Hello, and welcome to the Geeky Brummie Film Roundup! Each week, we take you through the biggest new cinema releases and why you should be excited for them. This week: romantic memory doors, anti-war glass ornaments, and earthquake angst…
Usual disclaimer: unless otherwise stated, I haven’t seen these movies yet so all of my opinions are based on trailers, early reviews and other rumours and buzz.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
David (Colin Farrell) and Sarah (Margot Robbie) meet at a mutual friend’s wedding, flirt a bit and go their separate ways, only to reunite by chance in a café some time later. Deciding on the spur of the moment to take a road trip together, they happen upon some mysterious doors leading to key moments in their lives that brought them to where they are now. As they learn more about each other, their attraction blossoms into romance.
The big attraction here is the two Hollywood megastars in the central roles. Farrell and Robbie are the sorts of actors it’s hard not to like, whose back-catalogues include a rare mix of massive blockbusters and interesting indies. The director, Kogonada, is very much in the latter camp – he’s highly regarded for films such as Columbus and After Yang (although he also directed the two lowest-rated episodes of The Acolyte…). And there’s another notable name behind the camera, which will make any anime fans’ ears prick up – this is the first ever Western film to score a score by the legendary Joe Hisaishi, veteran composer behind all the big Studio Ghibli hits. [While I’ve got your attention, anime fans, don’t forget to come along to the Birmingham Anime Film Festival next weekend – tickets are on sale now!]
The fantastical element of the doorways to the past, and the opportunities for a deep, introspective character study that it presents, show a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the reviews have not been kind – they largely seem to agree that the romantic element is too saccharine and the film overall is tonally a bit unsure of what it’s trying to be. It currently has 48% on Rotten Tomatoes – not terrible, but not living up to the promise of its premise. Still, Farrell and Robbie are always watchable, and a Joe Hisaishi soundtrack is a wonderful thing – there may not be much substance to this journey, but it should at least be big, bold and beautiful.
- A Big Bold Beautiful Journey on IMDB
- A Big Bold Beautiful Journey on Rotten Tomatoes
The Glassworker
Although at first glance this might look like an anime, The Glassblower is actually a Pakistani animation (Pakistanime?) about a glassblower’s apprentice who falls in love with a violinist, the daughter of a colonel. As they get older, the opposing views of their fathers and the military values of their country threaten to tear them apart.
This is in fact the first hand-drawn animated feature film ever to come out of Pakistan. The setting is a fictional nation, but it is clearly heavily inspired by the culture that it sprang from, both in its look – desert sands and bustling markets – and its cultural representation. There’s a strong anti-war message, both in the obvious portrayal of the brutal effects of war and the subtler underlying theme that love, beauty and creativity should be valued over patriotism and social standing – something that feels as vital and relevant in the west at the moment as it no doubt does in the Middle East.
The animation style here looks beautiful, and is clearly a huge achievement for a country that is just breaking into the medium. As with all anime, the unfortunate effect of dubbing is that some of the mouth movements don’t match up particularly well with the dialogue, but it’s easy to stop noticing that after a while. Focus instead on the enchanting glassworks wrought by the lead characters and the breathtaking scenery in the background of the wider shots. In a nice touch (if a little unnecessary given they all have crisp English accents), many of the English dub voice cast are British-Asian actors – the best known one being Sacha Dhawan (Doctor Who).
The Glassworker is getting great reviews. The war scenes have given it a 12 rating, so it might not be one for young kids, but families with older children should find it a rewarding watch.
- The Glassworker on IMDB
- The Glassworker on Rotten Tomatoes
Happyend
Set in Tokyo in the near future, Happyend follows a pair of high-schoolers living under threat of a colossal earthquake that is expected to hit any day. When they play a prank on their principal, the school installs an oppressive new surveillance system to crack down on rebellion. Between the stifling atmosphere at school and the rising national tension over the looming natural disaster, can our heroes withstand the pressure?
There’s quite a disparate range of plotlines going on here, from disaster movie to coming of age tale to dystopian drama, but underpinning it all is a teen movie about the importance of preserving your rebellious spirit and sense of fun. The trailer doesn’t give too much more away beyond a vaguely ominous sense that it might not get the ending that its title promises, so it’s hard to say much more about it. But the reviews have been glowing and it sounds like an original concept that taps into a lot of real world issues in an entertaining and moving way.
- Happyend on IMDB
- Happyend on Rotten Tomatoes
If you only see one film this week…
Tough one to call this week, but on the strength of the reviews and the intriguing concept, I think I’m going with Happyend.
Still in cinemas and worth a watch
- The Long Walk – It’s a bleak, bleak watch but this is an incredible film. The dystopian premise tells you from the start that you should not be getting too attached to any of the characters, but you can’t help warming to them – even the bad’uns have a moment of sympathy somewhere along the road. Special mention to David Jonsson, who was already the best thing in last year’s Alien: Romulus and has to be marching towards an Oscar nomination after his performance here.
- The Roses
- Weapons
Trailer of the week
In a rare week where all the cinema releases are completely original stories, I’m picking a trailer that wears its remake status as a badge of honour. Anaconda is a film about remaking Anaconda that becomes a remake of Anaconda, starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black. That sentence alone has probably already made you either want to watch it immediately or avoid it like the plague. Rudd and Black play two childhood friends who have long dreamed of remaking their favourite bad movie, but when a midlife crisis finally spurs them to fly out to the Amazon with a camera, they have a run-in (or slither-in?) with a real giant snake. Also starring Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn, this looks like it has a lot of love for the inherent silliness of the original, and presents an unusually meta approach to remaking a well-known property. It hits UK cinemas on 25 December – and really, what better way to celebrate Christmas than by watching a massive reptile trying to eat Jack Black, just as the Bible intended?
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