Review: All of Us Strangers (2024)

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

“Back to formula.” The simple but effective punchy line delivered by Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) from Spider-Man (2002) has been on my mind a lot lately. When I feel lost in the wilderness of life, work and lack of motivation, sometimes taking things back first principals helps a great deal. In the case of my blog, it was sparked by all the wholly original cinema I was seeing whilst I was at university and a constant need to write about it (quality be dammed etc). So, to that end, I’ve strived to try and go back to mindset so that I’m frequently posting again. With that said, have you seen All of Us Strangers? Let me know in the comments below.

Review

All of Us Strangers is a deeply haunting film about the lengths we travel to keep our loved ones alive in our minds. The second adaptation of Taichi Yamada’s novel, Strangers, depicts a lonely writer, Adam (Andrew Scott) who is currently attempting to write about his parents. They died during a drunken car crash when Adam was 12 years old. The film depicts the various meetings he has with them as a grown-up, which is juxtaposed with a burgeoning romance he has with his neighbour, Harry (Paul Mescal).

On the surface, All of Us Strangers does not have the traditional trappings of a ghost story. It’s more of an urban chamber piece that has metaphysical implications for its central character. Andrew Haigh’s filmmaking subtly places Adam in typical situations where he sees himself in various mirrors. And the horror comes from how these mundane aspects are distorted to create a sense of unease and fracturing of Adam’s mind. These vary from one scene that depicts Adam (in a medium shot) seeing himself expand within a tube window to an infinite regress view of the character in a lift reflection (that echoes the famous mirror scene from Citizen Kane).

The result is a film that’s much more interested in the emotional truth that comes from Adam’s various conversations. The tone of these encounters varies from heartfelt to awkwardly amusing as Adam’s parents and Harry come to terms with his occupation and sexuality. They’re also meaningful because Adam discusses his sexuality in an open and frank way, whilst realistically trying to give voice to the culture and era his parents grew up in. At the same time, there’s also a playful dissection of what it means to be gay from a linguistic perspective as Adam and Harry share their thoughts on what it means to be queer vs gay etc.

In a sense, this openness becomes an opportunity for Adam to come to terms with how he feels about his sexuality and whether or not he can open himself to a loving relationship. Whilst this emotional therapy session resonated, I found the film’s theme of how much a writer keeps his loved ones alive through fiction quite interesting. Is it a conscious thing due to Adam feeling he never had a meaningful relationship with his parents? Or is it mealy sub-consciousness trying to piece together the broken fragments of a painful past?

In the moments where Andrew Scott downplays what others think about his sexuality during a conversation with his mother, Scott’s performance is most heartbreaking. It speaks to the character trying to uphold the tacit British cultural norm of “Stiff Upper Lip.” In his deep longing looks and seemingly half-amused facial expressions, the character tries to put on a brave face to hide the pain he desperately wants to share. Whether being drunk or sober, Paul Mascal brings such warmth to Harry that it covers up for a painful revelation about his relationship with his family.

The casting of Claire Foy and Jamie Bell as Adam’s parents feels meta in the sense that their previous indelible performances as Queen Elizabeth II and Billy Elliot, create an ironic lens to view their characters. Aside from that aspect, they’re both excellent in portraying a sense of inner turmoil and processing in their perceived roles in bringing up Adam. In particular, a scene where Bell’s character soulfully sings a few lines from “Always On My Mind” by Pet Shop Boys results in a touching realization of the guilt and love he carried within his parenting.

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Review: Dune: Part Two (2024)

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

From the uncertainty of its existence to being delayed due to the Writer’s Strike, Dune: Part Two’s journey to the silver screen has been turbulent, to say the least. But it’s finally here. And it almost goes without saying, I’ve been quite excited about it. But hype levels aside, have you seen Dune: Part Two? And if so, what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.

Review

What makes a good adaptation? Is it literal faithfulness to the source material? Capturing the spirit of the original creation? Or is it perhaps making you see the initial work in a completely different way? With this question in mind, Dune: Part Two is many things: Awe-inducing, grand in a truly biblical epic sense and persistently engrossing. But above all, it’s an exceptional adaptation. It honours the themes of Frank Herbert’s novel in such a unique manner that it made me look at the source material in a new light.

Picking up shortly after the events of the first film, Dune: Part Two depicts Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Lady Jessica’s (Rebecca Ferguson) attempts to climatize to the desert and Fremen’s ways of living. As the mother-son duo become further entrenched into Fremen life, they have to contend with their place in a prophecy that starts to capture the imagination of certain sects of the tribe. In addition to this, the Harkonnens (now back in control of Arrakis) begin to increase the frequency of their attacks on the Fremen people.

To its credit, Dune: Part Two is an impressive follow-up to the first picture. In fact, it’s quite commendable how both films speak to one another and have a family resemblance in terms of stylistic choices. Both films open with an ominous-sounding alien speaking a line that’s subtitled, and the ending plays like a bookend to the opening scene in the 2021 film. It feels like director/co-writer Denis Villeneuve’s personal signature in terms of highlighting what’s important to his adaptation.

To that end, one of the major themes of Herbert’s novel is the inherent folly that comes from people trusting in charismatic leaders. In Part Two, this theme is filtered through Chani (Zendaya) who gives voice to the view that the prophecy that some of her fellow people believe in is a form of control from the people who created it. Along with the addition of the Southern Fremen (a fundamentalist group of Fremen who believe in the prophecy of the Lisan Al Gaib), this theme is given a lot of room to be explored. It also places a lot of importance on Chani who represents the sceptic and prideful Fremen versus Stilgar (Javier Bardem) who is firm in his belief that Paul is the messiah that’s been spoken of in legend.

At the same time, this theme gives rise to another reading of Paul’s journey, which made me reconsider something about the novel. In a sense, the manufacturing of the prophecy of an outsider coming to liberate the Fremen feels like a metaphor for cultural appropriation. Chani’s view that only a true Fremen should be a messiah along with Paul using the Fremen as an instrument for his vengeance really sold me on this interpretation (in a way that the novel never did). The screenplay is also good at taking lines that existed on the page and placing them in a different context, leading to fascinating reinterpretations. The highlight is Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) calling Paul (as opposed to Alia) an abomination, which stings with a sense of tragic irony as she had a hand in creating the prophecy that Paul exploited.

Despite the screenplay being full of these instances, it does fall down in some regards. For one, it indulges in a lot of saying how someone feels as opposed to showing us. The most apparent instance is when Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) says how her father (The Emperor) took Leto’s death quite badly. Outside of that monologue from the character, I never got anything from Christopher Walken’s performance or the character that he missed Leto. In fact, in a climactic encounter, he speaks matter-of-factly about the fallen leader as opposed to someone who lost someone meaningful. And in an odd change from the first part, the nature of Paul’s visions of his reign seems to change for inexplicable reasons.

Cinematically, Dune: Part Two is a wonder to behold with a broadening of its canvas via elaborate action sequences and large-scale crowd scenes. However, much like the first part, the moments that stood out to me were the smaller ones. An early scene where we see Sietch Tabr for the first time is impressive in creating a level of immersion from handheld camera moves as much as low-angle shots. In the film’s most impressive sequence, the use of long shots combined with fireworks to create a thunder-and-lightning effect results in a haunting noir-esque encounter between Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) and Lady Fenring (Léa Seydoux).

Austin Butler steals the movie with a Klaus Kinski-esque intensity. This quality manifests in sharp, caustic line readings and an unpredictable snake-like physicality. Timothée Chalamet’s subtle performance really stood out to me whether it was portraying a sense of sad resignation in the film’s final act or his casual gestures when trying to impress Chani. And Rebecca Ferguson commendably still retains humanity in a role that can seem quite otherworldly and detached.

Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part Two is a beautiful weaving of foreboding ambient music and rich melodic work. In particular, his new love theme for Paul and Chani is excellent in its subtle choral tones and thumping percussive work that makes their bond seem like a strong elemental force.

There’s so much more I could say about Dune: Part Two. Suffice to say, it left me very impressed and grateful. It does not shy away from the concepts and themes that have made the novel an indelible science fiction classic. Instead, it gives life to them and boldly tries to add to them in striking new ways.

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One Great Shot: Dune (2021)

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

Well look what the cat dragged in. It’s been over a month since my last post. Aside from the day job becoming frantic and pursuing other ventures (outside of writing), I’ve just lacked motivation to write. While last year was successful for the blog and my writing in general, it caused an unhealthy precedent.

There’s nothing that makes me happier then the pursuit of writing be it for the blog or an external deadline. I spent last year wracking up a lot of external endeavors that when they dried up, I became very blue and unmotivated. There’s more to it then that, but suffice to say, sometimes to get back onto the proverbial horse, you have to start from square one and write about something that makes you passionate.

And I could not think of a better candidate then Dune. A recent visit to Arrakis via a nationwide cinema re-release inspired me to finally knuckle down and write about the film’s one great shot (in anticipation of its upcoming sequel, Dune: Part Two). What’s your favourite shot from the 2021 movie? Let me know in the comments below.

One Great Shot

Dune has many memorable shots. I discussed the painterly quality of the Bene Gesserit exiting their ship in my original review of the film. I could easily gush about the sheer imaginative strangeness of many of the wide shots that depict alien ships in orbit. And even delight in the dizzying height of an opening image in which Rabban is overseeing the Harkonnen army on the titular desert planet.

However, since first seeing the 2021 film, the one image that has stuck with me is of the bull’s head. It’s a recurring visual motif throughout the picture, alongside a statue of a bull being seemingly wrangled, and a carving on a grave of a bull heading straight for a man holding a spear. The bull’s head is a trophy that came from Paul’s grandfather hunting the creature for sport. At the same time, it’s also a metaphor for the Atreides’ male line and its penchant for being impulsive and cruel.

It’s a reminder of Paul’s male birthright and the leader he could become if he chooses to embrace his grandfather’s mindset. In fact, an early scene involving Paul and his father, Duke Leto shows that the young man carries some of his grandfather’s hasty tendencies by appealing to his penchant for bull hunting.

There’s also an inference in an initial scene that Paul uses his grandfather as a source of strength. When his mother, Lady Jessica tests the young man on his mastery of the Bene Gesserit technique of the Voice, there’s an interesting cut to a portrait of Paul’s grandfather and the aforementioned bull statue thereafter. It gives Paul his grounding to unleash his use of the Voice in a manner that encapsulates both of his parental birthrights.

There’s many shots of the bull’s head throughout Dune. However, my favourite comes from one of the last times we see it on screen. In previous scenes, it’s been akin to a watchful eye that witnesses Paul’s tests throughout the movie. But in these final moments, it becomes a defiant and silent symbol for Leto’s final line, “Here I am, here I remain.” In a sense, the totem outlives Leto. Whether or not it will continue to live on in Paul is one of the tantalising questions that the 2021 film contends with, particularly in response to a question Chani says in the opening sequence- “Who will our next oppressors be?”

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Review: Poor Things (2024)

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

Well, here we are, my first review of a new release of 2024. And I could not think of a better film to start the year with. Not much to say here folks except, have you seen Poor Things? Let me know in the comments below.

Review

To say that Yorgos Lanthimos makes idiosyncratic films is an understatement. Between The Lobster and The Favourite, Lanthimos mines the depths of deep-felt human pathos, via absurdist premises and sharp, but ultimately eyebrow-raising humour. The same could be said about his new endeavour, Poor Things. It’s a spirited and mischievous film that owes as much to Frankenhooker and Vertigo as much as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Based on the novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, Poor Things tells the story of a young woman called Bella (Emma Stone). She has the brain of an infant but the body of a fully developed woman due to being brought back to life by surgeon, Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). After showing promising signs in her development and an insatiable curiosity about the outside world, Baxter and his assistant Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) reluctantly let their stepdaughter and betrothed go to experience the world.

Despite its oddball premise, Poor Things remarkably proves to be Lanthimos’s most emotionally accessible film. This comes from screenwriter, Tony McNamara who leans into Bella’s innocence. Despite difficulties early on, there’s a persistent sense of awe in the way that characters perceive her. This later turns into a sheer giddy joy and heartbreak of experiencing Bella’s relatable emotions in discovering the world. The highlight being is when she discovers the notion of poverty in quite a stark manner. The operatic music (courtesy of Pop musician, Jerskin Fendrix) stands in for the character’s shrieks of horror and disgust at the unfairness she sees first-hand.

At the same time, Lanthimos’s direction evokes Bella’s eagerness for the world via wonderous low-angle shots that reveal quite an enriching set design that’s like a Frankenstein-esque melding of Lemony Snicket, early Tim Burton and steam-punk. This is contrasted with a seedy use of fish-eye lens shots that almost distort the world and made me feel like someone was constantly watching Bella through a peephole.

By the same token, Lanthimos’s trademark absurdist humour is still on full display. A recurring fart joke and Bella’s pointed childish naming of adult activities never fails to amuse. And in perhaps the most darkly pitched comedic notes, Max’s persistent sense of bemusement at Godwin’s horrific stories is a highlight.

Dafoe turns in a subtle turn as Baxter who constantly battles his emotions as a loving father and a curious academic. Mark Ruffalo is charming as a cad and a rogue English gentleman called Duncan Wedderburn, whose pristine social standing is always at odds with his private inclinations. However, Emma Stone delivers a memorable central performance that’s particularly impressive in its vocal elements. This comes from how the actress portrays Bella absorbing and dressing up in the accents she encounters, whilst never compromising the character’s sense of innocence and naivety (whilst in that vocal clothing).

Subtextually, Poor Things very much has Vertigo on its mind. Much like that film portrays its main character, Scottie (James Stewart) attempting to control and preserve the idea of a woman he loved, so does Wedderburn. In a sense, he wants to preserve the innocence that attracted him to Bella, so he can keep her trapped in an eternal cycle of selfish hedonistic fulfilment. And in the third act Bella discovers the former life she attempted to escape from (via suicide) in which she was married to an abusive and cruel man, Alfie (Christopher Abbot).

In an inverse of Wedderburn, he wants to trap Bella so she can remember the woman she used to be. This move again evokes Scottie’s third act manipulations of Judy Barton (Kim Novak). In fact, in the film’s most intriguing homaging of Vertigo, Wedderburn finds himself traumatised by Bella in a manner that echoes how Scottie was by Kim Novak’s incarnation of Madeline.

And despite the cult and midnight movie qualities of Frankenhooker, it has surprising links to Poor Things. Much like that film used satire to fuel how women were inherently controlled and used within the sex industry, Poor Things attempts to explore the implications of a nascent woman in the world’s oldest profession. Frankenhooker had an ironic twist of fate in its ending for its creator to become the thing he attempted to victimise (via his central experiment). Whereas Poor Things explores how Bella goes from someone who is perceived as a whore, and becomes an empowered individual. Her experiences within the trade come to shape her discernment and empathy towards the world.

This comes from Bella’s attempts to understand her male patrons with one scene depicting her asking a French client for a childhood memory. It’s this attitude that informs her choice to not let her ex-husband bleed out and die at the end of the film. In this regard, Poor Things is a gripping odyssey that shows how we can beat to the drum of our own eccentricities whilst having an understanding and compassion for how the world works.

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Brief Consideration: The Favourite (2019)

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

It’s probably old hat at this point to say that choosing one’s first review of a new year is always tricky. In many ways, it sets the tone for what’s to come and is a good indicator of the direction of the blog over the year. Or perhaps that’s just poppycock, and I’m overthinking it all. Today marks the day that the new film from Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) finally hit UK cinemas. Usually, I would be jumping with joy for a release like this. However, just from a cursory knowledge of the Greek filmmaker’s work, I feel I don’t have a read on him. So, I decided to catch up with a few of his films before seeing his new work. With that said, have you seen The Favourite? Let me know in the comments below.

Brief Consideration

During a pivotal scene of The Favourite, a character firmly says, “Because I will not lie. That is love.” It’s a signature moment that encapsulates the film’s sense of frankness that juxtaposes with an authentic sense of pathos and wit. The 2019 film depicts a battle for the affections and ear of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) between Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and her poverty-stricken younger cousin, Abigail Hill (Emma Stone).

Aside from the twists and turns of the two women trying to cement their place within Queen Anne’s court and bedroom, The Favourite examines the concept of love and how it correlates with honesty. Sarah and Abigail both have their ways of charming Anne. The former does it through a frankness that always hides an internalised desire. She both spurns and cherishes the Queen in equal measure. Abigail does it through warmth and empathy that always elevates the monarch.

It’s in the spaces between these states where the performances are quite interesting. Rachel Weisz’s portrayal of a subdued love and affection for the Queen is palpable when contrasted with her forthright and sharp line deliveries. On the other hand, Emma Stone’s moments of Machiavellian mischief that manifest in an almost mockish sense of courteousness stand out. Aside from depicting an underhanded family resemblance in how they handle situations, the women’s duelling natures shows how they must behave and do cruel things to escape the scourge and humiliation of a lower-class existence that insults their womanhood.

The battle of self-preservation versus the sense of doing bad things in the name of love of country is when the Favourite’s screenplay truly soars. Likewise is a small thread where Abigail playfully (and sometimes sadistically) dresses down and flirts with a male suitor (who publicly dresses and looks like a women). In this regard, the amusing nature of the irony and black humour emerging from the reversal of gender roles is excellent.

However, the real surprise of the film comes from Queen Anne. Initially portrayed as a childish queen in the vein of Elizabeth I from Blackadder II, Olivia Colman’s performance instead makes the monarch a tragic figure who sees talent and excellence as a mirror for her insecurities. Her seemingly childlike habits portray a sense of her trying to turn her tragic circumstances into temporary moments of happiness. In this sense, the final surreal shot that crossfades the Queen’s various pet rabbits and Abigail’s face seeks to illustrate how the film portrays the monarch as someone who is adrift in a flurry of loss and tragedy.

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My Top Ten Most Anticipated Films of 2024

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

Before we get to the elephant in the room, I must make one brief comment on the last year or so. Usually, I don’t care about metrics for my blog due it it being a hobby etc. However, I’m genuinely quite humbled by the amount of people who have viewed and engaged with the site in 2023. Considering there were periods where I took long absences and branched out to do more external writing projects, it’s been great to see the turnout. So, thank you one and all. And on that note, Happy New Year! I hope 2024 sees you all soar in the endeavours that you’ve set yourselves.

It seems that since the big C hit the world in 2020, that the subsequent years have become stranger and stranger. The world of movies is no exception. Last year saw a whole deluge of delays as many unions within the industry went on strike. Consequently, some of the choices that grace my top ten most anticipated films of 2024 has some movies from last year. What films are you most looking forward to seeing in 2024? Let me know in the comments below.

10) Priscilla

As someone who has not really been enamored with Elvis’ music, I’m curious to see the perspective of the famous musician via the eyes of his long-term partner, Priscilla. And Sofia Coppola is the cherry on top.

9) Poor Things

To paraphrase Leonardo DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie from Django Unchained, Poor Things, “you had my curiosity. Now you have my attention.”

8) Salem’s Lot

At this point, I’m frankly stupefied that this has not come out yet. However, the most recent update has pushed the film to streaming. While this is a disappointing turn of events, I’m still curious how this third adaptation of one of Stephen King’s most famous novels fares.

7) Rebel Moon: Part 2- The Scargiver

Zack Snyder’s first Rebel Moon really worked for me, and I look forward to seeing the famed director expand upon his sci-fi world in the film’s second part.

6) Challengers

Over the years, I’ve really appreciated Luca Guadagnino movies. With that in mind, I’m eager to see how he mixes up the romance and sports film.

5) Joker: Folie à Deux

On the surface, a sequel to Joker seems absurd beyond belief. However, a film that promises the exploration of shared delusion and Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn seems too intriguing to pass up.

4) Alien: Romulus

In stark contrast to Salem’s Lot, this film has recently had the announcement of a cinema release. Combine that with Fede Álvarez at the helm, and you have the makings for something exciting.

3) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Despite the title having me run for the hills (in the worst possible way), the prospect of a 17 year spanning epic with George Miller providing shading for Furiosa does not dampen my enthusiasm for the film.

2) Nosferatu

Just based on the three films that Robert Eggers has made, I’m interested in seeing him make a second remake of Nosferatu. But the fact it’s been his cinematic obsession and has been touted as proper Gothic horror movie has me giddy.

1) Dune: Part Two

At this point, a simple “Nuff said” by the late Stan Lee should be enough. But for the newcomers, Dune has meant a lot to me over the years and the first part delivered for me in such profound way. I have high hopes for the second part of Dune as a singular film and a middle chapter in a (hopeful) trilogy.

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My Top Ten Films of 2023

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

Hey everyone. I hope you had all had a wonderful Christmas day and continue to be merry through this festive period where all semblance of time and day becomes blurred. Typically, I would use this span of about 4-5 days to catch up on newer films that I have not seen. However, due to a prior writing commitment with a relatively quick turn around, I’ve had to somewhat fast track my top ten list. What are your top films of 2023. Let me know in the comments below.

10) Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire

Rebel Moon is Zack Snyder’s whirlwind tour through his fantasy and sci-fi inspirations, resulting in an uneven but surprisingly earnest genre picture. Aside from his stylistic signature of creating striking and evocative tableaus being on full display, its theme of the blurred line between guilt and honour surprised me. This is most encapsulated in Sofia Boutella’s character, Kora. Her plan of gathering many figures and a potential army to protect a humble farming planet is an attempt to write the wrongs of her past where she fought and killed for the authoritarian side.

Much like Yul Brynner’s central performance in The Magnificent Seven, Boutella carries the moral convictions of the movie in her expressive and subtle facial expressions that go a long way to painting Snyder’s world in morally grey colours. This aspect is threatened by some of the generic character shading, rote storytelling and clunky exposition. But even with these shortcomings, this big-budget and imaginative blockbuster filmmaking deserves celebrating.

9) Asteroid City

Similarly to Budapest, Asteroid City feels mournful for an era and the type of people that emerged from that point in time.

8) Babylon

Babylon is a film that viscerally celebrates the era of early Hollywood while denigrating its larger-than-life excesses.

7) Barbie

Barbie should not work. It’s at once a sincere and plucky throwback to the grand Hollywood musicals of the 50s. It also has a sardonic post-modern voice that runs the gamut from 2001: A Space Odyssey to the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. And yet, it somehow manages to navigate the tightrope walk of cheery and biting satire with effortless ease.

6) John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick: Chapter 4 is a moving and thrilling final chapter that works as a Western, depicting the honour and friendship between two longstanding hitmen.

5) Beau is Afraid

Beau is Afraid is one of the most thrilling experiences at the movies this year. It kept me on my toes with its gonzo spirit. Despite its many surreal turns, it has the emotional truth of a Samuel Beckett play insofar as portraying how a human being, against all hope and logic, crashes against the waves of existential turmoil. The fact that Beau can still dream of a better life (despite his circumstances and upbringing) is both moving and absurd.

4) Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer depicts the projections and shadows others cast on his character and creation. In turn, Nolan creates a canvas to project our thoughts on Nuclear weapons through the prism of the various players. There’s as much to say about the creation of the bomb as its subsequent uses. And in its best moments, the same could be said about Oppenheimer himself.

3) Rye Lane

Rye Lane charms with its central couple getting to know each other for a day but delights in showing how exciting the world can be when sharing it with another person.

2) Talk to Me

Talk to Me is a disturbing horror film that proves the indie scene for the genre is still creatively alive. The film’s success is due to the authenticity and weight of its dramatic moments that illustrate a longing for understanding and how we process grief on a fundamentally everyday level.

1) Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Across the Spider-Verse is a profound piece of pop art that wrestles with the morality that has shaped comics.

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Review: Animal (2023)

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

Continuing on from the theme that emerged from my preamble to Songbird and Snakes, it seems that I want to venture into films that I have no or limited knowledge of. In the case of Animal, it comes with a crucial backstory. So, the main actor or the main marketing fixture of the film (Bobby Deol) is my cousin (albeit a distant one, fifth or sixth removed if you want to be precise). From mum’s side, my and Bobby’s grannies were cousins, which makes my Mum- Sunny and Bobby’s aunt (I think). Despite having never met my cousins or Dharmendra (my distant uncle), I’ve been a little hesitant about reviewing Bollywood cinema. This does not come from a lack of interest either. I have fond memories of growing up on Bollywood staples such as Sholay and Taal.

And that’s to not even speak about the future of that film industry, which at the moment seems to be favoring Telugu pictures (commercially speaking). From my cursory research, they seem to place more of an emphasis on realistic and gritty stories that underplay the frequent fixture of fantastical and dreamlike musical numbers. Going back further then that, my desire to explore the broader scope of Indian cinema has been piqued via Wes Anderson’s influence of Satyajit Ray and the rhapsodic musings about Guru Dutt from Mark Cousins’s splendid book, “The Story of Film.”

My point with this frankly overlong preamble is to say that this carefully guarded secret has been preventing me from enjoying a full breath of a cinema that’s close to home, and ought to be further looked into. Watch this space. Have you had a chance to catch Animal in its limited release? Let me know in the comments below.

Review

From Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver to Private Pyles in Full Metal Jacket, American Cinema has been fascinated with the downtrodden and anti-heroic protagonist, whose violent actions stem from a deep-seated sense of justice and woundedness. It’s in this space where the new Hindi box office smash hit Animal attempts to manoeuvre in. The film is a stylistic and excessive exercise in generational disenchantment and toxic masculinity, which never fails to escape one-note captivity.

The 2023 film tells the story of a violent and emotionally volatile young man called Ranvijay “Vijay” Singh (Ranbir Kapoor). He’s the son of a famous Delhi-based tycoon, Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor), who owns a steel company called “Swastik Steels.” After a series of difficult years where the pair have not gotten along, Vijay seeks to take over the protection of his father after an assassination attempt on the business’ mogul. This starts a chain of events that further entrenches Vijay in a cycle of violence that will cause ruin to his marriage with childhood sweetheart, Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna) and his coveted paternal relationship.

To its credit, Animal is a refreshing film that neatly differentiates itself from a lot of its Bollywood brethren. Flamboyant and fanciful musical sequences are instead replaced with a persistent use of lyrical pieces that underscore a vast array of sequences from action to romantically driven. And early on, the screenplay has a no nonsense approach to its romantic and familial relationships that feels immediate and emotionally accessible.

This is complemented by some quite effective action direction that feels visceral and raw. There’s one sequence near the intermission where there’s a heart pumping use of diegetic music, as the scene is scored by a song that Vijay is listening to. The result is a sheer spectacle of carnage that occasionally rivalled scenes I had seen in John Wick Chapter 4 from earlier this year.

And the performances are quite on point. In his central turn as Vijay, Ranbir Kapoor portrays a profound sense of loss, manifesting in small gestures and facial expressions that never lets the viewer forget the child within the raging adult. Rashmika Mandanna casts an impression in the quiet intensity she brings via various line readings in the final stretch of the film that contrast with her almost silent screen presence in the first half. And Bobby Deol steals the show as a crime boss that Vijay has to confront. Introduced via a Brain DePalma esque split screen camera move, Deol convincingly portrays the garment of emotions from vulnerable to sadistic in a character that’s an excellent example of pure unbridled ID.

Despite these virtues, Animal never fails to feel quite one-note in its themes and characterisation. Part of this comes from the construction of the story. In large part, it’s non linear with big plot points being thrown at the audience and then fleshed out via flashbacks later. In theory, this is not a bad idea. However, in practice it proves to be a chore as motivations and possible subtext are relegated to quite late in the film. As such, the film feels like its unfocused, often favoring the excesses of its action and violence to the motivation and reason for those scenes.

With what the film presents, Vijay’s penchant for action and violence comes from a father who favored looking at the world to be conquered, instilling a sense of fear that something is always around the corner and has to be stood up to. I wish there was more set up and playing around with this idea as generational stories can be a rich vein for thematic material. The same can be said for Vijay’s toxic masculinity traits, which are briefly commented on in a few scenes but are dropped like a hot potato for much of the run time.

What we’re left with is a spirited effort that holds its own (in some ways) to its Hollywood counterparts. But what made those cited films so special is that they felt as though they were commenting on the culture and mindset of a country at the time. There was more that made their character studies soar. The same could not be said for Animal. In fact, throughout, I was reminded of Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid. That’s a film that’s equally as strange and gonzo in its exploration of parental disenchantment. But the difference is the distinctive way it juxtaposed its world and the main character with black and surreal humour.

Beyond the central reason for Vijay acting out, the film does not seem interested in the same quality that made Beau so indelible. There’s one thread where Vijay makes a speech, that’s depicted in quite a Fascistic manner insofar as the staging and use of colour. However, aside from a joke about it later on involving the difference between the Nazi and original Hindu Swastika, this bubbling theme of Vijay’s toxic masculinity having political/ideological implications is never explored further. As such, I felt as though the movie was always keeping me at arms length in a manner that eventually became quite exhausting.

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Brief Consideration: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

Well, this is a little embarrassing. There are times when you can emphatically return and state a reason for a long hiatus. And then there are others when you feel like the equivalent of someone who has just stepped onto stage in the middle of a school play and completely blanks on all your lines. Well, without resorting to cue cards or some hyperventilating stage hand who tries their best to jog your memory via a series of violent gestures, I have no excuse. I could point to work and a lack of motivation. But I just think there are times when you don’t feel like you have much to say. I’ve always prided myself on being someone who only speaks when he has something to say, but it’s felt like since my last writing gig, the ink has truly gone dry.

However, when I finally snapped out of it (for lack of a better phrase), I decided to go against this usual mindset and go seek out something where I would intuitively have little or next to nothing to say (due to no prior knowledge). The trailers for the recently released Hunger Games prequel have really made the premise appealing in a way that none of the mainline entries have. So, with this in mind, I decided to hop on my bike (or really just take a leisurely stroll) to my nearest cinema to let The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes be my ground floor entry for The Hunger Games. Have you had a chance to see the latest entry? And how would series veterans rank it amongst the Jennifer Lawrence starring quadrilogy. Let me know in the comments below.

Brief Consideration

Part way through The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes, the head gamemaker of the 10th Hunger Games, Dr Volumnia Gault (Viola Davis), pointedly asks a young Cornelius Snow (Tom Blyth), “What are the Hunger Games for?” As a primer for a prequel that explores Snow’s rise to prominence, it’s a clever metatextual question that underpins an impressively powerful prequel. It’s also an accessible lynch pin that stuck with me throughout my time with the film (given I had not seen any prior instalments of the famed dystopian series).

Songbirds and Snakes is at its best when its in service to this question, whether it’s illustrating the function of the games as commercial opportunism in a way that mirrors reality television shows such as the X Factor and Big Brother. Or better yet, a canvas that shows humanity at its best and worst (via the various actions we see of the combatants). In this way, the film gives the impression of a everything or nothing answer but pulls it back enough to see it via Snow’s relationship with the games and the consequences that stem from his involvement with them.

Snow’s journey is a tragedy whereby he’s ultimately doomed and destined to fall in line with his station in life. Part of this growth is expressed cinematically via director Francis Lawrence’s use of Dutch angles and low angle shots. The typically surreal and imposing camera moves are instead used to illustrate the measure of control that Snow has in any given situation. And this question of control is something the film plays with throughout (not only with Snow’s changing attitude but also those of his class mates). With this in mind, the theme of control makes the movie horrific in its depiction of how much we can lose control when stripped of all our basic rights and are instead forced to survive in a harsh environment.

As a young Snow, Tom Blyth is framed as though he’s a young Peter O’Toole with a similar wry charm that comes from small and disarming gestures. Rachel Zegler plays to the crowd in a performance that walks a tightrope between vulnerability and a sly knowingness that comes from her background as a travelling performer. And Viola Davis is a terrifying screen presence as a mentor figure to the young Snow.

Despite being effective in many areas, the film does suffer from its important family details (namely Snow’s parentage and role in the world) being reduced to clunky exposition that’s often tritely dolled out throughout. This problem borne out of an ambitious screenplay does undermine the subtle finessing in Snow’s journey from an ambitious student to an eventual tyrannical figure.

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My Top Five Most Formative Horror Films

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Preamble

Happy Halloween everyone! I could not leave October behind before acknowledging one of my favourite periods of the year. For the longest time, I was intending to finally write about my top ten horror movies. However, there’s still some films I’m revisiting for it, so it would have felt like a rushed post. But in its place is a post that does have a lot of weight insofar as acknowledgement of the scary season and my love of the sub-genre. These films are not necessarily my favourite but they’re important in either cementing my appreciation of horror cinema or have changed how I look at the sub-genre. What are some of your formative horror movies? Let me know in the comments below.

And if you like my ramblings on horror, then you can find more at my second home, Horror Obsessive. My recent post is a review of Mike Flanagan’s Netflix adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher.

The Fall of the House of Usher: An Ambitious and Engrossing Distillation of Poe’s Work

5) Audition

I only saw Audition for the first time (earlier this year). However, it’s lingered for me in a way that so few Japanese horror films have in the past. Despite knowing one of the twists going in and the reputation of the film, it still surprised me in many ways. Unlike movies such as A Serbian Film and The Human Centipede, there’s a point to the extreme and alarming violence. It feels like a savage punctuation mark to the main character (for the treatment of women via the audition process) that feels in keeping with the genre. The fact that the main character grapples with his feelings of the audition process makes the movie thoughtful and engaging. Also the film’s heavy ratio of drama to the creeping sense of horror was quite eye-opening in illustrating how a horror movie can be constructed and made.

4) Lisa and the Devil

At this point, I’ve seen many Mario Bava horror movies. But the one that stands out to me is Lisa and the Devil. It’s akin to watching a glacially paced dream in which the audience is made to feel like they don’t have a fixed grasp on reality. In this way, the movie showed me how subtle a horror movie can be in evoking a sense of terror. It can be inherently experiential, which comes from a firm command over mood, atmosphere and direction.

3) Don’t Look Now

At a formative age, Don’t Look Now showed me that horror movies can be inherently melancholic and tap into some quite potent and tough subject matters. I also see it as a foundational film in understanding the appeal of “elevated horror movies” in the last decade or so. The supernatural aspects in the movie can be read as a manifestation of grieving parents who wish to see their daughter again. This same thematic concern has been a lingering shadow over the trend whereby the elements of a horror movie we take for granted have an air of ambiguity.

2) The Exorcist

At this point, talking about The Exorcist and how formative it was for my love of cinema seems to be beating the proverbial dead horse. However, without it, I don’t think I would have gotten into horror cinema. I don’t know where I first heard of its existence or premise, but it’s one of those stories that I had an acute awareness of (for a considerable amount of time). In fact, it could be argued that it’s the first scary story I ever heard. So, in a sense, the movie’s existence was akin to a tall tale that would eventually unlock an entire genre for me.

1) Friday the 13th (1980)

It seems like an odd choice for sure, but the original Friday the 13th was my gateway drug into horror cinema. I think this was due to how palatable it was. It was also thrilling at the time seeing the characters get picked of one by one. But in a larger sense, I do think this film was a stepping stone into the genre (for a number of people). At the time, a film like it would play at indie places or grindhouse theatres. However, the fact, a movie like it was screened at large and mainstream cinemas made it feel transgressive and special. And as an 18-year old who was getting into the genre (via Cinemassacre) that release history appealed to me a lot at the time.

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