Le Weekend
With Jim Broadbent and Lindsey Duncan – re-kindling their long marriage, brilliantly performed. A dinner party with a bumped into colleague is the turning point. Broadbent and the stonned son conversation in a side room, leading directly to his declaration
King Richard
An overbearing bully; a distraction from his daughters’ careers: all of this and more has been levelled at Richard Williams, the larger-than-life father and coach of Venus and Serena Williams. This crowd-pleasing biopic, starring a grizzled Will Smith as Williams, redresses the balance somewhat with a more sympathetic portrait. It’s worth noting that both the Williams sisters and their half-sibling Isha Price are listed as executive producers. Williams personality angular and uncomfortable, shaped by poverty, violence and discrimination.
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion’s gothic cowboy. Slow burning. Big landscapes. Hard living in a small community. Two distinctly different brothers who run a profitable ranch: charismatic but a bully Cumberbatch, and George (Jesse Plemons), who affects a fancier style of clothing and millinery. George falls for windower Rose, who moves into the home, Phil makes it his business to harass and abuse her, as she descends into depression and alcoholism, and mock and bully her son, Peter. Then appears to take a strange fatherly interest in Peter himself, offering to teach him to ride and take him out into the remote hills to school him in the rancher ways. A lethal ending that creeps up behind you like a thief.
Feb 2022 – Darkness
Centred on Jan, a detective, and Louise, a profiler, and a case of a missing woman, six months old which most people assume she is dead. Then a second woman of similar appearance vanishes. Louise is bought in and other murders of girls are found. While we observe their investigation we also see what is happening to the kidnapped woman and learn that she actually has two captors. Early on we know who did it, which doesn’t make it any less interesting; it is an impressive psychological thriller that isn’t afraid to use horror tropes as we are shown how the victims are treated. There is a real sense of danger both for the victims and our investigators.
Marianne and Leonard
A tender film of the relationship between these two ‘refugee’ souls, sealed on the island of hypha. The film is made by nick bloomfield, who met Marianne on hydra and for a short time became one of her lovers. The place eloquently described – and filmed. An idyllic greek island. Cohen says, I was lucky to live at a time of such freedom… . One of the strongest elements of the film for me was both the joy and darkness of this time on the island. How some could swim in its strong currents but others were bashed upon its rocks of breaking relations. The darkness of axel, Marianne’s son, who spent much of his life institutionalised.
It begins with the end, the message for Leonard to Marianne as she lies dieting. Well safe travels old friend , see you down the road, endless love and gratitude, .
So much laughter, from man who sings such painfully sad songs. So much out there living, experimenting with mind bending ideas and chemicals – not to loose but to find. He was obsessed with gaining women’s favours at a time in his life. Women were panting for him – it almost killed Marianne . Aviva Leyton said it, no artist is available solely.
Kalikellett 