Bastarden (2023): I’m a simple man, I see Mads Mikkelsen, I click like. Bastarden (The Promised Land) might have a familiar plot, but it is exceptional in its execution. The key to Ludvig Kahlen’s ambition of becoming a reputable man in 18th century Denmark lies in his ability to set up a thriving business in the barren and forsaken “agricultural” lands that the king has put up for the willing. His job is made more difficult by the malefic Frederik de Schinkel, a baron who desires those lands for himself and will go to any lengths to acquire them. It’s a great fight-off of two man who ultimately desire the same thing, respect, but one is obviously less admirable than the other. The visuals are breathtaking and really elevate this otherwise engaging tale to an admirable level indeed. 8
Brats (2024): Andrew McCarthy was a big name during the rise of the 80s teen movies and it has haunted him ever since. To be more precise: at the peak of their productive period, an article came out which labelled a not-clearly-defined set of actors as part of the “Brat Pack”, a play on words to the well-known “Rat Pack“. It was label that wasn’t very flattering initially and stuck, though I will admit that as I read about the movie, I thought it had a positive spin. It’s definitely a passion project and a very personal endavour, without the pretense of objectivity, but rather a soul-cleansing trip from McCarthy, who meets up with the likes of Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore and Ally Sheedy, as well as other people with stuff to say, including Malcolm Gladwell and the author of the Brat Pack label, David Blum. At times the documentary feel frivolous, while at others it is insightful. Most of the time, though, it’s a nostalgia trip that will be worthwhile for those who, for one reason or another, are still stuck in the 80s (like me). 7
Music and Lyrics (2007): Because I had seen Notting Hill fairly recently, I thought I would complement The Idea of You with a movie that still bears some similarities with it – which I re-watched the last time four years ago. Music and Lyrics is a fairly typical Hugh Grant vehicle, written and directed by Marc Lawrence. It’s probably his best movie, with a witty script ripe with the dry wit one would expect of Grant’s characters, and an aloof, but endearing match in Drew Barrymore. I liked it’s humour and the pop-y vibes, with a couple of musical numbers that have stuck with me over the years. I didn’t particularly like the way Haley Bennett’s character was written, the kind of mean spirited treatment of a vapid and culturally insensitive pop star particular to its time, but overall Music and Lyrics proved enjoyable. 6
The Idea of You (2024): I guess the best thing that can be said about this rom-not-so-com is that it’s a neat, clean affair, with decent performances. Anne Hathaway is joined by Nicholas Galitzine in a reverse Notting Hill that adds an unconventional age-gap as its main selling point. I wasn’t the hugest NH fan, even though I’ll admit to its charms, but I cannot say that The Idea of You manages to capture much of that feeling. It is too sober and wit-less to stand tall in the romantic pantheon of cinema and comes to the most banal of plot resolutions it could. 5
LOL (2012): Lisa Azuelos had the task to helm her own original French feature as it was adapted for American sensibilities. The story: highschool drama, some music and parental things. Except for the half-way decent soundtrack (truly stellar, compared to everything else), this movie is an unfunny, inauthentic, superficial mess. Miley Cyrus leads…charmlessly, as we tick trope after trope in a succession of scenes that makes them feel glued together. There’s not much else to say, really, but I am somewhat curious what was lost in translation – it is quite fascinating when directors reshoot their movies for the American market and the result is a complete disaster. 3
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