'Pillion' A Review

Pillion is a romantic dramedy about Colin(Harry Melling) a sexually inexperienced introvert living with his parents in suburban London who meets Ray(Alexander Skarsgård) an enigmatic biker from a local club. Ray then initiates Colin into a strict BDSM relationship which Colin initially enjoys but ultimately struggles to find fulfillment in.

Melling gives an incredibly brave an honest performance, the character seems incapable of artifice and all of Colin's emotions wash over Melling's face(and body), his yearning for love most of all is so heartbreakingly apparent throughout, he is shattering in his vulnerability. Skarsgård, in maybe his best roll to date, is equally compelling if not as easy to read. He's mysterious but within that mystery he's able to find moments of revelation and eccentricity for the character, revealing to us circuitously his motivations, his desires, and his limitations. The two have phenomenal chemistry and although the support cast is wonderful, its the exploration and discovery of their dynamic that is the real beating heart of the film. Those scenes behind closed doors where power, pleasure, and absurdity are delved.

Visually simple yet beautiful and evocative. Dark suburban streets flicking by with the rev of an engine on the soundtrack you feel what Colin feels, you feel his liberation but also fear. The score is pitch perfect, passionate but haunting, and there's some diegetic music that's really effective. The costumes are great, all in all it's not flashy but totally harmonious production design.

Rich with emotion, intricate power dynamics and graphic passions.

Currently in theaters.

Don't Miss It.

The Great Equalizer

parental relations are

by nature

complicated

so those times

that are good

really purely good

have real weight

and importance

for my dad and I

sport

seems to be

the great equalizer

we went to the Bulls game

and start to finish

stem to stern

it was simply

a lovely night

just fun

just pleasant

enjoyment

of where we were

who we were with

and what we were doing

sounds basic

but in my experience

rare

'The Wrecking Crew' A Review

The Wrecking Crew is an action/comedy about two estranged brothers brought together by the mysterious death of their father.

Dave Bautista brings his steely, grounded presence and Jason Momoa brings his Peter Pan charm and in general, it really works. The two have great chemistry, the comedy works, the emotional beats(occasionally a bit rote) mostly work too. It's a great riff on the buddy cop subgenre that has mostly been languishing since the 90's. The supporting cast are all talents and having fun- Temuera Morrison, Jacob Batalon(Ned from Spider-Man), Frankie Adams, Miyavi, Morena Baccarin, Roimata Fox, on and on- all-in just great casting and other than the two leads mostly regular working actor types which just really enhances the ensemble.

As far as the look, the mix of on-location and green screen/CGI mostly works, some of the more complicated action sequences are, thankfully, actually lit but the CGI car crashes and destruction of property isn't as effective as the more practical effects, what really shines is the fight sequences which are all long shots, perfectly choregraphed and shot from a remove where you can actually see what is happening. That more than anything really puts this flick a cut above. If there's a detraction it's just the needless collateral damage, a hallmark of contemporary action pictures, it's great when the bad guys get their due but do we need so much destruction of public property and innocent bystanders?

Two charismatic leads(and an impeccable cast) elevate a relatively pedestrian buddy cop treatment.

Currently streaming on Prime.

Rent It.

'Wuthering Heights' A Review

Wuthering Heights is a gothic romance about the tortured relationship between Cathy(Margot Robbie) and Healthcliff(Jacob Elordi).

Although populated by talented actors the casting here is off from the jump. In the source material Cathy, Healthcliff, and Nelly(played by the criminally underused Hong Chau) are supposed to be in their late teens and the main three are all too old for the roles and the chemistry between Robbie and Elordi is spotty. That on top of the melodramatic machinations of the plotting make much of it, including the central romantic connection, hard to buy into.

The production design is ambitious, with some wonderful costuming and an appropriately mournful score, but it's tonally inconsistent, it's not period but it's not-not period so ultimately a lot of the choices seem unmotivated or at least seem to be driven by- is x cool? There's some BDSM stuff but that's not fully explored, some agency and relationship stuff that's not fully explored, thematically a lot is just left on the table and it's unclear if there's anything unifying behind any of it.

Maybe this is true of the source material(I haven't read the novel) but here, everyone is kind of a selfish scumbag so none of it really has any stakes. Whoever ends up with who, whoever dies, whatever the cost of any of the choices being made, none of it really has any narrative weight. And it's too long. The tragic ending leaves you relieved not effected.

Talent and ability desperately in search of coherent vision.

Currently in theatres.

Don't See It.

False Spring

I overhear commuters

relishing the warmth

bidding adieu

to winter

romanticizing
the 'last' snow

I laugh

at the hubris

the ignorance

as this is but a feint

a tease

a brief reprieve

from the trials ahead

soon comes March

in all its bleakness

the freezing mud

and the floods

and the gloom

the real test

of any Midwestern spirit.

'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die!' A Review

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a scifi movie about a man from the future(Sam Rockwell) who arrives at a diner in LA to gather a group of people to save the world from a malevolent AI.

Rockwell brings his patented fast-talking humor and charm and it's deployed here almost entirely appropriately. The supporting cast is filled with some ringers-Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Juno Temple, and Haley Lu Richardson. Richardson has the most to do and has great chemistry with Rockwell and does what she does best, brings some much needed grounding and emotional sincerity which balances some of the more bonkers antics.

Shot conservatively and in limited locations the film has a real sense of place and texture, the CGI is limited, and whatever can be done practically is. It's not Brazil, although clearly it's an inspiration, but the production elements all work in concert to give the film a particular look and feel, an identity, which is refreshing given the ongoing homogenization of movie aesthetics.

Plot wise, it's a bit bloated but ambitious. Modern themes(Big Tech, AI, school shootings etc.) are explored if not sophisticatedly at least directly. And even if there's nothing particularly satisfying about the commentary it feels of-the-moment, feels like it's engaging with now. There's ultimately just a little too much fat, at 135 minutes, it drags, it slogs, it looses the interest it very cleverly cultivates.

A great 100 minute movie.

Currently in theaters.

See It.

'By Design' A Review

By Design is a dramedy about Camille(Juliette Lewis) a woman seeking deeper meaning in her life. When her and her two pals(Samantha Mathis and Robin Tunney) go shopping after their regular lunch Camille is struck by the beauty and simplicity of a designer chair whom she trades places with.

Lewis, no surprise, is wonderful here absolutely locked in to the playful expressionistic tone conveying yearning, vulnerability, and a subtle exploration of identity. Mathis and Tunney are great to see and great in this, providing some humor and further bolstering the unique and engaging vibe. Melanie Griffith is a pitch perfect narrator and Mamoudou Athie as Olivier who becomes enraptured with Camille-as-chair is equally effective. All-in-all a stellar cast all focused and working together in service of this quirky yet stirring vision, gliding from drama to comedy to quiet poignancy with an assured deftness.

Visually the film is understated but expressive, with some dream sequences, magical realism, and symbolic editing that isn't flashy but is singular and archetypal. The costuming is stellar and razor sharp and the score is minimal and eerie. Writer/director Amanda Kramer's vision is clear and fully realized, given the small scale she's able to actualize one of the best films of the year.

Women becomes chair: a meditation on the nature of being.

Currently in theaters.

Don't Miss It.

Water Won't Save You

Over the last decade

the water bottle

has become

ubiquitous

everyone

everywhere

carrying their Owala

their Yeti

their S'well

fixated

focused

on hitting

their daily liter goal

as if

this nominal achievement

will prevent

the tumult and toil

of existing

in this world

'Queen Of Chess' A Review

Queen Of Chess is a documentary about Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgár. Through talking head interviews, archival footage, and some chess match reenactments her life and career are explored.

Polgár and her sisters were an 'experiment' by their father, attempting to create genius from intense study from an early age. As her chess prowess grew so did her ambition becoming a trail blazer in crossing over to men's chess and climbing the rankings. The film loosely revolves around her various games with then world champion Kasparov.

Visually the film is relatively pedestrian but the content is so engaging it doesn't particularly matter and ultimately the subject doesn't necessitate any formal invention. It's nice to see somewhat of a classic documentary in form that simply engages thoroughly with a captivating subject.

Stirring in content if somewhat conventional in form.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

See It.

'The Moment' A Review

The Moment is a mocumentary about British musician Charlie XCC beginning in September 2024 at the tail end of Brat summer as Charlie grapples with her new level of fame, an upcoming arena tour, and commercial pressures.

Charlie XCX is compelling as this version of herself but much like similar projects I'm Still Here and The Nowhere Inn there's a bit of frustration in that who she actually is is still unknown. This 'character' is all artifice, this plot is all artifice and as a result any kind of artistic truth is hard to parse. The supporting cast is talented- Rosanna Arquette(love to see her), Alexander Skarsgård, Hailey Gates- to name a few. But the plot they all inhabit is all pretty meager and it appears much of the dialogue was improvised which gives the whole thing a pretty stilted feel.

Visually the film is rich with striking, colorful, intriguing imagery there's just not a ton under the surface. And there's a kind of a stunning lack of music. The production all works but there's ultimately just not much of a coherent vison for it to bolster up. There's feints at commenting about image, commercialism, and artistic vs. financial success but when you boil it down the film has no answers. For Charlie XCX fans that may be more than enough but as a standalone piece of cinema, much like last year's Pavements, there's not a ton for the uninitiated to enjoy.

Ambitious if underbaked.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

Parable Of The Drowning Man

New Orleans, 2005, Katrina
A man stands on his roof
as the flood waters rise

a woman in a canoe paddles up

says to the man

"get in, the water is rising fast"

the man says

"no, God will save me"

she paddles on

a short time later a boy

in a 4-stroke motorboat comes along

"mister" he says "you gotta get in here"

the man says 

"no, God will save me"

the boy leaves

the water rises

it covers the mans feet

he hears the pulsing of a helicopter

a coast guard search and rescue team

shouts down

"HEADS UP, WE'RE THROWING DOWN A LADDER"

the man says

"NO, GOD WILL SAVE ME"

and after some argument

the helicopter flies off

to the next rescue

and the waters rise

and the pious man

is washed away

in the tumult

and the churn

In Heaven

the man stands before God

the man says

"God, I strived to live a devout life.

My faith in you never waivered.

Why did you forsake me in my hour of need?"

and God says

"I sent you two boats and a helicopter.

What did you want?

A gilded invitation!?"