Widows – 2018 McQueen

• 1.0 December 2018
• McQueen continues the streak– of one of the most promising starts to a career (he’s 11 years in now and 4 films) in cinema history
• He’s great at capturing places, a great photographer—this captures Chicago as well as he did with NYC in Shame
• Neeson again plays a memory or figment like he did in Gangs of New York (spoiler I know) but at least mostly shown through flashbacks
• Great shot of the ceiling of some of Chicago’s historic buildings and beautiful architecture– the Alderman speech specifically near the beginning
• It’s more plotted than McQueen’s other film and the sprawling ensemble is as large if not larger than 12 Years. It’s a great narrative- engaging, intelligent-and it moves– but if you had to ask me if I hoped his next film was co-written by Gillian Flynn (who I like) I’d say no. I like the pauses the rest of his work has and the camera that inhabits
• Like 12 Years a Slave there are two jaw-dropping cinematic sequences here—there’s the long tracking shot fixed on the car (Farrell’s) as we go from the “projects” if you will to his house. It’s masterful. It’s using film style to make a social/racial statement. It’s cinema, it’s narrative (meaning it’s not just style for show)- god I love it— the other is the 360 camera shot on the basketball court with Daniel Kaluuya. Wow.
  
• I thought Kaluuya was as strong as Davis (who does some of her best work) if not stronger. He lights the screen on fire in his minutes. That said- I was disappointed with his death. It wasn’t as bad as Bane’s in Dark Knight Rises but needed more.
• Hans Zimmer’s score is great- driving- not quite Dunkirk but what is?
• I believe it’s Van Morrison’s “Madame George” at the bowling alley- well done
• Again- it’s plotted- but it pulls it off- I could still use another 20 minutes from McQueen to slow down and show off
• It tackles a lot- racism, feminism, greed and political corruption, violence, police— and it all works
• Reminds me of a 70’s film- against the system– everyone here is a bastard
• Love the wallpaper vs. art scene and discussion between Duvall and Farrell. Clearly McQueen has had this one before- haha
• Crisp bed sheets like all of McQueen’s work.
• the opening parallel editing sequence with the heist (en medias res) may be the third display of just brilliant filmmaking from McQueen here– we get another quick parallel editing sequence during funerals
• A focus on hands- something Bresson did
• Mirrors the ending and windows—such fascinating angling
• I’m not sure about Duvall here- I need another look but I thought he was a weakness in this otherwise superb cast
• There are fitting comparisons with Heat. Stylistically superior auteur-driven heist genre film that captures a city

2.0  April 2019

• an Altmanesque sprawling ensemble– the preacher  (Jon Michael Hill) and his scene are awesome- totally corrupt
• the green/teal is an ongoing visual motifhere in Widows and in McQueen’s body of work- the Fassbender character from Shame would be right at home (from a color standpoint) with the men’s warehouse here- both Davis (above) and Elizabeth Debicki (couldn’t find shot) have scenes where they stare out the window and we get the teal/green from the city — the train is the “Greenline” and you can see it, Michelle Rodriguez’s SUV thing is teal and that’s no mistake
• Must-See quality film