Samuree Swords

Malcolm and Marie review: Much has been said, mostly unfavourably, about Levinson's new cinematic offering. Critics lambasting the 8-minute monologue by Washington's character Malcolm, as Levinson doing a ventriloquist act, shouting his disdain for film critics; others claiming it didn't feel genuine and the character's arguing was repetitive; and the NYT's, quoting the script when Marie postulates that 'nothing productive will be said tonight'. Although all the reviews certainly have their valid points, (albeit maybe too contextually), however, for my viewing they've missed the idea entirely. The antics about critics, the repetitiveness and their character's own self involvement are just window dressing, for what is the real core and essence of the film. The title can be your lamplight, so to speak. It is a film about two people in a relationship, the rest; what they do and what they discuss or argue about, isn't what the film is about. It is a power struggle- its about who is chasing and who is being chased. Essentially all love stories are, at the core, simply a dance of leadership. When one person loses that interest to chase and 'dominate' or the chased declines being 'dominated', this is when relationships end, or at least in passionate ones. Of course, there are many varieties of partnerships- but Malcolm and Marie are in a passionate, sexually charged one, that is very complex. They are both highly intelligent and psychologically proficient at pushing each other's buttons-it is secondary that he is a director or that she is a recovering drug addict - all incidental- what matters is how they argue and how the drama plays out between them. The director played an adept hand juxta positioning their characters stance at various point of the film that was at once telling and poignant. Marie (Zendaya) was often framed like a lioness lounging provocatively, sometimes above Malcolm; in most of the scenes, as their characters are picking their way through their power game- she takes the high ground. Even in the beginning of the film, the audience is presented with an upshot of Marie as Malcolm is trying to seduce her with sexual foreplay. She is completely in charge, indifferent- Malcolm is in the dog house- as the direction shows us. The film is framed around her disappointment about Malcolm's failure to thank her. And he clearly knows, from his expression and body language that he must pay for this digression. We see his acknowledgment of the argument; the pain, the anguish and the time he knows he will have to endure and invest, due to his lack of propriety. Most seasoned writers know, that it is more important to show, than to tell. Here in Malcolm and Marie, Levinson does this beautifully. Even through Marie's obvious heartache for being cast aside in the accolade department, she is most definitely, in this relationship, the one who is being chased, she is in charge and owns him- hook line and sinker; however, she craftily doesn't let him get away with it; this is the crux of the film. When the audience thinks, surely, he will end this and order her to leave - he physically comes back for more. He walks back into the room multiple times- seeks her out- tries, unsuccessfully, several times, to seduce her. There is one tour de force scene for Zendaya, that is paramount above the rest, when she shows Malcolm just how authentic she is-the tension was palatable- as was his fear. The end shot where we see Marie (Zendaya) framed on a hill outside a window from their home- Malcolm goes to her- he has bowed to the inevitable, like Muhammad going to the mountain.

Although a massive Spike Lee fan , Da 5 Bloods seemed awkward and disjointed in its entirety - as if the production team rushed the end product . In my opinion , many of the scenes and narrative were throw away and heavily padded - really could have used a cut away in the editing room . Plus, the choice of music at times sounded like an after thought - with the exception of Marvin Gaye's vocal -nevertheless, the use of Wagner's Ride of the Valkries, a definite nod to another Vietnam war film , Platoon, was certainly notable ,however lost in translation that nod might be in this convoluted tale of BLM, historical memorabilia,Veteran soldiers, forgotten love affairs and a lottery amount of gold bars. Is Spike making a statement about how black men were shafted yet again in this world of inequality? Or that black soldiers were forgotten after the war? Weren't all soldiers , despite racial background marginalised after the Vietnam war? it wasn't specific to any racial group -Also- in the flashbacks, Lee embraces acting over digital reenactment , which is admirable, though it had that dinner theatre 'just go with it' vibe which detracted from the fact that it was a flashback - whereas Stormin Norman was his youthful self. Finally,the film - although not on par with other Lee films, was peppered with vintage Lee moments- most notably when they find Norman's remains - some of the action scenes were en pointe yet incongruous to the overall feel of the film - Worth a watch for some of the performances -