22nd Jan2023

Allegiance (Theatre)

by timbaros

Allegiance 9 Masashi Fujimoto George Takei Aynrand Ferrer Photo Danny KaanLegendary actor, and Star Trek veteran George Takei, stars in a new show that is fascinating, moving and brilliant.

‘Allegiance’, now playing at London’s Charing Cross Theatre, is basically the story of Takei’s life. At the age of five, in 1941, Takei and his family were sent to an internment camp right after Japan bombed Pearl Harbour; they lost everything, and were held for years. Takei says it has been his mission to tell his story, and ‘Allegiance’ is his story, and while he didn’t write it, the show is his. 

A story set to music, with a book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo, and Lorenzo Thione, and music and lyrics by Kuo, ‘Allegiance’ consists of a cast of 16, mostly Japanese actors, and with a fantastic Telly Leung as Sammy, a young man on the cusp of adulthood. Aynrand Ferrer is great as Sammy’s sister Kei. Along with their dad Tatsuo (Masashi Fujimoto) and grandpa Sam (Takei), their lives are disrupted, and uprooted when America gets involved in WWII after Japan bombed Pearl Harbour. They get moved into the camp where life will never be the same. Sammy is desperate to enroll as a soldier to prove that he is loyal to America, yet still feels his father resents him because his mother died giving birth to him. But their lives are changed forever, especially as Sammy falls for nurse Hannah and Kei falls for a man at the camp. 

Without it giving too much away, ‘Allegiance’ is cleverly bookended by the main character (Takei) and how his life became what it is and what it was. It’s a magnificent journey for the audience, all the songs resonate and relate to the story, and all the actors are excellent. Thanks George for bringing this to London, and I highly recommend everyone who reads this to go see it. 

‘Allegiance’ is playing until April 8, 2023

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21st Jan2023

BAFTA Nominations 2023 (Film)

by timbaros

aftersun-2022-paul-mescal-seaThe German war film All Quiet on the Western Front has emerged as the frontrunner after the announcement of this year’s BAFTA nominations. Its tally of 14 nominations is the most for any film since The King’s Speech in 2011.

The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once both have 10 nominations, with Elvis on nine and Tár on five.

Charlotte Wells’ directorial debut Aftersun, which was backed by the BFI Film Fund awarding National Lottery money, has picked up four nominations, including for outstanding British film, Wells for outstanding debut and Paul Mescal for best actor. Other films with four nominations are The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, The Whale and Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.

Best film

All Quiet on the Western Front – Malte Grunert
The Banshees of Inisherin – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
Elvis – Gail Berman, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Patrick McCormick, Schuyler Weiss
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang
Tár – Todd Field, Scott Lambert, Alexandra Milchan

Outstanding British film

Aftersun – Charlotte Wells, producer(s) tbc
The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin
Brian and Charles – Jim Archer, Rupert Majendie, David Earl, Chris Hayward
Empire of Light – Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Sophie Hyde, Debbie Gray, Adrian Politowski, Katy Brand
Living – Oliver Hermanus, Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Kazuo Ishiguro
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical – Matthew Warchus, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jon Finn, Luke Kelly, Dennis Kelly
See How They Run – Tom George, Gina Carter, Damian Jones, Mark Chappell
The Swimmers – Sally El Hosaini, producer(s) tbc, Jack Thorne
The Wonder – Sebastián Lelio, Ed Guiney, Juliette Howell, Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross, Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

Aftersun – Charlotte Wells (writer/director)
Blue Jean – Georgia Oakley (writer/director), Hélène Sifre (producer)
Electric Malady – Marie Lidén (director)
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande – Katy Brand (writer)
Rebellion – Maia Kenworthy (director)

Film not in the English language

All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger, Malte Grunert
Argentina, 1985 – Santiago Mitre, producer(s) tbc
Corsage – Marie Kreutzer
Decision to Leave – Park Chan-wook, Ko Dae-seok
The Quiet Girl – Colm Bairéad, Cleona Ní Chrualaoí

Documentary

All That Breathes – Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann
All The Beauty and the Bloodshed – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons
Fire of Love – Sara Dosa, Shane Boris, Ina Fichman
Moonage Daydream – Brett Morgan
Navalny – Daniel Roher, Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae

Animated film

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar, Alex Bulkley
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Dean Fleisher Camp, Andrew Goldman, Elisabeth Holm, Caroline Kaplan, Paul Mezey
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish – Joel Crawford, Mark Swift
Turning Red – Domee Shi, Lindsey Collins

Director

All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger
The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
Decision to Leave – Park Chan-Wook
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Tár – Todd Field
The Woman King – Gina Prince-Bythewood

Original screenplay

The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonagh
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
The Fabelmans – Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg
Tár – Todd Field
Triangle of Sadness – Ruben Östlund

Adapted screenplay

All Quiet on the Western Front – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell
Living – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Quiet Girl – Colm Bairéad
She Said – Rebecca Lenkiewicz
The Whale – Samuel D. Hunter

Leading actress

Cate Blanchett – Tár
Viola Davis – The Woman King
Danielle Deadwyler – Till
Ana De Armas – Blonde
Emma Thompson – Good Luck To You, Leo Grande
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Leading actor

Austin Butler – Elvis
Colin Farrell – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Daryl McCormack – Good Luck To You, Leo Grande
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living

Supporting actress

Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hong Chau – The Whale
Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
Dolly De Leon – Triangle of Sadness
Jamie Lee Curtis – Everything Everywhere All At Once
Carey Mulligan – She Said

Supporting actor

Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan – The Banshees Of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Eddie Redmayne – The Good Nurse
Albrecht Schuch – All Quiet on the Western Front
Micheal Ward – Empire of Light

Original score

All Quiet on the Western Front – Volker Bertelmann
Babylon – Justin Hurwitz
The Banshees of Inisherin – Carter Burwell
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Son Lux
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Alexandre Desplat

Casting

Aftersun – Lucy Pardee
All Quiet on the Western Front – Simone Bär
Elvis – Nikki Barrett, Denise Chamian
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Sarah Halley Finn
Triangle of Sadness – Pauline Hansson

Cinematography

All Quiet on the Western Front – James Friend
The Batman – Greig Fraser
Elvis – Mandy Walker
Empire of Light – Roger Deakins
Top Gun: Maverick – Claudio Miranda

Editing

All Quiet on the Western Front – Sven Budelmann
The Banshees of Inisherin – Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Elvis – Jonathan Redmond, Matt Villa
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Paul Rogers
Top Gun: Maverick – Eddie Hamilton

Production design

All Quiet on the Western Front – Christian M. Goldbreck, Ernestine Hipper
Babylon – Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino
The Batman – James Chinlund, Lee Sandales
Elvis – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio – Curt Enderle, Guy Davis

Costume design

All Quiet on the Western Front – Lisy Christl
Amsterdam – J.R. Hawbaker, Albert Wolsky
Babylon – Mary Zophres
Elvis – Catherine Martin
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – Jenny Beavan

Make Up and Hair

All Quiet on the Western Front – Heike Merker
The Batman – Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, Zoe Tahir
Elvis – Jason Baird, Mark Coulier, Louise Coulston, Shane Thomas
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical – Naomi Donne, Barrie Gower, Sharon Martin
The Whale – Anne Marie Bradley, Judy Chin, Adrien Morot

Sound

All Quiet on the Western Front – Lars Ginzsel, Frank Kruse, Viktor Prášil, Markus Stemler
Avatar: The Way of Water – Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Julian Howarth, Gary Summers, Gwendoyln Yates Whittle
Elvis – Michael Keller, David Lee, Andy Nelson, Wayne Pashley
Tár – Deb Adair, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley, Steve Single, Roland Winke
Top Gun: Maverick – Chris Burdon, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Mark Taylor, Mark Weingarten

Special visual effects

All Quiet on the Western Front – Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar, Viktor Müller, Frank Petzoid
Avatar: The Way of Water – Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon
The Batman – Russell Earl, Dan Lemmon, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy
Everything Everywhere All At Once – Benjamin Brewer, Ethan Feldbau, Jonathan Kombrinck, Zak Stoltz
Top Gun: Maverick – Seth Hill, Scott R. Fisher, Bryan Litson, Ryan Tudhope

British short animation

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – Peter Baynton, Charlie Mackesy, Cara Speller, Hannah Minghella
Middle Watch – John Stevenson, Aiesha Penwarden, Giles Healy
Your Mountain Is Waiting – Hannah Jacobs, Zoe Muslim, Harriet Gillian

British short film

The Ballad of Olive Morris – Alex Kayode-Kay
Bazigaga Jo – Ingabire Moys, Stephanie Charmail
Bus Girl – Jessica Henwick, Louise Palmkvist Hansen
A Drifting Up – Jacob Lee
An Irish Goodbye – Tom Berkeley, Ross White

EE Rising Star Award

Aimee Lou Wood
Daryl McCormack
Emma Mackey
Naomi Ackie
Sheila Atim

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21st Jan2023

Babylon (Film)

by timbaros
Image 21-01-2023 at 13.45-1Be aware that this film is over three hours long. But at a local screening of the film last month, I didn’t go to the bathroom once, didn’t get bored once, and didn’t look at my watch once (though after two hours I did get a glimpse of the watch of the person in the row below me). ‘Babylon’ is not a boring film. From beginning to end it will hold your attention with the story about the debauchery and desperation of wannabe actors in Hollywood in the 1920’s.
Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) and Manny Torres (Diego Calva) are hungry to be famous, with Nellie having the looks (and curves) to get ahead, quicker and easier, while Manny has the brains to get ahead.
The opening shots in the film introduce both their characters in a large mansion on the outskirts of Hollywood where anything and everything is happening: people dancing, coupling, intertwined with each other, drugs, half dressed and some not dressed at all, drinking, one large elephant – it’s a bacchanalia of excess. It’s a lot to take in and immediately hooks you into the film.
Nellie and Manny have two very different journeys on their paths. Nellie, who was spotted at the party, is plucked to star in a film, and nails it, while at the same time meets washed up actor Jack Lord (a fabulous Brad Pitt who seems to find roles that match his looks and skills – he is getting better and better with age). Nellie soon has her dreams come true and is chosen and contracted to star in a string of films.
Meanwhile, Manny carries a torch for Nellie, and she knows that, but his fantasy to be with her never really comes to fruition. While Nellie makes all the wrong decisions in her career, and meets all the wrong people to boot, and at the same time Jack’s career seems to be fading, while Manny starts  becoming disillusioned with it all. Such is life in Hollywood, the ups and the downs and the downs.
Damien Chazelle, who brought us ‘La La Land’ in 2018, copies it’s formula in this film that, as mentioned above, is never dull and never boring. And while it’s not the best of films, it is definitely entertaining, and isn’t that what Hollywood is all about?
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21st Jan2023

Jack (Film)

by timbaros
41351373-9a66-4dc8-aa04-b3c9140caa77Jack is not the name of the main character in this movie, his name is Charlie (played by a boyish Luke Rollason). Charlies has named his penis Jack, so this film is all about that. And Jack pretty much runs Charlies’ life. Jack is the brains of the operation, he and Charlie have been friends from birth, obviously. When Charlie meets Barbie Le Fleur (Angela Sant’Albano), a very pretty Canadian transfer student, Jack will do everything in his power to guide Charlie in his quest to enchant his dream girl. With the help of an odd group of friends; Charlie will use his brain to get the girl of his dreams, and Jack will not take no for an answer. 
Jack is exactly like an episode of ’The In-betweeners’ but stretched out to 90 minutes, and doesn’t quite match the expectations you want it to. But it’s cute and funny, and while some of the jokes misfire horrendously, it’s light and entertaining, and the actors give it their most with what they have been given to work with, which is not much.  
Director Pelayo De Lario has the thankless task of being the voice of Jack. 
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21st Jan2023

Elvis (Film)

by timbaros

rev-1-ELVIS-0074r_High_Res_JPEGA description of the new film ‘Elvis’ can be summed up in two words – it’s fantastic, and Austin Butlers performance can be described as mesmerising. 
Butler becomes Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmanns newly-released film on the trials and tribulations in the life of the king of rock who died at the young age of 42 in 1977.

Told through the eyes of Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks in a performance that is a bit distracting from the main larger than life character) who micro-managed every bit of Presley’s career, right down to not allowing him to travel internationally (Parker emigrated illegally to the United States at the age of 20.) But while the film begins and ends with Parker, it’s really all about Austin – I mean Presley.

It’s really hard to distinguish Austin from Presley because Austin looks like, sounds like, and acts like Presley, it’s actually like Presley himself is starring in his own movie. And the scenes of Elvis on stage in Las Vegas will send chills down your spine as Austin nails down all of Elvis’s movements, right down to his swivelling hips (which was too racy for American television at that time that he was filmed above the waist).

We get to see Elvis’s close relationship with his mother Gladys(Helen Thomson), and his father (a one-note performance by Richard Roxburgh), to when he went into the army where in a television moment he got his hair cut, to meeting 16-year old Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge) – whom he went on to marry in 1967. Then we are treated to his Las Vegas years which are the highlight of the film where you’ll get goosebumps watching Butler swivel on stage – it’s almost too much for the heart to take.

Luhrmann throws us for a loop in his direction as one might be expecting a Moulon Rouge fantasy style musical but ‘Elvis’ is pure biographical and it’s showcase is Butler. While Hanks has star billing but might be playing a bit too over the top , Butlers performance is just about perfect – and literally a star is born where he is a shoo-in come awards season. 
And while the film is not 100% perfect, it’s a great tribute to Elvis.
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14th Jan2023

43rd London Film Critics Awards Nomination

by timbaros
CC23-bansheesHomegrown talent led the field as the UK’s leading film critics unveiled the nominations for the 43rd annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, with British-Irish director Martin McDonagh’s dark tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin coming out on top with nine nominations. McDonagh, who triumphed in the Circle’s 2018 awards with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is eyeing another hefty London haul. Close behind, with eight nominations, was Scottish debut filmmaker Charlotte Wells’ powerful coming-of-age story Aftersun.

Both films scored nominations for Film of the Year, Director of the Year and Screenwriter of the Year, as did two favourites from across the pond: Todd Field’s provocative culture-war drama Tár and Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s fantastical family portrait Everything Everywhere All at Once, both of which scored six nominations. These nomination leaders also landed multiple acting nominations, with Banshees notablyscoring nods for all four of its principal stars, including Colin Farrell for Actor of the Year, while Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan received supporting recognition.

Also among the ten nominees for Film of the Year are a documentary, Laura Poitras’ penetrating Nan Goldin study All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and two non-English-language titles: Korean auteur Park Chan-wook’s twisty romantic noir Decision to Leave, which also landed him a Director of the Year nod, and French director Alice Diop’s socially conscious courtroom drama Saint Omer. Rounding out this highly varied category are Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical The Fabelmans, Oliver Hermanus’ lyrical Kurosawa remake Living and the year’s highest-grossing blockbuster, Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick.

Though it missed out in the top category, Sebastian Lelio’s richly questioning faith drama The Wonder nabbed an impressive six nominations, including one for British/Irish Film of the Year, where it joins Banshees, Aftersun, Living and the Irish indie phenomenon The Quiet Girl. Colm Bairéad’s heart-tugger also landed in the Foreign-Language Film of the Year field, alongside Decision to Leave, Saint Omer, EO and the Tollywood sensation RRR.

Joining Farrell in Actor of the Year are fellow Irishman Paul Mescal for Aftersun, Bill Nighy for Living, Brendan Fraser in The Whale and Austin Butler for his uncanny inhabitation of Elvis Presley in Elvis. It was a good morning for actors ambitiously taking on icons: Ana de Armas’ vivid Marilyn Monroe in Blonde and Vicky Krieps’ mischievous Empress Elisabeth of Austria in Corsage made the cut for Actress of the Year, alongside Tár’s Cate Blanchett, Everything Everywhere’s Michelle Yeoh and The Wonder’s Florence Pugh.

“As always, our nominees stand out from others because our members actually see all of the films that are released each year,” says Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Section. “So these nominations represent a cross-section of the very best of the movies we watched in 2022. And each year it’s great that we can highlight films, filmmakers and performances that deserve attention.”

This year’s winners in all categories will be announced at London’s May Fair Hotel on 5th February 2023 — with the Circle returning to an in-person gathering after two years of virtual awards ceremonies due to pandemic precautions. Last year’s ceremony saw Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog take four awards, including Film, Director and Actor of the Year.

The awards are given by the 200-member Film Section of the Critics’ Circle, the UK’s longest-standing and most prestigious critics’ organisation. The May Fair Hotel, part of Edwardian Hotels London, is the main sponsor of the event. New sponsors this year include The House of Koko, the new private members club which is part of the iconic London music venue; leading film, television and online media school MetFilm; and creative industry accountants Nyman Libson Paul.

The full list of nominations:
FILM OF THE YEAR
Aftersun
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
The Banshees of Inisherin
Decision to Leave
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Living
Saint Omer
Tár
Top Gun: Maverick
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Decision to Leave
EO
The Quiet Girl
RRR
Saint Omer
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Fire of Love
Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time
Moonage Daydream
The Attenborough Award:
BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR
Aftersun
The Banshees of Inisherin
Living
The Quiet Girl
The Wonder
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR sponsored by The House of Koko
Todd Field – Tár
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Park Chan-wook – Decision to Leave
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Todd Field – Tár
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – Everything Everywhere All at Once
Martin McDonagh – The Banshees of Inisherin
Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner – The Fabelmans
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR sponsored by Nyman Libson Paul
Cate Blanchett – Tár
Ana de Armas – Blonde
Vicky Krieps – Corsage
Florence Pugh – The Wonder
Michelle Yeoh – Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR OF THE YEAR sponsored by The House of Koko
Austin Butler – Elvis
Colin Farrell – The Banshees of Inisherin
Brendan Fraser – The Whale
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Hong Chau – The Whale
Kerry Condon – The Banshees of Inisherin
Dolly De Leon – Triangle of Sadness
Nina Hoss – Tár
Guslagie Malanda – Saint Omer
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Tom Burke – The Wonder
Brendan Gleeson – The Banshees of Inisherin
Brian Tyree Henry – Causeway
Barry Keoghan – The Banshees of Inisherin
Ke Huy Quan – Everything Everywhere All at Once
BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR for body of work
Jessie Buckley – Men, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, Women Talking
Olivia Colman – Empire of Light, Joyride, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Scrooge: A Christmas Carol
Florence Pugh – Don’t Worry Darling, The Wonder
Emma Thompson – Good Luck to You Leo Grande, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Letitia Wright – Aisha, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Silent Twins
BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR for body of work
Harris Dickinson – See How They Run, Triangle of Sadness, Where the Crawdads Sing
Colin Farrell – After Yang, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Batman, Thirteen Lives
Ralph Fiennes – The Forgiven, The Menu
Paul Mescal – Aftersun
Bill Nighy – Living
The Philip French Award:
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER sponsored by MetFilm
Katy Brand – Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Colm Bairéad – The Quiet Girl
Frances O’Connor – Emily
Georgia Oakley – Blue Jean
Charlotte Wells – Aftersun
YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER
Kila Lord Cassidy – The Wonder
Catherine Clinch – The Quiet Girl
Frankie Corio – Aftersun
Bella Ramsey – Catherine Called Birdy
Alisha Weir – Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR
A Fox in the Night – dir Keeran Anwar Blessie
Groom – dir Leyla Coll-O’Reilly
Honesty – dir Roxy Rezvany
A Letter to Black Men – dir Kiosa Sukami
Scale – dir Joseph Pierce
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Athena – Matias Boucard, cinematography
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ruth E Carter, costumes
Blonde – Leslie Shatz, sound design
Decision to Leave – Kim Ji-yong, cinematography
Elvis – Catherine Martin, costumes
Everything Everywhere All at Once – Paul Rogers, film editing
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – Brian Leif Hansen, animation
RRR – Nick Powell, stunts
Tár – Stephen Griffiths, sound design
The Wonder – Nina Gold, casting
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14th Jan2023

Tar (Film)

by timbaros
Image 14-01-2023 at 09.42Cate Blanchett is brilliant as conductor Lydia Tar (and just this week she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for this role), but at 158 minutes it’s a long slog to get from beginning to end. 
Lydia is in a same sex relationship with a member of her Berlin orchestra – Sharon (Nina Hoss), and Lydia has total control of all the musicians and the staff, she makes all the hiring and firing decisions and can elevate anyone who she feels has earned it (and perhaps  one that she might take a liking to). When Olga (Cellist Sophie Kauer, very very good in her first film role) joins the orchestra, it is a bit obvious to the everyone (and especially to Sharon) that Lydia is interested in Olga in reasons that are not professional, and has members of the orchestra raising their eyebrows. Things get worse for Lydia when a former member of the orchestra commits suicide and leaves a note with serious allegations against Lydia that risks her reputation, professional and personal life. 
Blanchett is absolutely brilliant in her role, one of the best performances of her career (she already has two Oscars under her belt), and is a shoo-in for the Best Actress Oscar. But Tar the film is very slow, the first 70 minutes don’t amount to much, but after this the film kicks into high gear and the plot, and drama ramp up.      
Director and Writer Todd Field brings us a great story that needed a bit tidying up, but it is a very good film and deserves all the kudos it has been nominated for, with Blanchett in center stage, in more ways than one. 
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14th Jan2023

Empire of Light (Film)

by timbaros
Image 14-01-2023 at 09.41Beautifully directed and shot (at an old cinema in Margate, UK), Mendes’ film is a tribute to cinema and the art deco buildings that used to house them. 
 
Colman plays middle to late aged Hillary as the cinema manager, while Ward (Top Boy, Small Axe), plays Stephen – a new employee at the cinema who Hillary takes under her wing. Hillary doesn’t have much in her life, just her job, and is engaged in a clandestine sexual romance with the owner of the cinema (a very good Colin Firth). But there is something about Stephen that Hillary finds alluring and attractive, and Stephen feels the same about her, somehow. Soon enough they fall into each others arms and have relations in the empty room that is on top of the cinema. But Stephen is only there short-term, he’s got big plans for his future, and a girl his age waiting in the background to be his girlfriend, and a mother who encourages him to leave the small town for bigger things.
Even though ‘Empire of Light’ will take your breathe away for its stunning oceanfront backdrop, the romance between Hillary and Stephen, which is the crux of the film, is not quite believable. Hillary is too dowdy and plain and we don’t quite believe that Stephen would fall into her arms when he can have the pick of any of the women in town. Mendes (American Beauty, 1917), should’ve chosen a more believable female star in this role (Kate Winslet would’ve been perfect), but nevertheless we are left with a stunning film with a plot that is just not believable.
FAB UK saw ‘Empire of Light’ at the London Film Festival.
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