Triangle of Sadness (Amazon Prime)

 

Triangle of Sadness (Amazon Prime)

The Triangle of Sadness is the space between one's eyebrows where the struggles of life manifest as wrinkles. The phrase is only used once in the film, but other terms can be used. The film is a dark satirical comedy with farcical scenes combined with slapstick plus lots of poop. It is a story about the idle rich and the perils of being idle.

The movie starts with two “influencers” Yaya played by Charlbi Dean and Carl her model boyfriend played by Harris Dickinson. My British friends would call them a pair prats bickering over who pays the check. The tiff goes on too long and becomes annoying. From the start neither character is endearing.

The next big part of the film takes place on a luxury cruise on a $250m yacht. The guests are like a bunch of Agatha Christie extras. They are a comical bunch with crew members admonished to cater to the whims of the guests, no matter how ridiculous. The guests include Dimitry played by Zlatko Buric, The king of shit (fertilizer), Clementine and Winston who made their fortune making munitions and the captain played by Woody Harrelson. For Harrelson this was a cake walk. He played his usual no fuss character just short of a southern drawl. His part is narrow, and the director could have made more use of his talents. There is a captain’s dinner which takes place during a violent storm at sea. It was like a Monty Python skit with passengers projectile vomiting, pratfalling and toilets overflowing.

The last scene is akin to Lord of the Flies where a toilet maid is elevated to queen for a day (a few days). Abigale the maid, played by Dolly Le Lemon, does a superb job transforming herself from a lowly toilet maid to leader of the pack because of her skills. The ending is perplexing and deliberately made ambiguous by the director.

All the actors do an excellent job with the script they are given. If you like dark comedies in the spirit of Monty Python this is for you. The film was awarded the Palme d’or.  It is also nominated for 2023 Oscar Best Picture.

 

All Quite on The Western Front

 

All Quite on The Western Front

This is a brutal movie with scenes of carnage. If this bothers you do not watch this film. This is not a remake of the 1930 version, the classic butterfly scene is absent. It is based on the same book Nothing New in the West, by Erich Maria Remarque. Every cliché about war applies to this movie: the futility of war, the horror of war and the fog of war. The film’s message has been mitigated by modern history: World War II, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, but it is still poignant.  

 The movie follows the main character, Paul Baumer, played by Felix Kammerer. He experiences horrendous battles all for a few feet of territory. Before becoming a soldier, he was an enthusiastic   schoolboy who wanted to enlist. Germany was gripped in the rapture of nationalism. A crack in this fervent facade is when the young recruits are given the patched-up uniforms of dead soldiers. There are some joyful scenes when the soldiers steal a goose and enjoy an eager feast.

The film shows a countdown to the date of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, armistice day. In the last fifteen minutes before eleven am, an aristocratic general ordered a futile attack on the enemy which caused more pointless deaths, epitomizing the senselessness of the war.

Aside from this gripping story an outstanding feature of the film is the cinematography. The battle scenes are brutal with detailed close ups of suffering soldiers. By contrast there are beautiful vista shots of the countryside.

This is a well-crafted film but be prepared for some brutal reality.

The Whale

 

The Whale

This is a sad but joyful movie. Charlie is a home bound six-hundred-pound English professor who teaches via zoom. He is trapped in his body. His partner Alan is dead, and Charlie is trying to reconnect with his daughter. This parental dynamic is one of the chapters in this layered story.

Brendan Fraser gives a hugh performance. Fraser portrays Charlie with deep pathos. On the surface he looks repulsive, and he hides his appearance from his zoom students and from the pizza delivery man. But Charlie is a caring individual who is not defined by his appearance. He pushes his students to write honest essays. He dearly loves his daughter and is torn by guilt by his absence. Fraser displays all these emotions. Castigating himself as pathetic, he remains resilient in the potential of people.

What makes this story rich are the supporting actors. Supporting is an inadequate adjective to describe their great performances. Hong Chau is his nurse and his only friend. She plays the role with tough love. There is a special connection between them that weaves into the story. She is tough but tender.

Sadie Sink is Ellie his estranged daughter. Sink performs the role with explosive energy. She is disrespectful, angry and belittles her father. At the same time, she feels abandoned by him and misses his affection. Her performance is eclipsed only by Fraser.

Ty Simpkins is Thomas, a missionary for the New Life Church. He is trying to bring Jesus into Charlie’s life and won’t take no for an answer. He is the object of abuse from Ellie. His role lightens the mode of the story.

On the outside the whale may not be appealing but it is a message of hope wrapped a different way.

The Fabelmans

 

The Fabelmans

The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical story by Steven Spielberg. It is a tender story of love with real life disappointments. This movie has three great things going for it: script, an ensemble cast and direction.

Gabriel LaBelle plays Sammy Fabelman who is the proxy for Spielberg. From a young age he had a passion for movies. His little movie experiments grow over time and won acclaim from family and friends. LaBelle gives a sincere performance. Family dynamics are challenging and school in antisemitic 1960’s Los Angeles is brutal. The come to Jesus moment in his girlfriend’s bedroom is hilarious.

Michelle Williams is incredible. She can go from playing Marilyn Monroe to playing Spielberg’s mother. As Mitzi she is a loving and a dedicated mother who has given up much for her family and her husband’s career, but she cannot deny her desires which reach a critical point. She plays the role as a woman on the edge and must make hard choices.

Paul Dano gives his usual laconic performance as Spielberg’s father, Burt. He is too focused on his career to see the effect on his family. He is a loving father and eventually comes to support his son’s ambitions. His relationship with his wife is complex and still loves her even when she is no longer his wife.

Seth Rogan is a delightful surprise. This a totally straight role for him without overt comic tones. However, even sitting in a chair he is funny. Rogan is Burt’s best friend and part of the family. They say comics make good actors because they have timing.

Judd Hersch is Boris, Sammy’s great uncle. Hersch is a joy. If he gets any crustier, he will turn into a loaf of bread. He was in the film business, and a lion tamer, and gives Sammy some wise advice about art.

This is the worst financial production for Spielberg. It cost $40m to make and only took in $16.9m in revenue. Which means it has a great chance for best picture at the Academy Awards. It won best picture at the Golden Globes.

 

Avatar-The way of Water

 

Avatar-The way of Water

Avatar the way of water is a pretty movie, a three-hour pretty movie. There are a few humans in the picture. Sigourney Weaver appears for a nanosecond, Jack Champion as Spider and assorted bad guys. The rest are voices of famous actors. Computer graphics (CG) is the star.

The story is not complicated. It is about family, tribes and fighting bad guys. The movie is visually spectacular. From the fantastic creatures to the stunning underwater scenes. A tender moment is when a boy meets whale, or a Tulkun in the Na’vi language.  A big part of the movie are underwater scenes. The battle scenes are impressive, but no surprise as to who wins (how else can you have a sequel).

To better understand this film, I recommend you seeing the first Avatar movie. What made the first movie compelling was the transition of the humans to Na’vis. The complicated relationship of the two main characters Jake Sully and Neytiri was the focal point. The Way of Water is more like a very expenses Saturday morning cartoon show.

 Avatar created its own mythology, which will serve for the three future films. There is a big tell at the end of the movie for the next one. For the senior crowd the way of water is a rush to the bathroom.

The Menu (HBO Max)

 

The Menu (HBO Max)

The Menu leaves a bad taste. It is described as a dark comedy horror thriller. What passes as humor are uncomfortable moments for the characters and the viewers. The problem with the movie is a lack of back story to give content to the film. The film takes place on a private island for an exclusive dining experience at the Hawthorn restaurant. What ensues is random mayhem and butchery.

Ralph Fiennes is the celebrity chef Slowik. Fiennes plays the role with controlled emotion which eventually erupts. The dinner is by invitation and the guests are specifically chosen. They have history with the chef, and he has scores to settle with them. Working for chef Slowik are a group of sous-chefs who dutifully prepare the meals and commit atrocities as easily as cracking an egg. One scene was brutal and unexpected.

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Margo who was not a designated guest accompanying Taylor played by Nicholas Hoult. Taylor-Joy gives a strong performance. She is not immersed in the epicurean experience and dares to criticize the overly complex food plates. Hoult is the opposite, even as chaos ensues, he is transfixed by the food and lofty preparations.

John Leguizamo is a second-rate actor who in the past insulted the chef. He was not funny or irreverent, a waste of talent. Hong Chau is Elsa, the maître d’hôtel. She is more gestapo than maître d’ enforcing rules and punishing non-conforming guests. There are other characters with ties to the chef.

Some scenes are there for shock value, and they hit their mark. Without some set up the relevance of the scene is obscure. As the story unfolds plot lines tie things together. The film would have been more effective with background. Cause and effect balance a movie, here there is more effect with cause lacking. In full transparency Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 89%.