David R. Walker

Posts Tagged ‘Emily Beecham’

Supergirl

Director: Craig Gillespie

Cast: Milly Alcock, David Corenswet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, Ferdinand Kingsley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, Jason Momoa

Running Time: 1 hour 47 minutes

Film Rating: 7 out of 10

Cruella and I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie returns to the big screen with an origin story about Superman’s kryptonite cousin Supergirl brilliantly played by Milly Alcock who briefly appeared in last year’s film Superman.

Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl appears at the beginning of the story to be an intergalactic party animal celebrating her birthday in a very debauched fashion with Clark Kent aka Superman checking in on her via video link from Earth. Kara hasn’t come to terms with her Supergirl status, her powers as a superhero or her inherent responsibility to fend off evil.

Evil in this form comes from the villain Krem wonderfully played by Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts (The Danish Girl, Rust and Bone, Far from the Madding Crowd) who displays his nastiness when he shoots Krypto, Supergirl’s adorable dog with a poison dart after Ruthiye played by Eve Ridley comes to Supergirl for assistance after her family are brutally murdered by Krem.

Krem leads a violent band of misogynistic men who capture young girls all across the galaxy as brides for this evil tribe of maniacs. A storyline which scriptwriter Ana Nogueira lifts straight out of Furoisa: A Mad Max Saga. Supergirl and Ruthiye kick start some serious girl power as they go up against Krem and his band of miscreants. They do have some help from the cigar smoking biker Lobo played by Jason Momoa last seen as Aquaman who seems to relish this role.

Supergirl does appear to possess a script that is all over the show and appears as a pastiche of several film franchises in one: Star Wars, Mad Max and even Dune. There are more aliens in this film than is necessary.

The best scenes in the film are the back story of Kara Zor-El as a young girl on the dying planet of Krypton whereby her parents Zor-El played by David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer) and Alura Zor-El played by British actress Emily Beecham (Cruella, Hail, Caesar!) who was so brilliant in the historical series King and Conqueror, put young Supergirl in a capsule and send her to earth with specific instructions that her tall handsome cousin will look after her. Those scenes are beautifully done with clear inspiration from the Dune franchise.

Schoenaerts is brilliant as Krem, all studded in black leather and speaking in a harsh accent with crazy eyes and enough virility to keep the Manosphere going into the next century. The juxtaposition between him as the uber-male villain and Supergirl as the blond and blue eyed saviour of the world is revealing. For a good superhero film to work, you have to have a truly evil villain that feels nothing at killing innocent people, slave trading and darting adorable dogs.

The first half of Supergirl is a bit unsteady although the world building is brilliant and filled with imaginative detail. The second half gets better with Milly Alcock holding her own and showing an inspiring character development as Supergirl embraces her powers and helps Ruthiye rid the galaxy of megalomaniacs like Krem. The end scene is wonderful as Superman appears in his full suit and bonds with his Kryptonite cousin in an apartment in Metropolis.

There will definitely be a Supergirl sequel and I enjoyed this stand alone superhero film.

Supergirl gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and although it lacks an original narrative, the film is entertaining and visually astounding. Recommended viewing for a good popcorn film.  

Cruella

Director: Craig Gillespie

Cast: Emma Stone Emma Thompson, Mark Strong, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, John McCrea, Emily Beecham, Kayvan Novak, Kirby Howell-Baptiste

Disney’s retelling of 101 Dalmatians paid off in the lavish and expertly crafted live action film Cruella featuring Oscar winner Emma Stone (La La Land) channelling her inner psycho diva as the fashion mad anti-heroine  Estella who becomes the villainous Cruella de Ville.

I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie sets Cruella in the vicious fashion world of the 1970’s as Cruella and her arch rival the narcissist and extremely evil Baroness wonderfully played against type by another Oscar winner Emma Thompson (Howard’s End, Sense and Sensibility) as she draws inspiration from Meryl Streep’s performance in The Devil Wears Prada. In this Avant-Garde and fabulously retro Cruella, the battlefield is the infamous Liberty’s department store in Central London, the playground of 1970’s fashion.

Thompson and Stone are perfectly cast as arch rivals who are determined to rip each other to shreds both figuratively and physically using everything at their disposal from Dalmatians to deception.

With double Oscar winner costume designer Jenny Beavan (A Room with a View, Mad Max: Fury Road) creating the most outrageous costumes for both Cruella and The Baroness, the costumes and makeup are unbelievable and absolutely amazing. The musical score is another winner, adding to the film’s funky and swanky feel.

The male actors in Cruella take a notable backseat to the main plot of a rag to riches Cruella who fights her way literally to the top of the London fashion scene.

There is the exception with Cruella’s fellow thieves Jasper expertly played by Joel Fry (Yesterday) and Horace played by extremely talented character actor Paul Walter Hauser (I, Tonya; BlackKklansman; Richard Jewell). Both Horace and Jasper become Cruella/Estella’s aides and assistants as she effortlessly slips between two opposing personalities, one good and the other evil, almost like a fashionable female version of Joker which garnered an Oscar win for Joaquin Phoenix in 2020.

Naturally evil triumphs over good as Cruella soon realizes that to beat a formidable opponent like the vile Baroness who treats all her staff as lowly minions, you have to become a cold hearted and ruthless Diva. Something which Cruella can relate to.

British actor Mark Strong (1917, Shazam!, Zero Dark Thirty) who plays the obsequious and loyal valet represents the stabilizing force in both Cruella and the Baroness’s lives as he delicately shifts the war between the two powerful female forces in favour of the younger, while revealing a devastating family secret.

Disney hit gold with this lavish version of Cruella thanks to two equally brilliant performances by two exceptional actresses: Emma Stone and Emma Thompson.

Cruella is tantamount to the Joker seizing editorial power over Vanity Fair. This elegant Disney version gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10 and is insightfully directed by Craig Gillespie.

Palm d’Or:  Parasite directed by Bong Joon-Ho

Best Director:  Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes for Young Ahmed

Best Actor:   Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory

Best Actress:  Emily Beecham – Little Joe

Best Screenplay:   Celine Sciamma – Portrait of a Lady on Fire