Sergeant_Tibbs

Christopher Abbott and Cynthia Nixon have found fine homes on HBO screens. Abbott is perhaps mostly known for his role on Girls while Nixon will forever be a Sex in the City girl. Here in James White, they deliver perhaps their finest performances of their careers thus far. The film thrives off the compassion in their relationship and the way it tests James' love for his mother Gail, but unfortunately to the expense of what lies on the sidelines. There's an endearing affection between James and his best friend Nick, but it offers little backstory or arc, simply the type of wishful thinking support considering the situations. The film also lends an entire chapter to James growing close with a girl who becomes his girlfriend, but as soon as the film retreats back home to tend to Gail she's completely tossed aside as another periphery character.

That is part of the point though, taking care of her is all consuming and it contrasts the conditions of romantic love with the unconditional family love. Despite little dips into history, the film grew on me as it went on with Abbott impressing at every turn, subverting the brutish James to an empathetic son. Nixon does feel like she's trying too hard at first, but once the film submits to her and she succumbs to the worst of her cancer, she's as good as Abbott. Shot by the same cinematography as Son of Saul, New York is no less of a compelling setting than Auschwitz, focusing on intimacy with the characters, but again it's heart by choppy editing. The jump cuts give it a difficult rhythm to crack. It's limited and intense, and I certainly would've like a little more bittersweet hints at a future to really send the film home, but as an acting showcase James White is a powerhouse.

8/10

Paolo Sorrentino impressed in 2013 with his Fellini soaked The Great Beauty, I didn't think it would win the Oscar, but it did deservedly. That opened doors for Sorrentino to, apparently, make something in the a similar vein but with A-list English language actors. That may not have been the best of choices given potential career paths. While The Great Beauty is a gorgeous sprawling character study with vibrant ambition, Youth stops short of that standard. We have a similar protagonist with Michael Caine, and there's no-one better to sprout off a life's worth of wisdom like Michael Caine, but the spark is lost. The ego is still here but it's coming with a self-satisfied smirk with smug ironies.

For starters, it absolutely should have done away with the cameos and musicians and actors playing versions of themselves. It's a big mish-mash of short stories that dip in and out, and while their individual arcs are solid and easy, it's a short step where film can otherwise leap. It's not always misguided, but it's often lazy. That's not to rob the aspects the film does right. The musings on memory are interesting, especially coming from Caine and Harvey Keitel, though the metaphors are quite heavy-handed. It's relatable in its its glistening cynicism and that's potent where it could have been swinging for universalities. They are however, hollow revelations due to its lack of character work, but no less valid.

Caine is a reliable lead, though he doesn't have much to do until the final act. However, Keitel is a welcome highlight doing what Keitel does best when he doesn't have a gun in his hand. Rachel Weisz however, is very mishandled and it was very difficult to connect to her character when she's dialled at a volume the film doesn't tune into. Jane Fonda has a solid part as a diva, but it's far too on-the-nose, while Paul Dano blends into the background, besides when he puts on a Hitler costume. Visually it is underwhelming compared to The Great Beauty though some of the smooth tracking shots remain. The soundtrack is ultimately the factor that needed the most work. Youth has its hits and misses but it's generally easy-going enough to get by, if not nearly as profound as it thinks it is.

7/10

Since Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch donned the deerstalker hat in very separate and modern adaptations, there's been a resurgence of interest in Sherlock Holmes this decade. Mr. Holmes may be hitting what feels like a trend, but it subverts it enough to be interesting. Now we have a retired Holmes in his last years as he criticises the fictional depictions of himself. It manages to bypass something I find tricky about the Holmes concept - which is how arbitrary each case can be - by focusing on only the most important one. However, it has such a slight and friendly approach to this that it can't be as potent as it could be. Instead, it's better in its ideas than its execution. With Bill Condon's affable direction, Holmes' penchant for detail doesn't have enough weight.

Nevertheless, it was wise for Condon to drop his workman chores, such as helming the Twilight franchise a couple years ago, and go back to the elegance working with Ian McKellen offers him. The trio of performances in Mr. Holmes is its greatest delight. McKellen himself brings a sensitivity and wit to Holmes that's thoroughly welcome, while Laura Linney makes the best use of her character who could have otherwise simply blended into the background. Meanwhile, this is the year of great kid actor performances along with Abraham Attah and Jacob Tremblay as Milo Parker deserves a similar level of acclaim. He doesn't have to reach their heights, but he serves the film with wise skill. Paired with a great production, including Carter Burwell's score, Mr. Holmes may fall short of the peaks it could have traversed, but it's still a pleasant stroll.

7/10