The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger (2018)

Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Will Poulter, and Charlotte Rampling

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson

Written by Lucinda Coxon

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Red Sparrow

Red Sparrow (2018)

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeremy Irons

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Written by Justin Haythe

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending (2017)

Starring Jim Broadbent, Harriet Walter, Michelle Dockery, Emily Mortimer, Billy Howle, Freya Mavor, Matthew Goode, and Charlotte Rampling

Directed by Ritesh Batra

Written by Nick Payne

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Sixty-something Tony (Jim Broadbent) receives a letter from the estate of the mother of a former college girlfriend stating that she has left him a document upon her passing.  The document is being held by Tony's former girlfriend Veronica (Charlotte Rampling) who Tony hasn't seen in decades.  Completely oblivious to what the document could be, Tony reflects upon his college career via flashbacks that showcase that memory is malleable.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: D+

Movie Review - 45 Years

45 Years (2015)

Starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay

Directed by Andrew Haigh

One morning a week before their forty-fifth wedding anniversary, a letter arrives at the home of Geoff and Kate Mercer (Tom Courtenay, Charlotte Rampling) that brings back memories that may change their lives forever.  

And that's all I'll say about 45 Years as it's best to let the somewhat simplistic story unfold with as little knowledge as possible.  This is a quiet and slow-moving film that may not be for everyone's tastes -- I'll admit that there were moments I found myself willing the flick to pick up the pace.  However, writer and director Andrew Haigh's film really allows the viewer to hone in on the feelings this letter arouses in both Geoff and Kate with the former being directly affected by the contents of the parcel and the latter affected by Geoff's reaction to its information.  Life had already changed for the aging, long-term couple after Geoff's heart attack five years prior had led to a slight lessening of his motor skills and intellect, but their relationship finds itself tested in a different way as they head into their forty-fifth year together.

The quietness of the film's direction is echoed in the performances of Rampling and Courtenay, with Rampling in particular asked to display a majority of her character's emotions internally.  As she gradually realizes that Geoff may not have been forthcoming with her about everything in his life prior to their marriage (not a spoiler, I promise), Rampling's Kate grapples with the notion that her still somewhat-sick husband needs her despite the fact that his past may have tainted aspects of the their entire marriage.  Rampling nicely crafts a character whose building tension is seemingly waiting to bust free as she's preparing for an anniversary party that's supposed to celebrate their years together.  Courtenay is also quite good as the husband who not only is coming to grips with the fact that he's physically not the man he used to be, but who is also forced to remember something from his past that has perhaps shaped everything he's done.  

On a strictly personal level -- and if anyone who reads this has seen the film, I'd love to discuss it -- I will admit that I found myself aggravated a bit with the character of Kate.  It's difficult to talk about without spoilers -- so I won't go into great detail -- but I found her character's reactions plausible, yet a bit inconsiderate.  The film's final moment hammered home this notion for me because despite Geoff's past, he's still a man that deeply cares and loves his wife, yet Kate seems to be harboring insecurity that isn't Geoff's fault in the slightest.  That said, I can go into detail no further, but I will say my feelings for the character don't negate the film in the slightest as I think Kate is open for interpretation in that regard.

45 Years is a deliberately slow film that even at ninety minutes feels about a third longer which is the crux of the flick's biggest problem.  That said, the story unfolds believably and thoughtfully and while I also bored of the pace at times, I appreciated Haigh's slow burn onscreen.  This won't be a film to suit everyone's tastes, but it's a good one nonetheless.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Young and Beautiful

Young & Beautiful (Jeune & jolie) (2014)

Starring Marine Vacth, Géraldine Pailhas, Frédéric Pierrot, Fantin Ravat, Johan Leysen, and Charlotte Rampling  

Directed by François Ozon

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

The French are always so much more open about sexuality in their movies than Americans and Young  & Beautiful continues this well-known axiom.  Young -- and beautiful -- Isabelle (Marine Vacth) has just celebrated her 17th birthday and one present she gave to herself was losing her virginity to a flirtatious German fling during her family's summer beach vacation.  However, the deflowering had little to no effect on Isabelle as she finds herself oddly emotionally detached from her first sexual experience, garnering no pleasure, pain, or any modicum of satisfaction.  Perhaps because of this blasé attitude, Isabelle decides to become an escort -- as any seventeen year-old would.  As she moves from job to job, her aloofness regarding her sexual exploits is gradually diminished thanks to an ongoing paid "relationship" with a much older man who begins to make her understand the connection sex has to offer...but this unfortunately comes to an end much too soon for Isabelle's preferences.

Even if I were to set aside the oddness of a heretofore virginal seventeen year-old deciding that the sex trade is the right thing for her, the biggest problem with Young & Beautiful is the fact that by the time the film's conclusion rolls around, I'm not sure what the point of the whole thing was for Isabelle.  I'm not certain that she learns anything or feels anything or gives a damn about anything that happens to her.  There's not a bit of an arc for Isabelle and since she's squarely the focus of the film, an arc is ultimately necessary and this flick has nothing there for its main character.  Because of this, Young & Beautiful broods blandness and sullenness.  When your main character doesn't grow from her particularly unique set of experiences -- there are some pivotal plot-driven things that happen to her that should cause her to mature -- you're left feeling empty...and bored.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Melancholia

Melancholia (2011)

Starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgård, and Charlotte Rampling

Directed by Lars von Trier

***An early review -- This film arrives in local arthouses on Friday***

Melancholia is, by definition, a sense of sadness and the dour atmosphere of Lars von Trier's Melancholia is enough to send one into a depressive state.  This is a film that just reeks of self-importance and self-indulgence and despite some solid performances, I found myself unequivocally disinterested in the whole affair.  Ultimately, the overarching problem with the film is a main character who is so oddly unbalanced that I never once got a sense of who this person was or why she was acting in the manner that she was.  This proves to be a nearly insurmountable problem with Melancholia despite a final hour that was surprisingly tense and well-executed.

That aforementioned problematic character is Justine (played by Kirsten Dunst who won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival this past May), a young woman whom we meet on her wedding day as she arrives at the reception held at a fancy country club owned by her brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland) and her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg).  She is seemingly happy, fawning over her new husband Michael (Alexander Skarsgård).  Sometime in the night, though, things seem to fall apart for Justine and she retreats from the festivities, falling into a depression that just simply doesn't seem warranted (or, if warranted, comes on much too quickly and intensely), causing her to do things that seem so incredibly out-of-place thereby ruining the "credibility" of the character for me.

Part One of the film focuses on "Justine," but the much more successful Part Two focuses on her sister "Claire."  At the beginning of the film, we are treated to an odd eight-minute long wordless dreamlike sequence set to classical music detailing an apocalyptic moment.  It is in Part Two that we begin to realize what the heck that opening barrage of images was all about.  After having welcomed an almost catatonically depressed Justine back into their country club home, Claire is worried about the fact that a rogue planet called Melancholia is set to pass by Earth, just missing a catastrophic collision.  While her astronomy-nut husband John tries to console her, Claire finds herself slowly slipping into a state of depression.  Unlike Justine's depression, however, Claire's emotional state feels legit -- she's got a young son and the thought of the world ending is intensely foreboding.

While I may not have understood the emotional state of Justine at all, I will say that Kirsten Dunst is in top form and I blame director-writer Lars von Trier for crafting an unbalanced character rather than harp on Dunst for the flaws.  Dunst particularly shines in Part Two (as does the whole movie in general) thanks to interactions with the wonderful Charlotte Gainsbourg who, unlike Dunst, is given a character with an arc that is fully believable.  Because of this, Gainsbourg's emotional journey is the one which the viewers will respond to the most and the film's final moments are rather riveting because of this.  [I should also note that I was rather surprisingly impressed by Kiefer Sutherland here, portraying (at least outwardly) the only sane person amidst this group of crazies.]

Melancholia is at times a beautiful film.  There are images that are sometimes stunning to look at.  The film's final moments are pretty good (perhaps even verging on great) cinema.  However, the great forty-five minute finale can't negate the fact that the film's opening ninety minutes are intensely flawed due to the fact that the main character rings so untrue.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go (2010)

Starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins, and Andrea Riseborough

Directed by Mark Romanek

There's a moment towards the end of Never Let Me Go where Andrew Garfield's character Tommy lets out a guttural, primal scream of anguish, pain, and bewilderment after learning some devastating news.  In that moment, I admittedly got chills.  It's a real shame that the remainder of the film couldn't elicit a single emotion from me one way or the other.  What could have been a powerful story about friendship (and in a broader sense, the implications of science and government impeding upon personal freedoms and choices) turns out to be simply a very well-acted flick that carries little emotional resonance.

In order to not spoil anything in the film, I'm simply going to copy and paste my summary from my book review with a few minor changes.

Never Let Me Go is a science fiction film in the loosest sense of the word.  There's not a hint of apocalyptic tones, nor does it take place in a future overrun by new technologies.  It actually takes place in Britain from the late 1970s-1990s and it's really a world similar to what we live in today.

The only real difference revolves around the young students at Hailsham, a private school that keeps its students far away from the outside world.  The students, including our narrator, Kathy (Carey Mulligan), and her friends Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield), are told right from the start of their schooling that they are "special" and will hold an important place in society as they grow older.  While they live a seemingly happy existence, as they head into their teen years and early twenties, they begin to realize their true purpose in life which leads to some students longing for a little something more.

In a nutshell, that's the tale.  The reason why these Hailsham children are "special" is where the emotional impact of the film should arise, but the film never really gets off the ground in that department.  I can't help but think that since nearly the entirety of the book was told in the mind of young Kathy that it was difficult to transfer to the screen all those inner emotions that were so easy to connect with while reading the novel.

The flick isn't a failure by any means and that is thanks to the great work of nearly all the actors that grace the screen.  Carey Mulligan is proving to be a force to be reckoned with.  Despite her melancholic tone throughout the whole film, she is a commanding presence.  Andrew Garfield (who I need to see in The Social Network still) was also quite good and, as I mentioned above, has the one moment in the film that actually hit me at an emotional level.  Supporting turns from Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins, and Andrea Riseborough (who I saw and greatly admired in an Off-Broadway play last year) also added to the caliber of talent onscreen.

Keira Knightley, however, was a bit unimpressive.  In seemingly every single one of her movies, she does this incredibly odd thing with her chin and lower jaw when she talks. I think it's her way of trying to make her voice sound tougher and grittier, but all it does is tick me off.  [It's shades of good ole Kristen Stewart biting her lip in those damn Twilight movies.]  Admittedly, in Knightley's defense,  I think the character of Ruth in both the novel and the film is certainly the toughest for the audience to connect with, but in the film, the character's motivations are never quite clear.  [They were a little clearer in the book because we at least had an idea of Ruth's motivations thanks to Kathy's narration.]

The film was adequately shot, but director Mark Romanek doesn't really do anything special with his camera.  I think there were certain shots that were supposed to resonate with me on a visual and visceral level, but they didn't succeed.  Still, this is only his second film and I thought the direction was serviceable.

Needless to say, I was disappointed with Never Let Me Go.  It isn't a bad film, by any means, but it's a story that simply didn't translate well from the book to the screen.  The poignancy that made the book special wasn't present in the film at all.

The RyMickey Rating:  C