Review: The Self-Reflexive Love Letter That is ‘For Sama’

For Sama is playing at Northwest Film Forum at 7pm on November 6th, 7:30pm on November 7th, 6:15pm on November 9th, and 7:30pm on November 10th.

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The camera is the single most important invention in cinema. Without it, we could not visually see the stories that we want to tell. It is a magical device that lets filmmakers capture the stories that envelope them. However, the camera also becomes a filmmaker’s shield. It allows them to hide behind the object and not directly interact with what’s in front of them. In For Sama, that notion could not be any more different.

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Review: ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ is a Quiet Devastation

Portrait of a Lady on Fire begins just as a painting begins – with a blank canvas. Suddenly, we see hands enter the frame, making the beginning strokes of what they hope will capture the reality of what they see in front of them. In the film, Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a painter, is sent on a peculiar mission that takes place on a rocky shore in Brittany, France. A noblewoman (Valeria Golino) asks her to paint a portrait of her daughter, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), in anticipation of her marriage with a Milanese gentleman. Héloïse, however, has no desire to be married and no desire to be painted, for she sees that as the final defeat on her road to a life she does not want. Marianne is told that since the last portrait artist did not last, she will go about it differently: she will simply accompany Héloïse on her daily walks and paint her in secret. What follows is a story of two women who begin as enigmas to each other, and then slowly, through their glances and gestures, become entangled together.

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Review: ‘The Golden Glove’ is a Cesspool of Blood, Grime, and Good Directing

The Golden Glove opens in a cramped, unkempt version of hell. On every surface are dust, grime, and smears of unknown origin. On the ground are dirty clothes and age-old stains. The walls are plastered with torn and faded pornographic pictures. The ceiling is a shade too low and shade too suffocating. A disheveled bed can be seen through a narrow doorway with curtains for a screen. Atop the bed and confronting the viewer is the half-naked backside of an extraordinarily large woman, crumpled in a heap and unmoving. Scurrying about all of this is a rat of a man, hunched over and anxiously attending to a task. We hear him crash about the kitchen, and then assault the lifeless woman with cord and a tarp, intending to wrap her up. Moments later, he drags her mummified figure out of the apartment and into the hallway, then down a flight of stairs that betrays equal measures of disarray. The man pauses for a second to catch his breath and we catch a glimpse of his blazing wild eyes and mutilated portrait. Fritz Honka strikes fear into our hearts.

It’s an opening sequence that, for all its dissimilarities, reminds one of Hitchcock’s Rear Window in structure. In just few minutes and without any discernible dialogue, the audience learns all relevant information about the main character’s state and nature. There is certainly no unnecessary exposition. Almost immediately, we forget the cozy chairs we sit in and the air-conditioned room around us and find ourselves transported to Honka’s rancid, disgusting flat in the creaking attic of a run-down apartment building swallowed up by the uneasy, oppressive air of Hamburg’s red-light district in the 1970s. It is that uneasiness that director Fatih Akin seizes on in The Golden Glove, and it is one of the movie’s best qualities.

The film is a documentary of sorts, depicting five years in the life of actual serial killer Fritz Honka. It spares no detail, delving into all the bleak, depressing, and especially grotesque subtleties of the rat man’s existence. It’s fraught with unbearable gore, gut-wrenching evil, and occasional splashes of excessively dark humor that riddle one with a mixture of guilt and disgust. It’s very well done technically. All the necessary aspects are there, including visceral sound effects, witty dialogue, and near-perfect set design. But Akin shows true mastery of the craft in his creative staging and well-timed camera movements reminiscent of Edgar Wright. Indeed, creativity is perhaps the film’s greatest virtue. From its mise-en-scène to its quiet messages on current events, The Golden Glove never settles for lazy convention. It innovates constantly to horrifying effect.

That is not to say that The Golden Glove is perfect. There is much about the film that seems empty. In the absence of an overbearing theme, we are often left purely with perversion. Much of the film’s runtime seems dedicated solely to testing its audience’s ability to keep watching. At the same time, Akin includes a handful of narrative tangents that add little to the dreary mood and spends a few moments too long on scenes that are rather annoyingly repetitive. For better or for worse, the movie is paced extremely slow.

However, its end result is still quite impressive. It treats viewers to good directing and some wonderful acting. It horrifies, disgusts, and entertains. It plays with one’s emotions and frustrates one with purpose. It’s not a movie you’ll rewatch quickly, but it’s also not one you’ll forget soon.

3/5 STARS

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Review: ‘Black and Blue’ is a Pleasant Surprise

Given that I was coming in with expectations that Black and Blue would be a lazy disaster trying to cash in on a political movement that it didn’t actually care about, I was pleasantly surprised by the film. By no means is it a work of art, but it is reminiscent of a type of action movie you would find in a Redbox in the early 2010’s. Black and Blue follows rookie cop Alicia (Naomie Harris) as she tries to expose a group of corrupt cops in her precinct with the help of a Mouse (Tyrese Gibson), a total stranger.

The plot is simple and easy to follow, clearly setting up expectations and giving the characters, while basic, understandable motivation and good dynamics between each other. The actors are perfectly suited to play their parts and fulfill every expectation. The sets are a good depiction of a gritty New Orleans, and the graffiti seen on some buildings is beautiful at times. However, Black and Blue falls short on its action and violence, which are tame for today’s standards. The themes are intense and topically relevant, but it never felt pandering or aimed for a certain side; it was only a pleasant romp of a cop action movie.

The critiques I can offer of the film are of its mediocrity. Nothing special is done with the cinematography or the lighting, the story and characters are bare bones, and there is nothing to think about after the credits roll. Every single character is, or begins as, a complete asshole, which is a pretty pessimistic stance for Black and Blue to take. It is strange to say for a movie like this, but its charm comes from its predictability. It is a clear cut “cop action” genre film with an inclusive twist. It is hard to be upset while watching the film unless you come in with your own prejudice. The film will be forgotten in a short time after its release, but I also would not mind picking it up again if I saw it in the discount bin of a Walmart.

I can attribute most of my enjoyment to the enthusiastic audience in the theater. Hearing people clap and holler for a popcorn movie really makes it so much better as an experience. The amount of enjoyment this film can give you is entirely determined by the state you are in while watching, because Black and Blue is too neutral to have the ability to make you feel anything or come to a conclusion. If you came in looking for something to hate, you will hate it. If you come into it with low expectations and have enthusiastic people watching with you, the experience can be 5/5 stars. If I’m being as objective as possible, this film is not bad. Black and Blue follows enough patterns to qualify as an above average film, but the lack of depth and care is apparent and really takes away from its possibility to be more. While I question why anyone would want this film to be more than it is, I have to admit that it’s a good bar for any film to reach before being considered entertaining.

3/5 STARS

Review: ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’ is Style over Substance

The best summary of this film is style over substance. The sets, costumes, makeup, and CGI are gorgeous (by today’s standards). Things do not look realistic, but for a fantasy environment, the film pulls it off really well. The costumes, especially Maleficent’s, are stunning, and it is clear they put effort into all the little details. Sadly, all the other aspects of the film fail to live up to how it looks. The characters are bland. So much time is wasted on characters that do nothing, and Maleficent does not get near enough screen time. Aurora (Elle Fanning) and Prince Phillip (Harris Dickinson) are dreadful to have on camera. The characters are the opposite of charismatic and the actors don’t do anything notable with what they are given. It is hard to appreciate anyone but Maleficent and her raven lackey. They really carry the movie, but don’t get enough focus.

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Review: ‘The Current War’ is Not Worth the Two Year Wait

Since its production, The Current War has hit several obstacles on its way to wide release. Due to its connections to The Weinstein Company, it was shelved after Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment allegations came to light. After the distribution rights were twice resold, two years later, the movie is finally here. The Current War is supposed to be about the “War of Currents” of the late 1800s, but it comes off more like a documentary about Edison and Westinghouse where the “current war” takes a backseat.

There are some great things about this movie, like its ensemble cast. Benedict Cumberbatch plays his classic “arrogant genius” role as Thomas Edison, and Michael Shannon does a great job of portraying George Westinghouse. The supporting cast, consisting of Tom Holland, Nicholas Hoult, and Matthew Macfadyen, set up an amazing stage for the main cast to showcase their amazing performances. The excellent costume and set designs take you right back to 19th century America. Dustin O’Hallora and Hauschka do an excellent job in creating the soundtrack; it readily captures the theme of the movie. The cinematography is fantastic too, as a lot of the scenes are visually appealing. However, there is one fatal flaw in this film that makes it fall apart: bad writing.

The Current War is too abstracted for a general audience. It assumes that the audience is already aware of certain concepts, such as the differences between direct and alternating current. It would have been better if they had took the time during the film to explain these scientific concepts to the audience. Additionally, Tesla’s two Phase solution was realistically one of the most important turning points for the war, but it is hardly mentioned in the movie. Another flaw is that the narrative only showcases the events from the point of the experts (Edison, Westinghouse, or their employees). We never get to see how the people of America felt at the time. A common man’s perspective would have been refreshing and would have provided the necessary contrast in the movie.

Secondly, the pacing was off. The first 30 minutes of the movie covers over five years of the war, but the rest of the movie only focuses on the following three years. The transitions between the scenes and beats seem abrupt. A particularly important scene involving Westinghouse is split throughout the movie and is shown in parts. By the time we can get to its ending, it falls apart and loses its meaning. Throughout the film, the characters come across various life-altering moments. However, it feels like these moments have no effect on them. The dialogue is uninteresting and the interactions between the characters feel unnatural.

Even though Nikola Tesla was an integral part of the War of Currents, he was a missed opportunity in The Current War. Telsa’s ability to demonstrate his ideas using simple experiments was the key reason for his success. But, The Current War fails to showcase this quality of Tesla. That said, it did a great object in highlighting Tesla’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and germophobia. It’s referenced to in multiple scenes throughout the film.

This is one of the movies where the individual parts, such as the acting, cinematography, and sound, are impressive. However, the flawed writing fails to bring these aspects together for a good story. Considering the success of National Geographic’s American Genius episode on the same topic, the big screen adaption of the War of Currents failed in providing an engaging story and experience despite having a ton of potential.

2.7/5 STARS

Review: ‘Give Me Liberty’ is a Fast-Paced Meditation on the Anxiety and Frustration of Current America

Many have debated for a very long time about what are the best films of each city. Simple Google searches will bring up dozens of lists of “The 25 Best Films That Capture Los Angeles”, or the “100 Best New York Films”, and more. These lists are focused on films that capture the essence of a city the best, and which ones show you what these places are really like. Of course, much of this has been focused on the big names; you’ll find plenty of lists on New York, L.A., and Paris, but not often will you see cities like Milwaukee get a mention. Give Me Liberty, director Kirill Mikhanovsky’s second feature, attempts to do just that: capture Milwaukee like never before.

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Review: ‘Ad Astra’ is a Journey Deep Into Space and the Soul

“Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,

Or what’s a heaven for?” – Robert Browning

Exploration — whether into the vast expanse beyond our atmosphere or simply deep into Earth’s own uncharted territories — has become one of the most identifiable aspects of humankind over its short history. In modern times, it is done to reach beyond our understanding of the world or universe and our place within them, to discover that which we were previously unaware of in order to expand the reaches of human knowledge, or perhaps to conquer the universe as much as we can. Stories of exploration are abundant throughout the history of cinema, from Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon all the way back in 1902 to countless sci-fi epics and action-adventure films, and Ad Astra is no exception.

James Gray, director of Ad Astra, is no stranger to stories of exploration. In 2016 he released his film The Lost City of Z, a recounting of the journeys of early 20th century explorer Percy Fawcett deep into the Amazon jungle in search of a hidden city of gold and unimaginable treasures. Although largely overlooked by many and passed on by every major award ceremony, the film garnered great critical success and is soundly among the better films released this decade. It was a deep examination into the outward and inward motivations for journeying into the unknown, a theme that Gray would dive even deeper into in Ad Astra.

Set sometime in the near future, the story follows a fearless astronaut named Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt), a taciturn and austere individual and son of legendary astronaut H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones). Following an incident in which a massive and mysterious power surge nearly kills him and sweeps across the planet, McBride is informed that the surges originate from the Lima Project, a previous mission with the intent of finding extraterrestrial life helmed by his father, from which nothing had been heard from in sixteen years. Informed that his father may still be alive, McBride accepts a mission to Mars and beyond with the intent of communicating with the Lima Project and uncovering the truth about the dangerous surges that threaten life on Earth — and to find his father.

Although it is filled with intermittent bursts of effervescence — especially a Mad Max-like moon battle on wheels — the film is much more concerned with taking its time to flesh out the psychological complexities of the stoic Roy McBride, and the shock to his system that his mission becomes. Roy sees his father as the legend and the hero that all astronauts perhaps ought to be seen as, and thus has modeled his entire life and being after the man. He is not only a lauded astronaut famous for his cool-headedness in the face of great danger, but he has crafted himself a shell through which he blocks his very self from existing in hopes of subconsciously eliminating his connection to his own and others’ emotions. In truth, he is terrified of opening himself up to others, and as a result he subconsciously destroys his sparse personal relationships out of pure unresponsiveness and rigidity. While his coldness is what makes him so excellent at his job, and such an asset to the government agency for which he serves, his unflinching exterior is in conflict with the cacophonous ocean of thoughts that roar in his head throughout the film. Gray makes use of repeated Malick-esque voice-over narration from McBride to emphasize the tumult of his psyche, as he struggles more and more to remove all vulnerabilities from himself as he delves deeper into his journey. Here, DP Hoyte van Hoytema’s intimate close-ups paired with Max Richter’s tremulous score complement Pitt’s restrained despair excellently, often holding for longer than expected on scenes with McBride alone in order to allow the audience to gain an incredible deep understanding of the character, even in moments of silence.

As the film goes deeper and deeper into the infinite, focus grows more and more intimate. Gray begins to hone in on the motivations for men taking off into the stars with a tight and uncompromising precision, asking if perhaps the men who go off to the stars for the sake of mankind are actually going to escape something, maybe even themselves. Beyond this, the film shows that for all of us hoping to continue running from that which we are afraid to reckon with, at some point there will be nowhere left to run. In McBride’s case, the film examines his own fears and startling realizations more deeply, as he grows more and more at odds with his seemingly inevitable fate of turning into his father, the man he once revered as a near God-like figure. In this sense, the film’s approach towards McBride’s voyage to find his God feels almost misotheistic, perhaps suggesting in this case that God is not dead, but that he has simply abandoned us.

Films like Ad Astra are diamonds in the rough. Rarely do deeply contemplative psychological examinations as good as this one get slapped with $90 million budgets and the full IMAX treatment, let alone even get made by a big studio at all. Modern masterpieces like this don’t come around too often.

5/5 STARS

Review: ‘Parasite’ is an Oscar-Worthy Hit from Bong Joon-ho

I love Bong Joon-ho. Snowpiercer, the first film of his that I watched, and Mother are both awesome films in my opinion, and although I didn’t like Okja that much due to its wasted potential, I was still intrigued to see what he would do next once I saw it. Parasite was not what I expecting from him. It is a comedy film, but a very realistic one, focusing on complex social issues. This was kind of the opposite of what everyone expected him to do next. On top of that, it wasn’t just good, it was fantastic.

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Review: “First Love” is the Film You Don’t Wanna Miss this Year

Takashi Miike’s First Love (Hatsukoi in Japanese) is a brilliant film that incorporates tragedy, comedy, romance, and action all packed into a mere 108 minutes. There is something for everyone in this movie (assuming you are at least 18) and the themes are refreshingly bright in this drug-fueled yakuza, or Japanese mafia, world.

The narrative follows Leo (Masataka Kurota), a promising boxer with a not-so-promising future. Leo lacks motivation in his boxing and in his life, but this changes when he encounters Monica (Sakurako Konishi), who is being chased by corrupt police officer Otomo (Nao Omori). Leo delivers a swift yet comical punch to Otomo’s face, and suddenly finds himself tangled up in the messy dealings of the underworld. Simultaneously, Kase (Shota Sometani) cooks up a plan to make big bucks from inside the fading yakuza. He partners up with Otomo to steal drugs from the yakuza. However, Kase quickly runs into a lot of obstacles in his pursuit of fortune, and his quick-thinking to achieve his goal is nothing short of a thrilling ride.

There are so many commendable attributes to First Love, including the acting, the cinematography, the action, and the themes. The variability in the acting is extensive, from comical and extravagant to subtle and refined. Kurota has excellent control in delivering suppressed and muted emotion, a style akin to a still ocean that snaps into storm at any given moment. Sometani is a master of dramatic facial expressions. He can warp his face into a myriad of reactions in mere seconds. Konishi does a splendid job portraying the wide-eyed damsel in distress, and her progression in making her own decisions and confronting her fears is performed with alarming precision. Seiyo Uchino, who plays the yakuza boss, Gondo, asserts the cool sternness of a gang leader while he commands the attention of both the characters and the audience alike. All of the actors in the film perform with such commitment to their characters and it pays off. Mind you, there are quite a few characters in this film, but the movie is able to pace each new face in a digestible manner. Important characters are given distinct traits and habits that make them easily memorable, and minor characters end up dying soon anyways, so you won’t have to worry about memorizing every face.

The cinematography is realistic, focusing on the exchanges between characters and creating an in-world experience for the audience. The vibrancy of Tokyo nights provide for beautiful shots with a grunge edge so every scene is visually interesting. The film does use animation for one scene to depict a contradiction of physics, but it does so in such an over-the-top manner that the film acknowledges its own silliness. The short animation is similar to the pop art style and is filtered with bright neon colors, which adds a measure of relief after one of the most anxious scenes in the film.

The action scenes are executed so well that each fight sequence is given its spotlight instead of being drowned in slashes and gunfire. The action in the film’s climax is a beautiful whirlwind of guns, swords, and hand-to-hand combat to the point where it borders on the edge of dance. The themes are remarkably profound for a film that also focuses on heavy action. The film does a wonderful job of wrapping up loose ends. In a way, every character finds closure in death, revenge, or meeting a face from the past. One central theme in the film is learning to live like there is no tomorrow. The main character grows past his lukewarm attitude and begins to find true meaning in his life, letting go of his uncertainties and fears of failure, which is a lesson we can all implement in our own lives.

Another important aspect of the film is its characterization of the antagonists. The film’s antagonists are glorious scumbags who the audience can clearly identify as bad people. But, Miike also makes sure to humanize the antagonists and give them some sympathetic qualities. When Kase’s plan starts to spiral out of control, the audience can’t help but feel a little bad for him. The film really tries to make the villains relatable, and the result is convincing.

One incredible choice Miike makes is how he portrays the yakuza. He does not glorify them or signal a rebirth of a new age of organized crime. He does, however, give them dignity, which is a nod to the years of history yakuza has played in Japan’s past. The falling out of the members and the suppression from the Chinese mafia shows how the yakuza has regressed from its glory days, now selling drugs to support the syndicate. But despite its shortcomings, the core of the yakuza maintains its integrity, which is a beautiful metaphor for the persistence of ancient cultural traditions in an age of constant change. Across the board, First Love knocks down every category in style, message, and execution. The characters are glamorous and well-written, and the film somehow manages to stay clear of disorganization in its complex narrative.

5/5 STARS