London Film Festival Review: Suspiria

(Dir: Luca Guadagnino, 2018)

Should there be such a thing as untouchable films; sacred cows that exist in perpetuity never to be remade or reimagined? There is a of course a double standard – Gus Van Sant got skewered in 1998 for remaking Psycho whilst Bradley Cooper is currently receiving plaudits for a fourth version of A Star Is Born. The music industry has always relied on the cover version (or standards as they used to be called). Why shouldn't classic films be reimagined if they can bring something new to the table? Perhaps they can actually improve on the original (a heretical thought!)? Of course if you don't like the idea of a new version you don't have to watch it and the original will always exist! 

In the horror canon Dario Argento's Suspiria is hailed as something of a masterpiece, hence the inevitable consternation about this new version. However director Luca Guadagnino has wisely called his 2018 update a "cover version" and actively tries to bring something new to the table. This is still the story of a young American dancer joining a German dance company only to discover there's something very sinister lurking beneath the surface. But it's an expanded version of Argento's original. The setting is Berlin in the late seventies, amidst the waves of social unrest and terror campaigns, which plays a fairly significant role in the setting and tone of the story. It's always grey, always raining or snowing, and a bleak place to exist. But it's somewhere that Susie (Dakota Johnson) is drawn too, especially to company artistic director Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton), seemingly ever since her youth.

Susie is put through her paces by Mme Blanc and Johnson does a fantastic job with the complex choreography, as do the whole company, making the dance scenes a pleasure to watch. There's always a portentous quality to them as they veer into avant-garde territory, whilst the music is dramatic and the malevolent eyes of the matrons delight in the potential of what they see. It feels like there's a real purpose behind the dancing beyond it existing as a façade. There are perhaps fewer strange goings-on than in the original, but Guadagnino deviates path as the film progresses to it's final acts, leading to something much weirder yet strangely more satisfying. 

The film is shot on 35mm and utilises stylistic qualities from years gone by, making it seem to fit into it's timeframe, the era the original came from. One of Argento's most notable elements was his use of colour, primarily red. This new version doesn't forget that but it takes it's time to make an appearance as much of the setting is muted and drab.

Suspiria takes it's time. It's almost an hour longer than the original and it is a long slow build. There could've perhaps been a little tightening up along the way but the cast grip your attention, especially Johnson, Swinton and Mia Goth, who plays the inquisitive Sara and takes on some of the plot driving elements from the Suzy of the original. And not forgetting Dr Josef Klemperer (Lutz Ebersdorf – or is it?) who is an intriguing character given a lot of attention, but who mostly seems fits with the wider context of the story's setting.

Ultimately this new take on Suspiria is a worthy adaptation of the original, starting at the same place but ending up in some other hallucinatory mindfuck. The denouement is superb and although it takes it's time getting there, it's worth taking the journey. Plus we get to enjoy some excellent dance scenes and a very good soundtrack along the way. Both films excel in different ways and this new version is very good, justifying it's existence.

London Film Festival Review: Widows

(Dir: Steve McQueen, 2018)

The simple suggestion of Steve McQueen directing a heist thriller put Widows at the top of this years London Film Festival must-watch list. It's been almost five years since 12 Years A Slave, his last film, and he continues to be one of the most exciting directors working today. Hence the excitement about what he could bring and how he could twist a genre that's been done to death.

From the get go his creative fire and love of using the camera in unexpected ways is on display – the opening few minutes showcase a car chase shot on a single camera providing a character-focused perspective on events, putting us inside the action, whilst jarring edits jump back in time to brief scenes involving those in the vehicle, establishing context. It's a masterful start, and when you pay attention to the casting you are forced to check your usual expectations about who the key players actually are.

This is very much a character piece, and Viola Davis' Veronica is a powerful lead, pushed into a shitty situation and forced to react as she only knows how. There's a steely determination on show, seemingly ice-cold on the surface but churning underneath with a depth of emotion that rises up in private. She's joined by Michelle Rodriguez's Linda, Elizabeth Debicki's Alice and Cynthia Erivo's Belle. All have their own issues to deal with but are thrust together and form a great unit. These are fascinating, well-written characters with great performances bringing each to life, as they learn to utilise the skills they didn't know they had.

The heist and its planning are well executed, but Widows is more focused on a host of societal issues. Set in a Chicago district there's a huge amount of politics at play: from the privileged Mulligan family (Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall) who – mostly – see it as their family right to run this part of the city and profit accordingly, to brothers Jamal (Brian Tyree Henry) and Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya) who believe that politics and the inherent corruption is the legitimate way to expand their criminal enterprises; to how the church can sway an election, the impact of zonal redistricting and the smoke and mirrors of publicly embracing black female business owners whilst keeping them indebted to a white paymaster. Not to mention what one has to do to survive as a single parent.

Widows is clearly more than just a standard heist thriller and these extra layers are core to it's success. Creatively speaking it does feel like McQueen's most conventional film, but that still puts it ahead of the abilities of most directors and it's full of fascinating little flourishes – the car ride Farrell's character takes home after an event is a prime example as it works on so many levels. But again it's how he uses and positions the camera – what does he show us, what does he stop us seeing and what is our perspective for it all? Ultimately the film is so successful because of the characters, acting and writing – predominantly the four leads but also the supporting cast, especially the supremely menacing Kaluuya. Widows may well end up being one of the best films of the year.

Review: Venom

(Dir: Reuben Fleischer, 2018)

Venom is the closest any of the films in the modern Marvel sphere have gotten to horror (we're talking about the post Blade trilogy Marvel renaissance of course, and it should be noted that Venom is not part of their bigger universe). No-one could actually claim it as a horror film, but the first half intriguingly toys with dark atmospherics, allusions to zombie flicks and body horror. And of course there's the Venom character himself – an horrific looking alien, all razor sharp teeth, slithering skin, demonic bug eyes and that muscularly lolling tongue. He's superbly realised on screen; surely the stuff of nightmares for some. He takes a little while to appear but how he's revealed through his symbiosis with Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is effective.

Hardy is a solid choice for Brock with his cross of muscularity, intelligence and ability to pull off the requisite physical comedy. Initially he's particularly engaging, almost playing against type as a happy, successful, erudite reporter. Although he all too quickly descends into the more commonly seen moody Hardy, but clearly has free reign to go a little crazy in the role. Once past the dark set-up (it's a shame it never follows through on the horror vibe!) it all regresses into standard overblown, action-heavy beats. The overarching plot is a rudimentary, by-the-numbers, got to stop a megalomaniac bad guy story. It serves it's purpose for getting Brock to Venom, but beyond that it distracts from the real, more interesting story of Brock and Venom becoming "we".

There are plenty of comedic overtones at play which offers some balance. This is particularly effective in the form of the Brock/Venom dialogue but it could've used even more of this. The way Venom's voice has been mixed into the overall sound design of the film is slightly jarring and disorientating, which was a smart decision. But on the other hand it's all frustratingly bloodless. We're in a post Deadpool / Logan world where the reality of the violence meted out by comic book characters is writ in crimson and riddled with body parts – so it is disappointing to not see that applied to such a dark character (he has a penchant for biting off people's heads after all!). It is however refreshing to see love interest Anne (Michelle Williams) be a strong character. She may be under-utilised but is thankfully not pushed into the old damsel in distress scenario. Whereas Riz Ahmed plays Carlton Drake with a manically predictable megalomania, but always feels too young, despite clearly trying to ape today's young billionaire tech CEO's.

Venom is an entertaining first attempt at the character (forgetting Spider-Man 3 of course) and there's certainly more to like than dislike. A sequel direction has been teased – let's just hope it pushes the character angle more than the OTT CGI action, whilst amping up the comedic dialogue and the bloody violence.