Angela’s Christmas

Angela’s Christmas

Director: Damien O’Connor Cast: Malachy McCourt, Ruth Negga, Vivian Drew 

There’s so much stuff on Netflix that it’s easier miss those little things that don’t get as much attention as “the Queen’s gambit” or “Stranger things”, but they’re still worth watching. I’ve always been curious about this Irish animated short(ish), because I knew it was based on a book by Frank McCourt, the author of the heart-breaking and wonderful Angela’s Ashes (so we’re assuming the Angela of this story is the same Angela). The mood and atmosphere of this is clearly arcing back to that book and though the animation is a bit too “CG” for my taste, the lighting and settings are beautiful and very evocative.There’s a certain poignancy that permeates the story, with subtle details scattered throughout which are very telling of poverty in Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century: churches so cold that you were likely to get sick if you went in, loos outside the houses, beggars in the streets, a very tiny Christmas meal shared with a whole family (though the father is missing), cold smoke coming out of the characters… It’s all background stuff that the children will hardly notice (though I’m sure it will register in some form or another), but the central message comes across loud and clear: stealing is bad, even if for a good cause. And that’s all it needs to be, after all, it’s a children’s tale.It is a heart-warming, cosy, very simple tale that’s certainly not going change anyone’s life but believe you can do a lot worse that watching this with your kids in the time leading up to Christmas and possibly in preparation for the feature-length follow-up (Angela’s Christmas Wish) which has just hit the streaming service and I’m sure we’ll end up watching soon.

The Man without Gravity

The Man without gravity (L’uomo senza gravità)

This was one of those film suggested by my algorithm on Netflix (one of the few times it got it really wrong!). I decided to watch it without knowing anything about it, but after about 20 minutes I really had to resist the urge to turn it off. The temptation to give it 1 star was even bigger, but in the end I felt a bit sorry, not just because it’s an Italian film and I feel a sense of loyalty towards my own country, but also because there are probably a couple of sweet moments in it which made me think that actually its heart at least was in the right place. Also, after a dreadful first act, it does get a tiny bit better.

The very first image of the baby fling like a balloon out of her mother’s womb was actually rather intriguing … but then they all began to speak and the spell was broken: it was all downhill from there. I was absolutely shocked by how bad the acting was during the first act: everyone one seems to have stepped into a read-through session at its best and they’re all either over-acting or not acting at all (and I don’t meant that in a good way). If you are watching this subtitles (i.e. if you don’t speak Italian) you might get away with it and think it’s probably OK, but as an Italian there no any of that can pass as “decent”, let alone “good”. It is actually quite embarrassing.

The kids are dreadful and make you wish you were watching one of those nativity plays at school instead and most of the adults are not just over-acting their socks off, but each of them seems to have a different register as if they were on different films.

Once Elio Germano finally steps in (much too late as far as I am concerned… I was already tuned off by that time anyway) at least you know you can rely on a half decent lead… If only the script were a little bit smarter and the direction slightly less pedestrian and more imaginative.

Unfortunately as it is, this is just a half baked idea, with the little potential it could have had completely wasted.

The Undoing

The Undoing ()

Director: Susanne Bier. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Edgar Ramírez, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe.

The undoing might not be the most original story ever told, but that’s counterbalanced by the very stylish and incredibly atmospheric way it’s presented. With a pre-pandemic New York serving as the beautiful background the series is also a showcase for some very very powerful performances.

Nicole Kidman, of course, who’s never been bad before shows that even with all her botox restricting her facial movements (she should really stop doing that!), she can still act her socks off.

Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and Emmy Award winning writer and director Susanne Bier, films everything very tight on the characters’ faces, a stylistic choice that seems to pay off here, since pretty much all the performances are just beautiful to watch.

Hugh Grant has completely abandoned his “romantic-comedy stuttering character” and has now fully embraced a much darker one and he plays it better than anything. And then of course Donald Sutherland who’s here to remind us all why he’s been in the business for as long as it has. There are a couple of scenes with him who will most probably earn him an Emmy at some point.

And then, the little Noah Jupe, who might be just a teenager, but his range of emotions, especially towards the last part of the series, is as powerful as any of his co-stars.

I’ve enjoyed watching this slick murder-mystery immensely. This kind of things is very reminiscent in terms of mood and style of those Scandinavian TV series which have changed he way TV is made, or at least this genre.Yes, the last of the 6 episode ends on a bit of a downer and it felt a little bit underwhelming and ultimately a bit disappointing (well… the last 20 minutes, not the whole thing), but the journey to get there was certainly worthwhile.

On Sky Atlantic

Yes God, Yes.

Yes God, Yes. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Directed by: Karen Maine. Cast Natalia Dyer, Timothy Simons, Wolfgang Novogratz, Francesca Reale, Susan Blackwell, Alisha Boe.

Beyond the all-a-but-too-easy critique at the hypocrisy of strict Catholic schools in the 90s, there’s a warm and affecting coming-of-age tale here, which captures adolescent (female) sexual desire with both great honesty and sweetness. It may touch some of the same subject matters as films like “American Pie” but it’s really on a different planet altogether. Some people may find it all rather “objectionable”, but it’s actually a rather smart film and touching one too. The fact that it’s directed by a woman clearly shows and I mean that in the best possible way. Even the “masturbation” moments (yes, you heard me right) are done very tastefully, they’re never titillating, just like the women in the film are never objectified.
Straight from “Stranger Things” fame, Natalia Dyer’s perfectly pitched performance carries the whole film on her shoulder: she comfortably manages to be naive, ignorant, curious, confused and.. well, plainly horny and makes it all not just very believable and beautifully human and very sweet too. Yes, there are stereotypes left and right, some of the depictions might a bit on the nose and the short duration feels more like “ops run out of things to say” rather than “let’s keep it tight”, but I have to confess, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

Anima

Anima

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson. Cast: Gala Moody, Dajana Roncione, Thom Yorke

An interesting exercise by Paul Thomas Anderson, which barely can be passed as a “MovieADay” item (the exercise I’ve been undertaking since January the 1st 2020). A short film, or rather an extended music video, which plays to the music by Thom Yorke (frontman of the Radiohead) in a sort of surreal nightmarish dystopian setting (apparently it was filmed in Prague). Whether it’s meant to signify the dehumanisation of workers in modern times, or whether it’s about people sleepwalking in their daily lives or about two lost souls managing to find each other… I don’t know: I don’t understand it and actually I don’t really care much. It is undoubtedly a mesmerizing silent film and some of the imagery is indeed rather beautiful, but I have to say this feels a bit just like a big budget student film, just as pretentious. But hey, it’s only 15 minutes long and it’s an interesting watch, by one of the greatest American directors alive today.

On Netflix.