Film Review: Vox Lux

"One For The Money, Two For The Show, Three To Get Ready, And Four We Go..."

Directed and written by actor-turned-director, Brady Corbet, Vox Lux sees the American return to the big screen after the critical success of 2015's, The Childhood of a Leader, for a bizarre, sometimes masterful, ideas-heavy drama which blends a whole catalogue of themes and satirical subtexts around a central narrative which focuses entirely upon the character of Celeste Montgomery, the survivor of a brutal mass shooting at her school at the turn of the twentieth century who soon finds worldwide fame and fortune in the musical industry after the song she writes for her fellow fallen students goes viral. Boldly coined by the marketing team as Black Swan meets A Star is Born, Corbet's movie does indeed have incidental flashes of familiarity from both, but with its' own individual identity and a strange and overly knowing holier-than-thou, art-house sensibility, Vox Lux is that type of auterish, pretentious work of boldness which tends to divide both audiences and critics alike, and whilst Corbet's movie does indeed suffer at times from choosing to rely more on it's very flashy and expertly designed surface over meaningful plot or characterisation, the American's second big screen venture is a highly original and memorable work of nonsense which grabbed my attention from the offset and never let go. 

Split into two very different narrative halves, the first act of Vox Lux begins with a Sunset Boulevard style voiceover, helmed of course by the dulcet and very familiar tones of Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) as we are dropped into the early life of Celeste, as played in younger form by the excellent Raffey Cassidy (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) as we see her attempt to reason with her fellow student who goes through with his plan to carry out a mass school shooting, an opening set piece so expertly and horrifically orchestrated I sat jaw-dropped for a good five minutes through the opening credit roll. As we progress through Celeste's sudden rise to fame in the pop world, we are introduced to Jude Law's (Captain Marvel) passionate music manager and Celeste's close relationship with her older sister, Ellie, as played by Stacey Martin (High Rise) who both play a part in the doe-eyed victim slowly becoming less and less innocent as she opens her eyes to the wider and more glamorous side of the world in which she lives. Cue a significant time jump and the second act of the movie sees Natalie Portman (Black Swan) take on the role as the elder Celeste, a now world famous, significant figurehead in the music industry suffering from a steady blend of alcoholism, narcissism and broken relationships including that of her sister and young daughter, Albertine, also played in excellent fashion once again by the impressive Cassidy. Whilst I understand the commentary regarding the effects of fame and social pressures wholly evident in the film's second act, Portman's performance is so vile and infuriating (in a good sense) that come the final act, Corbet's movie becomes more and more agitating, and whilst I expect that this is undoubtedly the effect Vox Lux attempts to evoke upon the audience, it's jarring sensibility is both intriguing and detracting, resulting in a movie which is one of the more original works of the year so far, but boy, is it hard work. 

Overall Score: 7/10

90th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor

Oscars 2018: Best Supporting Actor

Another day, another Academy Awards category to look upon here at Black Ribbon, and whilst not as much as a full-on given, it may seem that joining Frances McDormand up on the Oscar winners stage this year will more than likely be fellow Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star Sam Rockwell, whose performance as the despicable, hate-filled, racist bigot, Officer Dickson is one of awards touting success, even if the fundamentals of Rockwell's character is utter torturous from beginning to end, and whilst Woody Harrelson also shines as the moral cornerstone of McDonagh's movie as Sheriff Bill Willoughby, it seems Rockwell will indeed only continue the gongs that have been heading the Irish directors way. Elsewhere, Willem Dafoe earns his third Oscar nomination for Sean Baker's The Florida Project whilst Christopher Plummer also receives a nod for his rapidly manufactured role as Jean Paul Getty in Ridley Scott's All the Money in the World after the much publicised erasure of Kevin Spacey in the same role. Concluding the nomination ticket is of course Richard Jenkins for his beautifully emotive role as Giles in Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water after being completely overlooked for his equally impressive role in S. Craig Zahler's little seen Western Bone Tomahawk back in 2016, and even though the likes of Will Poulter and yes, Bill Skarsgård would have seen recognition in my book for Detroit and the brilliant It respectively, the Best Supporting Actor race is once again yet another strong category to pick a winner from. Here are the main points...

Winner - Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Personal Favourite - Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Nomination Snub - Will Poulter (Detroit)

Film Review: Murder on the Orient Express

"My Name Is Hercule Poirot And I am Probably The Greatest Detective In The World..."

Helmed by the steady of hand of theatre and screen aficionado, Kenneth Branagh, the latest adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express comes eighty three years after the source material was first published and forty three years after the first cinematic venture of such a story, one directed by Sidney Lumet and featured an extensively impressive cast which included the likes of Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman and the post-Bond presence of Sean Connery. Returning to the big screen once again with a similarly majestic group of actors, Branagh's take on arguably Christie's most iconic story is one which cranks up the absurdity in a manner which takes on board Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of Noah, whilst being a film which too enjoys basking in the nostalgia factor of its' early twentieth century setting, and whilst there is undeniable charm and enjoyment at the heart of Branagh's project, the real lack of freshness and a wavering narrative hook results in the latest Murder on the Orient Express being just good enough to warrant another punt at the famous source material. 

Whilst it seems everyone and their dog is aware of the story at the heart of Christie's novel, Branagh's movie utilises Blade Runner 2049 and Logan screenwriter Michael Green's script to introduce a few minor character differences and narrative swings, of which some directly link back to the Sidney Lumet version of the story and some which are wholly original, with my personal favourite being a karate loving Count Andrenyi who is introduced with a simply baffling scene of him roundhousing a fellow passenger before boarding the titular medium of travel. With the added use of CGI to enhance the titular locomotive's unplanned halt on the snow-filled tracks and some effectively crafted flashback scenes which both improve on the Lumet version and make things simple for even the most wavering audience mind, Branagh's first attempt at a big-screen Christie tale passes the time rather harmfully, with the director's portrayal of Belgium's most famous export being a charming and suave interpretation, and with an concluding act which sets out a possible future franchise, Murder on the Orient Express is best served with a bourbon biscuit and a nice cup of Earl Grey. Put the kettle on love. 

Overall Score: 6/10

Film Review: The Great Wall

"There Are Many Things Which You Have Not Seen..."

Rather annoyingly, yet undeniably avoidable, the amount of rabble surrounding the release of The Great Wall, the latest from Hero and The House of Flying Daggers director Zhang Yimou, seems to be one of a rather negative manner, focusing primarily on the notion of "whitewashing" which has encompassed the film's production since its' inception and the original announcement of Matt Damon in the lead role of a movie which consists of a primarily Chinese cast. Once again, cinematic history has been brought up to the floor in terms of the so-called "white saviour narrative", a cinematic construction which has tarnished a selection of films ranging from To Kill A Mockingbird to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and whilst such an argument seems to be one in which I tend to extensively avoid, the case of Damon being front and centre of a film seeped in Chinese culture does seem particularly strange to say the least. After watching the movie however, the main concern regarding The Great Wall is how unbelievably boring and bone-shatteringly dull it actually is, with Yimou's big budget project akin more to a Gods of Egypt-type disaster than as monumental and wondrous as the titular wall itself.  

During a frivolous attempt into the heart of China to gather supplies of the precious "black powder", Matt Damon and Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal stumble across the famous Great Wall of China, helmed by a multitude of soldiers who are preparing for battle against the Taotie, a mythical alien race who rise every sixty years and attempt to destroy and kill anything and everything the other side of the wall of which has imprisoned them. Cue awful CGI and even worse dialogue, The Great Wall is the type of movie you can only scratch your head at in bemusement of the fact that such a film actually managed to pass through the first phase of development without someone having the balls to stand up and say, "this is a bit pants isn't it?" Whilst Matt Damon's involvement in the project at all is baffling, such a notion is completely forgotten five minutes into the movie when the whole audience in my particular screening realised what they had go themselves into. For a movie which cost 150 million dollars to make, The Great Wall is the biggest waste of a budget since Waterworld, a flop and a half of a so-called "epic" which highlights the argument that just because it's bigger, doesn't necessarily mean it's better. 

Overall Score: 3/10

Film Review: John Wick

A Rigorous Return for Reeves

Ever since the release of The Raid and The Raid 2, my expectations of what can be achieved in an action movie has been well and truly raised, with those two films being the standout features in an ever-increasing genre over the course of the past few years. Now we have John Wick, featuring Neo himself as the titular character, hell bent on revenge after Russian gangsters steal his ride and kill his Beagle puppy, given to him by his late wife in order to cope with her recent death. John Wick is a lot of things, but The Raid it is not. It's still pretty darn fun though.

Featuring Reeves' best performance since, well, forever, John Wick oozes style from the get-go, with its' ultra-violent tendencies sometimes endangering it from going full on comic-book, which on the face of it, isn't bad at all, particularly when looking at the absurd violence in the wonderful Kick-Ass, and it is here where the level of violence is in John Wick is kept at. Not too violent, but violent enough. Add into that strong but subtle performances from Willem Dafoe and  Ian McShane, John Wick has enough substance to partner the rather obvious style well. And it rocks.

Yes, it may adhere to some of the generic action movie tropes, but John Wick is highly enjoyable throughout the course of its' 100 minute runtime, featuring the most effective use of a handgun since Collateral, and solidifying Reeves' return into action-movie stardom. Sequel in the works I hear? Bring it.

Overall Score: 8/10