AUGUSTINE (B+) - This is a slow burn of a French psychodrama that gradually reveals itself to be an old-fashioned if uncertain love story. Set in the 19th century, this elegant film spins the tale of teenage Augustine (played by Soko), a household servant who suffers from horrific, orgasmic seizures that at times paralyze parts of her body.
She is taken to a sanitarium and her condition is diagnosed by a neurologist, Professor Charcot (sad-eyed Vincent Linden, "Mademoiselle Chambon"). Augustine becomes a bit of a show horse for the professor, who parades her to various conferences, where he hypnotizes her to induce the seizures. Charcot wins acclaim.
Charcot's wife, Constance (finally a substantial role for Chiarra Mastroianni), seems distant and displays signs of jealousy of the bond that develops between Charcot and Augustine, even though, by all appearances, the pair have a simple medical relationship. However, that relationship takes a fascinating twist toward the film's rewarding resolution. In typical French fashion, this one is a slow burn, deceptively clever, with a deep resonance.
THE WORLD'S END (B+) - The gang from "Shaun of the Dead" is back -- writer/director Edgar Wright, writer/star Simon Pegg and co-star Nick Frost -- with a reprise of the standard drunken-slacker-meets-alien-invader story. While they can't recapture the magic of that first film, they do an admirable job of doing it proud, delivering head-spinningly clever dialogue that dares you to keep up with it.
Pegg is Gary King, a loser who wears the same clothes and drives the same car he did back in the early '90s and who hasn't gotten his life together. His four old school chums have gotten their lives together but try as they might they can't resist Gary's silly plan for a reunion back in their hometown in order to complete a feat that eluded them back in the day: the Golden Mile, a run of 12 pubs (with a beer at each) in one night. Never mind that Andy (Frost) is a teetotaling recovering alcoholic.
The first half of the film is a classic British tale of raunchy old mates getting cheeky with each other (I learned the phrase "having a wide-on") and failing miserably to recapture their youth. Wright flips a switch about halfway through, though, to reveal that their hometown is now overrun by robotic types that ooze blue goo when you, you know, knock off their heads or rip off a limb (ideal for beating them with).
Suddenly, the special effects kick into high gear and the broad gags from "Shaun of the Dead" rise from the grave. The proceedings, however, can be exhausting. With about 20 minutes (and three pubs) to go, the air went out of the theater and the audience seemed to disengage. Part of that might have been the rather strident political tone that Wright and company take, forcing us to actually think about whether or not we're better off submitting to an intellectually superior life form or purging artificial intelligence from our lives.
The final showdown with the leader of the robots (voiced by Bill Nighy) brings everything together -- a clever polemic mixed with filthy putdowns -- and the coda tidies things up nicely, but as the credits rolled there was a slight sense of relief mixed with the joy of having survived such an engaging film.
BLACKFISH (B+) - This is a powerful call to arms that goes behind the scenes at Sea World to reveal the treatment of performing orcas who have turned violent over the years. CNN Films jumps into the documentary deep end with a story that unfolds a bit like a mystery. It will hook you, but in the end, the whole exercise comes off as a little too slick for its own good.
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, producer Manny Oteyza and co-writer Eli Despres do their homework here. They gather a good number of former Sea World trainers to tell the story that centers around Tilikum, the whale that killed its trainer in 1991 and more recently attacked Dawn Brancheau, in February 2011, drowning her in front of a stadium full of shocked spectators.
Sea World declined to participate in the film (you can read a bit of post-production back and forth between Sea World and the filmmakers here), so this often feels one-sided. But the former trainers come off as earnest, fair and believable. They're not shy about expressing their guilt for participating in the spectacle. (It's also fun to see footage of them as fresh young adults compared to their weathered and world-weary faces now.)
The filmmakers really score with their explanation of the habits of orcas and a debunking of the myths reportedly perpetuated by Sea World. The whales are highly social, often with a tight-knit family structure (families commonly are split up and scattered to different venues). They also are highly developed emotionally, a fact that the filmmakers exploit to great effect in ratcheting up the drama.
In the end, you might feel a bit manipulated by this well-produced polemic. That's no criticism of the filmmakers, who used all the tricks at their disposal to get a point across.
BONUS TRACK
The soundtrack from "The World's End" is loaded with Manchester-scene classics from a generation ago, notably "Loaded" (and its defiant opening dialogue) by Primal Scream. Another one of my favorites, from the Inspiral Carpets, also gets a spin. Enjoy.
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