Hamlet (1996)

A re-viewing of the longtime Best of All inductee. A second look, from a greater temporal distance, reveals more of the flaws in Kenneth Branagh’s wildly ambitious, comprehensive retelling of Shakespeare’s most iconic work. Many of the performances are overwrought; Kate Winslet’s Ophelia in particular is prone to hysterics (while she lasts). Other roles are simply miscast, more for the sake of including “names” than for harmonizing actor with character. And, let’s be blunt: it’s really, really long—almost to the point of being impossible to watch in one sitting. So must this film be jettisoned from the ranks of the great works? Hardly. Its ambition is its brilliance. Few could take on the challenge of presenting the full text of the play and make so much of it entertaining and relevant. The movie start to finish is a visual feast, both in its rich setting and the visual flair demonstrated by its composition, mise-en-scene, and attention to exquisite detail. And the highlights—and there are many—are as memorable as any I have seen in all my life of viewing cinema. It is worth accepting the challenge to view this work and absorb its ecumenical vision of personal and political tragedy. This above all things: to great cinema be true—even unto accepting it in its fullness.

A Haunting in Venice

Is this a good mystery? I wouldn’t know—it’s really not my genre. But I do like extraordinary characters, and in Hercule Poirot, as portrayed by Kenneth Branagh, you do have an iconic presence who really draws in the viewer. The portrayal comes across as that much fresher given that the story in this outing is a relatively untouched property, rather than the well-trodden paths of the Nile and the Orient Express. Add to those appealing elements some keen direction and skillful cinematography—the movie is a visual treat all the way through—and the result is a film that mostly satisfies. Again, I’m not a mystery fan, so I will confess that I grew a tad bored with the roundabout trip to an ultimately unwieldy explication...but that may just have been me watching the movie while being tired, too. As for the implied-by-the-title supernatural aspect of the story, the movie ultimately supplies one or two jolts, but overall it's a rather tame dose of the spooky. In sum, this is a finely-crafted movie for adults, with just enough touches of intrigue, chills, and interesting and exotic setting to lift the overall work into something worth the viewer's time.

Oppenheimer

Normally, the movie industry wants to shy away from bombs. But this story ain’t normal. Perhaps that explains the way director Christopher Nolan presents this tale—in a most unconventional way, particularly for a biopic. The storytelling here is eccentric, impressionistic, and idiosyncratic, with an almost staccato rhythm and pacing in the way it weaves its the tale. And 'weaving' is the correct term, as this story is nearly a co-biography of the title physicist and businessman and government official Lewis Strauss, with the parallel paths that the two men follow in the later years of their public careers displayed in intertwining narratives. Cillian Murphy is fine in the title role—he carries a heavy load here, being in almost every frame of the film—though Robert Downey Jr. almost steals the show (and will be a strong contender for a supporting actor award come next spring) as the antagonistic Strauss. The movie does have some flaws: some character introductions and scenes feel obligatory, the sorts of cinematic elements one often sees in a biopic; even with this work's nonstandard DNA, it can’t avoid some of the genre's cliches. Also, Nolan’s penchant for representational visual interjections—which lends a lot of that aforementioned staccato pacing—grows annoying after a while. Really, the whole style of the film is the greatest challenge the average viewer will face in watching this one. If you’re open to a non-conventional approach and allow the story to do its work, you will find this film to be rewarding, intriguing, in stretches even engrossing. But I also suspect that many viewers will be put off by the way Nolan’s direction asks a lot of the audience. That may be why, of the summer's two most anticipated releases, this one appears to have been left somewhat in the dust. Perhaps this should have been an Oscar-season release after all, and should not tried to swim against the summer blockbuster tide. Such a decision might have aligned expectations better for this film. Nevertheless, this movie is ultimately a success on its own terms, and one more interesting entry in the catalog of one of today’s most successful and intriguing directors. No bomb here; this project produced its intended product, be it a blockbuster or not.

Belfast

The strength of this film lies in the way director Kenneth Branagh is able to utilize the performance of young Jude Hill--portraying the proto version of himself--to convey all the wonder, fear, confusion and delight that his 10-year-old self felt in his last days in his hometown. The recreation of that milieu is meticulous, with the setting of this story--really, an almost docudrama style witnessing of a clearly defined period in a life--almost serving itself as a character in the tale, a presence that brings the thoughts, feelings, conflicts, and dilemmas of simple, day to day existence in a difficult time and place vividly to life. The cast embodies the director’s family, friends, neighbors and enemies extraordinarily well, delivering performances that bring the dilemma surrounding the fundamental question--stay or go?--right into the forefront of the viewer's mind. One shrewd choice must also be acknowledged: using Van Morrison songs throughout the film, which not only provides a fittingly soulful vibe to the proceedings but also delivers a certain amount of borrowed artistry to the work; you get the sense that Branagh hedged with the music, so that if the audience liked nothing else about the movie, the songs would carry them through. He needn’t have worried; there is more than enough charm, drama, and thoughtful reflection included in this work to resonate with audiences in a most deeply personal way. Undoubtedly, most of us can relate to the life and times depicted here, to some lesser or greater extent, and that connective tissue makes this not just a story of one man's childhood, but a memory that many of us share ourselves, in some small way. Perhaps we all can go home again.

Death on the Nile (2022)

I guess it’s just my lack of affinity for mystery movies, but, while I appreciate the skill with which this film was made, I found something missing here, some way in which this work just didn’t click. On the positive side, there’s no complaints to be made about the presentation; everything looks gorgeous, the cinematography is wonderful, and the Egyptian locations are used to brilliant effect. The performances are also first rate; no one in the cast makes a shambles of it. So what’s the problem? I think it’s the underlying tale. The mystery genre, in this viewer’s view, is one dedicated to an author trying to prove how clever he or she is--frequently without complete success. There’s little real interest in who-dun what here, and the whole scenario comes off as contrived. Also, I don’t think the exploratory plot points regarding Poirot's background and emotional state really add much to the proceedings; that character is there to perform a function in the story--guide the viewer to the resolution--not really to be a part of it. Add in an unwelcome touch of wokeness and there’s enough about this movie that either annoys or rings false, such that it drags down the total experience, despite the movie's positive aspects. You can be forgiven if you decide to skip this trip.

Tenet

Be your own Bond. It’s a certainty that recent rumors about someone Black taking over the role of world’s preeminent movie spy informed the casting of this film’s lead. And it raises a good point: why take over someone else’s franchise when you have the opportunity to develop something wholly fresh and new? Of course, the trick there is to do the developing and actually create something that is fresh, and new—and well done. That goal is somewhat accomplished here. This is a spy film that’s so devoted to its on-screen skulduggery that it even keeps its secrets from the audience. The viewer is never really informed about who the players are here, which side is which, or what, or whomever. Add that to the deep humbug about winding and rewinding time and everything starts out as clear as mud…and pretty much stays there throughout. You can just let those aspects slip and choose to view the scenery; there is enough audacious action sequences that it can be enjoyed simply on that level. You can also appreciate John David Washington’s cool, always in control performance as the (strangely unnamed) man making the moves, in one timeline or another. Is that stuff positive enough to build an enduring franchise a la 007? Well, that remains to be seen, in the future…which may be the past…or something like that.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

A mystery that has long since been solved is no mystery at all. Hence, if you're making a remake of a mystery movie--especially if it is perhaps the most famous mystery of all time--then obviously that film has to be about something more than solving the case. So it is here, where the heart of the exercise comes in the form of style and personality. Director and lead Branagh comes through in both aspects, delivering a visually sumptuous film while also crafting a lively and fun version of Hercule Poirot. The rest of the cast acquits themselves well, too. The only real issue lies in the writer, believe it or not. Christie's plot and solution, seen through the perspective of a lack of surprise, is frankly absurd and something of a cheat. But, again, this outing is not really about the solution anyway. Go ahead and board the train; you'll have a good enough trip for your ticket price.

Dunkirk

Yeah, surprised me, too. But it turns out that the Bad Cat, apparently, is not a "moggie." Hence, patriotic exercises masquerading as a movie have little positive effect here. This is another example of "Saving Private Ryan" syndrome: "Let me throw a pastiche of combat scenes at you, which don't have any particular thread running through them other than their particular circumstance, and then I'll sit back and listen to your applause. Because, you know, War. And stuff." Narrative barely exists here; mostly, it's just an exercise in two hours of watching British guys sitting around looking mopey. And while certain creative liberties are to be expected in any movie, particularly a history of war flick, some of the license here borders on ridiculous. Day turns to night and then immediately back to day--the same day, apparently--again and again. And I'm pretty sure the same plane was shot down three different times. The movie drags, there seems to be little point (beyond setting up a Churchill oration book report), and the smart viewer's attention wavers to wondering how badly the British armed forces screwed up in allowing the situation to happen (and how incompetent the Nazis were in letting them get away). A major, major disappointment.

Thor

I heard this film being trashed so vigorously that I was fully prepared to just watch and appreciate it for camp value alone. Imagine my surprise when I took a look and found this movie wasn't all that bad. In fact, I kind of dug it. The story holds together reasonably well, though some of the villain's plotting is unnecessarily complicated. But the visuals are fine, the look and feel are somewhat different from other comic book movies, and the cast has plenty of fun with it. So what's the problem? Nothing you can't handle, I say.

Pirate Radio

This film starts off with an unfair advantage: the soundtrack, evident from the opening credits, is so good, so infectious, that the movie opens holding a reservoir of audience goodwill before it does anything to earn it. But a great story, told simply yet very well, and rollicking work from a delightful cast (all of whom seem to be having a fabulous time with every scene) ultimately pay off that debt and balance the books well into the positive by the end.

Valkyrie

A good story, a great cast giving fine, professional performances, and some artful storytelling make this worth the ride. Oh, yeah, and it also offers everybody's favorite movie stars: Nazis! Enjoy.

Rabbit-proof Fence

A compelling story, both in the big (societal derangement over race) and small pictures (the personal plight of kidnapped Aboriginal girls in the 1930s), well-told and interesting from start to finish. And a wonderful performance by untrained actor Everlyn Sampi--who plays Molly, the oldest of three abducted sisters--shows all the signs of a potential star, if she pursues acting full time. Well worth a look.

Peter's Friends

So here's the set-up: take a group of old friends, each with a catacomb's worth of skeletons in his or her closet, get them together for a little stay in the country, and watch them fall apart--upon each other and--as individuals. It's better than it sounds, though the movie does sometimes veer too wildly between comedy and drama. But the dialogue is razor sharp, the soundtrack holds many great tunes, and a great cast (including Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh [who directed], Stephen Fry, Rita Rudner and Hugh Laurie) holds it all together with style and aplomb. The ending comes off as too abrupt, perhaps, but otherwise it works.

Henry V (1989)

The Branagh film--basically his coming-out party. It's undeniably a classic, though I must admit that there are some flaws here. For me the whole Falstaff back-story scenes seem flat, though whether the fault lies with this production or the source material (!) is debatable. What stands without question is that when Branagh's Henry is on screen, this movie is electrifying; no wonder everyone was so impressed.

Othello (1995)

This version--with Laurence Fishburne in the title role and Kenneth Branagh as Iago--was not particularly well received when it came out, but I've got a soft spot for Shakespeare; it takes some really bad work to screw up the Bard. This is capably done, and there isn't any silly fiddling about with the setting/staging/timeframe here--they play it straight. Works for me.