David Twohy directs Vin Diesel, Thandiwe Newton and Karl Urban in this sci-fi epic where Pitch Black’s anti hero takes on an intergalactic imperialist death cult.
I remembered feeling this was a disappointment after the lean and tight Pitch Black. Bookended by a sub Dune plot of regal squabbling and unconvincing CGI, Chronicles often reeks of vanity. Yet on a curious revisit the good stuff sang louder. The middle act on a sun scorched prison planet hits the high notes of the first film. Thandiwe Newton’s smokin’ hot Lady Macbeth clone is way better than some of the other thespians cashing in a paycheck. The ambition of the visuals is laudable even if the tech doesn’t quite meet the vision. There are good action beats and even a couple of creepy moments. The closing shot is cute beyond belief. I had a lark with lowered expectations.
Colm Bairéad directs Carrie Crowley, Catherine Clinch and Andrew Bennett in this Irish drama where a young girl from a loveless family spends a summer with relatives.
Heart wrenching child’s point of view stuff. So many deeply true moments. Very good but very sad. Wonderfully bold yet simple framing from cinematographer Kate McCullough. Based on a Claire Keegan novella.
Kathryn Bigelow directs Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty in this Iraq war movie following a military bomb disposal unit with an unstable new sergeant.
Easily the best movie set in the second invasion of Iraq. The heat, dust and volatility of the occupation is immersive. Nobody does death wish intensity quite like Bigelow. She is one of my favourite directors based on the purity of her action filmography. More pessimistic than Cameron, grittier than a McTiernan, more poker faced than a Verhoeven. The first hour of this is take no prisoners set piece after set piece. The marathon sniper stand-off in the desert is as dangerous and as gripping as a sequence of peril can get. Do we get any further into the three protagonists mindset than war is bad / sad / pointless but addictive? No. But ultimately there isn’t much more to say about violence than it mutilates humans inside and out. For my money, one of the most entertaining 21st century Best Picture winners.
Brady Corbet directs Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones in this period saga following an émigré architect’s struggles to find work in post-war America.
Epic but intimate. A character study yet obtuse. Bristling with creative fervour and literary intent. You could never accuse a 215 minutes movie of biting off more than it can chew but Corbet’s admirable big swing certainly has a lot of aims and themes, many of which only truly emerge in the final half an hour. The first half “The Enigma of Arrival” is full of seductive, noble, optimistic struggle. That American Dream writ large, only pragmatically. Almost cynically, but not quite. “Part 2: The Hard Core of Beauty” is the grinding disillusionment, the crushing inevitability. It is harder to absorb on first viewing as, as some of Corbet’s intentions take true shape, they can feel… a bit on the nose after the more lyrical journey we have been on. Maybe we didn’t need some questions answered quite so bluntly, quite so obviously. Overall though this is really something special. Perfectly paced, beautifully filmed by Lol Crawley and with one of my favourite scores in a good long time… thank you Daniel Blumberg. Pearce and Jones do tremendous work with their complex characters and I would happily have spent another three hours plus in their abrasive company. Corbet builds on his enticing start with Childhood Of A Leader and Vox Lux to deliver his first truly great one. The Brutalist exists as such an exile among contemporary releases. Neither an algorithm dictated cash-in or the last indulgence from an old master. Set in the past, non genre, deeply intelligent, emotionally spellbinding. It gives me hope that someone might still tackle the unfilmed (and possibly “unfilmable”) favourites Mr Vertigo by Paul Auster or A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. If Corbet wanted to give either a punt I’d be very happy.
Bobby Carroll's Movie Diary 