20th Century Women, The Lego Batman Movie, Fences The Film Review

Now on BBC News, it's time for the Film Review.

Hello and welcome to The Film Review on BBC News.

To take us through this week's cinema releases is Mark Kermode.

We have the 20th Century Women, I new film starring Annette Bening. We

have the Lego Batman movie, which says what it does on the tin. And

Fences, a major awards contender. Let's start with 20th Century Women

from Mike Mills. It is an interesting film, set in California.

Young boy facing an uncertain adulthood, surrounded by strong

women of different ages, who both inspire and also confound, not least

his free-spirited mother, brilliantly played by Annette

Bening. Here is a clip. Thinking that you know

everything that's going on. No, I just think that, you know,

having your heart broken is a tremendous way to learn

about the world. ..as happy as you thought you'd be

when you were my age? You don't ask people

questions like that. Wondering if you're happy is a great

shortcut to just being depressed. I already love it, just from that. I

haven't seen it yet. You are right to do so. It is the horrific film.

It has terrific performances, partly because they had time to rehearse I

get to know the characters. These are characters you want to spend

time in the company. We want to show how their lives work-out. You want

to know about their lives. The film has texture, you feel like at any

point the camera could go out of the car, out of the house and into the

street and the world would be complete around it. It evokes a

world that is in many ways, lost. It is back to time that now seem so

distant, but the issues it deals with is contemporary. It is not plot

driven, it is to do with moments, conversations and relationships. The

narrative flips back and forward to some extent. I thought it was

terrific. I started watching it, I knew nothing of what to expect,

other than it had a great cast. I was drawn into their world and their

characters. I loved it, I can't wait to see it again, you will love it.

Will it be disparagingly called women's film? I don't know what that

means. It used to be a term that was use for popular movies. Because

females were the majority of the audiences. What they meant was

something would be successful and a blockbuster. I hope it is the case.

Anybody could see 20th-century women and get something out of it, it is

the rhetoric. Same is true of the Lego Batman

movie. Have you seen it? I am afraid I didn't. It was great. It sounded

like a stupid idea but it turned out to be very smart and inventive. What

age group? All age groups, I am in my 50s and I laughed all the way

through. It is about Lego Batman, a narcissist, and he has to learn to

have relationships with people, with Robin, his butler, and the Joker,

who is desperate for him to admit he is a special billing and they have a

special relationship. And what is great, the visuals are terrific, it

is incredibly kinetic. I wanted to hold the frame and say stop, there

are so many jokes in this one frame, they are going pass so fast. It is

great for all ages, it is funny. Loads of exciting stuff happening on

the screen. There are jokes about the 60s Batman and the Christopher

Nolan Batman. You need to see the Lego Movie, because that is terrific

and better than this. I have a busy weekend ahead of me. The Lego Batman

movie is tiptop stuff and doesn't let the side down. I am already

feeling overwhelmed. Let's talk about Fences. I have seen

the film and now I feel I want to see the play. Denzel Washington

stars and directs it. Troy is a blue-collar worker and brings home

his frustrations from his work, from his life. They all come out in the

home encounters. The film has got four Oscar nominations including

Best Supporting Actress and here is why.

You're not listening to me, I'm trying to explain it

It's not easy for me to admit I've been standing

I've had 18 years of my life just standing in the same spot as you.

Don't you think I've ever wanted other things?

Don't you think I had dreams and hopes?

Great performances. You have seen the play. So powerful, the play. The

film feels very staged. There are plays that have been adapted for the

screen and they feel cinematic. This feels like something that has taken

the stage play and filmed it. There are slight differences, but it never

felt like a cinematic endeavour. It felt like great writing, relevant

issues. The horrific, committed performances. But it didn't take

flight as a piece of film-making. That is a problem because if you

take a stage play away from the stage and put it somewhere else, you

have to to do something to it. You really feel you wish you were seeing

it live on stage, particularly with the larger speeches. It felt like a

theatrical production as opposed to a cinematic production. The

screenplay was written by August Wilson before he died, a great

playwright. It is different writing for the screen and it is a craft? It

is different directing that work for the screen. The classic screen

adaptation of plays, they understand the language of cinema. This is

clearly a huge reverence from the stage play, and understandably so. I

just don't think it is as cinematic as it needs to be. Despite the fact

it is great writing, solid performances and great individual

moments, but as a piece of cinema, doesn't fly. We are coming up to the

BAFTAs, so he might win awards for the acting? My feeling is that is

where its heart resides, they are terrific performances. It feels

theatrical to me. The best thing out in the cinema at the moment, is Toni

Erdman. He is terrific, it sounds unlikely, a three-hour German Black

comedy, written and directed and a standout performance about father,

daughter estrangement. A father turns up at his daughter's place of

work pretending to be a life coach, and she cannot get rid of him. It is

funny and poignant. It is about to be remade starring Jack Nicholson.

Why? It is perfect as it is, it doesn't need remaking, you will love

the original. I have seen the trailer and the trailer itself is

interminable. Does it need to be three hours? I am somebody who

believes in cutting to the bone, less is more, but in the case of

Toni Erdman, I would not take anything out. It is that good. Don't

be put off by the trailer. I was. Don't be, it is not a great trailer.

OK, only because you have told me. Tell us about the DVD. The Unknown

Girl. I young Doctor Who fails to open the door to a potential patient

is then found dead. She has a crisis of conscience and try to find out

who she is. It was a film, when it was in the cinema, got lukewarm

reviews. The best thing about DVDs, you can reassess things that was

overlooked the first time. It is a thriller, but it has a humanist

heart and is well worth seeing. I don't know it, but that is a good

recommendation. Mark, thank you very much indeed.

A quick reminder before we go that you'll find more film news

and reviews from across the BBC online at bbc.co.uk/markkermode.

And you can catch up with our previous programmes

And we mentioned the BAFTAs, let's find out who wins what on Sunday.

Full coverage from BBC News on the red carpet.

It is a perfect weekend for watching a movie because it is going to be

cold and miserable. This picture from Northumberland says it all,

grey