list.co.uk/fi lm Reviews | FILM
FANTASY TALE OF TALES (15) 134min ●●●●●
COMEDY DRAMA ADULT LIFE SKILLS (TBC) 96min ●●●●● COMEDY BARBERSHOP: A FRESH CUT (12A) 112min ●●●●●
You can't accuse Matteo Garrone of playing it safe. He followed his international breakthrough crime thriller Gomorrah with a satire of reality TV’s fatal attraction in 2012’s Reality. Now, he offers a loose interpretation of Giambattista Basile’s fairytales. We are deep in ‘once upon a time’ territory with stories that unfold across neighbouring kingdoms. In Selvascura, the Queen (Salma Hayek) will do anything to have a child. In Altomonte, the King (Toby Jones) is fascinated by a flea he secretly rears. In Roccaforte, the monarch (Vincent Cassel) is besotted by the voice of a woman.
Tale of Tales looks a treat as Garrone utilises spectacular locations and fills the screen with vibrant colours and grotesque characters, while the fine cast give committed performances that help keep you engaged. Yet the film is cripplingly undone by a lack of cohesion; there is little rhyme or reason to what happens as we flit between the locations and alight upon enough stories and loose ends to fill countless bedtimes. The result is an eccentric, sprawling hodgepodge that is enchanting in parts but falls far short of becoming their sum. (Allan Hunter) ■ General release from Fri 17 Jun.
A ‘life sucks’ comedy bobbing along on an undercurrent of palpable pain, Adult Life Skills succeeds as a polished rib-tickler and credible study of grief. Rachel Tunnard’s shrewd, sweary, impossibly British debut is almost ashamed of its smarts, with classical references and astute observation modestly paired with dick jokes. Arriving at the third film in this series set around a Chicago barbers, it’s been 12 years since we last saw Ice Cube’s scissor-man, Calvin. Directed by Malcolm D Lee, Barbershop: A Fresh Cut is a crisp mix of sassy back-chat and social issues. As Calvin’s shop now shares floor space with a salon, a battle of the sexes is alive and kicking.
It’s the story of Anna (Jodie Whittaker), a young Among the newbies is Nicki Minaj’s flirty Draya,
woman deep in crisis as she approaches 30. Devastated by the loss of her twin, she’s been living in a garden shed, her melancholic existence enlivened by interactions with soft-voiced admirer Brendan (Brett Goldstein), troubled youngster Clint (Ozzy Myers) and exuberant bestie Fiona (Rachael Deering). Whittaker is superb, while Alice Lowe and Eileen Davies (as Anna’s salty nan) are not above a spot of scene-stealing. Although the romance takes a welcome back-seat, Brendan is so adorable and so amusingly portrayed that you’ll be rooting for him throughout. Made with great care and compassion, Adult Life Skills is willing to surrender its affability when things get ugly. It’ll win you over with whimsy then floor you with sincerity. (Emma Simmonds) ■ Selected release from Fri 24 Jun.
who has most of the men drooling, including Calvin’s colleague Rashad (Common), to the considerable chagrin of his wife Terri (Eve). The scenarios are hardly original but amusingly played out nonetheless, with Minaj a vivacious presence. Things take a serious turn when a young patron is shot dead and Calvin offers free haircuts to encourage a ceasefire.
There’s perhaps an over-reliance on celeb cameos and social media posturing, but the only real imbalance comes with a subplot involving Calvin’s son that tips the film towards melodrama. But even then, Ice Cube (an actor rarely given much credit) keeps it afloat. That said, the ultra-naff Obama post-credits sting is something we could have done without. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 17 Jun.
KIDS' MOVIE THE BFG (TBC) 115min ●●●●●
Roald Dahl dedicated 1982’s The BFG to his daughter Olivia, who passed away from measles at the age of seven. In tribute, he created a tremblingly scary, delightfully imaginative world in which a young orphan called Sophie (played here by Ruby Barnhill) is kidnapped by the only vegetarian inhabitant of a land of ‘human bean’ gobbling monsters. This movie version of the beloved book mixes live action and
motion capture and is directed by no less than Steven Spielberg, with the late Melissa Mathison (ET, Kundun) adapting Dahl’s text. When they first arrive in this strange place of oozing snozzcumbers and English artefacts, the BFG (voiced warmly by Mark Rylance) tenderly places Sophie’s possessions – a copy of Nicholas Nickleby and a blanket – in the crow’s nest of the ship in which he sleeps, and sends her off to the land of nod. You see, the BFG has suffered a sad loss himself and wishes only to protect her. Visual effects maestros Weta Digital have done a remarkable job with the creation of the ruddy-cheeked, massive-eared behemoth. Playfully introduced hiding in the shadows, the film gets off to a strong and fun beginning. And the attention to detail is marvellous, with Spielberg inserting a fantastic nod to Dahl’s illustrator Quentin Blake in the shape of a secret room where his sketches are fanned out for discovery.
The film sadly loses its way in its attempts to deliver menace but is at its best when delicately weaving the affectionate relationship between the BFG and the bold, book-smart orphan. Packed full of magical imagery, jovial surprise and royally funny fart jokes, it’s heartwarming stuff even if it doesn’t quite have a handle on the darker elements of Dahl’s vision. (Katherine McLaughlin) ■ General release from Fri 22 Jul.
2 Jun–1 Sep 2016 THE LIST 71