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'Monos' (2019)



Directed by Alejandro Landes

A pretty incredible experience. It's puzzling and challenging in places but absolutely stunning to look at in others. A band of youths are seemingly militants at war and are only given instructions by their messenger who visits them every so often. The movie plays out in a fairy tale like way, without ever having a clear lead. There are hostage situations, violent deaths, jungle chases and mushroom trips. Jasper Wolf's cinematography is amongst the best this year no question. As is the nervy sounding score by Mica Levi. 'Monos' means monkeys in Spanish, and the group spend their time disaffected, being told what to do and generally leading a path to destruction.

References to Apocalypse Now and Lord of the Flies are inevitable, but it does feel as if the film is alluding towards a metaphor for the frailties of Colombia or other South American nations even though we're never even told where these events take place.

The Director doesn't tell us whether these misfits kids are fighting for forces of good or evil, so perhaps that encapsulates the whole situation that youths find themselves in. It's a brutal but beautiful look at youth in that part of the world. I hope lots of people see it.




the samoan lawyer's Avatar
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'Monos' (2019)



Directed by Alejandro Landes

A pretty incredible experience. It's puzzling and challenging in places but absolutely stunning to look at in others. A band of youths are seemingly militants at war and are only given instructions by their messenger who visits them every so often. The movie plays out in a fairy tale like way, without ever having a clear lead. There are hostage situations, violent deaths, jungle chases and mushroom trips. Jasper Wolf's cinematography is amongst the best this year no question. As is the nervy sounding score by Mica Levi. 'Monos' means monkeys in Spanish, and the group spend their time disaffected, being told what to do and generally leading a path to destruction.

References to Apocalypse Now and Lord of the Flies are inevitable, but it does feel as if the film is alluding towards a metaphor for the frailties of Colombia or other South American nations even though we're never even told where these events take place.

The Director doesn't tell us whether these misfits kids are fighting for forces of good or evil, so perhaps that encapsulates the whole situation that youths find themselves in. It's a brutal but beautiful look at youth in that part of the world. I hope lots of people see it.


Been on my radar a while, hoping to get to it soon, as long as I can find it.
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Too weird to live, and too rare to die.



'Ad Astra' (2019)

Dir.: James Gray


A film that's hard to review - largely because it was quite frustrating. The film deals with loss, fate, self destruction, mental fragility and closure. Pitt does a good enough job at the helm.

On one hand there are some beautiful sequences, some really ethereal scenes which challenge the audience to think about Roy (Brad Pitt) and what he has made of his life. However, there are daft action sequences that feel forced and ruin the tone of the film. It's because of that that it feels like the film doesn't know what it wants to be, and ends up being a mish-mash of space action thriller and cerebral philosophical rumination. It nails neither. Worth a watch but a missed opportunity.

6.3/10


'Hustlers' (2019)

Dir.: Lorene Scafaria


Alot better than I was expecting. J-Lo is brilliant, it's fast paced and there is a lot of sharp, almost Scorsese like directing. There are some over the top scenes but it was a nice surprise.

6.9/10



'Bacurau' (2019)

Dir.: Juliano Dornelles, Kleber Mendonça Filho


A brutal Neo-Western takedown of Brazilian politics, society, government and enablers. It's use of cut screens and other tropes play out like a homage to Leone's cinema and it's violence and oddities are a play on the current state of Brazilian life.

A Woman returns to her hometown to bury a relative but things start to go awry. The script suffers a bit in places, and there are a few over the top scenes but amongst the violence and anger, there is a huge message of hope.

Very watchable. 7.5/10




'The Nightingale' (2019)


Gruesome revenge thriller set in Tasmania in the 1800s. Some very decent cinematography, and Aisling Franciosi is good as the lead who has been wronged. There is also some nice subtext about colonisation and race relations in Australia. But ultimately it falls a bit flat in the final act as there are some questionable decisions made by some of the characters and it gets a tad predictable.




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'The Nightingale' (2019)


Gruesome revenge thriller set in Tasmania in the 1800s. Some very decent cinematography, and Aisling Franciosi is good as the lead who has been wronged. There is also some nice subtext about colonisation and race relations in Australia. But ultimately it falls a bit flat in the final act as there are some questionable decisions made by some of the characters and it gets a tad predictable.


Another one I'm dying to get to. Had hoped you'd rate it higher but I'll still get to it.



A thought about the ending of Monos.

WARNING: spoilers below
I was thinking about the way the girl at the end looked so scared. On the one hand she was rescued, on the other hand it was ambiguous. You were left wondering what her fate really was as the credits rolled. But I think the reason she was so scared must have to do with the fact that she was some kind of rebel soldier, and was in a government military helicopter. It's a Columbian movie right? I have some Columbian co-workers, so know a little about Columbia from them. It's not like being rescued by the U.S. Marines. She'd most likely end up in a cell and get interrogated, or at least that kind of possibility is lingering in her mind and why she's so scared. Anyway, just thought I'd share that since it occurred to me just now.



A thought about the ending of Monos.

WARNING: spoilers below
I was thinking about the way the girl at the end looked so scared. On the one hand she was rescued, on the other hand it was ambiguous. You were left wondering what her fate really was as the credits rolled. But I think the reason she was so scared must have to do with the fact that she was some kind of rebel soldier, and was in a government military helicopter. It's a Columbian movie right? I have some Columbian co-workers, so know a little about Columbia from them. It's not like being rescued by the U.S. Marines. She'd most likely end up in a cell and get interrogated, or at least that kind of possibility is lingering in her mind and why she's so scared. Anyway, just thought I'd share that since it occurred to me just now.
WARNING: "monos" spoilers below
It raises more questions than answers. Is she even alive in reality?? She's ascended up into the sky. She seems to be praying. Is she the hope of a nation? The military personnel are questioning their next move - which probably reflects the state of the nation.



WARNING: "monos" spoilers below
It raises more questions than answers. Is she even alive in reality?? She's ascended up into the sky. She seems to be praying. Is she the hope of a nation? The military personnel are questioning their next move - which probably reflects the state of the nation.
WARNING: "monos" spoilers below
Why would you think she's dead? I think the point was that you don't know what will happen to her, and that is exactly how she feels. Will the army rescue her and nurse her back to health, or will she be thrown in prison and tortured as a rebel? The Columbian government is notorious for corruption and they their military can often times be brutal. I think a Western Audience won't typically understand that, but it would be clear to a Latin American audience. The other thing factoring into her terror must be what the rebels will do when they find out what happened and what her wherabouts are. We in the West would typically think the end was a rescue, but it's more like out of the fire and into the frying pan.



WARNING: "monos" spoilers below
Why would you think she's dead? I think the point was that you don't know what will happen to her, and that is exactly how she feels. Will the army rescue her and nurse her back to health, or will she be thrown in prison and tortured as a rebel? The Columbian government is notorious for corruption and they their military can often times be brutal. I think a Western Audience won't typically understand that, but it would be clear to a Latin American audience. The other thing factoring into her terror must be what the rebels will do when they find out what happened and what her wherabouts are. We in the West would typically think the end was a rescue, but it's more like out of the fire and into the frying pan.
WARNING: "Monos" spoilers below
Agree - it's definitely not a rescue, the corruption may even mean she goes straight into the hands of druglords etc.

It was just supposition really, since the ending is ambiguous - she is lying motionless on the sands, then ascends into the air at the hands of the government / military - that could be taken as a connotation of ascending into the afterlife. I'm not saying it is - just could. She also seems to be praying (with her hands in a praying shape) - which could just be the directors attempt at saying the country needs way more than religion to get through it's troubles.

It's interesting that in Mica Levi's score, there are helicopter sounds way before any helicopters appear. The swooshing blade sounds appear quite deliberately at times. It's brilliantly done - and gives the audience the feeling that there is this claustrophobic millitant presence hovering over them at any given time



WARNING: "Monos" spoilers below
Agree - it's definitely not a rescue, the corruption may even mean she goes straight into the hands of druglords etc.

It was just supposition really, since the ending is ambiguous - she is lying motionless on the sands, then ascends into the air at the hands of the government / military - that could be taken as a connotation of ascending into the afterlife. I'm not saying it is - just could. She also seems to be praying (with her hands in a praying shape) - which could just be the directors attempt at saying the country needs way more than religion to get through it's troubles.

It's interesting that in Mica Levi's score, there are helicopter sounds way before any helicopters appear. The swooshing blade sounds appear quite deliberately at times. It's brilliantly done - and gives the audience the feeling that there is this claustrophobic millitant presence hovering over them at any given time
WARNING: "monos" spoilers below
Well, I think it could be symbolic of death, but I don't think the movie was actually trying to make it seem like she died. Her praying is just something people tend to do when they're in trouble and have no where to turn to except God. Latin America is known for being heavily Roman Catholic. I don't think there's more to it than that. It could be symbolic, but I don't like to read into things too much unless I get the sense that's what's actually being communicated with some sort of indicator.

I didn't get the feeling that the helicopter sounds were early. The camera shot was from the air, so I figured you could just hear the helicopters coming. That being said you make a good point about the soundtrack. The sound was excellent throughout the movie. I was captivated from the very first scene when they were playing soccer blindfolded and the sound really stood out. I was also really glad that they focused on that girl for the ending because she was my favorite character. I just thought she was so cool and interesting. The scene where they took shrooms and were then tripping when the battle started, and she was the only one really serious and brave in that situation. I actually tried shrooms for the first time this summer, and they did a great job portraying its effects. There were so many memorable scenes, like when they were dividing the gear of their squad leader who died. I was really blown away when he blew himself away because I thought he was going to be the main character. I really want to buy it because it's a movie I'm going to want to watch at least a few more times over the years.





'Werewolf' (2019)

Rather bizarre Polish drama based on a group of children trying to survive as the second world war ends. There are some rather choreographed jumps and frights but there are also some beautiful scenes especially towards the end.

Is it about the struggle of holocaust survivors to adapt to the outside world, or is it, as the title suggests about the allegory of man turning into beast. I'm not quite sure, but it's very intriguing to say the least. And beautifully shot




'Ray and Liz' (2019)


Richard Billingham turns his award winning photograph collection of 1980s Birmingham into a drama film, and he nails it. The tone is pitch perfect and the delivery is so matter of fact and real feeling. The lack of dialogue in parts only add to the realism, which is chilling at times. There is one characters that was slightly overblown, but apart from that the cast is excellent - with Ella Smith putting in a huge performance as the mother - 'Liz'. It's shot on 16mm film in the black country and the bleakness of the Thatcher era poverty is captured brilliantly.

The squalor and dirt of the poor families really hits home, so much that I almost gagged a few times. There is also some classic British humour in it too. Among the misery is some hope and beauty though. Billingham has created a gem here.




'Atlantics' (2019)

Dir.: Mati Diop


Thought provoking French / African collaboration about corporations, greed, customs, poverty, class, corruption, love and unfairness in modern day Senegal. There are a few flaws (it gets fairly cryptic in the third act), but there are some beautiful scenes too, and it does leave the viewer with alot to think about.

7.1/10

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'Birthday' (2019)

Dir.: Lee Jong-Un


An emotionally devastating portrayal of a family trying to deal with grief after the real life Sewol ferry disaster of 2014. The family is ripped apart, and the parents are no longer capable of being together - but they must try to raise their remaining daughter as best they can. There are a lot of tears and a lot of misery. But it's handled very well by first time director Lee Jong-un, who has worked with Korean master Lee Chang Dong in the past - and it shows up in 'Birthday' as the viewer is drip fed information throughout the film that builds up to a powerful ending.

There is a bit of a pacing issue in the final third, as long scenes are intertwined with short ones, that don't quite feel right but the big crescendo is extremely moving even though the viewer knows it's coming. Overall in all it's a well made film, and the acting of the two parents (Do-yeon Jeon and Sung-duk Hong) is at times absolutely brilliant. The biggest mystery is how this seems to have been watched by so few people.

7.6/10



Werewolf looks really interesting. Have you seen The Boxer (1977)? I expect you're probably already familiar with Shūji Terayama. If not I'm sure you'll love his work.



Werewolf looks really interesting. Have you seen The Boxer (1977)? I expect you're probably already familiar with Shūji Terayama. If not I'm sure you'll love his work.
No, I've not seen The Boxer. Terayama looks a very interesting Director, cheers.



'Rojo' (2018)

Directed by Benjamín Naishtat


Quaint little 70s drama from Argentina. It's a crime movie with a statement about politics in South America. The plot is a path well trodden but Director Benjamín Naishtat fleshes it out quite well in terms of incorporating different subtexts. The film looks great and really captures the mid 70s feel.

The title ROJO presumably alludes to red, danger, communism, blood on hands etc, and the fact that events take place right before the coup of Argentina is important. This is one of several interesting South American movies released this year with large political influences (Monos and Bacurau being the others), and it's in good company.

There isn't a lot of subtlety in the movie - which is a bit of a distraction. Things are flung in the viewer's face which didn't really need to be, especially towards the end.

But it's a fine effort with some very good performances (especially led by Darío Grandinetti) and I'll be looking out for more of the Director's work.

7/10




the samoan lawyer's Avatar
Unregistered User
'Rojo' (2018)

Directed by Benjamín Naishtat


Quaint little 70s drama from Argentina. It's a crime movie with a statement about politics in South America. The plot is a path well trodden but Director Benjamín Naishtat fleshes it out quite well in terms of incorporating different subtexts. The film looks great and really captures the mid 70s feel.

The title ROJO presumably alludes to red, danger, communism, blood on hands etc, and the fact that events take place right before the coup of Argentina is important. This is one of several interesting South American movies released this year with large political influences (Monos and Bacurau being the others), and it's in good company.

There isn't a lot of subtlety in the movie - which is a bit of a distraction. Things are flung in the viewer's face which didn't really need to be, especially towards the end.

But it's a fine effort with some very good performances (especially led by Darío Grandinetti) and I'll be looking out for more of the Director's work.

7/10


Sounds good SL. I'll keep an eye out for it, cheers.



'Days of Being Wild' (1990)

Dir.: Wong Kar-Wai


Beautifully shot, with door frames and windows framing the characters. It has a dream like quality to the picture, as with many of his other films.

The story revolves around Yuddy, a playboy type character. We see lovers come and go, and each have their story to tell too. It's also about mother-son relationships, depression and self destruction. Maggie Cheung is brilliant and beautiful as the mixed up Su Li-zhen.

Not Wong Kar-Wai's best, but still an early glimpse of what he's capable of.