Lindsay R. Bellinger

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By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER

 

 

The classical soundtrack and the music that Sofia plays within the film are the standouts. The audience was into the film, that is until the third act when it became a bit too convoluted. Joely Richardson as Alex, the stone cold head of a security agency, is flawless and stunning. Her younger brother Marc, played by the handsome Ed Skrein, doesn't say too much, which is fine because he looks good flexing his muscles. Visually the film looks lovely. Somewhere in the latter half it looses some steam and doesn't quite live up to its full potential. If one enjoys political thrillers with a good soundtrack, then it's really not a bad way to spend an evening.

Now to the unbearable, not just awful in the sense that it was poorly shot or executed but in that it was absurd just for the sake of being absurd. It feels like a hipster film if there ever was one. It's a shame because one can see that the studio gave this film a decent budget to play around with. The comic talents of Audrey Plaza (as Lulu Danger), Chris Robinson (as Beverly Luff Linn) and a decent supporting cast including Emile Hirsch (as Shane Danger) was really wasted here. British director Jim Hosking's "An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn" feels like it's a cheap imitation of a John Waters or Christopher Guest film or even worse an extended SNL skit from their lazy and boring days. What boggles my mind is why the Berlin audience was really into it; there were way more laughs than the opening night's far superior New Zealand film "Mega Time Squad". I could go on and on about why this film really sucked the air out of the room, and even had me checking my watch four times, but then this article might never end. Thanks to the coffee that I downed right before the opening credits I was able to stay awake. Each moment when I thought that it might end a new scene started. It was quite trying. One scene in a diner where Lulu keeps saying over and over that Beverly is a man's name, even though her suitor adamantly says that it's a woman's name is tedious. There are too many scenes like that. The music was actually not that bad but much of the original score seem misplaced, as if it was accidentally synced to this film in some big mix-up. Too bad I couldn't muster up enough energy to walk out, but some small part of me needed to stay and see if it got any better. It didn't. 

And finally as I'm listening to Tangerine Dream's "Firestarter" soundtrack on vinyl we reach the brilliant part of Day 2. These Tangerine Dream electronic tracks get me in the perfect mood. Certain parts of composer Simon Waskow's menacing score brings to mind this iconic German band, well known for their film work. Their piercing and frenetic sound is influential. Some other bits even evoke memories of John Carpenter's compositions. German writer-director-producer-editor Tilman Singer's debut film "Luz" is a mysterious horror film that leaves a lasting imprint on one's mind. As soon as it was over, I wanted to see it again. That doesn't happen often.