The Brutalist

 

The Brutalist

This is an excellent, rich film in its construction and acting. Adian Brody plays Lazlo Toth, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to America. He is also a renowned architect but unknown in America. When he is discovered, he is shoveling coal in Pennsylvania. This is a tribute to the immigrant journey. New home, start over.

Brody’s character, Lazlo, affords Brody a range of emotions that he brilliantly performs. In the beginning, he is destitute, taking menial jobs to survive. His performance conveys the pain of an artist denied his talent. His fortune changes when he meets Harrison Lee Van Burn, played by Guy Pearce, a millionaire who knows his talent. Their relationship is complicated. Lee Van Burn’s wealth gives Lazlo a new opportunity to create architecture. Lee Van Burn assumes a superior attitude because of his wealth, but he is no match for Lazlo’s talent. To equalize this disparity, Lee Van Burn seeks to dominate Lazlo. The inequality of social class underlies the film.

Guy Pearce gives a tour de force performance. His tense face and clipped speech project his resentment of Lazlo’s talent; his wealth cannot compete. Guy Pearce knows how to use his body ( 2000 film Memento), and here, his posture is unbending, just like his character.

Felicity Jones is Lazlo’s wife Erzesbet, whom he had to leave in Hungary after the war. Her performance is sublime. After meeting Lee Van Burn and his dinner guests, they asked where she learned her English. Oxford, she replied.

The rest of the cast is wonderful. The cinematography gives the film a unique perspective.

n.b.-The term Brutalist refers to architecture as a style of building that uses exposed materials and geometric shapes to create a minimalist, angular, and bulky look. The term comes from the French word brut, which means "raw" or "untreated

 

Sinners

Sinners-Prime Videos

Sinners is a unique vampire movie. It has all the standard vampire clichés, but it also tells a story of family and community.  Michael B. Jordon plays a dual role as twins, Smoke and Stack, who are gangsters returning to their hometown from Chicago. They have plenty of money from their  Capone employment, and the premise of the story is set up a jute joint in their Mississippi hometown. The entire film is a drama that unfolds over one day and night. Jordon plays the role (roles) with just enough swagger to saddle the role of a gangster and a budding club owner. In one scene, he shoots two locals, one in the ass and the other in the knee, who look too closely into the cargo of his truck. But then he turns around and gives cash to a friend to have them patched up.

There is gore towards the end of the film, but for the most part, it is the story of a main character named Sammy. Sammy is the cousin of the twins and is a blues prodigy. A benefit of the film is that it has some great blues music. There is one dance number that transcends place and time. Dancers include a Zaouli dancer, a Juke joint blues performer, or a Jukin, as well as modern-day hip hop and ballet. It is an anthology of African American dance. With its blues and dance numbers, this film stands out from the typical vampire movie. The climax of the film is a showdown between humans and vampires. Many of the friends, lovers, and family have been bitten and transformed into vampires. The battle goes on until sunrise, when the vampires are vanquished by sunlight.

An interesting element of the film is that there is a Chinese couple who are friends with twins. In Western movies, there has not been enough credit given to the role that Asians have played in the West.

The film is worth seeing. If you see it, do not skip over the end credits. 

Anora

Anora-Amazon Prime

Anora is a low-budget film ($6m) that tells the heartfelt story of a working girl from Brooklyn who finds herself in a place she could not have imagined. Anora, or Ani as she prefers to be called, is a stripper and sometimes prostitute from Brooklyn. She is introduced to Russian clients at the club since she speaks Russian. This is what sets the film in motion. She is introduced to Vanya, the son of a Russian oligarch who comes from extraordinary wealth. Vanya is a hedonist with the mind of a horny fifteen-year-old in the body of a horny twenty-one man. His sexual exploits are comparable to a rabbit in heat.

Ani is overwhelmed by extravagant wealth. She is Cinderella from Brighton Beach. Vanya lives in a mansion with an ocean view. It is an endless party. The apex of this perpetual partying is a trip to Las Vegas for a quick marriage. From here, the dream turns on Ani.  

Mikey Madison plays Ani. She does an excellent job balancing vulnerability and toughness. As much as she wants to believe in this dream, she is too street-smart to know it will last. Besides her beauty and willowy body, she is a fighter, taking on fellow strippers and the henchmen Vanya’s parents send. She delivers an outstanding performance in this little film.

Mark Edelstein plays Vanya. He is Russian, and so is his accent. He is the stereotype of the uber-self-centered, irresponsible twenty-four-hour party boy. He showers Ani with one extravagant experience after another. Coming from Brooklyn, this is a different reality.

The movie takes a turn when Vanya’s parents send their henchmen to bring Vanya back to Russia. These are not the brutal Russian criminals portrayed in films like Eastern Promises; they are more bumbling. It is enjoyable how Ani kicks their ass and makes their lives miserable.

If scenes of copulation, nudity, or creative use of the F words offend you, this is not your movie.

This film received Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations and won the Cannes Palm d’Or in 2024. It received a 94% score from Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not bad for Brighton Beach. The film cost $9.99 to watch. Hey, why not?