Author: brieflyplease

Director – Lana Wachowski; Credited Screenwriter(s) – Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell & Aleksandar Hemon

An almost obscenely sentimental and earnest film that cuts to the core of what the hell this absurd franchise was always about; love and self-expression against all odds and oppression. Those odds can shift and that oppression can change forms but the bit that remains is the love. Otherwise some wonky VFX, a clearly less action-focused direction, and a recasting that was a bitter red and/or blue pill to swallow. Shooting on digital over film felt like a certain downgrade – but one can’t rule out that this choice was as much creative as financial. Performances were all rather good regardless, especially Reeves, Anne-Moss and Groff.

Even Briefer, Please: A slightly wobbly Yes; much to recommend, much to question, worthy of conversation.

Director – Todd Phillips; Credited Screenwriter – Todd Phillips & Scott Silver

Perfectly good, beautifuly shot, Phoenix is excellent but the film only half works, in two ways. As a supervillain origin it half works, as a Taxi Driver or King of Comedy homage it half works. A decent enough movie that has an excellent movie hiding somewhere inside it, if it were only willing to commit to one of those two poles over the other. The most shameless example of filmmakers invoking comic books to sell an seemingly utterly unrelated film so far.

Even Briefer, Please: A confident Sure, with hints of a shaky Yes – an exersise in homage that otherwise seems unsure as to what it was all about anyway.

Director – Martin Scorsese; Credited Screenwriter – Steven Zaillian 

The de-ageing effects work if you’re not too worried about that sort of thing but if you’re looking out for it, it will definitely take you out of the film. Although they are still incredibly impressive, they will likely age (or de-age) poorly. This is an especially difficult pill to take when so little of the flashback characters-in-their-youth section is really needed for the story being told. The last third or so of the film holds its own as an extraordinary feat, with performances at near career-best level for De Niro and Pesci and a decent showing from Pacino. But it just doesn’t feel like Scorsese’s heart is in the classic gangster stuff in the first two acts. Despite all of this it is still an vital and engaging watch, but is kept from any of the career-best accolades you’d so want to give it.

Even Briefer, Please: Two thirds of an upper end of Sure, one third a resounding and heart wrenching Yes.