The Wanting Mare (2020)

 I'm not sure what I think of THE WANTING MARE. There definitely is something to it but I' not sure the mad passion some people have for it is wholly warranted.

The film is set in a post apocalytic world. The action takes place in a city by the sea where it is always oppressively hot. The people make money by selling the horses that roam on the beach once a year to a city across the sea where it is always cold. There are very rare tickets on the boat to the other city which many people want. Off the coast of the city is a small island where a woman lives. She is the latest in a long line of woman who have the same dream every night. She dies in child birth laving her daughter to sort out the dream and the world on her own. The story then jumps through time to follow the daughter and the granddaughter and the people around them.

Shot for almost no money in a warehouse in Brooklyn the film has an eerie ethereal quality to it that harkens to the computer generated worlds of filmmaker Dave McKean (MIRROR MASK, GOSPEL OF US and LUNA). It is a world barely populated, where everything is either vast open spaces or closed in rooms. Much is left off screen. Things such as emotion, are clear while any sense of the world outside the characters is eft mysterious.

Very much an allegory or parable this is a film you either fall in love with or you don't. While I admire the look and feel of the film, the rest of it just kind of leaves me adrift. It all feels like writer director Nicholas Ashe Bateman is trying way to hard to make something magical and special instead of just telling the story. I know Bateman was struggling with a nonexistent budget and went to town with the visuals, but at the same time they kind of distance us from the story at it's heart because we are always looking at the pretty pictures and not getting close to the characters. I can't help but feel this is a show real as opposed to a story Bateman needed to tell from his soul. I say that because much of the promotional and PR material is on the making of the film and not on the passion of the story.

In all honesty this film sat with me for a couple of days before I sorted my feelings out enough to write on it. I couldn't figure out what was bothering me. And then it hit me. To me this isn't a film, this is a stage play. The structure, the look, the language are all things that would look great on stage. I could easily see this on stage at the New York Theater Workshop, or the Atlantic or Public Theater where the real world space between characters and audience would let us fall into it. Not only that, but the fact that we don't see the herds of horses or the world at large that we hear about but never see doesn't work in a movie. On stage it would never be questioned. 

While not bad, THE WANTING MARE is never great.

THE WANTING MARE is released digitally and into select cinemas Friday

Bring Your Own Brigade (2021)Sundance 2021

 Chilling look at the wild fires that are running through the American west. This is a film that explores  why it is happening, how we can stop it and ends up revealing some unexpected bits of information.

This is a tough film. Much of the first hour are images of the recent wild fires that scorched California. In telling a detailed story of what happened and why we are dropped into the fires themselves. It becomes a crushing experience. Once we truly grasp the horrors of the fires we begin to  look into the whys and hows. 

This film is a stunner. This is a film that we all need to see. Partly because it tells the story f the fires now, but more important it does something so few documentaries of any sort does and that is put its subject into a historical context. For example the original Europeans who came to California didn't land because the land was on fire.... no one mentions that, and as a result we really can't fix the problem. 

I really loved this film. I love the images and the depth of the discussions. Mostly I love the humanity of everyone on the screen.

I can't recommend this film enough.

Highly recommended. (Though be warned the fire footage is truly frightening)

MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE (2021) Sundance 2021

 

MARVELOUS AND TH E BLACK HOLE may not be the highest of high art but damn is it entertaining.

The story is about 1 year old Sammy. She is trying to deal with the death of her mom. Unfortunately she has anger issues Her father tells her to either finish a course he has signed her up for r she is going to boot camp. She hates the course and tries to walk out on the first day and right into the path of an older woman who is a magician. Sammy is forced to become her assistant and the meeting changes her life.

Okay yes, you know how this is going to go, but you know what you won't care. This is a wonderful little film with heart and great characters. Its a film that simply charms you. Yes you've been here before, but you really don't care because you like everyone on screen. 

And I need to say one thing while you know where it's going I don't think you'll sort out how it's gonna get there. There are a couple of gentle turns that keep everything fresh.

I don't know what to say other than this is a big hug of a film that put a smile on my face.

Recommended.

Peter and the Wolf (2006) Animation First 2021

Updated retelling of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf is a masterpiece of stop motion animation. Set in modern Russia it pretty much follows the story of young Peter going out into world despite his Grandfathers warning and encountering a wolf.

What makes this film so special is that the film has so many small touches that add life and magic to the oft told tale. Look at all of the facial expressions. These are not inanimate objects these are real people and real characters. Look at all of the eyes how alive they seem. Director Suzie Templeton has added a much needed element, danger, to the proceedings. In all the years and all of the countless times I've heard the piece I never really feared for Peter or his friends, here at last I do. Its an edgy retelling that is more emotive since Peter is in very real danger of getting hurt or killed. There is an edge and a weight to the proceedings that I've never experienced before.

Its not fair to compare this to the Disney version since they are two very different takes on the same story. Both valid, both excellent, but not rightly compared.

Make an effort to see this film, it is a classic.

We're All Going To The Worlds Fair (2021) Sundance 2021

 

A young girl gets lost while playing an on line video game and chatting with another player.

I haven't figure out if I didn't like ...WORLD'S FAIR because it's not that engaging or because I'm not connected to the online world as much as Casey our heroine.  I know part of my dislike is the device of having most of the film being  either people sitting staring at the computer screen or images of the computer. Yes there are other images but so much of the film is computer related my interest waned.  

My interest waning was not because what was there was bad, more that too many of the sequences run on way too long. The opening shot of the film is roughly ten minutes long.  While it sets up the sense of isolation and the character and the "world" it goes on way too long. Several other sequences do the same thing, staying  much too long.

I should point out that my dislike of the film is not the result of anything being wrong with the story, the acting (Anna Cobb is excellent in a demanding role) or the actual technical filmmaking, my problem is more with the presentation which is uneven. While there were sequences that impressed the hell out of me, the hands out of the computer sequence had me talking to the screen (and rewatching it), the pacing was off and the static meandering of much of it made it a tough slog to get through.

In all honesty there is a good chance that I am not the audience for this film. In the press notes writer director Jane Schoenbrun talks about how she is making the film for a specific audience who will find hope in her discussion of dysphoria. There is a good chance that my not being trans or nonbinary I can't fully connect with what she is trying to say simply because it is outside my experience. There is nothing wrong with that. It simply means that I will have to walk away until I can find a way to connect.

While I didn't like the film as a whole I will say that there is enough good here that I want to see what writer director Jane Schoenbrun does next.

Street Gang Or How We Got To Sesame Street (2021) Sundance 2021

 

Wonderful portrait of Sesame Street from the initial idea through the death of Jim Henson. While Henson is not always the focus of the film, his death was the point where the show changed.

I've been sitting on doing a review for this film since I saw it a couple of days ago for a couple of reasons. The first is that I got over whelmed with other films. The review could wait as I watched the other films at Sundance.  

The other reason is I didn't know what to say. 

Yes you've been here before. Yes you've seen some of this material. At the same time the presentation is such that it will make you cry in both sadness and happiness. If you grew up on the show you will nostalgic. If you have been there, like me, from the start it will connect up your entire life.

Ultimately I simply decided to do a short piece and simply say- this is like the best episode of Sesame Street -it will entertain you while showing you something you didn't know.

Highly recommended.

Nate Hood on In & Of Itself ★★★★★

The best magicians, the ones who are more than just simple illusionists, are those who understand that magic is a medium, not an end in itself. The Amazing Randi’s disciples Penn & Teller use magic to interrogate humanity’s capacity for self-delusion. Derren Brown uses mentalism to question viewers’ preconceptions of cognition and susceptibility. But Derek DelGaudio, two-time Academy of Magical Arts Close-up Magician of the Year, attempted something more inscrutable, more noble in his off-Broadway show In & Of Itself which ran for over 500 performances from 2016 to 2018. He sought to force his audience to reevaluate what it means to be a person, a living, breathing, feeling person utterly unique and alone in this world. And, by some miracle more impressive than any meager stage illusion, he succeeded. 

Deftly weaving autobiographical storytelling and philosophical reveries, DelGaudio created a show that was more than just an assembly line of “magic tricks.” It’s a confessional meditation on identity that’s alternatively enchanting, heart-breaking, reverent, and achingly human. Those who missed the show’s original run can now experience it themselves thanks to a filmed version directed by Frank Oz now available on Hulu. 

But this is no rote documentary. Much as Spike Lee transformed David Byrne’s own stage show American Utopia into something intimately, unmistakably cinematic, Oz crafts an experience that couldn’t exist outside of a screen. Magic purists will chafe at the animated interludes, the multiple edits during close-up tricks, and the blending of different audiences from different nights. After all, every such distraction breaks the “illusion” of the trick because anything can be switched, manipulated, or altered when the camera isn’t looking right at the performer. Additionally, people who love and seriously study magic can probably intuit more or less how DelGaudio did some of his tricks (particularly a gobsmacking variation on a famous Ricky Jay card routine). 

But the verisimilitude of the magic tricks were secondary to what DelGaudio and Oz wanted to accomplish. What mattered were the connections he made night after night with his audience, forcing complete strangers to come alive in ways they never could’ve expected. Of course, I can’t tell you any of the tricks. But suffice it to say In & Of Itself is a once-in-a-lifetime movie of a once-in-a-lifetime performance pleading for inter/intra-personal compassion and empathy. Not too shabby a trick, huh?

World to Come (2020) Sundance 2021

THE WORLD TO COME is going to split audiences. Either you are going to fall in love with its measured "inde" feel of gorgeous cinematography, lowkey performances, and meaningful narration or you're going to fall asleep and giggle at it's pretentions.

The film is the story of two couples living in the wilderness in 1856. Abigail is married to Dyer. Her world goes upside down after their daughter passes away. A short time later Abigail meets Tally, her red haired neighbor. She is married to Finney. The women quickly realize that what is between them is more than friendship. 

With its mostly great  to look at, low key to the point of being underground style, and a whispered literary narration that wants to impart deep meaning, the film feels exactly a stereotypical inde film. This is a film that is going to be manna for many. It was designed and put together exactly for a specific audience.

Sadly I'm not one one of those.

While I can appreciate the actor's craft of this film it ultimately left me cold. 

Part of the problem is the glacial pacing. While I appreciate that it mirrors the pacing of life on the frontier, how it plays out for much of the running time is too measured. I drifted off.

The other problem with the film, for me, is the almost non-stop breathy narration. While I would love to listen to the narration as a book on tape, in the context of the film the narration works against the film. Why?  Because it largely removes the need for the images. Why are we watching the film when the narration tells us everything. Okay not everything, but damn near everything. So much is revealed in the narration that it effectively tells us how to feel and what to think. I thought movies were supposed to show not tell.

Forgive me I don't watch films to have my thoughts and feeling of what I'm seeing given to me, I would rather engage with film then be hit over the head by it.

Watching the film I couldn't not think of Portrait of a Lady on Fire from last year. Both films cover similar grounds, however Portrait is a much better and infinitely less pretentious film- and one that I would gladly watch again

Life in a Day 2020 (2021) Sundance 2021

 Kevin Macdonald fashions a look at one day across the globe based upon the short clips sent in to him. From birth to death it's all here as we watch life happen on July 25,2020.

I can't really critique this film subjectively. There is simply so much material here from the birth of several children, people protesting, children reading, road trips, last rites, parties and anything you can think of that there is something here for everyone. The question is how you take to the arrangement of things. I loved some bits I didn't like others, which I suspect will be your reaction as well.

What I did like about the film is that where many films made up of material from cellphones and other home video equipment only looks small, most if not all of the footage would look spectacular on the big screen. Half way into the film, during some sequence with drone footage all I could do was curse out Covid for preventing me from seeing the film on a big screen.

IS it worth seeing?

Oh hell yea. I can't wait to see this again away from Sundance where I can just take in the images and discuss them them friends and family. Honestly I wanted to stop and rewatch several sequences repeatedly, something I couldn't do the first time through simply because I had to get on to the next festival film.

Recommended. 

The film will hits YouTube on February 6th

Lisa Sanford on BAMBI (1942) Animation First 2021

With BAMBI playing at this year's Animation First as part of the Wes Anderson selected sidebar. Knowing I couldn't do it justice I turned to Disney expert Lisa Sanford.

Thank you Lisa

You think you remember the movie Bambi. If you recall anything, it might be Thumper the rabbit, or maybe Flower the skunk, and definitely the hunter and all that unpleasantness with Bambi's mother. You can't quite remember what happens after Bambi's mother dies - do Bambi and his buddies get lost in the forest and have adventures finding their way home? Move to the big city and issue parking tickets? Start a detective agency and solve crimes?  There aren't any instantly memorable songs in Bambi that are Disney standards like "Heigh-Ho" or "When You Wish Upon a Star." Maybe what you retain is refreshed by the gifs and the memes because you were so very young when you watched it.  Or maybe you never did.  You start to wonder if you've ever seen Bambi at all.

For a story that's light on plot, Bambi is a lot of things: a coming-of-age fable, an ode to nature, a tale of animal camaraderie, a love story.  Colorful classic characters such as the adorably candid Thumper the rabbit, the sweetly shy Flower the skunk and the graceful fawn love interest Faline round out our principle animal cast.  Additionally, a central and often unnoticed character in Bambi is the forest itself - its rhythms, its textures and sounds, its seasonal costume changes. With its mostly agreeable inhabitants, the forest is lively and yet calm all at once; the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

From a technical standpoint, Bambi is a master class in different types and techniques of animation.  Bambi's naturalistic style reminds me of an early, animated version of Walt Disney's "True Life Adventures" nature documentaries he made from 1948-1960. There's an elegance in the details of the animation: the awkwardness of Bambi's limbs as he learns to navigate the terrain of his world, the layers of the forest as seen through the multiplane camera, the synchronicity of raindrops, lightning and the musical score in a storm, the curls and swirls of the forest fire; the changing color palette of the seasons.  There are shots so lovely I wanted to cut them out and frame them on my wall.

The heartbreaking climax we all remember actually comes quite late - at 42 minutes, more than halfway through the film. It's somber and dignified, and personally I found it far less traumatizing than the "Baby Mine" sequence in Dumbo.

Bambi reminds us that while nature can be brutal, mankind can be far worse; it is the only Walt Disney Studios animated film where humans are the enemy. But it's also reassuring and life-affirming in that way that nature can be sometimes; to everything there is a season.  "Bambi" and "Thumper" are widely understood nicknames for deer and rabbit, respectively - just one example of how the film's legacy reverberates today. 

For a film best remembered for its emotional gut punch, Bambi has so much more to offer. 

PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND (2021) Sundance 2021

 

Nic Cage plays a bad ass bank robber in a post apocalyptic world forced to go get the "granddaughter" of a war lord.

Sion Sono makes his first English Language film and it is completely batshit crazy and then some. Mannered, over the top and completely crazy PRISONERS is set in another place and another time part old Japan, part old spaghetti west and part post apocalyptic toyland. Its as if every idea anyone ever had was thrown into a blender and this was what survived when it was poured out.

No one acts, they over act. Everyone is deadly serious and not.

The script looks like it was made up on the spot with sequences often playing like it was a rehearsal instead of a take.

Its all over the place and a complete and total mess.

It's a horrible film and not.

Its a one of a kind nightmare that Sundance did a disservice by running streaming since this film needs an audience. This is a movie that MUST screen  in a theater (or living room) with audience as big as possible. It need to be talked to, talked at and cajoled. It needs to be made fun of and embraced.

How you see this film will determine you love or hate of it.

Misha and The Wolves (2021) Sundance 2021

 This is the story of Misha. She was a survivor of the Holocaust  who as a child lived with wolves after her parents were deported. Years later after moving to America she got a book deal, a shot at Oprah and her story was turned into a movie. Unfortunately there was also a lawsuit over royalties that resulted in story unraveling until things took a weird turn

This is a hell of a story. This is a tale that will grab you and drag you along. This is a twisting turning film that moves like the best mystery movie you've seen. Unless you've heard this this story there is no way to know when this is coming. Time and time again it took a turn I never expected. You will not want to look away.

How compelling is this film? I was enthralled to the point I was literally carrying my laptop around my house because I couldn't pause it to see what was coming next.

While this may not be the best film at Sundance it is quite simply the most entertaining.

Highly recommended

Long Way North (2016) Animation First 2021

With THE LONG WAY NORTH playing Animation First as a companion to the director's film CALAMITY about Calamity Jane here is my review of the earlier film from when it played at the New York Children's Film Festival in 2016

Sacha, the heroine of THE LONG WAY NORTH is a spiritual sister to all of the great Studio Ghibli heroines. Her adventures destined to be one of the most talked about films at this years New York International Children's Film Festival because it is such so damn good,

Sacha is the daughter of a Count and Countess in St Petersburg Russia in 1882. Her grandfather is a great arctic explorer looking for a route to the North Pole. After he goes missing and is presumed dead Sacha discovers papers leading her to believe that the rescue parties had been looking in the wrong place. Running away from home she heads out to find a ship which will take her to her grandfather.

Though running only 80 minutes this film has more adventure than almost two other similar films combined. Firmly rooted in reality the adventures of Sacha are such that my the time they end you'll feel as though you've gone North towards the pole and back again.

Stretching from the homes and libraries of Petersberg, through the country side and a across the sea and the ice LONG WAY NORTH is film that never stops pushing forward. There is nary a wasted moment. Things happen constantly, from being left behind by a ship, storms at sea and some hairy adventures on the ice this film. There are some truly amazing set pieces, plus a dark turn or two that make you genuinely fear for everyone's safety. Will Sacha get home? Perhaps, but its not certain, nor is it certain anyone else will either.

A beautiful wide screen film this film is best seen as big as possible. I am envious of those of you seeing this on the huge screens at the SVA theater during the NYICFF since this film is going to suck you in and draw you along in a way that few animated films ever have done.

The characters are all beautifully drawn. These are for the most part real characters, even if they remain a bit too civil when the poop hits the fan.

Sacha is a wonderful heroine. Head strong and sure of her self. She is the sort of character I want to show young girls, especially my niece, as an example of a strong young woman who strives to do what she knows is right and what she feels she must. She is the a heroine whose sisters live at from Studio Ghibli's and are named Nausicaa, Mononoke, Chihiro, and Sophie.

The great part of her character isn’t the strength it’s the perseverance. Sacha keeps at it and doesn’t get discouraged. More importantly where the great Studio Ghibli films or the recent spate of Disney films will give their heroines one thing to overcome, here director Rémi Chayé gives her a boat load- she has to contend with her parents and society in St Petersburg, the set back of the ship leaving without her, having to learn to be a waitress, to have to deal with life on the ship, and then the potential life ending problems on the ice. Sacha doesn’t have one or two things to conquer, she has everything to beat- and she does it despite breaking down. Repeatedly we watch as she effectively curls up in a ball and cries herself to sleep, and yet every time she picks herself up and goes for it and she manages to be both certain and uncertain- “yes I have to do this- but I could be wrong and people will die”. I absolutely love that we have this example of a woman, nay human being, who keeps going despite getting having the crap kicked out of her physically and emotionally. I love that we have this wonderful example that hard work and sticking to one’s guns will pay off. This is a fully drawn and very human character, and possibly one of my favorite ones in any film, animated or live action.

LONG WAY NORTH is amazingly great. It’s an incredibly solid adventure film with a kick ass heroine. Its meatier than almost any live action similar film of recent vintage. It’s a film we kind of need to show little girls so they go out and do the great things of which they are capable.

Its also one of my favorite films of 2016.

A pointer toward Wierdo Night (2021) Sundance 2021

 

Weirdo Night is a cabaret style show performed before empty seats. It’s a mix of monologues, music and performance pieces  by people you would see in small clubs in New York City that cater to the offbeat tastes.

I'm going to kind of end this piece there. Its not that there is anything wrong with the show, though to be honest the pieces run from great to just okay, rather the problem is that I can’t really critique this.  Part of it is this is video of something that would play very differently if you were there and in the moment as opposed to seeing it recorded. The other problem is there is no way that I can honestly say how this will play for you.  If you are not open minded and very straight laced this is going to be torture while if you are open minded and like the envelope pushed you may love it.

The biggest problem for me is this is the pilot episode. One of the reasons I don’t as a rule look at pilot episodes of TV is they aren’t always a good indicator of how the series will be. I’ve signed on to a good number of pilots over the years only to find the series dies. I don’t do TV or streaming series since I want to see a run of the show before reviewing so  I know if I am being fair with what I say.

That said as a stand alone episode Weirdo night is a good little show. I would have been perfectly happy to see it live. I would also be very curious what later episodes will bring.

Is it worth seeing? If you miss the club scene or are adventurous it is.

CAPTAINS OF ZAATARI (2021) Sundance 2021

 

This is the story of Mahmoud and Fawzi who are living in the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan. They are Syrian refugees and they are dreaming of making it big and becoming professional football (soccer) players. They are focusing on football to the point that it is making their parents a little crazy. However they are good enough that when scouts come to the camp they have a chance of actually making their dreams come true.

Shot over six years Captains of Zaatari is a documentary that more often than not looks like a narrative film. To be perfectly honest I had no idea what it was going in only the subject matter. However when I was watching it I was completely confused since there was a naturalness that you only see in documentaries but at the same time the sequences often look like they were from a narrative. Additionally the film frames the discussions between Mahmoud and Fawzi in such a way that this is actually a true life buddy film. If you need proof just watch the final sequence.

Clearly director Ali El-Arabi managed to make everyone on screen feel at ease because other than one or two times where a little kid mugs for the camera no one pays it any mind.

As observational documentaries go this film is top of the line. It is a film that firmly puts us into the lives of Mahmoud and Fawzi and their friends.  I kept watching the film in large part because I really had a sense of life passing before my eyes, both the ups and downs.

If there is anything wrong with the film it is that the film can be a bit too low key or matter of fact.  Kudos to director Ali El-Arabi for not manipulating our emotions, but at the same time I really wished once or twice he had goosed us a bit.

At the same time this is a solid film and worth a look for anyone in search of solid observational documentary.

Brief thoughts on the magnificent Eight For Silver (2021) Sundance 2021

 

Wonderful horror thriller is kind of reinvention of the werewolf genre as a bunch of rich land owners wipe out a band of migrant Roma clan. Before the last one dies they curse their killers and the land setting up a horrifying nightmare of revenge.

Part historical drama, part horror film EIGHT FOR SILVER is a film that straddle genres and comes across as something truly special. Its so special that I was not prepared for it's refusal to play by any rules other than it's own. Its a game changing throw back to the sort of films that Hammer used to make except that it has its own style that makes you wonder why no one has done anything like this before.

Its a nail biting film that will have you on the edge of your seat as the film takes you places you've never been before. Its not the story, we've had the  sins of the fathers destroying the children before, rather its novelesque telling of  story that feels more real than the literary stories tat spawned it. This is a tale that felt like it could have been true.

Oh you have got to see this one. Trust me.

And please forgive me for not saying more because I am soooooo tempted to tell you everything. This is the sort of a film you want to grab the person nearest you and talk about for hours.

Hands down the best genre film at Sundance. It is an absolute must.

Knocking (2021) Sundance 2021

Cecilia Milocco gives a performance for the ages  in KNOCKING which just premiered at Sundance.

Milocco plays a Molly, a young woman trying to recover from the death of her lover.  Recently released from a mental hospital and having a tenuous grasp on reality, she moves into a new apartment and begins to try to put the pieces together. Then she begins to hear knocking on the ceiling above her and things begin to spiral out of control.

The film is all Milocco who is on screen pretty much the entire time. She is on or face the entire time and we watch as she slowly comes apart before us. It's an Oscar worthy performance that will, unfortunately probably, get overlooked come the next Oscar season because it is hitting too early in the year. In all honesty this is a performance people should study on how to say more with less.

Outside of Milocco's performance I'm not certain the film is much of anything. Part of the problem is that we have been here before. There have been other similar films over the years so there isn't a lot knew here. There is also the problem that outside of Milocco's staggering performance there isn't much here. The film is so focused on watching her break apart this film is less a thriller and more character study of a woman in free fall. It's so focused on Milocco that when the denouncement comes it seems like an after thought (frankly I could have done without it)

Is knocking worth seeing?

For the Milocco's performance or a character study of a broken woman it is, but for anyone looking for just a thriller, you may want to look elsewhere.

Coming Home In The Dark (2021) Sundance 2021

 

A family goes on a  trip into the wilds of New Zealand. There they are met by to men who have evil in their hearts.

Bleak, black, kind of hopeless hate machine is a thrilling ride that works for much of it's running time until a couple of turns makes you realize that the film exists purely to show off the considerable skill of director James Ashcroft and that there is nothing really behind it except skill and delight in showing cruelty and proving he's capable of playing with the big guys.

Don't get me wrong this is a good film on it's own terms, but at a certain point, the film stops making narrative sense.  If you need the point I lost it it was the stop at the gas station where suddenly the turns really felt like Ashcroft was just being ugly to be ugly. While life can be like that, the long string of events before and after that made it clear that it wasn't necessary other than to be a florish. (And yes I'm being vague because I d0n't want to ruin it for you since its worth a look if you like this sort of thing)

This was also the point where I realized that there really isn't anything special here. We've been here before any number of times. The hows and whys eventually fell off the table as I started to realize that the whole scheme makes very little sense, at least as told here.

I was disappointed.

If you want to see a potential new force in cinema  or like cinematic cruelty give it a shot.

A non- review of Ma Belle, My Beauty (2021) Sundance 2021

Bertie was once in a polyamorous relationship with Laine and Fred. When Laine left Bertie married Fred and they moved to France. Bertie has been trying to get he singing career to go somewhere but she feels that everyone thinks of her just as her husband's wife. When Laine shows up things are go sideways as old issues show up and new possibilities appear.

I'm going to be honest here and say this film just didn't work for me. There is nothing wrong with it, hell I admire the fact that this a genuine adult film, as in a film where adults interact to tell a story for real adults. However I never connected to it. I just never cared because the relationships didn't connect to anything in my life.

That said if you want to see a really well done, and very adult tale of relationships, MA BELLE, MA BEAUTY is for you.

Hive (2021) Sundance 2021

The never changing face Yllke Gashi

Fahrije is struggling with life. Her husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo.  As she tries to discover what happened to him she has to fight to make ends meet. Along the way she has struggle to deal with the men who don't want her to succeed with her new business.

I'm going to say right up front this was not my cup of tea. A well made and well acted film the dour tone and the stoic lead character never allowed me to connect to the film. I can't believe that this is a true story that someone decided to tell.

The problem for me is that when you do a cinematic biography you have to present the story in such a way that the audience has to see why you are telling this person's story. For good or bad you need to connect to the lead character. The problem here Fahrije is portrayed as a largely silent statue. We get hints of things behind the eyes but lead actress Yllke Gashi sadly keeps it buttoned up (She'd give Buster Keaton a run for his money).

I really wanted to like this film, its a hell of a story, but it was too cold for me to embrace it.