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Film reviews

Amsterdam Review

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David O’Russell is a director who delivers unique and brilliant aspects to his directing style. With Amsterdam, O’Russell brings a strong narrative with a variety of characters whose backgrounds are genius, who relate well, and who add pros and cons to the film’s central conflict. Amsterdam also has an inviting, catchy plot. But my issue with Amsterdam is that it’s less exciting than O’Russell’s previous films. The storyline is on par with its conflict, but the presentation just seems a bit mediocre. Despite the mediocrities, though, Amsterdam’s narrative remains concise.

Among Amsterdam’s impressive lineup of characters is Burt Berendsen (played by Christian Bale), Valerie Voze (played by Margot Robbie), Harold Woodman (played by John David Washington), Milton King (played by Chris Rock), Detective Hiltz (played by Alessandro Nivola), and other big names in the film. Of all these amazing characters, I would give Bale credit for the most brilliant acting. And not only is his characterization and performance unique, but he does the narration in many parts of Amsterdam. Burt explains his relationships with many of the other actors, and how they all go way back. O’Russell shows in Amsterdam that he knows how to keep background as a steady focus while staying in tune with the present focus.

The time frame in Amsterdam is the 1930s. For those who find the film’s characters sketchy, many of the characters have an odd background, making the film even sketchier. Three of the characters— nurse, a doctor, and a lawyer—witness a murder, and they end up being framed for the murder. The incident spawns all kinds of political and other underlying issues due to the racism of the times.

I felt like O’Russell was trying to take almost a Wes Anderson approach with this film. His narration felt at times like a version of The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), one of my favorite Anderson films. At other times Amsterdam felt like a lighter version of O’Russell’s American Hustle (2013). And even though Amsterdam is less exciting than O’Russell’s other films, the much-detailed background from the narrative is vibrant.

So unlike some of O’Russell’s other films, don’t expect to jump from your seats much with Amsterdam. Again, the film has an inviting narrative, but it’s just not very exciting. It’s quirky, but not so much with the suspense or danger. In my view, Amsterdamjust lacks enthusiasm. Two and a half stars for Amsterdam.

Film reviews

God’s Creatures Review

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God’s Creatures is a film that is about protecting the ones we love most. It is also about irreparable consequences, that can sometimes come with being protective. In the film’s approach, God’s Creatures is dark and ominous. The film starts out with some positivity. That would be among family, friends, and those that reconnect after harsh times. The happiness does not last though with God’s Creatures. The tension only grows as more conflicts or deceit begins to be realized.

The setting is set in Ireland, in a fishing village. The cinematography is brisk in its unsettling continuity. With being shot in a negative format of 35 mm projection (with Kodak), the lighting is more natural in the film’s gloom. The web of deceit and dishonesty awaits. The technicality only keeps fading to negative tones.  Emily Watson is a mother, and Paul Mescal plays her son. Both are at the center of what is wrong in God’s Creatures. The small town is one that is hard to hide secrets in, and God’s Creatures is set for destruction among relationships.

In God’s Creatures, Watson plays Aileen O’Hara. She is a mother that has a job working with catching oysters. They go through distribution in the fishing village she lives in. Her life though, comes to a dramatic change. Her son Brian (Mescal) comes home. He has been living in another country for a while after a rough past. He decides to come back home. He hopes to have a fresh start after his previous troubles. He starts to pick up some shifts back at home in the fishing village. Aileen tries to keep hope in herself for Brian’s improvements. This all changes though when the authorities reach out to Aileen. They tell her they believe Brian is a criminal for a crime. As a mother, she wants to protect her son. Aileen lies for Brian. Her lie though begins to add fuel to the fire for her friends, family, and worst of all Brian.

As Aileen must face the reality of her choice to protect her son, she must also understand how it can impact her life as well. With Brian’s importance to her, she believes there is faith. It will require more drastic decisions though. As Aileen says, “We’re all God’s creatures in the dark.” Aileen wants to know her son will be ok. It is not guaranteed though, especially since she is dishonest for him. God’s Creatures paints a clear picture of the consequences for lying and the choices one’s made to protect their children.

In the film, the world of happiness and peace comes to a halt. God’s Creatures is a film where the title speaks for itself, and it does so with its breathtaking cinematography. It also does so with its mesmerizing performances by Watson and Mescal. God’s Creatures is destructive by cinematic and artistic nature. The underlying issues are enigmatic and engrossing.

God’s Creatures is not an uplifting film. It is realistic though. The harshness is clear as to why it is happening. The tough love is in-depth, and the light is hard to find. With the fishing village though, the answers may be around many fragments of the film’s setting. Three stars for God’s Creatures.

Film reviews

To Leslie Review

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Trial and error go in many patterns for many people. For those who hit uncharted territory due to poor judgment and relapse problems, To Leslie is a drama that speaks to the heart of those who find themselves in a blur with life. To Leslie is one of those films that carries its emotions deeply with building up many distressing situations. There is a generous amount of lying of mental health in many fragments of the film. Director Michael Morris is one that is the right fit to direct this dark drama. With his credits of directing a few episodes of the Netflix shows ranging from 13 Reasons Why (which ran from 2017 to 2020), and a few episodes of House of Cards (which ran from 2013-2018), Morris knows reverse psychology in behaviors. For To Leslie to be his first full-length feature, it is one where he keeps it faithful in and of its realism for the emotions to sink with his audience.

The small-town setting of West Texas raises tons of questions for the many failures of a single mother. That is because in a town where much is cost-effective, much could have been reconciled earlier on. To Leslie has its environment surrounded of hard ground territory, and the levels of frustrations the film continues to have remains neutral. What I mean by neutral is that there are no changes in the beginning for Leslie. Leslie is the single mother with the problems, and she is played by Andrea Riesborough. Riesborough’s performance is the faithful representation of what it looks like to broke and suffer from relapse.

This the story of To Leslie. Leslie is a single mother who once won tons of money in a lottery. Sadly though, she burned through it already. Her judgments with her finances have led her to a world of hatred and feeling burdened. The ones who despise her the most is Nancy (played by Allison Janney) and her son James (played by Owen Teague). Leslie has a good heart, but her mindset is deteriorated from countless days of drugs and alcohol use, and only continues to make decisions which keep making her spiral into a downfall of even more emotions. With no home, being broke, and living in an environment where everyone despises her, Leslie feels she is a ghost in the small town of West Texas. Her life slowly starts to find some light when she is given a job at a motel by a hotel manager named Sweeney (played by Marc Maron). Not only does she get a job, but she also gets free room and board. Which means shelter and a bed at the motel. With a slow start and some rejuvenation. Sweeney begins to help Leslie find what there is for her to start fresh and work the way up to regain her life. More building towards a life of dismissing the drinking and drug usage days and reconnecting with her son.

The outline of conflicts in the film creates a puzzle of errors. The outline of frustrations for Leslie’s deficiencies leads to tough love. Overall, the hypothesis of the film’s breakdown is set where it makes it appear that Leslie may never improve. The emotions of To Leslie is pragmatic.  The cinematography and lighting appear to look like a film that is shot like a Vimeo production. Despite the low-quality of cinematography and lighting, that is the key to making the struggles of Leslie appear to feel realistic. It is Morris’s usage of a sad tale from a surreal mindset.

The feeling that Morris creates for his audience with To Leslie is having faith. Even though the film is set to make Leslie look like she is a failure and one that does not deserve to be treated equally, she can still do good with herself. As Sweeney helps her get back on her feet with the job and room and board he provides for her, he puts up with Leslie’s errors, he does so though, because he believes she can regain what she once lost. The patience of Maron’s performance is heartfelt and engrossing. The emotional acting of Riesborough’s performance is melancholy. The sorrowful mindsets of Maron and Riesborough is created where both start to have faith. That is Sweeney having faith in Leslie, and Leslie having faith in herself. To Leslie sees the light in many fragments, it is just out of focus as Morris continues the film to be dark with heartbreak.

Will Leslie regain her life? Will she reconcile with her son? Is To Leslie a masterpiece? I will answer the third question. It is not a masterpiece, but it is a drama that is compelling with honesty. The film is a representation of how many can struggle in today’s world. For Leslie, her struggles are endless. There is still tons of ways for her to reconcile and get her life in order. The negativity in the film though is just heartless. Three stars for To Leslie.