Battle of the Sexes (12A)
Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough
Directors: Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton
The Plot: A dramatisation of the famous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King (Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Carell), and the events that lead up to it. Unhappy with the treatment of women in tennis, King gathers a bunch of top female players and they form their own tournament. Although married to husband Larry, King meets hairdresser Marilyn (Riseborough) during this time and they begin an affair. Meanwhile, with his marriage failing due to his gambling addiction, ageing star Riggs concocts a plan to earn big money by publicly bragging that no female player can beat him in a match. Initially rejecting his offer, King accepts after watching Riggs defeat the current top female player Margaret Court, determined to prove that women are an equal match . . .
Review: This is an excellent drama with moments of comedy. I'd been looking forward to this as I'm a big fan not only of Emma Stone, but also of directors Faris & Dayton who have previously brought us the brilliant Little Miss Sunshine and Ruby Sparks. The film places more emphasis on the personal lives of King and Riggs and the build up to the match, rather than the match itself, and both Stone and Carell give tremendous performances here - for me, this is possibly Stone's best performance to date, showing both the strong side of King (her determination to overcome the chauvinism of Riggs) and her uncertainty and weakness in her new relationship with Marilyn. The whole film is shot very well with careful attention to the presentation of the time period (both Stone and Carell are dead ringers for King and Riggs here) and the tennis match itself is particularly well done, with body doubles used seamlessly. My only real criticism is the run-time, which at two hours feels a bit too long - the film could have been trimmed down without losing any impact on the story.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A well presented take on this famous moment in sporting history. Two fantastic performances from Stone and Carell make this an engaging, interesting story that just suffers from being a bit too long. Another winner from directors Faris & Dayton that's well worth your time.
Ingrid Goes West (15)
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr
Director: Matt Spicer
The Plot: Ingrid Thorburn (Plaza) is a young woman with an addiction to social media and a dangerously obsessive personality, to the point that she's committed to an institution for stalking. Upon her release, she chances upon an article featuring social media star Taylor Sloane (Olsen) and becomes instantly obsessed with her: travelling to LA, Ingrid uses an elaborate series of lies (and the kidnapping of her dog) to integrate into Taylor's life and become her new best friend. But when Taylor's suspicious brother Nicky arrives on the scene Ingrid faces being exposed - with dangerous consequences . . .
Review: This is a really terrific, darkly funny film that offers a clever commentary on the dangers that the addictive nature of social media can have when they're combined with someone like Ingrid. Aubrey Plaza is fantastic here (she's also a producer of the film) - she portrays both the crazy, dangerous side of Ingrid and the awkward, nervous side of her equally well, leading to a particularly emotional scene at the climax of the film that's among the best I've seen from her. Elizabeth Olsen is also very good as the ultra-hipster Taylor, whose seemingly perfect life might not be all it appears at first glance, and O'Shea Jackson Jr provides a lot of good-natured comedy as Ingrid's landlord/love interest who's obsessed with Batman, balancing out the overall dark humour of the film. There's some great cinematography and a cool soundtrack as well. The subject matter might be too dark for some, but I loved it.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A clever, sharp commentary on the grip that social media has on modern society and the dangers that can happen when someone with obsessive problems becomes beholden to it. Darkly funny and with a terrific performance from Aubrey Plaza, this is highly recommended.
The Florida Project (15)
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince
Director: Sean Baker
The Plot: Told through the eyes of six year-old Moonee (Prince), the film chronicles a summer in the lives of the residents of a low-budget motel next to Disney World run by manager Bobby (Dafoe). Moonee is largely oblivious to the actions of her foul-mouthed mother Halley (Vinaite), a young woman with little regard for the law or others and does whatever she can to make money. Instead the young girl spends the summer with her friends, exploring the surrounding motels and playing pranks on Bobby. But her world may be about to be shattered when Halley does something that not even good-natured Bobby can help with . . .
Review: I was quite lucky to catch this film as it's only been on limited release here in the UK, but I'm glad I did. While the film is unusual in it's presentation and, to begin with, quite uncomfortable in places due to the nature of Halley and the other residents, it quickly proves that there's a big heart to this story and it builds to a very emotional conclusion. Director Sean Baker (who also co-wrote) has said that he aimed to tell as real a story as possible, and as such the entire film was shot on location at a real motel and features actual workers and residents. The whole thing is very believable, and the decision to present the story of this particular element of American society through the eyes of a child is an interesting one. The young actress Brooklynn Prince does incredibly well for her age - Moonee is not a perfect child and is frequently brattish and annoying, but is still an innocent. Vinaite, as her mother Hallee, gives an excellent performance - it's very hard to sympathise with her obnoxious character, but there are moments where her genuine love for Moonee shine through. I was also impressed with Dafoe, who gives an understated performance as the good-natured Bobby who has a soft spot for all of the children living at the motel and does what he can to look after them.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
An unusual film that's uncomfortable in moments but utterly believable, it features great performances and an interesting presentation style by telling the story through the eyes of a child. Building to an incredibly emotional conclusion, this is well worth checking out if it's available near you.
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