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From ZERO to 6 ♥s. 100% ad-free. Run on pure love for movies, documentaries and TV-series. December 2024: Updated lists of the best and worst of 2002, 2014 and 2016 - Now with 2,300+ reviews!
Eagerly anticipating this week ... (17-24)
Johnny Depp's Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness (2024)
An atmospheric purple sky looms over two young male friends on this neat poster for Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson's Heartstone
Thor and Christian are best friends in a countryside part of Iceland, where in the midst of the wildness of nature they go through a virtual juvenile whirlwind of emotions.
Heartstone is written, co-produced and directed by debuting Icelandic master filmmaker Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Þröng sýn (2005, short)). The English title is a literal translation of the original Icelandic title.
With a sensory, (thematically) intense range of images in nature and involving animals, often dead, Heartstone kicks the adult construction that is 'the harmonic-calm idea of puberty (and nature)' with gorgeous visuals and performances that are good almost beyond comprehension. From both Baldur Einarsson (Bömmer (2020, miniseries)) and Blær Hinriksson (Rainbow Party (2015, short)) as the boys Thor and Christian the camera catches telling looks, palpable electricity, moments of bubbling friendship as well as tears, and more poignant depth and feeling than one ordinarily sees. Einarsson and Hinriksson both deliver brutally honest, truly incredible performances.
Heartstone works as a private time traveling machine back to the volatile emotional vortex of puberty that we all have to pass through, and its third act moved and upset me deeply. It is an absolutely peerless film about how it might always be damned painful to realize that one is a stone fish.
[Heartstone premiered 1 September (Venice Days) and runs 129 minutes. Guðmundsson began working on the script in 2007. Shooting took place in Iceland. The film's biggest markets were Iceland with 324k $ (72.6 % of the total gross), Denmark with 85k $ (19.1 %) and South Korea with 35k $ (7.8 %). It may have a higher gross than listed here, since several markets it was released in regrettably do not figure on the film's BoxOfficeMojo site. The film won 9/16 Edda awards (Iceland's Oscar), a European Film award and was nominated for the Nordic Council prize, among other honors. Guðmundsson returned with Beautiful Beings/Berdreymi (2022). Einarsson returned in Draugurinn (2018, short) and theatrically in Agnes Joy (2019); Hinriksson in Shells (2018, short) and theatrically in From Iceland to Eden (2019). Heartstone is fresh at 84 % with a 7.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
A life captured on film rolls by over the head of Sam Fabelman walking on the Paramount studio backlot on this neat poster for Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans
Sam Fabelman grows up in post WWII America with 3 sisters and two doting parents, who mostly encourage his passion, which from an early age becomes the art of filmmaking.
The Fabelmans is written by Tony Kushner (Lincoln (2012)) and Ohioan master filmmaker, co-writer/co-producer/director Steven Spielberg (The Sugarland Express (1974)), whose 33rd feature it is. It is an autobiographical account of Spielberg's own childhood with the names altered.
Probably the most seen and most known modern filmmaker, - the man behind Jaws (1975), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Post (2017) and several more cinematic knock-outs, - here opens the doors for us to come to know him on a more personal level through seeing the story of his childhood and family. Our parents shape us more than probably any other people in the world, and this influence certainly makes sense in Spielberg's case; an over-emotional mother and a nerdy-technical, grounded father, both of whom were caring and supportive of their son: Spielberg's films are precisely characterized by equal measures intense emotion - and technical brilliance and entrepreneurship.
Spielberg affords his largely happy and sweet memories of growing up epic playtime length here, and perhaps it is the lack of utter heartbreak and really serious obstacles that make it feel a bit cushy. Who wouldn't have liked to have this kind of upbringing? Sam Fabelman is also a sweet and uncomplicated teenager. He doesn't act out, fail a lot or get nervous or weird. Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator (2018)) is adorable in the part, perhaps too adorable, and certainly his very noticeable colored contact lenses are an irritating ('reptile eyes') distraction. Michelle Williams (Wonderstruck (2017)) and Paul Dano (Looper (2012)) are on-point as the good parents, while Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems (2019)) and David Lynch (Lucky (2017)) give memorable supporting performances.
Of course the film is well-made, told with nostalgia and emotion as it is. Spielberg's arrival as a filmmaker is interesting to see for anyone with a heart for the movies. There's wise words behind every corner, as Sam receives golden nuggets from mother, father, uncle, John Ford and others. The lessons and polished nature of the film is a clear lacquer that rests over The Fabelmans. It is astute and comes from a master filmmaker and a great guy (with a great family.) But many of his other films are simply put much more interesting and riveting.
[The Fabelmans premiered 10 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 151 minutes. As far back as 1999 Spielberg was thinking about making the film. His sister Anne Spielberg's script I'll Be Home was a basis for the project. Only when their parents passed away in 2017 and 2020 did serious development begin. Shooting took place from July - September 2021 in Arizona and California. The film opened #16 to a 161k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #7 and in 1,962 theaters (different weeks), grossing 17.3 mil. $ (41 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 6 mil. $ (14.2 %) and the UK with 4.2 mil. $ (10 %). The film was nominated for 7 Oscars, winning none. It lost Best Picture to Everything Everywhere All at Once, Actress (Williams) to Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Supporting Actor (Hirsch) to Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Director to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Original Screenplay to Kwan & Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All at Once again, Production Design to All Quiet on the Western Front and Score (John Williams) to Volker Bertelmann for All Quiet on the Western Front. The film was also nominated for a BAFTA, won an AFI award, 2/5 Golden Globe nominations and 3 National Board of Review awards, among many other honors. Spielberg is set to return with an untitled Frank Bullitt project. LaBelle returned in American Gigolo (2022, TV-series) and theatrically in The Snack Shack; Williams in Fever; and Dano in Pantheon (2022, TV-series) and theatrically in Spaceman (2023). The Fabelmans is certified fresh at 92 % with an 8.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
Pinhead looks frightening before the New York skyline on this colorful poster for Anthony Hickox's Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
A career-oriented woman reporter with a nightmare about her father, who passed away in the American Vietnam War, sees a chance for herself, when a mysterious massacre takes place in a local nightclub...
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is written by Peter Atkins (Wishmaster (1997)), with Tony Randel (Godzilla 1985 (1985)) contributing story elements, and directed by Anthony Hickox (Waxwork (1988)).
A yuppie owner and his guests are terminated in inventive ways, and the film enjoys regular blasts from a grandiose score (by Randy Miller (The Last Dojo (2018, short))), which sounds like it plays straight from hell. The story is often ridiculous, - among other things there is a Cenobite that kills with flying CD's! - but at least one isn't bored, as long as the expectations are held low - very low.
Unfortunately the story develops with a grinning Pinhead (the central demon) enormously blasphemous, almost satanically, while amateur production values shine through. The ending shows clearly, and without any real sense, that the main focus of the film here is on preservation of the budding horror franchise. The budget dollars for Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth were not wasted on stars but on special effects, (down to the last dime it seems), including some dubious early CG work.
Box office: In excess of 12.5 mil. $ (North America only)
= Some uncertainty but likely a box office success (projected return of 3.4 times its cost)
[Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth premiered in May (Dylan Dog Horror Fest, Italy) and runs 93 minutes. Randel was fired as director prior to shooting and replaced with Hickox. Shooting took place from September - November 1991 in North Carolina. Hickox claims that Bob Weinstein loved his first cut, whereas Hellraiser creator Clive Barker claims that Weinstein got him to save the film (by adding new gore scenes) due to Barker's criticisms of Hickox's cut. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release Sneakers and holdover hit Honeymoon in Vegas, to a 3.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd weekend and grossed 12.5 mil. $. The foreign gross numbers are regrettably not reported online. With a projected 17 mil. $ world gross, the film ranks as a box office success, provided that the estimated cost of 5 mil. $ holds up. The franchise continued with 8 more sequels, the first being Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996). Hickox returned with Motörhead: Hellraiser (1992, music video) and theatrically with Warlock: The Armageddon (1993). Doug Bradley (Corrective Measures (2022)) returned in 2 TV-series and one music video credit prior to his theatrical return in Shepherd on the Rock (1993). Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is rotten at 40 % with a 4.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth?
Glamorous stars assemble on this kaleidoscopic poster for Ben Wheatley's High-Rise
A new resident in a 1970s high-rise attempts to find his place in its closed, class-divided inner society.
High-Rise is written by Amy Jump (A Field in England (2013)), adapting High Rise (1975) by J.G. Ballard (The Burning World (1964)), and directed by great English filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace (2009)).
The film feels like the fevered deliriums of a deranged Brit about 1970s class society and its people. The pace is strangely uneasy, rushed from the get-go, but this is no great narrative that sets an agenda.
For periods the strange film is nightmarish, but more often it is just remote and unengaging as it tumbles along and feels oddly archaic, as if what 40 years ago was a terse work is now - here - for inscrutable reasons staged in its original 1970s period, but completely without context. The unreality is mixed with a feeling of pretentious indulgence, when the characters of the almost incomprehensible film continue to abide in violence and smoking in ridiculous numbers of shots. Not unlike the recent Filth (2013), High-Rise is a late adaptation of an English work of dark and acerbic grain, which loses millions as a commercial product in itself and is a solid bummer.
[High-Rise premiered 13 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 119 minutes. Shooting took place from June - August (2014) in Northern Ireland, including in Belfast. The film opened #39 to a 79k $ first weekend in 79 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #37 and never grew in theater count, grossing 346k $ (6.5 % of the total gross). The film's biggest markets were the UK with 2.8 mil. $ (52.8 %), Portugal with 1 mil. $ (18.9 %) and Russia with 645k $ (12.2 %). Wheatley returned with Free Fire (2016). Tom Hiddleston (Thor: Ragnarok (2017)) returned in Crimson Peak (2015). High-Rise is fresh at 60 % with a 6.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
A passionate kiss atop a scene of soldiers on horseback adorn this poster for Bille August's Kysset
Anton is the grown son of a working class home disgraced by his father's disappearance, who wants to redeem the family honor by excelling in the army. In the period leading up to the outbreak of WWI, he befriends a wealthy baron, who sees great promise of the second lieutenant in connection to his young invalid daughter.
Kysset is written by Greg Latter (Night Train to Lisbon (2013)) with Danish master filmmaker, co-writer/director Bille August (In My Life/Honning Måne (1978)) contributing elements. It is an adaptation of Stefan Zweig's (Spring in the Prater/Praterfühlung (1900)) Beware of Pity/Ungeduld des Herzens (1939). The Danish title translates to 'the kiss'.
August reteams with his co-star of his recent long period drama A Fortunate Man/Lykkeper (2018), Esben Smed (Follow the Money/Bedrag (2016-19)), who is again an ideal actor for August's lingering camera and a character-based drama. Where the former film was Smed manifested as a man who lacked humility, which brought him at odds with his peers, Anton of Kysset lacks bravery or assuredness in his feelings. He is caught in debilitating doubt. A doubt that is fascinating and which reflects the film's central theme of whether or not love can or should be based on pity or bad conscience in some cases. Obligation and speculation also comes into play, but it is really the matter of pity and empathy that is the question here. SPOILER In the end Anton fails to take a clear stand and instead causes the baron's daughter Edith to commit suicide due to his cowardice, and he himself goes to war and gets shot dead in an act of foolish heroics (some may say heroic bravery) in the trench war. The film thus ends as a tragedy.
Smed's acting of Anton's doubts, as the whole course of the remainder of his life is suddenly on the table for a relationship that he is not fully convinced about, is supremely palpable. Lars Mikkelsen (The Venus Effect/Venuseffekten (2021)) and David Dencik (Chernobyl (2019, miniseries)) are good as the baron and Dr. Faber, the latter of whom treats Edith despite there being little chance of her ever recovering her ability to walk properly again. Clara Rosager (Before the Frost/Før Frosten (2018)) is fine as the emotional and volatile Edith, who is also difficult because she seems stunted in a teenager's dramatic frame of mind, around the age that her horse accident left her infirm. Sometimes the lines come out of her mouth in a way that feels as if she has practiced them a lot but that they don't really come from her, but it is a matter of actors of different classes (Rosager against Smed), and she does give the character the emotionally high-strung center that she needs.
The film is smaller in scope than A Fortunate Man but highly well-produced, no less powerful and highly enjoyable as a sensitive artist's grown up's drama with full moral and ethical dilemmas of universal grain.
[Kysset premiered 15 October (Warsaw Film Festival, Poland) and runs 116 minutes. Shooting took place from August - October 2021 in Hungary and Denmark. The film has so far sold 171,480 tickets in Denmark, its only market in general release, where the film is playing in Biografklub Denmark, meaning that probably at least half of the patrons are only paying half prize for their ticket. This comes to a gross of around 15.4 mil. DKK or 2.2 mil. $ (the average ticket prize set at 120 DKK). The film is not likely to become profitable theatrically. August is in pre-production with 4 films, the first one titled The Emperor of Dreams - Gianni Versace. Smed is returning in 2 TV-series but does not have his theatrical return announced yet; Rosager also returns in 2 TV-series but has no theatrical return announced yet. 131 IMDb users have given Kysset a 6.8/10 average rating.]
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