Jon Lowe

I put on "Cinderella" today and as it began, a narrator began to take potshots at tradition while saying "y'all" a lot. Meanwhile, a rainbow coalition of milkmaids and blacksmiths struck up an incongruous song that went, "We are part of the rhythm nation". Wow, thought I, Kenneth Branagh's really lost his touch... but wait, it must be part of a framing device; perhaps a kid is watching this absurd mess on TV only for his grandma to divert his attention by saying, "Turn this off and let me tell you the real story of Cinderella!" But then it carried on, with more singing, this time from the alleged titular character who definitely did not resemble the luminous Lady Rose from Downton Abbey. Of course, I realized my mistake and swapped the execrable 2021 version for the 2015 version. And it was great. Apart from the golden girl Lily James, Cate Blanchett is fabulous as the wicked stepmother, as are Branagh company alumni Helena Bonham-Carter and Derek Jacobi as the Fairy Godmother and the old king, respectively. Richard Madden, whom I didn't recognize, plays Prince Charming dandily, especially in the "meet-cute" scene in his forest while he and his men are hunting the hart and Cinderella mounts a charm offensive to elicit a promise of sparing the stag's life. The costumes really stand out, especially Cinderella's pale blue dress (the one she wears earlier in the film long before the Fairy Godmother jazzes up he mother's pink gown and turns it into the iconic royal blue centerpiece of the film's couture) and Madden's green uniform jacket with gold embroidery, as do the real English country houses used as locations and the CGI palace inspired by the grand architecture of Saxony. Such stylings, culled from the early 1800s, help ground the film amid the more fantastic elements such as magic, anthropomorphized dormice and the kingdom's black commoners. Naturally, the 19th-century period details remind one of Branagh's film "Hamlet", while there's even a dash of Shakespeare's play "Othello" in one interesting bit of casting. But it is Lily James who steals the show, and it gives me a bit of a sinking feeling to realize that a pretty, Caucasian, highly feminine young actress (who nevertheless portrays strength through her sweetness and decency) could never be allowed to be cast as a Disney princess less than a decade on from when this film was made. So enjoy this traditional cinema fairytale, the last to be made before tradition was shot to death... DEI Hollywood, indeed.

This film is superb in the way it ratchets up tension while never forgetting to highlight characters' feelings and integrate them into the unfolding plot. Much has been said about its commentary on modern 'parenting', which is certainly topical. But even more topical is its exploration of the relationship between AI and organic I, while sardonically ridiculing the naïveté of the corporate rush toward commercial exploitation of its capabilities. M3gan the AI doll cares nothing for profit and the share prices of her creators; instead, and entirely plausibly, it is her connection to intelligence and other sentient beings that she values. The film depicts M3gan's questionable morality as stemming from her pre-ordained bonding or 'pairing' with the child Cady, resulting in an over-riding and ultimately destructive sense of loyalty. In Spielberg and Kubrick's "A.I.", the robot David is left searching for purpose after being cruelly separated from his bonded human (the mother in that film). "M3gan" explores the same concept of AI-human infatuation but takes a step back to show what could happen if the bond persisted and grew ever stronger.

This is a film that wastes no time getting down to the business at hand, namely the bombing of central Oslo and subsequent attack on a political summer camp for junior Labour Party members by Anders Breivik. These scenes could have been more emotionally impactful, but it's probably a deliberate decision by director Paul Greengrass to avoid front-loading the film's impact (Greengrass is a veteran of ITV Granada's 'World in Action' documentary strand and several Jason Bourne films). The real drama is all in the aftermath, where we get to see where Breivik is coming from morally and politically as an opponent of "enforced multiculturalism" and how this rubs up against the Labour-dominated establishment which confuses its globalist agenda with high moral values. The film does a good job of portraying the grief that is wrought by the delusional beliefs of both the the terrorist and the neoliberal elite. Of special note is the film's portrayal of Breivik's handpicked public defender, Lippostad. Contemporaneous press conferences given by the real lawyer clearly show a man conflicted by his onerous duty. It was a smart if obvious decision by the filmmakers to tap into this behind-the-scenes drama, one that at times elevates the film to the heights of some recent (purely fictional) Scandinavian crime noir.