Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile (2019)

I've been really looking forward to seeing Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile because serial killers have always fascinated me and Efron's performance received a lot of praises from critics.

The film is based on Elizabeth Kendall’s memoir The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy and follows Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) mainly during the 1970s. The first part focuses on his relationship with former girlfriend Liz Kloepfer (Lily Collins), the second on his trails as he’s charged with multiple first-degree murders.

Since Joe Berlinger also directed Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, a brilliant, captivating, and entertaining documentary, I was expecting Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile to be just as interesting and compelling. Unfortunately, partially because I’ve seen the documentary and therefore there wasn’t anything else to learn about Bundy, and partially because the film doesn’t have a focus — it’s not Liz’s story as it was supposed to be considering it’s based on her memoir, it’s not Ted’s, nor Carol’s, nor the victims’ —, the film didn’t work that well for me. Furthermore, it feels like a disjointed series of episodes, and the non-fictional footage added here and there only makes it more disjointed. 

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile does, however, a good job with the characters — while the script doesn’t do them any good, the cast provides strong performances. Ted Bundy was a highly intelligent, manipulative, calculating but also an incredibly charming man, and Zac Efron delivers all that. And he does more, he also delivers Bundy’s mannerisms to perfection. Lily Collins gives a compelling performance as Bundy’s girlfriend, Liz — she loved him and believed his innocence but at the same time she was afraid of him reason why she gave his name to the police, and Collins conveys this struggle of hers very well. John Malkovich also does a good job as the judge, although I would have appreciated if the character hadn’t had been reduced to a generic judge. Kaya Scodelario also does a nice job as Carole Anne Boone, Bundy’s obsessive friend who would later become his wife and the mother of his daughter. I wasn’t a fan of Jim Parsons’s performance as the prosecutor though as it reminded me a lot of his Sheldon Cooper, and Haley Joel Osment is kinda bland. 

Netflix, Sky Cinema

Other than the acting, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile needs to be praised for avoiding shock value and leaving out almost all the gruesome details of Bundy’s crimes — it was hard to sit through that while watching the documentary, so it would have been unbearable in a film that has a lighter approach to the subject as its purpose is to show how good Bundy was at deceiving people. 

In addition, the film also has striking cinematography with beautiful shots, and dynamic movements, greats sets, costumes and makeup — they did such a good job at ageing Efron and Collins. I also liked that Berlinger added those events that seem so unreal to be true — like Bundy’s courthouse escape through a second-floor window, and his proposal and marriage in the courtroom. 

Despite its many positive aspects, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile still was an underwhelming film as the story was unevenly compelling, the script quite weak and the wicked, evil and vile aspects of Bundy don’t really emerge.

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

I loved Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler and specifically adored Jack Gyllenhaal's performance in it so I was really looking forward to seeing them team up again. And it finally happened with Velvet Buzzsaw, a horror film about the art world.

The story mainly follows Morf Vanderwalt (Jake Gyllenhaal), a pompous and feared art critic who can make or break an artist with a single review and is connected with artists and other people in the art business, including Josephina (Zawe Ashton), the young assistant of Rhodora Haze (Rene Russo), a big name art dealer. When Josephina steals the paintings left behind by her deceased neighbour to show Morf and Rhodora and eventually sell them, Morf becomes obsessed with finding out more about the painter. Meanwhile, the people who are profiting from the dead artist's art are targeted by a supernatural entity.

Velvet Buzzsaw doesn't have much of a plot with its threads that go nowhere as they are picked up only to be discarded pretty soon. Despite this, it is genuinely interesting and gripping as it does a good job at critiquing modern art world, a world driven by greed and hypocrisy, a world in which money is more important and art itself and the artist. It also shows how the work of a critic can affect an artist, not only professionally.

The dialogue is pretty empty but it sounds so sophisticated it ends up being quite charming. And the over-the-top and pretentious characters, although some of them could have used more dimension and development, are interesting and somewhat likeable, and invested me right from the beginning.

As for the performances, most of them are great. Jake Gyllenhaal does a wonderful job as Morf and yet again proves himself to be one of the most skilled actors alive. He embodies Morf completely, to the point that it doesn't feel like watching Gyllenhaal but the actual over-the-top, silly character he plays here. The other standout is Toni Collette who plays an art adviser and steals most of the scenes she is in —when she shares the screen with Gyllenhaal, the eyes are on him. The other actors too give fascinating performances, Zawe Ashton being the only exception —I didn't like her at all, specifically because of the weird way she delivers her lines.

Netflix

The cinematography is gorgeous, as it should be in a film about art, and the score is effective at making some scenes more intense, suspenseful and thrilling, especially when it comes to the artistic deaths, which I really enjoyed. That said, I feel like Gilroy should have stuck just to the satire about the art world and avoided the horror genre as it doesn't add much to the film other than a bit of entertainment factor.

Con Air (1997)

It's been almost four years ago since I first heard of Con Air —I remember it so well because it was a popular pick for one of my first weeks of Thursday Movie Picks and I joined the series in 2015— but I never gave it a try because, being honest, Nicolas Cage is not my cup of tea. 

The story follows United States Army Ranger Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) who, after serving eight years in prison for manslaughter, is getting out on parole and goes home to his wife (Monica Potter) and the daughter (Landry Allbright) he has never met. Unfortunately, Poe has to share a plane with some dangerous criminals and when the prisoners, led by Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom (John Malkovich), take control of the plane, he must find a way to stop them while playing along.

Needless to say, the plot to Con Air is beyond far-fetched and it gets to a point where it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever as it alternated between plot holes and "what the fuck" moments. There's also a subplot involving the most badass of the criminals, one Garland Greene, played by Steve Buscemi, that goes pretty much nowhere. However, it's all so over-the-top, the fast-paced plot ends up being somewhat engaging and entertaining.

The characters too are pretty badly written. They are indeed incredibly thin with their lack of characterization and development —I can't even remember these guys' names— and they all are over-the-top; however, it's the way they are introduced to us the worst thing about them —we are given a quick, sloppy description of each criminal which makes each of them look like very dangerous fellas when they actually aren't that dangerous.

And don't even get me started on the dialogue which is some of the most dreadful and idiotic my ears have ever heard. However, the actors, specifically Nicolas Cage, have a way of delivering their lines that the dumb dialogue ends up being funny. Not as funny as Cage's hilarious southern accent though —apparently, he travelled to Alabama to "perfect" his accent. I guess he travelled to an inhabited place. Or he was high and travelled with his mind only— or Cage's long hair blown by the wind. There are also a few good-ish performances in there, from John Malkovich who is brilliant as the evil Cyrus the Virus, and Steve Buscemi who makes a very creepy criminal —I wish he had more screen time.

Buena Vista Pictures

The action is also tremendously over-the-top —from explosions to fighting to guns fire, everything is overdone and exaggerated, all the time. The special effects aren't particularly good either. The songs never, I repeat, never fits their scene —okay, this is not entirely true as the song in the ending fits very well— and they have quite a comical effect because of this, not to mention how cheesy some of them are. 

All of that being said, Con Air is a lot of fun to wach.

Johnny English (2003)

Earlier this month, the trailer for Johnny English Strikes Again dropped. It was funish so I decided I'd rewatch the first film before the new one. I had no idea there was a second movie, Johnny English Reborn, and now that I've rewatched Johnny English, I realised that I hadn't seen this one either.

This one goes like this. When Agent Number One (Greg Wise) is killed and so are all the other MI7 spies while attending Number One's funeral, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson), the only British spy left, is tasked to protect the British Crown Jewels. But he fails to do that and the crown is stolen. With the help of his assistant, Bough (Ben Miller), Johnny starts investigating the theft and the prime suspect is a mysterious French entrepreneuer, Pascal Sauvage (John Malkovich).

An obvious parody of James Bond, the plot is simple, rather weak, sloppy, beyond predictable --there are some twists but you can see them coming miles ahead-- and has plenty of holes, but it's decent enough to keep you interested and entertained.

The plot, however, isn't really the thing about Johnny English that keeps you entertained. That would be Rowan Atkinson. He is the glue that keeps the film together and prevents it from being tedious. His portayal of Johnny English, the most clumpy and imcompetent spy ever --even his sidekick is a better spy than he is--, is excellent. Atkinson uses his comedic abilities very well and his deliveries are always funny, even with most of the jokes and gags being incredibily predictable.

Universal Pictures

The supporting cast is also worth of a mention. While Natalie Imbruglia should stick with singing as she does a way better job in that field, Ben Miller does a good job as Bough, English's assistant. The stand out, however, easily is John Malkovich. He plays Pascal Sauvage, easily the most silly character he has ever played. He is given no funny lines whatsoever and he can only rely on a ridiculous French accent to make the audience laugh, but he manages to make that work. The character is quirky and absurd but Malkovich makes you believe such a person could actually exist.

As I mentioned above, the comedy isn't Johnny English's strongest suit. It's very predictable, gags and jokes often feel forced and the laughs don't come as fast as they should, but overall it works.

Ultimately, this is not The Naked Gun, but it's still worth the time if you are looking to a silly movie to entertain you.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Though the title would have never, even in a million years, convince me to watch The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as it sounds to me like some dumb movie, I've seen enough pics of Sam Rockwell rocking that wavy blonde hair and that gorgeous ginger beard to convince me to give it a chance. 

Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is a British everyman who wakes up one day only to find his house is going to be demolished. But that's not all. His friend Ford (Mos Def) shows up, reveals that he is an alien and announces that the Earth will be destroyed in 12 minutes. And guess what, that's exactly what happens: an alien species, the Vogons, demolish the Earth to build an intergalactic motorway. Ford saves Arthur just in time, catching a ride on a spaceship, and they embark on a galactic adventure. 

I've never seen/read any of the formats Douglas Adams's series was adapted to --according to Wikipedia, there are novels, comic books, a TV series and a videogame, and it all started as a radio show-- so I don't know how faithful to the source material the film was, but it didn't make a lot of sense.

Let me explain that. The plot is non-existent, there is just a lot of stuff happening whose only thing in common is the characters, plots are just started and left unresolved, and a lot of time is wasted on a subplot --the capture and rescue of Trillian-- that has no relevance whatsoever to that the thing resembling a plot. 

In spite of the terribly lazy writing, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is interesting, engaging, entertaining and fun. It's no Rear Window (I'm mentioning this because I rewatched it a few days before watching this one), but it still keeps you glued to the screen. The sloppy writing, its leaving all the plot unfinished, is what makes the film kind of unpredictable and enjoyable. 

Buena Vista Pictures

The characters are pretty shallow and underdeveloped, and, just like the subplots, some of them are thrown in for no apparent reason. But at least they have motivations which make them more interesting. 

That and the cast, of course. Each member of the cast did an excellent job. Martin Freeman is once again the everyman but he is funny and convincing as Arthur. Zooey Deschanel is great as the funny, brilliant and adorable Trillian and the romance between her character and Freeman's works nicely. Mos Def does good as Ford and Bill Nighy gives a quite funny performance. The standout, however, is Sam Rockwell. He is clearly having a lot of fun playing the kind of hippie, self-centred, eccentric President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox, and he makes you have fun too. And that charisma!

As for the jokes, not always they make sense, like they don't feel in the right context if that makes any sense, but the lines work and made me laugh. Surely can't complain about that. At last, though they are overused, the special effects are good. 

Siberian Education (2013)

Original Title

Educazione siberiana

Genre

Crime | Drama

Director

Gabriele Salvatores

Country

Italy

Cast

Arnas Fedaravicius, Peter Stormare, John Malkovich, Vilius Tumalavicius, Eleanor Tomlinson, Jonas Trukanas, Vitalij Porshnev, Arnas Sliesoraitis, Pijus Grude, Ernestas Markevicius, Erikas Zaremba, Arvydas Lebeliunas, Viktoras Karpusenkovas, Daiva Stumbraite

Storyline

Kolyma (Arnas Fedaravicius) and Gagarin (Vilius Tumalavicius) grow up like brothers, raised by Kolyma's grandfather Kuzja (John Malkovich) who imposes very strict education to the children, focusing on hatred for the Soviets. In a robbery by two boys and two friends of theirs, Gagarin is stopped and arrested. Seven years later he is freed, but the world has changed, and he ends up in strong contrast with Kolyma.

Opinion

I did not read the book of Russian writer Lilin, but I read that the film doesn't stick much to the book. Now I believe that a film doesn't need to be identical to the book to be appreciated. However, still based on what I read about the book, I feel like the film could have been so much better.

Very interesting in terms of acting and aesthetic, Siberian Education is pretty much an ordinary gangster movie that seems half accomplished.

I'm really impressed that Italian director Gabriele Salvatores has tried something new, and has dealt with a part of history most of us don't know, but the film does have its flaws.

The main problem is the screenplay. Stefano Rulli, Sandro Petraglia and Salvatores do not find a way to carry the story, not even with the help of Lilin himself, and the result is a quite awkward script that alternates well made parts - childhood, criminal education, and carousel scene - to incomplete ones - the arrival of Xenya doesn't not bring the emotions it was supposed to, and the ending is nothing but hurried and also lacks emotions.

Despite many said they are different from the book, the characters are very interesting, in particular the extraordinary figure of Granpa Kuzja, reference point both of his family and of the Siberian clan. But, again, the character of Xenya has not been properly written.

The good thing is that the film gives some lessons that break off from the modern society we live in. First of all, money, whether they come from good or bad, is dirty. Second, we must help, and defend the weakest, because they are not able to do it themselves.

The acting steps up the film's game. When it comes to bad guys John Malkovich is the right pick. He lights up the film every time he is on screen, and delivers a stunning performance as the Russian Godfather, and makes you almost forget the fact that the characters speak English, with an accent but still English, instead of their native language. The others, Arnas Fedaravicius, Vilius Tumalavicius, Peter Stormare and Eleanor Tomlinson all do a fine job.

Quotes

Grandfather Kuzya: Man cannot possess more than his heart can love.