2023 - IN REVIEW: MOST OVERRATED

 

TALK TO ME

Once again, let me just say that just because I deem something to be overrated, it does not mean that I then think it isn't good. Almost always my most overrated film of the year is actually a film that I have liked, but one that I think that has been hyped up more than it is actually worth. This year, that film was the Australian supernatural horror film, “Talk To Me”. For some reason, Americans went crazy for this film and before it had even been released, it had been significantly hyped due to a successful screening at Sundance, earlier in the year. I think what got me to take some interest in the film, was that A24 then came on board to distribute it, and they have a pretty good eye in what is good and different in cinema. When the trailer came out, while I admit, it did look very good and was certainly intense, I must admit that I wasn't sold on the whole “embalmed hand” thing; it seemed like a stupid idea for someone to be possessed by and see into the other side, if only for a brief moment.

None of this stopped me from going out and seeing the film, the first session on the opening day here in Melbourne (I am a horror tragic), and while yes, “Talk To Me” is a well made and good supernatural horror, I just did not see anything extra that made it “special” or worthwhile of all the extra buzz that it had been generating. It seemed like all the other teen horror movies that are regularly released into cinemas. I was not a huge fan of the characters or the actors, and I never truly got over the “embalmed hand” thing either. That said, I can tell when a horror film is working, which “Talk To Me” certainly does when it comes to its scary scenes, so I understand when people say it is a good horror film, it is just that I do not understand why people think it is any more special than that. I must say that I did like that it was at least a little bit original in its story, but my heart sank a little when it did so well, and thus an immediate sequel was green-lit (Not every successful horror film needs a sequel, people!!).

Again, let me reiterate, “Talk To Me” is a good horror film, that I actually liked (I even gave it 3.5 stars), but I also think that it has been massively over-hyped too, although this may be just the opinion of a seasoned horror fan, who at almost fifty years of age, feels like he has seen it all in the genre, because my horror-loving fourteen year old daughter thinks “Talk To Me” is absolutely terrifying and she loves it because of that, so what do I really know?

 

2023 - IN REVIEW: BIGGEST SURPRISE

 BARBIE

Before “Barbie” had even come out, I remember having a conversation with my brother about the film, and whether or not we were planning to see it or if it would be any good, or had any purpose in being made. The early marketing or talk of the film was always very vague, and my brother and I both said that we actually had no idea what they were exactly attempting with “Barbie”; were they making fun of her, was the film pro-Barbie, or was it a satire of the Barbie phenomenon? As history has shown, the answer to all these questions was “Yes. It is all of those things”. However at that time, all I said to my brother was that I trusted the talent involved, particularly Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, and I was sure that they were going to have a unique take on it all, and that the film would be worthwhile, as I couldn't see these filmmakers wasting their time on just fluff, or a propaganda piece for Barbie, or Mattel themselves. As we all know, “Barbie” became this massive phenomenon, and that was the biggest surprise of the year; just how audiences flocked to see and love this movie. And for good reason too, for the most part, it is absolutely genius!! “Barbie” is such a fantastic and great film, and at the time of my viewing, I thought it was a shoe-in for my Top Twenty list.

The first half of “Barbie” is flat-out brilliant; it was very funny, looked amazing, and the performances from everyone, (but particularly Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken), were outstanding. I thought everyone was such a good sport in this film, especially Gosling and Mattel themselves, as their past, failed and aborted additions to the Barbie line of toys are regularly made fun of, whilst Gosling is seen in some quite ridiculous and impractical costumes. Micheal Cera is hilarious as Allan, Ken's forgotten best friend, whilst Kate McKinnon rules the film with her rendition of “weird”Barbie; an old Barbie toy that has been disfigured via poor playing or poorer siblings. It is all very funny stuff, and then when Barbie goes to the real world, the film changes, but is still just as funny, whilst also adding some poignancy and heart to the proceedings. I feel that the film only loses its way when Barbie returns to Barbie Land and is followed there by the Mattel executives, with the CEO being played by Will Farrell himself. It is here that I felt that a lot of the jokes were becoming recycled, the film got a little too serious at times and they really didn't find anything interesting to do with the executives in Barbie Land, so this part comes across more like padding. I also wasn't convinced completely by the ending, however, this is such a great film that I do not want to harp on these minor negatives I had, because “Barbie” is essentially now a universally loved film (honestly, out of everyone I know that has seen it, no one dislikes it!)

I know I have kind of glossed over what makes “Barbie” so great, but c'mon, everyone has seen it and knows why it works so well, so I just wanted to briefly highlight the bind-the-scenes work by all involved. I read a very interesting conversation with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto about just how hard “Barbie” was to light, particularly due to all of the pink that was used in the film, which would wreck havoc on the skin tones of the actors. To combat this, any part of the set that wasn't to be seen in a shot, had to be draped in a grey fabric to get skin tones back to normal. Challenges like this blew my mind because it is the kind of thing you would never think of whilst watching the film, which just moves effortlessly throughout its running time. One thing that is impossible not to notice while watching “Barbie” though is just how incredible both the production design and costuming is on the film (by Sarah Greenwood and Jacqueline Durran respectively), and the attention to detail on both. These look and feel just like a Barbie Dreamhouse or an oversized accessory (like Barbie's big hairbrush) would look like, in a living, breathing Barbie world. I loved that Barbie came across as a little too big for everything that she owned, like that the ceilings on her Dreamhouse looked too low, or her car that little bit too small for her, because the real-life dolls always struggle with this scale too. I was also very impressed by how glossy, and shiny (and plastic) Barbie's world came across as, and how this was countered by the real world aesthetics and dullness when they change worlds. The famous scene of Barbie and Ken arriving in the real world dressed in their skin-tight Lycra rollerblading costumes is hilarious and immediately shows the point of difference between both worlds in a very funny way. As I mentioned above, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's script is fantastic, with it being equal parts funny and at times deep, and I loved the aspect where they examine how the good intention of making Barbie powerful, beautiful and successful in her world, has led real little girls unprepared for the harsh realities of the real world, as they have been set-up with unrealistic expectations on what it is to be a young girl in the world. Gerwig also excels in the direction department by keeping the film incredibly fun, full of colour, and always moving. She is an excellent filmmaker, and this is another huge success in her young directorial career.

As you can tell, like almost everyone in the world, I am quite a fan of the “Barbie” movie (although I have to admit, sadly, it just fell short of my top twenty-five list), but what was the biggest surprise for me, and what I was not expecting from it, was that “Barbie” would turn out to be such a massive success all around the world. That said, it is definitely well deserved.

2023 - IN REVIEW: BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

 

ABOUT DRY GRASSES

I am sure many of you have just read the title of my biggest disappointment of 2023 and gone “WHAT??!!??”. Yes, I understand how loved “About Dry Grasses” is, and that it currently has a score of 8.1 on imdb, but this has more to do with a film not living up to expectations rather than it being a bad film of any kind.

I am a very big fan of Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and it is always an event whenever he releases a new film. His previous film “The Wild Pear Tree”, I thought, was outstanding and it featured highly on my top ten of that year. Although it didn't make it on to my “official” most anticipated list of 2023, there was no doubt that “About Dry Grasses” was one that I was looking forward to greatly, and was very excited when it was announced (as expected) to be playing at this year's MIFF. From memory, the first trailer for the film had been already released (or happened very soon after the MIFF announcement), and just on the images displayed and mood conveyed in that trailer, it looked as if Nuri Bilge Ceylan had another masterpiece on his hands. The film looked stunning!

And the movie played out just like that, as I was watching it. I remember consciously thinking “Man, how great is this! This is going to be another classic”, during my screening, as I was particularly impressed by Ceylan's handle of both tone and pace, and the way he never seemed rushed to tell his story. He gives us time to meet all the characters, become familiar with the landscape of the town where the story takes place, before the actual drama of the story begins. It had a very un-Hollywood feel to it, and I was loving every second of “About Dry Grasses”. As mentioned above, I am very familiar with Ceylan's films previous, so his slow and dialogue heavy style was something I was anticipating, nor did I see it as any sort of negative in regards to enjoying “About Dry Grasses”. The same goes for the extended running time, I was well prepared for the 3 hour and seventeen minute running time (it's Ceylan's longest film to date), and like I mentioned above, I was with the film totally and loving every second of it.........until I wasn't. There is a very long scene, about halfway through the film, that takes place between the characters of Samet and Nuray, set essentially just around a kitchen table, where the two characters talk about their personal philosophies about life and just how they see the world and the fairness within the world. It is a very, very long scene (I wouldn't be surprised if it was at least twenty minutes long), but it totally took me out of the film because I found the character of Samet insufferable and incredibly selfish after his rant, that I lost all empathy towards him and his ordeal throughout the film. He isn't the most likeable character from the outset but by the end of this scene, I thoroughly disliked him, and particularly the way he treated his “friend” Nuray during this conversation. From this moment on in “About Dry Grasses”, I found myself distracted and disturbed by Samet, and as such kept finding myself outside of the film, trying to locate an entry point to enter within it again, and enjoy it once more, which I struggled to do. I was shattered by this too, because of just how much I was enjoying the film before this scene and with it being so good up until then, that I was expecting to rate it as a masterpiece. Now I understand that all of this has to do with my own personal baggage and beliefs that I have brought to the film, so it is not the fault of Nuri Bilge Ceylan in any way, but I reacted differently to the film from this scene onward.

Until now, I haven't even mentioned the plot of “About Dry Grasses”, which is about Samet, who is a teacher in the fourth year of his compulsory service in a remote village of Anatolia, looking to the future and finally being transferred back to the city, when his world is turned upside down after he is accused by two teenage students of inappropriate touching. He is floored by the accusations, and makes little sense of them, particularly when he finds out that the two girls who accused him are those he has a fantastic teaching relationship with (or so he thought). He denies any wrongdoing, and maintains his innocence throughout, but the weight of the accusations hang heavy on him, as he starts to think he will never be able to escape the grim life he is living in this tiny village. Samet then meets Nuray, who is also a teacher (and someone who has the right to feel aggrieved by the world), and he has the chance to find meaning and hope in his life (and occupation) once more, but will he be open enough to take that chance?

As you can see, there is a lot in the film, and for the most part, “About Dry Grasses” is very well done. It is actually based on a real-life incident of Akin Aksu, who co-wrote the screenplay with Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and his wife Ebru Ceylan, back when he was a teacher himself. I think it is a fantastic script, with a lot of depth, tackling a lot of different (and difficult) topics and themes in an intelligent manner. The acting is all superb, with a special shout-out to Merve Dizdar who is outstanding as Nuray. I wasn't as thrilled by the cinematography by Cevahir Sahin and Kursat Uresin which, whilst you would never call bad or uninteresting, I just didn't find it as sharp or as impressive as the cinematography of Gokhan Tiryaki, Ceylan's regular cinematographer since “Climates” in 2006. Do not get me wrong, “About Dry Grasses” is not a bad film, not even by a long shot, but when I left my screening I was absolutely shattered that I did not fall in love with the film completely, as it appeared like the majority of the people did who attended my screening. Again, I had a conscious thought where I couldn't believe how disappointed I was, particularly after the way I was feeling about the film around the half way mark, where I thought it would challenge my top two or three films of the year! So yeah, whilst I understand that this is a strange one for “Biggest Disappointment” of the year, it was actually what I felt coming out of the film; it disappointed me “in film”, from how great I found it initially to where my opinion of it ended up; I was devastated. Sadly, I have not had the chance to re-watch the film since MIFF, but I really do look forward to a second viewing in the hope that I see the film in a different light and it becomes the masterpiece I thought it was at the half way point.