THE DUKE
Watchable. Opens with a court scene which is enough to persuade you to watch this lukewarm comedy drama loaded down with mundane details. A trivial problem is presented, though removing the BBC coil and having to pay the TV licence does seem unfair. The painting must have made the news in 1961, little effect now. Shot on Bradford, Leeds, London locations - no Newcastle, only the accent. Lots of my favourite British sarcasm but the plot mixes important stuff with superfluous content.
Reviewed from the distributor's screener, cinematic reception might differ.
MEN
Watchable. Slower-paced than the superb trailer implied but gripping. Puzzling at face value and mysterious on the more symbolic level. It maintains an ordinary horror structure but does so in a sophisticated way. The echo, impressive in the Atmos sound system, suspends you. Some images mirror previous ones. The jolly landlord, superbly acted by Rory Kinnear, is a memorable character on his own. Mentions of Agamemnon and Leda imply a possible betrayal on the woman's part. On the other hand, William Butler Yeats' poem is quoted, with a depiction of the rape on Leda and all men look hostile to the woman protagonist - she's surrounded by the menace of rape. Birthgiving presented almost on a loop makes you ponder. Women give birth to those men. Men bring them to life too. Though, when a man, however weird, suddenly gives birth and it repeats a few times, it ruins the movie. Elaborate images and sounds of the film stay with you long after.
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