[star rating=”3.5″] BEYOND THE RIVER. Directed by Craig Freimond with Lemogang Tsipa, Grant Swanby, Israel Sipho Matseke Zulu and Emily Child.
An immersive local sports drama which rewards on many levels. In addition to Lemogang Tsipa’s notable presence in the lead role, Chris Letcher’s empathetic music score subtly underscores the film, with sensitive editing by Nic Costaras and Nicholas Costaras.
Inspired by the real-life story of Siseko Ntondini and Piers Cruickshanks, who scooped a gold medal in the 2014 Dusi canoe racing marathon, the film hones in on South Africa’s socio-economic racial divide – but the upside is that it highlights how bonds can be forged and social chasms bridged, despite the alienation that difference mostly brings.
A tale about overcoming adversity and the drive to succeed. Not much happens apart from each man’s personalised journey, but strong characterisation and good cinematography (Trevor Calverley) engage. EXTRAS: Behind the Scenes Interviews, Going Beyond The River. – Jane Mayne
[star rating=”3″] SPLIT. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan with James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Betty Buckley.
M. Night Shyamalan has pretty much owned the modern supernatural movie sector for the past two decades. Beginning with The Sixth Sense (1999) and moving through Signs, The Village, The Happening, he’s clearly happiest when seeing dead people. Even his live ones are pretty spooky. Which makes for engaging viewing, if that’s your bag. But things get shaky when Shyamalan moves into the supernatural/psychological realm. Take The Visit, in which a couple who work for the local mental hospital are murdered by two bloodthirsty inmates. The message? Mentally ill = psycho maniac.
It gets uncomfortable again with Spilt, in which a man who has multiple personalities goes rogue and unleashes his inner beast. Literally. James McAvoy plays Kevin, a guy with 23 identities who abducts 3 teenage girls.
There’s some back-story, but it does the script no favours, merely adding to an offensive take on mental illness in general and dissociative identity disorder in particular.
That said – Shyamalan is also a master at building suspense, of creating creepy crescendos, and throwing macabre curveballs. All of which suffuse Split. And McEvoy’s Kevin turns in a mesmerising performance. Switching from hyper-active child to obsessive yuppie with chameleon-like skill, you can’t help being awed by his execution.
So – big up to the suspense, not so much for the sentiment. A Split review. EXTRAS: Alternate ending, Play With Introduction by Shyamalan, Deleted Scenes. – Karen Rutter
[star rating=”3.5″] JACKIE. Directed by Pablo Larraín with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Greta Gerwig.
Jacqueline Kennedy has long been an intriguing figure, even more so with questions left unanswered after JFK’s assassination. With so much speculation around events of the day the singular focus on ‘powerless wife’ feels somewhat incomplete – but then obviously that’s the point here.
Portman cuts an extremely solitary figure and you get a glimpse of the pressure of the game-play the First Lady possibly had to endure. Jackie is portrayed as a completely powerless figure embedded in The Boys Club, and she bobs around totally beholden to the will of others. Portman gives a brilliant, nuanced performance, but her fluctuating accent is odd at points (was it like that?), and the overall bleak sterility of her life doesn’t make this particularly enjoyable. With a limited storyboard, Jackie is very much just a slice of the life of one of the Kennedy clan. With no fill-in padding there’s a barrenness to the film, but this does hike up the unsettling value. – JM
[star rating=”3″] KONG: SKULL ISLAND. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts with Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson and Brie Larson.
Kong gets off to a great start with a military reconnoitre onto a mysterious ‘never-explored before’ island. Everything hangs together (especially the visuals) as Godzilla’s producers flesh out the epic monster myth. But while The Eden pleases as a glorious backdrop to the action, the stereotypical human drama is a pretty stock affair.
The adventure: insensitive scientists/soldiers explore a virgin isle, and stupidly try and take down the mighty Kong. Despite the eye-catching furry hulk and classy cinematography this old-school reboot doesn’t bring any hint of real jungle wildness to the screen as gung-ho army folk trample their way through the undergrowth. Overall, pretty uninspiring in the casting department, but take a look at the extras to see how locations like Hawaii, Australia and Vietnam bring beautiful Skull Island to life. CREATURE FEATURES: Hiddleston Intrepid Traveller:Join the actor on breathtaking locations, Deleted Scenes – JM
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