Murder and memories
VISIONARY FILMMAKER Leos Carax (Holy Motors) has made an epic musical about the pitfalls of fame and fortune in Hollywood. Starring Oscar nominee Adam Driver (Marriage Story) and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose), Annette features music and story from legendary electro pop duo Sparks — brothers Ron and Russell Mael — and also features a brilliant turn from Jewish actor and Big Bang Theory star Simon Helberg.
Annette follows the lives of Henry (Driver) and Ann (Cotillard ), two people who find themselves in a whirlwind love affair overnight. The glamorous lives of the seemingly perfect celebrity couple
— he is a provocative stand-up comic and she an internationally renowned opera singer — take an unexpected turn when Ann falls
pregnant and then gives birth to the couple’s daughter Annette who is born with a mysterious gift.
As the years go by, the couple who were once a symbol of passion and true love start to drift apart, leading to a series of destructive rows between them. As their relationship disintegrates Ann and Henry scramble to find that initial fire that brought them together by taking a romantic trip on a yacht, but is it already too late?
This is a truly unforgettable production from Carax who delivers a chilling story of jealousy, deceit and cold-blooded murder. Annette is an unabashedly spectactacular production in which all dialogue is sung, much in the Jacques Demy tradition (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort). The Mael brothers make several appearances through the film playing assorted peripheral characters — trying to guess where they pop up next is an amusing exercise. This is a truly inspiring production from Carax and Sparks who have given us a commendably dense, complex and beautifully acted production. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it rather thrilling.
Here Today
Film | Cert: 12A | ★★★✩✩
LEGENDARY SCREEN and stage actor Billy Crystal directs and stars in this charming dark comedy which is his first directorial offering since Forget Paris which was released over two decades ago.
Adapted by Crystal from a short story titled The Prize co-written with Alan Zweibel (It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Late Show with David Letterman), Here Today also stars acclaimed Jewish actor and comedienne Tiffany Haddish (Girl’s Trip). with Penn Badgley, Laura Benanti, and Louisa Krause.
All is not well with Charlie Burnz (Crystal). Having been diagnosed with early onset dementia, the veteran comedy writer has kept his new medical status a secret from his nearest and dearest. Charlie’s life takes a turn for the unexpected when he meets vivacious competition winner Emma (a hilarious turn from the always brilliant Haddish) who has won a lunch date with the ailing writer at a charity auction — Charlie is dismayed to learn that the young woman bid a measly $22 for the pleasure of his company.
The pair quickly strike up an unlikely friendship when Emma becomes one of the only people beside Charlie’s doctor to pick up on his deteriorating state.
Meanwhile Charlie is struggling to keep up his familial duties which include remembering to attend his granddaughter’s batmitzvah — even recognising even his own children is hard.
This is without a doubt a charming and genuinely heartfelt story about a man’s descent into the unknown and the new friend who simply refuses to let him give up. Sure, there is a fair bit of whimsy and jarring dialogue, but Crystal is able to bring his usual New York Jewish self-deprecating style to an otherwise unoriginal story. He and Haddish bounce off one another rather brilliantly, even if their scenes together often descend into unnecessary slapstick and out-dated physical comedy.
Still, Crystal does what comes naturally, delivering a genuinely heartening and honest character study of man laughing his way through a devastating diagnosis. He has given us a film full of heart and plenty of laughter even if it doesn’t always come across as terribly original.