What to watch: ‘Emily’ is a different take on ‘Wuthering Heights’ author
Remember the tragic Heathcliff? How could anyone ever forget the brooding heartthrob and his romance and revenge issues?
The fictionalized “Emily” cooks up a few notions on what inspired author Emily Bronte to pen the Gothic classic “Wuthering Heights” in which he appeared. That film tops our list of must-sees this week, which includes a wicked Amazon Prime series about tech workforce culture, “The Consultant,” a brilliant animated short film and and more.
Here’s our roundup.
“Emily”: Frances O’Connor’s fictionalized portrait of real-life literary legend and “Wuthering Heights” author Emily Bronte avoids the stoic, still-life cinematic portrait treatment. For her feature directorial debut, O’Connor puts her faith not in fact-checking Emily Bronte’s complicated history but in her own instincts and insights as screenwriter/director and established actor (she was terrific as Fanny Price in 1999’s “Mansfield Park,” a Jane Austen adaptation). That artistic license serves the film and its eccentric central character — a mid-19th-century social misfit with an observant eye — tremendously well.
Infused with wit, rounds of intoxicating Gothic imagery (kudos to director of photography Nanu Segal) and an ethereal performance from Emma Mackey (Netflix’s “Sex Education”) this “Emily” covers what shaped and inspired Bronte’s lone work of creative genius. It also does a convincing job of illustrating how out-of-place Emily was in a world that would prefer to stifle such an independent-minded artist.
O’Connor conveys Emily’s restless inner and outer worlds — including a romance with a strapping curate (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). She also brings to life the entire complicated Bronte bunch: Emily’s more tradition-bound but talented sisters — Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling), author of “Jane Eyre,” and Anne (Amelia Gething), author of “Angus Grey.” All are still caught up in mourning the loss of their mum, but it is their impetuous brother Branwell Bronte (Fionn Whitehead), a consistent and charismatic troublemaker who brings them both joy and grief, and even literary inspiration.
For all these reasons, “Emily” is a bit of a radical period piece unto itself, a film that doesn’t want to be bound — much like its central character — to one genre or one overall conceit. And that lifts “Emily” far above other recent, more staid and comfortable “biopics.” Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters Feb. 24.
“The Consultant”: Horror novelist Bentley Little isn’t in the same league as Stephen King or Dean Koontz. Hopefully that’ll change when people watch this knockout eight-episode Amazon Prime series based on one of his numerous diabolical, satirical creations.
A shocking opening sequence establishes an unsettling tone that grabs you from the start, pushing you to gobble up future episodes as if they were leftover salt-and-vinegar potato chips. Christoph Waltz is the show’s ace up its sleeve. He gives his all to create one of the most distinctive villains to grace any series. Waltz creeps you out, makes you laugh and then makes your skin crawl as his coiffed character Regus Patoff, a venomous presence, shoots to the top rung of a video-game app company after its young founder kills himself in his office. As the new take-no-prisoners CEO, Patoff drives his staff into the ground, cranks out weird ideas and suggests unorthodox practices to get the job done — now.
The weird behavior sparks the suspicions of two not very virtuous employees, the lazy but inventive Craig (Nat Wolff) and the by-the-book Elaine (Brittany O’Grady). They try to figure out what Regus’s grand scheme is, but both seem out of their league in taking him on.
It all makes for a killer premise that gives Little and creator/showrunner Tony Basgallop a delicious opportunity to tear into techie work cultures where epic feasts and lavish parties can’t quite cover up the ugliness underneath. “The Consultant” is a very American horror story that viciously mocks contemporary office politics and has a great time doing so. Details: 3½ stars; available Feb. 24 on Amazon Prime Video.
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”: The expression “a timeless classic” gets applied too liberally. But illustrator and author Charlie Mackesy’s beloved uplifting story deserves that designation. It’s a quotable celebration of compassion and empathy that relays the everlasting power of friends. Director Peter Baynton brings to life Mackesy’s unique illustrations and reminds us that the world can be decent and good even when we think it’s only cruel, and that adversaries such as a fox and a mole can find a common bond when all seems lost. The voice cast — Jude Coward Nicoll as the Boy, Tom Hollander as the Mole, Idris Elba as the Fox and Gabriel Byrne as the Horse — get what Mackesy’s prose wants to convey, and while the Apple TV+ short runs a mere 34 minutes, expect it be one of the best animated features you’ll like see this year. I’m certainly rooting for it to take home the best animated short Oscar. Details: 4 stars; available now on Apple TV+ and also part of the Oscar-nominated shorts collection in theaters.
“Juniper”: In this earnest and thoroughly enjoyable semi-autobiographical remembrance, a suicidal young man (newcomer George Ferrier) gets saddled with an alcoholic brat of a grandma (Charlotte Rampling), who is confined to a wheelchair and is bitter about everything and everybody. They spar, of course, but eventually the teen learns invaluable lessons from his elder about learning to accept and move on after getting dealt a bad hand in life. Writer/director Matthew J. Saville’s tribute does tap familiar chords but with Rampling hurling insults, tossing back gin and reflecting about her past spent as a wartime photographer, “Juniper” become an ever more robust film with an enduring message that’s filled with soul and heart. Ferrier does a fine job as the son mourning the loss of his mother. Details: 3 stars; in theaters Feb. 24.
“Only in Theaters”: Like so many other family businesses, the Laemmle intergenerational, and highly influential, Los Angeles-based indie theater chain remains in a precarious position — living on the edge and barely getting by. In Raphael Sbarge’s exceptional wake-up call about the dire situation of an American cultural staple — the arthouse movie theater, where many filmmakers and film fans get their eyes opened to future possibilities — confronts its most fearsome foes, streaming services and dwindling audiences. “Only in Theaters” briskly walks us through the rich history of L.A.’s Laemmle Theatres and how previous generations emigrated from Germany and went into the film industry and the movie theater business. Sbarge’s documentary spends much of its time wisely with Greg Lammele as he agonizes over selling the business while a new threat looms on the horizon — COVID-19. With theaters around the Bay Area closing for good, “Only in Theaters” reminds us what gets lost in not seeing classic indies such as “Bonnie & Clyde,” “Wild Strawberries” and new destined-to-be-classics such as “Of an Age” and “Decision to Leave” on a big screen and in a communal setting, rather than squinting at on an iPad or iPhone. Particularly effective is hearing from directors such as Ava DuVernay, Nicole Holofcener, Christopher Crowe (his bit on watching “Carnal Knowledge” with his mom is a scream) and others as they recall what it meant them as both a filmgoer and filmmaker to experience a film with an audience. It’s essential viewing for any film fan and should — yes — be seen on the big screen. Details: 3½ stars; opens Feb. 24 at the Roxie and other Bay Area theaters; check schedules for Q&As with Greg Laemmle and other notable producers and filmmakers with Bay Area ties.
“Hello Tomorrow!”: You can almost hear the high concept land with a thud in this mediocre Apple TV+ series that fails to truly engage us. I lasted through two of the streamer’s 10 episodes and gave up, having little interest or patience to dedicate any more time to it. If it gets better, someone please let me know. Set in a comingling of the ‘50s and the future, it’s centered on a group of people hawking homes for sale on the moon, billed as the place for a better tomorrow … a lost horizon if you will. While this take on how we are always searching for that American Dream comes with potential, the concept gets tangled in the weeds of a father-son reunion, but even that fails to captivate. Billy Crudup does a lot of heavy lifting in this, but it’s a wasted effort; I didn’t buy into much of “Hello Tomorrow!” except I was sold on its knockout production details. Details: 1½ stars, available on Apple TV+.
“Marlowe”: Listless, bland and only marginally involving, director Neil Jordan’s adaptation of the acclaimed noir novel “The Black-Eyed Blonde” by Benjamin Black (aka John Banville) just sits there and stews in a big bland bowl of missed potential. Liam Neeson just doesn’t fit as Raymond Chandler’s landmark tough-guy Philip Marlowe, a role Humphrey Bogart and Elliott Gould put their own stamp on.Neeson goes through the motions as the iconic character who this time gets hired by the wealthy L.A. daughter (Diane Kruger, overacting to the extreme) of a film icon (Jessica Lange, who deserved more scenes). The job? Investigate the death of a pretty boy she cavorted with who happened to be a real man about town. The seemingly simple case turns out to be anything but, and goes on to expose the dark underbelly of Hollywood. The story is laden with red herrings and punched-up dialogue, but little manages no land. Alan Cumming energizes the proceeding as a power player, but like Lange, he’s shoved aside too soon, only furthering the idea that there might have been a good movie buried in here. As is, “Marlowe” chugs along, reminding you for all the wrong reasons why it might be associated with another Chandler classic — “The Big Sleep.” 1½ stars; in theaters now.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
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February 22, 2023
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