Bryan Caron's Blog, page 4
March 8, 2020
Movie Mayhem – Onward
When John Lasseter started Pixar, he made a commitment to only make movies that had a strong foundation. That meant he would only put films into production that had a great script. Some may say this hasn’t always been the case (see: Cars 2 or The Good Dinosaur), but for the majority of films produced by the animation stalwart over the last twenty-five years, the promise for strong stories and characters has flourished, even after Lasseter was forced out of the company. This tradition continues with Onward, where everything that’s made Pixar the king of animation is on full display.
I will say that Onward does start out a little sluggish as it introduces us to a typical world of elves, magicians, fairies, dragons and unicorns that quickly loses its magical roots when the population discovers electricity and other amenities more convenient, thus making the use of magic all but obsolete.
We then meet Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voiced by MCU teammates Tom Holland and Chris Pratt). Ian is a shy, insecure high school student who’s scared to talk to other kids, drive and stand up for himself; Barley is the exact opposite — a role-playing game fanatic who’s full of confidence and strength.
On Ian’s sixteenth birthday, his mom (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) gives him a gift from the father he’s never met — a wizard staff and gemstone that will allow him, with a little bit of a magic touch, to bring his father back from the dead for one day.
Being a true believer in the history of magic that is now encompassed only within the cards of his game, Barley tries to cast the spell himself, but it turns out Ian is the only one with magic in his veins. When he accidentally begins the process of resurrection, something goes horribly wrong and our heroes are left with only the bottom half of their father. In order to finish the spell and get to spend what little time they have with him, the boys head out on a quest to find another gemstone.
This is when the film truly finds its voice. The journey Ian and Barley take to find a new gemstone is the core and the heart of the story, which seamlessly leads to a shift from one idea to another that makes the whole journey worthwhile. The film wouldn’t necessarily be any worse for wear had the writers chosen to continue on a more traditional road, but because they chose to alter course in the final act allows for a much more gripping and heartfelt impact.
The ideas that carry the film can be summarized as a pair of well-crafted emotional nuclei that make up a warm and sentimental center. On one level, we are entertained with a message of how far confidence can take you in life; on another, deeper level, we are blessed with the sense of how we, as adults, sometimes lose sight of what once made us unique and special. The magic we want so desperately to possess is almost always within us the entire time.
Everything that happens along the quest is done with precision, linking every step along the path with just the right notes. Nothing ever seems forced or out of place; it all works because every step is meticulously setup in one way or another to make sure everything has purpose in progressing both the plot and the character arcs forward.
Some of the best scenes in the film revolve around Barley and his passion toward his role playing game. Anyone who has ever played Magic or Dungeons and Dragons (or knows someone who has) can relate to the inner workings of what ultimately drives the majority of the film. Barley’s enthusiasm may be much more heightened than most, but his wanting to believe everything that happens is all part of a quest to be conquered is quite endearing and fits well into the growth of not only him, but Ian as well.
The visuals are also all up to Pixar standards. From the visual gags (such as strung-out unicorns fighting for garbage) to the delicately-crafted action sequences, director Dan Scanlon never takes anything so far as to get in the way of the main story, but pushes the limits far enough to keep our senses stimulated with every frame.
It may not pull at the heartstrings as deeply as Toy Story 3, Up or Coco, or provide as many laughs as Monsters Inc. or Finding Nemo, but Onward fits perfectly into the Pixar brand. Not only is it another effective addition to the family, but it’s also the best movie of 2020 so far.
My Grade: A
Bonus Review:
Inspirational sports dramas tend to follow a very familiar playbook, and though The Way Back does take care to hit on most of the tropes you come to expect from a film like this, it does take some detours that both help the film rise above your typical sports film and hurt the emotional impact with some repetitive moments that would have been better spent developing the secondary story lines of the players. B+
Emma is a breezy, light, wily romantic-comedy that utilizes a perfectly cast ensemble to navigate through some very clever and meaningful relationships that cross the boundaries of social class while never taking itself too seriously. A
Next week, new movies include Bloodshot, I Still Believe and The Hunt. If you would like to see a review for one of these, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
March 1, 2020
Movie Mayhem – The Invisible Man
The invisible man has been around since H.G. Wells first gave him life in 1897, an idea which has culminated in dozens of film and television iterations throughout various genres. The most famous are of course the original 1933 version (part of Universal’s original monster universe that spawned two sequels), Chevy Chase’s comedic-oriented Memoirs of the Invisible Man, and Kevin Bacon’s horror/thriller Hollow Man. Other than the main character somehow becoming invisible, the only thing that connects most of these iterations is the heavy focus on the trials and tribulations of the person that becomes invisible.
This is where writer and director Leigh Whannell smartly separates his version of The Invisible Man from the rest of the pack. Instead of putting the spotlight on the person who becomes invisible, Whannell focuses all of his attention on the victim of the invisible. By doing so, the film becomes more atmospherically chilling, adding a heavy psychological element that raises the level of the story to fresh, new heights.
The opening sequence tells us all we need to know about Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) and the abusive relationship she’s trapped in. After drugging her boyfriend, Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), with diazepam, she uses the technology of the heavily-secure mansion to her advantage in order to escape.
We’ve been groomed over the years to expect the worst to happen in a sequence like this. In most horror films, the moment the character looks away from the screen she’s watching to make sure her abuser is still asleep, they’ll suddenly be gone when they look back. Whannell expertly uses this trope, as well as some very crafty camera movements, to keep you fully on edge as you wait for that very moment to arrive… which it never does.
This ability to hold tension is maintained throughout the film as Cecilia slowly becomes more and more unstable. She is so afraid of Adrian, she can’t even go outside to get the mail. Not even Adrian’s death calms her nerves, as none of it makes any sense to her. When she starts to believe that Adrian faked his death and is watching her somehow, her mental state deteriorates, causing everyone around her to become unsettled by her madness.
It’s not long before Cecilia’s life spins even further out of control. Her sister (Harriet Dyer) pushes her away after receiving a cold, harsh email, and her best friend (Aldis Hodge) becomes distant when it appears Cecilia is doing things that can’t be explained, such as hitting his daughter (Storm Reid). At this point, it’s hard to tell if there’s someone physically there or if she’s simply losing her mind.
To add insult to injury, part of Adrian’s trust bequeaths Cecilia five million dollars spread out over several years contingent on her ability to stay sane and refrain from committing a crime. Sounds easy, but based on the way Michael Dorman portrays Adrian’s brother (who is also his attorney), we know something sinister is in the works. Despite us knowing that Adrian is the title character, the sense that perhaps everything is all in her head permeates the movie; It wouldn’t be a surprise to have Whannell pull the rug out from under us.
Once we learn the truth of the situation, Whannell pushes the story forward into the third act with an unexpected, but satisfying conclusion that opens the door to what could very well be an interesting sequel.
The entire film plays extremely well into our inherent fear of something lurking in the shadows. We’ve all had those times when we’ve been alone in a dark, quiet house and feel that we’re being watched; that something is there with us. As mentioned earlier, Whannell eloquently uses that fear by placing Cecilia in familiar ghost story territory, but twisting our expectations to keep us guessing.
To accomplish this, Whannell invites us into long, drawn out scenes that in any other movie might lose their muster due to how long they take to develop. Unlike a lot of other horror movies that use music and jump scares to fake us out, though, Whannell gives us nothing but the characters, the setting and the paranoia.
One of the more brilliant things he does early on is move the camera away from Cecilia to some innocuous hallway or wall where you expect something to happen, only to be disappointed because nothing does. These are mixed with moments where something does happen when we don’t expect it. We’re never given a chance to settle in because Whannell continually subverts every expectation, which gives the film a clear shot of adrenaline in the subtler, quieter moments.
If I had to knock points off for the film, it would have to be in the cinematography department. Having much of the film set in extreme darkness certainly plays into the paranoia of Cecilia’s situation; when it’s hard to see what’s really happening, it allows us to feel a sense of what Cecilia must be feeling in that moment. At the same, because it’s difficult to see what’s happening, it makes it hard to fully connect to her and her situation. It’s a bit of a catch-22, as we want to see what’s happening on screen, but to do so might ruin the uneasiness of the scene.
Some of the side stories aren’t fully fleshed out, either, but that’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to watch a woman go insane because a man who may have found a way to make himself invisible could very well be haunting her. And for that, Whannell uses a masterful hand of storytelling and atmosphere to give us a horror-thriller that pulls on every instinctive string we’ve been groomed with over the years and shift them into the great, obsessive unknown.
My Grade: A
Bonus Review:
Seberg proves that when Kristen Stewart is given material she can connect with, her talent rises to a much higher level. As Jean Seberg, who was spied on by the government when she started funding civil rights leaders in the late sixties, Stewart brilliantly captures the paranoia and the fear of a young woman caught between what she thinks is right and what others with more power perceive to be wrong. A-
Next week, new movies include Onward and The Way Back. If you would like to see a review for one of these, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
February 23, 2020
Movie Mayhem – The Call of the Wild
As a big proponent for the use of practical effects over computer-generated effects, I was highly disenchanted by the trailer for The Call of the Wild. When filmmakers use CGI as a crutch, it tends to make the viewer numb to the emotional stakes of the film. There is a place for CGI, no doubt. When used to enhance what physically cannot be created or to perform tasks that may be too dangerous otherwise, it can be quite effective; when used for no other reason than because it’s there, even though something real or practical could do the job just as well (and sometimes even better), it becomes unnecessary imitation.
There are plenty of films I can point to that used real animals in similar situations as seen in Wild, including Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and Eight Below. These movies are incredibly strong because you feel what the animals are going through; you connect with them on a human level because their emotions aren’t tainted with the aid of any tricks. So, it’s hard for me to believe director Chris Sanders couldn’t have used real animals for at least 75 percent of the film in order to bring that same depth.
I say 75 percent because there are a lot of harrowing sequences in the film that would put a real animal in danger had they done it all practically. It’s understandable for Sanders to use computer animation in these sequences; but to choose to create all of the wildlife in the film — from a herd of antelope to a pack of timberwolves — inside of a computer, I struggled to connect to Buck and engage in the journey he takes throughout the film.
This disconnect also may very well have been because of the less-than-stellar quality of the animation. As opposed to Sonic or Scooby-Doo, where the characters are meant to be bordering on cartoon status, the animals in Wild are meant to be real, so giving Buck a few exaggerated mannerisms adds to the phoniness of his character. We also know, based on the amazing effects created for The Lion King remake, that it is possible to create photo-realistic animals. I don’t know if it was the budget, the team they hired, or a little of both, but the animation always felt fake and unrealistic.
With that said, everything around the animals are so well-done, it allowed me to settle into the idea of the computer-generated animals more easily. The beautiful cinematography presents the vast world Buck must navigate with majesty and grace; and, aside from one extremely weak and cliché performance by Dan Stevens as a high-society gold digger that feels more out of place than the CGI, everyone did a great job of helping me accept Buck as part of this very real world.
Buck begins the film as a dog living in high society, where his antics don’t play so well with his owners. After Buck is stolen by a dog trader, he’s sold to Perrault (Omar Sy), a mail carrier who uses a rag-tag team of mutts to pull his sled through the Alaska tundra. Despite the episodic nature of the storytelling, I did feel some sense of satisfaction by the end of the film.
But, wait, you may ask. Where’s Harrison Ford fit into all of this? For those who have seen the marketing for Wild, you’d expect the movie to be about the relationship between Ford and Buck. The truth is, Ford is only a small part of a larger cast that includes some surprisingly short cameo appearances by several big name stars, such as Bradley Whitford and Karen Gillan.
This may feel a bit misleading, however, it also goes to the meaning behind the film. The humans in the film (and subsequently in Buck’s life) come and go without a lot of fanfare, which plays very well into the concept of life. People will always come into our lives when they’re most needed, and after they’ve served their purpose, we never see them again. This is what gives the film so much of its resonance.
Buck builds some very strong relationships with several of the humans (and some that provide pain, both physical and emotional), but they are only props to help him find his way to who and what he is eventually meant to be. Buck’s emerging strength throughout the film also provides a perfect message for kids and adults alike. To find your way to your ultimate destination, you have to be brave and kind and have the confidence to believe in yourself, even when no one else does.
There are some funny and sweet moments in Wild, I just wish the producers had been brave enough to use real animals for the majority of the film. Who knows how much funnier and sweeter it would have been had they gone that direction. My guess is it would have risen the film to a much higher emotional level; and maybe, just maybe would have helped the human performances even more, elevating the film from good to excellent.
My Grade: A-
Bonus Reviews:
Even though Brahms: The Boy II completely negates the conceit of the original film by adding in a supernatural element, the film somehow makes the whole thing work by providing a brand new lore behind the history of the doll that doesn’t take away from the first film, but adds an additional layer that actually makes sense. B
Next week, new movies include The Invisible Man. If you would like to see a review for this, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
February 16, 2020
Movie Mayhem – Sonic the Hedgehog
Movies based on video games have gotten a bad reputation… and for good reason. When you try to translate a video game to a film, you inherently strip away the ability to tell the same expansive story that a video game can encompass as well as what makes the game so much fun — interactivity. For Sonic the Hedgehog, the latest video game adaptation to hit the big screen, it didn’t help that early trailers for the film got massive push back because of Sonic’s less-than-stellar character design. Paramount listened, though, and made the necessary changes to give fans what they demanded. So how does Sonic the Hedgehog hold up against its small-screen counterpart?
The idea behind Sonic‘s plot isn’t new; several films, most prominently The Smurfs, have our small, likeable heroes accidentally transported to our world to interact with their silly human counterparts. The only difference here is that it’s not so much a mistake as it is a need to survive. When the little hedgehog’s life is threatened for his speed, his surrogate mother (voice of Donna Jay Fulks) hands him a bag of magic rings that allow him to travel to any place that comes to his mind. For the next ten years, Sonic (voice of Ben Schwartz) jumps from world to world whenever he’s discovered, eventually settling on Earth.
This is where we meet small town sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), who spends his days doing everything he can to keep his mind occupied in a place where nothing happens beyond a crazy outlier (Frank C. Turner) trying to convince everyone an alien creature is out to get him. This need for action prompts Tom to apply for a position in the San Francisco police department, where he will be able to save lives and finally have a purpose in the world.
At the same time his dream is about to come true, an odd power outage wipes out the electricity over several miles. Tom can’t figure out what caused the outage until Sonic takes refuge in his garage, where Tom promptly shoots him with a tranquilizer gun. As the little blue speedster passes out, he accidentally drops his bag of coins into one of his rings that has been opened up over San Francisco.
Now, as the government sends Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), one of their brilliant, but unorthodox, agents, to capture Sonic, Tom hits the road with the blue creature to track down his bag of rings so he can finally jump to a new world.
Marsden plays Tom with just the right mix of yearning, playfulness, and admiration for his loving and patient wife (Tika Sumpter) that keeps the character from going full-on cartoon character while at the same time staying on brand with director Jeff Fowler’s ultimate vision. Carrey on the other hand feels as if he stepped out of another, more ridiculous movie to wreck havoc on this one — and yet, for some weird reason, it works; his character infiltrates the film in the same way he infests the story and the characters with his over-the-top insanity.
This odd conflict of ridiculous and rational also represents the entire movie. It’s disjointed in a way that makes it feel like two different films — a credible road-trip movie about friendship and finding who you truly are, and a zany, nonsensical comedy with no limits. Marsden occupies one half of this idea, Carrey the other, and for the majority of the film, these two ideas work well together to explore the movie’s concepts and themes.
Sitting right in the middle is Sonic, bouncing back and forth between both hemispheres but never reaching the potential I think Fowler was aiming for. There are a lot of great moments that show Sonic at his best and richest level of characterization; then there are other moments that should have been either outright brilliantly funny or sweet but get disturbed by either weak writing or a disconnect between these differing approaches.
The action is where all of these elements blend together the most, which helps to hold the story together. Because the overall plot is so simple, it doesn’t feel as if anything is happening when the characters are delivering their necessary exposition or are forced to do things to keep the movie going. It starts to get a little flat, and you can feel the inconsistencies rise to the surface. It’s the action sequences, however, that propel the narrative forward at lightning speed and give us the jolt we need to remain interested in not only Sonic’s quest, but Tom’s and Dr. Robotnik’s as well.
By the end of the film, we’ve become heavily invested in each of the characters. Despite the bumps in the road, you certainly wouldn’t mind spending more time with them, especially after the tag and the mid-credit scene whet your whistle for a sequel. Now that Fowler has established all of the characters and we have a feel for the movie’s attitude, we’re left with some wonderful hints at what a possible sequel might look like, giving us hope that it could very well be better, if given the time to mature correctly.
Though the film is an odd mix of elements and the occasional missed opportunity (how do you cast a powerhouse like Neal McDonough and leave him behind after a mere five minutes?), Sonic the Hedgehog is definitely a step in the right direction for movies based on video games.
My Grade: B+
Bonus Reviews:
Despite the fact that the major twist at the end of the film contradicts one of the character’s arcs, Fantasy Island is a well-made horror film that does a terrific job of blending good acting, strong characters and a plot that keeps everyone guessing into one crazy, interesting and compelling bit of revenge fantasy. A
LaKeith Stanfield and Issa Rae are so bland and monotonous in their portrayal’s of a couple falling in love, it’s extremely hard to believe that they care about anything in The Photograph, a romantic drama that acts more like a sedative than an aphrodisiac. C-
Next week, new movies include The Call of the Wild and Brahms: The Boy II. If you would like to see a review for one of these, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
February 9, 2020
Chaos Movie Awards 2020
The 92nd Academy Awards are mere hours away, and the biggest news coming out of this year’s awards nominations is Netflix’s instant emergence as a heavy hitter among the major studios. Between The Irishman, Marriage Story and a handful of other prestige pics, Netflix garnered 24 nominations in their first major run at Oscar, beating all other studios (Sony came in with 20, and Disney rounded out the top three with 17). And from what I’m guessing, the Academy is going to show Netflix some big love tonight.
But enough with the numbers. Below are my picks for who will and should win at this year’s Academy Awards, as well as a few of my own awards just for the fun of it.
Best Picture (Nominees – Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, JoJo Rabbit, Joker , Little Women, Marriage Story, 1917, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood , Parasite)
[image error]1917
Who Will and Should Win: 1917
I didn’t get to see 1917 until after I compiled my list for the best and worst movies of 2019; if I had, 1917 certainly would have made the top 5, if not the top 3. If there was one film worthy of the number of awards it’s garnered thus far (142 nominations with 103 wins, for anyone who’s counting), this is that movie. With the way the film is shot to the beautiful cinematography and music, 1917 puts you directly into the action by forcing you to travel with two men hoping to reach their brothers-at-arms in time before they are all slaughtered. Unless there is a major upset by The Irishman (or maybe even possibly Parasite), 1917 is destined to walk away with the top prize.
Best Actor (Nominees – Antonio Banderas, Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Driver, Joaquin Phoenix, Jonathan Pryce)
[image error]Joaquin Phoenix in Joker
Who Will and Should Win: Joaquin Phoenix
There was no other performance as striking in 2019 as Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of Arthur Fleck in Joker. I wasn’t sure about the film when I first saw the trailers, believing it would be too dry and depressing to sit through. But Phoenix’s mesmerizing performance changed that viewpoint immediately. The way Phoenix is able to put so much conviction and emotion behind each degree of laughter is a master class in delivery. I can’t say his performance is better than Heath Ledger’s from The Dark Knight, but what I can say is that Phoenix comes close to delivering the same amount of resonance, to the point I could picture Phoenix’s Joker evolving into the one manifested by Ledger. Phoenix has been the front runner this entire award season; if there’s one guarantee this year, it’s his win in this category.
Best Actress (Nominees – Cynthia Erivo, Scarlett Johansson, Saoirse Ronan, Charlize Theron, Renée Zellweger)
[image error]Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story
Who Will Win: Scarlett Johansson
Even though Marriage Story is the only Best Actress performance I didn’t see, my gut is telling me that Scarlett Johansson will walk away with the prize. Cynthia Erivo and Saoirse Ronan were both excellent in their respective roles, but their films are both a little too quiet in the buzz factory to pull off a win, and with Johansson vying for not one but two actress awards this season, it would be devastating if she winds up losing both. It could very well happen, but I don’t think it will.
Who Should Win: Renée Zellweger
However, if there is an upset, it will definitely be because the Academy was as taken by Renée Zellweger’s amazing channeling of Judy Garland in her final days as audiences were. From her cadence to her body language, Zellweger embodied Garland with a respect and a love that only great actors can convey. Charlize Theron did something very similar with Megyn Kelly in Bombshell to the point you couldn’t very well distinguish one from the other, but because Garland is much more beloved, and Zellweger made sure to show all sides of Garland’s personality, she should be the one to take home the prize.
Best Supporting Actor (Nominees – Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Brad Pitt)
[image error]Al Pacino in The Irishman
Who Will Win: Al Pacino
I can’t see a world where one of these fine glorious veterans of cinema do not take home this award for their body of work alone. Anthony Hopkins is probably leading from behind as he is representing the most unknown film of the pack; Tom Hanks’s performance may feel a little too fluffy for the Academy; and Brad Pitt was way too laid back to feel like he was giving an actual performance. Which leaves gangster mainstays Al Pacino and Joe Pesci to battle it out for the gold. Both are battling for their second Oscar, but, because Pacino has much more clout when it comes to Oscar nominations, look for him to squeak out the win.
Who Should Win: Tom Hanks
With that said, I haven’t seen The Irishman, so I can’t honestly say that Pacino or Pesci’s performances were at the level worthy enough of an Oscar. What I can say is that Tom Hanks does a similar magic trick as Renée Zellweger, channeling Fred Rogers with an honesty that goes above and beyond the internal image we all have of the majestic children’s show host. Hanks does a terrific job of showing us all that even though Rogers fought hard to be perfect, he owned the fact that he wasn’t because it is in our flaws that ultimately make us good humans.
Best Supporting Actress (Nominees – Kathy Bates, Laura Dern, Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Margot Robbie)
[image error]Laura Dern in Marriage Story
Who Will Win: Laura Dern
Again, I have not seen Marriage Story, so I have no idea if Laura Dern is worthy enough to win, but my gut is telling me that she is going to go all the way in this category to share the love with her co-star — who also happens to be her competition in this very category. But, as I said above, because I believe the Academy will honor Scarlett Johansson in the Best Actress race, Dern seems to me to be the front-runner.
Who Should Win: Florence Pugh
At the same time, Florence Pugh could end up pulling it off, for the sheer fact that she delivered three potentially worthy performances this year. Don’t get me wrong, she was great in Little Woman, but so was everyone else. I don’t think she stood out enough to warrant a nomination for this film; but because of of her gut-wrenching performance in Midsommar (keep reading for more on this) and her breakout performance in Fighting With My Family, Florence Pugh deserves to stand up on that stage and deliver a much-deserved acceptance speech.
Best Director (Nominees – Martin Scorsese, Todd Phillips, Sam Mendes, Quentin Tarantino, Bong Joon Ho)
[image error]Martin Scorsese on the set of The Irishman
Who Will Win: Martin Scorsese
Like Al Pacino, I believe the Academy will award Martin Scorsese with this honor over everyone if for no other reason than the body of work he has created over the last few decades (and to help show Netflix that they are wanted, and in some ways needed, to keep the film industry healthy). At three and a half hours, Scorsese may not be the best arbiter of editing, but he does know how to pull great performances out of his actors (just look at what he was able to do with Leonardo DiCaprio). Because of that, as well as his classic visionary style, the Academy will show Scorsese the love.
Who Should Win: Sam Mendes
Then again, they may see 1917 for what it was (a visually lovely piece of cinema) and give the Oscar to the director who deserves it most, Sam Mendes. Mendes was able to accomplish a feat that is mesmerizing if not revolutionary. The practice of filming without cuts (or at the very least, without noticeable cuts) isn’t new or novel, but it is fascinating in how the style is able to pull you in when done correctly. And Mendes pulls off this feat with glorious aplomb and should be recognized for doing so.
Best Animated Feature (Nominees – How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, I Lost My Body, Klaus, Missing Link, Toy Story 4)
[image error]Missing Link
Who Will Win: Missing Link
I’m not sure why, exactly, but I never did get a chance to see Missing Link in theaters. It may have come out at a time when there were more anticipated films in the marketplace and it may not have brought in the audiences it needed to last more than a few weeks. Add to the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of stop-motion animation and you’ve got a melting pot of reasons why this film slipped past me. But with its win at the Golden Globes and the love from critics and industry professionals behind it, the film should be a shoo-in to win.
Who Should Win: Toy Story 4
That being said, Missing Link has some heavy competition. I haven’t seen I Lost My Body or Klaus, so I can’t speak to them, and though How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was visually stunning and completed the trilogy quite well, the series doesn’t have the same clout as Toy Story 4, which should be recognized for the way the filmmakers made a fourth film in a series not only watchable, but once again heartbreaking. The story may not be quite as good as its predecessors, and some of the characters do get a bit shafted, but the idea, the execution and the message give this film my vote for the best animated film to come out in 2019.
[image error]Knives Out
Best Ensemble: Knives Out
Knives Out was a fun movie with a quick pace and an even quicker reveal, and all of it was mostly due to the stellar ensemble that director Rian Johnson pulled together. Allowing this team of veterans a little freedom to bring these characters to life, the entire cast, from Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas to Michael Shannon and Chris Evans, were running on all cylinders as they navigated the waters of this dark comedy with so much delight. With a film like this, one wrong piece and the entire thing would have crumbled. Luckily, the cast clicked beautifully, creating a strange and twisted family in a strange and twisted murder mystery.
[image error]Zachery Levi (and Brian Dylan Grazer) in Shazam!
Best Child Performance: Zachery Levi, Shazam!
It may seem odd to see an adult winning the Best Child Performance award, but let’s face it — Zachery Levi is a child at heart, and it shows in his performance of a teenager who becomes a superhero after uttering the words “Shazam!” Levi doesn’t just act brilliantly as a literal man-child, but he amplifies what his alter-ego (Asher Angel) brought to the role. However, if you’re still angry that I gave this award to an adult, here’s a consolation — Levi would have been nothing without Jack Dylan Grazer. Combined with his de-aged performance in IT: Chapter 2, Grazer is the funniest and most reliable child actor of 2019. Happy now? Shazam!
[image error]Matt Damon and Christian Bale in Ford v Ferrari
Best Duo: Christian Bale and Matt Damon, Ford v Ferrari
Ford v Ferrari is a fast-paced film that may not have been quite as good if it wasn’t for the excellent pairing of Matt Damon and Christian Bale. The two actors play off one another with perfect harmony. Bale settles in easily as a nuanced hick who is never happier than when he’s behind the wheel of a car or figuring out how to make it go faster, and Damon does a perfect job of juxtaposing this freewheeling style with a straight-arrow sensibility and drive that pushes things forward. Ken Miles and Carroll Shelby (respectively) were good friends, and if you didn’t know any better, you would think Bale and Damon were also lifelong friends. It’s that, on top of everything else, that makes this film a winner.
[image error]Shia Labeouf in Honeyboy and The Peanut Butter Falcon
Most Poignant Comeback: Shia LaBeouf, The Peanut Butter Falcon and Honeyboy
If there was anyone who needed a strong comeback it’s Shia Labeouf. Growing up as a child actor, LaBeouf had a bright future ahead of him… until he slipped down the wrong path as so many other child stars before him. What makes Labeouf’s journey so poignant, though, are the choices he made to ignite what is hopefully a winning comeback from the depths of madness. He didn’t just get himself clean and slowly earn his way back into the spotlight; he chose to dig deep within himself to write and star in a film that is loosely based on his own experiences growing up in the industry. Pair that with a road-trip movie where he stars alongside a brilliantly talented disabled young man, and we discover that just because you may have strayed, with the right level of introspection and the right people surrounding you, anyone can find a way to rise from the ashes and live their dreams.
[image error]Ready Or Not
Most Surprising End: Ready Or Not
If the premise of Ready Or Not doesn’t stimulate your senses, the mind-boggling climax sure will. What starts out with an interesting premise — after marrying into a rich, well-to-do family, Grace (Samara Weaving) has to play a game to prove she’s welcome into the family — soon evolves into a game of cat and mouse as she becomes the hunted after pulling Hide and Seek from the box. The catch? If she survives the night, everyone in the family will die. At least, that’s the legend. We’re never quite sure throughout the film if the family is right or if they’re simply crazy, but by the end of the film, we absolutely know which one is correct… after we’re gloriously teased with the answer. The shock alone leaves you unsure and excited.
[image error]Midsommar
Most Uncomfortable Sequence: Midsommar
Midsommar isn’t the greatest of films, but it is sprinkled with strange, unusual and unsettling moments that raise it above your ordinary horror fare. Unlike Uncut Gems, which is continuously unsettling by how aggressively loud and uncomfortable it is, Midsommar lulls you into a sense of serenity, only to pound you with moments that make your skin crawl. None more so than when Florence Pugh’s character witnesses her boyfriend (Jack Reynor) engaged in a non-orgy orgy, which leads to her being surrounded by the young women of the cult to let their aggression, their fears and their insecurities out in a round of ear-piercing screams. It’s not so much the scene itself that’s unsettling, but how how long it lasts. By the end, you just want to scream yourself to let the built up tension out of your system.
[image error]Brian Banks
Best Religious Feature: Brian Banks
I don’t know if I would call Brian Banks a religious film, per se, but where it steps back on the pronouncements of God and faith, it rises in providing plenty of ideas and sensibilities that a religious movie would normally adhere to. Aldis Hodge is excellent as the title character, a man who loses his football scholarship due to being falsely arrested for raping a high school girl, and Greg Kinnear shines (as always in a film of this nature) as the head of the Innocence Project that helps clear Brian’s name. If nothing else, Brian Banks is a great reminder in the #MeToo era that although we need to take women seriously when they report sexual assault, we shouldn’t believe them outright without first gathering evidence for and/or against the accused. After all, women can use the #MeToo movement as a weapon against a man just as easily as a man can use their authority and strength as a weapon against a woman.
What do you think? Who will win and should win the Oscars this year? Do you have any movies or actors you’d like to give a shout out to for their excellence in 2019? Tell me in the comments below!
February 2, 2020
Movie Mayhem – The Rhythm Section
The Rhythm Section is a bit of an enigma. If the title doesn’t immediately throw you as having nothing in particular to do with the actual film, the movie will. The whole way through, I couldn’t figure out if I liked the film or was somehow utterly disappointed by it. There are moments that are enticing and drive the narrative quite well, but everything else about the film — the editing, the direction, the writing and the atmosphere — all seem to contradict themselves, essentially putting up a wall to keep you from fully engaging in the exploits of this casual revenge thriller.
Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively) is your typical tragic heroin. After the death of her entire family in a plane crash, Stephanie resorts to drug use and prostitution to cope. She is a shell; desperate to die but unable to end her own life. Then walks in Proctor (Raza Jaffrey), a reporter who’s researched the crash extensively and has determined that it wasn’t mechanical failure that took down the plane, but a terrorist bomb.
This news is unsettling for Stephanie at first, but it soon invigorates her to find out more, pushing her to seek revenge on those who took her family away. This rapid turn of emotion is the first sign that the film tries a little too hard to get itself where it wants to be. Every step of the way, Stephanie is put into positions that may not be completely logical or natural, but are necessary for her journey, at least according to the writers.
Stephanie eventually finds her way to B (Jude Law), a former MI6 agent who’s been tracking someone known as U17, the mastermind behind the bombing. B reluctantly (but not really) trains Stephanie for the trials she’ll face by first detoxing her and then showing her what she might expect as she heads into this nefarious world.
After a montage of relatively simple training sessions (and one moment that seems a bit too far-fetched), B decides to put her into the field, half expecting her to get killed. Her goal? Track down Mark Serra (Sterling K. Brown) for information that she can use to hunt those responsible. Soon, Stephanie is caught in Serra’s grip and is forced to hunt down others who may not have anything to do with her ultimate goal.
Each level brings their own high and low points. For one, I was never convinced, even after the training montage, that Stephanie was ever equipped enough to fight or survive against the people that she’s forced to encounter. She acts tough on the surface, but deep down, she’s a scared little girl with absolutely no skills. And yet, she’s still able to hold her own and take down these highly-trained terrorists.
The script does give her a little help. One of the baddies has a health issue that requires him to suck from oxygen every so often, and one is often referred to as a dumb, worthless gopher (or some such). This allows for the movie to have it both ways; they can keep Stephanie a fragile little bird who can’t kill someone because they have children of their own, and at the same time, a badass assassin who will do anything to avenge her family.
This contradiction filters its way into everything else. Director Reed Morano can’t seem to decide if he wants the movie to be a gritty, noir-esque revenge thriller or a straight-up Jason Bourne homage. This is evident in the different styles of editing, cinematography, and direction that shifts between the two styles when the mood of the film changes. Whenever we’re in a poignant moment between characters, we enter the grittiness of the noir; but when we jump into action, we’re now in modern-day visual territory. As one might say — pick a lane, movie.
On the plus side, Lively and Law are both outstanding, especially when they’re together on screen. There wasn’t any doubt that the combination of these two stalwarts would be anything but good, but they seem to somehow control the chaos and keep the film from entirely going off the rails.
The action, despite the contradictions mentioned above, is also well done. The requisite car chase, in particular, is extremely riveting, as it sets the camera inside Stephanie’s car and doesn’t cut away during the entire sequence, putting you in the passenger seat as the action unfolds. We’ve seen this type of film making more frequently in the past few years, most notable in the Oscar-nominated 1917, Charlize Theron’s spy thriller, Atomic Blonde (one of the best fight sequences of 2017 for this very reason), and the first trailer for this year’s A Quiet Place: Part II, and it’s because this style works to add a sense of reality, grit and authenticity to what’s happening.
All of this combined is why the film is frustrating. I still, as of this writing, can’t seem to wrap my head around whether or not I like the movie. With everything it has going for it, there’s just as much going against it. It’s almost as if the film is in someway bipolar; the majority of the film drives through your typical revenge plot with questionable motives and ideas, only to shine bright for mere moments to show us what the film was capable of if it simply understood itself.
My Grade: B-
Bonus Reviews:
Reversing the names and changing the ages of the kids does nothing for Gretel and Hansel, a rather boring re-imagining of the classic fairy tale that diverts so much from the original text that it becomes a chore just to get through the less than ninety-minute film that has to narrate its way through its schlocky and uninspired plot in order for it to make any sense. D–
Next week, new movies include Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn). If you would like to see a review for this, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
January 26, 2020
Movie Mayhem – The Turning
Wait. What? Um… huh? Is that it? Wait. Huh?
This is what I felt as the end credits scrolled across the screen of The Turning, the new psychological thriller/horror movie that spends plenty of time building up the odd, sometimes creepy relationships between its characters, just starts to get interesting (and a little weird — in a good way), and then abruptly ends as if the filmmakers forgot to put the last ten minutes on the reel. The more I try to put the pieces together, the more confused I am about what actually happened — and whether there was actually some clever twist at the end or if the writers just didn’t know where they wanted to go with it.
Mackenzie Davis plays Kate Mandell, a private tutor hired by a reclusive old lady (Barbara Marten) to be a live-in tutor for her young ward, Flora Fairchild (Brooklynn Prince ). Like any good old-fashioned horror movie, the signs to immediately run away are all in plain site — the large, mysterious mansion; spiders crawling on the windows; the housekeeper with no sense of humor; strange bumps in the night; and the mysterious disappearance of the previous live-in tutor. But, like any good old-fashioned horror movie, all signs are ignored because young protagonist is cute as a button.
If having a mannequin set-up in your bedroom to watch you sleep or the curiosity of the forbidden east wing of the manor isn’t disturbing enough, enter Miles (Finn Wolfhard), Flora’s older brother who arrives home from boarding school on Kate’s first night at the manor. He is all kinds of serial killer, from his creepy stare to the way he speaks to both Kate and the housekeeper. This is what you get when you allow privileged kids to grow up without any rules or the hand of authority.
As the days go on and things get scarier and more insane, Kate finally contemplates leaving, but with the promise-promise she made to Flora that she wouldn’t take off like the previous nanny, she feels obligated to stay and protect the child from not only her psychotic brother, but from the forces that may or may not be haunting the manor.
The film gets much more interesting as everything is slowly revealed over the course of the movie. Based on the novella “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, putting the pieces of what happened together and figuring out where the film is going did keep me rather engaged through the majority of the film. Everything feels grounded enough within the family dynamics that when the supernatural aspects of the story start to take control, it doesn’t ever feel as if it’s out of place or overwhelming.
Davis does a nice job of bringing just enough fear and worry into her performance to stay true to the character, but not go so far over-the-top that it becomes ingratiating. As does Wolfhard, who emits just enough eeriness to the character of Miles without making him seem outlandish or fantastical.
What bothered me the most was in the character backstories, which are all weak at best. The children’s parents died in some type of accident, which led Miles to supposedly go from being a sweet boy to a psycho who would strangle a fellow student, thus getting him expelled from school. At no time is this idea explored in any meaningful way, thus we’re never truly able to get to the core essence of the character.
More egregious is Flora’s heightened fear of leaving the property. There seems to be something that the housekeeper has ingrained in the little girl to keep her from leaving the house. Again, this idea is never once explored to the degree that’s needed to feel empathy for her and her debilitating anxiety; it’s just a fact we’re supposed to accept, even though it’s probably the key to understanding what actually happens in the final act of the film. With a better exploration of both these ideas, I think the film could have led somewhere super interesting.
What we end up with is an odd twist in the last ten minutes of the film that completely catches you off-guard. The moment it happens is actually quite exciting. At this point in the movie, we’ve learned what happened to the previous tutor and everything that leads up to that specific revelation (and what happens because of it) get the gears moving at hyper-speed to hit us with an exciting conclusion — and then twist.
Now we’re left wondering what all of it really means; where is the film actually going with all of this? Answers are coming, and it’s going to be a killer of a — Wait. What?
If you remember back in 1999 when The Sixth Sense blew audience’s minds with such a clever twist that the majority of movie goers didn’t see coming, it made you want to see the film again to see if everything made sense enough to make that twist work (which, upon further viewing does exactly that). This, I believe, is what director Floria Sigismondi was going for with the end to The Turning. However, instead of relishing in a mind-altering conclusion, Sigismondi doesn’t reveal what needs to be revealed for you to be intrigued enough to go back and see how the pieces of the puzzle all fit together.
Instead, we are only given hints as to what may have happened, forcing you to have to watch it again to see if the ending makes more sense upon a second viewing. On paper, this might be an interesting idea, as it fits into the psychological manner of the presentation, but because the end is so frustrating and abrupt, the idea of going back infuriates you more than it entices you. I want to go back to see if there’s anything I missed that might help explain it, but do I really want to waste another ninety minutes on the hope it I might understand it better?
Not really, which is the overall issue with the film. Yes, the story and the actors keep you engaged, and the atmosphere adds just enough texture to the overall creepiness of the film, but there isn’t enough substance or depth behind the characters to warrant the need for a second viewing. I’m not saying all films need to spell everything out at the end to make sense; some films go way too far in explaining its meaning, and leaving some things up to the imagination is a wonderful tool, if used correctly. But The Turning ends up far too vague to work the way it needs to in order to fully appreciate the film as a whole.
My Grade: B
Bonus Reviews:
I’m not a big fan of Guy Ritchie, and though The Gentleman did have its moments (including a great narrative structure and a powerful final act), and every actor on board doesn’t waste one moment of screen time, the overall story and the atmosphere did languish and feel a bit dusty. B+
Sweet, funny and charming may not be what you’d expect to describe a movie about a Jew-hating ten-year-old whose only goal is to become part of Adolf Hitler’s Reich, but writer/director Taika Waititi (who also stars as the imaginary version of the aforementioned Hitler) does a fantastic job blending the humorous, the absurd and the saccharine in JoJo Rabbit, the story of a young boy (Roman Griffin Davis) who befriends a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) at the end of World War II. A
Next week, new movies include Gretel and Hansel and The Rhythm Section. If you would like to see a review for one of these, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
January 19, 2020
Movie Mayhem – Dolittle
Is there anything worse than a fantasy-adventure movie that has all the right pieces but absolutely no adventurous spirit? That is how I felt watching Dolittle, Robert Downey, Jr.’s first post-Iron-Man gig that feels so confused about itself, it plays like a set of short vignettes from other, better adventure stories that are being recreated by a group of juvenile actors who at no time are aware of what any other actor is doing, even within the same scene. It’s like the blind directing the blind — everyone can hear what’s being said, but the visual interpretation is all scattered across the universe.
A two-minute animated intro provides us a detailed backstory of how Dr. Iohn Dolittle (Downey Jr.) went on adventures with his one true love (Kasia Smutniak), only to eventually lose her to one of those adventures. In hindsight, I have to wonder if this setup would have made for a much better movie than the one we received.
Because of his devastating loss, Dolittle becomes a recluse, hiding away in a mansion given to him by the queen of England. He’s not entirely alone, as he lives with an array of exotic animals, including an ape who’s afraid of everything (Rami Malek), a polar bear who doesn’t like to be cold (John Cena), and a wise, articulate parrot (Emma Thompson). With a heavy, nondescript accent and agoraphobic tendencies that send him into sweats whenever the possibility of a human steps onto his property, Downey, Jr. plays Dolittle as if he’s interpreting the worst of Jack Sparrow. So-much-so, I had to keep reminding myself throughout the first act that this wasn’t Johnny Depp.
When Dolittle finds out that the queen is sick, and that the government will seize his property if she dies, he comes to the conclusion that he must help her back to health. Thus, it’s time for an adventure across the seas to find the cure! The turn from hypertensive recluse with a long, unbridled beard to a man ready to take on the world is so abrupt, there’s no time for you to acclimate to his sudden change. Yes, his physical appearance becomes more clean and proper throughout the adventure (embodied mostly by his shaggy hair slowly becoming less shaggy), but the whole thing feels forced and rushed.
Along for the ride is a tag-along boy named Tommy Stubbins (Harry Collett), who latches himself to Dolittle like a lost little orphan puppy, even though he isn’t lost or an orphan. Unlike his father (Ralph Ineson) and brother (Sonny Ashbourne Serkis), Tommy loves animals; he wants to help, not hurt them. So, when he accidentally shoots a squirrel (voiced by Craig Robinson) during a family duck-hunting session, Dolittle’s parrot guides the boy to Dolittle’s manor, where he seeks help for the poor little woodland creature. From there, he weasels his way into Dolittle’s adventure as if he’s an important piece of rehabilitating Dolittle’s existence.
Except for one important thing: I didn’t see it. Much like there’s absolutely no chemistry between any of the scattered cast (no matter how high-end the cast may be), there is no spark of love or affection between Tommy and Dolittle, who considers the boy a stowaway through most of the film. So does the audience, who might consider Tommy a Cousin Oliver — which is to say, he’s nothing more than something the kids can relate to (if the talking animals wasn’t already enough for that). In other words, if you removed Tommy from the movie, you would have the exact same movie.
A similar effect plays into the majority of the characters, most of whom are introduced and then set aside like a forgotten toy. Carmel Laniado is introduced as a possible love interest for Collett, but the two are separated for the majority of the movie, meaning we’re never given a chance to see the two together for more than a minute at a time — so what’s the point of having her there? Michael Sheen shockingly pops in as an old medical rival of Dolittle who’s now trying to stop him from saving the queen. His character is so over-the-top, it’s hard to believe his character is even part of the same script. Finally, Antonio Banderes makes a cameo that is so effortlessly boring, uninspired and unnecessary, I’m not sure I remember anything that happened when he was on screen.
I commend director Stephan Gaghan for choosing to highlight Dolittle’s ability to speak to each animal in their native tongue, as well as his ability to pull in this many terrific actors (which also includes Jim Broadbent). And yet, because the visuals, both computer-generated and practical, are so bland and generic, it forces the movie to be just as bland and generic.
Adding a slew of recognizable (and some unrecognizable) voices in an attempt to liven up the animals doesn’t even work, mostly because the script itself is as banal and unappealing as the rest of the film. Absolutely no jokes land the way I’m sure the filmmakers hoped they would, and like the on-screen actors, you never once feel these animals are a part of the same movie. It almost feels as if the director just pulled dialogue from movies these actors were previously in, then threw them together into this film in hopes that it would comprehensible. By the time you reach the flatulent dragon, you’ve pretty much given up on the film ever redeeming itself.
Presented with a fantastical fantasy world of talking animals, swashbucklers, queens, dragons, and far-off worlds that hold the antidote to death, you might expect to be whisked away into a fun, magical kingdom of romance and revenge, heroism and adventure. Yet, with a dull and uninspired script and a cast of characters with little substance to warrant their presence, Dolittle offers none of that as it squeals, mumbles, meanders and vapidly goes through the motions in a film that does very little to engage kids and adults alike.
My Grade: D
Bonus Reviews:
Despite the odd sequel-style plot line, I liked the original Bad Boys; what I didn’t care for was the bloated, self-indulgent action-porn of the second film. Bad Boys for Life falls somewhere in between, as without Michael Bay at the helm, the film goes back to what made the first one enjoyable (with a few Michael Bay-isms thrown in for good measure), even as it takes a detour into some odd and questionable decisions in the third act. B+
I’ve never been a fan of Tiffany Haddish, and Like A Boss doesn’t do anything to help change my mind; the only saving grace the film does have is Rose Byrne, who livens up the relatively weak script and harmless antics with a perfect blend of self-deprecating humor and feminist strength. B
Next week, new movies include The Turning and The Gentleman. If you would like to see a review for one of these, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
January 12, 2020
Movie Mayhem – Underwater
Underwater begins with a somber contemplation of living several miles below sea level. Kristen Stuart, in her usual worn, uninterested — bordering on haughty — gaze discusses how time can be deceiving; you can never be sure if something is real or a dream. Within a couple of minutes, noises filter throughout the locker room where Stuart’s character, Norah, is getting dressed for her shift. She forgoes putting on shoes to investigate only to come face-to-face with an unexpected leak. From then on, the movie becomes a full-steam ahead disaster flick without ever returning to the idea of dreams versus reality.
For a disaster movie like this to work well, we fist need a team of interesting characters that we become attached to and are able to root for throughout the inevitable deaths. By starting the movie with the inciting incident, we may be thrust into the film without ever getting a chance to breathe, but we’re also now forced to meet all of the characters as we progress through the journey of finding a way up to the surface without getting killed. This is why the film is so fun and infuriating at the same time.
Along with Norah, the survivors of the early destruction of a deep-sea command station for a high-powered underwater drill include the captain of the expedition (Vincent Cassel); Emily (Jessica Henwick); and Mamoudou Athie, John Gallagher, Jr. and T.J. Miller, who according to the IMDb page aren’t important enough to have actual character names. Whether they do or not is beside the point; this is just evidence that we never truly get to know who these people are, what their actual jobs are, and how these skills will come in handy down the road.
Heck, Emily and Gallagher, Jr. are supposed to be madly in love with one another; it’s a key plot point throughout the film. And yet, when one of the characters doesn’t even have a name, how are you supposed to connect with them on a level deep enough to warrant the filmmaker’s ultimate goal? Beyond that, at no point do we ever see these two characters as a couple. The best we ever get is a conversation between Norah and Emily that explains their relationship. More showing, less telling, writers!
This makes the majority of the film feel highly inorganic. The filmmakers try to establish character traits for each of the characters, but because we never get to know them outside of the disaster, they just feel tacked on. Take for instance the stuffed bunny that T.J. Miller carries around with him everywhere he goes. He is extremely protective of the little thing, but we never know why. Continuity in character development also becomes an issue, as at times it seems everyone knows each other, and at others, it seems like they’re just meeting them for the first time.
If the natural disaster aspects of the environment weren’t enough, director William Eubank also goes out of his way to introduce an underwater sea creature that hunts the group as they make their way to the drill. Why he thought bringing this aspect into the film, I’m not sure, as I believe fighting the elements would have been enough to sustain the setup.
The saving grace for Underwater are the action sequences and effects, which director Eubank creates with a keen eye for detail. For a film released in the dregs of January, the budget for the film was put to good use. The creature designs are well done and the computer graphics never look fake. I have to say that, although the first action set-piece is the best of the film, and sets the mood quite well, the rest of the action does a good job of placing us in a series of claustrophobic situations that bite at your nerves.
Third-act contrivances aside, Underwater is a breeze to get through. It may not follow the usual formula, and the characters may all be cookie cutter disaster wannabes from other better films of this nature, but the film clearly does what it sets out to do. If only we had spent some time with these characters prior to being picked off one-by-one in sometimes gruesome, and in other times bewildering fashion.
My Grade: B
Bonus Reviews:
The most amazing thing about 1917 is how, except for one moment that jumps ahead a few hours, the entirety of the film is filmed in real-time with all but only a few (noticeable) cuts as we literally follow two men (Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay) as they travel several miles to track down a general (Benedict Cumberbatch) to order a cease-fire. Terrific performances and outstanding cinematography are enough to explain why the film is on its way to winning an Oscar in a few weeks. A
Just Mercy hits all the right notes as we follow the true story of Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), a lawyer and social justice activist who, in the early nineties, started the Equal Justice Initiative in order to help those who were currently on death row in Alabama. Though the third act feels a bit rushed at times, the commitment Stevenson and his team have for these people, including his first client, the wrongly-convicted Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian (Jamie Foxx), is extraordinary. A
Next week, new movies include Bad Boys for Life and Dolittle. If you would like to see a review for one of these, or any other film out next week, please respond in the comments below.
January 5, 2020
Movie Mayhem – The Best and Worst Movies of 2019
Well, the decade is coming to a close, and with it come the end of two major eras in cinema history. Though Disney has no plans to end the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Star Wars saga anytime soon, 2019 brought an end to what’s been dubbed “The Skywalker Saga” as well as bringing 22 interconnected comic book movies to a loving crescendo.
Including these spectacular milestones, I once again saw 125 movies in the cineplex this year, 64 of which scored an A- or higher. The movies listed as part of my best and worst lists do not include any films that premiered on a streaming service, and are only based on those movies I saw between January 1 and December 31, 2019. Now without further adieu, here are my picks for the top ten best and top five worst movies of 2019.
Top 10 Best
Bonus Choice (#11) — Knives Out
[image error]LaKeith Stanfield, Noah Segan and Daniel Craig
Knives Out has a stellar cast who work perfectly together as they navigate a murder mystery that isn’t so much a mystery as it is a red herring. What makes this team of actors soar the most is director Rian Johnson allowing them to bring these characters and all of their idiosyncrasies to life without much interference. Ana De Armas especially has fun playing the deceased’s nurse maid, who Daniel Craig’s private detective keeps by his side during his investigation because she can’t lie without literally throwing up. Johnson keeps everything, including the exposition, moving at a steady pace and turns all of the familiar tropes of the murder mystery on their head to delightfully spastic amusement.
#10 — Shazam!
[image error]Zachery Levi
DC finally got smart and lightened the heck up. Under the leadership of Zack Snyder, DC has tried desperately to emulate Marvel’s cinematic dominance, only to see the majority of the franchises covered in criticism due mostly to their long, sluggish, dreary, and overly-stylized takes on their slate of superheroes. Wonder Woman and Aquaman started to steer the ship in the right direction, but they finally hit the sweet spot with Shazam!, a wildly entertaining film that’s allowed to be fun and silly, but still feel like it fits into the DC film universe. If this film was made in the eighties, Tom Hanks may have played the title character, but the film is in great hands under Zachery Levi, a manic, man-child who can pop in and out whenever he or his alter ego, Billy Batson (Asher Angel), yells “Shazam!”, and his chemistry with comic-book geek Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) is on point. A steady thought-out mix of humor, playfulness, drama and heart is what made Marvel so successful, and Shazam! pulls it off with ease… perhaps because they didn’t let Zack Snyder anywhere near it!
#9 — Spider-Man: Far From Home
[image error]Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal
Speaking of Marvel, how do you follow-up a global blockbuster like Avengers: Endgame? You send Peter Parker (Holland) to Europe and have him battle for his place in the world among superheroes. Robert Downey, Jr. still has a huge influence over the new Spider-Man universe; so-much-so, Iron Man’s visage permeates the film as Peter struggles to fit in among the post-snap world. Everyone expects him to be the next Tony Stark, but as a sixteen-year-old high school kid, he isn’t up for that task, not with raging hormones and being a kid getting in the way. Though the film does feel a little more juvenile than Spider-Man: Homecoming, Holland continues to prove why he was the best choice to embody the new Spider-Man, as he plays well against all of the major stars (including Samuel L. Jackson and Jake Gyllenhaal, joining the cast as Mysterio), breezes through whatever scenario he’s given with kinetic charm, and isn’t afraid to dig deep within his soul to show how deeply he misses his mentor. With one major blow during the first end-credit scene, Spider-Man:Far From Home closes out the ramifications of Thanos’s snap while looking ahead to what the future may hold.
#8 — The Peanut Butter Falcon
[image error]Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen
Everyone talks highly of the Keanussance, however, there’s one other actor who seems to have found a healthy resurgence this year — Shia LaBeouf. The first of two terrific performances in 2019 that prove LaBeouf is still a powerful actor, The Peanut Butter Falcon reminded me the most of why I hope his rehabilitation sticks and that he’s able to follow in the footsteps of Robert Downey Jr. and win his way back to shine once again on the big screen in major ways. Partnering this time with a mentally-challenged co-star (Zack Gottsagen) who rises to go toe-to-toe with LaBeouf in every scene, the movie is a tried-and-true road-trip movie with a huge heart.
#7 — Toy Story 4
[image error]Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Forky (Tony Hale)
Toy Story 4 is a movie we didn’t know we needed. After such an emotionally resonate end to the Toy Story trilogy, everyone expected the franchise to be put to bed once-and-for-all. When it was announced there would be a fourth installment, no one was sure what to make of it; when we finally got to see it, Pixar hit us again with yet another emotional gut punch. Toy Story 3 may have ended Andy’s story, but Toy Story 4 takes the franchise a step further by closing out Woody’s (Tom Hanks) story. The send-off doesn’t quite live up to the previous three films, but the film holds its own while delivering some terrific humor, a nice love story, and some fun new characters, including Keanu Reeves as an arrogant motorcycle stunt toy.
#6 — Parasite
[image error]Woo-sik Choi, Kang-ho Song, Hye-jin Jang and So-dam Park
Every now and again a small film comes out of the woodwork that mesmerizes your senses. I am not afraid to say that I’m not a fan of most foreign language films, but love when I find one that works. Parasite is one of those films. As it examines the life of a destitute family who slowly and methodically infiltrate the life of a posh, elite family, it’s both frightening to think there are people in the world that could do this to someone, but exciting at the same time, as we try to understand what exactly the film is about. As each new piece is uncovered, and we learn more about each of these characters, we see that no matter what rung of society you may be on, the secrets you carry with you can haunt you forever. Parasite ends up being a small, quiet film that slow burns its way through your mind, well, like a parasite.
#5 — Ford v Ferrari
[image error]Matt Damon and Christian Bale
Ford v Ferrari is a breezy, thrilling ride, mostly due to the performances and chemistry of Matt Damon and Christian Bale as Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, respectively, the true-life duo who helped the Ford Motor Company compete against Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans throughout the sixties. It is quite evident that Bale is having a blast as Miles; his posture, his mannerisms, and his spirit are on full display as a man whose life lives inside a race car. Add a winning performance by Damon, whose shoulders the movie is being carried, and you set a nice rhythm of comedy and drama that never lets up.
#4 — Fighting With My Family
[image error]Jack Lowden and Florence Pugh
I spoke earlier of the Keanussance and Shia Labeouf’s profound resurgence, but 2019 also saw the breakout of Florence Pugh, a rising star who came into her own this year with three extraordinary performances that led to winning the role of Scarlett Johansson’s sister in next year’s Black Widow. She gave a sweet performance as Amy March in Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women, as well as an incredibly uncomfortable performance in this summer’s Midsommer; but it was in this smaller, lighthearted fare that Pugh first caught our attention. Her performance here is small and understated, but that’s what makes this true story of a small-town wrestler who rises quickly through the ranks of the WWE so powerful. Her ability to restrain her performance while at the same time create a boisterous personality is mesmerizing to watch. She keeps your attention with brevity, and it makes the film as a whole that much sweeter.
#3 — Alita: Battle Angel
[image error]Rosa Salazar
Even though the film is directed by Robert Rodriguez, James Cameron’s influence is all over Alita: Battle Angel. From the story to the imagery, you immediately get immersed into this word, set a few hundred years in the future after a war between Earth and several “floating planets,” for which only one survives. Rosa Salazar is sweet and cunning as the title character. With her huge Anime eyes and petite, but lethal frame, Salazar brings to life a robot with a human brain who slowly comes to terms with who she was, who she is, and who she wants to become. The only thing the film is missing is Cameron’s direction, which could have brought the film to the level you would expect for a James Cameron sci-fi opus. But that’s a very minor criticism for this enjoyable, kinetic action-adventure.
#2 — Avengers: Endgame
[image error]Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd and Scarlett Johansson
What is there left to say about Avengers: Endgame, a completely satisfying conclusion to eleven years of films that start and end with Robert Downey, Jr.’s exclamation, “I am Iron Man.” Throughout the film, we get several nice references to previous films (and making sure you can’t just ignore Thor: The Dark World; the film does have a purpose!), quippy one-liners we’ve all come to expect from a Marvel film, and a couple of deaths you’re sort of expecting, but don’t want to accept, proving just how ingrained these characters, and the actors who portray them, have become in our lives. But it’s the last hour of the film that blows everything out of the water. It depicts the most epic Avenger’s battle ever by bringing almost every character we have ever met in the MCU together for the first time while providing a few stand and applaud moments that only a film like this could possibly get away with. Will there ever be another film that matches the complexity and majesty as this? There’s a reason it surpassed Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time, and it’s going to be extremely difficult to replicate. But I’m sure Kevin Feige will try.
#1 — Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
[image error]Joonas Suotamo, Anthony Daniels, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac
Unlike a lot of movie goers and Star Wars fans alike, I believe Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is the perfect conclusion to the nine-film Star Wars saga. I understand that some could see that bringing Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) back into the fold may upset the rise and fall and rise again of Anakin Skywalker, but if you really look into what is actually happening in the last act of The Rise of Skywalker, J.J. Abrahms takes what’s come before and brings everything together into a glorious conclusion. As the film focuses on our three intrepid heroes traveling across the galaxy to locate Palpatine’s layer, we’re not only given several winks and nods to both previous trilogies (and some not-so-subtle jabs at Rian Johnson and his interpretation in The Last Jedi), but provides us with closure for other characters that are both satisfying and loving. At the same time, it sets up several possible story lines and characters, because even though the “Skywalker saga” may be closed (for now), there’s plenty more for Star Wars fans to salivate over and enjoy moving forward that will always be based on this series’s ultimate timeline.
Top 5 Worst
#5 — Uncut Gems
[image error]Adam Sandler
While this movie is on most critics’ top 10 list, this critic just didn’t see what was so fascinating about Uncut Gems. Adam Sandler certainly gives a strong performance, however, the movie is loud, crude, and very uncomfortable to the point I couldn’t breathe. I understand this is the point — as Sandler’s character’s life careens out of control, so does his sense of holding anything together, and the film is produced to make you feel that stress deep within your bones. For that, it works, but under all of that noise, I didn’t find anything to like about any of the characters, nor did I find the plot to be all that interesting. To cap it all off, there are some things I’m not sure make a whole lot of sense, and because of that, I just can’t recommend it.
#4 — Don’t Let Go
[image error]David Oyelowo and Storm Reid
Back in 2000, a small film came out about a guy (Jim Caviezel) who gets a second chance to get to know his deceased father (Denis Quaid) when they help one another stop a serial killer via a shared ham radio. The movie was called Frequency and it was a brilliant piece of sci-fi entertainment. Don’t Let Go fails to emulate Frequency‘s intlligence on pretty much every level. From the way that David Oyelowo and his niece (Storm Reid) are able to communicate, to the way the mystery is solved (and the completely wasted third act), Don’t Let Go trudges its way through a mess of a story that ultimately doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
#3 — Cold Pursuit
[image error]Liam Neeson
In 2008, Liam Neeson took the world by storm with his particular set of skills. Since then, Neeson has become the go-to actor to star in revenge thrillers similar to Taken. With Cold Pursuit, however, you can tell that Neeson is getting bored with this entire conceit. He basically sleepwalks his way through a script that doesn’t have any clue what it actually wants to be — a straight-forward thriller or a comedic spoof on the genre itself. The second act takes a weird and uninteresting detour, wherein Neeson sort of disappears, which then leads into a third act that ends with no rhyme or reason. It may be time for Neeson to hang up those skills and move on to something that brings him as much passion as his real skills need to be effective.
#2 — Crawl
[image error]Kaya Scodelario
I usually like a good animal-attacks thriller. Unfortunately, Crawl is not a good animal-attacks movie. I can usually forgive the stupidity of characters in a movie like this, but when the characters are so thinly drawn, uninspired and boring as Haley (Kaya Scodelario) and Dave (Barry Pepper), it’s hard to ignore every single stupid thing these characters do to remain in danger of being eaten by a family of crocodiles during a massive Florida hurricane. The dialogue is so flat, and the action sequences so inane, it’s hard to believe I would even have liked the film had it debuted as an original creature feature on SyFy. At least there they understand the genre; here, they take things far too seriously to be fun enough to enjoy.
#1 — Black Christmas
[image error]Imogen Poots
Over the past few years, Blumhouse Productions has produced several terrific horror films. It was to the point where the company could do no wrong. Then came Black Christmas, a film about sorority girls being attacked by a hooded creature. I like Imogen Poots, but she isn’t given anything of substance to use here as she meanders through a grade-z script that seems to have been written on set. By the time the third act hits, nothing makes much sense, characters do things that seem out of character, and the reasoning behind the entire thing — an attempt to fight toxic masculinity — just feels so shoved down our throats, the entire piece falters into the depths of misery.
What do you think? Did I exclude any? Did I add something that never should have made the list? Give me your top ten lists in the comments below.
