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.