"Wuthering Heights", Crime 101 and Cold Storage

 

I wasn't interested if "Wuthering Heights" wasn't true to the book. This was a typical Emerald Fennel movie, concentrating on the visuals rather than the story, which, to be frank, is pretty repetitive and bare on plot. It is more like an art house film with added intensity. All the performances were fine: Margot Robbie as Catherine just doing enough to look the part, and Jacob Elordi never smiling once and just this side of wooden. But the star for me was Martin Clunes, well known in our house for Doc Martin but sounding awful in the trailer for Mother's Pride. Here he is outstanding as Catherine's father, the horrible Earnshaw. The best acting I had seen for a very long time.

The critics were mixed in their reception; Tom Shone in the Sunday Times, who hated the film and the direction, said, "With the scenes of her degradation, the film flares briefly into life." I thought it was much better than that. Let's then talk about the soundtrack. Composed by Charli xcx, I was not looking forward to that part of the film. How wrong I was. This turned out to be the best original music for a movie for years, if not ever? From the opening song House through to Out of Myself and Eyes of the World, this is just class. But I was not prepared to be blown away by the music over the end credits. I was stuck in my seat when Altars played. This had not happened since 1997's El Matador by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs played at the end of Grosse Pointe Blank. 

I think I might be going off crime thrillers. Of its kind, Crime 101 was fine: formulaic car chases and a detective chasing a thief. A one last job scenario. Not a lot else. A week later I can hardly recall the plot. Chris Hemsworth, Barry Keoghan and Halle Berry turn up for director Bart Layton, writing with Don Winslow, on whose novella it is based. How Peter Bradshaw gave it four stars I will never know. 

I very nearly missed Cold Storage. The trailer did not look promising. But in the end it was amazing; it went so fast, had such a great pace, was so funny and surprisingly well written and directed that the whole cast bought into it. More of a drama, thank goodness, than the obvious horror-sci-fi-comedy-thriller it turned out to be. It never outstayed its welcome at an hour and a half. I didn't know the two young leads, but they were great: Joe Keery as Travis and British actress Georgina Campbell as Naomi. Add in Liam Neeson, playing at last to his seventy-three years (Northern Irish); Vanessa Redgrave and Lesley Manville (two more Brits), the latter brilliant with two great one-liners, and we have a great cast. 

And the horror? It was more funny than scary, thank goodness; some sort of parasite fungus. Well directed by Johnny Campbell, another Brit who started out with TV series such as Spooks, Ashes to Ashes, and Westworld and his first film, Alien Autopsy. It was well written by David Koepp based on his 2019 novel. And with two great songs: 'I Get Around' by The Beach Boys and 'One Way or Another' by Blondie. It was good fun and properly presented.