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Happenings

Film Fight 2021: Finale

Wow, another year of mostly at home viewing, but with a bit more cinema thrown in, particularly towards the end. It’s been a decent enough year for film, with maybe a few too many big-budget action films dominating screens in the back end of the year (looking at you Marvel!).

As per the caveat every year, Film Fight is done in a (non particularly serious) knock-out style: it can pick my favourite film of the year, but nothing else. (Also the very idea of a single favourite film is a bit silly.)

First up is the honorable mentions: films that weren’t good enough to win their own month, but still worth seeing.

Saint Frances
Pieces Of A Woman
Soul
Ham On Rye
One Night In Miami
Malcolm & Marie
I Care A Lot
Moxie
Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar
Dead Pigs
Bacurau
Concrete Cowboy
Proxima
The Mauritanian
Cherry
Sound Of Metal
The Woman In The Window
Shirley
Oxygen
Shiva Baby
Mogul Mowgli
Minari
Body Brokers
First Cow
The Best Of Enemies
Black Bear
New Order
Another Round
The Nest
Worth
Kate
Sweat
The Guilty
The Last Duel
Cop Shop
The French Dispatch
The Trouble With Being Born
Surge
In The Earth
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Don’t Look Up
Azor
Being The Ricardos
Encounter

And now the monthly winners:

January: Babyteeth
February: Possessor
March: Judas & The Black Messiah
April: Promising Young Woman
May: Nomadland
June: The Father
July: Clemency
August: The Green Knight
September: Apples
October: Last Night In Soho
November: The Harder They Fall
December: The Power Of The Dog

That’s as solid a list of winners as any other year, and genuinely difficult to narrow it down to just one.

The body-horror of Possessor has stayed with me through the year; the sign of an excellent, creepy movie. Meanwhile, The Green Knight has this beautiful, mythic feel that makes me want to watch it again.

Difficult movies abounded: Clemency, The Father, and Babyteeth are not films I’ll be revisiting soon, but only because they were hard enough to watch the first time.

Nomadland and The Harder They Fall were both beautifully styled, with very different aesthetics: naturalism vs hyper-stylised.

The real challenge, though, is picking between Promising Young Woman and The Power Of The Dog. Each are excellent in their own ways, playing with our expectations expertly. I don’t want to say much about the content of either, because you should watch them without knowing what’s coming.

I think I’m going to go with Promising Young Woman: darkly funny, tragic, brutal, tense, well-paced, with several great performances. A must see.

Film Fight 2021: December

The December Film Fight ended up being a big one: 12 films in all.

Surge

#FF21 Surge isn't what I expected and you should go in largely blind.

Ben Wishaw is great, both frightening and vulnerable as the situation continues. That's enhanced by the discordant audio, and tight camera angles that make the film claustrophobic.

Very good.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

The Power of The Dog

#FF21 The Power of The Dog is an excellent, compelling film.

Strong performances from all of the leads mix with beautiful visuals.

The script is the real winner, though: lots of little turns that were signposted, in retrospect. Will reward a repeat viewing.

Excellent.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

Infinite

#FF21 Infinite was worth than I expected, and my bar was set very low.

Poorly shot action, bad acting and dialogue, and a silly plot that doesn't hold up its own premise particularly well; a "clever" concept that never delivers on anything it sets up.

Avoid.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

In The Earth

#FF21 In The Earth takes Ben Wheatley back to quiet, creeping, horror.

The small cast, remote location, and weird moments give the whole thing an otherworldly feel.

There are a few moments that are a little cliched, but an enjoyable and uncomfortable watch overall.

Very good.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

The Card Counter

#FF21 The Card Counter left me colder than it intends.

Despite a solid cast, the performances don't work: a flat affect as disjointed dialogue is delivered without care, to a disconnected soundtrack. The threads of the story don't cohere, and nothing satisfies.

Bad and boring.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

Spider-Man: No Way Home

#FF21 Spider-Man: No Way Home is a good Marvel film in its own right and a nice cap on an ongoing story.

While it can be self-indulgent, the nods and winks to the past generally work well. The plot is a little overstuffed and the editing a bit loose, but it works.

Enjoyable!
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 20, 2021

The Matrix Resurrections

#FF21 The Matrix Resurrections is so much worse than the sequels.

Barely a plot, slapped together with bad dialogue, uninteresting action, poor acting (Moss excluded), uninspired visuals, a wonky conceit, and pointless callbacks and characters, strung out for too long.

Terrible
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

Don’t Look Up

#FF21 Don't Look Up is a fine, but broad, piece of satire.

It lacks any sort of subtlety but is an infuriatingly accurate take on how the world handles crisis. A strong cast, and snappy pacing, make this a pleasant viewing experience.

Watch.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

Azor

#FF21 Azor is a study in disaffected politeness covering up societal evils.

Following a Swiss banker during the Argentinean regime change, as he goes on social visits to politely discuss a number of concerning issues without discussing them. Beautifully shot and told.

Good.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

Seven Stages of Achieving Eternal Bliss

#FF21 Seven Stages of Achieving Eternal Bliss has a good premise: a weird cult wanting to kill themselves in a couple's bath tub.

Heavy handed progression, and uneven performances, detract from what could've been a solid comedy.

Pretty forgettable.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

Being The Ricardos

#FF21 Being The Ricardos is a fascinating look at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

It's clearly a Sorkin film: the "one vital week" structure, studded with flashbacks, a great cast delivering snappy dialogue, and solid visuals. A fun drama. A serious comedy.

Very good.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

Encounter

#FF21 Encounter is a disturbing, skin-crawling look at losing your sense of self.

Riz Ahmed is excellent, but it's the shot choices and editing that bring out the creeping tension of the unseen threat. You'll see where it's going quickly, but that scarcely matters.

Great.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) January 1, 2022

The December Winner

With some very strong contenders, this should have been a tough choice but The Power Of The Dog is a clear winner for me. It’s a must-see film that you should go into blind.

Film Fight 2021: November

A solid month with 8 new films.

Eternals

#FF21 Marvel's Eternals is less than the sum of its parts.

A fantastic cast are given some muddled action and more exposition than in any previous Marvel film. Chloe Zhao's beautiful shots don't make up for how tedious and slow-paced this film is.

Should be better.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 15, 2021

Red Notice

#FF21 Red Notice is the hollow, big-budget drivel we should be passed by now.

In a world with great action, this turns up with a bunch of set pieces that look badly faked. The three leads are fine, but aren't exactly stretching themselves here.

Silly nonsense.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 15, 2021

Passing

#FF21 Passing doesn't quite live up to its obvious potential.

It looks gorgeous throughout, presented in crisp black and white. The early film takes its time to linger in some of the interesting questions it wants to set up, but they're not paid off.

Ultimately, slow & listless
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

#FF21 Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a bit of a letdown.

Moving the focus to younger people in the countryside works well, but it takes too long to start: a full hour before a single ghost is busted.

The cast are solid but are let down by a script that is caught in nostalgia.

Meh
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

The Harder They Fall

#FF21 The Harder They Fall is a fantastic, modern Western.

The cast is stacked with great actors, the plot has enough going on to keep our interest, and the thing looks incredible: beautifully composed shots on the action, and ridicuously over the top moments.

Excellent fun.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

#FF21 Venom: Let There Be Carnage is terrible.

The goofy, odd-couple take on Venom doesn't work for me; and him sulking and going to a rave is painful to watch.

The action sequences are muddled, the plot is nonsensical, and the performances are bad.

Absolutely avoid this one.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

The Trouble With Being Born

#FF21 The Trouble With Being Born is a difficult watch.

The cold, formal style puts the attention on what's happening; and what's happening is uncomfortable, intentionally confused, and a little slow.

It raises some interesting and provocative thoughts, but it's uneasy.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 27, 2021

King Richard

#FF21 King Richard is an entertaining biopic, about the Williams' sisters through the eyes of their father.

It suffers from the same problems that often occurs when a subject's involved in the filmmaking: it follows a mostly positive formula with only crumbs of criticism.

Fine.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) December 11, 2021

The November Winner

Not the strongest month, but The Harder They Fall is a deserved winner: great visuals, pacing, and performances. A must-see.

Film Fight 2021: October

For October, we have a real mixed batch of 11 films.

The Guilty

#FF21 The Guilty is a surprisingly tense, single-location film.

Jake Gyllenhaal is a police dispatcher who gets involved in helping an abductee, while trying to fight some of his own demons.

Very tense, well-paced, with neat lighting choices. Genuinely gripping.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 2, 2021

No Time To Die

#FF21 No Time To Die is an okay Bond film.

It's expositional, flabby, and ridiculous (less so than Spectre), and there aren't that many great action sequences. Malik seems to be having a good time.

Go in expecting that and you'll have an okay time, but it's entirely skippable.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 2, 2021

Sweet Girl

#FF21 Sweet Girl managed to miss my very low expectations.

The script is barely there, with a cheesy, cliched plot and dialog that misses the mark.

Despite some okay moments, the action is muddled, and the twist is absolutely awful.

Avoid.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 23, 2021

The Last Duel

#FF21 The Last Duel is an interesting piece of storytelling.

While the titular duel isn't that great, seeing the motivations from three perspectives (written by three writers) works well, if it makes things a little long.

Solid performance from Jodie Comer.

Decent.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 23, 2021

Cop Shop

#FF21 Cop Shop is a surprisingly fun action film.

As stylised as any of Carnahan's work, but it hits a lot better. His use of space is clear and deliberate, the characters work well as big caricatures, and the pacing works well.

Very enjoyable.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 23, 2021

The French Dispatch

#FF21 The French Dispatch is Wes Anderson at his best/worst.

Each of the three stories is a solid tale, indulging his stylistic choices to the full, but together it starts to feel a bit too long.

I laughed and smiled throughout, but there's flab to be cut.

Good.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 23, 2021

Old

#FF21 Old is silly, and not in a good way.

The acting and tone is melodramatic, the script expositional and nonsensical, the characters thinly written, and the whole thing badly paced.

It earns some _very_ creepy moments, but it's not worth watching to get there.

Skip.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 23, 2021

Dune

#FF21 Dune is a slow-paced epic that owes as much to fantasy as sci-fi.

The epic scale is impressive and alien but uninteresting. Sandy exteriors and teal-orange interiors.

It crams a lot in but forgets to show why the main character is worth caring about. So I didn’t.

Dull.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 31, 2021

No Sudden Move

#FF21 No Sudden Move has a decent noir thriller plot and excellent cast, that keeps twisting.

While there are some excellent moments, shooting everything on anamorphic lenses was a distracting and ugly choice. Some movements were sickening.

Fine.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 31, 2021

Last Night In Soho

#FF21 Last Night In Soho is equally unsettling and beautiful.

The editing, pacing, and performances pull you through the glamour and underbelly of Sixties London; with McKenzie and Taylor-Joy’s performances being standouts.

Hypnotic, and must-see.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 31, 2021

Army of Thieves

#FF21 Army Of Thieves takes an interesting premise and gets it wrong in almost every way.

The film is both far too long given the quality, and way too short given the idea. The action is muddy, the comedy silly, and the character development doesn't really turn up.

Skip.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) November 7, 2021

The October Winner

While The Guilty was surprisingly good, I’m going with Last Night In Soho for October’s best film: stylish, fun, and impeccably made.

Film Fight 2021: September

Only 6 films this month…

Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

#FF21 Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is a good entry to the MCU, doing something fresh.

The fight scenes in the first half are amongst the best in the MCU, with the very first being an exception.

Some janky CG here and there don't overwhelm an otherwise solid film.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 12, 2021

Worth

#FF21 Worth tells the true story of the lawyers who had to value human lives in the wake of 9/11.

It's well-paced, with solid performances from Keaton, Tucci, and Ryan. Difficult and human, the film builds empathy with the characters without becoming schmaltzy.

Worth seeing.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 12, 2021

Kate

#FF21 Kate is Mary Elizabeth-Winstead's turn to be John Wick... and it works very well.

Most of the action is cleanly shot and edited, the visuals are dripping in the neon of Tokyo, and the plot is... perfunctory.

A very solid action film.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) September 12, 2021

Sweat

#FF21 Sweat is an interesting look at the life of a would-be influencer.

Beautifully shot in bright colours, we see that the forced perspective of what she puts online isn't quite mirrored in her life, and goes a little off the rails.

Well done.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 2, 2021

Apples

#FF21 Apples follows an amnesiac plague, gently sweeping the world. It's about people forgetting who they are and building a new life through relearned experience.

Really, it's a look at relationships, and who we are after them.

An excellent addition to the Greek weird wave.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 2, 2021

Malignant

#FF21 Malignant is the kind of knowingly cheesy, over-the top, horror film that doesn't do much for me.

A weird, schlocky premise, that gets weirder as it goes on.

There are definitely fun moments, and I laughed, but I can't really recommend it. Not my thing.
— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) October 2, 2021

The September Winner

I think the winner is Apples: well-presented, different, and with a neat twist.

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