Review: Jackie

Runtime: 1hr 40min

Director: Pablo Larraín

Release Date: 20th January 2017

Rating: 15 (UK), R (US)

Natalie Portman takes on the challenging role of beloved 60's First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the days leading up to the end of her Whitehouse stint. The script not particularly engaging, Jackie contained performances which were much to the contrary.

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A movie based upon Jackie Kennedy's life has seemingly infinite source material; any type of biopic about the Kennedy's would have so much detail due to the amount of research that has gone into JFK's assassination and life - however this movie managed to skip all of that and focus entirely on the week after JFK's death alone - when so much more about Jackie Kennedy's life as a whole could have been covered. 

As a result, Jackie is entirely based around planning President Kennedy's funeral - and not much else. The premise of the movie is the events of Kennedys' assassination and the events that followed being recounted by Jackie herself in a controlled press interview in the week following the execution that shook a nation.

Jackie (Natalie Portman), details her account of not only the day in question, but also the succeeding funeral plans, her removal from long-term home the Whitehouse, and the very public funeral itself - in which she received much criticism for her personal and political decisions, despite being the grieving widow left to shelter two children from a media frenzy. 

Throughout, her closeness with brother-in-law Bobby Kennedy (Peter Sarsgaard) is prominent; to the point where it became a bit of a two-man show. Both Sarsgaard and Portman can be commended on their performances, as can the remainder of the cast (for what little screen-time they had) - Portman in particular gave a show captivating to watch, with her vocal imitation almost perfection - despite speculation on its' authenticity due to its' husky, Marilyn-Monroe-esque perception. John Carroll Lynch (as President Lyndon B Johnson) was noteworthy also. Alongside this, it has to be said that the costume, makeup and overall styling was excellent too.

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However, with an almost-two-hour play-out of events that spanned just one week, it felt like Jackie was brimming with detail despite not actually having much real substance; the whole thing felt a bit uneventful for the chaos that it surrounded. Details that you would expect painted clearly for this movie (such as the arrest and public shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald) seemed entirely skimmed over - seemingly Jackie Kennedy's conversations with her interior designer (Richard E. Grant) and a priest (the late, great John Hurt) were deemed far more interesting by comparison.

Music and cinematography, whilst done quite well, were of no particular note, despite its' Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. Alongside this, Jackie's shortlistings' include well-deserved nominations for Costume Design and Best Actress in a Leading Role. Some beautifully detailed scenes became a tad lacklustre by the end, and a few in particular felt slightly mocking of true-to-life occurances.

Whilst the strength and intelligence of Jackie Kennedy were highlighted in this mediocre biopic, I can't help feeling it lacked depth where it churned out detail. A solid effort by Larraín, however not the masterpiece we all had hoped for.

6/10

Movie Marathon Monday: The Alien Quadrilogy

Due to the announcement of Alien Covenant, it was only appropriate for this months' Movie Marathon Monday that I review the original Alien series! Spawned in 1979, the franchise went on to have vast success, including crossovers with the much-loved Predator, and a prequel series including Prometheus, with the latest instalment due for release on 19th May.

The Alien Quadrilogy

Alien

Aliens

Alien 3

Alien: Resurrection

Runtime: 7hr 57min

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Plot

Throughout all four films, main character Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the most worthy adversary to take on the Xenomorph; a terrifying extra-terrestrial creature. The movies, set in space in the distant future, uncover an intelligent, merciless alien, after which comes multiple attempts from humanity to weaponise them - to horrifying effect.

Why watch it?

The quadrilogy begins with one of the most acclaimed horror movies of all time, only to end with one of the greatest disappointments in movie history. Despite this, all of the films are entertaining in their own right - the regular change in directors create different styles and tones for each production, meaning no film is a re-hash - and while a couple didn't hit all the right notes (Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection), they are still fun to watch.

High Points

The first ever chest burster; Alien and Aliens consistently fantastic throughout; some iconic moments in Alien 3; multiple plot twists to keep you gripped.

 

Low Points

Alien: Resurrection as a whole (sorry, not sorry!); Aliens kind of detracting from the virtually impenetrable nature of the Xenomorph.

Fun Fact

The preliminary Xenomorph design sketches were deemed so chilling that they were held up in airport customs until Dan O'Bannon (Alien screenplay writer) went down to the Los Angeles airport and explained they were merely designs for a horror movie.

Review: Lion

Runtime: 1hr 58min
Director: Garth Davis
Release Date: 20th January 2017
Rating: PG (UK), PG-13 (US)

Lion's cinematography and excellent pacing allows the film to tell a fully-fledged story based on a true-story; with great performances from child and adult actors alike.

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Garth Davis' debut feature-length film follows a story that takes place starting in 1986, where Saroo Brierley (Sunny Pawar, Dev Patel) finds himself, at five years old, trapped on a train which takes him 1,500 kilometres away from his family in India. Lost and struggling without a home in colossal city Calcutta, Saroo is taken to an orphanage and eventually adopted by Tasmanian couple John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham, Nicole Kidman) - only to find himself searching for his Indian family again after reaching adulthood. 

Due to the plot following a true story (adapted from novel 'A Long Way Home') - Lion's advantage is that it is not overly Hollywood - the characters are relatable and authentic, the progression of the narrative is natural, and the scenery is accustomed to fit the scenario.

The pacing of the film is almost perfect - the movie does not rush to get to the Dev Patel portion of the story with adult Saroo; the first 50 minutes of the film follows young Saroo's circumstances with his family before losing track of his home, and being taken in by the orphanage. The presentation that Sunny Pawar gives is touching, and the cinematography in this section truly shows just how lonely he is - wide shots of an entire empty train station with a minute figure of a child standing in the centre of shot being a good example.

I describe the pacing as "almost perfect" because the movie jumps through adult Saroo's life with little warning - for a plot that really took its' time to establish Saroo's feeling of detachment and disconnection, there was a great deal of glossing over important parts of adult Saroo's life - like the relationship he has with his adopted brother Mantosh (Divian Ladwa) and his girlfriend Lucy (Rooney Mara). The viewer is left to assume that Lucy and Saroo are a couple simply by how they spend lots of time together - and their relationship doesn't develop much during the movie. The issues Mantosh and Saroo have aren't rectified and this feels like a loose end when the film closes. 

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Since a lot of adult Saroo's story was not fleshed-out completely, the issues he faced with his family and his relationship gave off the atmosphere of manufactured drama for the purpose of making the film more interesting. If this was completely removed and Saroo set off to find his family without all of the commotion, the film would have felt hollow, yet if the plot was totally developed then this criticism would have not been necessary.

Dev Patel's performance is up-to-scratch - his reactions in attempting to find his home and how this puts pressure on his relationships are very human, and Nicole Kidman's execution was incredibly commendable. The star of the show was definitely Sunny Pawar (likely with the greatest amount of screen-time) but he managed to hold the viewer entertained despite being the only character on-screen for much of the film: a difficult task. With the aid of excellent camera shots and good writing, Pawar maintained the film with little-to-no dialogue, which is something even adult actors often find challenging.

Where many "true story" adaptation films fail with selecting a very difficult plot to convert into audience-friendly material, Lion triumphs in every way. There was no point during the movie where I found myself disinterested, and the runtime was a suitable length for the subject matter provided. 

Out of most Oscar contenders like La La Land and Manchester by the Sea, Lion is one I would most recommend along with Moonlight from what I have watched so far. I can see this film being likely overlooked, but it should really be a serious contender for cinematography and writing. In conclusion, Lion is an enjoyable and affecting film to watch, and despite being an underdog this awards season, I do hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

7.5/10

Review: Manchester by the Sea

Runtime: 2hr 17min
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Release Date: 13th January 2017
Rating: 15 (UK), R (US)

Melancholy-inducing Manchester by the Sea's attempts to tell a passionate story of tragedy, loss, and the importance of family in times of struggle, fall short; all that felt received was a mediocre presentation with a lack of convincing portrayals.

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It is clear to see what Manchester by the Sea tried to achieve here; the plot follows the death of main character Lee Chandler's (Casey Affleck) brother, and his new-found guardianship of nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges) - Lonergan envisioned a hard-hitting movie  encapsulating real-life reactions to trauma, gripping the viewer until the bitter end.

The main storyline carries the predominant issue Lee faces - being left custody of his nephew after his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies from a heart condition. Lee is incredibly reluctant about this and spends plenty of screentime trying to palm off said nephew on others, and the ending is inconclusive as to how this issue can really be resolved.

The faults in Manchester by the Sea include an unjustified runtime, near-emotionless acting (particularly Affleck) and some rather odd pacing; flashbacks occur frequently - detailing Lee's past and why he moved away from Manchester - but these flashbacks have no indication of timing so it is often unclear whether each scene is a flashback or part of present day events. Affleck's performance is wooden on the most part; the majority of intended powerful moments fall short with Lee - a brooding loner - just being portrayed disinterested and expressionless; mundane to watch, to say the least.

Casting decisions were not entirely on form either - both Lee's ex wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and Joe's ex wife Elise (Gretchen Mol) looked very similar (and had uncanny styling) so, particularly in one certain scene where only the back of her head was visible, it was unclear which character we were seeing.

The film did have its merits however; the location the film is set in was an excellent directing choice; the scenery was beautifully shot at times, and the writing of the story was touching to an extent, were it not for poor execution. Manchester by the Sea did have some comical moments as well - especially during the first half an hour of the film. It was a let down that this dissipated throughout the film because it appeared as though the movie couldn't decide if it was entirely sombre or if it had light-hearted aspects despite a dark plot-line.

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The film succeeded in the sense that I did leave the cinema feeling melancholy - Affleck did display an on-screen presence of depression and angst; and there were times during the film that this did absolutely fit the tone, but not when there were attempts to show his compassionate side towards his nephew: which were key to the plot. 

Manchester by the Sea's greatest fault is that it is mostly uneventful and uninspiring, I never found myself enthralled or anticipating what was to come - only waiting on the movie end. How Casey Affleck won a Golden Globe for his performance I remain uncertain - but one can appreciate he made some semblance of effort with respect of the material given.

Lucas Hedges' depiction was of note; it is disappointing that the character of Patrick Chandler was written merely as a bratty teenager (with an injection of lothario and absence of empathy) waiting on Lee to ferry him around above all else; reduced to an irritating on-screen presence.

The film is at times a bore to watch, as some plotlines don't go anywhere (perhaps in an attempt to simulate lifelike events), but the premise of the movie is commendable and despite an inconclusive ending, Manchester by the Sea was not completely awful. 

5/10