Rick and Morty go on a suitably mind-bending trip in collaborative short ‘Exquisite Corpse’

Posted in Film, Short Films, TV
By Sam Bathe on 13 Jun 2018

Made with clips from some 22 animators including Bendik Kaltenborn and Simon Landrein, Rick and Morty: Exquisite Corpse is a mind-bending trip into the multiverse after Morty accidentally drops a jar containing the result of Rick’s latest experiment, creating pure LSD. Kicked back and forth through a plethora of alternate universes, director Matt Taylor selected creators from around the world to create their own sequence before tying it all together to make this suitably wacky short.

Luca Guadagnino take a horror turn with a remake of Italian cult classic ‘Suspiria’

Posted in Film, Trailers
By Natasha Peach on 6 Jun 2018

Luca Guadagnino takes on Dario Argento’s horror classic, with an ambitious remake of cult horror, Suspiria. Set inside a world-renowned ballet company, when an ambitious young dancer (Dakota Johnson) joins the ranks, she soon discovers all is not right with the group and uncovers a mysterious secret about their past that could change everything. Starring Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Jessica Harper and Chloe Grace Moretz, Suspiria hits theatres November 2nd.

Film review: L’Amant DoubleFan The Fire Recommends

Posted in Film, Reviews
By Martin Roberts on 30 May 2018

With L’Amant Double (The Double Lover), François Ozon brings us an erotic thriller that is both old fashioned and modern; a familiar story told with brio and more than a hint of intentional silliness. Show the rest of this post…

It begins in a deceptively calm, measured way (after a remarkably bold opening shot) before descending down an increasingly hysterical rabbit hole of abstraction.

In the opening movement, we are introduced to Chloe (Marine Vacht, who starred in Ozon’s Young and Beautiful), a former model who is suffering from stomach pains which, she finds out, may well be psychosomatic. So she books herself in to see a psychiatrist, Paul (Ozon regular Jérémie Renier), with whom she develops a bond that quickly exceeds the boundaries of doctor-patient. Although the build up is measured, Ozon orchestrates these early scenes with prolific use of mirrors and camera angles designed to suggest that the characters may not be quite what they first appear. It’s not subtle, but conveys the required mood, and there is actually a tenderness, even an eroticism, in these early scenes that the latter movements of the film, though they are more graphic, can’t always recapture.

Chloe and Paul move in together, but things take an usual turn when Chloe stumbles upon Paul’s identical twin brother Louis, whose existence she wasn’t aware of, and who Paul rejects completely. Louis also happens to be a psychiatrist – just one with rather more forthright methods than those of his sibling – and Chloe finds herself analysed, indeed seduced, by both brothers. Cue a descent into an increasingly unhinged blend of fantasy and reality, the lines between which are often blurred.

Ozon is clearly having a lot of fun here, and L’Amant Double is not intended to be taken completely seriously; on that level, there is plenty to enjoy in its cine-literate depiction of a mind on the edge. The film’s pleasures are mostly one dimensional, and you could argue its depiction of a damaged, beautiful woman who becomes the simultaneous lover of two men is, at least on the surface, a little adolescent, but I felt the film was always on Chloe’s side, even if its examination of her issues and desires rarely threatened much insight.

If our emotional attachment to the characters wanes as the film progresses, Ozon ensures our attention is rarely less than grabbed, moving from moments of tensio n and abstraction to are-they-aren’t-they fantasy sequences; the camera even takes a trip inside Chloe’s body at a moment of climax. It may not be deep, but you won’t be bored.

4/5

DVD Review: Downsizing

Posted in DVDs, Film, Reviews
By Martin Roberts on 23 May 2018

Downsizing, the latest from much-liked director Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Nebraska), has many ingredients that could have added up to an excellent film – a strong concept, good performances, daring ideas – but the sum of those ingredients never quite coalesces into a truly memorable experience. Show the rest of this post…

It didn’t fare overly well in cinemas, despite some good reviews, but may now find more of an audience on home media.

The basic concept is that a new scientific procedure has been invented which can shrink humans down to a tiny proportion of their natural size, the primary goal of which is to literally reduce the size of the population, thus helping humanity deal with its overpopulation crisis. It’s a smart idea, and Payne uses the first third of his film to investigate it from many different angles –psychologically, environmentally, even scientifically. Little details – like people having to have their fillings removed so their heads don’t explode when they’re shrunk down – give the film a sense of believability, and playful fun, that really help bed in the concept.

The film then takes a series of turns that most viewers won’t be expecting, and the story begins to weave in a new set of ideas and characters, some of which mesh more than others. Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig star as Paul and Audrey, who volunteer to undergo the ‘downsizing’ procedure, partially as a way of cleansing themselves of the money issues they’ve been facing. In the miniature cities, you see, almost everyone is comparatively rich. Damon’s co-star actually turns out to be Hong Chau, whose character is introduced later than we might expect, given how important she is to the narrative. But Chau’s performance is really lovely, and her character ends up leaving the biggest mark on the film. Damon plays his character well, but the quirks of the narrative mean Paul and his journey actually become less interesting as time goes on, which I don’t think was intentional.

The film moves into a final act which feels simultaneously bold and underwhelming, and one can’t help but think back to the first movement of the film and wonder if there are simply too many ideas in Downsizing, without a clear enough throughline. That said, even while the film is failing to live up to its own high sta ndards, there are still moments that stick with you. A line delivered by Chau in the final movement is really quite beautiful, and makes one wonder how good the film could have been.

3/5

Film Review: Avengers: Infinity WarFan The Fire Recommends

Posted in Film, Reviews
By Martin Roberts on 2 May 2018

Whether or not you like what Marvel has done with its cinematic universe of comic book adaptations, it’s unprecedented in cinema history. Show the rest of this post…

After 10 years and 18 films, we finally arrive at Avengers: Infinity War, the first in a two-part showdown between Marvel’s extraordinary roster of heroes and Thanos, an intergalactic genocidal tyrant played in CGI motion capture by Josh Brolin, whose starring appearance has been seeded throughout the preceding films.

To say there is a lot riding on Infinity War is perhaps to overstate things, because in terms of box office, at least, this is already a home run for Marvel; but for fans of the series, who have a lot invested in the characters and have seen all the films, it really matters how this plays out. How pleasing to report, then, that while far from perfect, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have put together a blockbuster on an impressive scale that fulfils a lot of what fans will be looking for.

The Russo brothers most recently directed Captain America: Civil War, which means they already have experience doing what all directors of the bigger Marvel films must do: juggling and balancing. There are so many characters in these films, it’s difficult to make them all feel important, and we’re at the stage now where even major characters are effectively sidelined into cameos and supporting roles, although that is not fundamentally a problem if the script is strong, as it generally is here. Juggling characters is one thing, but the Russos also have to contend with a storyline that, while not complex per se, is very multifaceted. Thanos is looking to gather together the six infinity stones – which have been in existence since the Big Bang and represent things like ‘power’, ‘reality’ and ‘time’ – meaning there is a fair amount of ground to be covered. Devotees of the series will be familiar with the location of all but one of these stones.

Of all the films Marvel has put out, this one above all, perhaps understandably, is the least accessible to newcomers. That’s not a criticism – just a fact. It’s always been the case with these films that familiarity with the canon enhances the experience, and it’s something to be aware of before seeing Infinity War. There will be fun in there for all, but this is very much a sequel.

Marvel has taken risks with its formula for this film, in ways that are very satisfying. As a result, Infinity War, although it still very much adheres to the Marvel tone in terms of its quips and humour, feels darker than you might expect. This is primarily a positive thing, although it does mean that the tone quite regularly flips between serious and flippant, which it mostly carries off well, but some of the transitions from dark to light and back again feel a tad creaky. If this is the price to pay for some more darkness in this universe, then it’s no bad thing, even if some of that darkness may well turn out to be not quite as dark as it seems.

To make Infinity War work, Marvel had to make Thanos work. A conflict of this proportion needs a worthy villain, and thankfully Thanos is that villain. Given that fan reactions (and those of this critic) to some of Thanos’ (very brief) appearances in the previous films weren’t always positive, that’s an achievement worthy of merit. Josh Brolin gives a convincing performance, and crucially the CGI figure feels powerful and dramatically interesting (even if one of the infinity stones is dangerously close to being a massive plot hole). Thanos’ minions can’t receive the same level of attention, and as such feel a little like a wasted opportunity, but they are well realised visually at least, and provide some fun action sequences.

As somebody who has seen all of the preceding Marvel films, I expected to have my emotions tugged by Infinity War, but in that respect I found the film to be oddly inconsistent, perhaps as a result of the sheer amount of plot and characters. There are tender moments in here, and events that will draw gasps, but given how much darkness there is in the film, I felt I would be moved more than I was. The problem is that the film, even at two and a half hours long, doesn’t have much time to dwell on the consequences of what’s going on, or for relationships to be fleshed out beyond brief interactions.

But, given how much stuff there is in Infinity War, it’s a triumph of sorts that it works as well as it does, and I feel it will benefit from a second viewing. Marvel has taken time to get the villain right – something it hasn’t always done in the past – and that really pays off. Meanwhile, the charismatic cast, even if th ey don’t all get to make much of an impression this time around, are again on good form. This is a big film with big implications for the series, and for that it should be praised.

4/5

Film Review: Ghost StoriesFan The Fire Recommends

Posted in Film, Reviews
By Martin Roberts on 4 Apr 2018

Ghost Stories, a British horror film from co-directors and writers Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson, is an interesting case of art moving between mediums. Show the rest of this post…

Nyman and Dyson’s Ghost Stories has been running as a theatre production for over 10 years, and part of the original idea for the play was to transpose some of the techniques of horror cinema onto the stage, thus reinvigorating them. The play has been well received and widely seen, and so it is interesting that the directors took on the challenge of moving those horror tropes back into their original setting, as it were; i.e. the big screen.

As somebody who has not seen the stage play, but has watched a fair amount of horror cinema, it’s pleasing to say that while some of the elements of Ghost Stories do feel traditional, particularly with regard to the way it produces its scares, that is not inherently a bad thing, and Nyman and Dyson have enough wit and obvious love for the horror genre to make Ghost Stories not only function as a film, but succeed as one.

Nyman stars as Phillip Goodman, who specialises in debunking tales of the supernatural, but whose hardened exterior begins to crack when he’s invited to investigate three separate cases of what appear to be supernatural goings on.

The film cleverly plays with Phillip’s, and our, perception of what is going on. It’s clear from pretty early on that while Phillip claims to be steadfast in his disbelief, there’s more than a little doubt lurking in his subconscious. Although the story is episodic in one sense – we see the three stories one after the other – the audience naturally begins to look for parallels or connections between them, and there is fun to be had in doing so.

That sense of fun is helped by the performances, and by the film’s adept juggling of the registers of horror and comedy. Film critics often say that horror and comedy are difficult things to get well in the same picture, and it’s true, although the two are closely linked, and in the right circumstances can complement each other greatly. Ghost Stories is not afraid to inject laughs into even scenes of high tension, and it is testament to the quality of the writing, direction and performances that the film manages to create tension, even when it’s intentionally diffusing it with laughs.

Of the three stories Goodman investigates, the first, which stars a very good Paul Whitehouse as a night watchman, is the strongest. It’s also given by far the most screen time, which feels natural as the introduction segues into the stories, but does mean that stories two and three feel a little less developed, although that’s not to say they aren’t successful in their own right. The middle story has a brilliant introduction but the tension created therein is slightly dampened by the fact that it becomes the most overtly comic part of the film, which for me was a little disappointing, but in general these are compelling mini-arcs that successfully complement the wide whole.

It’s worth mentioning that while the middle section of the film is a tad uneven, it all comes together thrillingly in the final movement, which closes things off with a bang and, as with so many good horror films, makes you rethink what you’ve seen, and want to watch again.

Some of what Ghost Stories does may well hark back to the pantheon of horror cinema, but so does most horror. What Nyman a nd Dyson have done is mould their inspirations into a successful, affecting horror picture that is capable of drawing both laughs and shocks, which is an achievement to be commended.

4/5

SXSW Film Review: The Breaker Upperers

Posted in Film, Reviews, SXSW
By Natasha Peach on 16 Mar 2018

Put “from Taika Waititi and the producers of Hunt for the Wilderpeople” on any poster, and you’ll not only do you have a pretty good impression of what’s the come, but have a ready-made audience lined up to see it. Show the rest of this post…

Written, directed by, and starring Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek, The Breaker Upperers is a dark comedy about people who don’t have the courage to break off a relationship. Coming up with ever more elaborate schemes, from staging affairs, to dressing up as policewomen to tell people their partner has died, Jen (van Beek) and Mel (Sami) have soured on love, and instead set up an agency that’s hired to break couples for a living.

Their latest client 17-year-old rugby jock Jordan (James Rolleston), whose fierce high school girlfriend Sepa (Ana Scotney) is a little bit too much for him to handle, and for him to break it off with. But when Mel does the job for him and pretends to be Jordan’s new beau, Jordan actually starts to fall for her instead, and with Sepa not giving up that easily either, it all becomes a lot more messy than a simple “it’s not you, it’s me.”

A quite brilliant concept, and with New Zealand cinema very much on the rise, it’s fair to say were exciting walking into The Breaker Upperers but much of the comedy fell flat. There was nothing particularly wrong with the film, it was just all very bland, with no real quirks to the dialogue, no funny set-pieces, just a predictable plot, with few tangents to spice things up. Coming into the second and third act you’re left waiting for something new to happen, but the film doesn’t develop quickly enough.

The cast are all quite comfortable, with James Rolleston and Ana Scotney shining brighter than others, but The Breaker Upper ers just doesn’t have that zing of previous NZ comedies, and without the brilliance of Waititi to bring it all together, this time around, it just ends up feeling a little subdued.

2/5

SXSW Film Review: First LightFan The Fire Recommends

Posted in Film, Recommended, Reviews, SXSW
By Sam Bathe on 15 Mar 2018

Sean (Théodore Pellerin) is a high school senior with a lot on his mind. Trying to hold his family together despite living on the poverty line, he has to provide for his kid brother and look after his sick grand mother who requires around the clock care. Show the rest of this post…

But really he just wants to dote over Alex (Stefanie Scott), a close childhood friend and eternal crush. When they’re both at a party, he has his chance to say something, ask her on a date, but instead he fluffs it, and she goes off skinny dipping with the school jock Tom instead.

When Sean heads home thinking the party’s over, he’s sure his chance has gone, but when he receives a call from Alex that something has happened and she’s in trouble; Sean is there to help in a flash.

Something happened to Alex while she was swimming, and when Tom ran off instead of trying to help, three mysterious lights appeared, putting Alex into some kind of trance. It was alien contact, and when Alex gets back to Sean’s house, other strange things start to happen, and she begins to realise the encounter might have left an impact in other ways too.

Though Jason Stone’s smart, unassuming sci-fi thriller struggles to carry it’s big ideas to the finish, it has a lot to say in the meantime. From life and love, to caring for those closest to us, First Light is a film about contact with aliens, deeply rooted in family and what comes first.

As the excitement ramps up and Alex and Sean go on the run, there are moments of real kineticism. The visuals are also not to be outdone. Shot by David Robert Jones, the cinematography and stunning overhead shots show an ambition far the beyond the film’s modest budget, with an elegant craft to everything you see on-screen.

Given the near perfect Arrival tackling aliens’ first contact so recently, First Light always faced an uphill struggle to s tand on its own feet. But it makes it, and Jason Stone has crafted an intelligent, low key sci-fi thriller, that explores big subjects despite running out of steam toward the finish.

4/5

SXSW Film Review: The UnicornFan The Fire Recommends

Posted in Film, Recommended, Reviews, SXSW
By Sam Bathe on 15 Mar 2018

Facing the fourth year of their engagement and with pressure building from family and friends, instead of finally tying the knot, Malory and Caleb seek an alternate next step in their relationship, to have a threesome. Show the rest of this post…

Directed by Robert Schwartzman (brother of Jason) and starring Lauren Lapkus and Nick Rutherford, The Unicorn follows Mal and Cal on a night out trying to pick up a third wheel, with differing levels of success. First going back to the house of a twenty-something hippy, only to mis-read her signals with tragic effect, then trying their luck at a seedy strip club before coming away with the best lead of the night, a ‘massage therapist’ that’ll come to them; Mal and Cal struggle to keep their nerve as they come to the realisation they might be papering over cracks that a threesome can’t really solve.

While The Unicorn might sound like The Hangover-meets-American Pie, it’s actually anything but. A witty, razor-sharp rom-com, The Unicorn isn’t titilating or lurid, instead treating the discussion of sex properly – and for laughs – without shying away from the need for experimentation in a relationship, and that at the end of the day, you can still say no.

It’s an awkward, honest look at the bumps along the road in any modern relationship, and with the excellent Lauren La pkus and Nick Rutherford at the wheel, The Unicorn proves to be a captivating ride, and proof that something you just have to forge your own path. You’ll be better for it.

4/5

SXSW Film Review: Most Likely To Murder

Posted in Film, Reviews, SXSW
By Sam Bathe on 14 Mar 2018

Home for the holidays, former high-school hero Billy (Adam Pally) expects the red carpet to be rolled out on his arrival, but life has moved on. Show the rest of this post…

His doting parents sold his old car, his friends all have great jobs whilst he’s working a bar job in Vegas, and his ex-girlfriend Kara (Rachel Bloom) is dating the high school outcast, Lowell (Vincent Kartheiser), now a beloved character around town. So when Lowell appears to be acting strangely after a mysterious murder in town, Billy is determined to prove it was Lowell, and return everything back to normal, and position himself once again as the king in town.

All the ingredients are there for a snappy indie comedy, with a twist. But for some reason the final result falls some way short of the sum of its parts.

The cast is a who’s who of supporting acts from hit TV shows. Adam Pally from The Mindy Project, John Reynolds from Search Party, the brilliant Billy Eichner from Park & Rec and Billy On The Street, Vincent Kartheiser from Mad Men, Julia Goldani Telles from The Affair, and Rachel Bloom, a star in her own right from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Director Dan Gregor co-writes with Doug Man who both made their name on How I Met Your Mother and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. While who doesn’t love a whodunnit??

But the film plays out like they’re all dialing it in. The chemistry between the cast is laboured, the plot does anything but surprise, and there’s a mean streak running through the whole thing which means you’re unlikely to give it the benefit of the doubt.

If the jokes were there, you’d let a lot of the shortcomings off too, but despite a very funny ensemble cast, the dialogue is so tame, every they can ’t raise the affair. Unfortunately Most Likely To Murder is something you’ll likely stumble upon on Netflix a few months down the line, and still not make it to the end.

2/5

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