Emilia Pérez

EMILIA PÉREZ
2024 | Dir. Jacques Audiard | 132 Minutes

"Changing the soul changes society, changing society changes it all."


A Mexican cartel boss coerces struggling lawyer Rita Mora Castro for assistance to secretly arrange gender-affirming surgery and begin a new life. Years later, the former kingpin Emilia Pérez needs Rita's help again, requesting to reconnect with her family while taking on the false identity of an estranged relative. Returning to Mexico, Emilia uses the her wealth to help families victimized by gang violence, but the sins of her vicious past inevitably collide with her altruistic present.

Adapted from a portion of Boris Razon's 2018 novel Écoute, writer/director Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez is ostensibly a bold and daring musical about how the transformation of one person may change the world, but the evident lack of care the film has for handling its subject matter destroys any sense of emotional earnestness that's essential for this type of story to work. Centered around a transgender protagonist, the narrative leans hard into tired outdated plot tropes for queer people, the worst of which is the character's nonsensical decision to totally abandon her family as a part of her transition only for her to reconnect with them through underhanded deceptive means. The narrative seemingly takes on more poignant aspects in the second act as Emilia establishes a nonprofit organization to help bring closure to families who had fallen victim to cartel violence, but things quickly go off the rails and the film turns into a clumsy pseudo-telenovela pastiche involving romantic affairs and custody battles, offering little in the way of either amusement or catharsis. The feature comes off as cheap and disingenuous, stripping away any meaning from the marginalized peoples it chooses to focus on, rendering them mere aesthetic choices utilized in questionable taste.

Stylistically on an overall level, Emilia Pérez is more visually garish than appealing. The elaborate dance choreography is consistently hamstrung by some truly off-putting lyrics in the featured songs, making many of the musical numbers a real chore to sit through save for a handful of highlights. "La Vaginoplastia" with its lyrics listing away various gender-affirming surgical procedures kicks off amusingly enough but quickly overstays its welcome, and "El Amor" with Emilia contemplating how she is "half him, half her, half kingpin, half queen" before segueing into a poorly-written ballad about "making love with love" is confounding bad. "Para," highlighting the good work of Emilia's nonprofit through the point of view of the families and its ex-criminal volunteers seeking redemption is one of the few songs with genuinely poignant moments, while the rap-rock number "El Mal" with Rita expressing her anger over the misdeeds of the nonprofit's most prominent donors is the only sequence that somewhat convincingly strikes an engaging defiant punk rock tone.

As the titular lead, Karla Sofía Gascón delivers a serviceably compelling performance despite the shortcomings of the screenplay. Zoe Saldaña demonstrates maximum effort as Emilia's put-upon lawyer Rita, showing off impressive skills in the most physically demanding role of the film. The supporting cast includes Selena Gomez looking and sounding out-of-place as Emilia's ex-wife Jessi, Adriana Paz in a mostly thankless part of Emilia's love interest Epifanía, and Édgar Ramírez as Jessi's lover Gustavo who hardly registers as a character until the plot calls for an unimaginative car crash finale.

On paper, Emilia Pérez is a rather simplistic tale of change, love, and redemption. In execution, the film is a bafflingly misguided movie musical that fumbles its depiction of transgender people and the plight of the victims of cartel violence. The picture is a bizarre curiosity at best, a harmfully inauthentic representation of real world struggles at worst. Principal players Gascón and Saldaña show impressive commitment to their respective roles, but the dialogue and the musical numbers, ranging in quality and tone from awkwardly campy to downright awful, all but undermine their work. The topical issues the production utilizes as set dressing deserve much more thoughtful treatment than this.


FRAGMENTS
- Props to the filmmakers for casting a trans woman to play a trans woman, but not like this, not like this

- The comparisons between this and Mrs. Doubtfire are hilarious, but also sadly quite accurate

- I found the way the dialogue casually deadnames and misgenders Emilia particularly jarring

- Much has been said by others more qualified than I am regarding the mish-mash of the cast's non-Mexican accents, with particular criticism directed towards Selena Gomez's Spanish -- as a Cantonese-speaker subjected to all manner of bad Chinese in American and European cinema, I totally empathize


MCU CONNECTIONS
Posted by
Labels: , , , ,

Dune: Part Two

DUNE: PART TWO
2024 | Dir. Denis Villeneuve | 166 Minutes

"Lead them to Paradise."


Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica, the last survivors of House Atreides, join the Fremen resistance against their sworn enemies, the ruthless House Harkonnen. Through his resourcefulness in combat, his willingness to learn, and his seemingly supernatural talent, Paul quickly earns the respect of the Fremen and finds love with the fierce warrior Chani. However, as the war against the oppressors reaches a key turning point, forces beyond Paul's control force him to choose between assured victory and his own humanity.

Completing his ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel, writer/director Denis Villeneuve delivers a powerful tragedy that works remarkably well as both an intimate drama and a sprawling space opera with romance, thrilling action, and awesome spectacle. Dune: Part Two chronicles the end of Paul's journey as he accepts his destiny despite his rational reservations. It's incredibly exciting to see him become a Fremen warrior, fighting back against those who decimated his family, but it's equally upsetting to see him ultimately embrace his role as a religious leader, a part he never wanted to play but he must in the interest of protecting the ones he love. The depiction of Paul and Chani's relationship, the earnest heart of the picture, is exceptionally well-written, well-acted, and well-paced, making the inevitable change in Paul all the more heartbreaking, giving the film a level of poignancy that few big budget blockbusters possess. Dune: Part Two is a superb film with a highly engaging narrative, and Villeneuve's Dune as a whole, in combination with his first part, is a monumental cinematic achievement, bringing a famously complex novel to the screen as an emotionally gripping and easily accessible saga.

The aesthetic of Dune: Part Two is simply stunning starting with the visually striking opening gravity-defying skirmish in the Arrakian desert. Several set pieces feature instantly iconic imagery, particularly the astounding feat of visual effects storytelling that is Paul's first worm ride, and the introduction of Feyd-Rautha on Giedi Prime presented eerie disquieting monochrome filmed on infrared cameras. The explosive battle sequences are impressive, but on a smaller scale, the fight choreography for the knife duel sequences is also incredibly inventive. Perfectly complementing every scene is Hans Zimmer's incredible musical score, his stirring love theme for Paul and Chani is arguably the prolific composer's best work to date.

Timothée Chalamet demonstrates the depth he brings to the role of Paul Atreides more prominently in this film than in the first installment, convincingly conveying affection, anguish, and ultimately a terrifying detachment. Zendaya delivers an equally strong performance as Chani, able to communicate deep admiration with a warm smile and stark disapproval with a soul-piercing glance. Standing out among the massive supporting cast is Austin Butler as the sadistic Feyd-Rauth, taking what is essentially an exaggerated impression of Stellan Skarsgård and giving it a fascinating life of its own. Javier Bardem also provides a surprisingly moving performance as the Fremen leader Stilgar, playing up the humor of the man's devoted reverence for Paul until it transforms entirely into a devastating illustration of blind faith.

Dune: Part Two is, in one word, epic. Satisfyingly paying off every narrative thread established in first installment to complete a magnificent thematically rich five-hour sci-fi picture charting the subtle descent of a reluctant hero, this second half absolutely delivers on every level. The acting, the writing, the production design, the set pieces, the visual effects, the musical score, all aspects of the picture across the board set a new standard for big budget genre filmmaking.


FRAGMENTS
- Timothée Chalamet also stars in 2025 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee A Complete Unknown

- Hans Zimmer's score for Dune: Part Two is even better than his Oscar-winning score for Villeneuve's first Dune film, but it is puzzlingly ineligible for an Oscar nomination due to the Academy's questionable rule against soundtracks for sequels and franchises featuring more than 20% of pre-existing music

- Stephen McKinley Henderson's Thufir Hawat is sorely missed, the scenes he shot for Dune: Part Two did not make it into the final cut

- Geidi Prime, the black sunbathed homeworld of the House Harkonnen, looks like a dark, cold, vaguely sexually suggestive H.R. Giger paradise -- even their fireworks look disgusting


007 CONNECTIONS
- Javier Bardem (Raoul Silva in Skyfall)

- Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swan in Spectre and No Time To Die)

- Dave Bautista (Mr. Hinx in Spectre)


MCU CONNECTIONS

- Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova in Black Widow, Thunderbolts*, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day)
Posted by
Labels: ,

Conclave

CONCLAVE
2024 | Dir. Edward Berger | 120 Minutes

"No sane man would want the papacy."


When the pope unexpectedly passes away, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence gathers the College of Cardinals to elect a new leader for the Catholic Church. Sequestered in the Vatican to complete the voting process, Lawrence's principles are put to the test as he uncovers secrets surrounding each candidate that gradually shape the outcome election.

A taut drama playing out primarily through interpersonal conflicts with intriguing wider implications about human nature, director Edward Berger's film adaptation of Robert Harris's 2016 novel centered on the election of a new pope is a remarkably suspenseful thriller. Between contentious rounds of voting, Conclave is rich with intense monologues, unpredictable betrayals, and shocking revelations, presenting an ostensibly stuffy premise as a cut-throat competition between papal candidates. While each candidate is given enough characterization to make it easy for audiences to find them analogous to world leaders beyond the walls of the Vatican, at the center of the narrative is a man with no greater ambition than to urge others to make the right decision after considering all the facts laid bare, however difficult it may be.

The production thoroughly portrays the ritual pageantry of Vatican practices, depicting each step of the voting process with meticulous detail. Substituting various locations in Rome and sets at Cinecittà Studios for Vatican City, the filmmakers do a convincing job of depicting the Catholic epicenter. While striking, Volker Bertelmann's aggressive score is occasionally quite distracting. Ultimately, the picture's greatest strength is Peter Straughan's well-paced sharply-written screenplay performed perfectly by a fantastic ensemble cast.

Ralph Fiennes gives a stirring performance as the conflicted Cardinal Lawrence treading the line between loyal friend and impartial official. In the role of the dejected American Cardinal Bellini, Stanley Tucci effortlessly conveys disappointment and seething anger all at once. Captivating and soft-spoken, Carlos Diehz is intriguing in his subtlety as the mysterious Cardinal Benitez. Isabella Rossellini is masterfully understated in a memorable supporting role as Sister Agnes. The cast also features Lucian Msamati as the seemingly influential Nigerian Cardinal Adeyemi with a questionable past, John Lithgow as the deceptively ambitious Canadian Cardinal Tremblay, and Sergio Castellitto as the loathsome vaping far-right Italian Cardinal Tedesco.

Conclave is a gripping procedural on a cinematic scale featuring solid direction, a brilliant script, and a superb cast. Released during political divisive times, despite its isolated Vatican setting the film aptly serves a reflection of the society at large. The picture encourages its audience to make informed carefully-considered decisions, but also to compromise when necessary for the good of the many, just as its protagonist must make challenging and occasionally unorthodox decisions in order to appropriately fulfil his duty.


FRAGMENTS
- The reveal of Cardinal Benitez to be an intersex person is a bit heavy-handed, but I'd argue it works on a thematic level

- On the other hand, the preceding literal explosion is a bit much


007 CONNECTIONS
- Ralph Fiennes (M in Skyall, Spectre, and No Time To Die)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Stanley Tucci (Abraham Erskine in Captain America: The First Avenger)
Posted by
Labels: , , ,

A Complete Unknown

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
2024 | Dir. James Mangold | 140 Minutes

"You're kind of an asshole, Bob."


In 1961, a teenager from Minnesota identifying himself as Bobby Dylan travels to New York City to visit his hero, music legend Woody Guthrie. Detecting an innate talent for songwriting in Dylan, Guthrie's friend Pete Seeger introduces him to New York City's folk music scene. As Dylan amasses a growing audience, he disappoints the women closest to him and upsets the folk community with his uncompromising push for artistic innovation.

Adapted from music historian Elijah Wald's 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!, writer/director James Mangold captures Bob Dylan's rise in popularity in a way that makes it easy to understand the singer-songwriter's appeal and influence as an artistic voice but curiously and, perhaps, purposefully sheds little light on his motivations as a human being. A Complete Unknown portrays Dylan as a passionate musician and eloquent lyricists, but also as an emotionally unavailable individual who refuses to compromise for anyone without much in the way of an explanation for his behavior. The creative choice to not over-explain its subject but to let their music and relationships with others tell the story is a bold approach to the rather overdone biopic, but it's one that may leave some audiences in the cold.

Beyond recreating the aesthetic of its period setting with pleasing attention to detail, A Complete Unknown truly shines during its live music sequences. From early performances in the cozy setting of Gerdes Folk City to the crowd-engraging finale at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, the strength of Dylan's songwriting and stylistic choices are enhanced with the context of music history as depicted in the film's narrative. The most engaging dramatic conflict of the picture isn't the struggle between folk music conservation and progress between the folk music community and Dylan, but the romantic tension between Dylan and Joan Baez. The film is at its most captivating in the scenes illustrating Dylan and Baez's tempestuous relationship, particularly through their tense exchanges on stage

Timothée Chalamet is perfectly convincing in the lead role, delivering more than just a solid impression of Bob Dylan, but also replicating the unquantifiable qualities that make the celebrated musician such a uniquely appealing and frustrating character. Monica Barbaro stands out among the supporting cast, absolutely mesmerizing in the role of Joan Baez, perfectly delivering the wit and musical talent of the icon. In a somewhat thankless role, Elle Fanning does her best to give depth to the part of Dylan's neglected girlfriend, though one can only do so much wavering between enthusiastic admiration and tearful disappointed glances. The picture also features Edward Norton going full-folksy as Pete Seeger, Boyd Holbrook as a perpetually-inebriated Johnny Cash, Dan Fogler playing Albert Grossman as a standard run-of-the-mill music executive, and Scoot McNairy making an infirmed non-verbal Woody Guthrie more interesting than one would expect.

Running on Chalamet's charismatic lead performance and an authentically understated narrative, Mangold presents the start of Bob Dylan's career with a degree of nuance and specificity that makes A Complete Unknown more engaging than the average biopic. More of a feature than a bug, while the importance of what Dylan's songwriting and music represents is paid due tribute, the picture sheds very little light on the man himself who comes off as a bit of an unresolved enigma. If anything, the feature is a serviceably entertaining way to enjoy some of Dylan's greatest hits with a side of drama.


FRAGMENTS
- Timothée Chalamet also stars in 2025 Best Picture Academy Award Nominee Dune: Part Two

- Though his screen time is limited as a sickly Woody Guthrie unable to speak, it's always a pleasure to watch Scoot McNairy take on a role with full commitment


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Edward Norton (Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk)
Posted by
Labels: , , , ,

The Brutalist

THE BRUTALIST
2025 | Dir. Brady Corbet | 215 Minutes

"No matter what the others try and sell you, it is the destination, not the journey."


In 1947, talented Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor László Tóth arrives in America to begin a new life. Catching the attention of industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren following a contentious chance meeting, the wealthy businessman hires László for an ambitious project and promises his family safe passage to America. However, László's personal demons and Van Buren's fickle and cruel true nature warp the immigrant dream into a nightmare playing out over decades.

The general premise of writer/director Brady Corbet's The Brutalist has all the ingredients of a standard prestige picture centered on the journey of an immigrant struggling to make it in America. However, the film's prologue featuring a striking inverted view of the Statue of Liberty quickly clues the audience into the fact that the narrative will unfold quite differently from the routine inspirational story. The Brutalist spends its first half combining shreds of hope and aspiration with abject desperation and cruel betrayal as László's every achievement is immediately followed by severe setback. The life-changing opportunities Van Buren offers to László before the halfway point seem to suggest the times of hardship will come to an end thanks to the admiration of his rich benefactor, and that the narrative may yet amount to an uplifting triumphant immigrant story. However, the gut-punch of the second half makes it clear that Van Buren and his son only consider László and his family as resources to be abused, his refusal to compromise met with underhanded retaliation, sending the architect reeling into a deeper state of despair that is all too relatable for any immigrant who ahs ever felt exploited. The picture as a whole is a bold criticism of the very notion of the American Dream, suggesting that it is hardly attainable by everyone, least of all by those unwilling to sacrifice their basic dignity.

Filmed in its entirety using the old fashioned VistaVision process, cinematographer Lol Crawley's work for The Brutalist is nothing short of breathtaking. The aesthetic of the picture gives it a nostalgic quality that complements its period setting very well and accentuates the grandeur of the featured architectural work. The film is visually splendid, from the reveal of Van Buren's new library with its massive folding wooden doors, to the on-location photography at the Carrara quarries, to the massive community center - most notably its ethereal chapel. Daniel Blumberg's score is a superb fit for the picture, alternating between moody and foreboding with bursts of orchestral glory at key moments.

In the lead role as the devastatingly vulnerable László, Adrien Brody is the best he's ever been on screen, affecting and nuanced in his approach to playing the rather complex character. Guy Pearce is perfectly convincing as the pompous, duplicitous, and insufferably pretentious Van Buren. Felicity Jones is also exceptional as László's wife Erzsébet, serving empathetically as the voice of reason as well as a grounded representation of post-war trauma. The supporting cast features memorable performances from Joe Alwyn as Van Buren's obnoxiously entitled son, Raffey Cassidy as László's niece Zsófia who is non-verbal for much of the film, and Isaach de Bankolé as László's loyal friend and confidant Gordon.

Beautifully composed on an epic cinematic canvas, The Brutalist is a monumental work of art uncompromisingly conveying the undesirable aspects of the immigrant experience in America. An emotionally raw saga, the film skillfully depicts the ever-present conflict between the impoverished and the wealthy, artistic expression and merciless pragmatism. It is a powerful cinematic production exploring the uncompromising process of channeling trauma into creation, pointedly condemning those who would exploit such creation for its worth.


FRAGMENTS
- Watching this at a sold out screening at a local arthouse theater projected in 70mm is one of my favorite cinematic experiences ever -- the electricity in the air was palpable during the build up to the intermission

- As Hans Zimmer's musical score for Dune: Part Two is questionable ineligible for an Oscar nomination, Daniel Blumberg's score for this film is my pick for 2025 Oscar for Best Original Score competing against the scores for Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Wicked, and The Wild Robot

- Van Buren's literal raping of László during the second half is a bit on-the-nose, but I suppose it drives home the ultimate message of the picture

- The epilogue of the film, opening with a 1980-appropriate synth-driven version of the film's overture, also works overtime to deliver the message of the story as Zsófia explains to attendees of an architectural exhibition in Venice (and by extension the film's audience) how László's expressed his personal trauma hidden within the design of the community center


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Guy Pearce (Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3)

- Isaach de Bankolé (River Tribe Elder in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Posted by
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)