'The Favourite' Review

With only three days left in the year, I'm behind on writing reviews by a substantial margin. There are ten films that I've seen and not yet reviewed, and quite a few I'd like to catch up on at the last minute via streaming or a recently acquired Blu-ray. Therefore, it's impossible for me to review EVERYTHING I've seen in 2018 before 2019 unless I write non-stop and flood social media with review after review. So I've chosen to prioritize reviewing a select few films which are The Favourite, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Vice. I'll do my best to share one review daily till December 31st.

'The Favourite' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Yorgos Lanthimos, Best Actress; Olivia Colman, Best Supporting Actress; Emma Stone, Best Supporting Actress; Rachel Weisz, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.
Won: Best Actress; Olivia Colman.

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies the throne, and her close friend Lady Sarah governs her country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing, and Abigail sees a chance to return to her aristocratic roots.

The Favourite is the latest, and likely most accessible, film from Greek writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos. For those unfamiliar with Lanthimos' work, I'd advise watching at least one of his previous films so you may be somewhat accustomed to his unconventional filmmaking approach. The only Lanthimos production I'd previously seen was The Killing of a Sacred Deer, but I am quite keen to watch The Lobster soon. At this point, I'd say it goes without saying that Lanthimos' films are eccentric and bizarre, which is precisely what I love about them. Lanthimos didn't write The Favourite, but Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara certainly considered his off-kilter tendencies when fabricating the razor-sharp story and witty dialogue. Though the setting, characters, and general plot are inspired by actual 18th century England, the historical accuracy is most certainly up for debate as story elements were likely embellished for the sake of Lanthimos' vision and artistic liberties were most certainly taken with the lesser known events.

With immaculate costume design, lavish production design, and a series of concertos and sonatas from the likes of renowned Baroque period composers such as Vivaldi and Bach, The Favourite may resemble a traditional 18th century English period piece at first glance, but I can assure you that Lanthimos has whipped up something far more twisted and dastardly than one would expect. The devious plotting and elaborate machinations at the story's center are an utterly fascinating through-line which build and build to an enthralling power-struggle between two unrelenting advisors.

Lady Sarah and Abigail's rivalry is perhaps most intriguing on account of the heightened tension brewing just beneath the surface. As the women seek to out-scheme one another, their ultimate motivations remain a mystery. It's not till the film's phenomenal finale that the audience truly understands each character's endgame. Until then, you will question their loyalties and just how genuine their behavior is. Are their actions selfless or ultimately for selfish gain? The slow, scandalous unspooling of their inner thoughts amidst the conflict only further drew me in. This ever-changing dynamic is further enhanced by the efforts of Academy Award-winning actresses Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. They each exhibit a multifaceted performance which ranks among their very best work to date, and the two actresses dig deep into the unhinged, vindictive psyche of their respective characters while showcasing emotional vulnerability as well. 

Rounding out the trio of powerhouse performances, Olivia Colman's Queen Anne is equally nuanced. Colman often quickly fluctuates between instances of childish pouting, unrestrained anger, and gleeful giddiness, but the mood swings don't feel cartoonish or exaggerated as they would have in the hands of a lesser actress. Needless to say, all three women are outstanding here and well-deserving of the awards recognition sure to come their way. 

As for other supporting cast members, Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn are impressionable and well worth mentioning for their roles as the big-wig Tory politician Harley and the nobleman Masham respectively. 

In summation, you'll be hard-pressed to find another 2018 release which is as wickedly witty as The Favourite. Yorgos Lanthimos' sadistic, dark humor remains unchallenged, and Lanthimos has gained favor in my eyes as one of the most abstract filmmakers working today. I'm further drawn into following his filmmaking career from now on. Fittingly, The Favourite has become not only one of my favorite films in the awards race but one of my favorites of the year as well! 

Film Assessment: A+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Mummy' (1999)

Sorry for the delay due to a multitude of things but I'm reviewing The Mummy (1999) to tie in with the release of the reboot The Mummy (2017) that will establish a new shared cinematic universe, the Dark Universe. Later this week, I'll cross the finish line on Cars reviews with a Throwback Thursday Review of Cars 2 and a review of Cars 3. Other reviews you can expect for the remainder of June include Throwback Thursday Reviews over Transformers: Age of Extinction and Despicable Me 2 in addition to new reviews over Transformers: The Last Knight, Baby Driver, and Despicable Me 3.

'The Mummy' (1999) Review

Nominated For: Best Sound.

The Mummy accompanies a 1925 expedition of explorers intent on finding unparalleled relics in the Sahara Desert. The team encounters an ancient tomb in the midst of their journey and accidentally free Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian priest condemned to a eternity as one of the undead. The band of adventurers then must find a way to imprison the primal threat or risk the end of the world as they know it. 

This 1999 rendition of The Mummy was the third cinematic iteration of the mythic monster and probably the version modern audiences would be liable to recognize and champion. Stephen Sommers wrote and directed the reboot, instilling elements commonly found in action-adventure epics to fashion a film in the style of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Mummy actually owes a lot to Raiders since that film and the subsequent adventures of Indiana Jones paved the way for even more action-adventure blockbusters in Hollywood.

Sommers ensures The Mummy bolsters an adventurous spirit well throughout its two hour runtime by arranging entertaining action sequences while ingraining amusing one-liners and plucky adventurers into the script. Sommers received story assistance from Lloyd Fonvielle and Kevin Jarre and the trio piece together a rather riveting tale. Jerry Goldsmith also arranged eerie ancient Egyptian-esque compositions that serve as ideal accompaniment for the ongoing events.

The area I feel The Mummy deteriorated most though is definitely the effects arena. The undead Imhotep looks as though he were pulled straight out of an archaic video game and doesn't mesh well with his surroundings. While I don't expect every film's special effects to stand the test of time, several examples of even older films with timeless effects come to mind (Star Wars and Alien to name just two).

In spite of this, The Mummy is anchored by an electric ensemble. Brendan Fraser demonstrates the required roguish charm of a leading man as Rick O'Connell while Rachel Weisz's Evelyn Carnahan is a cut above the average damsel thanks to her spunk and tenacity. The two make a sufficient romantic pairing for the feature with some charged chemistry. John Hannah plays the comedic sidekick Johnathan Carnahan with all the goofiness he can muster and Kevin J. O'Connor fills out the cast as the contemptible coward Beni Gabor.

Last but not least, Arnold Vosloo fills the shoes of the evil Imhotep. Vosloo projects a serious demeanor and slight menace but comes across as cartoonish in some instances thanks to the effects and the writing. Imhotep's motivations are expressed but his character still winds up feeling one-note when it's all said-and-done.

In summary, The Mummy takes the time to wrap up everything needed for a quality adventure flick; action, romance, mysticism, and humor. The Mummy may not be on the level of Indiana Jones but it's an admirable outing nonetheless. 

Film Assessment: B-

'The Light Between Oceans' Review

The Light Between Oceans tells the tale of Tom, a World War I veteran who maintains a lighthouse off the coast of Australia with his wife Isabel, the couple longs to have a child but are unable to due to circumstances I won't divulge. One day Isabel stumbles upon a dingy washed ashore and what should be inside but a baby girl. The story that follows involve the complex decisions the couple must make as they continue their life including how to proceed when Tom meets the biological mother. 

The Light Between Oceans is a very beautiful film; it's both well-directed and well-acted, and the cinematography and score are visual/auditory splendors. Derek Cianfrance both writes and directs The Light Between Oceans, oddly enough elevating his own screenplay. Cianfrance roots his screenplay in the original source material, M.L. Stedman's novel of the same name, and maintains consistency throughout the film with a slogging, somber turn of events to have fleeting moments of glee sprinkled within, a case for why The Light Between Oceans doesn't warrant repeat viewing. Cianfrance's screenplay lets down the viewer most by not tugging hard enough at the heart strings in it's pivotal moments, I was on the verge of tears but the droplet never materialized. Cianfrance tackles complex themes at surface level but I would have preferred to see him further explore them rather than just acknowledge the issues. 

Visually, Cianfrance and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw are able to convey serenity amidst chaos using the Australian and New Zealand coast, a nice parallel to the lighthouse couple's relationship. Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander are wonderful in the film as the two expertly portray the lighthouse lovers' chemistry. By no fault of their own, the characters of Tom and Isabel felt like hollow dolls to me because they aren't particularly well developed as well rounded characters in the films' script. 

Another enlightening performance was Rachel Weisz's turn as the child's biological mother Hannah Ronnfeldt. Weisz's character brings some intriguing perspective and moral questions to the piece that again weren't covered as extensively as I would have liked but salivated my interests. The Light Between Oceans also features an enchanting score composed by Academy Award winning composer Alexandre Desplat which helps compensate for the film's other shortcomings. 

The Light Between Oceans is comparable to a pretty painting, it's great to look at but doesn't really have the necessary depth. The plot was predictable, the pacing was rather slow leading to a melancholy two hour thirteen minute runtime, and it's only thanks to it's strong performances, focused direction, spellbinding cinematography, and a fascinating score that it becomes a sweet story. 

Film Assessment: B-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Bourne Legacy'

Sorry for the delayed review but I was very busy due to a multitude of things. This week I'm reviewing The Bourne Legacy to tie into the release of Jason Bourne, although from what I've heard Jason Bourne isn't connected to this installment whatsoever and rather serves as a sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum. Within the next week you can expect reviews of Nerve and Jason Bourne in addition to my Throwback Thursday Review of The Dark Knight and my full in depth non-spoiler review of Suicide Squad. The following week I will review the older incarnation of Pete's Dragon to tie in with Disney's new live action reboot and the subsequent week will begin my series of Throwback Thursday Reviews of the Harry Potter films where I will be rereading the books prior to watching each installment every two weeks till Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is released this November. 

'The Bourne Legacy' Review

The Bourne Legacy is a weird fit in the Bourne franchise because it clearly wants to play in the same sandbox as the Bourne Trilogy, but it can't really play with the same toys, Matt Damon's Bourne and director Paul Greengrass' vision. The Bourne Legacy wanted to spinoff from the Bourne Trilogy (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum) and setup Jeremy Renner as a the new leading man, and in doing so forcibly ties itself to the Bourne Trilogy in every way possible by plastering Jason Bourne's face on news reports, speaking his name just about every ten minutes and even going as far as to recruit many of the same actors from Ultimatum to make brief cameos to hammer home that this film is set concurrently. 

The points aforementioned are what restrict Legacy from it's full potential. I feel as though it were initially pitched as a new action franchise but that didn't bode over well so they decided to try to force it into the Bourne franchise with mixed results. Tony Gilroy, writer behind Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum, and Legacy, steps up to direct and his vision was very murky. The screenplay formulated by Tony Gilroy and his brother Dan Gilroy is more convoluted than the Bourne Trilogy as government officials are extremely vague when discussing anything regarding this new super soldier program leading me to believe that they were simply holding it off for a big reveal.

However, this wasn't the case as there are a multitude of plot points left unaddressed and normally this wouldn't bother me but I know this installment isn't receiving a sequel (Jason Bourne doesn't qualify) and the story was so muddled that I had virtually no idea what the significance of anything occurring onscreen was and how these events really impacted the characters so an explanation behind some of those vague government programs would have been appreciated.

While Legacy's storytelling is mediocre, the action is a cut-above yet feels all too reminiscent of the vigorous action showcased in previous installments. My issue with Legacy's action is that no action set piece dared to try anything new and it feels as though it's ripping off it's own franchise. Sure, each previous Bourne film included visceral hand to hand combat scenes and exhilarating car chases but at least the Bourne Trilogy managed to inject freshness into them, making the action feel unique and differentiating from what has come before. The cinematography hinders Legacy even more thanks to an overdose of shaky-cam, and not to good effect, detracting from the action onscreen while making it difficult to watch.

Last but not least, the performances in this film range from clearly in-this-for-the-paycheck-to-perfectly fine. 2010-2012 was a weird period where quite a few blockbuster action franchises were poising Jeremy Renner to lead them, but each one just decided it wasn't going to work and moved forward either without him or instead utilizing him in a supporting capacity. Jeremy Renner makes for a great black ops agent in Aaron Cross thanks to his peak physicality and fierce intensity but he's no Bourne.

Damon's Bourne proved to be a much more compelling character as an highly skilled amnesiac whereas Renner's Cross is simply exceptional because he took some pills. Now on that note, I'm sure comparisons will be drawn to patriotic super soldier Captain America but I think the difference between the two is character. Captain America has a golden heart while Cross doesn't really seem to care about much aside from himself. Rachel Weisz plays Cross' damsel in distress Dr. Marta Shearing, who Cross must save NUMEROUS times and she's quite fine in the role but not a particularly amusing love interest.

Edward Norton is an actor that I admire and have the upmost respect for as he has turned in plenty of fascinating roles for abstract characters, but he's solely in this film for the paycheck. Norton does relatively little in the two hour fifteen minute runtime, isolated in a black ops operation center and while the previous Bourne films included similar antagonists, those characters verbally sparred with Bourne making for an interesting dynamic. Norton's Eric Byer only interests with Cross once or twice though and neither time was remotely interesting. Also I was quite pleased to observe an appearance from Oscar Isaac, now of Star Wars: The Force Awakens fame.

In conclusion, The Bourne Legacy is an entertaining action flick, but fails to deliver on the quality audiences have come to expect from a Bourne film with muddled story telling, derivative action sequences, and sub-par performances. Here's to hoping Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon can course-correct with Jason Bourne.

Film Assessment: D