Tag: 2020 Reviews

Review: Tigertail

It’s going to be a fact that for most of 2020, we’re going to be viewing the pattern of releases in relation to where we were at during the global pandemic. As such, TIGERTAIL represents a return to my Asia in Focus section thanks to this high-profile Netflix Original.

There’s a lot of be excited about for this release too. Writer/director Alan Yang, best known for his work on Master of None, makes his feature debut here. It follows Pin-Jui (Tzi Ma), who reflects on his life as a young man (Hong Chi-Lee) from a poor family living in the Taiwanese village of Huwei (“tiger tail”). His later strained relationship with daughter (Christine Ko) stems from his past, including the unrequited love of Yuan Lee (Joan Chen and Yo-Hsing Fang), the woman he cared for in his youth.

You can see what Yang was aiming for here, an almost petit version of Wong Kar-wai’s understated historical romances, briefly brushing against the backdrop of Chinese cultural imperialism on the island. There’s one scene where Chinese soldiers visit the village and enforce Mandarin rather than the Taiwanese dialect as the official spoken language. This, however, is really the only impression we get of the wider cultural changes of the period.

Its focus is much more about the immigrant experience for Asian-Americans. The search for a ‘better life’ is shown through a montage of blue collar work, the inability of Pin-Jui and his new wife Zhenzhen (Fiona Fu/Kunjue Li) to afford the food of their homeland, and connecting with ex-pats any way they can. Yang sets up a kind of parallel between the lie of a ‘better life’ and the one underpinning their fraught marriage, although the line between text and subtext is not thick.

Similarly, conversations between Pin-Jui and his daughter Angela are stilted due to their ongoing estrangement, but are also far too thin to convey any real emotion. Yet a combination of some stilted performances (especially from and oddly distant Ko) winds up making many of the scenes being so understated as to be rendered sterile.

It’s a shame that Yang doesn’t quite pull it off, because this is a very personal story that helped him understand his relationship with his own father (who does bookend voice-over work on the film) and his immigrant story. There was clearly a lot more of the film in the original cut too, including several scenes with actor John Cho that didn’t make the final version. Which is where TIGERTAIL ultimately lands, as a collection of ideas that didn’t quite come together in the edit.

2020 | US | DIRECTOR: Alan Yang | WRITERS: Alan Yang | CAST: Tzi Ma, Christine Ko, Hayden Szeto, Lee Hong-chi, Kunjue Li, Fiona Fu, Yang Kuei-mei, James Saito, Joan Chen | DISTRIBUTOR: Netflix | RUNNING TIME: 91 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 10 April 2020 (AUS)

April 14, 2020
Review: Onward

Disney-Pixar’s ONWARD will be remembered for a number of reasons, but the main one was the timing of its release. Like many Hollywood productions due out in the first half of the year, a global pandemic led to a historic fast-track of its digital release.

Up until then, we were looking forward to it being the first of two original releases (alongside Soul) from the studio. Since 2017’s Coco, Pixar’s output has been primarily sequels, including the blockbuster releases for Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4. ONWARD is Pixar’s first foray into fantasy, the multitude of references in their other films not withstanding.

In director Dan Scanlon (Monsters University) and co-writers Jason Headley and Keith Bunin’s world, magic was once the dominant force in a land filled with mystical creatures but technology has replaced it. In the modern day, Elf brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) Lightfoot set off on a quest to find the items they need to magically restore their late father for just one day.

Using the trappings of the fantasy genre, ONWARD still retains the core quest elements of every Pixar film. Here it just makes the choice to call them out from the start, even if it doesn’t stray too far from a path well travelled in the past. Like Toy Story or Finding Nemo before it, the barebones of the story is essentially a buddy comedy in pursuit of a beloved family member.

For the most part, this works as well as it always has for the studio. It’s also pleasing to see some truly weird turns for the script, from an angry Manticore/restauranteur (voiced by Octavia Spencer) to a collective of angry pixie bikers who have forgotten how to fly. It’s a shame that the script doesn’t do a bit more with the world, focusing instead on tributes to other franchises. There’s a climactic scene that is a straight recreation of an iconic moment from Raiders of the Lost Ark, for example, that barely skirts the line between parody and retread.

In ONWARD‘s favour is Pixar’s typically excellent selection of voice talent, not least of which is Disney-Pixar veteran Julia Louis-Dreyfus (A Bug’s Life, Planes). Much has been made of the importance of Lena Waithe’s appearance as an openly gay cop, but this diverse cast also includes Tracey Ullman, Wilmer Valderrama, Mel Rodriguez, and Ali Wong. As with every Pixar film, John Ratzenberger has a small but memorable role.

The animation is gorgeous, with the character leads getting to cut loose on some decidedly non-traditional designs. Mychael and Jeff Danna’s score is an interesting mixed bag, often giving off sound-a-like vibes and only a few shades away from the arena rock stylings of Journey. (I swear there’s one song that’s basically ‘Any Way You Want It.’)

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger always spoke about a willingness to embrace innovations that might intentionally disrupt their own models, and Disney+ has been a step in that direction. From a business point of view, the almost simultaneous (and necessary) digital release of ONWARD in US markets is a signal of where things might go in the future. As a film, it’s a comfortable step to the left into a new genre for a creative outlet that keeps entertaining us.

2020 | US | DIRECTOR: Dan Scanlon | WRITERS: Dan Scanlon, Jason Headley and Keith Bunin | CAST: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 21-22 March 2020 (AUS Previews), 6 March 2020 (US), 20 March (US Digital) , 3 April (AUS Digital)

April 1, 2020
Review: First Love

Takashi Miike has always been a filmmaker who has erred on the side of quantity, as attested by the fact that this is about his 103^rd feature film in the last thirty years. So, it’s pleasing to see that FIRST LOVE (初恋), built on a story by Muneyuki Kii and screenwriter Masaru Nakamura, is arguably his most focused film in years, and strangely becomes more so as it goes along.

Lonely boxer Leo (the multi-talented Masataka Kubota) is told by a doctor that he has a brain tumour. Meanwhile, Monica (Sakurako Konishi) has been forced into prostitution and drug addiction to pay off her father’s debts. When she runs from crooked cop Ōtomo (Nao Ōmori), Leo’s intervention sends them both on a collision course of violence and frenetic action.

Following the alternatively sedate and moody Laplace’s Witch, the aesthetic of FIRST LOVE is a return of the Miike we’ve not seen around these parts since at least For Love’s Sake. Where that film was a musical with random acts of violence (and vice versa), this is two people on the lam with random acts of dance. (A recurring motif of the ghost of Monica’s father, dressed only in his underpants and chaotically dancing, is one of the more Miike indulgences of the picture).

This blisteringly paced bit of yakuza pulp ramps up its insanity for the last 30 minutes, a roller coaster of bloodletting and unexpected animation literally bursting out of walls. Telegraphed early in the film by a disembodied and still blinking head, this is a bit of the old ultraviolence we’ve come to love Miike for. At times these elements are at odds with each other, but it all culminates in a satisfying supermarket slash fest, complete with limb loss that sidles right up to the edge of comedic. (Think: Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the Black Knight).

The whole movie is a live action cartoon, which makes a brief burst of animation – as a car careens through a wall – even more seamless in its explosive entrance. It’s a throwback to Miike’s many manga/anime adaptations over the years, one many have been quick to call ‘Tarantino-esque’ except for one key fact: Miike has been honing this insanity since 1991 and has probably influenced more of this style than aping it.

Fresh off the back of the high-profile Tokyo Ghoul and Gintama film series, Masataka Kubota lends some star appeal to the leading man. He has the unenviable job of anchoring the more outlandish elements that his costars revel in, including newcomer Sakurako Konishi. Yet it’s Shota Sometani, as the increasingly beleaguered yakuza, and the single-named Becky who steal every scene they are in. The latter is a key player in the aforementioned melee, and her joy for killing is a little bit infectious.

Other technical elements, including regular Miike cinematographer Nobuyasu Kita, are all top-notch. While Miike’s film’s can sometimes look more or less like the sum of their parts, there are moments of genuine beauty here. Take a chase sequence of a bridge extending out into the water, as the getaway car is pursued by dozens of cop cars. It’s every bit as impressive as a Hollywood counterpart. Kôji Endô’s score is also appropriately pacey while managing to include random didgeridoo sounds throughout.

FIRST LOVE may not be Miike’s most accomplished film to date, but it’s unquestionably a return to form. Like many of his recent films, and arguably his career to date, he’s never been great at self-editing. Yet there’s fun to be had here in picking through the gleefully chaotic collisions.

2019 | Japan| DIRECTOR: Takashi Miike | WRITERS: Masaru Nakamura, Muneyuki Kii | CAST: Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani, Sakurako Konishi, Becky, Takahiro Miura | DISTRIBUTOR: Little Monster Entertainment (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 108 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 20 March 2020 (AUS)

March 14, 2020
Review: Birds of Prey

If we’re being generous, and that’s always something this site has been a wee bit guilty of, then it’s probably fair to say that Warner has struggled to find its feet with the DC Comics properties. There’s been some highs and lows, some box office gold and even a couple of Academy Awards. BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN) is both emblematic of this barely controlled chaos while breaking free from the formula that has dogged the Christopher Nolan/Zack Snyder led universes.

Based loosely on the Birds of Prey comics, the team was last seen on screen during a short-lived TV series in 2002. Created by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Chuck Dixon, along with the later significant run from Gail Simone and a variety of artists, director Cathy Yan and writer Christina Hodson’s film is also a follow-up of sorts to 2016’s Suicide Squad. Yet it could also quite happily sit in its own continuity: aside from the presence of Margot Robbie, this could be any pocket of the DC Multiverse.

After dramatically breaking up with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Robbie), mob daughter Helena Bertinelli (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), lounge singer Dinah Lance (Jumee Smollet-Bell), and cop Renee Montoya (Rose Perez) to save street urchin Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from Gotham City crime lord Black Mask (Ewan McGregor).

As the elongated title would imply, there’s a lot going on here. Indeed, like the title, it’s clear that the film was developed as one thing before entire plot points were added in their own parentheses. Told in a fourth-wall-breaking motif, one that recalls Marvel’s Deadpool but also DC’s Harley Quinn comics from Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, it initially struggles to find a balance between exposition and fanservice. Hodson’s script tries to build a team but also give significant solo time to the known entity of Harley, and the resulting collision may induce whiplash.

Yet once the film gets over a chaotic first (and let’s face it, second) act, there’s a ridiculous good time to be had here. The action is impeccably staged, especially that well-publicised police station sequence, but each set-piece pulls the scattergun approach together for a few minutes at a time. I would have liked to have seen more of the fledgling Birds of Prey in action together, but if the final few scenes are any indication, there’s a bright (and vividly Technicolor) future in store for them.

Robbie continues playing the part she was born to, gleefully launching a thousand new cosplay outfits and clearly enjoying a more rounded (and funnier) version of the character. McGregor is also having a great time making a meal of the scenery. His Black Mask may not be the most well-developed villain in DC history (after all, weak villains are normally Marvel’s problem), but the star’s charisma carries him through some of the rough patches.

Smollet-Bell is a ridiculous good find, and I sincerely hope to see her return to the role of Dinah Lance (especially if she teams up with a big screen Green Arrow in the future). Plus, there’s not a damn thing that can be said against the legendary Perez, who delivers a grizzled 80s cop while sporting a t-shirt that reads “I shaved my balls for this?”

That film about a misanthropic clown notwithstanding, the triple punch of Shazam, BIRDS OF PREY and the upcoming Wonder Woman ’84 light the way forward for DC’s cinematic universe. While this certainly doesn’t hit all the right marks, it hits just enough of them to leave a sloppy grin on your face by the time the credits roll. If this is generally where the DCEU is headed, who needs Mr. J anyways?

2020 | US | DIRECTOR: Cathy Yan | WRITERS: Christina Hodson| CAST: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor | DISTRIBUTOR: Roasdshow Films (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 109 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 6 February 2020 (AUS)

February 24, 2020
Review: Underwater

William Eubank’s (Love) film will go down in history as the last film to be released under the 20th Century Fox banner following its acquisition by Disney. Despite shooting back in 2017, some of those machinations have kept it on the shelf until 2020.

The basic premise has all the makings of a cult favourite. Mechanical engineer Norah (Kristen Stewart) is aboard a deep sea drilling operation/laboratory. When unexplained shaking starts to bring the structure apart, Norah must journey with Captain Lucien (Vincent Cassel) and the surviving crew (T.J. Miller, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, and Gunner Wright) and walk across the ocean floor for a chance at rescue.

The tension around the underwater escape is enough of a ticking time bomb to sustain a film, especially one that is only 95 minutes long. Yet a sharp left turn is taken into creature feature territory, and this creates a disconnect further down the trail.

Despite the various delays and behind the scenes machinations that kept this in release hell for a few years, the final product is a pacey thriller. Of course, some of that is due to entire swathes of plot being evidently excised in the pursuit of brevity. Following the introduction of Lucien, for example, there’s a noticeably abrupt cut that sees rest of the cast turn up. It’s not an isolated incident either.

Which is a shame because this is one of the more attractive pieces of production design I’ve ever seen. Take the deep sea diving suits, for example. Dorotka Sapinska’s designs combine Alien with the complexity of a Japanese influenced manga design. Later in the film, there’s a scene where the group attempts to enter a building surrounded by creatures and it is one of the most beautifully subtle pieces of horror staging in recent memory.

Major props also need to go to Stewart, who continues to forge a path as a badass action hero. It’s a little unfortunate that Eubank keeps her in her underwear for large chunks of the film, although I’ll take this as another tip of the hat to the original Alien.

Without getting too much into spoiler territory, the ending gets a little bit Lovecraftian. By itself this would be fine, even if it doesn’t quite gel with what’s come before. One has to wonder what the original vision for this film was, as the coda – a series of headlines and redacted documents – continue to tell the story long after the film has given up on it. Which is where UNDERWATER ultimately lands: as a potentially bold new sci-fi that someone let slip through the cracks.

2020 | US | DIRECTOR: William Eubank | WRITERS: Brian Duffield, Adam Cozad| CAST: Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, T.J. Miller | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 16 January 2020 (AUS)

January 23, 2020
Review: Bad Boys for Life

It’s been 17 years since Bad Boys 2, a Michael Bay joint that has been equal parts revered, parodied and imitated for blockbuster action fans. While Bay has since found his own groove in the controlled chaos of 6 Underground and the Transformers series, the current wave of nostalgia porn ensures that no franchise is ever left behind.

Following the prison escape of fierce mob figure Isabel (Kate del Castillo), she and her son Armando (Jacob Scipio) begin to enact revenge on the law folk who brought them down years ago. One of those people is Detective Michael “Mike” Lowrey (Will Smith), who is at a crossroads as his partner Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) prepares to retire. When tragedy strikes, the duo team up with an elite squad let by Mike’s ex Rita (Paola Núñez) to go out for one last ride.

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE is straight-up fun, and there’s no question that directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have been inspired by the look and feel of Bay and cinematographer Amir Mokri’s previous entry. In practical terms, this means there’s a bit of a been-there-done-that to some of the hijinks, from the rad opening car chase, wife jokes, ‘aw hell nos’ and Bay’s trademarked 360 slow-mo shot.

Yet Robrecht Heyvaert’s (Torpedo, Lukas) photography is quite slick, making full use of that reported US $90 million budget. In the quieter moments, of which there are very few, the aerial shots of Miami or a pink sky give the film a transient neon glow. The action is a bit more of a mixed bag: a warehouse shootout in the second act is chaotic and hard to follow, yet the fiery finale aims for something grander.

The addition of a bigger cast of bad ‘boys’ also helps mix things up a bit. If anything, there’s almost too many solid character types there, and even the likes of Vanessa Hudgens gets a bit lost in a sea of quippy cops. Alexander Ludwig is a standout as a gentle giant with a heart of nerd, and I’d be perfectly happy to see him to lead a spin-off. So, while character isn’t a focus, when at least one major shock comes for a beloved character, even the baddest boys in the audience may get a little choked up.

As the trilogy closes out with its new ‘family,’ it seems as though the Bad Boys series has left itself the option of building a Fast and the Furious franchise if they want to. All the component pieces are there with or with or without Smith and Lawrence, and if last year’s Hobbs & Shaw taught us anything, no star is bigger than the spin-off potential.

2020 | US | DIRECTOR: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah | WRITERS: Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, Joe Carnahan| CAST: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Núñez, Kate del Castillo, Nicky Jam, Joe Pantoliano | DISTRIBUTOR: Sony Pictures Releasing (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 124 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 16 January 2020 (AUS)

January 16, 2020
Review: Dolittle

In 2019, Robert Downey Jr. completed a journey that he’d begun 11 years earlier, making his eleventh and (apparently) final appearance as Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2020, he follows this up with a role that sees him remove items from a flatulent dragon’s butt.

For context, that reductive introduction is alluding to the fact that DOLITTLE – loosely based on Hugh Lofting’s series of books – is a story for younger children. In an animated opening sequence, we learn that the gifted veterinarian and animal whisperer Dr. John Dolittle (Downey Jr.) shut himself off from the world following the death of his beloved Lily.

Years later, young ragamuffin Stubbins (Harry Collett) stumbles into Dolittle’s menagerie seeking help. As luck would have it, so does Lady Rose (newcomer Carmel Laniado), who has been sent to fetch the reluctant Dolittle’s help in curing the ailing Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley). Sailing off to find the mysterious fruit that can help her, old rival Dr. Blair Müdfly (Michael Sheen) secretly works to bring down both the Queen and the good doctor.

The widely reported production problems are evident from the start of DOLITTLE, a film that often struggles to find a happy medium between ‘effects feature’ and ‘light comedy.’ Indeed, there are jarring stretches of narrative leaps where it’s obvious that entire scenes were cut, abandoned, or perhaps never completed. The voice-over work from talking parrot Polynesia (Emma Thompson) acts a kind of narrative sticky tape, one that attempts to hide some of these story sins.

In fact, with The LEGO Batman Movie’s Chris McKay and TMNT’s Jonathan Liebesman allegedly brought in for reshoots, one wonders how Syriana and Gold helmer Stephen Gaghan got involved in the first place. So, what’s most surprising is that there’s still an entertaining romp at the heart of this thing. Part of this is thanks to RDJ just doing his thing, a variation on his persona to date but filtered through a Welsh accent – abeit one that often feels disembodied by ADR.

Targeting that sweet kiddie demographic means a massive voice cast, so all those eight-year-old fans of Ralph Fiennes, Jason Mantzoukas, Kumail Nanjiani and Rami Malek will have their little socks rocked. Seriously though, the voice cast is remarkable and is probably the star power – all of whom are presumably ‘just wanting to make something their kids can watch – that lifts this out of your average kiddie fodder.

At the end of the day, DOLITTLE is a film where a shy gorilla kicks a tiger in the nuts. Younger audiences will undoubtedly love the combination of slapstick and adventure, although there are some surprisingly dark parts that will scare the youngest among us. Either way, this won’t be the last time this story is told, and it’s just a shame that whatever original vision this picture had got lost in production hell.

2020 | US | DIRECTOR: Stephen Gaghan, Dan Gregor, Doug Mand | WRITERS: Charles Randolph| CAST: Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, Tom Holland, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard | DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 102 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 16 January 2020 (AUS)

January 16, 2020
Review: Bombshell

To say that BOMBSHELL is a problematic film is an understatement. On the one hand, the timing of the release reflects the international wave of sexual harassment allegations that have shone a light on the unbalanced power dynamics in more than one industry. Yet the high profile of this release also lacks any of the nuance needed to get to the heart of this complex and systemic problem.

Director Jay Roach, working off a screenplay by Charles Randolph, begins the narrative in the lead-up to the 2016 Republican debate. Using the offices of Fox News as the backdrop, the stories of three women are told: news anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), fellow anchor Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), and the up-and-coming Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie). As the Head of Fox News Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) comes under fire with sexual harassment suits, the focus shifts to how Fox deals with the situation as an organisational culture.

BOMBSHELL is a film that’s awfully concerned about surface-level fidelity. Yet this attempt at authenticity never extends to the characterisations of the people themselves. Apart from a few asides, Roach and Randolph never hold Kelly and Carlson to task for their complicity in creating a conversative news media that thrived on fearmongering, xenophobia and often homophobia. As Kelly’s character is told after her one-on-one Trump interview, “Honey, you absolved him.”

Perhaps this was a deliberate choice, as shining that particularly harsh light may have sidled up to the edge of victim blaming. Or maybe it’s simply the result of no women being present in the creative process. The conversations between the leads are functional and perfunctory, completely devoid of subtext. Rapidly changing tone from one scene to the next, with a fourth-wall breaking gimmick that is mostly forgotten after the intro, it’s another instance where the style trumps any substance. Even Ailes gets off far too lightly with this approach.

As such, BOMBSHELL is ultimately a showcase for its lead performers. Theron is uncanny as Kelly, not just physically resembling the news anchor but adopting her vocal cadences and mannerisms as well. It pulls short of caricature, and it’s a testament to her performance that we can see some depth lurking beneath the surface-level script. Yet for the most part it’s a game of spot-the-celebrity cameo, from Josh and Ben Lawson as the Murdoch brothers to Richard Kind as Rudy Giuliani!

While this film is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, perhaps its greatest impact is still in its star power. It remains unlikely that any of the Fox faithful will change their mind after watching this, or even see it if we’re being honest, but at least it becomes a very public conversation about the abuse of power and the dominant male paradigm. It will be interesting to see how history views this era when the retrospective films are made in the decades to come.

2019 | US | DIRECTOR: Jay Roach | WRITERS: Charles Randolph| CAST: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Malcolm McDowell, Allison Janney | DISTRIBUTOR: Studio Canal (AUS)| RUNNING TIME: 108 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 16 January 2020 (AUS)

January 15, 2020