Tag: A24

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Post author By Mark
Post date April 15, 2022

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a cinematic anomaly. It shouldn’t work at all, let alone as brilliantly as it does here; a cosmic, mind-bending exploration of Hollywood’s latest trend: the Multiverse. But where films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and the upcoming The Flash seek to use the concept to open up their properties to even more characters, the Daniels (writer-directors Kwan and Scheinert) have crafted an epic tale of love and forgiveness, anchored by a career defining performance from Michelle Yeoh, set against one of the most inventive, batshit crazy worlds ever put to screen.

In dire financial strife – and unbeknownst to her, on the verge of a divorce – Evelyn (Yeoh) struggles to balance an impending audit appointment, her well-meaning but irritating husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), and the upcoming introduction of her daughter Joy’s (Stephanie Hsu) girlfriend to Evelyn’s ageing father Gong Gong (James Hong). When a mysterious note appears amongst her tax documents at the IRS offices, Evelyn is accosted by an alternate version of her husband, who informs her that she is the key to stopping the evil Jobu Tupaki from wreaking havoc across all the universes in existence. Forced to learn how to draw upon the power of alternate versions of herself with unique skills, Evelyn must look inward to discover the true key to saving the Multiverse.

Part The Matrix, part Martial Arts movie, part raunchy comedy and a heaping help of completely batshit strangeness, Everything Everywhere All At Once lives up to its name in defying explanation and being all these things at once; a celebration of cinema whilst being its own completely original thing. As you’d expect it takes a minute before you fully understand what is going on, with the Daniels throwing new world mechanics and terminology into the mix constantly. At a certain point however, everything just clicks together and this cinematic ride whisks you along with it; the visuals of Michelle Yeoh snorting a fly or Jamie Lee Curtis walking around with hot dogs for fingers being completely plausible as you explore this constantly inventive world the Daniels have created. From the people who gave us Swiss Army Man, a film about Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse, would you expect anything less?

Not only do they throw completely wild ideas on the screen, most of which shouldn’t work, but the Daniels manage to infuse it all with so much emotion that you will be a weeping wreck by the time the credits roll. At the core of all the zaniness is family and Evelyn’s relationship with hers is relatably complex, having let the everyday complications of life become her priority instead of the people around her. As she is allowed glimpses of herself in these different universes, she comes to understand the importance of the relationship with her husband and daughter in all of them, and it is this emotional core that drives the action, leading to a hilariously wholesome final act.

Michelle Yeoh, a veteran of the screen, is given a rare role for an actor here; a chance to break away from the pre-conceived notions of what she can do by doing… just about everything. The range on display is truly astonishing, to the point where individual frames present wholly new versions of Evelyn, often featuring elaborate make-up or prosthetics and a distinct facial expression from Yeoh. These glimpses into alternate Evelyns may only be on-screen for a fraction of a second, but they all work together to hammer home just how epic in scope this adventure is, whilst remaining intimate. It also helps to further prove that Michelle Yeoh can do anything.

That greatness extends to the entire cast, with Stephanie Tsu’s frustrated and emotional portrayal of Joy, Evelyn’s daughter caught between loyalty to her family and striking out on her own. Jamie Lee Curtis pops up as a disgruntled IRS officer who follows Evelyn through the Multiverse, clearly relishing the weirdness and freedom of her role. But it is the return of Ke Huy Quan – Data in The Goonies and Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – that is most exciting, a familiar face who hasn’t lost any of the pure positive energy that he brought to those iconic roles back in the eighties. It’s heart-warming to see Quan return in a role this important and he knocks it out of the park, nailing his portrayal of the many versions of Waymond across the Multiverse.

Those endless possibilities in the Multiverse extends to the film’s technical aspects as well, with the Daniels constantly playing with everything from the shifting aspect ratio to the colour grading and use of filters to denote different genres, universes and thematic elements. It’s a visceral, immediately noticeable element that gives each universe its own distinct flair, as well as demonstrating a clear love for the history of cinema and the different types of films within it.

In an infinite multiverse, Everything Everywhere All At Once is an infinite list of things we love about the movies – reasons to laugh, cry and cheer. Michelle Yeoh gives the performance of her career in this endlessly creative sci-fi epic; one of the most original films in recent memory that deserves to find a huge audience. With countless layers to unpack underneath the fantastic action and raunchy jokes, this is a film that will only improve upon repeat viewings as it works its way into your list of favourites. In a world where you could do anything anywhere, choose to see Everything Everywhere All At Once now.

Everything Everywhere All At Once stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Tallie Medel, Harry Scum Jr., Jenny Slate & Jamie Lee Curtis – In cinemas now.

10/10

Tags A24, Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Harry Shum Jr., James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jenny Slate, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, The Daniels

Movie Reviews

X

Post author By Mark
Post date March 29, 2022

Indie horror darling Ti West returns to his roots with X, another A24 produced horror film with much more under its Texas Chainsaw Massacre-inspired surface than meets the eye. The often glacially slow pacing of West’s earlier work like The House of the Devil remains, testing audiences’ patience at times, but is made up for by the sheer level of craftsmanship on display in every small detail and the clever thematic through-lines West unpacks as things unfold, ultimately making this one horror that you’ll want to revisit time and time again.

The year is 1979. In the rural backwoods of Texas, the free-spirited lifestyles of the “free love” movement have yet to fully take hold, battling against long-held conservative values. This sets the scene for pornographic film producer Wayne’s (Martin Henderson) latest get-rich-quick scheme: an erotic film shot by wannabe art-film director RJ (Owen Campbell) that will make superstars of its actors – Wayne’s girlfriend Maxine (Mia Goth), Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Jackson (Kid Cudi) – through its experimental spin on the tried and tested porno flick. When the aged caretakers of the guesthouse Wayne is renting to shoot the film – Howard (Stephen Ure) and Pearl (Goth pulling double duty) – discover the group’s intentions, they set out on a crusade to uphold their Christian values at any cost, no matter how much unspeakable violence they must inflict to do it.

X feels like Ti West at his most fun; taking his time to establish this world, the colourful characters that inhabit it and the inherent hypocrisy in the violence at the film’s core. Snow and Cudi are integral to the film finding its footing; hamming up their porn-star personas in wildly over-the-top fashion that entertains whilst West lays the groundwork for Howard and Pearl’s evil machinations off the back of an exceedingly creepy performance from Mia Goth. The dialogue in these scenes will have A24 die-hards in the audience thrilled as West deftly deconstructs the humble slasher film; with tongue-in-cheek meta commentary aplenty as he draws comparisons between the 70’s hard response to the scuzzy horror films of the time compared to the embracement (in some places) of the porn industry in the mainstream.

If this sounds a little like Texas Chainsaw Massacre crossed with Boogie Nights, that’s because it is. West proudly wears his inspirations on his sleeve, with a set-up that hews closely to Hooper’s classic and a house that looked as if Leatherface himself lives there, but sheds this facade as the story progresses, moving into territory so strange and uncomfortable that it more than earns the title. While some of these developments do cause the film to lose some of its horror steam – with only a few genuinely shocking scares – in favour of an unsettling comedy, it is perhaps more effective in making the audience squirm in their seats than another generic Texas Chainsaw copycat. But the real terror comes in the quiet moments between the violence and the sex: long, uninterrupted sequences that establish an impending dread and slowly let the situation unfold as the audiences become voyeurs into this impending nightmare.

X is very much Ti West’s love letter to the slasher genre, particularly those scuzzy, brutal classics of the 70’s. Often a homage but never beholden to retelling the same stories of those films, West’s take on the genre goes to exceedingly strange places, never losing sight of the often hilarious characters at its core. While the violence and horror elements may get lost in the shuffle of balancing its core cast with the narratives twists and turns, strong performances from the entire cast and a breakneck final act ensure that X gives it to ya, and then some.

X stars Mia Goth, Brittany Snow, Martin Henderson, Jenna Ortega, Owen Campbell, Stephen Ure & Kid Cudi – In cinemas now.

8/10

Tags A24, Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Kid Cudi, Martin Henderson, Mia Goth, Owen Campbell, Stephen ure, Ti West, X

Movie Reviews

Lamb

Post author By Mark
Post date October 25, 2021

You’d be forgiven for seeing the trailer for A24’s newest self-proclaimed “horror” film Lamb and thinking the uber-popular indie studio had another Icelandic Midsommar on their hands. It had everything: the breathtaking scenery, moody atmosphere and strange hook in the titular lamb-human hybrid. In actuality Lamb is a beast of a completely different nature; an extremely metaphorical slow burn that may leave you with more questions than answers. Not a horror film so much as an intense exercise in keeping the audience guessing, a pair of powerhouse performances from Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason just aren’t enough to overcome the needlessly glacial pace on the way to an all too abrupt conclusion.

Living on a remote farmland in Iceland are married couple Maria (Rapace) and Ingvar (Guðnason), alone except for their dog, cat and barnful of sheep, whom they care for day in and day out with nary a word said between them. This is clearly a couple with a lot of history and more than their fair share of baggage and you get the sense that their relationship has seen better days. Their somber existence changes for the better with the shocking arrival of Ada – a lamb borne of a sheep but with a human body – who the couple instantly adopt as their own child, never questioning her strange arrival or making much of a fuss about the fact that their “daughter” would happily eat grass instead of the human meals they feed her to feed their own illusion. Things take a turn for the fledgling family with the arrival of Ingvar’s brother Pétur, whose arrival threatens to unearth long buried secrets, not to mention the constant presence of an unseen malevolent creature stalking the farmland.

That premise on its own is tough enough for an audience to get behind, yet first-time director Valdimar Jóhannsson rarely steers his story into more palatable, mainstream territory. Take the opening 20 minutes for example. Largely wordless, they are a true test of an audience’s patience, as Maria and Ingvar simply go about their lives as usual before the arrival of Ada. It certainly shouldn’t take that long to set up the couple and their troubles but you can’t deny that the atmosphere Jóhansson sets isn’t effective, slowly building tension and doubt in your mind that something could go wrong at any moment. Once Ada does arrive we’re treated to another long stretch before she is shown in all her strange glory, a reveal perhaps not as effective as Jóhannson might like given the prominence of Ada in the film’s marketing.

From here the film’s structure becomes more evident, with Jóhansson treading water in between these pivotal moments that shift Maria and Ingvar’s relationship. You get the sense that each of these moment is moving the story towards something larger but to what you can never quite be sure, and the end result isn’t enough to justify the interminably long periods of nothing much at all happening between them. So much of the run-time is spent in these painfully self-indulgent sequences that by the time things begin to truly ramp up the film is over. It is one thing to subvert people’s expectations – and Jóhansson almost always takes a left when you expect a right – but to waste the audience’s time lingering on shots that don’t have any significance, simply to let them sit and stew in the confusion for a while longer doesn’t increase the profundity of the ending, it only makes people more exasperated by the journey.

Where the true balancing act is in Lamb’s tone. While largely billed as a horror film, the true genre lies somewhere between that and a fairy tale. There’s an inherent humour to the very concept of Ada that will have you chuckling at all her cute little mannerisms, but the heavy tone underlying all of this makes it so you never feel like this is intentional. It almost seems as if the film wants to have its cake and eat it too, finding physical humour in Ada’s weirdness before pivoting into a serious scene and expecting you to not view that scene through the same humorous lens, even though Ada is still waddling around in a ridiculous little outfit.

At its core Lamb is the story of Maria and Ingvar’s relationship and how grief has affected them both together and on an individual level. Ada’s significance isn’t so much in the fact that she is part human, part lamb, but in how her arrival allows for the couple to heal and reform their marital bonds. Ingvar is more than happy to move beyond their tragedy and throw himself into this new life but there is a lingering sense that Maria is still tortured by their past. She become’s fiercely protective of her new “daughter” and Rapace is fiery in the role, able to shift gears in an instant and raise the intensity. Guðnason is more restrained in his role, happy to be moving and seemingly oblivious to any goings on between his wife and brother or the fact that his adopted daughter is a lamb. It’s a pair of performances that play well both in the literal sense of the story and the deeply metaphorical, existential plane that the story steers into; worthy of revisiting even if the film itself might require masterful patience to do so.

Lamb is not an easily definable film, nor is it one that can be instantly understood. Valdimar Jóhannsson keeps the narrative small but goes thematically huge in his debut, crafting an intricately metaphorical modern fairy tale that is simply too slow to justify; the story ending just as it seems to really be kicking off. Rapace and Guðnason command the screen when the writing is there for them to do so but this is the slowest of slow burns, with a lot of the runtime filled with Jóhannsson meandering around the picturesque Icelandic farmland. It definitely won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but one thing is for sure: Lamb is no sheepish debut.

Lamb stars Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason & Björn Hlynur Haraldsson – In cinemas now.

6/10

Tags A24, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Lamb, Noomi Rapace, Valdimar Jóhannsson

Movie Reviews

Saint Maud

Post author By Mark
Post date November 10, 2020

Religious horror is a staple within the genre, with stories of demonic possession and satanic cults playing on our inherent fear of the divine for years to often terrifying results. Debut filmmaker Rose Glass’ film Saint Maud takes that tried and tested religious archetype and adds something new to the mix, crafting a taut psychological thriller with a spiritual underscore to thrilling effect. This is a film that will have you thinking and talking about it for days after, a hauntingly chilling portrayal of blind faith and the powerful effect religious devotion can have on a tormented soul. Led by a career-defining performance from Welsh actress Morfydd Clark, with stunning cinematography and a bone-chilling score, Saint Maud is one of the best psychological horror films in recent memory, an extremely impressive and original debut that you should seek out as soon as possible if you consider yourself any sort of a horror fan.

Maud (Clark) is in between jobs. Waking up in her depressing single room apartment in a quiet seaside English town, thinking about her mysterious and violent past, she begins to pack for her new role as a live-in nurse for Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a former professional dancer now confined to a wheelchair due to a crippling spinal cancer diagnosis. Maud’s employment immediately marks a change for Amanda, as the recently converted nurse suggests she invite God into her life and atone for her sins in order to be welcomed into the afterlife. Amanda, looking to make Maud feel comfortable, indulges her rather innocuous requests to pray before meals and discuss faith every now and then. However before long, Maud has taken her duty of care to the next level, becoming obsessed with saving Amanda’s soul; as if this was a role assigned to her by God himself. As Amanda’s patience with Maud’s faith begins to slip, Maud’s attempts to convert her become increasingly violent and deranged, as the young girl’s grip on reality begins to slip on the way to an explosive finale.

Saint Maud lives and dies on the strength of Morfydd Clark’s performance – we see almost all of the events of the film from her point of view – and what a performance it is. This is one of the creepiest, unhinged performances I’ve seen in a horror film, perhaps ever, as this seemingly ordinary if slightly overzealous girl descends into complete insanity over the course of 90 minutes. Clark’s performance is incredibly physical, as she feels God “inside her” contorting her body into strange, inhuman positions, signs that he has a greater plan for her beyond the palliative care she otherwise deems beneath her. By taking the audience into her mind and allowing them to see the world through Maud’s eyes, Glass gives us a window into the madness that this newfound devotion to God has wreaked on Maud’s psyche. She truly believes she communicates personally with God, punishing herself for sins committed by walking on tacks and burning her hands on stovetops. When Amanda insults her faith there’s a murderous glint in Maud’s eyes; a hint of madness that makes you wonder just when this powder keg of a girl is going to explode.

When she does crack it is glorious in all the best ways that horror villainy can be, with Glass playing with the perception of what is real from Maud’s point of view in a way that will make you question everything you have seen and which Maud uses as justification for the extreme violence she undertakes. We hear a disembodied voice we are meant to believe is God and see hints of real life devilry like Maud’s mouth unhinging in demonic fashion, but are never sure whether the supernatural is at play or these horrors are simply within Maud’s head. Whatever the case, it is certainly real for her and Glass chooses to shoot these scenes in the same way as the rest of the film so as to blend the real with the imagined; there is no obvious sign or a different lens given to the more supernatural sequences.

Speaking of imagery the whole film looks fantastic, with cinematographer Ben Fordesman adopting a gritty, almost grimy filter at times to show just how down and out Maud’s character is within the world; as she prays in her filthy, barebones apartment and traipses through dimly lit, disgusting alleys on her way to Amanda’s plush, luxurious abode. Scenes are shot within Amanda’s house using the same gritty style, perhaps to draw similarities between Amanda’s dire situation in her physical battle with cancer and Maud’s own mental and spiritual struggles. Scenes where Amanda, ever the socialite, finds solace in other people’s company are lit warmly, often by a fire that brings a red hue to the surroundings; a possible allusion to the demons Maud believes she has seen in Amanda and her sinful sexual encounters and alcohol abuse.

Jennifer Ehle excels as the other half of this titanic clashing duo, bringing a world-weariness and cynicism to the role that starts as empathy for this girl she believes to be pathetic and lonely but quickly turns to contempt and snark once Maud begins to overstep her boundaries as a nurse. One scene in particular really allows Ehle to go for it as she twists the knife into Maud, insulting her religion and calling out her faith as misguided. You can see Amanda relishing in making this girl hurt after suffering through the cancer; a rare moment of control in a world where she is now unable to perform even the most basic tasks of self-care. Music also plays a pivotal part in distinguishing these two individuals, with lively records constantly being played in Amanda’s house in comparison to the wonderfully dour and chilling score of Adam Janota Bzowski which underpins Maud’s horrifying actions. It may be somewhat reminiscent of Bobby Krlic’s Midsommar and Colin Stetson’s Hereditary scores but for good reason; that eerie, atmospheric sound with sudden percussive blasts and screeching strings is extremely effective in delivering spine-tingling chills.

Saint Maud is another haunting addition to production company A24’s growing portfolio of existential, atmospheric horror. Superbly made from a technical standpoint and anchored by two dynamic performances from Morfydd Clark and Jennifer Ehle, this is an equally fascinating and terrifying look into the mind of a severely damaged young woman whose devotion to her faith has taken her down a violent path. What begins as a creepy, atmospheric psychological thriller takes a turn to the supernatural as the religious forces of good and evil begin to take on a physical presence, leading to a final showdown and final scene that will be etched into your retinas long after you leave the cinema. Rose Glass makes a strong first impression here with one of the best horror films, not only of this year but of the last ten; a terrifying experience that you should immediately subject yourself to.

Saint Maud stars Morfydd Clark & Jennifer Ehle – In cinemas in limited engagements now with a wide theatrical release yet to be announced.

Tags A24, Jennifer Ehle, Morfydd Clark, Rose Glass, Saint Maud

Movie Reviews

The Lighthouse

Post author By Mark
Post date February 12, 2020

Robert Eggers’ The Witch was a distinctively different spin on the horror genre, focused on building a steadily increasing atmosphere of creepiness and dread in a time when most horror films rely on jump scares and hideous creatures. If that seemed like a throwback to classic horror films then his follow-up The Lighthouse can be seen as a throwback to classic cinema in general – shot in black and white featuring an old school square aspect ratio – but with a distinctively modern twist. This is one crazy film that is familiar yet completely unlike anything you’ve seen before, borrowing elements from the horror and thriller genres to create something wholly original.

Set in the 19th century, The Lighthouse centres around two lighthouse keepers: young inexperienced Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) and weathered sea dog Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) as they embark on a 4 week job to keep a lighthouse running on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. Seems like a simple enough job? Not the way Thomas runs his ship, beating down on poor Ephraim with criticism every chance he gets whilst conducting himself as a slob; drinking himself into a stupor and farting constantly. Yes you read that right: farting. All the abuse and flatulence take their toll on Ephraim and he soon finds himself in a battle for survival with Thomas, each of them losing their grip on reality and becoming increasingly violent as secrets are revealed and they both fight for the right to tend to the mysterious “light” at the top of the lighthouse.

Like his first film, Eggers’ focus here is very much on building a distinct atmosphere. The island the pair inhabit is continuously under siege by the weather. Storms rage and are a constant presence in the film – almost a character in itself – as the sound of rain hitting the roof and thunder cracking builds as the characters become increasingly wary and irate with one another. Adding to the tension is the phenomenal score by Eggers’ frequent collaborator Mark Korven which fluctuates between soft, creeping dread and sudden, loud bursts of harsh strings and horns which catch you off guard like the bizarre and violent actions on screen. Reminiscent of the score for The Shining in parts, it goes a long way towards adding a horror dimension to the film, mirroring the character’s steady build toward madness. The choice to shoot the film in black and white, which some may dismiss as pretentious, actually works incredibly well to hone the focus on these two individuals and the bleakness of their situation and location. It also just looks fantastic, with shadows bouncing off the walls giving the scenes an almost gothic feel.

You can have all the atmosphere in the world but if you don’t have the right actors in your film then it’s all for nothing. Luckily, Eggers enlists two of the finest of their respective generations to tackle this decidedly weird script, in Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Pattinson continues his streak of darling indie films following the juggernaut that was the Twilight franchise and this might be the strangest and most difficult role he has played to date – including a particularly handsy scene that will forever separate him from the clean cut vampire hero that shot him to fame. Whilst his accent could use a bit of work, Pattinson is outstanding and a worthy adversary to Dafoe, making the giant shift in mentality from mild mannered to frustrated to completely unhinged look believable (within the confines of this crazy environment). Speaking of Dafoe, his performance as the grizzled sea captain is awards worthy, pivoting constantly between friend and foe to Pattinson, from calculating and vindictive to wild and completely insane. It’s a fine balance between believably crazy and completely over the top and Dafoe walks it with ease, delivering one of the most iconic characters of his esteemed career.

The Lighthouse is a film you’re not going to forget in a hurry. Whilst it may attract viewers with its distinctive dialogue and visual style, behind this is a completely crazy, original story filled with equal parts disturbing and beautiful imagery and two powerhouse performances from Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. Eggers further establishes himself as a director to watch; able to create an atmosphere that moves between genres and sweeps over and envelopes the audience – like the light atop the tower not letting go until you reach its wild, brutal conclusion.

The Lighthouse stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe – in select cinemas now.

Tags A24, Robert Eggers, Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse, Willem Dafoe

Movie Reviews

Uncut Gems

Post author By Mark
Post date February 7, 2020

It’s not often that Adam Sandler finds himself in a dramatic role, but when he does he goes all in. The Safdie Brothers’ latest high-octane, anxiety attack of a film Uncut Gems features the Sandman at perhaps the best he’s ever been – in his element as a disgruntled, obnoxious jeweller up to his neck in gambling debts and loan sharks surviving through sheer luck and quick wits. Excellently written to wring every last drop of tension out of the audience and with a stellar supporting cast, Uncut Gems stands as one of the most original films of the last decade, and although the pacing can dip slightly around the middle, the Safdie Brothers have created a gritty, confronting sophomore feature that rivals if not surpasses their breakthrough Good Time.

We enter this ride in the thick of it as expert jeweller Howard Ratner (Sandler) returns to his shop to find trouble in the form of two dangerous enforcers looking to collect on a debt owed to Arno (Eric Bogosian), Howard’s brother-in-law. The problem is Howard “doesn’t have the money right now” – a line that becomes something of a catchphrase for Sandler’s character throughout the film – and Arno’s goons promise to cause more chaos if they aren’t paid what is owed. Enter the titular gem; a magnificent multifaceted, multicoloured beauty which Howard has imported from Africa to sell at an auction for a cool million – money problems solved. That is until basketball star Kevin Garnett (as himself) of the Boston Celtics steps into the store and lays eyes on it, obsessing over the stone and begging to borrow it before the auction so that he can use its “luck” to help him win the game and the championship. Howard reluctantly agrees, releasing the stone and risking his future, and what follows is a series of increasingly horrifying and nerve shredding events as Howard does whatever he can to keep afloat with all his problems and come out on top.

What makes Uncut Gems so watchable and stops it from being a depressing story of despicable people doing despicable things is Sandler. Maybe it’s all the goodwill he’s built up from starring in classic comedies like Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison but it’s almost impossible to root against the guy, even if he is doing things that would make most people’s stomach turn and isolate an audience. He gets by here by playing off both his extremes, mixing that always-yelling anger of his earlier comedy with the subtlety of his more dramatic work – Howard is as aggressive as they come; and he has to be to an extent to get by in his profession, but its the hunger and the level of greed he has that stop him from ever feeling fulfilled. Sandler shows us this in moments which should be happy for Howard – watching his daughter’s play or tucking his son in to bed – by undercutting them with a twitch and sudden need to be around something beneficial for him, his addiction. He is an addict and a broken person and Sandler plays it all beautifully, demonstrating how this affliction can build and build in a person until breaking point. He may never top this, the role seems written specifically for him, and it’s a crying shame he wasn’t even nominated for an Oscar for the performance.

Surrounding this epic performance is some damn fine filmmaking from the Safdie Brothers who go far bigger than their last, more contained feature. The stakes of Uncut Gems are far larger and more life and death and the film moves at a clip for the most part, lingering on specific visuals and people just long enough to make you feel uncomfortable. Certain spots around the middle to tend to drag slightly but it can be overlooked when the anchoring performance is so riveting. Shot to look somewhat grainy and dirty, the effect pays off to make the diamond district of New York look grimy and lived in. The supporting characters that live in it belong here, with LaKeith Stanfield at the top of his game as a hustler from the streets looking to hawk his stolen watches through Howard’s shop and Julia Fox as Howard’s mistress and employee who runs in multiple circles in order to make a name for herself outside the store. Everyone is self motivated and out for themselves, with no compunctions about who they have to go through to get out of their current situations. You get a true sense of this through the dialogue, where multiple people are constantly talking over each other, vying for their opportunity to be heard and appreciated. While this can be something of sensory overload at times it helps to sell both the world and the madness that is in Howard’s head, his addiction the only voice that can rise above the noise.

Uncut Gems is one of those films with a role so perfectly suited for an actor that it becomes a different beast, a showcase for their acting talent. Adam Sandler elevates the source material so much with his performance, partly due to his long presence in the industry and on our screens, that he becomes someone you actively root for, despite the awful way he treats those around him. The Safdie Brothers continue to show a flair for intense, nerve jangling stories that move at an incredibly fast pace, even if there are a few dips here and there, and it won’t be long before they earn the recognition they deserve. Ultimately Uncut Gems will be remembered for Sandler’s phenomenal performance and the Academy’s snub of it at the Oscars. Here’s hoping the Sandman has a few more of these left in him.

Uncut Gems stars Adam Sandler, Idina Menzel, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Eric Bogosian, Kevin Garnett & Judd Hirsch – in cinemas in the US now and streaming on Netflix everywhere else.

Tags A24, Adam Sandler, Benny Safdie, Idina Menzel, Josh Safdie, LaKeith Stanfield, Uncut Gems

Movie Reviews

Midsommar

Post author By Mark
Post date August 13, 2019

Ari Aster made waves with his 2018 debut feature Hereditary – a horror film which expertly mixed together a raw look at one family’s struggle to hold together following tragedy with a mystery involving a strange cult with closer ties to the family and their history than they think. Featuring a criminally underrated performance from Toni Collette (one of the best of the year) and with a distinct visual style, Hereditary brought new meaning to the term creepy; a slow burn build that ratcheted up the tension to breaking point before a chaotic and violent third act. It’s fair to say that expectations were high for the director’s follow-up Midsommar and it doesn’t disappoint for the most part; with another powerhouse performance from a female lead in Florence Pugh, an engrossing central mystery and somehow more tension than his previous film at times. At a beefy two and a half hours, the film sometimes gets lost on its way to the lackluster conclusion, made all the more frustrating by the excellent, inventive cinema which precede it.

Midsommar finds Aster in familiar territory, with Dani (Florence Pugh) recently learning of a great tragedy in her life, leaving her with no one to lean on other than her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor); a well meaning but pretty unlikeable guy who complains to his friends about the lengths he goes to keep Dani happy whilst subsequently forgetting her birthday, you know: good boyfriend problems. Dani’s current predicament leaves Christian with little choice other than to invite her on an upcoming boys trip to Sweden to visit his exchange student friend Pelle’s (Vilhelm Blomgren) secluded farm commune, along with their friends Mark (Will Poulter) and Josh (William Jackson Harper), who is writing his thesis on the Midsummer celebrations across Europe. The group are welcomed with open arms into the tight knit community, offered drugs, food and music, and things seem completely idyllic until the midsummer festivities begin, a series of bizarre and deadly rituals which threaten to tear the bonds of the group apart and perhaps the odd face or two. Think The Sound of Music meets The Hills have Eyes.

Much was made of the decision to stage almost the entire film during the day, a time generally reserved in horror films for easing audiences into the scares and setting up events that will pay off in the terrifying night. Aster once again employs the tension and atmosphere that he used so brilliantly on Hereditary to equally effective results: Midsommar is a film which breaks you down on a mental level. You never feel completely comfortable watching the events unfolding on screen, even when it’s something as innocuous as dancing, and there’s always a sense that something is off about this seemingly perfect community – which of course there is. Ultimately, however, the daylight setting is something of a double edged sword, instilling that sense of constant dread whilst also robbing the proceedings of much of their horror without the cover of night. Nothing is ever really scary and even when things start to truly go south it’s all just extremely uncomfortable to watch more than anything. Where Hereditary thrived on its use of darkness, hiding things in the black space until your eyes adjusted and your brain registered what it was seeing, Midsommar shows you everything, relying on the unsettling friendliness of the locals and the audiences knowledge that something has to go wrong at some point to keep you on your toes. It works well enough to keep you guessing about the central mystery, but it means that when all the secrets are exposed there isn’t much room to scare or surprise you anymore – you’re simply seeing the ride through to the end.

That’s not to say that Midsommar is lacking in the visual department; it’s all shot stunningly, with the rolling fields and hills of Sweden serving as a gorgeous backdrop for the horrors that unfold, giving the film an almost other worldly feel. Combine that with Aster’s bag of impressive camera tricks – from a spinning, vertigo inducing shot of the road foreshadowing the madness to come to a wave effect that plays on the environment surrounding the village when our characters are under the influence of drugs – and it all serves to immerse you in the confined environment, testing your stamina for just how much of the craziness you can endure before you break. That craziness is amplified by the epic runtime of the film, a somewhat necessary side effect to truly break the audience, there are nevertheless some plot elements that feel almost shoehorned in to create more conflict where it isn’t necessary. An argument later on in the film which acts to further divide the main group feels trivial when you take into account the events that they have seen and at a certain point the argument of “let’s embrace the local culture” should go out the window when the body count starts rising. These issues fall away though because of how good a job Aster does in getting you invested in the central mystery, and regardless of how you feel about the ending, the ride to it is engrossing and tense.

Without a doubt the strongest part of Midsommar lies in the lead performance of Florence Pugh as the damaged Dani. From the outset she’s put up against terrible circumstances and her mental state is fragile before she even arrives in Sweden. Pugh plays the character’s struggle to find support brilliantly, with a desperate desire to keep hold of Christian regardless of the way he treats her morphing into realisation and a search for acceptance elsewhere. Pugh is always up to the tasks given to her by the script – whether it’s shock at the events happening around her or exhaustion from the mental strain of resisting the cult she finds herself encircled by and the haunting events from her past constantly creeping their way into her brain. Surrounding her is a solid supporting cast, made up of both American and Swedish actors who all work brilliantly to assist Dani’s descent into madness. Jack Reynor plays the boyfriend archetype on multiple levels; Christian is acutely aware the way he is treating Dani is wrong and yet he persists, and the interactions with his friends highlight just how self-centered the character is, ultimately leading to some pretty shocking events in the final act. Reynor is tasked with quite a bit of physical acting towards the conclusion – things that would be difficult for a veteran actor to deal with – and he pulls it off wonderfully, really selling the fall of Christian. Rounding out the group is Will Poulter who brings a surprising amount of comedy to the proceedings, serving to defuse some of the ever building tension, and Vilhelm Blomgren as Pelle, a character who’s motives you’re never quite sure about, who acts almost as the narrator, guiding our characters through the festivities and the horrors they face.

Midsommar is another triumph for Ari Aster, who continues to prove himself a master of tense, atmospheric horror. Whilst falling slightly short of Hereditary in terms of its story and scares, it is nevertheless a creepy, intriguing mystery anchored by a haunting lead performance from Florence Pugh. The depth to the story and the sheer number of small details and easter eggs warrant many repeat viewings, made all the more easier by the level of craftsmanship on display visually. If Aster wants to keep making cult horror films for years to come you’ll be hard pressed to find someone with a single complaint, but with talent like this it won’t be long before he’s swinging in the majors and I can’t wait to see what kind of spine tingling carnage the man can deliver with a studio budget behind him.

Midsommarstars Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper and Vilhelm Blomgren – In cinemas now.

Tags A24, Ari Aster, Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Midsommar, Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper