Prisoners of the Ghostland is a weird western about Samurai Town, a corner of Japan cordined off after a nuclear accident, where The Governor(Bill Moseley) press-gangs bank robber Hero(Nicolas Cage) into going into the radiated fringes of the town(the titular Ghostland) to retrieve his lost "granddaughter" aka concubine Bernice(Sofia Boutella).
Cage isn't able to reach his typical neo-shamanistic heights constrained by an utterly confusing and vague script and, simply, not given enough to do. There are a couple surprise moments where he's able to do some actual acting but they are few and far between. Moseley as the heavy is pretty flat and non-descript. Boutella is woefully underutilized as a underdeveloped damsel in distress, particularly when her action bonafides have been proven(Star Trek Beyond, Atomic Blond, Kingsman 2). The supporting cast are, interesting. There are some intriguing set pieces with synchronized movement and chanting which make for interesting tableaus but the narrative is so divorced from anything cogent it doesn't particularly matter how nice it looks.
Extensive practical production design and absolutely stunning costuming work overtime to pull back this story from the morass of incoherence but fail. There's worthy ambition on display but the plodding and murky plotting prevent the movie from succeeding. All the parts are there but they way they are assembled baffles.
A movie desperately, transparently, trying to be/become a cult classic fails the baseline test of being tolerable.
Currently in theaters and available to rent on VOD.
Don't See It.
The Eyes Of Tammy Faye is a biopic about televangelist Tammy Faye. The story opens on Tammy Faye(Jessica Chastain) on a later-in-life performance then flashes back to her as a child in rural Minnesota, being ostracized on Sunday because she is the product of a divorce, it then jumps to her in seminary where she meets Jim Bakker(Andrew Garfield) where the two fall in love and hit the road as traveling ministers. They eventually meet Pat Robertson(Gabriel Olds) which begins the televangelism which quickly snowballs into a media/ministry empire.
Chastain gives a cornucopic transformative performance, the make-up, the clothes, the voice, the infectious personality she totally inhabits and transmits. It's truly wonderful. Showy, perhaps, Oscar-baity, sure but none the less its absolutely transfixing. And what's most impressive, as well as compelling, is that she brings reality to the character, dimension and layers and emotion, faults and virtues and all. There is comedy but it is never at her expense, but too punches aren't pulled in regards to the scandal, to misdeeds, willful ignorance what have you. It's not a hit piece but it's certainly not sugar coated. Really stunning. Garfield gives equally thought to the more transparently suspect Bakker and although his complicity and guilt is much more clear Garfield still works hard to provide Bakker with humanity. The supporting cast has some impressive turns, particularly from Cherry Jones as Tammy's mother, but the majority of the time and attention is spent on Faye and Bakker.
If not visually or structurally particularly unique, it functions, director Michael Showalter is not known for his filmmaking flair what he is known for is empathy, elevating the humanity of a story, and he succeeds in spades here. Although the cinematography may be only servicable the sets, make-up, and costuming are all superb, complimenting this bizarre, suspect, fascinating story of a woman's life that plays in some sense like an allegory for greed paired with a lovesick tragedy.
Like many scandals from the 90's(Bobbitt, Lewinski et al.) Tammy Faye was for a long time simply the butt of a joke, a caricature, pathetic, and here she's given respect and dignity which every human, regardless of their foibles, deserves.
Showalter again delivers an award worthy film(The Big Sick) with an award deserving lead(Hello, My Name Is Doris).
Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.
Don't Miss It.
Winstead shoulders the movie with little effort, she's got presence and physical alacrity, but the script lets her down. There is simply not enough information to really know or care about the character, there are a couple of montages of her training and past jobs but not enough to get any clarity on the character. Woody Harrelson is Varrick Kate's handler/mentor, but he's got very limited screentime and the dynamic is really only hinted at never actually flushed out. There are also some big name Japanese actors who are equally underutilized primarily Tadanobu Asano and Jun Kunimura(although he gets two exceptionally great scenes, the first is mostly expositional, the second where he faces off against Asano's character which despite the movie's overwhelming mediocrity is one of the best of the year).
Visually slick, clearly shot actually in Japan which is a plus, overall decent production design but there is a sameness to it, a rushed quality, presumably the budget was limited and the shooting schedule was even more so, which is why its such a disappointment, because there's clearly a lot of potential, a lot of talent involved.
The latest in the recent series of female killer flicks(Gunpowder Milkshake, Jolt) although none have yet to quite hit the mark.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Stream It.
Jungle Cruise is a fantasy adventure based on Disney's ride of the same name. In 1916 Dr. Lily Houghton(Emily Blunt) is attempting to raise money for an expedition into the Amazon to research the Tears Of The Moon a mythic cure-all, but is ignored because of her gender. She makes her own way and hires river boat captain Frank(Dwayne Johnson) to take her into the jungle and uncover the mystery of the legendary flower. But they are pursued by German Prince Joachim(Jesse Plemons) as well as various ghostly cursed conquistadors.
Blunt brings her considerable charisma to bear and pairs it with a great physical performance to give Dr. Lily a modern Dr. Jones vibe. She has great chemistry with Johnson who gives a bit more straightforward and sincere performance than the kind of wry humor of which he's been accustomed to recently. The two together give enough heart to make us care, the plot has enough twists and reveals to stay engaged, and the pacing of the action continues to push and progress fluidly to an entertaining crescendo. Plemons clearly relishes the opportunity to go ham, to go big, and it works, he's a great funny, almost foppish villain that is still incredibly sinister.
Visually lush and bright if somewhat overly CGI'd, wonderful playful costuming, an effective classical score, and a plot if somewhat predictable still work together to create a great family adventure. Some of the exposition is a little unnecessarily complicated and at times it seems the movie is constrained by its attempt to appeal to both kids and adults(although it has a PG-13 rating) still its pure and successful entertainment.
Guaranteed family fun.
Currently available on Disney+ and most VOD platforms.
See It.
Interesting if somewhat pedestrian the doc explores Ross's life and art but ultimately doesn't offer much beyond what you would get watching reruns of The Joy Of Painting until the business of Bob Ross is explored particularly his connection to Annette and Walt Kowalski, which is pretty damning. His son Steve is featured heavily in the doc and his legal struggles with the Kowalskis given as Ross was dying of cancer the Kowalskis attempted to co-op his name to further monopolize on his fame and recognition(following his death they succeeded). Which, given capitalism and fundamental human greed, isn't particularly surprising in any way.
This somewhat sorted, still intriguing, "dark side" of Ross and his legacy are the only thing that separate this from other Ross docs and it isn't investigated that deeply and Steve, an incredibly sympathetic character within the whole tangled web, is also clearly not being totally forthcoming about his past and journey(which, totally fair). So this "mystery" aspect of the doc is only scratched and ultimately there is no satisfying reveal or outcome.
Mildly compelling at-home popcorn viewing.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
Stream It.
