DARKEST HOUR

Malaysia Release Date: 31 Jan 2018
Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:05
Cast: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup
Director: Joe Wright
Screenplay: Anthony McCarten

DARKEST HOUR is a good companion piece to last year's excellent DUNKIRK. It gave me a more complete perspective on the evacuation at Dunkirk, France. While Christopher Nolan's masterpiece focuses on what happened at the battlefield, Joe Wright's Darkest Hour delves into the behind-the-scenes of what Winston Churchill had to go through to mobilize a civilian fleet to get the 300,000+ soldiers at Dunkirk back to England.

Although this movie doesn't feature any war scenes, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any "war". Churchill faces a different kind of war, as his battlefield is in the House of Commons. The newly elected PM's approach was "victory at all costs" but the majority instead favoured "peace at all costs" ie. the latter approach would force England to negotiate and make "peace" with the Nazis.   

I went into this movie wanting to know more about Churchill as a leader as I didn't know much of him in all honesty. And I got what I was looking for and more. It made me wanting to find out more about this part of history.

Of course the highlight of Darkest Hour is Gary Oldman's performance as Winston Churchill. Firstly, the make-up work is remarkable. It's so believable. But more importantly, it's the little things that Oldman expertly aced such as the man's mannerism, his mumbling, his worldview, sense of humour, power, doubts and vulnerability. Oldman is like a chameleon, he disappears into every role. But his performance here should go down as one of his best.

And there is this scene of Churchill engaging with the everyday citizens in the subway which I really like. Somehow it just got to me emotionally. 

However as a whole, I wished the movie was more compelling. I was hoping it would play out more like a thriller to amped-up the suspense (I remember this old movie Thirteen Days, about the real events of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, which got me sitting at the edge of my seat eventhough I knew the outcome) but instead the filmmakers resorted to creative edits and camera shots to move the movie along. As a result, some scenes especially the ones in the middle were not as engaging.

RATING: 7.5/10

BATTLE OF THE SEXES

Malaysia Release Date: 25 Jan 2018

Genre: Drama

Running Length: 2:01

Cast: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Natalie Morales, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Elisabeth Shue, Jessie McNamee, Austin Stowell

Director: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris 

Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy

With what's happening with the #MeToo and Time's Up movement now, BATTLE OF THE SEXES should have been a compelling watch but instead it was flat.

This movie based on true events isn’t really focused on the so-called “Battle of the Sexes” - a 1973 made-for-TV exhibition tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King (Stone) and ex-champ and hustler Bobby Riggs (Carell). Instead, it’s more of bio-pic of King’s life between 1972-73; her struggle with her sexuality and her fight for gender equality in the game of tennis.

The plot on King's first lesbian relationship felt forced. It didn't feel organic as it lacks any sort of chemistry. Instead, it's Stowell's performance as King's husband which felt more real when he discovered his wife's sexual preference. Maybe it's Stone's portrayal as the lead. As an icon of the 70s and the first gay tennis player to come out of the closet, Stone's performance didn't carry any sort of aura at all. As for Carell, he looks eerily like Riggs (according to some reviews, everything about the way Carell moves and behaves resembles the real person). 

As for the central match, it was poorly re-enacted. It lacks tension and drama. The event which was watched by millions on TV felt surprisingly small. Battle of the Sexes lacks depth and is disappointingly superficial.

RATING: 5/10