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  • Movie Review: ‘Gran Turismo’

    Archie Madekwe as Jann Mardenborough in 'Gran Turismo.'
    Archie Madekwe as Jann Mardenborough in ‘Gran Turismo.’

    Opening in limited release in theaters on August 11th and wide on August 25th, ‘Gran Turismo’ is the latest attempt to bring a video game –– sorry, driving simulator as the movie’s characters are at pains to remind us –– to screens. And it’s a mostly successful effort, partly because it has a compelling true story/underdog tale to tell rather than trying to force a narrative onto a title that doesn’t have one.

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    What’s the story of ‘Gran Turismo’?

    Archie Madekwe stars in Columbia Pictures 'Gran Turismo.'
    Archie Madekwe stars in Columbia Pictures ‘Gran Turismo.’ Photo: Gordon Timpen. ©2023 CTMG. All Rights Reserved. Gran Turismo is a trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

    The movie follows Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), a gamer living in the UK who is obsessed with the PlayStation-based driving simulation ‘Gran Turismo’. He’s become a highly proficient driver, rising up the ranks of top players and saving money to buy new gaming equipment even as his parents –– particularly former professional footballer Steve (Djimon Hounsou) –– don’t understand his ambitions.

    Jann’s life changes forever when he wins an invite-only GT race, gaining him entry to an exclusive academy set up primarily as a marketing deal between Nissan (driven by ambitious PR executive Danny Moore, played by Orlando Bloom) and Sony. Whoever succeeds at the academy will score a contract –– subject to also securing a racing license by finishing at least fourth in one race –– to drive in Nissan’s professional team for races in Europe and the United Arab Emirates.

    After making it through as the champ, Jann faces the toughest test of his life… since racing with trained drivers who have been behind the wheel of real vehicles for years is no mean feat. And he faces snobbish backlash from both pit crews and the drivers he’s competing against. Aided by former driver-turned-mentor Jack Salter (David Harbour), Jann will have to prove he has what it takes on actual tracks such as the legendary Le Mans in France.

    Related Article: Orlando Bloom Joins David Harbour in the ‘Gran Turismo’ Movie

    Who else is in ‘Gran Turismo?’

    David Harbour stars in Columbia Pictures 'Gran Turismo.'
    David Harbour stars in Columbia Pictures ‘Gran Turismo.’ Photo: Gordon Timpen. ©2023 CTMG. All Rights Reserved. Gran Turismo is a trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

    ‘Gran Turismo’s cast also includes Geri Horner, Darren Barnet, Takehiro Hira, Joshua Stradowski, Daniel Puig, Maeve Courtier-Lilley, Pepe Barroso, Thomas Kretschmann and Lindsay Pattison.

    Does ‘Gran Turismo’ make the winners’ circle?

    A scene from director Neill Blomkamp's 'Gran Turismo.'
    A scene from director Neill Blomkamp’s ‘Gran Turismo.’

    In a world where video game adaptations have finally started to see real success (e.g., ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ and ‘Mortal Kombat’), the pressure is on for new titles to stand out. ‘Gran Turismo’, which has been in development for years (at one point, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski was in the directing driver’s seat), has an advantage thanks to its hooky roots in Mardenborough’s real-life story, which means it doesn’t have to go the ‘Need for Speed’ route and try to layer a fictional idea over a game that doesn’t have a narrative.

    The result is much more effective than that benighted 2014 movie, though it still suffers from a few issues.

    Neill Blomkamp was an interesting choice to direct: he’s more known for the sci-fi likes of ‘District 9’, ‘Elysium’ and ‘Chappie’ and more recently took a side-step into shorts and horror. He certainly has a grasp on how to meld the effects with real-world footage seamlessly, aside from the moments where he actually wants to call attention to them (such as Jann’s car breaking apart to put him back in his bedroom before reforming all in one shot to show him channeling his virtual racing experience in a key moment during an actual event), and he knows how to shoot a kinetic racing scene.

    Madekwe, previously seen in movies such as ‘Midsommar and ‘Voyagers’ does a decent job of bringing Jann to life, the script from ‘American Sniper’s Jason Hall and ‘King Richard’s Zach Baylin, portraying him as quietly confident but never overly cocky (there’s a stock American fellow driver for that purpose). He’s believably a young man still looking for his place in the world when he discovers this extension to his obsessions.

    Yet the person truly deserving of a place on the acting podium is David Harbour, who has spent years perfecting the grumpy veteran dealing with a bunch of younger people on ‘Stranger Things’. His Jack is a highlight of the movie, a former racer himself tinged with tragedy who is grimly unconvinced that any of these “sim” kids can cut it in an actual car before Jann proves he has real potential, and a bond begins to form. Harbour is also the anchor for an amusing montage where Jack washes out one simulator candidate after another.

    Oh, and this is likely to be the only video game/sports movie where the hero chills out to Enya and Kenny G.

    Where does the movie lose traction?

    'Gran Turismo' video game from PlayStation.
    ‘Gran Turismo’ video game from PlayStation.

    Which isn’t to say ‘Gran Turismo’ is totally free of issues. Despite the pacey racing scenes, no amount of sweeping drone/helicopter shots and camera positions near wheels can help the fact that an awful lot of what happens on the track is repetitive. There are several moments where Jann is trying to get past his competition, only for them to swerve to block him. It makes for less excitement more checking of the watch as you wonder if there is ever going to be anything else happening.

    And even when Jann suffers an accident that shakes him to the core, the fallout seems less than realistic, him refusing to see his mother and father when you know any real parent would have rushed to the young person’s side, no matter their feelings.

    In fact, emotion is a big issue for a film as a whole, coldly bringing the story to life with little in the way of heartfelt human reactions. Again, only Madekwe and Harbour moving the needle in any real direction on that front.

    And while the cars are running on gas, the film’s plot –– real as it might be –– is solely powered by cliches. There are the family misunderstandings, the wilder sportier brother (played by Daniel Puig, who ironically looks more like the real-life Mardenborough), the rivalry on the track and the snobbish professionals, one of whom drives a gold car. There’s also an entirely unnecessary subplot about Jann’s flirtation/relationship with a girl from his hometown who he follows on Instagram that adds nothing to the story and could have been excised, shortening the bloated 2hr and 15-minute running time.

    Yet ‘Gran Turismo’, while it might not be in pole position, has enough entertainment value and certainly skirts around some of the bigger potholes of game adaptations past.

    ‘Gran Turismo’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.

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    Orlando Bloom stars in Columbia Pictures 'Gran Turismo.'
    Orlando Bloom stars in Columbia Pictures ‘Gran Turismo.’ Photo: Gordon Timpen. ©2023 CTMG. All Rights Reserved. Gran Turismo is a trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

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    ‘Gran Turismo’ is produced by PlayStation Productions, 2.0 Entertainment, and Columbia Pictures. The movie is scheduled to release in theaters on August 11th, 2023.

  • Movie Review: ‘Infinity Pool’

    Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård star in Brandon Cronenberg's 'Infinity Pool.'
    (L to R) Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård star in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool.’

    ‘Infinity Pool,’ which is the new film from writer/director Brandon Cronenberg (‘Antivirus’), the son of legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg (‘The Fly’), opens in theaters on January 27th.

    The new erotic-horror-thriller stars Alexander Skarsgård (‘The Northman’) as James Foster, a troubled author enjoying a vacation at a tropical resort with his estranged wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman). Eventually they meet the mysterious Gabi (‘Pearl’s Mia Goth), and her husband Alban (‘Tell No One’s Jalil Lespert), who invite them on a day trip to a private beach outside the resort, which is forbidden by the local government for guests to visit.

    After an unfortunate accident leaves James facing a zero tolerance policy for his crime, he discovers an expensive loophole that allows foreign criminals to live as long as they are first cloned, and then witness their own clone’s execution. This leads James to question his own mortality, as well as his marriage, as he experiences violence, hedonism and untold horror with Gabi, Alban, and their wealthy friends.

    The result is a truly crazy movie experience that explores themes of mortality and sexuality, while grounding it in the horror genre. Cronenberg’s direction is impressive, but the screenplay falls apart in the third act, and while Alexander Skarsgård gives a strong performance, it is Mia Goth that truly shines and steals the film.

    Mia Goth as Gabi in Brandon Cronenberg's 'Infinity Pool.'
    Mia Goth as Gabi in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool.’

    It’s very hard to know exactly what type of movie ‘Infinity Pool’ is going to be from the first 20 minutes. It starts off very “normal,” never hinting at the sci-fi or horror elements yet to come. In the beginning, it almost seems like a noir film, or that it will turn out to be about an affair, and ultimately a ‘Fatal Attraction’ type thriller. But once the idea of cloning is introduced as an actual thing, you realize that all bets are off as the movie gets stranger and stranger (in a good way) and ultimately is more like an updated ‘Eyes Wide Shut.’

    I should have known that the film would go in that direction, and while Brandon Cronenberg introduces elements and themes similar to his father’s movies, the two directors are quite different. I was very impressed with Brandon Cronenberg’s direction, and the unique camera angles and composition of shots that he and his cinematographer, Karim Hussain, crafted. In fact, the film opens on an eerie shot of the resort’s pool and then quickly inverts the landscape. The filmmaker uses this technique throughout the film and it adds to the mood and tone of the movie.

    Cronenberg uses other interesting camera and editing techniques during the party scenes where the characters are using hallucinating drugs. Along with the actors performances, this technique really relates the feeling of being under the influence of these drugs and the out-of-control state of mind of the characters for the audience.

    In addition to being an erotic thriller and eventually dipping its toes in both the sci-fi and horror genres, the movie also addresses the themes of class and privilege. Other than the film’s more salacious or outrageous moments, this is where the movie’s message works best, when James begins to examine his own privilege and that of the wealthy people he is associating with.

    But the film also deals with the idea of, who are we? As its never quite clear if the real James still exists, or if the James we meet at the beginning of the movie was secretly replaced with his own clone each time the “clone” was supposedly killed. Cronenberg navigates this well, never truly giving us an answer, but leaving the clues for the audience to decide themselves. The movie also explores the question of mortality, and what it does to James to repeatedly watch “himself” die.

    Cleopatra Coleman as Em in Brandon Cronenberg's 'Infinity Pool.'
    Cleopatra Coleman as Em in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool.’

    Cleopatra Coleman is fine in her role as Em, but is not given much to do other than warn and then watch James on his downward spiral. French actor Jalil Lespert is very entertaining as Gabi’s husband, who is an outgoing and funny character. Rounding out the supporting cast is German actor Thomas Kretschmann (‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’) as Detective Thresh, the policeman that arrests James and offers him the cloning deal. The actor completely sells the cloning concept, even though it takes a certain amount of suspended disbelief from the audience to accept in the movie which is otherwise grounded in reality.

    Alexander Skarsgård, who is coming off an absolutely excellent performance in last year’s ‘The Northman,’ gives another strong performance in ‘Infinity Pool,’ and helps anchor the film’s believability. The actor, who often plays heroic or “cool” characters marvelously transformed himself into a much meeker man, someone that could easily fall into Gabi’s mental traps. James is having a breakdown, not only in his marriage, but also in his own understanding of who he is as a human being, and it’s fun watching Skarsgård portray that in the movie.

    Alexander Skarsgård as James Foster in Brandon Cronenberg's 'Infinity Pool.'
    Alexander Skarsgård as James Foster in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool.’

    But its Mia Goth’s performance as Gabi, that really shines and makes the film worth watching. The actress made a real name for herself last year starring in both of director Ti West’s horror movies ‘X’ and ‘Pearl.’ Again here, Goth gives another performance as a troubled and mysterious woman in what could be considered a horror movie, but her role is so much more complex than that.

    She must beguile both James and the audience from her first scene, convincing us to trust her innocent character. Goth’s pleasant demeanor and kind attitude is more than enough to mask her character’s true intentions and the massive threat that she presents. Goth gives a sweet and innocent performance at first, but can more than handle the sudden flip in her character, once Gabi’s true intentions are revealed and she “goes nuclear.”

    In the end, ‘Infinity Pool’ is an interesting and thought-provoking film that works on several different levels, but never really pulls it all together. Brandon Cronenberg is an impressive director to keep an eye on, and Alexander Skarsgård gives a performance unlike anything we’ve seen from him before, but it is Mia Goth who makes the movie truly worth watching.

    Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård star in Brandon Cronenberg's 'Infinity Pool.'
    (L to R) Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård star in Brandon Cronenberg’s ‘Infinity Pool.’

    ‘Infinity Pool’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.

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