Category Archives: Reviews

Spider-Man: Brand New Day – Review by Mitchell

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It is a brand new day for Spider-Man, a day without his friends and his Aunt May. He’s dealing with the usual Spidey problems, not only from a Spider-man point of view, yet a Peter Parker one to and they are both split 50/50 in impact to our friendly neighborhood Spider-man.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a more stripped back Spider-Man. Sure there is the custom in built action sequences with the 50 SFX houses credited in the end titles as you await the end of credits scene (don’t bother, get out of the car park early). It’s a New York set movie (probably shot in Canada for a tax credit and to that effect). New York looks great. It’s the most New York movie since The Avengers. I was warmed up appropriately for Spider-man after seeing the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which I anticipate even more now and I have a feeling this movie is going to blow up.

Now back to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as I digress.

Excellent performances by the many leads, borrowing casting heavily from The Bear and The Odyssey. There are characters that show up, which straight away made me think if that team up was going to work and it did it. Credit to the Director and Screen Writers for making that happen. I saw it at a packed house, (cinema is not dead) with 90% GEN Zers in attendance. They laughed, the cheered and they yelled “OH NO” in the right places. Good on them. The action scenes are Marvel in its prime worthy. No rubbish CGI shots, no shots that go in circles around the hero with rushed and under budget CGI and Green screens. Spider-Man: Brand New Day looks great.

The “villain” of the piece is so left field I was shocked. Shocked that it hadn’t leaked and shocked who they chose. I didn’t see it coming and even if I had 100 guesses. I still wouldn’t of been able to guess who it was and good on Sony/Marvel for going in such a bold direction. All the cameos work and work into the story well. This is a winter movie and suits the tone of Spider-Man: Brand New Day in a different photographic look for Marvel. The humour works in the right amount and I appreciate that the script attempted zingers every three lines.

A mature Spider-Man: Brand New Day is present here and the quality of the work is appreciated. Spider-Man has been going for over 20 years now from Sony/Marvel start and the series is in good hands. Instead of going bigger they’ve gone to the emotional heart of Spider-man that packs a punch harder than the HULK. Keep up the good work Marvel and now we know the Sony Spider verse spin offs are all dead. This is a good basket to keep those eggs in.

The Odyssey – Review by Mitchell

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Written & Directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Samantha Morton, Bennie Safdie, John Bernthal, Mia Goth, Elliot Page, James Remar, Charlize Theron…and quite a few more.

I got up at 9am on the day the ticket sales opened up for the IMAX to see The Odyssey. I was shocked when looking at the seating options that so many tickets had already been sold. That’s the type of frantic nature that represents The Odyssey away from the screen and on the screen. While Odysseus has this desire to go home, his desperation also fills a need from the fans of Christopher Nolan to see his latest movie.

As I sat in the corner of the IMAX theatre, J Row, I wanted to be blown away from the start. I wasn’t. It has a soft opening and keeps at a steady pace, then by the last hour you are gripped. You are sweating by the overdone air conditioning and your winter coat and the tension on screen.

A friend assumed this was just epic action and CGI all over the screen. I told her there wasn’t one CGI shot in the whole movie. Knowing that going into The Odyssey blows me away at a whole new level. One of my biggest surprises from The Odyssey is actually how scary it can get and that did that to me twice in the movie and I didn’t see it coming at all.

Samantha Morton shows up from The Walking Dead and her performance got a standing ovation from the crew filming The Odyssey. The only other performer to receive that level of compliment on a Christopher Nolan set was Health Ledger from The Dark Knight.

The movie uses its locations well. Scotland, Greece, Italy, Morocco and Iceland. It wouldn’t be a Christopher Nolan movie without an Iceland shoot. With all the depictions on screen of HELL over the years. It’s great to see some originality back in how that is depicted.

The open sea scenes are the ones that stay with me after witnessing the movie. The non CGI dolphins were such a highlight, almost like the karaoke scene in Project Hail Mary it just gives the audience a lift it needs to keep on going.

The destruction of TROY scene is epic in itself and the fire and fear of being in a sacked city is bought to cinematic perfection. The score, using instruments from that time is at time unsettling yet also brings an originally and vibe. One of my favorite sets is the palace. It just looks so ancient Greece. As a viewer I enjoyed living there.

The Odyssey isn’t my favourite Christopher Nolan movie, yet I feel outside of Oppenheimer it’s his most important. Only one year ago, the internet was full of “Death of Cinema” headlines. This movie gives “cinema” a crucial gear change right when some momentum was coming back, where patrons are coming back. To read 70,000 tickets have been sold for IMAX Melbourne alone is inspiring.

“Much have I suffered, laboured long and hard by now in the waves and wars. Add this to the total – bring the trial on.” – Odysseus.

Review – Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die

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Directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Matthew Robinson, starring Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz & Asmin Chaudry

According to “those who were there” during the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Gore Verbinski at one point admonished everyone to cherish the experience “because they won’t let us make movies like this anymore.” His words largely proved true, as the era of mega-budget blockbusters, filmed on location with massive sets, intricate costumes, props and casts of thousands is a thing of the past (Christopher Nolan notwithstanding). Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die suggests the filmmaker has a serious axe to grind against the loss of handcraft in filmmaking, and as a particularly venomous screed against the advent of so-called artificial intelligence. The film is a sermon – but an entertaining one.

A man strides into a late-night diner, announces that he has come from the future to save humanity and that he must recruit a specific combination of those currently in the diner to complete his mission.The problem is that he doesn’t know which specific people he needs – he has attempted this one hundred and sixteen times already to no success. It’s a devilishly enjoyable spin on the “Groundhog Day” conceit: the audience experiences interacting with a man who has lived the same day over and over, and have to work out whether he is simply a crazy homeless guy, or if his impressive knowledge of everyone is convincing.
Sci-fi, fantastical premises like this are a dime a dozen, however, and not worth much in any story without a character performance at the centre. Most fortunate then that Sam Rockwell sells the hell out of this role. The whole film, in fact, rises and falls on his performance, and he never fails to be the perfect alchemical mixture of hilarious, sarcastic, manic, obsessive and tortured. The ensemble that surrounds him “this time round” includes troubled couple Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz, a seemingly broken Juno Temple, incredulous Asim Chaudry and a surly Haley Lu Richardson, who stands out as the cast MVP after Rockwell.

The trailer presents the film as being “from a completely unhinged Gore Verbinski” and this claim is a little bit of a stretch. That promise suggests the arthouse like, independent nature of a Jodorowsky film, but it is still very much a film made on the rails of Hollywood storytelling. The bonkers elements in the film’s climax are admittedly bizarre, but have a strong story justification. To speak much about the plot gives away much of what is enjoyable about experiencing the film – suffice to say as the ensemble reveal their own personal stories (largely in flashback sequences) the film has a few things to say about phones, social media, cloning, mental health, gaming and their impact on relationships. Not all of these points land, and the push to include so many ideas in the film can makes the conflict and stakes a little confusing. Verbinski and his team are at pains to point at the spectres of Silicon Valley and say “this is bad!”, but don’t necessarily tie it all together come the end.

The destination, however, is not the point – it is the journey of the film, which is clever, funny, tense and most importantly human enough to sustain two hours and change. It’s too esoteric to enter into The Canon as a classic, and too broad to find a cult following, but it is fun.

Review – Project Hail Mary

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Directed by Phil Lord & Chris Miller, written by Drew Goddard based on the novel by Andy Weir, starring Ryan Gosling, James Ortiz, Sandra Hüller & Lionel Boyce

In previous decades of cinema the release of a film like Project Hail Mary would be a true cultural event: a film on everybody’s mind weeks before the premiere, dominating pop culture conversation for months after leaving theatres, providing high school science teacher a perfect excuse for an class excursion to the movies. A science-fiction drama with a great sense of humour, deftly juggling compelling and richly portrayed characters, a tense, dramatic crisis and an intelligent script. Author Andy Weir has made his mark writing science-fiction that is “fifteen minutes into the future” – so the technology and science is recognisable and almost completely accurate, allowing just enough liberty to be able to engage with the fantastical. This is the kind of film that genre fans would deeply appreciate and be able to talk about it with their more pop-minded friends. It is a true gift, from what can be a cynical industry, that a major studio has put major chips down on a project like this.

Amaze, amaze, amaze!

In the not-too-distant future an inexplicable phenomenon is destroying the sun. The world’s major powers invest authority in Eva Stratt (Sandra Hüller) to coordinate efforts to understand and resolve the crisis. Dr. Ryland Grace (Gosling), a disgraced doctoral candidate turned high school science teacher (the fun type), is recruited by Stratt into an impossible plan…the titular Hail Mary.

Discussion of the film is difficult because while it is structured largely as a disaster film – every answer leads to a new problem, and every solution meets a complication – the plot is unveiled like a mystery. Gosling’s character awakens with no memory – his gradual recovery plays out in the form of flashbacks spliced between his present experience “doing the science stuff.” In a number of cases these flashbacks play out as a major reveal of information that changes the audiences understanding of the situation and characters. Thus any discussion of plot risks “spoiling” some of these moments.The film is not, at heart, a mystery so it does not detract from the viewers experience to be ahead of the reveals in most cases. Does that mean that the flashback structure is actually a complicated and perhaps unnecessary conceit? Possibly. It allows the film to begin on mission, while the exposition is doled out gradually as it makes sense for the characters growth. It can, however, serve as a distraction that pulls the viewer out of the tension of the main mission.
Much like 2015’s The Martian (another Weir adaptation) the film chugs along at its best when science is happening – the meticulously crafted sequences where discoveries are made, new particles are discovered and understood, new technologies are employed and creative solution must be found to unexpected problems. It is smart storytelling without being impenetrable to the layperson nor condescending to the science-minded.
Gosling’s performance is another confirmation of his status as a star in the vein of Tom Hanks – funny, charming, fallible, pitiable; he plays a highly qualified man with remarkably low-status. Playing against him in flashbacks is a stellar Sandra Hüller, whose deadpan troubleshooter comes across as exactly the kind of person that should be in charge when facing the apocalypse. Gosling shares some brief moments of connection with his handler played by Lionel Boyce (The Bear), and has a single inspiring conversation with a Chinese astronaut played by Ken Leung. Gosling really does shoulder this film, and spends a significant amount of time as the only person on screen, but the lack of depth given to any other human makes the world feel oddly empty.

Gosling’s true co-star, as hinted in the film’s trailers, is the Extra Terrestrial he encounters – one who has been dispatched on the same mission by his own world. Dubbed ‘Rocky’ by Goslings scientist, the companion is a remarkable creation brought to life through the combined efforts of Arslan Elver’s team of animators at Framestore, Neal Scanlon and his creature shop, and on-set puppeteer James Ortiz, who provided a voice so good that filmmakers Lord & Miller decided against stunt casting for the final cut. The fully realised character is a masterwork, and a strong argument for a puppetry performance Oscar category. He is funny and a genuine delight on screen, embodying the movie magic that allows the audience to accept the emotional bond that grows between Rocky and Ryland.

Though consistently engaging, the film is over three hours long, and it may not have hurt the narrative to trim some of the runtime, particularly in the last twenty minutes, which plays like a series of multiple endings. Despite these few hiccups, Project Hail Mary comes pretty close to being a perfect film – in that it succeeds in being the exact film that Lord & Miller set out to make. That, in itself, was always a long shot.

A Hail Mary.

On a personal note…

My son and I discovered and enjoyed the audiobook together, and were both eagerly anticipating this release. Bringing a friend of his with us on opening night, he proceeded to talk non-stop throughout the whole movie, explaining excitedly to his friend everything that was happening, everything that was being left out from the book, everything that was coming up…

Then came a sequence where Gosling’s character, standing on the hull of his ship before an alien world, “has a moment” when his view shifts to a breathtaking display of light and colour that brought tears to my eyes

and after a little moment of silence, I heard my son whisper “Wow…that’s so beautiful…”

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – Review

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Directed by Aaron Hovath & Michael Jelenic, Written by Matthew Fogel, Starring the voice talent of Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anna Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Benny Safdie, Keegan Michael Key, Glen Powell, Brie Larson and Donal Glover.

If the 1993 Super Mario Bros. demonstrates an old mentality whereby filmmakers were embarrassed by source material such as comics or video games, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) proved that the successful approach was actually slavish devotion to the source material. That film prioritised putting on screen the most iconic elements of the game, whether they made much story-sense or not. The film subsequently made all the money. The sequel has the exact same philosophy at heart: “Give the kids what they want.” And the kids clearly love it.

It’s a theme park ride, just like Martin Scorcese has said. Whether it is one that audiences beyond young Nintendo gamers will find appealing will, as ever, be a matter of taste. Universal’s Illumination Studio have so polished their style of computer animation and arguably perfected the craft of character design so that everything moves beautifully and smoothly, and is bright and colourful and every frame is generally packed with details that make it hard to be bored. Scenes are dependent on the constant barrage gags – not necessarily jokes spoken by characters, but brief sequences of action that involve overcoming an obstacle. It is not unfair to describe this sequel (along with the Minions franchise, and honestly everything all the way back to Ice Age) as a collection of micro-length, Looney Tunes style episodes, strung together by the pursuit of a goal that allows the characters to wander through as many fantastical set-pieces as can fit into 90 minutes.

There’s simply nothing notable to highlight about the film. Every performer is enthusiastic and appropriately emotive for their part, though it seems reasonable to question the need to ask Donald Glover to make a few cute noises as the non-speaking Yoshi. The inclusion of adjacent Nintendo character Fox McCloud (voiced by Glen Powell) brings a potential heroic rival to Mario, but the film very quickly shuts down any hint of that. The fact that shortly after the release of the film Nintendo announced a new Star Fox game makes it very hard not to view the writing of the whole film with a level of cynicism – very much like the whole show is a very expensive ad for the Switch…which, of course, is exactly what it is.

Kids do not have a problem with that; the film is loud and has characters and power-ups and vehicles and worlds that they recognise, and the fact that it’s barely memorable does nothing to diminish the fact that it was enjoyable to watch. It’s inoffensive, so parents can easily tolerate it playing in the background while they finish taxes. It demands very little of viewers…save that they commit to seeing the inevitable sequel, and in the meantime make sure you keep playing the game.

Alan Moore once spoke in an interview of the notion “give the audience what they want”, saying quite emphatically that whether they realise or not, “It’s not the job of the artist to give the audience what the audience wants. If the audience knew what they needed, then they wouldn’t be the audience…they’d be the artists.” Films can be an experience that enriches the soul. The Super Mario Bros.Movie is like the fondant of an expertly designed novelty cake: colourful and shaped in an appealing way, but even though its made of sugar it is somehow bland and even kids get tired of chewing it very quickly.

The Mandalorian and Grogu – Review

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Directed by Jon Favreau from a story and screenplay by Favreua, Dave Filoni & Noah Kloor, starring Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum, Sigourney Weaver with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee & Martin Scorcese.

The Mandaloiran and Grogu is at its best when the filmmakers are reveling in the pulpy, adventure serial roots that were the initial inspiration for this whole Star Wars thing in the first place – those moments when the Lone Wolf and Cub of the galaxy far, far away, overcome strange and unfamiliar worlds and monsters mostly by their wits, space magic and a jetpack.

and maybe a little help from the Babus

To be sure, the bulk of the latest Star Wars film is fun in the popcorn cinema sense: gunfights, explosions, chases, creatures, spaceships. Where the film struggles to fully enthrall are the elements that call attention to characters and history that has come before in the franchise. “Lore” is the word. The film does not collapse under the weight of these elements, remaining consistently entertaining, but when the cinematic language is nudging, asking “You remember this guy? Huh?” it may lose audience members who have not consumed the entire canon to date.

For the most part the film is accessible to people who have not seen the series of which it is a continuation. The title characters are broadly drawn, and barely need dialogue to make themselves known: The stoic, hard-edged mercenary with a deep tenderness for his ward, an unwaveringly loyal and gifted infant. Together they hunt villains to the lawful order of the universe. The details barely matter; a plot involving twin giant slug crime-lords offering up a wanted war-criminal in exchange for the rescue of their nephew also barely matters. It is a mechanism to propel the duo forward to the next set piece – some of which are not quite as engaging as others. There are sweet, quieter character moments that can genuinely tug at the heart, though those loaded with dialogue can make the eyes glaze over a little.

The performances are a little harder to quantify in this kind of picture. Pedro Pascal as ‘Mando’ has a compelling voice, and radiates pathos and menace with a look in the few moments when his face is shown. However the film credits an additional two performers for the role – Lateef Crowder as the stunt performer and Brendan Wayne as the ‘suit performer’. Grogu (Baby Yoda) is brought to life by a team of practical creature builders, puppeteers, digital effects animators and sound designers, and is arguably more compelling than his adoptive father. Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) lends vocal talent to the role of Rotta the Hutt, though the creature itself is a fully digital performance and the voice is modulated so as to be unrecognisable as the one time Boss. Most other characters appear for brief interactions only, with Weaver’s peacekeeper Colonel Ward assigning missions and handling exposition, but Martin Scorcese (yes…that one) drawing genuine smiles as a nervy alien informant.

“A theme park ride, buddy…it’s a theme park ride!”

The Mandalorian and Grogu is, ultimately, disposable. Like those Serials of yesteryear, which were never intended to be watched repeatedly, this film is a fun story that sits in the progression of a larger one, but won’t particularly reward a revisit.

On a personal note…

I am a bit of a recovering Star Wars tragic and I recently introduced my young son to the original films, on which he reflected “Good, but I wouldn’t watch it again.”

He did, however, come with me to watch this film, and immediately insisted that we watch the series together.

The Bride!

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Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, starring Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Annette Benning, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard

A recurring complaint in criticism is the lack of originality in cinemas. Whatever one’s overall feeling about Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!, the uniqueness of the film is not in question.

Sold in the marketing as both adaptation of the 1818 novel Frankenstein (indeed, Gyllenhaal shares her screenwriting credit with author Mary Shelly) and remake of 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein (oft lauded as the greatest of all the “Universal Monster Movies”), in truth the film is neither. It is very much its own, unique, wild, almost indefinable monster. ‘Inspired by’ may be a more apt, if less marketable description of this: a historic, gothic-horror, crime, romance, road-trip, feminist, black dramedy musical.

Jessie Buckley stars as the title character – a woman brought back from the dead in 1936 at the behest of Christian Bale’s “Frank”, the original Frankenstein monster now pining for a companion who is like himself. This woman is also possessed (periodically) by the spirit of Mary Shelly herself, who narrates aspects of the film, and can influence others in her vicinity when the needs arises. Returned without memories of her own, this Bride sets out with Frank to build a life but must repeatedly contend with misogyny and abuse at the hands of men. As her (and Shelly’s) anger grows the couple hit the road on a Bonnie-and-Clyde type crime spree. Any effort to recap or summarise the story will, frankly, make it seem incomprehensible, and ultimately the film is less concerned with narrative than with atmosphere, attitude and vibe.

The Bride! is a melting pot of inspirations and ideas in which the connective tissue to the original sources can be found, but ultimately do not infuse the Big Ideas of the film, apart from the obvious “mad scientist brings corpse back to life through psuedo-science alchemy”. Gyllenhaal very clearly comments on the cultural landscape regarding abuse of women, and has found in Shelly’s work a launching pad for something of a cinematic primal scream. While these ideas and the attitude of the film along with some pretty great production design (the title character looks perfect in her ‘imperfections’) are all definitely interesting, they never really coalesce into a clear narrative. Put more simply, the movie certainly feels as though Gyllenhaal wants to “say something”, but any message gets lost in the chaos.

That chaos can be a great deal of fun. Buckley unhinges herself in the best possible way and is a magnetic presence on screen. Bale may once again be the MVP, committing completely and utterly to the pitiful and simultaneously monstrous…well, Monster, while continually directing his and the audiences attention to the object of his affections, The Bride. There is a gleeful sense of freedom in following the couple on their escalating crime spree which revels in crime-genre staples (the couple indulges in champagne, caviar and fur-coats) and when the musical numbers hit, once getting past the initial question “where did this come from?” they are energetic and fun.
With the exception of Benning’s absurdly/incredibly named Dr. Cornelia Euphronious who is a delight in her mad scientist role, and Jeannie Berlin as her live-in maid who has an amusingly cantakerous relationship with her employer (and perhaps partner?), none of the other characters are given room in the film to develop. While much time is given to soaking in the central pair’s “life to the full” montage, story beats that are supposed to be driving the narrative go unexplored and underexplained, leaving a sense that the film is just leaping from scene to scene. The conceit of Shelly as a possessing spirit/force and narrator/manipulator might have been intended to account for the “random” moments, but itself is poorly defined and creates confusion as to exactly who and what is driving the story and making decisions.

If this hits with an cult crowd in the years to come, more power to it. The appeal of a given film can be any number of factors, like aesthetics, music and even collections of moments that might not gel as a whole, but each make their own cumulative impact. The Bride! owes more to arthouse sensibilities than anything else, and while it might not be an enduring classic, it is insane and wonderful that a film like this came to screens in the year 2026.


On a personal note…

As I departed the cinema that night, the attendant asked me “How was it?”

After a beat to think, my answer was “…It’s my kind of weird.”

Max Von Sydow – Five Farewells: Flash Gordon

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So I’ve referenced the fact that, to me at least, Max Von Sydow was an actor who was for the longest time one of those faces that very recognisable, but just never registered in the way that Harrison Ford or Tom Cruise or Sam Jones did. Whether or not this is shared by anyone else, I long had the impression that Uncle Max was no simply a “face”, but he had always been and “old face”. I recognised him as an old man (or at least older) in the films that I remembered him from – and this is a point we’ll come back to in a later post.

The truth is, however, that he was not perpetually “70 or so” – he was once a young, strong man with a young, strong face, and the first time I realized this was when I finally saw

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Oh Son…that is the cover from a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book.

Flash Gordon

Year: 1980
Director: Mike Hodges
Writers: Lorenzo Semple, Jr. & Michael Allin
Starring: Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Ornella Muti, Timothy Dalton, Mariangela Melato, Brian Blessed, Peter Wyngarde, Topol and…Max Von Sydow.
Based on characters created by Alex Raymond.

If you are unfamiliar with the 1980 film that defines “campy schlock”, you are most certainly familiar with it’s magnificent theme song by the legendary band Queen. It’s the one that goes *bu bu bu bu bu bom bom bom bom Bom Bom BOm BOm BOM BOM BOM* FLASH…AA-AAAAAAA, Saviour of the Un-I-Verse!”

I lack the necessary words to convey just how important it is that you go out and watch this movie immediately. Whatever the stories behind the making of this beautiful mess, watching it has felt a little like watching a massive prank being pulled on one man by his college-mates, plus a few professors. So many British thespians (plus Topol!) appear in this flick, and every one of them has stepped straight out of the River of Ham, and are having a marvelous time. The only guy “playing it straight” is the films lead, Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon. The result is hilariously entertaining, as the titular hero rockets to the planet Mongo to prevent galactic tyrant Ming the Merciless (Sydow) from destroying the earth.

Sydow effortlessly dominates this movie, establishing as magnetic presence that fixes the audience to the screen every time he shows up. I mentioned that in his great career, Sydow showed up in a fair bit of sci-fi or horror schlock, but in most roles he’s playing with sense of serious grace, raising the standard of the film he’s in. Flash Gordon is that rare occasion when he gets in on the over-the-top glory with his performance.

Flash Gordon has more than earned its place in the cult classic vault, and Max Von Sydow is a big part of that.

Oh go on then…I’ll leave you with the song.

Max Von Sydow – Five Farewells: Citizen X

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For the longest time, Max Von Sydow was one of those perennial “faces” in film. You know, the ones who show up and make you go “Hey! That’s the guy from…” I’m speaking of my personal experience of course. As such, he was never someone that I was particularly looking for when I picked out movies at the video store, or took recommendations from one of my High School French teachers. For the life of me I can’t remember how we got into something of a contest – recommending movies to each other that had not seen theatrical release in Australia. The goal was to go obscure, but still give a hook to convince one another that the movie was actually worth watching. Continue reading →

Max Von Sydow – Five Farewells: Judge Dredd

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The world has said a fond farewell this week to one of the acting professions true legends – the inimitable Max Von Sydow. At 91 years old, Sydows list of film credits is epic and impressive, having worked with no small number of master film craftsmen.

He also appeared in his fair share of schlock.

There was nothing pretentious about Max. Like his fellows who have achieve the rank of Legend (Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins and Christopher Plummer to name a few) he was happy to lend his own brand of gravitas to ridiculously budgeted sci-fi or horror B-movies in Tentpole makeup. He was never overshadowed by these appearances, instead somehow elevating the movies to something that would not be so easily disposable. His legacy embraces the most critically acclaimed Biblical Epic ever made, what was once considered the most terrifying film of all time, and one of the hands down greatest films of all time.

I came to know him, however, because he was not too proud to appear in schlock, such as…

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Judge Dredd

Year: 1995
Director: Danny Cannon
Writers: John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Michael De Luca, William Wisher, Steven E. de Souza
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Diane Lane, Jurgen Prochnow, Rob Schneider who never once speaks to…Max Von Sydow
Judge Dredd created by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra and Pat Mills.

1995 was a strange era. Established properties were considered gold by studios, and there were no greater hopes for a global smash hit than those hung upon comics. Comic book properties were hot commodities, thanks to the insanely profitable Batman from 1989. These were far from the days of the meticulously crafted MCU – where the Character is King (except, perhaps, for Robert Downey Jr.) – but a time when the consideration was how a well known funny book character could benefit a movie star looking to up their profile.
Judge Dredd; the most recognised character from Britain’s longest running anthology comic series, 2000 A.D.
Sylvester Stallone; at one time in the running for the Biggest Movie Star In The World, or
at least Biggest Action Star.

2000 A.D. wasn’t particularly well known beyond comic book circles, and Stallone – while still undeniably huge – had not seen stellar returns from his early 90’s efforts. He wanted a hit, and a simple, action-packed story with an iconic look for a character was a good
bet. This was not a film done on the cheap either. Sets were lavish and well designed, special effects were well-polished for the era, and someone convinced Gianni Versace to do costumes. Comedy duties would be handled by Saturday Night Live alumn Rob Schneider – part of the same lineup as Adam Sandler and Mike Myers, who had become insanely popular. With a true international cast and crew to raise the global profile, by number alone, this must have seemed a great idea.

So, we’re all clear that the movie’s trash, right?

I have never been a fan of the “Guilty Pleasure” concept. My motto for film has always been “like what you like”, and no one should ever be able to tell you what you can feel about a movie. None of that is a reflection on any concept of objective quality, so I want to be perfectly clear: Judge Dredd is not a good movie…but I enjoy it a whole lot. Part of it is just the basic cognitive enjoyment that comes from seeing something I already enjoy in one medium become visible in another. The film looks like it came out of the comic, I don’t think anyone could argue that point. Additionally, it’s just fun when to watch actors having fun on screen…and Armand Assante looks like he’s having the time of his life. Seriously, that man is the Manifest River of Ham.

And then there’s Chief Justice Fargo – Max Von Sydow.

There’s a particular type of role I’ve begun to notice, whereby an elder-statesman actor is brought in for one unenviable purpose. Exposition.
Like Patrick Stewart in X-Men and Anthony Hopkins in Thor, Max secures his place among the greats because of his capacity to explain the most ridiculous parts of the story, or the world around him, and be completely believable. The character of Fargo is tasked with providing the audience with context for the film’s environments, motivations for various characters, and back story that factors into the film very little…but it’s totally engaging storytelling because it’s Max Von Sydow. There was something about the man that conveyed a sense of experience and authority. I  buy into these worlds, these characters and this ridiculous series of events largely because he tells me to.

This is a quality that is seen in a fair few of his film and television appearances, even the brief ones such as Star Wars and Game of Thrones. He reminded me so much of a grandfather involved with whatever games the kids are playing. He’s taking it every bit as seriously as they do, and that makes the immersion all the more complete. It’s like his presence gives permission for everyone else to go all in.

It’s also important to note that every single emotional beat of the film involves his character. Every one. Understanding the horror that Judge Dredd himself has been proven guilty of a crime is sold by the expression on Fargo’s face. The drama of Dredd’s sentence is only effective because it is intercut with Fargo’s exile. We are drawn into the tale of Dredd’s birth because Fargo is telling the story, and it may be the last thing we hear from him. In contrast a later scene in which Dredd shows vulnerability to love-interest Judge Hershey is simply not believable, even though it is played as an emotional moment for both characters.

Put simply, Max Von Sydow is the only reason I care about what’s happening in Judge Dredd. That is perhaps the more lasting impact he has had on me as a fan of movies, and I suspect others would have a similar experience. It’s part of the reason why I am finding that his particular passing moves me so much. He was the reason I cared in quite a few movies. It’s like he was a bridge for people to connect with stories, and I think that may be the best legacy he could leave behind.
It’s the reason why a brief testimonial, or even a list of favourite appearances didn’t seem enough of a farewell. That’s why I introduce this new feature “Five Of…”, to celebrate Max Von Sydow through five of his feature roles that had an impact on me.

Vale Max.