This movie is one of those rare ones that only received one Oscar nomination. Usually, Oscar nominations are like disasters and come in (at least) two or three, but not in this case. And after watching Rustin, I concur that The Academy got it right in this instance. Colman Domingo shines and leads this film from mediocrity into “it’s pretty good”, and it all stands and falls on his performance. This movie is the typical example of a decently average biography that shines due to its lead performer.

I might have enjoyed Rustin a bit more than others because I had never heard of him until I watched this film. I, of course, knew about the march on Washington and MLK but had no idea about “some Bayard Rustin”, and I think I am not alone, hence this movie. I liked how it shows that actual activism takes many people to get together, organize, plan and organize one more time when things change for everything to go well. And in that instance, this movie won me over easily because it showcases these helpers (not just Rustin) and how much time and effort went into everything. It’s easy to send a tweet with a hashtag; it’s fairly easy to donate money (given you can afford it), but to donate your time and energy for next to nothing… that’s impressive.

I have seen Colman Domingo in Euphoria (2019 – ?), so I knew he was a talented actor. But in Rustin, he gives us something new. I loved his energetic portrait, where you understand his character within minutes, specifically how he can be both correct and still a bit of a dick. Colman portrays him in such a way you recognise people you know in him. I believe we all have met at least one Rustin in our life – this guy is energetic, talks a big game, is obviously charming and clever, and some people adore him. And he makes it harder to adore him because of his erratic behaviour at times. But because of Colman Domingo’s performance, you are hanging on his every word, every scene he is in, you are so in it because of his powerful performance. He transcends the movie, as his character almost belongs in a different, much better film.

Here was my main issue with Rustin, and I am not the first person to mention this – besides Colman, this movie is just an average biopic. When I said: “The Academy got it right this time”, I could have easily written, “This film needs to step up to be on Colman’s level.” It is not like this movie is bad by any means, but for a biopic about someone so important, vivid and energetic, the movie is… well, the opposite of that. You will notice, especially in the scenes with no Colman Domingo, how generic this movie feels and looks. We still have many great performers here (from Chris Rock to Da’Vine Joy Randolph), so the issue isn’t there; it’s more about the execution. The film looks like many other Netflix movies (because it is one), but that shouldn’t matter as they produced some quality material in the past (Roma (2018), anyone?), so there is no excuse for this film to look so… generic.

Another tiny issue is, as I mentioned above, this is as standard of a biopic as they come. We are introduced to our protagonist; he shows why he is so good but has some character flaws. We see him winning at first, then losing, only for him to ultimately win in the end. I understand the mentality of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but again, for such a unique personality as Bayard Rustin seemed to have been, it is contra productive to produce a generic, run-of-a-mill movie that captures you enough when you watch it but will struggle to recall in one week.

Let me make this clear; my rating you will see soon is inflated by one extra star only for Colman’s performance, as he is the definition of a leading man. From now on, if he leads, I will follow because this guy can command a screen and uplift a film. But this movie is ultimately just ok. The historical importance is as undeniable as Colman’s brilliant performance. It’s just too bad the rest of the film never catches up with him. Rustin is a weird one because I have not seen The Academy get a movie “right” like this in a long time – let’s honour this leading man, but we can forget about literally everything else because it is just fine.

Overall, Rustin is a fairly short movie about one under-sung hero of the Civil Rights Movement and what it took to organise and get it done. It features many talented people, but you will remember one name above them all – Colman Domingo. His performance will never leave you cold, and every time he is on the screen, you forgive the averageness of everything else that’s happening around him. I would cautiously recommend Rustin, specifically for its historical significance and Colman’s superb performance. As for the rest of the film… I can say it is a movie for sure.

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

Until next time,

Luke

When you see a January movie (the month where movies go to die) called The Beekeeper, starring Jason Statham, you should know what you are getting yourself into. Some people might be buzzing with joy, and some might bee a tad underwhelmed, but don’t worry yourself too much, honey; the movie is as bad as this sentence. And I kind of loved it, despite it being objectively not a great movie.

For the first 20 minutes, I didn’t think I would enjoy it, as everybody was taking themselves way too seriously, especially Jason Statham. It’s almost like he wanted to give this movie some gravitas, so he has a few scenes where you ask yourself questions like: “Is he trying to act like he is in a potential Oscar-nominated drama rather than a movie called The Beekeeper that’s a January action flick?” or “Is this movie real?” You know, the important questions. But I assure you, this movie is real enough, and it’s wild. After the first 20 minutes, I found myself tuning into this film’s frequency, where I understood that this would be “one of those movies”, and I let myself have some fun with it. Luckily, the action came soon, and some bee puns and facts followed, so it definitely stopped taking itself too seriously and started to be what this movie was always destined to be – a dumb, fun, action flick.

Everyone is over-the-top in this film. You expect it from Statham because he isn’t that actor, but Emmy Raver-Lampman‘s character was off (I thought the actress was fine, just some choices for her character were a bit weird), Josh Hutcherson has only one “evil and spoiled” level, and he stays there for the entire film. Minnie Driver is in this movie but only for what could be best described as a glorified cameo, and Jeremy Irons… Damn, he is hamming it up like there’s no tomorrow. Objectively, he was the best actor in this film, but if you only watch this film and nothing else from his long and illustrious career, you would think he is just some old dude who over-enunciates his every line. It was mainly through his character I finally understood that he might be the only actor who understands the movie he is in and, therefore, adjusted his acting to meet it.

Statham’s character in this film plays somebody who can best be described as “what if John Wick and Terminator had a kid.” He is as unstoppable and takes little to no damage from anyone; he makes almost every single action hero of the past decade look like a loser. Even the “final” boss doesn’t pose any real threat to his character, who is on this righteous vendetta to punish these incredibly evil people. Yeah, we need to talk about that.

When I say this film is unhinged, I mean that. The good people are good; the bad people are… pure evil. They not only rob (mostly older) people; they celebrate it each time! Not one person in any of those companies isn’t a straight-up evil cunt who couldn’t be happier to rob yet another pensioner and wipe their savings. And this is what I mean when I say you must get on The Beekeeper‘s frequency to have fun with it. Because this is objectively… not a bad movie; there were some cool shots, and technically, it’s made by someone who understands how to stage a scene. But it’s an incredibly predictable, dumb, over-the-top action piece about this secret government organisation that punishes those that “slip through the system”. And, of course, if you follow the money from those super evil corporations who rob people, it might lead you to the highest places…

There is a reveal around the second third of this film that, if you don’t see coming from a mile away, you are either in a coma or have not seen many movies. But The Beekeeper treats it as if it just landed a knockout punch nobody saw coming. And I think this is the moment that either makes or breaks this movie for you. Because if you are in for this unhinged ride, you will just laugh at this reveal and continue being amused. If you hated this movie until then, you might super hate it afterwards. In my case, I managed to tune into this movie’s wavelength, and somehow, we synched up. It’s one of those “it’s so bad, it’s good” movies. It might also be the fact I expected next to nothing from this, so the fact this movie was so out there was a pleasant surprise.

Overall, The Beekeeper is a dumb, action movie that I managed to have fun with. It is also one of those “I will totally understand if you watch this and hate it” kind of movies. Ok, maybe not hate, because it’s not a bad movie; it’s just terribly average, tonally all-over-the-place kind of film that thinks it’s making a super deep point whilst being shallow as a puddle after a two-minute rain. If you like Statham and want to see him kick ass and be unstoppable, then look no further. Also, for all it’s worth, watching Jeremy Irons ham it up like that was also something you don’t get to see every day.

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

Until next time,

Luke

After Baz Luhrmann tried to wow us with Elvis (2022, my review here), here comes one of my favourite directors, Sofia Coppola, with her counterpart, focusing on the experience of this young (very, inappropriately young) girl who falls in love with him. And who else could portray a section of her life that must have been so isolated, strange and lonely than the undisputed queen of loneliness, strangeness and isolation? Sofia managed to carve out her niche, and although, thematically, her movies can be similar, they are vastly different when you actually watch them. And Priscilla feels the same, yet different, from all her previous movies.

What I liked almost instantly about Priscilla is how the movie never portrays her as a victim, even though it never shies away from making us aware of how young she was. In today’s climate where everything “must be” either white or black and there seems to be no space left for nuance, here comes Priscilla, a movie that openly shows you how predatory their relationship was and how young she was, but also never fails to show you Priscilla being in love with Elvis. And in certain scenes, straight-up horny. Now, of course, we can discuss things like grooming and how she should have never been in that situation in the first place. But from what I understand, the real Priscilla has never (at least publicly) regretted making any of her choices and has always spoken well about Elvis. And that kind of irony is precisely what this movie managed to balance; it makes you feel icky whilst understanding that she made her own choices. Again, was she “a bit too young” to make some of those choices? Absolutely.

I thought Cailee Spaeny did a fantastic job as Priscilla. Her transformation throughout the film is believable; she pulls off looking uncomfortably young as well as a woman in her almost 30s, and most importantly, her quietness speaks volumes. Due to the nature of this movie, we often see her by herself, in empty big rooms, just roaming around and trying to entertain herself whilst Elvis was out touring, making movies and cheating on her. Where other films would struggle, this one uses those moments well, and they never felt boring, which compliments both Cailee’s performance (I hope to see her in more movies) and Coppola’s direction.

As far as Jacob Elordi, aka Elvis, goes, I thought that was… a mixed bag. Firstly, Austin Butler should have gotten some additional praise retrospectively, as he nailed that performance and Jacob… I won’t say he was terrible. There were scenes where I thought he was good. Mainly, his physical acting (just the height difference between them is over 40cm, or foot and something if you like the freedom units) was spot-on, and him almost overshadowing her in every scene, both figuratively and literally, worked. He’s got that uniqueness that makes you believe he could be someone girls trip over everywhere he goes, however… The accent with the actual Elvis-like mannerisms I thought was… pretty poor. Even if I forget about Butler’s performance, he felt weird in most of the “talking” scenes. Having said that; I am not ready to call him a bad actor as many were after this film came out. I think the jury is still in, and we need to wait and see a few more movies, hopefully, where he has the chance to play some original characters rather than mimic this larger-than-life icon.

My only real issue with Priscilla was, and this will sound ironic as fuck, that I don’t think I understood her character much more after this movie was over. It’s ironic because for the years she’s been with Elvis, she effectively became a supporting actor in her own life. The movie seems more focused on her perspective and how she perceives everything rather than painting her more… like a fully realised character. I understand this might have been an intentional choice and that this isn’t Priscilla: The Biopic, but I still hoped to learn a bit more about her. We get the occasional glimpses of her personality, what she is into and not, but it’s always tied with Elvis. The movie (quite intentionally) comes alive every time Elvis comes back to Graceland, and he and his buddies fill that big mansion with music, energy and life. Again, I get that was the point of the movie, to show us the contrast of her life with Elvis, and then when he was on the road, I just thought that choice of not really giving us anything beyond that was… interesting.

But I can’t fault this movie with anything else. Priscilla is as tender of a film as they come, and when you sink your teeth into it, you will discover how rich and complex it is, even if it might not look like it from the surface. Sofia Coppola must be one (if not the) of my favourite nepo babies, and I don’t mean that as a slur, like many others use it. She was born into a film royalty; she utilised her resources well and found her niche. I am always on the lookout for what she does next, as she has yet to disappoint me.

Overall, Priscilla is a fascinating movie about one young girl, one larger-than-life character and how they tried to make it work. And even if we know they didn’t, Priscilla’s journey and perspective on this particular part of her young life is fascinating. I also can’t wait to see Cailee Spaeny in more movies, as I thought she nailed this performance. If you want a great, meditative film about life, fame, loneliness and everything else that would come with dating one of the most famous people who has ever lived, look no further.

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

Until next time,

Luke

I think we are too close to call the year 2023 anything yet, but one thing seems for sure. There were a few mainstream raunchy comedies, from No Hard Feelings (2023, my review here) to Joy Ride (2023), which I still haven’t seen but have heard it’s dirtier than your usual comedy to Anyone But You. It seemed that 2023 was the year Hollywood wanted to bring a bit of raunchiness and nudity back into comedies and was testing the waters whether we (the audience) are up for it. For my money, I would say yes, as long as it’s not just about gratuitous nudity.

Take this movie for example. There is some (very light) nudity, but it’s hardly about that. Anyone But You is your typical guy who meets a girl; they immediately fall for each other only for them to hate each other shortly afterwards because of… reasons. That reason is neither of these individuals is mature enough to have a simple conversation. So they go about their life, only to be brought back together again after a couple of months by fate (or the screenplay). Sounds familiar? It should be, as this is the plot of most romantic comedies from the past 30 years. You can find elements of Much Ado About Nothing here too. But, surprisingly, it all (mostly) worked for me.

Firstly, I am but a man, so if you give me Sydney Sweeney and Alexandra Shipp in one movie, I will be happy (almost) no matter what. But I will be even happier when you give them something to do, and Sydney has a lot, since you know she is the leading star of this film. And I thought she was great. Yes, for this movie specifically, she won’t be winning any prestigious awards; however, her character, Bea, never annoyed me, and I think in the hands of a less capable actress, it might have. But Sydney found that sweet spot between comedy and a bit of drama where I laughed with her in some scenes and sympathised with her in others.

The same applies to Glen Powell. He managed to play this on-the-surface flawless character (I mean, this dude is built) with humour, and when it was time for his character to be over-the-top crazy, I believed him that he could be like that in real life. Plus, his chemistry with Sydney was there. Yes, I might be biased as I have seen and read some alleged behind-the-scenes drama/rumours (if you Google this movie alongside Glen and Sydney’s names, you will see what I mean), but I don’t think there was anything else to them but that, rumours. And yet, when you see those two in the movie and how they interact with each other, you can tell where those rumours were coming from.

Besides them, what I thought worked beautifully was the Australian setting. I was afraid of that, as many times, with these destination movies, they tend to overdo jokes about the setting of those films. My worry was we would hear one too many Aussie jokes, bad accents and stereotypes, and despite there being some, it never felt like too much. It feels odd to write this about (at times) crazy, over-the-top comedy, but they really knew when to rein it in.

The only complaint I had with this movie is the side characters are mostly forgettable, and to repeat myself, the story won’t surprise you at any given point. In this instance, I am willing to forgive the predictability of the plot given how many jokes worked and due to my having a good time with these characters. I just wish the family was a bit more memorable because I swear, I don’t remember anything anyone did in this movie besides Dermot Mulroney, and even he was memorable mostly because of his… Mulroneyness (read, he is still a recognisable enough face for me).

But that is where the cookie crumbles with Anyone But You; if you want to see some of the sexiest people in Hollywood right now being all over each other in Australia and having a blast while doing it, then this movie is for you. If you require something more profound from a romantic comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell based on Much Ado About Nothing… I don’t know what to tell you, to be honest. 😉

Overall, Anyone But You is a good time. Yes, it’s a predictable movie where if you googled the definition of “raunchy comedy”, the poster for this movie would display. However, the lead performers had chemistry, most jokes landed, and the story was just crazy enough to work while the movie didn’t take itself too seriously, so I had a great time with this film. Sometimes, predictable is good, mainly when it is mixed with funny jokes. Also, after you watch this film, you won’t forget the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield any time soon, which is good as that song has been on my playlist for ages and is a certified banger.

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

Until next time,

Luke

I had a vague idea of what I was in for when getting seated in my cinema, about to watch this movie. When Saltburn finished, I was still surprised by how graphic a few scenes were and how unhinged, sexy and on the nose this movie was. For the most part, it worked, and I was entertained and fascinated by this high-society family while also admiring how slick this movie looked, although there was a part of me that hoped for a slightly different, more open-ended closure of this story.

Saltburn is the follow-up to Emerald Fennell‘s directorial feature Promising Young Woman (2020, my review here) and despite me not giving this movie 5/5, Emerald and I will be friends. I like her style; both of her films (so far) have had a distinctive feel of unease that I find admirable. Especially today, in an age where everyone wants to be liked, she isn’t afraid to rely on you being a bit uncomfortable while watching her movies. Also, she’s got a great eye for staging a scene and camera shots, especially with Saltburn, where the movie looks both sexy and expensive. I listened to an interview with her after watching the film, where she said something along the lines of wanting to shoot everything and everyone in a sexy, sleek way, as almost just the idea of money and power was tied to being sexy. And you can definitely feel that from this film and the stunning cinematography by Linus Sandgren.

It is the cinematography alongside the performances that you will remember the most about Saltburn. Barry Keoghan cements the fact that he is the next “big thing” and isn’t afraid of anything, and he will be an Oscar winner; the question is only “when”, not “if”. I saw some people debating whether Jacob Elordi is a good actor, and look… I don’t know. I have only seen him in this film, Euphoria (2019 – ?) and his tiny role in Deep Water (2022, my review here) and in all of those, he was fine. I won’t say he was excellent in either of those movies or shows, but for the characters he portrayed, he did a good job, and the same should be said about his performance in Saltburn. You had to have someone who looks, acts and, most importantly, feels like this untouchable, almost deity for Saltburn to work. His character (Felix) must have that ‘vibe’ around him, and he does have it. Who I thought was fascinating, and I had not seen before this film, was Alison Oliver aka Venetia, Felix’s sister. I liked her performance, where she seemed almost like the least deplorable person in that family, but you can still tell it’s probably too late for her anyway.

Besides Barry, I loved Rosamund Pike‘s flawless performance of somebody who thinks they are so clever and yet can be manipulated easily. I know many of her lines from this movie will become iconic; she is one of the best examples of “I hate that I love this character”, and it’s all due to Rosamund’s understanding of not overdoing it. Her performance never felt cliche, or too much despite her character saying and doing some ridiculous stuff. I don’t think it will happen, but I would love for her to get a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

My only real problem with this film is the ending, specifically how unambiguous it was. Without going into the spoiler territory, you have a feeling that there is something happening. And even though I didn’t correctly guess everything, I was on the right track. However, the movie doesn’t want to leave anything to chance or your imagination and spills everything out in the last five minutes. Now, does it necessarily make it worse? That’s the thing, for me, this decision takes away the mystery this film spends most of its runtime building up. Part of the fun I had with Saltburn was figuring out what is up with this person or that person, and then the ending happens, after which everything is crystal clear. I thought for a movie like Saltburn, a bit of ambiguity wouldn’t hurt.

But that is my only problem with Saltburn; the rest of the film is a beautifully shot movie about class, deception and how easy or difficult you have it in life depending on your family or their wealth, respectively. The opulence of a family occupying this mansion (that feels and looks like a castle) and living in this little bubble was fascinating, almost as fascinating as thinking about how much of this movie may or may not be based on Emerald’s life and growing up as one of those “1%” of people.

Overall, Saltburn is a flashy drama full of great performances, beautiful cinematography and scenes you won’t forget any time soon. Whether it’s the bathtub scene, graveyard scene or the ending, it makes an impact and gives you some food for thought. Would I appreciate a bit more ambiguity towards the end? Yes. Will it hinder my enjoyment and potential rewatch of this film? We will see; I can see myself liking this much more on the next rewatch or slightly less. Yep, it’s one of those movies. I would recommend it, as long as you have a strong stomach.

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

Until next time,

Luke

If you watch Ferrari expecting a racing movie about how this bigger-than-life brand started, I have bad news for you. This movie doesn’t cover that it only focuses on one specific period (the summer of 1957), and by then, the Ferrari was a known brand, but it struggled. Also, Ferrari doesn’t cover many races either; only about 30% of the runtime is racing. This movie is mainly a biopic about one particular summer when everything seemed to come crashing down, professionally and personally, for one Enzo Ferrari.

Luckily, I didn’t expect this to be mainly a racing movie; that’s why this movie worked for me a bit more than it seemed to work for others (based on early reactions). The main driving force (pun intended) behind this movie is the titular duo Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. I know many (myself included) have horrible flashbacks when they see the name Adam Driver in an Italian setting, as, unfortunately, the memory of House of Gucci (2021, my review here) is still pretty fresh. But what happened in that movie wasn’t his fault, although nobody came out well in that film. But Ferrari is Driver’s redemption; he grounds this titan and portrays him as what he ultimately was, a human whose name is now synonymous with luxurious cars. His performance was great; he made us understand what makes Enzo tick, and it shows him as a human with flaws.

But it was Penélope Cruz who almost stole this movie for me. What she can do with just her eyes is phenomenal, and she continues to prove every year why she is currently in the TOP five living actresses. Her first scene with the phone, gun and her waiting for Enzo, followed up by the conversation they have, gave me every single information I needed to understand that she was not “just a wife”; she was his equal, business partner, and a force to be reckoned with. And then we get the cemetery scene, as both visit their son’s grave (not a spoiler, as it happens within the first 15 minutes) even though they purposefully don’t go together and effectively “swap”. Whilst Adam Driver has about a four-minute scene showing emotional range, Penélope has one take that lasts approximately 30 seconds with no cuts, no dialogue, just a close-up of her face looking at her late son’s gravestone and in those 30 seconds, we see several different emotions. We see her pain, remorse, guilt and anger, and again, with no dialogue, just a close-up of Penélope ‘s face informs you about everything you need to know about her. That moment was when I knew what movie I was in for.

The rest of the movie covers this period of Ferrari financially struggling whilst prepping for a big race they need to win so they can potentially merge/raise money. At the same time, Enzo is dealing with his mistress (played by Shailene Woodley), with whom he has an illegitimate child. We quickly learn that “everyone but Laura (Penélope’s character) knows about him”, so it’s only a matter of time. This part of the film was when I was the most intrigued, not knowing anything about this history; I went on this ride with them and didn’t even mind that the movie didn’t have that much racing going on.

When the racing finally happens, it’s shot beautifully, as one would expect from a legend like Michael Mann. He shoots everything with precision; this movie is technically brilliant and fun to watch, even though, on occasion, I got lost when the big race was happening as to who was who and which car was which. What didn’t help was that Maserati (Ferrari’s main competitor in this film) also had red cars, so in some quick scenes, I had to focus to understand what just happened. But that doesn’t take away anything from the camera work and sound mix/design. This movie shines on a cinema screen and sounds beautiful.

Also, there is one more thing this movie deals with (and I thought well), but I won’t spoil that. If you are a petrolhead, you probably know; if not, don’t Google anything and go to this movie blind. Mann shoots the racing scene masterfully; you are at the edge of your seat every second, as danger is looming everywhere; even Enzo mentions how that week is the anniversary of when two of his friends died racing. But when that scene came, it was still brutal to watch. It was cold, quick and shot in this almost anti-cinematic way. It was almost as if Mann wanted us to feel like we were no longer in a movie and were just watching a live race from 1957.

The other tiny thing I will say about Ferrari is that occasionally, there were some pacing issues. I read after this movie finished that this was Mann’s dream project for over 20 years, and it shows because, on the one hand, he managed to transport us into Italy in the late 50s. On the other hand, some scenes went on a bit too long (the middle part of the film felt a bit dull at times). Again, I wasn’t expecting a full-on racing movie, and I am glad we didn’t get it, as Ferrari was great. Did it have to be 130 minutes? I think not. If you cut a scene here and there, mainly in the middle part of this film, this movie would have flown much better.

Overall, Ferrari is a great biopic which stands out due to its main duo. Adam Driver is great, Penélope is phenomenal, and I hope they both get some recognition for it. The movie was a good mix of racing and biopic that has at least one scene that will leave you speechless. Also, I appreciate movies where we see people whose last names no longer sound like last names because we know them as brands. Ferrari deserves to be seen on the big screen for you to truly enjoy the camera work and sound design, as both were excellent. I don’t think you would regret paying to watch this movie in the cinema.

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

Until next time,

Luke

This movie is fascinating on all levels. When you hear the premise and that David Fincher wanted to make this movie for over 20 years now, you imagine something dark, gritty and “Finchery”. We all know and love his uniquely twisted style. But The Killer is not what you might expect; it certainly wasn’t what I expected. It’s a fascinating movie because I had to read a review on Letterboxd by my internet friend Foster (give him a follow; he’s worth it) to understand that this is, in fact, a comedy. And once I understood that and reflected on what I saw, I appreciated it much more. I think this movie will get better on any future rewatch.

I will be honest; I felt a bit dumb as it never clicked while watching the movie, but it’s so obvious. I think what The Killer (and therefore Fincher) is toying with, is the idea of us, the audience, having seen hundreds of movies about killers. How cold and calculating they all are, and they rarely make mistakes, planning their every step, knowing their enemy’s every move before they make them. And this killer, portrayed by Michael Fassbender, isn’t “bad” by any means; he simply stumbles and fumbles a lot. The movie makes a big deal of his inner monologue and how he always has his rules to do this job, only for us to watch him break every single one or not follow them at all. In that sense, The Killer is a comedy, even though you will never laugh out loud.

Speaking of inner monologue, it was badly needed, as Fassbender barely talks in this movie. The one thing I noticed whilst watching this film was if it weren’t for that inner monologue and him talking to himself throughout the movie, Michael would have barely said 100 words in the entire film. Fincher tries to create this mood/vibe where we see him do a lot with saying very little. You know, the stereotypical “alpha” protagonists who do and don’t talk. And in his case, he does something, kinda fucks it up and then finishes the job.

I missed watching Michael on the screen as he makes this role work. He’s got the chops to convince us he could be out there killing people but has that physicality as well, where he can seem menacing when he has to. His restaurant scene opposite Tilda Swinton was brilliant, as you could cut that tension with a knife. What helped was that Tilda is a great actress. She might be on the screen for only ten minutes or so, but you will remember her after this film ends. Her character is simply brilliant and almost opposed to what our killer (we never learn Fassbender’s real name) is. She eats great food and enjoys her life, whilst we see him eat mostly fast food and not enjoying himself that much.

I might write something now a few people might view sacrilegious, but this movie didn’t feel “Finchery”, unlike his other films. If I started this movie not knowing who directed it, I wouldn’t have guessed he was behind the camera. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just seemed odd because I always viewed him as one of the most unique directors whose directing style could be felt through the screen. And The Killer felt cold, digital-like, which I suppose must have been a purposeful choice, but still… It will be interesting to watch what Fincher has coming next.

My only slightly negative thing about The Killer is that the beginning drags on for a while. In reality, the opening sequence might have only been 15/20 minutes long, but it felt like an hour. Luckily, once our protagonist goes on this revenge against some powerful people, that is when this movie kicked into a higher gear for me. And despite the reason for him going on that revenge is shown, it was never really explained; that’s my next point. Besides him and a few other minor characters, we have no idea who is who, meaning this movie finishes, and you are left wondering about… let’s say, who else lives in his house without spoiling things.

Overall, The Killer is a uniquely fascinating movie I enjoyed, and as I mentioned above, I can’t wait to rewatch it; knowing what I know now, I think this will play much better. Fassbender shines in this role, Tilda rules in her supporting role, and besides the slow opening sequence, the movie grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. I would recommend it, but with two caveats – treat it as a dark comedy and understand that this might be the most non-Fincher-like movie he has ever done.

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

Until next time,

Luke

I didn’t know what to expect when I pressed the ‘Play’ button on my remote, and I love that feeling. The only thing I heard about this movie was a small hype for Teyana Taylor‘s performance, but that was about it. I didn’t know anything else, and that is how I like to watch any movie with as little information as possible, with no ideas about what this movie is supposed to be, letting the film speak for itself. And this one speaks loudly.

This movie speaks so loudly that I don’t know how much I want to reveal, as there were a few elements to this story I wasn’t expecting, and then, there was the ending that I won’t lie; I didn’t see coming at all. A Thousand and One is one of those movies that explores people making questionable choices without judging them. And then, when you think you have been “tested” enough and know where this is going, something happens and shakes up everything, from your view of this situation to you and your core. It’s only towards the end that you discover that this film needs you to actively participate and re-evaluate everything you have seen.

It will be hard to talk about this movie without going into the spoiler territory, and as I am writing this review, I still haven’t decided whether I want to spoil this movie or not. Therefore, let’s talk about performances in the meantime. I know Teyana from Kanye’s video Fade, and I vaguely remember her tiny role in Coming 2 America (2021, my review here), so I was intrigued to see what all that fuss was about, and yeah, she was great. I am not sure whether I would start campaigning on her behalf for something like an Oscar nomination, but she was definitely strong in this role.

Her character, Inez, is one of those people who is tough to watch at times due to her decisions, but you understand that at any given point, she is doing the best she can. From the very beginning, the movie sets up everything where we see her leaving Rikers and understand that she’s had it tough for her entire life. It is at this point where she encounters her six-year-old son and decides to kidnap him from foster care. That is not a spoiler, by the way, as that is the official synopsis of this movie on IMDb. We then watch her trying to give them some sort of life as New York changes.

That was one of those things I didn’t expect, and I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say, how the movie jumps in time a couple of times, covering around 15 years of living in New York and how everything around our protagonists changes, mainly politically and with changes, there are new, often racially motivated, challenges. The movie never spends too much time telling you what exactly is happening; it shows it to you effectively. One thing I loved about A Thousand and One was how it deals with politics by not being political at all. You won’t hear any cheap and simple shots at any politician, policies, etc. The movie treats it as fact and shows how Inez and her community are affected by those new laws and policies. And how people within this movie simply had to adjust and, unfortunately, make it part of their life.

Regarding other performances, I liked how natural Aaron Kingsley Adetola was. I enjoyed how vulnerable Aven Courtney was. And I understood everything about Josiah Cross. All three played Inez’s son Terry throughout different ages, and they all brought something unique to this role whilst helping you understand how and why Terry would grow up into the person he became at the end of this movie. I also enjoyed William Catlett despite not necessarily liking his character Lucky, even though he had his bright moments.

And that is where the cookie crumbles. How willing are you not only to watch flawed characters, but, more importantly, try to understand where everyone is coming from? And when you think you are finally at a place where you seem to have everything and everyone figured out, the movie hits you, and it hits you hard. Ok, I have decided it’s a spoiler time. I can’t NOT talk about it.

Beware, SPOILERS are coming!

After A Thousand and One finished, I immediately thought of Gone Baby Gone (2007). Both movies leave you pondering a moral dilemma you can discuss at length. You come to terms with everything Inez has done, and then we learn that Terry isn’t even Inez’s son. He wasn’t abandoned by her when he was two, as we were led to believe she found him there. And now, his character has to deal with not knowing who he is, the fact his parents left him at that corner totally alone, and also, how Inez never told him that. The final scene hits hard and has so much going in it when we see only Inez and Terry and how he eventually grabs her hand, as a son would. Yet, deep down, we know it won’t be easy moving forward, emotionally, practically, legally…

I think this movie will play much better on rewatch. A Thousand and One is one of those movies I wasn’t clicking fully with for most of the film, as I must repeat again; it’s hard to sympathise with someone such as Inez, even if you understand where she is coming from. But as the movie progressed, I was in it, and when that twist happened, it made me realise how complex of a character she is. Does one good deed justify everything else she did? That’s up to everyone to decide for themselves, especially when the “good deed” itself can be discussed, given Inez’s circumstances and struggles. Again, no matter where you land on this movie, there is a hefty debate that could take place, and I enjoy movies like these.

Overall, A Thousand and One is a fascinating movie I ended up liking, and it may end up even higher on any potential rewatch due to my knowledge of the complete story and all the twists and turns. I liked the idea and the concept, and all the performances were great; I will definitely be on the lookout for Teyana and what she decides to make next. Would I recommend this movie? Yes, if you can handle following characters that are hard, if not impossible, to root for. And for the moral dilemma this movie talks about.

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

Until next time,

Luke