A few favourites from 2022, brought to you by the UCFS Execs.

What a year for cinema! From Everything, Everywhere All at Once to TAR to Marcel the Shell with Shoes on, so many amazing films came out of 2022. For me however, it is Aftersun directed by Charlotte Wells and starring Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal which truly takes the cake as the best film of 2022. Aftersun is a memory of the final holiday Sophie took with her dreamy, yet deeply troubled, single father Callum in the late 90s. While contemplating one's past is a common trope in storytelling, Wells adds a layer of tension to this process by depicting the reflection as also a reconciliation between Sophie's memories, experiences she imagines for her father, and 'objective' visual media artifacts. I think this approach to memory, precisely exploring the past through the lens of a camcorder and a TV screen, is what makes the film so unbelievably wise, unique, and special. Throughout the film we see Sophie's reflection or CRT TV reminiscent pixels on the film's image which reminds us that we are watching these memories through recordings, rather than seeing them as they actually are. This, I believe, is an extremely accurate depiction of memory, as we do not see memory as it is, but rather through our mind's hazy, distant, recollection. Furthermore, this approach also intelligently demonstrates our ability to add a deeper level of understanding onto memories as we grow older. Many people have said that they have connected very deeply to this film, and while there are many reasons why, I believe that one is that the tension between memory and media really speaks to our times where it is so common to record any and every aspect of our lives.

Favourite: Aftersun. It's probably recency bias but Aftersun might be my favourite film released after 2012 (I adore a number of films from that year). It tells the story of Sophie who is trying to piece together home video footage of a childhood vacation to understand her father. It is a story that could only be told as a film, and it has my highest recommendation. It is beautifully restrained and brutally honest.

Honourable Mentions: Puss in Boots and Ice Merchants were a win for animation. Puss in Boots was brilliantly paced, heartfelt and so very expressive in both the score and animation. It has its roots in the spaghetti westerns of the 60s and it shows. Ice Merchants tells a story without words. The animation and sound design is piercing. Its free to watch on The New Yorker and is only 14 minutes long.

Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) is unlike other war movies I’d seen before. Despite not being the most explicitly violent or gruesome film, somehow it still manages to be more vicious than many other movies of the same genre. While most other War Dramas I’ve seen try to tell hopeful tales about acts of heroism and persevering even through the worst of situations, All Quiet on the Western Front tells a tragic story about how soldiers can also be victims of the wars they fight in.

The beautifully shot, peaceful moments between Paul (Felix Kammerer) and his fellow soldiers in contrast with the hectic and unforgiving battle scenes paint a heartbreaking picture of what War is like for these young men. Their patriotism and enthusiasm for battle don’t even make it past the first act of the movie, instead replaced with a constant sense of dread and longing for the fighting to stop. Instead of heroes, the film frames its protagonists as possible cannon fodder, as all they can do is hope that they make it out alive for the next fight. Moreover, through its harrowing finale, which effectively mirrors the film’s opening sequence, All Quiet on the Western Front conveys how war diminished these men into nothing but uniforms and dog tags, stripping them away from their humanity. Also, since the story focuses on the German side of WWI, I appreciate how this movie brings a different view from the one-sided portrayal that is generally shown in most other western media, which in my opinion further aids the idea of soldiers as victims of war, showcasing only people following orders that exceed them.

Overall, I found that All Quiet on the Western Front was deeply impactful and engaging, and I thoroughly enjoyed the film’s approach to the war drama. With stunning visuals, strong themes and subject matter, plus a well-executed story, I consider this a film that most people should watch.

​Joyland by Saim Sadiq is something special. An ensemble drama at its finest, Sadiq’s feature film directorial debut addresses questions of finding one’s way under the overwhelming weight of established conventions and social constraints. The film is set in Lahore, Pakistan, where a traditional family navigates desire, longing, and love in relation to gender norms and class alienation. Joyland articulates a rich spectrum of emotions—it is at once tender, melancholic, and joyous. It is made with so much care and empathy, reflecting on the complex themes of autonomy, identity, and repression shared by many.
 
Actual People by Kit Zauhar deserves an honourable mention. Okay, so this film was technically made in 2021, but it officially released in 2022. Let me have this! Actual People is a fantastic mumblecore that speaks to anxieties of graduation, family, and love—and the aimlessness of those in-between moments. Zauhar’s debut is perceptive, witty, and sharp. The awkward, uncomfortable conversations feel completely organic. This film has something to offer to anybody at a stage in their life where they feel uncertain about both the present and the future.

Brought to you by the U of C Film Society

Hi everyone! We are SO excited to be hosting our third annual film awards right here on Crash/Cut. 2022 was an incredible year for cinema, and after weeks of nominations and voting, the results are finally in! Keep reading to check out the winners. 

​A massive thanks to our wonderful members who participated. We appreciate you! Here's to another year of great movies. 

       

      

   

     

   

    

By Catherine McDonald

Wong Kar-wai is an iconic Hong Kong director and filmmaker known for his romantic storytelling, bright saturated colours, and unique in-camera filmmaking techniques that have become his signature looks. When most people think of Wong Kar-wai, they think of visual techniques such as change in frame rate, and blurry, dreamy effects. These techniques are referenced in films such as Everything, Everywhere All at Once (2022), a movie that embraces and celebrates Asian cinema, showing the legacy that he’s created. He’s been coined “the most romantic filmmaker in the world” by Richard Corliss, a film critic for Time Magazine. Most of his notable films suggest that humans are lonely beings who long for something missing in their lives, something or someone who helps us feel less alone, especially in the lush, chaotic world of busy, neon Hong Kong where it’s easy to feel alone and misunderstood in a crowd. His films suggest that time and how it moves around our lives is correlated to our loneliness and desires, that time plays a factor in how our relationships play out and end.

In Chungking Express (1994), speed and time represents the characters’ personalities and feelings, and how the world around them moves against them. The film is split into two stories, with the first story revolving around Cop 223 recovering from a breakup, and Blondie on the run from a failed drug deal. With their story, Wong Kar-wai heavily utilizes step-printing to create a dreamy sense of motion. There’s a scene where Cop 223 is chasing after a criminal through the streets of Hong Kong, and another scene where Blondie is running from people trying to take her down. Both of these sequences have a time-lapse effect that makes the characters running look blocky and slow and out of place, but at the same time the world around them is fast and smeary — accomplished through step-printing. They’re visually appealing scenes, but the cinematography of these scenes were a conscious choice made to show how both of these characters live fast-paced lives. They are always on the run, the world around them is always moving fast despite their disconnect to the crowd, and they are people who have lifestyles that force them to make quick decisions. Cop 223 is the kind of person to make the quick choice to fall in love with Blondie, a stranger. Blondie is the kind of person to make the quick choice to kidnap a child.

Time is a big factor for these characters, emphasized by these stylized time-lapse montage sequences done with step-printing. Their heartbreaks and failures have deadlines in the film. Cop 223 references “May 1st” as the day his ex-girlfriend moved on from him, a month after April 1st, when she dumped him. Blondie has to recover from her drug deal before the next day, or she’s in trouble. They both move fast, disconnected from the world around them, and Wong Kar-wai uses step-printing to show how time around them correlates to Cop 223’s loneliness and longing and into his quick new-found love with Blondie. Quentin Tarantino’s opening to Reservoir Dogs (1992) utilizes this technique, but when “step-printing” is Googled, one will find that most results show Wong Kar-wai’s name next to it, truly making him the king of this technique to represent time

He also uses under-cranking in Chungking Express; another technique made iconic under his name. This plays a huge part in manipulating time in the second story of Chungking Express. The characters and how time revolves around them in this story are almost the opposite from the first story. Cop 663, like Cop 223, is also recovering from a heartbreak, while Faye is a restaurant worker going with the flow of life. The characters here have slow lives compared to the first set of characters. Cop 663 takes a long time to get over his heartbreak, and the progressing relationship between him and Faye takes place over a long period, as opposed to one night, like Cop 223 and Blondie’s romance. Faye is aimless and isn’t on the run from anything. Together, these people go through the motions of their slow jobs and slow-burn their feelings for each other. This is demonstrated by several sequences of under-cranking and a mixture of step-printing, emphasizing their loneliness and the time it takes for them to find they belong together as they take time to get to know each other. When they first become acquainted, we see a sequence of Cop 663 slowly drinking a coffee with Faye next to him, daydreaming. As they are lost in their own worlds, the people who walk by around them appear to be moving really fast, jittery and blocky, while Cop 663 and Faye appear to move extremely slowly, almost still. 

It’s a very stylized sequence and feels intentionally much slower than the time-lapse sequences of the first story. It was achieved by under-cranking the camera and then having extras walk by the camera really fast so that when their movements were captured with fewer frames, it would appear to be blocky and smeared with an open camera shutter. The actors for Cop 663 and Faye were directed to move extremely slowly so that they would appear to almost be still amidst the chaos of Hong Kong. This sequence shows how in a busy city, these two characters almost don’t belong in all of it, disconnected from the crowd of many around them, just like Cop 223 and Blonde. They move slowly and aimlessly through their routine lives, lonely in a crowd of many, lost within themselves, looking for love that’s right in front of them. 

Wong Kar-wai uses these in-camera techniques for different story intentions, but at the end all show how these characters are similar in their loneliness and how time plays a factor in their longing and desires. Time is a recurring character in many of his films, in which love and feelings often have a deadline, and relationships are connected and stretched across periods of time. Time can move so fast when we’re chasing after something, or running from something. Chasing after people and dreams who leave us faster than we’d like them to, maybe running from the truth that the person we love really did leave us on April Fool’s Day. Time can move so slow when we’re waiting for something too.

Despite this loneliness in isolated pockets of time, time brought this group of people as couples together. When you choose to impulsively in the moment fall in love with the first woman who walks through the door, and so by chance, the woman who walks through is the one who ends up paging you to wish you a “happy birthday” when no one else did. When your feelings for a policeman develop slowly and come unexpectedly, and so as he recovers from his heartbreak, he starts to see that you’ve become a part of his life. Time can be our enemy when it feels like everything is moving against us, but Wong Kar-wai suggests we also consider how time and chance can push us to connect with the people around us who are more like us than we think, despite our loneliness, or the deadlines we set for ourselves.

These stylized techniques have created romantic, dreamy sequences that have stapled him as something entirely unique in Asian cinema. He has a unique perspective on romance and loneliness and is able to communicate that vision with cinematographers in fractured scriptwriting, guerilla filmmaking, and risk-taking. His films' lush visuals and romantic themes add a sense of beauty to my perspective of life and have taught me that humans are more connected in loneliness and heartache, as opposed to those feelings disconnecting us from the world.

As a filmmaker, I've read about how his unique techniques are achieved through risk-taking and often coming up with new ideas on the day, which inspires me to be more of a filmmaker who should take more risks and be more confident. His unstructured storytelling tells of longing and hidden feelings in fictional characters that feel real. These characters represent a part of all of us, where we long to feel a little less lonely sometimes. Where we hope time might work in favour of our desires. He inspires me to view cinema and life with more of a rose-coloured lens and that it's worth trying to connect with the world through risk-taking.

Time is a confidant in heartbreak and secrets, and people can intercross with each other and affect each other’s lives in ways unrealized. As he wrote in his film 2046 (2004): “Love is all a matter of timing. It’s no good meeting the right person too soon or too late.”

   

References

Johnson, Meagan, Emily Nagler, Dylan Kanaan, Joalda Morancy, and Haina Lu. "The Expiration of Time and Love: Analyzing Speed of Motion in Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express." Intermittent Mechanism. April 23, 2020. https://intermittentmechanism.blog/2020/04/23/the-expiration-of-time-and-love-analyzing-speed-of-motion-in-wong-kar-wais-chungking-express/. 

"Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express – Speed and Time." A Void in Frame. March 15, 2017. ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ1fEC67GO4&feature=youtu.be. 

The Batman | Directed by Matt Reeves | 2022 | DC Films | 176 minutes

 by Emilio Sireday 

First of all, I should say that my opinion of this film is slightly biased, as I’m a big fan of Superhero Movies and Batman is by far my favourite superhero. Nevertheless, I confidently believe that most people could find some degree of enjoyment in this movie whether they are familiar with the subject matter or not.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman (2022) truly feels like a movie made from a comic book. For example, there’s the use of Bruce Wayne’s (Robert Pattinson) inner monologue throughout the film, which functions similarly to narrative boxes in a graphic novel. Furthermore, the film has been largely compared to “The Long Halloween” story by Jeph Loeb from 1996, as the appraised comic series served as one of the major inspirations for the film, which shares in its dark, detective mystery plot and character dynamics (Kurten, 2022). The film also takes from the Year One and Golden Age iterations of the character, displaying Batman’s first years as a vigilante and his brutal approach towards crime fighting.

This isn’t to say that the film merely rides on the success of previous stories, as it handles its narrative pretty effectively and manages to still feel fresh. There’s not much time wasted on introductions, as the movie assumes that you are likely familiar with these characters to some degree. There’s enough information to clue you in if you’re out of the loop, but not so much as to feel tedious and overdone. Despite there being quite a few characters involved in the plot, I felt it did a good job of managing them all. Jeffrey Wright’s portrayal of Jim Gordon fits very well with the atmosphere of the film, being more aware of the corruption in Gotham and thus putting more trust in Batman. Falcone (John Turturro) and Penguin (Colin Farrell) work well as secondary villains, actually serving a purpose in the story rather than just being thrown in for fan-service.

In my opinion, The Batman handles Selina Kyle’s (Zoe Kravitz) character the best out of all the live-action Batman movies. Zoe Kravitz does a great job in her portrayal and really brings out both the danger and allure of the character. On top of that, she also has good motivations for being a part of the plot outside of her connection with Batman, and there’s logical distance between the two of them for the level at which their relationship is at. The Riddler (Paul Dano) works pretty well as the main antagonist of the film, especially considering some of the previous iterations of the character not being taken very seriously, so having him as a darker villain was pretty interesting.

As for The Batman himself, I personally enjoyed Pattinson’s brooding nihilistic take on the character. It fits well with the cynic tone of the film and makes the character’s development more meaningful. I also like how at times, he doesn’t seem to have full control over his actions, showing how this is a younger Bruce that still has a lot of mismanaged rage. This also results in him being The Batman more than Bruce Wayne, and explains his fighting style being a lot more brutal.

The design aspects of the film are also phenomenal. The city of Gotham is portrayed similarly to how it is in the Arkham games and Todd Phillips’ Joker (2019), providing a sombre and obscure aesthetic that, along with Michael Giaccino’s score, really sells the darkness that lurks within the city and how foul of a place it can be. However, even with the darker look, the movie doesn’t look dull in the slightest. The different tone of yellow, red, and blue lights that adorn the night scenes ensure that film remains vibrant and visually pleasing. The colour and lighting could also be said to hold symbolic value, communicating how Gotham really comes to life at night in contrast to the cold lighting used for most of the day scenes. There’s also the clear use of colour to represent specific characters, with Batman’s red and black and The Riddler’s green.

The costume design is another highlight for The Batman. There’s an almost minimalistic aspect to the costumes that works really well in my opinion, especially in Selina’s case. The Riddler’s design is also very interesting, with the straitjacket aesthetic of his mask and the glasses on top making for an eerie effect. Batman’s suit is definitely the best, and in my opinion, he’s never looked better in the big screen. The armoured and rough look really sell the brutality of this version of the character. One particularly astounding aspect of the film was how the visual details and sound design add some real weight to the suit, which is especially visible during the action sequences.

All in all, I believe The Batman to be the best live-action iteration of the character that I have seen so far, and I’m glad that Warner Bros was able to produce this through the mess that have been their recent attempts at comic book movies. I really recommend watching this film, especially so if you’re a fan of the character.

​5/5

Reference

Kurten, Guillermo. “The Batman: 7 Best Comics That Influenced The Movie.” Screenrant. March 8, 2022. https://screenrant.com/the-batman-best-comics-that-influenced-inspired-movie/#ego. 

Dead Ringers | Directed by David Cronenberg | Psychological Thriller | 115 minutes

Minari | A24 | Drama | 1H 56M

By Majed Hakawati

Minari was written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It has raked up considerable critical acclaim and 6 Academy Award nominations for this Oscar season, including Best Picture, with Chung up for two Oscars for writing and directing. His filmmaking background consists of smaller festival films. This picture has put him on the map as a filmmaker to watch out for.

The charm and magic of Minari comes from the authenticity of its’ story, as it follows Chung’s own childhood. Chung was raised by Korean immigrants on an Arkansas farm, and he crafted this film from his heart and his lived experiences. The premise is a simple one: “A Korean family starts a farm in 1980s Arkansas” (IMDb). The film stars Steven Yuen and Yeri Han as the parents, Jacob and Monica, with Alan Kim and Noel Cho as the children: David and Anne.  

Having migrated to California from Korea, the couple worked as chicken sexers to make ends meet while living with their children in the city. Jacob makes a big move for the family as they leave their city life and move to rural Arkansas to start a farm on 50 acres of grass. The couple’s relationship becomes contentious at best, as Monica is highly skeptical and discontented with Jacob’s plan. Then Grandma Soonja played by Yuh-Jung Youn moves from Korea to live with the family. A playful, and optimistic character, she has an important role in the family dynamic. She is also an atypical grandma, as David is fast to point out. Youn fills the role beautifully - hers is the standout performance of the film.

Minari explores the dynamic of the American immigrant family. With the young children being more adapted to the host culture than their parents. David associates difference with being Korean. “Grandma smells like Korea!”, he proclaims. Most of the film’s dialogue is spoken in Korean, and the film is a transparent display of the Korean American identity. The story expresses the importance of hope and labour despite adversity. Jacob does not want to give up on his dream of making a living from the earth by growing vegetables for Koreans. Above all, the movie shows the importance of simple acts of love, and how they can sometimes flourish to bear more fruit than back-breaking work.

Watching Minari, I almost forgot I was watching a movie. I felt like a fly on the walls of the trailer-home where the family lived. The pacing is not centered around particular plot beats; it flows freely in the way that life flows from day to day. The authenticity of the characters’ plight, and the details in the setting maintain the viewer’s attention at every moment. The story and cinematography radiate the charming and earthy atmosphere of a rural life. The themes are universal and thought-provoking yet understated and not forced. Chung does not linger too long on one scene or issue - to the movie’s strength. The subtle ending left me with something to think about long after the credits rolled. Emile Mosseri’s score is also notable, particularly when he uses sound to simulate the feelings of characters. In my opinion, Minari is suitable as a family movie. I thoroughly enjoyed Minari and recommend it as a must watch film.
 
Source for Background information: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10633456/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_

Promising Young Woman | Focus Features | Comedy Thriller | 1H 54M

by Emerald Fennell

Nominated for five academy awards, including best picture, best director and best actress, Promising Young Woman follows one woman’s journey of revenge over the horrific rape of her best friend in college.

The brilliance of the film is that it is not a blanket statement on the issue of our rarely acknowledged rape culture but delves into the nuance of toxic masculinity and how it continues to sustain itself today. There are plenty of examples of men taking advantage of women in the picture, but the film goes further showing exactly how apathetic “nice guys” are to the core issue. The strength of Fennell’s narrative drives this point forward, and the film's shocking twist is what brings the entire film together. This moment ties the film's dark humour and theme of rape culture together to ask the audience to analyze just how engrained toxic masculinity is in our popular culture.

The film follows Cassandra Thomas (Carey Mulligan), a med school dropout working at a coffee shop as she is about to turn thirty. When she is not a work, Cassandra spends her time at nightclubs pretending to be blackout drunk. At the club, she is approached by men offering her a “safe” ride home, to which, she accepts. These seemingly "nice guys" end up changing their plans and taking Cassandra home, despite clear indications that she is too drunk to give consent. When these men try and take advantage of an isolated and “intoxicated” Cassandra, she calmly drops hers drunken act and asks the guy “what are you doing?” Gobsmacked by Cassandra sobriety, these men quickly change their attitudes to protect their “nice guy” image. Cassandra calls them out for what they are, a predator taking advantage of a woman unable to give consent. She then threatens to ruin their lives if they continue to prey on women.

This tale of revenge gets complicated when the film introduces the character of Ryan (Bo Burnham), an old friend and former med school student who is now working as a pediatrician. Ryan is an escape from Cassandra’s life of pain, and their cutesy relationship is a welcomed tone in her personal life. The film quickly cements a desire for things to go well for them, but this is not a romantic comedy, and the tale of revenge comes back in a haunting way. As much as Fennell wants us to laugh with and love these characters, she too wants us to challenge our expectations of these tropes. The romantic comedy aesthetic the film carries is perhaps the most brutal condemnation the film gives. The sense here is that Promising Young Woman is a response to the mainstream culture's use of women for the overall benefit and sexual gratification of men.

The disappointment I have with the film is that I think the film could have gone further with its own pop style. There are brief moments of hyper stylized pop imagery, like the scene with Cassandra and Ryan dancing in the pharmacy, but the rest of the film feels like its holding back. The colours and lighting are present in most scenes, but the flashiness and energy of the camera is not. This commitment to style would perhaps amplify the films ending and its critique of the pop art form in general. Additionally, small flourishes of character building details like the pop mania of the pharmacy scene to the cutesy traditionally and innocent details Cassandra’s parents’ house feel too sparse from one another, and the connective tissue between these environment isn't there. The result feels a little unimaginative and almost shows Fennell's cards too well. 

That said there's lots of praise to give the film, particularly the male cast in the movie. This comment might seem strange for the subject matter of the film, but having these male characters portrayed by comedians and sitcom stars kind of acts as a response and critique to the mainstream films and television shows these men have starred in. These movies, from Superbad to New Girl, participate at one level on relying on the exploitation of women’s sexuality, which is often played for humour. I mean, we even have Jennifer Coolidge, who quite famously played Stifler’s mom in American Pie. A film series hell bent on sexualizing women for jokes.

The success of Promising Young Woman is that it creates this conversation about rape culture that is silenced by our popular media and even in our daily lives. Fennell has crafted a dark and funny film that is equally discomforting for the audience. Promising Young Woman, by Emerald Fennell, is a great debut from a talented writer and I’m looking forward to what comes next from her.

by the members of the U of C Film Society

​I will admit that I was somewhat predisposed to like Feels Good Man because it combines two of my favorite things: documentaries, and weird internet phenomena. But luckily this documentary goes beyond those two aspects to create something I would recommend to anyone. The directorial debut of director Arthur Jones, Feels Good Man documents the rise of the infamous ‘Pepe the frog’ meme against the backdrop of the 2016 US election. While it mostly focuses on cartoon artist Matt Furie’s personal struggle with being unintentional creator of a symbol for the alt-right, it also explores a larger discussion of intellectual property, authorial intent, and the intersection of politics and the hellscape that the internet. With some great animated sequences, and Furies charming and genuine personality as he tells his story, this is easily up there as one of my favorite documentaries.
 
-Kierra Miller

​I had not seen very many films in 2020—besides a handful of delightfully awful Hallmark movies— and I was not eager to seek out new films either, but when I had the chance to see Autumn de Wilde’s Emma. (2020) I was more than ready to jump into its pastel world. Jane Austen’s Emma has been adapted countless times, from BBC miniseries to Clueless (Heckerling, 1995). In de Wilde’s adaptation she manages to capture the youthful vibrancy of Clueless while setting the story within its original time period. The performances in the film highlight the wit and complexities of the source material. My favourite performance within the film is Miranda Hart as Miss Bates, a chatty spinster. Hart takes a character that could easily be one note and develops her into someone who is sympathetic and even relatable at times. Emma. is a perfect film to escape into during the end times we are living in. Within the world of Emma. the collars are high, manners are of the utmost importance, and the drama is frivolous. Doesn’t that sound nice right about now?
 
-Erin Shanks

It has been a weird year for movies to say the least, but oddly enough we were blessed with dozens of great films from Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods to Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland. Perhaps the most impactful films I saw was Pixar’s Soul. Soul tells the story of Joe Gardner, a Jazz Musician waiting for his big break so his life can finally start. He finally gets this big break when he auditions for Dorothea Williams (a famous Jazz legend in the film) and is offered a chance to play piano in her act later that night. Elated, Joe goes to prepare for the show, but almost immediately falls down a manhole and dies. In the afterlife, he is mistakenly assigned to train an unborn soul called 22. Joe obviously wants to return to his life, so 22 offers him their ticket to earth. The only catch is that their ticket is missing 22’s “spark”, therefore the two must find 22's reason to live. Soul achieves something quite moving in its deconstruction of traditional narrative. The principal idea of the film is that life does not start and stop, it is happening all the time. I cannot think of a more profound lesson in life then something magical happening in your life, and for that life to quickly move on. I think it takes on another level of significance looking at the last year which has taken so much, and yet we are learning that there’s still so much beauty to experience in just the day-to-day grind of it all.
​
-Anton Charpentier

by Anton Charpentier

Mank is a strange film. If I woke up out of a coma and you told me David Fincher made a contemplative, black and white film, on the writing process of Citizen Kane... I would probably think that I was still in that coma. This film is a far cry from Zodiac, Gone Girl and dares I say it, Fight Club and the strangest thing about this movie is that I think it is my favourite film Fincher has made. Perhaps you could argue that he had done something similar with The Social Network, but the overall mood of the films are miles apart. I think what I am trying to say is that it is so unexpected, and damn it, I love it when filmmakers do that to me.
​
Mank follows Herman J. Mankowitz’s journey decade long journey in writing Citizen Kane. We watch this alcoholic, chaotic and brilliant writer stumble through success in a depression-era Hollywood. Internally, he battles with his conflicting privilege in the film industry, palling around with the likes of William Randolph Hearst (the not so subtle inspiration for Kane) and his political beliefs in socialism and unionization. Mankowitz also strikes up a deep platonic friendship with Hearst’s domestic partner Marion Davies, who ends up being the inspiration for the character of Susan Alexander.
​
Gary Oldman just kills it in his performance. It is the kind of performance that is just so perfectly in tune with the aura of the film that it does not stand out as being over the top or calls specific attention to his acting. Rather, his performance becomes the core of the film that grounds the entirety of the film. It reminds me of Yalitza Aparicio’s performance in Roma, there is just something these actors are doing that captures your attention but never ask you to notice it. I think few people will praise this performance as highly as I am, but I would argue that it's one of Oldman’s best works.
There is very little to complain about in the technical filmmaking in Mank as Fincher’s is notorious as a perfectionist. Mank is a departure in some respects as it never feels as fluid as his other films, particularly in the camerawork, but it works. If anything, Fincher seems to add in-camera flourishes that emphasize the black and white nature of the film, with many shots bringing a certain level of homage to Citizen Kane. If anything, fans of Orson Well’s masterpiece will at least enjoy the reverence for that film in Mank. I also found it funny that Fincher decided to make a film about the importance of the writer rather than the director.

My final point that I want to briefly highlight is the political nature of the film. I found this element to be perhaps the most surprising part of the film, especially the dedication to it. I would almost say that it changes my reading of Citizen Kane towards an anti-republican socialist manifesto, but I’d have to revisit the film in order to come to any conclusions there. There’s an interesting subplot in Mank about the influence of film on politics and the ramifications of the propagandistic nature of cinema as well as the Hollywood system. I cannot say too much more on this narrative thread as it spoils the best parts of the film. Suffice to say it is what makes Mank worth your attention.

Overall, I think Mank is one of my favourite films I have seen this year. I typically enjoy David Fincher’s movies and this one felt like an unexpectedly perfect Fincher film. There’s very few biographical or true story/making of movies that are actually compelling as a film itself and Mank definitely surpasses the rest of this genre’s ilk. Mank releases on Netflix on December 4th. 

​By Anton Charpentier

If you simply looked at the cast of this movie you would think that it would be nothing short of Oscar gold. You have Glenn Close and Amy Adams going head to head in an acting battle of the highest order. At least this is what the trailer would like you to believe and I admit it looks pretty good cut down to two minutes.
 
It all falls apart quickly into the movie as the editing, writing, and directing just feel so uninspired. I will even go as far to say that all three of these elements actively hamper any potential this movie maybe could have had. For instance, the movie relies heavily on cross cutting between several temporalities in J. D’s life and it never once works in favor of making the film more symbolic or even helps the narrative. If the editor just life the film as a linear story from childhood to adulthood it would make this story way more interesting. Look, it is not like there is anything awful about the movie, but it is missing the last bit of competency to make it a decent movie.
 
I do want to spend a little time mentioning how great Glenn Close is in this movie. I have nothing bad to say about her performance in this movie as it is simply amazing. Amy Adams is the same, she is here to work, and she does an incredible job. The other actors are fine too, but nothing about their performances are outstanding. Ron Howard and his casting directors did a fine job, but man, all the other aspects of this movie are just so below what they should have been.
 
I titled this review “I Do Not Know What This Movie Is About” because the movie tries to throw in complex themes and ideas, but I have idea why. For instance, J.D. is watching an Al Gore speech for like two seconds and his Mom turns off the T.V. and he replies “hey, I’m trying to watch Gore”. This thread of democrat vs republican stuff is brought up again and again, but not once does it lead to anything. Seriously, I thought this was going to be something deeper in the movie, but I guess maybe it is a form of foreshadowing for his leaving the south. This confusion is my exact point, I cannot make sense of any of these details, they mean nothing except lengthening the movie by minute.
 
Hillbilly Elegy is a disappoint airplane movie on a long flight, there is nothing worthwhile in the entire runtime of the movie. I suppose it would be fine in the background on your tablet while you are cooking or something, but this movie is not worth your time and attention. Hillbilly Elegy releases on Netflix November 24th, 2020.