Film Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Martin McDonagh’s black comedy drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is well-written, well performed, and thoroughly engaging.

After months have passed since the murder of her daughter, Mildred Hayes is angry with the police’s lack of action. She takes out billboard adverts calling out the police chief, and gets everyone attention…

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has the same brand of dark humour that viewers may expect of the filmmaker. The film also has genuinely heartfelt moments. The film is about grief and acceptance, but it has a remit that goes beyond this.

Set in a small town, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri touches upon a number of aspects. Predominantly it is a film about Mildred’s search for justice, and her grief. Furthermore, a strand focuses on journey for Officer Dixon. It also speaks about police and their role in the community, albeit in a light-touch manner.

The narrative unfolds at a good pace. It is hard to predict where the film will go. Mildred’s desire for justice is always depicted in a sympathetic light, even when her methods are eyebrow raising. McDonagh’s film was never going to conclude in a neat way. The very end of the film projects a theme that runs throughout. This is partly a nihilistic futility, and partly a nod to the fact that things in life are often open-ended. However, this does not make the film bleak. There is Dixon’s journey broadly positive, for example, and there are elements of resolution to Mildred’s story too.

Performances in the film are excellent. Frances McDormand delivers a strong performance that is humorous, sympathetic, and sincere. Sam Rockwell is also excellent, as is Woody Harrelson. Good support is provided from Caleb Landry Jones and John Hawkes. The cast have an excellent screenplay to work with. The dialogue is great, and always appears natural.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is not McDonagh’s magnum opus, but is it still very a well made and immensely watchable picture.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is closing the BFI London Film Festival on 15th October 2017.

BFI London Film Festival 2017 Launch

It’s that time of year again. Today saw the launch of the BFI London Film Festival 2017. The festival this year sees 242 feature films being screened, which includes 28 world premieres. Here are some picks to look out for at the London Film Festival 2017…

Headline Galas

The opening and closing galas previously announced; closing gala Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri in particular looks great. Directed by Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths), the film stars Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. Other Headline Gala highlights include Battle of the Sexes (starring Emma Stone and Steve Carell), Alexander Payne’s Downsizing, and Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. Another highlight is The Killing of a Sacred Deer, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster). The film stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Barry Keoghan, and is about a doctor who introduces his family to a fatherless young man he has befriended.

Strand Galas and Special Presentations

This year sees the return of the Embankment Garden Cinema and its series of Strand Galas.   There are a number of exciting screenings, including Redoubtable (Le Redoutable). Directed by Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) the film is a biopic of Jean-Luc Godard and stars Louis Garrel, Stacy Martin, and Bérénice Bejo. Also showing is Wonderstruck, based on the novel of the same name. Directed by Todd Haynes (Carol), the film stars Julianne Moore. Among the Special Presentations are Sally Potter’s The Party and the first two episodes of David Fincher’s upcoming Netflix series Mindhunter.

Official Competition

Amongst the Official Competition at London Film Festival 2017 are The Breadwinner (an animated film about a young girl in Taliban-controlled Kabul), and Thoroughbred, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy. The First Feature Competition includes Beast, which is about a young woman who falls for a police suspect. Also in this category is I Am Not A Witch, about a young girl in a Zambian village who is accused of being a witch. The Documentary Competition includes Jane, a film about primatologist Jane Goodall.

Strands

A highlight of this year’s Love strand is How to Talk to Girls at Parties, based on the Neil Gaiman short story. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. The Debate strand features The Venerable W., a documentary about a Buddhist monk espousing anti-Muslim rhetoric. Laugh includes Brigsby Bear, a comedy about a man who tries to remake a children’s show he was obsessed with. A highlight of the Dare category is 9 Fingers, directed by FJ Ossang. The Thrill section includes the classic noir Mildred Pierce, whilst Harry Dean Stanton and David Lynch star in Lucky as part of the Journey strand.

The Cult strand includes Paco Plaza’s horror Veronica, and Create features documentary G Funk, about Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg. The Family strand includes fairy tale compendium Ivan Tsarevitch and the Changing Princess. Experimenta features documentary Tonsler Park, a timely film about polling stations in Charlottesville during last year’s US election.

The full London Film Festival 2017 programme can be viewed here. The BFI London Film Festival runs from 4th-15th October 2017.

Film Review: Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom is nothing short of charming. The film boasts a great script and excellent performances, and should be enjoyed by all.

On a small island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, a young boy and girl fall in love. The pair decide to run away together, to trek across the island. Various factions of authority begin to search for the young pair, as a storm is set to hit the island…

Moonrise Kingdom is ultimately a satisfying picture, and one that is difficult to fault. The screenplay,by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola is fantastic. The children in the film feel well-developed and authentic. Their interactions with both their peers and the adults are both amusing and believable. The beauty of the screenplay is the way in which it effectively ties in additional strands to the central narrative. These plots are definitely secondary to the main focus on Sam and Suzy, yet work well to inform and give the supporting cast depth.

Moonrise Kingdom presents an image of childhood which is utterly convincing. The seriousness with which Sam and Suzy approach their situation seems entirely fitting. Most viewers will be able to recollect the gravity of seemingly important issues from the childhood. Moreover, the young people in the film are depicted has having intellect and strong personalities, something that too often is missing from other child characters in movies.

Anderson has captured a sense of a 1960s childhood whilst retaining his own style. All the familiar Wes Anderson traits are present in Moonrise Kingdom. The off-beat style associated with the filmmaker is apparent throughout the film, including the memorable use of music.

Performances are fantastic overall. Jared Gilman stands out in particular as Sam. Gilman brings a solemnity to the role that works perfectly. Kara Hayward is also great as Suzy. The supporting cast is populated with big names; Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton are well cast in their respective roles.

Moonrise Kingdom will entertain and amuse audiences with its charm. One not to miss.

Film Review: This Must Be the Place

Paolo Sorrentino’s This Must Be the Place is a funny and poignant drama. An imperfect film, This Must Be the Place is an absorbing endeavour nevertheless.

Cheyenne is a former rock star who now lives with his wife in Ireland. He has a routine existence, seeing the same people and visiting the same places. When he learns his father is ailing, Cheyenne travels to America for the first time in many years. Finding out about his father’s trauma during World War II, Cheyenne embarks on a mission to find his father’s persecutor, now living under an assumed name in the United States…

This Must Be the Place is an interesting character study. The film carefully unwraps the character of Cheyenne; and charts his development through the course of the narrative. The protagonist is interesting from the beginning because of his appearance and mannerisms. What sustains the audience’s attention is watching the character gently evolve as he finds out more about himself and his relationship with others.

There are some great amusing moments in This Must Be the Place, which are greatly complimented by the film’s more poignant episodes. The film does slack a bit in the second half; it could have easily been trimmed down. Nevertheless, Sorrentino’s film is still engaging.

Sean Penn offers a memorable performance as Cheyenne. Penn is engrossing as the aging former rock star, with a performance that steals the viewer’s attention. Good support is provided by Frances McDormand and Judd Hirsch. This Must Be the Place is a little unusual, but well worth the watch.

This Must Be the Place is being screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2011.