Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

My Top 10 Favourite Films Of 2023

1. Killers Of The Flower Moon 
2. Anatomy Of A Fall
3. Spider-Man Across the Spider- Verse
4. Poor Things
5. Oppenheimer  
6. John Wick Chapter 4
7. The Holdovers 
8. The Color Purple (2023) 
9. The Iron Claw
10. Wonka

The Color Purple (2023) 

This film blew me away! I never thought a musical retelling of the Color Purple would happen or even work but after watching the first fifteen minutes it works perfectly for the story. Now this film truly is something special that feels like an experience you’ll want to feel more then once as it gives inspiring hope in a story that is very dark and grim but still finds a way to let the light in at the most saddest moments. The Color Purple is among one of the best of the year that will have you crying while smiling all at once. 

Firstly, This film again I cannot stress enough how much it’s perfect as a musical! The film opens with a fantastic musical number and never lets up. It’s ability to fully immerse you into its environment the moment it starts. The film has a ton of music but if you look at the story a certain way you can see how perfect it is as a musically driven story. The film feels like an old fashioned musical in the way Sound Of Music, West Side Story was and this film feels very much in the same vein of those old school Hollywood epics. The film deals with themes of Abuse, love, sexuality, spirituality and loss. All of those themes are done in A incredibly raw and blunt approach for example when you see the abuse taking place theirs no subtle way about it as its ugly, violent and horrible theirs no way to sugarcoat it. Then for the sexuality the film is able to show that Celie questions her sexuality and in a time when being bisexual or gay was massively frowned upon the films ability to showcase she was curious about more then just men was shown in a tasteful and respectful way without it feeling raunchy. Then for the love part that is very much the beating heart of the whole film love is what sets her free really. When she is trapped by her abusive husband it’s the love and hope she has for her sister that keeps her from becoming someone that accepts their fate and stops trying. She holds onto love in her heart and mind to keep her going throughout the day and theirs so many people that walk into her life that tell her to hold onto that feeling. The film then ends it off with faith which is keeping the faith things will get better and the film is able to explore all these messages in such a fantastic way that keeps your eyes glued to the screen the entire time. The tone and style is fantastic the set pieces for the songs themselves are characters within themselves being an extension of their feelings. It’s a sweeping epic that has a large canvas but is so intimate with its lessons to tell the audience. 

Secondly, The performances in the film are all truly outstanding! first off their is Fantasia Barrino makes a debut performance that is honestly chilling for how good she is the film. She is put front and centre playing the most important role of the film she’s trapped from an abusive man and spends her life unfortunately servicing his needs while holding onto hope she can find a way out of their. Its a performance that will shatter your heart but also fill it with so much hope for her and Fantasia does a phenomenal job delivering a fierce portrayal of this person that holds onto hope with every fibre of her being. Then you have Danielle  Brooks who is a take no prisoners attitude character even though she’s a person of Color and a female back in a Time when speaking your mind could get you in trouble she has no care in the world for that stereotype. She will not let any person box her into a corner and she brings such much needed courage to the screen that is impossible to look away from in a tremendous supporting turn. Than theirs Taraji P. Henson who gives a firecracker of a performance that is both spunky and full of such dripping charisma that grabs your attention the moment she comes onscreen she lights the scenes on fire when she appears. She plays this bigger than life character that refuses to be held to any man and just be her own person that passes through town on her own time she’s electrifying. Then lastly theirs Colman Domingo who plays a terrifying man who is nasty and terrible to his wife and charms his way into peoples hearts but once he has them will strip them of everything their wroth and use and abuse them. Domingo brings that terrifying presence to the screen with such a strong amount of emotion that will have you chilled to the bone. Overall everyone all gave terrific performances from each actor involved in this film.

Lastly, The Color Purple is one of the best films of the year that perfectly captures the roots of the original film while building upon in from a fresh perspective as a musical. It’s full of hope, love and such positive energy that will have you sobbing in joy in the theatre. The film goes through the darkest and grimmest places of hell but also celebrates the joy of being alive and you can’t help but want to stand up and cheer for the characters and even through the most depressing aspects of their lives their spirits don’t break. This musically driven version of this story is amazingly well brought to the screen and is a phenomenal from the narrative, the music the performances its an incredible piece of film overall the Color Purple is truly breathtaking! 

This film is about a woman who is forced to live with a man and is taken away from her sister at a young age and fights to hold onto hope and love

Rated PG - 13 : Violence|Language|Sexual Content|Mature Thematic Content

Fanatasia Barrino : Barrino delivers a harrowing performance that will touch your soul! This actress has very limited if not none prior acting work she’s known for her singing but that’s kind of it. The fact she plays the central role in a Steven Spielberg produced film where she is the lead is a massive accomplishment. She takes on the role of Celie perfectly as in the beginning she’s very pure and thinks everyone if given the opportunity  are fantastic beings. But at the same time she’s been a bit weary but for the most part very forgiving. When she encounters mister who seems very slick and kind and is sadly forced into marriage with him at an extremely young age she sees who he really is and what unfortunate situation she finds herself in. She sees her voice around the house is extremely limited and if out of line will see herself getting beaten within a inch of her life so for quite sometime she does her best to keep her head low and make sure her husband is happy and that she causes no problems. When people like Shuge and Sofia walk into her life like a hurricane of fresh air she needed them at the right moment to help lift herself up and know shes worth a damn. Fantasia delivers a performance that is of a battered woman but who still hopes despite her run of bad luck and you can see the lifeless eyes she has at the times she is at her lowest but once she sees even small glimpses of hope she has that spark back in her eyes and Fantasia is able to channel such amazing amounts of emotion into her body that just leaps off the screen. She not only steals the whole damn film in terms of performance but she also has an amazing singing voice that also expresses the hurt and suffering she has gone through in the mimers she does sing and each lyric she sings comes from deep in her soul. Barrino is a revelation and delivers a special performance of a woman that may of been silenced but refuses to give up on love and even when you see her grow older her attitude towards men has shifted entirely due to her traumatic experience around them and she mostly only trusts the woman in her life and I wouldn’t blame her. If this was her big breakout performance to show people she’s a great actor she did a hell of a job and I cannot wait to see the amazing success that is ahead of her due to the great positive reviews she has been getting from her work on this film. Rightly so though as she is incredible and is the pulsing heart of the film and Barrino dose not over dramatize her performance everything about it seemed genuine and from her heart its a great portrayal of the character that will make you cry and ache for her while also hoping she gets out of this terrible situation she is currently in. Barrino is a hurricane of brilliance that sweeps you up in each scene she’s in with great emotional power and grit what a terrific performance by Fantasia. 

Danielle Brooks : Brooks is a powerhouse that soaks up each scene she’s in! Now Danielle isn’t in the film an awful lot but when she is onscreen wow is she a force to be reckoned with. What’s so great about her is she also played this character on the broadway version of the story she knows the character inside and out already. So when we are introduced to her she is already showing the world she refuses to go quietly and won’t be pushed around. She is the voice for the voiceless and she knows damn well it can land her in trouble but does it anyway. Its not that she is carless is she has zero cares for what other people think of her and in a way that is very liberating to be so aware of that about yourself. She sings a song called Hell no that perfectly represents what she stands for but at the same time the lip she uses to tell others off does at one point land her in jail. Even when she is behind bars the people she influenced with her message go to visit her so she did make a difference in peoples lives its the people who go to see her that matters to her as it shows her that she still matters to others and even if she is left in that cell for week even years she won’t be broken because she knows their are people that still care about her after all this time that has passed. Their is a great moment in the last act of the film where she is at a dinner table and starts laughing and that laugh turns into a cry it perfectly captures how she had been feeling the last few years but never gave herself the time to actually feel. Brooks is astonishing and brings a fiery spirit to the film that is much needed and she is hilarious, dramatic, devastating and just brings peoples spirits up the moment she comes onscreen. She may not be onscreen for a ton but once she is you can’t look anywhere else. Danielle Brooks is astonishing and delivers an amazing supporting turn that is a scene stealing performance you’ll fall in love with in minutes. 

Taraji P. Henson : Henson gives a flirtatious and sexy performance that is dangerously surprising!  Now Taraji is very much like Brooks not in it a ton but when onscreen leaves one hell of an impression on the audience. She plays this really amazing popular singer everyone from far and near know and when she walks into a room everyone stops talking. She is the voice that Fantasia’s character really relies on most as she can see that Celie in trouble and needs to Get out without having to even tell her she can see in her exhausted eyes that she’s been strong for far to long and could use the help. She even grows to become so close with this singer that they become romantically involved its hard to pin down where she fits as she dose not belong to any group or category she’s her own person. Taraji is truly majestic giving some truly seductive eyes but also can wear her heart on her sleeve and be in her feels within a moments notice if the scene calls for it she is a woman of many layers and is has such a complexity to her It gives Henson free reign to explore this character to no end. She uses her popularity to yes draw attention to herself but to a point get away with stuff because she is so known for being this grand singer so she can get away with in ways most woman in town can’t due to her being so known if she just left people would notice on top of her having a entourage of  people that walk around with her Taraji rules the screen with a fist of charisma and passion that is felt in each scene she’s involved in. She lifts up Celie when she most needs it and helps her also explore her sexuality she was insecure about for years she is a massive supporter for her and does a great job at brining much needed light to the darkness and Henson shines in this supporting performance that is both sexy and dramatically heavy all at once and executes it with such flare she is amazing and I cannot say enough good things it is I think the best work she’s ever done even better then her work in hidden figures which I thought was amazing. Henson is truly giving something special onscreen here. 

Colman Domingo : Colman gives a twisted performance that is both revolting and oddly charming! This man is a total slime ball and their is nothing redeeming of what he does but you can’t look away from his performance because of how well Colman brings this twisted individual to life. This man he plays is called mister and he seems at first glance like this charming womanizer which he is in many ways but he lets others on to think he wouldn’t harm a fly when he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The moment he has any woman In his grasp he takes advantage of them and that goes for anything. If its sexual abuse, psychical or mental he does all of that to try to break down their spirits and you start to ask yourself what is he gaining from doing this to them what is the point of it. He just thinks by asserting his male dominance that the respect him and or by striking the fear of hell in them the won’t talk back which is such a Terrible way of going about his relationships as he starts seeing that they start crumbling around him and even when Henson’s character he can’t even take her because she sees what he is capable of due to how he handles his wife so she won’t fall victim to his tricks and he hates that she’s smarter then him. He is so insecure and is hungry for attention so when he no longer gets it he resorts to drinking his feelings away and begging for sympathy because he thinks if he asks for forgiveness it’ll erase all the pain it caused which it dose not but if he starts by turning his life around it might work. Domingo plays this very shady and complicated personality to a terrifyingly perfect degree he is amazing as the character but he scared the hell out of me whenever he came into a scene. He will intimate others with his psychical presence but nothing was more terrifying then what he could say with his words that cut like a knife right their her heart as he would keep bashing her head in with verbal abuse non stop and some part of yourself thinks he enjoys inflicting pain on her which is horrible but it seems that way. Domingo delivers a terrifyingly captivating performance that is dark and evil but you can’t look away from the stunning work he’s putting to the screen Domingo gives a stellar supporting turn. 

Blitz Bazawule : Blitz delivers amazing direction for only his second directed film! Now this man has only done one film before taking on such a beloved classic like The Color Purple which is no easy feat to accomplish. Not only was he retelling a classic tale like this that people have read from the book or the Spielberg directed film even the musical that was shown to audiences many years ago. So there was an expectation to make this really damn good. And he did not disappoint he gives a version of this story that yes people have seen that is the same narrative but the way in which its told is so bold fresh and unique it may even be better then its previous film version. He brings music which is the special ingredient that this story needed. It’s able to incorporate the music into the story that elevates the material and fits the characters emotions perfectly really making the story leap off the screen in ways that no one thought was possible. He brings an old style musical look to the frame that just woks for this film that makes you smile in glee that will remind you of musicals of old like West Side Story and Chicago. While also dealing with the deep themes that have been rooted in this book for years like abuse, love sexuality all of that is still here and if anything he’s able to go places with that material that some other exactions of this narrative hasn’t been able to do in the past. He really makes men in this story seem not at all redeemable which is fine its a film for the woman that need to be lifted up and it works very well he also gets great performances out of his entire cast while giving a experience that will move you to tears and also have you smiling. The message is uplifting and sure the material is dark but he explores the depths of the hell these woman go through but also how strong wielded they are which is incredibly important and Blitz brings the Color of purple to screen in an amazing adaptation that is non stop energy that feels so fresh and natural you will fall in love with it within the first minute it starts and want to see it again and again and you only get that kind of reaction if your film gets a strong reaction from people which he did with his work on this film. His direction was amazing and I honesty cannot wait to see what he does next as her impressed the hell out of me with his directional style on The Color Purple he did a truly magnificent job. 

The Iron Claw

This film will rip your heart out! Now I knew nothing about the Von Erich family walking into this film now after seeing how their story played out not only did it grab my attention but made me want to read about it after the film. The performances from the whole cast is top notch and the story itself will both engage you but also break you down to tears. The Iron Claw is definitely one of the most surprising films of the year that really stood out to me for its acting and its shocking true story. 

Firstly, Sean Durkin brought such a rawness to the frame that is electric and simmers in emotion as he explores the trauma and pressure of how a father can destroy his kids if he puts a expectation on them to be perfect in order to get his validation. The film delves head first into the minds of each kids and their struggles they go through I thought this film was going to be some generic sports drama and I am so glad that I was wrong. It dug deeper then I thought it would which was amazing as their are very few films that actually go into the heads of athletes their is only one that has done it so successfully before and that’s Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. So to see a film that focuses on the athlete more than the style of the sport was actually fleshing to see as it is done a ton in film. He put his characters first then the style which worked so well in its favour and is why it is getting the high praise for its fantastic ability at its great writing and chapter depth that may be hard to watch at times but plays out the honesty of how the events went down. Its a harrowing story of family, tragedy, pressure and the film tackles all that in such a great way that will touch your heart and make you appreciate your family it both is devastating and uplifting all at once and Sean Durkin can entertain the audience with the great wrestling scenes for sure but its in the more smaller and intimate moments where the film shines the most. The tone and the themes presented in the film are amazingly honest and gives images you cannot look away from the writing and style in the Iron Claw is truly terrific. 

Secondly, The performances are all stellar! You have such a talented cast giving amazing work from the likes of Jeramy Allen White, Holt McCallany and then a career best performance by Zac Efron. Efron truly is on another level in this film giving the greatest work of his career with a tragic yet compelling performance that is full of emotional sadness that will destroy your heart he is captivating giving a Oscar worthy performance people will be talking about. The entire cast is solid theirs no doubt about it but it’s the performance by Efron that will amaze you. 

Lastly, The Iron Claw is a tragic story about what happens when siblings are pushed to the breaking point from their father and the devastating effect it had on them all individually. It’s masterfully written and directed by Sean Durkin in an incredible screenplay that perfectly captures the bond and dynamic of their relationship and really flourishes onscreen. With truly top notch performances from each actor from top to bottom but it is the work from Zac Efron giving a career best performance that will rattle you. The Iron Claw is a devastatingly emotional ride that Is among one of the best of the year and a film I recommend everyone go see. 

This film takes place around the Von Erich family and the tragedy that befell the wrestling family

Rated R : Some Sexuality|Language|Drug Use|Suicide

Zac Efron : Efron gives the best performance of his entire career! Now Zac has been showing the world recently that he wants to broaden his range as an actor because ever since his role in Neighbours back in 2014 where he showed the world he was more then just High School Musical and that he also can do comedy and well people have been taking notice. He also did his first really juicy role in the Ted Bunny Biopic in 2019 even though that film was a mess narratively he was the best part of it as people agreed myself included. So seeing him constantly find roles that challenge him to present a version of himself people haven’t seen is very exciting to watch and in the Iron Claw he gives his finest hour as an actor. As he plays Kevin Von Erich the eldest brother who wants to be a good wrestler but there is so much going on in his head on why he wants that. His father has instilled in his head at a early age that he should take up wrestling due to his dad never succeeding at his dream of wrestling so he threw his dream onto his kids and are essentially succeeded in the dream he never saw come true. Which is not fair for his kids as they have so much pressure to be perfect and shaped into this ideal image he has in his head of them which they can never amount to no matter how hard they try as their dads picture of them is unreachable. Efron got in ripped shape for this role getting his body in the best shape he’s ever been in for a role. You can see the amount of preparation and dedication he put into this role as he disappeared entirely into the headspace of Kevin Von Erich. As he climbs the ranks of the wrestling world to eventually sharing the spotlight with his brothers he learns to share his dream with his family as even though he wants to celebrate his brothers achievements theirs a part of him that hungers for it to be just for him. Efron is able to say so much with his the look on his face as he holds so much back as he takes so much in and says very little back as we are seeing what’s in his head without him having to utter a single word. The total mental stress he goes under is exhausting and once the tragedies in his family’s start occurring your waiting to see him break down and scream but he doesn’t he takes them on hit after hit and his life becomes the most exhausting fight of his life that’s worse then anything he fought in the ring. Efron has a moment where he is in the ring and is going up against someone who’s been trashing him in the press and the moment he gets in the fight he lets all that anger just wash over him and totally take over and uses a family fight move on the person and even when the ref’s tells him to stop he is literally fighting off the people to let him finish on taking his psychical anger out on this person that disrespected his family’s name. and then theirs another moment where he fights his dad in a heated moment of intense passion in the only scene he raises his voice really and grabs his father and repeats you were supposed to look after him. You can feel the sheer passion in Efron’s voice and the anger mixed with the heartache as he is both devastated and angry with his father for failing as a parent because he put his dreams first and his kids mental health second. Efron is truly on another level of greatness you just can see the weight of the sadness build up and up over the course of the film and it explodes brilliantly in those two very gut wrenching moments where Efron just lets everything out and lays it all on the floor for the audience to see his heavy heart be heard and he truly delivers his best work as an actor with his portrayal of Kevin in this film. Its a performance I think should be recognized for awards consideration he is that good and he goes through all the stages of grief multiple times in this film and gives a respectful portrayal of the person he is playing while going places emotionally we have never seen him go and stretching his heart on what he can do as an actor both psychically and emotionally. He Is truly outstanding in this film giving a heartbreaking and electric leading performance. 

Sean Durkin : Durkin gives a great directed film that explores the trauma of pressure! Sean didn’t do a paint by numbers biopic which this easily could have been as theirs millions upon millions of those. There are a handful that actually stand out among the best and the best ones are usually character driven ones that yes revolve around sports but it isn’t the central aspect of the film. This film accomplishes that in spades as what is amazing about what he brings to the Iron Claw is that he cares more about the people outside the ring and the fight scenes second which made the story more memorable as sure it may not go into intense detail of each fight they did but it goes way deeper into their personal lives and their inner conflict that went on in the family. Sean focuses the story on how insanely pressured the kids were by their dad and the mother wasn’t instrumental in their trauma but she could of done better and stepped in when their father was being way to hard on them as she just let his behaviour happen which is not okay. It also shows the mountain of tragedy that fell upon the family and how much Kevin in particular had to overcome from the pressure of his father and the Adsense of his mothers attention to the deaths in his family that would of broken most people he remained tall with his head held high and did his best. It is yes about educating people about the Von Erich story but also about hoe much tragedy can fall upon one person and not let it define who you are which I think is a really deep rooted message to take away from and also the love of brothers that was shared between them all even in their darkest moments each brother was their for one another when their parents weren’t and Sean shows that in sometimes very dark and brutally honest ways where most filmmakers wouldn’t show but he knew it was essential to the story and had no choice. The sheer raw truth he brings to the film made the film really stay with you after you watch it and then he gets great performances from the entire cast and a truly special one from Zac Efron Sean Durkin really shows the strenuous relationship can have on a family and how bad it can really get if parents don’t look after their kids the way they need them to be their. It is a hard watch but Sean Durkin holds no punches and shows the story in how it went down and also the love these brothers had for one another that will move you Sean Durkin does a brilliant job at bringing this story to the screen. 

Wonka 

This is one of the best films of 2023! Now the amount of pressure put on this cast and crew to deliver just a decent take on this character was massive. The fact it’s better than just decent and is actually an outstanding piece of film has amazed a lot of people. Now I kept telling people don’t underestimate Paul King he gave us the Partington films which are some of the hugest critically rated films in recent years. This film is a musical with so much heart, joy and fun Timothee Chalamet gives a great take on the character that never felt like a impression but made his own portrayal of the character that was fresh and really enjoyable. Wonka is a blast to be had. 

Firstly, Now as spoken earlier everyone doubted this film would be good due to it already being held up to such a high standard from the Gene Wilder film and even to a extent the Tim Burton take on the character. So when the trailer came out that one of the hottest actors working today Timothee Chalamet was going to be taking on the role their was a lot of hesitation if he could deliver a good performance of this very famous role. Not only did he do a fine job but I think he’s given the best take on this character that’s ever been brought to screen I’ll elaborate more on that later. What works so well for the film that the other films fall short is it’s not a remake it’s a origin story of Wonka so right off the bat we’re seeing something new and it’s not a rehash of what we’ve seen before which was such a breath of fresh air. As to my surprise it’s a musical which many people have been pleasantly impressed by as I have no idea why I was surprised it’s a music driven film since the last two versions of this character have both been music based. So the fact it’s a straight up musical once again I think really worked in its favour as its original songs that we haven’t heard before the only song that was a homage to the past films was the song pure imagination. Aside from that all the music is fresh and catchy fitting the characters and tone of the film amazingly well. As the tone of the film very much is in the same vein of Paddington which is unapologetically positive which is what the world needs more now then ever. Wonka has such a positive outlook on life and a careless nature to him that makes you smile and that kindness covers the whole scope of the film in a way that makes you feel so good while watching it. Now it never feels too sugary that it becomes annoying but there are deeper elements the film delves into of following your dreams, competition with other stores, corruption some are very deep but it’s the way Paul King tackles it in a honest but never bleak way that perfectly balances out the grand style of the film. As it never feels like the deeper themes are too sad but he also never makes it sugary to the point where it just can’t take a break to take itself seriously which it’s able to do many times in order to let the dramatic moments soar. The way the film is executed through music, story to the production you can see the labour of love the cast and crew have for this iconic character that many grew up loving and wanting to get it right and not let people down. They didn’t want to repeat what people have seen before but take a character and show his humble beginnings and struggles as a chocolate maker. Since we’ve seen the story of the golden ticket winners so many times showing how he got his start was a great way into the character and honestly i can’t imagine another person executing this film like how Paul King did. It’s able to be whimsical and magical but also keep its feet firmly placed in reality with deep themes that will touch your heart and move you and also have you signing along to the inspiring message the film has for the audience. It’s a high wire act that is pulled off excellently by everyone involved in a film that oozes joy and happiness with a childlike wonder to it that will have you in awe of what your watching the tone and musical aspect was such a brilliant mix that resulted in such a wonderful style that made the screen pop. It’s the strongest narratively we’ve seen this character in and that’s including the original film it surpasses any take on the character I have ever seen this film is the new standard for wonka films it is that good. 

Secondly, the performances are amazing! You have almost every famous British person in one film since love actually with wonka. You have the likes of Rowan Atkinson, Olivia Colman, Huge Grant, Matt Lucas but it’s the performance by Timothee Chalamet that will have you incredibly impressed. Timothee Chalamet delivers a performance of Wonka that is both magical and emotionally moving. He never tried to duplicate what was done before him but made his own spin on the character chewing up the scenery with amazing charismatic energy and charm that fit the performance so well he gives what I think is one of his strongest performances with his work on this film. Now as far as Hugh Grant goes many people told me he was a highlight of the film. Now I’m not saying he’s bad in the film but he’s not in it enough to talk about his performance for the very little screen time he has he was a delight for sure but I wish we had more from his character. Overall the cast all give stellar fun performances but it’s the performance by Timothee that really is the shining character  of the film that stays with you. 

Lastly, Wonka is one of the best and fun films I’ve seen this year that had me smiling and crying! Paul King pulls off a brilliant take on the character that is fresh, different and magical while also giving so much heart that it’ll have you wrapped up in each frame of the film. He once again shows people why he is one of the best creative voices for spreading joy and wonder in his films with such fantastic emotion as he brings that to Wonka in a genius way. It has fantastic songs that service the narrative and a story  that we’ve never seen before with this character and an inspiring message that young and old will appreciate. Wonka is as sweet as one of the characters candies it’s a film that the whole family will love I recommend everyone go run and see this film. 

This film tells the story of Wonka in his humble beginnings getting his start as a chocolate maker 

Rated PG : Some Violence|Mild Language|Thematic Elements

Timothee Chalamet : Timothee is absolutely brilliant in this film! Now again I cannot stress enough the sheer amount of pressure he was under to deliver a good performance and he not only gave a good performance he surpassed good and gave a terrific performance that packs a powerful punch. He appears onscreen with such a fun electricity to the character that makes you smile within seconds of seeing him. He brings this positivity and sheer happy outlook on life that is infectious on the audience as despite his situation he never lets his missteps get him down he always finds a way to look at it from a positive angle. The way Timothee approach’s that way the character carry’s himself was brilliant as he finds the best way to express his joy and way of thinking through song and you also see how sensitive he is though too when people question and doubt his dreams as he is so sure of them he’ll do whatever he has to to make them a reality. To such an extent his giddy optimism surpasses all the people that try multiple times to pull him down. Even when an obstacle is thrown his way he just looks at the situation from a different view and overcomes it in a way that way he approaches conflict is inspiring in a way. Their is a charm and wit to his performance that gene Wilder and Johnny Depp lacked in their performance I know it’s bold statement to make but I think his performance is the best take on the character that’s been done. As Genes version came off very mysterious and at times psychopathic, Depp’s was the most accurate in terms of the book but Timothee isn’t restricted by the book so he can make up his own version without having to worry about being bound to the book. He still gives a faithful and respectful version of the character the author wrote but he wants to create what he thinks a younger version of him would be which I love. When he sees people sad or upset he will swoop in with his happy optimism and pick up their mood through song or an inspiring chat and you can see the sheer joy radiating through his body. At the same time he also is driven by not letting his mother’s hope in him die. The only way to his heart is when he begins to doubt himself but when he does his friends are there to lift him up as he has lifted their spirits so they return the favour. He has this fast way of speaking and glint in his eye that will have you swept up in every scene he’s in Chalamet knew the exact amount of energy that was needed to inject into this character to make his version memorable and he did just that in what I think is one of his most heartwarming and charming performances of his career. It may sound silly to say but I think it’s among his best work as he’s able to be magical and emotionally sincere within moments in his performance and it’s fantastic Chalamet is outstanding as Wonka. 

Paul King : King brings Wonka to the screen in a terrific way that is astonishing! He amazed audiences years ago with his brilliant adaptation on the Paddington character which garnered a sequel which got even higher praise than the first. So yes many people myself included were eager to see how his take on this character would look like. After seeing how he tackled this beloved character I am in total amazement as not only did he do a great job he explored sides to the character we had never seen before in a fresh telling of the character that really locked audiences into the film. By introducing new songs that are totally original and using them to express the characters current feelings in such a colourful and exciting way that not only is able to communicate through the characters feelings through song but also captures the positive and whimsical atmosphere through music which really was a strong suit for the film. Then Paul also is able to show the fantasy element of Willy Wonka’s chocolate making in a way that both is magical but also realistic as Paul brings that childlike quality to the film but shows that something like this could still happen though. So he is able to explore both sides of that in a way that never feels like one is out weighting the other and he can inject humour that lands but also didn’t feel corny or out of place it worked at certain scenes and he knew exactly when to place the jokes in a scene when it needed one. The direction is actually incredibly strong as then lastly the dramatic side of the film is felt throughout the course of the story but sure their are moments where the comedy and music slows down and he lets the characters really bare their hearts and I love that as he wasn’t afraid of exploring all sides of these characters and letting the tone of the film adapt and change throughout the film without it feeling messy because Paul King knew how to balance it all. The magical fantasy aspect is well brought to the screen, the music is fresh and fitting, the humour lands and then the emotional punch hits you right in the heart exactly when it needs too and I cannot praise Paul King enough for how well he did at showing his signature style on Wonka while also exploring deep themes that young and older audiences can pick up on without it feeling heavy handed. Paul King does a magnificent job at bringing this story to life. 

Maestro 

This is a gut wrenching film that is masterfully crafted from Bradley Cooper! It’s been over 6 years since we saw his directional debut with a Star Is Born and his follow up picture Maestro is a astonishing film that will split your heart in half he captures the strenuous relationship between Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia and the utter chaos that happened between the two of them in their marriage. It’s brought to the screen through electrifying performances both from Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan this is a look at the Bernstein  that is devastating, a gut punch but yet brilliantly brought to the screen by Bradley Cooper. 

Firstly, Maestro is a film I’ve been so excited to see ever since seeing how damn talented Bradley Cooper is behind the camera with his work on 2018’s a Star is Born. I was hungry to see what he would tackle next as he could go anywhere creatively in terms of story and style for his second directed film. So when the news was released he was going to tackle Leonard Bernstein the composer who was sexually confused in knowing who he was that was no easy story to tackle. As since it is about a world famous composer who was very popular their is an expectation to deliver a respectful take on his story and be truthful to the events of his life. Not only did I find it respectful in its approach of the man’s life but it was able to show a great deal of style and showmanship editing without it becoming showy or over the top. The heart of the story is the marriage between Bernstein and his wife and that’s where the film soars is in its exploration of the very complicated relationship between the two. As the story sets up straight away all the way back to when Bernstein and Felicia met and where they were both at in their own individual lives before meeting one another. Then we see how they bond over the arts and their passions their driven to peruse and show the world their talents they really bond over helping lift one another up when their doubting themselves creatively. But then when it comes to being romantic and loving towards one another they are you can see their is genuine love in their eyes and hearts for one another but theirs this emotional distance between them both that restricts them from being closer and that emotional disconnect is presented in such a heartbreaking way. As the story deep dives inside Leonard Bernstein’s heart in how sad he is with the way he’s handling his marriage due to him being confused sexually and then you have the weight of that constantly eating at his Brain so he buries himself in his work and the raw emotion of his feelings at that time in his life come through in his music. As theirs a time where he feels even restricted creatively because if he’s not being honest with himself how can he be honest with his music he gives to the public. All of that is shown in such great depth. It’s also not always focused on how it’s affecting Leonard Bernstein it’s able to also show how difficult it was for his wife Felicia to carry that burden of what was going on in their marriage and try to keep it together and it never takes on side showing that it affected one or the other no it affected them both and I loved that aspect of the way the story is told. So the way that Bradley Cooper took in his execution of the narrative was astonishing as it’s a up close look on a marriage of the famous Leonard Bernstein no one knew about or very little people did. And the way he brings this romantically complex story to the screen was amazing as it’s able to educate people on who this composer was but also show every aspect of his life and not just the career aspect of it but his ability at how  he was a father a friend and husband. Same applies for Felicia we see them as fully fleshed out people and not one dimensional characters which is very easy to do in a  music driven biopic but no it’s presented in a very deep rooted way that will make you be in a puddle of tears. The writing is so well done as well as its style. 

Secondly, The Performances are so freaking powerful and emotionally charged from both its leads! Cooper gives a performance that is truly one of the greatest onscreen performances I’ve ever seen in my life he just disappears into the skin of Leonard Bernstein. You forget your watching Cooper onscreen he commands the screen with such a charming and emotionally raw presence that is felt in each scene he’s in. He fully embodies Bernstein and shows each aspect of his heart in a heartbreaking but yet respectful portrayal of the famous composer. Then you have Carey Mulligan who is the glue keeping the marriage intact and she gives a tour de force performance that makes you feel for her as the story progresses as she just wants her husband to love her the way she has envisioned in her heart but he cannot give her everything she wants and it hurts her knowing that. She  lays her heart bare onscreen in a moving performance that is the best work she’s ever put onscreen. The whole cast is solid but it is Both of them Cooper and Mulligan who deliver their greatest onscreen performances of their careers with their work on this film that will have the hair on your arm stand up incredible performances. 

Lastly, Maestro is a emotionally heartbreaking story of a marriage that goes through hell due to Bernstein not knowing who he is sexually and Felicia wanting him to show up as a husband and just be loved those two things constantly clash against one another and results in such explosively raw moments. This film is a great follow up to A Star Is Born and Cooper brings things to this film he didn’t with his first film as he’s learning and finding new ways to express himself creatively as a filmmaker and he dose not repeat himself he finds new ground to explore and goes places creatively we haven’t seen him go before it’s amazingly well directed, masterfully acted and incredibly well told Maestro is a tale o two people’s marriage that goes through hell but still loves each other in their own ways. Maestro is outstanding and I recommended everyone go see this film. 

This film chronicles the life and marriage of Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia and the tough times their marriage went through

Rated R : Some Language and Drug Use

Bradley Cooper : Copper delivers the finest performance of his entire career with his phenomenal portrayal of Leonard Bernstein! Every time I see Bradley Cooper in a film I find myself it’s the greatest work of his career as he constantly finds new ways of challenging himself as an actor and is constantly topping himself. His work as the famous composer is his best work as an actor as the emotional places he explores of his heart and soul is tragic but yet so captivating to watch unfold onscreen. A lot of films I’ve seen of him as good as he is I can still tell it’s Bradley Cooper this is the first time when watching him I forgot I was watching Cooper he totally disappears into the skin of Bernstein. their is so much to be said about what he brings to this role that i loved firstly the way he changed his speaking pattern. What I mean by his way of talking is the film takes place over many years of his life and so when we are first introduced to his character he has a old 1920’s sly way of speaking that is sharp and very quick and as the film progresses and we see him age in front of us his speech slows down and becomes more dragged out in the way he talks he even has a deeper sound to his voice. That amount of attention to detail is what makes his performance stand out unlike if he was just to use his regular voice. The way he just goes head first into this role is so impressive because he dose not try to cover each big accomplishment of his life in a three hour biopic but instead focuses on the heartbeat of who he was which was a great way to showcase who he was to people. Since the relationship of his marriage and just his complex love life takes centre stage we see the struggle within himself early on of him trying to find himself. The self identity crisis is rooted from early on in his life and remains there the older stages of his life. What Bradley chooses to also focus on is his inability to be alone as in one of the first scenes of the film we see him even write music in the washroom with the door open as he hates the feeling of being alone. Digging that far into his soul speaks volumes as it also gives us a better scope of who this man was When he is around others you can see the joy wash over his face and he can feel more happy where as when the moments its more quiet he is in his head too much and he can’t stand the quiet it kills him and so he thirsts for company and having someone with him constantly. He can’t be honest with his own sexuality so what he does to let his frustration and raw emotion out is in his music but for a good length of time he feels creatively stuck because if he does not know who he is how can he be honest with his work. You can see how angry he is within himself but won’t confront his feelings because to him its easier to numb his pain instead of confront it and it takes until it comes to a crashing hault on Thanksgiving where he and his wife go at each others throats verbally in a fight where she wipes the floor with him about who he is as a person and how absent he has been not just as a person but as a husband. He may not want to hear it but he needed to as he has been hiding in the shadow of who he isn’t for so long and it was about time he become truthful with himself and then he can finally be happy with who he is as for so long he has been suffering and hurting and he would just bury himself in his work as a distraction. Their is a very emotional two scenes of spectacular emotional honesty where we see him spill every ounce of his heart onscreen the first being where he conducts an orchestra in a 6 minute scene where you see him throw his entire body and soul into halfway through composing it the camera stays on Bradley’s face and shows him smiling as a way that he is finally aware of who he is and can tell the world he knows his truth and seeing that realization hit him when composing the orchestra is so emotionally satisfying to watch as his heart is singing in joy. As his wife is waiting in the wings telling him that all that anger and sadness is no longer in his heart anymore it’s such an uplifting and moving moment that had me almost in tears. The second scene is when his wife falls ill he abandons his work for his wife which early on he didn’t do he put his work as a way of not dealing with the strained relationship he had with his wife. So since he could deal with his own sexuality  he knew that his relationships should come before his work it may have taken a while for him to realize that but he does that later on when his wife needs him as she was their through the darkness of his life. He takes on full caretaker mode and ignores anything creativity with his work and is their for his wife in the struggles of her health and even when things become more harder for her he is the beacon of light she needs in those hard times. The scene where he explodes in heartache in that act of the film is when he places a pillow around his voice and just screams into tears in the pillow as he has to remain strong for his wife and his kids but the sadness is eating at his heart and he isn’t ignoring it he knows he can’t do it in front of others so in a moment of him being alone he lets out a crying scream that you can see in Bradley’s eyes is so real and gut wrenching. Bradley Cooper shows Bernstein go through such hell mentally and emotionally and the only way to approach this respectfully to represent the man and honour his family would be to commit fully to the role in a way he never has for anything he’s previously done. His performance is spectacular and truly the best work of his career as he goes into the saddest elements of who this guy was while also showing how amazingly complex he was both as a husband, father and the sheer genius he had as a conductor. He shows not just the light but also the dark and really delivers a performance that will have you in tears Bradley Cooper is phenomenal! 

Carey Mulligan : Mulligan gives a performance that is devastating and captivating all at once! Now it’s no surprise Mulligan is one of the best actors working today with great performances in films like Promising Young Woman, An education,  and even the great Gatsby. So it came to no surprise she gave once again another masterful performance in this film as she gives what I think is easily the best work of her career. She plays the wife that is tasked with the responsibility of living in the shadow of this great composer while trying to make a name for herself without just being resorted to the wife of a genius musician. She makes it her mission to also carve out her place in the world with what drives her passion of being an actress. Now we also see how tiring it was at times to hide the truth of what was going on in her marriage to Leonard. She didn’t want to accept the fact that he was seeing also men and her at the same time but early on she starts catching on and you can see her entire heart through her eyes. She brings such a vulnerability through what is not said but just how you can read her face the truth is all their as in the beginning you can see her so full of life and joy to be starting this romantic journey with this bigger then life personality. As the film goes on we see how exhausted she is to be hiding this secret from the world as you can clearly see that she is in love with him but he is not loving her the way she wants him too which is heartbreaking. As she would do anything to support his creative spark and just who he is but with him struggling with his personality she can only do so much as she’s giving so much of her soul to him but he isn’t returning that energy she is giving back and she’s so frustrated with that. She speaks her truth in that argument I mentioned she has with him on thanksgiving and just lays him out and it was needed to wake him up but once again she puts her feelings aside to help him. Even though their marriage is in shambles she still tries her best to salvage this relationship with him while trying to keep happy and as her health starts to decline she notices that after all the hardship after all there countless emotionally exhausting turmoil that’s gone on he still loves her. In his own way he does as he showed up for her when she needed him to step up and you can see the relief in her eyes that he didn’t just leave but stood by her as she stood by him for so many years. She also blames herself for picking men that don’t put her first and she grapples with the fact she’s never been lucky with her taste in men but she can’t and won’t leave Leonard despite their faults she loves him with her whole heart. Carey Mulligan is so strong in this film showing the mental tiredness this woman goes through in the course of their marriage that would test anyones mentality. She shows that innocent loving look in her eye when she looks at her husband but also those eyes evolve over time to show the amount of sadness and hardship they go through and she evolves so much and we see so much of who she was as a wife to Leonard but also just as a person. Mulligan wraps you up in each frame she is in with such committed emotional strength that grabs a hold of the audience she chews up each scene she’s in and delivers a career best performance that is such a exceptional performance that will have you in a puddle of tears. 

Bradley Cooper : Cooper directed the hell out of this film and wow has he matured as a filmmaker! Now last time we saw Bradley directed a film was five years ago and since then you can tell from what you see with the work on maestro how he has evolved creatively. He showed the world back in 2018 how he can direct a film not only did he impress audiences but he showed the world he is as talented behind the camera as he is in front of it. So now he is tasked with making a follow up to his first directed film and make it as good if not better then his first to show it wasn’t just a one time thing that he can do a good Job at a directing but be taken seriously as a director. Not only do I think he succeeded at that but he explores visual styles here he never did with his first film. He brings such a flare and captivating visual form of expressing the feelings and emotional complexity of their relationship through the editing and camerawork which I thought was such an interesting creative move to make. There are some really Smooth transitions and editing tricks this film pulls of that I thought worked for the narrative and not to just show off. As he has the first bit of the film in black and white to match the time period and then it evolves into colour later on and even when it goes into the 60’s you can see he even matched the exact style of how a film would look for that time so the grain and splash of colour was even period too. Like I said he really made all the stops curatively to show how much he as grown as a storyteller and then with the makeup and hairstyling both him and Mulligan were unrecognizable in their respected roles as it wasn’t like overdone but in a way where you can see them age in front of you while keeping faithful to how they really looked. The amount of passion and care you can feel in each frame of this film as this has been such a passion project for Bradley since he was young he’s always been in love with conducting and with the music of Leonard Bernstein so to see him just dedicate his entire creative being to the project the results speak for itself. As he didn’t do just another paint by numbers biopic he wanted to have a way into this story of this musician that would be worth telling that isn’t like your run of the mill biopic. He had the film centre around relationships and the sheer struggle both Leonard and his wife went through while educating people on who he also was as a musician. It may not go into extreme detail of the music side of his career but instead explores the psychological landscape of how he got the inspiration for his music which was such a interesting choice that I found to be quite refreshing. Now the film can be exhausting emotionally due to the subject matter but that’s the point in many ways he wants the audience to see how this man was so emotionally put through hell in his private life and give such respect to the man at the same time and I think he juggles that beautifully. It is a music film yes but its also about the man and the conductor second which I thought was a awesome way of going about his story and life Bradley Cooper once again shows the world that he is amazing at the helm of a director and I cannot wait to see what he does next behind the camera as Maestro is once greatly directed by Cooper!  

Poor Things 

This film is freaking wild in the best sense of that word! When I heard Yorgos Lanthimos was going to be working once again with Emma Stone I was so excited as they crafted such a great film with the Favourite back in 2018. Now seeing them come back for Poor Things this truly something that people need to run out and go see not only does Emma Stone give a sensational performance but the sheer scope and visual component to the film is so damn gripping. From the first frame you are thrust into this very trippy, dark and yet also comedic like world that has a way of having you completely in awe of what is onscreen. Poor Things is a masterful film that soars on each aspect from the visuals to the story and the incredible performances this is a film that will stay with you long after the film is over its truly a unique adventure. 

Firstly, The narrative is in my opinion one of the most unique and original stories I have seen all year! Now I love Yorgos Lanthimos’s approach to storytelling because you cannot compare it to any other filmmaker his style is very singular which is amazing. When you see a clip of his films you know based off the camera movement the character interactions and the nature of the film that you are watching a Yorgos film he has created his own distinctive style which is incredible. Now his ability to showcase such out of the box thinking with films like the Lobster and the Favourite he loves moving into new genres with totally original narratives that never feel like repeats of his past works. With where he goes narratively with his latest work Poor Things its unlike anything he’s done so far. Many people will compare this film to Frankenstein in many ways due to the nature of how the film appears and in many ways I can understand that but if he did draw inspiration from that I can see it but the sheer lengths this film goes to is amazing. As he explores themes of death, science, and what it means to be human that is very much the heartbeat of the film in many ways. As his style for sure can be looked at as blunt, crude, sexually explicit which a lot of his films use those things in order to tell his story. Even when he uses for instance sexual content in this film it is used as a way of expressing the main characters’s way of finding herself and works well within the narrative of better understanding the characters journey. He has Emma Stone take centre stage and play this woman who has the mind of a child in an adults body and view the world in such a new sense that she wants to experience everything life has to offer. The way he brings that to the screen is to an extent touching and inspiring. Sure the film is wrapped up in this dark comedy like atmosphere but you knew that going in as he’s known for injecting darker elements into his story with dry humour which work here so well. The film at times also feels like a romance as the main character has many love interests and when we meet her the film is about her trying to go and see the world but the person who created her does not want her too. But with many of her interactions with others she finds herself always feeling pushed back from doing what she wants to do and is constantly told no and all she wants is a fun life where she can be happy. How it is shown is greatly done as it she will be introduced to someone who she sees as a breath of fresh air and a few days or a week go by and they end up just becoming someone else that makes her miserable or limits her that I thought was so well executed. Having this period piece film about living life filled with a dark landscape and deadpan humour wrapped in science and romance was beautifully written I think it may be Yorgos’s best written film yet due to how strong the story is and how incredible the characters he crafted are. The story is among one of the best of the year and is as of now the strongest narrative Lanthimos has put to screen. 

Secondly, The performances are astonishing! The one actor each person will be talking about after viewing this film is Emma Stone and her hurricane of a character that dominates each scene she is in. She commits to a role many actors would not have taken on but perfectly worked for her as she is able to tap into so many aspects of the role from comedic to dramatic and the sheer way she explores this poor woman’s heart over the course of the film was amazing and this is definitely among one of Emma Stone’s best performances she has ever given! Then you have Mark Ruffalo who gives a shockingly against type performance that is utter brilliance that I think is one of the best performances he has ever given with his work on this complicated man. He at first is so charming and lures you in with his great wit and adventurous spirit but we learn how broken he is overtime and Ruffalo brings that to the screen in both a hilarious but also heartbreaking way that you cannot look away from he is truly great in this film. Evreyone gave such strong performances even from Willem Dafoe who plays the father type scientist who is driven by furthering what the body can do and making medical advances for society. He isn’t onscreen much but is so explosively great when he is and each actor brings their absolute best to this film.

Lastly, Yorgos Lanthimos delivers an astonishing story about living life to the fullest through such a quirky and darkly comedic way of showcasing that through the lens of Poor Things. You will be swept up in the visuals and amazing music that brings you into this amazing world he has created and then follow along the characters that all have their own personal arcs they embark on you will become invested into with such strong performances from the entire cast and Emma Stone delivers a career best performance with her work in the film that will amaze you. Poor Things is dark, its funny, its emotional and its also inspiring it is able to be so many things at balance them all so well. Poor Things is one of the best films of the year and one of Yorgos’ strongest works he’s crafted as a filmmaker. I recommend everyone go see this film it is quite the ride but you will be so glad you went its a brilliant piece of film. 

This film chronicles the story of Belle Baxter who is brought back to life with the mindset of a child but the body of an adult and rediscovers the world for the first time and goes about wanting to experience life has to offer. 

Rated R : Gore|Disturbing Material|Graphic Nudity|Language|Strong Sexual Content

Emma Stone : Stone delivers a career defining performance with her role of Bella Baxter! Now I think Emma Stone is one of there best actors of her generation she has such an interesting body of work and always commits to whatever role she plays. She is so likeable and fun to watch onscreen now I am saying now what she shows with her work in Poor Things is her best work of her entire career as she goes places emotionally, comedically, dramatically we have never seen her go before. She even brings a psychically impressive aspect to her performance that also will have people strongly impressed with what she is doing onscreen. As I said earlier any other actor this wouldn’t have worked but only Emma Stone could do this role the way Yorgos wrote this character. As when we meet her she speaks in very few words that make sense and has to act as a child in the way she moves and communicates with others and it’s not approached from a comedic way when we first see her its due to her limited ability at being able to carry herself. The way Stone tackles that of the first twenty to thirty minutes is very impressive because she has to put her mind as if she as a child and look at things in very black and white ways and have behaviour that could be seemed shocking and or not appropriate while having a loving look on the world  but that’s how children act. If it wasn’t done right it could of come off as jokey or very out of sorts but because Emma Stone knew how to grasp the first half of what her character goes through in such a interesting way it works very well and sure their are moments of comedy but that’s not the main point of the her performance early on its to show a evolution of how this woman’s brain is evolving from a child like view to an adult at a rapid pace which within itself is so compelling. Like when she is mistreated and or talked down too if she’s confronted in a way that seems to much for her she will react in very strongly simplistic emotional ways that get her point across as she’s still learning how to properly express her feelings in moments of sadness and anger or frustration. So her ability to just dive deep into that early part of this childlike way of acting and speaking was honestly so striking to see Stone just go for it and it works so well. But as the film progresses her brain soaks up the environments she is in and through seeing others interact and how people speak to her she finds ways of communicating more clearly. As by the second act she very much is in a retaliation state where she wants to breakout of where she is at and see the world and experience anything and everything. As she has a moment where she tells her father if he won’t let her leave she will grow resentment towards him if he tries getting in her way of finding herself which I thought was such a powerfully perfect way of her evolving as a person and showing that she wants to be more then people think she is. So we see that when someone comes along with the same adventure like way of thinking like her she cannot help but be drawn to them because that is what she needs at that moment at her life to feed her soul to grow. So when we see her attracted to Mark Ruffalo’s character you can see its due to the way he seems fun from there outside looking in but as weeks go by and she sees that he is very much like her father who wants to know where she is constantly she grows to have ton of conflict with him. That second aspect of her arc is all about exploring herself sexually and emotionally as she has no concept of what sex is and discovering that aspect of pleasure is a big part of her understanding how her body works and appreciating her own beauty. So we see that wild side expressed in ways that I can only imagine would be so emotionally draining to work on from Emma Stone’s view of things as the role is so rich and complex but the sheer exhaustion and psychical demand it takes to go into is not easy and she fully embraces each way Bella needs in order to feel fulfilled. the comedic element crackles brilliantly through her performance without it feeling one note or too reliant on humour she is able to use the characters inability to understand things to bring the humour out in those moments in many times through dry humour or very blunt ways that will have you laughing. As she never tries to go for a joke to make the audience laugh the comedy comes out of the serious moments and the way she responds to someone in her unaware sense of having a filter results in great comes relief and she has such amazing timing at when to know when to go for a Joke and when to pull back and let the dramatic weight of the moment drive the scene. As when we roll into the third act of the film she knows who she is and she knows her worth and that she won’t let men control her actions and what she can and cannot do and theirs a power in that to her knowing that. So we see herself more educated she has friends, she is reading a ton in order to sharpen her brain while also knowing when a person is good for her or not and the men around her think they can just treat her any way they seem fit and she won’t stand for it. Stone is able to go through such a amazing arc when you see her in the first act to the final act of the film she is such a different person then when your first introduced to her and Stone’s ability to dig deep into her soul to find the right ways in how to properly play this character and wow is she truly amazing she throws every part of herself emotionally to make this character memorable and also entertaining to watch while respecting the writing of this great character that has been written. Stone can make you laugh with the comedic wit of her performance but she can also have your heart go out to her when she is sad or conflicted due to her being mistreated by the people around her. She explores so much of this woman in such a committed and outstanding way she delivers comedy, drama and psychically also goes for what the role demands of her and she is extraordinary. This is truly one of the best characters I have seen in a film all year and Is a career best for Emma Stone exploring each aspect of herself creatively in a performance that is phenomenal. 

Mark Ruffalo : Ruffalo gives a performance in this film that will surprise people! He has always played very likeable characters from Begin Again, The Kids Are Alright, the Hulk he usually plays very clean cut characters. Which is fine there is nothing wrong with that I actually think he is underrated because he gives outstanding works as an actor that I don’t think get enough attention then it should be getting. So when I heard his work in Poor Things will really open peoples eyes and shock them I was intrigued and after viewing the film I understand totally why people are praising his performance the way they are because his work in this film is so against type of what he usually does and its brilliant. He plays this womanizer with a charming personality that draws people in within moments of meeting him and Mark taps into that so effortlessly as when he comes onscreen he is a breath of fresh air for Bella that she needs at that moment in her life and he uses that free spirit energy to lure her to follow him on his adventures. When he uses sex and charm to win her over he is so impressed with himself as you can tell he uses this trick with many woman to get them to talk to him its not something he uses on just Bella you can tell he’s done this act before. Their is a devilish look in his eye from the moment we meet him that their is something shady in his eyes you can’t quite make out but theirs more to him then he is letting on and once Bella stays with him for longer then a few days his real layers start to shed. We see how self obsessed he really is and the lack of attention he gives Bella because when he has her he feels now no need to impress her anymore  because he feels she won’t leave him so he becomes overly confident and that cocky attitude destroys him. He constantly limits her in the ability to find herself and the more he does it the more she learns how controlling and negative he is for her. Mark makes that transition from being charming and cunning to somewhat sleazy and hate filled so smoothly as the film progresses we see he just wanted her for her sexual reason and to not be lonely because he can’t bare to be alone because he’s a terrible person. Ruffalo taps into that narcissistic nature and explores why this man is such a snake of a human being that gets off on controlling woman he’s an alcoholic and gambler who cares barley for the people around him and we’ve never seen Mark play such a dislikable person like this before and it was quite the sight to see. As when he tells Bella to do what he says he has such a darkness in his eyes and stern sound in his voice Ruffalo knew exactly what to bring to this character to really leave a impression on the audience and he does just that. He lets the things he loves crumble his life and by the end of the film he’s so much more smaller of a person who is someone you don’t wanna even look at compared to when we first saw him and he was larger then life. This character he plays likes to think he’s so slick in the way he walks through the world but Bella grounds him and proves he’s just another negative aspect in her life and the sheer amazing way Mark Ruffalo was able to deliver on the abusive controlling aspect of his character while also giving small bits of comedy was so perfect he balances that so greatly. He never makes him out to be some sort of joke that people laugh at but it’s timed perfectly so it suits the scene perfectly and never feels out of place. Mark is truly taking on a whole other animal we have never seen him show onscreen before and he can be terrifying at times with the utter abuse he hurls at Bella but then he can be desperate in his search for Bella’s validation and love even though he’s going about it in the worst possible way that he ends up pushing her away. Ruffalo delivers a performance that is nothing like we have seen from him before and he can reel you into a scene with just a look in his eye or the way he delivers a line with just passion in his heart he’s remarkable In one of his best onscreen performances of his entire career. 

Yorgos Lanthimos : Yorgos goes into creative territory we’ve never seen him explore before! Now his distinctive style that really makes him fun to watch is what caught my eye when I saw the Lobster many years ago. Since then I have kept up with his films as I think he’s one of the most unique new artists working today. What he achieves on his work with Poor Things is incredible as he explores what it’s like to enjoy the small moments in life through the lens of Bella Baxter. Now the film does have a dark canvas splashed with humour and what works with the styles he uses in this film is it compliments the narrative at hand. It never felt out of place to have this bleak aspect to the film since it is about the nature of being brought back from the dead seeing the world with a fresh pair of eyes. He can show the sinister aspect of the people around Bella and also the abnormal approach of science it took to bring her back but It never feels grim though. It can go into those darker elements without it feeling depressing which is not easy to pull off as the beauty and light aspect of the picture shines through in the dry humour that explodes out of the serious moments in the picture. It never feels like it’s going straight into the comedy and making jokes for the sake of lightening the scene but he executes the laughter in such a sharp way that never comprises the emotion of the scene. I have mentioned that a great deal because the only other director that balances the dark with humour is Scorsese very few directors can do that well. The film can be in your face blunt with its message of how to live a happy and free spirited life as Bella is a vessel for representing that message and its shown through each frame in such amazing visual beauty along with the great central performance given by Emma Stone. The film never uses vulgar imagery just for the sake of shock value but has a point for placing it into a scene. If the Lobster was a weird take on romance, the Favourite being about jealousy and competition then Poor Things is about the exploration of what makes us human. As tons of people are going to come out of this film thinking he used way to much strong sexual content and language and to that I would say if that’s what you take away from his vision then your not understanding the film he has set out to make. As the film takes a big swing at how men can box a woman in and make them feel small and try to control them for their own benefit that happens time and time again to the main character and it honestly was very refreshing to see someone tackle that and not be afraid to go places artistically many others wouldn’t. He also shows how one finds themselves sexually so yes their is a ton of sexual content but for a reason as Bella has no grasp on how to talk and or psychically express herself it takes her a while to figure out how to navigate that and I thought the theme of sex was presented in a very real way I haven’t seen depicted like this before. Then you have the whole pursuit of finding one self which is very much the heart of the film and In a way it is very inspiring as he shows how this woman just wants to live her best life despite the hurdles thrown her way. She does not want to feel like she has to impress anyone or fit in to any social norm she just wants to be herself and Yorgos brings all these themes amazingly well to the film that will move you. He juggles a ton in this film and it all lands so beautifully this film to me is his strongest in terms of characters and visually as the images in this film are so striking and gorgeous to look at. He really has topped himself since his last film and his direction and writing is amazing showing people why he is a filmmaker to constantly be watching as he makes art that is so fresh and unique his work on Poor Things is genius.