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Tag: Lily James

  • ‘Rebecca’ trades haunts for style | movie review

    ‘Rebecca’ trades haunts for style | movie review

    Netflix’s Rebecca, which follows in the footsteps of Hitchcock’s 1940 classic, follows a young woman who walks in the shadow of her new husband’s late wife

    Rebecca is gloriously filmed and impeccably designed, but beneath all of the polish of its grand mansion setting is an empty house filled with nothing but empty rooms and empty thrills.

    English author Dame Daphne du Maurier’s novel Rebecca, which was later adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940, is a ghost story. However, in Netflix’s remake, helmed by British master of folk horror Ben Wheatley, the ghosts that haunt Manderley, the sprawling mansion where the movie takes place, are largely missing.

    I’ll be honest, a travesty has taken place. I have never seen Hitchcock’s 1940 film. I know, I know! But it isn’t available anywhere to watch really. However, that gives the opportunity to review this film through the lens of a first-time viewer, which let’s be honestly is the experience of most of the viewers who will be catching the film on Netflix.

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    The setup is quite simple actually, enigmatic wealthy businessman Maxim de Winter (a perfectly cast Armie Hammer) is vacationing in Monte Carlo where he meets the unnamed companion of Mrs. Van Hopper (Ann Dowd). The companion, a naïve 20-something played by Lily James, is of course taken with de Winter and the interest is mutual. Through two weeks of courtship, the pair decide to marry and have the young woman move to his mansion in Cornwall, the beautiful estate Manderley.

    However, throughout their courtship, it is apparent that his late wife Rebecca weighs heavily on his mind. The same can be said when the newlywed Mrs. de Winter arrives at the estate where everyone, and especially housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), still reminisce about the time when Rebecca was the lady of the house.

    At its core, the mystery and story of Rebecca, where the new Mrs. de Winter is haunted by the expectations and possibly the actual ghost of Rebecca, is intriguing. The character study of an obsessed young woman eager to please her husband by remaking herself in the image of his seemingly perfect first wife is incredible to unpack. However, director Ben Wheatley seems to be missing something—the ghosts.

    James’ portrayal of an impressionable, young woman on the edge of madness as the suffocating presence of her new husband’s late wife takes control is interesting. But without the underlying feeling of dread—which peeks its head out occasionally, but is often quickly replaced with melodrama—it feels more conventional than it should be.

    That’s also due to the lack of underlying themes.

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  • ‘Little Woods’ review — Tessa Thompson goes against the system

    ‘Little Woods’ review — Tessa Thompson goes against the system

    Little Woods, Nia DaCosta’s directorial debut, finds two sisters going up against a system that doesn’t want them to succeed in

    One sentence review: Little Woods is a quiet, well-directed character-driven drama that features a powerhouse emotional performance by Tessa Thompson.

    One paragraph review: Though it may be on the nose at times, Little Woods is a tense and emotional look at the political issues we’re arguing about today are that affecting people’s lives — from the opioid crisis to access to healthcare. However, much of its success lies in a quiet, but powerful performance by Tessa Thompson.

    Where to watch Little Woods: Available to buy on Amazon.

    Take a trip to Little Woods. Full review after the jump ?

    Little Woods follows in the vein of Hell or High Water as it follows sisters Ollie (Tessa Thompson off of her banner year last year) and Deb (Lily James) as they struggle against the institutions in the US that force them to turn to compromise their morals to survive.

    Ollie is ten days away from the end of her probation for peddling drugs from Canada across the border into Little Woods, North Dakota in an ironic twist on the narrative the president is trying to drive. It’s not like she didn’t have a reason. Her mom was sick and suffering like most people in the cold rural oil town. She convinces herself of her actions because she is doing good for the people of the town.

    However, she’s not only moving prescription medications. She’s also bringing opioids over the border fueling the crisis that is sweeping the country — to her credit, she leaves the actual dealing of the drugs to local Bill (Luke Kirby). But she’s on the track to rehabilitation. Her probation officer Carter (Lance Reddick) even recommended her for a job that would take her out of the oil town.

    On the other hand, Deb is living in a van parked in a store parking lot with her son Johnny (Charlie Ray Reid) who she had with her estranged boyfriend Ian (James Badge Dale). And even though she’s barely making enough money to support her and her son, she discovers she’s pregnant.

    Ollie, the consummate problem solver, makes a deal with a bank to prevent foreclosure. Unfortunately, that plan involves the sisters coming up with $3,000 in just one week. With their backs against a wall, Ollie risks her bright new future to step back into the drug game and sell to injured oil workers in the town who don’t have enough money to have their injuries looked at in a hospital.

    little woods
    James Badge Dale and Lily James in LITTLE WOODS.

    Little Woods is colored — perhaps too broadly — with themes around the US government’s failure of working-class citizens. Particularly around healthcare and the economic depression of blue-collar workers. And the movie is effective in delivering an impactful story around those themes. If anything, the biggest criticism is that the script is a bit too polished and on the nose — Deb at one point even says, “being pregnant costs $8,000?”

    The movie is a slow burn character drama until the last 30 minutes where DaCosta proves why she will be directing the Jordan Peele-produced Candyman remake. Her grasp of suspense and tension is impressive as Ollie and Deb’s plan sets into motion. Brian McOmber’s droning score adds to the overwhelming sense of dread — he scored Krisha and It Comes at Night to similar effect — and cinematographer Matt Mitchell captures the vast emptiness of the plains to mirror the bleakness of the story.

    But so much of the movie rides on the back of Tessa Thompson’s rich performance. Ollie is an enigma of a character. She feels both broken down and empowered by her circumstances. Broken down because there are institutions set in place that oppress people like her’s ability to live and empowered because she’s resentful enough to do something about it. Thompson has proved herself in genre fare like Annihilation and Sorry to Bother You, this movie gives her the chance to flex her dramatic chops to great success.

    Little Woods isn’t the best version of the “people on the margins” story that has been told in movies like The Florida Project and last year’s criminally overlooked Leave No Trace. Still, it’s a solid debut by a filmmaker with a great future and another step in the ascendance of Tessa Thompson.

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    Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter and Letterboxd. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.

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  • ‘Little Woods’ trailer — Tessa Thompson stars in this crime thriller

    ‘Little Woods’ trailer — Tessa Thompson stars in this crime thriller

    Tessa Thompson and Lily James star in the crime thriller, Nia Dacosta’s film debut Little Woods.

    Little Woods writer/director Nia Dacosta has had one hell of a breakout in the last few months — and her debut film hasn’t even been released yet. She made waves when it was announced that she would be directing a reboot — and “spiritual sequel” — of the 1992 horror classic Candyman. Oscar-winner Jordan Peele will be producing.

    In April, her debut film Little Woods will be released in theaters by Neon. 

    Tessa Thompson — who has had a banner couple years with Thor: Ragnarok, Annihilation, Sorry to Bother You, Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer, and Creed II — stars as Ollie, a woman who is on her last days of parole for running prescription drugs across the Canadian border. 

    The film also stars Lily James — a highlight in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver — as Ollie’s estranged sister Deb. 

    Here’s the official synopsis: 

    Ollie (Tessa Thompson) is a reformed drug runner in an economically depressed small town in North Dakota, who was caught coming back from Canada with medicine for her terminally ill mother and has been toeing the line ever since. After her mother dies, Ollie’s sister Deb (Lily James) shows up on her doorstep with a hungry child and an unplanned pregnancy. Ollie can only see one viable option: quickly raise money to pay back the bank and hold onto their mother’s home, so Deb can raise her family safely away from her abusive ex. But to do that, she’ll need to return to the dangerous way of life she thought she’d left behind.

    from Neon

    Thompson has become one of the most consistent stars in Hollywood and is already in store for a packed 2019 — she’ll also appear in Men In Black: International, Avengers: End Game, and voice “Lady” in the live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp — and Little Woods finally gives her the chance to lead. 

    The film also stars Luke Kirby, James Badge Dale, and Lance Reddick. 

    It will be in theaters on April 9, 2019.