'Frybread Face & Me' A Review

Frybread Face & Me is a coming-of-age drama about Benny(Keir Tallman) a young boy living in San Diego sent to spend the summer with his Grandma(Sarah H. Natani) on the Navajo reservation in Arizona where he meets and befriends his cousin Dawn(Charley Hogan) aka Frybread Face.

Tallman and Hogan are a bit rough around the edges in their performance, occasionally a bit stilted, but they have moments of real heart and authenticity, overall it works and the scope of the film- small, casual, day-in-the-life- helps them to get where they need to be, to find those moments of connection and transcendence. The supporting cast are all solid particularly Natani who is absolutely sensational, she steals the show in a similar way that Youn Yuh-jung did in 2021's Minari although its doubtful she'll get the same award buzz(but she should).

Visually the film is simple but evocative, the desert, the home where much of the action take place feel real and lived in. The production works and continues to prove not only the viability of low budget indie filmmaking but its necessity. The film tows the line at times between sincerity and saccharine but never quite tips over the edge and the voice over sometimes works but sometimes feels like the result of a lack of confidence. Yet there is joy and inspiration to be found in writer/director Billy Luther's narrative feature debut and bodes well if he continues down this track.

Quiet and potent.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

See It.

'Blue Beetle' A Review

Blue Beetle is a superhero movie about the origin of the titular hero Jaime Reyes(Xolo Maridueña). After graduating college Jamie returns to his home town of Palmera City to find work. After a run-in with nefarious billionaire Victoria Kord(Susan Sarandon) and her niece Jenny(Bruna Marquezine) Jamie befriends Jenny and comes into contact with an alien artifact that gives him powers.

Maridueña is charming and affable as the lead but its his family that really steals the show- Belissa Escobedo as Milagro, Adriana Barraza as Nana, George Lopez as Uncle Rudy- the family dynamic and their more casual times together are the best parts of the movie. The rest of the supporting cast is all solid and its a treat to see it full of Latinx actors the plot machinations with Sarandon are less successful not because of her performance but because that aspect of the movie is pretty stereotypical superhero and at this point we've seen too many variations on the origin story.

Visually bright, lots of neon and a fair amount of practical effects make for a good look with a catchy soundtrack the production has some life to it, its not stupendous but its certainly a cut-above the average superhero fodder in terms of its look, its energy, and its cast even if the plot itself is derivative.

An entertaining if never quite surprising diversion.

Currently streaming on Max.

Rent It.

Uncle Buck

There is no greater unifier
(at least in my family)
than the 1989 John Hughes' classic

we can all agree

the principal is a terror

that Bug is a douchebag

that Chanice is a saint

that Miles and Maizy are cute 

that we could all use a Buck sometimes

and see ourselves in this family somewhere

we can all relate

and laugh

and lo where there is discord

UB sews harmony

'Dream Scenario' A Review

Dream Scenario is a surreal cringe comedy about boring biology professor Paul(Nicolas Cage) who starts inexplicably appearing in people's dreams launching him into internet/pop-culture celebrity.

Cage gives a masterfully pathetic performance, playing both the comedy and the sad tragedy of this hapless buffoon but he's doing more than the script in most instances, he's carving out this really unique, kind of fascinating character, in a movie that doesn't back him up. The supporting cast are all talented- its always a treat to see Julianne Nicholson(playing Paul's wife Janet), Tim Meadows plays the dean and Paul's friend, Michael Cera shows up as a douchy PR guy with the always pitch perfect Kate Berlant as his partner- but they are all very thin characterizations. The ideas take center stage in the movie and there are simply too many of them and as a result actual humanity and cogent narrative intent are lost. It is clear the characters are going through prescribed plot and real human behavior is sacrificed as a result.

Beautifully shot, particularly the multiple dream sequences, the film has an eerie visual beauty bolstered by an effectively haunting score. The production, all around, is evocative an assured. So, what's the problem? There's too much going on. Is it about dreams/spirituality/the collective unconscious? Is it about viral fame? Cancel culture? Boomers? Incels? Mid-life crisis? The answer seems to be all of the above. And in making feints at all these themes but never really developing any of them all-in-all its a hodge-podge of scenes loosely connected by an admittedly great lead performance. It fails to come together to actually say much of anything when it is clear that its trying to say something.

Ambitious, well made, and a stupendous Cage make for a film that exceeds its grasp.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'Next Goal Wins' A Review

Next Goal Wins is a sports dramedy based on a true story about disgraced coach Thomas Rongen(Michael Fassbender) leading the national American Samoa soccer team, the worst internationally.

Fassbender is miscast, he doesn't have much facility with the comedy or the heart and seems out of his depth, floundering. A sharp counterpoint to his pitch perfect turn in The Killer. The supporting cast are all great particularly Oscar Kightley as Tavita and Kaimana as Jaiyah Saelua but the overall tone is confused(exacerbated by Fassbender). The movie can't quite decide if it wants to be a parody or a full blown feel-good. As a result the comedy and the heart is all very casual, very lackluster, rote.

Visually serviceable but lacking the typical panache of co-writer/director Taika Waititi. Its not terrible just underwhelming. The big highlight, the reason to watch, is the wonderful Samoan actors and the spotlight on American Samoa, its singular and cool and fun, but everything else for the most part- the narrative, the soccer, the emotional beats- seem like an afterthought.

Waititi returns to his indie roots but may have lost a step after his journey into big budget Hollywood.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Stream It.

I'm Going Home

Curled up in a seat
on the Irving Park bus
headed east, home
to comfort and warmth

I am overcome

I quietly weep

(not the first by far

to do so on the CTA)

not in sadness

or grief

but in relief

in gratitude

to be alive

to be free

to have this life that I do

A friend said to me this week

"I am a prisoner in my own life."

it put things in perspective.

'The Holdovers' A Review

The Holdovers is a dramedy set in 1970 at an all boys prep school in New England. Paul(Paul Giamatti) is a curmudgeonly ancient history teacher who is co-oped into staying over the holiday break to supervise the boys who aren't going home, Mary(Da'Vine Joy Randolph) is the kitchen manager staying over to cook for them, and Angus(Dominic Sessa) is the one student left behind when the four other holdovers are swept away on a last minute ski trip. The three have little adventures, bond, connect, and learn something from each other.

Giamatti is great as this kind of proto Tuesdays With Morrie he's funny, relatively emotional, and has dimension. Randolph is excellent, as she always is, and its great to see her in a more dramatic role here(her breakout in the criminally short lived High Fidelity TV show and her turn as the detective in Only Murders In The Building probably being her two biggest roles to date) she brings a much needed reality and pathos to the film, which at times can veer into the cliché or twee. Sessa is compelling but clearly struggles to find emotional variance. He's young, he's got talent, but he's green and periodically it shows. Overall its a solid cast primarily focused on the core three.

Shot digitally with a celluloid effect the film endeavors to evoke the period not only in its production design(which is excellent) but in the camera filter. It works but can come across as a bit forced. We get it, its 1970. The script is a version of a type of movie that has fallen out of fashion- coming-of-age boys prep school- a la Scent Of A Woman, Dead Poets Society et al. So in that respect its actually kind of refreshing in that we haven't had a movie like this in probably 15-20 years. There is a large nostalgia element, not necessarily for the 70's as some of the socio-political tie ins of that period are only cursory and do not feel particularly authentic, but for a certain type of film. And its good- well made, well acted, entertaining, even maybe slightly inspiring. But it is without question a certain kind of story, which, given the wonderfully diverse tapestry we live in may not be particularly reflective of our current culture or have much, if anything, to say about what it has become.

An effective throwback which leaves an odd aftertaste.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

'Quiz Lady' A Review

Quiz Lady is a comedy about Anne(Awkwafina) a restrained, game-show obsessed accountant who has to reconnect with her estranged free-spirit sister Jenny(Sandra Oh) in order to settle their mother's gambling debts. The plan the two hatch is to get Anne on her favorite TV show Can't Stop The Quiz(a Jeopardy stand in) to make the required money.

Awkwafina plays somewhat against type, although she played a similarly grounded character in The Farewell, as the straight person to Oh's much more flamboyant Jenny. And yet Awkwafina continues to prove her range and her bonafides as a not-to-be-ignored Gen Y star. She's funny, she's emotional, and she's real. Oh clearly relishes the opportunity here as she is also cast against type, she's big, brash, colorful, and really funny. The two have pitch perfect chemistry and navigate this relatively straight forward feel good comedy with the kind of movie star wattage that turns this decent script into a great film. The supporting cast are all really fun, particularly Will Farrell as Terry the game show host(his best performance in years) and Jason Schwartzman as Ron the raining champion when Anne finally makes it to the show. With a limited budget and a limited cast the movie is able to provide what many big budget films this year have failed- entertainment, heart, a coherent journey.

Like most comedies there is not much room or money for production artistry so it is fairly nuts-and-bolts here but it all works, it is all evocative. Anne's home, her work, and the bowtie wall at Can't Stop The Quiz are all wonderful sets and prove, that even within the confines of the genre and budget, they are able to do some pretty cool stuff to help build out the world.

The biggest disappointment here is not with the film itself but the fact it was released straight-to-streaming. This would have been better in a full theater where the laughter and experience could be shared and the choice not to is baffling especially considering the recent dearth of new releases due to the strike(s). Would this have been a world wide sensation? No. But would it have recouped its budget and then some and provided the movie going public with some much needed variety? Absolutely.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

Don't Miss It.

Weird Frequency

At night

when sleep

begins to crest
come flashes
not premonitions
as they are rarely true

but glimpses, inklings

of possibility

or portent

it is best

not to heed

these shadowed

communiqué

but better

not to ignore them either.

'Fingernails' A Review

Fingernails is a scifi drama about a world where romantic relationships can be codified and confirmed by a test. Anna(Jessie Buckley) is an out of work teacher in a relationship with Ryan(Jeremy Allen White) which, even though they have passed The Test, she feels unsatisfied by. Anna gets a job at the Love Institute an organization that works with couples to pass The Test. There she is paired with Amir(Riz Ahmed) and while working with aspiring couples begin to develop feelings for each other themselves.

Buckley puts in a pretty calculated performance, the script doesn't do her any favors but Hollywood has been trying to push her as a lead, as a star, for her last several films and she has struggled. She continues to here with a lot of indicating, a lot of Acting, she is adrift in the character. Its simply not believable paired with the script that has various glaring logical holes as well as confusion as to its own themes it all doesn't really go anywhere. White is good but miscast, his hair and wardrobe is straight out of The Bear and yet we are supposed to believe he is a boring businessman(he's a heartthrob!). Ahmed is the only one appropriately cast giving a grounded, believable performance but he can only do so much. Luke Wilson as the head of the Love Institute is great but barely(criminally) utilized.

The production design is all very crisp and clean but with a confused, frequently boring script, it doesn't really matter. The conceit is very close to the far superior The Lobster and given that and that co-writer/director Christos Nikou is a protégé of Yorgos Lanthimos the comparison is impossible not to make and is extremely unfavorable. Fingernails has nothing really to say about relationships or love, it does not utilize it's primary conceit for any clear purpose and it has no concrete definable rules. The result is a bunch of shallow characters talking shallowly about relationships in a way that offers, both within the context of the action as well as the dialogue, no real insight.

Perhaps intriguing for teens or college kids with little to no romantic experience Fingernails has absolutely nothing to impart to any adult who has actually had one.

Currently streaming on Apple+.

Don't See It.

'Five Nights At Freddy's' A Review

Five Nights At Freddy's is a horror movie about Mike(Josh Hutcherson) a down-and-out guy taking care of his young sister Abby(Piper Rubio) who is forced to take a job as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria in order to hold off a custody battle with his avaricious Aunt Jane(Mary Stuart Masterson). The job turns out to be more than Mike bargained for.

Hutcherson is great, continuing his eclectic filmography, he's a great lead. He has heart, dimension, and plays the supernatural elements straight giving them more heft and occasionally injects some much needed comedy. It's great to see him as the lead in a feature and one hopes it gives him more opportunities to come. Rubio is a real surprise, giving this introverted kid more depth and realism than most child actors can muster. It is wonderful to see Masterson even though her part is relatively small and Matthew Lillard shows up for a bit which is a lot of fun. All in all its a small but extremely effective ensemble filled with solid character actors that get some room to really play.

On a small budget much of the action takes place in the titular restaurant. And that's great, the production design is simple but evocative and the animatronic work is thrilling if a bit stilted. There is little to know CGI in the movie and the practical effects(even if somewhat constrained) serve more effectively to create a real, tactile experience than would CGI. This is also bolstered up by clever and judicious editing and a narrative which is maybe at times a bit of a stretch but still provides much needed emotional stakes to make the movie click.

A solid, mostly family friendly, horror flick.

Currently in theaters and streaming on Peacock.

Rent It.

Budging

Recently many old people have tried to budge me

-Boomers-

at the bookstore, bakery, dance concert

the list goes on

believing, I would guess

their age provides them

with a society wide

FastPass

I do not tolerate this

I do not let it go

because one

the line is a sacred

long-standing

cultural agreement

and two

the Boomers

collectively

have wrought more damage

than any generation that has gone before

their breadth and longevity not a function 

of any particular accomplishment

or just cause

but of circumstance

and consequential medical advancement

(looking at you Lipitor)

yes, I am courteous to my elders

and value the wisdom and experience of the old

but rudeness, entitlement, and self importance

are not a good look regardless of age

and respect must be earned.