Saw three new films over the weekend.
The Death of Stalin, 7.5/10. Very good, clever, funny but most of all featuring a cast on top form, as this sort of material absolutely relies on that. Unlike Armando Ianucci's The Thick of It and In The Loop, this seemed tightly scripted rather than improvised. No issue there, just thought I'd mention it. For me it was a bit of a history lesson as I know very little about this sort of thing. Really quite unsettling to watch it and realise that it really wasn't all that long ago (and to realise that similar craziness and death lists etc. still go on around the world)
Murder on the Orient Express, 5.5/10. Sumptuously shot and a pretty cast performing perfectly well(*) but it was so unengaging that you feel it was a waste of talent. Mind you, I never particularly liked "whodunnits", especially Agatha Christie ones, not that I ever read any nor saw many (the occasional Miss Marple, and Ustinov's Poirot). So, can I blame Branagh when the fault lies with my not liking the genre or the source material? The "big reveal" in this story is just ludicrous. I'd be interested in the views of people who actually like Christie
* arguably all a bit theatrical/pantomimey but again that's part of the actual plotting in a "who's telling the truth" kind of story. Pfeiffer gets a chance to really shine for a very brief scene toward the end, and therefore "wins" the acting prize.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer, 7.5/10. New one from Yorgos Lanthimos whose "The Lobster" was my favourite film of 2015. Again starring Colin Farrell, this one still dabbles with the surreal but there's no quirky comedic feel to it (aside from a couple of one-liners). It's quite demanding and oppressive, very dark, and kind of hard to say WHY I liked it. Many people are referencing Haneke's "Funny Games" but I think that although there are some story similarities, it actually has more of the feel of Haneke's "Hidden" (Cache). Although maybe we just shouldn't bother referencing Haneke at all!
I find it refreshing that a bleak uncommercial film like this can still attract major stars and get decent distribution. For another example from this year, see also: "mother!".
Post edited at 12:25