Release date – 14th February 2020, Cert – N/A, Run-time – 1 hour 48 minutes, Director – Takashi Miike

A young boxer (Masataka Kubota) runs in with a drug addict (Sakurako Konishi), and soon finds himself involved in a deadly drug-smuggling operation which includes corrupt cops, assassins and the yakuza.

Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike has become known for his rather outlandish, blood-soaked films, of which he often releases multiple a year – since 1991 he has directed over 100 projects. However, his latest project, First Love, might not quite be on the same level as Ichi The Killer – which in many countries was, if not banned, heavily edited just to be acceptable for release – or Yakuza Apocalypse, but there’s still a fair deal of violence held within the film. Violence which almost seems to have been pulled straight from a cartoon as if to help match the almost comedic nature of a number of the scenes and ideas.

Once Miike presses the button to start the film’s action there’s no way of stopping him, or the film as a whole. From the moment an old woman not only gets punched, but completely smacked to the floor, to someone jumping out of the window of their flat as it explodes behind them this is a nonsensical completely absurd feature. As protagonist Leo (Masataka Kubota), a young boxer who’s been told that he’s got a brain tumour, finds himself, after meeting drug-addicted sex slave Monica (Sakurako Konishi) he finds himself thrown into a world of drugs and gang violence, with assassins, the police and even the yakuza on his tail. The scale and absolutely off-the-wall bonkers nature of the film is enough to simply bring a big grin to the face of the viewer as they just forget how ridiculous the film is and begin to embrace the absurdity – which at times has hints of Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, especially during one of the final set-pieces.

Amongst all of this there’s very little room for an overall narrative. Everything seems to just happen as the action does, with no major sense of direction, only a sense that stuff is happening and it’s forming a loose narrative around it, something which is pushed further by the fact that the film as a whole doesn’t really make any sense. Something which at some points does get a bit too much – you do begin to almost want some form of order in the hope of knowing what’s actually going on amongst all the occasional hallucinogenic (genuinely, for Monica at least) tangents, some of which do begin to disconnect the viewer from the piece.

There’s not a great deal else to be said about the film. It’s slated Valentine’s Day release date is one that seems to be ironically used considering the general tone of the film, and the mostly lacking nature of romanticism amongst all the violence that the film holds. The film is all over the place, bloody and violent to create a further energy and sense of ridiculousness and it just about manages to get away with what it does and keep the audience in the absurd off-the-wall world for most of the run-time. Even if that does involve some potentially unintentional laughs.

Utterly ridiculous and unashamedly violent – with some slight hints of Free Fire thrown in just to add to the absurdity and chaos – it might not make any sense most of the time, and might just be completely bonkers, but First Love for the most part is a perfectly enjoyable, if deeply nonsensical, ride.

Release Date – 10th January 2020, Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 15 minutes, Directors – Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie

A New York jewellery dealer (Adam Sandler) makes a number of high-stakes bets that could lead him to a huge windfall, however if won he must get around a number of forces to get the money.

Sitting down ready for Uncut Gems, the latest feature from Josh and Benny Safdie – following on from their acclaimed thriller Good Time – me and another critic began to discuss the career of Adam Sandler so far. She stated that “he’s just a lazy actor”, something which I myself agreed with slightly – it does seem like most of his choices in films have been those where he can play the same man-children and go on holiday at the same time. But also the point is in place that while Sandler’s audience grew up he, or at least his characters, never have. And while his comedy performances have often been relatively the same his rare dramatic performances have something else to be said for. Punch Drunk Love, which I consider to be his best film, and indeed performance, is a fantastic piece of work. And while I wasn’t a fan of the film many praised his performance in The Meyerowitz Stories. Sandler can do drama – proven by the fact that there’s already a fairly strong Oscar campaign around him for Best Leading Actor for this specific performance, even though when the offer first came to him to do this film in 2009 he rejected it.

Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a New York jewellery dealer always looking to make more money, which as sprouted a slight gambling obsession. He buys to sell and sells to gamble to make more money, often through very high-stakes and unlikely odds. In fact much of the film revolves around a number of Howard’s highly specific bets, which could lead him to one of the biggest windfall’s of his life. However, there are various groups against him, some he owes money or products to, others who simply want something from him that he sells in his small , brightly lit store – contrasting with the dark nature of his office.

While initially it seems like Howard/ Sandler does nothing but shout and drop the f bomb, as the narrative begins to develop, and actually show itself, his performance does too. Forming into something much more complex and detailed, bringing the viewer into a world of high risk tension and unpredictability. The Safdie Brothers – who write and direct this feature – play with lingering on the nature of the film, how the narrative could go absolutely anywhere, not helped by their frantic, almost dizzying central figure. Forming a large, swirling cocktail of energy, stress and tension that almost leads the viewer into a sweat as they try to keep up with everything that’s going on, and the forces that surround the, what could be referred to as, antihero – if he even is any form of hero – of the film.

Amongst all of this there’s plenty of room for dashes of humour to be spread throughout. While the more direct attempts at gags don’t quite work the blunter, more conversational, quick-witted bursts do get a response. And that’s not to say that the other elements of comedy don’t always work, on particular scene set in an auction room is one of the pure highlights of the film, and allows Sandler to almost unleash the closest thing to his standard style of comedy, while still managing to raise some laughs through the desperate tension and panic of the scene slightly twisted for comedic effect. In fact it seems that once it properly kicks in there are almost no faults in Sandler’s performance, and the general flow of the film; the only thing he can’t seem to be able to do is dramatic/ serious crying.

Throughout the film Sandler’s character states “It doesn’t matter until the final minute” – in reference to a basketball game that he has multiple bets on. However, when it comes to the general shape and feel of the film this couldn’t be further from the case. Carrying on from the tension and rapid nature of Good Time the Safdie Brothers form a world of fast-paced nerves. Everything feels risky or as if it could lead down an even darker route. All this combining to create a purely enjoyable ride. The comparison of a film to a rollercoaster is definitely overused, however if there is one film for it to be used it’s this one. A genuine thrill ride that’s sure to get the heart racing and the viewer almost breathless by the end of it.

At the end of the screening, as the credits had rolled for a minute or two, the critic I was talking to beforehand turned to me and as we were discussing our thoughts on the film she said “I think that’s the best thing he’s ever done”. While I still think that Punch Drunk Love is Sandler’s best film and performance this is definitely close, and maybe on a re-watch would be better, it strikes as a film that rewards re-watches, potentially having missed a lot from being caught up in the racing nature of things as they quickly unfold. What starts off as a potentially questionable selection of ideas and a shouty, sweary performance, turns into one of the most tense thrill rides in years and a wonderful performance from Sandler. After all these years what he’s needed is character and direction – who would have guessed?

After the first 10-15 minutes the Safdie Brothers immediately snap their fingers and the audience are in for a brilliantly tense and unique experience. There’s nothing quite like it narrative and there certainly won’t be anything quite like it in terms of scale and stress any time soon. Wonderfully written and directed, just see Sandler’s performance for proof of this.

Release Date – 13th October 2019, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 55 minutes, Director – Stanley Nelson

Documentary looking at the life of jazz musician Miles Davis

“For him, not playing is like not playing anymore” says a friend of Miles Davis, arguably one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time, let alone the 20th Century, as he talks about the trumpeter’s second period of drug problems. Davis himself said “I put down the thing I love most, my music, and found myself falling deeper into darkness”. Birth Of The Cool – which shares a name with one of Davis’ albums – tells much of Davis’ life over it’s nearly two hour run-time. From childhood to death, via multiple run-in’s with drugs. There’s a lot that gets covered and often a fair deal of it leads to the film feeling longer than it actually is, beginning to drag as the focus is refined to one man’s entire life.

Much of the film is built into stages and sections of Davis’ life, mostly through each of his albums. The creative process that went into them, the build-up to the release and the impact that it had on his career. The decision to break this story down into such stages helping to make the film slightly more digestible overall. There’s a lot to show and there are some elements that are rather interesting, especially within the final hour as we see the gradual fall and eventual slight bounce back of this musical icon, something which the film really seems to want to try to get across. It almost seems at times like the creators don’t want to say a bad word about Davis, and so stray more to look at his albums and music rather than his personal problems – in fact it’s for such reasons that the film itself has a somewhat by-the-numbers feel to it.

In fact much of Davis’ music – whether through his own bands or those that he was a part of – features heavily throughout the film. Lining almost every minute. While the music itself is, of course, quite good the feeling can’t be escaped from that sometimes it simply feels unnecessary or out of place, especially during the more laid-back moments detailing the more emotional stages of Davis’ life. When this is the case the music often simply feels too upbeat to properly capture the tone that the film feels as if it’s trying to convey, alongside the fact that it feels overused, being used in the background almost all the way through the film, never really being given a break and sometimes beginning to feel intrusive.

Davis’ life is one that can’t quite be confined to one film – at least one documentary such as this, especially when done in a rather basic, by-the-numbers way. There are some interesting moments, especially in the final stages of the film as the various interviewees begin to properly reminisce about the final stages of their friend and colleague. However, overall there’s a lot missing from the film, and some things – such as the music in every scene – that could be used a bit less. But, for what it is the film is a perfectly fine piece, maybe for those less aware of Miles Davis and looking to know more about him, or just for casual watchers. But, fans of the iconic musician may feel that there’s something slightly lacking in this seemingly made-by-fans documentary.

Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool is perfectly fine for what it does. While being relatively generic it does make some slightly interesting points, most coming from Davis’ own words, though his music does seem somewhat overplayed and unnecessary over the course of the almost two hour run-time of the piece.

Release date – 22nd November, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 55 minutes, Director – Nicolas Bedos

An ageing man (Daniel Auteuil) goes through an experience that takes him back to the day he met his now distanced wife (Fanny Ardant)

La Belle Époque may very well be one of the best time travel movies where time travel never actually happens. Victor (Daniel Auteuil) is a depressed, ageing man. He feels that his life is going nowhere, and his love-life retreating, feeling a large distance from his wife Marianne (Fanny Ardant). However, one day he meets a young entrepreneur (Guillaume Canet) who offers him the chance to go back to his more youthful days. Through a company that he owns that builds set, hires actors and creates realistic, exact recreations of historical events for clients willing to pay thousands for their own personal escapism. While some figures choose to go back to the era of Nazi Germany or medieval history Victor chooses to be transported to 1974, the day he first met his wife, to be exact.

Victor, much like the viewer, finds himself almost immediately swept up within the warmly lit town square that’s built specially for him. There’s something about the look and relaxed feel of the set that somehow brings about a sense of familiarity – something which Victor instantly feels, along with a deep sense of nostalgia. He knows exactly what will happen, what will be said and when it will be said in the titular cafe where he and his wife first met. His wife in this case being played by a young actress called Margot (Doria Tillier), who when around he begins to break character of his younger self to tell her what she’s meant to say next, and how. It’s not long until Victor begins to fall for Margot, wanting to see her outside of the set, or as much as possible when on-set. The time he spends with her contrasting with the arguments he has with his wife, who he fears might want to separate from him.

As a whole writer-director Nicolas Bedos’ film is very much one about one man’s reflection. A wistful look back at his youth and why he fell in love in the first place. It’s relaxed nature helps it to simply overflow with charm, and makes the romance element of this rom-com feel far from forced. The comedy easily finding its way in too, with a number of deeply funny laugh-out-loud moments throughout, with the odd welcome chuckle thrown in from good measure too. Everything simply combines to create a welcoming and deeply enjoyable film.

The audience are put into Victor’s shoes and are carefully guided along the same journey. A thoughtful, imaginative, entertaining journey of reflection. Through his rises and falls the viewer gets behind Auteuil’s fantastic central performance – backed up by an equally strong supporting cast. He’s a deeply likeable character, a creation from the combination of Auteuil’s acting and the wonderfully sweet and finely paced screenplay. When everything comes together the final product is a deeply sweet and charming rom-com. Easily involving and overflowing with warmth, heart, laughs and emotion it’s a wonderfully put together and engaging feature that keeps the viewer in its gentle hold from start to finish of its calm and quick flowing run-time.

Filled with great performances La Belle Époque is a deeply warm, sweet and charming affair that throughout its humour, emotion and entertainment never forgets its core themes and ideas.

Release date – 27th November 2019, Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 10 minutes, Director – Rian Johnson

A private investigator (Daniel Craig) tries to find the true cause of a wealthy writers death by making his way through every member of his extended family

“A whodunnit like no one has ever dunnit” ran the tagline for much of the advertising for Rian Johnson’s exceptionally clever murder mystery. Knives Out very much lives up to this label in a number of ways. Not only does it feel fresh and unique, a fine new take on the murder-mystery detective genre that seems to be gradually reviving, but also the fact that at times it feels as if nobody has actually done the murder – living up to the other tagline of “Hell, any of them could have done it”. Something which the film leads the audience to think on a number of occasions over the course of its proceedings.

Throughout the entire fast-paced run-time of Knives Out the viewer is kept on the very edge of their seat. Leaning in further and further to the screen, as much as possible; simply to relish ever single clue and detail that the film has to offer. Jumping right into the plot with Lakeith Stainfield’s lieutenant Elliott interviewing members of the Thrombey family. A wealthy family descending from the recently deceased author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). The family is made up of an insanely all-star cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, Ana De Armas, Katherine Langford and Toni Collette – all of whom are having great fun being a part of this film. However, none more so than Daniel Craig as private investigator extraordinaire Benoir Blanc.

Blanc’s name itself sounds like one direct from an Agatha Christie novel, something which Johnson’s screenplay, and in fact direction, leans very strongly into. Feeling already like a classic of the genre, the status of which it’s guaranteed to instantly earn. Throughout the various twists, turns and red herrings that the film has to offer the viewer is invited to play along, double-guessing themselves, backtracking and – much like the flawed detective at the heart of the investigation – sometimes being purely uncertain as to who might have actually done the murder. All this coming from the intricately detailed and shocking nature of the story. At times you simply don’t want to breath so that you can savour every single element that each individual frame has to offer. This is cinema, pure, enthralling cinema that grips you from the very start. Commanding your attention and bringing you totally into another world that you just want to visit again and again – something which can easily be done, to notice the details missed the first time around. Much of this stemming from the intense originality that flows thick and fast throughout the entire narrative.

What makes Knives Out work so well as a fresh take is how well it uses simple conventions. Ideas that we all know and recognise, some left alone, other slightly twisted, to lead to the best possible response of not knowing what to believe and what not to believe, especially with such shadowy and potentially devious characters. Each individual figure having their own unique personality, helping to flesh everything out further and make an even more involving nature to the film as a whole. As mysteries begin to layer – never getting in the way of each other – and the film becomes much more of an enthralling rollercoaster, the personalities still shine. Nothing ever vanishes, is forgotten about or simply lost track of, everything has order amongst the chaos of the investigation – something which is used for full impact in the third act, where the viewer begins to wonder whether there even will be a big reveal.

Everything masterfully blends together to create a finely made cocktail of mystery. One that engages, entertains and powers through with full force from start to finish. Never loosening the tight grip that it so strongly holds on the viewer at any point over the fast-paced, quick-flowing, insanely clever, tension filled run-time. Knives Out is a pure, cinematic joy and definitely one of the best films of the year. A true modern classic.

From start to finish Knives Out is a brilliantly clever and fantastically tense murder mystery. Filled with great performances from a cast that are clearly having great fun that helps to get across the energy of the piece. Overflowing with detail and gloriously involving it’s nothing less than a truly phenomenal piece of work.