#MichaelJibson

[doomonfilm]

Review : 1917 (2019)

I like war films just as much as the next film fan, guaranteed.  Vietnam tends to be my war subject of choice, with World War II and some of the unofficial conflicts falling in line directly behind, but films about the Great War were always intriguing.  With 2019 being such a strong year of unique films, it’s interesting that one of the heaviest buzzes is coming from a movie centered around World War I, but lo and behold, director Sam Mendes has managed to bring a fresh and unique perspective to that very war in the form of the astounding 1917. 

On April 6, 1917, Lance Corporals Will Schofield (George MacKay) and Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are assigned a time-sensitive mission by General Erinmore (Colin Firth).  The German army appears to be retreating from their established lines on the Western Front of Northern France, but aerial intelligence has revealed a new Hindenburg line being formed in the assumed retreat zone.  The 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment is in pursuit of the German soldiers, and the Lance Corporals are tasked with tracking down the regiment to stop them before they walk into a massacre.  Schofield, already experienced in combat with the Germans, is initially hesitant, but upon learning that Blake’s older brother, Lieutenant Joseph Blake (Richard Madden), is a member of the 2nd Battalion, the younger Blake convinces Schofield to immediately join him on the mission.  With the former front line, open space, a shelled out city, a river and a forest between the Lance Corporals and the Devonshire Regiment, the duo race against the clocks in hopes of saving their fellow soldiers from walking into a massacre.

A gigantic portion of the hype surrounding this film comes from the unique experience provided by the way that Sam Mendes chose to shoot, edit and present the film.  While not the first to use the style of long takes to emulate a single take, Mendes does manage to use it to bring maximum tension to the war film genre.  Much like the experiments of Gus Van Sant with his Death Trilogy, 1917 has the look and feel of a first-person shooter game mixed with an open-world adventure game, with the narrative beats proceeding like a mixture of action sequences and cut scenes as the camera satellites around our main characters.  Even though, in my honest opinion, Alejandro González Iñárritu pulled off the trick with more flare and style in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Mendes and his achievements cannot be ignored, and will certainly be recognized during awards  season. 

On top of this stylistic choice enhancing the war film experience, the nature of the casting hits with extra enhancement.  I am unaware of the two main actors in regards to their previous work, and with 90% of the movie centering around these individuals, the ability to suspend disbelief is made much easier.  Similarly, name actors are given roles that correspond to characters with high military ranks, so when a recognizable face pops up, we inherently give them unknowing respect and attention simply because of the gravitas that comes with the recognition.  To even further drive home the personable experience of war, we only see a single German enemy with any distinct clarity, and the actors come into close contact with only three, but no more than five, soldiers, making the majority of the enemies that of the faceless variety.

The skill, craftsmanship and powerful impact of the cinematography cannot be understated, as it really and truly makes the viewers’ war experience much more dynamic than that from previous films.  The score ebbs and flows like wind, coming in strong and then pulling itself back with such subtlety that at times you don’t even recognize the builds.  The color-timing on the film is stark and beautiful, with sky full of blues, purples and other dusk/twilight colors, and distinct shifts between greyed-out battlefronts, lush green forestry and the earth-tones of the destroyed cities.  The trench design looks genuinely authentic, as if they were the genuine existing articles from over a century ago, and not recreated locations for the film.

George MacKay has the poise and determination of a star in the making, with his seemingly dismissive and unwilling demeanor masking a reserve of iron will.  Dean-Charles Strong brings the innocence that comes with luck in a dangerous realm, with his naivety helping drive the duo forward into dangerous situation after dangerous situation.  Per the style of the film, the majority of the time is spent with these two relatively unknown actors, with the remainder of the cast being filled in with glorified cameos.  Colin Firth is all business, as is Benedict Cumberbatch, but with a harder edge and a sense of hurt when battle is taken from him.  Mark Strong represents the more humanitarian side of things, with his convoy of soldiers bringing more humanity and humor to a story full of soldiers from out of (or heading into) combat.  Richard Madden brings a powerful sense of realization and weight that comes with life-altering news, with a brief performance that is almost guaranteed to bring tears out of even the most hardened viewer.  Memorable appearances by Claire Duburcq, Daniel Mays, Adrian Scarborough, Jamie Parker, Michael Jibson and Nabhaan Rizwan, among others, round out the proceedings.

As much as I enjoy the film, I don’t think it has the power to force me to shift my end of the year list.  The film will certainly be recognized during awards season, as I stated before, and I do recognize it for the achievement it is, but in terms of my prefered style and aesthetic, I found other films this year more compelling.  It is nice to know, however, that films can employ high style and still connect on a large scale level, and I do highly recommend viewers see this movie, as I do recognize it as must-see cinema.  Wait for it to be released retail style if you have to, but if you get the chance, see this film on the big screen, as films like this are tailor-made for large scale presentation.

[marlasomething]

Exactly a year ago I had the privilege of watching #Hamilton live on #London with a wondeful Cast...still one of my greatest memories #hamiltonmusical #hamiltonwestend #musical #jasonpennycooke #ashhunter #michaeljibson Ftw #mystical https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvma0deB9vd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=13bkqr86gjgrp

[marchefwbutonierce]

Me with Michael Jibson (King George III) after I saw amazing Hamilton West End in London. Thank you @mikejibson ❤ #hamilton #hamiltonwestend #westend #hamiltonlondon #michaeljibson #hamiltonmusical (w: Victoria Palace Theatre) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm9EOLkBz9T/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=pldaulytl8s1

[realitytvworld]

'Hamilton' wins 7 Olivier Awards in London

Lin-Manuel Miranda's historical, hip-hop show "Hamilton" won seven Olivier Awards, including Best Musical, in London Sunday.

#BryanCranston #ShirleyHenderson #SamMendes #LauraDonnelly #MichaelJibson #GilesTerera #LinManuelMiranda #AngelsinAmerica #Ink #Hamilton

READ IT: 'Hamilton' wins 7 Olivier Awards in London

[mrpractical]

DECENT! After you've seen shows like 'Game Of Thrones', 'Spartacus', ' Vikings' and even movies like '300', people are expecting some level of standard, but 'Hammer Of The Gods' fell kinda short of that. Centered around a quest that a young prince goes on to find his older brother who was expelled from the kingdom by there father. But his journey finds him discovering truths about his family that changes him forever. Granted the plot was a little weak, but the actors worked with what they had, and tried there best to be convincing as possible, giving the audience solid performances. The scenery fit the tone of the movie just right, with its brutal, bloody actions, but the problem with all that was that they didn't take risk it should've to pushed the movie where it needed to be, and after seeing those aforementioned shows and movie, you come to expect to a level of standard when dealing with that type of genre and time period. Though this movie doesn't pretend to be more than what it is and doesn't ask to be put on some high caliber shelf. Sometimes you have to give credit where it's due, and for this type of movie and its budget, it came out rather good, but that's no excuse. This movie is basically all bloody action with a little story plot thrown in to sustain it together, with a twist of an ending that's not all that shocking. It may not be historically accurate, which I wasn't really looking at it for that, just wanted some good entertainment, it did it's job and it was enjoyable. 👍🏾 WORTH IT to watch. #HammerOfTheGods #CharlieBewley #CliveStanden #JamesCosmo #ElliotCowan #IvanKaye #MichaelJibson #TheoBarklemBiggs #AlexandraDowling #FinlayRobertson Released: May 30, 2013

[doomonfilm]

Review : Last Night in Soho (2021)

When we get around to making definitive statements about creatives who found prominence in the 21st Century, I hope that Edgar Wright is not overlooked.  Be it Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Hot Fuzz, the near-perfect Baby Driver or any of his other projects, he has not only proven time and again to be a director who is proficient on the highest levels, but a sincere and genuine fan of film whose ability to communicate that love through his project rivals that of Quentin Tarantino, if not surpasses it at times.  At this point, anything that Wright is connected with instantly has my attention, so when Last Night in Soho popped up on the release radar, the Alfred Hitchcock energy radiating off of it made me as excited as I was curious.  Add to this the fact that Anya Taylor-Joy is cast to do what she does best, which is period-piece character work, and on paper we’ve got a recipe for success.

Last Night in Soho takes on the Herculean task of telling two fish out of water stories wrapped into one : a modern day story of Ellie Turner and her ambitions of being a famous designer in the shadow of her talented grandmother and troubled mother, and a flashback period piece story of a young Sandie Collins with loads of star potential facing the dark underbelly of success, with the second connected to the first via a sort of supernatural Quantum Leap-esque body switch.  Through this supernatural juxtaposition of Ellie and Sandie, we feel the weight of Ellie fighting two very real battles : a jealousy-fueled peer battle in which she finds herself an unwilling participant, followed by an overwhelmingly powerful battle against the pressure of male-based objectification.  It is no secret that Edgar Wright gives nods to other influential films in his work, and intentional or not, I see shades of films like Vertigo, Black Swan, L’Avventura, Repulsion and Perfect Blue in Last Night in Soho.  Despite this influence, Last Night in Soho has its own clear identity of a riveting and intense ghost story centered around a young woman who is philosophically and literally haunted by the past. 

Through this slow burn ghost story, we are presented with themes of gaslighting, the practice of wielding trauma as a manipulative (when not literal) weapon, fixations on bygone eras and the importance of staying true to yourself in the face of the hurdles that come with trying to fit into character-changing tradition.  Wright and writing collaborator Krysty Wilson-Cairns present viewers with a highly stylized tale of how universal the story of trying to avoid the trappings and pitfalls of fame-seeking can be, no matter the era that the story takes place in.  We are also given some very strong ruminations on how people are forced to sometimes create a character to shield themselves from the dark allure of the high life, and how easily one can end up in a tug of war for identity by losing themselves in this protective shield in the hopes of breaking through the darkness to the promise land of dream fulfillment and supposed safety.  Some of the threads are left unresolved, but then, that’s the nature of life and growth... not every struggle we are presented with gets resolution, though each struggle has an influence in the person we grow to become.

Wright is known for his prowess as a director, and he continues to improve his pedigree with Last Night in Soho.  From very early on, the incredible use of mirrors and cinematography-based trickery is present, and as our immersion into the story grows, so does the scale of the trickery, leading us into some deeply connective and dramatically tense moments shared between Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy.  On top of these mirror shots, we are given tons of poetic and captivating practical shots that stand out in their own right, especially the rented room shots with their bold lighting.  The shifts to the period-piece sections are flawless and highly effective, wholly transitioning use into another era without breaking the established visual language, which makes Ellie and her downplayed attire work that much better in the midst of Sandie’s world of high-style and glamour.  Speaking of said high-style, the stellar costuming across the board speaks volumes for each character in both choices of color and material, not to mention how much one adheres to seasonal trends or bigger picture tradition.  The physicality of McKenzie and Taylor-Joy is wonderfully vivid not only in the shared mirrored sequences and dance scenes, but the individual moments of terror they exhibit in their most stressful individual sequences.  The soundtrack is stellar, but this comes as no surprise in light of the fact that powerfully impactful music cues are an Edgar Wright signature.  The super creepy imagery of the male pursuant ghosts are the kind of film symbolism that haunts viewers long after the final credits roll. 

Thomasin McKenzie serves up the full spectrum of emotion in a standout performance, giving us equal parts innocent hope and ambition, bone-chilling fear and unhinged breakdown with the grace and composure of a seasoned veteran.  Anya Taylor-Joy gives her own captivating performance, losing herself in the essence of the 1960s while channeling a healthy dose of Kim Novack and Audrey Hepburn, all the while managing to keep that Anya Taylor-Joy touch that has rocketed her to her current star status, all the while gearing up for a third act turn that allows her to play bigger than normal.  Diana Rigg counterbalances this with the kind of wisdom that is fueled by regret and tough choices, all the while masking a deeper sinister nature that mirrors the many levels of London darkness.  Terence Stamp juxtaposes the callousness of a man tarnished by the weight of a career steeped in vice with the frankness of a man who has counseled women during their darkest times.  Michael Ajao does as much as he can in the role of reserved male romantic interest held up against scarring images of male aggression and intimidation, but he is able to provide a compassionate portrayal in the face of such darkness.  Synnøve Karlsen does a fine job of playing the positioned protagonist in the modern day story, turning the pettiness up to the highest levels in order to help give the narrative proper setup for a good swerve.  Matt Smith is dramatically menacing in ways that resonate immediately, making the fear of the 1960s story palatable in both story lines, thus having an equal impact on McKenzie as the direct impact it had on Taylor-Joy.  Appearances by Sam Claflin, Rita Tushingham, Pauline McLynn and a host of other supporting actors fill out this vivid tale.

Last Night in Soho may be divisive for some viewers, especially those used to the lightness that generally comes with Wright’s work, but in my opinion, this film marks a huge step forward for Wright in terms of style presentation and narrative nuance.  The film is also proof that Wright can direct properties written outside of the sphere of influence from his camp, which to some may be needed in the wake of his journey with the Ant-Man property.  This is largely thanks to the collaborative writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, as her very honest and vulnerable story is told with the care of someone empathic to the pain and desires communicated via the story (in my opinion).  I would definitely recommend seeking this one out during what seems to be a limited run in theaters, and if you miss it, keep an eye out for its arrival to streaming services.

[marlasomething]

Yesterday I had one of the greatest experiences in my life and all thanks to the kindness of the hole staff working at #hamiltonlondon (long personal story) #Hamilton #hamiltonmusical #victoriatheatre #theschylersisters #michaeljibson #kinggeorgeiii #jasonpennycooke #lafayette #thomasjefferson #ashhunter #alternatealexanderhamilton #london