FILM REVIEWS:
CROSSING (Sweden/Denmark/France/Turkey/Georgia 2024) ****
Directed by Levan Akin
CROSSING could refer to the crossing from Georgia into Istanbul, a journey undertaken by the story’s two protagonists, or the crossing from male to female gender of the trans subject who the protagonists are searching for.
The film is a rare production from the country of Georgia which many are likely unfamiliar with. The film boasts to be largely shot in Georgia, according to the film’s credits though the majority of the story is set in Istanbul. Georgia borders Turkey but to travel to Istanbul which is west of Turkey, a ferry is the fastest and most efficient way. Lia and Achi travel by ferry to Istanbul.
Lia, a retired teacher, has made a promise to find out what happened to her long-lost niece, Tekla. Tekla is Lia’s sister’s son who apparently has trans into a female. When Lia learns from a neighbour, Achi, that Tekla might have left their Georgian homeland and be living in Turkey, Lia and Achi set off together to find her. The problems whether Tekla wishes to be found. Achi lies that Tekla had given him an address resulting in Lia allowing him to travel with her. She is low on money and he has practically none. Arriving in Istanbul, they discover a beautiful city full of connections and possibilities. But searching for someone who never intended to be found is harder than they expected – until they meet Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights. As Lia and Achi weave their way through the city’s backstreets, Tekla starts to feel closer than ever.
Director Akin’s film takes a while before getting its footing and allowing the audience to relate to both Lia and Achi. Achi appears to be a habitual liar also fooling Lia that he can speak Turkish. The film covers a few different subjects, one of which is the relationship between the young and curious Achi and the older and more mature Lia. The film holds interest in the love/hate relationship between the two. One key scene has Achi save some sweet desserts wrapped for Lia after he has spent a night on the town while another has Lia looking for ache after she kicks him out of the hotel room. The film is also about life, finding the importance of one’s family - both Lia and Achi are identical loners in their respect - and the difficulty of the relationship shows. Lia is also he mother figure that Achin never has.
Director Akin also keeps the audience guessing about the key plot point as to whether Tekla can be found. The point is satisfactorily resolved, though how, will not be revealed in this review.
Superior performances by Mzia Arabuli, Lucas Kankavan and Deniz Dumanli as Lia, Acgi, and Evrim respectively.
The film shows the lifestyle of the marginalized community of trans prostitutes while also depicting the poorer lifestyle in Georgia, compared to Turkey. There seems to be a tone of camaraderie among the Turks, the Georgians and the trans people.
CROSSING which opens in theatres July 26th is definitely an intriguing film that is well worth a look.
Trailer:
DEADPOOL AND WOLVERINE (USA 2024) ****
Directed by Shawn Levy
The plot of the new DEADPOOL movie is quite complicated, but it is all to be taken in stride for vulgar fun and entertainment, throwing caution and credibility to the wind.
In 2018, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) of Earth-10005 used Cable's time-traveling device to travel to Earth-616, the "Sacred Timeline", where he attempts to join the Avengers, his dream but his dream is dashed as he is rejected. In 2024, Wilson retired from being the masked mercenary known as Deadpool and began to work as a used car salesman after breaking up with his girlfriend Vanessa Carlysle. During his birthday party, the Time Variance Authority (TVA) captures Wilson and delivers him to Mr. Paradox (the excellent Matthew Macfadyen who delivers the film's most nuanced performance), who offers him to join Earth-616. However, Paradox also reveals that Wilson's timeline would deteriorate as a result of the death of James "Logan" Howlett (Hugh Jackman), who is revealed to be the timeline's "anchor being". Wilson steals Paradox's TemPad to travel the multiverse and find a variant of Logan to save his timeline.
As in every DEADPOOL movie, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool is in motor-mouth mode spewing out a joke every second, irrelevant or not. For example, when suddenly faced with dozens of the enemy he says” There are 206 bones in the body. 207 if I am watching Gossip Girl. They are also original ones involving real life like the buying of 20th Century Fox by Disney and the Marvel rights. The best joke in the film is a visual one - the one where in a scene, there is the huge 20th-Century Fox structure half buried in the sand, as in the ending of the first Charlton Heston Franklin J, Schaffner PLANET ON THE APES climax, also signalling the end of 20th Century Fox, sold to Disney.
The best nod is paid to the recent MAD MAX film FURIOSA, with an extended segment shot in a desert landscape that could be taken right out of the George Miller FURIOSA movie with trucks and vehicles carrying ridiculous gadgets driving around in the sand,
The film is given a female slant with a nasty female villain in the form of Cassandra Nova(Emma Corrin), a mutant with telekinetic and telepathic powers, who is the twin sister of Charles Xavier with other-worldly origins.
Actors reprising their MCU roles in the film are Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, a TVA Hunter; Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan; and Chris Hemsworth as Thor.
Most of the tunes featured in the film are a variety of hits of the past. The song “Only You” by the Platters for example is used at the film’s start when Deadpool goes to the cemetery to dig up the bones of Wolverine. The Madonna song “Say a Little Prayer for You,” is used in the climactic fight scene at the end. Whether these songs work is up to the individual’s decision.
Rob Simonsen composes the film's score, previously working with Levy on The Adam Project and the fourth season of Stranger Things. The soundtrack album includes 17 songs featured in, or inspired by, the film along with Simonsen's theme for the film.
At a cost of $200 million with nary a dull moment, DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE should entertain Marvel fans with more vulgar humour than most, and easily earn its production dollars.
Trailer:
DIDI (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Sean Yang
It is of interest to note that in the film Chris speaks English to his mother while she speaks mostly Mandarin back to him. Chris obviously understands every word his mother says and is more comfortable speaking back in English which she understands. The dialogue emphasizes the fact that the mother was educated in Mandarin in Taiwan, while the boy is in English with their comfort level reflected in the language each speaks.
Though the film is called DIDI which translates to Little Brother in English, the meaning is slightly different in English and in Mandarin. In English, the term DIDI is not normally used by a mother (or father) but by an elder sibling. But in the Asian culture, the term DIDI can be equally be used by any of the family. In the movie, therefore, it is less strange that the film called DIDI is focused on the mother/younger son relationship and not on the elders sister/younger brother relationship.
DIDI is occasionally a powerful family relationship drama. There are many dramatic set pieces like the one where DIDI runs away from the mother, and the one in which he returns her to the bedroom among others. The film, however, with its loose narrative, fails to link all the segments in a strong coming-of-age story with a solid beginning and ending. The film’s premise which is: “Set in 2008, a 13-year-old Taiwanese-American boy learns how to skate, flirt, and love his mother.” hints that the film will not gel the three items together. A few things are left hanging such as the relationship of the brother and sister suddenly patched up without much reason given or the reason DIDI behaves poorly besides him reaching puberty age and the influence of questionable friends.
DIDI is more of a Joan Chen film. Chen together with Chris Columbus who made teen movies in the 80s served as two of the film’s executive producers.
Director Wang is best known for last year’s Academy Award Best Documentary Short Nominee, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó. It did not win but demonstrated an impressive debut, also with a loose narrative structure Chen plays the long-suffering mother who has to put up with both other children’s nonsense, not to mention her own mother who is constantly on her nerves
DIDI was shot in July 2023 in Fremont, California. The film consists mostly of first-time actors from the Bay Area. The film was previously selected for the 2023 Sundance Institute Screenwriting & Directors Lab and the 2022 SFFILM Rainin Grant.
DIDI has made its rounds worldwide in international film festivals. Dìdi had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024. A few days later, Focus Features acquired distribution rights to the film. It also screened at South by Southwest on March 12, 2024, and closed the 11th edition of Sundance London on June 9, 2024. It also had its international premiere at the Beijing International Film Festival on April 19, 2024.DIDI now opens on July 26, 2024.
Trailer:
HOUSE OF GA’A Nigeria 2024) ***
Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters
Forget the ridiculous Hollywood Viola Davis WOMAN KING in 2022 in which blacks are touted in a silly display of power and rights. HOUSE OF GA’A is the real thing, a non-documentary biopic from Nigeria with actors portraying real characters in History.
HOUSE OF GA’A is a period film about the life of the infamous Bashorun Ga’a.
The biopic is set in the 18th century when the real Bashorun Ga’a became so powerful he enthroned kings and dethroned them for sport. This ruthless Prime Minister desperate for revenge ferociously rises to power, stopping at nothing to become more powerful than the kings he served.
The film begins at the heart of the ancient Oyo Empire. A big battle is about to be fought, a battle Bashorun Ga’a and his son lead. Bashorun is shown as commanding the troops and winning the battle, returning to his village to announce to the King of the Victory. He takes away the spoils of war and slaves from the defeated village. He also brings the head of the enemy Emir to his King. What is more important is not the ballet itself, shown only in brief but what occurs afterwards at the village Bashorun’s wife is pregnant while he takes a young beautiful slave to his chamber, much to the dirty looks of his pregnant wife. But still, apart from that Nashorun is a great warrior loved by all. He thus rises to power after a triumphant victory against the army of Nupe. Celebrated as a hero, he is appointed Prime Minister by the Alaafin thereby solidifying his influence.
Despite being a Historical war film, there is much drama as in the drama faced by Bashorun. When the young and beautiful slave who is called Zeibab is brought to his chambers, she tells him that she will be his slave and that her whole body belongs to him, but not her heart, to which he retorts: “What good is the heart anyway?”
HOUSE OF GA’A is what is called a Hollywood blockbuster. It tires of copycatting the Hollywood big production but from the props, one can immediately see that the film has a modest budget - from the tacky-looking weapons and armour worn and the short battle scenes, all used at least without CGI and shot the old fashioned way, making it look more credible.
However, beneath his success lies ambition, betrayal and tragedy. As Bashorun consolidates authority, he faces opposition from the Oyo Mesi council and contends with familial strife, all of hihi is caused by himself with no one else to blame. His quest for power leads to disastrous consequences, including the deaths of rival kings and his own descent into treachery. Amidst political intrigue and personal vendettas, themes of loyalty and justice emerge, shaping the fates of Bashorun and those around him. As alliances shift and betrayals unfold, the House of Ga'a becomes a battleground culminating in a tragic showdown that forever changes the kingdom of Oyo.
The film streams on Netflix on 26th July of 2024.
Trailer:
NON NEGOTIABLE (No Negociable) (MEXICO 20224) ***
Directed by Juan Taratuto
NON NEGOTIABLE (No Negociable) is the new Netflix original movie coming from Mexico touted as an action-packed thriller with comedy, action and suspense, set to premiere on Netflix on July 26th. This much-anticipated film follows Alan Bender, a seasoned hostage negotiator, as he navigates a difficult situation that tests his professional skills and personal resolve amidst a dramatic hostage crisis.
An expert negotiator is often called in when there is a kidnapping ransom or a suicide but he or she often takes a secondary role. In this flick the negotiator takes the central role for a change as the audience sees the vocation taken in a different light, often seeing what this person faces. In the film, the stakes skyrocket when the President is kidnapped, and Bender is called upon to secure his release. As Bender discovers his wife is also a captive of the same ruthless kidnappers, Bender is faced with a conflict of interests. Who should he put first? The President or his wife?
The film’s protagonist is Alan Bender. What is this guy with an English name (though pronounced in Spanish) and a Spanish accent doing in a Mexican Spanish movie? The real commercial reason is to have more American audiences tune in to this film.
Alan Bender is first seen in the introduction segment of a film that is barely 90 minutes negotiating with a gunman who’s a gun to a woman’s head. He gives him the three options, shoot, don’t shoot outrun himself in. Amidst the negotiation, he gets a call from his cell phone company warning him of his limited time left but he tells the gunman that it is the D.A. promising the gunman leniency if he turns himself in. Bender entered this situation while driving his wife and daughter. The segment which has little to do with the rest of the story does set up the tone for comedy, suspense and a little action in what is to follow.
The film also demonstrates the art of negotiation. Hostage Negotiation Tactics form an intricate process of psychology and strategy, that audiences can learn to appreciate as well. Typically, negotiators employ techniques such as building rapport with captors, maintaining calm communication, and subtly influencing outcomes. These tactics are tied in with Bender’s behaviour driven by the conflicting interest o save both the President and his wife.
The script also includes a few twists in the plot, which will not be mentioned in this review. There is no credit for the script in the closing credits though it is stated that the story is based on an original idea.
NON-NEGOTIABLE is thus an efficient little Mexican film, entertaining enough without having to resort to ridiculous special effects and expensive production costs or even star names. The largely unknown cast delivers credible performances and the suspenseful action thriller works, especially if one can watch it on Netflix and save money from going to the cinema.
NON NEGOTIABLE (No Negociable), a Netflix original film streams on Netflix on June 26th, 2024.
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