'Sasquatch Sunset' A Review

Sasquatch Sunset is a fantasy/drama about four sasquatches in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows the four over the course of a year in a series of vignettes, following their mating, eating, and sheltering habits as they contend with challenges and the encroachment of humans.

Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough, Christophe Zajac-Denek, and Nathan Zellner all put in intricate, interesting, non-verbal performance(yes, there is zero dialogue). At times it does play as an experiment, a theatrical exercise, but other times as a surprisingly impactful exploration of community and behavior. There is a lot of truth here, some laughs, and some things that go to far but overall its refreshingly unique and displays a pretty profound courage on the part of the actors.

Visually the film is patient, evoking the natural world and these sasquatches living in it. It feels rich and peaceful and when the sasquatches encounter a road or trees marked for lumber we, along with them, feel the affront. The score is subtle and helps bolster the filmmaking's intentions, filling out what is a relatively sparse audioscape.

There are some particularly gross scenes, some of them work some of them don't, but they are ambitious, brave. Similarly the comedic moments are a bit hit-or-miss and yet overall the tone is one of honesty and adventurousness. If still, lets not mince words, incredibly bizarre.

Certainly not for everyone but the first truly singular piece of US cinema in 2024.

See It.

Perennials

Like the tulips
the daffodils

the grape hyacinth

we emerge

after a period of repose

of dormancy

we are enlivened

restored, revived, refreshed

Spring

in all its possibilities of promise

of fragile and fleeting beauty

of sunshine and sociability

of risk and reward

fertility

in all its implications

once again

the land and its denizens awaken

we are renewed.

'Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver' A Review

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver is a SFF epic a sequel to the Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child Of Fire released in December of last year. It picks up right after the events of the previous movie and delivers on the Seven Samurai premise with the first part being mostly set up for the battle in the latter half. It in no way stands on its own and both parts only together deliver a full narrative.

Much like the previous installment the lead Kora played by Sofia Boutella doesn't have enough to do or enough edge. The supporting cast, similarly, are underdeveloped and feel like undergrad aspiring screenwriter fumblings than actual characters. There is a ton of deadening exposition laden dialogue and scenes where characters painfully and explicitly set up flashbacks we are about to see. Its offensively juvenile writing but the actors do their best to breath some life into it to a modicum of success.

Visually the movie looks great, costumes are great, soundtrack is great, fight scenes are mostly great(if there is the standard Synder overuse of slow motion). And the idea behind it and the worldbuilding aren't half bad it is simply the characters and the dialogue, as written, are woefully boring, flat, and robotic.

Mildly diverting eye candy but no real substance.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

Transmutation

We look at the damage of the past
we don't ignore it, we don't fixate upon it
we move through it

we clean and bandage the wound

and we let it heal

then comes the leveraging of this experience

to benefit others

in doing so the healing continues

in perpetuity

and in this way are we made whole

'Monkey Man' A Review

Monkey Man is an action thriller about a country kidin India who's village is destroyed and taken over by the government at the behest of a corrupt religious figure. Years later he(Dev Patel) is surviving in the city working as an underground fighter plotting his revenge.

Patel has moments of brilliance but overall his performance is overshadowed by the overstuffed script and production(his other duties as writer and director). There is just straight up too much going on in the film and Patel as a first time director is doing too much. The supporting cast has some wonderful folks in it but the focus is all over the place, the influences and ambitions so bloated it doesn't allow for any of the actors to really distinguish their characters outside of the relentless tone.

The dark saturated visuals paired with the shaky came quick cuts create a clipped momentum and a distinct mood(although it never really relents which in a 90 minute runtime would be perfect but at two hours is not as successful). The soundtrack has a couple on-the-nose needle drops but some decent scoring with one stand out training sequence with diegetic drumming. The action seems to be well choregraphed but follows the Paul Greengrass school of close up, hand held shooting which makes the fights incredibly difficult to actually see.

The are so many big ideas and themes in the film- class, religion, gender, capitalism- to name a few. It wants to be John Wick but it also wants to be political and also wants to be a modern day myth. Which is all great and a great start is made on a lot of the above but it never comes together, it doesn't coalesce, so what you are left with is something that is assuredly entertaining but not altogether satisfying. In attempting so much it is unable to fully deliver on any one thing.

Its reach exceeds its grasp.

See It.

Organizing Principle

For me its The Program
my day, my perception, my worldview
all codified around and within recovery

it is not a series of dictums

or some kind of prescriptive morality

what it is is an attempt

to dispel the erroneous notion

that we are separate beings

beholden to suffering and otherness

that we are, in fact

parts of a collective whole

a Fellowship

at first of addicts

but upon investigation

of humanity in its totality

in which there is pain

but never despair.

'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' A Review

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is a fantasy, the continuation of the monsterverse and a sequel to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong. Kong is settled in Hollow Earth but lonely, Godzilla is on regular Earth but powering up on radiation for an unknown threat. Kong discovers a group of large apes like himself after an avalanche reveals a here-to-fore uncharted section of Hollow Earth. That group is lead by the tyrannical Scar King who Kong must face, with some help of course.

The human cast is full of talent but they don't have much to do and quite frankly their inclusion is virtually unnecessary. This is ultimately a story about Kong and the CGI rendering of Hollow Earth and all the principle monsters is pretty excellent. Devoid of the human dialogue the story is actually a pretty archetypal Hero's Journey and it works. Kong the forgotten son, the disgraced prince, returns to find his kingdom under the rule of a villain and he must usurp him for the good of the apes. At first attempt he is defeated but after receiving a Magic Weapon, a powerful mechanized gauntlet, and enlisting the aid of his former nemesis Godzilla, he returns to triumph. Simple and effective.

Most of the movie is CGI and especially on the big screen it looks great. There are some great needles drops, the pacing is quick and breezy, and the art design is good and for once doesn't have the sameness that a lot of contemporary CGI has. Is it an amazing piece of cinema? No. But an enjoyable, easy to follow, adventure building off of lore set up in the franchise but not really beholden to or bogged down by it.

A surprising popcorn success.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

Eclipse

It makes it easy
to understand our insignificance
tiny detritus amid Titans
but also
in the cultural interest
not only now
but back millennia
our togetherness
in that insignificance
our collective connectedness

Southern Illinois

Down south for a couple days to see the eclipse in the path of totality and do some hiking.

Sober (Insert Month Here)

As an addict

I can say truthfully

and unequivocally

if you feel compelled to engage

in a social media "challenge"

regarding your substance use

you have some kind of problem.

'Road House' A Review

 

Road House is an action movie, a remake of 1989 cult classic. Elwood Dalton(Jake Gyllenhaal) is a disgraced MMA fighter scrapping by hustling underground fighting rings. Frankie(Jessica Williams) the owner of a road house named Road House in the Florida Keys hires him to keep her rowdy clientele in line. But everything isn't as it first appears! You guessed it, a shady developer needs the land the road house is built on to make a resort.

Gyllenhaal gives a painful, confused performance. Earnest in all the wrong ways, clearly a lot of effort went into his physique and on a 43 year old man it looks weird bordering on grotesque. He's not charming, he has no real chemistry with any of his castmates, he's not funny, there's virtually nothing that he brings to the role that is effective. Similarly Conor McGregor in his acting debut, is terrible. Awkward physically and stilted verbally he looks and sounds like a middle school drama club member who's excitement about participating far exceeds any sliver of talent. Excruciating to watch. Williams is wasted in the underdeveloped role as Frankie and her comedy chops aren't factored in. The sole person that's able to carve out an actual character is Arturo Castro as Moe one of the toughs, he plays him with a befuddled good-naturedness that's genuinely fun and funny and is pretty much the only character that resembles an actual human being.

The production elements are equally objectionable. CGI is liberally used to spruce up the fight scenes and the action sequences in a glitzy transparent way that undermines them. The soundtrack is full of treakley pop with the capper being an unsettling Sublime cover. There was clearly issues with the sound mix because over half the dialogue is disturbingly ADR'd. Like the performances, the production design and execution is profoundly uneven. The script(clearly doctored by half a dozen screenwriters) is beyond predictable with attempted one-liners that land like lead balloons, with a bad mix of action and(attempted) story that do justice to neither.

A total miss on virtually every level. Lifeless. Offensive, not in its content but in its quality.

Currently streaming on Prime.

Don't See It.

He is risen indeed

I stopped walking

with the Man Jesus

long ago

but my understanding

of the book

as written

is that he died

for the sins of humanity

full stop

no qualifications, no requirements

Hell is closed, Heaven only

for those souls thereafter

regardless of belief

or background

the perversion of this gift

is Christianity's biggest grift.

'Late Night with the Devil' A Review

Late Night with the Devil is a period horror film found footage adjacent. Set in 1977, through voice over narration and "archival" footage the body of the film is set up which is the infamous Halloween show of Carson rival Jack Delroy(David Dastmalchian) which focuses on the occult. It includes the episode in question as well as "behind the scenes" footage within the commercial breaks.

Dastmalchian is a great leading man, grounded, emotive, and in full control of the screen. Its wonderful to see him in this kind of role, being most frequently cast as the character or the creep. He's a soulful actor and he's able to bring that quality effectively to bear here in a context that really needs it. The supporting cast is all talented but have less to do, the exceptions are Laura Gordon as Dr. June Ross-Mitchell and Ingrid Torelli as Lilly, the duo that are the mainevent guests for the show as Lilly is possessed. Torelli is deliciously creepy and Gordon sparks good chemistry with Dastmalchian in the limited scenes they have. Ian Bliss is the one squeaky wheel, the character, as written, is pretty irritating but his performance doesn't bring much life to the plot's necessary contrarian.

Clearly on a limited budget the film looks authentic, evoking the 70's and late night network vibe. All the production elements, the narration, the montage, the costumes, the score, the show itself, all work together to evoke this cool transportive mood. The film doesn't fail in ambition or talent but it does fall a short in pacing, periodically it drags, and the ending isn't quite coherent or work particularly well. At times the plotting gets in the way of its impact. But it does feel fresh, there's a vitality to it, some edge, some danger.

Not a homerun but a solid base hit, satisfying with a great turn from Dastmalchian.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

Searchers

I've known many
of that particular bent
always looking for answers

maybe in LA

or London

or rural Idaho

maybe if I get into Reiki

or run a marathon

or change careers

always looking externally

for some large

all-inclusive solution

but the answers

are always internal

because

painful as it may be

wherever you go, there you are.

'Love Lies Bleeding' A Review

Love Lies Bleeding is a neo-noir set in an unspecified town in New Mexico in 1989. Lou(Kristen Stewart) is a lonely manager of a gym and has unspecified familial and law enforcement issues. Enter Jackie(Katy O'Brian) a transient bodybuilder on her way to a competition in Las Vegas. The two meet and begin a relationship while Jackie prepares. Lou's past and situation begin to interfere with the relationship and trouble ensues.

Stewart is miscast and brings her hipster aw-shucks shrugging to a role that requires more. O'Brian, in her first leading role, is clearly a talent to watch but doesn't have enough on the page to really carve out a character. The two have decent chemistry and it would have been nice to see them in a story not so bogged down by manufactured externals. Both are criminally underwritten and are propelled not by a real connection with each other or believable humanity but with the necessity of plot. It is glaring how contrived both the relationship and the situation the characters find themselves in are. The rest of the cast have very little to do and Jena Malone, a true star, is barely used. She would have been a better choice for Lou. Ed Harris's absurd wig does more acting than he does.

The film looks great, saturated and lush, the score thrumming and thrilling. But its all style no substance. Director/co-writer Rose Glass is an expert craftsperson, no question, but her screenwriting ability, at least in this effort, is little to none. She has no real sense of the time period, location, criminality, class, or fitness. All areas a rich prep school Londoner shouldn't get into without, at minimum, extensive research. Given the New Mexico setting the dearth of Latinx and Natives in the film is concerning. Understanding this is extra-textual but it underscores the inauthenticity that is an undercurrent throughout.

It is wonderful to see the representation and the uptick in queer filmmaking generally over the last couple years is encouraging but here there is almost a sprint to the stylized sex scenes proceeded by little-to-no character development which render them confusing at best, exploitive at worst.

Feels more like a protracted music video rather than a feature.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' A Review

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is a supernatural comedy the continuation of the Ghostbuster franchise and the sequel to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The crew of the previous installment is, inexplicably, in NYC occupying the old headquarters and fully operating as the Ghostbusters when an old artifact resurfaces that confines and power and old god/spirit(that of course is inadvertently freed).

The returning cast are all fine with needed additions of Kumail Nanjiani and James Acaster, the only adults other than Ackroyd who don't seem to be phoning it in. In this as in the previous movie the presence of the legacy characters hinders more than it helps and the change in setting further makes this derivative and less fresh than the previous. The younger cast members are all solid and still excited to be there but the lead Mckenna Grace(the highlight of the previous film) is given less to do and her emotional arc is convoluted and unbelievable. Its all serviceable but uninspired.

Visually the movie looks very similar to the originals without some of the NYC grime but with a fair amount of decent practical effects with minimal CGI integration until the big culmination which turns into a unreal CGI fest. The soundtrack is virtually non-existent and the titular hit isn't played, bafflingly, until the end credits. The production is all workman like, all function, there's no real life in it or in the by-the-numbers script. Its as if the creators misunderstood the success of Ghostbusters: Afterlife and instead of going further into originality and cutting new ground within the franchise they instead attempted a straight up remake.

A mildly entertaining disappointment. Empty calories.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Stream It.

The Dentist

I neglected my teeth
for a decade
and a half

a result of fear

and a deliberate

willfulness

in returning 

I find it

if not convenient

or exactly pleasant

manageable

even if there is lots to do

lots of problems to rectify

the Doc kindly, calmly

laid out a plan

and all I have to do

is follow it

and in doing so

there is satisfaction

there is progress

there is health.

'Arthur The King' A Review

Arthur The King is a feel-good sports drama about adventure racer Michael Light(Mark Wahlberg) who befriends a stray dog during an adventure race in the Dominican Republic.

Wahlberg gives the same performance that he has given over the past five years- blandly serviceable and indistinct. For this kind of flick that's mostly fine. There are some decent talents in the supporting cast but the script is so poor, the pacing so jagged, and the characters so thin it doesn't really matter who they are or what they're doing. The dog is very sweet.

Shoot on location as well as utilizing a fair amount of green screen the overall look is cheap and uneven. The sound track is generic inspirational and generally so are all the production elements. The reason to see this is for the dog but the problem is the dog doesn't really show up until over half way through the runtime. Its not even really about the dog, its about Wahlberg's Light who on paper isn't interesting and isn't made so by Wahlberg's performance. Much of the script and plot beats are baffling creating a vagueness, unreality, and general inability to engage.

There is a certain pleasure in saccharine feel-good dog movies like A Dog's Purpose, this ain't it.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

Men of a Certain Age

When my dad calls me
from the hospital

I find I am prepared

not dread or fear or panic

only readiness

illness and death, adversity

these are the price of admission

and sooner or later

must be paid.

But thankfully

not quite yet.

'Damsel' A Review

Damsel is a fantasy about Elodie(Millie Bobby Brown) a poor princess who is coerced into an infelicitous marriage. Made in Netflix's typical just-barely-watchable-enough-to-have-on-while-folding-laundry and extremely derivative given not only the almost exact same premised The Princess but the similar Catherine Called Bird and Ready Or Not all released within the last five years. Not to mention the exactly titled and similar(if Western set) Damsel.

Needless to say this movie is not good. And given the relatively substantial budget, one would guess between 50-100 million why has Netflix yet to solidify any note worthy relationship with theatrical distributors. This is not a good movie yet it is clearly attempting to be a major release, a defacto Blockbuster, this underscores Netflix's baffling approach to feature films. Regardless of its quality it would make some, if not quite a bit, of money in box office if given a national release. That would have little to no effect on Netflix's exclusive streaming rights or the number of views it would subsequently get on the platform. By also not releasing it into the open theatrical market its quality is not appropriately put to the test, and in this instance it is extremely poor(weak lead performance by Brown, predictable and unoriginal AI generated script, uneven visual effects). And if it were a straight-up bomb that would still provoke discussion and subsequently drive viewers to watch it on Netflix(if not in the theater). Win-win.

Clearly given how many of these types of movies that have been made recently(Ready Or Not being the superior by a wide margin and being a genuine box office success with a gross return of 1000%) there is a market or the studios perceive there to be a market for them. Why not put that to the test in the open market? Why not take some actual time and effort to make them good? Netflix currently has a limited contract with Landmark Theaters exclusively for showings of awards contenders to meet their minimum requirements for eligibility. There has been much discussion about the uncertain future of movie theaters, one of the clear issues is variety. One of the major reasons Dune: Part Two is a success is because there is simply nothing else to see right now.

All this is to say that the streamers, in particular Netflix, need to begin distributing their films into theaters. Its the best way forward for cinema and the best choice for them economically. This relationship between film and movie theaters is symbiotic. The medium of the TV, the device, is the TV show. The feature film is made for the movie theater.

Damsel currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

'Problemista' A Review

Problemista is a surrealist cringe comedy about Alejandro(Julio Torres, also written and directed by) a El Salvadoran immigrant to New York City an aspiring ironic-toy designer. When faced with a visa problem he befriends and begins to work as a personal assistant for Elizabeth(Tilda Swinton) a mentally unstable art critic and champion level Karen.

Torres Freshman film effort shows a lot of imagination, a lot of ambition, and a decent amount of visual flair and actuality, his effort as the lead is servicable but not as strong as his other efforts in the film. His characterization verges on a Napoleon Dynamite impersonation. Not overtly but in mannerism and in indicating a kind of vague intelligence, another influence in regards to the performance seems also to be Peter Sellers' Chance in Being There. This is not to say its bad but to simply say it doesn't come across as particularly original. Which is in stark contrast to Swinton's Elizabeth which, even if unpleasant as a character most of the time, is absolutely captivating to watch. Frequently Swinton's is cast as unknowable or distant or authoritative, its rare she gets a chance to be completely human(the Michael Clayton type roles for her are not frequent). Here she takes full advantage and gives a performance of singular quality. Outside the two of them the supporting cast is inconsequential, not in there talent but in their screentime and necessity to the narrative.

From a design standpoint Torres, out of the gate, has style, has point of view. Like his former SNL co-worker Kyle Mooney before him with Brigsby Bear, there is a clear sense of darkness and whimsy. A magical realism injected both in some of the emotional beats but in dream or representation sequences which are lovely to see. There is not one way to do a film although in the increasing homogenization of the studios most major releases follow the same screenwriting parameters, this does not. It has identity. 

One can question how effective the film is and what, actually, is it trying to say. Those questions are more murky here, perhaps even off putting. There is a lot in the film, like many freshman features, it is overstuffed. With visuals and with ideas. But most of them are successful. The relationship between Alejandro and Elizabeth, the themes explored, are interesting. But the resolution of which leaves an odd, bitter, one imagines unintended, taste.

An intriguing new work from a promising talent.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

The Grocery

I'm turning 40 this year
and I know I'm getting old

the passions and diversions of youth

rapidly fading

if not completely absent

because 

I could talk about grocery stores

for an hour

easily

and gladly

'Spaceman' A Review

Spaceman is a scifi drama based on the 2017 novel Spaceman of Bohemia about a solo Czech astronaut Jakob(Adam Sadler) who is sent to investigate a mysterious cloud around Jupiter. Increasingly isolated Jakob reflects on his failing marriage with Lenka(Carey Mulligan) and is inexplicably visited by an alien creature he names Hanuš(Paul Dano).

As always its nice to see Sandler in this kind of register. Grounded, emotional, with the same open vulnerability he brings to both his dramatic and comedic roles. Its a lot to ask of him here as he never has any actual scene partners and he thrives in the company of actual humans, he does a good job but can't quite carry it to the finish line. This is partly the fault of the script which at times languishes and becomes repetitive. Mulligan gives a great performance but its more pastiche, more montage, than actual scene work as she is mostly shown through fragmentary flashbacks. Dano's vocal performance has depth but not a lot of variation.

The production is very effective, very vivid, but perhaps overly dark and gloomy furthering the already dark and gloomy story and dark and gloomy lead performance. At times it is a bit much, a bit oppressive. Which is perhaps the intent, regardless the result is too much sameness not enough variety. It is kind of a plodding trudge which becomes slightly numbing as the film progresses due to this lack of change in pacing or tone. It is transportive and the themes it grapples with are intriguing but it is not well rounded, it does not feel complete.

Ambitious and commendable if not quite successful. 

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Rent It.

'Dune: Part Two' A Review

Dune: Part 2 is a scifi epic, the sequel to 2021's Dune, together an adaptation of the 1965 novel. Following the events of Part 1 Paul(Timothée Chalamet) is embedded with the Fremen, works with them to launch effective military attacks against the Harkonnen, establishes his place as a leader, fights against the Messiah prophecy, and falls in love with Chani(Zendaya).

There is much more plot in Part 2 and an even bigger cast. Most of which are good additions other than Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha who is out of his depth and is unable to provide the impression the film sets him up to make. He's got beautifully full attractive lips but his recent and rapid ascendance in Hollywood is somewhat baffling(as is Chalamet's for that matter, although Chalamet maintains a decent performance if not a definitive one). Because of so much that needs to happen in this installment character development and dimension is somewhat on the back burner. Which doesn't detract too much as the film is so gorgeously and evocatively rendered. But it is bordering on criminal how little Rebecca Ferguson and Dave Bautista are given to do. The sole exception is Javier Bardem who gives a full-to-the-brim performance. He's funny, emotional, and dynamic providing not only necessary levity but a solid grounding which makes the Fremen feel real.

Visually, like its predecessor, the film is immaculate. Rich and imaginative. The score thrumming and otherworldly. The costuming lush, clean, and specific. Denis Villeneuve's production team is absolutely, across-the-board, on top of their game carving out a singular and transportive world.

Part 1 was delicious because it luxuriated in the world building, it was more tone poem than narrative, Part 2 is unfortunately tasked with making up some of that difference plot-wise and although there is much more action(which is great) it feels a bit rushed.

A wonderful viewing experience if somewhat short of transcendent.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to Max.

See It.

Simple Pleasures

I take
a disproportionate

amount of joy

in calling my doctors

"Doc"

Fellowship

I am grateful
for my friend's generosity and trust
to be welcomed, subsumed

however briefly

into his family's domesticity
however simple
for that is where life is
most of the time
the routines, the day-to-day
we wake up together
eat together, run errands
figure out logistics
and for a time I am apart of it
integral, intimate, entwined
its precious
and I take none of it for granted.

After The Rain

After the rain
the succulents are
ripe and jaunty
almost preening

the desert

for a time

lush with life

and movement

the hills

if not green

then full

swollen with a

fleeting bounty

A Better Vibe

I find I'm less resentful of LA
probably because this time
I'm not driving

'Argylle' A Review

Argylle is a meta-spy action-dramedy about an author of spy novels who gets embroiled in an espionage plot.

The cast is full of A-listers but there are too many of them and they are given too little to do. The movie has a great elevator pitch but the actual script is overlong, borderline incoherent, and is populated by paper thin characters no amount of talent can salvage it.

An over-reliance on unnecessary CGI and green screen give the movie a tacky, cheap look and the handful of action scenes with manic cuts and close ups do nothing to dispel this. The movie was either re-written and/or re-edited so many times the result is something that feels AI generated.

Too much plot, no actual story.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to Apple+.

Don't See It.

'Lisa Frankenstein' A Review

Lisa Frankenstein is a horror comedy about Lisa Swallos(Kathryn Newton) a disaffected teen traumatized by the death of her mother who develops a relationship with a reanimated corpse(Cole Sprouse).

Newton is pitch perfect giving an emotionally rich and idiosyncratic performance, clearly channeling Beetlejuice's Lydia Deetz. Sprouse does a good job with no dialogue and only grunts and looks and the supporting cast is superub. Carla Gugino as Janet Lisa's stepmom is an absolute delicious terror and Liza Soberano as Taffy Lisa's stepsister is refreshingly kind and supportive playing diametrically aposed the evil stepsister stereotype. Lisa's dad played by Joe Chrest plays a smaller role but he effectively brings his brand of affable obliviousness.

Visually the film is rich evoking the time period(1989) as well as its influences- Heathers, Edward Scissor Hands, the aforementioned Beetlejuice- but does so in a way that's not derivative and serves this particular story. Its refreshing to see a new idea, influenced by previous films, that is not a reboot of them. The soundtrack is solid, the costuming wonderful. All in all the production is impeccable coming from first time director Zelda Williams, its a real feat and shows a lot of promise. If the movie stumbles its in the third act, the script meanders and kind of fails to stick the landing and bring all the various plot and emotional threads home. It prevents it from being great but it is still very much good.

Weird, funny, singularly refreshing in this increasingly homogenized release schedule.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

Do The Day

My goal
all day
every day

is to be

in the day

that I am in

'Perfect Days' A Review

Perfect Days is a lowkey slice-of-life drama about Hirayama(Kōji Yakusho) a bathroom cleaner in Tokyo, seemingly content with his simple, disciplined, ritualistic life. The film follows him across several days of his routine.

Yakusho is on screen for the entire runtime and in close-up for at least a third so his task is monumental and he does well conveying a kind of quiet, monastic, compassion but the sparseness of the script and the character's unflinching disposition render the character, at times, unrealistically twee and/or contrived. Much is implied but nothing is explored, there's clearly a resistance to engaging with the character and subject only to a particular depth. The supporting cast is limited and are relegated to only a few scenes, some do well, some like Tokio Emoto as Takashi Hirayama's co-worker seem to be from a totally different movie.

The film looks great, the soundtrack is full of classic rock bops, but it all feels very curated, very constructed. Compare this to the tonally similar but much more successful Paterson and the clear difference is in genuinely exploring the character and delving into real human emotion and experience, even if subtle.

I don't necessarily believe Hirayama is content with his life the images and sequences are trying too hard to persuade me that this is the case. There doesn't need to be a hidden darkness or trauma revealed but there does need to be authenticity. Its almost a textbook case of show-don't-tell which is storytelling 101.

Beautiful and pleasant but underbaked. Too calculated in its attempt at transcendence to achieve it.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

Root Canal

That dental urban legend

is not as gruesome as the talk

drills, pressure, and discomfort

but not pain at which to balk

Perhaps one day the stigma

of this operation will melt away

until then I'll tell the truth

that the rumors are allayed

Another Truth

An old timer once told me
"People say you get what you need.

Because in the beginning

that's what you need to hear.

But the truth is, you get what you get."

'The Zone Of Interest' A Review

The Zone Of Interest is a historical drama about the domestic life of the commandant of Auschwitz.

The cast is all very talented and gives shallow reprehensible(ie realistic) performances but the whole endeavor begs the question, to what end? What is the point? This kind of investigation of the Nazi machine has been done many many times since 1993's Schindler's List brought cinema about the Holocaust into mainstream Hollywood and this doesn't do anything particularly new or inventive and doesn't have anything particularly new to say or observe. 

Immaculately shot, impeccably costumed, successfully scored writer/director Jonathan Glazer is unquestionably a superb craftsman but as a storyteller this leaves a lot to be desired and doesn't have any of the formal inventiveness Glazer displayed in his last feature Under The Skin. The whole rigmarole begs the question- why? But never musters the energy to answer it.

Incredible artists produce a profoundly uninspired script.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It. 

A Truth

There is no certainty
there's just this

'I.S.S.' A Review

I.S.S. is a scifi thriller about what the US/Russian personnel do on the International Space Station after nuclear war breaks out on Earth.

Ariana DeBose as Dr. Kira Foster is somewhat out of her element, the premise doesn't really play into her natural charisma and the script on its own is not great. She struggles to make sense of the contrived plot and her attempts at imbuing it with genuine emotion not only aren't successful but serve to reveal with additional clarity the failings of the screenplay. Chris Messina is wonderful and also seems to understand, more so than any of the other cast members, what movie he is in. The movie isn't terrible and there's the germ of a decent pulpy popcorn pleasing idea in there but director Gabriela Cowperthwaite(primarily a documentarian) is out of her element, as is DeBose, as is the movie's heavy John Gallagher Jr. You can just feel that the script was either re-written by too many people or rushed into production.

All the production elements are actually pretty great, it looks good, the actors move through the space believably, the space suits, the set dressing, its all around solid. Its just a shame that, at the end of the day, its just kind of boring and in attempting to provide emotional stakes as well as some decent action/thriller elements neither aspect is delivered in a satisfactory way.

Failure to launch.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

Camaraderie

I'll admit

I scoffed

at my company's 

incessant posturing 

regarding returning to the office

content and productive am I

at home in seclusion

what with Teams or Slack

and their illusion of connection

what with my own internal

drive and expertise

I have no need of the office

and its transparent constructs

its inconveniences, its redundancies

but

with my whole team in town this week

I return out of obligation

and find I am delighted

to see all these faces in the flesh

I have only known in brief flat-screened chats

have only heard as disembodied voices

to see and hear and be with these people

in this moment, now

who I may not exactly like

but with whom I have a fellowship

this thing we so closely share

and it is good to be there

to say hello in the morning

to say goodbye in the evening

to ask some mindless inconsequential question in passing

I find this forgotten itch is scratched

I realize I haven't felt this way since 2019. Before.

'The Beekeeper' A Review

The Beekeeper is an action/revenge movie about beekeeper Adam Clay(Jason Statham) who is a retired Beekeeper(a clandestine organization who's purpose is to preserve the system of society). When his landlord and friend Eloise(Phylicia Rashad) falls victim to a phishing scam he must once again set out to "protect the hive".

Statham puts on his standard stoic action hero act and its not bad(its not amazing) but not as fun as last year's Operation Fortune or as badass as 2021's Wrath Of Man but still serviceable. He's still a solid B-list action star and despite his advancing age his facility with fight choreography, his kinetic ability is undiminished. There are some gems in the supporting cast particularly Josh Hutcherson as the wheedling pharma-bro-type heavy and a brief appearance from the always wonderful Minnie Driver. There's not a lot of depth to any of the characters but who cares? Its not that type of movie.

Shot with a confidence and aesthetic this kind of movie doesn't typically received the action sequences are frequent and dynamic and even if, at its core, this is a relatively derivative idea its entertaining, effective, and its not part of a franchise. 

Not stunning but a solid action flick.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'Self Reliance' A Review

Self Reliance is a comedy/thriller about Tommy(Jake Johnson) a lonely listless man who signs up for a Dark Web version of the most dangerous game, the caveat being, he cannot be killed unless he is alone.

Johnson gives an emotional and often funny performance, attempting to marry the action conceit with meditations on mid-life crisis and solitude to varying results. The supporting cast has some absolute killers- Anna Kendrick(as his love interest), Natalie Morales(as his ex), Andy Samberg(as himself), Mary Holland/Emily Hampshire/Nancy Lenehan(as his family)- but none are given much screentime and aren't incorporated fully into the story.

The script, written by Johnson(also serving as director), is clearly made to be low budget and its also clear the shooting schedule was limited so although the supporting cast is incredible it is clear they were only on set for a day or two, as a result much of the film is Johnson running around LA(actually shot on location which is a huge plus) kind of narrating his internal journey. Which isn't totally ineffective. There's laughs, there's some insight, but overall you are left with a feeling of incompleteness, of dissatisfaction, wishing Johnson would have a bit more time to revise his script and a bit more money with which to shoot it.

An intriguing if somewhat underwhelming debut from Johnson.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

Stream It.

Top 5 Movies of 2023

Top 5:

The Boy And The Heron

Fremont

The Killer

Landscape With Invisible Hand

Quiz Lady

Honorable Mentions:

American Fiction

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. / Judy Blume Forever

Bama Rush

Barbie

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Godzilla Minus One

Polite Society

Sisu

They Cloned Tyrone

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah

Disappointments:

The Creator

Next Goal Wins

No Hard Feelings

Poor Things

You Hurt My Feelings

Most Overrated:

Maestro & May December

Most Underrated:

Plane

Worst Of The Year:

Saltburn

Performances Of The Year:

Awkwafina & Sandra Oh, Quiz Lady

Nicolas Cage, Dream Scenario / Renfield / Sympathy For The Devil

Russell Crowe. The Pope's Exorcist

Viola Davis, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

Michael Fassbender, The Killer

Tiffany Haddish, Landscape with Invisible Hand 

Glenn Howerton, Blackberry

Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Jeffrey Wright & Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction

Anaita Wali Zada & Gregg Turkington, Fremont

Scenes Of The Year:

Final fight, Bottoms

Karaoke, Fremont

Opening sequence, Magic Mike's Last Dance

K-Pop performance, Joy Ride

Joan: Still performance, Theater Camp

The Big Freeze

"its cold"

you'll say
"its dark"

you'll say

"its hard"

which is true

the ice creeps

and the night is long

but there are times

when we must do things

we do not want to do

many times

we must endure

things which we would rather not

the winter 

is a reminder of this

and despite its difficulty

you cannot deny

its unrelenting beauty

'American Fiction' A Review

American Fiction is a dramedy about Monk(Jeffrey Wright) a professor and frustrated writer who after being put on a leave-of-absence, having his latest book rejected, and a death in the family forcing him to return home to Boston writes My Pafology a melodrama about dead-beat dads and policy brutality, asend-up of the expectations black writers are burdened with. The book generates unprecedent monetary interest which Monk has to morally contend with given his increasing complicated family situation.

Wright, one of the greatest actors living, gives another staller performance. Monk gives him an opportunity to play more grounded, more real, not that he's ever not believable but in genre fair like The Batman or the extremely stylized like The French Dispatch those characters have a bit harder edges. Here he gets to play with and through some interesting socio-economic themes without being preachy or bludgeoning as well as familial responsibility, romance, and grief, and these things don't have any easy or clear answers. Wright, through Monk, is allowed to explore and simply be and he does it with an authenticity and honesty which has defined his career. The supporting cast all give equally dimensional subtle but still provocative performances- Tracee Ellis Ross(in a quietly heartbreaking brief appearance), Sterling K. Brown as Monk's deliciously hedonistic younger brother, Leslie Uggams as Monk's mom with Alzheimer's, just to call out a few.

This debut from writer/director Cord Jefferson is extremely assured, sincere, and effecting but it is not loud. The themes and ideas are explored with humor and heart but we are never left feeling despairing or beaten by it(in contrast to some of this year's other awards contenders). Its thoughtful and perhaps this lack of flash and middle school moral simplicity have not put it in the same conversation as splashier film's like Saltburn or more ostentatious ones like Oppenheimer but it should be. It is, in virtually every aspect, better than most of the "serious" movies released in the last gasp of 2023.

Filmed on location the with a decent but subtle soundtrack and some interesting if restrained editing the production makes it feel real, makes it feel true. It is not smug, it is no pandering, it asks interesting questions and explores them without apology or certainty.

A layered funny, thought-provoking debut from a filmmaker to watch lead by a Wright in his prime.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't Miss It.

'All Of Us Strangers' A Review

All Of Us Strangers is a supernatural drama about Adam(Andrew Scott) a lonesome screenwriter in London who strikes up a relationship with his neighbor Harry(Paul Mescal) at the same time he is returning to his childhood home to visit with his deceased parents(Jamie Bell and Claire Foy).

Scott is raw, emotional, and open. Its a very heartfelt and true performance, he's clearly giving it everything he's got which is commendable and at times truly beautiful but some of the script and editing work against the work he's trying to do. A big problem in the script(loosely based on a horror novel) is the mechanics and idea of his visits to his parents- is this in his head, are they ghosts, is this nefarious, is this some kind of divine cathartic opportunity? What is happening and what are its mechanics? Writer/director Andrew Haigh doesn't seem interested in answering these questions, and that's fair, this isn't trying to be a genre film but by using this genre trope the lack of clarity around it is distracting and at times undercuts or obfuscates some of the emotional truths the film is attempting to get at. With the editing there is simply too many close ups of Scott, every other scene has protracted close ups of his sad watering eyes and within those scenes there are numerous cuts of variations on the same close ups. The result is it feels as if we are investigating Adam(and by extension Scott) too much, we(the audience) are too close, it feels intrusive rather than inclusive. Off putting. We are being thrust at him when we should be him.

Mescal, Bell and Foy are all wonderful(particularly Foy, a killer as always) although sometimes the accents get a little bit thick for a US ear(we can absolutely subtitle UK films). But all three are equally constrained by the genre mechanics opacity of logic and all have relatively limited screentime in which to work.

The film looks great with rich and evocative night shots and utilizing kind of tracer or fuzzy imagery for the drug scenes as well as to evoke memory. The soundtrack is effective, the costuming and some of the set dressing(particularly when Adam is visiting his folks) subtle and works wonderfully. There's a lot to like and there's a lot that is of interest but overall the narrative itself is a bit overbearing in its bleakness. Adam is unhappy, he is stuck, and every aspect of the film works to underline this. There are transcendent moments- some of Adam's conversations with his parents are cathartic if somewhat on-the-nose, the montage of Adam and Harry falling in love is beautiful and makes you see the potential romcom that could have been- but what you are left with ultimately is a sedentary melancholy not particularly without hope but certainly not hopeful.

Not for this reviewer but for those with a higher tolerance for sorrowful whimsy.

Rent It.

Ms. Kitty

We say goodbye

to our stalwart cat

who, for two decades,

provided comfort

as well as consternation

solace as well as stress

but above all love, loyalty

unshakeable, unflinching

company and care

when it was needed most

she passed as she lived

with dignity and strength

and now resides in the clearing

at the end of the path

to frolic, fight, and feed

forever.

'May December' A Review

May December is a melodrama inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal. Elizabeth(Natalie Portman), an actor, goes to spend time with Grace(Julianne Moore) and Joe(Charles Melton) as she will be playing Grace in an upcoming indie movie. Grace and Joe met when Grace was Joe's teacher and they began a relationship when he was 13 and she 36. After Grace gave birth to their first child in prison and she was released they were married, 23 years later, enter Elizabeth.

Portman and Moore are two of the great actors currently working, of course they are excellent. Melton is good and holds his own with the difficult material and opposite the two Oscar winners. The supporting cast doesn't have much to do as the main focus is on the three leads. The actors are all fine but the material doesn't do anyone involved any justice.

Visually the film is rich and alluring, as a craftsman Todd Haynes is still at the top of his game, but both the talent of the cast and the team behind the production design is rendered pretty much irrelevant by how utterly exploitative the story itself is. 

The film invites us to revel in the salaciousness, the drama, the darkness. It pits the two women against each other in an inversion on Single White Female, it thrills, it scandalizes, but what it absolutely doesn't do is provide any insight or catharsis. None of the characters, ultimately, change at all. It occasionally invites us to try to understand these characters but then immediately invites us to laugh at them or feel sorry for them. It wants to have its cake and eat it too but ultimately, when you boil it down, it is simply a shameless Lifetime movie knock off with an awards contender production and cast. Just because it looks great and is well acted doesn't change what it is which is pure schadenfreude viewing. And at least Lifetime typically has the decency to pay their subjects life rights which the filmmakers in this instance did not and contend it is simply "a story" not the "Mary Kay Letourneau story".

A beautifully crafted piece of cinema that has all the wrong things to say.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

'Godzilla Minus One' A Review

Godzilla Minus One is a period kaiju film, the latest in the Godzilla franchise. Near the end of WWII kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima(Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands on Odo Island for repairs, that night Godzilla attacks and only Shikishima and a mechanic survive. Returning to Tokyo after the war Shikishima befriends Noriko Ōishi(Minami Hamabe) and the two raise an orphaned child together. Looking for work Shikishima works on a repurposed fishing boat to deactivate mines only to again be confronted with the monster.

Kamiki anchors the film with confidence and an emotional vulnerability that elevates this monster flick to a whole other level, same with Hamabe, her tenacity, their relationship, his guilt and PTSD it all runs solidly as an undercurrent to the surface level(and still very effective) kaiju adventure. The support cast is all stupendous especially Kamiki's counterparts on the boat. There's a lot of balls to juggle here and the cast absolutely sells the fear and devastation of Godzilla while also carving out fully dimensional characters who are not only dealing with the monster disaster but also the wreckage of life in post-war Japan. Its an impressive feat.

Visually the film is spectacular, with mostly on location shooting, evocative sets and costuming, limited CGI of which the rendering of Godzilla is wonderful and limited and in so doing more effective. The score is a triumph with the classic thrumming Godzilla theme being utilized whenever the creature appears. It has a clarity and a heart the recent US incarnation has not been able to achieve with its current string of films that have far larger budgets. Another example of the viability of smaller budget films that are allowed to have more focus and imagination.

Surprising, entertaining, and maybe even inspiring.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

'El Conde' A Review

El Conde is a black comedy horror that imagines Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet(Jaime Vadell) as a 250 year old vampire. After his reign he fakes his own death and hides in seclusion gradually losing his will to live. His children, concerned about their inheritance and a string of local murders, hire a nun Carmen(Paula Luchsinger) to investigate the family finances and kill him if needed.

The cast are all pitch perfect in the odd, surreal, satirical tone navigating the various absurdities, gore, and commentary with authenticity and commitment. There's no real stand out as the film is almost like a gleeful, dark, unrelenting, tone poem. The ensemble all works together, knows exactly what film they are in, and serves to further that feeling.

In a rich monochrome evoking a clear influence in Nosferatu the film looks great and is immediately immersive, the subtle unrelenting score furthers that transportive feeling. Its great to see this kind of ambition and formal imagination from writer/director Pablo Larraín after his previous more conventional feature Spencer. The focus here is not much on narrative(although its present) and more on metaphor and image. Probably not for everyone as it is unquestionably odd but still delicious in its eccentricity for those that have the patience for it. Should have gotten a theatrical release.

Confident and lavish, a singular piece of cinema.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

See It.