Lily James – Way Too Indie http://waytooindie.com Independent film and music reviews Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:34:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Way Too Indiecast is the official podcast of WayTooIndie.com. Our film critics grip and gush about the latest indie movies and sometimes even mainstream ones. Find all of our reviews, podcasts, news, at www.waytooindie.com Lily James – Way Too Indie yes Lily James – Way Too Indie dustin@waytooindie.com dustin@waytooindie.com (Lily James – Way Too Indie) The Official Podcast of Way Too Indie Lily James – Way Too Indie http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/waytooindie/podcast-album-art.jpg http://waytooindie.com Pride and Prejudice and Zombies http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-week-of-25/ http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-week-of-25/#respond Sat, 06 Feb 2016 00:55:05 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=43231 A lit-horror mash-up that mostly works but slows considerably in its second half.]]>

There’s something genuinely interesting about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies when it first gets going. As a relative newbie to both Seth Grahame-Smith’s book the film is based on and the Jane Austen book that book is based on (forgive my ignorance, I beg you), the juxtaposition of the white upper crust at the turn of the 19th century with the socio-political, blood-letting genre pleasures of zombie and martial arts movies is a lot of fun. Not blow-your-mind, innovative fun, but straightforward, shoveling-popcorn-in-your-face, night-out-at-the-movies fun. The novelty wears off, though, and what’s left is a decently entertaining but frustratingly anti-climactic pop culture mash-up that doesn’t quite live up to its potential.

Writer-director Burr Steers does indeed have a few good things in place at the film’s outset, most notably a game young cast who generally hold up their end of the bargain. Elizabeth (Lily James), Jane (Bella Heathcote) and the rest of the Bennet sisters grab our attention immediately, gossiping and fantasizing about their respective dream suitors as they tighten each others’ corsets and polish their pointy zombie-slaying weapons. (The movie’s gender-reversal twist is that, in this world, the women generally do the fighting while the men often cower away in a corner. It’s a strong sentiment that loses its power due to Steers trumpeting it too loudly.) The strongest male warrior in the land, the brooding, handsome Mr. Darcy (a pleasantly ashy-voiced Sam Riley), who Elizabeth at first detests. The sexual tension between them is as thick as butter, of course (they’re both stubborn loners), and James and Riley do a fine job building that chemistry. Jane’s matched up with Mr. Bingley (Douglass Booth), but their relationship’s only significant to the plot and nothing more.

Elizabeth and Darcy is where all the real action and drama stems from; their union is inevitable but is stopped dead (cough) by an impending wave of zombie hordes that threatens to wipe out all of London. While the hard-headed Darcy prefers to meet the undead head-on on the battlefield, Elizabeth meets a shady stranger who proposes a treaty with the zombies, facilitated by a process that placates their hunger for human flesh (feed them animal parts and they stop being belligerent assholes for a while). The plot really starts to get in the way of the actors in that they aren’t really given a lot of space to explore the more interesting corners of their respective characters’ personalities before a stupid string of exposition ruins the mood. That being said, James and Riley are a wonderful match and go above and beyond to keep us invested.

What’s worse, with all the anticipation built up of an unstoppable zombie army and the promise of a great war with the undead for the fate of London, we get absolutely nothing of the sort. There are a few displays of zombie slaughtering throughout the movie, but an epic, sprawling, LOTR: The Two Towers melee never comes. A disappointment to say the least.

The movie’s half-comedy, of course, its silly premise a clear giveaway that we shouldn’t take the material so goddamn seriously. Problem is, the movie just isn’t that funny. Again, much of the humor relies on the subversion of gender roles too heavily (is seeing a woman kick ass in a movie really so uncommon that we need to point it out so incessantly?) and the novelty of aristocrats being highly skilled warriors loses its luster before the plot even gets going. The movie’s major highlight is Matt Smith, playing the prissy Parson Collins who, despite his best efforts, can’t convince any of the Bennet sisters to take his hand in marriage. He first has his sights set on the already-spoken-for Jane but then concedes that he’ll settle for any of the sisters, a sentiment that isn’t met favorably by the girls or their parents (Charles Dance and Sally Phillips). Parson’s inability to see himself for the idiot the rest of us see him as is one joke that never gets old, thanks to the refined talents of Mr. Smith.

Steers tries to represent the wit of Austen’s material as best he can, but all the nonsense of the (frankly awful) zombie-slaying half of the story gets in the way at every turn. There’s a balance to be struck between respecting the integrity of Pride and Prejudice while having fun with the wacky experiment of throwing zombies into the mix, and Steers’ attempt is decidedly wobbly. The romance done well, but the decapitation, stabbing and zombie mass-destruction? That bit could have used an extra dash of crazy sauce to even out this unappetizing plate of lit-horror fusion.

]]>
http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-week-of-25/feed/ 0
Cinderella http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/cinderella/ http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/cinderella/#respond Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=30834 A ravishing, well-acted rendition of the European folk tale made famous by the Brothers Grimm and the Mouse House.]]>

Fairytales are meant to be passed down. With each new generation comes a new opportunity to share the fantastical stories that served to shape the moral make-up of so many before. Disney has made a new, live-action Cinderella movie, and I feel compelled to make this clear: I don’t believe new renderings of classic tales need to be the best version of all to justify their existence. Sometimes revisiting a familiar tale told by new storytellers, with their own, unique artistic philosophy, is good enough, especially for new batches of eager youngsters.

That being said, modern retellings like the 2015 Cinderella (directed by Kenneth Branagh, whose last Disney project, Thor, I liked very much) are still subject to the grand question: Is the damn movie any good or not? The short answer is, yes, it’s very good. It’s an enchanting, well-acted, snark-less rendition of the classic European folk tale with a radiant actress filling the glass slippers (Lily James) and ridiculously ravishing costumes that’ll make girls across the world lose their little minds. Is this the very best version of Cinderella? Unfortunately not: some odd design choices, unbalanced characterizations, and overall dearth of innovation stop it a few notches short of greatness. But those girls losing their little minds? They won’t care about that stuff one bit once they see James descend the stairs at the royal ball in that sparkling, ethereal, bluer-than-blue (seriously, how did they get it so blue?) dress.

But it’s not just Ella’s dress; there are tons of dresses! Cate Blanchett gets to wear a stunning emerald number as the brooding, evil stepmother; Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger (what a name, huh?) get draped in some of the most hilariously gaudy material you’ve ever seen this side of a Cosby sweater as the dreadful step-sisters; and Helena Bonham Carter, as the Fairy Godmother, is a vision in astral white. Costume designer Sandy Powell really outdid herself with the incredible costume design, which is so detailed and whimsical and magical you may lose your mind even if you aren’t a young girl (guilty). This is a Disney princess movie, after all, and boy did Powell bring the goods.

Children’s movies these days are typically either too cloying or too mean-spirited for my taste. Cinderella, however, strikes a nice balance. The script, by Chris Weitz (About a Boy), isn’t done in by sugariness; when Ella’s stomped on and ripped apart by her wretched step-mother and step-siblings, it’s rightly dismal and infuriating (Blanchett is ruthless; James is resilient). But even more impressively, the film doesn’t resort to sarcasm, irony, or cheap zingers to make it more palatable to millennial pessimists who scoff at the mere sight of bright colors and even brighter smiles on the big screen. Tonally, everything is calibrated just right, making for a smooth, steady ride.

The biggest disappointment is that Branagh’s vision of Cinderella is in narrative lockstep with Disney’s original take, the only non-aesthetic updates being some minor character expansions. Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) plays the strapping prince, whose aging father (Derek Jacobi) may be in his final days. Madden’s prince has a more significant, rounded presence than the cartoon version (who was essentially a walking plot device), readying himself for the burden of the throne as he scours the land for the girl of his dreams. (In a nice twist, Ella doesn’t realize he’s royalty when they first meet in the woods on horseback.) Jacobi maximizes his short time on-screen, making a lasting impression as the kind, sagacious, good-humored king in just a handful of scenes. Blanchett’s step-mother is given a little more emotional depth this time around, flirting with sympathy in a key scene in which she all-but chokes up when Ella tearfully asks why she torments her so. Both Jacobi and Blanchett could have been utilized better, particularly the former, who damn near steals the show.

Cinderella

It’s always astonishing to me, in a cultural landscape so caustic it’s scary, when an actor can embody pure virtue and positivity and make it feel sincere, or even attractive. There’s nothing much to fault about James’ performance; she’s a classic heroine, exuding compassion, strength, and patience in her darkest hours. Some may mistake Ella’s optimism for saccharine, outdated sentimentality, but let’s remember: this is a 19th century English period piece. If you expect all your princesses to be funny and witty and talk like Tina Fey, go watch Frozen instead. Anna and Elsa are great, but Ella’s old-school.

Branagh’s always brought out the best in his actors, and Cinderella is no misstep in that facet of his legacy. The writing isn’t always all that great: As Ella’s mother (Hayley Atwell) says goodbye for the last time on her death bed, she coos, “Where there is kindness, there is goodness. And where there is goodness, there is magic.” It’s a bit of a clunky line, of which there are a handful in the film, but Branagh makes sure his actors sound as genuine as possible.

A live-action Disney movie without flashy CGI bravura shots littered throughout would be a dream come true, but sadly, Cinderella doesn’t break the trend. Bonham Carter’s sole scene in the film (she also narrates), the obligatory pumpkin transformation scene, looks exactly as sterile and weightless as you’d expect from a big-budget Mouse-House production. The worst part, though, is the transformation of a lizard into one of Ella’s coachman. Once fully morphed, the lizard-man is one of the most hideous-looking things I’ve seen in recent memory. He’s a man, but with sickly, grey-green skin, lines of little razor-sharp teeth, and nightmarish reptilian eyes. Good god is he terrifying, and in no way does this abomination belong in a children’s movie. Thankfully, this is an isolated incident. Ella’s best friends, her pack of tiny computer-animated mice, are the most convincing effect in the movie, and are actually pretty cute.

Branagh’s never been a slugger when it comes to visual stylings, and he pretty much plays it safe here as per usual. There are a few exceptions: a thrilling 3-second see-saw-tilted shot of Ella sprinting through a beautifully baroque room in the royal castle; a motif involving Ella and the prince always spinning around each other in a lovers’ spiral, the same visual poetry used so masterfully by Max Ophüls in The Earrings of Madame de…. But otherwise, the camera movement and placement is unimaginative, though far from inadequate.

You’ll find few surprises in Branagh’s rendition of the diamond-in-the-rough classic. But there are dozens of fairytale deconstructions out there, leaving plenty of room for faithful retellings, especially when they’re as polished and openhearted as Cinderella. Adult viewers’ enjoyment of the film depends on the expectations they bring to the table, but young ones will find true joy falling in love with the sooty princess-in-training for the first time.

]]>
http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/cinderella/feed/ 0