Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Since the release of a Portrait of a Lady on Fire a lot of discussion has been generated about the differences between the male and female gaze. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is directed by Celine Sciamma who is female and also a lesbian. What this does is give the film an entirely different feel and gaze to the likes of Blue is the Warmest Colour and The Handmaiden, both of which were directed by men. Even having not seen Blue is the Warmest Colour I know it’s quite famous (or infamous) for a very long sex scene whilst The Handmaiden was more graphic than your usual period drama.

Underwater

 

A few people have been a little sarcastic about this much delayed underwater creature feature by calling it The Abyssmal. A little harsh on a decent, if perfunctory, film but you can’t really deny the obvious parallels between this and the likes of Alien and The Abyss. Set seven miles below the ocean surface, a ragtag team of survivors fight for their lives following a deadly explosion at an underwater station. It’s believed that an earthquake caused the explosion, but it appears human activity 20000 fathoms under the sea has awakened something unknown to humanity.

Bombshell

 

“Liberal Hollywood is racist” “They are the elite” “They are very bad for our country” proclaims Donald Trump in a series of tweets. Its fair to say that Donald Trump and his supporters dont take to kindly to lefty, snowflakey Hollywood. So it was somewhat of a surprise that a film pops up depicting the main anchors of Trump’s leading supporting newswork as the heroines. Based on the 2016 sexual harassment scandal that plagued Fox news, Bombshell stars as Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly who becomes part of a scandal that ousts Roger Ailes.

1917

 

There was a lot of media hubbub about how 1917 was shot in one continuous take. In fact that seemed to be the main selling point of the movie even though its not entirely uncommon. When thinking about films made like this most people’s minds go as far back as Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope which, rather than being a single take, was several long takes that have been subtly edited to appear as though its a single take (this is how 1917 was filmed rather than being one take). Even previous films about war have seen long takes make a great impact such as the Dunkirk scene in Atonement and the trench sequences in Stanley Kubrick’s anti-war film Paths of Glory.

Parasite

 

Ever since Parasite was awarded the Palme D’or back in May 2019, it had become the film to see. Rave reviews, excited buzz and Oscar nominations led to Parasite become the first ever film not in the English language to win the Best Picture. Even before this historical moment, the screening I went to was packed, save for the first few rows, and the audience gasped at the right moments, laughed at the right moments and seemed to be genuinely into the film with one remarking “that was intense”. I, obviously, don’t know how often the patrons attend screenings of foreign movies, but Parasite’s incredible victory may inspire them and others to see other foreign films if the likes of Vue and Odeon show them outside London.

JoJo Rabbit

 

Ever since the 1940s Hitler has been a source of comedy, notable early films include Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and the more broad comedy Let George do It (To Hell with Hitler) where George Forby punches Hitler in the face (something similar happens in JoJo Rabbit). Therefore, it’s slightly disappointing that Taika Waititi's film is more like Forby’s broad comedy rather than the biting satire of Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. 

Little Women

 

I can’t say I knew too much about the story of Little Women except it was based on the lives of four sisters in and round the American Civil War. Going in fresh in one of the most widely read and frequently adapted novels probably put me in the minority but going in fresh meant I could enjoy the story with no prior knowledge.