Mamma mia! Where to even start with this one… I tend to defend Ridley Scott with my every breath. The man reached the “legend” status a long, long time ago, so I give him all the benefit of the doubt regarding what he wants to shoot next. And when I heard he is behind House of Gucci starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino and Jared Leto, I was half excited and half sceptical. I will show my cards early; I love me some Driver and Pacino, I like Lady Gaga (even though I don’t think she is nearly as talented of an actress as others believe), and I still wonder how people take Jared seriously. But I had hoped that Sir Ridley would give us something unforgettable, unique and all-around fascinating. Well, House of Gucci is 100% unforgettable and unique alright, except for all the wrong reasons…

House of Gucci got me in the first half when the story was developing between Gaga and Adam’s characters, when we saw some of Gucci’s history and how even somebody named Gucci was sick and tired of all the pretentiousness around it. But even throughout the first half (and let’s face it, more like the first hour rather than half, because this film is way too long), there was a problem with the tone. The film felt uneven and unbalanced, almost as if you were to play two movies at the same time. At times, it felt like your stereotypical biographical drama and other times, some elements came off like the most bizarre SNL sketch during “Italian week”. And that was before Jared’s character showed up for the first time, as that was the moment; this film started to lose me.

See, there are actors and “actors”. There are great actors that could overcome a truly awful choice of everyone having an Italian accent and somehow give a decent performance. And then, you have “actors” who like to talk about how they studied all these books, methods and everything there was ever written about acting, and it shows on the screen. But not in a good way, because you can almost see the “wheels turning” as they do it. In House of Gucci, we see both groups in an almost equal split. I always said somebody like Driver or Al Pacino belongs in the first group. And somebody like Jared or even Lady Gaga in the second group. I would say I like Lady Gaga much more than Jared, that’s for sure, but even with her, there is always something “behind her eyes” when she is on the screen where she seems so ‘technical’, almost ‘robot-like’ I struggled with her in this film. But at least with her performance, you could kind of see what she was after… But we need to talk about Jared.

Holy shit, choices were made here. And nobody tried (at least it doesn’t seem like) to stop him. It seemed like Jared created this character in his mind. But instead of “possibly slightly eccentric Italian man”, he went with full on: “What if Mario and Luigi fucked, had a son who ate nothing but a pizza day and night, dripped Olive oil and felt like a walking stereotype of what your stereotypical American thinks is a stereotypical Italian?” Look, nobody truly “shined” in this film, mainly due to the accent decision (we will get there shortly) but when Jared arrived, this film took a dive. I think the only thing he could have done even worse would be, had his character been a full-on, CGI character of walking pizza. Yes, everyone would treat him the same, but instead of Jared in the heavy make-up, his character would play a pizza slice. That would have been the only worse decision he could have made, but given this film’s tone, even that wouldn’t feel that out of place.

I already hinted at the two biggest problems with House of Gucci – the length and the accents. I believe the runtime is self-explanatory, but the accents… Why, oh why. Why did nobody on the first day, after the very first take, raise their hand and say: “Look, I know we are supposed to be Italians, but maybe we just bin the accents altogether and focus on the acting?” For all I know, maybe somebody had done that and was executed immediately for not thinking “Italian enough”. Throughout the film, even the most competent actors felt out of place because they seemed too focused on their accents rather than on acting. I can honestly say I have never seen a film where it seemed like every actor in every scene was trying so hard to stay in their ridiculous-sounding accent. I genuinely believe that had the film been the same; same actors and director, they would simply drop the accents, and the film would instantly improve.

And that is the main issue with House of Gucci; you can tell there is some “meat” on these bones. There is an interesting story about what seems to be “an interesting” family, to put it mildly. But don’t do it as an almost three-hour film. This script should have never been too long of a movie; this should have been a five or six-episode miniseries. Yes, I can hear you saying how confused I am – earlier, I complained about this being too long, and now I am arguing it should have been longer. Well, yes and no.

Because traditionally, miniseries don’t have to be watched all at once. Sure, we all have gotten used to “binging” shows, but that does not mean we must do it. And something as intriguing and complex (what should have been much more complex than a bunch of Italian accents and one walking Mario stereotype) as this story should have been given “proper” treatment. The film feels long because it tries to compact a lot at once. But, had this script been given time where we could understand the complex relationships between Gaga’s and Driver’s characters more while focusing more on, you know, the Gucci stuff and less on “Imma Italian-a!” stereotypes, we could have had something here.

The film lost me in the second half, and I could not wait for it to be over; I was so done with the story I could not care less about what happened. I can (kind of) see what Ridley was trying to do, balancing the “Commedia dell’arte” style with drama, and I applaud him for trying. But I can’t in good conscience applaud the result.

Overall, House of Gucci is one of those films that proves that Ridley Scott is now, more than ever, hit or miss director. And even though you could argue this movie was a delightful disaster (and I have seen people who claim they genuinely enjoyed themselves), for me, it was just a disaster with a promising start and more than capable people in front of and behind the camera. Most importantly, this film didn’t understand the assignment because if it had, it would have been an epic miniseries with no accents (or radical idea incoming, Italian actors?!) and no Jared. Please, just no more Italian Jared.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

On the surface, Ron’s Gone Wrong isn’t anything new. It is another movie where the technology becomes sentient, and either it is great and is trying to protect us (like Ron protects Barney), or it causes some mayhem. To a certain extent, this film reminded me of Short Circuit (1986), except it is animated, and Ron has never been a weapon, more like a live microphone with a camera inside of it… so kind of like half of Alexa…?

My point is that Ron’s Gone Wrong isn’t “original” by any means. We have seen a variation of this story done before. And yet, I didn’t mind watching this film at all as I had a good time with it. The movie is funny, and it understands how it feels to be the outcast, the only one who doesn’t have something the others have (in this case, this B-Bot), especially in this day and age. I still remember being the last one in my class (back in the high school days); not to have Facebook (this was back in 2009/10). It was blowing up at the time, and I was resisting, thinking the entire thing was just dumb, putting the entirety of your life online. The only reason I “cracked” and finally signed up was simple – everything was happening on Facebook, and any social activities (like parties) were dealt with via Facebook and their invites. I was told quite often: “I forgot you don’t have Facebook yet; you should get it!”

This film briefly took me back to those days and made me remember those times. I am not saying I was laughed at or mocked because of it like Barney in this film; no. My classmates found other reasons for that :-D. I just thought it was worth mentioning that the people behind this film get it and understand how kids are when somebody in their closest circle hasn’t got that one thing.

The main reason I liked Ron’s Gone Wrong is simple. It’s just so adorable. And I am not just talking about Ron (brilliantly voiced by Zach Galifianakis), no. It’s a slightly different type of animation, where it seems “normal” (by today’s standards of giants like Pixar or DreamWorks), but try to focus on the characters you notice imperfections we don’t usually get with those giants, mainly around their ears. But instead of hating on it, I actually liked it. Those little imperfections made this film more unique in my eyes as they weren’t so big they would stand out or bother me, yet there were big enough for me to notice this isn’t “the standard”.

Another big reason I liked this movie more than your average viewer was Donka (Barney’s grandma, voiced by Olivia Colman). Her character starts as “everything goes”, and those characters can be a hit or miss, depending on a variety of factors. Well, in this case, it worked, and I enjoyed all her scenes; I especially loved her “can do/fix” attitude. Also, because of her Bulgarian (?) accent, she is almost unrecognizable. I was surprised to see her name there, but I am so happy for her and the career she is having.

The only criticism of this film is the most obvious one, as I have already addressed it before. It’s not original. Sure, the concept is re-done to work in the 2020s, but you can safely predict most of the story and the beats it follows. And I get it this is an animated movie for kids, so I wasn’t expecting a mind-bending film that would make me re-think technology or consciousness, but… That is where I have to compare Ron’s Gone Wrong against the “big dogs” and say Pixar can do it, so why not them? Pixar’s almost trademark at this point is taking complex ideas and distilling them into animated movies both kids and adults can enjoy for different reasons. So, we know it can be done. But as the first effort from a new animation studio (Locksmith Animation), this is a well-done job.

Overall, Ron’s Gone Wrong is a fun, adorable and simplistic movie for you to enjoy with your kids if you have any. If you go into this film expecting nothing more than a decent animated comedy about the dangers of technology, you shouldn’t be disappointed. The only downside is the predictable story, and of course, kids will absolutely want to have Ron (or the B-bot) for themselves once the film is over. And good luck explaining to them that this technology doesn’t exist… yet. Just give it a couple of years.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever felt like you have no real sense of purpose, going from studying one thing to another because you think that’s what you might enjoy more? Are you around 30 years old and still don’t think of yourself as an “adult”, but you still feel like an imposter, pretending to be an adult? Well, congrats (I guess?) The Worst Person in the World might be a movie not just for you but about you. It’s a romantic (?) comedy (??) about a woman facing these questions about herself and more. It’s also about a person who lives deep in the past and is too “risqué” for today. And, most importantly, it’s about a “simple” idea – what if you met your soul mate, the special one you should stay with for the rest of your life because you complete each other, but you weren’t ready to see it?

The Worst Person in the World examines many things, but it never felt preachy, too heavy or all over the place. And that might be its most impressive feat, how many things/topics this film touches and talks about, yet it never falls into any kind of trap. The movie is entertaining and paced well (those 128 minutes flew by like nothing) and has two extraordinary performers at its core. Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie.

Let’s talk about Renate first. Her Julie felt unrealistically realistic. I met so many “Julies” over my relatively short life; I must compliment both Renate for bringing the character to life so well and also the screenplay. No wonder the script was nominated for “Best Original Screenplay” at 94th Academy Awards (2022, my review here) because it is sharp, witty and honestly outstanding. Besides these two remarkable performers, it is the script that must be applauded as it is full of life’s truths. Renate also managed to give a very nuanced performance. As you probably know, this is a Norwegian movie, and if you have seen one or two of their dramas, you know they tend to be on the quieter side. They might have some screaming scenes here and there, for sure. But mostly, it’s all about subtlety, and both our titular performers did just that.

This film is such a one-woman show that many people talk only about Renate (albeit deservedly so, she killed it in this role), forgetting Anders Danielsen Lie. His character arc was fascinating. Without going into any spoilers, he’s what I would call a definition of a complex character. Everything he does, there is a reason for that. You might not agree with all his views, and occasionally his character is stuck in the past a bit too much. But when he talks, you listen, and there is a reason for that. He seemed like a fascinating character to have a beer with. Also, in a movie that’s arguably about Renate’s character, he might have the most heartbreaking line. It’s so hard not to spoil this film, but I won’t as I believe it is still an underseen gem that should have more eyeballs on it.

I can’t help but think if both these performers were American, Canadian or Australian (you know, English-speaking countries that managed to penetrate Hollywood and our pop culture), they both would have been not only nominated for Oscars in their categories; but right now, they would have been swamped with offers for many films, blockbusters included. It’s great that Hollywood/The Academy is finally breaking down the barriers and foreign movies get more recognition than ever, but can we possibly extend that to the creators/artists working on those films? I would love to see Renate or Anders in a big blockbuster or an indie movie, whatever they’d choose to do next.

Back to the film, the moment it ended, I was not definite about my rating. That might seem silly to some, but for me, this is unusual as I tend to be quite decisive, and 99% of the time, I would know my rating before the film’s finished. But with this, I wasn’t sure between the highest and slightly below the highest rating. I knew I really enjoyed the film, the performances, and the script, but there was something stopping me from giving it the “ultimate” rating. So I sat down for a minute or two, thinking about what I just saw and the more I remembered what I liked and why I liked what I saw, the more I didn’t understand myself questioning this film in the first place. The Worst Person in the World definitely sneaks up on you and gets under your skin in the best way possible. The more I reflected on what I just saw, the more I realised how unique this film was, and that uniqueness was the reason it resonated with many. Even though it had the largest disadvantage a movie can have (according to many “mainstream” movie fans), subtitles. I know this is slowly going away, but you might be surprised how many people will still not watch something that’s foreign (movies or TV shows) or if they do, it is almost torture for them.

What also makes this film so unique is the blend of genres. We’ve had so many of these films that can’t fit into one category, and even the most apparent categories (for this film, it is listed on IMDb under Comedy, Drama and Romance) don’t do the film justice. Sure, this film contains the elements of all those genres, but it never leans too much into any “properly”. That might sound negative, but I assure you, it’s not. I would almost “campaign” to establish a new genre, for the lack of a better word, called “Life”. That genre would fit movies such as this one, Lost in Translation (2003, my review here) and many more that can’t simply correspond to one, two or three various categories well enough. We seem to be getting more films like these where they are so relatable and “life-like” that it’s hard to label them, and even putting a plethora of labels still doesn’t seem to do those movies justice.

Overall, The Worst Person in the World is a fantastic film that will stay with you for at least a few days. If you are around the age of 30, it might stay with you for much longer as it might make you almost uncomfortable with how you may recognize yourself or some of your friends in these characters. It’s 100% a film worth seeing, even if you don’t usually go for “foreign movies with subtitles”. After all, as Bong Joon Ho once said: “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” I couldn’t agree with him more. And The Worst Person in the World is 100% worth overcoming that one-inch tall barrier for.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Drive My Car is certainly one of those minimalistic films that are not for the general audience. I know this makes it seem almost snobby, but I don’t think a three-hour movie about a guy dealing with the loss of his wife through his work and that work mirroring what he is going through is for everybody. Yet, when it hits you, and if you are one of those people this film is “for”, you will probably adore it because it is rare for a movie to be this quiet and slow and somehow not boring. Also, this film is so sure of itself and what it wants to say; it is genuinely impressive.

Before going in, I knew two things about Drive My Car – it’s three hours long, and it is a film about a man who lost his wife and is dealing with that loss. And I think that’s the perfect amount of information as there is much more to that loss but telling you that would be almost spoiling it. So I won’t, as that’s one of the aspects that grabbed me instantly, seeing their relationship and how complex it was, with so much history between those two characters. And that’s important because this movie lives, and dies, on whether you can see both of them for what they were/are and not just for what they might have done. I can tell this is cryptic as fuck, but hopefully, you get the basic gist of the situation.

What I wasn’t ready for and what I will discuss here (because I don’t think this spoils anything) was how he deals with the tragedy of losing his wife through his work. Our main character is a stage (theatre) actor (brilliantly portrayed by Hidetoshi Nishijima) who is one of the best in his field. And the play he is most known for deals with similar themes/topics he is going through. I loved that aspect because it never seemed too in your face. It was something inserted into this film very much purposefully (as this film is based on a short story “Men Without Women” where there was no play), yet it never felt forced or disruptive. On the contrary, it enhanced the story and opened Hidetoshi’s character much more to us.

Before delving more into this film, I need to discuss a different movie – The Karamazov Brothers (2008). One of my all-time favourite films that did this whole “theatre play happening while people, who are going through tough times reflect about life” aspect, and it did it brilliantly. I wish this film were more available with English subtitles because it’s a unique film. Czech actors come to do a play within a factory where workers continue to, you know, work. And all is nice and well until one of the workers’ young kids has an accident and is fighting for his life in hospital. So the worker is shaken up and is watching The Karamazov Brothers. A play about God, death, and everything in between. Honestly, if you ever get the chance to watch it, do yourself a favour and go for it. Dare I say not only did this film do it before Drive My Car but also did it a bit more impactfully? It is a shame that the Academy is finally waking up to foreign movies where they get more recognition, as this movie was shortlisted for a nomination but didn’t make it.

Back to Drive My Car. If you know what the play Uncle Vanya is about, you might pick up on what this movie’s theme will be. And if you don’t know, that’s even better because that means you can let the film take you on the road (both literal and emotional) with our characters. One aspect of that road I appreciated with this play having such an impact on the overall story was that it was multilingual. Not only the actors were from different places (Japan, Korea…) and talked in different languages, but they also had a deaf actress who had to “sell” one of the most pivotal scenes in the play, and therefore a movie, and she nails it. In the meantime, there is a big screen above the stage with several different subtitles for everybody to read. I loved this inclusivity aspect. When looking back at 2021, it’s been a pretty great year for deaf representation in Oscar-nominated (and Oscar-winning movies) between Drive My Car and CODA (2021, my review here), and I love to see that.

But the question is, would I recommend Drive My Car to everyone? Honestly, no. And hear me out here. This film is one of those “you must feel it to understand it” movies. It is a three-hour-long journey of one man’s life that gets examined through his work. It is also about life, death, regret, bitterness, forgiveness… it packs a lot. But it only works if you let yourself be in the story as long as you allow this film “in” and slow down with it. We live in a rushed, fast environment, where everything gets shorter, so many people’s attention span is poor to non-existent. I have to step off my pedestal for a second as I am no exception and found myself at times reaching for my phone while watching films – something I hate to do. I always try to pause any movie; if I get a message, a random thought or anything like that. And I understand films like Drive My Car can be challenging as for many these checks all the boxes why they wouldn’t watch it:

• Foreign movie? Do you mean I need to read subtitles?!
• Three hours long?!?!
• About life and death and a mostly quiet, almost meditative journey?!?!?!?!?!?

All of these above are true. But if you can get over that and want to slow down in your busy life and let this film take you on a journey that truly feels unique, I believe you will be rewarded by choosing to watch this film.

Overall, Drive My Car is a silent killer. It is one of those films that sneak up on you; it pulls you in slowly, and without you realising it, you get hooked. It feels corny to write: “it’s about life, man!” but it honestly is. It tells a straightforward story about one couple who never had that last, important talk, about one play that somehow mirrors everything happening in our protagonist’s life perfectly, and one Saab we spend a lot of time in. I would cautiously recommend this movie to everybody looking for a great, quiet drama.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke