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I Care A Lot, Malcolm & Marie, Capone, The Life Ahead and the News of the World: Everything I watched in February.

Newsflash ! The cinemas still aren’t open and I’m starting to lose hope in them ever opening. Despite the UK government drawing a step by step guide into lifting the UK out of lockdown (like its flat pack furniture and not a critical pandemic) with cinemas due to open in April, I wouldn’t hold my breath seeing as our own human biology and its resistance is the actual measure of when it is safe to go out and about, not what our government says. So until everyone is vaccinated and has sustained the first few months of vaccination symptom free, I’m having to sift through Netflix and Amazon for something to watch, like I’m looking through a charity shop sale; without much luck. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for these streaming services, I (my dad) pay for them for Christ’s sakes and I know that one day I’ll be eating my words when I’m offered a Netflix deal that I (in a Vito Corleone voice) “cannot refuse”. However, unlike some of the creators on Netflix, I’ll make the most of this opportunity and be incredibly anal about what I want to make, even if it kills me.

I feel like so many people are given the license to make whatever they want for Netflix and then I look at the trophy wall of Emmys that HBO has garnered over the years and consider their quality writers and casts. I would say most recently, shows like The Crown, Sex Education, Top Boy and Bridgerton are Netflix’s exceptions currently, being both of quality and giving us something we actually want to watch. And guess what all these shows have in common?! Not only are all the casts largely British but all productions of these shows are British too. The British quality of TV programmes for streaming services in the US is a win win for all; Americans get to watch our good quality TV and we get Golden Globes. Most notably, The Crown did exceptionally (as it always does) at this year’s Golden Globes, further proving the show's excellence despite controversy. I thoroughly praise Netflix's resistance to label the show “fiction” and the lengths it took in making the show as authentically as possible, despite the criticism. The awards speak for themselves and the Crown has scooped up several this year so far.

To conclude, I want the cinemas to open just as much as anyone, but I’m happy to comply with the stay-at-home-and-watch-Netflix-rule for now. For now...Here’s everything I watched this February.

Annihilation (2018) as seen on Netflix

Netflix’s Annihilation starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Lee, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson and Oscar Issac was a multitude of things that were difficult to comprehend. This is not me saying this is a bad film, in fact its me saying the complete opposite as the complexity drew a tangible beauty to the film from beginning to end. I reeeaaalllyyy liked the beginning and how the first scene sucked you into the crazy and fanatical story that later unfolded. Natalie Portman as always was wonderful in this role, playing a biologist who enters another world in search of her husband, who’s gone missing on a similar expedition to hers. Like with most sci fi films, it was difficult to gather the meaning of such a film, however this lack of meaning didn’t draw away from the story or how it was portrayed, in slow and enigmatic shots that told the story with a natural pace. If you’ve seen / liked Ex Machina (2014), Annihilation has the same director and I would thoroughly recommend you watch this too as the way Alex Garland merges sci fi with horror is incredibly seamless.

Score: 10/10

Eastern Promises (2007) as seen on Amazon Prime

This film starring Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen and Vincent Cassel was incredibly dark and gritty. Even though I’m not Russian, I found Mortensen and Cassel’s Russian personas to be rather good for a Dane and a Frenchman. Their on screen chemistry was also really good and its make me wonder why I haven’t seen a film with these two in it before. The story follows Anna (Naomi Watts) a nurse and her hunt for the true identity and life of a baby that was born to a 14 year old girl. Nikolai and Kirill (Mortensen and Cassel) are Russian gangsters living in London and set about covering up this obscene scandal and getting rid of the product of it, a baby girl belonging to the condemned and now deceased child. It's a difficult plot to wrap your head around and like I said, it's incredibly dark. Actor and director David Cronenberg (A History of Violence 2005) directed this film and helped Viggo Mortensen with a nomination for Best Actor at the 2008 Academy Awards.

Score: 8/10

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) as seen on Netflix

So remember how I said I was DESPERATE for films this month...I watched Fifty Shades of Grey with zero expectations and I can say definitively that it was worse than I thought. It's a true miracle that both Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan still have careers 6 years after such a film was released and I personally wouldn’t rush to cast either acting in my film after seeing this. Harsh, I know but reputation is everything and when you sign onto something that instead of highlighting your acting abilities, highlights your body parts, what am I supposed to think... I’m all for body confidence and what not, but I feel like most of this film sort of abuses sexuality and sexual expressions. The fact is, the BDSM part of this film wasn’t even that bad, it was the characters that pissed me off the most and their LACK of character in fact. They were orchestrated in such a flat way and the only time where either one of them found any character was through the sex itself and the discussion of it, especially Anastasia’s character. The most profound and irritating thing about this film is that Anastasia’s life seemed to only have meaning when she met the so called handsome, charming, wonderful, drop dead gorgeous Christian Grey. What does that teach us about women people? I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, sexualising women in film and media shouldn’t be the only reason for them to be there. And the entirety of Fifty Shades of Grey is built upon that fact. Even though the novel was written by a woman, it definitely missed the point in giving us a strong female character who could both be into sex and taken seriously at the same time. Seems like a really hard thing to do in cinema as filmmakers either go for the over-hyped sexualised prostitute, the caring mother or the nun. Like female professionals have never had sex in their lives… think again. I like to wonder what it would’ve been like had it been Ms Grey and Christian as her submissive. Not only would that mix up the character dynamic and go against gender confirmation, it’d actually be interesting. But maybe I should just write that story altogether...To conclude, the characters in this film were flat and the entirety of the film hyped up sex and the act of it way too much. It's like making a film about walking or breathing.

Score: 1/10

Malcolm & Marie (2021) as seen on Netflix

Malcolm & Marie received a lot of attention in the media and sadly not for the right reasons. In fact, what’s so childish about the backlash is that hardly any of it had to do with the filmmaking techniques Sam Levinson (Euphoria’s creator) used or the story he wrote. More of it had to do with Levinson’s controversial ideas about how the media likes to view and prod film like a goldfish in a bowl, acting ostentatiously towards the art and appearing woke as opposed to just seeing film for how it is. I gather many film critic’s egos were bruised when Levinson used the lead character, Malcolm (John David Washington) as a butcher to film critics. He says things like “I’m choosing to make a film that’s fundamentally political, but not everything I do is political because I’m Black” in reference to the ignorance of some film critics who stamp politics onto any black directed film, attempting to brand the films with their own understanding of the film as opposed to its real message and story. Malcolm spends the majority of the night loathing a fictional “white LA reporter” and betting on her exact words for his own film, about an African American woman trying to get off drugs. What he says is funny, so funny it's true. White reporters DO do this and instead of embracing Levinson’s satricalism, the real LA white reporters of our media got overly offended and used the “lack of story” card as a backdrop to fuel their distaste at being called out. Had they known Levinson’s intentions with this film, they wouldn’t have reviewed it all together as I’m sure Levinson knew what he was getting himself into when mentioning the annoying “white LA reporter” and making the stereotype central to the lead's frustrations towards the industry. Levinson also graciously mentions that even though Malcolm has such hatred towards the critics, he is their fuel and by making his so-called “art” he only joins them in the argument . Levinson made his bed when he made the film and I think he’s sleeping rather comfortably. No one even bothered to praise both Zendaya’s and Washington’s performances, which were phenomenal considering the circumstances and the added pressure of having to carry a whole story in one room using only each other to fulfil that story. The cinematography was ambitious and overall, it was a simple yet well executed story. What are y’all complaining about?

Let's put egos aside and focus on the actual film for once, rather than how its perceived the articulation of your opinions towards it.

Score: 10/10

Coming to America (1988) as seen on Amazon Prime

At this moment I truly was becoming a slave to streaming services. I wasn’t particularly leaping at the opportunity to watch this film, however I chose to watch it as I heard that Eddie Murphy was releasing a sequel this year. As someone who doesn’t like comedy, I found this rather funny in places but it's hard to laugh at the black stereotypes portrayed in such a film even when those stereotypes were perpetuated by a black person. There was also a lot of misogyny, something else that I don’t call comedy but just misogyny. I found it hard overlook these moments and kinda saw this element as the downfall to the film which detracted from any of the other comedic moments.

Score: 5/10

Do the Right Thing (1989) as seen on Amazon Prime

One of Spike Lee’s earlier films, Do The Right Thing is a film I’ve been dying to watch for quite some time. The film is like a fascinating book, with chapters on each of the plights of living in Brooklyn in the 1980s. Though it takes one character’s perspective, there are a multitude of other stories that can be found in this film, with them interlinking seamlessly and coming together at the end. This isn’t a film about race but rather one about anger and its potential to divide people, especially when things become heated and fingers are pointed. It covered a variety of perspectives which I like, almost like an episodic series where each episode is different and takes on a different character. This structure added variety to the film and allowed it to cover a multitude of topics in a small space of time. The structure of this film was only successful because its characters, who were funny, three dimensional and above all, had something to say. Director and writer Spike Lee played Mookie, the lead, a pizza delivery man and quite the f**k up on the streets of Brooklyn, using his mouth more than his actions to get by in life. I really liked the balance of moments of comedy and severity which had me laughing in places and immediately stopping afterwards. Well written and I commend Spike Lee for having written, directed and starred in the same film.

Score: 10/10

The Life Ahead (2020) as seen on Netflix

As an actress, Sophia Loren is one of my all time favourites. On seeing films such as A Special Day (1977) Two Women (1960) Marriage, Italian Style (1964), I began to appreciate the work of Sophia Loren and notice how much of an icon she still is today. Having picked up several awards over an expansive 71 YEAR career, she has been honoured many a time by the Golden Globes and Oscars as one of the finest actresses of all time. Her presence on screen is inspiring and she’s been often referred to as the Italian Marilyn Monroe for her beauty inside and out. Here at the age of 86, she plays a Holocaust survivor and foster mother who cares for a troubled boy in The Life Ahead. Loren’s character, Madame Rosa, eventually saving him from a miserable life thieving and selling drugs on the streets of Italian. Loren’s son, Edoardo Ponti directed this film for Netflix and was generous enough to give us Sophia Loren’s presence on screen once more by casting her in the film as the lead.

Score: 9/10

Gold (2016) as seen on Amazon Prime

I found Gold to be one of those talky, talky films that starts at the end and ends at the end (if that makes sense) which in my opinion isn’t the most courageous structure one could use, but is common in biopics. It either starts on the protagonist’s death bed or at the point where the police have just caught them and for Gold it was the latter. The appearance of women in this film was second to none and that’s not me saying the director should’ve added female characters for good measure or token but why make a film that only appeals to one demographic, despite the intensity of the story...film is universal after all and if a film appeals to one certain group then what’s the point of releasing it? This doesn’t detract from Matthew McConaughey’s performance though as a “prospector” looking for gold in Indonesia. Even saying this, the character was very typical of him and it didn’t truly stretch his ability as an actor, not like Dallas Buyer’s Club (2013), Killer Joe (2011) or Interstellar (2014) did. To sum up Gold into one word it’d be “meh”.

Score: 7/10

Creed (2015) as seen on Amazon Prime

This was one of the most surprising films of the month. I’m not crazy about the Rocky films nor see myself watching all of them anytime soon, but Creed appealed as a more modern take on the hit franchise. Michael B Jordan plays Adonis Creed, son of Apollo Creed, a champion boxer who died during a fight before Adonis was born. After being adopted by Apollo’s wife, Adonis Creed sets out to follow his father’s footsteps by becoming a champion heavyweight boxer himself, much to his maternal mother’s displeasure and his coach’s the one and only Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone). The story is similar to that of Rocky and if anything, is a complete revival, using the son of one of Rocky’s former fighter as a backdrop to tell the story. Director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther 2018, Fruitvale Station 2013 ) brought this story to life and a courageous performance out of Michael B. Jordan. Not only was I fascinated by boxing by the end of the film, but just the whole idea of Adonis Creed, a fighter and not a quitter who thoroughly believes in pursuing your goals until they are obtained. Not only is this film for boxing fans but for those who share that same universal message and refuse to give into their own inhibitions to achieve great things. We should look to athletes more often in this respect and consider the pursuit of our own desires as boxing matches and marathon races more often as it helps put our fight into perspective and teaches us never to give in.

Score: 11/10

Arrival (2016) as seen on DVD

Before anyone comes for me for not having seen Arrival, before I was a movie buff I had briefly come across the film several times but had never taken the time to sit it out and watch it from beginning to end. I’m glad I did as Denis Villeneuve is one of my favourite directors evah and along with Christopher Nolan, I consider him as the King of Sci Fi. Every single one of his films is incroyable (as the french say) and it's a mystery why he hasn’t been handed an Oscar yet. Arrival is this slow and beautiful story of a linguistics teacher (Amy Adams) who agrees to help on a mission to communicate with extraterrestrial life forms that have landed on planet earth in the form of twelve huge spaceships. Structure isn’t something we typically consider when watching a film, but it plays such an important part in Arrival for time and the manipulation of it is the main theme of this film. Essentially, the language in which Dr. Banks translates from the intelligent life form gives its readers the ability to see into the future, which is when we come to realize that she’ll have a child, who will die of an unnamed disease. Despite this fact, she decides to live the life fate intended for her. The reason why Arrival is a highly credible film is because of the coverage it has as a film in terms of what it's trying to say as a film. From someone who finds it hard to bring out the emotion of a screenplay, Arrival is a great example to me as a film that combines both a cinematic feeling and a strong emotional presence throughout the film. It doesn’t abandon emotions or relationships just because the film is about aliens, but instead embraces them into the story and intertwines them with the aliens who’ve come to planet earth. At the end of the day, we can have explosions, spaceships and aliens galore, but if we’re unable to connect with characters on an emotional level then the film becomes boring. Arrival is far from boring and may bring a tear or two to your eye by the end.

Score: 11/10

The News of the World (2020) as seen on Netflix

I feel like it's impossible to hate a film with Tom Hanks in it and The News of the World definitely fits into that. Five years after the US Civil War, Cpt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks) spends his days travelling around the US ‘reading the news’ to anyone who’s willing to listen. The majority of the US was illiterate in the 19th Century, meaning it was up to people like Jefferson to inform others of the ongoings in the world by reading them the paper. It’s a wondrous thing to think about, how information was once spread throughout the world in such an archaic format. Jefferson did this off his own back, not asking for much and finding fulfilment in the reactions to the news that he “broadcasted” to them. Whilst on his travels, Jefferson comes across a young girl (Golden Globe nominee Helena Zengal) who’s negro family had been killed by lynchers. The girl was originally from a Native American tribe but had been separated by them, leaving her to fend for herself. When Jefferson comes across her, he’s reluctant to take her in at first but decides to take her to some relatives across the country. It’s definitely the role you expect of Tom Hanks and his heart warming nature is captured for us in this film for Netflix.

Score: 9/10

The Mask (1994) as seen on Netflix

It's hard for me to label The Mask as a good film as that would mean shaking off the horrendous amount of misogyny it has and the lack of diversity within its characters. Films mean different things for people, but ultimately most of them reflect an element of humanity and explore it on screen with originality and authenticity. Cameron Diaz’s character was only there to fulfil the sexual appetites of the men around her, which is something I loathe in female characters. Originality The Mask has, authenticity, not so much. That's probably the reason why I hate comedies so much, most of them are written by men and are about men so it can get quite boring to watch at times. I liked the idea of The Mask but it definitely could’ve been executed in a less misogynistic way.

Score: 5/10

Jackie (2016) as seen on Amazon Prime

One word; perfection. This film was hands down one of the most beautiful, genuine and honest films I’ve seen in my entire life. It had me reminiscing Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015) in a number of ways, from the similar filmmaking techniques to the slow and melancholy atmosphere that was being created on screen. The AMAZING Natalie Portman plays Jackie Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy who was brutally assassinated on a visit to Dallas, Texas in 1963. The fact that I didn’t even KNOW that his poor wife was in the car with him at the point of the assassination is shocking. On watching the film, I learnt Jackie was a remarkable, brave and intelligent woman who after her husband's death put so much into preserving her husband’s legacy despite his lack of popularity. The way the film is shot and the music by the brilliant Mica Levi (Under the Skin 2013 , Monos 2019) just ties everything together into a enigmatic and wonderful film. Natalie Portman was nominated for Best Actress at the 2017 Academy Awards and rightly so. This film has further proven my thoughts on her as one of the greatest actresses of our time. I seriously cannot EXPRESS how much I love this film, directed by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, who’s also made another film that I can’t get enough of Ema, which was released 2 years ago.

Score: 12/10

Foxcatcher (2014) as seen on BBC iPlayer

When we first think of Steve Carell, our minds probably drift to his most notable performance as Michael Scott from The Office or even Gru in Despicable Me. It's rare for a so called “comedy” actor to find his way into films with a more dramatic substance and over the last few years, this is what Carell has been showing us on screen, with this role in Foxcatcher and more recently, in Felix van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy (2018). Foxcatcher is the true story of a wrestler offered the opportunity to train with a private wrestling team owned by a huge chemical corporation. Channing Tatum plays Mark Schultz, a quiet and reserved wrestler who trains alongside his brother David (Mark Ruffalo), also a champion wrestler. What's sad to see in this twisted story is how validated Mark feels once the powerful and wealthy John Du Pont (Steve Carrell) begins to take an interest in him and takes him under his wing. This relationship drives a wedge between Mark and his brother David, but much to John’s displeasure, it doesn’t last long. This is definitely a story of power and how people can react in bad ways when they are owed too much of it. Every performance in this was astounding and the slow and subtle telling of the story was truly beautiful to watch. Foxcatcher is a film I’ve been dying to watch for some time and it DID NOT disappoint. Period. The film was also nominated for five Oscars back in 2015, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

Score: 11/10

In Fabric (2018) as seen on BBC iPlayer

Based on the current reviews of In Fabric, I deem the film a poncy experimental spectacle. Not only did it not say much, but what it was trying to say was rather disturbing and quite frankly bizarre. However, it's not a film I can necessarily hate on as it is experimental, meaning from the get go, I shouldn’t be expecting any sort of clear cut narrative, with relationships, protagonists, conflict or hierarchies. Experimental films are more about exploring a central idea and having all its “characters'' not essentially prove the idea, but just talk about it, like a debate but everyone agrees in the end. A debate where everyone agrees would be boring, which is why I find experimental films to be boring as most of the time they don’t have a meaning and sadly as humans, we’re obsessed with finding the meaning of things or else we’ll go crazy. And I would say this film definitely left me crazy at the end, proving the idea of man’s constant need to find meanings in things. In Fabric wasn’t really relatable, funny, clever or bold. It kinda just...was.

Score: 5/10

Delicatessen (1991) as seen on DVD

I love how the world likes to think that the American film market is the only film market when in actuality the French created the actual concept of cinema and the idea to project “movies” onto a large screen. With this has come a plethora of incredible movies from France that have gone onto to change the film industry forever. There’s a reason why the most prestigious and exclusive film festival in the entire world is held in the South of France and not LA. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is the auteur behind Amélie (2001) one of the most well known independent films ever to be made and before Amélie came Delicatessen. This film is Tim Burton meets Wes Anderson but in French and tells the story of a man working for a butcher and the crazy characters he meets in the same apartment as him. By the end it's clear that The Butcher is selling more than pork and beef down in his store and that the new tenant is due to be the next item on sale. I loved how weird and larger than life the characters were and the otherworldly set design used for this film. There were so many moments that are quite hard to explain the beauty of them and if you’ve seen Wes Anderson or Tim Burton’s work, you’ll notice the similarities between this film and their work, perhaps showing a french influence on the current American market.

Score: 10/10

Amélie (2001) as seen on DVD

Continuing on with the French theme, I was reminded this month of the beauty of Amélie. Every, single, shot in this film is pure perfection and I bet all my money that Wes Anderson was a mega fan of this film when it came out. It's truly a film like none other and it’s only this time around did I realise how much I RELATE to Amélie. The way she sacrifices herself for others and gets nothing in return, the lengths she goes to tell someone something instead of JUST SAYING IT, her lack of friends, I can definitively say that there isn’t a character on screen that I’ve related to more than Amélie (besides Elio from cmbyn). If you haven’t seen Amélie have a word with yourself.

Score: 11/10

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) as seen on Amazon Prime

Pan’s Labyrinth was a surprisingly amazing film and I wonder why I hadn’t seen it sooner. I was astounded to see it was in Spanish which I thought made the story somehow better. It's rare that we see such high budget and well known film that’s in a foreign language but I’m glad this film got the noise it did when it was released. Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water 2017) tells us the story of 10 year old Ofelia and her discovery of magical creatures in the woods that inhabit the outskirts of her new home. Not only that but it’s 1944. The Spanish Civil War has been over for five years but small groups of guerrilla rebels continue to fight against the new fascist dictatorship led by Francisco Franco. This is a well structured film that shows two strong worlds and combines them in a satisfying way, which isn’t an easy thing as sometimes films can get lost in the facts of history instead of the emotions and dynamic relationships. The set design in this was UNREAL as always and I really felt for the characters and their given circumstances. And that’s what we call a film.

Score: 11/10

I Care A Lot (2021) as seen on Amazon Prime

For a full review of I Care A Lot, follow the link: https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/643763403606867968/a-strong-performance-from-rosamund-pike-that-we

Score: 8/10

Interview with a Vampire (1994) as seen on BBC iPlayer

We were doing SO WELL until I made the costly decision to watch this waffle of a film, directed by Neil Jordan. Not only was the story all over the place, but the dialogue itself was incredibly on the nose and self explanatory throughout. It feels like there was more talking about the film instead of showing the film, which just made me switch off from early on in the film. I hated the casting of Tom Cruise in this and there were moments when I believed his character, but none of them outweighed the overarched and over bearing performance he was attempting to give. Brad Pitt was marginally better but the performance of Kirsten Dunst who was 12 years old at the time this film was released, outdid both actors. She was the only character that I truly felt for / cared about and her on screen presence was both enviable and wise beyond her years. Personally, I can’t explain what this film was even about because I truly didn’t get what was going on, however if you’re a fan of Kirsten Dunst’s work, this would be a suitable film to watch in that respect.

Score: 4/10

Fargo (1996) as seen on Amazon Prime

Fargo is probably most known as a Netflix series, but before that, it was originally a film directed by the Coen Brothers and starred the likes of Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H Macy and John Carroll Lynch. I’ve been meaning to watch Fargo for quite some time and I was not disappointed with the outcome of it. It's one of those good old fashioned crime films, with lots of twists and blood split throughout the film. The film won two Oscars in 1997; one for Best Actress which was handed to Frances McDormand playing a police officer investigating a string of murders in Minnesota and another for Best Original Screenplay. A really well constructed story with a fantastic cast and great cinematography work from Roger Deakins (1917 (2020), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) The Shawshank Redemption (1994).

Score: 10/10

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) as seen on Amazon Prime

The Darjeeling Limited further proves to us Wes Anderson’s ability to create entire new worlds and show us stories that take place all across the world. Three brothers, Peter (Adrien Brody), Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Francis (Owen Wilson) have travelled to India in an attempt to bond with one another “spiritually” after the death of their father. Peter and Jack aren’t too keen on this little expedition, irritated at their brothers' intrusiveness over the trip. The majority of the film is set on this fanatical train travelling across India and yet again, we are blessed with some phenomenal production design to tell us a fun and uplifting story. What’s more is that the boys’ mother (Anjelica Huston) lives in India as a nun at the foot of the Himalayas. This becomes the real reason for their venture and such a thing changes the character dynamics between the three men. India is shown in all its beauty in this film using the backdrop of three men’s relationship with one another as a story.

Score: 9/10

The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou (2004) as seen on DVD

Another one of Wes Anderson’s lesser known films but equally as good as the rest, this film follows a group of marine explorers travelling across the pacific to try and kill a shark that supposedly ate a member of Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) ’s crew. With an all star cast composed of Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum and Anjelica Huston this film was entertaining, enlightening and cinematographically ambitious. Steve Zissou is a fictional character who makes a living off of extreme and dangerous marine explorations. He makes films of his travels using his crew and after screening his latest film, he meets a young man (Owen Wilson) claiming to be his son. Evidently, Zissou is reluctant to accept that this man is his son and uses his presence as financial gain to the project. I appreciated all performances in this film and the set design (as always with Anderson’s films) was exceptional.

Score: 9/10

Life of Pi (2012) as seen on Amazon Prime

A highly visual and emotional film that carries beauty throughout in both performance and story, Life of Pi was directed by Brokeback Mountain (2005)’s Ang Lee and tells the story of Pi (Suraj Sharma and Irrfan Khan) a young boy alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a fully grown Bengal Tiger. Winner of 4 Academy Awards including Best Director at the 2013 Academy Awards, this film does a phenomenal job of reminding us why cinema is such a superior and infinite art form. Pi’s family are on their way from India to America, exporting a large number of their zoo animals in hope of selling them once they reach the other side of the world. After a horrendous storm ravages their cargo ship, Pi is left all alone in the ocean with what only appears to be a small dingy, but to his horror, he comes to find that the zoo’s tiger Richard Parker is keeping him company in the middle of the ocean. Now if that ain’t a viable story, then I don’t know what is. To make a film look like it was set in the middle of a Pacific and with a Bengal Tiger is no small feat. Suraj Sharma’s performance was both truthful and powerful, despite the film being mostly shot in a studio with nothing but animation for Richard Parker. This is one of very few films that does the original novel justice.

Score: 11/10

Capone (2021) as seen on Netflix

Yikes. Capone has not been getting a lot of love in the media since its release on Netflix on 24th February. Personally, it's not the most god awful, offensive film I’ve seen and yet I wouldn’t have been the one to have made such a film either. The film is supposed to depict the last year of the infamous and notorious Al Capone, who suffered from numerous illnesses at only the age of 48. Tom Hardy plays the blood thirsty gangster and I have to say, this was a thoughtless casting choice. Hardy doesn’t have an ounce of Italian in his face and he put on this larger than life caricature of an accent that had me feeling rather sorry for him at moments when I shouldn’t have been. The acting was exceptional, but believable and interesting? That’s another argument altogether. Cinematography and sound wise, I thought the film was excellent in those respects but again, those should be additions to the integral story of a film. I get why Hardy signed up though, what actor wouldn’t want to play a mob boss? Maybe the point of Al’s life in which this film was built upon was perhaps wrong for the screen and I’m sure most would have preferred Hardy to play Capone at his peak. This film is a clear example of people getting ahead of themselves when they first explore an idea for a film. This film could have easily been saved in the development stage had someone said let’s not do this.

Score: 5/10

Creed II (2018) as seen on Amazon Prime

Obviously a prequel will always outdo a sequel, however I found Creed II to be just as meaningful as the first film. Maybe even more so as Adonis Creed (Michael B Jordan) is becoming a father his responsibilities have shifted dramatically. He’s also desperate to fight Viktor Drago, a Ukrainian ruthless boxer whose father accidentally killed Creed’s father in a match decades before. Drago is tough, beyond what he and his coach Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) could ever imagine and because of this, it drives a wedge between Adonis’ relationship with his coach. Creed thinks Rocky doesn’t believe he can beat Drago but Rocky insists not fighting the bull of a boxer would benefit him greatly, after all, look what happened to his father. The character dynamics have shifted in this sequel, but the structure has remained largely the same. We kind of knew what we were being served at the end and the change in character was there for everyone.

Score: 10/10

...and that’s it! Everything I watched this February, you do not want to KNOW how long this list took to compile. Thanks for reading and see you next month!

ig: @ratingtheframe

Everything That Happened at the 2021 Golden Globes

The first two months of the year are finally over and as the days grow longer, we can start to see the early signs of spring. With spring comes summer and with summer comes an influx of movie releases, with the majority of films that were put on hold last year scheduled to be released in the following months in cinemas across the world. You know, cinemas, as in those big rooms where you pay to sit and watch movies from start to finish without pausing it? Gosh have I missed the pre movie adverts, comfy chairs and super wide screens. It's not the same at home and despite Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime thriving, we shouldn’t set anything in stone when it comes to the quality and accessibility of film.

Cinema is tradition whereas On Demand is convenience and usually choosing convenience over tradition does impact the quality of work being distributed. There are a bunch of films on streaming platforms that would be too inappropriate for cinemas, seeing as they lack a cinematic or dramatic feel to them to be good enough for a big screen. This allows mediocre to downright awful films to find an audience via streaming platforms. All well and good, seeing as these platforms are great exposure for upcoming filmmakers but at the same time it's a capitalistic system that puts views above the quality of content. It doesn’t matter if what you’re watching on Netflix is bad, they just want you to keep coming back for more. This can be said for mainstream cinema too, but to a lesser degree seeing as cinemas typically release around 68 movies per month, whereas Netflix has the ability to add up to 200 releases on their platform per month. It makes perfect sense that Netflix has the viewers that it does, as we can see that it releases almost twice the content of cinemas per month. For the avid cinephiles, this leaves us wanting a lot more as we’re only able to enjoy maybe one or two films a month from online streaming services, because the quality is so inconsistent. I hope that cinemas open soon so that I can relax knowing that the film I’ve paid money for will be of a good quality.

Speaking of good quality films, Chloé Zhao, director of Nomadland (2021) became the second woman in the 78 year history of the Golden Globes to win an award for directing. This is an exceptional triumph and from the moment I saw Nomadland, I knew that it would have an incredible impact on awards circuits this year. Nomadland also won Best Picture, which proves something that up and coming filmmakers may need to start getting their heads around. People may not necessarily be gravitating towards cinema for a chance of escapism any more. I thoroughly believe those days are behind us, buried in the 70s and 80s with films that defied the laws of filmmaking and went to extreme lengths to serve us an entire universe that we couldn’t even comprehend. However, as the world grows more fragile and people start to realise the fragility of life, we want to connect with one another authentically and realistically.

The way that film can do this is by showing our real selves on screen, showing our pain, redemption, emotions, fear, honesty, laughter, race, gender, humanity, darkest secrets and biggest dreams using the backdrop of cinema to sell us a story. People want films that are honest and are a reflection of humanity as well as the current society we’re living in. Not necessarily “a slice of life”, but a slice of humanity that we never see because it’s never impacted us directly, yet we still want to be made to feel like it has through film. That’s the key to success in any film, making the viewer feel like they’ve experienced something on screen even when they haven’t. If the film is too far away from our own psyche or humanity, we switch off, as we can no longer relate or even want to relate to something so obtuse and boring. Nomadland was the complete opposite to this theory, bringing us humanity in all its glory; its sadness and pure emotion that affects millions everyday, especially in such a time when loneliness is rife.

This is why Mank (2020) lost out. In a time where the world is in a sensitive disposition, Mank came as ineffective to the world of film. Though triumphant in it’s making, the film proves the fundamental foundation of film that Mank failed to do; have a good story. Mank just wasn’t the story people wanted or needed to see and one can appreciate a filmmaker’s efforts to make films but at the end of the day, the story is truly the only thing that’ll carry a film and if it's uninteresting and impersonal, people switch off. And they clearly did, seeing as Mank lost out to all SIX of its nominations. Less is more, I suppose, seeing as Nomadland won two out of four awards, including the top prize of Best Picture. David Fincher even took a shot every time he lost a category. Better luck next time.Other snubs included Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman (2021) starring Carey Mulligan ,which was released on VOD last month. The film was nominated for four prizes and I suppose the lack of release in cinemas worldwide or at a Film Festival meant the lack of hype for the film. Regina King’s One Night In Miami...failed to pick up a prize, having been nominated for three awards. King shouldn’t be too disheartened, seeing as her debut definitely got her the recognition she deserved.

Aaron Sorkin most notably won Best Screenplay for his amazing picture, The Trial of the Chicago 7. I had the fortune of catching this in cinemas and the musicality of this screenplay was unreal. An incredibly authentic, riveting and honest piece of work, I believe we can safely say that Aaron Sorkin is the greatest writer for cinema and TV in our day and age. Sorkin is used to being showered with accolades, from Primetime Emmys with The West Wing, to an Oscar with David Fincher’s The Social Network.

The late Chadwick Boseman was honoured in full glory, having won the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role as Levee in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. An exceptional performance that reeks with Oscar success, Boseman is the first actor to be awarded the prize posthumously.

What’s also to be noted is the amount of British nominees and winners at this year’s ceremony. It seems like the American Film & TV market is wide open for Brits, seeing as Emma Corrin, Josh O'Connor, Daniel Kaluuya, Sacha Baron Cohen, Rosamund Pike, John Boyega and Anya Taylor Joy all won awards for acting. Helen Bonham Carter, Olivia Coleman, Vanessa Kirby, Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman, Antony Hopkins, Dev Patel, James Corden, Hugh Grant, Jodie Comer, Lilly Collins and Nicolas Hoult all received nominations and were all born in the UK. The Crown in particular just seems to be getting more successful with each year and despite its controversy, the show has won Netflix 7 Golden Globes and 10 Emmys. What does this tell us about our actors and their ability in comparison to our friends overseas? Is it just a stroke of luck that the majority of actors who won this year are British or are we doing something different? Only time will tell as more British actors begin to be recognised for their flare over in the US.

If anything, we’ve learnt that The Golden Globes is for everyone. Anyone can win an award despite their background as long as those who control the awards ceremony are willing to give a variety of films a chance, not just ones directed by David Fincher. Nomadland is certainly an underdog for cinema, one that may not have done as well had other films been released last year. COVID-19 created space for this film to be seen and has truly been taken in as a work of art, proving that films of the same kind deserve to be seen in the up and coming future. British actors can and have made it big in Hollywood and it seems like American audiences welcome them with open arms. Sacha Baron’s Cohen’s humour in Borat Subsequent MovieFilm wasn’t unrequited, seeing as it won Best Musical / Comedy at this year’s award season, meaning every moment of that film (incriminating or not) WAS WORTH IT. Even though Regina King and Emerald Fennell lost out on their respective films, their work has been courageous and profound in helping to give space to women in the film industry. The fact that they were even nominated along with Chloé Zhao, was an achievement in itself and has women like me looking up to the success of these three women and realising that I could have the same shot. Mank came at the wrong time, and though good visually, it lacked a beating heart that the Golden Globes could identify with enough to give it at least one award. Soul was named Best Animation Feature Film of the year, also winning an award for music with a beautiful score by Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor and Jon Batiste. The Queen’s Gambit also reigned supreme, as Anya Taylor Joy won Best Actress for a performance in a mini series / tv film and the overall series won Best Television Mini Series / Television Film.

This has to be the best Golden Globes I’ve ever witnessed. Not only did it champion diversity in the film categories, British Actors and female directors, it actually gave consumers as well as judges, something that actually wanted, which was to see underdogs thrive in an environment that’s usually laid bare for the same characters. Let’s keep this up for the next ceremony !

ig @ratingtheframe

A strong performance from Rosamund Pike that we haven’t seen in years - I Care A Lot REVIEW

Bold and punchy, I Care A Lot has A LOT to offer including Rosamund Pike as a head strong and cutthroat entrepreneur with a questionable business adventure.

If someone were to ask me what my thoughts on Rosamund Pike are, I'd immediately drawn my attention to her performance in David Fincher’s Gone Girl as Amy Dunne; a vicious and vivacious sociopath who frames her husband for her own death. That was 7 years ago though and since then Rosamund Pike has had various other lead roles and TV appearances, playing Marie Curie in her biopic Radioactive (2019) and war correspondent Marie Colven in the Golden Globe Nominated picture A Private War (2018). Both roles were notable and had some significance in Pike’s ongoing career, however neither matched that of her latest role in this boldly told tale.

Marla Grayson is first introduced to us physically in a courtroom. I say physically as the film opens with an intriguing montage that’s plagued by an unnecessary V.O monologue from Marla. There are a few elements to this film that do more harm than good such as this V.O, but for now, Marla Grayson is in the midst of battling a man whose mother has been legally put into her care. Marla is cunning from the get go, her face framed with a sharply trimmed bob and lips lined with red lipstick. From the outsiders view, she appears sincere, loving even, talking well of her patient and the defendant’s mother that comes across as caring. Caring a lot in fact. The judge (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) sympathises with her, almost brandishing her as some saviour when surely the man would know what’s best for his own mother. But because Marla has a winning smile, perfect teeth and isn’t a man, the judge grants her full “custody” of the man’s mother.

This idea that Marla gets away with what she does because of who she is biologically, is highlighted after the ceremonial court hearing, when the man whose mother she’s taking care of bombards her on the street with vulgar threats. Marla remains grounded in this, almost too grounded for my liking as she spouts some on the nose dialogue about the man’s shame at losing to a woman. Though true, this moment could’ve been constructed in a more subtle way instead of referring directly to both their genitalia.

What we begin to establish is Marla’s business adventures as a woman who virtually cons the elderly out of their assets and forces them into care homes with high monthly bills. Once they’re imprisoned in these homes, Marla and her sidekick Fran (Eiza González) cash in on everything her clients own. Now despite the horror of such an act, it's extremely hard to dislike Marla and the way in which she conducts her business, which in itself is horrific seeing as she exploits the elderly with zero conscience. And that’s also the reason why Marla has been able to get away with so much, practically building an entire empire off the backs of those who can be manipulated the easiest. She’s successful in her work until she decides to prey on Jennifer (two time Oscar winner Dianne Weist) a seemingly independent and healthy woman until Marla brands her unfit to take care of herself, using a phoney doctor to prove it who advises the court that Jennifer be taken into Marla’s care. Jennifer is what Marla labels a cherry, someone who’s very rich, without any family or friends who could intervene or vouch for her. Marla decides to take her pick but clearly hasn’t done her homework as a few days later when Fran is redecorating Jennifer’s home, an unknown man comes knocking on the door to pick up Jennifer.

Turns out Jennifer isn’t as lonely as Marla thinks and the decision to force Jennifer into her care has disastrous consequences. Marla goes from thinking Jennifer is a cherry to learning that she’s a spider’s web, with attachments not only to a real family but also the Russian Mafia. Her son (Peter Dinklage) not only wants his mother out of Marla’s care but also for someone to pay for putting her there in the first place...

I Care A Lot started off terrifically. Rosamund Pike certainly controlled the playing field, scoring frequently in her performance as calculated and cold. It was a refreshing reminder of her role in Gone Girl whilst also allowing us to appreciate Pike as a stand alone actor who approaches her roles with ingenuity and flare. Her and González made a great on screen pairing and did a great deal in trying to tell this story with patience and truth. However, the on the nose dialogue that kept making a frequent appearance and the way the story lost itself by the end were two grating parts to this film. Not only that, but the film's finale felt rushed and out of tune to the rest of the story and setting that first gave us the film. There was certainly a huge genre flip by the end of the film that hadn’t been set up properly and if anything, left me rolling my eyes. It's a shame to say seeing as the performances of all actors in this film were truthful and grounded, despite the majority of the story being structured in an unsatisfactory way. An abundance of cliches that fall into action genres withheld the film’s potential and had me placing it in the box of films that aren’t worth watching. I praise the film’s well written, three dimensional characters and stylistic storytelling however the story itself lacked refinement and authenticity.

Rosamund Pike didn’t disappoint in I Care A Lot and had me caring a lot about her, just not the rest of the film.

I Care A Lot is available to watch on Amazon Prime now,

#i care a lot #rosamund pike #peter dinklage #eiza gonzalez #amazon prime video #new movies #movies 2021 #cinema #movie reviews

10 Films to watch this Valentine’s Day if you’re single as hell.

If anyone or anything is making you feel worthless on the Capitalist Holiday that is Valentine’s Day because you’re single AF, then don’t fret because it means one of two things;

You’re happy enough with yourself to not need anyone else.

You’re allergic to people.

Though mine is both the former and the latter, I can still get down to a good romance movie now and again. Now I’m not talking about those horrendous rom coms that Netflix seems to be churning out every damn minute, but those emotionally invested, earthy and well written dramas that has you ugly crying into your bathrobe for 17 minutes straight (me at the end of Her.). Here is a compiled list of some of the best romance films I’ve seen over the years and how each one doesn’t showcase an abundance of clichés and brands them as “acts of love”.

A Star is Born (2018 or 1953, take your pick)

I’ve found that both the 1953 version of A Star is Born with Judy Garland and the 2018 newer version to be a perfect and well rounded love story. What makes this love story so fierce is the vulnerabilities and downfall of its characters, which even though there are many sad moments, it perpetuates and strengthens the acts of love shown in the film. Both versions are similar in that they follow a woman who’s rise to fame as a performer becomes overshadowed by her jealous partner, who is also a notable celebrity. In the 2018 version starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, Gaga’s character Ally is helped by a country singer, Jackson Maine to become a successful singer and icon amongst the music industry. As she rises, Jackson falls and the character dynamics and intensity between them is a fitting love story. I was thoroughly bawling at the end and I guarantee you will too as Lady Gaga’s rendition of Love Again was the true scene stealer of the film.

Call me by your name (2017)

I have an incredible bias towards this film and it has nothing to do with the film’s context or characters or even Timothée Chalamet The reason why I feel so connected to this film and proclaim it as my favourite film of all time is because of when I watched the film. It’s almost like seeing a film about a political event right after it's happened; you have this rush and connection towards something that’s actually affected you in the real world. I had the same feeling with Call me by your name after going through a rough and confusing patch whilst trying to get over someone I thought I truly loved. Turns out I didn’t (thank god) and yet Call me your name was almost like a shoulder to cry on. It’s a film that’s taught me to love and love hard but most importantly, not beat yourself up or try to distinguish the pain felt by true love. If you haven’t been fortunate to catch this beauty of a film, it follows two men, Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) and their brief relationship in the summer of 1983 in Northern Italy. 17 year old Elio lives with his parents and his father (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a scholar who invites students from outside the country for the summer in hope of passing on his wisdom to them. This is when Oliver arrives, a handsome twenty something American who becomes the infatuation of Elio.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the monologue that Elio’s father gave his son at the end, explaining to Elio why he shouldn’t feel embarrassed by the pain he felt after loving Oliver:

“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to make yourself feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste”

That, ladies and gentlemen and all in between, is what love is.

Her. (2013)

Once again, another film about love that had a profound effect on me because of when I watched it. Her. follows the story of Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) and his search for a story using an A.I to help him write. However, after getting to know this A.I named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and hearing the way she adapts and shows emotions, he soon falls in love with it. Some may deem this as rather sad (which it is) but I think it speaks to bigger constructs like internet dating and letting go of people you loved thus diminishing the fantasy and world you created for the two of you. This part of the film got to me a stark way as I felt the pain of letting go of not only a person, but a fantasy, just like Theodore had to do in letting his past partners go. Her. is truly beautiful, with some great production design, cinematography and acting.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

The absolute queen of love stories would be Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a film about the romance between two women in the late 18th Century. Definitely not a narrative you see every day or one that’s been painted in such a way (pun intended). Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the beautiful and stubborn Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) and the portrait is to be gifted to a suitor of Héloïse’s from Milan. But instead of getting the painting done and sending it off, Marianne and Héloïse unexpectedly fall for one another at a subtle and well timed pace that had me gawping at the screen the entire way through. Slow, sensual and moving is Portrait of a Lady on Fire and I would definitely say is one of the best LGBTQ plus films ever made to date.

Broke Back Mountain (2005)

Ang Lee scooped up a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar for his direction on his adapted screenplay of Brokeback Mountain. Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) form a romantic bond after shepherding alone together on the side of a mountain. Once their time herding sheep comes to a close and they return back to their respective lives, it's clear that their bond is stronger than they had anticipated. They live in constant fear of their relationship becoming apparent to those around them, which leaves one of them taking matters into their own hands. A controversial yet extremely successful film of its time, Brokeback Mountain does a fabulous job of showcasing the consequences and despair of love using two of Hollywood’s finest actors.

Carol (2013)

It’s difficult to fully appreciate LGBTQ plus films set in the past as they mostly focus on the persecution of homosexuals as opposed to the love they wish to express. However, this was pretty accurate of the time and it's only very recently that we have begun to accept one another’s sexualities and genders fully so much that we play these stories out on screen without the persecution part. Carol is a film directed by Todd Haynes and stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett. I found them to be an extremely intense pairing whilst they unravelled as their characters on screen. Therese (Rooney Mara) works in the toy department of a department store when one day she lays eyes upon Carol Aird, a beautiful and elegant married woman who becomes the infatuation of Therese. Therese throws all caution to the wind in order to be closer to Carol and because of this and the 1950s society they live in, their relationship is doomed from the beginning. I was in complete awe of the way Carol had been shot and created into this sensual and rich drama set in the 1950s. From the costumes, to the lighting to the acting, everything about Carol held weight to it showcasing the devotion of a truly talented director.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004)

Usually I’d pass on a Charlie Kaufman film, seeing as they make no sense, however I felt that it was time I delved into this cult classic starring Kate Winslet, Jim Carrey, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood. It’s a really well made film with a clear and distinct message to it that’s represented in some phenomenal filmmaking techniques. The plot line of this film follows a man trying to erase a past lover and his memories of her get wiped away physically before your eyes on screen. It made me wish that I could do the same with people I’ve liked in the past, but the contradictory of this would be the trauma of eventually ending up with someone you had already met in another life. I haven’t experienced a break up nor felt the pain of one, though I could judge that this film tells that experience really well.

Moonlight (2016)

Moonlight is one of few films that I would genuinely worship if it were a religion. It's also one of the films that I outwardly shame people for not having seen, as it is truly a masterpiece and film lover’s film. Deep, emotionally connected, colourful, harsh, moving and eye opening, this film takes you on an emotional rollercoaster through the eyes of Chiron and the three stages of his life that have carved out his essence as a human being. Not only that, but he falls in love with another boy at his school, and when he does, he’s hurt rather badly. Literally. Moonlight is the definition of profundity and was awarded the top prize of Best Picture at the 2017 Academy Awards.

Loving (2016)

When I think of a truthful and honest testament of love, the film Loving comes to mind which is a fitting title for such a delicate yet strong story. The film is based on a true story of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga) being banned from Virginia in the 1950s for choosing to be together. If that ain’t a true sacrifice of love, then I don’t know what is. Choosing someone you love over your own home is an unfathomable thing and certainly shows the strength that this couple had in facing the judgements of others whilst remaining emotionally truthful to themselves.

The Shape of Water (2017)

The Shape of Water is a strange yet enlightening love story between Eliza, a deaf woman (Sally Hawkins) and a creature being tested on in a laboratory. Awards season went mental for this back in 2018, winning four of the THIRTEEN Oscars it was nominated for. I would categorize it as quite the niche film and wouldn’t usually think that such a film could be garnered with Oscar success. However everyone who worked on this film really pulled out the stops in creating an entire new world and perspective that has many layers to it, as well as an abundance of conflict and dynamics for audiences to lull over. The relationship between Eliza and the feared swamp monster that’s being cruelly tested in the laboratories where she works, is heartfelt and honest, which is strange seeing as Eliza’s virtually in love with a monster. The casting in this was outlandish yet it really worked as all actors in this melded well into the story as their prospective characters. It also has one of the most touching endings to a film I’ve ever seen.

And there you have it, ten Romance films for you to enjoy this Valentine’s Day. Watch them all at once, or maybe just watch one. Whether you watch it alone or with someone, it doesn’t really matter!

Lots of love

Ang x

A sensual and honest story from Zendaya and John David Washington - Malcolm & Marie REVIEW

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson brings to Netflix a black and white spectacle starring two of Hollywood’s most decorated actors, told over one night of revelation and heart ache between two people.

Whoever decided to put Zendaya and John David Washington alongside each other in a film deserves a raise and a big one at that. The two have been part of some of the biggest, most acclaimed pieces for screen and television over the past few years and in this story, their talent and purity for acting is blown up for us in all its details.

Malcolm (Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) arrive home for what Malcolm recalls as the “biggest night of his life” after having released a film that has garnered critical acclaim. As the two waltz into their sophisticated accommodation for the night, Malcolm throws us right into his inflated mind as a filmmaker, someone who thinks highly of himself and wears this trait as a badge of honour. Meanwhile Marie is far from impressed, dainty smoking a cigarette outside and offering an outside perspective on his righteous spiel about what critics will make of his film, to which Marie points out he’s complaining about articles that haven’t even been written. This is the first example of many where Marie is afforded the upper hand of the argument and soon begins to digress the fact that Malcolm never thanked her in his speech. This detail is what surrounds the entire evening as Malcolm and Marie go head to head in a war on who should have earned the credit for the film in question.

The most enjoyable aspect of this film (despite the well put together language and black and white frames) was the way it made me feel. I was often left torn between the paradoxical arguments that both Malcolm and Marie expressed to one another and shocked from the harshness of their words. The script was incredibly written and the word play, musicality and deliverance of both actors certainly drove the film to the end and detracted from the simplicity of the film. Though both actors were phenomenal in their roles, Zendaya totally killed it in her performance and to see her in such a mature role was a gift in itself. John David Washington was the epitome of his father Denzel Washington in the way he manoeuvred his selfish and inflated ego all over the screen. Not to mention the ambitious and god damn BeAuTiFuL black and white shots that tied everything together in making this an extremely praiseworthy film. There were a few sporting moments of comedy that came through and relieved the suffering of the arguments as well as highlighting the bourgeois element to the film industry. Malcolm frequently refers to a “white LA reporter” of which he expects to misinterpret his film and make it about race. A common inclination in our film industry, as when black filmmakers step past bringing us accounts of racism on screen, they are either overly applauded or accused of somehow abandoning their own race. Marie points this out very spitefully, reminding Malcolm of his privilege and lack of ability to relate to those who have gone through actual struggles because of their race.

Because of the strong language and dynamics portrayed in this closed spaced film, I was given the opportunity to really allow Malcolm & Marie’s words to sink in and think about the arbitrary behind the film industry. I am already a guilty member of this society by writing this review, seeing as films don’t actually matter and there are more important things in the world than misinterpreting Pulp Fiction. Yet still the argument goes in order to be an artist, you have to accept this part of yourself as a creator. I’m sure Levinson accepted this part when writing this film and it’s nothing to be ashamed of as Marie points out. There’s another example of how her strength prevails and I feel so lucky to be given a woman such as Zendaya on screen who is effortlessly vulnerable and strong at the same time in the work she does. This film truly made me idolise her and ponder her next pursuits in acting.

Sam Levinson is the son of Barry Levinson, famous for works such as Rain Man and Good Morning Vietnam. Levinson follows suit (but better) in his father’s career pursuits, having created the highly acclaimed series Euphoria, written and directed Assassination Nation for Netflix and helped produce Pieces of a Woman. Malcolm & Marie is the first film he’s written, directed and produced and with that, I believe Levinson has carved out a solid foundation for himself as a filmmaker, someone who goes leaps and bounds to rectify their opinions and emotions for powerful pieces on screen.

Malcolm & Marie is available to watch on Netflix from today.

#malcolm & marie #zendaya #netflix original #john david washington #bestfilms #films2021 #movie recommendation #samlevinson #euphoria

Spree, Pieces of a Woman and One Night in Miami... Everything I saw in January 2021

This year has started off unlike any other for cinema, as COVID-19 continues to ravage the entertainment industry forcing cinemas to remain closed indefinitely.

This means that we can expect releases to be pushed back even further, including the new James Bond film No Time to Die that was recently postponed for a third time to October 8. Disruption companies will start to make deals with streaming services as opposed to cinemas and the first ever virtual Oscars is looking likely to take place this April. Even though it’s been a struggle to find satiable entertainment this past month, the pandemic has given me a chance to look into a few pieces that on the daily, I would give them once over and watch something newly released. The majority of these films were surprisingly good and should fill your recommendation list for the next month.

Widows (2018) as seen on Amazon Prime

I would personally like to thank the curator of this month’s list of films on Amazon Prime. I’ve been waiting a long time to catch Widows and with good reason as the casting, story, direction and entire atmosphere of this film is other worldly. An understatedly brilliant film from the powerful mind of Steve McQueen, who continues to depict black culture on screen in an authentic and almost educational way. Originally a British drama series from the 80s, Widows follows the aftermath of the death of three men and the pieces their wives (Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez) essentially have to pick up for them. This is what the story initially felt like, a female narrative but one that is overshadowed by men, however by the end it was clear to see that the three widows had gone rogue and separated their husband’s deaths from their own desires. Which in itself is true perfection and the only sort of female narrative I wish to see on screen; one where the women become detached from the men. Daniel Kaluuya features as the film’s ‘villain’ and his performance is not only chilling but highly impressive. Overall Widows is the best film I’ve seen this year so far.

Score: 12/10

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) as seen on Amazon Prime

A 00s classic, The Devil Wears Prada was everything I hate about movies. If you’d like to know why this is the case, I’ve done a full analysis of the film's context in comparison to our modern society and the negative female connotations the film possesses.

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/640300635131084801/everything-wrong-with-ep-2-the-devil-wears

Score: 3/10

Spree (2020) as seen on Netflix

Spree was released onto Netflix at the beginning of the year and follows a man trying to get famous on the internet by committing some outrageous crimes, all in the name of followers and likes. I really enjoyed this film and the perspectives it took in telling such a story, whilst covering a few integral aspects of the internet space we know today. From the live stream moments to overtly egotistical influencers, Spree was made to show us the deep and dark corners of the web and the lengths people go in order to be validated online. It really made me look at Instagram likes for face value and how unnecessary they are to our society, especially when there’s so much to be learnt from things that aren’t on social media. Even though the movie was a little far fetched, it’s based on a true case of an Uber driver who in 2016, shot eight people, killing six of them. His motive is unknown, however Spree takes the form of a social media junkie looking for fame.

Score: 10/10

Captain Fantastic (2016) as seen on Netflix

A really heart warming and comedic film, Captain Fantastic journeys the lives of six children and their father living off the backs of the woods. After their mother dies, the children convince their father Ben (Viggo Mortensen) to allow them to venture to the funeral, even though their presence is unwanted by their late mother’s parents. Despite this, the seven of them decide to go anyway and the threat of the outside world draws a line between the life they built in the woods and the one people think they should be living. This is 100% the best film I’ve seen Viggo Mortensen in, a role which earned him an Academy Award nomination in 2017 for Best Actor

Score: 10/10

The Perfection (2018) as seen on Netflix

Simple, straightforward and quite perfect is The Perfection starring Get Out’s Allison Williams and Dear White People’s Logan Browning. When a former cello prodigy and a current one meet, they begin to bond quickly which soon leads to them finding out that they’re more alike than they think. This film had a great twist to it and it was refreshing to see two strong female characters play so well together on screen.

Score: 10/10

Wonder (2017) as seen on Amazon Prime

It’s rare to find a film that is better or just as good as the original novel that it was adapted from. Wonder is the story of Auggie, a boy about to start middle school who was born with a facial disfigurement that sees him be treated differently to his fellow pupils. The book was originally written by R.J Palacio and has sold 5 million copies in the US alone. The film adaption is wonderfully cast with Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson playing Auggie’s parents and a young Noah Jupe as his best friend, Will. From what I can remember of the book, this adaptation didn’t leave any moments out and it certainly gave me the same emotional impact when I first read the book.

Score: 11/10

Pieces of a Woman (2021) as seen on Netflix

A highly well thought out film that had me questioning and appreciating the strength of women by the end. Vanessa Kirby gave us a phenomenal, unforgettable performance playing a mother suffering from the loss of her child. For a full review and deep analysis into this masterpiece, you can find my review here below:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/639926052006805504/vanessa-kirbys-oscar-nomination-is-in-the-cards

Score: 10/10

Tallulah (2016) as seen on Netflix

Whilst looking for her ex boyfriend, Tallulah (Elliot Page) impulsively kidnaps a baby and pretends it's her own in order to find refuge away from the streets. Certainly an incomprehensible idea, Tallulah is one of those indie ball breakers that satisfyingly answers the question of “what if?” within a film, without abandoning an integral and viable story and retaining its talent. Elliot Page, Uzo Aduba, Tammy Blanchard and Allison Janney play four, three dimensional and head strong women in this film whose own separate stories have just as much value as the immediate one on screen. Tallulah first screened at the 2016 Sundance Festival, receiving a positive overall response and a metric score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Score: 10/10

Saint Frances (2019) as seen on Netflix

The female made film continues with Saint Frances, a highly credible story written by Kelly O’Sullivan, who also stars as the lead. Brigette has no aspirations or life goals, until she applies for a position as a nanny for a couple’s young daughter Frances. Brigette is also going through an abortion whilst trying to get Frances to bond with her. What I found the most eye opening was the dynamics between the characters and appreciation the film had for showing a female narrative accurately on screen. Yet another indie, substance over style film that showcases unknown talent and a story that keeps you arrested till the very end. Saint Frances won two awards at the SXSW Festival in 2019; Audience and Special Jury Award

Score: 10/10

Your Name Engraved Here Within (2020) as seen on Netflix

This film is based on the 1987 lift of martial law in Taiwan and depicts the story of two boys who form a deep and moving romantic connection at an all boy’s school. With the danger of the other boys and the rest of the town they live in finding out about the relationship, one of the boys begins to publicly resent the other, causing friction in their relationship and the heart rendering the decision to never see each other again. Pace was lack-ing in this film and when things are so “soaked” emotionally, a slow pace can prevent the story from reaching its true potential. I felt this film was exceptionally slow and way too wrapped in its own emotions to have a full impact. The mixture of slow and more upbeat/jagged moments threw me off a little as I prefer to watch a film that is consistently slow or fast.

Score: 7/10

One Night in Miami...(2020) as seen on Amazon Prime

I have and always will be in Regina King’s fighting corner, praising her work and ability to direct. It’s incredibly impressive how she’s transitioned into directing and has certainly made her mark with this debut. This fictional story sees Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown meet and discuss their active (and inactive) roles in the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. Based on a play of the same title by Kemp Powers, it was such an intelligent and well thought out story that showcased some fine acting. The casting of this was exceptional as all actors looked and talked like the men they were representing. Regina King has been tipped for a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars this year and rightly so seeing as this piece renders award success. As I write this, Regina King has just been nominated for Best Director at the Golden Globes, making her the first black female to be nominated for such an award.

Score: 10/10

Don’t Breathe (2016) as seen on Amazon Prime

On Don’t Breathe’s initial release in 2016, the film scored highly with audiences, raking in a staggering $147,900,000 in box office profits. The synopsis and entire drama of this film had me on the edge of my seat throughout. It tells a very simple story in a thrilling way and the combination of these two things is what makes it credible to watch.

Score: 10/10

The Truman Show (1998) as seen on Netflix

A 90s classic, The Truman Show follows Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) and the unexpected way he discovers that his life is more public then he ever imagined...One of the most ambitious films I’ve seen in some time that radiates originality and showcases the well known talents of Jim Carrey. I wouldn’t say it's my go to or the most thrilling film from the 90s, however it is still one that beckons an audience for its otherworldly synopsis and depiction on the intrusiveness of one’s life.

Score: 8/10

Terminator (1984) as seen on Amazon Prime

One word; disappointed. I do not, nor will ever understand The Terminator hype and understandably, it was definitely a film of its time and one that would’ve been highly impressive in the 80s. However, I believe films should be good enough in their substance to have an everlasting impact on audiences, no matter when or where we watch them. Therefore, something like Terminator felt a bit...boring.

Score: 6/10

Pretty Woman (1990) as seen on Netflix

Pretty Woman is again one of those films that rubs me the wrong way for its context and how it compares to our more modern society. Even when I am assured that such a film as Pretty Woman will never be repeated, it doesn’t mean I can’t be angry at the fact that it was ever even made. On what planet did people think this'll be an acceptable and wholesome film to watch? If you’d like to see me tear apart Pretty Woman, here’s the full article on my analysis of it:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/640835880027897856/everything-wrong-with-ep-3-pretty-woman

Score: 1/10 (the one is for Julia Roberts’ performance)

Sightless (2020) as seen on Netflix

Netflix is becoming the grounds for hit and miss movies as each day passes. It’s known to be one of the biggest streaming services for movies and tv shows, but it feels like they’re still holding onto their old shows to give them any credit, like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards. The majority of movies it puts out aren’t always the best and though I can appreciate its support of smaller filmmakers, the entertainment factor can get lost with some of its original films. Sightless is one of those; very “netflixy” films (you know what I mean) in its telling and quite limiting overall. Riverdale’s Madelaine Petsch plays a woman who’s been left permanently blind during an attack and lives in secure accommodation of which she knows nothing about as she’s never seen it. The twist at the end wasn’t as impactful as I’d hoped and the pace dragged like a stick in the mud.

Score: 5/10

Ocean’s 8 (2018) as seen on Netflix

Now HERE’S a film worth talking about! Following on from Steven Sodenburgh’s Ocean’s trilogy emerges Ocean’s 8, that sees eight women steal a $150 million Cartier necklace from the Met gala. The cast in this is heavenly with the likes of Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, Anne Hathaway, Helen Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Awkwafina all playing the heists leaders. Its hands down the best, most diverse female cast I’ve seen in a film and would happily see ten times over. Every single woman in this film was phenomenal and their characters actually had somewhere to go and a collective goal to achieve. I don’t ask for much in films and Ocean’s 8 gave me what I wanted and more in its telling. Ocean’s 8 was written and directed by Gary Ross, writer of thrilling screenplays like Seabiscuit, Big and The Hunger Games (film).

Score: 11/10

Legend (2015) as seen on Amazon Prime

Tom Hardy shows us his mastery for acting in Brian Helgland’s Legend, that sees the British actor play two twins part of a British mob. Despite its violence and overbearing use of foul language, Tom Hardy radiates a god-like energy through his performance as there’s a clear and throughput distinction between the two twins he plays. A highly entertaining film that is arguably Tom Hardy’s best performance (despite the Revenant).

Score: 10/10

The Prestige (2006) as seen on Netflix

Christopher Nolan’s all star cast film The Prestige, takes us back to the 19th century and shows a rivalry between two magicians whose overtly dangerous tricks cause them to gamble with their own lives. Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and even David Bowie star alongside one another in this thrilling and mind bending story. Even though it isn’t the best Christopher Nolan film out there, it still shows his ability to create original and thought provoking stories for the screen.

Score: 9/10

Calibre (2018) as seen on Netflix

HANDS DOWN *the best* Netflix Original I’ve seen to date. From British filmmaker Matt Palmer, Calibre really shook my insides despite its simplicity and basic storyline. Yet through its clarity, so much drama emerges as the pressure mounts for two men who commit a heinous crime whilst miles away from their own home. The crime they commit is so unspeakable that they are forced to leave town but are stopped by the tight knit community of villagers who inhabit the town where the two men are rescinding. I guarantee you will not be disappointed or deprived of drama whilst watching this.

Score: 11/10

The Vanished (2021) as seen on Netflix

The fact that a 2021 film which relies on the “person never existed” storyline is a little tragic. It’s as lazy of a storyline as “it was all a dream” and proves that the creator of such a film wasn’t running with the best of ideas. It’s a narrative I’ve seen ten times over (Jodie Foster’s Flight Plan (2005) does it really well) and was left baffled as to why Netflix decided to distribute it. The acting was also pretty God awful as well and it was hard to see where the actors were going with any of their choices. They were a bit all over the place and I didn’t root for them in any way.

Score: 4/10

The Perfect Host (2010) as seen on Amazon Prime

By now I was getting pretty desperate for movie recommendations and took this one from my dad. It wasn’t all that and even though I thoroughly enjoyed the performances from the unknown actors in this film it wasn’t thrilling or interesting, nor did I think the characters were good enough to carry the whole story.

Score: 6/10

Ex Machina (2014) as seen on Neflix

I’m beginning to grow quite an interest in Alex Garland’s work, especially the way he combines genres and produces sci fi horrors in a sophisticated and well thought out way. He’s the writer of The Beach (2000), a novel that was adapted for screen and starred Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s also known for the screenplays 28 Days Later (2002) and Annihilation (2018), two other praiseworthy films. Ex Machina is a Film 4 Productions starring Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Issac and Alicia Vikander. It takes place in a remote part of the world where a computer scientist has developed a robot named Ava and uses a subject taken from his company to assess Ava’s behaviour towards him. The VFX in this is CrAazy and some the best I’ve ever seen as Vikander truly looks like an A.I. The way this was shot and twist at the end really tied everything together for me and further perpetuated the high standard of filmmaking that Garland possesses in telling us a story.

Score: 10/10

Inception (2010) as seen on Netflix

I have been avoiding Inception like the plague in fear of not being able to full grasp its storyline. And on watching Christopher Nolan’s spell bending sci fi adventure, I wasn’t left disappointed. Not only that, but I understood the plot line and can certainly vouch that it’s easier to follow than Tenet (2020). My understanding of Inception is that a group of people who create dreams implant a three layered dream into the mind of a businessman in an attempt to divert his business endeavours after his father passes away. It’s okay if this doesn’t make any sense because the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Michael Caine, Elliot Page, Cillian Murphy and Dileep Rao does a better job of explaining what’s occurring. The film scooped up 4 Oscars at the 2011 Academy Awards, for Best Cinematography, Best Achievement in Visual Effects and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing and Editing.

Score: 10/10

We Own the Night (2007) as seen on Amazon Prime

Another passive recommendation from my father, We Own The Night follows an undercover cop hunting down a Russian mafia on the streets of New York. Joaquin Phoenix stars alongside Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall. The performances and atmosphere showcased in this drama were excellent and I couldn’t fault them, however I’ve seen one too many films than run alongside a similar narrative to this one which is why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I probably should have.

Score: 7/10

Steve Jobs (2015) as seen on Netflix

I was left a little disappointed by Steve Jobs seeing as I know it's highly recommended and written by Aaron Sorkin. Initially I believed that Steve Jobs would be about his life story and prominence to success in the tech industry, however the film only focused on a small amount of time in Jobs’ life, which gave the film an unfinished feeling to it, almost like when you expect a film to be longer than it actually was. Anyhow, I really enjoyed the performances of Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender (who make a better on screen pairing than DiCaprio and Winslet in my humble opinion) and the musicality behind Aaron Sorkin’s words.

Score: 7/10

A Few Good Men (1992) as seen on Amazon Prime

The musicality behind Aaron Sorkin’s words is highlighted again in the screen adaptation of his highly successful play, A Few Good Men, starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. I would go as far as to say this is Tom Cruise’s best film and anyone who questions his talent needs to see this. Jack Nicholson was excellent (as he always is) and Demi Moore’s presence and character was really refreshing to see. The dynamic of the male dominated world her character Joanne is in and her strength was very clear throughout and despite the misogyny being thrown Joanne’s way, she persevered against any judgement.

Score: 10/10

Flight (2012) as seen on Netflix

I started off this month with a bang and also ended in one with Robert Zemeckis’ Flight. Zemeckis is a name you may have not heard of, but his past credits include the Back to Future trilogy and Forrest Gump. Flight DID NOT disappoint in providing the drama when a pilot goes under investigation after nearly crashing a plane. Who better to play such a character than Denzel Washington, who was nominated for a Best Actor at the 2013 Academy Awards for his performance. If you’re struggling to find something to watch tonight, Flight will fill that void and thrill you at the same time.

Score 11/10

That’s it for January 2021 and though I ventured outside of my comfort zone for films, I was still left highly unsatisfied by watching movies from a time before. Though they are important, past pieces aren’t always a reflection of our current society which makes them hard to relate to. I hope that next month streaming services will get their act together and showcase more diverse, new and innovative work for me to get my hands on.

See you soon!

Angelica x

Why Armie Hammer’s Scandal Is More Than Kink Shaming

The 34 year old actor has had numerous allegations thrown his way this past month, from cannibalism to an obsession with BDSM. But do these allegations go beyond a widely accepted community of kink lovers and venture into deeply rooted misogyny?

Warning: this article contains mentions of cannibalism and sexual assault.

For those of you who aren’t aware of Armie Hammer’s presence on screen, you may be scratching your head and wondering what on earth people are talking about, seeing the cannibalism aspect to this all as face value without making the connection between Hammer’s past behaviours and current allegations. The actor who rose to prominence in Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher’s The Social Network (2013) playing both of the Winklevoss twins, has become quite the favourite amongst the film industry. His role Oliver in Luca Guadagnino’s Call me by your name (2017) has sent Twitter into a permanent frenzy as memes and daily adoration for Chalamet and Hammer’s on screen romance continue to thrive even 4 years after the film's release. As well as Call me your name, Hammer is known for roles in Sorry to Bother You (2018), Rebecca (2020), On the Basis of Sex (2018) and soon to be released, Death on The Nile (2021). He currently has another film due to be released and a Call me by your name sequel in development. Sounds as if he’s got a lot going for him and despite him not being the biggest star to be churned out of Hollywood today, the recognition is still there and with that, he’s still being paid.

The Allegations

At the beginning of the year, an account emerged under the handle of @houseofeffie, that was created to expose some lurid and unpleasant communication between several women and Armie Hammer. Some of which he had relations with whilst married to his now ex wife Elizabeth Chambers. The nature of these dms are incredibly disturbing and worrying considering that Hammer not only has children but as an actor, spends a proportionate time around women.

These are just a few of the messages that were exposed that led the media to brandish Hammer as a “cannibal”:

Hammer:

“You are the god damned standard I hold women to in terms of kink and enjoyment of fucking the[n]...”

“I need to drink your blood, why the distance?” “...thinking of holding your heart in my head and controlling when it beats”

“I am 100% a cannibal...I want to eat you....Fuck...that’s scary to admit..”

“I’ve cut the heart out of a living animal before and eaten it while still warm”

“You were the most intense and extreme version [that I’ve ever had]. Raping you on the floor with a knife against you. Everything else seemed boring”

“You [were] crying and screaming, me standing over you. I felt like a god. I’ve never felt such power or intensity.”

“You just live to obey and be my slave”

“Would you come and be my property till you die? If I wanted to cut off one of your toes and keep it with me in my pocket so I always had a piece of you in my possession?”

“I want to see your brain, your blood, your organs, every part of you… I would definitely bite it...100%”

...O-kay. Lots to unpack here. First and fore mostly, I’d like to address the kink shaming element to all of this. I personally don’t see any harm in kinks, BDSM, pornography, as long as people are consenting and aren’t inflicting unsolicited pain upon people. Therefore, kink shaming and finding Hammer’s taste in sexual preferences isn’t what we are here to discuss. In fact when I first read the allegations, that wasn’t even my initially thought. CNN posted an article two days ago titled “Armie Hammer May Be Disturbed, But Is Shaming Him the Answer?” an opinion based article by Aaron Weaver that explores the allegations and believes Hammer shouldn’t be shamed for his kinks. But this begs the question whether Hammer was actually being shamed? I didn’t see much evidence for this seeing as people were mostly horrified by his taste in human flesh than anything else, a kink that is uncommon in the BDSM community and is only practiced by the most extreme.

Kinks aside, the most worrying thing about the DMs above is the way in which he views women and their bodies. It’s clear to see that he might not have much respect for women seeing as he proudly states his willingness to cut them up and drink their blood. And funnily enough, the sexual objectification of women’s bodies for one's own sexual pleasure without considering their comfortability is classed as misogyny. A reddit user made an extremely good point on a thread about Hammer’s scandal stating:

“To me, the problem is not that he’s into rough sex, or that he has kinks some people find scary. It’s not about yucking his yum, so to speak. I’m more concerned that he may have ignored safe words and pushed his partners beyond their limits. I feel like the media is focusing so much on his kinks and sexuality as opposed to his ignoring of consent, which is a complete and utter inversion of priorities”

Past Relationships

Another example of Hammer disrespecting the boundaries of women and sexual pleasure would be his past girlfriend Paige Lorenze. Lorenze is a 23 year model and former professional skier who has shone a light on Hammer’s worrying behaviour and his involvement in BDSM activity. The sources of Lorenze’s allegations are highly unreliable, which is one of the most frustrating things about this entire charade. The BBC BRIEFLY covered the fact that Hammer dropped out of his latest film amid the allegations, without fully going into detail about the allegations or the abuse subjected towards his former partners. It just goes to show we’re rubbish at taking abuse seriously enough to the point where people are punished for their wrongdoings. Had a more reliable news source covered this story, then it’d make it more viable to the public. Even though this scandal is in its early days, that doesn’t necessarily mean it's unimportant or should be swept under the rug along with the hundreds of other scandals that Hollywood refuses to expose.

Only the Daily Mail, The Sun and Page Six seem to have gone in depth with the accusations, making the entire story rather murky for the reader. Anyhow, Paige Lorenze said to the Daily Mail that Hammer had carved an ‘A’ above her groin without her consent and licked it whilst it bled. He had also reportedly tied her up and hit her with paddles to fuel his BDSM obsession and sexual desires. Lorenze was quoted saying 'Any man who is fantasizing about crushing bones, eating them, having sex with female limp bodies is a danger to all women'. Hammer insisted to Lorenze that his behaviour was normal, and that there was an entire community of people that carried out the same things he did on her. This is partially correct seeing as the global sex play market is worth over $30 billion, with practices in such activities dating back to the mid 19th century. However, the one thing the BDSM community doesn’t condone is not giving consent, which is where the fine line is drawn in between Hammer’s sexual preferences and the BDSM community. His choice to carve that ‘A’ into Lorenze isn’t backed up by a wider community of people who enjoy a variety of sexual pleasure. Lorenze claims he also DMed nude photos of her being tied up to people without her consent, further perpetuating Hammer’s lack of respect towards people’s boundaries. This is a serious incident, that sees someone with more power (Hammer is 6’5 and Lorenze is 5’6 btw) assert their dominance and by doing so, degrades and harms someone else. We shouldn’t be kink shaming Hammer, but shaming him for thinking that this behaviour is acceptable.

Hammer’s previous relationships can also draw some light into his lack of respect for women. He and his wife Elizabeth Chambers divorced in July 2020 after a decade of marriage. Though it's unknown what triggered the separation, these recent allegations may have something to do with it. Furthermore, two other women have come forward to express their distaste towards Hammer and his questionable fantasies. Entrepreneur and ex-girlfriend of Armie Hammer, Courtney Vucekovich, told Page Six that Hammer wanted to “break [her] rib and barbecue it and eat it”. She also expressed how easy it was for Hammer to charm his way through into getting women, especially young women into doing what he wants through “active manipulation and making you feel like he’s never felt this way about anybody.” Lorenze was also subjected to similar retort after reporting that Hammer too wanted to barbecue one of her ribs because she “didn’t need it”. Writer Jessica Ciencen Henriquez took to twitter last summer after a lunch date with Hammer and expressed that she had blocked him on Instagram. She later went on to tweet this:

“If you are still questioning whether or not those Armie Hammer DMs are real (and they are) maybe you should start questioning why we live in a culture willing to give abusers the benefit of the doubt instead of victims”

Exactly my point here. There’s not much to this scandal other than the fact that several people were hurt and undermined and someone else caused it. Someone who is societally above everyone because of their race, class, status and gender, with a well connected and dominant family support system.

His background and past

Hammer comes from a very powerful and wealthy family. Hammer’s great grandfather, Armand Hammer, was the chief executive officer and president of the Occidental Petroleum company founded in 1920. Now if you’re wondering the exact scale of such a company that is still running today, they are the 4th largest oil and gas acquisition in the entire world worth over $100 billion. ONE HUNDRED, BILLION, DOLLARS. Not all actors in Hollywood can say that their great-grandfathers were worth that much, which gives me little hope in seeing Hammer be held accountable for what he’s done. He was also kicked out of UCLA after apparently not “being able to do it”. Just another rich white male with enough power, malice and money to work his way around any struggle.

Now that we’ve established Hammer’s allegations, it’s worth looking back to see whether the signs of such behaviour were already prevalent in the numerous interviews he partook in over the years. Complex highlighted an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert from 2017, where the host brought up Hammer’s obsession with knots, to which he laughed off and claimed that “knots make sense” that they are a “language” and referenced how man used knots before the wheel. Valid points but ones that are debunked in light of his interest in BDSM. during a 2013 interview with Playboy (appropriate) Hammer expressed that his “sexual appetites changed'' when he married his wife and that hair pulling used to be something he enjoyed but could no longer do now that he was married “even though he wanted to”. This is quite the backwards comment when we’re talking about respecting boundaries and it's clear to see it was only a matter of time before his desires could no longer be repressed.

Since this whole shit storm began to travel Hammer’s way, he has since dropped out of the film The Billion Dollar Spy, which would’ve seen him star alongside Jennifer Lopez. BBC News reported that this move was made as Hammer stated that “I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for four months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic” following the ‘vicious’ online abuse he’s been subjected to. Hammer was again put in the firing line by Grand Cayman law enforcement for lying about a woman provocatively shown in a video was Miss Cayman of the Miss Cayman beauty pageant that’s held on the island. He and the woman were warned for their misconduct and had confirmed the matter is now closed.

Final Thoughts

There are enough red flags in Hammer’s behaviour to open up a flag store, and I would go as far as to say that this isn’t the end of it. For someone who’s grown up having the majority of things they want, it's easy to want more beyond morality and despite the discomfort of others. Hammer’s move to drop out of his latest film was an attempt to lessen the blow of hate being turned towards him as opposed to the benefit of those he’s hurt. So far, him and his lawyer have denied all allegations and further action hasn’t been taken against the Hollywood star. He’s apologised for the DMs and brandished his actions a “foolish attempt at humour”.

Wrapping his own behaviour up in humour is an attempt to detract from the severity of the behaviour itself, whilst excusing it, something he can get away with because of his status.

Major media outlets haven’t done much in even attempting to expose this man’s behaviour and have left it up to unreliable sources to piece together the true persona of Armie Hammer. Though innocent until proven guilty, common sense is widely available to the general public meaning we should be delving into the past a little and comparing it to these allegations. Along with Hammer’s character, family and unnerving Instagram posts of cutting up meat and eating raw steak, there doesn’t seem to be much in the actor’s favour.

All I would say is as a director, producer, writer or actor, would you feel comfortable in being associated with someone who believes they're a cannibal and marvels at the idea of drinking human blood? Or someone who goes as far to objectify women to the point where they become nothing but sexual fulfilment and pieces of meat?

That’s all I’ll say and those who do feel comfortable doing such a thing means that Hammer may still have a career at the end of the day. One point to Hollywood, no points to political correctness and respecting women.

#armiehammer #call me by my name #actors #hollywoodmovies #paige lorenze

Everything wrong with... Ep 3 - Pretty Woman

*sigh* *big sigh*. I’m back here giving you another politically charged review of a film I like to call a femmeçade:

Femmeçade /fɛm//fəˈsɑːd/ noun noun: femmeçade; plural noun: femmeçades; 1. A genre of films directed by men that forefront yet misinterpret the female narrative and representation on screen. "Pretty Woman is the worst femmeçade of them all in the way it depicts women as the lesser gender" (definition by yours truly).

I have to say, I have never felt more compelled, more angry in my entire life to write such a review and tear this film down until there is nothing left but the underlining, prominent misogynistic aspects of this film. I am talking about the 1990s classic, Pretty Woman starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. Now a musical, the film has survived three waves of feminism (if you count MeToo), and yet is still available to access for our entertainment. Even though censorship is less common in the Western World, the only good thing about watching Pretty Woman would be to see how vile and unacceptable it is in the eyes of our modern and ever changing society. It truly brought tears of anger to my eyes to watch such a film and see how its lead was shoved into the spotlight for a round or two of humiliation and prodding by the fingers and eyes of the male gaze. There is A LOT to go through here, so grab a snack and buckle in as I put Pretty Woman to shame.

Let's just start with the title itself Pretty Woman, a pretty lazy title for a film if you ask me. I understand it does what it says on the tin, like any title should, however the irksome thing about the film and title is what it’s selling. The lust and beauty of Julia Roberts as opposed to her character or story for that matter. Stood alongside Richard Gere in thigh high boots with her legs for days, months and years on show. We get it, Julia Roberts is a beauty, but why does a film have to focus on that sole part of her? By doing this it creates the idea that it’s her only asset and BOY does this film do a good job at reminding us just that. They’ve got the man’s vote and supposedly the woman’s seeing as the story is about them or who they’d like to be. WRONG, seeing as the crew behind Pretty Women were mostly men themselves. The writers, cinematographer, director, producers, best boys and gaffers, you name it. So who was this film for if it wasn’t to satisfy at least it's mostly male crew members?

Male satisfaction are the appropriate words to use when we are introduced to our leading lady in close up shots of her bra and knickers. Vivian is played by the highly talented and ordained Julia Roberts. Ever since seeing Erin Brodkovich which bagged her an Oscar in 2001, I’ve been in love with her spirit and confidence on screen. As we all know she is certainly one of Hollywood’s shiniest stars, up there with the elites like Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Angelina Jolie. Why she decided to sign onto such a film, I would hate to speculate seeing as Feminism was more of a dirty secret than a positive movement back in the 1990s. Many (mostly men, though women too, especially those in the film business) would accuse the movement of threatening the comfortability and fun out of life’s pleasures, like women wearing makeup, dresses and being groped at office parties (sarcasm). However, as we now know, feminism isn’t the demon that the 1990s tried to make it out to be and I hope that Julia Roberts was unaware of feminism back then rather than being a strong opposer of it.

Vivian Ward is a hooker living and working on the streets of LA, the city of dreams as some may brandish it. She lives with her roommate Kit (Laura San Giacomo) and between them they spend their nights trying to scrape enough money for their rent. I’m glad that sex work isn’t as scrutinised as it was back then and another arresting aspect of Pretty Woman is the way it depicts the so called “atrocities” of being a sex worker. The propriety and haughtiness of those who laid eyes upon Kit or Vivian was degrading and dehumanising, simply because they choose to lead a different lifestyle to those around them. It seemed so archaic, almost Victorian like the way people ogled and gazed upon Vivian at the hotel where she was taken in by her male counterpart. Pretty Woman again proves itself to be an anti-feminsit horror show for shaming women on choosing what to do with their own bodies and how they dress. We need to cut this BS out of society ASAP that women dress in certain ways to attract the attention of the opposite sex. Clothes are a form of expression and 9 times out of 10, that expression hasn’t anything to do with wanting to be leered at in public. Enough with the victim shaming as well; asking women what they wore when they were sexually assaulted. Instead let's ask what the attackers were THINKING when they decided to prey on an innocent victim....

One night whilst Vivan is looking for clients, she meets the so called delectable and mouth droppingly handsome male lead that is Edward Lewis, played by Richard Gere. I didn’t get the hype at all as I felt Vivan to have enough personality and lust for life to fill both of her and Richard Gere’s character. Edward Lewis was wooden, stern and boring, and despite this, Vivian seems to see more in him beyond her usual hookups. That’s another irritating thing about Pretty Woman. Edward Lewis didn’t have to do FUCK ALL to prove his love or worthiness in the life of Vivian.

He didn’t have to (nor did) change one thing about himself throughout the entire film and that’s not only extremely sexist, but shit filmmaking. Did the writer of completely forget or give up on Edward Lewis’ character arc whilst he was too busy making drooling over Vivian? All Edward Lewis had to do was wave his card around and POOF Vivian was at his knees. No wonder the 1990s shamed feminists because this is the exact sort of crap they were trying to prevent from happening on screen. It may seem like fun and games when Edward Lewis tells Vivian to go shopping, buy herself a new dress for dinner, but in reality this is just a fresh case of misogyny, served up with a side of degradation and bigotry for dessert.

Edward Lewis goes as far to hire Vivian for the week as his...escort? His actual motive isn’t known and we are left as an audience to conclude that it’s because she’s pretty. Again, selling the film title through and through and deminishing the worth of women with each scene. Vivian is never actually asked what she wants, nor do we get to know her seeing as Edward’s inflated ego and wallet covers up most of the screen time whilst watching this film. If you didn’t think this film could get any more horrific is the age gap between Julia Roberts and Richard Gere at the time of filming, to which Roberts was 22 and Gere, 40.

One moment in particular that proved this film to have zero substance to it, is when Vivian eventually gets down on Edward and to my absolute horror, her bra strap is INCREDIBLY and shockingly inauthentically loose. Like falling off loose. Not one woman in the world who chooses to wear a bra; not in China, India, Pakistan, the U.S, Ukraine, Hooker, doctor, astronaut, teacher, hairdresser or not would ever EVER wear their bra strap so loose. An impractical and uncomfortable choice, this tiny infinitesimal yet significant part of this film showed that this film doesn’t care or know how to show accurate female representation on screen and goes against any sense of providing women with strong characters they can use as role models. And all from one bra strap.

The shopping and transformation part to this film had to be the big red thumb that stood out the most from the eternity of this film as AGAIN for the fifteenth time this film has proved itself to be in favour of entertaining those who like to ogle at Vivian as opposed to getting to know her. Edward thrusts his card at her once again (without giving her much choice, a common behavioural pattern associated with sociopaths and abusers) and she goes to Rodeo Drive to essentially pretty herself up for him so that Edward isn’t judged by those he introduces Vivian to.

When Vivian had attempted to go shopping alone on Rodeo Drive in her casual attire, the female employees of one of the stores behaved abominably towards her, classing her as someone who didn’t have the means or appearance to shop in such a place. This film just got even worse as not only do we have the opposite gender dictating the appearance of women, we’re having our own sisters do the same whilst investing in the patriarchal narrative of the way women should be seen in public. At this point you may think I’m going crazy and repeating myself, of which I am doing both, however once you’ve fully taken the time to wake up and smell the patriarchy’s cup of coffee, there’s no turning back. These details become smoke signals that turn into epiphanies and realisations that have you questioning is this really okay? And a Pretty Woman is NOT okay.

Once Vivian has had her transformation (so kindly afforded by the dominant Edward Lewis) she seemingly begins to enjoy her new life as a piece on the side, until she is presented with Edward’s lawyer, Philip Stuckley.

So here’s what we have so far on our checklist of misogyny and anti-feminsit motifs to Pretty Women

A poster and title created in the eye of the male gaze CHECK

A female character whose worth is based on her desirability and propriety CHECK

A mediocre white man who doesn’t progress and gets his way through charm, money and power CHECK

Women who take unkindly to other women because they don’t fit the normalised standards of the patriarchy CHECK

Shaming women for their dress sense and career choices CHECK

Lack of women in general, most of which don’t speak throughout the film CHECK

The list could go on but another motif to add to the list from this film that acts as big shiny wrecking ball that smashes up feminism and leaves its values in the dust is sexual assault. Or attempted sexual assault at that, as when we see Phillip Stuckley’s first interaction with Vivian he says right out that he knows she’s a hooker, whilst running the edge of his sunglasses down Vivian’s arm and suggesting they get together after Edward’s demise back to wherever he came from. EW, this was one of the many moments of the film where I had to swallow my vomit. Phillip attempts to rape Vivian back at Edward’s penthouse suite, when luckily Edward comes in to stop it happening, which was the most decent thing he did the entire film. Edward’s lawyer represented a hoard of men that existed back then and now who feel entitled to a woman’s body, hooker or not. Even though Pretty Woman had dug itself a big enough hole, by the time I got to this part of the film I had been sold on the idea that this film is completely out of line with women’s liberation and empowerment. It’s just one big game to prod and poke at women, seeing how far they can go, which in itself is a metaphor for sexual assault.

I’ll wrap up on the lack of diversity in Pretty Women. Because the world affords white men and women more luxuries and privileges than people of colour, they were at the forefront of this story whilst black and asian minorities were put in the background as butlers, maids and chauffeurs. It makes me so angry that on top of being a whirlwind of misogyny and sexism that such a film would have the audacity to misrepresent minorities entirely and highlight their so called use as servicing white people. IT. IS. GETTING. OLD.

Hopefully you’ve made it to the end of this “review” (kinda) and seen the damaging implications such a film has on our society. On reading Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and Other Lies curated by Scareltt Curtis, I read that “Books and things reflect what’s happening in the world, Hollywood movies DICTATE IT and MOULD what people think”.

You may think movies don’t matter or a film of the 1990s doesn’t matter, but if we are to learn from our mistakes and progress our movements, we must unpick the past and see it for how it was. Movies are our culture, our representation of what we’ve learnt or seen in the world. I don’t want to see women as sexual objects without their permission. I don’t want to see them being moulded by the patriarchy or by women who support it. I don't want to see women only good enough to be hookers, wives or mistresses. I want women to be the strongest versions of themselves and for films to buckle up and show that shit on screen.

Pretty Woman can kiss my ass and if it’s a film you like in unlike it. Pronto.

#prettywoman #julia roberts #richardgere #movies #hollywoodmovies #90smovies #romcom #cinema #feminism #everyday feminism #feminist

Everything Wrong With… Ep 2 - The Devil Wears Prada

Welcome back to Everything Wrong With...the series where dive head first into some of the seemingly okay-ish films and analyse why in fact they do more harm than good in providing us with satiable entertainment. Follow me on instagram @ratingtheframe for more movie related content and without further ado, let's get into this chick flick and see how far we’ve come since 2006.

If you aren’t aware, The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 “chick flick” originally written as a book by Lauren Weisenburger. I remember seeing The Devil Wears Prada as one of those grown up lady films, for mature women on tampon adverts who had wine on Thursday evenings from M&S and wore heels practically everywhere. My perception of this film and the audience it caters towards has changed dramatically after watching it and it kills me inside to imagine the popularity and praise such a film got back in 2006, an extremely harsh time for women and the perception of beauty standards.

The world was still getting into the internet, magazines and runways were adjusting to the 2000s and the way that women were viewed in the media was a lot more damaging than today. Former supermodels such as Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne have since come out and talked about their experiences in the modelling industry and how it creates unhealthy stereotypes for women and young girls to abide by. The ‘size 0’ and ‘heroin chic look’ has since been banished from the modelling industry, two expectations that were pretty popular in the late and early 2000s for models. We are witnessing a revolution for the modelling industry as they (very) slowly but surely are beginning to introduce more plus sized, diverse and unfiltered faces for their campaigns. We can breathe easier knowing that the only way is forward for the fashion industry and that very little people will stand for the mid 2000s ideologies that were pumped out to the entire world.

Back to 2006 and one of the year’s most popular films with female audiences; The Devil Wears Prada, starring the likes of Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt. The film follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) , a wannabe journalist newly welcomed into New York City and is currently on the hunt for her career. She manages to land a job at Runway Magazine, a large, corporate editorial magazine for women’s fashion run by the one and only Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), a devious, beautiful and highly successful media personality and editor.

So far so good as we have two tangible and likeable female leads. The opening sequence (one of the most important in any film) had me eye rolling a touch in the way it depicted women of the 2000s and seemingly created the idea that there are two sides to women.

The five or so minute montage consisted of the various women who are models at Runway, getting ready for their long day of work, right from being undressed to fully made up. This was supposed to be a contrast to how our lead Andy gets ready, barely throwing on any makeup and throwing on whatever she wants whilst heading out the door. When you put the way women choose to be perceived in the world at an opposition, you create this divide between women and further place their worth on how they choose to look. The stereotype of a ‘pick me girl’ arises from this opposition, a girl who actively shames other women for choosing to be more openly feminine in their appearance and actions. The intelligence and respect of women should not be based on how they look when they show up, rather how they BEHAVE when they show up. I just thought this montage was a little unnecessary and if anything, introduced us into a misogynistic world of 2006 really well. One point for accuracy, no points for progression. Everyone gets dressed in the morning and (often) everyone wears underwear, showing this activity on screen didn’t really add much to the film besides the pressures of women to look a certain way.

Once Andy arrives at the company, she is rudely introduced by Emily (Emily Blunt) Miranda’s current right hand. Now the entire character of Emily is again, another concept to this film that is left better in the 2000s; a mean girl and a VERY mean one at that. This world is already a patriarchal mess for women like Andy and Emily and having women join the bandwagon in showing an oppressive side to those who don’t conform to the female societal norms is non progressive. It was almost as if Emily was an investor into the patriarchy by behaving abhorrently towards her from the way she dressed as opposed to her actual character and qualifications. Please, let's not have women against women based on their desirability in the eyes of the male gaze. Emily has already become a clear victim to her own policies, as her lack of eating is laid bare to us as an entertaining gimmick as opposed to a cause of concern. Last time I checked making fun of eating disorders wasn’t chic.

Now the argument whether Miranda Priestly is also an investor in the patriarchy is a little clouded. Through her mean spirit and harsh words towards Andy and her appearance, she comes across as someone who is doing more harm than good by joining the patriarchal view of women in the 2000s. I found myself having to bite my tongue a little instead of calling her bitch because that would be letting my internalized misogyny get the best of me.

Even though Miranda is tough talking and spiteful, I really can’t blame her for it as a character. She is one of the strongest female characters I’ve come across on screen for both her strengths and flaws. Had such a character been placed in a Roman Army or Italian Mob, my views of her would have stayed the same. She is a strong woman with enough versatility and strength to face any situation. The way she asserts her authority in a funny and patronizing way is hard not to fall in love with and any woman who asserts their authority and relishes in their own power is already technically against the patriarchy. Her industry may be patriarchal, however her spirit is not and the things she does in order to keep her status is admirable. I found myself comparing her to the way a man maneuvers the world (again, internalised misogyny, working on it) which in some parts is the reason there should be more Miranda Priestly's in films. Instead of comparing strong women to men, with more strong female leads we’ll start comparing these women to other women.

Thank god for the zilch, overly graphic sex scenes in this film (maybe cuz the screenplay was written by a woman, but who knows-), however their is one character I’d like to address that rubbed me the wrong way and spoke for a big hole in the modelling/fashion industry that still exists today. Christian Thompson (Simon Baker) is this handsome, 40 summit journalist who meets Andy at a social event for a fashion designer. I admit he was charming in his demeanour but also overtly creepy at points. Andy and Christian bump into each other in Paris where he leads her down a street (his hand on THAT part of the elbow) and kisses Andy without consent, knowing she has a boyfriend. “Oh, it's just a movie” you’re probably thinking, but yet I couldn’t help but cringe at such a thing. Movies are a reflection of our society after all. He kisses her several more times until Andy gives in. If we’re trying to get films to reach audiences and affect them in some way, encouraging consent should be one of those things. Depicting such a madness on screen makes my rolls right to the back of my head and speaks for the entire society behind the modelling and fashion industry; a society run by men who can do what they like with or without consent. Though the wellbeing of Andy wasn’t in imminent danger, I felt Christian Thompson as a character to be a representation of those in the fashion industry who take advantage of women because of their status and so called connections. No more of this please!

Andy has a transformation a little later into the film, a concept that we thought had been left in the patriarchy trash can, but quickly emerged in Debby Ryan’s Insatiable (2018). Lasting only 2 seasons from 2018-19, the Netflix series followed Patty Bladell who gets afforded niceties and respect after she loses weight and becomes a “hot girl”. The show was created by Lauren Guissis based on an article about a (male) Pageant Guru who tells women how they can become pageant queens for a small fee...EW. The fact that such a show got picked up in a day and age that was beginning to open up to body positivity and more inclusivity in the media, the show was insensitive to its current surroundings.

This same “ugly duckling” transformation isn’t something new or old apparently, with the one in The Devil Wears Prada being one of the least progressive moments of the film. Now that Andy looked like she could work at Runway, somehow she was working a lot better at Runway and was being afforded privileges she didn’t get before her new haircut. Is this the message we want to send out to the world anymore? That in order to get a one up in life, all you need is new clothes and better make up skills? Of course, glo ups can be fun but the purest, healthiest form of a glow up comes from within.

A tiring cliché that “beauty comes from within” but one that makes a lot of sense and something I experienced in my mid teens. Having never experienced male validity or the feeling of desirability, once I began to believe I was beautiful on the outside, others began to notice, because they could read the confidence and self worth I had from my outward energy. An energy that can’t be felt beyond a face tuned Instagram picture. Beauty can be an energy as well as a look and had Andy embraced this more and rejected the passing comments people made at her, it would have taught us that one doesn’t have to conform in order to be respected. On the other hand, I don’t want to shame nor blame her as conforming to societal standards as for most women ,it’s an act of survival, to secure their places in certain spaces, with Andy being no expectation. A sad reality that a woman may have to wear makeup in order to stay in people’s good books, but a choice that should be discussed as opposed to shamed.

I truly could go on and on about the harmful stereotypes and implications of The Devil Wears Prada and it's sad, yet true similarities to the real fashion industry of today and the mid 2000s. It was and still is cut throat, with many models developing eating disorders, low self esteem issues and even substance abuse due to the mounting pressures of trying to reach perfection. A perfection that doesn’t exist seeing as the fashion and modelling industry alters their version of perfection every single day. I’m glad that by the end of the film Andy ditched Runway in favour of living a more healthy and truthful lifestyle, one that wasn’t swapped in ridiculous pressures and the threat to conform or else leave. Which she did in the end. Miranda isn’t a devil, but a force to be reckoned with in a world that is ready to make her feel lesser than herself because of her gender. I hope to never see such a film like The Devil Wears Prada, ever again, in a world that no longer needs this sort of film to represent the strengths of women. It's best left in 2006 and hopefully you’ve learnt something you’ve never thought about from this in depth analysis.

#the devil wears prada #meryl streep #anne hathaway #emily blunt #2000s movies #fashion #fashionindustry #badmovies #cinema #feminisim #everyday feminism

Vanessa Kirby’s Oscar nomination is in the cards - Pieces of a Woman REVIEW

Netflix just dropped one of the most heart rending and raw films this year so far, with Vanessa Kirby’s performance as a grieving mother, possessing Oscar potential.

At first, I was increasingly skeptical about what I was seeing emerge before me that was Pieces of a Woman; a tragic story directed by Hungarian director and Palm d’Or nominee Kornél Mundruczó. Vanessa Kirby is best known for her role as Princess Margaret in the first season of the crown, which bagged her a BAFTA trophy and even an Emmy nomination. She’s starred alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible Fallout and will continue to star in the next two films. But here in this role alongside Shia LaBeouf, we could be witnessing the real breakthrough for Vanessa Kirby’s career as her performance is labelled Oscar worthy.

Martha and Sean live in Boston, MA and are awaiting the delivery of their first child, a baby girl which Sean (Shia LaBeouf) hopes one day will be able to cross the bridge he’s building with the construction company he works for. The bridge itself played a significant part in capturing the time frame of this movie and was used effectively as a motive to show the lengthy passing of time. Not long after we meet our tight nit couple, Martha goes into labour at home, after choosing to purposefully have a home birth. A scary situation for most but one that Martha has embarked on in fear of being in a hospital environment. To this day, most women decide to give birth at a hospital to minimize the risks for both mother and baby. A sensible decision seeing as there’s access to equipment, operating theatres, medicine and doctors should anything go wrong.

And something does go wrong. Throughout the 10-12 minute birth scene, our hopes of Martha’s safe delivery quickly decline when the midwife struggles to get a healthy heartbeat from Martha’s daughter. She advises Sean to phone for an ambulance which he does promptly whilst Martha is mid labour. When their daughter is eventually born, all seems well when the infant begins to wail and the midwife checks her heartbeat. In an extremely devastating turn of events, Martha and Sean’s newborn stops breathing.

Martha returns to work promptly, a horde of stares following her on her way into the office. She’s clearly broken, putting on a hard exterior to mask her pain, whilst those around her haven’t an ounce of an idea of what she’s been through. I thoroughly couldn’t think of a worse, more aching situation to be in as a woman. Giving birth alone is one of most excruciating things to be put through, as well as the pregnancy itself. Going through so much only to have a tragedy like losing the child once it's born is hard to imagine and I believe Pieces of a Woman depicted this hardship in a raw and authentic way. Martha’s mother, Elizabeth (Ellen Burstyn) is adamant that her daughter should be working to seek justice for her grand daughter’s death, pinning the blame on the poor midwife who was present during Martha’s labour. This becomes the main bulk of conflict within this film and the dynamic between mother and daughter really shifts the film to a higher emotional level.

Now the only controversy of the film would have to be Shia LaBeouf's presence. An actor I’ve looked up to almost my entire life because of his performances in Even Stevens, Transformers and the recent work he’s done in Honey Boy and Peanut Butter Falcon. However at the end of last year, British Artist FKA Twigs filed a lawsuit against the actor after suffering from emotional and sexual abuse from LaBeouf, claiming its the “worst experience” she’s ever been through. Fans of LaBeouf, such as myself, may turn a blind eye to such allegations in support of him, however, reflecting on his past controversies may prove FKA Twigs to be right. Only time will tell as the lawsuit unfolds in due course. Shia LaBeouf carried a heavy and emotional performance throughout this film, one that was laced with violent outbreaks and unwarranted sexual advances towards his grieving partner. For a man who is currently being investigated for both allegations towards an actual person in real life, made his performance hard to swallow at times. It’s as if he shot himself in the foot signing onto such a film where his true character would be exposed for all to see in a deep and moving role. Abuse of all kinds is highly acceptable, whether you’re rich and famous, man or woman and I hope that FKA Twigs gets some sort of closure and justice for the experiences she’s been through.

I hope to see more films like Pieces of a Woman and more performances from Vanessa Kirby. At first I felt almost intimidated by her demeanour, for she is beautiful, strong and elegant in the work she does. However, as they say, if you can’t beat them, join them and I was with Vanessa Kirby through and through in Pieces of a Woman.

Pieces of a Woman is available to watch on Netflix.

#pieces of a woman #netflixfilm #shia labeouf #vanessakirby #movies2021

Everything Wrong With... Episode 1 - The After movies.

WARNING: SPOILERS ALERT.

Happy New Year Y’all! If you’re new here, this is ratingtheframe, a self started blog to help you discover the latest and greatest pictures for screen whilst highlighting some of the newest releases and taking a deep dive into the BS the world of film serves up for us yearly.

This is a new segment titled “Everything Wrong/Right with..” where I analyse some of your favourite or least favourite movies and tell you what makes them so good/bad. This is all my own (humble) opinions, so if you disagree with me, I would love to know your thoughts in the comments of this post or you can follow me on instagram @ratingtheframe.

I am not a professional film critique or industry specialist nor do I claim to be either or know more than either of them. This is all for entertainment purposes's sake and it’d be great if we could start a conversation!

“Disclaimer” over, let's begin the series with a bang. Actually more like a fizzled out firework that’s gotten caught up in the rain. The After movies. Ahh the After movies. Probably the biggest pile of crap I have been served in the two years of doing these reviews. If anything, the biggest audacity of this franchise was the choice to make a sequel seeing as the first film was bad enough alone. But to come out with a second, even worse film? Now that's BRAVERY.

A quick background of the films if you’ve been lucky enough to skip over them, After is a film that follows a “romantic” relationship between a bad boy college student and a young woman also starting college. Tessa Young (Katherine Langford’s lil’ sis, Josephine Langford) begins freshman year looking a little dazed and like a lost rabbit amongst the “cooler” looking students, covered in tattoos, piercings, dyed hair and barely any clothes. Her room mate is Steph (first time actor Khadijha Red Thunder, who is STUNNING), one of those cooler looking people in comparison to Tessa. Tessa’s first impression of Steph is when she’s making out with her girlfriend Tristan (Pia Mia) and already her mom Carol (Selma Blair) is not impressed. One point for political correctness and another for pinpointing relationship conflicts early on. Don’t hold your breath though as these points are easily replaced with an abundance of cringe later on.

The first time we are graced with the gaze of our bad boy is in Tessa’s room after she’s taken a shower. There we see Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin, pronounced FINES as he’s the nephew of Ralph Fiennes) casually reading a book. I have to say out of the two films put together, this is the ONE scene that was morally okay. Yes it’s a little weird when he tells her not to flatter herself after she tells him to leave, but there was a tentative spark between the two and Fiennes acting went downhill from this moment.

After some flirtatious exchanges and literature fuelled debates, the two end up getting it on in between gimmicky, reality show style music. They fall apart several times because of Tessa’s mum and her BOYFRIEND and then they end up kinda okay at the end. The reason I say this is because of course there’s a sequel! Wooooo- not. Like they couldn’t have wrapped up this story in one film...And of course WE HAD to know what would happen next, we were dying to see if the so called sad, depressed angsty Hardin (who’s immensely wrapped up in just white privilege) gets the girl. And what did happen next?

A new (male) director happened, a lower budget and the acting got worse. As I’ve watched After We Collided more recently, I have a lot more to say about it than the first film so here goes…

We begin After We Collided with...a monologue. Whoop de do. The laziest opening to a film there ever was and the perfect way to start a film such as this one.

Side note; the reason why it's lazy to start a film with a monologue is because it defeats and hinders the core aspect to filmmaking; showing not telling. By verbally telling an audience how a character feels or what they are about to expect through a voice over, is literally telling the audience everything. Exposition, i.e. the first 10-15 minutes of a film pre inciting incident, is the make or break window for a film. We need to know who we’re dealing with, where we are, what we can expect (foreshadowing) all in the space of 10 minutes. Not only does it have to be short, but interesting, or else we’ll just flip over to the next film. If this is a concept that is fairly new to you, I’d suggest watching your favourite movie and timing how long it takes to get to the first turning point of a film. Exposition should be quick, simple and bold, something that reels you in without doing much. Whether that’s the character dynamics or setting, there is so much in creating an effective exposition that goes beyond a monologue.

Nuff said, during this trashy monologue (Hardin’s voice is so funny btw) Hardin wakes up on a couch, somewhere, somehow, miles away from the ending of the previous film. It sort of appeared that he was now homeless (?) and at a loss since leaving college. When in reality he truly isn’t homeless and has a big ass house to go to and is just behaving like a brat. His so called edginess is shown to us when he goes to get a shitty tattoo of barbed wire around his arm. The epitome of a wattpad angsty teen, which is ironic seeing as After We Collided was made by Watt Pad Studios….there's a recurring theme going on here I think.

Meanwhile, our leading lady is doing considerably better than Hardin, on her way to her new internship with a publishing company (remember she was a “book worm” in the previous film, even though we never really saw her read much). This first moment with Tessa is something that I thought Hollywood had passed and that they were starting to mature a little. Clearly not, as Tessa’s taxi driver is a stereotypical big black woman being all funny and sassy and stuff...i’ll take back that politically correct point. There was zilch point of putting this personality here and despite her lack of screen time, it was offensive screen time.

Tessa arrives at her new job and sprints for the lift where she meets the STAR of our show, Trevor Matthews, played by the adorable Dylan Sprouse. I have to say, I was not a Disney kid growing up nor knew anything about the Sprouse twins, however after seeing Dylan Sprouse in After We Collided, I am quite impressed. He was the only darn good thing about this film and because Langford and Fiennes acting was terrible, it was easy to see that he had approached his role with some thought. Sprouse’s moments were the only good ones of the film as he was playful and alive in his work.

Now the next few scenes and moments are so poorly structured it is a WONDER that the film made it to the end. Tessa and Trevor, as part of their relationship with the publishing company, go on an excursion to some nightclub/bar/hotel thingy in order to get more coin from a potential investor...yeah I’m not sure either. The investor himself is Asian, yay for inclusivity until he starts speaking Chinese with Trevor. Nothing wrong with a character speaking in a different language, but it made it seem like this guy couldn’t speak English when I’m sure he damn well could. The point? I am unsure. Tessa gets “drunk” and ends up calling Hardin in her stupidly bad slurred voice. Hardin ends up throwing a tantrum from where he is and somehow finds out where Tessa’s at. Once he arrives, Trevor is changing his clothes as Tessa split wine on them and Hardin catches this whole escapade. Hardin and Trevor are enemies (or summit) and he gets super mad. Trevor leaves and Tessa and Hardin are soon left alone to their own devices which seamlessly transitions us into reason number 450 why this film is dumb. The sex scenes.

It’s true to say that sex sells on screen, I mean the porn indursty is worth $35 billion. But maybe, just maybe we should leave porn to...porn? The majority of sex scenes in movies put the female counterpart(s) at the forefront of lovemaking, creating this sexualised view of women on screen and their worth in how desirable they can be. Even in same sex movies, where two women commence in love making, it’s incredibly graphic and kinda unnecessary to watch. What makes this even worse is that the majority of these films that feature these scenes are directed by the one and only males of the world. And SURPRISINGLY After We Collided had more sex scenes than the first film. Now I don’t wanna make any SPECULATIONS but After 1 was directed by a woman and After 2, a man.

I’m not saying anything, I’ll leave you to make your own judgements.

To conclude my point about sex scenes in films, they should be used as a tool as opposed to pure entertainment. For EXAMPLE, a great film that times its love making extremely well and actually gives us something out of love making whilst remaining discreet and sensual as opposed to sexual is Call me by your name. When Elio and Oliver finally get it on, it comes at a point where us as an audience, have had time to organically understand and appreciate the love of these two characters. Them having sex nips it all in the bud and furthers our expectations of the film. There are only two sex scenes in the film, neither which are graphic and still have the same, if not greater, emotional release that we so crave in films.

Which begs the question if we can show two men/women/non binary characters on screen making love, without it being turned into a porno and can STILL get the same emotional release, why put actors in overly intimate positions? Is it power? Is this what the director “likes” to see on screen or feels like we need more of?

It’s an ongoing argument and for After We Collided, the amount of sex scenes that erupt from no where just becomes lazy filmmaking. It was a recurring theme to see scenes and moments pop up without any explanation, with the sex being one of them. It’s such a telling not showing move, because we know instinctively that Tessa and Hardin are “in love” without having to be shown them fucking every two seconds. It’s boring and old and one of the main reasons I want to make movies, so that After We Collided never happens again.

Let’s talk about Hardin as a character and the trash of a person he truly is. I’m not totally mad at Tessa because if anything, the way she’s been written down on paper was probably too weak to save, even if Langford wanted to take on a stronger approach. Hardin himself actually eludes a great deal of patriarchal privileges that you may have not noticed beyond his tall, dark and handsome demeanour. In fact, he could be the poster boy for white privilege even though he is portrayed as this moody and deep teenager with no actual credible problems to think of. His father is a CHANCELLOR of an Ivy League college (his own college) with a HUGE house, plenty of friends and a girl who would honestly do anything for him. Yet he still acts like a self entitled brat and acts controllingly towards Tessa and her interactions with Trevor. And for SOME REASON Tessa puts up with this BS because the writer of After We Collided thinks it’s okay for people to stay in toxic relationships, using Hardin and Tessa’s relationship to express this. Virtually. Hardin is in a place millions of kids his age would give their left arm to be in and he throws it all away for nothing. I understand there was some past history with his father (they changed the casting in After We Collided of the father and Hardin’s step mom, like did you not think we’d notice?) yet it wasn’t strong enough to deem Hardin a troubled character. There is no measure of trauma, but it felt like Hardin’s was poorly explained in order for me to sympathise with him.

So we have misogyny, white privilege, lazy filmmaking techniques, poor acting and an abysmal of a story. Anything else to top off this mess of an ice cream sundae? Cue in Molly (Innana Sarkis who seems a lot more down to earth than After gave her credit for).

Can’t have a crap movie without a mean girl because there’s nothing better about women against women. Conflict between women on screen is valid if it’s portrayed in the right way, but sometimes a stereotype emerges from this and is implemented into our society, through terms such as being “bitchy”, “a gossip girl” or a “mean girl”. These are things that solely belong on screen and I guess for entertainment purposes, but to what avail? You’d never refer to the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland as a “mean girl” mainly because a) she ain’t a girl and b) there’s more to her than being evil. There’s a lot of shallow connotations that come from being a mean girl and if there’s such a lack of female characters on screen as it is, making mean girls is a waste of a female role in my mind. She can be evil and strong at the same time, whereas it seems Molly is not.

She is dependent on this mean attitude to get attention and even validation. What’s worse is that instead of joining her fellow femme and realising how toxic Hardin is, Tessa jumps onto the same band wagon as Molly. This feud between the two girls is clearly over Hardin and no one wants to see two women fighting over a man on screen. They are soooo much better than that! And what does Hardin do? Sit back and enjoy it all. Tessa even has the audacity to call Molly a slut, a word that should never be used to describe a woman especially by a woman. You can visually see how this brings joy to Hardin’s eyes as he relishes in the fight that breaks out between Molly and Tessa. Though this dynamic is dumbed down on screen, it is yet another example of women being portrayed on screen as dependent on male validation . Shitty males in fact, seeing as the second movie completely throws the fact that Hardin literally used Tessa for a higher social status, in the bin. If anything, Molly was the hero in After 1, putting an end to Hardin’s game and coming clean about his idea to try and make Tessa fall in love with him. Bet ya didn’t think of that.

The fact that these films were made in such a day and age doesn’t give me a great deal of hope for the film industry. You may just think these films are a bit of fun, but entertainment is a business and what these films are selling is misogyny, white privilege and rubbish female characters. There’s no progression or innovation to After and because of this, it contributes to the stagnance of the industry and its ability to churn out diverse and innovative movies. Movies may not matter to you, but in some way or another, stories do. Why make trash when you can afford to create art is all I’m saying and had After taken this advice, it would have been marginally better.

ig: ratingtheframe.

#after #after we collided #josephine langford #hero fiennes tiffin #badmovies2020 #dylan sprouse #movies #cinema #moviereviews

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Prom and Mank: Everything I watched in December.

Cinemas closed again at the end of last month in the UK, preventing last minute releases of the year from ever seeing the light of day. Next year will be a crazy year for film, in both good and bad ways. With the constant closure of cinemas preventing new releases from ever being seen, the film industry will now have to place most of their pictures straight onto streaming services. Whether this is a good or bad thing is unknown. Despite this being a safer option to see the newest pieces for screen, it diminishes the cinema experience that has been an integral part of Hollywood for decades.Here are all the films I managed to catch this December.

Short Term 12 (2013) as seen on Amazon Prime

Starring Brie Larson, Lakeith Stanfield, Rami Malek and Kaitlyn Dever, Short Term 12 is one of the best films I saw last year. Simple yet authentically told, the story follows the fictional lives of children living in the care and the many personalities and conflicts such a thing causes for young people. My favourite thing about this film was the fact that the carers of “Short Term 12” had also been in care themselves, giving a strong dynamic between the children in care and the adults who used to be. It’s amazing to see a film with actors in it before their heyday, as all the leads in this go on to become Academy Award recognised stars. Short Term 12 was extremely sad and moving, with the performances being incredibly real and sensitive to the themes found within the film.

Score: 11/10

Mank (2020) as seen on Netflix

I have already taken the time to do a full review of David Fincher’s Mank, and since then have come to the conclusion that I don’t like the film at all. Despite the beauty and ingenuity that went on to create such a film, the story and subject itself just doesn’t belong in this day or age. A story’s relevance in comparison to its current environment does matter and this isn’t me saying that only political stories survive in our now political world. However, stories that focus on white straight males are getting kind of old, which made me zone out of the film from the very start. A great film no less, just one with an irrelevant story.

Score: 6/10

The Call (2020) as seen on Netflix

A surprisingly good film, The Call is a Korean drama that sees a woman get in contact with another woman over the phone who’s currently in the past. Both women lived in the same house and have been able to contact one another through this connection. A Falstaff like story, The Call is literally everything and more that you could ask for in a film. A clear cut, original narrative, flawed characters and some INCREDIBLE film making techniques that I’ve never seen before. The visual effects work in this is other worldly and if you’re unsure of what to watch on Netflix tonight, I would HIGHLY recommend this film.

Score: 10/10

Falling (2020) as seen at Curzon Bloomsbury

Viggo Mortensen transitioned in directing this year with a biographical tale between a father and son whilst exposing the rocky relationship they have as they both grow old. For a debut, I found Falling to be consistently ambitious, with great, authentic acting and a highly relatable story. There were only a few “lazy” moments when characters would talk profusely about the past in an attempt to allow the audience in more. However, these moments were probably the least necessary and definitely detracted from the showing not telling element that the film did possess. A strong debut and one that leaves me wondering what Mortensen will bring us next.

Taking Lives (2004) as seen on Netflix

Two questions; why was such a film made and secondly, why was it put on Netflix? An FBI agent works to hunt down a serial killer that takes on the personalities of his victims. A reasonable premise, but one that doesn’t detail the cliched, misogynistic and boring execution of this film. Again, another film that gives us a sloppy sex scene that shoves the woman at its forefront without giving her much credit for the work she actually does as an FBI agent. OF COURSE she had to be the one to get with the suspect, or else the film wouldn’t have worked. Can you sense my sarcasm? This film was boring and lazy and I am so glad we are no longer in 2004.

Score: 3/10

Ava (2020) as seen on Netflix

Ava is a 2020 boring and lazy film, that had way too much going on that completely f***ed up the structure to the point of no return. Every action cliché you could think of filled this film in abundance; the asian bad character, the father figure mentor who dies later on, the sister who resents the protagonist, the pushy mother and absent father, the fight scenes that commenced every two seconds. Everything about this film had me eye rolling and the biggest eye roll of them all is the fact that Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Gina Davis and John Malkovich are all in this film. Times MUST be tough as no one would want to be associated with such a film that scores an acceptable 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, had Ava been a TV series, they may have just won me over, as the clear and consistent A,B,C and even D stories were what overwhelmed this film. It was hard to distinguish what Ava’s goal even was at times, because the other stories were so prominent. Structure is the foundation of a story and without it, the narrative falls through and becomes a mess of a film.

Score: 3/10

Endings Beginnings (2020) as seen on Netflix

Sometimes I just want to give Netflix a firm shake and tell it to wake the f*** up. The fact that I watched three terrifically awful films in a row on Netflix just goes to show that needs aren’t being met on the streaming service. And AGAIN another rubbish film with great actors. I don’t even know what this story was about, but it had me infuriated at the lack of story and actual direction it had. The biggest audacity of Endings Beginnings was the director himself. I’m not saying that men can’t direct stories about women, but usually when this happens they end up being incredibly unauthentic and clichéd; just like this film! I could honestly see that the director was guessing the moments of this film as opposed to orchestrating them based on the protagonist. The dialogue was flat, the story had no direction and was just full of sex scenes. What’s the point???

Score: 0/10

The King of Comedy (1982) as seen on Amazon Prime

It was definitely strange to see Robert De Niro star in a film that wasn’t about the Italian Mob. Directed by Martin Scorsese, The King of Comedy stars Robert De Niro as a wannabe comedian, who goes to extreme lengths in order to pursue his dream. Sounds familiar? Well many have compared this 80s classic to Todd Phillips’ Joker, which would be ironic as Robert De Niro stars in this film as a successful comedian, perhaps showing some linkage between both films. It was truly refreshing to see De Niro in such a role and it’s cool to think about the continuation of this character into the latest Joker film.

Score: 9/10

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) as seen on Netflix

I can safely say that Viola Davis is one of my favourite actresses of all time. Every single goddamn performance she turns out, has left me with a lasting impression of the talented and sensitive actor she is. Her work is truly remarkable and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom showcased her adaptability and persistence as an actor. Ma Rainey was an American blues singer born in the Deep South of America in 1886 and went on to contribute heavily to the development of Blues music. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one of her songs, recorded in Chicago in 1927. The film follows that recording session and was originally a play by August Wilson. The late and great Chadwick Boseman starred alongside Viola Davis, as a trumpet player who feels held down by the band he plays with and Ma Rainey. His performance in this was only confirmation of his ingenuity and how Hollywood has truly lost one of its brightest stars.

Score: 9/10

Prom (2020) as seen on Netflix

The Prom received a great deal of backlash following its release onto Netflix at the beginning of December. It was down to the fact that James Corden’s character portrayal was overtly stereotypical and quite frankly offensive to the LGBTQ+ community, being a straight man playing a gay character. Even though I don’t condone stereotypes on screen, the one thing that can excuse him from such a thing is the fact that The Prom is a musical and everything in a musical is bright, bold and 100% stereotypical. Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman were also featured alongside James Corden and their talent at musical performance in this was highly notable. I love me a good musical and The Prom was originally a stage production that has transitioned effortlessly onto film with Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Ratched) as the film’s director. This film was sooo funny and the star of the show was Meryl Streep for me as she was highly reminiscent of her character Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada.

Score: 10/10

After We Collided (2020) as seen on Netflix

I plan to do a full analysis of the After movies and why they are crap, but for now, all I will say is that Dylan Sprouse was the only good thing about this film. Periodt.

Score: no score as it doesn’t deserve one!

And that’s it for December! Tune in again at the end of January where hopefully I’ll have a lot more films to show you.

ig: @ratingtheframe.

So 2020 sucked... but the films didn’t! The top twenty films of 2020 (in my humble opinion).

AT LAST. This godforsaken year is over and as we venture into a new year, let's hope and pray that the art’s industry finds a way to build themselves back up again, in a way that is safe and necessary for them to bring us the entertainment we so crave. It has been a crazy and unprecedented year for the film industry, a year that it has never seen with losses of an estimated $5 Billion at the end of March. Some of the most anticipated blockbusters of all time had to be put on hold and postponed for hopefully next year with No Time to Die, A Quiet Place II, Wonder Woman 1984, Dune and Black Widow being a slim few that never got onto a silver screen this year. However, there is no reason to fret or relinquish the loss film has had this year, as hopefully next year once we’ve had a better understanding of this virus, these films along with many others will have their audience. Amongst the postponed releases, many films have been resilient to the virus and still managed to gain a spot in the cinema despite the circumstances.

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet was the only multi-million dollar film to be released this year and even though the risk of release could have meant nothing for the film, it still managed to rake in a staggering $361 million, an expected profit for a film of its size. However, despite the film's success, Nolan made it clear that this shouldn’t be taken lightly and that the safety of film consumers comes before the profits themselves.

Even though we will have to be more cautious in the cinema, films will return, once we have regulated safety measures in cinemas and film festivals to ensure that customers can feel comfortable. For now, HBO has planned to put many releases from Warner Bros. straight onto its streaming platform as well as in the cinema next year, in an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID whilst still being able show the films we’ve been craving. There’s no telling what next year will bring, what the Oscars will look like or if filming for the next Batman film will ever end, however it's clear to see that the film industry has shown resilience amongst this pandemic and will continue to do so in years to come, no matter the challenges.

Here are twenty of the films that made it to the cinema (or streaming platforms) this year, that proved the durability of the film industry during this time.

20. Tenet directed by Christopher Nolan

We can all agree that Chrisopher Nolan’s Tenet should be handed the award of Most Confusing Yet Entertaining Film of the Year, or ever made in fact. The sci-fi epic adventure that sees its lead (named “the protagonist) travel back in time and then forward in time and then back in time again (?)... yup, I didn’t get it either, but I’m not the only one seeing as Robert Pattinson who played alongside John David Washingston hadn’t a clue what was going on either. And he was in the film. However, despite the film's confusion, it doesn’t make it a bad or “lazy” film, for every aspect of this film from lighting, sound design, casting, direction, stunts WAS ON POINT and those elements are truly what sets this film apart. The story may have been perplexing but at least there was one.

19. Nomadland directed by Chloé Zhao

It is such a shame that Nomadland may not get the audience it deserves due to the COVID-19 pandemic as it is a truly moving and rich film. The Nomads are a group of real Americans who’ve hit the road in various mobile homes after the Great Recession in 2008 caused millions to be homeless and redundant. Frances McDormand plays Fern, one of these Nomads and child of the road whilst the film follows her simple, yet melancholy journey across Western America. Chloé Zhao has been tipped several times for an Oscar with Nomadland after winning the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Let’s hope that if this goes onto the Academy Awards, Nomadland will find the audience it so craves.

18. Uncut Gems directed by the Safdie Brothers

YES, Uncut Gems came out THIS YEAR, which is an insane thought seeing as I saw the film in a packed cinema before it was released onto Netflix. The Safdie Brothers, Josh and Benny brought us Uncut Gems this year, a declining tale of a man’s test with fate and the many many second chances he gets at life, only to f*** all of them up. Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a pawn shop owner and frequent gambler. This is Sandler’s best ever role and the multifaceted, gritty work of the Safdie Brothers (Heaven Knows What, Good Time) really brought something brilliant out of him.

17. The Half of it directed by Alice Wu

The Half of It wins the Most Surprising Film of the Year. A highly credible film directed by Alice Wu, The Half of It is EVERYTHING we want and need in this world. In fact, it’s everything we kind of already have in this world, but hardly see on screen. Non white leads, queer non stereotyped relationships, unpredictable endings; The Half of It was an all rounder for me. Some may roll their eyes at the amount of diverse elements to the film and see it as a way of gaining brownie points, but why does that have to be a thing? Why can’t having active and authentic representation across all films just be normal rather than political? If anything, it should be encouraged. The story was brilliant (and made me cry) as it had so many layers to it as well as the characters.

16. 7500 directed by Patrick Vollrath

Definitely the wildcard of this list, 7500 is an Amazon Studios film starring Joseph Gordon Levitt. I’ll admit, my hopes weren’t high, but after taking the time to watch this film I was truly blown away. And who KNEW Joseph Gordon Levitt could be so deep and in tune with his emotions on screen. He plays a pilot whose plane gets hijacked mid flight. There. Enough said. I could hardly BREATHE throughout this film in apprehension of what was going to happen next.

15. Kajilionaire directed by Miranda July

2020 thus far has been the best year for female filmmakers. From Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Josephine Decker’s Shirley, Rose Glass’ Saint Maud and Miranda July’s Kajilionaire, a clear cut foundation has been carved effortlessly for female filmmakers this year. Miranda July’s Kajilionaire especially rocked my senses a little as I saw so much unfamiliarity yet beauty within this film. A simple storyline that follows Old Dolio (Evan Rachael Wood), a young woman trying to feel more connected with her parents. A certainly bittersweet tale that has this rose tinted like vibe to it that attaches itself to the visuals and music of the film, that make everything feel light and playful. This contrasts well with the story itself as being sad and melancholy, further proving the fact this film is more than face value. Face value films have never gotten us anywhere and its films that go beyond entertainment that truly last in the industry.

14. Bombshell directed by Jay Roach

Bombshell is a PERFECT title for this film; a film that left me angry, sad and questioning the immorality that is still prevalent in the mostly male dominant society we live in. Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman (best trio ever) star as three news anchors on Fox news whose lives are brutally torn apart when the Head of Fox News, Roger Ailes is accused of sexual harassment on many different occasions by female members of the workplace. Despite the silence being now broken, these three women still face a whole load of other problems that come in speaking up against a powerful, white and rich male. Threats of permanent job losses, victim blaming and a weak image are the consequence of speaking up about sexual assault as a member of Fox news. The brand itself has an incredibly misogynistic view of women and continues to have an idealised image of how women should be on the news with those working at Fox actually admitting it brings in viewers. Women with tons of makeup and dresses shorter than is comfortable is Fox news and Bombshell went above and beyond exposing this scandal that truly shook American broadcasting forever.

13. Borat Subsequent Movie Film directed by Jason Woliner

Borat Subsequent Movie Film wins the award for Most Jaw Dropping Film of the Year, as its protagonist and creator Sacha Baron Cohen, went above and beyond to show us the true dark depths of America. Ballsy, outrageous, jaw dropping, scandalous; every bold word can be used to describe this film and the lengths it went to get right to the heart of American society. The ugly heart. By now you should be aware that the ex president’s attorney was shoved right into the firing line after he was taken into a hotel bedroom by a reporter who happened to be an actor. Rudi Gulliani was left red faced after Borat bursts into the hotel room proclaiming the young reporter is his daughter, with Gulliani still unaware the entire outrageous event had been caught on camera. And not just any camera. A MOVIE camera. A true triumph in free speech and comedy, Borat Subsequent Movie Film will live on forever as the most outlandish film there is.

12. Miss Juneteenth directed by Channing Godfrey-Peoples

A real eye opener into current American society using a touching story between mother and daughter as a backdrop. Turquoise is a single mother struggling to get by and support her daughter Kai through the Miss Juneteenth pageant, held annually in Fort Worth, Texas. A real competition, the Miss Juneteenth pageant promises one lucky young woman of colour a full scholarship to a black historical college of their choosing. Turquoise desperately wants this for her daughter as it’ll give her the opportunities in life she never had. A truly moving and authentic film, this scored 100% on Rotten Tomatoes which is a highly impressive and deserving score.

11. The Trial of the Chicago Seven directed by Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Sorkin’s lyricism in words was again brought to us on screen this year with his depiction of the Chicago 7 (eight if you count Bobby Seale); seven men who were accused and put on trial for eliciting the Chicago riots of 1968. When in actuality, the police themselves had more to do with riling up the protestors than anyone else, even pushing a crowd of protestors through the front window of a restaurant to make it seem like they had vandalised the property. If anyone was going to make such a film, Sorkin would be the one to do it as with any event or idea he covers, Sorkin’s words as a writer MAKE YOU CARE. Even when you had no recollection or understanding of something, the way Sorkin depicts these events on screen has you absorbed into the story till the last second. An incredible and powerful story and a film that I could constantly go back to in order to learn about the injustices of American politics.

10. The Devil All the Time directed by Antonio Campos

I feel like The Devil All the Time still hasn’t got the recognition it deserves. There is something incredibly powerful and priceless about having a group of exceptionally talented people come together to create something for screen. This film wins Best Casting of the Year (if you don’t count Dune) as the likes of Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Eliza Scanlen, Sebastian Stan, Bill Skarsgård, Mia Wasikowska, Harry Melling, Riley Keogh, Jason Clarke and Haley Bennett graced our screens in this dark and ominous tale. Any story that is set in a small town and is about stories interweaving is bound to be interesting and thought provoking in it’s telling, with this adaptation being no different. The star of the show was Robert Pattinson’s thick Tennessee accent along with his clean yet filthy character interpretation of a perverted priest. Not one line in this film was thrown away and every single moment held a weighty tension, further confirming to us each character’s downfall by the end. An amazing adaptation and something you will reeeeeally enjoy.

9. Soul directed by Pete Docter

What was supposed to be Pixar’s second release of the year, Soul is Pixar’s most highly executed film to date. The amount of detail and care the animators and creators of Soul had taken to this picture is INSANE; insanely beautiful. With the black community going through so much this year, having something like Soul be put out to audiences shows support of this ever changing and growing movement. Even though having black representation on screen isn’t on the top of everyone’s priority list, it’s still important that the effort is there in order to really show what the world is like on screen and to cater to more audiences. Soul itself had everything; diverse, three dimensional characters, a clear and heart warming story and comedic, uplifting points that only strengthened the important message of this movie; life itself.

8. The Lighthouse directed by Robert Eggers

Again, another film that came out right at the beginning of the year, Robert Egger’s The Lighthouse was a whole new world that we had never seen before. Shot on a Panavision Millennium XL2 using a lense from the 1930s and black and white film, The Lighthouse was a decrepit, eerie and brilliant movie to watch throughout. It just makes me satisfied as a viewer when a director not only creates a film, but creates one that is so beyond anything we’ve ever seen and could likely have been made in an entirely different era altogether. Robert Pattinson KILLED IT in his role as a surly drunken sailor alongside Willem Dafoe, whose Irish accent was enviable. Overall a highly executed film that exudes brilliance and a creative mind.

7. The Hater directed by Jan Komasa

I would say The Hater is the second wildcard on this list. It’s a Polish drama that hasn’t had a lot of rep in the media, however, this doesn’t detract from the film’s execution and drama. A real downfall story that sees a jealous ridden man go from a media intern into illicting terrorism. Like, HELLO how does one go to such an extreme? The only way to find out would be watching the film...The film really spoke to the dangers of social media and the ease of getting someone to insight violence onto someone else, all through a computer. My mouth was hanging on the floor during several moments of this film and I can 100% guarantee the Netflix film will have the same affect on you.

6. La Belle Époque directed by Nicolas Bedos

La Belle Époque (or “The Good Times”) wins the award for Most Heart Warming Film of the Year. A surprisingly unique concept that follows a man trying to relive the best moments of his past after his wife wishes to divorce him. A company that specialises in creating your past memories offers him the opportunity to go back to the time when he and his wife first met, using actors, set design and music to recreate the moment. The French film emits a strong sense of nostalgia throughout with brilliant music and set design. It’s just one of those films that heavily expresses the idea of “what if” within a film whilst answering it boldly through its unique story.

5. Ema directed by Pablo Larraín

Ema took me a few days to fully absorb and appreciate as an experimental film, rather than one with a clear cut narrative. It's a film that expresses an idea, a feeling as opposed to a story which is completely okay and doable in this day and age. Ema is a liberating, freeing and psychedelic world of a film, with the message of the film being wrapped up in Ema’s attitude as a woman and the way she sets fires to things wherever she goes. Literally, as the opening sequence is of her setting alight a basketball hoop. There is some strong, vivid imagery within this and the MUSIC...definitely the best sound track I’ve heard this year. Ema’s in my top five for its uniqueness, rawness and the weird sense of liberation it gave me after watching it.

4. Saint Maud directed by Rose Glass

Probably the biggest breakthrough film of the year and despite the pandemic, Saint Maud certainly got the rep it deserved. An entirely new perspective of horror was brought to use in troves in the form of this Irish film created by first time director Rose Glass. I cannot express how brilliant and revolutionary Saint Maud was for its simplicity, story and filmmaking techniques. An ambitious and all round brilliant film that sits prettily in my top five films of the year.

3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire directed by Céline Sciamma

Portrait of a Lady on Fire wins the award for Best Foreign Language Film and it still hurts to think it never even made it to the Academy Awards this year. One of the most moving and earthy films that I’ve seen this year, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a slow, sensual and ambiguous picture that shows a love story between two women through the form of art. I became quite obsessed with the music of Antonio Vivaldi after seeing this as the time period and music intertwined really well in this film. Exceptionally made and incredibly raw, Portrait of a Lady on Fire went straight for the heart in this film by also putting the grievances of love at the forefront of this film.

2. Parasite directed by Bong Joon Ho

You are probably extremely bored and tired of hearing of the success of Parasite as a breakthrough picture, however there are an abundance of reasons for it! Winner of Six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Parasite really pulled the rug beneath the Academy Awards feet and certainly proved that no matter your race, it's the story that sells and that will bank you an Academy Award. A wonderfully crafted story, one that could have been found in theatre or even opera and those sort of structured narratives are what really grab people’s attention.

1. Another Round (Druk) directed by Thomas Vinterberg

And finally, my favourite, Most Enjoyable Film of the Year had to be without a doubt, Thomas Vinterburg’s Druk, which I had the pleasure of seeing at the BFI London Film Festival this year. The theatre-like structure of a narrative has been implemented seamlessly into this film and even if structure means nothing to you, you can feel when a film has been crafted differently to bring about a dynamic and earthy narrative. I’ve previously watched two films of Vinterberg’s; Festen and The Hunt and even though those two films hold a high rating, Druk is definitely Vinterberg’s best film yet. Extremely entertaining whilst also carrying a rather dark side to it, Vinterberg sells you the best and worst of two worlds whilst exposing the effects of alcohol consumption.

And that’s it! 2020 in films! If you agreed or disagreed with anything on this list or think something else should’ve made the list that came out this year, be sure to leave me a comment on this post or via instagram on @ratingtheframe. It’s crazy to think that this obsession of mine turns two years old next year and there are still so many amazing pictures to be seen! And as always, you will find each and every one of them right here on @ratingtheframe.tumblr.

Bring on 2021!

Could this be the start of Viggo Mortensen’s career in directing? - FALLING review

A rough yet strong directorial debut, Viggo Mortensen brings us a story of father and son told through a reflection of the past and struggle with dementia.

Aah, Viggo Mortensen. Four time Golden Globe nominee, three time Oscar nominee, troubled father in Captain Fantastic, heartthrob in Lord of the Rings and taxi driver in Green Book. Viggo Mortensen has showcased vulnerability and versatility along his 36 year career. And now, he is taking the big, bold step to go behind the camera and bring us this beautiful and ambitious story Falling.

John Peterson (Viggo Mortensen) brings his grizzled and short tempered father, Willis (Lance Henriksen), to his home in California in an attempt to be nearer to him. But Willis’ negative and mean spirited behaviour becomes way too overbearing to tolerate, as he makes spiteful comments about John’s boyfriend and his late mother. It’s hard to stomach the way Willis treats his family, but yet you can’t help feeling sorry for him as being forgetful and bitter comes with growing old. However, in a series of flashbacks, we see that Willis has been this sharp tongued and callous man for almost all his life, as he treats John’s mother (Hannah Gross) with a disrespected and a cold hearted nature, so much so that she is forced to leave him with her children. Both Willis and his wife remarry different people and the shift in attention and relationships has a significant effect on John and his sister Sarah (Laura Linney) who both grow up to be responsible and understanding parents. Willis is lucky to still have the attention from both his children yet he continues to treat them as he did when they were children. Even though Willis can be funny, it’s always followed up by some unkind comment regarding the wrongdoing his wife did to him in the past.

You can definitely tell this is an actor’s film, as Mortensen puts his attention on the details and emotional recognition in people’s faces at the centre of this film. The way people look, the way their eyes move and every breath they take becomes the focus. To be a completely fictional tale, written by Mortensen himself, is certainly a hard task, especially when it’s your first and I believe Mortensen’s story here in Falling should be highly credible and a reflection of his work and understanding as an actor. It wasn’t the most ambitious story and most of it was told using flashbacks, however it was told in an ambitious way and certainly had a central, clear running theme to it that gave it the stability it needed to get to the end.

The performances of Mortensen and Henriksen were honest and authentic to their situations and I enjoyed the satisfaction of seeing how the casting director had made sure Willis looked like the younger version of himself. Even the children who played John and his sister in the past had some resemblance of themselves in the future, which shows the attention to detail this film possessed. I would say it's a great start, not something that’s completely perfect or flawless, however it shows that Mortensen has a good understanding of what makes a good story for film and Falling has certainly left me excited to see what he brings to the table in the upcoming years.

#viggo mortensen #falling #movie recommendation #movies2020

A captivating blast from the past, but is it really needed? - MANK review

Master storyteller David Fincher returns to screens partnering with Netflix to bring us this bold tale of Herman J. Mankiewicz and how Citizen Kane came to be. But in this climate, where does such a film stand?

It’s not often I find myself doing a review that centres around the necessity of (film as opposed to its context), against today’s climate and how its context can be unfitting to its surroundings. Now I’m not saying that films should completely reflect the environment around us and be filled with political messages and perspectives that shake the ground beneath us and teach us an important message about today’s society. These sorts of films are good, great even, but the better ones actually don’t ram political messages down our necks and instead feed us something more subtle about the world we live in that’s easier to swallow. Whether that’s the true pain of love or the coming of age, the themes of a film are just important as the story itself and the characters who tell those stories should have some reflection of ourselves in the modern day. This is why we’re pushing for more diverse stories, with women as unconventional leads and stories of black people that don’t just centre around the plights of being black. Films shouldn’t be a reflection of reality, rather a window into a different version of it.

So let's talk about Mank, and how such a film is good, but maybe just a bit...pointless. This is a strong, bold statement, seeing as some could argue all films are pointless, but it's really the story of a film that makes it have meaning. And Mank itself just reminds me of all the stories that used to be told on screen in the past; predominantly told by the same stereotypes in the film industry, such as Herman J. Mankiewicz.

Mankiewicz was an American screenwriter, born of a Jewish/German descent in New York in 1897. He wrote the screenplay Citizen Kane alongside Orson Welles in the 1940s, winning him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Mank suffered from alcoholism and eventually died at the age of 55 from his alcohol abuse in 1953. Citizen Kane was his first and last project.

And that’s it. That’s the story of Herman J. Mankiewicz, another white male who tackled alcohol and lost, becoming a distant memory in Hollywood. And it wasn’t even a sad death either, because usually the sadness of someone’s death is a reflection of the sadness of their life. It wasn’t a Heath Ledger, Kurt Cobain or Whitney Houston kind of sad, celebrity death as Herman J Mankiewicz was known (if known at all) to be a bitter, chauvinistic alcoholic who acted against the etiquette of Hollywood. His likability came from him helping Jews escape Nazi Germany and his socialist views, two traits that seem admirable now, but were really distasteful back in the 1930s.

An interesting character no less, but one that I think we’ve seen countless times before; the downfall of a (white) man upon his own doing. Exposing 1930s Hollywood was extremely hard to swallow as well, as there were no women (who weren’t actors or secretaries) or people of colour in sight in and around the original MGM studios. It had me sighing in relief that I’m grateful that the studios no longer look like they did in the 30s and 40s. As for casting, Mank’s was strange yet enjoyable. Academy Award winner Gary Oldman played the tyrant Mank and Lilly Collins was his scribe for Citizen Kane whilst he recovered from a car accident. Amanda Seyfied played Hollywood starlet Marion Davies, a close friend of Mank’s and Charles Dance, her father. But no less, the best choice of casting had to be British star Tom Burke as Orson Welles, who surprisingly has an uncanny resemblance to the infamous filmmaker.

The thing that probably got people lapping up this film without fully realising it, was its production, the lighting, the sound and choice of film used to create this piece for Netflix. The juxtaposition between the 1940s film look and the fact it’s streaming on Netflix, certainly is something we haven’t seen before and honestly the way Fincher made this film was highly credible. But not enough for it to be a great film; a film about Hollywood and Hollywood stars that no one really cares about. Has it really gotten that bad that we are forced to make films about the making of films? Or was Herman J. Mankewiecz’s story too good not to be told on screen? I would disagree and feel that if anything, Mank is a reflection of how far Hollywood has come and how far it still needs to go.

We all know that the Academy Awards are going to eat Mank up like ice cream, because it’s a story about them and the trials and tribulations of working in the industry. It’s a real shame to say seeing as David Fincher (ironically) is one of my favourite directors of all time. His films, based on books or not, are very clean and well rounded, with excellent casts and enough stories to fill the Waterstones. But I’m afraid this time around, style has triumphed over substance.

Mank is available to watch on Netflix now.

#mank movie review #mank #mank netflix #netflixfilm #david fincher #tom burke #gary oldman #lilly collins #amanda seyfried #netflix original #moviereviews

Lights, camera, lockdown! All the films I watched at home this November.

Last month, the UK went on a one month down lockdown, causing cinemas to shut and new releases to be put on hold.

In fact, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet was the only multi million dollar film to be released this year. It’s painful to think that Dune was supposed to be released almost two weeks from now and that we have to wait several months to see the sci fi film hit screens. Despite the post poned releases and closing of cinema chains, there are still some great films I hadn’t seen and used last month as an opportunity to look into them. Even though I didn’t see as much as I did in October, the quality of the films I managed to see this month is high.

His House (2020) as seen on Netflix

Starting off reasonably well with this horror brought to you by Netflix that centers the life around two immigrants and a spirit haunting the new lives they’re trying to build in the UK. It’s certainly a new perspective that I haven’t seen in horror and definitely isn’t a film for the fainted hearted for some of the scenes in this are genuinely terrifying. The overall message was thought provoking and poignant as it sort of spoke for those who’ve lost their lives attempting to seek asylum and those whoa are still struggling to find a new home.

His House is available to watch on Netflix. Score: 9/10

Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020) as seen on Netflix

Definitely one of the most surprisingly good films I watched this month, Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight is a classic Netflix horror from Poland. The film follows a group of Polish teenagers addicted to social media who are sent to a camp to curb their addiction. However, when on a hike through the woods, one of the teens goes missing and without a phone to call for help, the kids are forced to face two grotesque monsters feeding upon humans. From start to finish, this film was highly entertaining and had a good structure to it. There were no gimmicks or cliches and it’s definitely a film I’d recommend to just about anyone.

Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight is available to watch on Netflix.

Score: 10/10

The Ring (2002) as seen on BBC iPlayer

Gore Verbinski’s (A Cure for Wellness, Pirates of the Caribbean) infamous horror is a cult classic and must watch for scary movie fans. Usually horror films can be too gimmicky and borderline cringey without an ounce of substance to them. However, The Ring is surprisingly good in that it possesses a deep narrative with three dimensional characters, good acting and wonderful direction. When a journalist’s (Naomi Watts) niece dies in unknown circumstances, she embarks on a journey to discover a horrifying tape that if watched, kills you in a week’s time. The box office sales for this film speaks for itself seeing as the film made nearly $130 million when it was released back in 2002. The Ring is certainly not for the faint hearted, so if horror isn’t your thing, I’d advise you stay well away from it.

Score: 9/10

Misery (1990) as seen on Netflix

Stephen King’s Misery is turned into an unsettling thriller starring Kathy Bates and James Caan. Author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) ends up getting caught in a snow storm, that seems his car veer off the road, leaving him in a critical state. However, a seemingly caring and selfless woman, Annie (Kathy Bates) takes him in, using her work as a nurse to care for him. It turns out that Annie is a super fan of Paul’s work and the care she has for him soon turns nasty and sadistic, leaving Paul in a panicked state for he is in the middle of nowhere with a practical psychopath. I wouldn’t say Misery is one of best adaptations of King’s novels. There are better pieces of work by Stephen King that have been made into movies such as IT, The Green Mile and 1922. The pace was quite slow and the fact that it took place in only one settling detracted from the progression of the film. However, it’s entertaining, well cast and had a decent story to it.

Score: 7/10

Drive (2011) as seen on Amazon Prime

Drive is 1000% one of the best films I’ve seen this year, in my entire life in fact. It’s incredibly bold, ambitious, vivid, subtle and heart wrenching at moments. A stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) is torn between the world of crime he partakes in and the love he has for a young woman (Carey Mulligan) that lives in the apartment next door to his. The subtlety and sensitivity that both Gosling and Mulligan brought to this film was so pure and authentic to their characters, whilst bringing an underlying sadness to the entirety of the film. By the end of the film you want to cry but aren’t sure why and these sorts of films are rare to find. The sound track and SFX in this are unreal, again adding to the confirmation that this film is one of a kind.

Score: 12/10

Time (2020) as seen on Amazon Prime

I was delighted to see Amazon Prime had put this straight onto their service seeing as I’d missed out on Time during the London Film Festival two months ago. This is one of the most moving and deep pieces of work I’ve seen this year. Time is a documentary filmed over 20 years that details the life of a woman trying to seek justice for her husband who was put in prison for life for armed robbery. Not only is she fighting for her husband, but also her four sons, two of which weren’t even born when their father was put away in jail. Fox Rich lives in Louisiana, one of America’s toughest states when it comes to the criminal justice system. Sentences are of some of the highest in the entire country and are especially harsher to people of colour. Fox and her husband took the fatal and desperate decision to rob a bank in a bid to support their business and family. This drastic choice took Fox’s husband away from his family and for 2 decades, Fox spent time trying to get her husband out of jail. The thing that moved me the most about this documentary was her sons; four beautiful, smart and driven men who grew up without a father. It made me wonder how proud Fox must be of her kids and to see her fight for her husband and remain loyal to him is enough love to last two lifetimes.

Time is available to watch on Amazon Prime now.

Score: 10/10

The Departed (2006) as seen on DVD

Throughout this two and a half hour film I was wondering how they had managed to get Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg to do a film together. And the answer is that this epic and high profile movie was directed by the infamous Martin Scorsese. It’s a mystery why I hadn’t seen this film sooner, seeing as it was a huge hit during its release making a staggering $291 million worldwide during its release. This is definitely DiCaprio’s best film (next to Revolutionary Road and The Revenant) and his performance was incredibly punchy and strong throughout. Everyone in this film was top class and the dialogue fitted well with each character with a natural story progression throughout. A top notch, Hollywood, must watch film.

Score: 10/10

Murder by Numbers (2002) as seen on Amazon Prime

One of Ryan Gosling’s earliest films follows two high school students committing a sadistic murder simply to see just how it feels. Detective Cassie Mayweather (Sandra Bullock) is put on the case to solve the murder and quickly pieces the case together, leading her to Richard Haywood (Ryan Gosling) and Justin Pendleton (Michael Pitt) two students at the same high school. I wouldn’t say this film was bad, however the ending played a big part in the overall quality of the film. It had a good pace and characters, however the ending definitely let down the film for it was rushed and unaligned to the rest of the film. Ryan Gosling’s performance at the tender age of 22 was pretty decent and definitely stated to everyone else his ability as an actor for years to come.

Score: 7/10

All Good Things (2010) as seen on Amazon Prime

As you can tell by now, I went on a Ryan Gosling whip this month. All Good Things is the true story of David Marks (Ryan Gosling), whose wife Katie (Kirsten Dunst) disappears and still to this day, has never been found. Marks was the prime suspect in the disappearance case but was never found guilty and lives a free man. Even though the story was interesting and the performances good, the fact this is a Weinstein Company Film made it hard to watch, especially with the totally unnecessary nudity and sex scenes that put Kirsten Dunst at its forefront. The film lacked a clear resolution and was left completely open ended like the case of Katie Marks, which is understandable, however not when it comes to making a good film.

Score: 6/10

Borat (2006) as seen on Amazon Prime

After finding the second Borat film to be highly entertaining, I decided to watch the first one and was certainly not left disappointed. The first Borat film introduces us to Kazakstan reporter Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his first visit to America, whilst taking in all the americanisms to report back to his own country. Soon his pursuit turns to Pamela Anderson whose doing a book signing across in California. The comedy has many jaw dropping moments and sees Cohen above and beyond the boundaries of comedy to bring the character of Borat to life.

Score: 10/10

Boy Erased (2018) as seen on Sky Cinema

If there’s one film worth watching on this list, it’d be Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased. This film is the product of a real understanding of film language and the ability to make a beautiful and heart felt story. Edgerton is a well known actor, but has taken time to go behind the camera as well as in front of it in this Golden Globe nominated picture starring the likes of Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Troye Sivan, Xavier Dolan and Joe Alwyn. Like HELLO if that cast isn’t making you immediately turn off this site right now to find Boy Erased, then I don’t know what will. The film based on a true story follows Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) and his time spent at a gay conversion centre with fellow homosexuals Gary (Troye Sivan) and Jon (Xavier Dolan). Jared’s father (Russell Crowe) is a pastor he and his wife (Nicole Kidman) take their religion rather seriously, which is why Jared has been forced to seek help for his sexuality. It’s a hard concept to swallow, especially in this day and age when most parents, religious or not, are starting to become more acceptable of their children’s sexuality. This film exposes the reality beyond that and how some parents feel their child is damaged by something completely normal and feel the need to seek help for it. Boy Erased is made with sensitivity and beautiful acting from an a class cast. All round, it’s a perfect film.

Score: 11/10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) as seen on Amazon Prime

I was a little confused starting this film to see it in Swedish, as I thought I was watching the David Fincher film of the same title. However, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was original a book and the first adapation of it for film was directed by Niels Arden Oplev, two years before Fincher made his version, starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. However, the fact that this version was in Swedish didn’t detract from the thrilling story spun onto screen. The three hour movie follows a journalist whose been hired to solve the mystery of a missing girl who is part of a high profile family. A young female hacker who once hacked the journalist and practically ruined his career, joins him along the way and the pair of them uncover a long string of untold secrets that see blood being split amongst numerous women. It’s one of the best thrillers I’ve ever seen and a must watch if you enjoyed Fincher’s version.

Score: 10/10

Still Alice (2014) as seen on DVD

A highly anticipated film on my part, Still Alice is an arresting and moving film about a mother struggling with on set Alzheimers. Julianne Moore scooped up a Best Actress Award at the Academy Awards in 2015, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her performance as Dr Alice Howland and her battle with Alzheimers at the age of 50. Kristen Stewart plays her daughter and Alec Baldwin her husband and their performances are equal to Julianne Moore’s. Overall, this was a touching piece that had soooo much depth to it and yet carried a satisfying simplicity throughout it.

Score: 10/10

Enemy (2013) as seen on DVD

I heard about Enemy’s synopsis via a YouTube video and was throughly excited to watch it on hearing it was directed by Denis Villeneuve, a master director when it comes to thrillers and sci fi films. Even though Enemy was difficult to fully interpret, I still enjoyed the story and performance Jake Gyllenhaal brought to the table as a man who meets another man that looks exactly like him. There’s some pure mind fuckery that plays throughout the film as you’re left questioning who is this other man or if there are even two men at all. If anything, it’s an exploration of a man having a double life, wrapped up in some sinister secrets and tied between two women. All of Denis Villeneuve’s work is exceptional and Enemy is no different. A must watch for thriller lovers.

Score: 10/10

A Star is Born (2018) as seen on DVD

Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born certainly wins the award for making me cry the most this month. The last version I saw of this film starred Judy Garland and James Mason and was centred around a musical actress and the rocky relationship she had with her actor husband. That 1954 version possessed a lot of brilliance and it was easy to compare it to the more modern version starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. Who would’ve thought these two could be such an authentic on screen couple? The songs, the lyrics and the acting that these two brought to this picture was on another level, it was incredible from start to finish. Obviously the fact that this film had been done 4 times before honed the quality of the film, however Bradley Cooper’s direction and ability to bring out the best in Lady Gaga definitely makes this version of A Star is Born the best one yet. This directorial debut was nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Lady Gaga was handed the award for Best Music for a motion picture. Warning: you will cry whilst watching this or at least afterwards.

Score: 12/10

Sorry to Bother You (2018) as seen on Netflix

Netflix certainly came through this month when it put Boots Riley’s fanatical dark comedy Sorry to Bother You on its streaming service. It’s honestly like nothing I’ve ever seen before and the innuendo and hidden messages within this film make it something that you can watch several times and never get bored of. Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield) gets a job as a telemarketer who gets promoted to a “power caller” and through pride and greed, ends up abandoning his ideologies and friends completely. The film speaks for the gentrification of Oakland, California and capitalistic society we live in today. There are many hidden messages amongst the film that at first are hard to decipher, but soon you realise these messages are as clear as day within our own society. Lakeith Stanfield stars alongside Tessa Thompson, Steve Yeun and Armie Hammer, not a cast you’d usually put together but one that certainly worked. Sorry to Bother You is highly entertaining and will definitely make you laugh out loud at points and have you questioning your laughter right after.

Score: 10/10

The Florida Project (2017) as seen on DVD

I’m starting to think that films made between 2017 and 2018 are some of the best ever made and the Florida Project falls into that. I heard about this film through one of my favourite actors and was glad for the recommendation as this film is one of the best I’ve seen all year. The colours and character dynamics are strong and vivid throughout, as we follow the lives of people living on an apartment complex whilst speaking for the child poverty that plagues American society today. Willem Dafoe, who plays the complex’s handy man and security guard, even earned himself a Best Supporting Actor Award at the 2018 Academy Awards.

Score: 10/10

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2014) as seen on DVD

Usually I’d pass on a Charlie Kaufman film, seeing as they make no sense, however I felt that it was time I delved into this cult classic starring Kate Winslet, Jim Carrey, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood. It’s a really well made film with a clear and distinct message to it that’s represented in some phenomenal filmmaking techniques. The plot line of this film follows a man trying to erase a past lover and his memories of her get wiped away physically before your eyes on screen. This film is certainly a conversation starter and one I’d recommend to just about anyone.

Score: 9/10

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) as seen on DVD

Wes Anderson’s wonderful mind is depicted in this endearing narrative about two children running away from home. This has to one of Wes Anderson’s most iconic films and next to The Grand Budapest Hotel, it’s definitely one of the films you think of when you think of Anderson’s work. His work is known for having well rounded stories, beautiful shots and A List casts, with Moonrise Kingdom being no expection as Anderson manages to squeeze Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Kietel and a young Lucas Hedges into this film. If you’ve seen any of Wes Anderson’s work and not Moonrise Kingdom, get on it now. No, seriously, now.

Score: 10/10

Jarhead (2005) as seen on DVD

Sam Mendes’ war film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx translates the lives of US soldiers in Iraq onto screen and the brain washing their government has done to boost the importance of the US military and the service soldiers are doing to their country. Jake Gyllenhaal’s execution in this film is a reflection of his ability as a great actor. He always has this patient and gritty approach to his work that makes him addicting to watch on screen. There’s an entire video on YouTube about Jake Gyllenhaal’s eyes and the way they communicate his emotions on screen. This is certainly present in Jarhead, as the anger, frustration, disappointment and despair is held within Jake Gyllenhaal’s eyes throughout. Jarhead was originally a memoir written by a US solider named Anthony Swofford. The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the open ended resolution to the film and the stagnant progression of Jake Gyllenhaal’s character. He literally didn’t achieve anything, which I suppose is the point of the film and how the honour that soldiers who went to Iraq were supposed to feel, is more of a fantasy than a reality.

Score: 9/10

Silence (2016) as seen on BBC iPlayer

This film was truly summit else and a refreshing turn on genre from highly acclaimed filmmaker, Martin Scorsese. Silence certainly proved that he has the ability to be more sensitive with his films and can tells stories outside his usual New York mobster type movies. The film tracks the journey of two Portuguese missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) in the 17th Century who go to Japan looking for one of their mentors (Liam Neeson). However in this era, Christians faced persecution in Japan and were practically slaughtered for not following the country’s religion of Buddhism. The priests’ journey is perilous and heart rendering as they are forced to abandon their own religion in order to save their own lives and the lives of others. Despite the film being just over 160 minutes, it’s an inspiring story and one that is told in a tactful way. To believe this is a film is quite hard, as the accuracy of it makes it closer to reality than just a film itself.

Score: 8/10

Lynn + Lucy (2019) as seen on BBC iPlayer

This film recently came out in UK cinemas and was put onto BBC iPlayer due to lockdown. I found it to be interesting and enjoyed the new perspective it gave to quite a simple story. Lynn and Lucy have been friends for almost their entire lives, and when Lucy’s baby boy dies in unexplained circumstances, it drives a wedge between her relationship with Lynn, as people in their neighbourhood accuse her of being a child murderer. Eventually, Lynn stats to believe the rumours herself, leaving her best friend behind and favouring the opinions of those who hardly know her. A great debut and British film, Lynn + Lucy is profound story of friendship.

Score: 8/10

Revolutionary Road (2008) as seen on Netflix

Revolutionary Road has a metric score of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes, which I find quite offensive as the film nearly falls into the “thanks but no thanks” category of films. Directed by Sam Mendes and starring Kate Winslet alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, I don’t see what’s not to like. I only clocked halfway through the film why DiCaprio had been cast with Kate Winslet (Titanic, duh) and it made their on screen chemistry more prominent for me. I always say this about EVERY SINGLE Leonardo DiCaprio film I watch, but his performance in this was unreeeaaal. His character went somewhere intense and never returned, making the hardship on screen 10 times more powerful. There’s a scene where him and Winslet’s character are in a full blown argument and DiCaprio’s rage was on another level. Incredibly authentic and honest, Revolutionary Road showcases a wonderful example of when two masterful actors come together to make something great.

Score: 10/10

Hillbilly Elegy (2020) as seen on Netflix

Hillbilly Elegy recently got torn to shreds by critics as it was released on Netflix the other week, and I half agree with what most are saying about it, but also feel there’s unnecessary criticisms about this film. The film is based on a memoir of a Yale Law student, J.D Vance (Gabriel Basso) who comes from rough beginnings and ends up building the life he so desired from a young age. His mother (Amy Adams) is a destructive drug addict who’s moods change frequently so that she’s constantly at war with her own mother (Glenn Close) and two children (Haley Bennett and Gabriel Basso). The story follows J.D’s return to his home town to claim his mother from a hospital after she over dosed on heroin. The only problem is, he has an interview with a law firm from Washington the following morning and has to choose between taking care of his mother and landing his dream job. Sounds pretty intriguing, right? And it truly is. The film is laced with conflict and great performances from everyone, however critics have blasted this film with hate, saying that it doesn’t ring true to the entire American experience of living in poverty, without healthcare and enough money to bring food to the table. The fact that J.D made it to Harvard and now works for a successful enterprise somehow detracts from his struggle as a child, which I think is complete BS. I think this film should be taken for more face value than as a political story. It’s a straight talking, rags to riches tale that proves with hard work and dedication, you can transform your struggles into success. One critic had the audacity to say that “Selling out your origins is a kind of white trash cosplay because you were lucky enough to get out”. The irony of this is that the critic herself is white and it suggests had JD been a person of colour, it’d made a better film, which isn’t the kind of world where I want to live in when stories of people of colour are used as poverty porn rather than something to enjoy or learn from. My only criticism of this film would be the pace of conflict within the film and how things went from 0-100 waaay too quickly. This can happen in real life, but on screen it tends to look sloppy and rushed.

Score: 9/10

And that’s it! A rather short list for this month, but as the year draws to a close, I’m just really excited for the new films hopefully hitting screens next year. Seen you soon!

The Trial of the Chicago 7, Saint Maud and Borat 2: Everything I watched in October.

From the new Borat film to the London Film Festival, here’s all 31 films I watched this October.

It’s been a great month for film and also a disappointing one. We can kiss goodbye to cinemas this month as well as new releases due to screen next month, including Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, Jennifer Hudson’s Respect and of course the new Bond film No Time to Die.

L.A Confidential (1997) as seen on Amazon Prime

L.A Confidential made me realise how far we’ve come in film and how far we still have to go. Despite the film being well written and having a great cast with Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce fore fronting the film, the lack of women and people of colour in this film is too strong to not notice. It was a predominantly white male run film which sort of drew me away from the film entirely and had my mind dipping in and out of the story a little. This is in no way a reflection of the work itself, however I believe films need an element of relation to them in order for them to sell to a wide audience. If you only cater to one bracket of society, you’re only selling the film to that one bracket. This film was made 23 years ago and certainly speaks for the time, when films were predominantly run by the same people. If you’re a white male, you’ll love this film and find it easier to follow, otherwise you might be like myself, struggling to relate to it throughout.

Score: 7/10

Mogul Mowgli (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

I felt extremely privileged to be experiencing this film pre-release at the BFI London Film Festival. Riz Ahmed stars as Zed, a British Pakistani rapper at the peak of his career when suddenly he suffers from an illness that causes him to be bed bound. A seriously good performance from Riz Ahmed as he transforms into Pakistan’s answer to Eminem. The film making techniques in this were beautiful and vivid, adding to the surreal element of this story and intertwining the thoughts running through Zed’s mind and the reality placed in front of him. A highly artistic film that deserves all the praise it gets and one that I’d recommend to just about anyone.

Score: 10/10

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) seen at the Genesis Cinema

Aaron Sorkin’s latest writing triumph smells of Oscar success. The film follows the events of the 1968 Chicago riots and the arrests of eight protestors deemed to be the perpetrators of the riot and were put on trial for initiating the chaos when in reality, the police were the true wrongdoers. Aaron Sorkin’s work includes Molly’s Game and The Social Network, two beautifully crafted films that have a pulsating rhythm to them. The words and dialogue in The Trial of the Chicago 7 follow the same pattern; the characters are bold and their words are bolder, as Sorkin does an amazing job of combining the facts of this event and mixing them with his own style. Even if you don’t quite understand who these people are, Sorkin’s writing forces you to want to know them and follow along with the story till the very end. Well crafted with an amazing, dynamic cast. You can read a full review of the film here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631044301375389696/the-world-is-watching-aaron-sorkins-latest

Score: 11/10

Adaptation (2002) seen on Netflix

I’m thoroughly unsure of what to say about this film, or about any of Charlie Kaufman’s work to be honest. Adaptation is about Kaufman writing the film Adaptation but it’s also about the author of the book that Kaufman is using for the film and her writing process for the book...I know, VERY confusing. It’s certainly of those films that you have to watch in order to fully understand it and I’m not sure that’s a good selling point for the film. It’s great if every film can be summarised in one or two sentences, but trying to explain Adaptation is head ache worthy. A unique style and take on telling a story for screen, but one that just becomes increasingly frustrating to watch as it goes on.

Score: 7/10

Herself (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

Herself tells the story of Sandra (Clare Dunne) and her two daughters, Molly and Emma in their attempt to escape an abusive home life and re build a new one. Literally. After going through countless attempts to find a new home for her and her daughters, Sandra decides to take matters into her own hands by deciding that she wants to build her own house. A film like Herself provides the realism and necessity of a Ken Loach film and speaks on a higher level like an activist to a crowd. Not only is Herself a film, it’s a guiding hand towards a better life. Those who see the film and find themselves in the same situations as Sandra will be able to reach out for help. It's important that Herself is seen by many, so that this can be a possibility for all who are affected by abuse. You can read a full review of Herself here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631173913297190912/an-empowering-tale-of-motherhood-alongside-abuse

Score: 8/10

Relic (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

Relic premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2020, and has amassed a mostly pleased response. However, some have criticised the film saying the film lacked true action, with most of it only being left to the end. I can see why some might think this, as the entire film was more of an exploration of an idea that left the characters behind. The characters Sam and Kay were quite passive in their manoeuvre around the film and I truly lost sight of who they were by the end of it. Their orchestration was quite dull in parts, leaving a lot of room for the story to fall through. In fact, the story itself was quite hard to determine. We have the idea of dementia and its effect on people, but the horror story behind it had little structure to it. Usually in horror films, the end goal is to escape or beat a higher power, which keeps the characters active running down corridors or away from a murderer. In Relic it was hard to determine what the characters were truly fighting for, until all is revealed at the end. I would have preferred their active goals to be known from the start, so that the rest of the film could have been enjoyed, not just the end. There was a lot I liked about this film, from its cinematography, production design and of course the make up team. The idea of a parent being ravaged by dementia in a physical way was a notable idea to explore on screen, however where the actual story lies within this idea is still unknown to me. For a feature debut, it’s certainly a memorable one that will start a conversation. You can read a full review of Relic here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631233245518954496/the-horror-of-watching-a-parent-deteriorate-in

Score: 7/10

Mangrove (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

Steve McQueen has a courageous and powerful voice on screen. If you haven’t seen any of his work to date, then it’s likely you may have not heard of him, for his films are simple, elegant and bold in their telling, minus the big showbiz action packed elements most blockbusters carry. His films speak for voiceless communities, from the Irish men being tortured in British prisons in Hunger (2008) to slaves in the 1800s in Twelve Years A Slave (2013). You come to learn something when watching McQueen’s work. Mangrove is set in Britain in 1968, a few decades after World War II, and during that time, thousands of migrants from the West Indies were shipped over to the UK to help rebuild the economy in Britain through working here. They were known as the Windrush generation, and although they played a significant part in helping Britain restore itself after the war, many of those living in Britain had never seen a black person in their entire life. Through this fear came hatred and racism for West Indian communities who had now built spaces for themselves in places such as Notting Hill and Brixton. The police in particular were notably harsher on black people than on white, often arresting them without cause and raiding their businesses. This aggravated prejudice is depicted without filters in Steve McQueen’s Mangrove and although Britain can somewhat say they are past this prejudice, the US has some catching up to do. You can read a full review of Mangrove here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631351925962653696/a-film-set-60-years-ago-that-speaks-for-today

Score: 10/10

Kajilionaire (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

Probably one of my FAVOURITE films of the year, Kajilionaire shares a bold, new perspective on filmmaking. It’s been a few years since writer/director Miranda July has been on the scene. Her last feature The Future was made in 2011, where she also starred in it. As to why it's taken her 9 years to come out with another feature, Miranda July believes in the process of art being made as one that takes time. She’s completely correct, as tons of directors have spent years, decades even on their own screenplays. Life gets in the way as well as other projects and there’s nothing wrong with spending any number of years holding down one movie. The time it took to develop Kajilionaire was certainly worthwhile, seeing as it’s a unique, bold and eccentric film that would start a conversation that could go on forever. You can read a full review of Kajilionaire here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631410844473982977/a-poignant-tradgomedy-from-miranda-july

Score: 10/10

Babyteeth (2019) seen at Picturehouse Central

What I noticed the most about Babyteeth were the mix of colours used to convey the story. It sort of counteracted the severity of Milla’s situation, a tenth grade student suffering from cancer. The film was brightly coloured, filled with a lot of comedic moments in between and organic performances from Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn, Toby Wallace and Essie Davis. For a feature debut, it was pretty flawless. It’s so refreshing to see debuts on screen that are fearless, vivid and most importantly, memorable. Babyteeth has set out a path in the industry for director Shannon Murphy that I hope she fulfils. You can read a full review of baby teeth here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631430270277517312/eliza-scanlen-shines-in-picturesque-coming-of-age

Score: 10/10

Undine (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

It’s hard to define the point of this film and the active goals the characters within it possessed. I think most were expecting a follow on from Transit, which was directed by Christian Petzold, the same director of this very confusing yet fascinating film with a beautiful score beneath it. The film takes on quite a Franz Kafka tone, just like Transit did 2 years prior, however Undine wasn’t as uplifting or compelling to watch as Transit. For that reason and the lack of stakes throughout the film, Undine wouldn’t be a film I’d watched again.

Score: 7/10

On the Rocks (2020) seen at the Genesis Cinema

Sofia Coppola brings us a heart warming and optimistic tale between a father (Bill Murray) and daughter (Rashida Jones) trying to find out if the daughter’s husband (Marlon Wayans) is cheating on her. Such an adorable film and one I and many other women who are close to their fathers, can relate to. Coppola probably took inspiration from her own life for this film, having used her father Francis Ford Coppola as a role model for her as a filmmaker. Really well written and cast, On the Rocks was the best feel good film of the year.

Shirley (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

The entire world of this film was well structured and so fulfilling in every way. The characters were bold and three dimensional, with each of them having a significance in the film that drove the story forward. The film is based on the author, Shirley Jackson (played by Elizabeth Moss) who was the opposite to most women in the 40s; boisterous, outspoken, bold and most importantly, intelligent. There isn’t a thought in her mind that isn’t her own and despite her husband’s (Michael Stuhlbarg) relentless criticisms and negative comments, she didn’t let them stunt her true personality. She had a desirable assertive energy, that was powerful for a woman to have in the 1940s. Whatever you may think or say about Shirley Jackson, she truly won’t care and will go through with what she desires most, which is shown throughout the film. It was refreshing to see the amount of women working on Shirley with the director, 1st AD, 2nd AD and writers all being women. Director Josephine Decker studied at Princeton University, going on to make several independent short and feature films. Shirley premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year, winning the U.S Dramatic Special Jury Award in Auteur Filmmaking. Shirley really is the start of something for Decker and many female screenwriters, authors and directors who resonate with Shirley Jackson and the unconventional, successful life she led. You can read a full review of Shirley here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631617647244722176/elizabeth-moss-shines-in-female-led-thriller

Score: 10/10

Supernova (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

I was rooting for this film, however not much came from it. The film scores a decent 89% on rotten tomatoes, which is a lie seeing as the film was made in a mundane and quite objective way. The performances from Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci as a couple dealing with dementia coming between them, were pretty good, organic and believable. However. The big mistake Harry McQueen made when creating this story is talking about things that had happened in the past or things that were going to happen. Tucci’s character Tusker is experiencing onset dementia, whilst his partner, Sam is having to deal with the reality of this. It would have been so much more interesting to show what life was like for the couple before the onset of dementia and the diagnosis, all the way until Tusker passed away or could no longer deal with his illness. I just felt that the whole 90 minutes were spent talking about what’s happened before or what’s going to happen in the future, there was nowhere for either of them to go or develop as characters.

Score: 4/10

Soul (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

Pixar has always done a great job of communicating profound messages, touching audiences worldwide. From dealing with growing up in Toy Story to loss in Up, Pixar is known for its tearjerkers. Soul is no different in that pretty much everyone is able to relate to this film in one way or another. The increase of black characters in this film is to be noted as well, as Pixar did a terrific job in depicting black lives and stories in this animated film, supporting the message of “Black Lives Matter”. What I took away from this film is that life is too short not to pursue those dreams you have but at the same time, you should really appreciate the life you’ve already built. The moments of laughter and weird sparks of inspiration, all of it accounts to more than just life itself. Your purpose is you and if you embrace that, that’s all the fulfilment in life that you’ll ever need. Soul speaks on a spiritual and enigmatic level. It's a film to be enjoyed, to laugh and cry at, whilst releasing the essence of your own soul. You can read a full review of Soul here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631712800770801664/a-riveting-beautiful-and-soulful-story-that

Score: 11/10

Saint Maud (2020) seen at Curzon Bloomsbury

Rose Glass has done something here that’s quite undefinable. The quality of her work is eccentric and powerful in its telling, with Saint Maud hopefully being the start of something for her career. The film was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival in 2019 and went on to be screened at the BFI London Film Festival that same year. A24 and Studio Canal acquired the distribution rights soon after its screening at the festivals. Award winning director Danny Boyle described the film as a “genuinely unsettling and intriguing film” comparing it to Brian De Palma’s Carrie and Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin. For a feature debut, this has truly shaken something in the world of horror filmmaking. Even though Saint Maud had its run at the film festivals last year, there’s more praise to come for the indie feature as it's currently available to watch in cinemas now. You can read a full review of Saint Maud right here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631878470510706688/theres-a-new-horror-auteur-amongst-us-saint

After Love (2019) seen at the London Film Festival

I found this film to be a really interesting and slow burnt story with an active goal and a lot of shocking moments. The film follows Mary (Joanna Scanlan) who is a British Muslim that goes on a journey to France to meet her deceased husband’s mistress. Mary acts as a cleaner to Genevieve and her son Soloman, finding more about her husband than she hoped through his mistress. The intensity of this film lies in the fact that Genevieve knows she’s having an affair with a married man, but doesn’t know he’s dead or that his wife has become her cleaner. It’s only a matter of time before she finds out, which was the driving force of the film.

Score: 9/10

Another Round (Druk) (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

When I tell you that I’m in love with Thomas Vinterberg, I mean it. Vinterberg has always adopted this Harold Pinter/Arthur Miller nature to his work. Things seem up, lively, funny even until the fun becomes consuming and those around the centre of the fun become left out or hurt. Relationships are torn apart and people learn valuable lessons from hard hitting consequences. You always take something away from Vinterberg’s work from the dark elements of family and loyalty in Festen (1999) to the struggle of redemption in The Hunt (2012). There’s always a recurring conflict to Vinterberg’s films, like he’s spinning a wheel constantly until the moment it falls off, along with all the characters who once believed they were made for great things. It's this amalgamation of comedy and drama that makes his films successful and perfect for the screen. He did a fantastic job with co-writer and frequent collaborator Tobias Lindholm in bringing these four men a reason to turn to alcohol for fulfilment in their mundane lives. He masked the entire story in an experiment and we as an audience were brought along as observers to see the result of it all. Another Round was comedic and deeply dramatic whilst showcasing strong character arcs that were held together by alcohol. You can read a full review of Another Round right here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/631985710098972672/thomas-vinterbergs-pinteresque-journey-through

Score: 11/10

Possessor (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

The son of David Cronenburg (The Fly, A History of Violence) brings us a surreal and unique voice in one of his first feature films. Possessor is a sci-fi horror that follows Tasya (Andrea Risenborough) , an assassin who takes control of other people’s bodies through brain implant technology to carry out her assassinations. There were some really strange parts of this film, but I enjoy the progressive plot and how I as an audience was fed information in an organic way that made me piece the story together for myself. Very unique and something that I haven’t seen on screen, with fantastic lighting, sound and production design.

Score: 9/10

The Boys in the Band (2020) seen on Netflix

Martin Crowley’s play The Boys in the Band is beautifully adapted for screen in a Netflix film of the same title. I could tell straight away that this was based on a play, seeing as it all took place in one room and had heavy, witty and character based dialogue that drove the story and defined its characters. The film showcased the best of queer Hollywood with the likes of Matt Bomer, Charlie Caver, Zachary Quinto, Jim Parsons and Andrew Rannells leading the cast. There’s a reason why three American Horror Story stars found their way into this film, seeing as the creator of the hit TV show, Ryan Murphy also produced this film. The Boys in the Band showcased some wonderful performances and transformative, three dimensional characters to fall in love with.

Score: 10/10

Nomadland (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

Fern (Frances McDormand) is what’s known as a “Nomad”, a child of the road. She lives out of her tiny van after her and her late husband were left homeless after the Great Recession. She now travels the MidWest of America alone, taking on casual jobs at Amazon, campsites, restaurants, whatever she can find. Her determination is enviable and her situation rather sad. Frances McDormand approached this role with such sensitivity and understanding that you believed she was a Nomad. The moments where Nomads were put in the spotlight to tell their stories were authentic and moving as McDormand truly listened in on their words. I would be intrigued to know how Chloé Zhao even came across these interesting characters as their performances on camera were really organic. Nomadland is based on Jessica Bruder’s book of the same title. The non fiction book explores the challenges of living in America in the 21st Century and the actions people have taken to better their lives in surprising ways. Most would turn their noses up at living in a van but when you literally have nothing but a van, it’s hard not to call it home. Another thing that rattled my brain was how everyone in this film was still working. Most of them were well fit for retirement, but I suppose without a pension, working is their only option for survival. Fern jumps from job to job like a student during a gap year, even though she and her friends are in their sixties. It's a cruel world we live in to think that not everyone has a pension and literally has to work every day until they die. You can read a full review of Nomadland here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/632213494846111744/theres-no-place-like-home-in-nomadland

Score: 10/10

Ammonite (2020) seen at the London Film Festival

Despite watching this film 2 weeks ago, I’m very undecided about how I feel about it. Francis Lee who directed the film, also directed God’s Own Country three years ago, one of my favourite films of all time and one that influenced my perspective of filmmaking and the simplicity of it. Ammonite is supposed to be a biopic of Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) , the famous fossil hunter that pioneered the discovery of life before human beings. Anning had a relationship with a married woman, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan) which is depicted and centered around this film. It starts off well and I enjoyed the leisurely pace of this film and lack of dialogue. However, the overly explicit sex scenes were hard to stomach seeing as they were formed from a male perspective. Something tells me had a queer woman directed this film, they wouldn’t have made the actors go as far as they did in this film. A line was crossed once or twice and it was hard to regain my focus after these scenes had passed. The film would’ve survived without these scenes, which is why I felt like they didn’t have a place. Even though it’s uncommon to see same sex sex scenes on screen, films like Call me by your name, Rocket Man, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Carol were able to show gay sex scenes on screen without being so heavy on it.

Score: 8/10

I am Greta (2020) seen at BFI Southbank

I came out of watching this documentary feeling graciously challenged by Greta Thunberg and her movement. She has an infectious dedication to her and despite finding it difficult to engage with children growing up, she comes across as a truly sincere, straight talking person. Her genuineness and bravery at addressing the entire world and exposing them to climate justice is admirable as she sticks by her opinions and focuses on things that truly matter to her. She stated she “doesn’t care about being popular”, referring to how some politicians make promises they can’t keep in order to win favour for their government. Not only does Greta speak for climate justice, but also a generation of young people who do feel like outsiders and have been treated in a way that has made them feel excluded from society. I am truly awed by her work and can’t wait to see how she progresses as a game changer in the future. You can read a full review of I am Greta here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/632497654558081024/my-name-is-greta-thunberg-and-i-want-you-to

Score: 10/10

Super Dark Times (2017) seen on Netflix

I’ve been avoiding this film on Netflix for the longest time and was presently surprised by the outcome of it. For a horror/thriller film it was really well made, with some fantastic actors and an earthy, slow burnt story. It’s a film that mixes the tone of Super 8 with the horror of Stranger Things in bringing us a child led movie about murder, mayhem and (super) dark times.

Score: 9/10

The Other Lamb (2019) seen at the Genesis Cinema

It’s difficult to critique a film when artistically it shows itself to be bold, innovative and really clean. For most filmmakers, the edgy camera angles and ultra vibrant set design is both an addition to the story and the inspiration for it, with both elements driving and helping the story to reveal itself. Indie filmmaking has always pushed films both beautiful as stories and visual masterpieces. However, and this is a big however, it’s very easy for a film’s story and central themes to get drowned out by the artistic execution. We can agree that certain production choices influence the story, but that should be it; an influence, artistic choices should affect a film, not necessarily create it. It’s okay to think of the colour curtains you want in a room before the scene itself, however we need that scene at the end of the day in order for the story to be told. It took a veeeery long time before we were told why we were watching this film; the journey to a new home reveals the Shepherd’s true colours. Beforehand was filled with BE-AU-TI-FUL shots and some great filmmaking techniques that were meant to create this entire unfathomable world. However, a lot of these shots were hard to understand and interpret their relationship to the story, almost like an experimental film. Maybe The Other Lamb falls into this category, but I would’ve liked that verification before watching the film. You can read a full review of the Other Lamb right here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/632798387031490560/hard-to-swallow-thriller-succeeds-in-style-and

Score: 7/10

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020) seen on Amazon Prime

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm wins the award for the most jaw dropping film of the year as it takes us on a journey through the reality of America as a society and democracy. Sacha Baron Cohen returns as Kazakhstan reporter Borat Sadiyev and takes a trip to America with his daughter Tutar (first time actor Maria Bakalova), exposing racism, fascism and the start of the presidential election along the way. It's THE most controversial film of the year, seeing as Tutar dresses as a reporter and interviews Donald Trump’s real attorney Rudi Guilliani. After the interview, Tutar guides Guilliani into a bedroom and before anything can happen, Borat interrupts the two. The fact that this incident was caught on film has sent the world into mayhem as the President of America’s attorney was caught on camera attempting to go to bed with a (fake) reporter. Sacha Baron Cohen is a master of expositional comedy, capturing the most outrageous and outlandish people of society in a comedic fashion. This film was MAJORLY funny and for someone who isn’t a comedy fan, I was rolling about with laughter.

Score: 10/10

Rebecca (2020) seen on Netflix

*Sigh*...big, big *sigh*...What is it about remakes these days that seem to do so poorly? Rebecca was originally adapted in the 1940s from Daphne du Marier’s much loved book of the same name and was turned into an Oscar winning hit directed by the one and only Alfred Hitchcock. With so much pressure to revive the telling of this riveting film and novel, it would have to be something special to equate to the success Rebecca had in the 40s. What subsequently happened is that Netflix’s version of Rebecca buckled under the pressure. Director Ben Wheatley shoved Lily James (Cinderella) and Armie Hammer (Call me by your name) to the forefront of this story, so much so that the pair of them end up being intolerable to one another. Their chemistry on screen is like a bad science experiment, as neither of them offers any sense of passion or real connection to one other. Very basic elements were overlooked in forming this remake. Character arcs and casting were orchestrated poorly, which doomed the film from the beginning. The weakness and mundanity of Mrs de Winter couldn’t hold the story at all and her lack of truthful romance with Mr de Winter dragged the story down even further. It was a great deal to live up to after the success of Rebecca in the 40s. Had the storytellers of this remake casted a little better and made the characters strong enough to drive the story, this would have been a worthy remake. Whether or not Ben Wheatley’s career will recover from this is up for debate, but for now let’s just reminisce Hitchcock’s version of Rebecca and hope that adaptations in the future speak the filmmaker’s rhetoric. A full review of Rebecca can be found here:

https://ratingtheframe.tumblr.com/post/632864337371987968/timeless-classic-fails-to-revive-itself-in-netflix

Score: 2/10

Pixie (2020) seen at Vue North Finchley

A reeeeeealllllyyyyy well thought out and exciting crime/comedy to watch. Set in Ireland, Pixie (Olivia Cooke) is the daughter of a gang leader and when two of her friends Frank (Ben Hardy) and Harland (Daryl McCormack) accidentally kill her psycho ex boyfriend, the three of them embark on an adventure to hide the body and sell the drugs that were found with the body. The film took on a very Tarantino-esque style to it, and all the performances throughout this film were truthful and entertaining. I was very surprised to see Alec Baldwin make an appearance in this film as an Irish drug mule priest. I could see everyone was just enjoying this film and playing around with their characters and the situations they were thrusted in.

Score: 10/10

Evil Eye (2020) seen on Amazon Prime

So Blumhouse Productions (Sinister, Insidious, Split, Ma, Unfriended, Ouija) have decided to do this funky thing of banging out a bunch of movies onto Amazon Prime, giving an opportunity for up and coming filmmakers to showcase their work. I honestly zoned out maybe 12 times whilst watching Evil Eye, I just found it to be so boring, gimmicky and mainstream throughout. The film has a deserving 48% on rotten tomatoes, with critics calling it “tantalizingly unfulfilled”. It really isn’t that hard to make a good movie and I think had the director been more authentic in making this film and steered away from clichés, this film might have survived.

Score: 3/10

Nocturne (2020) seen on Amazon Prime

Nocturne follows on the list of Blumhouse’s latest releases and it wasn’t as bad as Evil Eye. I could tell the filmmaker of this one had taken a bit more time to form the story and cast the actors, which included Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney and Jumanji’s Madison Iseman. Both actors were playing sisters and their performances were really believable. I wasn’t completely thrilled or taken out of my seat, however the story was unique in its telling and showcased some real, young talent.

Score: 8/10

Summer of ‘85 (2020) seen at BFI Southbank

If anything, Summer of ‘85 taught me that I should pick up French again for I’m totally in love with language. Besides that my heart wasn’t completely in love with this film. The performances of Félix Lefebrve and Benjamin Voisin were mature and sensitive throughout. I felt like they were two actors who take direction very well and connect with the material they are given. I loved the aesthetic of the film and the relationship that bloomed between Alexis and David, however I think the story just needed a bit more, a bit more stakes and hardship for it to have hit harder by the end. It’s certainly no Call me by your name, but is still a film that I would watch again if offered the chance.

Sinister (2012) seen on Netflix

If I paid money to see this film I would’ve asked for it back. Growing up, I used to be terrified of these films, even the trailers would give me nightmares. But this film wasn’t it AT ALL. They need to stop casting Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise, Training Day) in horror films because it's making me hate him as an actor, even when he’s really good. However, anytime he finds his way into a horror film, he plays the default “day who saves the day” and it's pitifully awful to watch. There was nothing scary about this film and the ending was shockingly bad.

Score: 4/10

That’s all I have for this month, thanks for reading and see you next month!

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