REVIEW: THE BRUTALIST

4/5

Brute Strength 

202 Mins. Starring: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé & Alessandro Nivola. Screenplay: Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold. Director: Brady Corbet. In: Theatres.

VistaVision captures the lady perfectly in an outstanding overture. The Statue of Liberty in all her glory. Turned on her head. Just like the state of America right now. Immigrating to the United States, 'The Pianist' Oscar winning Best Actor Adrien Brody's Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor finds a new home in New York. Fresh off the Ellis Island boat like his scene-stealing villain in 'Peaky Blinders', albeit in a different way. All before flying to Philadelphia like an eagle for an emotional embrace and reunion with Alessandro Nivola in this epic, fresh off the Greyhound bus. 

The joy disembarking in both is as potent as the restoration of the filmed VistaVision format, or the palpable and at times purposefully jarring score by Daniel Blumberg, feeling like the best of the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto or Ennio Morricone. The classic cinematography from Lol Crawley makes this epic Brady Corbet ('Vox Lox') movie exactly that, co-written with his wife Mona Fastvold, like everything after Corbet's feature film debut 'Simon Killer'. 'The Brutalist' is brutal, beautiful and brilliant. Even inspiring the interlude return of the intermission, and a perfect portrait to count down your toilet time, like a Tarantino 'Hateful Eight'.

It sure needs it at three hours and thirty-five minutes. Perfect for beautiful cinemas like the Bunkamura Le Cinema in Tokyo, Japan. Yet, this long-winded movie that will knock the steam out of your sheets and trajectory off of your sails is utterly compelling. This influential art-piece is truly interesting. Incredible, as it paints a picture of persistence over persecution. Iconic all the way down to the traditional titles that will have you tilting your head to match its march up the celluloid. This theatrical period drama is about to lap up the Oscars at the 97th Academy Awards. Ten nominations highlighted by Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. Leading the way is the already BAFTA winning Brody, with a Golden Globe under his arm. 

After amazing in 'The Pianist', Adrien has a chance to do it again. In his new moment, Adrien Brody has been on the margins of late since becoming the youngest actor to ever win an Oscar (at 29). 'King Kong', Salvador Dalí in 'Midnight In Paris', amongst many movies by Wes Anderson (everything in 'The Darjeeling Limited') as another frequent and favourite collaborator. Highlighted by his heartbreaking brief black and white turn in 'Asteroid City' and his perfect slicked back cast as legendary NBA coach Pat Riley in 'Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty'. But this. This is it! A true tour de force. Everything.

Adrien is the architect of this performance piece. He truly carries this epic for 202 minutes of fixed gazes and expressions, but it's not just him. Whether it be the first act's (Part 1's 'The Enigma Of Arrival') charm of Nivola (a far cry from his cop character in 'The Room Next Door') with starch in his shirt. Or what the great Felicity Jones ('The Theory Of Everything', 'On The Basis Of Sex' and 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story') does after intermission and in her final act. 'Kind Of Kindness' star Joe Alwyn leaning into the swift reputation he got online as the villain (he's not. No one is in love and war), the kindness of Stacy Martin and the coldness of Emma Laird also stir. Whilst the 'Dark Shadows' of Raffey Cassidy show us what we're really fighting for. Yet it's 'LA Confidential' actor Guy Pearce's piercing entrance (his anger making his 'Lawless' character seem tame) to his own house that will truly shock you to the core with what's to come in the ensuing character conflictions. Many here are beyond much redemption, but you can still hold out for hope when it comes to Isaach de Bankolé's friend like no other to the bitter end.

A24, of course, for sure.  A.I. problems aside (but let's face it, this is not the biggest blunder of Academy controversy, right now). Once you realize this is not the American dream (I'm pretty sure you got that from Lady Liberty turned upside down), life becomes so much more. And this reflection of a life raging against addiction and abuse could just as well be a mirror for the modern day and way. And all the parlour tricks we perform to convince ourselves otherwise. Here is your statement movie to show you just how much persecution Jewish people have gone through and continue to after the war and the Nazi regime that tried to erase them from earth...but they never could. If you thought this movie was about to be another fine-tuned 'Pianist', think again. It's just as bad. If not much worse for the scars it leaves down the tracks and tears of this railroaded life and time. And just as monumental a movie. 

A man who knows the evil that men do has already written his life script, although he yearns to flip the table and build it differently. From cold concrete to a cross to bear on the floor. Another whose anger with extreme prejudice can't be hidden behind the sinister shades of success and slick words. Whose warmth is really as cool as snake blood. And a boy who just wishes he was the man his father wanted him to be.  Even though the men he and his father really are carry a shame generational anger can't even tame. Bruising. Yet the real gut punch comes from the formidable Felicity. 'The Brutalist' will not sell you a dream draped in stars and stripes. Arguing that it's the destination, not actually the journey. But when it comes to the liberation of this legendary long-form, it might actually be both. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'The Pianist', 'There Will Be Blood', 'Once Upon A Time In America'.

TV REVIEW: YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN - Season 1

3.5/5

The Spider-Man Chronicles.

10 Episodes: Starring: Hudson Thames, Kari Wahlgren, Grace Song, Eugene Byrd, Zeno Robinson, Hugh Dancy & Colman Domingo. Showrunner: Jeff Trammell. On: Disney +.

QUEENS, in big, bold letters, comes into play over the beautiful borough of New York, as we follow the back of Peter Parker, walking back to his apartment. School bag, one strap on his back, clutching a DVD player he found in the trash, under his arm, like it was the homework he should have got around to doing by now, despite the fact that he just aced another test. Sound and look familiar? As he says hey to his Aunt May (that's not Marisa Tomei, but my oh my, Jessica Rabbit), she looks back from the couch to say he has a guest, who he's just ignored like the back of his head. The suited like money and booted like Iron Man character turns around, but it's not Tony Stark...it's someone else entirely. Surprise!

You only have to go across the amazing Spider-Verse and superior animation, in this multiverse of madness, to see that the legend of this incy wincy web-crawler goes even further than the home of Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and the legacy made by the legendary Tobey Maguire. Since Stan Lee saw an arachnid crawl up his wall on just another day in the Marvel offices, the comic-character has been the favourite for everybody to marvel at that don't say they're a dark knight in a gruff voice. Especially for the relatable teenage generation. There have been so many amazing animations. 'Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends' (the 80s classic and the new kids Pixar like one on Disney Plus), 'Spider-Man: Unlimited, the 'Ultimate Spider-Man' and all the shorts like summer. And now Marvel Animation rules, like the separate syndicate of Marvel Television. Following the finale of the hugely popular 'What If...?' multiverse of possibilities and the return of the iconic, classic and nostalgic 'X-Men '97', 'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' enters a whole new universe on Disney in the same week Anthony Mackie's Captain America shows us a 'Brave New World'. Sorry, Tom Holland!

With great power comes...a whole new end to that line that could make Uncle Ben spill his rice. What do you mean that's not the right one? Well, some of the characters may confuse some, but don't fear that it's going to be "too woke" as your actual friendly neighborhood Spider-Man Hudson Thames actually said, but didn't mean to in a bad way (comments taken out of context). Wake up! This is just a whole new world represented. And for all the 'Across The Spider-Verse' like Easter Eggs that hark back to the comic with their own web weaved twist, this Kari Wahlgren, Grace Song, Eugene Byrd, Zeno Robinson, Hugh Dancy and Colman Domingo co-starred show ran by Jeff Trammell is a new classic from the outstanding opening credits and remix of "here comes the Spider-Man" by The Math Club (featuring Relaye & Melo Makes Music) for the terrific theme tune 'Neighbor Like Me'.

Looking like an actual comic with cool cameos and real reveals, think of this as like one of the 'Spider-Man' video game offshoots for this extended universe. And when it comes to suiting up. Let's hope the next Playstation update comes with the skin of the homemade attire here...because it looks, for want of a better word, amazing. In the same thunderbolt of a year that we're about to get the first and hopefully lasting 'Fantastic Four' family on another branch of the multiverse tree, this other world works. Phase five is alive with these top ten epic episodes that you'll want to make your neighbor like Mr. Rogers. Taking it to the streets of New York with strange days and scorpions that sting like a spider bite. Not to mention what else is crammed and hidden in this kid's locker with a flash. Yet in this alternate timeline homage to the hallowed ground that is the air the swinging Spider-Man walks on, it's the legendary Colman Domingo that steals the show. The 'Rustin' and 'Sing Sing' Academy favourite, who has already voiced Batman with that baritone in an audio play podcast, makes for a nuanced and outstanding Norman Osborne. One we'd gobble up if he goblin'd up on the live-action big-screen, despite how we wish those Matthew McConaughey rumours were true. This is one friendly foe for your neighborhood Spider-Man that's leaving everyone green with envy. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'Spider-Man: Homecoming', 'Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse', 'Spider-Man: Unlimited'.

EXHIBITION REVIEW: RYUICHI SAKAMOTO 'SEEING SOUND, HEARING TIME' @ MOT, Tokyo Japan

4/5

Sound And Vision

@ Museum Of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan.

Magnum, like his 'Opus', the late, great Ryuichi Sakamoto was more than music. The classic composer, and Japan's answer to the dearly departed Ennio Morricone, scored all sorts of sounds, sure. From the electronic (his Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) group), to the soundtrack (like the Oscar winning Alejandro G. Iñárritu movie 'The Revenant', starring Leonardo DiCaprio, changing the landscape of cinematic music). Yet his art hit even harder to the heart than all of that. The death of this dearly departed artist subdued a reserved Japan even more. Sure, he was in ill-health, but at 71, it seemed far too soon for a man who was looking his most iconic in later year glasses and shades of grey. Still pioneering new worlds of sound. Holding quarantined meetings in Tokyo's Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku (instantly recognizable in its rooms for being made famous by Sofia Coppola's classic 'Lost In Translation' starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson) with Suga Of South Korean pop sensation BTS, as they crafted a classic collaboration. He wasn't done. Real artists and their art never are.

In his passing, Sakamoto left us with so much more. Just like the 'seeing sound, hearing time' exhibition that you can now catch in the MOT of the Museum Of Contemporary Art, here in Tokyo, Japan. Overlooked by the stirring and strong structure of the Tokyo SkyTree. And what a moment of truth this really is, in the amazing architecture of a concrete building I haven't seen since corona. The last time being for an epic exhibit from the Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, matching pop artist Yokoo Tadanori and his wonderful work that has inspired everyone from Yuki Mishima to The Beatles. Here, Sakamoto's showcase shows collaborations with many an amazing artist. Shiro Takatani, Daito Manabe, Carsten Nicolai, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Zakkubalan and Toshio Iwai. Not to mention a special collaboration with Fujiko Nakaya. And, yes, if you've already taken this in fellow Tokyoites, that is the one and only Tilda Swinton sleeping in a motel room, hauntingly like only she can. Mirroring her latest movie of 'The Room Next Door' with Julianne Moore and director Pedro Almodóvar. All marching along in a shadow, like the last TeamLab Borderless digital exhibition projected onto Kanazawa Castle. As timelessly traditional and future forward as this Tokyo home itself.

The actor, composer, record producer and keyboardist hits another note as an artist who transcends space and time, not to mention the hereafter, with what he shows our eyes and ears. Speaking to us from the great beyond with the prose of poetry and jarring and beautiful soundscapes that awake all of our senses and show us life is but a dream. Coming to us just before saying Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, this epic exhibition, which is drawing more crowds than crossing the streets of Shibuya, will march forwards until the end of next month. And you should catch it, whilst you can, because its meaningful message will stay with you for much longer after. This library of sound, drawing from Ryuichi's reservoir, features outside and inside installations. The foggy smoke outside, near the speakers, influencing the black mirrors of the Instagram crowd. But from the iPads and phones of his home and studio life, it's the perfect piano standing on its own that will move you to tears like seeing the John Lennon one at The Beatles Story, from Tokyo, to Liverpool, what a way to go (imagine). Especially when you learn what it survived. All before you see Sakamoto's own one, played perfectly, powerfully and poignantly by the man himself in the silhouette of a haunting hologram. This is the closest you can get to what we lost. And what we will if we don't see sound and hear time in the perfect harmony of what means everything to you and me. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA - BRAVE NEW WORLD

4/5

Home Of The Brave

118 Mins. Starring: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson & Harrison Ford. Screenplay: Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Julius Onah & Peter Glanz. Director: Julius Onah. In: Theatres.

On your right! Cherry blossom in Washington, D.C. looks beautiful this time of year. Here, it's the setting for a showdown between your new Captain America and the raging red of military man Thunderbolt Ross and his Hulk. One that may as well come with another type of cap. Marvel's leader of The Avengers' (getting the gang back together?) fourth film starts the Anthony Mackie trilogy. Or a sequel to his Disney + show with 'Thunderbolt*' Bucky Barnes, 'The Falcon And The Winter Soldier'. Pardon me, 'Captain America And The Winter Soldier'. With shades of 'The Incredible Hulk' throughout. After being handed the shield from Chris Evans' old man Steve Rogers in 'Avengers: Endgame', former Falcon Sam Wilson flies as the new Cap, with the frisbee that "doesn't obey the laws of physics at all", as Spider-Man quips, to match. New suit up! All before the 'Doomsday' of 'Secret Wars'.

Tom Holland may even be jealous of this homecoming for a film that spies hard like 'The Winter Soldier' movie that is arguably the best thing to come out of the MCU since Iron Man learnt how to "yeah, I can fly!". 'Captain America: Brave New World', released on St. Valentine's Day weekend, should be receiving more love letters. It's a monumental moment, as movie-life reality meets comic-book fantasy for an African-American captain with 'Black Panther' like power and excellence, like the new vibranium in his wings. But this is the battle for adamantium now in the age of an 'X-Men' apocalypse after the huge hit of 'Deadpool & Wolverine'. Marvel is back, but 'Captain America: Brave New World', named after the landmark Aldous Huxley post-apocalyptic science-fiction novel (the original title 'New World Order' hit a little too close to the state of home), has been met with fair to middling reviews...and they're the kind ones. 

Sure, it doesn't always pack a wallop, and too many screenwriters (Rob Edwards, Malcolm Spellman, Dalan Musson, Peter Glanz and director Julius Onah) spoil the soup somewhat, but this is still a very good Marvel movie, coming in the same weekend where people are tired of the same old NBA All-Star weekend. OK, it's a weaker four like a power forward with no post-up game, and it probably would have worked better as a second series on Disney Plus, if it wasn't for the IMAX worthy final battle royale with the Red Hulk, but it's still trending in the right direction. Like finally making use of that giant celestial being in the middle of the Indian Ocean after the 'Eternals' misfire. And man alive, how about those aerial assaults with new wingman and Miami heat-check Danny Ramirez? Not to mention the new Widow's peak of the 'Unorthodox' Shira Haas, kicking a##!

Lost in a Tokyo translation of dog fights with Japanese soldiers, the cherry really is blossoming here for General, come President Thaddeus Ross, after the fallout of 'Civil War'. He just wants to walk amongst the pink petals with his estranged daughter, we previously saw making nice with Edward Norton's Bruce Banner. That's not the only hulking change we've seen, as you might not like Marvel when they get antsy with the recasting, but sometimes it's necessary. The dearly departed, late great William Hurt made for a terrific Ross, but now it's up to 'Star Wars' Han Solo star and the iconic 'Indiana Jones' himself, Harrison Ford to add another classic character to his formidable filmography at 80. And you bet your a## the 'Blade Runner' and 'Blade Runner 2049' star is having the time of his life. As Thunderbolt (will he be in that forthcoming film, like the comics suggest?) Ross and an even more incredible Hulk in manned-up CG. Affording more, Harrison even has a hallmark Easter Egg noggin nod to his former 'Air Force One' days. Playing the second president in his career campaign as we get off his plane.

You can see shades of red creeping into his face like rosacea or me in the Winter throughout the picture, as he soldiers on with his best blockbuster acting since he was on the run from an Academy Award-winning Tommy Lee Jones in 'The Fugitive'. And this throwback to the good old 90s days mainstream movie has the goods, like Robert Redford in 'The Winter Soldier'. The depth and despair of former series regular and 'Cagney & Lacey' legend Carl Lumbly as the real First Avenger. 'Precious' star Xosha Roquemore's Presidential aid. Not to mention 'The Mandalorian' villain Giancarlo Esposito, breaking bad even further as the Sidewinder who won't sleep tonight, R.E.M. Although his classic comic character is made all too real (and revelatory) like Daniel Brühl's Baron Zemo. Now, if you missed the reveal of the 'Brave New World' premiere, stop reading! Because 'The Incredible Hulk' stars Liv Tyler (as Betty Ross) and the mega mind of Tim Blake Nelson, taking the lead (done as real and as convincing as possible after the 'Quantumania' of M.O.D.O.K.), continue compelling connections, with another cool cameo, to this shared universe. Yet, this Phase Five and 35th film is carried by the 'Hurt Locker' Captain himself. Mackie is the man. In this new world, he is the boldest, bravest and best. Salute! TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'Captain America-The Winter Soldier', 'Captain America And The Winter Soldier', 'The Incredible Hulk'.

TV REVIEW: THE SIMPSONS - THE PAST AND THE FURIOUS

3/5

Springfield Drift

24 Mins. Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria & Harry Shearer, with special guest star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Screenplay: Rob LaZebnik. Director: Mike Frank Polcino. Created By: Matt Groening. On: Disney +.

Clouds in the sky, 'The Siiimpsoooons' have so many Star Wars, Marvel and Mickey Mouse specials on Disney Plus, not to mention their Christmas, Halloween and NFL game day ones, that they may as well have their own multiverse of madness like their fellow comic mouse house inhabitants. Now, if you click on their "WUHU" version of Hulu, you can see exactly that, with some cracking Easter Eggs for fans of the show since it started...781 episodes ago.

'The Past and the Furious' is all about 'The Simpsons' family, even if it isn't canon to their sacred timeline. Earth 456, or whatever Stan Lee's boys call it. Matt Groening's won't leave you like his second name, as you won't want to prune this New Year follow-up to their Christmas special 'O C'mon All Ye Faithful', co-starring mad mind manipulator Derren Brown. Taking us back to the roaring 1920s like a Gatsby, as this one roars differently, this is a Lisa episode which find the precocious daughter of the family trying to save the world again. But this time with a little help from a certain C. Montgomery Burns (what?) played by fellow 90s '3rd Rock From The Sun' favourite Joseph Gordon-Levitt (WHAT?!).

The 'Inception' and 'The Dark Knight Rises' star makes a fine young Monty Burns in this alternate reality episode that now has its own exclusive tab next to the yellow show's thirty-six (WHAAAAT?!) seasons. Written by Rob LaZebnik and directed by Mike Frank Polcino, Springfield is feeling more like "winterfield" in this alternate reality where plants no longer grow (are you sure this is alternate? I live in Tokyo!). A daisy chain of flower stamping depression and medically prescribed stimulators and tappers (don't make me say what again) has Lisa tapping back into the past, where she meets a young Charles Montgomery at a jazz club aptly named the 'Little Moose Club'...and just wait until you find out why. Those won't make new clothes like those loafers ("former gophers") as you see Burns' vest again.

Don't sneeze at this brand new, old time, jazz junket of a story that shows heart to the natural and traditional world, but is also a beautiful love letter to mother's as you frolic amongst the flowers and twist the night away. Joe is a hit at this record of another Burns in another life and Lisa is the lovable, well-intentioned and meaning soul we all need (to be) in this day and age. The past catches up with you furiously in this hunt for the good ole days. Professor Frink also puts his two glavins in, like he did in the latest Christmas classic. All for a moose-see that really grabs life and its paths by the horns. There might not be a fast car and silver cross in sight, but 'The Past and the Furious' still has you. No "almost" about it. Winning is winning. And dancing is as such. So get to steppin'. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'The Simpsons: O' C'mon All Ye Faithful', 'The Simpsons: The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year', 'The Simpsons: Funday Football'.

REVIEW: THE WILD ROBOT

4/5

The Iron Migrant

102 Mins. Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill & Catherine O'Hara. Screenplay: Chris Sanders. Director: Chris Sanders. In: Theatres.

Do androids dream of frolicking with sheep—electric or otherwise? Either way, in the face of fears about an A.I.-dominated planet, 'The Wild Robot' combines elements from the fellow animated great roboteer 'The Iron Giant', integrates last year's Illumination film 'Migration', and includes an 'Eden' project similar to Netflix's Japanese anime, where robots harvest the remaining natural resources. This Chris Sanders ('Lilo & Stitch', 'How To Train Your Dragon', 'The Call Of The Wild') written and directed dream is a sure fire hit for Best Animated Feature Oscar at the March of the forthcoming Academy Awards, next month. No matter how good 'Flow', 'Memoir Of A Snail', 'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl', and of course Disney Pixar's 'Inside Out 2' sequel are. As a matter of fact, it may just be one of DreamWorks best dips in the ocean, digitally drawn or otherwise, for one of the most atmospheric  animations of all time. 

All as the young boy from the Dream logo gets up from his lazy fishing expedition under the moon and rides the crest through the workings of hallmarked history for a new I.D. Passing the stardust of some 'Bad Guys' as a trained dragon flies past. Receiving a bow from a 'Kung Fu Panda', a wink from a 'Boss Baby' and some love from the 'Trolls'. All before 'Shrek' and company wave him on as he heads back home, up in the stars for DreamWorks 30th anniversary. A theatrical opener of greatest hits to rival Disney's new star wished upon the waterfalls that cascade from the castle. All for their wildest film yet in this robotic age. Finally making its way to Japan (a place where they have a robot called Pepper greeting you in some shops). This Universal animation, based on Peter Brown's book series, is for all to see. Nurturing nature, but also juxtaposing it with the world of tomorrow, and how we can all co-exist with a little more understanding and meeting of the minds.

'The Wild Robot' in question is ROZZUM Unit 7134, but you can call her "Roz" with a bird in the hand. Voiced by '12 Year A Slave', 'Black Panther' and 'Us' actress Lupita Nyong'o (or 'The Legend and Butterfly', 'Our Little Sister' and UNIQLO and Panasonic commercial actress Haruka Ayase), this is one of Lupita's legendary roles to date. And she's already shown the power of her voice in the CGI creations of both 'Star Wars' and Disney's live-action look in 'The Jungle Book'. Add the powerful performance in 'A Quiet Place: Day One', for an incredible 2024, and it's clear to see she's not like us with how she bowls us over with her super talent. On display yet again here with a truly animated and accented performance, giving heart to the robotic smarts and voice of the best Roz since the one that manned the controls for one Dr. 'Frasier' Crane. Shipwrecked and cast away on an uninhabited island, like all those FedEx packages Tom Hanks found, Roz must be of satisfying care service, like 'Big Hero 6's' Baymax. Believe us, she would like a hug too.

And she may find it in a foxy friend voiced with sly spunk by 'The Mandalorian', 'The Last Of Us' and forthcoming Mr. 'Fantastic Four' star Pedro Pascal. Stretching his talent even further in an instantly recognizable, but surprisingly different note for the 'Gladiator II' warrior. Yet it's 'Rocketman' and 'Get Santa' star Kit Conner who will really imprint on you as Brightbill, an orphaned Canadian goose raised by this robot, ay! Add the legend of old bird Bill Nighy, 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' scene stealer Stephanie Hsu, an always hilarious Matt Berry (as a beaver), the unmistakable voice of Ving Rhames, and Catherine O'Hara up a different kind of creek with no paddle, and you're in for a treat...no s###! Oh, and Luke Skywalker himself Mark Hamill shows up as a grizzly bear as you play hunt the voice actors with your mind's memories against the speed of your smartphones search on IMDB.

Classic Disney and Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki are also nodded to with this movie's watercolour aesthetic, which may watermark the next 'Best Animated Feature' "and the winner is" envelope after 'The Boy And The Heron'. Joining its nine Annie Awards and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. No wonder this movie has a second film green lit, in this age of the sequel, after making good on it's budget three times over. From the 'WALL-E' sanitized greenhouse, to the real world and earth of the wild, this robot will show you there's nothing to fear from A.I. when the intelligence evolves from the artificial. Nyong'o's nuanced vocal delivery offers so much emotion to a now cult character that doesn't even possess any facial articulation. Whereas, a devastating forest fire scene is even more poignant and powerful now months after its release, showing heart to Hollywood. Taking inspiration from everything from 'Bambi' (is that her?) to 'My Neighbour Totoro', Sanders' "Monet painting in a Miyazaki forest" is actual art. The animation is amazing, but the heart hits even harder. Walking like a robot on the wild side. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'The Iron Giant', 'Migration', 'Eden'. 

REVIEW: DREAMIN' WILD

4/5

Glory Days

110 Mins. Starring: Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chris Messina & Beau Bridges. Screenplay: Bill Pohlad. Director: Bill Pohlad. In: Theatres.

Kino is an independent cinema in Japan, showcasing international and indie films alike. Such is the release schedule in Japan. Unless this is a Marvel movie, or something of that Star Wars and Disney nature, most movies come out late. I can't wait to watch 'Wicked'...in two months time. But hey, it's all green with envy good. Even to a movie buff like me. If my sacrifice for my dream life in the Far East is to watch movies and review them late (aside from the more heartbreaking thing of being away from friends and family), as well as pay out the backside for books in the English language, so be it. Kino in Yokohama's Minato Mirai area overlooked by the legendary to the city Landmark Tower is beautiful. Especially with a Tsutaya bookshop below, complete with coffee from Starbucks. After watching an early evening movie here and walking home by the twilight of Yokohama blue illumination, these richer movies with deeper meaning and nuance of our love and life's rises and falls really stay with you. 'The Iron Claw'. 'To Leslie'. No matter how late they come.

None quite like this, however, as 'Dreamin' Wild' is finally awoken in the Land of The Rising Sun this weekend gone, after it's August release in the US...in 2023. Perhaps it's due to its lead, Casey Affleck, being clouded in controversy. Yet the 'Manchester By The Sea' Academy-Award winning actor gives a sensitive and spirited performance of subtle power, much like he did in the movie he really should have got the Oscar for...'A Ghost Story'. The other players punctuated performances shouldn't be spoiled by this, either, like an undeniable, but sadly underused Zooey Deschanel. I'm also hesitant to reveal this brilliant Bill Pohlad ('Love & Mercy' with a Brian Wilson shout out here) written and directed film is based on a true story (like 'The Iron Claw') and New York Times article ('Fruitland, Washington') by Steven Kurutz. Because when I found out (like 'The Iron Claw'), it floored me...this time, beautifully in a moving moment at the movies. Two young brothers who cut a record ('Dreamin' Wild') in the real American heartland during their teens. Only for it to become a big hit thirty years later after their original 1978 glory days were long in the Springsteen rearview of the runaway American dream.

But these brothers of this Roadside Attractions movie were born to run, too. The youngsters played by fellow stars of the future, and right now, Noah Jupe ('A Quiet Place', 'Ford v Ferrari') and Jack Dylan Glazer ('SHAZAM!', 'Luca') actually look like real brothers, beyond the curly hair. Much like an award worthy Beau Bridges sounds like his own brethren with a crazy heart. Speaking of siblings, in a movie that should get the casting director of the year Oscar (what?! There isn't one? Well here's to you, Kerry Barden, Nike Imoru and Paul Schnee), and not just for Ben Affleck favourite Chris Messina's gregarious, great discovery, it's Walton Goggins that steals the show. Even though this blue collar brother refuses to do so with the spotlight. Hard worn and humble with a kindness and grace below those calloused hands that should have at least held some sort of award. Unmistakable, like that voice and his delivery. The real crowning, though belongs to the true to life brothers of Donnie and Joe Emerson, that this unbelievable movie and actual true story is based on. Their album that now rolls like a stone that wild horses couldn't drag away is now a classic with its own certified legend. One that shows what dreams may come and the enduring power that songwriting and music has on people, even when you've lost your own faith in it. To butcher the line of another rock act's journey, don't stop dreaming. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Further Filming: 'Crazy Heart', 'Manchester By The Sea', 'A Complete Unknown'.

REVIEW: THE ROOM NEXT DOOR

4/5

Death Becomes Her

106 Mins. Starring: Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore, John Turturro & Alessandro Nivola. Screenplay: Pedro Almodóvar. Director: Pedro Almodóvar. In: Theatres. 

Make room for this open door the next time you head to theatres. Even if Oscar hasn't. The biggest Oscar snub this side of a gladiatorial and villainous Denzel Washington, is 'Woman On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown' and 'All About My Mother' legendary director Pedro Almodóvar's first English-language full-length feature film, 'The Room Next Door'. Almodóvar wanted multiple Oscar's for this 'Room', like Brie Larson, especially for its dual leads, the incredible and influential Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. And he was right, although neither received as much as a nomination...let alone an apology. Maybe this is more to do with the fallout from the subject-matter of Julianne's 'May December', last year. A Netflix movie you still can't see on the streaming service here in Japan, or back home in the U.K. 'Next Door' is much ado about something akin to another Todd Haynes movie 'Carol', based on the Patricia Highsmith's 'The Price Of Salt'. And Daniel Craig finding himself in 'Queer', another film that needs more exposure.

Yet, this love story is one of the deep bond of friendship. As Pedro, Tilda and Julianne prove to be a Holy Trinity like another snubbed best picture in Netflix's grief-stricken 'His Three Daughters'. Perhaps that's the point. Dealing with the death, this film is a lot to take. Boy, do I know how to spend my Saturday nights. Tears streaming down my face in a Japanese cinema, when maybe I should have stayed at home and chilled with Netflix (boy, do I know how to spend my Saturday nights). Still, so subtle and beautiful and powerfully profound like the brief 'Portrait Of Tilda' moment, to match the solitary, but no longer 'Nighthawks' lonely, Edward Hopper sun-lounging lawn chair painting. This will hit you harder than the great gold of any Oscar, which is Gatsby compared to the woman that roar in our new twenties, just as desperate. Based on Sigrid Nunez's novel, 'What Are You Going Through', this isn't just one of the best pictures of the year. It's film art that will stay with you long after you've lingered around post-credits, like Japanese cinema goers do here out of respect. Take note, Oscar.

Almodóvar's amazing art takes us from a New Yorker minute to a rental home to die for...literally. 'War Requiem' star Tilda Swinton's former war journalist has one last battle...with cervical cancer. And armed with a resolute will and a pill off the dark web, she will go quietly into the night...but on her own terms. The versatile star of everything from 'Edward II', 'Michael Clayton' and 'Burn After Reading', to 'We Need To Talk About Kevin', 'Only Lovers Left Alive' and 'Snowpiercer' (not to mention many a Wes Anderson) enlists the help of her friend and 'Still Alice' Oscar winner, Julianne Moore to be by her side to the end. Another writer (this time of the type you'd find in The Strand) who in some sort of twisted fate is absolutely petrified of death. Hear, hear...like you wouldn't believe. So if I can give this, the kind of day, you can too, Academy. Both actresses amaze, and there's nothing between them. Perhaps that's why they didn't join all the 'Emilia Pérez' nominations. But then Swinton swiftly changes everything in the third act of a real twist. Everybody's favourite John Turturro is also on hand, along with Alessandro Nivola's hard on the case cop character, charging more than his 'Kraven The Hunter' Rhino. But nothing can get between 'The Room Next Door' and the two that occupy it. 'Till death do them part. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'May December', 'Talk To Her', 'His Three Daughters'.