Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Movie Review

Released: January 12th 2018 (UK)

Length: 115 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Martin McDonagh

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, Caleb Landry Jones and Lucas Hedges

Crime brings damage in a ripple effect to those around it in society, but what happens when the case is closed, particularly when it is unresolved? Inspired by some billboards he found while travelling, McDonagh turns his attention to the United States to tell a resonating and cohesive tale of grief, the search for justice and the change that it brings.

Taking place in a decisively modern American South, Three Billboards tells the story of Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), who rents out the titular advertising outlets along a mostly unused road in a bid to find those responsible for her daughter’s brutal murder. While the case is kept in the public eye, the local community grows wary and even spiteful towards Mildred’s choice and so begins an array of chaotic events with several characters caught in the middle, particularly Police Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) who has been singled out personally by Mildred’s advertising. Cutting between different characters at main intervals, Three Billboards is, for a clear majority of its runtime, a multi-layered story delivering elements of black comedy, heartfelt drama and contemporary issues elegantly. Some of the latter includes police brutality and racism which are both worked into the story. For all the black comedy (which is brilliantly written in its own right), the central plot and the feeling of humanity stands strong and as things proceed, the characters start to change, often for the better. You’ll come to understand that the film isn’t about the traditional resolution to a conflict, but instead the shaping and reformation of those involved. The only weak spot comes towards the film’s conclusion when it loses the balance between drama and comedic elements somewhat.

Three Billboards places a lot of emphasis on its cast which pulls all its weight to make them believable. Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell are all excellent in that their performances, feeling very distinctive from one another while also having their own individual connections to the plot. While on the exterior she’s a hardened mum who doesn’t take any rubbish from anyone, McDormand shows Mildred’s more emotional side away from the other characters and it’s at these moments where you really feel her grief and struggle to come to terms with it. Woody Harrelson’s Chief Willoughby is equally loveable, his family life forming a catalyst that changes those around him. On the other end of the spectrum, Sam Rockwell is immediately hateable, his hypocrisy surrounding the treatment of black people and abuse of power being put on full display. The side characters, while not playing as big a role are still extremely well-performed. Mildred’s son Robbie (Lucas Hedges) encapsulates the traumatic difficulty of losing a sibling and Peter Dinklage, though bearing the brunt of many jokes, is just as engaging. Each character feels real and palpable, with their own flaws and imperfections, thus grounding Three Billboards on a very intimate level.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is another excellent effort from Martin McDonagh, continuing his trademark style and handling many different elements seamlessly. Yet in amongst all the wild antics and difficult subjects lies a beating heart, that of a mother desperate for justice amidst a community that seems completely deaf to her plight. It’s all impeccably acted and marvellously written, resulting in a film that could end up being the dark horse of this year’s awards season.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)

R3: Endurance by Scott Kelly

Released: 17^th October 2017

Genre: Autobiographical Memoir

Number of Pages: 369

I’ve held an interest in space and science fiction for as long as I can remember, but only recently have I read a more realistic and cohesive account of humanity’s adventures to the cosmos. I came across Scott Kelly at a special talk in London last year and decided to go all in by paying extra for his book as well as a ticket to the event. It was certainly worth every penny, as Scott talked about the book and his experiences before taking some questions from the audience. This was one of several events around the world that has seen the former astronaut talk about his time in space. He may well be coming to your country at some point or another.

American astronaut Scott Kelly (along with fellow Russian astronaut Mikhail Borisovich Kornienko, known as Misha) was selected to undertake one of the biggest missions in NASA’s history; sending a human to live in space for a year; over this time, countless experiments were done to see how the body reacts alongside a collection of others for the advancement of science. Scott tells his story across two timelines; one looking at his time on the International Space Station and the other reflecting on his life and the journey he went on to become an astronaut.

Scott Kelly's talk in London: November 2017

Scott’s life before NASA and launching off is fascinating and inspiring in equal measure; he talks about how it only took one book (The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe) to get him into the piloting and later space flight route. Kelly tells it all from childhood to his family; through all its ups and downs, there’s a ton of detail here and much like the last book I reviewed, you begin to know and understand the man personally. It’s an excellent complement to the space chapters as it conveys that duality of being part of an exciting space mission, but also missing one’s loved ones, imbuing the book with a feeling of unparalleled humanity.

The other half aboard the ISS is equally absorbing, as Kelly takes the reader through the many procedures and factors that come with living away from Earth. There’s a ton of technologies, tools and other resources to keep track of on top of being in zero gravity. What makes this section work is how Kelly effortlessly breaks the key operations and procedures aboard the ISS down into easily digestible sections. You’re never overwhelmed by complex scientific language and on top of that, the way he describes the breath-taking views are particularly vivid in their execution.

Both sections are laced with a humorous wit and palpable emotion that really pulls you in Kelly’s journey and the events he experienced up in orbit, whether it was family, the shifting of crew members or occurrences back on terra-firma. This ensures the pacing never slows while also pulling you deeper in. One moment I’ll remember was when Scott and Misha first arrived on station, pulling themselves through together as a sign of solidarity. It really does show that when we put aside our differences and trust in each other, we can achieve anything, and this theme makes for one of the more inspiring parts of Scott’s tale.

Taking pictures after the talk, and getting book signatures...

Recommended?

Without a doubt, yes… All being told, Scott Kelly’s “Endurance” is both a humble recount and a vivid illustration of something very few of us will get to do ourselves. For someone who has spent more time up in space than most astronauts, the man himself is (pardon the pun) extremely down to earth. You’ll be endlessly intrigued by both the direction he took in life and what he got up on the station still orbiting miles above our heads. Those who are interested in space probably own it already, but if you’re willing to get into it, the book is sure to get you into the science that takes place beyond our planet as well.

All the Money in the World Movie Review

Released: January 5th 2018 (UK)

Length: 133 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Charlie Plummer, Romain Duris and Marco Leonardi

The rich and powerful have often taken centre stage in film, whether it’s gangsters living it up on wealth earned through crime or narcissistic moguls who flaunt their power and dominance over others. Having already obtained some experience in adapting real events with Black Hawk Down, Ridley Scott turns to the world of the wealthy elite with a tremendously well-executed drama.

Taking place in the 1970s, All the Money in the World is based on the real-life kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (played by Charlie Plummer), the grandson of the richest man in the world; J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer), who made his fortune from oil in Saudi Arabia. When confronted with the kidnapping of a close family member, he chooses not to pay the ransom for his release and so begins a desperate and drawn-out series of negotiations led by the young Paul’s mother Gail (Michelle Williams) and supported by former CIA operative Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg). While there’s a few fast-paced moments strewn about the narrative, ATMITW is tightly focused, homing in on the verbal sparring and cutting between Paul’s predicament and those trying to rescue him. There’s a consistent tension as the situation grows more sinister and efforts by Gail to obtain the money end in failure. On top of that, the film’s themes feel especially relevant, with Getty senior endlessly hoarding his wealth, having no shame for his greed and disdain for his own family, the control he wields is on display throughout the film and this continues to complicate Paul’s release. One sequence involving the young Paul around halfway through the film sees the tension boil over into action with suitably nerve-wreaking results.

The characters of All the Money in the World are all especially memorable and what makes each of the three leads work is their duality; Michelle Williams maintains a surprising level of composure in her character’s public appearances, while privately the stress over wanting her son back only builds over the course of the film. The man at the centre of it all is Christopher Plumer (who replaced Kevin Spacey close to release for the right reasons) as J. Paul Getty, an incredibly powerful performance all-around. Whenever he’s on screen, Plumer demonstrates a commanding presence that every other character takes note of; you fully believe that the richest man in the world at that time was also the most influential. But then there are also moments where Getty senior is the only character on set and this, through the actor’s excellent expressions, shows that even with all his wealth he ironically has very little. Lastly Mark Wahlberg plays Getty’s right-hand man Fletcher Chase, a man clearly dedicated to his job with authoritative mannerisms but there’s also a side to him that maybe resents working for the rich which fuels his own character arc. The side performances are no slouch either; Romain Duris’ two-faced performance as the kidnapper Cinquanta adds an element of unpredictability to the proceedings. Finally, Charlie Plummer captures the growing unease and horror of his character’s abduction and despite his reckless lifestyle, you are still intrigued as to how his ordeal will pan out.

While grounded in its time period, All the Money in the World works hard to make a mark on the viewer with its presentation. The film’s colour palette is very desaturated and monochrome, highlighting both the distance John Getty has from his peers and the sinister circumstances his grandson finds himself in. The camerawork is simple and straightforward, mostly making use of basic pans to relay the action to the audience while music is minimal throughout, heightening the realism and only relying on classical numbers and real instruments to generate more weight in the film’s climax. The level of detail in the environments reaches exquisite, near obsessive highs, with specific props around the sets reflecting the never-ending reach of Paul Getty Senior’s wants and desires. It’s a setting that feels very disconnected from the wild milling about and speculation surrounding Paul junior’s kidnapping which enhances the main themes even more. It’s all a brilliant complement to the story and characters.

With three superb performances, a smoothly presented style and a heaping of tension, All the Money in the World is a masterfully produced, tautly focused thriller; one which sustains its realism while asking questions of the power elite that can still be applied today. If you have any kind of interest in the dramatic thriller genre, you can’t afford to miss it.

Rating: 5/5 Stars (Exceptional)

Hostiles Movie Review

Released: 5th January 2018 (UK)

Length: 135 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Ben Foster, Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane, Adam Beach, Q'orianka Kilcher, Stephen Lang and Scott Wilson 

The Wild West setting has been a constant fixture in Hollywood cinema, distinguished for their romanticism and often powerful themes; nowadays though, the genre has moved into more serious territory. Contrary to the older tales of yore, Hostiles aims for a muddier, more serious dive into America’s western expansion, succeeding with a few caveats.

Based on a story written by Donald E. Stewart, in 1892, Joe Blocker (Christian Bale) is a high-ranking captain in the Union Forces tasked with taking Cheyenne Chief Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) and his family to Montana. While at first, he largely resents the idea of transporting the natives to their sacred land, him and his band learn much along the rough, foreboding roads, including the possibility of some kind of redemption. From here it’s a slow burn narrative as they proceed across the untouched west, stumbling across hazards along the way. The pacing is very much like 2016’s The Revenant in that the film seeks to pull the audience into the locales, making them feel as if they are journeying alongside the characters. For the most part it works, though the first act feels rather routine and predictable in the way it brings characters together. As Hostiles moves onward however it does grow more intriguing and the connections between the main characters do build well towards its conclusion. The moral ambiguity is one of Hostiles’ strongest assets; the opening segments show the two opposing sides are far from blameless and by setting out the characters in this way, the brief discussions of morality along the journey feel appropriately poignant; it does a solid job of summing up the drastically different motivations the white man and native Americans had at the time.

The characters of Hostiles maintain strong ties to the film’s time period, though some end up having more development to them than others. Christian Bale gives a very nuanced performance; matching the archetype of the weary captain who mostly hides his emotions from the men he commands. This is contrasted against Rosamund Pike’s often aghast emotions as Rosalie Quaid who joins the group early on. You get the sense of a shared trauma and guilt that permeates the group though this doesn’t really carry over into every member of the party. The side characters, aside from the Chief who feels very wise beyond his years are very shallow, which does hurt the chemistry between the group. We learn very little about the men in Joe’s company and the film rarely takes the time to give them some interaction, making them feel rather replaceable as the film goes on. The old west may have been an unforgiving place, but the film could have done more to get the audience to care about each and every character on the journey.

Hostiles won’t be winning any awards for its characterisation, but it can stake a claim on the finer details; the sweeping landscapes of the American Frontier look breath-taking with an assortment of forests, mountains and riversides presented in countless wide, long reaching shots that really make the world come alive. The camera rarely shifts from its static position, keeping in line with the film’s slower, tentative pacing, the lighting (both natural and from the glow of crude lamps) is superb and the action scenes that do take place feel appropriately brutal. The soundtrack by Max Richter is often hauntingly beautiful, relying mainly on ambient pieces that swell into more emotional notes at several points. There’s also a terrific level of authenticity; the dialect between the soldiers and native Americans, their respective uniforms and the sets are all very indicative of the vast landscape that took countless efforts to tame. The silent moments towards the end feel especially powerful and as the film contrasts nature with manmade settlements, you will buy into the film’s representation of real history.

While it doesn’t quite have the full substance to stand alongside its contemporaries, Hostiles is an admirable effort to capture the quieter, more artistic vision of the period piece. The main performances are strong, the setting is vividly presented and that’s enough to warrant seeing it, despite a somewhat limited release.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)

Black Mirror Series Review (Season 4)

Released: 29th December 2017 (Fourth Season)

Created by: Charlie Brooker

Number of Episodes: 6

Where to watch: Netflix (UK and United States)

Starring: Different actors and actresses each episode

In 2011, Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror laid bare the problems of technology taken to the greatest extreme, drawing an enormous cult following in the process. For the fourth entry in the series, the crew have struck out in a different direction, while keeping the same, often mortifying formula that had us questioning our own use of gadgets.

Making use of the same anthology format, Black Mirrors transports the viewer from one story and cast to the next, each with its own message; one takes inspiration from a certain classic science fiction show and others feel more distant, shifting to often isolated locations to further hammer in their bleaker tone. Five episodes feel distinctive and memorable and that leaves the only exception of the bunch; Metalhead, which without giving anything away doesn’t have enough meat on its bones to flesh out its setting or the real-life engineering company it draws inspiration from. It’s a shame to see the first arguably throwaway episode make its way into the series but it’s the only black spot in a season packed with variety and intriguing turns. Each member of the cast performs their individual role brilliantly, conveying all the emotions (many of them often being shock, anger and horror) with vivid detail and on top of that, there’s a very diverse group of people onboard for season 4, indicating technology’s ability to impact any one of us.

Black Mirror Season 4 continues the same dose of satire, and dark consequences that made the first twelve episodes so engrossing, but it also takes steps to set itself apart. The technology featured throughout each of the six episodes has been placed on the same level as our own human flaws, some of which include obsession, guilt, frustration, selfishness and greed. The way technology plays on each of these manifests itself in more shocking, heart-wrenching and disturbing ways, with one episode not only breaking through the fourth wall but also recalling the problems with race relations we have in the modern times. These thematic elements are brought into play with just the right of nuance, twisting the knife just enough before letting loose with the twists. On top of that, the methods of presentation also change; a grainy 4:3 ratio gives way to a saturated black and white view later and often the colour will be drained from the environments, a strong technique in highlighting the artificiality of the show’s featured tech. The show has also grown more graphic for its fourth outing, with nastier depictions of violence, particularly with one episode feeling especially sadistic as it proceeded on to its chilling conclusion.

Delving into the realm of the surreal, the sinister and back again, the fourth season of Black Mirror maintains its knife edge of unpredictability and interconnected themes of technology gone wrong. While season 4 sits just below the first three, it remains irresistible for any who can stomach its darker moments and more minimalistic approach to technology.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)

R3: The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes

Released: 2016

Genre: Biographical and Historical Recount

Number of Pages: 180

Julian Barnes is one of the more revered and celebrated modern authors in UK literature, with a collection of works that stretch back to the 1980s. After winning the Booker Prize with The Sense of an Ending in 2011, Barnes returns to the historical setting with a book that came with a glowing recommendation on the store shelf. I was intrigued by its setting and started reading.

The Noise of Time is a deeply internal character study of one Dmitri Shostakovich, a resonant music composer and pianist in the Soviet Union. Taking place across three separate time periods, 1937, 1948 and 1960, the book divides itself into three sections. The third person perspective relays the action entirely from Shostakovich’s perspective and the reader learns just about everything there is to know about him; his family ties, political machinations and a seemingly endless commitment to writing music. Inside his mind, Dmitri has a number of feelings spinning around; regret, thoughtfulness and reminiscence and all of these have a part to play in Barnes’ account.

The real life Dmitri Shostakovich, pictured in 1950

The symphonies and other quartets written by Shostakovich play a key role in the story as he highlights its enduring qualities, something that can last far beyond regimes, leaders and historical events. Even as time rolls on, there are some things that endure, and this is the central theme of The Noise of Time; the changing tides of history and one man’s slow but meaningful reflection on all of it. The consistent references to music are also juxtaposed against power and influence; throughout his time in the Soviet Union, Dmitri was pressed, often forced to produce music that reflected the overwhelming nationalism of his country while simultaneously watching some of his best work be torn down in the name of Stalin and his government. Despite not relying much on direct action, the novel still creates a great feeling of foreboding tension; you wonder what will become of the central composer if he steps out of line in the face of tyranny. It also makes it all the more evident that his music will live on long after the fall of the Soviet Union which is referenced in an afterword at the end of the book. It’s clear that Barnes carried out a ton of research when writing about Dmitri Shostakovich and it shows throughout the three sections.

Recommended?

Your enjoyment of The Noise of Time will depend on how much you enjoy contained stories that focus on a single individual and the deep reflective undertones that comprise the biographical genre. Other characters are only mentioned and the historical context that grounds the story is mostly a backdrop illustration, rather than a direct part of the action. Yet by choosing to focus exclusively on one individual, the descriptions and recounts reach a vivid peak; by the end of the novel, you feel as if you know this man personally and fully sympathise with his struggles at the hands of the Soviet Union, his achievements in music overshadowed by an often-brutal regime.