WOLF

 George MacKay     Lily Rose Depp     Paddy Considine     Marten McCann     Terry Notary

            Wolf implies that “species identification disorder” is common, when in fact “species dysphoria” is a very rare condition.  I found this movie misleading and distasteful in so many ways.  First of all, the “hospital” staff treat the humans like animals, expecting them to become human, e.g., shaming them into compliance.  The filmmakers appear to know nothing about proven behavioral principles and therapy.  Progressive approximation is a common technique used by certified psychologists, whereas shame used by The Zookeeper (Considine) gets one nowhere or into something worse.  When the “patients” began to rebel at one point, my thought was that if you treat humans like animals, they will begin to show animalistic behavior.

            That is also shown in individuals, such as Jacob (MacKay) who is demonstrably tender-hearted, but when The Zookeeper in particular treats him more and more like an animal, he becomes ferocious.

            Jacob’s and the other residents’ parents have brought them for therapy, and have high hopes that they will get better.  But we don’t see any of them getting better, only worse, which shows the staffs’ techniques are wrong.  It may be that the filmmaker’s (writer/director Nathalie Biancheri) intention is to show the abuse and ill intentions for all to see, but there is no indication of that in the film.  Appropriate ways of treating people with mental disorders is never apparent.

            In contrast with the staff, when Jacob and his new-found friend “Wildcat” (Depp) confide in one another, they become more human in their sympathy, empathy, and attitude toward their peers.  Mackay’s performance is noteworthy, especially when we see him moving in the forest; he must have studied the movement of wolves enough so that his form looks convincingly feral.

            One comment made by an inmate suggests that the staff uses technology (like an iPad game) to connect them with their human side.  (Staff apparently don’t read today’s claims about technology possibly turning us into automatons.)  Other ludicrous interventions include a hopping dance with forced smiles (not emotionally based), shocks delivered to the abdomen, and placing disobedients gagged and chained into a cage.

 

There is nothing to redeem this psychological disaster of a movie.

 

Grade:  F                              By Donna R. Copeland 

THE DEATH OF STALIN

Adrian McLoughlin     Steve Buscemi     Jeffrey Tambor     Michael Palin     Simon Russell Beale

Paddy Considine     Olga Kurylenko     Andrea Riseborough     Rupert Friend     Jason Isaccs

       This is a film that is likely to pass right over the heads of most Americans, whose knowledge of the history of Russia during the 1950’s is meager at best.  In my own case, I was unable to catch the satire and the rolling out of gags and slapstick that so many critics, by their reviews, have obviously enjoyed.   Curiously, instead, I was constantly reminded of the chaos reigning in our current U.S. government, which detracted majorly from the humor I might have enjoyed if I had seen the film three years ago.  (Another time; another place.  But not now!).

        The Death of Stalin deals with the death of a ruthless leader (played by McLoughlin) who tortured, had shot, and sent to Siberia millions of innocent people.  I guess it takes a special kind of British humor by co-writer/director Armando Iannucci to make it into a political satire that juxtaposes Stalin-era atrocities and comical bureaucratic dysfunction at his death. The production is originally based on a comic book, “The Death of Stalin”, by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin. 

         The filmmakers have chosen to allow the cast to speak in their usual accents, which range from regional British Isles to American (no feigning of Russian language), so the viewer unfamiliar with history and the characters has a lot to keep track of. 

     This is an outstanding cast, especially Steve Buscemi, who looks nothing like Kruschchev, yet is able to be convincing.  Jeffrey Tambor (Malenkov), Michael Palin (Molotov), Simon Russell Beale (Lavrenti Beria) as head of the Russian secret police, Jacon Isaacs (Field Marshal Zhukov), Andrew Riseborough (Svetlana Stalin), and Rupert Friend (Vasily Stalin) all play their roles exactly as prescribed and lend generous entertainment. 

British humor juxtaposes Stalin’s atrocities and comic dysfunction at his death among bureaucrats.

Grade:  B                                               By Donna R. Copeland

MACBETH

Michael Fassbender   Marion Cottiliard   Paddy Considine   David Thewlis 

          “Oh, what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive” (Sir Walter Scott,Marmion, 1808).  This could be a comment about MacBeth.  The bloody tale is made even more striking in this film by the watchful eye of Director Justin Kurzel and the expressive cinematography of Adam Arkapaw.  The two preface and enhance every scene with the camera and the brilliant use of colors, especially red.  Red symbolizing not only copious blood, but as well the danger as fear and suspicion become activated when power and supremacy are issues.  I think the battle scenes are especially well done in slowing down at times to show individual actions, but still maintaining the frenzy of such battles.

             It seems quaint in contemporary times to see how much weight “prophesies” had in previous generations of man.  But when three mysterious witches appear to Macbeth (Fassbender) prophesying his elevation to king and the nature of his death, he elaborates on their words with constructions from his own mind.  But Macbeth’s friend/colleague and fellow warrior Banquo (Considine) is also present and hears prophesies related to him and his son.

           Upon hearing that her husband was awarded positions of thane in two counties and then one being abruptly withdrawn, Lady Macbeth (Cotilliard) enters the picture.  She believes the prophesies, and being as ambitious as Macbeth, sees no reason to simply wait for prophesies to be fulfilled.  She urges Macbeth to take action.  

           When King Duncan (Thewlis) is killed, Banquo has some reason to suspect Macbeth, and when Macbeth senses this, we see the infective nature of paranoia, which blossoms freely in the rest of the plot. 

         Fassbender as Macbeth is flawless, and he and Cotilliard as Lady Macbeth make a perfect duo, carrying us through the tragedy and her ultimate guilt in bravado performances.  Supporting actors Considine and Thewlis, along with Sean Harris (Macduff) and Jack Reynor (Malcolm) measure up nicely.

          This is a very good production of a classic Shakespeare play, and it is noteworthy for the clarity of the dialog even though spoken in Shakespearean language—something oftentimes difficult to understand for American audiences. 

A worthy new production of a classic tale.

Grade:  B+                              By Donna R. Copeland

MISS YOU ALREADY

Drew Barrymore     Toni Collette     Dominic Cooper     Paddy Considine     Jacqueline Bisset

 Miss You Already, a touching and heartbreaking new release, is exemplary in chronicling the cancer experience with all its ups and downs.  As an interesting twist, writer Morwenna Banks puts it in the context of a friendship between lifelong girlfriends.  Milly (Collette) is diagnosed with breast cancer just when her friend Jess (Drew Barrymore) is trying to get pregnant.  The two have grown up together, sharing all the important “firsts” in their lives.  Both are married now, Jess to Jago (Considine) and Milly to Kit (Cooper), but they remain just as close as ever.

When Milly gets diagnosed, she turns first to Jess, and Jess is prepared to be the best friend possible.  She does as much of the caretaking as Milly’s husband Kit does—not because Kit is avoiding responsibility, but because it seems natural to all of them.  As time goes on, Milly’s treatment is extended and Jess continues to be drawn away from home, Jago begins mildly complaining, but accedes to his wife’s plea for compassion for Milly. 

        

Sometime along the way, Jess does get pregnant, but the couple has additional stress with Jago taking a position at an offshore drilling site so they can afford the fertility treatments and make room for the baby.  That means he will be away from home periodically.

       

Two of the themes of Miss You Already are the kinds of responses patients and their families have to cancer and varying ways of coping with it.  In Milly’s case, she tends toward an “everything will be all right” outlook, so she is unprepared when she gets disappointing news.  Further, she is not one to talk readily about negative things, so initially does what many people are inclined to do; she keeps quiet about it.  Finally, she begins coping by acting out, endangering all her close relationships.

         

In the meantime, Jess is disinclined to share her good news in her own life with Milly out of consideration of what Milly is going through.  They eventually become estranged, and their marriages suffer some of the consequences.

        

The viewer is likely to guess how everything will turn out, but there may be a few surprises along the way. 

       

All four actors, along with Bisset as Milly’s self-absorbed mother, are expert in portraying their characters.  They convince us of their close relationships and their actions and behavior are consistent with the characters’ personality styles.  Catherine Hardwicke’s direction shows good pacing in the action and attention given to significant turns in the plot. 

         

Although I think Miss You Already scores in depicting the experience of cancer, I think it goes too far in implying that there is absolutely nothing worse in the world.  Well, believe me, there are worse things, and it’s a mistake to lead the audience to think everyone else’s lives should stop for the patient with the disease.  Milly seems to have no limits on what she expects of her loved ones just because she has cancer, and until her husband and friend begin to set some limits do we feel that the movie goes forward. 

        

The film also goes too far in clichéd pairings, e.g., birth and death, and the coincidence that the two husbands involved would both be so sweet and understanding of their wives’ actions.  That would be most unusual in real life; many husbands would at least be quicker to set limits, let alone even abdicate their responsibilities.

     

Miss You Already is likely to appeal to those who are curious but haven’t had much experience with cancer or a serious, life-threatening illness.  But I think most people will find it either too realistic or even hyper-real, and be turned off.  It’s greatest strength is watching the talented, skilled actors perform.

A film that immerses the viewer in the cancer experience.

Grade:  C                                        By Donna R. Copeland