'New Life' A Review

 New Life is a horror/thriller about a woman on the run, Jessica,(Hayley Erin), for unknown reasons. She is pursued by Elsa(Sonya Walger) a government contractor recently diagnosed with MS.

Erin is decent as the lead but she struggles to really find an ease with the character and as a result its a bit murkily drawn. She's compelling but especially in contrast to Walger she is the less interesting of the two leads. Walger, as always, is stupendous. The presence she brings to the this almost single-handedly elevates it from micro-budget horror to something approaching legit cinema. The subplot regarding her MS and how she is dealing with it fortunately or unfortunately overshadows the main genre storyline with its emotional power. There's a scene where she is meeting with a caretaker and a woman with MS further along that is/will be easily one of the most poignant of the year.

The movie has an overcast, handheld, gritty look and feel. Its effective but although there is tension and the reveals when they come are intriging, ultimately the story at its core is a bit derivative. Elsa's character is full, Jessica's is thin. The cat-and-mouse element is restricted by the budget and as a result feels strained and isn't as effective as it could be. Overall a promising debut from John Rosman but in and of itself uneven.

Relatively standard genre fare elevated by a sublime Walger.

Currently available to rent on most VOD platforms.

Stream It.

'Atlas' A Review

Atlas is a scifi action movie set in a vague future after the events of an AI uprising with the threat still looming. Atlas(Jennifer Lopez) an analyst with ties to the AI leader Harlan(Simu Liu) accompanies some space marines led by Elias(Sterling K. Brown) on a mission to a planet in the Andromeda Galaxy where the AI army has fled and regrouped.

Lopez is a talent, that's never changed, but the material here isn't up to snuff. She's serviceable in the way this kind of hack, derivative, obvious script is serviceable, in line with Netflix's increasing gravity of mediocrity. She's not bad but she's not particularly good either. Liu is kind of sleep walking through the part. Brown is the only one to really breathe any life into his character, he puts in considerable effort to make the character funny and have some modicum of dimension. Overall the cast is fine but within the trappings of this extremely by-the-numbers movie there's not much they can do.

The movie looks decent, the robots, the spaceships, the faraway planet most of the action takes place on- the CGI is pretty good. But ultimately there's just not much life in the project. Another entry in Netflix's brand of just-watchable-enough-not-to-turn-off approach to features.

A movie about AI that was seemingly AI generated. Bland. Diet Terminator.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

Ping-Pong

We played a lot back then
Adam and I

unformed young men

searching, uncertain

the game a balm

a focus point

an anchor

as our adulthood emerged

looking back

those hours were precious

a necessary simplicity

a joy

the last vestige

of our adolescent days

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' A Review

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a post-apocalyptic action movie, a prequel to 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road focusing on the character Furiosa(Alyla Browne/Anya Taylor-Joy). The child Furiosa is taken from "The Green Place" where she lives by members of the Biker Horde led by Dementus(Chris Hemsworth). She's eventually traded to Immortan Joe(Lachy Hulme) and circuitously makes her way to being a member of the War Rig.

Taylor-Joy is serviceable but doesn't have much to do and struggles to fill the shoes of the originator of the role Charlize Theron, she is also hamstrung by the fact the first half of the movie Alyla Browne plays the role as an even younger version of the character. She seems lost in the performance and the script gives her virtually nothing to hold on to. Hemsworth is even further adrift. His charm is not present, his humor is incongruous, there is virtually no menace conveyed. It is a portrayal in desperate need of direction. Hemsworth is throwing everything he has at it and its too much, too unfocused. Hulme isn't in it much but, with all respect to him, Hugh Keays-Byrne he is not. Many of the returning actors from Fury Road revisiting their characters seem confused and are pretty much across the board ineffective.

Visually the movie looks cheap, the CGI is obvious particularly in wideshots, and all the energy and visceralness of Fury Road is absent. Even for the scenes actually shot on location it looks like a soundstage with CGI background. I don't know how they managed that but all-in-all it looks terrible. The script is almost tortuously derivative. The Furiosa backstory the audience lushly filled in in their imaginations with Charlize Theron's wonderful portrayal are rendered here thuddingly, pedantically, unoriginally specific. The script is clunky, we see things and revisit characters we have no desire or need for. There seems to have been a profound confusion as to why Fury Road was good and what audiences liked about it. Here we plod through plot beats we see coming a mile away, we are dragged through exposition we have absolutely no need of. The action is limited, not particularly exciting, and most importantly has no emotional stakes.

We saw the culmination of Furiosa's incredible journey in Fury Road so what does Furiosa have to say? Nothing.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' A Review

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a scifi action film, a standalone continuation of the Planet of the Apes series. Generations after the events of the previous installment apes have established various clans and humans have gone feral, mostly losing the ability for complex thought and speech. Noa(Owen Teague), part of the Eagle Clan, and his two friends embark on a coming-of-age ritual of procuring a wild eagle egg for raising. While they are out they encounter a rogue human who brings a rival clan to their territory decimating it. Noa sets out in pursuit.

Teague gives an emotive, periodically powerful, mo-cap performance as do all the supporting cast. This franchise, in general, has a stellar track record not only for its CGI rendering but for the mo-cap actors and this continues that trend with a cast of, not extremely well known but very talented roster. They are all committed and able to draw evocative nuanced characters. And Teague really delivers as the lead fulfilling the promise he showed in his somewhat uneven turn in The Stand. It's almost a shame the film isn't solely about the apes and Noa's clan just living their life as the two human actors- Freya Allan and William H. Macy- are the weak links in performance as well as the conduits by which the most obvious and predictable elements of the plot are delivered.

The film looks incredible, lush and vivid and conveys a sense or reality and immediacy sometimes undermined by this volume of CGI. The action sequences are thrilling, the soundtrack effective, the worldbuilding refreshingly subtle. As a standalone the film doesn't info dump, it provides enough context in a brief prologue to set the table but then trusts its audience enough to fill in the gaps with imagination. Its a fine line they walk with surprising assurance. It somewhat falters in the third act falling into some predictive and derivative storylines(much of which only exists to set up future installments) but overall Noa and his journey are the focus and as a result it works. The climax in particular, Noa's final confrontation with the heavy Proximus, is a homerun.

Surprisingly fun, emotional, and unencumbered.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

100 Mile Radius

Perhaps there is a cost
in experience or perspective

for living only

in this place

not straying far

from the confines

of my birth

regret strikes

on occasion

the what ifs

the paths aborted

and yet

I am more myself having stayed

roots sunk deep, ever deeper

the land more mine

and me more hers

'Gasoline Rainbow' A Review

Gasoline Rainbow is a docu-fiction drama that follows a group of five high school seniors on a road trip to the pacific coast.

The five leads use their real names and play versions of themselves, they're compelling and for the most part there's a casually effective naturalism throughout. Although the voiceover for all of them(they trade off at various points) comes across as stilted. This blending of documentary and fiction with these non-actors is interesting, it blurs the lines of reality and perhaps gets at what Herzog calls the Ecstatic Truth in its success at evoking this particular youthful transition, the ennui and the adventurousness. There is not much story to speak of just a series of events and stops on their journey from the Oregon interior to the coast. Some of which feel contrived, feel like injected(unnecessary) obstacles but overall the chemistry and charisma of the core 5 are able to smooth over these bumps without much distraction. There is one sequence where the group meets two folks who help them hop a train and those two actors feel the most real of the entire film and that scene by far the most exciting.

Shot with various cameras with various qualities the film has a rough-and-ready "gritty" type feel which mostly works. The soundtrack is mostly(if not totally) diegetic which serves in the pursuit of realism but it is slightly odd that this group of Gen Z teens don't listen to anything post 90's. The script is mostly improvised and based off a loose outline this serves the filmmakers intent for authenticity but the downside is there's a bit too much mindless partying. Ultimately these are just kids and don't have much to say or much insight about their experience, they are great at being on screen but the dialogue at times is mundane, boring, or repetitive.

Perhaps not particularly new, this feels very much in-line with recent films Nomadland and more so American Honey. Even so, there is a quiet beauty to it and gives these teens(and their generation) a film that speaks to and for them. And successfully conveys the search for and the brief attainment of a glorious freedom.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Rent It.

Codependence

Every adult
has autonomy
the ability, the right
to destroy themselves

to deny, to obfuscate, to suffer

we may

know what's best

for our fellows

(or believe so)

we may witness their churn

we may be saddened, grieve

but it is not our place

to save anyone from themselves

(we can't)

unless they desire to be saved.

Corruption is contagious

and half measures avail nothing.

'Hundreds of Beavers' A Review

Hundreds of Beavers is a comedy set in 19th century Wisconsin about applejack salesmen Jean Kayak(Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) who becomes a fur trapper. Shot in black and white, with a combination of Charlie Chaplin style slapstick, Looney Tunes chaos, and video game methodology the film follows Kayak as he attempts to rebuild his life after the titular beavers destroy it.

Tews gives a wonderful, big hearted, open performance. There is very little dialogue and other than himself he is mostly playing against people in animal costumes. He's able to execute some effective and complicated physical comedy while also transmuting palpable emotion with an over-the-top exaggeration that is in keeping with the delicious alchemy of style the film creates. The four other humans in the cast are equally adept but have significantly less screentime. And all the cast in animal costumes are surprisingly evocative.

The film looks incredible, the ingenuity of the images and the integration of various influences in style is tremendous and works in harmony to create something which clearly nods to its inspirations but in itself feels wholly new, completely unique. The costuming is relatively simple, almost archetypal, but works to evoke an almost ethereal(and funny) folk tale. There is a fair amount of greenscreen work but its integration is seamless and furthers the cartoon-reality. In short all the production elements are woven together into a melodious tapestry, a testament that cinema is very much alive, and that creativity and innovation can and will eclipse the necessity of budget. Not to mention theme, the film tackles isolation, love, alcoholism, and the fur trade among others but with its zany mad-cap energy its able to zip in and out of the ideas effectively while delivering its non-stop gags.

Absolutely stupendous. 

Currently available to rent on most VOD platforms.

Don't Miss It.

'Unfrosted' A Review

Unfrosted is a corporate comedy, a fictionalized version of the origin of Pop-Tarts, co-written/directed/starring Jerry Seinfeld.

Seinfeld is stiff, wooden, and wholly unreal in this sad, dated, painful movie in-line with the recent baffling trend of product based biopics(see Air, Blackberry, The Beanie Bubble et al). The cast is filled with star-level cameos but none are particularly fun, funny, or have much bearing on the negligible story the script contains. The sole exception is Hugh Grant as Thurl Ravenscroft, frustrated Shakespearian actor working as Tony The Tiger, but even then he is, in essence, just reheating his Paddington 2 character.

Quite frankly Unfrosted is embarrassing, the humor is obvious, dated, and ineffective. The "narrative" is contrived and fumbling, and there's an undeserved, out-of-touch, boomer smugness that permeates the whole endeavor that is insulting. Seinfeld, during his ill-advised promotional tour for the movie, stated the movie business "is over" which is interesting because one this movie is terrible and two this is the first movie he's ever made. And he's not inaccurate his movie business is most assuredly over. Ultimately Seinfeld's career, outside of the 90's, has very little impact or legacy and this extremely belated prepubescent attempt at a freshman feature underscores that fact.

To quote the late great Roger Ebert- I hated this movie. I hated, hated, hated this movie.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

Neglect and Restoration

After 15 years
it took 5 grand
and 5 months
to get my mouth

back in order

broken teeth

rotted roots

cavities and crowns

the biggest hurdle

was beginning

the inertia of inaction

but once begun

the path to health

has its own momentum

and diligent, incremental

progress moves to stability

'The Fall Guy' A Review

The Fall Guy is an action romcom about stuntman Colt Seavers(Ryan Gosling) who doubles for the famous Tom Ryder(Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and has a burgeoning relationship with camera operator Jody Moreno(Emily Blunt). At the start of the film Colt and Jody flirt on set but their relationship is cut short by an accident. A year later Jody is directing her first film, a scifi action romance Metalstorm, and shady producer Gail Meyer(Hannah Waddingham) brings Colt out of retirement to work on the film after Tom disappears.  

Gosling and Blunt are in top form. Their chemistry is electric and both give Movie Star caliber performances, necessary in this movie-about-movies where they both need to be both emotionally real and funny but also big and integrate that around large action set pieces. Its wonderful and the blend of tone is successful primarily because Blunt and Gosling make it so. Neither character has a ton of depth on the page, and quite frankly they don't need it, their performances are so purely magnetic, their personalities so charged and engaging its a delight. Waddingham is great as the Diet Coke guzzling producer/puppet-master and although in a briefer role Taylor-Johnson gives his funnest and most compelling role in years as the unhinged ego-driven megastar. Winston Duke, as the stunt coordinator, is underused but still wonderful to see, and the rest of the supporting cast are all good and game and help to create maybe not a deep film but a spectacularly entertaining one.

A love letter to stunt work not 7 minutes goes by without a stunt sequence and they are all made so lovingly, so thrillingly that alone makes this worth a watch. The soundtrack is pitch perfect and exciting. The costuming, especially those pieces for Metalstorm, are so playful and well done. The production, all around is just 10/10. The action is stupendous, the romance pulls the heartstrings, the comedy hits. Its tonally ambitious and they pull it off. At times the plotting is a bit convoluted, a bit convenient, but ultimately those strains are easy to ignore because the pacing is break neck and you know there is a stunt or a joke or a heartfelt moment coming next that will land. Not a perfect film but pretty damn close.

Prioritizes fun above all else, a quality lacking in many recent Hollywood blockbusters.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't Miss It.

'Free Time' A Review

Free Time is an indie cringe-comedy about Drew(Colin Burgess) a 20-something NYC hipster who quits his job on a whim.

Burgess struggles to carry the movie despite its brief run time. The combination of the script and his performance fail to coalesce into anything engaging. The character is bafflingly devoid of personality, is petulant, entitled, and grating while at the same time remaining stunningly opaque(other than his job struggles and the fact he's in a band we know nothing about him) which for a protagonist is a hurdle the movie doesn't acknowledge let alone surmount. The supporting cast has talent but overall there seems to be very little interest in character only in premise despite this being a slice-of-life type story. Holmes who plays Kim, Drew's roommate's girlfriend, is the only one that's particularly funny or feels like a recognizable human being. 

The production is all competent, looks decent, costumes, soundtrack all effective. But the movie isn't clear on what its trying to say nor how it wants to say it. The result is a derivative mess. Drew is insufferable, the idea of someone just quitting their job especially in NYC because of some immature existential musing smacks more of teen angst than actual adult thinking, and the exploration of this idea offers nothing coherent let alone insightful. What rich person wrote this? The socio-economic reality of most people in the US provides a large barrier of entry to this white upper-middle class NYC thought experiment. There is no reality here, no actual dramatic weight, and the "comedy" is pretty much entirely derived from Drew being a capricious socially incompetent baby.

Clearly inspired by NYC hit shows High Maintenance and Broad City this fails in capturing either heart or humor.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Don't See It.