, but admittedly, there's also a feeling that this was a series that didn't need a revisit.

Deja vu haunts much of the storyline this time around, with Sheriff Woody (the ever reliable Hanks) now struggling to find a place in the world after his kid Andy has moved on. Sure, he's been handed down to Andy's sister Bonnie, but Bonnie's more interested in Jessie, leaving Woody in the cupboard and not picked for playtime.

Determined, Woody climbs into Bonnie's backpack to accompany her for her first day at kindergarten (much of Toy Story 4 concerns itself with moving on, next stages of life) and to ensure she has a friend. But Woody's goodwill inadvertently leads to the creation of Forky, a toy thrown together by the loner Bonnie out of a white plastic fork, some googly eyes and pipe cleaner.

Bonnie adores it - but things go awry when Forky goes missing during a family trip, prompting Woody to launch a rescue mission.

Toy Story 4 is clothed in familiarity.

It opens with a rescue as Woody's Leave No Toy mentality comes to the fore again, and concludes with another rescue attempt as Woody and a small group of toys try to pull off a daring heist.

In between all that, there's a smattering of the usual Pixar sentiment and silliness as well as superlative CGI as it plays out.

Yet, Toy Story 4 doesn't deliver the highs you'd want, and while the endings function both as standalone for this adventure, and a capper for those wallowing in the nostalgia, the film's raison d'etre isn't quite as clear cut as you'd want.

Sure, there's a living in a world without kids message and a take on how parenting leaves parents bereft when the kids move on, all delivered in the usual solid Pixar way. But while the heart of Toy Story beats on, the existential crisis that lies within (What are toys' purpose, what is Woody's purpose, what can stop Forky being obsessed with trash) is a little too reminiscent of what's transpired before.

That's not to Toy Story 4's detriment, and there are many joys to be had - chiefly in the form of Bo Peep's Lara Croft-esque demeanour, and Reeves' Duke Caboom. It's just a shame that it's come at the expense of Buzz Lightyear being sidelined, and other faves fading out of the limelight.

But if you're after the solid emotional payoff previous entrants in the series have offered, you may - bar one ending - be left wanting. Feeling more like a spin-off franchise entrant than a consolidated animated push for eternity, Toy Story 4 may pitch for a heartfelt message, but the emotional coherence that rendered the rest of the series so essential is sadly lacking, rendering this more an epilogue than anything else.

That said, Pixar still delivers something superlative, even if it does feel like a bolt on.

Capharnaum: DVD Review

Capharnaum: DVD Review

Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw
Director: Nadine Labaki

Some films will inherently break you, push you to your limits and test you before delivering a reward.

Capernaum is one such film.

The story of Zain (Al Rafeea) launches in a courtroom with an inherently amusing premise - he's suing his parents for giving him life. What follows next sees Labaki track back to discover how Zain got to this stage.

A story of neglect in extremis, Capernaum dances a dangerous line between manipulation and mawkish, not always successfully. But what emerges works strongly because of Al Rafeea's innate watchability and a chance to elevate the material where it needs to be.

It's heartbreaking to see where the kids have been taken in this film, and how the material feels like it's drawn from a truth, not so much a fantasy. But while the story works like it should, it does also lend itself to sprawl, and feels at times unfocussed, despite the work of the first time actors.

There is a melodrama to proceedings in this Lebanese drama, and how you feel at the end may depend on how far you're willing to go along with events, but ultimately, Caparnaum works where it should, despite moments of misery and elements of cliche. 

Anna: Film Review

Anna: Film Review

Cast: Sasha Luss, Luke Evans, Helen Mirren, Cillian Murphy
Director: Luc Besson

A free-wheeling Russian spy story, Anna dances to the Eurobeat of Luc Besson.

Returning to the genre which scored him such big hits as La Femme Nikita and The Professional, Anna stars Sasha Luss as the eponymous Anna, who's recruited into the spy world via the KGB and ends up as a model in Europe to do their bidding.

To say more would be to deprive Anna of the narrative twists that Besson, who wrote and directed this, clearly wants for his audience.

Needless to say, the twists come thick and fast, but under the cover of a framing device that relies on the film stop-starting as it goes back and forth in time to reveal what's going on.

The first few times, the narrative replay is a clever move; but Besson deploys it far too often, giving this less a feeling of Run Lola Run's multiplicity and more a distinct impression that you're not quite clear whether the filmmaker and writer simply wanted to throw as many pieces up in the air and see what fits.

And yet, there's a wackadoodle appeal to Anna, which helps with the occasional sag in the 2 hour run time.

All of Besson's trademarks are there - from pulsing European music beats to taut chase sequences, and one brilliantly employed INXS song and montage, there are enough moments to make you feel the hoary old spy genre has something new to offer.

But these are coupled with an almost Austin Powers style adherence to modelling sequences which veer wildly into parody and some occasionally wooden acting from the lead, who's saddled with some silly dialogue.

Yet, as demonstrated in a wonderfully choreographed restaurant fight, there's a grit and inventiveness to Anna that keeps you watching (even if you've seen elements of it before in Jennifer Lawrence's Red Sparrow).

Finally, mention is needed for Helen Mirren, who under big glasses and hunched poise, cigarette in hand, brings much to the table as Anna's KGB handler. Her no-nonsense approach, coupled with Mirren's gusto for the role, is a welcome touch to Anna.

Ultimately, the film's narrative structure lets it down, and Besson's adherence to his own vision is both a good and bad thing - but in terms of the spy genre, it very occasionally kicks ass and presents a solid case for being.

Hotel Mumbai: DVD Review

Hotel Mumbai: DVD Review

Tense, claustrophobic and never once exploitative, Hotel Mumbai's recreation of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks is simultaneously nail-biting and verging on the factual.

Dev Patel is a worker at the Taj Hotel, one of those places targeted by Pakistani militants who launch a series of attacks to wreak chaos. Trapped inside and with time running out, a group of disparate guests and hotel workers try to survive.

Hotel Mumbai has a sense of claustrophobia, a sense of terror and a sense of the unending mercilessness of terrorism. As the almost robotic servants carry out their master's bidding communicated to them via phone lines, there's a true feeling of horror as the attacks take place, a relentless march against the perversion and hatred of other's ways of life.

But Maras, while delivering an almost workman-like and straight forward retelling of events, never once slips into the exploitative, giving it a feeling of something sickening growing with dread throughout.

The thing with Hotel Mumbai is that the film's unswerving dedication to the unfolding reality of a terrorist attack helps it to grip, and leaving you twisting in its grimmer edges.

What Maras is smart enough to do is to realise that within the horror of every crisis, there is humanity to be found at every level.

While he does use the story of Hammer and  Boniadi's baby being trapped and separated with their sitter to promote some tension, he's wise enough to not milk it for all it's worth and just leave you teetering on the edge of your seat. Slivers of background provide enough to guide an audience in, and don't feel like sentimental set-up sap.

It's this element of sensitivity with the film's truly awful premise that helps ground Hotel Mumbai into a gripping and sickening watch.

Equally Patel and Kher show the humanity of the staff and the humility of their approach that the guest comes first, no matter what the situation. It's horrifying in many ways, but like any disaster film, it's the human elements which shine through in Hotel Mumbai to keep the light burning.

Ultimately, Hotel Mumbai's commitment to the reality of the Mumbai terror attacks means the film passes without direct judgement on those perpetrating them. There's a subtlety in the condemnation that does play out, but not an overtness - it's a key difference in making this disaster movie crowd-pleasing and turning tragedy into gripping drama.