All of the films this week are available on Netflix. Whilst it is good that the platform provides so many choices, especially those from non-English speaking countries, an audience, there is a lack of distinctive, original movies on offer. This week’s binge bears that out…
First up, is the lightweight Brazilian romcom, ‘Rich in Love’. A wealthy and lazy playboy Teto (Danilo Mesquita), in order to prove that girls aren’t only interested in him for his money, tells a girl (Paula, Giovanna Lancellotti) he has fallen for that he is poor…
The story exactly follows the arc you will expect, and it is hard to care much about the fate of the unlikable Teto. But Mesquita and Lancellotti have decent chemistry and it is amiable enough stuff.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
The premise of the French action movie ‘Lost Bullet’ is pretty far-fetched. A convict, Lino (Alban Lenoir) is granted early release from prison to work with the police because he is an excellent mechanic. When the cop – nicely played by Ramzy Bedia – is killed, Lino is the prime suspect and has to clear his name. The plot involving the usual collection of corrupt policemen is just a means to get from a fight to a car chase to a fight, all of which are staged adequately but not spectacularly. Aside from Bedia, who is dispatched way too soon, none of the cops are believable and Lenoir does not have the charisma to carry the film.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10
Much better than that, if you want a police thriller is ‘Intuition’, from Argentina. Newly promoted Detective Manuela Pelari (Luisana Lopilato) is assigned to the investigation into the murder of a 19 year old girl that is being headed up by Detective Francisco Juanez (Jaoquin Furriel). At the same time, a prosecutor orders her to look into whether Juanez is responsible for the death of a boy who murdered his wife.
The opening scenes are pretty poor. The action is confusing as we are plunged straight into a case that bears no relevance to the rest of the film. The dialogue is unnatural and acting stilted. However, when it gets beyond that and into the main body of the story, it gets much better. Whilst the characters feel a little over familiar, the twisty plot kicks in and the story propels along at a decent lick. The performances improve too, with an outstanding one from Maite Lanata as a murder suspect.
Rating: 7 out of 10
The terrible ‘365 Days’ is proving extremely popular on Netflix, both here and in the US. A Polish film about a Sicilian mafia boss, who, when he sees a girl he likes, kidnaps her. As he holds her captive he abuses her, sexually and otherwise, but also lavishes money on her and he is adamant that she will fall in love with him within a year. And of course, she does.
The plot is preposterous, the script an embarrassment and the acting less than adequate. Every ten minutes or so, a terrible pop song pops up and the story is put on hold to allow a second rate music video to play out. But, not only is the film dire, it is offensive. Presenting women as no more than objects to be bought and condoning violence against them. It makes the ridiculous ‘Twilight’ fan fiction, ’50 Shades of Grey’ almost bearable. Bilge.
Rating: 1 out of 10
Olivier Assayas is the latest major director to make a film for Netflix, the ambitious ‘Wasp Network’. In the 1990s, a number of disparate men leave Cuba for the USA, settling in Miami. In a complicated narrative, we follow their lives as they work for groups hoping to overthrow Castro in order to restore democracy and for The Wasp Network, an organisation of Cuban spies trying to infiltrate the anti Castro organisations.
Whilst it is good to see a film tackle such a complex story, it is ultimately too much plot to squeeze into a two hour film. Too many characters are introduced and too many events are covered. It would have worked better as a TV series. However, it is handsomely shot by Assayes, Yorick Le Saux and Denis Lenoir. Amongst a star studded cast that includes Penelope Cruz, Gael Garcia Bernal and Ana de Arnas, Edgar Ramirez stands out. It would probably have been an improvement to concentrate on his story and his double crossing. But, this is never less than interesting.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Ramirez also stars in the ‘Last Days of American Crime’, though he has little to do other than look moody in the role of criminal, Graham Bricke. It is set in the near future when the US Government have discovered a way of transmitting an ear splitting that you will hear if you try to commit a crime. In the hours before it is switched on, Graham tries to execute one last big job…
Years ago, this would have been a 90 minute B movie that could have been fun. Instead, in the way of things now, it is a bloated two and a half hours. The action scenes are fine, if over the top, but the story drags. The acting plaudits go to Anna Brewster who makes a good femme fatale.
Rating 5.5 out of 10
Korean thriller ‘Time To Hunt’ is also set in the near future and also features a gang of criminals pulling one last job. This is standard stuff for the genre. None of the characters are sympathetic and none of the situations they find themselves in have a hint of originality.
Rating: 4 out of 10
Also completely predictable but a more fun watch is ‘Feel the Beat’. When a driven Broadway dancer, April (Sofia Carson) messes up an audition she goes back to her small hometown and ends up coaching a group of young dancers. You know what’s coming as the kids change from being no hopes to competition contenders and April comes to realise what is important in her life. But it is light and breezy and Carson is impressive.
Rating: 6 out of 10
I was most pleasantly surprised by the Spanish drama ‘Live Twice, Love Once’. Emilio, a retired teacher decides to track down the girl he loved as a teenager when he is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Whilst there have been more emotional (‘Away From Her’) or harrowing (‘Still Alice’) takes on this subject, this story is carried by an excellent and dignified performance by Oscar Martinez as Emilio. Maria Minguez’s script has just enough humour to give the film a real warmth without making light of the subject matter.
Rating: 8 out 10
I have enjoyed Jorge Garcia’s performance in ‘Hawaii Five 0’ for a few years so it is good to see him starring in ‘Nobody Knows I’m Here’. He plays Memo, a farmer in Chile who has a secret. He has a great singing voice. Garcia is the only reason to watch this desperately dull drama. It has real plodding quality and it is really gloomy, literally. The ending was meant to be emotional but I could clearly see what was going on!
Rating: 4 out of 10
Kumail Nanjiani proved himself an adept comic actor in the excellent ‘The Big Sick’. ‘Stuber’ last year was a comparative disappointment but now he is back in ‘The Lovebirds’. He plays a documentary filmmaker who, with his girlfriend (Issa Rae) gets caught up in a murder mystery. That is a well worn plot idea, of the sort that would have starred Goldie Hawn or Whoopi Goldberg back in the 80s. Director Michael Showalter and a raft of writers try to bring it up to date by adding unnecessary crudeness to the dialogue. After a stuttering start, though, momentum builds pretty well and the leads keep it watchable.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Finally, the best of the week is a documentary that has just been added in the last few days, ‘Athlete A’. I knew a little about the sexual abuse of young women on the US gymnastics team by team doctor Larry Nassar, but clearly not as much as I should have. This is a truly shocking and harrowing account of years of unchecked abuse. The few girls who spoke up were not only ignored, but in the case of brave Maggie Nicholls (the titular athlete A), were dropped from the Olympics team.
Whilst Nassar is clearly a monster, the covering up by the US Gymnastics hierarchy, their Olympics committee and even the FBI is almost as disturbing. In fact the only people to emerge with credit are the gymnasts, their families and the dogged journalists from The Indianapolis Star, who broke the story. It is refreshing to see their integrity at a time when the media is held in such low esteem.
Directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk mix archive footage with recent interviews to good effect. It isn’t groundbreaking technically but they recount the events in a clear eyed way.
Rating: 9 out of 10