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jamescaldecott
Reviews
The Power of the Dog (2021)
Time will crawl
I really enjoyed Jane Campion's 'The Piano' and 'Bright Star', but I couldn't wait for this to end, and that's very unusual for me. The pace of the film (think glacial) is mirrored exactly by Jesse Plemons' character George's dialogue delivery, much too sparse and way too slow. The performances are good, as you'd expect of a cast of this quality, though the only character that is developed is Benedict Cumberpatch's Phil. Maybe Jesse Plemons speaks so slowly and spaces his words so much to ensure that the film edges past the two hour mark, it's not for dramatic effect I'm sure! I enjoyed the music early in the film, but towards the end, as the story takes it's twist, it becomes overpowering, like it's there to loudly let you know that things are getting edgy, instead of complementing what's happening on screen, it derides from it. I wouldn't recommend this film, and will be wary of the next Jane Campion. The whole thing could have been condensed to half its length without losing anything that the story had, which wasn't much!
Midsommar (2019)
Same old same old.
A film that portrays the stereotypical Christian view of Paganism. Pagans are weird, pagans have funny beliefs and practices, except when they sacrifice people, then they're just evil. It's misleading, unimaginative, and plain wrong.
Spirits in the Forest (2019)
Reach out and touch faith
A film aimed at and for Depeche fans of course but it hits the mark perfectly. The stories of the people travelling to attend the last concert of the Global Spirit tour in Berlin are varied, interesting, moving, and inspiring. Their personal backgrounds and individual connections to the bands music is interspersed with footage of that gig, and it makes for an absolute treat for a fan of 35 years like myself. Superbly shot by long time collaborator Anton Corbijn, the film ended in the cinema where I saw it with several "awws", as it finished too soon.