Kate

It was nice to see you
at the grocery
to know
you are alive
to remember
that year or so

we knew each other
even if
in hindsight

it was inconsequential

all things contribute

to who we are becoming

'Poor Things' A Review

Poor Things is a scifi dramedy based on the 1992 novel of the same name part Frankenstein part Pygmalion that follows the life and evolution of Bella Baxter(Emma Stone) a reanimated corpse.

Stone is out of her depth, she puts in a commendable effort but the script is too flawed and the character too nuanced for her to really get her hands around it and make something compelling from it. She has a couple pitch perfect scenes but in total the performance, and therefore the film, fall flat. The humor, social commentary, and emotions rarely work consistently or in concert. And its not all her fault, much should be laid at the feet of writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos, yet you cannot help thinking of more dimensional actors who could have made something better, clearer, with the role(Alia Shawkat, Lashana Lynch, Rachel McAdams to name a few). The dudes in the cast are all pretty good, particularly Ramy Youssef who its great to see in this kind of movie, but that's the problem, for a movie explicitly about women and feminism there's too many dudes and the focus is on them and how they view and relate to Bella not on Bella herself.

The film looks great and has Lanthimos's signature visual panache as well as an effective, subtle, melodic almost droning score not to mention absolutely immaculate costuming. But the script is so flawed, the protracted gratuitous sex scenes so thematically counterintuitive, the messaging so inaccurate the result feels like a 90's feminist tutorial for middle schoolers made by men who have no real understanding of their subject.

For a film ostensibly about women's empowerment and autonomy what we actually see is exploitation, subjugation, and a profound misunderstanding of gender dynamics. Rote situations used to demonstrate dated and obvious ideas attempting to critique the male gaze but inadvertently utilizing it.

Beautiful looking and commendably ambitious but ultimately ineffective and bludgeoning. Regressive.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

'Wonka' A Review

Wonka is a musical family fantasy, a defacto prequel to Charlie And The Chocolate Factory/Wonka origin story. Wonka(Timothee Chalamet) arrives in an unnamed city(London?) after working as a ship's cook to open a chocolate shop. He is thwarted by the existing chocolatiers but with the help of some new friends and confectionary ingenuity he may come out on top!

Chalamet has flashes of eccentric brilliance but in aggregate his portrayal is too muted, too conventional, to uninspired to do the beloved character justice. Calah Lane as Noodle is wonderful as is Hugh Grant in his relatively brief role as an Oompa-Loompa and the rest of the supporting cast is full of talent but the music and the script just don't have much life in them so there's not much to be done. This is clearly not someone's passion project, it is a studio trying to use IP that they have and it doesn't have co-writer/director Paul King's typical humor or heart that he's displayed in the Paddington films. 

Visually its pretty boring, it looks like a generic UK town, there's too much CGI and not enough physically built sets and props, the score is a bit on the nose and there is no breakout/catchy hit from the songs. It's not terrible, its mildly diverting but there's just not enough purpose or imagination behind it to justify revisiting this character and this world.

A lead actor beyond his depth, a script trying too hard to have broad appeal to be particularly appealing.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Stream It.

'Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child Of Fire' A Review

Rebel Moon is an SFF epic about an independent moon farming colony that is threatened by a ship from the Motherworld a militaristic galactic empire. Kora(Sofia Boutella) a former Motherworld solider living the quiet life in the farming colony goes on a quest to gather warriors to help defend it.

Boutella is decent as the lead but doesn't have the edge or complexity she needs to really anchor the movie. The rest of the cast is full of some solid actors but none are given much of anything to do, the plot mechanic of "gathering the crew" takes up the bulk of the run time and is breezed through so efficiently none of the hero's Kora gathers feel much like actual characters.

The movie looks great, the costumes are great, the soundtrack is great. All the production elements work together to create a really slick pleasing alt-Star Wars vibe. Its the script that's the problem. Clunky, derivative, overly plotted and emotionally underdeveloped. Its entertaining and better than The Creator but like that movie its clear there is a great movie in here but it fails to reach that potential by a fair margin.

An underbaked but enjoyable popcorn flick.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.

Offerings

We return to where my wife was born.
We visit the places and people
that shaped her.

We pay our respect to the land.

It is good and correct that we do these things.

I am privileged to share in it.

'Maestro' A Review

Maestro is a biopic about the life of conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein written/directed/produced/starring Bradley Cooper. Already get the sense that that's probably too much, you'd be right!

As a filmmaker Bradley Cooper displays little to no cinematic style, the film looks, sounds, and is structured like other better biopics/historical dramas. Cooper is pulling most clearly and directly from Spielberg and Scorsese who are both listed as producers on the movie, their influence is glaring and the comparison poor. It feels generic, derivative, and tired. It lacks any emotional insight, its characters don't feel real, and we actually learn very little about who Bernstein was or what he did other than he was gay and was in a straight marriage for much of his life. His sexuality is the focus, his marriage, not his artistry or music. And even that aspect is not really investigated, it has little nuance or insight. Its a bizarre, narrow, unfulfilling take.

Bradley Cooper the lead actor is over-the-top, in love with himself, and bafflingly uncompelling. The incoherent dialogue and stylized inflection make for a movie where it is almost always impossible to tell what is being said, meant, or happening. Carey Mulligan is wasted and there are way too many shots of her quietly pinning staring at Cooper, those shots are probably 1/4 of the run time.

The whole endeavor feels like a protracted self-indulgent undergrad scene study from a pretentious east coast acting institution.

Acutely unsatisfying.

Currently in theaters and streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

Irv

My grandpa loved me
from the top of my head
to the tips of my toes
to the marrow of my bones

all the way through.

I understood this as a child
with a profound certainty

I was seen, I was safe
and that sustained me
for many years after his death.

'The Boy And The Heron' A Review

The Boy And The Heron is a Japanese animated fantasy about a boy, Mahito, in 1943 Tokyo who's mother dies in a fire after which his father re-marries his aunt and moves to that side of the families country estate. Once there Mahito gets harassed by the local Grey Heron and finds himself in another world.

There are two versions of the film available, Japanese with subtitles or the English dub, both feature returning Miyazaki(writer/director) casts and both give excellent performances. The animation style is typical for Miyazaki and it is gorgeous as well as refreshing simply not to have the kind of CG 3D same-ness that almost all animated films have aesthetically devolved into.

The story is sweeping and complicated and emotional. Imaginative and odd in Miyazaki's typical style. It feels more more of an appropriate send-off for Miyazaki who originally announced his retirement with 2013's The Wind Rises. This is much more focused, much more rich in its ideas, metaphors, themes, and imagery. In a year with a lot of great movies but a lot of the same kind of great movies this sticks out as a bold, necessary, adventurous piece of cinema from one of the art forms absolute greats.

Unique, challenging, an absolute thrill.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't Miss It.

'The Family Switch' A Review

Family Switch is a family comedy about a family who gets Freaky Friday-ed. 

Overall the cast is good, Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms could do this kind of part in their sleep but they show up and put in the energy here to help give the movie some life. The kids are decent too especially Emma Myers as the daughter CeeCee(a good follow up to her turn in Wednesday). The supporting cast is solid and affable but no one really breaks out beyond the kind of B-list, family friendly, just-good-enough-not-to-turn-off metric that this kind of movie seems to fill for Netflix.

The idea is an old one, the characters even call this out explicitly at one point, but there's enough decent jokes, enough sincere heart, and its paced well enough to keep you watching. Director McG seems to have found a new lane with his time at Netflix- decent but in no way exceptional- genre flicks.

An inoffensive and effective PG comedy(holiday adjacent) that'd be good to watch with the fam if holiday tensions start to rise.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

Fourth Wind

I have more to learn

about myself 

more avenues to traverse

secrets to uncover

reservoirs to tap

Socrates first step

to true wisdom

'know thyself'

is no mean feat

is never complete

In the midst of a challenge

my energy depleted

my outlook grim

my motivation non-existent

I am renewed

Not once or twice

but many times

some unknown reserve

emptied, consumed

to inexorably continue

It cannot last

but the finish line

is fast approaching

relief in sight

one more day and then the next

'Silent Night' A Review

Silent Night is a holiday action movie mostly devoid of dialogue. After his son is killed by a stray bullet in a drive by shooting Brian(Joel Kinnaman) chases down the perpetrators and is shot in the throat losing his voice. He spends the next year preparing to exact his revenge.

Kinnaman is not a particularly good actor nor does he have much presence, he has yet to show the same promise he did in his breakout role in AMC's The Killing. He is certainly not a leading man and giving him no dialogue further hamstrings his already limited abilities. At his best he is passable like he was earlier this year in Sympathy For The Devil but without an actual star to play off of his performance is DOA. Much like No One Will Save You the lack of dialogue doesn't really work and feels very transparently like a script contrivance, its distracting, boring, and renders the characters less engaging. The supporting cast, inexplicably also burdened with no dialogue even though they are not mute, have little to do and don't make much if any impression.

The movie looks great, director John Woo hasn't lost his visual acumen and its a treat to have him release a US based movie, but the script is dog shit, regressive, and offensive. Its unclear where the movie is even taking place, it seems as if its in LA but then there are a bunch of Texas license plates so maybe its along the border somewhere? The depiction of Latinx organized crime as defacto slathering monsters is insane and racist. Similar to 2018's Peppermint this element of the plot is baffling and feels straight out of the Reagan era. There are things to criticize about 1974's Death Wish, the originator of this type of movie, but at least the baddies in it were somewhat generic(not to mention its a far superior film than almost all of its copy-cats). Once the action finally starts, which takes far too long, its not particularly interesting nor is Kinnaman particularly adept or fluid with its execution. For a holiday action movie look to 2022's Violent Night or 2020's Fatman.

An absolute waste of time.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

'Candy Cane Lane' A Review

Candy Cane Lane is a family Christmas comedy about Chris(Eddie Murphy) who is focused on his neighborhood house decoration competition after he is laid off. When he encounters a mysterious Christmas decoration shop and makes a deal with Pepper(Jillian Bell) the cheerful but ominous proprietor things start to go awry.

Its always good to see Murphy and here he's great as the affable and loving dad with screwed up priorities that need to be straightened out by this holiday adventure. He's an old school star, he lights up and holds the screen. He's funny but also able to navigate the heart of it without falling into cliché or saccharine-ness. The chemistry with his family- Tracee Ellis Ross as Carol his wife and Genneya Walton, Thaddeus J. Mixson, and Madison Thomas as the three kids- is great. Bell is wonderful as the villain of the piece and there are some great supporting actors/cameos(David Allen Greer shows up in a great way). There's not a lot of depth to the movie, its not that kind, but the cast are all good actors having a good time and the comedy, emotion, and adventure elements all play.

The production design is all solid with relatively minimal CGI which helps. There is some on location shooting and a lot of sets. That kind of approach increasingly bears more fruit as, like it or not, audiences can tell when CGI is used and it unequivocally detracts from the quality of the watch. The story feels a bit like a 90's throwback in a great way- family oriented holiday comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously and executes well. A solid, if not destined to be classic, holiday offering.

Fun, funny, feel-good.

Currently streaming on Prime.

Rent It.

Direction

The question then becomes
what do you want your life to be

what is its shape

its depth and breadth

its tone and tenor

what is its quality

decide this

and set off in its pursuit

'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' A Review

THG: TBoS&S is an action/adventure movie based on the Hunger Games prequel novel of the same name. Coriolanus Snow(Tom Blyth) is a teen(not the mustache twirling president he will become!) struggling with the economic situation to which his once vaulted family has fallen. In his latest class assignment he is tasked with mentoring a competitor in the hunger games. Who is he assigned? You guessed it! The female district 12 participant folksy singer Lucy Gray(Rachel Zegler)! Fireworks ensue!

Blythe is kinda pitch perfect as a young frustrated morally complicated aristocrat. You can see the ideals, the compromises, the necessities, the priorities all conflicted within him. Zegler puts on a twang and gets to sing a bit which is great and she too is able to get at that morale bargaining which is necessary. The support cast are all great- Jason Schwartzman as a young Lucky Flickerman, Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom a dean at the Academy, and my-oh-my Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul is an absolute sensation. Davis just goes for it and it is a delight to watch, she steals every scene she's in.

Visually the film is rich, well made, great costumes and set design. It's actually really nice to re-visit this world and some of these characters even if, on paper, a HG prequel doesn't have much grab to it this really delivers. Its a bit overlong, the movie clearly ends and then there's another 40 minutes tacked on that feels like it could have been its own movie but still all-in-all a surprisingly engaging piece of entertainment. Maybe even more so given the last HG movie came out 8 years ago so there's enough room for this installment to actually breathe.

Well made, well acted, well constructed. A slick piece of popcorn entertainment.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

'Saltburn' A Review

Saltburn is a dramedy/thriller about Oxford first year Oliver(Barry Keoghan) who becomes infatuated with the rich/popular/handsome Felix(Jacob Elordi) and his crowd and semi-befriends him scoring an invitation to spend the summer at Felix's family estate the titular Saltburn.

Keoghan is miscast and out of his depth, Oliver never feels like an actual human being and more a collection of ticks and tactics that Keoghan employs. It is clearly A Performance. He has his same superhero build from The Eternals which is unnatural for his frame and which he is clearly not comfortable with so above and beyond the deliberately awkward performance his physicality is also stilted, one would presume part of the reason is that there are extended scenes of Keoghan naked none-the-less it serves only to make the performance less believable. The supporting cast, at least the younger individuals, come across as equally inauthentic, it doesn't help that all of them are 8-12 years too old for their roles, presumably the characters are supposed to be in their teens. Part of the issue is that the film is tonally inconsistent changing from scene-to-scene- is it comedy, farce, melodrama, thriller, magical realism- the film can't decide, wants to do it all and in so doing dilutes its intent. The veteran performers who have the smaller 'adult' roles are much more assured- Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Carey Mulligan- but this isn't about them and their ability to provide consistent characterizations and ride the tonal shifts doesn't trickle down to the younger cast who are the focus.

The film looks incredible with some beautiful sometimes provocative shots and sequences, but it is clear cool looking scenes and challenging images take priority over narrative/coherence. The score is inconsistent, sometimes pitch perfect and elevating the action other times dragging the viewer to a particular feeling by the ear. Other than Keoghan the big issue is the script, first and foremost it is transparently derivative it is The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Call Me By Your Name with a dash of Euphoria. Its influences are so glaring that it quickly goes past 'inspired by' to 'lifted from'. The motivations of Oliver(and Felix and his sister and cousin) are always opaque, there is very little context provided for any of the characters and their behavior is so varied its as if these things don't exist. As a result they are not people but kind of vacant decadent teen archetypes pantomiming prescribed plot beats. Further, the morals/messaging are so convoluted it is unclear what the point of it all even is, presumably that's the intent, to be thought-provoking, but the what's conveyed is an inert apathy.

Writer/director Emerald Fennell's freshman feature Promising Young Woman was a revelation, a knockout. This still shows ambition, shows tremendous talent, but has none of that thematic power or pointed characterization. Ultimately it is, like its subjects, a vacuous indulgent mess with very little to be entertained by or learned from.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

Foodways

I make rosettes
as my mother does
as my great uncle Gale did
as my great grandma Bertha did
and further back

to the fjords

the farmers and the fishermen

but always

boiling fat, batter, cast iron

and time