One Giant Leap: Review of First Man

TIFF EXCLUSIVE

First Man

Director: Damien Chazelle

By Alex Watson

In just four movies, Damien Chazelle has emerged as one of the most innovative directors in Hollywood. His Neil Armstrong biopic First Man now pushes him into the stratosphere. Capturing the sheer danger involved with the 1960's 'Space Race', Chazelle brings us an astonishing take on one of the most important historical events. Rather than get bogged down in patriotism, he gives us an authentic look at ordinary engineers trying to pull off a monumental task.

Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is a civilian pilot who is considered to be something of a wildcard. Eager to push the boundaries, Armstrong joins the NASA Space Program which quickly sees him set against other experienced pilots such as Ed White (Jason Clarke) and Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll). While his reputation will slow skyrocket, there are also several tragedies that emphasize the hard mission that lies ahead. What follows will cement his name in history. 

First Man immediately hooks its audience from the first frame as we see a young Armstrong as a test pilot. Bringing his vessel up on the edge of space, he soon gets caught in a nightmarish scenario as he continually rises towards the great unknown. The sheer tension and exhilaration is but a taste of what is to follow. Armstrong is a quiet and slightly introverted man who is reeling from a personal tragedy. Preferring numbers to people, this picture perfectly channels his dislike of the public eye but shows the sheer tenacity he brought to the job. Considered a liability in the air due to several 'mishaps' he faces some stigma from his superiors. Shot in an almost subdued colour ratio by DP Linus Sandgren, Chazelle lets the pace roll along slowly and gives his audience time to understand its protagonist. His wife Janet (Claire Foy) is wary of the task her husband is trying accomplish, but her fears and concern are loudly voiced.

The 1960's Space Mission was one of great tragedy and Chazelle never lets the audience forget the good men who lost their lives. The Apollo I disaster is the most horrific of them all and NASA at this point is literally playing with fire. As the deaths stack up, so do the fears of both the men and wives involved with the project. The director refuses to go easy on his audience when it comes to technical details and the mathematics and jargon come thick and fast throughout to give us a glimpse of how thorough and precise each person would need to be to prevent even the smallest error. The moon landing is highlighted as the main goal, but the movie's most unbearably tense scene comes from when Armstrong's Gemini 8 attempts a test docking sequence. Those how are claustrophobic may want to look away because never once does Chazelle take the action out of the crowded cockpit and rarely leaves the face of Armstrong and as the spacecraft spins faster out of control, so do the nerves all audience members. Set to regular composer Justin Hurtwitz's screeching score, any hope we have a relaxed and peaceful film vanish into the depths of space. During the sequence, there was no green screen involved and the reactions on the cast members are very much real!

As First Man nears its final mission, there is a sense of strain building as Neil is forced more into the path of the press. Unlike the more jovial and charismatic Aldrin, Neil loathes the attention and public scrutiny that the space race is considered costly and wasteful. The potential threat to their lives is made overwhelming clear.  One scene even sees Chief Deke Slayton (Kyle Chandler) is forced to listen to a death announcement pre-written for the Apollo 11 crew. When we finally reach the moon, the audience is finally allowed to exhale. This picture, however, always keeps Armstrong in its sights and it is a very fascinating portrayal of a man considered an All-American Hero. His bravery in the face of adversity is utterly enthralling, but few of us understood the personal cost it involved.

Ryan Gosling in his second outing with Chazelle perfectly channels Neil Armstrong. A fiercely private man with no time for silly questions or intrusions, Gosling shows us a man fighting an internal battle and having to keep himself in check when good men are dying all around. At times a surly and far too literal human, Gosling shows us a lighter side to his character around his family combined with an intense fear of disappearing into the great unknown. This could well be Gosling's year for Oscar glory. Claire Foy however, emerges as the one who wins the audience sympathy and as Janet Armstrong she captures the audiences growing concerns as her husband prepares to embark on a possible suicide mission. So frequently this type of character is underwritten, but in this piece, Janet is given room to grow and we see firsthand the toil it creates on her family life.

First Man is a remarkable piece of work about an event that was so well documented. At only 33, Damien Chazelle has already earn a place among the elite.

Mississippi Burning: Review of Mudbound

Mudbound

Director: Dee Rees

By Alex Watson

Dee Rees' Mudbound is a movie that is unafraid of tackling a dark point in US history. Among the muddy fields of Mississippi, the racial tension simmers. However, Rees also makes the human struggle element clear because this story is about how one piece of land causes a great divide among families. There is also a notion of brotherhood and two characters although worlds apart are drawn together by a terrible experience. The end result is an emotionally engaging piece.

Henry McAllan (Jason Clarke) leaves his idyllic city life in Memphis to pursue his dream of owning a farm in Mississippi. The move is hard on his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) who struggle to adapt to living in a shack with no running water or electricity. She is also drawn to his war hero brother Jamie (Garrett Hedlund) who is affected by his combat experience. At the other end of the spectrum is sharecropper Hap (Rob Morgan) who has five children with wife Florence (Mary J Blige)- their son Ronsel (Jason Mitchell) has also returned home from WWII but faces another war altogether.

While six different characters providing narration does feel like overkill in places, there are few complaints to be had about Mudbound. Rees is able to draw us to each individual characters and bring them into their innermost thoughts. There is an unspoken sense of order through the early stages of this picture and from the moment Henry's family arrives, Hap knows their place in the world. His family has worked on the land for generations even though the land will never become his. " this character continually wonders about his place. While Henry is never outright hostile or unkind, his Pappy (a delightfully evil Jonathan Banks) is very much upfront with his hostility. Refusing to even sit next to Hap in the front of their car, his blunt hatred causes friction whenever he appears.

Jamie's arrival is one that stirs the pot. Permanently drunk and suffering from PTSD, he is saddled with a deep-seated guilt over the soldiers he failed to save in WWII. Laura is drawn to his kindness as he seems to embody everything her husband isn't. When meeting Ronsel for the first time, the pair do not see black or white but a fellow combat vet. Their friendship blossoms because they both understand the horrors of war. Sadly it also ignites a furious reaction from Pappy and what transpires is truly horrific. At the height of segregation, this friendship becomes the movie's heart and soul.  Laura's story is also one that brings a sadness to our hearts. A woman trying to make the most of the soggy and mud-filled land she occupies, she also chafes under the dominance of her unlikable father in law and her distance husband.

Rees's takes her audience into a time that most American audiences wish to forget. In 1940's deep south, there was an obvious social ladder and Hap and Florence's family unwittingly found themselves on the bottom rung. The intense hatred and hostility are at times also unbearable to watch. Especially during a tense sequence where Ronsel attempts to leave via the front door of a shop. Pappy and his equally racist pal are quick to ensure he knows to leave through the backdoor "I don't know what they let you do over there, but you're in Mississippi now!" Hap and Florence are bravely trying to build their own dream despite the odds being stacked against them. The notions of losing and keeping faith are strongly enforced- Laura is continually losing hope over her husband's perhaps foolish intentions.

While Carey Mulligan gives a stand-out turn as the struggling Laura, she is almost a background player in this story. Garrett Hedlund is outstanding in a strong supporting role and firmly captures a man wrestling with his conscience. Dismissed as drunk by both his brother and father, Jamie carries a burden few men understand. Hedlund is definitely Oscar-worthy here. Jason Mitchell's Ronsel is the character who will capture your heart. A brave soldier, he comes home to find the old problems that plagued his life are still there. Mitchell's barely contained disgust is mesmerizing to watch and on merit alone, he deserves to rewarded. Mary J Blige is the one tipped for Oscar glory and as in a powerful and less showy turn- she thoroughly lives up to the hype.

Mudbound is a movie that captures the struggles of everyday people trying to live a dream. It is also a powerful voice about a dark era of US history.

Days of Future Past: Review of Terminator: Genisys

Terminator: Genisys

Director: Alan Taylor

By Alex Watson

The Terminator series has been showing signs of fatigue in recent outings, sadly Terminator: Genisys failed to raise it from the slump. Director Alan Taylor tries his hardest and does present some good visual flair. A poor script from Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier becomes the films undoing early on. Arnold Schwarzeneggar may have returned, but even he cannot breath life into this dying franchise. Even though we want to love this installment, we can't help but wonder about its future?

While fighting the machines in the future, soldier Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back through time to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), mother of his leader/friend John Connor (Jason Clarke). When transported back to 1984, Kyle finds the timeline is far different from what he was told and Sarah is far stronger person. Also to complicate things, the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzeneggar) has become an ally rather than a killer!

The main problem with Terminator: Genisys is that it doesn't quite seem sure precisely what it is doing. On the one hand it is a remake, on another it is a re-imagining. Constantly overlapping the time-lines hinders the story and leaves a rather hollow after effect. Sarah Connor in this installment has transformed into the gun wielding badass too prematurely. Emilia Clarke would have suited as the original shy and scared 1984 Connor, but here she doesn't have enough gusto to really convince. Things are also not helped by a really hoaxy central plot where we are transported to 2017 where Skynet has now been redeveloped as a killer application!


Stopping Judgement Day again is not as fun an adventure this time around and one element that lets it down is a rather poor central twist (fittingly revealed to audiences in the trailer). Throwing a new T-1000 (Lee Byung-hun) into the mix is one that underwhelms rather than thrills. Taylor earns some kudos for some good special effects tricks (such as his recreation of 1984 version of Arnie), but sadly even he cannot spark what is essentially a rather dull ride. One sequence sees our gang engaged in an battle in the air by helicopter- sounds exciting on paper, but falls to earth with a tired thud.

Although it is nice to see Arnold back again, he doesn't quite have the same effect as before. The Terminator is now looking both old and obsolete and you feel another outing would just weaken the original punch. Jai Courtney disappointingly is far too bland to be a worth successor to Michael Biehn's Kyle Reese. Given little to do other than look impressive in a tight t-shirt, Courtney is really wasted here. After impressive stints on Unbroken and A Good Day to Die Hard, it is sad he can't raise the game. Jason Clarke although a hard hitting presence feels miscast as John Connor. Problem here is that Clarke has to essential go against every original concept of this hero and become something entirely different. In this instance, it is hard to put blame firmly on this performance.

Terminator: Genisys despite some high hopes cannot carry forward the masterpiece that James Cameron so wonderfully brought on us. If the studio executives have their way, there will probably be another installment, but they might want to think about stopping the rot.