Just A Little Bit Random

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Review

Release Date – 1st November 2024, Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 44 minutes, Directors – Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui

Documentary looking at Superman actor Christopher Reeve and his life of activism for disabled people, and search for a cure for those, like him, paralysed by spinal cord injuries.

Of course, a documentary about Christopher Reeve made with the involvement of DC Studios, the first logo before the film, is going to feature a lot about Superman, not just because it’s undeniably the star’s most famous role. Clips and behind-the-scenes footage appear throughout the film alongside images of a stone statue floating in flight stance in what appears to be space being gradually covered in kryptonite as the story of his paralysis unfolds.

More time is given to a late-90s TV remake of Rear Window which Reeve starred in than the likes of Deathtrap or Somewhere In Time. This is very much a documentary focusing on Reeve after his 1995 horse-riding accident which left him paralysed due to a spinal cord injury; the life of activism for disability rights and search for a cure that followed. While not overloaded with Superman, unlike the press coverage of Reeve’s life which referenced the role in almost every headline, the character is a major factor in the film, with a brief tangent part way through going into how the actor got the role and rose to fame through it. Yet, the figure is used more as a way to explore the true meaning of a ‘hero’ and how the film’s focus took on a new meaning of that post-accident.

Told through the memories of friends and family, particularly Reeve’s sons, Matthew and Will, and daughter, Alexandra, there’s a highly personal feeling to the talking heads and the ways in which they reflect. Particularly when linked through the ways in which they relate and depict similar events – youngest son Will talks about being three-years-old at the time of his father’s accident and his youth throughout the remainder of his life, referring to his closeness to his half-brother and sister and the ways they helped him along, alongside his mum, Dana. The three have taken on the mantle and perseverance of their father which is seen throughout the film – particularly in his establishing of The Christopher Reeve Foundation to find a cure for tomorrow, and help for today.

Perhaps the documentary’s biggest successes are in the emotional peaks, not just confined to the later stages of the film. Home footage helps to open up Reeve and explore him within his personal and family life, alongside his continuing ambition as he went into directing. These moments help to create effective collages which build up the connection with and empathy for the subject, especially when his relationships are taken into account. As well as his family life Reeve’s key friendship with Robin Williams, who he met at Juilliard, is brought up a number of times, and helps to provide a couple of chuckles along the way.

But, for Reeve himself you’re easily brought in by his charm through various talk show clips, and old recordings which help make up an intermittent narration for the film. He’s a likable figure and while he distances himself from the character of Superman and tries to make clear the differences between the pair you can’t help but see – perhaps, again, because of the focus on the character out of all his film work – some comparisons in his determination and strive to bring and display, and feel, hope. Used in the taglines and throughout, hope is perhaps the main thing this documentary wants to display and provide. Hope that there are heroes out there, and that Reeve’s work will continue. But hope that comes most of all from admiration, built up through the personal angles which are so integral to the movement of the film and the ways in which it grows emotion for real effect on a number of occasions.

While it might help to have seen some of Reeve’s other projects, Super/Man still manages to be a personal documentary which builds up the emotion through its hope-influencing and admirable focus and those who knew him.

LFF 2024: Piece By Piece – Review

Release Date – 8th November 2024, Cert – PG, Run-time – 1 hour 34 minutes, Director – Morgan Neville

Biographical documentary charting the life of Pharrell Williams, and his rise in the music industry, told through Lego animation.

Colour pours of the speakers as a smile spreads across the face of a young Lego Pharrell Williams. Discovering a world of soul and music everything becomes that bit more brighter for him, his eyes set on working in the music industry. Piece By Piece has already been bright and colourful up until this point, it’s a key factor of the Lego animation used throughout to tell the story of Williams’ rise in the industry in this imaginative documentary that takes the form and runs with it for the better.

“To me, the most common thread in this world is a feeling, and trust me, people just wanna feel good” Williams says about what goes into the beats and music he’s made throughout his career. Cutaway scenes burst into fantasy capture his own personal otherworldly feelings throughout his life. At just 94-minutes, there’s a fast pace which brings about a further energy already brought about by the music present from start to finish. It all combines to create not just a truly fun time but a film with real personality. One that doesn’t use its animation style as a gimmick as it’s clear from the opening stages that it’s being truly used to push and enhance the story and joy at hand.

Joy is the core focus here, creating a good time by charting the successes of Williams from school, to his early producing work as one half of The Neptunes and up until his more recent mega-hits such as Happy and Get Lucky. Struggle isn’t something that it seems the film, which he co-produces, overly wants to focus on (even being viewed as simply a biopic it’s even more of a hagiography than Bohemian Rhapsody). While peeking its head in the latter stages it’s not for long, more serious moments tend not to fully hit within the confines of the rest of the film – unless building up to a point of further success and exploring creativity and what music can do from another angle, particularly referenced in Williams’ 2015 collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, Alright.

When announced as the closing film for this year’s London Film Festival, and indeed up until its screening, there was some confusion as to why this particular title was chosen for this; it doesn’t strike as a traditional closing film. Was there something spectacular about a Lego-movie-style animated Pharrell Williams documentary? It makes more sense when you look at the film’s exploration of creativity, and indeed the intense creativity that it displays in jumping from talking heads to recreations and blending fantastical elements into each. I was prepared to like this particular film, not knowing a great deal about Williams or having knowingly heard a great deal of his music (and then finding out from the film just how much he’s been involved in). My expectations were very quickly blown away.

Multiple sequences caused a big smile to spread across my face, wrapped up in the pure joy radiating from the animation on screen. Animation which houses plenty of humour, both in cutaway gags and simple phrases from the many famous faces interviewed throughout – Snoop Dogg’s appearance makes for a particular highlight. One of the biggest surprises of the year, Piece By Piece is also one of the most fun and entertaining cinematic experiences of the year. A burst of energetic colour and sound from start to finish combining to create a celebration of creativity and pursuing your passion.

While not dwelling on struggles, Piece By Piece is a joyous explosion of sound and colour, using the Lego animation format to emphasise the celebration of imagination and creativity. A fun joy from start to finish.

LFF 2024: Emilia Pérez – Review

Release Date – 25th October 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 12 minutes, Director – Jacques Audiard

Lawyer Rita (Zoe Saldaña) is recruited by a feared cartel boss to help her transition, subsequently working together in very different lives to help those with missing family, whilst keeping secrets from Emilia’s (Karla Sofía Gascón) own family about their presumed-dead father/ husband.

Emilia Pérez’s opening musical number is a grand, glitzy piece of flashy world building. Zoe Saldaña’s Rita paces through the streets, a crowd of dancers assembling behind her, as she runs through the opening argument she’s just written before heading into court. Pitched as the main character, she walks into the courtroom and pushes the written argument towards her male boss who then begins to recite it for the jury. Struggling to be heard and the make the progress she wants to make Rita is called upon by cartel boss Manitas Del Monte (Karla Sofía Gascón) to help arrange the best possible gender-affirming surgery, and help organise a new life away from crime once transitioned.

Much of this is covered within the first ten-fifteen minutes through about three or four musical numbers. Yet, instead of this time jumping from song to song the majority of musical bursts are brief, as is the case for the film as a whole. In total, only three songs feel as if they were actually written as songs. For the most part dialogue appears to have been set to music at the last minute, bringing a cliched view of a musical where anyone will jump into song at any moment for no apparent reason. Often, just as you’re getting into the style and flow of a song it comes to an abrupt end before we move on to the next scene, and perspective.

As Rita and post-transition Emilia begin to work together in helping families of missing people either reunite with their loved ones, or more likely find peace in knowing what happened to them, they find themselves keeping the secret of what really happened to Manitas from his wife, Jessi (Selena Gomez), and children – who believe that he died after disappearing – who they have taken in to care for as they grieve. Once under the same roof Rita shifts away from the main character as a three-hander unfolds, yet with the divide between Jessi and Emilia, and Rita off working, the trio barely share the screen together meaning that the perspective constantly shifts back and forth.

This should be Emilia’s story, yet she doesn’t properly start to get the screen to herself from her own perspective until beyond halfway through the film, yet still with jumps to see what another character is up to. It ends up creating a pinging jumble of moments and ideas, increased by the sudden stop-start of verse-and-a-chorus-if-there’s-time. It becomes apparent quite quickly, as Emilia’s idea to help those with missing family begins to come into effect and the film seemingly changes focus once more, that there’s a very busy, overstuffed, narrative here.

Gomez, with very little to do in the first place, and Saldaña are pushed to the side and yet come back into play with one of the few fully-rounded songs as if they never went away. A new relationship for Emilia comes into play while she continues to focus on her work. It’s work that the film wants to make a big deal about, but never quite gives the proper space to for it to properly flourish, and for Pérez to actually feel like the title character and warrant the story that’s eventually formed around her, particularly in regards to the directions that it swerves into.

As each stands plays out and the emotions of each character intensifies, whether via song or not, the film begins to dive into melodrama. Sustained shots, darkening drama and more sudden twists and turns further fuel the impression of this as a soap opera; one big, telenovela. Feeling restless due to rarely settling or allowing its ideas space to breathe it appears to throw everything at the screen in the hope that something sticks. Crumbling from the big Broadway-style opening which holds so much promise.

With songs that feel like they were crafted at the last minute interrupting an overstuffed narrative, melodrama settles in and eventually turns Emilia Pérez into a messy, disengaging soap opera.

LFF 2024: The Room Next Door – Review

Release Date – 25th October 2024, Cert – 12, Run-time – 1 hour 47 minutes, Director – Pedro Almodóvar

Old friends Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) reunite after years apart to spend time in a quiet, rented home, at the end of which cancer-patient Martha intends to commit suicide through the use of a euthanasia pill.

Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language feature debut doesn’t angle itself as a film about a fearful or sad build-up to death, instead it views the approaching inevitable, as seen through the eyes of former war reporter and cancer patient Martha (Tilda Swinton), as a prolonged, isolated trudge with everyone around you expecting the worst any day. “After all the preparing to face the end survival feels almost like a disappointment” she tells old friend Ingrid (Julianne Moore) after being reunited for the first time in years.

The first conversation between the pair is warm, tinted with empathy from Ingrid as she sees her friend lying in a private hospital room. Wishing to leave these confines Martha asks Ingrid to accompany her for a short stay in a quiet, rented house in the woods. However, at the end of this time Martha intends to take her life via a euthanasia pill, her request being that Ingrid is in the room next door when she does this. If the police enquire, everything is in place and set up for her to deny that she knew anything about this.

There’s a consistent sense of melodrama flowing through the conversations between the pair. The performances themselves are strong, particularly Swinton who delivers the standout turn with an occasionally creeping sense of calm melancholy, but there’s an almost forced nature to certain moments. Much of this comes from Alberto Iglesias’ score which while great feels unnecessary in a number of scenes, almost forcing the viewer into feeling, as with the use of his Oscar-nominated score for Parallel Mothers. It pushes a somewhat disjointed feeling in certain moments, particularly flashback sequences early on in the film which feel detached from the rest of the proceedings, failing to hit the emotional beats they appear to be trying to hit.

As a whole the film never quite manages to push the emotional weight it wishes to due to the strong melodramatic style that it carries. There’s a connection to be found with Ingrid as her understanding and struggle with her friend’s choice conflict throughout, even as the pair simply enjoy sitting down and watching films together one evening. Moore and Swinton effectively capture the fond, yet somewhat distant after so much time apart, connection between the central characters, filling in the gaps in their relationship with stories and increasingly bittersweet memories of the past.

There’s certainly an interesting mixture and perspective within this particular Almodóvar feature. Sometimes suffering from its melodrama it thankfully doesn’t fall into an intense dreariness, as both Martha and Ingrid seem to want to avoid themselves. There’s a core of emotion and yet one that comes with understanding and a lighter touch thanks to the time we see the friends spend together, and indeed Almodóvar’s own gentle influence on the tone of the proceedings. While occasionally this might lead to more dramatic moments diving deeper into the personal lives and pasts of the characters feeling somewhat forceful and leaning too much into the emotional aspects, there’s still an overall likable, if rough around the edges, English-language feature debut here.

While it falls into forceful melodrama, the quieter aspects of the relationship and understanding between Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton’s finely performed characters helps lift up The Room Next Door as its less intense angle on approaching death.

Venom: The Last Dance – Review

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 49 minutes, Director – Kelly Marcel

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is on the run from the police, the US army and now aliens tracking down his symbiotic partner Venom (Hardy) in order to release his world-ending creator from imprisonment.

Venom is perhaps one of the most consistent trilogies to makes its way to the silver screen. While not excellent, nor terrible, the most successful films in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (starting out when it was still known as SPUMC) have got through with a jumble of tones, seriousness and silliness. Initially shifting from a film that took itself too seriously before embracing its ridiculousness (and vice versa for the sequel – where I still stand by the first half being a five star rom-com) to now a third entry made up of a mixture of the first two.

Pitched as a final outing for Tom Hardy’s former-reporter Eddie Brock and alien symbiote Venom, The Last Dance flits between the comedy of the central pairing’s bickering and the intense seriousness of scenes featuring those chasing after them. Jumping from a Mexican bar into the empty landscapes of the US desert, Eddie is on the run from the police following the near-death of detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham). Also after the pair are the US army, intent on destroying (Chiwetel Ejiofor’s commander Rex Strickland), or studying (Juno Temple’s Dr Teddy Payne), the symbiotes to protect Earth; and an alien creature sent by barely-glimpsed symbiote creator Knull (Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis) who requires a Codex key fused to Eddie and Venom to free him from a prison his creations placed him in, and eventually destroy the universe.

If just focused on Eddie and Venom’s perspective as they travel across the country, arguing with each other as they fight for their lives, then there’d be a lightly entertaining near-road trip nature to the film. The best elements of this trilogy have always focused on Hardy’s physical comedy and back-and-forth with himself as the voice of Venom. It creates a good deal of chuckles here, including an all-too-brief, smile-spreading sequence involving the symbiote taking over a horse before an instant cut back to Area 55 – the testing unit under the decommissioned Area 51. The dramatic edges focusing on the bloated supporting cast clang with an intense seriousness, the colour palette appears darker, the score deeper; everything simply feels much more forced to get across the drama of the moment in comparison to the more comedic beats.

What doesn’t help is that the drama of these moments is never the most interesting part of the film, simply because it doesn’t feature the main characters. When with them things move quicker, are more entertaining and things feel as if they’re moving along with more ease, and a more engaging nature. Of course, everything has to come together eventually, and when it does it certainly has the aforementioned lift, but also some likable enough action that – as with the previous two films – manages to make for a solid-enough ending, even if it doesn’t entirely blow you away.

There’s an air of chaos to it, and not entirely because of the stakes and threat at hand, which warrants the various explosions seen throughout the third act. It contrasts with the humorous absurdity of the dance sequence set to a remix of Dancing Queen shortly before, and almost seems as if it’s from a different film, but it certainly manages to quickly bring each strand together and jump into the action almost instantly. There’s certainly a bumpy ride to get there, and one akin to the nature of the previous two entries in perhaps the only good thing to come out of Sony’s Spider-Man spin-offs to date.

While scenes focusing on the supporting cast may be constructed with forced drama, the lighter, more humorous angles focusing on Tom Hardy’s continuing comedic skills are the highlights of Venom: The Last Dance, before building to a likable, if chaotic, third act.

Terrfier 3 – Review

Cert – 18, Run-time – 2 hours 5 minutes, Director – Damien Leone

It’s Christmas and Art The Clown (David Howard Thornton) has been revived, seeking revenge on Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her family.

Terrifier 3 confirms more than anything else that this franchise simply isn’t for me. While my dislike for it may not be as strong as that which I have for the second instalment in this growing cult slasher franchise many of the same issues crop up for me.

Art The Clown has been acclaimed as a new horror icon, up there with the likes of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. However, his latest outing still seems undecided as to how he should be viewed. Having been resurrected just in time for Christmas he traipses around a town chopping up anyone he comes across – no matter their age. His actions when scenes solely focus on him seem to be seeking a comedic response from the audience. The clown persona is played upon as we know that the snow will soon be coated dark crimson, yet when he confronts and gets closer to protagonist Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) we’re meant to be feeling for her and hoping she and her family can protect themselves once again from the character we’re supposed to have had a good time with on his merciless killing spree.

The kills here are certainly much more brutal than the previous Terrifier outings. Yet, the blood flows so much that they become somewhat unbelievable. Of course, this is a franchise with its fantastical elements, but surely after having had multiple limbs cut off and slashed by a chainsaw you should be dead instead of still crawling away? Diving into the Tom And Jerry sound effects catalogue, the kills often sound plucked from a cartoon (perhaps emphasised by the fact I saw this in a screening where the sound was turned up to 12), both removing some of the severity, likely intentionally, but also just taking away from the otherwise strong-18 rated kills and violence. Art’s mocking laughter and glee becomes sadistic, and at times uncomfortable, and not in ways of fear or tension, during two particular kills which personally feel as if they go too far.

When following Sienna, still living with the trauma of the events five years prior when she believed she had defeated Art, and her brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) – hassled by his college roommate’s (Mason MeCartea) girlfriend (Alexa Blair Robertson) for an interview about his experiences on her true crime podcast – there’s a slower pace to the drawn-out proceedings. As a whole the film alternates before fully shifting from being frustrating to boring. LaVera’s character, despite her return, almost feels present simply to build-up to a big finale face-off for Art to try and exact his revenge. Her time in therapy is occasionally brought up, made a big factor of in the early stages as she settles back in at home, for arguments and heated moments with other characters, but as a whole it feels as if she has relatively little to do apart from worry about the possible, and eventual, return of the serial killer clown who acts as the bigger draw for this franchise and seemingly a good portion of its audience.

Set in the build-up to Christmas the setting is less tongue-in-cheek and more dedicated as an actual Christmas film, with the darkness of the killer’s actions contrasting with his joy for the season and Santa, and the general spirit and goodwill of the holiday. Of course, the season is played with as Art himself dresses as Santa in multiple sequences, unloading whichever weapon he feels like playing with from the sack he’s carrying around. No matter the weapon the guarantee is that the kills will be overdone and often prolonged, adding to the confusing mixture of how we’re meant to feel about the actions of the killer who’s plastered all over the posters and advertising. It adds to the film’s extensive bombardment of slasher sequences crawling towards the third act which is rushed through as a final bloody set-piece before the next instalment.

A string of sequences featuring overexaggerated kills, diminishing their effect, Terrifier 3 still doesn’t know whether its sadistic killer is meant to be humorous or fear-inducing. Fans of the franchise will likely be engaged and entertained, but for those outside this is a frustrating and eventually boring 2-hour trudge.

LFF 2024: The Apprentice – Review

Release Date – 18th October 2024, Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 2 minutes, Director – Ali Abbasi

The 80s approach, real estate businessman Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) sees his chance to bring life back into New York City, taken under the wing of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).

The success of the specifically-timed The Apprentice perhaps comes down to the fact that it takes its time to build up its attack on Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan). Despite opening with Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook” speech, after a note about this being based on a true story but featuring some fictionalised events, the first half of this story following the rise of the real estate businessman in New York City plays out exactly like a ‘based on a true story’ tale of the spread and growth of greed.

1970s New York City is a run-down and struggling place, however a young Trump sees hope in it. He wishes to buy the old Commodore hotel in an undesirable area seeing it as an opportunity to launch the city’s big comeback. Taken under the wing of lawyer Roy Cohn (a fantastic display of ruthlessness from Jeremy Strong) New York begins to expand and develop into a new era, with plenty of Trump-name brands alongside it.

Stan may not look or sound like Trump and it takes some time to get used to him as the younger version of the man we’ve seen on the news so much over the last near-decade (references to Reagan’s presidential campaigns, possible runs for Trump and general political comments heavily wink at the camera) but over time as he comes more into his own, particularly in interviews, a familiar style and pattern of speech begins to emerge. As his character becomes a bigger societal figure, outshining his family, Stan appears bigger on screen, the light more focused on him.

A great Maria Bakalova is confined to the mid-section as first-wife Ivana, with the relationship quickly deteriorating into impactful abuse. Over time the villain arc of the central figure becomes more defined as he grows out of being Cohn’s apprentice, and even their close relationship is challenged – with a strong turn of performance from Strong in the later stages as he sees his former protégé consumed by what he views as the art of the deal, “relentless in the pursuit of perfection.”

While the question remains as to who this film is really for (despite a successful Kickstarter campaign to get it a wider US release, although eventually failing to set the box office alight), the film itself is rather good. Growing its narrative before going out on the attack, when it does we have seen a true growth and development grow from an initial taste from obsession. The drama is effectively paced and built-up, with an interesting Blade-Runner-esque score from Martin Dirkov backing the fracturing relationships amidst the rise of Trump’s business empire.

As this happens the engaging ‘based on a true story’ style shifts into an effective villain arc where hostility hangs in the rooms acting as bases for the pursuit of money and power.

Saving its attack for the second half, The Apprentice constructs its story via the performances which capture the heated feuds, tensions and greed between its characters before forming an effective, and still engaging for those who feel they already ‘know’ this story, villain arc.

Smile 2 – Review

Cert – 18, Run-time – 2 hours 7 minutes, Director – Parker Finn

Popstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) finds a demonic curse passed onto her as she’s about to embark on a comeback tour after becoming sober.

Smile 2’s spin on the success of the 2022 hit horror (originally intended for direct release on Paramount Plus before a series of positive test screening results) allows for a story of someone who thought she was past a crumbled world only to find herself entering a new one. After being involved in an intoxicated car accident which took the life of her boyfriend (Ray Nicholson), popstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is preparing to set out on a freshly-sober comeback tour. However, when the demonic smile curse is passed on to her following the death of her friend (Lukas Gage), she’s tormented by stalking, grinning figures, including in the form of her late-boyfriend, and a time limit of seven days to remove the curse.

Certainly the bigger scale in terms of the character and those who surround her brings an extra layer to this sequel which allows for interesting moments in regards to her personal life and recovery from past traumas. It’s enough to avoid a re-tread of the original, which could so easily happen in a pass-the-curse situation such as this, up until the events of the third act, which still have the edge of Skye’s celebrity and upcoming tour.

The overhanging threat and horror may not bring in consistent creeps due to a cyclical feel to the narrative which occasionally feels as if it repeats ideas throughout, but there are some effective jump-scares dotted throughout. Mix in some well-used gore when it enters the picture and there are some solid moments of horror on display to bring in solid momentary bursts of suspense and eeriness. Scott gives a good performance in the lead role as her character’s world fractures to unveil perhaps unhealed wounds while she increasingly struggles to present a calm and collected demeanour to her friends, family and the press – one of the ideas which begins to feel repetitious as the 7-day timer ticks down.

While it may run into some of the same problems as the original, largely in the third act, there are clear tweaks on display in regards to the narrative and perspective of Smile 2 that it works rather well. Repetition might create an issue as the tension should be rising amongst the growing, smiling figures surrounding Skye more and more, but there’s still some solid creeps to be found amongst the claustrophobia and occasional 18-rated gore.

Smile 2’s events may occasionally feel as if they repeat themselves, but the bigger public presence of the protagonist brings a new layer to the narrative that helps things hold up amongst it, alongside a handful of solid scares and bloody scenes.

LFF 2024: The Wild Robot – Review

Release Date – 18th October 2024, Cert – U, Run-time – 1 hour 42 minutes, Director – Chris Sanders

After crashing onto an island a robot assistant (Lupita Nyong’o) explores and adapts to the landscape, tasked with raising a baby goose amongst the natural surroundings.

Rozzum 7134, or ‘Roz’, (Lupita Nyong’o) is a robot led by a need to assist. Having crashed onto an island uninhabited by humans she awakes to stagger around the landscape to fulfill her programmed feelings of “crushing obligation”. Visually the landscape is fantastic, Dreamworks continue their trend of being inspired by anime and the works of Hayao Miyazaki with stunning animation and scenery as Roz terrifies the animals living on the island – similar to Stitch in writer-director Chris Sanders’ Lilo And Stitch.

Looking for someone to assist, no creature is interested. That is until she comes to protect a lone surviving egg from which hatches a gosling (Boone Storm). It’s clear that Roz’s aim is to help the baby goose, named Brightbill to survive, and prepare him for his migratory flight in the Autumn. That is if Roz’s understanding of the world doesn’t get in the way, or her programmers come to get her.

The run-time breezes by, and avoids feeling episodic as it so easily could, as relationships build and Sanders works in his deeper thematic elements. It seems he’s always taken a shine to the outsiders exploring a new world, trying to be welcomed into it. This is exactly the case for Roz and Brightbill, alongside cynical fox Fink (Pedro Pascal), who quickly assemble a small, dysfunctional family unit as the goose grows up (to be voiced by Kit Connor).

There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments to be found throughout, cleverly playing into the world and the different animals which crop up – a group of baby possums, led by their mother voiced by Catherine O’Hara, bicker about what they died of when playing dead – this may be one of the most frequently funny films of the year. Helping to connect us with the brightly-coloured world and characters as they try to understand and make their way through it. Making way for the emotional beats which crop up in the latter stages with good effect in multiple moments, and help from the starry ensemble voice cast which also includes Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Stephanie Hsu, Bill Nighy and Matt Berry – who delivers a stunning bit of wordplay which makes for perhaps the best line of the year in the third act.

The Wild Robot is a film that has a heart. One that is on full, proud display from start to finish. Wasting no time or frames that heart grows alongside that of the main character, wonderfully voiced by Nyong’o, growing feelings, a sense of self and belonging. All hand-in-hand; never separately.

It all makes for a wonderful animated film with a strong visual style, the kind we’re beginning to thankfully see more of post-Spider-Verse, with plenty of laughs and heart building towards the successful emotional peaks within the clear and stripped-back thematic elements. This feels destined to rightfully become a fondly-remembered modern classic.

A film that emits the heart and warmth that it’s made with, The Wild Robot has plenty of humour to elevate its wonderfully animated world and bring to life the emotional beats along the way which sees Chris Sanders once again extend a hand to those who may feel different in the environment they’ve crashed into.

Joker: Folie à Deux – Review

Cert – 15, Run-time – 2 hours 18 minutes, Director – Todd Phillips

As he prepares for his murder trial, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself set free by Arkham Asylum’s musical therapy programme, and fellow singer, and Joker fan, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga).

If you loved Joker you’ll likely hate Folie à Deux. If you hated Joker you’ll also likely hate Folie à Deux. If you thought that Joker was fine or pretty good be prepared to flip a coin. 2019’s take on the classic Batman villain is one of the most successful films ever made, grossing over a billion dollars, receiving audience and critical acclaim and picking up a good few awards along the way. With a budget increase from $55 million to an estimated $200 million co-writer (alongside Scott Silver) and director Todd Phillips has made an even bolder, even darker, follow-up that you would almost think was designed to address and stir the conflict around the first film, as if made to be a contrast to the original and turn away the audience who loved it so much. If Joker was Taxi Driver meets The King Of Comedy then this is Bringing Out The Dead meets New York, New York.

While not packed with songs, to the point where you can almost understand the cast’s statements about this not being a musical, the musical beats lift up and take away from the darkness of the film as Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) prepares for his murder trials. Locked in the dirty cells of Arkham Asylum’s E ward, abused by guards such as Brendan Gleeson’s Jackie, Fleck is set free by both music therapy and B ward patient Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga). The first time Arthur properly sings he gradually builds up For Once In My Life, moving around the room more fluidly as his vocals grow. It’s at this moment, after a bumpy time establishing the current state of the main character’s life, that Folie à Deux properly takes shape.

More an extended epilogue than a fully rounded sequel; the focus is very much on the courtroom drama at hand, and the world’s reactions to the Joker and his murders. A TV movie has been made, which Arthur hasn’t been allowed to see, and reporters are constantly at the asylum gates trying to get an interview, not helping the case of Arthur’s lawyer (Catherine Keener) that Arthur and Joker are two different people, a case of dissociative identity disorder.

As with his Oscar-winning performance in 2019, here Phoenix is largely playing as Arthur, with Joker creeping in now and then outside of the performative make-up guise. Handcuffed in a police car to and from trial proceedings Arthur’s face and eyes twitch with thoughts coming to mind, shifting from one to the next in real time. Phoenix is remarkable here as a man being tortured by everyone else’s impressions of him whist he battles with his shadow, detailed in a Looney Tunes style animation as the film’s opening.

Breaks into fantasy for the musical numbers during the trial, with classic soundstage production design and colour schemes – the production design throughout is fantastic – can initially seem somewhat jarring, but the more they appear the more likable they become. The more they feel like they work within the film and the world that its creating. The same one from the first film, but more in the mind of Arthur as he competes with the Joker, trying to understand if they’re the same person or not with conflicting hopes and opinions on either side of him. All as the threat of the death penalty hangs over him.

Perhaps best exemplified in his relationship with Gaga’s Harley/ Quinzel. Batted back and forth by her view of him purely as Joker, claiming to have watched the TV movie 20 times, lured in by their shared performance of standards, even if growing as escapes in his mind conceptualising his relationship with the rest of the world. There’s a smile to be found in such moments with the escape and relief that they provide from the darkness of the rest of the film. Not a downbeat trudge, but, much like 2019’s outing, not a joyful 2-hour breeze. Even after a film such as Joker this is an even bolder follow-up that deviates strongly from that film.

This sequel certainly won’t be for everyone, particularly strong fans of the original, but there’s an interesting continuation of character study here. One that takes risks with how it depicts the developments, and while some stages might be somewhat bumpy through the lens of the central character in his more uncertain moments there’s still an interesting, risk-taking sequel to be found here. Driven by Phillips and a once-again-excellent Phoenix who both appear driven to strike a different chord, and potentially crowd, here.

An undeniably bold departure from the first film, Joker: Folie à Deux will not be for everyone. As its musical numbers grow so does the confliction for Joaquin Phoenix’s fantastically-performed central character, making for an interesting character study where the scattering of songs stop the increased darkness from becoming a bleak slog.