Reminiscence – Film Review

Posted on August 22, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Lisa Joy

Written by: Lisa Joy

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis, Marina de Tavira and Daniel Wu

Rating: ★★½

Reminiscence is the directorial debut from Lisa Joy, who also wrote the film. Before working on this, Joy had co-created the excellent HBO series Westworld and worked as a writer on other shows such as Pushing Daisies and Burn Notice. All of this led to Reminiscence, an ambitious big-budget neo-noir sci-fi film that is desperately needed after the hordes of superhero films, sequels, and reboots. Sadly, Reminiscence misses the mark and doesn’t quite reach its full potential.

The world Joy creates in Reminiscence is beautiful and interesting. In the future, climate change has meant that the sea levels have risen, and the world is starting to flood. There are buildings half-submerged with boat-taxis used to move around, and the Baron’s Land, where the wealthiest live in high above the rest with no risk of immediate flooding. Wars have broken out and the wealth division is physically shown by the dams that stop the water from flooding. All this combined with a 1940s noir aesthetic and the film is visually stunning.

The world isn’t utilised enough, and this would have been interesting to see more of it. Maybe if Reminiscence was a longer TV series, then it could fully explore the whole world. Instead, it focuses on Nicolas ‘Nick’ Bannister, played by Hugh Jackman (X-Men) as he searches for his lost love Mae, played by Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible).

Nick runs a reminiscence business, where people can pay to go deep into their own minds to re-visit cherished memories as if they were happening again. One day, Mae walks in trying to find where she has lost her keys and in typical noir fashion, Nick falls in love with her straight away. Months later, she’s disappeared, and Bannister goes over the memories again and again to try and find out what’s happened to her.

Both Jackman and Ferguson are excellent in their roles. Their chemistry is evident from the first time they speak to each other and it’s a pure joy to watch both of them on screen. The script has some dodgy and unnatural lines, but they bring out the best of it. The only part of Jackman’s performance that isn’t great is the voice-over that accompanies the film. Much like in the original cut of Blade Runner (which is a clear inspiration for this film; visually, plot-wise and in tone), the voice-over isn’t needed. It’s just telling you what you’re watching and there’s too much of it. It’s there just because it’s a staple of the noir genre, with the only thing missing being a comment on Mae’s legs when she walks in.

There are so many great ideas in Reminiscence that work on paper so well, but when you put them in the film, it just falls flat. Without going into spoiler territory too much, the ending sequence isn’t as emotional as it should be and amounts to nothing. There’s a moment where Mae is talking to Nick through the memories of someone else, it’s a cool idea but when presented it’s more cringy. The whole plot is incredibly contrived, and everything has to happen in the way it happens, or it all falls apart. Every moment leading to the next. The resolution to everything is obvious from one of the earlier memories. Mae gives Nick the vital clue and you’ll be screaming at him as to why he’s not following that lead but waits until the end.

On top of that there’s also some weird inconsistencies. There is a moment when Nick is told that Mae kidnaps a child, despite how much he screams her to let him go. When we finally see the event it’s not at all how she describes it, and it paints a completely different picture of Mae. It’s incredibly sloppy writing.

The worst thing about Reminiscence is that it feels like a lost opportunity. It’s so close to greatness, but doesn’t quite reach it. It’s exciting to have an original sci-fi idea with a big budget on the big-screen, with a-list actors giving great performances. But it feels very reminiscent (pun intended) of films that you’ve seen before, especially Blade Runner. It’s also really slow and feels closer to three hours than two. It’s ultimately forgettable entertainment that is enjoyable while it’s on but not for much longer, which is just a real shame.

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Anomalisa – Film Review

Posted on August 22, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson

Written by Charlie Kaufman

Starring: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan

Rating: ★★★

Anomalisa is an exploration into middle age, depression, and existentialism. Like other Kaufman films there is a downbeat tone with a dark sense of humour splattered throughout. Originally a audio play written by Kaufman, he then adapted the story into a stop-motion animated film which he co-directed with Duke Johnson. Typical of Kaufman’s work it falls apart the longer it goes on. The film may be 90ish minutes but feels longer. At one point it was going to be a 40-minute animated short, which would have been a lot better.

Michael Stone, voiced by David Thewlis (Harry Potter series), is a middle-aged motivational speaker who has travelled to Cincinnati, for an event he is due to speak at. He arrives and checks in at his hotel, where the majority of the film takes place. While there he calls a former partner and tried desperately to find someone to cheat on his wife with.

The animation is beautiful. It looks unique and the characters are so life-like it’s unsettling. There are moments where their eyes look a little too real, or a characters reflection in a car window looks too human. It’s uncanny and gives a feeling that everything is not what it seems. Added to this, apart from Michael and Lisa, voiced by Jennifer Jason Leigh (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), everyone else is voiced by Tom Noonan (Manhunter). And that is every other character, Charlie’s wife and son, his former partner, the hotel staff, and other guests. His voice permeates throughout the movie at first being funny and then later being unsettling. Charlie is struggling with life, he’s not passionate anymore, he doesn’t want to speak to his son over the phone, he doesn’t have the patience to speak to the hotel staff or taxi driver. He’s looking for something new and fresh. It’s a mid-life crisis and he’s suffering from some deep depression where the world doesn’t quite look right.

There are some humorous moments throughout, but this isn’t a laugh out loud comedy. For the most part it is very downbeat and melancholic. Charlie isn’t a likeable person, but his story is well-presented. You get a good idea of who he is, just from the short time you spend with him. The film just labours on the point and when it feels like it’s going to get whacky and fully original, he wakes up. The dream is the high point of the film, other than that it’s just hammering a point that’s made in the first scene. It takes it’s time doing it and feels a little too on the nose by the end. If it was half the length it would have been a lot better.

Around half-way through there is a long and uncomfortable sex-scene. It’s not too explicit, because it’s animation, but it does drag on for a little bit. It does feel real and not glamourised but you’re still watching Charlie cheat on his partner. There are so many moments in his relationship with Lisa that are presented to us in a sweet manor but they are undercut by what he’s doing. You don’t care about him enough to stay engaged for the whole time, because he’s not a good person and the self-destructive nature is obviously his own doing. If anything he doesn’t really get punished by the end of it, in the way he should. But so is life.

Anomalisa is a beautiful film with some great voice acting from the three main players. Charlie Kaufman is a great writer and the main characters feel real and the dialogue is natural and not stilted. The film is just too long, there isn’t enough in the film to justify the length. It’s a lot like Lost in Translation in tone and execution, but just doesn’t have the same heart that Translation does.

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Censor – Film Review

Posted on August 21, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Prano Bailey-Bond

Starring: Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Sophia La Porta, Adrian Schiller and Michael Smiley

Rating: ★★★★★

In the early 1980s Britain was clamping down on the ‘video nasties’. Over the top, gory and sexually explicit horror films that people feared would corrupt the population. Beforehand films could be rejected, and they wouldn’t get screenings. After the invention of VHS and the home video boom, you could rent previously banned horror films, through loopholes in the law. This didn’t last long and laws were changed and films would be cut and scenes removed before a wide release – some of them still not having full releases now.

Censor is a love letter to the ‘video nasty’ era of horror films and everything that made them great. Prano Bailey-Bond has made her directorial debut with this film and if it is anything to go by then whatever comes next is going to be fantastic. Censor is a mind-bending and stylish approach to horror. Every scene is oozing with great cinematography and stylish flairs. It’s one hell of a film and it’s a shame it’s not getting a much-much-wider release.

Enid, played by Niamh Algar (Calm with Horses), is a film censor who takes pride in her work, seeing herself as a protecting people from the worst horror films imaginable. Through her work she starts to see parallels between some of the gore-fest horror films that she has to review, and the disappearance of her sister that happened when they were both children.

At its heart Censor is a look into grief. Enid can’t move on from her sister, disappearance and the film’s catalyst is when her parents tell her that they have had the sister declared dead. Algar’s performance as the grief-stricken perfectionist is outstanding. She commands the screen and you know exactly how she’s feeling with subtle expressions. Likewise Michael Smiley as the creepy film producer is great, he’s creepy and unsettling and from the first moment he’s on screen you know he’s bad news.

The whole film is creepy and unsettling with an overbearing atmosphere that builds all steadily to it’s grand crescendo at the end. It’s a relentless film that doesn’t reveal its full hand until it needs to, giving the ending a punch that will stick with you. It is perfectly shot and so many scenes look like works of art. Everything is meticulously placed and Bailey-Bond is clearly a fantastic film maker.

Censor isn’t out right scary, there are moments of gore, but nothing quite like the film’s it is honouring. There is a moment that is close to something out of Videodrome but for most of the film it is slowly building a hauntingly unsettling and creepy tone that builds and builds while you can’t look away. Behind every scene is a brooding synth soundtrack that’s subtle and punctuates the film, making it that much more tense.

Censor is a unique and fresh take on a horror film, while at the same time honouring what came before. It’s distinctively British with the 1980s setting and political backdrops – with scenes of Thatcher talking about society. The film is simply a masterpiece and it full of stylish moments and striking images. That ending is going to be something that stays with you for a while.  

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The Night House – Film Review

Posted on August 21, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: David Bruckner

Written by: Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski

Starring: Rebecca Hall, Sarah Goldberg, Evan Jonigkeit, Stacy Martin and Vondie Curtis-Hall

Rating: ★★★½

Before the horror starts in The Night House the draw to this film is the emotional turmoil that Beth (Rebecca Hall, Godzilla Vs Kong) is going through after her husband committed suicide. In every scene her face is full of both the anger at what he’s done and the grief that she is going through. Hall gives an incredible and nuanced performance that grabs your attention and doesn’t let you go. When the horror starts, it’s the much more effective thanks to her outstanding performance.

Beth is recently widowed after her husband, Owen, shot himself in the middle of the lake they live on. While going through his things, Beth finds his phone and sees a picture of someone who looks just like her – except it’s not her. Following the trail leads her down a dark path of discovery and she soon realises that there was more to Owen than she ever thought possible.

This is a dark and trippy horror film. You can never be sure what you’re seeing is actually happening or just inside Beth’s grief-stricken head. There is never another witness to the events and that makes it that much more unsettling. Every night strange things are happening in the house, the stereo turns on with loud music. Beth seems to be sleepwalking, but the dreams seem too real. It’s unsettling and heart pounding with tension. Every time night appears you know things about to get scary and you’ll be gripping your seat until daylight reappears.

There is one moment, when Beth is falling asleep after a night out with a friend, that the film perfectly lulls you into a false sense of security. Everything is quiet, until it’s not. In a second everything switches, with loud music, frantic camera cuts and a dream-like feeling that just makes the whole sequence trippy and relentless.

The Night House is a creepy and original horror film that will keep you guessing right up to the big reveal and when everything does slot into place, you’ll think back about how everything makes sense. The film doesn’t hold your hand but gives you enough to see the clues that were planted earlier.

Sadly, the ending is a little bit of a let-down. While it is happening, you’ll be gripping your chair but after the film ends you start to think about so many unanswered questions. What would happen next? Because it’s not really resolved. What about what’s under the floorboards in the replica house? It feels like the film was strapped for time and decided to end. It’s still a tense horror film and one that will pass the test of time.

The Night House is dark, tripping, incredibly unsettling and will chill you. It’s one of the best horror films of the year and this year has already had some great horror outings. Rebecca Hall gives it everything and it really pays-off. There are a few jump-scares, but it never relies on them. Instead you have a slow-building horrifyingly and tension filled film that just misses the mark with the landing.

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Following – Film Review

Posted on August 20, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Christopher Nolan

Written By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw and Lucy Russell

Rating: ★★★½

Scale back the multi-million-dollar budgets and gorgeous visuals of Tenet, Dunkirk & Inception and behind them is Christopher Nolan; one of the most consistently interesting and often excellent filmmakers of our time. Looking back beyond the capes and cowls of the Dark Knight Trilogy, and a little before the final scene of Memento, Nolan’s directorial debut was the low-budget crime film, Following.

Much like Nolan’s later work, his debut plays with time. The narrative isn’t linear but jumps all over the place. You have to pay attention to what the characters are wearing, how long their hair is. In an early scene you see the main character, simply credited as The Young Man (Jeremy Theobald) after he has clearly been attacked, it’s not until close to the end that we actually see why. It feels very similar, but much smaller in scale, to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. In the late 90s there was a whole wave of films that were trying to replicate Tarantino’s style; Following sets itself apart from that by giving an interesting story that is mystified by the non-linear way it’s told.

The Young Man is a wannabe writer who can’t write. He decides to ‘shadow’ people, following them around trying to figure out who they are and why they are where they are. He breaks his own rule and starts to choose who to follow, which causes complications. He ends up being brought into a world of crime and doesn’t look back.

The story and its twist towards the end work really well. It’ll keep you guessing through its short run time (not that it needed to be any longer) and you won’t see the ending coming, although there are clues beforehand. The acting is so-so. It’s not great, not horrific but does reflect the low-budget production of the film. The story feels like it wouldn’t be as engaging if it wasn’t for the structure of the story, which keeps you guessing right up to the end.

Cobb, played by Alex Haw, is the most interesting of the characters. He is a thief who steals from people because he believes “You take it away, and show them what they had.”. It’s through Cobb that The Young Man learns about the world of crime and decides to get involved, rather than stay clear. The story is bookended by two scenes featuring John Nolan (Christopher Nolan’s uncle) as a policeman asking The Young Man for his version of the story. The whole film feels like we are being told it through memories making it more interesting and engaging.

Following may be Nolan’s first film, but it isn’t his weakest. The film is clever, entertaining and gripping. It flies by with only a 70 minute run time and has some interesting characters. It’s only really let down by the weak acting. It would be interesting to see this film re-visited with everything Nolan has learnt in the almost quarter of a century since.

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