"I'm Rogue numero uno..."

I’m not a huge fan of Star Wars but I watched it anyway because the old ones were deemed classics and the new ones were, well, the talk of the world. And I do thoroughly enjoyed it even though I’m not really into the mythology (what the hey is a Death Star?) and the characters save for the three famous leading protagonists plus the main iconic baddie (who makes a cameo in this new film).
 
But Rogue One and last year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens has certainly piqued my interest even more because the filmmakers were brave enough to put a woman front and centre as the new hero without dressing them in skimpy outfits (sorry, Princess Leia)—so suck on it you misogynistic alt-right brutes!
 
Anyhoo, the diversity is certainly on full display again in this Gareth Edwards-directed sci-fi adventure. After putting a black man and a latino in The Force Awakens, now the rogue band of Rogue One comprises of a Mexican (Diego Luna), a British-Pakistani (Riz Ahmed), and two Chinese (Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen), meanwhile the wonderful Aussie Ben Mendelsohn stars as the new villain. (I am not oblivious of the fact that the decision to cast Yen and Wen might primarily be driven to capture China's massive moviegoing market.)
 
The heroine of Rogue One is unexpectedly played by Felicity Jones (Inferno, A Monster’s Call), an English rose-type of actress in my eyes thus initially I don’t quite see her as an action hero. But here she’s done an admirable job in playing the lone fighter, Jyn Erso, the daughter of the scientist (Danish Madds Mikkelsen) who unwillingly built the Death Star, the planet-size weapon that can annihilate an entire planet, for the ruling Imperial led by Orson Krennic (Mendelsohn). The opposing forces—the Rebel Alliance—locates Jyn so she can find her father and steal the plans for the Death Star. Her mission is assisted by the Rebel Alliance officer (and sharpshooter), Cassian Andor (Luna); a defected Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook (Ahmed); blind warrior, Chirrut Imwe (Yen); bad-ass mercenary, Baze Malbus (Wen); and a bluntly-speaking droid K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). Oh and there’s also the extremist rebellion leader, Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), who raises Jyn and might know the location where the Imperial held her father hostage.  

"They helped..."

Things moves fast in Rogue One. Each subsequent scene is located on a different planet and even though there are captions telling us the name and one-line detail of the place but I had forgotten it the next minute. But fortunately the fast-pace is just what the film needed, and despite not offering any meaningful insight into the backstory of each of the rogueish characters (save for Cassian) I still care and worry about their fate (which is not good). It’s either the personality or the performances that sells it. Donnie Yen, especially, completely owns one thrilling action scene with his Daredevil-ish fighting prowess. Admittedly, it’s a bit stereotypical to have an Asian character having martial-arts abilities but I’ll take what I can get…
 
By the way, compared to the other Star Wars film, Rogue One is really brutal with its war film-like final action sequences. Thank goodness it was a laser gun they’re using otherwise that beach will be drenched in blood! But it’s a very well-made and exhilarating ending (energized by Michael Giacchino rousing score) nevertheless that seamlessly blends the action on land as well as up in the air quite. The arrival of a four-legged monstrous robots is particularly memorable.
 
All in all, I love Rogue One not just because it has a female lead—and a diverse cast—but mostly because it’s just a time well spent in space. The story by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is simple and clear (which is set before the first Star Wars: A New Hope), the characters are compelling, the action sequences thrilling, and the visuals striking. If there were reshoots made I did not see the differences.
 
I’m kind of sad that we won’t be getting any sequel to Rogue One (you’ll see why after you watched the film), but Disney/Lucasfilm has other promising spin-offs (the Han Solo pic) and sequels to offer (Episode VIII and IX), and I’m pretty sure there will be plenty more germinating within the Star Wars universe. I wouldn’t mind seeing a pre-bun Princess Leia standalone film, though, …
 

Pembunuhan sadis, operasi penggerebekkan di tengah malam memburu villain yang dijuluki Shetani (atau “The Devil”), espionase berbahaya di negara asing — apakah ini petualangan James Bond terbaru?
 
Tak salah bila Anda berpikiran seperti itu karena film dokumenter The Ivory Game memiliki production values yang serupa, opening-nya saja ala Zero Dark Thirty di mana adegan mengikuti POV satu tim militer yang mengenakan kacamata night vision. Kenyataannya doku yang diproduseri oleh Netflix dan Leonardo DiCaprio (via rumah produksinya, Appian Way) ini berkisah tentang upaya pemberantasan operasi perburuan ilegal gajah Afrika yang terancam punah. Menurut caption yang tertera di awal film: Selama lima tahun belakangan sekitar 150,000 gajah telah dibunuh hanya untuk diambil gadingnya (atau yang kerap disebut “white gold”).
 
Pasar utama gading-gading tersebut? China. Meskipun ilegal namun para pedagang gelap ini tetap mampu beroperasi lantaran aturan yang lemah dan pejabat atau polisi yang bisa disuap. Yang menakutkan adalah para pemburu dan pedagang gading ilegal ini justru ingin gajah jadi punah karena hal tersebut akan melambungkan harga gading di pasaran! Sementara di tanah kelahirannya sendiri gajah-gajah ini berisiko dibunuh oleh penduduk lantaran memakan hasil perkebunan mereka. They’re not safe anywhere.
 
Untungnya hewan mamalia darat terbesar di dunia ini tak kekurangan pembela. Merekalah para real-life heroes yang siang-malam tak lelah mendedikasikan hidup mereka untuk menyelamatkan populasi gajah Afrika. Sebut saja Chris Millar (pria kulit putih asal Kenya) dari The Big Life Foundation; Elisifa Ngowi dari National & Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit in Tanzania; Andrea Crosta dari WildLeaks; Ian Craig dari The Northern Rangeland Trust; Georgina Kamanga dari Department of National Parks di Zambia; aktivis Hongxiang Huang; dan masih banyak lagi.
 
Keterlibatan Huang terutama sangat patut diapresiasi: pria muda ini ikut bergabung karena ia sedih melihat hewan langka dibunuh di negaranya, dan ia ingin memutarbalikkan persepsi orang China yang “kejam” di mata dunia gara-gara jadi konsumen utama gading ilegal. Lantas Huang pun ikut terlibat dalam aksi penggerebekan yang berbahaya di Afrika, dan membantu Crosta di China, HK, dan Vietnam dengan mendatangi toko-toko yang menjual gading ilegal sembari membawa kamera rahasia. So brave!
 
The Verdict:  Film dokumenter yang digarap oleh duo Richard Ladkani dan Kief Davidson selama 16 bulan ini memang sedikit tidak konvensional lantaran terkadang terasa seperti film thriller. Meski terkesan bombastis, namun mungkin justru itulah yang dibutuhkan untuk serentak memobilisasi simpati warga dunia, termasuk ANDA. These beautiful, majestic elephants are counting on it.
 
5 Stars  

Artikel ini dimuat di majalah All Film edisi Desember 2016

Setelah menonton film dokumenter 13th kemungkinan besar Anda akan mendapatkan momen “A-HA!” terkait kemenangan (mengerikan) Donald Trump dalam pemilihan Presiden A.S. Well, doku ini sendiri bukan tentang pemilu tapi lebih berkisah tentang asal-usul perlakuan buruk kaum kulit hitam di Amerika dan mengapa image negatif tetap melekat pada mereka hingga kini.
 
Meskipun perbudakan telah dilarang sejak 1865 namun kubu negara bagian Selatan menemukan loophole dari seksi 1 Amandemen Konstitusi no. 13 yang menjamin kebebasan para budak: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, EXCEPT as punishment for crime, shall exist within the United States.”
 
Ya, meskipun praktis perbudakan telah dihapus namun berkat detail kecil pada undang-undang tersebut maka orang kulit hitam yang dijadikan kriminal dan dibui bisa diperlakukan sebagai budak. Lantas orang-orang kulit hitam ini pun didakwa atas kasus minor seperti mencuri atau bahkan menggoda wanita, dan mereka pun kembali jadi pekerja paksa—alias budak—semisal untuk pembangunan rel kereta api. Sigh.
 
Maka mulailah fenomena kriminalisasi orang kulit hitam yang berlangsung hingga kini. Lalu apa hubungannya dengan President-elect Trump? 13th garapan Ava DuVernay (Selma) ini menampilkan footage dari kampanye pemilu masa lalu, terutama Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, dan Bill Clinton. Dan ketiganya sama-sama menggunakan taktik yang memicu rasa takut dari warganya; meskipun tak blak-blakkan menargetkan orang kulit hitam tapi kampanye mereka yang fokus pada War on Drugs otomatis membuat orang kulit hitam—yang mayoritas tinggal di slum area--rentan jadi target.
 
Kini orang kulit hitam kembali memenuhi penjara A.S., tak berbeda dari masa lalu. (Meski hanya 6,5% dari populasi A.S., namun sebesar 40,2 persen orang kulit hitam jadi narapidana!). FYI, beberapa dari mereka juga dipekerjakan (atau yang disebut “convict leasing” oleh salah satu narasumbernya) termasuk untuk brand-brand besar seperti JC Penney dan Victoria’s Secret. Something never change, huh?
 
The Verdict: Pasca pemilu dan pasca segala kericuhan antara polisi dan warga kulit hitam yang menjadi katalis gerakan Black Lives Matter, menonton 13th produksi Netflix ini memang terasa relevan, edukatif, dan mungkin eye-opening bagi para U.S. history buff. Walau banyak sekali talking heads (alias wawancara narasumber) di sepanjang film namun tema yang diangkat senantiasa fascinating sementara scoring lagu-lagu rap dengan lirik menyentil kian menekankan makna di balik visual.
 
4,5 Stars

*Artikel ini dimuat di majalah All Film Desember

Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker once stated “I think the world is ready for a bullet-proof black man.” Oh I am ready, alright, especially if the character leads a show as good as this latest Marvel/Netflix entry into superhero-dom. 

"Your bullets felt like ant bites, bruh..."

Just like Daredevil and Jessica Jones before it, Netflix gamble on creating a far more complex and character-oriented superhero saga with tones that are way different than what you normally see up on the big screen (or on the small screen too, for that matter) has once again paid off big time with Luke Cage, an adaptation of the comic character that was born during the Blaxploitation era in the 70s meant to empower a certain race that is still somewhat marginalized today. Yes, Luke Cage is black, people, and he’s got an awesome superhuman strength.
 
Though the Harlem-set story of Netflix’s Luke Cage has been brought into the 21st century but the mood still got that smooth, soulful 70s vibes, starring the soulful, smooth operator Mike Colter whom I don’t know why he isn’t a big star already with his sexy presence, sturdy physique and low, honeyed voice. But the plot is riveting too! Particularly because it’s eerily current as our lead protagonist at times must deal with prejudiced police officers.
 
The power of Luke Cage derives from an unauthorized experiment conducted during his time at a federal prison (for a crime he didn’t do), gifting him with superhuman strength and bullet-proof skin. Cage escapes prison with his newfound powers, and hides in Harlem working as a hair sweeper in his adopted father’s barber shop.
 
Unfortunately, trouble arises when the citizens of Harlem are being intimidated by druglord Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali), the owner of Harlem’s Paradise nightclub (where Cage works as a dishwasher), and his drug empire is assisted by his cousin, politician Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard), though a bit reluctantly at first since she wants to start to be on the good side of politics. A botched robbery later brought Cage to the attention of the two villains, and detective Mercedez “Misty” Knight (Simone Missick).
 
 

Their eyes are watching Luke...

Luke Cage himself is first introduced as the sensitive love interest in Jessica Jones, who took off after his battle with her under the influence of the hypnotist Killgrave, and thus the story of Luke Cage begins after that.  It’s a very slow burn superhero flick, heavy on the drama with elements of a Greek tragedy, the violence real and bloody, and a hero that often find himself struggling to be okay with his powers. But thankfully the showrunners don't take things too seriously by featuring some bombastic scenes (like Cottonmouth launching a rocket in the middle of the city), POW POW fight scenes, and Easter eggs strategically placed to appeased hardcore comic book fans such as the frequent use of Power Man, the superhero name given to Cage in the comic. Interestingly the series is also much more aware of the superhero existence populating the world, in fact they live in the same universe as The Avengers as there are many references sprinkled throughout the series that alludes to it, including an amusing bit where a street vendor is shown selling a bootlegged DVD of the infamous battle in New York.
 
Just like the two previous shows, not all episode crackles: One episode might shine and others might drag (a bit) thus teasing me to continue to the next episode—stat! But regardless of the occasionally sleepy pace (love the dialog, though) I thoroughly enjoyed it because the story is allowed to breathe and almost all of the supporting characters are three-dimensional with compelling backstories, with Ali’s Cottonmouth and Woodard’s Mariah (or Black Mariah in the comics) provides most of the shocking familial drama with a mid-season twist that signal the arrival of another villain, the psychotic bible verse-spewing Willis Stryker (Erik LaRay Harvey) who’s got a secret bullet able to penetrate Cage’s skin.
 
I also love that for a show named Luke Cage, the series features FOUR strong female characters. Missick’s cool and sassy Misty Knight is Cage’s ally (and potential love interest) but initially she’s also antagonistic towards him because she doesn’t like vigilante who takes justice into their own hands; Woodard is of course amazing as the shady politician Mariah Dillard, at first merely a passive observer but eventually evolves into a more sinister primary figure; Rosario Dawson is back as the unofficial Night Nurse, Claire Temple, the thread to all Netflix/Marvel superhero series, and here she’s given a larger, tougher role and I totally dig her flirtatious banter with Cage regarding coffee; and Karen Pittman as Misty’s superior, Inspector Priscilla Ridley, originally felt like the minor role of a new boss who’ll say anything to contradict Misty’s stance but towards the end of the series she gains a more prominent and authoritative presence. Meanwhile Deborah Ayorinde also has a significant, bittersweet role as a staff at Harlem’s Paradise who got drag into the middle of the conflict.

My one main complaint is that the script doesn’t give Luke Cage a proper villain who can be a well-match sparring partner in the ring. Cottonmouth and Mariah’s villainy relies more on their clever and cunning mind, and their henchmen are like flies easily swatted by Cage. Stryker eventually suits up and go toe-to-toe with Cage but that only happens in the finale. Speaking of the finale, it’s still compelling but the fight sequences felt rather dull, and in retrospect, it’s kind of ridiculous the reason behind Stryker’s animosity towards Cage. But fine performances across the board—including from Harvey who turns in an unrelenting cray cray performance who talks like a preacher—remedies such flaws. 

"It's been a hard day's night, eh?", "Wanna get some coffee?"

I really must marvel how consistent the overall qualities of Netflix take on Marvel superhero properties even though each series has a different, distinct tone. Out of the bunch Daredevil hews closer to conventional superhero films but still far more gritty and dark; Jessica Jones is an intense psychological thriller (with a cast refreshingly populated by strong women) with inspirations said to be taken from Silence of the Lambs; Luke Cage is a Blaxploitation homage with elements of The Wire; and judging from the trailer, Iron Fist will be heavy with martial arts magic (though I kinda hope the lead character is Asian to showcase further diversity). And I LOVE how they spend more time on creating an awesome opening credit with memorable score, and I can’t wait what they have in store for next year’s Iron Fist and once these misfit superheroes band together for The Defenders.
 
You can say that it’s a bit unfair to say that these Netflix shows are better than their big-screen counterpart because of the nature of the format (naturally a 13-hour series have more rooms to explore than a 2-hour movie), but the fact that they chose to balance the action with an edgy character-study drama cannot be taken for granted. They’ve created a show to slowly savour and appreciated instead of pummelling us with endless CGI action. For me, that makes Luke Cage (along with Daredevil and Jessica Jones) one of the best series/film on any platform today.
 
Oh I am definitely ready for more action from the bulletproof black man! (Though in the future can we just call him…man?)

"Time for a workout..."

Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne are the two most popular Brits in Hollywood, and the fact that they are charming, polite, down-to-earth, and, of course, supertalented have made them more endearing in the public eyes. 

"Hmm, this is stranger than usual..."

The world's boyfriends are starring in two of the biggest hits this holiday season: Cumberbatch as the titular character in Marvel’s latest reign in the superhero biz, Doctor Strange, a superhero distinct from his ilk since his powers involves magic and energy source that can materialize into weapons or the ability to reverse time.
 
Cumberbatch is fine here, no doubt, though kind of emulating the brilliant and smug personae of his previously most famous character, Sherlock, and though I am not familiar with the comic origin but he looks awesome and imperial in his Dr. Strange getups which includes a greyish temple, well-groomed moustache, and a feisty red cloak. Once he became the powerful doctor his ridiculously high cheekbones really does most of the job.
 
The Scott Derrickson-directed film itself is a bit uneven, most notably Hugo Strange’s brief transition process from an injured surgeon to becoming a superhero. Yes there’s a training period involving Tilda Swinton’s The Ancient One, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Karl Mordo, and Benedict Wong's, um, Wong, but in the end things are speeded up a bit once a maniacal ex-student of The Ancient One, Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen), goes rogue. (The lovely Rachel McAdams also stars as Strange’s fellow surgeon, Christine Palmer [who’s in the comic became the Night Nurse], and though she got one nice scene but altogether her role isn’t that complex and could be played by any actress. Here’s hoping the Spotlight actress gets a larger role and gets in on the action in the sequel.)
 
So the visuals might be splendid and Inception-like with all the buildings go topsy-turvy but Cumberbatch still manages to stay on top of it and radiates star power that I hope we get to see more in future blockbusters, though I’ve a feeling he’s more comfortable in low-key dramas.  It is exciting to know that he’ll be involved in the next superhero showdown that is The Avengers part 3 and 4, with the exciting possibility of an ego clash with Tony Stark. He's Sherlock, err, Doctor Strange after all...
 

"Fantastico Superiora - and that is my nickname, thank you..."

Next we got the lovable Eddie Redmayne, whom considering his background as a model you’d think he’d have that aloof “lookatme I’m so sexy” vibe, but the opposite is definitely what you get during interviews, or when he’s accepting the Best Actor Oscar for that matter. The 34-year-old is on a roll these past few years with critically acclaimed, award-winning performances in The Theory of Everything and The Danish Girl, and now he’s ready to stake his own claim in his first blockbuster franchise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a prequel (and spin-off?) to the immensely popular Harry Potter series.
 
Here he stars as Newt Scamander, a wizard who travels to 1920’s U.S. to capture an escaped animal and contained them in his suitcase. (Spoiler alert: the suitcase leads to a magical sanctuary of sorts populated by rare and endangered whimsical creatures.) He then got embroiled in a case involving the murder of a “regular” human (or No-Maj in their lexicon) which causes further animosity between humans and wizards.
 
Fantastic Beasts has the potential to become the next big magical thing after Harry Potter, especially since it involves mighty beasts and cool wand-wielding action but somehow all of it eclipses the narrative and complexities of the characters. The visuals are dazzling and the set are deliciously retro (love the speakeasy scenes) but the proceedings felt unexciting.
 
It might be attributed to the leading character’s rather meek and inexpressive attitude but surely that’s not Redmayne’s fault as the character is written that way (by JK Rowling herself, btw). What he lacks in expressiveness Redmayne certainly made it up with endearing eccentricity and the occasional goofiness such as when he must perform an animal mating ritual dance to catch the attention of a runaway rhino-like beast.
 
Director David Yates (who also directed the last four Harry Potter films) and Rowling still deals with similar subtext of wizard equals outcast in the world of “normal” human beings (just like the plot of most superhero films, I might add), and here the plot gets darker with parental abuse and repression of true identities resulting in calamity. And I got to love also how Fantastic Beasts might also be plead to appreciate and save endangered species in our world. I’m not delusional in thinking that, right?
 
Though Redmayne is not exactly fantastic but at least the role that is perfect for his understated charm and the script definitely makes wonderful use of his unique otherworldly looks. Oh he’s definitely not a No-Maj. 

We need more films or animations like Moana. Sure, its gorgeous oceanic visuals and exciting seafaring adventures might be the main lure for theatregoers but at the heart of this latest Walt Disney/Pixar production is an empowering tale for girls. In the age of film studios catering mostly to teenage boys, Moana is a breath of fresh air.
 
Despite the demigod Maui claims that she’s a princess (“you’re wearing a dress, has an animal sidekick—you’re a princess”) but the titular character insists that she’s not. The plucky and resourceful Moana (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho) is the daughter of the chief of Monutui tribe whose home lies in a small, idyllic Polynesian island. Though her heart is always inclined to explore the open ocean, but her father prefers to groom her to govern their island inhabitants instead, forbidding her to venture beyond the reefs. However she soon hits the water in order to find Maui (Dwayne Johnson) so he can return the life-giving heart he stolen long ago from the island goddess, Te Fiti, and cure the plague that’s been hitting her home island.
 
No longer are we in the days of Disney heroines must have a prince charming; now we have heroines who ultimately realized that sisterhood is the most powerful bond of all as in Frozen, and, in the case of Moana, realizing her inner strength and not conforming to what society tells her to. Oh she don’t need no man. Her eventual trek across the open sea with the arrogant Maui felt more like a buddy picture, crackling with wit and good natured jest. Each of them has their self-discovering arc: while Moana burrows within, the shape-shifting Maui defined himself with his magical fish hook, and once it’s lost he felt hollow and useless.
 
The middle part of Moana consisted of several rousing action sequences starting with the ambush by vicious coconut pirates called Kakamora being the highlight (said to be a homage to the set pieces of Mad Max: Fury Road), and the scenes in the lair of a giant, gilded crab called Tamatoa (Jermaine Clement) is both creepy and comical. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Disney animation without a few good musical numbers, this time courtesy of current Hollywood darling, Lin-Manuel Miranda of Broadway’s Hamilton fame, collaborating with New Zealander Opetaia Foa'i and composer Mark Mancina to create amazingly catchy and rousing tribal tunes, such as How Far I’ll Go, Shiny, and Logo Te Pate.
 
Moana’s animation is amazing (and perhaps worthy to be seen in 3D, though it still looks wondrous in 2D), visualized by a quartet of directors who are veterans of the Disney animation canon, especially Ron Clements and John Musker (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, The Princess and The Frog), while co-directors Don Hall and Chris William (Big Hero 6) helps to polish things up post-production.
 
Watching a Disney animation feels like you’re revisiting your childhood home and remembering all the good memories. From the dazzling visuals to the unique characters to the feet-tapping tunes to the heart-warming simple message—it tells you that all will be good in life. And I love that they’re still in the business of making a timeless story (instead of creating ones crammed with current pop culture like the Shrek series), although sometimes they try to have a hip inside joke like when Maui signed Moana’s paddle with the beak of her animal sidekick (thankfully still the staple of Disney outings), Heihei the dumb chicken, and called it “tweeting”. (The short animation preceding the film, Inner Workings, about the tug of war between the brain and the heart of an office drone, is also a timeless gem.)
 
As far as I can recall, Disney animations never fails to tapped into the broad range of my emotions: excited, amused, touched, overjoyed, scared, teary, worried, excited again, and, finally, hopeful. Moana gave me all that reactions, and then some. One of the best of 2016!

"'Scuse you, we're not here to pose - we're here to shoot!"

I am a big fan of director Robert Zemeckis. Not because of Back to the Future nor Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but more for the epic scale he consistently delivers when he’s playing with adult themes and genres while still holding a laser-sharp focus on his characters, such as the dark comedy Death Becomes Her, the drama Forrest Gump, sci-fi Contact, and horror What Lies Beneath. They’re all included on my all-time favourite films.
 
I regrettably missed last year’s The Walk, so I rushed to the cinema knowing that his latest ambitious outing, Allied, is playing now. This time he tackles romance-drama and once again sets his personal story against a historical setting: World War II, during which Canadian spy Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) met with fake wife, former French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cottilard), in good ol’ Casablanca, and together they are assigned to assassinate a German ambassador at a party. They soon fall in love, and moved to London after the mission. But their perfect married life crumbles when Max receives disturbing new about her wife’s actual past.
 
Like Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, Allied feels like a more contained film from a director who previously has a penchant to elevate his story on a grand scale. After the detailed spying mission in the first half, the film delved into the bliss of married life and its ensuing dilemma faced by Max, but if you take all the intelligence stuff out it could be substituted with, say, the story of a cheating wife and his cuckolded husband.  
 
Zemeckis’ visual flair is still evident but this time I feel like it’s tacked on therefore at times feels like it’s there simply to bring the wow factor, such as the scene where Marianne is giving birth during a massive air strike (though a piece of her dialogue here is a bit curious) and again another air strike while a raucous party is happening at the Vatan’s household. But symbolism is still prevalent apparently, as screenwriter Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) explains in an interview that the scene where a plane crashes near the house could be read as portentous.
 
But despite all that Allied is still an engrossing drama, with the weight mostly carried by its two glamorous leading stars who echoes past Hollywood’s glamour with their coiffed hairdo and fantastic  costumes, and Zemeckis really does revel in it by shining the best light on Pitt and Cotillard (lensed by Don Burgess), thus frequently forcing me to say “dang he’s so handsome” and “gosh darn it she’s so gorgeous!”
 
You can’t resist it. 53-year-old Pitt is stoic and dapper, somehow still the inheritor of Robert Redford’s looks and talent, meanwhile Cotillard is ravishing, vivacious, and charming in the way that only the French can do. I’ve no complaint for it since I, too, love the old Hollywood sheen of bygone eras. In the age of decreasing star power—and on-screen star glamour—I relished the opportunity to feast my eyes on two of them.
 
 

"'Scuse my sweaty pecs..."

It’s so much easier to laugh at delusional people, a source of amusement and ridicule for people with no compassion. Throw him/her in a room with an abusive person then you got yourself a hearth-breaking drama. That’s basically the conflict wringed out of the 1951 classic A Streetcar Named Desire, a film adaptation of Tennessee Williams Broadway play that also stars four principal actors from the stage: Janet Leigh (from the London stage version), Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden which explains their extraordinary lived-in performances.
 
The lead character is southern belle, Blanche DuBois (Leigh), a hoity-toity teacher who moved in with her little sister, Stella (Hunter) and Stanley Kowalski (Brando), in their modest apartment in New Orleans. Being accustomed to a certain aristocratic lifestyle, she shamelessly looks down upon her new lodging and patronize its occupants. Naturally this doesn’t go down well with the brutish Stanley, but he put up with it after learning that she possesses money from the sales of her family home, and he being the brother-in-law would expectedly get his share.
 
It’s truly nerve-wracking seeing Blanche’s antics throughout the film: here’s a woman who still can’t detach herself from her fancy upbringing, though in a way she realized her new situation but she chose to be ignorant. And there’s Stanley fiendishly staring in the corner waiting to pounce. Lil’ sis thankfully is there for support, but she can only do so much.
 
A sane person would just be out of that house the next day, but we’re talking about damaged people here. The movie goes into very dark territory especially concerning Blanche’s past, and during the final confrontation between her and Stanley. I was sincerely happy when Blanche has a kind-looking suitor (Malden) but that, too, ended badly.
 
Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire wraps up in a bleak ending, followed by a a somewhat uplifting one (which I read is different from the stage play), when Stanley, acting like the true feral person that he is, howls her wife’s name into the still of the night 

"We have a license to thrill..."

As far as I can recall, most French comedies tends to lean on the physical side with heightened gestures and facial expressions, which makes the simple dialogues come across as funny. A Very Secret Service (or Au Service de la France) is no exception: an oddball 22-minute office comedy about a green agent, Andre Merlaux (Hugo Becker), adapting into his workplace in the French Secret Service that is mired with seniority, bureaucracy, blatant sexism, and xenophobes. Well, it’s the 60s after all.
 
Oh there are field missions too, mostly in the French-colonized Algeria where some shady terrorism stuff happens but they’re merely diversion from the situation back home. After an unusual recruitment process that only involves his underwear, Merlaux became a trainee officer relegated to desk work but eventually - like most employees - must deal with office politics, and to complicate matter, he’s fallen for a sweet girl, Sophie (Mathilde Warnier), a tailor whom he later found out is  related to someone in his office.
 
Andre and Sophie is an utterly adorable couple, though sometimes I find it hard to believe that someone as handsome as Becker can be so innocent (and, quite possibly, a virgin?), but perhaps that’s the result of being raised by a priest and living in a church.
 
In his new job, he meets a ragtag of eccentric characters like Jacquard (Karim Barras) and Moulinier (Bruno Paviot), two partner-in-crimes buffoons who loves to take advantage of the company’s severance during field work by getting“entertained” a lot by the ladies; the alluring Miss Clayburn (Josephine de La Baume) is the agency’s top agent, the quintessential Jane Bond, but because of her sex are disliked by her colleagues; Moise (Christophe Kourochkine) is his direct supervisor, seemingly the sanest person of the bunch; and, last, is the scary-looking boss simply known as The Colonel (Wilfred Benaiche) who has a mysterious past with Andre’s late father.

"The name's Merlaux... Andre Merlaux."

This Jean-Francois Halin-created show is highly amusing and I personally like it because of the charming leads, the setting, and the excellent opening credit with a score that sounds like it was really made back in the days. It’s hilarious, but I feel at times some scenes need some oomphs to make it funnier, instead the jokes—which can be funny—became flat due to uninspired editing. It’s no fault of the actors, for sure. Most memorable—and funniest—scene includes the blasé responses by the French agents after one CIA agent report them about the promiscuous lifestyle of one suspect. It’s a French thing…
 
I don’t remember much about the details of the main plot; there’s a storyline late in the season about a mole in the agency that causes intrigue and suspicions but, for me, all that take a backseat to the characters, and the ridiculousness of their behaviour. If it’s comedy you want, then it’s comedy you get.
 
Watch all 10 episodes of A Very Secret Service on Netflix.