For the June Film Fight, we have 7 new(ish) films.
The Father
#FF21 The Father is an excellent film.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 20, 2021
The performances are all great, but Hopkins going between charming, and confused, and angry in a moment is something to behold.
The narrative arc holds together, the set design is fantastic, and the cinematogrpahy is beautiful.
Must see.
Shiva Baby
#FF21 Shiva Baby is a dark, personal comedy, focussing on an uncomfortable situation at a shiva.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 20, 2021
What could descend into farce is carefully managed, drawing humour from the awkward rather than the ridiculous.
Well shot and performed, a solid directorial debut.
Awake
#FF21 Awake is about a collapsing society due to people not being able to sleep.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) June 20, 2021
It rushes the start of the strange behaviour, but long takes in clearly controlled spaces make for well done action sequences.w
Predictable but fun. Solid late-night fodder.
Mogul Mowgli
#FF21 Mogul Mowgli sees Riz Ahmed as a rapper, who becomes increasingly ill on the verge of his break.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 4, 2021
The tone and visuals shift from grounded to surreal to poetic; through an exploration of identity, memory, and family.
Strong lead performance, and direction.
Must see.
Little Joe
#FF21 Little Joe is the quiet, calm, horror of slowly losing your identity and reality to something else.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 4, 2021
Striking use of colour and framing play against very understated performances, and cold characters.
A little slow but worth seeing.
A Quiet Place Part 2
#FF21 A Quiet Place Part 2 is... fine.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 4, 2021
It doesn't add anything new to the world of the first film. It's a bunch of set pieces tied together in a reasonable enough way; and some of those work better than others.
An okay, brief, popcorn movie.
Parallel
#FF21 Parallel is pretty standard time-travel/multiverse fare. The characters set out to exploit their new ability, learning that their actions have serious consequences.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) July 4, 2021
While some of the effects are janky, the film is competent but not exceptional.
Worth a late night view.
The June Winner
There are several strong candidates here, but I think it has to be The Father. Strong performances and direction, good concept, and left me in tears.