A Late Quartet (15)

The exquisite debut from Yaron Zilberman is out on DVD and Blu-ray next week.

A Late Quartet (15) (This review on FilmJuice.com)

A Late Quartet is a model of class, directed with confidence, acted to perfection and boasting a rare and potent classical soundtrack.  First time director Yaron Zilberman explores the subculture of classical musicians, their dreams, passions and the intimacy fanned by their intense working relationships.

The Fugue Quartet have toured the world for a quarter century, garnering fame and critical acclaim.  Their lives are thrown into turmoil when cellist Peter Mitchell (Christopher Walken) announces that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and won’t be able to play with them much longer.  As the group faces the touchy dilemma of who to replace him with and when, old rivalries rear their heads and the quartet’s future looks bleak.

As first violin, Mark Ivanir’s character Daniel leads the quartet, and if there were an equivalent position among the foursome of thespians it must be Walken, soaring at the top of his game, all but devouring the screen with his powerful presence.  Like their instruments the actors are finely tuned, their emotions no less exquisite and true than the notes played on their strings.  It’s a master class in acting, a real joy watch.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is typically brilliant, and Catherine Keener is a minor revelation, as she is in every film in which she appears.

The script by Zilberman and Seth Grossman occasionally flirts with the wrong side of melodrama, but the direction and acting keep things heartfelt.  Zilberman shows the signs of a far more experienced filmmaker than he actually is, this being his first narrative film; his only previous cinematic work is the 2004 documentary Watermarks, about an Austrian Jewish womens’ swimming team in the 1930s.  The word ‘versatile’ comes to mind.

The director compares the way the characters handle their personal struggles, with the way in which a quartet must plough on through a difficult piece of music.  The Fugue choose Beethoven’s infamously challenging String Quartet No. 14 for their climactic performance, and though Peter arguably faces the grimmest trial of all, it’s his steadiness and wisdom that the others must look to if they are to have a chance of pulling through with their beloved quartet intact.

One of the most affecting insights the film brings is of the respect that the musicians have for each other’s talent, despite the differences and betrayals raging on behind the scenes.  The sacrifices they make out of commitment to the belief that it is more special to be part of the whole than to be recognised individually, is refreshing in an age that at all costs celebrates the importance of taking care of number one.

Zilberman’s delicate tale of ego, sex, sickness and music will delight music and film fans alike.  There are moments it’s obvious the actors aren’t really playing their instruments, but that’s a small flaw in a first rate film that offers a poignant and heartbreaking perspective on the world of classical musicians.

Blu-ray & DVD extras: Theatrical Trailer

The Master (15)

This Academy Award-worthy unsettling character piece is still in cinemas.

This review was first published in The Methodist Recorder (www.methodistrecorder.co.uk).

The Master (15)

The Master is inspired by the work of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.  Freddie Quell, a disturbed veteran of the Second World War, riddled with all manner of psychological insecurities and sinful perversities, is taken under the wing of Lancaster Dodd, the founder of ‘The Cause’, a thinly veiled representation of Scientology.  Quell becomes his master’s muse, a seemingly incurable pit bull of a man on whom Dodd focuses The Cause’s efforts to help.

Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson continues what he started with 2007’s There Will Be Blood, a penetrating inquiry into the dark and disquieting taboo corners of human nature.  Quell seems more wild beast than human being, with his indiscriminate sexual appetite and violent tendencies.  The depth of madness to which actor Joaquin Phoenix goes in portraying Quell is chillingly impressive.

Philip Seymour Hoffman gives an equally enthralling performance as Dodd, whose character is the polar opposite of Quell’s.  Dodd is a model of courtesy and care, an intellectual family man only given to rare outbursts of anger when defending The Cause from outsiders who won’t blindly accept his claims.  It’s a thoughtfully fleshed out and sympathetic performance; it would have been easy to mock or even demonise the character based on Hubbard.

The Cause isn’t shown in an entirely negative light, and the intentions behind it are revealed to be at least partly positive, even with hints of spiritual truth mixed in with the lies.  Dodd talks about restoring the human spirit to its original state of perfection, which has unmistakable echoes of the Garden of Eden and the fall.

The abstract and unsettling score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood amplifies the disturbing tension to near unbearable levels, whilst drawing you into the minds of the characters and setting of the story.  Anderson shows himself once again to be one of the best filmmaking talents working today, and 2013 could be his year to finally snag an Oscar.

The Master isn’t for everyone, and on top of being deeply troubling it makes extensive use of graphic nudity, which whilst being plot and character motivated (thereby not gratuitous), it’s best to be aware of before deciding whether to buy a ticket.

The film is a fascinating and creepy exploration of the human cost of cult, and is a stunning work by a director wrestling with spiritual inklings versus the seemingly unchangeable savage nature of man.

Jack Goes Boating (15)

Fantastic film from one of the best actors in the world, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Out on DVD & Blu-ray Monday 27th Feb.

Jack Goes Boating (15) (This review on FilmJuice.com)

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut is a blistering gem of a bittersweet romance. Adapted for the screen by Robert Glaudini from his own play of the same title, the story follows the love lives of four central characters. The titular Jack is a sensitive soul trying to make the best of his average life, and is inexperienced when it comes to relationships. One day he decides to take a chance and go on a blind date at the recommendation of close friend Clyde (John Ortiz). Connie, Jack’s date (the lovely Amy Ryan) hints that she’d love to go boating one day, and so Jack learns to swim so that he can make her wish come true.

Clyde and his wife Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega) are almost parent-like figures to Jack, as they advise and enable him to woo Connie, with whom he hits it off from day one. They seem a perfect match, each as timid and unpretentious as the other. At the other end of the spectrum Clyde and Lucy’s marriage is showing some serious cracks, as past indiscretions gnaw on their minds and ruin the good that they have. Jack witnesses these painful realities and has to decide whether to take the enormous risks that go with starting a relationship. As always Hoffman plays the part with incomparable intensity.

The plot unfolds with a wealth of delicious dark humour, played to perfection by the accomplished thespians. The writing is a real treat, with some of the most interesting and believable dialogue this side of (vintage) Tarantino. The characters and their relationships are revealed layer by layer with such intricacy and finesse, that reading the screenplay could be compared to dismantling and admiring a fine Swiss cuckoo clock.

Hoffman, Ortiz and Rubin-Vega also starred in the stage play, so clearly it’s a story with characters close to their hearts. The character’s frailties and strengths are painted so vividly that even the absurdity that marks some of their behaviour rings true. At times the film feels a little too much like ‘the Philip Seymour Hoffman show’, with the director letting the camera dwell for longer than perhaps is necessary on his latest powerhouse performance. But on the other hand the man is an undeniable genius in front of the camera even he if he isn’t quite one behind it (yet), and so maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.

Hoffman’s fluid direction coupled with an efficient edit make the film all the more absorbing, and the soundtrack has all the charm and beauty of the very best low budget indies (think Little Miss Sunshine but with more variety). Simply put, Jack Goes Boating is an affecting, unmissable delight.

Extras: UK theatrical trailer, Philip Seymour Hoffman UK Press Conference, Cast interviews.