'M3GAN 2.0' A Review

 

M3gan 2.0 is an scifi action/comedy a sequel to the 2023 horror/comedy. The movie opens during a military operation where the Army is showing off it's latest weapon, a robot assassin AMELIA(Ivanna Sakhno), but, no surprise, things go wrong and she goes rogue! And it looks like she's headed for our heroes from M3GAN Gemma(Allison Williams) and her niece Cady(Violet McGraw), oh no! Luckily the Bitch Is Back, M3GAN has been hiding in the ether and only needs a new body to do what she does best, protect Cady and slay!

Williams has a bit meatier of a part here as does McGraw and they're both great and have more fun. M3GAN, body by Amie Donald voiced by Jenna Davis, is equally turned up and it's honestly great to see the psycho again. Sakhno is a nice addition and brings some weird Terminator type energy to it. The big surprise is Aristotle Athari as Christian Gemma's boyfriend who's really funny and has a real electric and easy presence, he really shines. The supporting cast are all solid but the above are who have most of the action.

It looks slick, with a bit bigger of a budget than the original it just has a bit more life and movement, it's more ambitious and includes, of course, a dance sequence and a song from the titular villain-come-hero. Sound track is catchy, the pacing is clipped, it's a solid popcorn flick and honestly better than the first one.

She's back and actually kinda better!

Currently streaming on Peacock.

See It.

Responsabilities

There comes a point
we must accept
there are things
that need to be done
and they fall on us
to do them

life is full of tasks

(as well as triumphs)

full of tedium

(as well as turmoil)

and these are just as much life

as anything

laundry just as valid

as a milestone birthday

perhaps more so for its perpetuity

'A Big Bold Beautiful Journey' A Review

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a romantic fantasy about two listless mentally ill adults looking for love. A magical car rental service shunts these two sociopaths together for the titular adventure which is basically a linear walk down memory lane where they reenact/relive past individual moments together which serves as how they get to know each other. Sexy!

Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell are some of our most natural and magnetic movie stars so it is a feat here, and a fault of the direction/script rather than their talent, that they are so stilted, flat, and unengaging. They have no chemistry. The robotic, unnatural, and exposition heavy dialogue is an absolute albatross for them both and seems to take a baffling tell don't show approach. There is no subtext, no subtlety, all emotion and intent is bludgeoning clear in the punishing dialogue.

The production is whimsical and well done, not a surprise from director Kogonada, but this is the first feature which he did not write and that gulf is apparent as regardless of the effectiveness of the production design the result is impotent. Seth Reiss's script is dated, reductive, and so twee the cringe factor makes it virtually unwatchable, it is clearly an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind knock-off with none of the innovation, authenticity, or potency of that film.

Pretentious, ill-conceived, and pedantic.

Currently in theaters.

Don't See It.

The Squirrel

As I returned home
my wife descended the stairs
with a squirrel
in a trap
chittering and thrashing
she(my wife)
squealed and twitched

yet undaunted
unwavering
as she released the critter

and I thought
this is what love is

'Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching' A Review

Listers is a documentary about two brothers who, basically on a lark, decide to dedicate a full calendar year to birdwatching and compete in the Big Year where birdwatchers attempt to document the most species in the lower 48.

Through stop-motion animation, voice over narration, montage-style editing, talking-head interviews and more classic cinema verité the birding subculture and these two brothers experience with it is explored, with no small amount of beautiful slow-motion shots of birds. It's a hodgepodge of style and technique that come together with a rapturous infectious energy ultimately celebrating birds and birdwatching with a light condemnation on the competitive aspect of the hobby.

Reminiscent in feel if not in tone or content to 2018's exceptional Minding The Gap  two young midwestern men set out to make a documentary and the result has the kind of freshness, interest, and innovation that seems more and more rare. An absolute must see.

Fun and borderline transcendent.

Currently streaming on YouTube.

Don't Miss It.

Along The Great River Road

For a mile or so
the hawk flew above me
I rode below
in sync
both of us
hungry
searching
free

'The Baltimorons' A Review

The Baltimorons is a romcom about Cliff(Michael Strassner), a comedian battling grief and depression, and Didi(Liz Larsen), a divorced dentist stuck in a rut. The two meet when Cliff has an dental emergency on Christmas Eve and their connection blossoms as the two spend the rest of the day together.

Strassner is unquestionably charming and his humor bubbles over in almost every scene, like a shot of energy through the whole feature. He struggles a bit in some of the more emotional moments but is still adequate but the biggest mistake, one that brings the movie to a skreeching halt, is an ill advised and poorly written sketch/improv "performance" in this style of The Groundlings(where he was trained). This sequence is so long and so cringe it almost singlehandedly brings the movie down a notch. This sequence was clearly written/improvised by Strassner(credited as co-writer) and there's a way to make it work but what we see ain't it. Larsen is a revelation, and she and Strassner have really electric infectious energy. Larsen brings a ton of depth and range and subtlety to her character and is just compelling and present from the jump. A working actor for years hopefully this ups her exposure as she clearly has an ocean of talent. The supporting cast is all talented and effective if not particularly inspired, one would presume some non-professionals or old comedy pals of Strassner's.

Visually the film is a bit pedestrian but it appears to be shot on location and conveys a wry, engaging affection for the titular city. The soundtrack and costuming is subtle and effective but ultimately what it does best is just let Larsen and Strassner be together and play, it's almost like a May-December Before Sunrise. The only fault is the "comedy show" scene and that Cliff's backstory is a bit overstuffed- he's in recovery, suicide, relationship and professional problems etc., it works OK but it's unnecessarily complicated and the resolution of it all causes the third act to slow.

An incredible Larsen makes up for any rough edges.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

Dog Days

The kiss of heat
the calm of cool

the last few days
of summer's balm

before the creep

of wind and chill

a bless'd reprieve

brief and still

'The Long Walk' A Review

The Long Walk is a dystopian horror/thriller based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. In an alternate America ruled by a totalitarian regime there's an annual competition, the titular Long Walk, 50 teenage boys walk none-stop until only one is left.
 

Cooper Hoffman is the defacto lead Garraty who finds moments of authenticity but stumbles during any outburst of emotion or monologue. He has talent but is still incredibly green, if he weren't a nepo baby there is no way he would be getting leading roles at this point, he's not terrible here but he clearly doesn't have the chops of the other cast members. This is particularly evident by contrast with co-lead David Jonsson who plays McVries who continues to show he has a long career ahead of him with a lot left to show. This is the second film in which he's the best part of it(Alien: Romulus being the first). His presence is not only the heart of the movie but his magnetism and commitment ground it when it veers off into overly sentimental territory making what, on paper, would be some questionable monologues effective. The supporting cast is filled with young talent- Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, and Joshua Odjick among others- who all make their mark but none are given that much dimension(as they are in the book) presumably in the interest of time. Most, if not all, of the character development and emotional work is left to Hoffman and Jonsson who mostly succeed.

Visually the film is simple, sharp, and effective. Shot chronologically and mostly without CGI it appropriately evokes a relentless bleakness and inevitability with a subtle but sharp style. The score is mostly effective but becomes a bit overwrought in the third act. The script takes some necessary diversions from the absolutely brutal book to inject some needed compassion and hope, focusing more on the friendship of McVries and Garraty and changing the ending(to questionable success). Not a perfect King adaptation but a solid, entertaining, and sadly relevant genre flick.

A great production and a great cast lift up an uneven Hoffman and a shaky third act.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.

The Plan

An interviewer asked me

where I see myself

at retirement

I laughed

as if the future

were guaranteed

as if what's to come

weren't uncertain

as it has always been

only hindsight

offers assurance

offers order

Besides

in recovery

the oldtimers teach you

very deliberately

not to plan

to take it as it comes

to take it

one day at a time

one hour at a time

one step at a time

slice it small enough

you can handle anything

'The Roses' A Review

 

The Roses is a black comedy, a remake of the 1989 film The War of the Roses, itself an adaptation of the novel. Repressed, out of touch, wealthy couple Ivy(Olivia Colman) and Theo(Benedict Cumberbatch) find their unhealthy and doomed marriage slowly disintegrating after they switch roles in the household.

Colman and Cumberbatch are no doubt fine actors but neither is able to really give a performance here that is grounded in any kind of dramatic or comedic reality. Cumberbatch in particular struggles with the comedy and what were left with is just two ugly characters being ugly and cruel to each other. This confusion extends to the supporting cast. Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon seem to be in a totally different movie and appear to be mostly improvising. Sunita Mani and Ncuti Gatwa are woefully underutilized and their presence smacks of tokenism. Jamie Demetriou and Zoë Chao seem to serve no purpose. The casting itself, not half bad, but the script is so dead, the tone so mismanaged it's a shame anyone signed up for this.

Visually the film is clunky, obviously shot in the UK(as a stand in for Northern California) with some extensive and transparent greenscreen work it just looks unprofessional and unfinished. The soundtrack is full of some treacly covers and serves to exacerbate the convoluted and ineffective tone.

Dated, regressive, unfunny, overly(unintentionally) serious. A nihilist, sad, profoundly uninteresting look at marriage at least 30 years out of date.

Currently in theaters.

Don't See It.