At Eternity's Gate (2018)

I've been a fan of Van Gogh for as long as I remember —I can't put into words how wonderful it was for me to see some of his painting in the National Gallery— so of course I wanted to see At Eternity's Gate. If you add Willem Dafoe's acclaimed performance, it turns into a movie impossible to pass for me. 

This biographical drama follows the final years in the life of Vincent Van Gogh (Willem Dafoe) during a self-imposed exile in Arles (South of France) and Auvers-Sur-Oise (near Paris, which is in the North) in which he developed his unique style and friendship with French artist Paul Gauguin (Oscar Isaac) while struggling with mental illness and people's rejection. 

Just like Vincente Minelli's Lust for Life, Julian Schnabel's At Eternity's Gate isn't entirely historically accurate, but that's not the problem here as, unlike Minelli's film, Schnabel's doesn't have an engaging and compelling story and the fractured storytelling, instead of adding to the movie, makes it only a tedious watch. It offers insights into his troubled mental state, but it doesn't do in a particularly interesting way. 

The other major problem with At Eternity's Gate is the cinematography. While at times the film is visually compelling and the colour palette is very reminiscent of Van Gogh's, the jumpy, shaky, blurring camera movements is beyond annoying. I get that Schnabel was trying to capture, portray Van Gogh's insanity with these shots but they don't last enough to leave a mark and basically do their job right. It doesn't provide any deeper understanding of his troubled mental state, it doesn't add anything to the thin plot, it only distracts from the story and it's beyond frustrating to watch. The ending isn't very good either, and the score is loud is overwhelming —I guess it fits with the cinematography pretty well.

CBS Films

The acting is the only redeeming aspect. Willem Dafoe gives yet another excellent performance in the role of Vincent Van Gogh. He truly delves deep into the soul of the tormented artist who was not understood by the people in his own time. Anxiety, anguish, depression, melancholy, you can read all that on Dafoe's face. Whether he's painting —he actually learnt how to paint for the role— or mumbling, or delivering the film's dreadful dialogue, he is incredibly fascinating to watch. Oscar Isaac does a nice job as Van Gogh's friend, Paul Gauguin, and so does Rupert Friend in the role of Van Gogh's brother Theo. The standout among the supporting cast easily is Mads Mikkelsen though —he doesn't get nearly the screen time he deserves, and yet he delivers a strong performance in the role of a priest.

Ultimately, if you are a fan of Willem Dafoe, definitely watch this. If you are not or you just love Van Gogh more than Dafoe, then watch Minelli's film or the stunning 2017 animated version, Loving Vincent.

Aquaman (2018)

I love superhero flicks but usually, I'm more excited about MCU than DCEU as the latter often turn out to be not so good while the first, while pretty much all identical, are entertaining. It's different with Aquaman. I was over-the-top excited about it —entirely because of Jason Momoa at first; also because of James Wan after watching some of his horror flicks. 

The story follows Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), the son of a lighthouse keeper, Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison), and the princess of Atlantis, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). When he learns that his half-brother, Orm Marius (Patrick Wilson), seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms to declare war to the surface world, Arthur must step forward and fulfil his destiny of becoming king.

The plot is rather thin and predictable —aren’t most of superhero origin stories, though?—, it doesn’t always make sense —actually, it’s straight stupid at times, like when Arthur lifts a church’s wall to free a man and then the guy runs away like nothing had happened—, it isn’t always consistent with the events of the other DCEU movies and some things are left unexplained —what’s the story behind Arthur’s tattoos?— and yet it manages to be an engaging and compelling story that, unlike most if not all superhero flicks, addresses, even if in a shallow way —it’s still a superhero movie—, a real-life issue, ocean pollution.

Unlike the story, which is very easy to follow, the characters can be a little confusing at times as they are poorly introduced and it isn't always easy to understand what's the connection between them, especially if you are not familiar with the Aquaman comic books. Also, they feel rushed and because of it, I didn't care much about the romance between Arthur and Mera as there isn't much of an emotional connection between them. The main villain, however, Arthur's half-brother, is such a good one as he is moved by actual motives—he blames Arthur for their death of their mother and wants to declare war to humans because they are destroying his home, the oceans.

The cast really elevates the film. Because of Jason Momoa who brings to the character tons of charisma, Arthur is a very compelling and likeable lead. He is not a guy to make fun of which often happens in pop culture; he is strong and brave and he can beautifully pull off a cocky attitude while still remaining very likeable, a character you care about and root for. Nicole Kidman does a wonderful job as Atlanna and her serious approach to the character, along with her chemistry with Momoa, delivers the a sweet, heartwarming and kind of moving moment. Patrick Wilson does a nice job as the entitled King Orm and makes it even harder to root against him. Amber Heard, on the other hand, gives a pretty weak performance as Mera.

Warner Bros. Pictures

It's visually though that Aquaman truly blew me away. The cinematography is gorgeous —some underwater shots are breathtakingly beautiful—, the special effects are solid —the underwater hair looks goddamn awful though— and the editing is top notch. The visuals don't lose a beat not even when it comes to the action, which is always exciting and entertaining. The soundtrack is also pretty beautiful and, fight me, I dare you, Pitbull's Ocean to Ocean is great.

Sure, it's not perfect but it's easily the best, funnier and most entertaining superhero flick of 2018. Again, fight me, I dare you.

Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)

Mr. Bean's Holiday is one of those movies my family and I used to watch every year during the holidays. I don't know when, but at some point we stopped watching it and I completely forgot about it. Then, earlier this December, I had oysters, I recalled of that scene and thought it was about time to give it a rewatch. 

The film follows Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) as he travels to Cannes, Frances, a vacation he won at the church raffle. At the Gare de Lyon, he accidentally separates a young Russian boy (Max Baldry) from his father (Karel Roden), and he must put aside his selfishness to help the kid meet back up with his father.

Mr. Bean's Holiday's isn't a complex plot and, as you know if you are familiar with Mr. Bean —who isn't though—, it's absolutely ridiculous. Simple and far-fetched doesn't necessarily mean bad and it doesn't here as the story is quite engaging and enjoyable.

Also, it's the simple story that allows the film to focus more on its characters, specifically on Mr. Bean. He doesn't have any more depth that he has in the TV series, but he still is the goofy, silly man who finds himself in the most absurd situations, the funny and lovable guy everyone loves, and the filmmakers make a good use of him. As for the people Bean meets on his trip, they are decently written —they pretty thing and one-dimensional and yet there's something about each of them that makes you remember about them, and care about some of them.

As for the cast, Rowan Atkinson still plays the part of Mr. Bean very well: he's amazingly funny with his expressive face and slapstick —he sure doesn't need witty dialogue to make his audience laugh. Emma de Caunes is very charming as Sabine, a French girl who helps Mr. Beans, and Max Baldry is lovable as the kid who got separated from the father. However, the standout for me was Willem Dafoe in the role of a pretentious actor and director as he pokes fun at those filmmakers who are full of themselves assholes.

Universal Pictures

Steve Bendelack's direction isn't anything special but he lets the story unfold at a nice pace, the editing is nice and the cinematography does a good job at capturing the beautiful French locations.

Ultimately, Mr. Bean's Holiday isn't a first-class comedy but if you like old-fashioned slapstick, and you're looking for a comedy the whole family can enjoy, with no foul language, nudity or offensive jokes, this film might do for you.

Antichrist (2009)

I've been meaning to watch more Lars von Trier films ever since I watched and loved Nymphomaniac. But he is not the easiest director to watch, so I kept putting them off until now, as I decided to watch horror movies for 31 days straight and I picked Antichrist. 

The movie tells the story of a couple who has just lost their child. After the funeral, She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) falls into the depression hole and He (Willem Dafoe), a therapist), tries to help her by figuring out what her fear is.  To do this, they head off to their cabin in the woods. Once there, however, her mental state rapidly deteriorates. 

The story, which is divided into six chapters --a Prologue, Grief, Pain, Despair, The Three Beggars, and an Epilogue--, gets more and more intense and disturbing as it develops to the point of becoming unbearable. 

Antichrist's is a story that explores the human process of coping with trauma and loss; it portrays the human nature and condition, specifically the feminine condition. And this is where I had a huge problem with von Trier's movie. Women are portrayed as evil, the incarnation of the devil. I agree that we often forget that, just like men, women too are capable of doing horrific things --just think of mothers killing their own kids-- but this feels like a movie made by someone and for people who hate and fear women.

At least the characters, which are only two, He and She, are pretty solid. Although they seem unrealistic and little believable and their actions are often bizarre, they are interesting and have such an emotional depth that they effortlessly carry the film. The performances from Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are both very compelling. While Dafoe gives a calm and composed performance, Gainsbourg's is intense, painful, and devastating.

Nordisk Film Distribution

Visually, Antichrist is quite stunning. The opening sequence, the prologue, is nothing short of spectacular with its black and white cinematography, the fantastic camera work, and the slow-motion. The music opera music that accompanies the tragedy, the intensity of it. It's a pure work of art, easily one of the best openings I've ever seen. The rest of the film, well, it's not so beautiful. The camera work is still impressive, and the slow-motion is still wonderfully used, but there are too many disturbing images to consider the rest of the film visually beautiful --there's no beauty in a penis, Dafoe's character but probably, certainly a body double's, ejaculating blood nor in Gainsbourg's character cutting off her clitoris. If anything, they are unforgettable.

I also had another issue with Antichrist. It's hard, if not impossible, to categorize the film. Is it a horror? Or is a psychological drama? I guess a bit of both as von Trier himself said he wanted to make a horror but ended up making something else. Anyway, the sense of dread that builds throughout the film, the brutality, the physical and sexual violence, they sure make for an extremely unsettling film.

What Happened to Monday (2017)

Almost a month ago, Dell on Movies hosted Girl Week 2017 and kicked it off with his review of What Happened to Monday (you can read it here). I hadn't heard of the movie before but it sounded pretty interesting and I wanted to watch it. Then I found out it wasn't on Netflix Italy but that it would get a theatrical release instead. Thank goodness it was pretty close (November 30) and I didn't have to wait too long to see this pretty interesting dystopic film. 

It's set in 2073 where overpopulation is such a big issue, the government, headed by Nicolette Cayman (Glenn Close), opted for a one-child policy that sees younger siblings cryogenically frozen. There's, however, a set of identical septuples named after the days of the week, the Settman siblings (Noomi Rapace), who, thanks to their grandfather (Willem Dafoe), have evaded capture as each sibling plays her part in portraying Karen Settman, a fake identity they use outside of their apartment. But then one day Monday doesn't come home and...

... I'm going to shut up now because I feel like I've already given away too much. Anyway, the story is overall quite strong, it's pretty inventive and original, and it's so engaging and exciting, it keeps you glued to the screen. There are multiple plots twists, some more predictable than others (especially the end), and some holes here and there, but it's still pretty enjoyable thanks to the suspense and tension director Tommy Wirkola builds and delivers.

Netflix, SND Films, Vendôme Pictures

I'd like to go back to the plot holes for a second though, one in particular. What happened to Dafoe's character, the grandfather? We see him raising the siblings and doing his best to save their lives, but what happened to him? I assumed he died, but I would have loved seeing more of him because of the important role this man has in the siblings' lives. Their relationship is beautiful, and all he does to keep them safe is admirable and touching which is why in my opinion deserved more space. Dafoe's performance is great though.

But not as good as Noomi Rapace's. Her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Millenium trilogy amazed me, but what she does here is so much better. Each sibling has her own personality (they are rather thin characters though) and Rapace delivers them all, with some of course standing out more than others. I have to admit that at times I recognized which sibling was which thanks to the clothes they were wearing, but playing flawlessly and with such depth 7 different characters in the same film isn't easy.