Youth (2015) Review

Lucas Versantvoort / 2 Nov 2015

Director Sorrentino has become somewhat of a household name since Il Grande Belezza. Now, two years later, his new film, Youth graces theatre screens everywhere. As the title suggests, it deals with 'youth', though wasted youth is the better term. All the action takes place in and around a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps, as we see two old men coming to grips with their pasts and desires. 

Composer Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) and Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel) are spending their holiday--as always--in this resort. They are not the only residents: Ballinger's daughter and assistant Lena (Rachel Weisz); actor Jimmy Tree, who in Birdman-esque fashion is only remembered for one mediocre role; a couple that never communicates; a young boy who loves Ballinger's violin pieces, etc. They're also told Miss Universe will be arriving soon. 

The acting is one of the reasons the film maintains some semblance of momentum. Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda particularly shine in their short but intense scenes. Michael Caine is also quite good, though I always watch him with a certain emotional distance. Nevertheless, he is very good in the scene where he explains to the Queen's ambassador why he won't conduct his Simple Songs. 

The film is obviously about coming to grips with the past and any regrets you may have. Sorrentino deliberately paces the film quite slowly to portray the boredom and routine of the resort, how these people are basically sitting around with only their memories keeping them company. We get variations on these themes: Caine's relationship with his daughter, Keitel's relationship with his son and his desire to make a new film, Dano's fear he'll forever be remembered for something insignificant, a role in which the audience couldn't even see his face (aka who he really is). Sorrentino alternates slow-moving scenes with emotional outbursts, such as the short scene with Jane Fonda and Rachel Weisz's monologue. Because these outbursts are framed by slow-paced scenes, the emotional impact is increased. On the other hand, the stylized nature can slow things down to a crawl. Some of the dialogue can also be as subtle as a brick to the face. When the Dano character completes his character development, he utters the following: "I have to choose, I have to choose what is really worth telling: horror or desire? And I choose desire. You, each one of you, you open my eyes, you made me see that I should not be wasting my time on the senseless fear..." This couldn't be more devoid of subtext had Michael Bay written it.

My feelings on the matter can be summed up by watching the final scene. I won't say what happens exactly, but there's an opera singer performing. She has a wonderful voice, but occasionally employs these hand gestures for added emotional effect, yet it just comes across as mannered. That's this film in a nutshell: there's plenty of content, but the film's stylized nature and deliberately plodding pace tend to undermine the emotional impact. It could've burst to the surface a bit more often.

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) Review

Lucas Versantvoort / 6 Oct 2015

The Mission Impossible franchise has been going strong for quite a while now. After the first film in 1996, sequels have been made every five years or so. I have yet to see the first three, but I did see Ghost Protocol, although I can't seem to remember much of what happened. I do remember watching Tom Cruise swinging on the side of a building and wondering what Jeremy Renner was doing in that film. Rogue Nation on the other hand is a different story...

After a rather dull opening action scene, the film begins proper. The central story revolves around a shadowy group known as the Syndicate. Ethan Hunt is determined its existence to the CIA, but he is captured by one of its members, Janik Vinter. He escapes and decides to get his revenge, though he'll have to do it behind the government's back. He slowly teams up with his usual merry band of misfits and together they start figuring out ways to eradicate the Syndicate before they are themselves eradicated. They're aided by one of Janik's accomplices, Ilsa Faust, who gets to play double agent.

Written and directed by Usual Suspects and Edge of Tomorrow-alumnus Christopher McQuarrie, this film benefits from a tighter and better flowing experience. Aside from a rather uninteresting opening, the rest of the film is tightly paced and consistently interesting and entertaining. 

One of Rogue Nation's greatest assets is Ilsa Faust. Spy films have often relied on a female agent or a femme fatale. More often than not, these films fall into the trap of relegating her to a supporting (aka useless) role or by turning her into the damsel in distress. Rogue Nation avoids any of these pitfalls by making Ilsa the hero's equal. She saves his life at least twice and doesn't even need rescuing herself. She eventually has a knife fight with this hulking giant and I feared that Ethan would predictably rescue her just as she was about to lose, but no, she takes that guy down with style to spare. Not only is Ilsa written to perfection, she's also played to perfection by Rebecca Ferguson, a natural beauty who also doesn't skimp things in the acting department. And to top it off, she and Ethan ride off into the sunset without actually doing so. She alone rides off, telling Ethan he knows how to find her. The film thus confirms the romance while still allowing her to preserve her independence, but I can still easily accept this romance when both characters occupy the same level of badassery and importance to the story. Thank you, McQuarrie, for implying the romance and not succumbing to the trap of actually showing it for no other reason than to please a bunch of oversexed nerds. It's a character you can take seriously. Needless to say, she steals every scene.

All in all, I was incredibly pleased. Ghost Protocol? Please, give me Rogue Nation any day of the week. You're not going to walk away like you feel you've reached enlightenment or anything, but you are going to walk away feeling you've finally seen a really great Mission Impossible film again and isn't that why we're here in the end?

Spectre (2015) Review

Lucas Versantvoort / 17 Nov 2015

After Casino Royale made 'Bond' truly relevant again, Quantum of Solace had big shoes to fill...which it didn't. Then, Skyfall upped the ante again and whatever film would come next would have to at least equal its success. The hype's only grown with every film, because the next one was always a direct sequel. Spectre embodies all the typical Bond elements, but that 'certain something' that gave the Craig era its edge is missing.

"The dead are alive". So reads the opening text. Immediately, you're reminded of the fact that the Craig era of Bond is an entirely different beast than all that has come before. We cut to the opening scene featuring a beautiful long shot overlooking Day of the Dead in Mexico City. In between the parades and masked festivities, the camera zooms in one figure wearing a skull mask and walking, together with a mistress, against the stream of people. They enter a hotel room when the man, revealed to be Bond, tells the woman he'll be right back. He walks across the rooftops to spy on a secret meeting with a certain Sciarra. He overhears someone mentioning 'The Pale King'. The opening action scene ensues, but the important thing is that he's found his lead: 'the Pale King'. Back in MI6, the new M berates him for his unauthorized 'holiday' and demands to know Bond's reasons. Bond doesn't answer truthfully and is suspended. It's revealed that the previous M left Bond a tape, instructing him to go to Mexico City, kill Sciarra and don't miss the funeral. Despite being suspended, Bond enlists the aid of Moneypenny and Q to secretly go to Rome. It leads him to the place where the organization known as Spectre is meeting and where Bond sees a hauntingly familiar face...

Without spoiling anything, Spectre is the film where the story of Craig's Bond comes full circle. Ever since Casino Royale, it's been obvious that new dramatic territory was being discovered. Gone were the days of cheap thrills and winks and nods. This time, Bond was being taken seriously as a character. This meant, however, that the films had to balance this new dramatic side and the typical Bond elements (girls, cars, martinis, over-the-top villains, one-liners). It's this balance I think is lacking in Spectre. All the elements are present and accounted for, yet it never quite gels. Spectre tries to provide some dramatic character development, but it often conflicts with the overall tone of a Bond film: one moment Bond's confronted with the fact that all he leaves in his wake is death and destruction and in the next he's again causing death and destruction for no other reason than that this is a Bond film and it needs action. Do you see the tension here? I think it's bold for the creators to try turning Bond into a more three-dimensional character (which makes the casting of Craig so excellent), but Spectre is unable to adequately combine it with all the typical things we expect from a Bond film. Casino Royale and Skyfall were much better at providing a seamless experience.

Other annoyances: the comic relief sometimes gets in the way of the action, as seen in the car chase in Rome or when the secondary bad guy bites the dust. Monica Bellucci's character is wasted. The Waltz villain has a wonderful introduction, but then disappears for about an hour! I get that the filmmakers did this to make you crave his inevitable return, but take too long and you lose momentum. 

On the other hand, the action can be quite impressive. The opening action scene doesn't look as fake as one might expect. Yet despite all the large-scale goings-on, the most badass thing you'll see Bond do is disarm and kill two henchmen while wearing a bag over his head and handcuffs, then removing said handcuffs with a flick of the wrists and only then taking the bag off his head. Also, despite my complaints about the narrative, you can tell a lot of effort was put into making Spectre feel like the logical conclusion to Bond's story. There are all kinds of references to the previous three films. One I particularly like is how M surprises a corrupt official in his office in the same way Bond surprised one in the opening to Casino Royale. Also, Bond and the new serious love interest share a breakthrough in their relationship while talking on a train in the same way Bond met Vesper on a train. All this and more gives Spectre a great sense of structure, which is a good thing considering Spectre's mood swings. Yet not all references feel appropriate: the attempt to tie all the bad guys and events together with Spectre's villain feels forced and undeserved. The opening credits' fragmented shots of the previous villains are infinitely more haunting, because they simply remind you of all that has come before, all that Bond has experienced and overcome, rather than saying they were simply pawns of Waltz's villain who himself doesn't even come close to reaching the heights of those previous villains.

As for Sam Smith's theme song, I'm conflicted. I deliberately held off on listening to it, so I could experience it during the opening credits. For the record, I know absolutely nothing about Smith, so don't expect any rants on how he's not suited for Bond or anything like that. That being said, I found Writing's on the Wall to be...listenable. Unlike others, I didn't find his high notes to be that offensive to the ears. On the contrary, it added a delicacy to the song that felt appropriate given the emotional focus on Bond ever since Casino Royale, though I find his middle register infinitely more dramatic and pleasing. That being said, the song is good mainly because of the opening credits themselves, filled as they are with wonderfully dark and expressive imagery, one of them being a shot of the villain's shadowy silhouette as octopus tentacles emerge from his back. Simply being in the presence of such imagery, any song would be elevated from 'meh' to 'good'. Credit also has to go to orchestrator J.A.C. Redford who--just like with Skyfall--manages to enrich the song with his sumptuous orchestral stylings.

For every good action scene, there is a bad one. For every smart reference to previous films, there's a needless attempt at humor. For every attempt at turning Spectre into a character study, there's a typical action scene basically getting in the way. When it's at its best, Spectre feels like the logical conclusion to Craig's Bond. At worst, it feels like a normal action flick that jumps from one scene to the next without rhyme or reason. It doesn't reach the heights of Casino Royale and Skyfall, but it also doesn't fall on its ass like Quantum of Solace. I say, bring back Martin Campbell.

Dutch version

Nadat Casino Royale, de eerste film met acteur Daniel Craig, James Bond weer nieuw leven inblies, moest Quantum of Solace daarna dit succes proberen te evenaren...wat het uiteindelijk niet deed. Toen legde Skyfall de lat weer hoog en moest elke film daarna daar weer aan zien te tippen. De hype werd alleen maar versterkt door het feit dat de ‘Craig-Bond’-films allemaal directe vervolgen zijn. Spectre belichaamt alle dingen die we van Bond mogen verwachten, maar het resultaat stelt uiteindelijk best teleur. 

“De doden leven” vertelt de openingstekst ons. Meteen wordt duidelijk dat Spectre het logische einde zal zijn van de vorige drie filmverhalen. De film opent sterk met een geweldig long shot van een gemaskerde James Bond (Craig) die door de menigte in Mexico City tijdens ‘Day of the Dead’ loopt. Hij loopt een hotelkamer in met een vrouw, maar laat haar dan achter om even een wandeling over de daken te maken. Hij luistert een geheime ontmoeting af waar de naam ‘The Pale King’ genoemd wordt. Wanneer hij terugkeert, eist zijn baas, de nieuwe M (Ralph Fiennes), een verklaring voor zijn ongeautoriseerde trip, waarop Bond geen direct antwoord geeft. Bond wordt geschorst, maar we ontdekken dat zijn vorige baas, de inmiddels overleden M (Judi Dench), hem via een videotape de opdracht had gegeven om naar Mexico City te gaan, ene Sciarra te doden en dan in Rome zijn begrafenis bij te wonen. Ondanks zijn schorsing, gaat Bond met de hulp van Moneypenny en Q in het geheim naar Rome waar hij een bijeenkomst van de geheime organisatie genaamd Spectre bijwoont en daar een bekend gezicht ziet...

Zonder iets te verklappen, Spectre is overduidelijk de film die de karakterontwikkeling van Craig’s Bond op een mooie manier probeert af te ronden. In Casino Royale was het zo verfrissend dat Bond eens serieus genomen kon worden. Alle ouderwetse Bond-elementen (Bond Girls, martini's, oneliners, auto's) waren aanwezig, maar werden soepel in het drama verweven. Deze balans ontbreekt in Spectre. De humor wordt er wat dik opgelegd (vooral in de autoachtervolging in Rome) waardoor de bedoelde impact van het drama verzwakt. Dit gebrek aan balans is ook te zien in de dramatische scène waarin Bond geconfronteerd wordt met de dodelijke gevolgen van zijn acties. Het is ironisch dat Spectre hier opeens zo gewetensvol en serieus wordt over geweld en actie, want ja, zonder spektakel geen Bondfilm, toch? Casino Royale en Skyfall wisten veel beter ‘Bond’ en Drama te combineren.

Andere irritaties: de humor haalt soms de spanning uit actiescènes, Monica Bellucci's personage wordt niet uitgediept, Bond’s tegenspeler Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) maakt niet de indruk waarop je hoopt. Hij verschijnt opeens en verlaat vervolgens een uur lang het toneel. Tuurlijk willen de filmmakers je laten snakken naar zijn onvermijdelijke terugkeer, maar het duurt simpelweg te lang. 

De actie valt over het algemeen mee: de openingsscène met een helikopter ziet er realistischer uit dan verwacht. Uiteindelijk is het een kleine scène die vooral indrukwekkend is: Bond wordt gevangen genomen, krijgt een zak over z'n hoofd, maar ontsnapt door z'n bewakers uit te schakelen, breekt dan z'n handboeien met één snelle polsbeweging los en haalt dan pas de zak van zijn hoofd. Puur Bond. 

Ook kun je zien dat er moeite is gedaan om Spectre te verbinden met de vorige films. De film zit vol met allerlei verwijzingen. Leuk is bijvoorbeeld dat M een corrupte ambtenaar verrast op een manier die doet denken aan het begin van Casino Royale. Bond heeft een belangrijk gesprek met de Bond Girl aan boord van een trein, net zoals in Casino Royale. Al deze verwijzingen geven Spectre wel een degelijke structuur binnen de context van de vier Craig-films. Daartegenover staat dat de poging om alle slechteriken uit de vorige Craig-films te linken aan Spectre erg geforceerd overkomt.

Toen aangekondigd werd dat het Bond-nummer van Spectre verzorgd zou worden door Sam Smith, ontstond enige ophef. Hij heeft gezegd dat het schrijven van de song hem slechts een half uurtje zou hebben gekost. Nou, dat hoor je er ook aan af. Het is niet een volledig belabberd nummer. Sommigen hebben bezwaar tegen Smith's ijle stem, hoewel dat nog enigszins past bij de emotionele focus op Bond's personage in de Craig-films. Het is echter een feit dat Writing's on the Wall gered wordt door J.A.C. Redford's orkestratie (die ook voor Adele's Skyfall de orkestratie verzorgde) en de weelderige opening credits. Daar zit zelfs een shot in van een in schaduw gehulde Waltz met tentakels van inktvissen die uit zijn rug groeien. Elk nummer zou in de aanwezigheid van dit soort expressieve beelden acceptabel klinken. 

Soms is de actie degelijk en dan weer niet. Een goede verwijzing naar een van de vorige films wordt weer afgewisseld met een nodeloze poging tot humor. Het ene moment probeert Spectre op een dramatische manier van Bond weer een mens te maken en ineens is het weer tijd voor spektakel en actie. De balans van de vorige films is zoek. Als de film op z'n best is, voelt het als het logische vervolg van Craig's Bond. Op z'n slechtst is het een typische actiefilm die zonder ‘flow’ en gevoel voor ritme van de ene naar de andere scène springt. Spectre is niet het nieuwe dieptepunt, maar het is ook zeker geen hoogtepunt. Hopelijk staat de naam Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) weer op de regisseursstoel van de volgende Bondfilm.