Hail, Caesar! - mini review...

What's it about?
Written & Directed by the Coen Brothers, "Hail, Caesar!" is a comedy set during Hollywood's 'Golden Age' - 1951 to be precise - and follows the trials and tribulations of Eddie Manix - head of production and studio fixer for Capitol Pictures. When the lead in one of the studio's biggest productions is kidnapped by a group calling themselves 'The Future', the curious personalities and practicalities of Hollywood ricochet off one another.
Who would I recognise in it?
Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Erenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, and more.

Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The Coen Brothers march to the beat of their own drum, so it's with no surprise that "Hail, Caesar!" is the sort of film that will require more than one viewing to peel back the intricate layers of wry humour that are laced throughout. Skirting away from some of the strictures of traditional screenwriting structure, the film moves with a loose feel. We see glimpses of disparate productions - all of them elaborately realised - from a stunt-filled cheese-ball western and a synchronised swimming spectacular, to a stuffy melodrama and a tap-dance-tastic sailors-on-leave picture. Indeed, the Coen's love for Hollywood's golden years celebrates with rose-tinted glasses on, while simultaneously playing up the more farcical elements of the time (Francis McDormand's scene as a chain-smoking editor, locked away in a darkened room, proves to be both loving and laugh-inducing)...

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Triple Bill Mini Musings: Aliens, Warriors, and Country Lanes...

Under The Skin:
What's it about?
An alien, with the outward appearance of a beautiful young woman, scours the streets of Glasgow looking for men to take back to a mysterious black space to be consumed.
Who would I recognise in it?
Scarlett Johansson.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
A meandering low-fi sci-fi from the director of Sexy Beast, Under The Skin is a strange tale that's more interested in sensory experiences than it is plot. Filmed from the alien's perspective, our human world is seen objectively from the outsider's viewpoint - myriad voices on the street merge into a muffled confusion, a sea side tragedy is watched like a science experiment. Told partly using hidden camera footage - where Hollywood A-List megastar Johansson vanishes unnoticed into the masses - the film further maintains its naturalistic edge by employing non-professional actors in supporting roles. Visually it's stunning - the opening sequence seems to suggest the alignment of planets only to transform into the creation of an eye - while Johansson's performance is stellar, combining the dangerous attraction of a siren with the vulnerability of a naive interloper. Arguably it's five-to-ten minutes too long, but it's quiet approach occasionally explodes with un-showy moments that deeply disturb - the aforementioned sea side sequence, or what happens within the pitch black ooze for example. It will no doubt test the patience of mainstream audiences, but fans of low-fi curiosities with unique perspectives will get a kick out of it. Johansson continues to build a varied and interesting career. Good.

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