Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to drink a latte! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the time travelling farce “Nirvanna: The Band The Show The Movie,” the drama “Sirāt” and the coming-of-age story “Pillion.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Pillion,” a new queer romantic dark comedy starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, and now playing in theatres, timid gay man Colin becomes the submissive partner of Ray, a handsome and dominant biker. “I have an aptitude for devotion,” says Colin.
CAST: Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård, Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp, Jake Shears. Directed by Harry Lighton.
REVIEW: A study of blossoming sexual awareness and acceptance, “Pillion” traces Colin’s journey into submissiveness with frankness, wry humor and tenderness.
The action in “Pillion” begins on a quiet London suburban Christmas Eve. The mousy Colin (Harry Melling) is performing in a chirpy barbershop quartet at a pub when he meets charismatic biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård). A relationship quickly blooms, as Colin becomes a submissive partner to the dominant Ray. “Next to you I am nothing,” says Colin, “but I’m yours all the same.”
Over the next year Ray leads Colin into the world of BDSM and dominant-submissive relationship within the gay biker subculture, establishing power dynamics—Colin cooks, cleans, and obeys a strict set of rules while riding pillion, passenger seat on a motorcycle—and the boundaries of the pair’s desires.
Though submissive to Ray, Colin embraces the new relationship through all its challenges and thrills.
Based on Adam Mars-Jones’ novel “Box Hill,” “Pillion” is a straightforward and nonjudgemental rom com about desire and growth.
Melling, best known for playing Harry Potter’s spoiled cousin Dudley Dursley, hands in a wonderful performance as Colin, whose transformation from vulnerable and insecure to someone in control of his life and sexuality is handled with gentleness and authenticity.
Though for the most part emotionally cut off, Ray benefits from Skarsgård’s stoicism, but the actor brings the character to life by allowing hints of vulnerability to shine through his distant facade.
“Pillion” succeeds because of strong performances, but also because it accepts Colin, just as he learns to accept himself.
Austere and theatrical, “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” in theatres on December 25, streaming on Apple TV+ on January 14, feels like an up-scale horror film in its examination of ambition and violence.
The plot is familiar from high school English class. Three witches (all played by Kathryn Hunter) prophesize that Macbeth (Denzel Washington), a heroic general in King Duncan’s (Brendan Gleeson) army, is bound for glory. He will be named Thane of Cawdor, they say, and one day, if he has the backbone, King. It’s welcome news for the ambitious warrior and his ruthlessly Machiavellian wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand), who helps kickstart her husband’s rise to power by devising a plot to kill the King.
Their bloody coup sees the well-liked Duncan murdered, triggering Macbeth’s ascent to the throne. The couple’s lust for power leads to a reign of terror, which includes the wholesale slaughter of King Duncan loyalist Macduff’s (Corey Hawkins) family and a civil war.
The crown sits heavily on their collective heads. The new power couple are soon overwhelmed by insomnia, festering paranoia and guilt. “By the pricking of my thumbs,” says one of the witches, “something wicked this way comes.”
Adapted for the screen by director Joel Coen, working for the first time without his brother Ethan, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” blends theatre and cinema in a seamless and powerful way. The expressionistic sets and minimalist soundtrack feel transported in from the theatre, while the beautiful stark black-and-white photography and charismatic performances are pure cinema.
Washington is quietly powerful as his immorality grows. His entrance, a bold walk straight up to the camera out of the fog, establishes his movie star cred. His letter-perfect line readings, imbuing meaning and emotion into even the most intimidating of Shakespeare’s passages proves he was born to say these words.
McDormand plays Lady Macbeth as her husband’s equal. She captures her ambition, but tempers the performance with notes of desperation.
Also striking is legendary stage actress Kathryn Hunter. She plays all three of the prophetic weird sisters in a physically transformative way that sees her bend into shapes that look almost supernatural.
All are ably supported by an exemplary cast, including Gleeson, Corey Hawkins as Macduff, the Thane of Fife, Bertie Carvel as Macbeth ally Banquo and Harry Melling as Malcolm, the King Duncan’s eldest.
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” is accessible without ever playing down to the audience. Masterful filmmaking mixes and matches the text with compelling images and wonderful performances to create a new take on the Scottish Play that is both respectful and fearlessly fresh.
Go see it, “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…”
