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Leonardo (2021)
A strange way to treat one of history's greatest geniuses.
Reviews on this have been love or hate. I'm hoping to go for something more balanced.
Let me get a few things straight.
I don't dislike this series because it's "woke." There's evidence to suggest Leonardo was gay, and portraying him as such is entirely justified.
I don't dislike this because it's a fusion of bio pic and murder mystery. That was a bold idea that might have worked.
I don't dislike this because it takes dramatic license with historical truth. We know that anything historical is a version of the truth and that this is not a documentary. We get that.
No, the reason I dislike this is that its bold ambition doesn't work. The script is poor. Exposition is simplistic and anachronistic - at one point, Leonardo compares his mental state to a black hole! But worse than that there's no subtext. Things are made explicit in the script in a way that reflects soap operas, not real life. "You were a mistake," his father tells Leonardo. One wonders whether da Vinci Senior was actually that crass, or whether the script writer just wasn't up to the task.
Aidan Turner looks wonderful, from the young apprentice to the old bearded maestro, but aside from a few touching moments, this is not his best performance. Acting props go to James D'Arcy's Ludovico Sforza, played with a masterly blend of camp and menace, and to Carlos Cuevas, who is perfectly cast as Salai. Freddie Highmore, on the other hand, is badly out of his depth.
It looks beautiful, with many frames set up almost as masterpieces in their own right. I'd be happy just to watch as his works of art took shape, but you can't get an 8-part series out of that. My heart sinks to hear of a second series. What are they going to do - accuse him of murdering someone else? It's a strange way to treat one of history's greatest geniuses.
The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)
Flawed but fascinating
It has taken me a long time to decide how I feel about this flawed but fascinating movie. On the one hand, kudos to everyone involved for committing to a quirky heartfelt, genre-defying labour of love. On the other, there are swathes of one-star reviews on Amazon from people who feel short-changed and I've some sympathy with them. But not much. Perhaps the title wrong-footed them, but some of them seem to have missed the point entirely.
Where to start? Spoilers are almost not a problem, because it does exactly what it says on the tin. The man, Calvin Barr (Sam Elliott) kills Hitler and then the Bigfoot. What is more interesting is what falls into the gaps in between. This is a slow-burning movie about regret and loss, as Elliott's character reflects on the killing of a monster and the realisation that while he can kill the man he can never destroy his poisonous ideology. The sacrifice he made to do so, in losing his young love, is something he must now feel was hardly worth it, with the far right on the march in the States and the erosion of common decency, which Sam Elliott so perfectly embodies. The scenes with the younger version of his character, played by Poldark's Aidan Turner (who more than passes for a young Sam Elliott) are among the most striking and poignant in the film. You almost wish director Robert Krzykowski had left it there. The later Bigfoot scenes seem clumsy and pointless, unless you buy into the symbolism. There's plenty of it and it always leaves you wondering. Better take it as the story of an old man wrestling with his demons, rather than a literal scrap with an actual monster. Special effects on this are almost comically bad, but deliberately so, as if the story's interests lie elsewhere and doesn't want us too caught up in the drama.
The performances are universally great. Ironic that Elliott was Oscar-nominated for A Star is Born the same year, while this little gem of a performance slipped under the radar. Caitlin FitzGerald does her best with an under-written female lead, while Aidan Turner (scarily sexy in an S.S. uniform) shines as the diffident young man who killed Hitler. Ambition is no bad quality in a director and this is Robert Krzykowski's debut feature. You can't help but feel his reach may have exceeded his grasp on this. By all means watch and be bemused, or moved. But in either case, learn to pronounce Krzykowski, because this is a name to watch.
Love Is Blind (2019)
Turner is brilliant in this original, touching drama
This movie had an uneasy delivery. Initially called Look Away, it then went under the title Beautiful Darkness before settling on the final title Love is Blind. This rather bland title is the only thing about it that lacks original thought. Beautiful Darkness would have suited it better. Such an intriguing premise - a girl who cannot see her mother. It has so much resonance and if you like to watch a movie and leave with all your questions answered and everything neatly tied up in a bow, then this is not for you. All of the cast are excellent but Shannon Tarbet and Aidan Turner deserve particular credit for bringing convincing psychological realism to something that treads a fine line between realistic drama and magical realism and always manages to keep that delicate balance. Aidan Turner is devastatingly good as Russell, the guy who just wants to disappear. It's beautifully shot and unfolds gently and seductively. It deserves a much higher profile than it's had and lingers in the mind long after the end.