October Review Roundup
The Banshees of Inisherin – Age old friends Colm (Brendan Gleeson) and Pádraic (Colin Farrell) come to a head when Colm inexplicably decides he no longer wants to be Colm’s friend. Martin McDonagh has crafted a darkly funny picture that asks such existential questions as to what life should be about? A lasting legacy at the cost of love? Or should joy be the sole intention in life? The film boasts an array of ideas that in turn will make you reflect on our lives. The Banshees of Inisherin also hosts a sleugh of terrific performances. This truly is Colin Farrell’s year, with The Batman, After Yang, and now as Pádraic, he provides an emotionally charged and sincere performance as a man in disbelief. Barry Keoghan is also a sweetly silly addition to the story who provides his own moments of hilarity and heartbreak. Kerry Condon is wonderful as Siobhan, providing a sense of relief to the madness as the straight woman. However, it is Brendan Gleeson whose dry, ruthless persona that while, at first, proves humorous due to the peculiar plot; what it soon reveals is a man in deep depression. While the folk fable atmosphere may allude to something more mystical, what you have here is an honest depiction of a man struggling with who he is and how he should be remembered. The Banshees of Inisherin may leave you melancholic once it is over, but it is a film that will keep you ruminating long after the credits roll.
Score 9/10
Decision to Leave – Detective Jang Hae-Joon’s life is frantic and exhausting. He has no personal life and even the time spent with his wife is relegated to a “weekend marriage”. Things change once Jang investigates the curious death of a rock climber and soon suspects the widow, Song (Tang Wei), of foul play. However, things become evermore complicated when Jang begins to fall for his suspect. Decision to Leave is a dreamy neo-noir that is masterfully directed by Park Chan-Wook. It is both modern, yet classical in nature, with its greatest ode being to Alfred Hitchcock’s, Vertigo, in which obsession too plays a key role. While this is Wook’s most sensitive film to date, he still manages to inject some of his dark, uncanny humour into this delicate and dark romance. Decision to Leave may be a tad too long, but what you get here is a director at the height of his craft, with stunning cinematography and two leads with uniquely fascinating chemistry.
Score 8/10
Barbarian: Upon arriving in Detroit, Tess (Georgina Campbell), is stunned to find a man already staying in her Airbnb. On the verge of leaving, Keith (Bill Skarsgård), persists that Tess should stay, however as Tess’ stay continues, she soon discovers the house holds darker secrets. Barbarian is one of the most unpredictable horror films in recent memory. At every turn writer/director Zach Cregger takes the film in wildly different directions, morphing the film into a smorgasbord of horror styles and genres. The film packs effective scares and some horrifying imagery, but it is also disarmingly hilarious, with Justin Long’s AJ being a despicable highlight. Cregger’s implementation of humour never detracts from the terror, being used at perfect points to elevate an already disturbing picture. The film’s subversive qualities are indeed risky and may not pay off for some, but what it leaves you with as wholly entertaining horror flick that will have you guessing at every turn.
Score 8/10
The Woman King - In 1823, the kingdom of Dahomey harbours an elite group of female warriors known as the Agojie, led by Nanisca (Viola Davies). The Dahomey soon find themselves being pulled apart by the rival kingdom of Oyo and slavers who are both weakening the kingdom. Meanwhile in order to strengthen their forces, the Agojie are recruiting and amongst these recruits is Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), someone who Nanisca seems to feel connected to. Viola Davies is simply excellent here, drawing you in with her powerful, raw emotion. The rest of the ensemble are also great, and their comradery feels genuine. The action is handled decently, with some effective brutality. The Woman King begins to falter in its second half, as it introduces a tedious romance and a plot contrivance that only distracts and detracts from the emotional sincerity of the picture.
Score 6/10
Black Adam – After being entombed for 5000 years, the super powered Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) wakes to find his city of Kandaq is being imprisoned by a foreign force. Soon the city sees Adam as their liberator, however, those outside the city see Adam as a threat that could bring the end of the world. Will he be the world’s saviour or its destroyer? Who really cares. Black Adam is the most uninspired and clichéd comic book movie this year. Its plot is so generic, its characters so paper thin and its visuals so muddy that there really is nothing to gain by watching Black Adam. In many ways, this feels like a late 90s, early 2000s version of what a superhero movie is, thinking its cooler and edgier than it actually is. It is quite astounding that it took three writers to come up with something a ten-year-old could have whipped up during their school lunch break. Outside this year’s, The Batman, it seems the studios have stopped trying with their comic book properties, resting on their laurels knowing that people will see these regardless of quality.
Score 2/10
Halloween Ends – Four years after Michael Myers’ rampage across Haddonfield he has suddenly disappeared. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee-Curtis) has moved on and is now committed to looking after her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). However, Michael’s evil permeates and will soon resurface in another.Where last year’s Halloween Kills was terrible due to its ridiculous insanity that in turn took all the terror from Myers. Halloween Ends is equally as bad in bafflingly boring ways. While it strives towards a bold new direction, it stumbles right out the gate, becoming a laughable teen angst film that tries to be Bonnie and Clyde mixed with an even more rudimentary tragedy than Joker. Its ideas are inherently flawed and it also commits to the greatest sin a horror film can commit - being totally unfrightening. All Halloween Ends proves is that they really had no idea what to do after the 2018 reboot; forcing a trilogy where there was nowhere left to go.