No Caine, No Gain

Kenneth Branagh’s most personal film to date, 2021's Belfast, which he writes, directs and produces, is heavily inspired by his own childhood experiences growing up in Northern Ireland – a tumultuous time to say the least. With newcomer Jude Hill playing his childhood stand-in (referred to as Buddy throughout), he is just what you’d expect – a creative dreamer more than willing to battle large dragons and the like, this wide-eyed ragamuffin absorbs every last experience. . . but is most entranced when watching movies on television or in red velvet seat-filled theatres.

Sometimes you just have to ‘Marvel’ at what the aptly named Cinematic Universe has done. Like any so-called franchise, it has had its ups and downs, but kudos are justly deserved for efforts like Guardians of the Galaxy (after all, who throws 170 million at a story revolving around a talking raccoon, a tree that only has one line, a very literal E.T., a green female alien with anger issues, and a sarcastic self-professed Star-Lord), or how everything was brought beautifully together to create a most cinematic experience with Avengers: Endgame. And the newest laudable effort to add to the list – 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, directed by Jon Watts. A movie that must be experienced firsthand, this is going to be a very short and as close to spoiler free review as possible. Tom Holland’s third outing as the friendly neighbourhood superhero, it picks up nearly right after the second feature finished. Peter Parker has been outed as Spider-Man by vanquished villain Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal)...

There is a real sense that the four classical elements – fire, water, earth, and air – play a subtle but pivotal role in Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 remake of Frank Herbert’s iconic science fiction novel Dune. Entrenched within the universal visuals, waves gently lap upon the tranquil shore, scorched earth suggests the utter inhospitality of a new planetary home, wind brings the seemingly endless sand dunes to moving life, fire violently lights up the pitch black night’s sky, and, despite the endless clash of good versus evil, a certain mystical harmony arises through Villeneuve and his team’s stunning use of cinematography, camera placement/movement, editing, and the like.

It’s not easy for kids to grow up – especially in an alien apocalypse. . . after all, what are they to do without Instagram and TikTok. All kidding aside, 2020's A Quiet Place Part II turns the focus on the children, to great effect. Once again written (this time on his own) and directed by John Krasinski, he makes the smart decision to open with a flashback that shows day one of the alien invasion. . . an adrenaline pumping action sequence featuring a lengthy one take car scene, both chaos and quiet hiding, as well as introducing us to a new character from the Abbott’s community, Emmett (Cillian Murphy).

Bookending the film with what amounts to two climactic sequences, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (also known as The Conjuring 3), released this 2021, opens with what very well could have been the ending of a previous film. . . this moment becoming the genesis to push the story forward. For the first time not directed by James Wan (though he co-writes and produces), Michael Chaves takes up the mantle – doing a pretty seamless job. Expect the same intriguing over the head angles, spectral pov shots, long location tracking shots, and spooky camera pans. . . though it is definitely not as flashy as Wan, it does the trick.

For those of you who have seen (or will be seeing) James Wan’s new horror movie Malignant (2021), I think you’ll understand when I say I am of two mindsets when it comes to the entire piece. It has been five years since Wan has directed a film within the horror genre he has helped resurrect ‘from the dead’ – which might be a bit excessive, and Malignant might be his most divisive. Less scary and more ‘slashy’ than his more recent franchises of The Conjuring and Insidious, it carries with it a bizarre tone. . . part semi-traditional bloody horror film, part CSI melodrama (or is it spoof) – we are never quite sure if it is supposed to be tongue in cheek or taken seriously.