Green Book

Director: Peter Farrelly

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali

Year: 2019

Genre: Comedy

Set in 1960s America, Green Book follows Frank Vallelonga a.k.a. Tony Lip (Mortensen), who is hired by Doctor Don Shirley (Ali), a black pianist, to transport him across the Deep South of the US for him to perform at various concerts.

From the set up, the audience is made aware that the film is intending to provide another message about the injustice ingrained in society, using the climate of racism in the sixties as an observation on how in many cases, although not as conspicuous in today's world, things have not necessarily changed. However, it also offers a further inspection on the overt racism of the sixties - perhaps a somewhat recycled idea, and in a sense it offers little more than other films of a similar nature have done in the past, yet it is still a poignant message regardless.

Certainly there is no denying that the film is quite entertaining. Most noticeably is the excellent chemistry exhibited between Tony and 'Doc', especially by the end of the film when 'Doc' had accepted Tony's obvious quirks and Tony had been through his slightly forced character arc of becoming respectful for African-Americans and diversity within America. The relationship between the two really acts as a simplified message of discouraging judgement and racism, which for the purpose of the film works somewhat well. At its core, Green Book  does not go out of its way to provide a deep, severe commentary of these issues, like BlackKklansman (Spike Lee, 2018) might have done; instead it aims to bring these issues to light, in the context of the sixties, while retaining its comic aspect.

The comedy in this film improves as the plot progresses, especially as the audience become gradually more accustomed to the two's friendship dynamic. To begin with, the film is slightly clumsy and takes a while to properly find its footing. It throws the audience into a narrative with little context and set ups such as Tony's affiliation with the mafia and his discrimination of other races feel rushed in order to push the plot forward. It is a typical shortcut many of these films might take in order to keep the audience engaged with not much exposition and the smallest amount of information to make sure they are on the same page. 
Nevertheless, once the situation between 'Doc' and Tony, and their conflicts have been established, the film does pick up and becomes much more entertaining. Again, the film is not unique in its depiction of two conflicting forces soon accepting the others flaws and becoming friends - many films have done very similar notions (again, to reiterate, watch BlackKklansman), yet despite lacking originality, as with these narratives, it is impossible not to avoid its wholesome conclusion in the third act.

Mahershala Ali is brilliant in his role as Shirley and manages to evoke sincere and authentic emotions when dealing with personal conflicts, especially during pivotal scenes in the film. It is clear that 'Doc' deals with attackers coming from all sides, yet forces himself to keep a calm facade amidst his interior chaos, and this is beautifully transferred to screen by Ali. Mortensen, while being the central protagonist in the film, often works as more of the comedic relief in most scenes, yet his struggle to adjust to the cruel way of life is equally poignant, as 'Doc' teaches him a refined sense of morality and shows him humanities true colours. 

Ultimately, Green Book is a heartwarming, funny film with a poignant message to offer, which other films may have expressed better or more powerfully, but Green Book's contribution works well. Mortensen and Ali both give great performances and work exceptionally as a double act. The plot lacks complexity and the film does not attempt to explore many of its topics with much depth, leaving much to be desired for the film resolving or elaborating on some key issues, but what the film does offer is enjoyable.

Verdict: 7/10

Metropolis

Movie Recommendation:
Metropolis (1927, dir. Fritz Lang)

For anybody who has a love for films and wants to see a truly spectacular, iconic and beautiful movie, I cannot recommend Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi masterpiece Metropolis enough.

Some people have reservations about silent movies and I don't blame them - some of the original, experimental films are quite gimmicky and often dull in comparison to today's standard. Metropolis however definitely breaks such stereotypes of silent features.

Directed by visionary German director Fritz Lang, Metropolis tells the story of Freder, son of Joh Fredersen, the oppressive leader over the dystopian society depicted in Metropolis, in which the aristocrats live a life of wealth and prosperity above the surface, while millions of workers and laborours suffocate and slave away beneath, doomed to work the machines for eternity.
When Freder stumbles upon this underground monstrosity, he decides to help, by trading roles with a single worker, known only as '11811' and he takes up the exhausting, inhumane labour. 
During his time there, Freder falls in love with the pacifistic leader of the workers, Maria, who is also convinced Freder is the much anticipated saviour of the workers. However, she is captured by mad scientist Rotwang who, by order of Fredersen, transfers her image onto the body of a robot, creating a sadistic, hell bent, destructive doppelganger which he utilises to incite a revolution among the workers and seduce and manipulate the aristocrats.

Not only does Metropolis provide a cautionary tale and host critical social commentary from the time, especially in the wake of Bolshevism and the USSR, it is a stunning film to watch. During this period of film making, directors were set on experimenting with camerawork and editing to see what they could create through this new phenomena of entertainment. This is evident in Lang's film, with intricate set pieces and strictly choreographed scenes involving hundreds of actors, marching across the screen. His experimentation with editing is abundant, with multiple uses of montage sequences (evidently one inspired by the works of Sergei Eisenstein and similar directors from the era) and striking images, such as the collage effect used to evoke the notion of an obsessive male gaze in Maria's clone's hauntingly seductive dance routine, which branded the controversial nature of film upon release. This forced Lang to edit the originally 150 minute film down to 91 minutes upon its American release (the thought-to-be lost footage was recently recovered in 2010 of the cut scenes and a now fully restored 150 minute version of the film has been re-released to the public).

Metropolis' influence upon cinema since its initial release spans far and wide. Ridley Scott evidently took significant inspiration from the film when making his equally masterful neo-noir science fiction thriller Blade Runner (1982), in which much imagery shares many similarities with Metropolis. But also, inspiration can be seen in films such as Star Wars (1977, dir. George Lucas), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, dir. Stanley Kubrick) and even The Terminator (1984, dir. James Cameron), and no doubt many more. Its importance in cinema is paramount and to dismiss it as a dull silent film is almost a crime in itself.

Despite it being a silent film, it is a superbly entertaining and gripping movie, with a lot to say about the state of society as well as the path the world appears to be taking. I cannot stress how excellent, poignant, terrifying, and exhilarating this film is. Do yourself a favour and watch it!

The Favourite

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Olivia Coleman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult

Year: 2019 (U.K.)

Genre: Dark comedy / drama

The Favourite depicts the brutal feud that develops between Abigail (Stone) and Sarah (Weisz) in a desperate attempt to gain the Queen's (Coleman) affection and become her 'favourite'.

Set in 18th Century Britain, against the backdrop of a war between the British and the French, The Favourite explores the lives of the wealthy aristocrats of the time who appear more excited by the apparent thrills of duck racing and private gossip about their peers than the actual threat of the French. At the head of these, Queen Anne resides over England with Lady Sarah at her side, who acts as her counsellor, friend and representative within meetings. Unbeknownst to Anne and Sarah, a once-royal, Abigail, is hired to work in the kitchens and as a maid in the Queen's palace. When Abigail's surreptitious attempt at treating the Queen's injured leg yields positive results, her treatment is acknowledged by Sarah and Anne, allowing her to rapidly climb the ranks within this hierarchical system. However, when the Queen starts to take an equal liking to Abigail, a feud emerges between the two ladies as they fight for Anne's affection and favour.

Across the board, the performances from all the actors are astonishing and highly commendable, in particular that of Olivia Coleman, who truly embraces the impatient, sometimes almost schizophrenic behaviour of the Queen. Her mood swings so frequently that there is a certain tension developed in the film as to what mood the characters will find her in from scene to scene. Similarly, Stone and Weisz produce equally excellent performances and the subsequent vicious battle between the two of them is elevated to such a state of authenticity through their evocative, emotional performances within the film. The characters have intricate personalities and surprising depth, and in an interesting twist, there are no inherent protagonists or antagonists. In essence, whatever fate they endure, they might arguably deserve and there is no definitive character to root for throughout - they are all essentially bad people with their own selfish intentions, even if do attempt to craft a solid facade to disguise their ulterior motives. Yet there is a kind of brutal and twisted entertainment derived from seeing them being successful in their various ploys against each other.

The direction also is absolutely impeccable. Lanthimos does not waste any shot within the film with his immaculate use of lighting (especially the chiaroscuro effect of the candlelit shots), the beautiful, jaw dropping cinematography and his elegant use of camerawork. The camera seems to delicately flow across the rooms, constantly shifting framing, and Lanthimos does also implement the occasional, yet meticulous whip pans within his scenes, adding a smooth and constant sense of motion throughout the film.

The dark humour embedded in the script adds another element of quirkiness and personality to what could have been an otherwise dull movie. The comedy is sharp and witty, with the occasional overt but nonetheless hilarious jokes which allow for a sense of relief amidst the tense relationship between Anne, Abigail and Sarah. The tone throughout the movie shifts quite frequently from comedy to melodrama or even to something resembling a thriller. Regardless, there never feels a moment in which tension or emotion is forced or overly contrived.

Ultimately The Favourite is masterfully crafted by Lanthimos, exhibiting astonishing performances across the board as well as displaying Lanthimos' intricate and near perfect direction.

Verdict: 9/10

The Wrong Man

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles

Genre: Thriller

Year: 1956 (b/w)

Another Hitchcockian classic, 'The Wrong Man' is once again achieves greatness under Hitchcock's direction; however, it is quite unique in comparison to his other works because it is in fact based on fact, as Hitchcock himself informs us at the beginning of this movie.

Deadpool 2

Director: David Leitch

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Brianna Hildebrand, Julian Dennison, Stefan Kapičić, Morena Baccarin

Genre: Action, comedy

Year: 2018

Deadpool, the Merc with the Mouth, the fourth-wall breaking, profane, violent anti-hero returns after his initial surprise box office success in an inevitable sequel, which does not tend to reach too far outside its comfort zone of obscene comedy and bloody, brutal violence, but is helplessly entertaining nonetheless.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Creator: Michael Schur, Dan Goor

Cast: Andy Samberg, Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Andre Braugher

Genre: Comedy

Seasons: 1 - 4 (2013 - 2017)

Imagine 'FRIENDS' but set in a detective police office environment, and you essentially have 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' in a nutshell.

The Foreigner

Director: Martin Campbell

Cast: Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan

Genre: Thriller

Year: 2017

When Quan's (Chan) daughter is killed in an abrupt terrorist bombing, he seeks revenge on the killers and persistently pursues Liam Hennessy (Brosnan) for answers.