Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to do a high five! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the Christmas actioner “Red One,” the drama “Magpie” and the stop motion animated “Memoirs of a Snail.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In “Magpie,” a new neo-noir thriller starring Daisy Ridley, and now available on all major platforms for digital rental and purchase, Ben (Shazad Latif) and Anette’s (Daisy Ridley) young daughter (Hiba Ahmed) lands a co-starring role alongside 20-something movie star Alicia (Matilda Lutz). Trouble brews as Anette, stuck at home in the suburbs with a new baby, becomes suspicious that Ben has fallen in love with the actress.
CAST: Daisy Ridley, Shazad Latif, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Hiba Ahmed, Cherrelle Skeete, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Alistair Petrie. Directed by Sam Yates.
REVIEW: Based on a story idea by star Daisy Ridley, “Magpie” is a revenge drama disguised as a study of a toxic relationship.
That the self-absorbed Ben is a needy man who falls for a glamorous woman while gaslighting his wife and children is nothing new. He’s a cad who thinks his wife has changed, not him, and he’s more than open to the charms of someone younger and shinier. “You made me feel alive,” he whispers to Alicia, “for the first time in years.”
Been there done that in dozens of other movies.
What is unique is Anette’s way of equaling the playing field. No spoilers here, but let’s just say comeuppance is on “Magpie’s” menu in the form of a flashback montage that reveals what was really happening all along. It’s a satisfying way to wind up this tale of twisted relationship dynamics, even if it is somewhat preposterous.
It succeeds because of Ridley’s committed performance. Her recent work in films like “The Young Woman and the Sea” and “Sometimes I Think About Dying” displays a range and an interest in textured material. “Magpie” allows her the chance to dig into another layered character. As Anette battles depression and low self-esteem, but Ridley brings a stoic intensity that sizzles. We’re not told that much about her, but we don’t need to be, it’s all in the performance.
“Magpie” is a slow burn pulpy thriller that pays off with a satisfying third act, but you’ll need to suspend your disbelief during the not entirely believable events in the film’s last few minutes.
“What’s Love Got to Do with It,” starring Lily James, fresh off “Pam and Tommy,” and Shazad Latif, and now playing in theatres, is a rom com that examines the customs surrounding arranged marriages.
James plays Zoe, an award-winning British documentary filmmaker focussed on her work. She swipes right from time to time, but says, “I’m still interviewing. I haven’t met the one yet.”
“I’m fine without a boring old prince,” she says.
Her childhood next door neighbor, Kaz (Latif), now a handsome and successful doctor, doesn’t use dating apps, because he’s agreed to follow the example of his traditional Pakistani parents.
“I’m going old school on this one,” he says. “I’m getting an arranged marriage. Well, ‘assisted marriage.’ That’s what we’re calling it these days.”
“What,” Zoe jokes, “like assisted suicide?”
When he spouts data that suggests the divorce rate is lower among those with arranged marriages, she proposes that she follow the process, from introduction to marriage, with camera in hand. Her bosses go for the idea, even if they jokingly call the planned documentary, “Love Contractually.”
Zoe interviews other British couples with arranged marriages until Kaz gets engaged via Skype to Maymouna (Sajal Aly), a law student from Pakistan. “Love at first Skype,” says Zoe. Travelling to Lahore for the wedding, Zoe focuses her camera on Kaz as he “walks into love.”
“What’s Love Got to Do with it?” refreshes the usual rom com formula while still hewing the line enough to be recognizable within the genre. Director Shekhar Kapur, working with a script from Jemima Khan, embraces most, but not all, of the tropes of the genre. They forgo the most obvious—and often most odious—rom com conventions, in favor of something deeper. It’s still a rom com, but the absence of the usual meet cutes and airport runs are welcome omissions.
Kapur tugs at the heartstrings in the film’s closing moments, amping up the melodrama to provide an unexpectedly emotional finale, even if the actual ending of the film is completely expected. Much of that impact is due to the chemistry between James and Latif. An easy charm exists between them, the kind of vibe that makes the audience feel like they really did grow up next door to one another. That relationship goes a long way to adding dimension to their story, both platonic and possibly even romantic.
“What’s Love Got to Do with It?” is an elevated rom com which challenges the idea of love as a sweet old-fashioned notion.
