Parasite (2019): It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film with the impact of Parasite. Joon-ho Bong’s latest is a layered, visually striking and emotionally jarring piece of work, filled with social commentary. I don’t even want to go into much detail regarding the plot, other than to say that it all starts with Ki-taek, whose whole family is unemployed, getting a tutoring job at a rich employer and then scheming to get his sister and parents positions within the household. What begins as a comedy proves to be very…genre-fluid, switching tonality with impressive ease. The questions it so artfully poses about social structure and the hierarchy of life will probably hit home regardless of culture. By the end, with a finale reminiscent of 25th Hour, Parasite left me in quite a mood, brimming with anxiety, which is enough to excuse some of its Bong-esque ideological excesses . That’s quite the feat. 9/10
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019): For a franchise that has been consistently disappointing for the last 16 years, Dark Fate can definitely be considered a step in the right direction. The fact that James Cameron wills himself to believe that all sequels since Judgement Day didn’t happen would be worth something, if DF were, indeed, a return to form. Alas, it’s just barely good enough to warrant its existence. With a paper thin plot and less than creative SJW discourse, the newest Terminator relies wholly on its action sequences and the charisma of its characters. The action is enjoyable for the most part and it would have been even more impressive, had most major set-pieces not been spoiled in the trailer. The characters, however, are a very mixed bag. Discount-Michelle Rodriguez (sorry, that’s just very mean from me) is bland and uninteresting, Sarah Connor turns out to be a grumpy grandma, with Mackenzie Davis left to do all the heavy lifting. She gets support from a nostalgic and amusing Schwarzenneger, the only solid source of comic reliev in the movie, and the other “robot” in the game, Gabriel Luna’s Rev-9. Luna brings some serious swagger and danger to the table, making for a strong villain, even if the movie generally lacks a sense of ‘greater purpose’ beyond keeping the itsy-bitsy Dani (Natalia Reyes) safe. This should be the end of the Terminator series, which could have done way more with the complex evolution of AI in the 21st century, but was content to retread the same territory…over and over again. 6/10
The King (2019): Not even Timothee Chalamet’s star power can give the bloated story of Henry a proper pulse. At almost two and a half hours, it’s a beautiful (if dark and muddy) film to look at, that strains a less than intriguing story of medieval warfare. It doesn’t dig deep into the era or its characters, being content with focusing on how Hal switches gears from a Tyrion Lannister into a warrior-king without batting an eyelash. Thankfully, Robert Pattinson shows up in a somewhat exotic, yet much needed splash of colour, that just about revitalizes the dry, dry wits of The King. And then, when a good ending might have somehow sold this whole historic venture, the movie introduces an emancipated-spouse-to-be that works solely as a narrative device to find closure for a subplot that never really took shape. So, yes, looks good, but brings very little of note to the table. 6/10
Little Shop of Horrors (1986): A horror-themed musical is rare to come by. One to survive the test of time is even rarer. That’s where the exception comes in, as LSoH proves to be a thoroughly weird and enjoyable movie with good visual effects, some catchy songs, surprising twists and a lot of room for interpretation. A couple of strong “character guest stars” in Steve Martin, Bill Murray and John Candy round out the more personas played by Rick Moranis and Ellen Greene (whose pitch is…an acquired tasted). I guess you could say it’s a reinterpretation of Faust in a bizarro-way, with a demonic plant running the show. Doesn’t this just sound jolly? 7/10
Official Secrets (2019): It may not be the most engrossing newsroom/whistleblower story, heck, but Official Secrets entertains. Gavin Hood’s latest follows the excellent Eye in the Sky, which may make this a bit of a disappointment by comparison. However, the excellent cast it relies on, with the likes of Keira Knightly, Matthew Goode, Ralph Fiennes, Matt Smith or Indira Varma to name a few, manages to get the most out of Katharine Gun’s “treasonous” story, asking the question of where you draw the line between wanting to protect your country and betraying it. There’s some timeliness to it as well, with the Trumps and Erdogan’s of this world deciding the wider geopolotical futures of the world according to political and financial interests, before social ones. So, all in all, not that bad. 7/10
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