CS Film Club II

Henry V

Kenneth Branagh's first big movie and an adaptation that seemed to launch a new wave of high profile Shakespeare adaptations. I'd previously been exposed to Henry V through the Laurence Olivier version, but my memories of it are fuzzy outside of a general sense of pro-English propaganda aimed for war-time audiences. Branagh's film comes in a radically different socio-political climate and the result is a much more mournful take on Henry's conquest of France. Battle scenes emphasis the ugliness of slaughter, with mass casualties and a generally grimy aesthetic. I definitely prefer this take, both politically, but also sensually. Branagh brings a very modern sense of excitement while still holding the source material with the utmost respect. And in classic Shakespeare fashion, Henry V is an amazing showcase for its actors. The whole cast is aces (loved Ian Holm and Judi Dench) but this is Branagh's movie and he owns every second of it. His Henry is a perfect mix of intelligence while still being brash and young.

Efforts to condense the play into a lean two hour and twenty minute runtime do lead to a bit of a strange pace, particularly when it comes to Catherine's courting which is very romantic and clever following what has been a pretty harsh telling. Even so, this is one of my favourite cinematic takes on the Bard and generally an exhilarating watch.

A-

There's a couple left but no worries. Who's all in for next round?

Watching my movie right now.  Should be good for the next round.

Sitting out next round until I get used to my new schedule

Alright, I gave in and watched my movie from the last round to maintain my 100% completion record for the club.  

Ammonite (2020)
If you’re going to make a movie about a pair of lesbians living in the 19th century slowly falling for each other in a seaside community but then being split apart by circumstance… maybe don’t make it the year after Portrait of a Lady on Fire… because the comparison is probably not going to be flattering. The film is about a fossil finder in 1840s England who finds herself playing host to a pushy dude interested in paleontology and his wife… especially his wife. I do hesitate slightly at the Portrait of a Lady on Fire comparison… after all we wouldn’t so quickly compare various straight romances set in this era given the sheer number of Jane Austen adaptations and Merchant Ivory movies there are out there and on a very basic plot level this actually might more closely resemble Carol, but the aesthetic and the general delayed passion of the thing are similar so comparisons are kind of unavoidable. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan star, and both are pretty heavy hitters as far as these things go but I’m not sure their work here really live up to their pedigree, in part I think it’s because director Francis Lee never really gives the film the energy it needs. The movie isn’t a whiff, there’s some good stuff in it but the overall film is a touch dull and, well, not as good as Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
**1/2 out of Five

And for this round: 
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Toho’s contract with Legenday Pictures had a provision which allowed them to continue making Japanese Godzilla films themselves and rather than compete directly with Hollywood’s big budget take on the monster Toho appears to have opted to use this clause to make a Godzilla movie that was very specifically targeted at their domestic audience to the point of making it a rather “inside baseball” satire of Japanese politics and culture. That is of course their prerogative and as a rule I would rather encourage filmmakers to embrace cultural specificity when they so choose, but nonetheless I am pretty sure this means there are certain in-jokes here that I’m missing. The basic idea of the movie is that it’s trying to look at how an actual government, complete with its layers of red tape and bureaucracy both at the local, national, and international level, would respond to a kaiju situation and it was likely meant to be something of a subtweet of the actual Japanese government’s handling of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. I love that as an idea… but I’m not sure I love the actual execution of this in the movie. For one thing I’m not sure the governmental incompetence this is trying to poke fun at runs quite as deep as it maybe could have. I almost wanted this to feel like some kind of crossover between Godzilla and Veep, but it instead feels almost more like Godzilla being given the Contagion treatment.

Beyond that, I think the actual Godzilla material here is kind of weak. Here Godzilla sort of mutates over the course of the movie and in his first form early in the film he really looks terrible; he’s got a derpy look on his face and his eyes look lifeless and terrible. Later he starts to look a little more like Godzilla, but even bigger and with kind of “rock over a magma core” look and his mouth sort of splits open when he breathes fire. I don’t care for that as a design, but I also didn’t care for its behavior; he seemed uniquely stupid and didn’t even seem to possess the intelligence of an actual animal. He’s really not a character in the movie at all, he’s just a very large symbol and plot device. Honestly, I’m not sure why they even decided to take on the baggage of the Godzilla IP at all here and that the movie might have been better served by inventing an original kaiju to be its centerpiece; it wouldn’t have affected the satire at all and it probably could have been tailored to fit the needs of this plot better. I would also say that the filmmaking here has certain shortcomings, it was directed by one guy who has primarily worked in anime and another guy who frankly doesn’t have a great track record and the final film does not really have a particularly keen visual eye behind it. I don’t know, I think I ultimately “liked” the movie and would probably prefer it to yet another cookie-cutter installment in the franchise, but it was also lacking in a lot of ways.
*** out of Five

I can double up with you.

Alright let's get the next one going.  If you haven't submitted a review from the previous round get that puppy in.  And a thanks to PG Cooper for doubling up so old D-Day could be included.


Round 208

Nilade - thebtskink
PG Cooper - donny
Dracula - PhantomKnight
Doomsday - PG Cooper

Can we make June 28th work?  3 solid weekends to get your movie in?  I have faith in all of you.

Nilade, here's my services. What's yours?

Hulu, Prime, Netflix, Peacock, HBO, Disney+, Tubi (it's free for anyone)

I don't mind renting if it's a good one either.

I think I'll do A Simple Plan. Been meaning to catch up on some more Sam Raimi.