Inclined to Opine

What if Bruce Wayne was a whiny emo teenager who treats the only person who cares for him like crap?  What if he were fairly intelligent but utterly outshone by Alfred, outsourcing all major sleuthing to his butler? What if Batman was little more than an extension of him with no real differentiation between the man and the vigilante? What if all this was told with poor writing, bad pacing, and zero chemistry between main characters? There were good elements to this film, even if I'm struggling to remember them. Colin Farrell’s Penguin was a delight, walking the fine line between over-the-top yet still believably intimidating, the actor completely disappearing into the character in part thanks to amazing prosthetics and make-up. Paul Dano as the Riddler was very good, bringing an unsettling serial killer vibe that grounded his performance in realism. And that’s about it for great acting. Jeffrey Wright as Gordon was meh, not bad but not particularly interesting either. Zoë Kravitz w...

Expectation management is an important life skill so, given that I hadn't terribly liked the film, finding the music repetitive and a bit annoying, I came into the stage version of Frozen not counting on being blown away. And I was right. Mirroring an issue I have felt in several Disney film-to-stage musical adaptations, the new material inserted to increase the run time brought nothing innovative or interesting. Instead of fleshing out the characters and storyline, all we had was longer/more musical numbers, mostly either foreshadowing or partially reprising pre-existing songs. When you have already heard the melody of Let It Go from the very start, the number loses its punch, methinks, and this is but one of several examples. The tone of the show was also off for me. While I understand it's very much aimed at children, the opportunity to engage adult audiences was completely missed. If you think of Lion King, for instance, the stage show has lifted the source material, deepen...

Every year, I see more and more articles on how viewer numbers for the Oscars have fallen yet again, and I have no trouble believing this to be true. It seems the Academy is so focused on shortening the ceremony and, I assume, cutting costs, that they are chipping away at all the elements that distinguished the Oscars from any other award show. If we want to learn who won, we read it in the news; if we want to hear the speeches, we find them online a few hours later; even the drama is captured by following live on social media. So what sets the Oscars apart (or used to!) is the sense of grandeur and spectacle, the celebration of film, the over-the-top-ness. All the things that were lacking in this year's ceremony. I see the idea behind having one of the nominated songs as an opener and Beyoncé's neon yellow rendition was a showstopper, but I found myself feeling thrown into the proceedings without a preamble, missing the film montages of old to get the excitement going. And the...

Here are my personal picks for this year’s Oscars along with the number of nominated films I managed to watch from each category: - Film: CODA (9/10) - Director: Kenneth Branagh, not even because I’m biased but because it was a breath of fresh air. (4/5) - Actor: Andrew Garfield, though I’d be ok with Benedict Cumberbatch. (5/5) - Actress: Jessica Chastain (4/5) - Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur with Ciarán Hinds a very close second. (5/5) - Supporting Actress: Jessie Buckley (5/5) - Animated film: The Mitchells vs the Machines but more importantly, NOT Encanto! (2/5) - Original Score: The Power of the Dog though Dune is pretty awesome too. (5/5) - Song: Be Alive (4/5) - Adapted Screenplay: CODA (5/5) - Original Screenplay: Belfast (3/5) - Cinematography: Dune (5/5) - Costume Design: Dune (3/5) - Film Editing: tick, tick…BOOM! because it’s such an integral part of the storytelling. (5/5) - Production Design: Nightmare Alley, literally the only good thing about the film! (5/5) Let’s see j...

This is going to be a difficult film to review without spoilers so let's just go ahead and say that, if you haven't watched it and want to, you should stop right here! Parallel Mothers started off well enough. An interesting take on the babies switched at birth trope, I was enjoying how the main character slowly starts suspecting something is amiss then battles her conflicting feelings when deciding what to do about it. The blow of finding out what happened to the other baby was well set up and made us viewers understand her dilemma. Her next step, of taking in the other mother and involving her in the baby's life made sense and seemed a fair compromise, given she wasn't ready to disclose her secret yet. But then the film lost me. Why the need to create a romantic relationship between the two mothers?? I don't care if they're both women, a 40 year-old and a vulnerable 18 year-old who is dependant on the former for work, food, and home is creepy! But then even th...

Some films leave you with an overwhelming impression, often condensed into a single word. In this case, I am left with "strange"; what a strange, strange film this is. The story is seemingly small whilst containing unbearable emotions, and it reaches its conclusion twistedly, the culmination of a slow burn. It is 2h hours of almost continuous, unrelenting build-up, the tension palpable in my posture whilst watching. Having said that, I confess myself let down by the ending, which felt anti-climatic and quasi rushed, not proportional to the mounting feeling of dread that had preceded it. Not knowing the book, it's difficult to judge how successful an adaptation this is but I will say the storytelling was excellent. Not only was dialogue laden with subtext and layers of meaning, but all the characters' interactions rang true. Johnny Greenwood's score is spine-chilling and beautiful, underpinning the ever-present tension, and feels simultaneously appropriate for the ...

Dear Lin-Manuel Miranda. I have ranted against your poor composing skills, your excruciatingly bad acting, and your inability to sing, along with slamming your weak lyrics and the immense hubris of repeatedly casting yourself as the lead in your own musicals. And I stand by all I have said. But credit where credit is due: this film you have directed is brilliant. The directing is superb, showing a true understanding of how to tell a story through the musical medium whilst being innovative and original. Every single cast member delivered a rock-solid performance, telling me you know how to coax the best out of your actors and are savvy when picking final takes. Above all, your passion for musical theatre permeates every single scene and the film feels like a love letter to the art form. Bravo, thank you, and please keep directing as I feel you have finally found what you excel at. I had never heard of the musical tick, tick...BOOM! before the film and have yet to watch Rent so this was ...