Welcome to the BRAG’s weekly rundown of what’s hot in the coming seven days of cinematic releases. Dendy is seeing the biggest surge in new film with some international fare, but the real winner is Amy Adams, who is EVERYWHERE.
And what better time to distract yourself from the inevitable collapse of Western society? Quick, go to the movies. Go now. Unless you’re American, in which case a) thank you for reading! and b) JESUS CHRIST GO AND VOTE RIGHT NOW PLEASE.
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ARRIVAL
RT: 100%
Director Denis Villeneuve has been kicking arse and taking names since 2010’s Oscar-nommed Incendies, and this is your best chance to see him flex some sci-fi muscle before Blade Runner 2049 hits screens next year.
A dozen enormous spaceships hover above the earth, unannounced and unexpected, with no sign of their intentions. The US government brings in linguist Louise (Amy Adams) to find the answers, but she battles against the clock as the world’s population rapidly succumbs to fear.
This is the kind of filmmaking I get emotional just thinking about: talented people tackling big ideas instead of merely servicing blockbuster norms. Word on the street is that this is the Amy Adams film to get excited about, mostly because it’s light years from DC Studios but also because she gets a chance to showcase her subtlety, range and poise. And it has Forest Whitaker! See it.
tl;dr Adams favours Jodie Foster-style diplomacy over that of Will Smith.
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NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
RT: 79%
Word on the street is that this is one of two Amy Adams films to get excited about this week. Fashion designer and Jay Z name-check Tom Ford returns to the screen (after 2009’s A Single Man) with a psychological thriller about the death of a relationship.
Art gallery owner Susan (Adams) has her dissatisfying life shaken up by the emergence of a novel by ex-husband Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal), one that is open allegory for their shattered marriage. The novel, a violent thriller, forces her to reappraise their past and fear for her own future.
Like Nicolas Winding Refn, Ford’s preoccupation with fashion and the composition of imagery mean his films are beautiful, dreamlike creations. Like NWR, Ford is a brand. And like NWR, Ford has cast Jena Malone. Both have been accused of superficiality – ultimately, it’s something to decide for yourself.
tl;dr Fashion claims a few more victims.
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DEATH NOTE: LIGHT UP THE NEW WORLD
Ten years ago, Light Yagami took up the Death Note – an otherworldly notebook possessed by death god Ryuk that causes the demise of anyone whose name is written in it – and declared himself the god of the new world. Now, three men tied to Light’s legacy come into conflict when six new Death Notes land in the human realm.
Incomprehensible? Guess you missed Death Note, one of the most internationally successful manga/anime series to date, and its subsequent live-action adaptations, which were Japanese box-office annihilators. Light Up The New World (winner of worst pun 2016) seeks to carry on where the first films left off, with another trail of bodies and another game of psychological cat & mouse.
The likelihood it could live up to its predecessors is low, but Death Note‘s universe is one we should be glad to return to; at least before Netflix takes it up next year, or until Attack On Titan gets its shit together.
tl;dr CUE DRAMATIC WRITING.
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DENIAL
RT: 79%
Rachel Weisz, appearing for the second time in so many weeks, takes the burden of the past on her shoulders as historian Deborah Lipstadt, accused of libel by David Irving (Timothy Spall) when she declares him a Holocaust denier.
Pitting Weisz, an accomplished and empathetic actress, against such a high-class of character actor in Spall is an exciting prospect, but the rest of the (mostly British) cast are electric: Mark Gatiss, Andrew Scott and Tom Wilkinson among them.
It’s undeniably reaching for Oscar noms, but the battle over history and its interpretation is something I find hugely fascinating. Join me and watch as these titans come to verbal blows over the veracity of truth in our dealings with the past.
tl;dr A timely reminder that post-truth politics have existed longer than this asshole.
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NEON BULL
Time to get sweaty… former documentarian Gabriel Mascaro brings his second work of fiction to the screen, turning his keenly observant eyes to the tale of Brazilian vaqueiro Iremar (Juliano Cazzaré).
“What the heck’s a vaqueiro?” you say, and I smile, smug with the knowledge I’ve acquired from a cursory Google search. Vaqueiros care for bulls that are used as part of shows at the Vaquejadas, a Brazilian rodeo. These are powerful men who stand toe-to-toe with alpha bulls, though Iremar’s emerging desire to become a clothing designer seems to be at odds with his image.
Every critic has immediately highlighted the film’s sensory appeal, its masculine scents and its visual allure. It’s not a coming out story, but a fascinating insight into how boldly – and falsely – gender lines are drawn in modern Brazilian society.
tl;dr Es muoy macho, hombre.
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And now for THE VERDICT – maybe you only get to see one of these flicks on the big screen, and you don’t wanna waste that night out. So, drum roll please…
For once, I can’t recommend anything you should avoid! Woot! Hooray for a jump in quality. But for me, there’s a clear winner this week, and it’s Arrival. They’re here. Bear witness. And pray that if there’s intelligent life out there, they haven’t tuned into the election.
Until next week!
