"Slow West" Review

The grazing backdrop of grand pastures and green lands are often just as mesmerizingly fascinating as the secrets buried within them, the blood-sweat-and-tear-concoction procured to live among them, and the people who move across the globe simply to breathe within the realm of such an unassumingly corrupt landscape, simply for its beauty. In John Maclean’s “Slow West”, this usage of gorgeous landscape as an additional character serves well, especially in its ability to balance against the deep rooted flaws, repulsive nature, and fairly redeeming monstrousness of the other characters who choose to inhabit this lush, abundant scenery. The notion of love as a universality is simultaneously explored, and the moving meadows and lavish range over which we witness this examination proves integral to its execution.

Well, not even a grand, daunting landscape can sway a young heart’s desire, as we see in Jay Cavendish, played by Kodi Smit-Mcphee, who ventures over land, sea, and fire to win back the one he loves, Rose Ross - Caren Pistorius, who left Scotland with her father to America. Unfortunately, Ross and her father are wanted for a heinous crime, as Jay soon discovers with the help and somewhat questionable guidance of Silas (Michael Fassbender).

The theme of survival at the forefront, or frontier rather, Jay proves that he can endure the colossal pitfalls and trials awaiting anyone who embarks on a cross-country venture during the 19th century in the wild west, and it is only at his bleakest does needed aid arrive in the form of Silas, an abrasive, rather tempestuous, character, who offers the perfect foil to the timid, less killer-instinct-y Jay.

We soon discover that a group of bandits, or “bounty hunters”, are after them, as well as Rose and her father, led by Payne, Ben Mendelsohn. And, as it happens, Silas formerly belonged to this band of rogues and vagabonds - creating a very layered, weaved interaction between each poignant character in this story. Each persona is so individualized, yet their motivations and objectives flow smoothly and balance off one another like silk, no matter how varying, interchangeable, and opposing they are.

Maclean definitely struck gold with this particular machination, offering a new and unique perspective on the stereotypical Western film - one that often views women as damsels in distress, men as the sole gatekeepers, love as a communion only to be shared between the “Godly,” and the greater number of deaths in the innumerable shootouts, the better. While some may find the amount of violence in “Slow West” rather gratuitous, its worth becomes greater in its portrayal of Rose defending herself against all of the gun-toting bad guys. She offers a sweetness, and a strange sense of empowerment, in her ability to hold her own in an atmosphere dominated by men. If anyone is portraying a damsel in distress in this picture, its Jay Cavendish himself.

In a memorable moment as Jay and Silas are venturing across the land, Jay uncovers a revelation that “love is universal like death” when stumbling across a group of singing drifters - another notion which challenges the conventional Western genre, firstly, for its free extension of emotion generated by a male figure, and secondly, for its unconscious request for equality. Love does not choose its target, fate does, and such a sentiment is definitely worth noting, especially in our contemporary climate of inequality, gender, and sex discrimination.

The cast does excellent work here, and it goes without saying that Fassbender pretty much steals the show. Smit-McPhee’s depiction of Jay is soft, yet striking in all of the appropriate places, unleashing his dominance and aggression only when truly needed. In addition, Pistorius is equally as hypnotizing, entrancing the viewer whether the scene requires a heightened or more reserved energy. And of course, Mendelsohn is, well, Mendelsohn, and captures the innate trickery and cunning of his character so smoothly and beautifully, it’s as though he can do this with his eyes closed and hands tied.

A definite, and much needed, refresher of the Old Western, “Slow West” is a sensational   race against time, the frontier, and regressive notions of family, love, and friendship. As long as love remains universal, and equality remains paramount, any marathon, trial, or test of endurance is worth trekking, as Maclean proves in this triumphant win.

"Ex Machina" Review

The fear of failure is a sense of cowardice we may witness the most powerful people suffer, causing apprehension to embrace the road before them, and, very often, a feeling of aversion to life altogether. This particular angst, if not dealt with appropriately, adequately, or immediately, will seep through the veins of the fearful like a poison, really derailing their ability to receive the gifts they deserve in life and hindering their capacity to exert their own, personal skills for the greater good.

These inherent personal dilemmas are explored throughout much of Danny Boyle’s work, in horror films like “28 Days Later”, “Sunshine”, and “Dredd”, which are all features based on human fear and the innate survival instinct it triggers, questioning one’s own moral code in the process. What would you do to live? To survive? Well, In his latest work “Ex Machina”, Boyle explores fear based survival instincts, not necessarily through conventional life or death scenarios, though they are definitely probed and examined, but through male-female relations and, namely, sexism. How do women intend to survive in male-dominated arenas? And, if possible, achieve success in realms with a severely uneven gender ratio? In addition to possessing artificial intelligence? Boyle really provides a refreshed interpretation of artificial intelligence in “Ex Machina”, analyzing the notion of whether or not such an entity with automated thinking may possess human consciousness, depicting the dynamic through concrete gender relations which parallel those found in our contemporary culture. 

The central character Caleb, played by Dohnall Gleeson, wins a trip to spend a week with his boss, Nathan, played by Oscar Isaac, in his secluded, beautiful, architecturally masterful home in a forested, mountaintop oasis. It is a location so hidden, one feels almost intrusive for viewing it when it’s exposed in its introductory frame. Well, Gleeson captures Caleb’s intelligence, and simultaneous naive gratitude for the opportunity so exquisitely, that we are not afraid to venture along with him on his journey of double crosses and schemes if it’s set within such a picturesque, almost unreal backdrop.

Caleb is soon introduced to Nathan’s artificially intelligent creation Ava, played by Alicia Vikander, and tasked with determining whether or not she passes the Turing Test. Ava convinces the audience almost immediately that she is able to think for herself, feel emotion, and act non-autistically. She begins to develop a bond, a slight romantic attachment, to Caleb, offering insight on the type of individual Nathan is, as one would do for a friend in the name of protection. And, of course, Nathan isn’t particularly the most morally developed, ethically enhanced individual on the planet, and the juxtaposition between himself and his creation is unique - he is middle aged with the moral compass of a sociopathic ne’er-do-well, and she is only a year old with the hindsight of the most gifted and blessed oracles. Boyle really manages to tell his story with such moral inquiries in each frame, gliding so effortlessly from one picture to the next when the characters are being good, while evoking tones of suspense just as the characters become more ruthless, brutal, and unrelenting.

Isaac steals the show in each scene he’s in, definitely displaying his range and overall ability to knock it out of the park in a science fiction film. It takes mighty intelligence to portray a character with mighty intelligence, and in addition to the magic of his charisma, his performance is truly spectacular. Gleeson definitely holds his own, however, and Vikander is so ethereal in her portrayal, that one cannot help but root for her to find her way, no matter how long it takes.

The feature is layered in suspense, existential ideas of female-male relations, and the overall notion of fear and its regressive influence on one’s psyche, abilities, and growth.  The idea that men have such a dominant affect on the role of women in this world is frightening, yet women who refrain from speaking up or doing anything about this dynamic is an even scarier reality. “Ex Machina” is a masterful picture, and definitely one worth sitting through despite the deep, painful questions it raises about one’s own ideas about men and women, existence, and fear.