'The Craft: Legacy' A Review

 

The Craft: Legacy is a supernatural horror movie about a group of teens practicing witchcraft, mostly unsuccessfully, until a new girl Lily(Cailee Spaeny) moves to town and joins their circle. The four become friends and grow in power, putting a spell on the school bully Timmy(Nicholas Galitzine) to be a better person. But as Lily flourishes socially and magically she butts heads with her soon-to-be stepdad Adam(David Duchovny) who may be more sinister than he appears.

Echoing the original but with more sensitivity and camaraderie and less infighting the main four- Spaney along with Gideon Adlon as Frankie, Lovie Simone as Tabby, and Zoey Luna as Lourdes- all have energetic, youthful chemistry and balance their empathic friendship with the thrill of discovering magic perfectly.  It's unfortunate that a lot of their friendship and spell-learning is montaged through, perhaps a budget constraint. Galitzine is a refreshing romantic interest, totally believable and vile as the bully and equally charming as "woke" Timmy after the spell. Duchovny is woefully miscast as the heavy and doesn't appear to be doing much acting, it's an intriguing script point to make the villain essentially a men's rights activist masquerading as self-help guru but this thread isn't particularly developed nor is Duchovny particularly menacing. It's always a pleasure to see Michelle Monaghan who plays Lily's mom but she's not given much to do save fret and unconvincingly be in a relationship with Adam.

A killer soundtrack, excellent restrained effects(until the end), and a slick look make this sequel to the 1996 cult hit fun and successful but it's too brief run time and it's underdeveloped conflict leave you wanting more. Especially unfortunate given, clearly, it is bursting with potential and promise.

Despite its shortcomings a valiant and entertaining effort from writer/director Zoe Lister-Jones(of Band Aid fame), hopefully she'll get to make a sequel to flush out the great characters she's set up and bring in the four original witches.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Rent It.

A Meditation

Upon waking
consider the events of the day

where may I face conflict

where may I encounter resentment

Remember

whatever the difficulty

You are not disturbed

unless you allow it

You are not the buoy

buffeted by the waves

You are the waves

You are not the sand

amid its ceaseless shifting

You are the rock

upon which the waves break

You are not the panic

of the faceless crowd

You are the saguaro

the desert sentinel

patient and calm

as the sun bakes

and the wind blows

'Bad Hair' A Review

Bad Hair is a horror/comedy set in 1989's LA about an unassuming but ambitious young broadcaster Anna(Elle Lorraine) who gets a weave in order to further her career. Although she begins to climb the ladder thanks to her new look there is an unforeseen and terrifying price to pay.

Lorraine is an incredibly emphatic lead, careening from terror to avarice to humor with surprising ease. She's a wonderful match for the odd genre-bending tone of the film and never sacrifices real emotion during the more heightened or absurd moments of the plot. The supporting cast is absolutely stacked with talent- Laverne Cox in a delicious turn as Virgie the dark magic hair dresser, Vanessa Williams as Zora the new corporate head of Anna's network, Lena Withe and Yaani King as VJs, Blair Underwood as Anna's professor uncle- on and on. Even to relatively small cameos the cast is packed with talented actors you'll recognize and it's a pleasure to see such a wealth of almost entirely black talent, save for James Van Der Beek in a brief role as a sneering executive.

Shot with a grainy quality that conveys the period and a solid soundtrack, the film delivers fully on it's horror premise, provides enough moments of absurdity to relieve tension, and works slightly as social commentary. Whatever the central metaphor is its not particularly clear or carried through to completion but it doesn't really matter. It's packed full of ideas, scares, and laughs with enough behind it to have some teeth.

An ambitious, messy, fun genre-bending horror film more akin to the bizarre, lyrical In Fabric although it will most likely be(unfairly) compared to Get Out.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

See It.

'The Wolf Of Snow Hollow' A Review

The Wolf Of Snow Hollow is a comedy/horror about a small town that is plagued by a series of gruesome murders. It follows Officer John Marshall(writer/director Jim Cummings) as he gets increasingly manic as the bodies pile up and he's faced with a series of dead ends.

The tone in general is bizarre and Cummings particular performance frequently crescendos into farce in a way that questions what the intent actually is especially in scenes where the character is struggling with his alcoholism. Is it mean to be funny? Is it meant to channel some actual pathos? It's unclear. The supporting cast are able to ride the tonal shifts much better, using subtlety and situation to play up the humor without derailing the horror/thriller plot, aside from Cummings it's pretty effective. Most notably Robert Forester in his last film role and Riki Lindhome of Garfunkle and Oates fame.

Clearly inspired by Twin Peaks with a healthy dose of Cabin In The Woods it's intriguing without question. Well shot, well scored, well cast, it's almost a solid strange pulp yarn but Cummings acting is what really prevents it from being a success.

Currently only available to buy on most VOD platforms, most likely will be streaming on one of the major platforms after the initial release window.

Stream It.

D&D

With pretending

put to bed

alongside adolescences

there is a special joy

in discovering

spells and magic

treasure and adventure

perfectly preserved

and waiting

with the roll of a die

and a willingness

to play.

'Ava' A Review

Ava is an action/thriller about an assassin, the titular Ava(Jessica Chastain) who begins fray mentally, asking her subjects why they have a contract for their life before killing them. After a botched job she returns to her hometown of Boston to confront her past but ends up on the run for her life.

Chastain is a tremendous talent and has that magnetic star quality that makes her imminently watchable but here she can only do so much with the overwrought dialogue and convoluted plot. The supporting cast is stacked- Geena Davis, John Malkovich, Colin Farrell- but none of them are given much in the way of character or screentime. Ultimately it's kind of a baffling waste of Oscar recognized talent.

The action sequences are clear and exciting and Chastain makes for a fun and unique action lead but there's simply not enough of them and too much convoluted soap opera-esk family drama- Ava has a drinking problem(underdevolped and in lieu of actual dimension), there is some mystifying backstory with her dead father cheating on her mother, her ex-fiance who is now dating her sister has a gambling problem etc. etc. It all kind of compounds to the point where none of it is effective, it doesn't seem to matter. The plot is simply too confused for a genre that should be clean and concise and above all thrilling.

A great cast, an interesting premise, with a lack of follow through.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Stream It.

'The Opening Act' A Review

The Opening Act is a dramedy about wouldbe stand-up comedian Will(Jimmy O. Yang) who quits his job in order to MC at a Pennsylvania Improv, the bulk of the run time takes place over the four day gig.

Yang shoulders the bulk of the narrative work and is charming and goes through a definite if subtle transformation. It's an odd balancing act for a movie about comedy to have, basically, a thoroughly sincere thrust. There are some great comedic sequences and a couple less successful relying on cringe but overall it's a small but effective, accurate if occasionally saccharine look at stand-up and someone trying to get into it. A much needed breathe of vitality comes at the end of the first act with the entrance of Alex Moffat playing Chris the feature of the weekend, the middle act, who despite his lascivious and at times mercurial behavior takes Will under his wing. It's an impressive feat to pull off making this houndog not only charming but funny and three dimensional. The other homerun is of course Cedric The Entertainer playing a has-been version of himself- Billy G- who ligths up the screen whenever he's on it. He provides Will with advise and overall gives an understated, sweet, emotional turn. There's also an avalanche of well known stand-ups who appear but it's only Moffat and Cedric The Entertainer who have substantial enough screentime in which to play.

The more complicated comedic sequences(a truly absurd cab ride) don't work as well as the subtle ones- Billy G feeding Will a bite of his soup, Moffat eating ribs late at night saying he's on the tiger diet, and the minutia of preparing for and performing over the course of the weekend. The glaring issue in a movie about stand-up is that there's not enough stand-up. We see basically two bits from Chris, two from Will and him overcoming a heckler, and only one from Billy G. It's a missed opportunity not only to see these three comics perform but to get more to the heart about what being creative is about.

A fun, effective, inside-baseball look at stand-up comedy with an impressive turn from Moffat and a good first leading role for Yang.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Rent It.

The Grid Plan

On my first adult visit to Chicago
(I say adult as it was for business not for pleasure)

My sister, a resident, gave me directions

and when I asked for clarification

she told me the city was on a grid

and described to me The Grid Plan-

numbers emanating out from The Loop

north and south and east and west

whereby I could place myself within it's net 

at whatever intersection I might be-

and after a moment, understanding

like trumpets or cymbals crashing

the beauty of such order nearly brought me to knees

and as I made my way out into it's depths

I knew exactly where I was and how to get to where I'd be

the idea quite extraordinary, the practice ingenuous ease 

there are those detractors of the grid

who rail against it's corners and command

but there is majesty in boxes, purpose in straight lines

and when it comes to function the grid is close to the sublime.

'Get Duked!'

 Get Duked! is a comedy-thriller about three delinquent teens and one sheltered home-schooler set out to win the Duke Of Edinburgh Award, a outdoors exercise in teamwork, foraging, and orientating. After they're dropped off a sinister figure in well tailored hunting clothes is seen in the distance. What unfolds is one part Most Dangerous Game, one part Stand By Me, and one part teen raunch comedy. It's a bizarre and surprisingly delightful alchemy.

The group- Samuel Bottomley as Ian(the nerd), Viraj Juneja as DJ Beatroot(the rich kid turned wouldbe rapper), Rian Gordon as Dean Gibson(the world weary tough), and Lewis Gribben as Duncan MacDonald(the delightfully gonzo dunce)- have wonderful easy chemistry and are all remarkably assured in their performances. Providing authenticity and near constant humor while still providing small but unmistakable evolution as characters and as a group. Ian begins as the odd-man-out but the film doesn't fall into the trap of making this a plot point, the other boys almost immediately accept him, and as a result more time is taken with what it should be, the jokes and the bonkers encounters the group has. The supporting cast all fit perfectly with this very delicate and odd tone, this absurd sincerity but also this playful theatricality- most notably Eddie Izzard and James Cosmo(of Braveheart fame).

Surprisingly picturesque scenery pair with a number of scenic flourishes- a "music video" they make while hiking, an extended drug/rave scene in a barn with a bunch of farmers, a riff on a startling pegan ritual. The hiphop soundtrack with some diegetic attempts from DJ Beatroot keep the momentum going and underscore how fresh the story is. In the end the film may also actually have something to say, and with a story that has so many plates in the air, so many tones going on, it's pretty impressive.

An out of left field stunner of a comedy, exciting enough for a Halloween thrill.

Currently streaming on Amazon.

Don't Miss It.

'Dick Johnson Is Dead' A Review

Dick Johnson Is Dead is a documentary from cinematographer turned director Kristen Johnson, her second feature after her stunning 2016 debut Cameraperson. The film follows Kristen as she comes to grips with her aging father's mortality, using his as both a documentary subject and as the star in abstract sequences and fictitious enactments of his impending death.

The film is difficult to describe, a meditation on death, a celebration of life and family, perhaps part therapy part transcendental exploration. As with Johnson's previous work it's stunning and original and full of incredible empathy and feeling. Unflinching but also incredibly compassionate. Small moments of Johnson interacting with her father, who is gradually succumbing to dementia but whose sense of humor is unwavering, as they pack up his office and prepare to move him cross country to live with her are juxtaposed with the making of various vignettes of Dick's accidental deaths, dealing with crew and stuntman with a sequence set in heaven. It's incredibly ambitious, at times bizarre even baroque, but what comes through is the incredible power of life and love, the inevitability of death, and leaves you to question what we do with the time we have.

There are many sequences to highlight but part of the pleasure is in it's surprises, it's joys, it's heartbreaks. In it's understated tone and steady pace it reaches the sublime.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't Miss It.

The Herd

As we made our way through the herd
I thought
grass
I thought
wind
I thought

peace

following the path as best we could

these primordial creatures to our right and left

I thought

prairie

I thought

plain

I thought

cloud and sun

we mustered what magic we had

to move quietly through the herd

undisturbed.

Road Trip: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

 Hiked the Petrified Forest Loop today, long rolling hike through mostly grasslands, the pictures don't do the vast calmness justice. Although the petrified wood was very cool the biggest highlight was being surprised by a bison going up a hill and then having to make our way around and a grazing herd to continue on the trail. A stunning, moving day, fitting as it's our last of the trip.

Glacier Poems

Glacier's Gall
Crystal air
Constant peaks

Beating sun

Wind that speaks

Burned out woods

Roaring falls

Still lakes

Glacier's gall

Majesty vast

Leaves you breathless

Except the crowd

All feckless

Going-To-The-Sun Road Confrontation

In Glacier National Park

the Going-To-The-Sun Road

traversers its breathtaking crags

and the stunning, sweeping, awe-inspiring

surroundings shrunk when we stopped.

There was construction.

And the lollipop man

(who was either drunk or exceptionally volatile)

argued with the lady from AZ in front of us.

She had threatened him with her car.

Came on to fast, stopped too short.

She called him a redneck,

he probably called her a bitch.

It was the most petty intimate pointless nastiness

made even more small and inconsequential and ludicrous

by the soaring shale cliffs above

and the meandering river valley below.

Proof, if it was ever needed, how unworthy we human's can be.

Going-To-The-Sun Road

Took it kind of easy in our last day in Glacier, short hike out to St. Mary's Falls, then drove up and back on the GTTS Road, the only way to travel in and out of the main section of the park that's open. This time in Glacier has been probably our most challenging stop but also the most satisfying, I came here once back in 2007 but didn't really take advantage of the park, just kind of stopped and left, and I've regretted it ever since so it was nice to get some QT here. Tomorrow our last stop TR.

Road Trip: Glacier

Tried to take a quick peak at the park yesterday when we drove in and it was packed and the road was blocked off, kind of frustrating after a long day of driving getting turned away just passed the entrance but got an early start this morning and it was smooth sailing. Hiked up to Hidden Lake then went to the western part of the park and hiked part way around Lake Bowman. Gorgeous views and soothing water. Really wonderful.

Yellowstone Poems

Park & Pic
Yellowstone NP
is the ideal for the
social media devotee

although it has wild

untold depths,

isolated crooks and crannies,

roaming beats

and wondering paths

it also

has a system of roads

that directly abut

it's most majestic offerings

where one can easily

diminish Nature's glory

through the dull narcissistic ease

of instagram

the goal is not experience

but the performance of experience

and at Yellowstone NP

it's ease of use is exploited.

Wolves

The wolf 

trotted down the road

oblivious 

to the gawking humans

intent

one has to assume

on blood

or

a nap.

The Hanging Spine

Hiking out to Cascade Lake

we came upon a flat white spine

affixed upon a fallen tree

and besides the power of the image

two thoughts struck

first, who hung it

what hiker spotted

this series of cartilage and bone

either on the path or beside it

and decided 'this must be displayed

for my fellow travelers!'

second, what or who killed this creature

was it bear of wolf or disease

if killed and consumed

which seems most likely

what a primordial clash 

it must have been.

But from the silent bones

one can only guess.

Continent

I need to poop

but can't.

Oh god.

Grand Tetons

About an hour south of Yellowstone is the Grand Teton's an amazing but somewhat less trafficked park. Went for a great hike then went down to Jackson to visit a Chicago friend who's been working at a cabin/hotel there. Tomorrow driving to Glacier.