The Brutalist, 2024.

Directed by Brady Corbet.
Starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé, Alessandro Nivola, Benett Vilmányi, Michael Epp, Jonathan Hyde, Peter Polycarpou, Salvatore Sansone, Ariane Labed, and Matt Devere.

SYNOPSIS:

Fleeing from post-war Europe in 1947, a visionary architect and his wife settle in Pennsylvania where a wealthy and mysterious client changes their lives forever.

Screened in 35mm and presented in VistaVision, co-writer/director Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist is as uncompromising as the fictional Hungarian Jewish architect at its center. Running just over three and a half hours without a wasted or dull moment (which includes an intermission), the fact that this film, which chronicles the trauma and relentless hardships that go into László Tóth’s (a galvanizing performance from Adrien Brody in a movie jampacked with them) ambitious construction of a community center in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, exists in 2024 comes across as a grand metaphor for all forms of stifled artistry.

Commissioned by tycoon Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (a chilly, ruthless Guy Pearce channeling a younger Vince McMahon, both in speaking form and the ability to put up a generous and supportive front, masking more unsavory qualities such as greed and narcissism) to construct that building, what starts as the American Dream in part one quickly descends into an American Nightmare once part two begins.

It can’t be stressed enough that the intermission shouldn’t be skipped, even when this film is available physically or through streaming. It’s perfectly placed between a passage of time while also functioning as an unmistakable marker for the suffering that will come with joy. The intermission also allows ample time to reflect, digest, and prepare for the inevitable directing devastations of the immigrant experience when all that is good is essentially in the hands of wealthy white businessmen.

Playing out in the background is a burning love story as László, his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones, in some ways providing the beating heart of the story through letters read aloud in her voice, and the driving force behind her husband’s actions, with him determined to one day reunite on the back of his labor and success), and mute niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy, effectively communicating what she thinks through silence, stares, and mood) were forcibly separated during World War II, with the latter stuck in Europe and desperately trying to make their way to America. Naturally, once László makes a name for himself and enters this elite circle, such a goal becomes much more realistic.

Also present is a cousin (Alessandro Nivola) who initially gets László up and running in America with a place to stay in his storage unit. Elsewhere, Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. has a son, Harry (Joe Alwyn), who is shady and actively undermines László’s work at every turn, bringing in additional architects to make some changes and cut some financial corners. The problem is that these changes are of deeply personal creative value to László.

Whether or not there is a family reunion is something I will keep a surprise, but it’s worth mentioning again that Felicity Jones has a substantial role here concerning László’s compulsive obsession with his work and his evolving perception of this American Dream. He is a man aware that foreign people, unfortunately, generally aren’t wanted and that they would discard him or treat him as poorly as other marginalized groups such as Black people. During his poor days, László pays it forward and befriends a homeless Black father (Isaach De Bankolé) struggling to feed his young son, eventually coming to give that man work on his architectural projects. 

The above is a good chunk of what part one entails, with a teaser of what part two has in store. However, it’s important to note that Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold’s screenplay is charged in the sense that one is left hanging on every word, whether it’s an “intellectually stimulating” conversation on architecture, race, Judaism, power, egotism, or family dynamics. At one point, Harrison tells a cold, bordering on heartless story about his in-laws, which also effectively sums up much of what he is about as a person. The Brutalist is filled with lengthy, compelling, telling scenes about these characters such as these.

Staggering photography from Lol Crawley and a mixture of ominous and romantic music from Daniel Blumberg also transfix. There is the architecture itself (which comes to be informed by László’s life, breathtaking aerial shots of mountains, and an all-around extreme amount of methodical consideration put into the framing of each shot. Every image of The Brutalist gives off the vibe of watching a major event. The story isn’t far behind, although one can’t help but feel a couple of areas and characters get shortchanged even with the gargantuan running time. Without spoiling it, there is an aspect of the messaging during the ending that also feels off, especially for a film that is three and a half hours long. Nevertheless, every minute is worth your time; this brilliant, uncompromising filmmaking puts one in a vice grip from the overture.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

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“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is a dull placeholder pic rolled out by Warner Animation to keep the company’s intellectual property rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth current in the public’s mind.

Streaming series aside, it’s been years since Peter Jackson turned over his entire career to Gollum, Gandalf, Galadriel and the gang. So why not a fresh animated addition to the canon, a prequel to the books and films built out of asides, references and footnotes from Tolkien’s fertile efforts to flesh out this simulated ancient history of an ever-so-English fantasy?

Kenji Kamiyama, a veteran of Japanimation — Japanese animated TV series such as “Ghost in the Shell,” “Ultraman” and “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” — was commissioned to turn in a modest-budgeted ($30 million?), colorful and striking but somewhat under-animated visit to this universe.

The ancient lands of Gondor and Rohan have long struggled to get along, and to force themselves to come to each other’s aid in crisis. The alliance has been tested since even more ancient times, Tolkien wrote. Here’s an earlier clash.

A few familiar voices from the Jackson films — Miranda Otto, the late Christopher Lee (wizards really are immortal), Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan — turn up, sometimes as the long-lived characters they played in the many “Rings” and “Hobbit” films.

The action starts out brisk.

But I have to say, the sizzle has gone out of this series of projects. As someone who used to drive cross-country listening to CDs of BBC/NPR series based on Tolkien, who recorded for broadcast a friend’s symphonic poem based on “The Silmarillion” and who is old enough to have seen the beautiful but abortive Ralph Bakshi attempt to animate “The Lord of the Rings” for the big screen, most of what’s come along of late has left me cold.

And a deritive, character-cluttered (in the Old Testament Tolkien style), exposition-heavy and voice-over narrated to death anime (ish) treatment of events ever-so-similar to all that transpired in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy seems more cynical than inspired, more exhausted than fresh.

A couple of hundred years before a hobbit came upon “the one ring,” King Helm (Brian Cox) of the Rohirrim finds himself pressured to marry his princess daughter Hera (Gaia Wise) off to a prince of Gondor to ensure the security of his realm (Rohan).

But an opportunist at court, Lord Freca (Shaun Dooley) of the West Marches wants his lad Wulf (Luca Pasqualino) considered as a suitor, angling the family’s way to the throne. Princess Hera and Wulf used to play together as children. Maybe even “play house.”

That disagreement leads to a trial by combat that is the film’s first monumental let down. One combatant kills the other with a single punch.

Alliances crumble, schemes erupt and Rohan — its wooden palisaded strongholds and ancient stone fortresses — is threatened. The headstrong king won’t listen to nephews who beg him to “light the beacons, call for aid from Gondor.” And disasters strike.

There are kidnappings and cavalry charges, betrayals and battles, and giant sentient eagles, giant four-tusked war elephants and an even larger tentacled swamp monster figure in the proceedings.

None of it moved me, or moved the needle.

Once you get used to the anime style and color palette, beautifully rendering the ruins of ancient Gondor’s Isengard, scaling the icy peaks of winter in Middle Earth and the like, there’s little to grab hold of and embrace as visually “new” or “expanding the canon” or for that matter moving or entertaining. Comic relief characters aren’t funny, potential romances aren’t romantic and the action beats are jumpy and jerkily animated and not immersive at all.

“The Lord of the Rings” is classic fantasy literature, and there’s a richness to the detail and emotional connection with the characters that leaps from the page to whatever other medium this saga moves to.

But “The War of the Rohirrim” is narrated to death because it has to be, otherwise it would be impossible to follow. And it’s dull and simplistic as narrative, more of a “comic book” take on Tolkien than an actual adaptation of anything Tolkien would have allowed to be published.

Rating: PG-13, violence

Cast: The voices of Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Lorraine Ashbourne, Benjamin Wainright, Bilal Hasna, Miranda Otto many others

Credits: Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, scripted by Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. A New Line/Warner Bros. release.

Running time: 2:14

In the opening scene of A Conflict of Love Interest, Scarlett (Hedy Nasser) walks out of a man’s apartment as he pleads for her number. Her sharp, dismissive response—“I know”—paired with an effortlessly cool adjustment of her sunglasses as she steps into a cab, sets the tone for her character. Scarlett is someone who is on a dating spree and avoids commitment, exuding the self-assured main character energy reminiscent of Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck.

Wherever she goes, opportunities seem to follow, and emotions remain at a safe distance. The film promises a journey of self-discovery and emotional reflection but ultimately fails to immerse us in Scarlett’s transformation or make her someone we can root for.

Scarlett’s primary goal is to land a photographer’s role with Joan (Midori Nakamura), the mother of her boss Jenny (Rebecca Lee Lerman). To get there, she takes on the task of playing wingwoman to Jenny in her quest for love.

The 88-minute film unfolds like a soap opera—occasionally engaging but largely perplexing. While director Andrew Rasmussen deserves credit for crafting Scarlett as a flawed and sometimes frustrating protagonist, the narrative doesn’t allow these traits to add much depth. For instance, Scarlett quips about her fears: “Chipped nails, wrinkled clothes, and everything that stops you from looking perfect.” It’s an amusing moment, but it feels hollow, leaving her internal struggles underexplored.

The supporting characters—Jenny, Lisa (Deanna Ott), and Scarlett’s love interest Lucas Sharpe (Logan Schmucker)—are not fleshed out in ways that add much to the story.

While the film raises intriguing questions about personal growth and decision-making, these themes are quickly drowned in a shallow and predictable narrative. There are, however, moments of brilliance.

A confrontation between Jenny and Scarlett at Lucas’s apartment is the highlight, evoking the chaos of Friends when secrets come tumbling out. Similarly, the recurring ‘cacao ceremony’ and sound therapy scenes involving Lisa and Scarlett spark some genuine laughs. Yet, these moments are fleeting, overshadowed by a script riddled with cracks.

The climax, predictable and unremarkable, does little justice to the story or the audience’s investment. Even the seemingly poignant escapade to Coney Island with Lucas feels derivative, reminiscent of Begin Again but lacking the emotional resonance.

There is no real conflict to engage the viewer or a love story compelling enough to evoke warmth. The result is a forgettable film that falls short of its potential.

Ultimately, A Conflict of Love Interest might hold some appeal for those seeking a light, surface-level romantic drama. However, it offers neither the emotional depth nor the narrative intrigue needed to leave a lasting impression.—Narayani M