Reviews

After a long hiatus since the pandemic, I made a return to the cinema notably to catch up with #lefrenchfilmfestival. Most of the films I would say struggled to justify your time in the cinema indulging in such frivolity but this one particularly stood out.

I am not familiar with and have never read Balzac but I reckon this film gives you a glimpse of his genius and why he remains a giant in French literary circle, not merely for prose or poetry but for his devastatingly incisive social commentary still relevant today.

And one couldn't help but feel despite our technological advancements and having totally plundered the planet, from a moral standpoint the world hasn't progressed not even an inch today and remains mercilessly mercenary under a veneer of righteousness as Balzac had so accurately depicted some two centuries ago.

Dazzlingly executed with a superb ensemble of cast, illuminating performances, a production nothing short of breathtaking and lashings of Baroque including the less often heard Jean-Philippe Rameau, the film remains and stays with you long after you have left the cinema.

With the re-opening of cinemas took the opportunity to watch this again and must say it's still breathtaking despite 3rd viewing! And I'm not even a war movie fan.

I felt the war only served as context and backdrop. Above all it's a compelling piece of storytelling, and a very personal one too. To be precise, a grandfather story - from director Sam Menses' own grandfather who served in World War I. Mendes of course is better known as film director for two recent James Bond movies - Skyfall and Spectre.

This one however is a completely different genre. There were hardly any battle scenes with the handful being only one-to-one engagement with the enemy, even then only upon being discovered or stumbling upon them and in one scene the protagonist was actually trying to save the enemy. So there was a massive dose of humanity in the film.

I also love the way the protagonist was subtly changed midway through the film. And if either protagonist did not captivate you, I think the cameos might just. Particularly in order or appearance, Colin Firth as the emphatic General who took a shrewd gamble, Andrew Scott as the utterly cynical, skeptic Lieutenant in the trench, Mark Strong as the Captain whose parting shot was probably the most crucial piece of advice in the film and finally Benedict Cumberbatch as the totally gobsmacked and gutted Colonel. Each cameo brief but devastatingly incisive in their delivery.

I think this film might just be Mendes' magnum opus. With Roger Deakins' illuminating and ravishing cinematography as icing on the cake.

Saw this film today with my daughter and absolutely loved it. Poignant yet uplifting in a manner and style reminiscent of Éric Rohmer. Astounding big screen debut for both Crisel Consunji and young female director Oliver Chan Siu Kuen. Oliver has given dignity to two groups of people rarely accorded such in society. And for Hong Kong superstar Anthony Wong with a career spanning over 30 years, having played gangsters, good cop, bad cop and serial-killers, I think this portrayal is one he will forever be proud of. You get so much "rubbish" (as lead character Cheong-Wing would put it) at the cinemas these days but occasionally an absolute gem appears. This film is certainly one of those gems.

It completely blew me away. If you think Malay movies are the sort of mediocre stuff (I wanted to use a much stronger and impolite word) that the likes of David Teo churns out (Mami Jarum, I'm Not Single and all that rubbish), Dain Said represents the other end of the scale. It's been a very long time since I've seen a movie that stays with me for a long time after watching it. Claude Berri's Jean de Florette (though of a completely different genre) was one of those. I'm also getting this terrible urge to watch Bunohan again. This time I'm going to watch it with my wife. I didn't bring her as I thought the violence might be a bit too much but having watched it, I would say its poetic beauty transcends its brutality. The pace is very slow and restless. You're not quite sure what's going on. Or where the movie is heading. Until the very end. And even then you're not quite sure whether you got all of it. It is also steeped in culture. A glimpse of a remote corner of Malaysia that you rarely get to see. Strong performances all round, particularly Faizal Hussein, Zahiril Adzim, Pekin Ibrahim, Tengku Azura and Namron. Even Hushairy Hussin as Jolok, the local sleeze. Dain Said must have clocked in many hours at the repertory cinemas (I recall him saying so in an interview) and the influences certainly show. The last time I felt like this was after seeing Andrei Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice. I'm going for a second viewing.