Blade Runner 2049 is directed by Dennis Villeneuve and stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford,, Ana de Armas, Robin Wright, Sylvia Hoeks, Mackenzie Davis, Jared Leto and Dave Bautista. Set 30 years after the original, the film follows LAPD cop K (Gosling) unearthing a shattering mystery.
In the way critics and audiences used to look at Scorsese, Spielberg and Kubrick as a source of quality, entertaining and groundbreaking movies, so to will modern critics and audiences look at Christopher Nolan and Dennis Villeneuve in the same light. Despite the circulating articles that label Hollywood as 'running out of originality and brilliance' in the swaths of recyclable blockbusters, there comes the occasional film that will leave viewers stunned and reignite the industry. In more recent memory, 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road is one of those films, whilst Nolan's Dunkirk back in July is another; breathtaking visual tour de force films that make money and gain Oscar nominations. Blade Runner 2049 is another of those films, and Villeneuve (after the gripping Prisoners, the murky Sicario and the intellectually stimulating Arrival) has now established himself as his own brand of reliable filmmaking.
On paper, the idea of filming a sequel to a 1982 sci-fi film that bombed on release and took 20 years to finally enter 'masterpiece' status seems absurd. How can you improve on a film that many consider perfect? Villeneuve found the answer in this film. Set in 2049, 30 years after Deckard (Ford) hunted down six AWOL replicants, the world has progressed in sorts. Using technology from the first film and enhancing it by three decades, Villeneuve revives the LA setting with careful detail and visual splendor: huge virtual holograms of women parade the streets and buildings of the excessively urbanised city, lit up by the broad adverts of Sony and the pulsing lights of the city streets below whilst de Armas plays Joi, a mass-produced, photo realistic girlfriend for K, the central blade runner of the story. Joi can adapt her appearance to her lover's mood and is stored into what looks like an Amazon Fire Stick. The visual majesty of the film alone is worth an IMAX ticket; a particular 'merging' scene is beautifully odd and artistically unprecedented on the big screen. The looming sea walls, the dust blown deserts of Las Vegas and, of course, the rain ensure Blade Runner 2049 to be unlike any film and whilst the production design is lavish and biblical in scale, it is ace cinematographer Roger Deakins who is the true visual architect. 13 Oscar nominations and 0 wins may earn him the 'sympathy' Oscar a la Leonardo DiCaprio, but this truly is one of the most beautifully caught films and Deakins' opening shots (combined with the reverberating synth of the film's score) is a prologue to a story that is as much about science fiction as it is about showcasing the sheer range of his cinematography.
The less said about the story the better (not because it's awful but rather because it is best to know nothing going in at all) but much like the mystery of Villeneuve's Prisoners, it favours slow, atmospheric tension and the odd explosive twist.
Gosling as K (a nod to Phillip K Dick, the author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? of which the original film is based) is superb casting: his demeanor switching from unfazed to the middle of an existential crisis in moments. After his break from acting in 2013, Gosling has now selected some great roles and applied himself at his very best to all of them (The Big Short, The Nice Guys and La La Land) so his time for an Academy Award is imminent.
Elsewhere, Ford as Rick Deckard delivers an emotional, nuanced performance that ranks among his best. Unlike his fan service appearance in The Force Awakens as another of his iconic characters, Ford's appearance here is heartfelt and subtle. The female members of the cast also enjoy a wide range of roles; from Robin Wright's tough police chief to Hoeks' psychotic replicant killer, the role of women in this 'men's' world is necessary and progressive. Jared Leto fills in yet another weird role as Niander Wallace, a replicant manufacturer seeking to increase his slave work force. His looming headquarters echo the vast Pyramids of Giza, an intentional design to show the power of a slave work force. This is a recurring theme: K visits an orphanage in which children are forced to work whilst his journey to Las Vegas includes a confrontation with a hive of bees. K's reaction is that of surprise and longing that life is still enduring, but when he moves his hand inside the hive and pulls it out, a lot more can be interpreted. The bees are a work force, united together to produce something which will be taken from them by a superior being (K), who does minimal work and receives minimal pain in doing so. This is paralleling Wallace and his replicant slave work and Villeneuve is painting androids as capable of displaying more emotion and inner strength than their human makers. Likewise, when Robin Wright's Joshi tells K that he works better without a soul, it argues that does having a soul truly make you superior? Much like the original, the intelligent script raises questions and answers them to a degree which leaves the audience to come to their own conclusions.
Yet Blade Runner 2049 doesn't escape scrutiny; its 163 minute length is staggering, taking its time to introduce the story and characters as an art film should. But its short bursts of action can't sustain its length on their own. The film also repeats previously said lines to tell the audience what is running through K's head which contradicts the rest of the film's high respect for audience intellect. These faults don't compromise the movie and, as the most expensive art film ever produced, Blade Runner 2049 is a feast for the eyes and ears, as well as a challenger of the brain. What more could you ask Hollywood for?
Saturday 7 October 2017
Monday 2 October 2017
La La Land Review
La La Land is directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend and J.K Simmons. After his acclaimed Oscar nominated (and Oscar winning) breakthrough Whiplash, director Damien Chazelle ups the budget for this ode to the classic Hollywood musical and love story.
La La Land tells the story of Mia (Stone), an aspiring actress who continuously faces rejection at auditions and is failing to achieve her dream. Seb (Gosling) is an aspiring jazz artist who wants to bring new life to a dying art form but is likewise failing in his dream to be recognised. Naturally, the two end up meeting and so begins a bittersweet, 128 minute display of acting, directing and glorious musical numbers. As Mia and Seb hook up and both see a rise in their career fortunes, the conflict and drama starts to kick in and adds emotional weight to the grand story. Chazelle, a drummer, has a natural affinity for directing music and how to use music in scenes and La La Land is a stunning exemplar of this: from the opening continuous take on a highway as jammed cars become the stage for Los Angeles singers, dancers, performers and bikers to fill the screen with vibrant kinetic energy to the song 'Another Day of Sun' whilst later on the catchy 'City of Stars' is sung between Mia and Seb in a candle lit room at a piano- a charming, human way of using songs to convey character and emotion.
Of course, a film like this wouldn't work unless the two stars were likable and believable. Thankfully, Stone and Gosling (their second time on screen together after 2011's Crazy, Stupid, Love) have sizzling chemistry. Gosling, enjoying the equivalent of his own McConnaisance, brings his unparalleled charm and sharp good lucks to juxtapose the character's deep affection for jazz, a bygone music genre which he has to watch die whilst being powerless to renovate it. However, it's Emma Stone's film and she delivers a phenomenal performance. Belting out 'Audition' towards the end is a cathartic release the film has been building towards; failure after failure combined with her adventures with Seb have given her the strength to give that song it all and Stone sells it ridiculously well.
Post Oscar glory, La La Land is still a wonderful classic and its Best Picture snub perhaps is for the better; whilst being cruel and unprofessional, the taking away of the Best Picture crown mirrors the movie's theme perfectly. Everything that you have can be taken away and not everyone may reach the LA dream of Hollywood, but it is the effort that gets there that counts. Chazelle's exploration of success, love and reward is bittersweet- and rightly so. A gem.
La La Land tells the story of Mia (Stone), an aspiring actress who continuously faces rejection at auditions and is failing to achieve her dream. Seb (Gosling) is an aspiring jazz artist who wants to bring new life to a dying art form but is likewise failing in his dream to be recognised. Naturally, the two end up meeting and so begins a bittersweet, 128 minute display of acting, directing and glorious musical numbers. As Mia and Seb hook up and both see a rise in their career fortunes, the conflict and drama starts to kick in and adds emotional weight to the grand story. Chazelle, a drummer, has a natural affinity for directing music and how to use music in scenes and La La Land is a stunning exemplar of this: from the opening continuous take on a highway as jammed cars become the stage for Los Angeles singers, dancers, performers and bikers to fill the screen with vibrant kinetic energy to the song 'Another Day of Sun' whilst later on the catchy 'City of Stars' is sung between Mia and Seb in a candle lit room at a piano- a charming, human way of using songs to convey character and emotion.
Of course, a film like this wouldn't work unless the two stars were likable and believable. Thankfully, Stone and Gosling (their second time on screen together after 2011's Crazy, Stupid, Love) have sizzling chemistry. Gosling, enjoying the equivalent of his own McConnaisance, brings his unparalleled charm and sharp good lucks to juxtapose the character's deep affection for jazz, a bygone music genre which he has to watch die whilst being powerless to renovate it. However, it's Emma Stone's film and she delivers a phenomenal performance. Belting out 'Audition' towards the end is a cathartic release the film has been building towards; failure after failure combined with her adventures with Seb have given her the strength to give that song it all and Stone sells it ridiculously well.
Post Oscar glory, La La Land is still a wonderful classic and its Best Picture snub perhaps is for the better; whilst being cruel and unprofessional, the taking away of the Best Picture crown mirrors the movie's theme perfectly. Everything that you have can be taken away and not everyone may reach the LA dream of Hollywood, but it is the effort that gets there that counts. Chazelle's exploration of success, love and reward is bittersweet- and rightly so. A gem.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople Review
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is directed by Taiki Waititi and stars Julian Dennnison, Sam Neill, Rachel House, Rhys Darby and Rima Te Waiti. New Zealand filmmaker Waititi has earned a cult following through his dry, deadpan comedy and skill behind the camera to weave jokes together. His latest is no different.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is as charming a film as any other. Newcomer Dennison plays Ricky Baker, a juvenile delinquent in child welfare services who is taken out into the country of New Zealand to live with 'Aunt' Bella (Te Waiti) and his grumpy 'Uncle' Hec (Neill). After a tragedy, Ricky and Hec travel into the bush whilst being the targets of a nationwide man hunt. There are immediate similarities to Pixar's Up: the elderly man and a chubby kid travelling the forests with a dog, a rare bird, a feelgood ending and two main characters who both learn from the other as the story progresses. This is not a bad thing however; Waititi blends the luscious scenery of his home country with very, very funny scenes including his own belly-achingly funny cameo as a Minister, delivering the greatest sermon put to film. Elsewhere, Darby plays wild hermit 'Psycho Sam'- a conspiracy theorist who dresses as a shrub.
But at its core, Dennison and Neill imbue their characters with warmth and heart and have great screen presence together. The film's playful nods to The Lord of the Rings, Thelma & Louise, Scarface and The Terminator not only serves as comedy, but it also connects the old with the new much like the central characters. Hec at one point asks who Tupac is to which Ricky replies "he's like my best friend" which is why Ricky's dog is subsequently named Tupac. It is touching and offers Hec a moment to reflect at this once troublesome boy who is only troublesome from the neglect he's suffered and the loneliness of his life. Waititi's masterful control of the film's tone and change in tone is the real strength of the film and perhaps aided him in his position as the director of the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.
A "majestical" film featuring some gorgeous landscapes, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a small, upbeat and remorselessly funny adventure film that will no doubt give it cult classic status.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is as charming a film as any other. Newcomer Dennison plays Ricky Baker, a juvenile delinquent in child welfare services who is taken out into the country of New Zealand to live with 'Aunt' Bella (Te Waiti) and his grumpy 'Uncle' Hec (Neill). After a tragedy, Ricky and Hec travel into the bush whilst being the targets of a nationwide man hunt. There are immediate similarities to Pixar's Up: the elderly man and a chubby kid travelling the forests with a dog, a rare bird, a feelgood ending and two main characters who both learn from the other as the story progresses. This is not a bad thing however; Waititi blends the luscious scenery of his home country with very, very funny scenes including his own belly-achingly funny cameo as a Minister, delivering the greatest sermon put to film. Elsewhere, Darby plays wild hermit 'Psycho Sam'- a conspiracy theorist who dresses as a shrub.
But at its core, Dennison and Neill imbue their characters with warmth and heart and have great screen presence together. The film's playful nods to The Lord of the Rings, Thelma & Louise, Scarface and The Terminator not only serves as comedy, but it also connects the old with the new much like the central characters. Hec at one point asks who Tupac is to which Ricky replies "he's like my best friend" which is why Ricky's dog is subsequently named Tupac. It is touching and offers Hec a moment to reflect at this once troublesome boy who is only troublesome from the neglect he's suffered and the loneliness of his life. Waititi's masterful control of the film's tone and change in tone is the real strength of the film and perhaps aided him in his position as the director of the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok.
A "majestical" film featuring some gorgeous landscapes, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a small, upbeat and remorselessly funny adventure film that will no doubt give it cult classic status.
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