I Care A Lot

 

This review may contain spoilers!

I Care A Lot follows Marla Grayson, a woman who exploits laws around guardianship to steal money from those in her care. However, Marla's operation takes a turn when her latest ward isn't who she first appears to be. I found the first act of this film to be one of the most interesting crime thriller narratives I've had the pleasure of seeing unfold in awhile. You don't really get a lot of stories around guardianship or social care, let alone interesting stories about how these systems are exploited for personal financial gain. So when you watch Marla hustle people into retirement and treat them like walking financial assessments it's immensely intriguing vilification that you can't help but be hooked by. From that point on in the film the strength is the protagonist, watching how Marla's cunning and insurmountable ambition leads to her navigating multiple dangerous situations and confrontations. I thought the film had this really bold style of filming that left every sequence looking very dynamic and imposing, while also managing to capture a colour palette that was unique and uncommon to films of this type. 

 

Peter Dinklage, who played Roman Lunyov, was a fantastic onscreen adversary to Pike; this absolutely ruthless and merciless gangster might just be one of Dinklage's best performances yet. Dianne Wiest, who played Jennifer Peterson, really depicts the transition from mild confusion and compromise right across to resistance at her confinement extremely well; Wiest plays this intense hatred for Pike's role that was scathing to see in full force. Chris Messina, who played Dean Ericson, is really intriguing in the smarmy lawyer role; he takes this awkward, almost apologetic approach to his role's sense of confidence that I found undeniably brilliant and unique to watch.

However, the best performance came from Rosamund Pike, who played Marla Grayson. I think there are a lot of people who see this film and won't help but compare Pike's performance to what she did in Gone Girl. And I think there's a serious degree of similarity, this is a very talented performer who thrives in these complex roles. Pike begins the film by coldly informing the audience that she is a lioness in a world of rich and poor, eat or be eaten. Cut to a mere scene later and you watch this role duplicitously lay out a compassionate argument for why she genuinely cares for her wards and has to keep them separate from their families. It's very clear that Pike can glide through a scene with one particular type of mask on, hiding the more vile nature of her character just below the surface. She has this loud and and unforgiving sense of confidence and empowerment that means she always seems to hold a lot of power, even in scenes where that isn't the case. Pike is fiercely strong in this, a force to be reckoned with and a performance that you will be captivated by.

I Care A Lot builds itself off an incomparable first act but from there the plot strays into dark waters that it really loses itself within. The film switches from showcasing an intricate and unusual type of crime racket we've never really seen before to this feud between our protagonist and the former Russian mob. It becomes quite a heightened sort of stand off, marring what was once a really grounded plot full of intrigue. As an audience you find the story suddenly shift off one path into an entirely different direction, crafting a conflict that doesn't particularly thrill as much as it did in the beginning. Suddenly we're in the realm of kidnappings, explosions, attempted murder and none of it really belongs in the movie you were watching an hour ago. By the time the film peters out on its relatively mild ending that really resolves things in quite an obvious manner, it's difficult to really feel impressed by where the story decided to go. The film never finds a way to centre on any character and make you like them or at least root for them by the end, so it becomes difficult to stay linked with these characters for a long period of time. The editing starts out setting an impressive visual style with the cinematography, but this takes on more of a dull pace half way through that compromises some of the visual storytelling. The score for the film doesn't sound great, it has the intent to intrigue and overwhelm but it really just grates against you until you wish they'd never included any 'music' at all.

Eiza Gonzalez, who played Fran, is a very hard sell as the romantic onscreen partner to Pike; Gonzalez really doesn't have this power to play strongly to the hustle and the chemistry between the pair is pretty flat for that subplot too. Damian Young, who played Sam Rice, just feels a little reedy when playing the hustle scenes; the way he tries to play to his underling role isn't a strong sell and is often left leagues behind by Pike. Nicholas Logan, who played Alexi Ignatyev, is such a bizarre performance for a classic henchman role; you'd expect a character like this to be straightforward but Logan has such an awkward, wilting presence that he falls short of a believable gangster.

An ironclad leading performance from Rosamund Pike isn't enough to salvage the really outlandish second and third acts of this film. I would give I Care A Lot a 6.5/10.

The Little Things

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Little Things follows Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon as he steadily becomes embroiled in a serial killer investigation that may link to a case he worked years ago. This features does a great amount of work to leave you guessing for a long time, playing to Deacon's capable knowledge but shadowed past, while also highlighting Baxter's drive to close the case before federal involvement as significant motivating factors in the feature. You were never sure is the protagonists could be trusted, or even if they could be trusted together; in a lot of ways the more they leaned on each other the further down the rabbit hole they went. I liked watching this approach to crime-solving, in which these two officers were so desperate to see justice done at all costs that it blinded them to how much they were getting swallowed whole by the case itself. The film succeeds because the two investigators are so competent and thorough, this is a high profile case that is failing to be solved but the manner in which it is being painstakingly examined is a major hook. The cinematography throughout is quite dynamic, often dealing some smooth tracks or panning for chase/drive sequences while also presenting some close-knit claustrophobic shots for dialogue sequences. The editing has this slow and steady drive forwards with cutting that keeps moderately good pacing; some of the transitions in this feature are really inspired and only add to the mysterious tone. The score for the film will have you on tenterhooks, its this light persistent sound that grows ever more frantic as the case goes further and further awry on our two protagonists.

 

Rami Malek, who played Jim Baxter, is extremely great to watch as the co-lead hotshot detective in the film; Malek has this air of expertise about him that he very carefully chips away at and allows to crack apart over the duration of the feature. Chris Bauer, who played Detective Sal Rizoli, delivers a classic seasoned likeable cop role; he has a warm on-screen relationship with Washington that allows you to glimpse into their respective pasts nicely. Michael Hyatt, who played Flo Dunigan, is quite a soft role who likes to be gentle and reminisce; she often plays to be disgruntled by her work and the sour past between her role and Washington which makes her a very intriguing watch in the film. Terry Kinney, who played LASD Captain Carl Farris, is a stern leader with little love for Washington and a lot of favour for Malek; Kinney plays his role very assertively and speaks his mind to the point making him an extremely believable police captain performance.

 

However, the best performance came from Denzel Washington, who played Joe 'Deke' Deacon. This is a seasoned actor who very rarely picks a bad script, and even in such situations often displays a talent that raises the quality of the film. In The Little Things Washington portrays a man who is no longer a seasoned investigator, he works with minor crimes and is scorned by a significant number of his former officers. But in spite of this, Deke is a man who seems quietly confident and sure of himself, an individual who is career-focused and maintains a sort of stoic discipline about his work. Yet as Deke becomes entangled in this serial killer investigation, we see Washington portray this extraordinarily driven quality that seems unlike the other officers. This is a role obsessed with righting the wrongs in his past, trying to find forgiveness for something that happened to him a long time ago. And as we delve deeper and deeper into the film it is interesting to see just how much the balance of power between Washington and Malek switches, up to the point that Washington's role calls the shots. It's a powerful performance and another strong leading character for Washington.

 

The Little Things stumbles when it introduces the main suspect of the serial killer case: Albert Sparma. This sia role who plays up to the fact he has a lot of knowledge about how crimes work and he seems to have an inkling that the police have nothing on him. The more this fast-talking jokester gets to play around on-screen the less grounded this murder investigation feels. Really by having the film lean heavily on Sparma as the main antagonist it takes the thrill of the mystery away from the viewer and leaves them with this one-liner weirdo who resembles a generic serial killer bad guy. There is also this compulsion to link Deacon's past with the present day mystery and this storyline flounders quite a bit, eventually revealing itself in quite a disappointing manner. Furthermore the film ends on this theme in which the police protagonists cover up the murder of the key suspect, providing a very uninspired theme around the ends justifying the means. It's a very outdated theme in relation to the police authorities and the abrupt delivery means the film gambles a lot on the successful impact of this moment. But as a viewer I found it quite a jarring conclusion to an otherwise well-concocted story; it felt like an impressive narrative was interrupted for a lesser moment and the ending became entirely that one moment. It's a very common problem with thrillers, finding that satisfying moment in which your mystery becomes something worth being enthralled in. Unfortunately for The Little Things, that moment never came.   

 

Jared Leto, who played Albert Sparma, is the glaring weak link in the film to me; I found Leto to overperform his role's confidence and ego to a point in which the narrative lost its grounded quality. Natalie Morales, who played Detective Jamie Estrada, leaned on the stereotypical tough exterior with her role a bit too much; in scenes filled with similar cop characters Morales unfortunately fell into the background.

 

In spite of an exceptionally underwhelming conclusion, this is a masterfully constructed thriller with a brilliant sense of style. I would give The Little Things a 7/10.

 

Rūrangi

This review may contain spoilers!

 

Before I get to heavily deep into this review I want to take a moment to remind readers that I'm not trans myself, so I can only talk about my own personal reaction to the film without having the knowledge of the trans experience. I attended a viewing that also doubled as a Q&A with one of the writers/producers; there was a strong trans presence in the audience and the message was very clear that this was one of the strongest media depictions of trans representation a lot of the audience had seen. So I just want to header this review by urging support based on what this film represents and means to the trans community alone.

 

Rūrangi follows the story of Caz Davis, a transgender activist who returns to his hometown of Rūrangi during a period of grief. However, Caz is confronted with the notion of reconnecting with people who haven't seen him since before he transitioned while also reconciling with his now-widowed father. This film does an amazing job of showing the obstacles and challenges trans people experience in their lives, all while navigating away from deadnaming the main character or cutting to flashbacks of them pre-transitioning (which is a huge breakthrough from usual media depictions). I found Caz to be a really whole well-rounded character; he had this deep-rooted desire to reconnect with people he very evidently cared for but was still so hurt after losing his partner to suicide. The film runs with two parallel plots; we watch Caz navigate Rūrangi with a great deal of uncertainty while in his time as an activist in Auckland we watch this confident fighter who challenges how trans people are viewed actively for a living. I think watching Caz's world fall apart due to a major theme around mental health and how that can affect the LGBTQIA+ community was really important, and the reminder that coming out as trans in particular in a small town could very well have been lethal was a message that really rammed home. There is a lot of struggle in this film but I think what makes Rūrangi so very significant is that there is a lot of love and connection too; watching Caz rekindle his friendship with Anahera leads to some light comedic moments, while seeing Caz and Jem fall in love all over again is a special romantic story that I really appreciated. Watching Caz and his father come to terms over their grief for their departed loved one, while also eventually finding acceptance and care in one another is such an impressive feat of storytelling that was very well explored and performed. The way this film is shot is some of the nicest cinematography that I've seen in a Kiwi film, there are numerous beautiful establishing shots and the way intimate dialogue scenes are shot is extremely dynamic. The editing keeps a strong pace throughout, I liked how the scenes were cut and the story was laid out in a very precise manner.

 

Elz Carrad, who played Caz Davis, is a phenomenal protagonist from start to finish; Carrad demonstrates a stoic exterior that conceals a very vulnerable and emotional performance beneath. Awhina-Rose Ashby, who played Anahera, is such a fun character who generates a lot of comedy throughout the film; I really liked her own personal journey around connecting with her cultural heritage and the strength of self that was associated with this. Kirk Torrance, who played Gerald Davis, is a captivating performance and one of the stand outs for me in this film; there is a mixture of anger, confusion, love and connection that comes from Torrance throughout this film that really sets his role apart. Aroha Rawson, who played Whina Rangi, is this minor character who emits a lot of power and presence; I loved how Rawson quietly lent support to Ashby's role in a couple of very key scenes. Renee Lyons, who played Colleen Richter, was a very noteworthy minor antagonist; placed in a role of power I thought lyons did a nice job of subtly performing some damaging ways that harm trans people actively every day.

 

However, the best performance came from Arlo Green, who played Jem. This is a very light-hearted role who generates a lot of the comedy and love that I feel lifts this film up so much. Green is a very charismatic performer and is quietly comfortable in winning over an audience. This is a character who might make you laugh or smile by quietly singing a song, shouting words of encouragement or bumbling his way through an awkward conversation. I also thought Green did an exemplary job at playing through this growth as a character in which he reflects upon his sexuality and realises he is still attracted to his ex-boyfriend Caz. I thought this was quite a complex relationship dynamic that was handled gently and masterfully, in such a very moving and intimate way. There are a lot of characters to love in this film but I strongly believe there is no denying that Arlo Green is the heart of this feature.

 

Rūrangi triumphs in its storytelling, crafting a narrative that I've never seen done before and smashing through barriers scene by scene. However, there were a few minor points that definitely gave me pause throughout the feature. I felt the 'nightmare' sequence with the pink, girly room was a little over the top and wasn't as subtle as some of the film's stronger talking points. The dialogue in certain scenes could've been better polished too as some of the exchanges were cheesy or artificial. Finally I would also note that while the film functioned strongly as a narrative across all the acts, the ending came very abruptly and cut to credits a little soon for my liking, I certainly felt there was more to be said or explored. I found the score to be one that was easily lost in the background, the soundtrack for the feature didn't really have much in the way of notable elements.

 

Ramon Te Wake, who played Ellie, is this best friend character who really doesn't seem to have much of a genuine connection with Carrad onscreen; Te Wake has this habit of saying her lines without placing much power or emotion behind them. Sonny Tupu, who played Andrew Ainofo, functions well as a plot device for the protagonist but fails to really serve as a character; I found Tupu really played to the physical connection between him and Carrad and never really built anything complex between the two. 

 

Both important and a triumph in every way that counts, Rūrangi is a must watch for 2021. I would give Rūrangi an 8.5/10.

Synchronic

This review may contain spoilers!

Synchronic follows Steve and Dennis, a pair of New Orleans paramedics who are the front line response to a new designer drug that is killing a widespread number of people while generating some supernatural phenomenon. It's not long before the drug itself becomes entangled in their personal lives and it's a matter of time before things are salvaged or fall apart for good. This film builds a really strong hook into the otherworldly aspect of this film; crafting these extremely violent and bizarre trauma scenes for our medics to navigate. Any time the film veers down this path, forcing us to ask what on Earth is going on gives the film a sense of mounting horror. At the same time you're being treated to this compelling contrast; watching this bond of a friendship that is wearing down by one man going through a struggling marriage, while the other receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. Watching both men avoid their own destruction or run headfirst into it at different points of the film is a nice, very real representation of human interaction. As we journey deeper into the sci-fi component I grew very impressed with how methodically and rational the protagonist dealt with learning about the drug and used this to improve his ability to handle it. The film tied together in this really touching message about respect, friendship and love; showing how the bonds we make can be worth sacrificing for. The way this film was shot was a very loose fluid method that showcased movement in a scene, there was a very measured approach to make you feel very present alongside the character while also feeling off-kilter in the scenes that required that. The editing is a very nice style that sets the tone between scenes very nicely, blending abrupt cuts with gradual fades to create a differing method of transitioning. The score for Synchronic is another major success, the music used has this piercing way of setting you on edge while also maintaining strong emotional cues for those heavier to watch scenes.

 

Jamie Dornan, who played Dennis, was the more grounded role out of the two leads; Dornan tempered Mackie's wild side and acted as an almost benevolent caretaker of their world and the world of his family.

However, the best performance came from Anthony Mackie, who played Steve. Steve was certainly the more carefree and aloof friend when we first meet him, it's clear he doesn't hold himself responsible to much and lives a very easygoing life in spite of his profession. Mackie and Dornan also have a steady on-screen chemistry that makes things very heartfelt in terms of their characters' friendship; the moments of connection and conflict are so thoroughly explored that it becomes the heart of the film. As Synchronic progresses you get to see Steve's upbeat exterior as more of a shell hiding the fear he has towards his terminal cancer. Mackie really shows the walls his role throws up in relation to this very well, and the reluctance he has to share his condition is a strong motivating factor of the feature. I was really impressed with how serious and methodical Steve takes the time travel element of the film, steadily analysing and exploring the phenomenon. Yet Mackie delivers on the overwhelming shock and unbelievable rush his role feels by going through experience. One of Mackie's best roles yet in a film that has really set a high bar for the rest of the year.

This film occasionally had a bit of wry wit about pointing out plot elements they were going to subvert such as the paramedic with a drug problem, but the effect of this was that you were underwhelmed by the trope being played upon. The way this feature was written really eliminated some subtlety at times in an otherwise well-concocted feature. There also wasn't much consistency in terms of how victims of Synchronic acted on the drug versus how Steve acted while on the drug, often navigating the past far easier than those who perished or suffered tragedy. The main two characters also had a great friendship worth exploring but the fact they were both ultimately were disgruntled people meant the film felt a bit one-note at times and we never saw opposites playing against each other.

Katie Aselton, who played Tara, feels rather cliched as the distant wife to Dornan's struggling husband; Aselton's moments of conflict never feel like they come from her character so much as they're needed by the script. Ally Ioannides, who played Brianna, has this detached way of presenting her rebellious teenage role that makes her hard to relate; the film never spends a lot of time exploring Ioannides' character choosing to instead treat her more as a plot device than a person.

A transcending blend of Limitless meets Tenet, one of the better films in the sci-fi thriller genre. I would give Synchronic an 8/10.

 

Shadow In The Cloud

 This review may contain spoilers!

 

Shadow In The Cloud takes place during World War II and follows Flight Officer Maude Garrett as she transports a confidential package aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, oblivious to the supernatural threat that awaits her onboard. I really liked the atmosphere constructed in this feature, there was this style that felt like looking at the era through a new-age retro filter. We've seen this before in films like Overlord or video games like Wolfenstein; but this managed a discordant and hostile environment while embracing the otherworldly and bizarre through the score and colour palette. The score itself is a big aspect of the feature's success, capturing this synthetic sound that left you both filled with wonder and ill at ease.

 

Byron Coll, who played Terrence Taggart, was one of the truly believable antagonistic crew performances in the film; Coll had this gruff outrage at having to accept Moretz on his ship that translated well to lingering contempt over the duration of the narrative.

However, the best performance came from Chloe Grace Moretz, who played Maude Garrett. One of the best qualities of this film was hos much room it gave Moretz to just play the role, really navigate a number of scenes and play through a spectrum of emotions. When first we meet Maude she's a very tense woman, fraught with anxiety about something unknown and bristling at her poor treatment by the crew of The Fool's Errand. Yet as the film goes along you get to watch Moretz sternly reprimand the men she is stuck in transit with, affirming her rank and experience in combat. She also has this warm, compassionate side when she talks to them of their time back home as well as her own experiences outside of duty. You come to understand Maude as a role who has been cast as a victim once, but who rejected that and left to become a soldier. The entire feature is held aloft by watching as Moretz turns this naarative from one of a woman fleeing to a woman fighting for her life and that of all she holds dear in a completely effective and ruthless manner.

Shadow In The Cloud is a wonderful notion of a film but it is nothing short of the dark side of B-grade blockbuster films. The entire feature handles Maude being trapped in the gunner turret for an hour of the film more as a novelty than a plot device, because it doesn't stick with this element. She navigates dialogue almost continuously until the film is ready to engage with more intensive action. In fact having so much of the film set in this one environment feels like it serves little to no purpose. A number of the dialogue exchanges grow repetitive or just hold a lot of empty dialogue; the feature has sic exchanges around the co-pilot being coloured, the same repeated sexist remarks about Maude being a female military personnel member and a lot of empty posturing around whether or not the crew will open Maude's secret package. The film simply doesn't have enough substance to track its runtime, which is a major concern when the feature doesn't even crest 90 minutes. Watching the gremlin creature being pitched as some sort of supernatural antagonist felt like a tacked on idea to make the stakes higher. In all seriousness the gremlin never had much narrative impact and it didn't even kill as many characters as the Japanese fighter pilots did. Making this film supernatural at all was a strange choice that never came across as justified, serving to take away from the film rather than contribute. The cinematography became exceedingly dull to watch, with the same five turret shots becoming pretty obsolete after ten minutes and the transition to action a weak effort at best. The special effects for the film were more than the designers could clearly handle; the backdrop when Maude climbed the exterior of the plane looked ghastly and the gremlin wasn't a very appealing design.

Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall and Joe Witkowski, who played Stu Beckell, Anton Williams, John Reeves, Tommy Dorn and Bradley Finch respectively, were little more than glorified extras or walking corpses to be in this film; a lot of these performances blasted out dialogue in the same manner and gave little effort to differentiate from one another. Taylor John Smith, who played Walter Quaid, wasn't very convincing as the former love interest to Moretz; his more brooding yet soft-spoken exterior was quite a jarring contrast to the ensemble he was acting against.

Chloe Grace Moretz gives her all to a film that shows little promise and fails to execute even that much. I would give Shadow In The Cloud a 2/10.