movie

HELL OR HIGH WATER (USA 2016) ****

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hell_of_high_water.jpgHELL OR HIGH WATER (USA 2016) ****
Directed by David MacKenzie

Starring: Dale Dickey, Ben Foster, Chris Pine

Review by Gilbert Seah

The term HELL OR HIGH WATER is the phrase used in contracts that demand payment regardless. It is also the title of the new film directed by David MacKenzie (ASYLUM and his last excellent film STARRED UP) and brilliantly written by Taylor Sheridan (SICARIO), the script of which won the 2012 Black List of Screenplays.

The film begins with an exciting bank robbery. The bank is robbed by two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine) and the recently out-of-jail Tanner (Ben Foster). It is a case of Good Crook, Bad Crook variation of Good Cop, Bad Cop. Toby, the good crook needs the money for payments on the house his children has inherited from his recently deceased mother. Toby is separated from his wife and children. The payments must be made HELL OR HIGH WATER or Toby will lose much, much more as the property is spouting oil.

The film does not have one main protagonist but three. Toby appears to be the main one, but his volatile brother and the retiring sheriff after them are also given due attention. Sheriff Marcus (Jeff Bridges) is the most interesting of the three, a wise-cracking, gruff and smart veteran who constantly cracks racist jokes at his indian deputy Alberto (Gil Birmingham). The film could very well be another version of the Lone Ranger and Tonto.

The film is well performed by everyone especially Bridges who turns out an Oscar Winning performance. His mannerisms and drawl fit perfectly his character of an aging, fed-up law enforcer. Chris Pine proves he can do more than Captain Kirk in STAR TREK.

MacKenzie knows how to create excitement. The camera is placed, for example in the getaway car, all jittery but capturing the desperation of escaping the cops. The shootout scene at the end of the film is also meticulously staged. The film also contains a superb climax – a verbal showdown between Toby and Marcus. The music by Australian actor, singer song-writer Nick Cave is a pleasure, also adding atmosphere and mood to the film. The film is interspersed with his songs.

The film was originally titled Comancheria. The reason can be seen in one of the film’s best written and key scene when Tanner confronts a comanche in a casino. Comanche means ‘enemy of everyone’, the comanche tells Tanner. “Then I am one,” he retorts. “An enemy?” asks the comanche angrily. “No, a comanche.” The description of Tanner’s character is spot on, Tanner being a volatile man who cannot get along with anyone, less his brother and has been in prison in and out a couple of times. Another scene, which is so funny that has to be seen to be believed is the age old waitress who serves the sheriff and his deputy in a restaurant asking, “What can’t I get you?” The film and script is full of inventive surprises and smart humour, which adds on to the plot.

The story also bears a truth about human beings. If you ask most people what the main goal or aim in life of a man is, the ultimate answer is to see their children do at least as well or better than them. For Toby, whose only expert advice he can give his son is: “Do not be like me,” the one way he can be a good father and satisfy his goal in life is to provide for his two sons by making final payment on the house before disclosure by the bank.

Director MacKenzie has made an excellent film on a well written script with prized dialogue. It is good to see that he could do the same for a script without dialogue as in the case of his last film, STARRED UP, where the dialogue in heavy accent need not be understood for the film to be appreciated.

HELL OR HIGH WATER premiered at Cannes at Un Certain Regard. It is an excellent entertaining and rewarding film hat comes highly recommended. And the film gets my vote for Best Original Script this year.

LITTLE MEN (USA 2016) ***1/2 Directed by Ira Sachs

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little_menLITTLE MEN (USA 2016) ***1/2
Directed by Ira Sachs

Starring: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina García, Alfred Molina

Review by Gilbert Seah

As Jesus said in the Bible, “And a child will lead them.” In the case of Ira Sach’s occasionally brilliant new film LITTLE MEN, pre-teens lead the way for the adults that have gone astray.

The film begins with the death of 13-year old Jake’s (Theo Taplitz) grandfather. Jake’s dad, Brian (Greg Kinnear) inherits the grandfather’s building and move in. Below is a store that the grandfather leases to a seamstress, Leonor (Paulina Garcia) and her son, Tony (Michael Barbieri). Trouble arises when Brian needs to raise the rent money as he is short of income. Leonor is unable to pay. A bad state of affairs result when Brian evicts Leonor.

Though premiering at the Toronto Inside Out LGBT film festival, there is no explicit gay theme on display in the film. The friendship that develops between the two boys hints that one might be gay (the other pines over a girl in he neighbourhood), but still one can never be sure. The hint arrives when Jake’s mind immediately rushes to think of Tony when asked to write a poem above love in his English class. No use in labelling. No matter whether one of the boys is gay or not, it is of no importance. Sach’s little film astounds in many avenues, particularly in the subtlety department. But the bond that exists between the two boys is nothing short of wonderful. They stand up for each other. Tony gets beaten up in school for Jake. Both boys refuse to talk to their parents when they learn that their parents are not getting along.

The film is seen mostly from the points of view of the two boys, which makes the film more interesting.

The script has two characters, Brian’s sister and Brian’s wife which could easily have been moulded into one character. They collectively could serve the same function as one person.

When Brian finally confesses the problem to his son Jake, Jake offers a solution so simple that the adage “and a child will lead them” comes to mind.

Films about kids often have them speak in adult dialogue that would unlikely come from them. This occurs regularly in many of Neil Simon’s plays, Woody Allen films and also in this film. But here at least, the boys still behave like boys. They play video games, ignore their parents, get into trouble (and fights) in school while growing up and learning about life. The great thing about all this is that they teach their parents a thing or two on the way.

Sach’s film succeeds tremendously from the performances of it two young actors. They are able to elicit sympathy and humour, strength and vulnerability in their characters. One of the best performances occurs in the segment in a training dialogue between Tony and his acting coach in his new school.

The film contains a non-Hollywood but rather clever under-stated ending. LITTLE MEN is a good example of how brilliant a little film with a good script and direction can turn out.

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GLEASON (USA 2016) *** Directed by Clay Tweel

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gleasonGLEASON (USA 2016) ***
Directed by Clay Tweel

Starring: Steve Gleason, Mike Gleason, Scott Fujita

Review by Gilbert Seah

Clay Tweel’s GLEASON is a documentary that chronicles the journey of former New Orleans Saints football star Steve Gleason after being diagnosed with ALS at age 34. The doc was assembled from footage taken by Steve’s family, friends and caregivers.

Gleason became a local hero after he blocked a punt during the team’s first game at the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina – a play that resulted in a touchdown for the Saints and became a symbol of recovery for the city. He retired in 2008 and married New Orleans artist Michel Varisco. Three years later, the ALS news came, just as they discovered that Michel was expecting their first child. Given two to five years to live, he begins recording a video diary for his son.

GLEASON is not the first film made about football injuries. The 2012 Steve James documentary HEAD GAMES told Chris Nowinski’s story based on Nowinski’s 2006 book by the same name. Nowinski suffered multiple concussions during his career as a football player and professional wrestler, and he has been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome. Nowinski has dedicated his life to advocating and researching brain trauma. It is no coincidence that Nowinski’s work has coincided with the plethora of lawsuits filed by former players alleging the NFL hid information regarding brain trauma.

GLEASON touches the subject of the course of his ALS and hints that it was likely due to football. But nothing more is said of the subject. One can only guess that Gleason’s father and him had put in more effort to possible faith healing than to go after the culprits.

The two most almost unwatchable scenes, involve him having to take a shit, aided by his loved ons and caregiver and an argument with him and his father. The father argues that if his son, Steve does not believe in faith healing, he will not be saved, while Steve cries his heart out that he truly believes he is saved regardless. Other ones like Steve’s venting on life or his difficulty in breathing are necessary.

But the hero in all this, apart from Steve Gleason achieving Obama’s bill on providing speech machines to ALs patients is his wife, Michel. Caring for both their son and Steve at the same time requires the patience of an angel. The most effective scene in the film is the one where the two lie in bed next to each other. Steve is complaining that she ignores him. But the audience can see that she is just tired and wants to be left alone and Steve will not let her. Her tireless patience is nothing short of angelic.

The film features two celebrities, the lead guitarist of Gleason favourite and, Pearl Jam and a glimpse of physicist Stephen Hawking, another victim of ALs.

As described as a warts and all documentary on Gleason’s life, the film concentrates more on the warts. GLEASON is a brutal watch with many segments almost unbearable.

GLEASON has won many praises including the Audience Award at SXSW 2016. It is the honesty of Gleason’s misery that have captivated the hearts of audiences.

 

 

 

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Film Review: SUICIDE SQUAD (USA 2016)

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suicide_squad.jpgSUICIDE SQUAD (USA 2016) *
Directed by David Ayer

Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie

Review by Gilbert Seah

SUICIDE SQUAD is the third D.C. comics extended universe film, following the awful BATMAN V. SUPERMAN that barely made its money back from its costly production. SUICIDE SQUAD has so far received awful reviews, including this one from your humble reviewer. It has also been reported that Suicide Squad fans have petitioned to shut down Rotten Tomatoes after negative reviews.

The film has been reported to be rushed out to meet time schedules with lots of editing and rushed scripting by David Ayer (FURY). It shows!

The Suicide Squad initiative functions as an unorthodox work release program. The modern incarnation, the Suicide Squad, is an antihero “strike team” of incarcerated, death row supervillains. Acting as deniable, covert assets of the United States government, it undertakes high-risk, black-ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences. The group operates out of Belle Reve Penitentiary under the directorship of Amanda Waller (played with dead seriousness by Viola Davis).

The members of the squad in this film is taken from different the different volumes of the comic books. In the aftermath of Superman’s death in BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, intelligence operative Amanda Waller assembles a team of dangerous criminals – the deranged Harleen Quinzel (Margot Robbie), also known as “Harley Quinn”; elite hitman Floyd Lawton (Will Smith getting star billing), who longs to be reunited with his daughter Zoey; pyrokinetic ex-gangster Chato Santana (Jay Fernandez), who refuses to fight after accidentally killing his wife and children and opportunistic thief Digger Harkness (Jai Courtney) who is supposed to use his boomerang among others. Each member is introduced at the start of the film with a famous tine. Harleen is introduced with the song “Super Freak”; Lawton with “Spirit in the Sky” etc. The Suicide Squad are offered reduced sentences in exchange for their services and implanted with nanobombs so Waller can terminate them should they go rogue. Flag (Joel Kinnaman) leads the squad under instruction from Waller.

Though billed as a comedy action film, the film’s comedy lie mainly in the one-liners. THE SUICIDE SQUAD’s comedy is similar to that of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. Margot Robbie and Oscar Winner Jared Leto (as the Joker) steal the movie. Leto is plain creepy delivering a performance of equal stature to Heath Ledger’s.

One of Waller’s recruits is Flag’s girlfriend, Dr. June Moone, an archaeologist who has become possessed by a malevolent spirit witch known as “The Enchantress” after touching a cursed idol. She and her brother form the villains of the film that have to be taken out by the squad in an extended action sequence in which a barely recognizable downtown Toronto (where the film is shot) is destroyed. (Dundas Square can still be recognized at least.)

Beware. Characters that die midway in the film can suddenly appear live and well in later parts of the film. There is a 2-minute meeting between Waller and Bruce Wayne (Ben Effleck) midway during the end credits, indicating that it might serve as an entry point to a sequel.

Like BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, SUICIDE SQUAD is plain awful. The 2 films contain the similar traits of being incoherent and a complete mess. If there are 10 D.C. comics films slated till 2020, heaven help the D.C. Universe!

Film Review: OPERATION CHROMITE (South Korea 2016)

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operation_chromite.jpgOPERATION CHROMITE (South Korea 2016) **
Directed by Lee Jae-han (John H. Lee)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Sean Dulake, Jung-jae Lee

Review by Gilbert Seah

In order to appreciate the film, a bit of Korean/American history is required. The first is a knowledge of the Battle of Inchon.

The Battle of Inchon was an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favour of the United Nations. The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital of Seoul two weeks later. The code name for the operation was OPERATION CHROMITE, the title of this film. Though not seen in the film, the epic battle began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 19 September.

The battle ended a string of victories by the invading North Korean People’s Army (NKPA). The United Nations and South Korean forces were commanded by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (Liam Neeson) of the United States Army. MacArthur was the driving force (heavily emphasized in the film) behind the operation, overcoming the strong misgivings of more cautious generals to a risky assault over extremely unfavorable terrain.

The plot of the film has General Douglas MacArthur and 8 South Korean troop members led by a South Korean Navy Lieutenant (Lee Jung-Jae) carry out a covert “X-ray” operation. The “X-ray” must succeed in order to carry out “Inchon” Landing Operation. The film concentrates of the X-ray operation and not the Battle of Inchon.

Nothing much is said of this covet X-ray operation in the history books, so a lot of the action going on in the film is likely made-up by the script which takes liberties to create a big budget action film. Extra sentiment is provided whenever possible for example in one scene, by one of the soldiers in the X-Ray operation meeting up with his wife and baby son. General MacArthur also adds his spill on how it is to grow old and hold on to ones principles.

The action segments (chases through the city amidst machine gun fire) are exciting enough but they tend to undermine the reality of a film based on historical events. The segment set on the eve of September 15 to secure a lighthouse, however, is clumsily done as it is hard to see what is going on in the dark of night.

OPERATION CHROMITE is more an action movie than a film based on historical events. The background of the film is the history lesson. Other than that, the group of men that have gone on fighting to make the Battle of Inchon and their exploits are hardly plausible. A parallel can be drawn of the about to be released ANTHROPOID on the real assassination of Rienhard Heydrich.

North Korea would be flabbergasted with premise, story and delivery of this South Korean propaganda piece. The film has already broken South Korean box-office records with an opening weekend box-office gross of $18.5 million on its $15 million production. South Koreans love the film. But the North Korean state-run outlet Uriminzokkiri called the film a product of “ridiculous bravado from ignorant lunatics”.

That said, OPERATION CHROMITE is a pretty bad war film. But for less discerning moviegoers who like that action heroes to be true to life, this film will be a hit, as already proven by the film’s box-office success.

UNLOCKING THE CAGE (USA 2015) ***

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unlocking_the_cage.jpgUNLOCKING THE CAGE (USA 2015) ***
Directed by D A Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus

Review by Gilbert Seah

Do animals have certain rights as humans? Animals are caged and cannot argue their way out. The same can be said for the inhuman way chicken and cattle are reared for food.

UNLOCKING THE CAGE closely follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his unprecedented challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. After 30 years of struggling with ineffective animal welfare laws, Steve and his legal team, the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), are making history by filling the first lawsuits that seek to transform an animal from a “thing” with no rights to a “person” with legal protections.

Supported by affidavits from primatologists around the world, Steve maintains that, based on scientific evidence, cognitively complex animals such as chimpanzees, whales, dolphins and elephants have the capacity for limited personhood rights (such as bodily liberty) that would protect them from physical abuse. Using writs of habeas corpus (historically used to free humans from unlawful imprisonment), Wise argues on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State.
The film spends a considerable amount of time trying to convince the audience of the supposedly monumental shift in our culture, as the public and judicial system show increasing receptiveness to Steve’s impassioned arguments. It is an intimate look at a lawsuit that could forever transform out legal system, and one man’s lifelong quest to protect “nonhuman” animals. But he audience gets the point quite wary without the idea having to be constantly drummed into the audience.

There is nothing really wrong with this well intentioned documentary that achieves its aim of what it is supposed to do – which is to inform and to rally up people for animal rights and more. But being so straight forward, it is quite a boring doc tailing the activists from start to finish. There is more anger generated in the many other documentaries about abuse of other animals like sharks (for their fins), dolphins and other animals. UNLOCKING THE CAGE, though moving at times, is tame in comparison.

UNLOCKING THE CAGE had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016 and its Canadian Premiere at the Hot Docs Film Festival in May 2016. It will open in Toronto on August 19th at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. The opening night screening in Toronto will be followed by a Q & A session with Steven Wise, via Skype, moderated by Canada’s first animal rights lawyer, Lesli Bisgould.

JASON BOURNE (USA 2016) ***

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jason_bourne.jpgJASON BOURNE (USA 2016) ***
Directed by Paul Greengrass

Starring: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel Julie Stiles

Review by Gilbert Seah

JASON BOURNE arrives as the 5th instalment of the Bourne films based on the Robert Ludlum novels. Fans were given a break with the previous entry that starred Jeremy Renner working with director Tony Gilroy. With Matt Damon reunited with director Paul Greengrass, one would have expected a top-notch action Bourne film. Sadly, JASON BOURNE provides nothing than more of the same. A few additional secrets regarding Bourne’s past are revealed as to his father’s (Gregg Henry) involvement, but nothing substantial.

Greengrass sets his action set pieces the way Bourne fans are used to – hand held camera with jittery frame and fast edits. The technique creates more nervousness with audiences than anything else. I am not a keen fan of this kind of action shots though they appear popular with Bourne fans. The problem is the lack of continuity as evident in the over extended ridiculous car chase segment at the climax where the assassin’s (Vincent Cassell) truck ploughs through dozens of cars along a Las Vegas strip while in hot pursuit by Bourne. The background of the Vegas hotels do not appear to change as much as the distance covered by the chase.

Despite JASON BOURNE being an action film, the film’s most engrossing parts are the non action scenes. such as the suspense built up during the Exocon convention in Vegas where the founder of a high tech platform company (Riz Ahmed) is about to be shot.

Most of the Bourne characters are emotionless creatures from Bourne himself right down to the director of the CIA, Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) and other assorted villains. The one with a conscience is Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander), sympathetic to killing Bourne and wanting to bring him into the CIA as another possibility. It seems odd that the script calls for her to change this character completely at the end of the film for the sake of a plot twist.

The film’s story is very current and remarkably similar to Snowden’s whistleblowing, which will be revisited agin in the upcoming film called SNOWDEN. The high tech convention setup is similar to for example, the real life unveiling of new products by Apple Inc. Another sequence that takes place in Athens has mobs of angry Greeks protesting the current economic crisis, clashing with the police.

The script asks the audience to accept a lot of credibility points like whether a lap top memory can be erased by a nearby cellphone.

The question is whether this JASON BOURNE film is really necessary and if it is, how it compares to the other Bourne films. The first THE BOURNE IDENTITY based on Robert Ludlum’s first novel is the most solid of the lot, directed by Doug Liman since it is the one that sets the wheels rolling and established the ground rules. Paul Greengrass then came on board as director, and with Damon establishing the new Bourne style with the next two films and in this one. The diversion with Renner and director Gilroy was ok but did not make any memorable difference. This new JASON BOURNE should satisfy Bourne fans, but provides just more of the noisy same.

 

 

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Movie Review: Angry Indian Goddesses (Indian)

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angry_indian_goddesses.jpgANGRY INDIAN GODDESSES (India 2015) ***
Directed by Pan Nalin

Starring: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Anuj Choudhry, Rajshri Deshpande

Review by Gilbert Seah

The first thing that comes to mind when one hears of the film ANGRY INDIAN GODDESSES is the reason the film is called that. The reason becomes apparent midway during the film when all the characters imitate the Angry Goddess Kali, the Goddess who destroys all evil with her anger. Each character do their best to imitate the Goddess as they pose (their tongues sticking out far as possible) for a group picture. Kali is a Hindu Goddess, the Divine Mother or Mother of the Universe and a destroyer of evil forces.

The film’s characters are not Goddesses in any sense of the word. They are more victims than anything else, but they try to live with their problems with the help of the group. This is the premise behind the new film by Pan Nalin (2001’s SAMSARA) that is billed as India’s first female buddy film. The film was first screened at the Toronto International Film Festival where it was runner-up for the People’s Choice Award. It was also screened at other festivals including Toronto’s Inside Out LGBT Film Festival.

The film is set in Goa, the west Indian state of India known for its beaches. For those unfamiliar, Goa is a popular as a seaside resort, which is an excuse for some pretty beautiful beach/sea scenery, Indian style, a welcome change.

The main character is Frieda (Sarah Jane Dias), a strong-willed and celebrated photographer. Frieda gathers her closest friends on the eve of her wedding. The diverse (and often hilarious) group, a snapshot of modern Indian society includes Su (Sandhya Mridul), a businesswoman and mother; the engaging Nargis (Tannishtha Chatterjee); Jo (Amrit Maghera), an aspiring Bollywood actress; Pammy (Pavleen Gujral), a housewife; Mad (Anushka Manchanda), a singer-songwriter; and the house servant, Lakshmi (Rajshri Deshpande). Everything’s set for a night of celebration. There is only one issue: Frieda will not say who her betrothed is. But as the film has been screened at the Inside Out Festival, it is an easy guess that her betrothed is a woman, who turns out to be Nargis.

Nalin aims his film to be a crowd pleaser. His film moves fast as evident when the film opens when he introduces the audience to 5 of the characters as well as their problems. Jo is asked to do many takes and to show off her body before she storms off the set; Lakshmi is abused for her songs and so on. The film contains too many characters and too many female issues to be effective, though Nalin tries quite hard. It takes a while before the audience can differentiate one character from the next. Too many issues tackled include arranged marriage, gay marriage, gang rape, wife abuse, activism among others. All the actresses try very hard with the result of most scenes ending on a high note.

But the male roles are mostly underwritten with the males present to forward the purpose of the female course. One group of males appear on bikes just to mock and sexually abuse verbally the girls. One shirtless hunk (Anuj Choudhry) is present or the 6 girls to ogle as a sex object. Frieda’s absentee father is another character not progressive enough to accept a same-sex marriage. Nothing is mentioned about Freida’s mother.
Despite the film’s flaws, Nalin’s film is a light and easy watch for the most part, succeeding more as entertainment than a message film. The ending turns too preachy.

Movie Review: Café Society (2016) Directed by Woody Allen

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cafe_societyCAFE SOCIETY (USA 2016) ***1/2
Directed by Woody Allen

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Corey Stoll

Review by Gilbert Seah

In Woody Allen’s new romantic comedy, Allen transforms into Humphrey Bogart through Jesse Eisenberg. The famous CASABLANCA story is retold, Allen style with the hero falling in love with two women but giving his first love up as Bogart gave up his love for Ingrid Bergman in the famous closing scene.

CAFE SOCIETY is Allen’s tribute to old Hollywood, its people and its glamour. The tribute takes the form of the coming-of-rites passage story of young Jewish NYC boy, Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Eisenberg). Bobby leaves his family in NYC hoping to find a new life in Hollywood with the help of his successful Uncle Phill (Steve Carrell) – the hottest talent agent around. In the process he falls in love with his Uncle Phill’s secretary, Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) who is having an affair with Phill. Vonnie finally decides to marry Phill (the older gent always gets the younger girl in Woody’s films, e.g. MANHATTAN and in his real life). Bobby discovers he prefers NYC and returns home, eventually settling down by looking after his gangster uncle Ben’s (Corey Stoll) nightclub. He falls in love and marries Veronica (Blake Lively). An unexpected visit from Phill and wife Vonnie stirs up memories just as Ingrid Bergman’s visit to Bogart’s nightclub in Casablanca did.

CAFE SOCIETY is not the best of Allen’s films but it is not without its delights. For the especially Allen fan, there is much to enjoy in terms of film references. For one, this is Allen’s second tribute to Bogart after his play and film PLAY IT AGIAN, SAM. Allen gets to narrate his own film, putting a good perspective of where everything is going. He is s too old to star in his films and he knows it. Eisenberg makes a new younger Allen, complete in diminutive stature, manners and outfits.

Bobby’s belted baggy Khaki pleats are similar to those often worn by Allen in his films like ANNIE HALL and MANHATTAN. In one scene where Eisenberg says, “I am opening a bottle of wine to let it breathe,” he even sounds like Allen. Though CAFE SOCIETY is less subtle at times, for example in the use of the melody of “I Only Have Eyes for You,” during the last meeting between Bobby and Vonnie, CAFE SOCIETY still succeeds as one of Allen’s romantic comedies.

Allen attracts the best cinematographers like Oscar winners Gordon Willis Jr. and Janusz Kaminski. CAFE SOCIETY is beautifully shot by 3-time Oscar winner Vittorio Storaro (THE LAST EMPEROR, REDS, APOCALYPSE NOW) as evident in the ceiling view of a New Year’s party and in all the exterior shot segments.

CAFE SOCIETY is Allen in comedy mode though the humour is less manic or absurdist but more subtle, more profound. Some examples include a Hollywood writer introducing himself to Bobby at a party: “You have never heard of me, I am a writer”, or “Timing is everything in life!” But the key quote of the film is Allen’s description on life: “Life is comedy but written by a sadistic comedy writer.” The film’s funniest line is as in his other films, one that pokes fun at being Jewish. Bobby: “I’m a bit drunk. I don’t usually mix champagne with bagels and lox.” Yes, if everything else fails in Allen’s film (which doesn’t here), there is always his humour.

CAFE SOCIETY, though not Allen’s best, still comes with high recommendations.