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| Courtesy of Amazon |
(Rated R for some sexual content, nudity and language. Now playing in limited release.)
The cast: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot and Borys Szyc.
What it’s about: A passionate, wrenching story about star-crossed lovers (Kulig and Kot) from different backgrounds who meet in Europe in the years after World War II. What begins as an attempt to bridge cultural divides through music becomes a way to protect themselves from an increasingly authoritarian ruling class. As the pair separate and reconnect over a decade in locales like Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, it becomes clear that their love may not be able to endure the political turmoil.
The good: A black-and-white foreign film about a doomed relationship is probably a tough sell for most mainstream viewers, but those willing to broaden their horizons are in for an achingly beautiful film. Pawel Pawlikowski, who stunned Oscar prognosticators with a surprise Best Director nomination last week, used his own parents’ relationship as the inspiration for a screenplay (which he co-wrote with Janusz Glowacki and Piotr Borkowski) that is somehow both epic in scope and remarkably short.
Clocking in at shockingly brief 89 minutes but still managing to communicate its main characters’ entire lives, Cold War should be taught in film schools as a perfect example of quality over quantity. Just because you have a special story doesn’t mean it automatically needs to be three hours long.
Thanks to Pawlikowski’s talent for brevity, Lukasz Zal’s outstanding cinematography (which also earned an Oscar nomination), and an astonishing makeup department, the film communicates years’ worth of joy, pain and heartbreak in a short amount of time while still maximizing the impact of these emotions on the viewer.
Still, the film’s most powerful weapons are its two leads, Kot as established musician Wiktor and Kulig as aspiring singer Zula. The duo’s chemistry is scorching, and they realistically convey how much their characters change over the years. Kulig seems destined for American stardom; she’s a stunning combination of Jennifer Lawrence and Eva Green, but she’s not just a pretty face. She’s also on their level when it comes to acting ability. I can’t wait to see what else she’s capable of.
The not-so-good: Honestly? Not much. Although it probably has little chance of breaking out of the art house circuit, Cold War came out of nowhere for me and ended up being one of my favorite movies of 2018. I’m hoping its three Oscar nods put it on more people’s radars.
Grade: A
Aquaman
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| Courtesy of Warner Bros. |
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language.)
The cast: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Dolph Lundgren, Temuera Morrison and Nicole Kidman.
What it’s about: Arthur Curry (Momoa) has always been torn between worlds, since he has a human father (Morrison) and a mother (Kidman) who once ruled the underwater kingdom of Atlantis. Until now, he’s preferred to keep a relatively low profile, but that becomes impossible when his half-brother, Orm (Wilson), declares war on land-dwellers. If he’s going to save humanity, Arthur Curry must step forward to lead his people. Luckily, he has some help from a few old friends (Heard and Dafoe).
The good: Hooray for the power of low expectations. I put off seeing Aquaman because I’ve been constantly disappointed by DC’s lackluster attempts to copy Marvel’s successful blueprint without understanding what makes it work. Fortunately, director James Wan ignores the studio’s failed franchise-building and does his own weird thing. It’s a wise decision that results in a movie that might not be “good” in the traditional sense, but one that’s at least entertaining.
Is it cheesy? Absolutely. The screenplay (which was crafted by a committee including David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall, Geoff Johns and Wan) isn’t going to win any points for originality or clever dialogue. But it mercifully sheds the emo, overly serious aesthetic of previous films like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and (parts of) Justice League.
Wan also allows the actors to cut loose and have a little fun, which works wonders for Momoa, Heard, Dafoe and a scenery-chewing Wilson. Their characters actually seem to enjoy having cool powers and living in a world of astonishing creatures, rather than feeling depressed and angry about it. Plus, the director gets to dust off his horror skills with a genuinely frightening scene involving monsters attacking a boat in the middle of a storm.
The not-so-good: Aquaman still isn’t a necessary entry in the superhero canon and it’s exhausting at 143 minutes (again, epic in scope doesn’t necessarily have to mean extra-long), but at least there are some enjoyable set pieces along the way. The movie doesn’t singlehandedly save the DC universe, but it is a welcome course correction. Simply because of how not-terrible it is compared to its predecessors, it ends up being the second-best entry so far (after Wonder Woman, of course).
Grade: B-
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| Courtesy of Disney |
Blu-ray Review: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
(Rated PG for some mild peril. Now available for purchase.)
The cast: Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Jayden Fowora-Knight, Eugenio Derbez, Richard E. Grant, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman.
What it’s about: Loosely based on the classic ballet, this modern interpretation focuses on a young girl named Clara (Mackenzie Foy) whose mother leaves her a mysterious gift that sends her on a journey to four secret realms that have recently been plunged into chaos. It’s up to Clara to prevent a war and find her way back home.
The good: Visually, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is astonishing. I missed getting to see this one on the big screen, which must’ve been a memorable experience. The story also picks up considerably in the second half thanks to a twist I suspected but didn’t think the movie was brave enough to attempt. I was happy to be wrong.
Still, the biggest reason the film works as well as it does (which admittedly isn’t that well, as I’ll get to in the next section) is an absolutely bonkers performance from Knightley. I’m a big fan of the actress, but I’ll admit she doesn’t often step out of her comfort zone as a performer. That’s definitely not the case here.
As the Sugar Plum Fairy, she speaks in a breathy, high-pitched squeak that sounds like Marilyn Monroe on helium and she’s decked out in a beautiful purple gown and cotton candy hair. It might sound ridiculous on paper, but she’s a treat whenever she’s on screen – especially at the halfway point, when the story really kicks into gear.
The not-so-good: Unfortunately, a fantastic performance from Knightley (as well as solid work from Foy and newcomer Fowora-Knight) isn’t enough to overcome a sluggish start and a lackluster story that struggles to justify its brief 99-minute running time. However, I could see this becoming a Christmas staple now that it’s on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a perfect “decorate the tree” kind of movie, since it’s beautiful to look at but you won’t really miss anything if you zone out for a few minutes here and there.
Special features: “On Pointe: Misty Copeland” and “Unwrapping The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” featurettes; five deleted scenes; and two music videos.
Grade: C+
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