10s Movie Review - Albert Nobbs

Director: Rodrigo García
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

I WATCHED THIS FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 12: A MOVIE FILMED IN A PLACE YOU VISITED
 
Description: Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) struggles to survive in late 19^th-century Ireland, where women aren’t encouraged to be independent. Posing as a man so she can work as a butler in Dublin’s most elegant hotel, Albert meets a handsome painter and looks to escape the lie she has been living.

Review: Nineteen-century Ireland was a poor and sad country. The difference between the poorest and richest was enormous and many people, especially single women, lived a poverty-stricken life. One way for a single woman to live an independent life was to dress up as a man. And that is exactly what Albert Nobbs did. Albert had been working as a butler in various hotels since she was 14. With her breasts strapped tightly under a corset, she serves guests in the hotel like a true gentleman. Her secret keeps her from forming friendships and relationships, yet deep inside she years to live a normal life. Preferably with a partner.

In 1982, Glenn Close already starred in a play based on the short story “The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs”, and it has always remained a part of her.

The film starts with no introduction. The task for the viewer is to observe how the main characters in the film are served. We see Albert’s averted gaze, the appreciation the guest have for him and the staff’s fear of making mistakes. “Albert Nobbs” leans mostly on details and on Glenn Close. She did a wonderful job portraying Albert.

But even though the performance by Close is memorable, “Albert Nobbs” itself isn’t. The plot itself doesn’t manage to captivate as strongly as the protagonist. As a result, feelings of emptiness and loneliness prevail once the credits roll.

Rating: 3 / 5

Movie Review - The Devil All the Time

Director: Antonio Campos

Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime

Runtime: 138 minutes

Year: 2020

Starring: Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Jason Clarke, Haley Bennett, Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Sebastian Stan, Mia Wasikowska, Eliza Scanlon

Description: Sinister characters converge around a young man (Tom Holland) devoted to protecting those he loves in a postwar backwoods town teeming with corruption and brutality.

Review: “Do not condemn anyone, for we are all sinners”. In “The Devil All the Time”, evil lurks everywhere and in everyone. For most people, plagued by their human powerlessness, there is no escape. Nevertheless, their faith and trust in the Lord often remains as strong as ever, if only to be able to cleanse themselves of the necessary sins. Director Antonio Campos explores the good, the evil and everything in between.

Campos takes us to the remote countryside of Ohio and West Virginia, where people live in strictly Christian hamlets, or rather snake pits full of sinners, weaklings and religious extremists. In these dark surroundings Arvin Russell grows up as a man of good will, but poverty and violence also create some dark sides. His story is woven in and apart from that of his father, a tormented war veteran who only at an older age throws himself full of devotion to the Lord, a wandering serial killing couple that targets male hitchhikers, corrupt sheriff Lee Bodecker and a new pastor.

Campos knows how to tell a lot with only a few images. Effective to move the story forward, but it sometimes lacks tension. Still, this doesn’t do much harm to the film overall. The film adaptation of the literary novel by Donald Ray Pollock (who narrates the story) is very successful. Campos’ most important blessings are the beautifully shot images and atmospheric mish. And although not every character has been worked out in the same way, the strong ensemble cast effortlessly lifts the film to a higher level.

Tom Holland impresses as the skeptical young Arvin, who does everything he can to protect his loved ones and doesn’t hold back. We have not seen him in such a role before. Robert Pattinson, who plays the pastor Preston Teagardin, especially makes an impact. In recent years he has established himself as a character actor, and always manages to catch our eye. One of the strongest scenes of the film features both Holland and Pattinson. Other performances by Haley Bennett, Jason Clarke and Bill Skarsgård are also worth mentioning.

“The Devil All the Time” is gruesome, gloomy, not very hopeful, sometimes somewhat uncomfortable, but above all intriguing. This film is probably not for everyone, yet it would be a shame to not give it a chance. A true Netflix gem.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 25: Stoker

Director: Chan-wook Park
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Jacki Weaver, Dermot Mulroney

Description: After India's (Mia Wasikowska) father (Dermot Mulroney) dies, her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother (Nicole Kidman). She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

Review: Director Chan-wook Park created a cult hit with “Oldboy”. A movie that was later remade and made his way to the US. Park made a debut with “Stoker”, where it is his first English language film, based on a screenplay by Wentworth Miller. Miller you might know as Michael Schofield from “Prison Break”, but he has been working on the script for “Stoker” for eight years.
When her father unexpectedly dies on her 18th birthday, India Stokes and her mother Evelyn have to adapt to life without father and husband Richard. But then uncle Charlie appears, Richard’s brother that they never met. He moves in with India and Evelyn. But there is a mystery circling around Charlie.
With a plot like this, you expect a thriller or maybe even a horror film. “Stoker” is in fact more of an interesting character study of an unusual family. Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode all deliver great performances. Their characters are intriguing. Even though India distrusts her uncle Charlie, there is also a certain attraction between the two. Matthew Goode plays the role of Charlie wonderfully. Creepy yet irresistible. Kidman shines as the fragile mother, but is also the most ‘human’ person in the film.
Acting is of a high level, but it’s Park who deserves the most credit. The images are mind blowing. His eye for detail really made me happy. He has a feeling for it, the camera work is beautiful. Almost every shot is a little work of art.
Although the thriller and horror element are more in the background, there is constantly this tension and dark atmosphere. “Stoker” is a great film, that is probably not for everyone. It’s a movie that is hard to categorize. Maybe it’s a darker version of a coming of age story. It makes for a hypnotizing viewing experience.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Favorites: Jane Eyre

Synopsis: After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?

 

 

Unique Selling Point: Although the story has been told many times, it does the classic novel justice. It’s filmed beautifully and the actors have plenty of room to show their skills. It’s great to see how efficiently the hundreds of pages of the book are made into a film.

Most Valuable Player: Michael Fassbender as Rochester, the handsome and charismatic man with a dark edge.

Best Moment: Every hopeless romantic would go for the part where Rochester asks for Jane’s hand in marriage.

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 131: Crimson Peak

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Genre: Drama/ Fantasy/ Horror/ Thriller/ Romance

Runtime: 119 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Leslie Hope

Description: In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author (Mia Wasikowska) is torn between love for her childhood friend (Charlie Hunnam) and the temptation of a mysterious outsider (Tom Hiddleston). Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds - and remembers.

Review: At the start of the twentieth century Edith Cushing lives with her father in Buffalo, New York. Her dead mother visits Edith at night and warns her for Crimson Peak. Years later Edith’s life is turned upside down when she meets the British Thomas Sharpe and his sister Lucille. After the mysterious and sudden death of her father, Edith marries Thomas an moves with him and Lucille to England. There they live in Allerdale Hall, a huge mansion which is ruinous. Edith wakes up at night by ghosts and learns Allerdale Hall is also called Crimson Peak. Edith learns there are a lot of secrets in that house and also with Thomas and Lucille.

After his Sci-Fi adventure “Pacific Rim”, director Guillermo del Toro is back with what he knows best. “Crimson Peak” has an amazing set and it can be compared to “Pan’s Labyrinth” when you just look at it. The big difference is the romantic touch this film has. Del Toro based “Crimson Peak” on the gothic horror genre. The mansion is beautifully made and is almost a character itself. Del Toro is known for his eye for detail and Crimson Peak was completely build in a studio. Because it all looks so real, the atmosphere is more spooky.

The developments in the movie are sometimes predictable. The middle part of the film is a bit repetitive, when Edith goes on her search for secrets at night. This happens several times. The movie has a slow start, but the second half of the film is the best. Especially that finale was extraordinary and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Mia Wasikowska is a fresh heroin, she does a really good job. Tom Hiddleston manages to switch between being irresistible and charming and dark and mysterious in his role as Thomas Sharpe. But it’s Jessica Chastain who steals the show. As the intimidating Lucille Sharpe she is almost unrecognizable and extremely scary.

“Crimson Peak” is a gorgeous looking horror mystery. It’s not as scary as the trailers led us to believe, but it’s definitely a movie you should see. Strong cast and visually beautiful.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 27: Lawless

Director: John Hillcoat

Genre: Crime/ Drama

Runtime: 115 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Gary Oldman

Description: A trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.

Review: They are inaccessible, the legendary image of the Bondurant family. Wars, epidemics, nothing got to them for decades. This family is the focus of “Lawless” directed by John Hillcoat. Leader is Forrest, and we also have older brother Howard and the youngest Jack.

“Lawless” is set in the thirties of the twentieth century in Virginia. De brothers Bondurant are leading an okay life, with their own illegal trade in beverage. But when a new sheriff comes to town, this life changes. Sheriff Rakes wants everyone to live by his rules and the Bondurant family is his biggest problem. Where others surrounder to Rakes, the Bondurant brothers don’t give in and fight him.

Although the leader of the Bondurants is Forrest, the leading role is for Jack. Shia LaBeouf manages to keep up with the other big names in the cast. Jessica Chastain shines as always, but she isn’t given that much to do. Gary Oldman is hardly in it and Guy Pearce is a creepy, convincing Sheriff. But it’s Tom Hardy that steals the show. There is something about Hardy that I can’t resist.

“Lawless” is a good western/ gangster film. It’s a movie that does lots of good thing, like the setting, the actors and the pace. But the lack of depth is a negative, both in the story as the characters. This makes “Lawless” an uncomplicated enjoyable watch.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "Alice in Wonderland"

Tim Burton alway sknow show to create a wonderful world in all of his movies. He did it again with the classic story of "Alice in Wonderland". I like to put the spotlight on the characters in the film.

Alice Kingsleigh
Played by: Mia Wasikowska
Alice is not who other people expect her to be. She clearly has her own will and doesn't want to marry well. Alice is stubborn, brave and non-girlie.

Mad Hatter
Played by: Johnny Depp
Although the Mad Hatter looks and acts very strange, I think he is just misunderstood. He has all the best intentions and has a vision of the world no one else can picture. Mad Hatter is very creative and loyal.

Iracebeth of Crims aka the Red Queen
Played by: Helena Bonham Carter
The Red Queen is the ruler and everything should go as she pleases. She is easily irritated and quick to anger. She rather wants people to fear her than people to like her.

Mirana of Marmoreal aka the White Queen
Played by: Anne Hathaway
Mirana is Iracebeth's sister and the complete opposite. She also likes the dark side, but is affraid to go in to deep. The White Queen is good hearted and has a better future in mind for her land.

Favorite Character: Iracebeth of Crims aka the Red Queen

In the Picture: The Characters from "Jane Eyre"

I saw the new version of “Jane Eyre” just recently and I think it’s fantastic. I love the story and I’m planning on reading it in september. I decided to take a good look at the characters from this movie.

Jane Eyre
Played by: Mia Wasikowska
Jane is an intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. She is very assertive, although many people won’t expect it from her. Jane also values intellectual and emotional fulfillment. She catches the eye of Edward Rochester

Edward Rochester
Played by: Michael Fassbender
Sir Rochester is Jane’s employer and the owner of Thornfield. He’s a wealthy and passionate man with a dark secret. Although Jane doesn’t show affection at first, Rochester is charmed by Jane. He’s not used to a woman who speaks her mind.

St. John Rivers
Played by: Jamie Bell
He serves as Jane’s benefactor after she runs away from Thornfield, giving her food and shelter. John is cold and reserveed, but he sees a good wife in Jane. She doesn’t feel the same because she already lost her heart to someone else.

Mrs. Fairfax
Played by: Judi Dench
Mrs. Fairfax is the housekeeper at Thornfield and very loyal to her master Rochester. She is very fond of Jane and Mrs. Fairfax advices her about a lot of things. And she warns her for Rochester.

Favorite Character: Jane Eyre

In the Picture: The Characters from "The Kids Are All Right"

I only saw this movie recently for the first time. I loved it right away and I was really impressed with how well all the actors portrayed the characters. I real clever film and both funny and dramatic.

Nicole "Nic" Allgood
Played by: Annette Bening
Nic is a succesful doctor and has a serious view on life. She is happy with life the way it is and doesn't like change. So when her children let Paul in to their life, Nic is really hurt and worried that he will disrupt the family dynamic. Especially when the kids and her wife seem to like Paul.

Jules Allgood
Played by: Julianne Moore
Jules is Nic's wife and a bit more free spirited than Nic. Jules never cared much for a career, but has always been interested in landscaping. She is trying to realize that dream and becomes closer to Paul. In him she finds someone who respects her and gives her the attention she needs.

Paul Hatfield
Played by: Mark Ruffalo
Paul is a man who loves women but is also very attached to his freedom. In the early ninetees he donated sperm to a sperm bank and Jules and Nic were the receivers. Although Paul never aspired to become a father, he's very open to the idea of meeting the kids. And he likes being around them and changes the world of the whole Allgood family.

Joni Allgood
Played by: Mia Wasikowska
Joni has just turned 18 and is in a turning point of her life. She is about to leave for college but indifferent about a lot of things. There's this boy she likes, but Joni is too shy to give in to that. Meeting her biological father changes a lot for her, although she wasn't the one who initially wanted to meet him. She connects with him very easily and opens up to him.

Laser Allgood
Played by: Josh Hutcherson
Because Laser is only 15, he can not contact his biological father yet, so he sets up his older sister Joni to do it for him. At first, Laser wasn't all that impressed with Paul. He becomes very close with Paul and even takes his advice on ending his friendship with friend Clay, even though his mothers gave him the same advice.

Favorite Character: Paul Hatfield