Film Review with Henry Thompson

Film Review with Henry Thompson

Documentary and drama filmmaker Spike Lee has a filmography spanning some thirty years. From dramas like Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992) to documentaries like When The Levees Broke (2006) Lee has regularly sought to explore issues of race and poverty in the US. In his latest film - BlacKkKlansman - Lee uses a comedy-drama structure to recount the true story of an African-American police officer (Ron Stallworth) who successfully infiltrated the KKK in 1970s Colorado. John David Washington and Adam Driver take the lead roles in a very watchable film.

By contrast, Paraguayan writer-director Marcelo Martinessi is at the very beginning of his career. His first full length production The Heiresses (2018), which prospered at the Berlin Film Festival in February, will only get limited exposure in UK cinemas this August. Travel wherever you can to see this fabulously constructed and shot story about two older women dealing with the changes in their relationship brought about by financial hardship.

If you’re interested in what Hollywood is up to at the moment that doesn’t involve comic-book characters then perhaps The Negotiator (2018) may be worth a look. Even in Hollywood’s better efforts to engage with the politics of the Middle East - think Body of Lies (2008) directed by Ridley Scott, and Green Zone (2010) directed by Paul Greengrass - the contextual

detail about the region is often sketchy. The Negotiator (originally released in the US as Beirut), set in 1982 during the Lebanese Civil War, has some similar weaknesses but as with the aforementioned productions, it has the input of a notable contributor - the screenplay is by Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, the Bourne films,1-4. With Gilroy’s writing, director Brad Anderson, who has worked on episodes of The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, gives this story sufficient zip to lift it above the admittedly low bar that Hollywood has set for itself when it comes to political thrillers.

In September fans of Isabelle Huppert can catch up with her appearance as herself in Reinventing Marvin (Marvin ou la belle éducation) which gets its UK release almost a year after its French release. Directed by Anne Fontaine, the film relates the coming of age and coming out of a young gay man in rural France. September also marks the twentieth anniversary re-release of the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski. If by some misfortune you are not already acquainted with Jeff Bridges’ performance as The Dude then don’t miss this chance!

And finally, Harrogate Film Society’s 2018- 19 season begins on 10 September with a screening of Andrew Haigh’s Lean On Pete.

Henry Thompson is Research Fellow in film at the University of Manchester. His acclaimed book on American film director Oliver Stone, co-authored with Ian Scott, was released