On Finding Form with Slow West, Terminator Genisys and True Story

Cinema, as a form, is exploring and testing many disciplines; some of them rooted in history, such as photography, editing and acting; some relatively new such as motion capture or computer generated imagery. In projecting the three dimensional world on to a two dimensional screen, life and character must somehow not get lost in the transition. An emotional response, of some kind, feels necessary in order to render the experience memorable. Success rates are hit and miss, even for the most practised.

Slow West, John Maclean’s feature debut makes a hit early on with his careful composition and steady character study. His script doesn’t rush and his characters unfold nicely, remaining engaging throughout. His mise en scene is uncluttered, like his story, reflecting confidence in his story and location. Maclean makes this western look easy.

Yet, easy is not a word one would associate with Terminator Genisys. An inexplicable misspelling is not a good start for this messy narrative. Director Alan Taylor, who has worked on some of the best American TV of the last decade, does a decent job of bringing this fifth Terminator film to audiences. There’s simply too much going on here. For some reason, Genisys attempts to rewrite the original Terminator narrative from 1984 whilst telling its own story. Time travel is complicated enough at the best of times. Here, it becomes impossible.

Moving from one form to another, Rupert Goold steps over from the theatre to direct True Story, the story of American killer Christian Longo. Longo’s story is fascinating, but the film is not, which leads to a strange situation. Once Longo’s dilemma is established, it is hard to not want to find out the end of his case. True Story is a film of conversations, so how to make that engaging was Goold’s task. Unfortunately, the performances are too understated and noncommittal and the many scenes of talking, too similar and too often without enough revelation to reward our attention.

Hits and misses, experience and first timers, form is found and enjoyed or lacking and disappointing. Slow West is the one here to seek out.