For March’s Film Fight we have 9 films.
Coming 2 America
#FF21 Coming 2 America is... fine. It does nothing new or interesting, spending too long falling into the revisiting all of the same characters rather than establish much that is new.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 7, 2021
The dated elements are, thankfully, updated here.
A few nice moments, but nothing spectacular.
Moxie
#FF21 Moxie is a nice mix of rebelling, getting things a bit wrong, and trying harder. There are moments that are a bit earnest and obvious, and others that hit pretty hard.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 21, 2021
It's wrapped in a great soundtrack, is directed with a solid pace, and sets a decent tone.
Very good.
Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar
#FF21 Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar is surprisingly excellent.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 21, 2021
It's tone veers from a little odd to very weird; it reminds me a lot of Anchorman, in the best way.
The cast are excellent, the plot is fine but doesn't matter, and I laughed a lot.
Watch this film.
Kajillionaire
#FF21 Kajillionaire is an offbeat film about a grifter family, and what they put their daughter through.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 21, 2021
Evan Rachel Woods is like you've never seen here before, nailing the socially awkward and downtrodden lead who begins to glimpse a better life.
A little slow, but solid.
Dead Pigs
#FF21 Dead Pigs appears at first to be a series of vignettes about commercialism in China, but it's not long before the pieces start to interlock.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 21, 2021
The direction here is incredible: clear, dynamic, beautifully light, frequently picking slightly longer shots.
Very good.
Judas And The Black Messiah
#FF21 Judas And The Black Messiah tells the story of Fred Hampton and Bill O'Neal incredibly.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 21, 2021
The lead performances are great; empathetic and tragic at the same time. Looks great too; the opening section had me grinning with some subtle choices.
A must see.
Fire Will Come
#FF21 Fire Will Come is the story of a released arsonist in rural Spain.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 28, 2021
It's beautiful, in colour and composition, but also incredibly slow. We don't see his character develop or learn much about him.
I'm fine with an ambiguous ending, but make me care before we get there. Meh
Bad Trip
#FF21 Bad Trip takes the prank-reality-meets-story concept from Bad Grandpa and applies it to a road trip/romantic comedy.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) March 28, 2021
It's not amazing. There are funny moments, but the reliance on shock and gross-out humour pulls this film down. It's all been done before.
Skip.
Bacurau
#FF21 Bacurau is about colonialism and culture, through the lens of The Most Dangerous Game.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 4, 2021
Strange, dark, bloody, funny; it shows people trying to live their very different lives, and the encroaching outsiders. Some stunning imagery.
Very good.
The March Winner
A genuinely difficult month to pick. While Barb & Star is the best comedy I’ve seen in ages, the real contenders are Judas & The Black Messiah and Dead Pigs. I think Judas & The Black Messiah edges it simply because if I had to pick one to watch again soon, it’d be that.