Crisp Criticism - "The Mountain Between Us", "Marjorie Prime", "Nocturama", "The Only Living Boy in New York"

by

Julien Faddoul

The Mountain Between Us

Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain.

Pathetic, sappy melodrama that proves risible at every turn. The two leads crumble under their need to cash some cheques.

d – Hany Abu-Assad

w – Chris Weitz, J. Mills Goodloe   (Based on the Novel by Charles Martin)

ph – Mandy Walker

pd – Patrice Vermette

m – Ramin Djawadi

ed – Lee Percy

cos – Renee Ehrlich Kalfus

p – Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, David Ready, Jenno Topping

Cast: Idris Elba Kate Winslet Dermot Mulroney Beau Bridges

Marjorie Prime **

A service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones allows a woman with dementia to come face-to-face with the younger version of her late husband.

Spotless, quotidian sci-fi; a likely subject for this filmmaker, who doesn’t attempt to widen from the source, instead relying on some superlative performances.

wd – Michael Almereyda   (Based on the Play by Jordan Harrison)

ph – Sean Price Williams

pd – Javiera Varas

m – Mica Levi

ed – Kathryn J. Schubert

cos – Kama K. Royz

p – Uri Singer

Cast: Lois Smith, Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, Tim Robbins, Stephanie Andujar

Nocturama ***

A group of young people, tired of the society they're living in, plan a bomb attack over Paris before they take shelter for the night in a shopping center.

An intense, disturbing and, in many ways, dislikable film: partly because Bonello’s aesthetic has always been subtly exhibitionistic and partly because that very expression, in dealing with this subject matter, teeters on trivialization. It depicts an attitude – from everyone concerned – of persistent disentrancement. As a piece of cinema, it is immaculately done and impossible to ignore.

wd – Bertrand Bonello

ph – Leon Hinstin

pd – Katia Wyszkop

m – Bertrand Bonello

ed – Fabrice Rouaud

cos – Sonia Philouze

p – Alice Girard, Eduoard

Cast: Finnegan Oldfield, Vincent Rottiers, Hamza Meziani, Manal Issa, Adèle Haenel, Rabah Nait Oufella, Laure Valentinelli

The Only Living Boy in New York

A young man learns that his overbearing father is having an affair. The son tries to stop it, only to be seduced by the older woman as well.

Evidently this is someone’s idea of what a dignified emotional drama is supposed to be…Even aliens who have never seen a piece of cinema before would conclude that this is an embarrassing, trite, jerk-off fest depicting no discernible realistic situations or characters, human or otherwise.

d – Marc Webb

w – Allan Loeb

ph – Stuart Dryburgh

m – Rob Simonsen

ed – Tim Streeto

cos – Michelle Matland

p – Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa

Cast: Callum Turner, Jeff Bridges, Kate Beckinsale, Pierce Brosnan, Cynthia Nixon, Kiersey Clemons, Tate Donovan