Directed and edited by Kelly Reichardt and written by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond, Showing Up is the story of a sculptor who is about to open her own exhibition while she also tends to her family life as well as friends and competing artists just as she is convinced she’s going to get her big break. The film is an exploration into the art scene in Portland, Oregon where a woman is eager to make it while trying to devote much attention to her job, family life, and friendships. Starring Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Andre Benjamin, James LeGros, Maryann Plunkett, John Magaro, and Judd Hirsch. Showing Up is an engaging and somber film from Kelly Reichardt.
The film follows the week and the life of a sculptor living in Portland, Oregon where she works for her mother at the Oregon College of Arts and Craft while is set to have her first major art exhibition while dealing her neighbor who is a competing artist as well as issues with her family and tending to a wounded pigeon that her cat attacked. It is a film that follows a woman who is struggling to work on her sculptors and manage other things in her life yet her apartment doesn’t have hot water as her neighbor isn’t fixing it in favor of her own work with her own exhibition. The film’s screenplay by Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond largely explores the life that Lizzy (Michelle Williams) has as her father Bill (Judd Hirsch) is a retired artist while she works at the college with her mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett) who is trying to do her work but also have this major exhibition that could be the break she needs as an artist.
Yet, her neighbor Jo (Hong Chau) hasn’t been able to fix Lizzy’s water heater as she is often distracted with other things relating to her own exhibit as well as having to care for a pigeon that Jo found which had been attacked by Lizzy’s cat. It all plays into the many things that are keeping Lizzy from completing her work for the exhibition as well as some family issues as it includes her reclusive brother Sean (John Magaro) who had been estranged from the family. Lizzy is also dealing with the fact that there’s other artists who have been doing exhibits that has been very successful as there is a pressure for her to get some attention as well as get some validity as an artist.
Reichardt’s direction definitely has some style as it is shot on location in Portland as well as places at the Oregon College of Arts and Craft in Portland, Oregon as it is a character in the film. Reichardt would maintain a simplistic presentation as she emphasizes on some long shots and a few static shots in either some medium or wide shots in certain rooms. Yet, the film opens with a shot that lingers for a few minutes as it moves around various sculptures that Lizzy has created. Much of the sculptures that Lizzy creates is mainly created by artist Cynthia Lahti as it has a unique style as a lot of the art work such as the work that Jo has created showcases a vibrant world that emphasizes on craftsmanship through all sorts of means in the world of art. Even as the college that Lizzy and her mother work at is filled with things that are unique where Reichardt maintains a looseness to the world and the many things that occur to ensure someone is always being creative or how sculptures are refined in a kiln. The attention to detail that Reichardt shows in what Lizzy would do to create her sculptures with its close-ups on her hands is a key aspect of the film.
Also serving as the film’s editor, Reichardt would allow shots to linger while deviating into stylish fast cuts in order to play into the drama that includes Lizzy’s family life as she is upset that her father would often surround himself with drifters. Reichardt’s careful framing and sense of looseness in her direction does give the film a tone that feels free where there are moments where nothing is staged. Notably in the film’s climax at Lizzy’s exhibition is where a lot of the characters come in to support her including this pigeon that she has grown fond of while is also trying to resolve issues with Jo. Overall, Reichardt creates a compelling and wondrous film about an artist trying to get her break while dealing with the chaos in both her professional and personal life.
Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its naturalistic yet low-key approach to the photography as well as giving it a grainy look of sorts for some of its interior scenes as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Anthony Gasparo, with set decorator Amy Beth Silver and art director Lisa Ward, does amazing work with not just the homes of the characters but also some of the art exhibitions as a lot of it were created by local artists. Costume designer April Napier does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual and low-key to play into the personality of these characters with some of whom are wearing hippie-inspired clothing.
Visual effects supervisor Chris Connolly does terrific with the film’s minimal visual effects as it is largely based on the pigeon in a few key scenes with a lot of emphasized on animatronics rather than computer effects. Sound editor Daniel Timmons does superb work with the sound to play into the natural elements of the locations as well as how sound is presented from afar or up close. The film’s music by Ethan Rose is wonderful as it is largely a low-key electronic/ambient score with some woodwinds that includes flute performances by Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000 while music supervisor Dawn Sutter Madell creates a soundtrack that is largely low-key and played on radios with a lot of being indie music.
The casting by Simon Max Hill is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Amanda Plummer and Matt Malloy as a couple of drifters who are crashing at Bill’s home, Lauren Lakis as a colleague in Terri, Denzel Rodriguez as a young administrator in William, James LeGros as an older administrator in Ira, Heather Lawless as an artist in Marlene who just had her own successful exhibit, and Theo Taplitz as a young neighbor of Sean who watches over Sean. Judd Hirsch is fantastic as Lizzy’s father Bill as a former artist who still creates pots yet prefers to enjoy retirement and hang out with drifters which worries Lizzy. John Magaro is superb as Lizzy’s brother Sean as a former artist who has turned into a recluse as he becomes paranoid as it relates to his own mental illness and such as he hasn’t talked to his parents in months.
Andre Benjamin is excellent as Eric as an artist/teacher who watches over the kilns as he is a colleague of both Jo and Lizzy as he does what he can to help the latter while is more interested in the former. Maryann Plunkett is brilliant as Lizzy’s mother Jean as a top administrator at the college who is hoping to keep Lizzy busy while knowing that she has an exhibit to present that she wants to attend with the whole family. Hong Chau is amazing as Jo as this artist who is also Lizzy’s next door neighbor/landlord who is already on the verge of a breakthrough with her own exhibition yet is often distracted to help out Lizzy as it causes some tension and such. Finally, there’s Michelle Williams in a phenomenal performance as Lizzy as this artist who is set to have breakthrough moment as an artist yet is coping with dealing with things in her family life as well as work and other distractions where Williams captures a lot of the struggles and anguish an artist has while also coping with her own family issues as Williams brings a lot of restraint as well as realism to the character as it’s one of her finest performances to date.
Showing Up is an incredible film by Kelly Reichardt that features a great leading performance from Michelle Williams. Along with its supporting cast, realistic visuals, and its study of artists struggling to get a break. It is a film that follows a week in the life of an artist who is trying to get her moment but also deal with the many struggles that artists go through in trying to balance their lives with their art and the people around them. In the end, Showing Up is a sensational film from Kelly Reichardt.
Based on the novel by Georges Bernanos, Sous le soleil de Satan (Under the Sun of Satan) is the story of a priest who is tormented by the world in general despite his gift to do good amidst a tumultuous time in 1920s France. Directed by Maurice Pialat and screenplay by Pialat and Sylvie Danton, the film is an exploration of faith and a priest’s attempt to save a young woman and others from sin and the evils of the world. Starring Gerard Depardieu, Sandrine Bonnaire, and Maurice Pialat. Sous le soleil de Satan is an eerie and evocative film from Maurice Pialat.
The film follows a priest working at parish in a small town in 1920s France as he is consumed with doubt and uncertainty as he also deals with the chaos created by a young woman who seeks help only to be tempted by her own vices. It is a film that is an exploration of faith in a tumultuous world where this priest has just been ordained by the Catholic Church though he is convinced that he isn’t ready to be a priest. Especially as he asks God about his worth after learning about what this young woman had done as she is the daughter of the local brewer. The film’s screenplay by Maurice Pialat and Sylvie Danton explores the many doubts that Donissan (Gerard Depardieu) is going through as he would punish himself at times as the first act is about Donissan’s insecurities but also this story about Mouchette (Sandrine Bonnaire) who has been having affairs with a local marquis and a doctor as she learns she is pregnant with the former’s baby but things have gotten complicated as she’s also the local brewer’s daughter.
Donissan and Mouchette wouldn’t meet until the halfway point in the film in its second act as the former would have this encounter with a horse dealer (Jean-Christophe Bouvet) who isn’t exactly who he seems as he is a much darker figure that would play into Donissan’s faith. Especially as he would add more doubt to Donissan upon his meeting with Mouchette where he realizes what she had done as he wants her to confess in order to save herself yet she isn’t interested as she is filled with her own turmoil in her life. It would add to these things that Donissan would see as he turns to his mentor Menou-Segrais (Maurice Pialat) who is trying assure Donissan in that he can be a good priest though he also becomes aware of Donissan’s mental issues. The film’s third act plays into the things that Donissan had seen as well as his own struggles with faith as people see him as someone they can go to for a miracle but he sees it more as a burden.
Pialat’s direction is entrancing for the way it plays into a man’s struggle with faith in this small French town set in the 1920s as it is shot on different locations in the small towns of Montreuil-sur-Mer and Fressin. Pialat’s usage of wide and medium shots don’t just play into the locations that the characters are in but also into Donissan’s disconnect with the world around him as he feels like he is unworthy to serve God. Pialat also uses a lot of long shots for some of the conversations including the ones that Mouchette would have with her lovers where Pialat’s close-ups add to the striking look of the film. Even in the conversation between Donissan and Mouchette is added with intrigue as they talk with a destroyed house in the background as it play into the chaos that both characters are dealing with in their respective lives. There are also these intense acts of violence that is committed by Mouchette as it plays into her troubled state as well as the fact that she’s a young woman that feels like she has no control of her emotions and desires.
Pialat also plays into these elements of surrealism as it relates to Donissan’s encounter with the horse dealer as the look of the film changes into something far colder as the film would progress into something much bleaker. Yet, there are these elements of hope that the small town would see in Donissan but it only adds to his own anxieties. Even as he tends to a family with a boy that is dying as it plays into his desires to be worthy of God’s love though he is tempted by hate and doubt. Pialat also has these moments that play into people eager to be saved through Donissan as it plays into him figuring out his role but also the fact that evil still looms as its finale is about him giving in to God or Satan. Overall, Pialat crafts a riveting and haunting film about a priest’s struggle with his faith and his attempt to save a young woman from madness.
Cinematographer Willy Kurant does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its naturalistic look for some of the film’s daytime exterior scenes along with unique lighting for some of the film’s interior shots along with some stylish blue filters for the scenes where Donissan meets the horse dealer. Editor Yann Dedet does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts that allows the long shots to be cut abruptly yet it works to enhance the dramatic effect including Donissan’s meeting with Mouchette. Production designer Katia Wyszkop and set decorator Gerard Marcireau do excellent work with the look of the rooms that Donissan would live in during his time in different parishes but also the posh home of one of Mouchette’s lover in the marquis.
Costume designer Gil Noir does fantastic work with the costumes from the robes many of the priests wear as well as some of the posh-like clothing that Mouchette wears. The sound work of Louis Gimel is superb for its natural approach to sound in capturing everything that is happening on the location while enhancing some of Mouchette’s screams. The film’s music by Henri Dutilleux is wonderful as it is this low-key classical piece that plays into Donissan’s doubt and struggles with its soft yet brooding string arrangements.
The film’s terrific ensemble cast feature notable small roles from Marcel Anselin as the Bishop Gerbier, Philippe Pallut as a young quarryman whom Donissan meets on his walk, Marie-Antoinette Lorge as a housemaid at the home where Donissan and Menou-Segrais live in, Corinne Bourdon as a woman whose child is dying as she turns to Donissan, Brigitte Legendre as Mouchette’s mother, Jean-Claude Bourlat as a priest in Malorthy, and Jean-Christophe Bouvet as a horse dealer that Donissan meets during his walk as he is revealed to be something far more sinister. Yann Dedet and Alain Arthur are fantastic in their respective roles as Mouchette’s lovers in the doctor Gallet and the marquis Cadignan with the former being concerned and troubled by Mouchette’s confessions and desires while the latter is someone who is also married but is unsure about wanting to continue until things suddenly go wrong.
Maurice Pialat is brilliant as Menou-Segrais as a veteran priest who mentors Donissan as he also becomes concerned about Donissan’s struggles and other mysterious events as he also tries to assure his protégé about what to do. Sandrine Bonnaire is incredible as Mouchette as a young woman who is pregnant yet consumed with guilt and anger as well as her own sense of uncertainty in her many affairs and her own place in the world. Finally, there’s Gerard Depardieu in a phenomenal performance as Donissan as a newly-ordained priest who struggles with his role as well as his own faith where he often questions his worth but also the world around him believing he couldn’t do anything as the sense of anguish and humility adds to the restrained and grounded performance that Depardieu brings.
Sous le soleil de Satan is a tremendous film from Maurice Pialat that features great leading performances from Gerard Depardieu and Sandrine Bonnaire. Along with its ensemble cast, eerie visuals, a haunting music soundtrack, stylish editing, and its exploration of doubt and devotion. It is a film that explores a priest’s struggle to maintain his faith in a chaotic world while trying to save a young woman from her own sins. In the end, Sous le soleil de Satan is a sensational film from Maurice Pialat.
Maurice Pialat Films: (L’amour existe) – (Naked Childhood) – (We Won’t Grow Old Together) – (The Mouth Agape) – (Graduate First) – (Loulou) – (A Nos Amour) – (Police (1985 film)) – (Van Gogh (1991 film)) – (Le Garcu)
Summer is coming to an end and it’s been one hot fucking summer as it’s not fun to be outside as it makes me worried for my niece and nephew as they both love to go outside but the heat is horrendous. My mother is from Honduras as she’s experienced heat that is intense but she will admit that it’s not like this here in Georgia as I even read from a fellow blogger who lives in Minnesota of all places stating that she experienced heat that is above the 100s. That is fucked up and with a hurricane coming to Florida as well as all of these wildfires and other shit. This has been a chaotic summer not just in terms of nature such as the hurricane happening in Florida as well as the wildfires on Maui but also what’s been going on all over the world as it relates to shootings, political barbs, and all sorts of shit as I’m just like “I’m tired of this shit”.
The WGA-SAG strike still continues with several films being delayed such as Dune Part 2 being pushed to next year which sucks but it does allow me the chance to save more money to see Priscilla hopefully as Sofia Coppola comes first before everything else. The fact that it’s still on-going is proof that these actors and writers are in need and with films and TV projects continuously being delayed. Studios are going to have cough up not just a lot of money but also these studio executives are going to have to take a massive up pay cut in order to keep these actors and writers not just happy but content. Even as the fall film season with its many film festivals coming and many of the actors appearing in these films won’t be able to appear because of the strike.
The world of professional wrestling was a big up and down this year as the big came in the form of AEW’s All In event in London at Wembley Stadium as it broke the all-time paid attendance record with 81,035 people at the event breaking 2 events from WWE in WrestleMania 32 and WrestleMania III as both events stated false records in 101,763 people at AT&T Stadium and 93,173 people at the Pontiac Silverdome respectively with real numbers being 79,800 for WrestleMania 32 and 78,000 at WrestleMania III. The events at Collision in Korea from WCW and New Japan at North Korea in 1995 doesn’t count because the people attending both shows in 1995 were forced to attend. The event itself is monumental for a professional wrestling company that hasn’t even been around for five years yet it shows that AEW is going to be here for a while no matter how much money and fake records WWE can tout. While AEW is going to do a second event in the U.K. next year and even opening the possibility of doing an event in Mexico at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
It is a company that needs to be successful despite the fact that Tony Khan doesn’t have a lot of guts when it comes to confrontation as All In had a recent incident once again involving CM Punk due to words said by Jack Perry during the pre-show and the two got into a brawl before Punk’s match with Samoa Joe as both men are currently suspended as they will miss All Out at Punk’s hometown of Chicago this coming Sunday. Even though Punk was in the right over what had happened with Perry, Punk’s fight with Perry didn’t make him look good as he’s already gotten into some trouble with other people as he had some of the banned from AEW Collision. It is Warner Discovery that wanted Punk back in AEW as did Tony Khan but it’s doing more damage than good as it’s another thing that David Zaslav has touched and has fucked it up even more. It’s bad enough what he’s done in cancelling films and gutting Turner Classic Movies but him getting involved in professional wrestling is a bad sign as it’s going to hurt AEW.
Then there’s the big downside in the world of professional wrestling in the passing of two major figures. The first is Terry Funk who is truly a legend in his own right having crossed over many different generations and decades through many different promotions and was always his own man. His work with his brother Dory Funk Jr. as a tag team to winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the 1970s to his work in Japan in the 80s and 90s including participating in death matches with Mick Foley and Atsushi Onita in which the latter had both taken part in the exploding ring match in the 1990s. There was also his legendary feud with Ric Flair in 1989 that served as a prototype for hardcore wrestling in the 1990s as well as the empty arena match with Jerry “the King” Lawler in the early 1980s. The man did so much but he was also one of the most generous people in professional wresting as his passing at the age of 79 is sad but he lived a full life and a career that will never be duplicated. Even through is many retirements throughout the years including this great moment in Japan.
The day after the announcement of Funk’s death came another death but one that shocked me and in an unexpected way and that is in the passing of Windham Rotunda aka Bray Wyatt. Rotunda’s death at the age of 36 is tragic not only because he died so young but also leaves behind four children who will never grow up with a father as well as the untapped potential he had. While the booking of Wyatt in WWE for the past decade has been spotty with some amazing matches but also some shitty matches yet he did a lot in his brief career that many wish they would’ve accomplished. He had recently returned in late 2022 and did a match with L.A. Knight at the Royal Rumble which wasn’t a good match and was set to face either Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 39.
Unfortunately, Wyatt was hit with COVID that triggered a serious heart condition and it was life threatening as he spent the last several months trying to recover. This passing just as he was set to return and also get married is just soul-crushing yet he did make an impact through his audience as well as other wrestlers as many of them from different promotions paid tribute to him in some way or form as he will be missed though it is a real shame that he never rose to a level that he should’ve had due to some poor booking by some aging old fart who is more into oily bodybuilders and jingoist attitudes than something different.
In the month of August 2023, I saw a total of 17 films in 11 first-timers and 6 re-watches with four first-timers being films directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. A decent month despite the fact that I didn’t see much because of two energetic kids but I still saw a good amount of films. A major highlight of the month has been my Blind Spot film in Kiki's Delivery Service. Here is the top 10 first-timers that I saw for August 2023:
10. Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I Saw
Then a Year
A short film by Kelly Reichardt that I was fortunate to find on YouTube as it had been unavailable for years though its presentation is a bit substandard in comparison to the quality often shown on YouTube. Still, Reichardt’s experimental short film is a fascinating look into her arrival into Portland with images of the city and its nearby locations filled with sound collages including love letters by Mary Kay Letourneau, TV commercials, and other voiceovers as it plays into this air of disconnect that was looming in the early 2000s.
A Pure Spirit
One of two short films I saw on MUBI as the first is from Mia Hansen-Love as it is mainly a silent four-minute short film of a young woman walking through a park. Even as she watches a lot of things happening around as she thinks about the world around her as it is something fans of Hansen-Love should seek out.
Pitch Black Panacea
The second short from MUBI that I saw is a strange mixture of live-action and animation by Thomas Hardiman as it explore two people with lazy eye who live in a dark room for 10 days as they endure surreal moments through animation. It is a short filled with a lot of imagination as it also play into what these two people have to endure in order to cure their lazy eye as it is worth seeking out.
Sorcerers: A Conversation with William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn
This 77-minute film of sorts made in 2015 revolves around a conversation between William Friedkin and Nicolas Winding Refn in talking about the former’s 1977 film Sorcerer. It is an entertaining conversation that has Friedkin busting Refn’s balls throughout the whole conversation while they talk about Friedkin’s original casting idea that was to include Steve McQueen, Marcello Mastroianni, and Lino Ventura along with other things that impacted the production. Friedkin also revealed into why it didn’t do well in the box office when it first came out as well as how films were promoted then as to how they would be promoted in the 21st Century. It is something fans of both filmmakers and the film Sorcerer should seek out in lieu of the recent passing of William Friedkin who will be missed as he died earlier this month.
Ahsoka (season 1, episodes 1-3)
The stuff that the Star Wars franchise has been doing with TV in The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor has been great though there’s been a lot of negativity towards this show before it even came out as it reminds me that there’s a group of fanboys who are nothing more than a bunch of whiny little bitches with sand in their vaginas. Three episodes in so far and I’m enjoying what Dave Filoni has created as it is set years following the end of the Empire where Ahsoka Tano teams up with her former Padawan in Sabine Wren and their old friend in General Hera Syndulla over rumors that Admiral Thrawn is alive. Rosario Dawson is perfect as Tano with Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Wren and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Syndulla who both provide great performances. The show also features Ray Stevenson in one of his final performances as a former Jedi in Baylan Skoll who has his own Padawan in Shin Hati, played with such grit in Ivanna Sakhno as they both are great antagonists so far. It’s already starting to come around as I look forward to watching the rest of the series.
Wrestling Match of the Month: MJF (c) vs. Adam Cole for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship – AEW All In – 8/27/23
The main event at AEW All In is also the hottest story in professional wrestling as it involves two guys who started off as rivals early this summer only to team up via raffle to fight FTR for the tag team titles to suddenly become best friends. There is a lot of intrigue into the growing friendship between Adam Cole and MJF as neither of them are trustful but they somehow made it work. The match they would have at Wembley in front of 81,000 people is full of drama but also hesitation from both men along with false finishes and interference from Cole’s soon-to-be-former-friend in Roderick Strong trying to help Cole cheat. It is a match that is just fun to watch as well as the fact that it will continue the hottest story in wrestling right now that isn’t from WWE or has any relation to the Bloodline or the Judgement Day.
Well, that is all for August. I am not sure what theatrical release I will watch other than My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 with my mother who wants to see it as she rarely goes to see films in the movie theaters. Aside from whatever I can watch on various streaming services, I hope to watch Kelly Reichardt’s Showing Up as I’ve managed to get a few things for my Auteurs profile on her written while I plan on pushing the one on Michael Mann to early next year as I’m not sure if I will do J.C. Chandor next in anticipation for Kraven the Hunter or just push him to next year in favor of David Lean. As for my next Blind Spot choice, I’m unsure what film to do as it’s likely to be India Song.
Before I leave, I want to express my condolences to those who have been lost in these recent events in shootings and deaths to Mother Nature as well as the following in filmmaker Nancy Buirski, Belgian actor Roger Van Hool, cinematographer Gabor Medvigy, Notre Dame sportscaster Tony Roberts, Bernie Marsden of Whitesnake, voice actress Arlene Sorkin, Hersha Parady of Little House on the Prairie, TV writer David Jacobs, Ron Cepha Jones, Bobby Eli of MFSB, original Pavement drummer Gary Young, Sir Michael Parkinson, American football legend Gary Barnes, Robbie Robertson, Johnny Hardwick of King of the Hill, Sixto Rodriguez, John Gosling of the Kinks, music composer Carl Davis, Mark Margolis, and the greatest game show host ever in Bob Barker. We will miss you all. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
Based on the comics/animated TV series created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the story of four mutant turtles with martial arts skill who go undercover to hunt down a mysterious crime syndicate that is terrorizing New York City where they deal with other mutants causing mayhem. Directed by Jeff Rowe and screenplay by Rowe, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, Rowe, and Brendan O’Brien, the animated film is a reboot of the film/TV series that is set in a modern world with an array of different animation style as it plays into these four teenage turtles trying to find themselves but also use their skills to make the world a better place. Featuring the voices of Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon as the titular characters along with Seth Rogen, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Post Malone, Ice Cube, Hannibal Burress, Paul Rudd, and Jackie Chan as Splinter. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is an exhilarating and ravishing film from Jeff Rowe.
The film revolves around a series of thefts committed by a mysterious figure where four teenage mutant ninja turtles find themselves battling this mysterious figure as well as trying to be accepted despite the fact that they’re mutants and their adopted father in a mutated rat in Splinter warns them about humans. It is a film that plays into that these four teenage turtles who want to be part of the world even though they’ve been trained by Splinter in the art of ninjitsu in order to get things from the outside world. Still, there is chaos looming throughout New York City as it relates to a mutagen that was developed by a scientist working for a mysterious corporation as it would play not just how the turtles and Splinter would be mutated but also a mysterious figure known as Superfly (Ice Cube) who would hire thugs to steal things and then kill them as they would be witnesses. The film’s screenplay is largely straightforward with a few backstory as it relates to Splinter, the turtles, Superfly, and his gang while it also play into what is at stake as well as these four turtles who all want to be part of the world and be accepted.
Notably as the turtles themselves are teenagers with different personalities that all want to be in the world as Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) is sort of the leader of the group but is also awkward and unsure of himself. Raphael (Brady Noon) is brash and sarcastic but is also full of energy and aggression that he needed to let out. Donatello (Micah Abbey) is the nerdy one who knows how to work tech while also wears glasses. Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) is the goofball in the group who is good at improvising while also wanting to party. Superfly was someone that was cared for by the scientist Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) along with other creatures until he was attacked by the corporation he was working for lead by Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph) who wants to weaponized the mutagen for her own reasons as the opening scene is about her gang attacking Stockman with a mutagen canister falling into a sewer on Splinter and these four young turtles. Yet, it was Superfly who would save other animals that were being mutated as they would be part of a gang as they would meet the turtles and realize that Superfly’s plans in dealing with humans might not be the right thing to do. Even April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) who would meet the turtles after retrieving her scooter as she sees their intention as well a story she is trying to cover in her high school despite a disastrous moment in her attempt to be a news journalist.
Jeff Rowe’s direction is definitely wondrous for not just its story but also a look that is unlike a lot of animated films as it aims for a look that is crude, unpolished, and at times were drawn by children. Yet, it works because it not only adds to the tone of the film but also this world that is off-kilter at times while a lot of its look plays to the fact that it is a film about teenage turtles who are dealing with growing pains but also this need to connect with a world they’ve been sheltered in. With help from co-director Kyler Spears and an immense team of animators that include character designers James A. Castillo, Justin Runfola, and Woodrow White. Rowe would maintain a look and feel to the film as it play into not just the grittiness of New York City but also in the sewers the attention to detail in how it looks thanks in part to the work of production designer Yashar Kassai, along with art directors Arthur Fong and Tiffany Lam in maintaining that look. Even with the work of cinematographer Kent Seki in the lighting as well as the visual effects work of Chris Kazmier and Matthieu Rouxel to help play out the look including the design of the mutants.
Rowe’s direction also has these unique compositions in the close-ups and medium shots as it relates to the turtles and their desire to connect with the world as there’s a scene of them watching a bunch of people watching a scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. There are also some unique wide shots that includes the film’s climax which is grand in terms of what the turtles have to face as it plays into Superfly’s own plans to destroy humanity. Rowe would maintain a massive canvas for the climax as it plays into what is at stake but also what the turtles have to do as they not only get some life lessons about acceptance as well as doing the right thing. Overall, Rowe and Spears craft a riveting and imaginative film about four teenage mutant ninja turtles trying to fit in with the human world as well as take down some bad guys.
Editor Greg Levitan does amazing work with the editing with its fast-cutting style for some of the action and fight scenes but allows shots to reveal what is going on along with stylish moments such as a montage sequence of each turtle fighting bad guys is a highlight of the film. Sound editor Mark A. Mangini does fantastic work with the sound in some of the sound effects for the weapons as well as some of the tech characters use. The film’s music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is phenomenal with its electronic-based score ranging from pulsating, industrial-based themes to some low-key yet plaintive piano-based bits as it is a major highlight of the film. Music supervisor Gabe Hilfer does excellent work in cultivating the film’s soundtrack that largely features 80s/90s hip-hop and other music with contributions from Blackstreet with Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, Wayne Newton, M.O.P., A Tribe Called Quest, BTS, Bobby Vinton, Natasha Bedingfield, Vanilla Ice, Liquid Liquid, De La Soul, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Gucci Mane with Bruno Mars and Kodak Black, ESG, Hugh Masekela, and variations of the 4 Non Blondes song What's Up? that includes a famous remix made for He-Man.
The casting by Rich Delia is great as it features some notable voice cameos from comic creator Kevin Eastman as a human in the film’s climax, Alex Hirsch in a dual role as the voice of a mutated cockroach in Scumbug and a small crime boss who is hired by Superfly, Michael Badalucco as another local crime boss hired by Superfly, Andia Winslow as a TV news anchor, Raechel Wong as a TV news reporter on the scene during the film’s climax, and Giancarlo Esposito in a small but crucial role as the scientist Baxter Stockman who created a mutagen in order to create something unique rather than use it as a weapon Other notable voice performances as members of Superfly’s gang include Hannibal Burress as Genghis Frog, Austin Post/Post Malone as the mutant manta ray known as Ray Fillet, and Natasia Demetriou as the mutant bat Wingnut as they all get the chance to stand out and be funny. The voice contributions of Rose Byrne, John Cena, Seth Rogen, and Paul Rudd in their respective roles as Superfly’s gang members in Leatherhead, Rocksteady, Bebop, and Mondo Gecko are a joy to watch in how they bring in a lot of nuances and humor to the roles with Rudd being the standout as Gecko who seems to find a friend in Michelangelo.
Maya Rudolph and Ice Cube are excellent in their respective roles as the antagonists Cynthia Utrom and Superfly with the former being a corporate executive who wants to weaponized the mutagen as she sees the turtles as a threat while the latter is a more complex individual who is protective of his family but also has some valid reasons into his own hatred for humanity though his plans prove to be extreme for some. Ayo Edebiri is amazing as April O’Neil as high school student who wants to be a reporter as well as becoming the first human friend of the turtles with Edebiri also bringing a lot of charisma to a character that is often sexualized in films as she is presented as a street-smart African-American high school student as it feels fresh. Jackie Chan is brilliant as Splinter as a rat who also becomes mutated by the mutagen ooze as he teaches his turtles ninjitsu but also warns them about not going into the human world due to his own prejudice towards humanity until he would discover about Superfly and his own intentions where he does what he can to make his adopted sons happy.
Finally, there’s the quartet of Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Micah Abbey, and Shamon Brown Jr. in incredible voice performances as Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Rather than having adult actors voice teenagers, the casting of actual teenagers to play these teenage turtles as they all bring this sense of energy but also a realism that adds to the performance as the kids who are just trying to find themselves. Notably as Cantu, Noon, Abbey, and Brown were able to provide a sense of personality and charisma to their respective characters as they are a major highlight of the film.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a sensational film from Jeff Rowe. Featuring a great ensemble cast, inventive animation, a compelling story on the desire to be accepted, gorgeous visuals, and an incredible music score. The film is definitely an animated film that manages to be more than just a fun action-adventure film but also a compelling coming of age film that also has references to past films from other franchises relating to these turtles. In the end, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a phenomenal film from Jeff Rowe.
Related: (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film)) – (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze) – (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III) – (TMNT (2007 film)) – (The Mitchells vs. the Machines) – (null 16)
Based on the novel by Eiko Kadono, Majo no Takkyubin (Kiki’s Delivery Service) is the story of a young witch who moves to a new town during a mandatory one-year moment to be independent as she struggles to fit in while using her magic to support herself. Written and directed for the screen by Hayao Miyazaki, the animated fantasy film explores a young girl trying to find herself in a new environment as well as meeting a young boy with aspirations to be a pilot. Featuring the voices of Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, and Kappei Yamaguchi. Majo no Takkyubin is a majestic and heartfelt film from Hayao Miyazaki.
Set in the 1950s, the film revolves around a 13-year old witch who decides to move to a new town during a one-year mandatory period of independence to find herself where she uses her magic to be a delivery girl for a local bakery. It is a film with a simple premise that plays into this young girl who is trying to find her place in the world while befriending a few locals including a young boy who wants to be a pilot. It plays into this young girl who decides to do her mandatory one-year journey of independence in her training to become a witch as her mother lends her a broom while the titular character (Minami Takayama) is joined by her pet black cat in Jiji (Rei Sakuma) who can talk to her as they travel to a port town. Hayao Miyazaki’s screenplay is largely straightforward in its narrative as it explores a world for this young girl who is trying to make a living while maintaining her training but she also sees a world where there is a lot happening including girls in her age groups who go to parties and have fun in a world that feels like years removed from war. Still, Kiki has to cope with a world that is new and modern despite her ability to deliver things to people until changes in and around her life start to impact her while she ponders if she could still continue being a witch.
Miyazaki’s direction is rich in its imagery from the attention to detail he puts in towards the fictional port city of Koriko to the sense of realism and imagination he puts in towards the world that Kiki would encounter. Aided by supervising animators Yoshifumi Kondo, Shinji Otsuka, and Katsuya Kondo, who would also serve as the character designer, Miyazaki’s approach to the animation with its two-dimensional, hand-drawn style has this element of wonderment in how Kiki would encounter her new world along with the people she meets. The usage of wide and medium shots allows the city of Koriko to be a character in the film while Miyazaki would also allow the latter to play into some intimate moments in the film that also include close-ups such as Kiki’s encounter with an artist in the forest in Ursula (Minami Takayama) along with an old lady (Haruko Kato) whom she helps bake a pie with an old stone oven.
With the aid of cinematographer Shigeo Sugimura in terms of the lighting for some scenes set at night and in the rain along with production designer Hiroshi Ono for the look of Koriko. Miyazaki does play into this world that is vibrant and moving towards a postwar world that includes a dirigible that Tombo (Kappei Yamaguchi) is interested in as it’s about to launch. It would play into the film’s third act as it relates to Kiki’s own revelations about herself as she contends with being someone that wants to socialize with people in her age group but also wanting to support herself and to be a witch. Yet, Miyazaki would maintain this sense of fantasy in a world that is realistic as the two would converge in this climax as it plays into a young girl who is trying to find her purpose in life. Overall, Miyazaki crafts a rapturous and intoxicating film about a young witch who tries to find herself by becoming a delivery girl through magic.
Editor Takeshi Seyama does amazing work with the film’s editing in the way it plays into some of the suspense and drama with some jump-cuts and other rhythmic cutting as it adds to the sense of whimsy throughout the film. Sound mixer Shuji Inoue does superb work with the sound in the way certain objects sound as well as sound effects for the way Kiki would fly on her broom. The film’s music by Joe Hisaishi is incredible for its mixture of folk and orchestral music that play into the sense of wonderment that Kiki encounters as well as songs that add to the beauty of the film.
The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small voice roles from Keiko Kagimoto as the granddaughter of the Madame, Hiroko Seki as the Madame’s maid, Koichi Miura and Mieko Nobusawa as Kiki’s parents, and Koichi Yamadera as Osono’s husband Fukuo who helps her in a lot of the baking for their bakery. Haruko Kato is fantastic as the voice of the Madame as an old woman who asks Kiki to deliver a pie to her granddaughter’s birthday party only to not be ready because she can’t fix an electric oven only to be saved by a rarely-used stone oven that Kiki knows how to use. Kappei Yamaguchi is excellent as the voice of Tombo as a young boy who befriends Kiki as he is fascinated by her while showing her his love for flying through a propeller he created with his bike in his hopes to be a pilot.
Keiko Toda is brilliant as Osono as the pregnant bakery owner who allows Kiki to live in a room at the bakery while giving her advice about life and such. Rei Sakuma is amazing as the black cat Jiji who is able to talk to Kiki while also helping her out in her deliveries and falling in love with a neighbor cat. Finally, there’s Minami Takayama in an incredible dual-voice performance as the titular character and the young artist Ursula. In the latter, Takayama brings a sense of maturity into this young artist that is still trying to find her own voice as she gets inspiration from Kiki while also helping Kiki to find herself. In the titular role, Takayama brings that sense of innocence and whimsy into the character but also some angst as this young girl that is determined to be a delivery girl although the temptation of being with kids her own age come into play as it adds to this conflict that she needs to find balance for.
Majo no Takkyubin is a spectacular film from Hayao Miyazaki. Armed with gorgeous animation, wondrous visuals, a compelling story of growing up, and a majestic music soundtrack. The film is a rich coming-of-age film set in a fictional world filled with wonder as well as exploring a young girl trying to find herself as a witch. In the end, Majo no Takkyubin is a tremendous film from Hayao Miyazaki.
Hayao Miyazaki Films: (The Castle of Cagliostro) – (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) – (Castle in the Sky) – My Neighbor Totoro - (Porco Rosso) – Princess Mononoke – Spirited Away - (Howl’s Moving Castle) – (Ponyo) – The Wind Rises - (The Boy and the Heron)
Directed, co-edited, co-written, and created by Steve McQueen, Small Axe is a five-film anthology series that explores the lives of West African immigrants from the 1960s to the 1980s in five different stories. The five films tell stories that play into the identities of individuals who deal with social and political changes in London throughout the course of two decades.
Mangrove
Written by Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons. Starring Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes, Malachi Kirby, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings, and Jack Lowden.
Set from 1968 to 1971 in Notting Hill in London, the film revolves around a real-life story in which a Trinidadian immigrant in Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes) opens a West Indian restaurant for his community where it would be continuously raided by the police leading to protests and eventually a court battle against the police. It is a film that plays into a racially-motivated incident that has the police raiding against a restaurant with claims of criminal activity where Crichlow and several others in the community stage a protest that unfortunately got violent where Crichlow and eight others defend themselves in court with Ian McDonald (Jack Lowden) representing them as their attorney. The screenplay explore these events where the British-born activist Barbara Beese (Rochenda Sandall), the Trinidadian Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-LeCointe (Letitia Wright), the Trinidadian activist Darcus Howe (Malachi Kirby), Crichlow, and five others were put on trial as they accuse Constable Pulley (Sam Spruell) of harassment.
McQueen’s direction is riveting in the way it explores this community as it is shot in areas near Notting Hill with recreations of the restaurant that is known as Mangrove. McQueen maintains an intimacy throughout the film with his close-ups and medium shots including scenes inside the restaurant where people are eating food and listening and dancing to Caribbean music including reggae and soul. McQueen would infuse wide shots for scenes outside of the restaurant and in the areas of Notting Hill as well as the courthouse where the Mangrove Nine trial happened. McQueen would create compositions that add to the drama as well as this exploration of how the Mangrove Nine would defend themselves in court with Jones-LeCointe and Howe both representing themselves. McQueen reveals that the Mangrove Nine had a lot going up against them including Judge Edward Clarke (Alex Jennings) who oversees the trial with a jury that only featured two black people.
Lovers Rock
Screenplay by Steve McQueen and Courttia Newland from a story by McQueen. Starring Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn and Micheal Ward.
Set in 1980, the film revolves around a house party to celebrate a young woman’s birthday as many partygoers attend this party including a couple of women wanting to have a good time. It is a film that is told in the span of a day where a young woman sneaks out of her house to go to this house party where she bumps into a former boyfriend while meeting a man whom she would fall in love with. It also play into this simmering tension among former lovers as well as unexpected visitors who want to cause trouble. The film’s screenplay by Steve McQueen and Courttia Newland doesn’t have much of a plot as it follows the lives of a few people with Martha Trenton (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) going to this party with her friend Patty (Shaniqua Okwok) as it is also a birthday party for a young woman in Cynthia (Ellis George) that is hosted by a few people. Much of the film takes place in and out of the house as people drink, eat, and smoke while listening to all sorts of music as things would also be filled with bits of trouble.
McQueen’s direction is intoxicating in the way it captures the atmosphere of a party as the music soundtrack is a key part of the film as it ranges from soul, disco, reggae, and dub. While there are a few wide shots in the film to establish a few bits of the location in and out of the house, much of McQueen’s direction is intimate with its close-ups and medium shots that also include these extreme close-ups of walls where the heat starts to show as well as body parts grinding on one another. Even as McQueen would use different shooting styles ranging from hand-held to static shots as it play into the atmosphere of the parties. Even as Martha gets an unexpected visit from her grieving cousin Clifton (Kedar Williams-Stirling) while also bumping into a former boyfriend in Bammy (Daniel Francis-Swaby) who would eventually cause some trouble. McQueen also maintains this sense of community within the party as the music also help drive the emotional elements of the film as it also leads to a sense of growth for Martha and the man she falls in love with in Franklyn Cooper (Micheal Ward).
Red, White and Blue
Written by Steve McQueen and Courttia Newland. Starring John Boyega, Steve Toussaint, Neil Maskell, and Stephen Boxer.
Set in the early 1980s, the film is about the real-life story of Leroy Logan (John Boyega) whose father Ken (Steve Toussaint) had been assaulted by a couple of white police officers as Leroy would join the police force in the hopes to bring change from within. It is a film that begins in the 1960s when a young Leroy (Nathan Vidal) is waiting for his dad to pick him up at school where he is questioned by a couple of officers until Ken arrives where things don’t go well for Ken as he would struggle to deal with the police until being assaulted as he sues them in court which makes the adult Leroy’s journey in becoming a police officer difficult. The film’s screenplay by Steve McQueen and Courttia Newland reveal the tension between father and son as the latter is trying to bring reform to an already complicated situation as the only other non-white officer he works with is the Pakistani Asif Kamali (Assad Zaman) who would also endure his own brush with racist attitudes from fellow officers.
McQueen’s direction is sparse in terms of its compositions while there are elements of style as McQueen aims for something that is intimate but also tense in its medium shots and close-ups as it plays into Logan entering into a chaotic system. McQueen also create these eerie compositions that play into the tension within the Logan family home as well as a holiday dinner with a family friend where both father and son are not saying anything to one another with Leroy not wanting to upset his father any further. Leroy’s hope in being an officer to ease tension between the police and non-white communities is a challenge where many blacks refuse to be around him with a young black man who was assaulted by white cops calling Leroy a traitor. McQueen also reveals the difficulty of a man trying to get his day in court as he is forced to face things beyond his control and not even his son could do anything. Its ending is more about these two men and the obstacles they face in a world where no matter how things change. There are things that wouldn’t change.
Alex Wheatle
Written by Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons. Starring Sheyi Cole and Robbie Gee.
Set in the late 70s and early 1980s, the film is about the early life of the revered young adult novelist as he struggles with trying to find his identity and roots during a prison sentence. It is a film that showcases a man who had been abandoned when he was a baby and put into foster care as a child only to struggle with authority and the world around him as a young man until he finds a home in Brixton that is predominantly black filled with Jamaicans and Africans. Living with these residents, the titular character (Sheyi Cole) struggles to adapt at first while he aspires to become a deejay with fellow residents until events of January 18, 1981 in which 13 kids were killed at a house party by a firebombing that lead to the Brixton uprising in April of that year. The script by McQueen and Siddons opens with Wheatle entering prison where he shares a cell with Simeon (Robbie Gee) who is dealing with the effects of a hunger strike as he asks Wheatle about his life story as the narrative moves back and forth with Wheatle’s life to his imprisonment. Even as it showcases Wheatle trying to find this identity as he is surrounded by people that is either in the drug trade or in the music trade.
McQueen’s direction is striking in the way he frames Wheatle in the opening shot as he’s shirtless and the next shot is a wide shot as he’s wearing his prison clothes as he walks to his cell with a guard. The direction also showcases this world of late 70s/early 80s Brixton where McQueen shows a world that is changing but also filled with tension with Wheatle being new to an environment that is largely black with much of its music soundtrack is reggae. Even as McQueen uses some unique shots and compositions that play into Wheatle’s plight as well as this sense of claustrophobia in scenes of Wheatle in his cell with Simeon as it play into a man that is trapped in a world of confusion but with someone who is on the path to finding himself. Even as Wheatle would eventually find something in his life to express himself and find out his identity.
Education
Written by Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons from a story by McQueen. Starring Kenyah Sandy, Sharlene Whyte, Tamara Lawrence, Daniel Francis, Josette Simon, and Naomi Ackie.
A young boy living in the London suburbs is sent from a traditional school to a school with claims of special needs when the reality is that the school is one of neglect and sub-standard education. Set in the early 1970s, the film explores a young boy whose inability to read properly as well as having a lively behavior as he gets transferred to a school with other children with behavioral issues as well as those with low IQs with some of whom being black and of those of West Indian descent. The screenplay by Steve McQueen and Alastair Siddons focuses on this boy in Kingsley Smith (Kenyah Sandy) who has trouble adjusting to the new school knowing how unruly it is and the fact that the teachers really don’t teach at all where his mother Agnes (Sharlene Whyte) would learn about this from an activist in Lydia Thomas (Josette Simon) who is concerned over Kingsley as she had her friend in activist Hazel (Naomi Ackie) visit the school secretly to learn what Kingsley is learning. For Agnes, the revelations about why her son is sent to the school is alarming as it plays into an unjust system that would put children who don’t meet certain requirements the ability to fail in their lives.
McQueen’s direction definitely maintains this intimacy as it opens with Kingsley and his classmates watching a documentary on the universe as McQueen aims for a close-up in showing Kingsley’s expression. Yet, it is contrast to the way he would film Kingsley as he struggles to read a paragraph while the teacher calls him a blockhead as he would be humiliated in a medium close-up shot. Much of McQueen’s direction is straightforward in its compositions as there a few wide shots including an early scene of Kingsley being a bit unruly during music class while the scenes at a classroom at this special school does have a claustrophobic feel in terms of the sense of oppression he and his fellow classmates feel. The film is also given this unique feel as it is shot on 16mm to evoke the look of British television during the 1970s as a way to present a look of the past where McQueen would also showcase a world where working class West Indian immigrants are forced to see a reality that they couldn’t deal with. One where no matter how hard their children work in school, the system doesn’t do anything for them though it is through a community of people that would find a way where McQueen does provide a hopeful ending.
The overall presentation of the film series which explores the lives of West Indian immigrants from the late 1960s to the early 1980s showcases different people dealing with not just racism and class struggles but also their need to express who they are and their roots not just for themselves but also the next generation. McQueen would shoot all of the films in these areas in London that is part of a world where these people can express themselves and feel like they’re part of a community that is also inclusive to anyone that wants to be part of it as long as they’re respectful. While a lot of the tone of the films are serious and bleak to explore the black experience, there is this sense of hope in the endings but also a few that are ambiguous as it relates to the historical elements in these films. Overall, McQueen crafts a tremendously rich and intoxicating film series about the life of black West Indian immigrants in London during the late 1960s to the early 1980s.
Cinematographer Shabier Kirchner does phenomenal work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key colors for the exteriors and low-key natural lighting for the scenes at night to play into the atmosphere of the rooms or homes that these characters are in. Editors Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen do incredible work with the editing as it has these stylish cuts to play into drama and some of the intense moments of suspense as well as scenes that showcase this sense of historical drama that looms throughout the film. Production designer Helen Scott, with set decorator Hannah Spice and supervising art director Adam Marshall, does brilliant work with the look of the places these characters live in or hang out as it plays into a world that was vibrant but also unruly considering the chaos these people endure from the police. Costume designers Lisa Duncan, Jacqueline Durran, and Sinead Kidao do excellent work with Duncan creating unique early 70s costumes for Mangrove while Durran does a lot of the costumes for Lovers Rock and Alex Wheatle to play into the vibrancy of the music these characters listen with Kidao doing the costumes for Red, White and Blue and Education to play into the world of suburbia.
Hair/makeup designer JoJo Williams does fantastic work with the look of the hairstyles of the times from the afros to the dreadlocks that both men and women had in those times. Special effects supervisors Scott MacIntyre, Steve Bowman, and Elly Dunsire, along with visual effects supervisors John Paul Docherty and Marc Hutchings, do nice work with some of the film’s visual effects as it is largely set dressing as well as some bits involving explosion in the riots. Sound mixer Ronald Bailey does superb work with the film’s sound as it plays into the atmosphere of the locations as well as how music is sound from afar or in a room as it is a highlight of the film series. The film’s music by Mica Levi is amazing for its low-key ambient music score as it appears in bits of episodes of the series while music supervisors Ed Bailie and Abi Leland create an immense music soundtrack that largely features reggae, soul, pop, and rock as it plays into the music of those times as it is a key factor to the film.
The casting by Gary Davy is marvelous as it features a massive ensemble for the five films that are presented in this film series. From Mangrove, the wonderful supporting performances of Jack Lowden as the barrister Ian MacDonald who defends the Mangrove Nine, Gershwin Eustache Jr. as Altheia’s husband, Richard Cordery as an older defense barrister in Mr. Croft, Llewella Gordon as Aunt Betty who helps run Crichlow’s restaurant, Sam Spruell as Police Constable Frank Pulley who has antagonized Crichlow and many others, Samuel West as the prosecuting barrister, and Alex Jennings as Judge Edward Clarke who handles the Mangrove Nine case.
In the roles of members who are part of the Mangrove Nine, the performances Jumayn Hunter, Duane Facey-Pearson, Richie Campbell, Darren Braithwaite, and Nathaniel Martello-White in their respective roles as Godfrey Millett, Rupert Boyce, Rothwell Kentish, Anthony Carlisle Innis, and Rhodan Gordon who are superb in their roles as five men trying to defend themselves. Finally, there’s the quartet of Rochenda Sandall, Shaun Parkes, Malachi Kirby, and Letitia Wright in incredible performances in their respective roles as the British-born activist Barbara Beese, the restaurant owner Frank Crichlow, the Trinidadian activist Darcus Howe, and the Trinidadian Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-LeCointe as these four people who are trying to live their lives with Crichlow being a man just wanting to run a restaurant as it plays into the racial tension of the early 1970s.
From Lovers Rock, the film features some notable small roles from the legendary Barbados-born musician Dennis Bovell as a party goer, Frankie Fox as Franklyn’s boss at a garage, Shaniqua Okwok as Martha’s friend Patty, Ellis George as the birthday woman in Cynthia who would have a bad encounter with Bammy, and Dennis Francis-Swaby as Martha’s former boyfriend Bammy who would try to have his way with women only to cause a lot of trouble. Kedar Williams-Smith is fantastic as Martha’s grieving cousin Clifton who would also cause trouble but also a moment where he has everyone at the party to yell as it relates to the music. The duo of Micheal Ward and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn in great performances in their respective roles as Franklyn Cooper and Martha Trenton as two people who would meet and fall in love at this house party as they deal with the turmoil around them but also find something that would give them a future on this night of mayhem.
From Red, White and Blue, small performances from Nathan Vidal as the young Leroy, Jaden Oshenye as the young Leee John, Nadine Marshall as Leroy’s aunt Jesse, Tyrone Huntley as Leroy’s cousin in Leee John who at the time was the lead singer for the popular 80s British soul group Imagination, Antonia Thomas as Leroy’s wife Gretl, and Joy Richardson as Leroy’s mother Mrs. Logan as they’re all wonderful in their small supporting roles. Other noteworthy supporting roles include Assad Zaman as a British-Pakistani officer in Asif Kamali who struggles with his work due to the racism he endures, Neil Maskell as Inspector Willis who is Leroy’s supervisor who is sympathetic to the struggles Leroy faces, and Stephen Boxer as a chief inspector who sees Leroy’s entry as good publicity despite the racial tension between the police and community.
Steve Toussaint’s performance as Leroy’s father Ken Logan is phenomenal as a man who has an immense distrust towards the police due to his own encounters while also troubled by the fact that his son has joined the police force. Finally, there’s John Boyega in a spectacular performance as Leroy Logan who joins the police force despite his intelligence in forensics and athletic skills has him conflicted in being this poster boy while also dealing with the fact that making change from within is way more difficult than he realizes.
In Alex Wheatle, the small performances from Fumilayo Brown-Olateju as a neighbor in Dawn, Khali Best as a dealer in Badger, Jonathan Jules as a neighbor/activist in Dennis Issacs who would teach Wheatle the way adapt in Brixton, Johann Meyers as the drug dealer Cutlass Rankin who is suspicious of Wheatle at first only to accept him, and Asad-Shareef Muhammad as the young Wheatle. Robbie Gee is brilliant as Wheatle’s cellmate Simeon as a man dealing with food poisoning but also listens to Wheatle’s story as he gives him advice about finding roots as well as giving Wheatle the chance to find his identity for himself. Finally, there’s Sheyi Cole in a tremendous performance as the titular character as a young man struggling to find his identity and roots while also dealing with the world around him as it is this chilling and fierce performance from Cole. In Education, the small performances from Kate Dickie as a teacher in Mrs. Gill, Jade Anouka as a teacher at the special school in Mrs. Morrison, Stewart Wright as a teacher at the special school in Mr. Baines who does the most boring rendition of The House of the Rising Sun, Ryan Masher and Jairaj Varsani as a couple of Kingsley’s classmates at school, the quartet of Tabitha Byron, Roshawn Hewitt, Aiyana Goodfellow, and Nathan Moses as Kingsley’s classmates at this special school, and Adrian Rawlins as the school headmaster who suggest that Kingsley goes to this special school.
The trio of Jo Martin, Naomi Ackie, and Josette Simon are amazing in their respective roles as the teacher Mrs. Tabitha Bartholomew, the activist Hazel, and the organizer Lydia Thomas with Martin playing a teacher at a Saturday school who would prove to be helpful for Kingsley while Ackie’s performance as this activist who pretends to be a school psychologist is someone who got a closer look into the school that Kingsley is in. Simon’s performance as Thomas is one of grace and restraint as a woman who went to Kingsley’s mother while also organizing a meeting with other parents and people in the community who reveal a lot of revelations about the school system.
Daniel Francis and Sharlene Whyte are remarkable in their respective roles as Kingsley’s parents Esmond and Agnes with the former being convinced that his son needs to learn a trade only to realize the unjust system Kingsley is a part of while the latter is a woman that is trying to work for her family as she learns about Kingsley’s learning disabilities and what goes on at the school he’s been transferred to. Tamara Lawrence is fantastic as Kingsley’s teenage sister Stephanie who learns what happens to her younger brother but also a system that doesn’t help him. Finally, there’s Kenyah Sandy in a sensational performance as Kingsley Smith as young boy who has learning disabilities and an exuberant behavior who has trouble being transferred to a new school that not only does nothing for him but also keeps him back due to a terrible educational system that is definitely racist.
Small Axe is an outstanding film anthology series from Steve McQueen. Featuring a tremendous ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, stories about black life in Britain from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, and a rapturous music soundtrack. The film series is something that audiences need to see to get a glimpse into a world that isn’t talked about much as it relates to current events around to prove that not much has changed since. In the end, Small Axe is a magnificent film series from Steve McQueen.
For the 32nd week of the Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer of Wandering Through the Shelves. We go into the world of the workplace experience from a female experience as women deal with having to working in a place where men rule everything. Yet, there are films that show that experience and how women can find a voice no matter how much shit they have to eat. Here are my three picks:
1. 9 to 5
Colin Higgins’ 1980 film about three different women working for an egotistical and sexist boss who treats them terribly while taking their ideas for his own gain in the corporate world. Starring the trio of Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton as these three women with Dabney Coleman as their boss. The film is an entertaining romp with a fantasy sequence of all three women dealing with their boss with Tomlin’s fantasy featuring elements of hand-drawn animation in a twisted way. It is truly one of the finest films of the 1980s as it also includes a great title song by Ms. Parton that is catchy as fuck.
Mike Nichols’ 1988 film explores a young secretary from Staten Island who gets the chance to work for a new boss in a woman only to realize that her boss is taking her ideas while is on vacation. It is a film that stars Melanie Griffith as this young secretary who is trying to work her way up the corporate world despite all of the odds are against her yet her initiative and street smart allows her to make things happen with the help of Harrison Ford as an executive who is willing to listen to her ideas as it is an incredible film that features not just a career-defining performance for Griffith but also great work from its ensemble in Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Cusack, and Alec Baldwin.
3. Clockwatchers
This 1997 film by Jill Sprecher is an underseen gem that plays into four different women who all work as temps as they deal with their environment as well as a series of thefts where the women find themselves at odds with each other. Starring Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Alanna Ubach, and Lisa Kudrow, the film is unique for the way it showcases women being friends but also dealing with an environment that is repressive as these four women deal with accusations of theft. Even as their personal lives would start to unravel as Collette’s character is the new temp of the four as she starts off as meek and uncertain about herself only to eventually stand up for herself and her friends in a film that people need to seek out.
