|
|
Post by Sharbs on Dec 9, 2020 8:46:59 GMT
Who's watching?
Mangrove
Nobody should even remember The Trial of the Chicago 7 even exists after seeing this account of police brutality and the subsequent courtroom proceedings. It fills you with utter joy in the beginning as company, food, music, and dance will always do. Some stunning camerawork captures with rich textures and exquisite compositions this safe space for the community to gather, until it is no longer safe. These films are made to convey real life accounts of police brutality and misbehaviors that sadly have and will continue to persist disproportionally towards predominantly black & brown communities. McQueen captures the constant dread of being terrorized by a seemingly unstoppable entity and the heroic willpower the Mangrove 9 had to obtain some reparations after a painstakingly pointless crusade against them. Shaun Parkes (from The Mummy, so glad I instantly recognized that) is absolutely Terrific. His Frank Crichlow, who owns the Mangrove, is immensely caring and would take responsibility over any soul that enters his restaurant. Parkes in the latter half of the film balances a tightrope of extreme, justified rage and profound exhaustion to brilliant results. Letitia Wright is a scene-stealing machine here and has moments of incredible displays of emotion. Probably one of the better courtroom dramas I can think of. - 9/10
Lovers Rock
It's just watching people dance, fall in love and look out for each other for 70 minutes. A large house party with a room dedicated to Lovers Rock is probably 20ftx20ft and can fit dozens of people at a time fully complimented with rubbing elbows, bumpin, grindin, sweat, singing, and howling. This film feels foreign in a time where these house parties would literally go against government issued mandates. It's terrific and I kind of wonder if my feelings would've been altered if I viewed this without the guise of pandemic related isolation. And yes, The Silly Games portion that everyone singles is a moment that deserves every bit of being singled out. - 9/10
Red, White, and Blue
A much more visceral look inside the corrupted police department. John Boyega's Leroy Logan tries his damnest to "change from within" by joining the police force after his father gets assaulted needlessly by police. In doing so, Logan becomes a traitor to his friends and family and real threat to the other officers, who love their standing in their world of oppression creating a harsh duality of becoming an outcast with stellar intentions. This film lacks a resolution in fitting fashion due to a lack of a solution however many decades later to this very problem. Boyega's best turn. - 7.5/10
So far this collection has been outstanding in fulfilling my expectations. Incredibly urgent.I am loving what McQueen and co. have already accomplished and hopeful the last two films can hold up to these three.
|
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on Dec 9, 2020 17:34:44 GMT
This is a very interesting film series so far. I totally agree with you on Mangrove and Red, White, and Blue, both great films, probably among the best recent films that deal with the theme of police corruption/racism and how it affects the coloured community. Lover's Rock, is somewhat different, as it's mostly concerned about reenacting a 70s house party for the screen. It has a very absorbing, moody atmosphere that brings the viewer right into the center of things, but it did feel a bit longer than it actually was, so I consider it the weakest of the three. I hope that Alex Wheatle, which I'll watch sometime this week, lives up to the high bar the first three films have set.
|
|
coop032
Full Member
Choose life.
Posts: 657 
Likes: 222
|
Post by coop032 on Dec 10, 2020 20:11:25 GMT
Only Mangrove so far, but that was amazing. Can't see it missing my Top 10 for direction and cinematography. And the three main performances were outstanding. One of the best ensembles of the year.
|
|
|
|
Post by stephen on Dec 15, 2020 16:32:33 GMT
Only watched Mangrove so far, but that is far and away McQueen's best work to date. One of the most immersive period pieces in recent memory -- I felt he perfectly captured the era so evocatively that I hope he decides never to make another contemporary movie again. The ensemble was aces but I think that if there's a standout, it isn't Letitia Wright -- as good as she is, this movie belongs to Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes and the staggeringly good Rochenda Sandall.
|
|
sirchuck23
Based
Bad news dawg...you don't mind if I have some of your 300 dollar a glass shit there would ya?
Posts: 2,708
Likes: 4,816
|
Post by sirchuck23 on Dec 15, 2020 16:48:52 GMT
Only watched Mangrove so far, but that is far and away McQueen's best work to date. One of the most immersive period pieces in recent memory -- I felt he perfectly captured the era so evocatively that I hope he decides never to make another contemporary movie again. The ensemble was aces but I think that if there's a standout, it isn't Letitia Wright -- as good as she is, this movie belongs to Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes and the staggeringly good Rochenda Sandall. I've seen Mangrove and Lovers Rock so far from McQueen's Small Axe anthology and I have to say I thought Mangrove was the standout of the two. Probably the best courtroom drama film of the year (with apologies to Sorkin) and the cast was awesome! I thought Shaun Parkes looked familiar and then it hit me... |
|
|
|
Post by ibbi on Dec 17, 2020 15:26:32 GMT
Loved it. Lovers Rock and Alex Wheatle were very different diversions from the other three. The former worked really well, the latter I think not so much.
1. Red, White, and Blue
2. Education
3. Mangrove
4. Lovers Rock
5. Alex Wheatle
|
|
|
|
Post by themoviesinner on Dec 17, 2020 16:46:19 GMT
Pretty great film series overall. Only Alex Wheatle was somewhat disappointing (had some great moments, but overall felt quite incomplete), but everything else more or less delivered. Especially Mangrove is among the best films of the year (top 5 at least). This is how I'd rank them:
1. Mangrove - 8.5/10
2. Education - 7.5/10
3. Red, White And Blue - 7.5/10
4. Lovers Rock - 7/10
5. Alex Wheatle - 6.5/10
|
|
avnermoriarti
Badass
Friends say I’ve changed. They’re right.
Posts: 2,388
Likes: 1,270
|
Post by avnermoriarti on Dec 17, 2020 18:47:33 GMT
Alex Wheatle aside, this was fantastic, easily the best thing McQueen has ever done, appreciate how Lovers Rock broke the mold of the rest and the straightforward nature of Red White and Blue and Education make it the more potent, his actors do wonders, especially when the camera simply observe them. The sense of place of each and every one of the films was probably the highlight for me.
Lovers Rock
Red White and Blue
Education
Mangrove
Alex Wheatle
|
|
speeders
Based
Posts: 4,093
Likes: 2,211
|
Post by speeders on Dec 17, 2020 19:57:24 GMT
1. Red, White, and Blue - 8.5/10
2. Education - 7.5/10
3. Lovers Rock - 6.5/10
4. Mangrove - 5.5/10
5. Alex Wheatle - 5/10
|
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on Dec 21, 2020 23:26:34 GMT
It's a bit strange that the last two films felt like relatively more minor after-thoughts, more television-y than the others or at least felt less standalone. Education in particular has some of the series' most incisive institutional observations and criticisms, it's a shame that it's also the shortest one. Still a powerful finale to an overall immensely powerful collection of films. Some of the most raw and emotional performances in film or television this year, and each film is realized with such an immersive atmosphere with beautiful cinematography and *incredible* use of music. So many powerful, moving movements from front to back, and taken together this has got to be McQueen's finest achievement. My ranking:
1. Lovers Rock
2. Mangrove
3. Red, White, and Blue
4. Education
5. Alex Wheatle
|
|
|
|
Post by dadsburgers on Dec 22, 2020 0:48:27 GMT
What does everyone hate about poor Alex Wheatle? I liked it just fine. Mangrove stood out as the strongest as well as the filmiest, but otherwise I liked them all pretty equally.
|
|
|
|
Post by DeepArcher on Dec 22, 2020 1:32:40 GMT
What does everyone hate about poor Alex Wheatle? I liked it just fine. Mangrove stood out as the strongest as well as the filmiest, but otherwise I liked them all pretty equally. I liked it fine, but it felt a bit slight compared to the others. There isn't too much new it offers up and what it does offer felt under-explored. Has its moments for sure but overall it felt sort of expendable. |
|
|
|
Post by JangoB on Dec 26, 2020 23:13:11 GMT
Finally finished the anthology - overall I liked it but to me it's a piece that's more impressive when thought of as a whole rather than in terms of individual movies.
Ranking them:
1. Lovers Rock - the standout piece which uses the shorter running time to its benefit because of how unbothered by 'story' and 'plot' it is. A rock (sorry) solid experience piece. The 'Silly Games' scene is the standout of the whole project.
2. Mangrove - a good courtroom drama which doesn't really step beyond the genre boundaries but does well within them.
3. Alex Wheatle - a nice mosaic of events, places and people that shape the future of a man...which just feels a bit incomplete.
4. Education - another decent one which doesn't really do anything wrong but kind of begs for a longer, more thorough presentation.
5. Red, White and Blue - it's quite fine too! But perhaps feels like the most conventional one here. It's got the blueprint of a strong police drama but doesn't fully develop all of its scenes and emotional qualities.
|
|
|
|
Post by mikediastavrone96 on Dec 27, 2020 3:48:53 GMT
Broke the form and watching Lovers Rock first since that's the one that I heard so much about and  . What a directorial voice. The staging, the camerawork, the sound design, the character of it all. It's an ode to love, community, hope, desire, sex, everything one feels living free with their whole lives ahead of them. Exquisite. I gotta check out the rest. |
|
chris3
Badass
I just ordered a slice of pumpkin pie...
Posts: 1,050
Likes: 1,045
|
Post by chris3 on Feb 14, 2021 5:54:02 GMT
[Moved this from the thread I made without knowing about this one]
I'm three films deep and absolutely loving it. By far the greatest accomplishment of Steve McQueen's career and my favorite artistic thing from 2020. I've either loved or at the least respected everything I've previously seen of his, but my god is this an evolutionary leap in terms of ambition and technical mastery. He's officially entered God Mode of his filmmaking powers. So far everything works and then some. Brief thoughts on each one (will update as I continue the series):
Mangrove - This felt like a WAY better Trial of the Chicago 7. Much like that film, Mangrove is very Hollywood, as though McQueen is consciously trying to give us his version of the stereotypical courtroom drama with all the expected emotional beats, Capra-esque histrionics and everything. This should feel fake and cloying, but unlike the Sorkin film McQueen absolutely earns his genre-infused, growingly over-the-top choices at each step. A righteous fury and deep conviction for its tale elevates what could've been a standard true-life court flick into something potently, emotionally resonant. It may lack nuance and overdo some of the showier courtroom scenes, but overall McQueen's aim hits its mark, heavy hand and all. With artfully-measured brute force Mangrove evocatively captures the passion and urgency of the political act of standing up for one's rights in rebellious fashion. The whole theme of the movie is about saying "to hell with decorum, if you wanna be heard you need to be LOUD," and so the stylistic 'louder' tone worked for me. Also that one shot that holds on the bowl wobbling on the floor is everything that makes McQueen an awesome, singular voice today. 8
Lovers Rock - It may be an overused term (especially by hyperbolic nerds like myself), but screw it: Lovers Rock is a MASTERPIECE. The experience was absolutely blissful. From start to finish, this hangout-movie/dance-movie/arthouse knockout evokes that aching, intangible, butterfly-in-the-stomach sensation you get from existing inside a single fleeting, perfect moment like being young and in love. Never have I seen a piece of cinema that more viscerally captures the primal endorphin-charged exuberance of a dance floor when you're a teenager. It feels like the absolute joy and passion of life itself, bottled up and preserved forever to return to whenever the viewer needs a little pick-me-up, a little boost of love in their lives. Scenes of extended dancing go on for an eternity and yet I could've watched an 8 hour cut as opposed to the 71 mins we got and still begged for more. I can't remember a single character's name and yet I had a more emotionally-captivating experience than in most traditional tearjerkers. I've already gone back twice and I'm sure I'll return again soon. I cannot overstate just how miraculous it felt to live inside this world for a too-brief period of time. This is the piece of art from last year I'll hold dearest to my heart. 10
Red, White, and Blue - I've always been a fan of John Boyega as an actor and have been waiting patiently for a role to come along to truly show off his talents. This is that role. Red, White, and Blue is basically Steve McQueen's Serpico, and it absolutely rocks. The tone is restrained, subtle, elemental. It contains none of the luscious experimentalism of Lovers Rock nor the stagey theatricality and big moments of Mangrove. Here, McQueen draws from the gritty naturalism of 1970s Lumet and Friedkin to glorious effect. The script is maybe a bit cut-and-dried and yet the whole thing simmers with uneasy, growing tension. There's a minor set-piece towards the end that blew my mind. 9
|
|
Javi
Badass
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 1,620
|
Post by Javi on May 1, 2021 22:01:20 GMT
Loved this - generous, vibrant and specific. McQueen's gift for language has never more evident or more pleasurable - a quality that some critics called 'too literary' in 12 Years a Slave... they were wrong then and are wrong now. And now he has a visual language to match the words - Lovers Rock alone is the most sensous movie of the year. And it doesn't get more perceptive than his Education.
LAFCA were right to highlight this as the triumph of the year - don't care if it's a "film" or a "film series", it's a great work.
|
|
. What a directorial voice. The staging, the camerawork, the sound design, the character of it all. It's an ode to love, community, hope, desire, sex, everything one feels living free with their whole lives ahead of them. Exquisite. I gotta check out the rest.
