'Gladiator II' A Review

Gladiator II is a historical action movie, a direct sequel to 2000's Gladiator, that follows a grown up Lucius(Paul Mescal) the grandson of Marcus Aurelius and son of Maximus as Rome invades his adopted home, his wife is killed, he's enslaved, and bought as a gladiator by the ambitious Macrinus(Denzel Washington).

Mescal is miscast, misdirected, and lost in his performance. He deploys his standard breezy charm which was relatively effective in emotional indies like All Of Us Strangers and Aftersun but here its a baffling and ineffective choice. To give him his due he looks the part, he got buff, but he doesn't have any electricity, he's too understated and in a sequel like this you cannot help but make direct comparisons to Russell Crowe and its not favorable. It's another case of Hollywood catapulting an actor to stardom before they really have the chops. Denzel is the only cast member who understands what movie he's in and gives a legitimate performance. He's having a ball, making a meal out of the(sub-par) dialogue, and absolutely having a field day with his costuming. It's a delight to watch but he's only a supporting character and the rest of the cast(like Mescal) are just adrift, hamstrung by references to the original movie and a wooden script.

Visually the movie is uneven, some of the action scenes are engaging but there's some choppy CGI particularly with some of the wider shots. The score is equally uneven, sometimes effective sometimes glaringly distracting, treacly. The costuming is superb and even if the production overall is a bit uneven it is serviceable. The main issue is the script and the direction, the script is too beholden to the original and recycles a lot of its themes and ideas verbatim, the characters(save for Denzel's) are all flat, the plot is overly convoluted and misunderstands what we liked about Gladiator. With due respect Ridley Scott at 87 is past his prime, he hasn't made a decent movie since 2015's The Martian and a really great movie since before that(I'd argue Matchstick Men but there are justly lots of fans of American Gangster). He either doesn't have the stuff any longer or he can't be bothered to put in the required effort. His last several movies are a kind of a case study in wasted budget, cast, and opportunity.

Overlong and only mildly diverting solely as a result of Denzel's limited presence.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

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The Persistence of Rage III

I would like to be rid of it
the roiling furnace

the impulse

I do not act

but I desire to act

like a wave, I ride

the crashing fantasies

the turmoil

the compulsion

to boil over

to spill

I do not act

but I desire to act

I would prefer

to be ever desireless

wrapped in coolness

and calm

'Between the Temples' A Review

Between the Temples is a cringe dramedy about Ben(Jason Schwartzman) a widowed cantor who, in his grief, can no longer sing. He reconnects with his grade school music teacher Carla(Carol Kane) when she wants to get a late-in-life bat mitzvah. The two develop a connection the walks the line between friendship and romance.

Schwartzman has always been an incredible if inconsistent talent, typically when directors don't know what to do with him which seems to be the case here, he struggles. The performance is a reflection of the overall film which is tonally inconsistent. Schwartzman careens from dark melancholy to farce with little fluidity. It's just too disjointed to make the kind of impact it seems its intended to. Kane fairs better and its a delight to see her in this meaty of a role in the third act of her career. The two have wonderful chemistry and its a shame because a lot of the conflict and the cringe impede on what's naturally happening between the two.

Visually the film is inappropriate, cinematographer Sean Price Williams deploys his patented style, hand-held, washed out, and grainy(which he's used to great affect in previous features notably Listen Up Philip another Schwartzman vehicle) it not only doesn't work here it's distracting and seems to work against the film itself. It feels forced, almost like an indie dramedy cliché. Co-writer/director Nathan Silver fails to manage the tone and seems unsure of what the film is, taking wildly big swings but maintaining no emotional continuity. The production, overall, is a mess held together primarily by the talents of its two leads.

Worth a watch for Kane, otherwise overly plotted and under developed.

Currently available to rent on most VOD platforms.

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'A Real Pain' A Review

A Real Pain is a travel dramedy about two cousins David(Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji(Kieran Culkin) who travel to Poland as part of a Holocaust tour group and to see the childhood home of their deceased grandmother who was a survivor. David is the more conventional, Benji the free spirit, Benji's recent personal struggles have prompted David to plan the trip.

Culkin is really the star, electric at times incandescent with his energy and characterization. He's magnetic and its nice to see him get this kind of showcase especially in the wake of Succession. Eisenberg is, no surprise, more understated. He's never had anything like range but he fits well here and has a scene or two of real pathos. The support cast, basically the tour group, are all fabulous- Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Will Sharpe, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes-  and there are a couple great ensemble scenes but the film is conflicted about its focus and ultimately the tour group isn't delved into as much as it could be.

The score is beautiful and pitch perfect classical piano, shot on location in NYC and Poland the production all around has an authenticity and elevation to it which speaks to Eisenberg's increasing skills(he is also writer/director based on a short story he wrote). Where the film stumbles is in its story and tone. As a short story this slice-of-life approach would be appropriate here it is clear there is a struggle about what the film wants to be. Is it about the cousins? Is it about the trip? Is it comedic or cathartic? These competing impulses muddle the delivery and ultimately it feels incomplete. It's a pleasant, diverting watch but it doesn't really hit you, either comedically or dramatically, with enough impact to leave much of an impression.

Interesting but mild.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

This Is How We Go On

wake up

make the bed
brush teeth

commute

eat breakfast

work

eat lunch

work

commute

work out

eat dinner

watch TV

repeat

repeat

repeat

see friends

see family

go to the movies

go for a walk

run errands

take a class

clean

repeat

repeat

repeat

this is not tedium

this is life

this is how we go on

Two Short Poems

The Unknown

You don't know
what you don't know
you never will

that's good.

Inner Child

You did good

you got to the edge

but didn't go over

you endured.

'Heretic' A Review

Heretic is a horror/thriller about two young LDS missionaries, Sister Barnes(Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton(Chloe East), who arrive at the home of Mr. Reed(Hugh Grant) to evangelize only to discover they are the ones in danger of conversion.

Grant continues his late career renaissance and gives an award worthy performance here, filled with his normal charm but corrupted, he's loquacious, petulant, frightening and absolutely captivating. He's able to really give some depth, nuance, and delight to this villain which in a normal genre piece doesn't necessarily get this kind of dimension. Both Thatcher and East also give great performances and have incredible chemistry primarily with each other but also as a unit in opposition to Grant. Thatcher brings a bit more edge and defiance, East brings more vulnerability and endurance together they just work great. Topher Grace pops up in a cameo but other than that the supporting cast is virtually nil.

Clearly shot on a budget(but not detracting from its effectiveness) almost exclusively in one location the film feels immersive, claustrophobic, and all the set dressing helps to evoke a kind of pan-religiousness as well as the house itself being labyrinthian furthering the themes. The sound design does in inordinate amount of work in ratcheting the tension(in a good way), its used a lot and in various subtle ways to elevate the mood, its nice to see this arm of the production which is usually under utilized get a fair amount of runway. There's also a focus on analogue tech(record and tape players, timers, keys etc.) which give this guy and this house texture.

The script is ambitious and complicated, thick with irony, metaphor, and commentary. The script and performances work in tandem for about the first half slowly and surely ratcheting up the tension and danger and tackling various ideas in a compelling way. It loses its footing in the back end, the script dipping below the quality of the performances, struggling to land the plane and kind of abandoning some of its richer ideas. Nevertheless its an ambitious, interesting piece of cinema.

Three great leads, a stupendous beginning leading to only a satisfactory end.

Currently in theaters.

See It.

Animal Companions

Fundamentally
they are simple

easy to read

-I'm hungry

-Let's play

-Pet me

but why we love them

why we need them

they say without saying

-I am here

they say

-I am here too

'Anora' A Review

Anora is a rom-dramedy about a NYC stripper Ani aka Anora(Mikey Madison) who meets Vanya(Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch, at her club. He initially pays her to be his 'girlfriend for a week' and the two develop a burgeoning romance culminating in a Vegas wedding. Once his family becomes aware of the marriage they intervene.

Madison is totally present, totally committed, and gives a textured, transcendent performance as the titular Anora. She conveys all kinds of layers and contradictions- strength, desire, vulnerability, joy, calculation- the whole gambit but above all what shines through is a beautiful and delicate humanity. It's truly stunning. Yura Borisov as Igor is the only one that's able to really push up to her level offering a character that's interesting and with dimension. The supporting cast are all competent but they are either as-written or as a result of the script just not as engaging. Eydelshteyn for example serves the role but the character is a petulant, immature, Peter Pan, there is simply no depth to him, that seems to be intentional but it doesn't make it any easier to watch and he's onscreen quite a lot.

As with all of Sean Baker's work it looks incredible, shot on location, with evocative lighting, an effective thrumming soundtrack the production all works, its transportive. Where it stumbles is simply in the run time, in the pacing, the middle section languishes and unintentionally highlights the shallowness of the supporting cast. It picks up at the end but by that time it feels the film has already ended two or three times. The film is still great but it does not reach the heights of Baker's earlier work Tangerine or The Florida Project. Maybe that's an unfair comparison it's just a shame the film as a whole doesn't quite meet Madison's performance.

A must-see for Madison alone.

Currently in theaters.

Don't Miss It.

'Venom: The Last Dance' A Review

Venom: The Last Dance is a superhero/buddy comedy, the third and final installment in the Tom Hardy helmed series started with 2018's Venom. Eddie Brock(Hardy) is on the run from the law after the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage only to be attacked by multi-dimensional monsters at the behest of the symbiotes creator Knull. Eddie also crosses paths with the Imperium the alien-focused branch of the government/military.

Hardy is as compelling and funny as ever, taking his performance even further turning what has heretofore been a kind of a double act, he and Venom(who he also voices), into almost a straight up love story. Its gonzo and effective. The supporting cast don't have a ton to do but its great to see Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, and Rhys Ifans although Temple and Ifans have some pretty bizarre American accents. Overall a solid cast if a noticeable glut of Brits. The best of course is the return of Peggy Lu as Mrs. Chen who makes a brief appearance for a wonderful dance sequence.

Filmed in Spain it doesn't really look like the American southwest but it looks good. There are a fair amount of needle drops which are cool but don't totally make sense tonally. The CGI is used sparingly until the final battle and it works well.

This has always been an odd series, not quite sure what it wants to be, conventional superhero fair or an inversion of it. At least tonally this hits closer to home, it is exceedingly odd, which it seems to have been trying to be all along. But its not really able to go fully off the leash and not only here but throughout the series has never been able to meet its potential.

Pleasingly bizarre and surprisingly heartfelt if constrained by convention.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.