Craig Gillespie’s mockumentary biopic (and first directed film) I, Tonya tells the story of Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), an Olympic figure skater from an abused and unloved background who is the first to successfully complete the triple axel, before being accused of sabotaging the competition and banned from figure skating altogether. Robbie shines as Harding, who is ambitious, direct, and full of life, yet in need of love and a friend. This is probably her best performance to date; she’s such a gorgeous and charming actress, but she really transformed herself almost unrecognisable for the role and really becomes Harding (sort of like when Charlize Theron became Aileen Wuornos in Monster). For what it’s worth, I also think the actress who plays Harding as a little girl was excellent too. Alison Janney (American Beauty, Finding Nemo) is also outstanding as Tonya’s narcissistic, horrible, abusive, lunatic mother LaVona Golden, a miserable old hag who uses her daughter as a vessel to fulfil her own inadequate life, and yet cannot recognise her daughter’s immense talent or display any forms of affection or acknowledgement for her. I appreciated the mother’s subversiveness, but hated her callousness and abusiveness, but Janney gives such a strong performance as Golden, and their chemistry was really interesting to see. I also hated her loser, piece of shit, abusive husband (I can’t even remember his name). The film indicts him as the one who arranges his loser friends to take out rival figure skater Nancy Kerrigan’s kneecap (and it basically falls to shit like everything else in their lives).

Gillespie paints a very sympathetic and open-minded portrait of Harding (one that seems aligned with Sufjan Stevens’s recent song about the figure skater too), and what I loved about Tonya was her endurance and the fact that she is a survivor. Despite the hardships, disgrace, domestic abuse, lack of love, and disappointment, she endures, and explores her other talents, which include boxing (!!). I couldn’t help but think of Joyce Carol Oates’s novels and her interest in survivors when I watched this. Whether she was responsible or not, I liked Tonya, and I felt for her. I don’t think she deserved what happened to her, and I wanted to be her friend (I think she really needed one). Her loser husband and terrible mother and absent, passive father didn’t really help things. I think the mockumentary style and great soundtrack really work well (and I especially like the re-enactment scenes where the characters break the fourth wall), and it also helps to shed new light on Tonya’s neglected narrative. Apparently the real Tonya Harding liked this movie; it’s a chance to revisit the past and get some of the facts straight. And I was really impressed with Tonya’s courage and resilience (see photo below, for example) – it’s a great feminist take on this topic and helps to realise what she was going through and where she was coming from. As a straight boy, I admit I love it when Margot Robbie is all dazzling and charming, but I love her take on Tonya Harding. Like Harding, she really soars.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuDQOMICfr0&w=560&h=315]

‘Vakey, vakey, Petyr!’ Hats off to my amazing girlfriend Daisy for getting me into this! In the frenzy of recent vampire films such as Let the Right One In, the Twilight series , and more, What We Do in the Shadows emerges as an exciting addition to the vampire comedy film canon. It’s a parody in the vein of other horror/comedy classics such as The Fearless Vampire Killers with a healthy dose of This is Spinal Tap, and thus told in spectacular mockumentary fashion. Set in modern times New Zealand, the film tells of a group of vampires from across the ages who all live together: Viago, a flamboyant eighteenth-century vampire, Vladislav, a bat-shit crazy medieval vampire, Deacon, an ex-Nazi vampire, and Petyr, an ancient, Nosferatu-style vampire.

Despite their centuries of life experience, they are still clumsy and blundering, and the film chronicles their day-to-day lifestyle (hanging out, having house meetings, having awkward dinner parties and then killing their guests, etc.). At one such awkward dinner party, one of the guests Nick tries to escape and is unexpectedly bitten and blooded by the near feral Petyr (who sleeps in a tomb in the basement of their house). Nick decides to join their group, but they don’t really like him – I didn’t really like Nick either, he’s an idiot and tends to fuck things up. They really like his human friend Stu though. Anyway, the film satirises all aspects of vampire lore, from the Count Orlock style of Nosferatu to “The Beast” (you’ll have to watch the film to find out more) to the amusing rivalry between vampires and werewolves. For me, the film is just so fun and unpredictable that it’s a great thrill ride. The film also satirises the vampire’s assistant trope seen in Dracula and Let the Right One In, with Deacon basically making his assistant Jackie do everything for him without keeping his promise of blooding her. All the vampires really add something to do it, and the movie starts off on an exciting note, taking the mundane (a house meeting) and making it creative just because of its characters and premise (Viago knocks on Vladislav’s door and accidentally interrupts his weird orgy, and then tries to wake up Petyr, and when that doesn’t go so well, he gives him a rooster). The usual vampire tropes apply (death by sunlight, stakes and garlic suck, and they have to drink blood), but they’re explored in such hilarious and inventive ways, and that’s what makes this film so special.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2w3H_oLSIU&w=560&h=315]

It’s hard to tell you more without giving away the juicy bits, but I will say that the ending was great too, and I’m usually picky with endings (though they should have killed off Nick – what an awful character). Check out What We Do in the Shadows when you can – it’s got bite!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZEWtyhpes&w=560&h=315]

My top five 2015 films:

Far from the Madding Crowd
The Revenant
Mad Max: Fury Road
Ex Machina
The Martian