'Maddie's Secret' A Review

Maddie's Secret is a melodramedy inspired by a 1986 Lifetime movie, that follows the titular Maddie(writer/director John Early) as she has success as a food influencer while concurrently dealing with the resurgence of her bulimia.

Early gives a very stylized and committed performance as the titular lead and the cast is chock full of talent.  Kate Berlant as Deena Maddie's obsessive best friend, Eric Rahill as Jake Maddie's soulful husband, Kristen Johnston(great to see her) as Beverlee Maddie's wayward mother. On and on everyone in the cast is great and for the most part extremely talented but lesser known character actors. The casting is impeccable. Where Early falls short is in the director's chair, tonally there's confusion as to what the film actually is or wants to be, so the performances run the gambit from extremely presentational to deeply grounded and emotional- different groups of actors all seem to be in different movies.

The visuals are relatively simple but stylized and effective, the score equally so. It's an incredibly ambitious and specific freshman feature from Early and shows significant promise. Much like the first feature of many filmmakers there's simply too much going on, it's trying to do too much, and in doing so in aggregate fails to deliver something cohesive. There are some really compelling moments, some really funny ones, it all feels very topical but also bizarrely esoteric. It's intriguing no question. But the line it walks in regards to eating disorders and the ultimate message(or lack there of) the movie attempts to make with that subject matter could certainly be activating or even offensive to some.

A blend of sincerity and satire that doesn't quite harmonize.

Currently in theaters.

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'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.

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'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.

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'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.

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'Roofman' A Review

Roofman is a dramedy about Jeff(Channing Tatum) a divorced Army veteran struggling to support his three children. To that end, he turns to armed robbery of fast food restaurants breaking in through the roof before they open which gives him the titular moniker. Eventually he has to hide out and he does so in a Toys "R" Us, watches employee Leigh(Kirsten Dunst), and strikes up a relationship with her and her two daughters.

Tatum is, as always, effortlessly charming as well as deeply emotional. He's wonderful here, if he struggles it is only with the restrictions of the script which is based on a true story and a real guy which the story adheres to. But as a result his character doesn't really change until the very end of the movie, Tatum plays as many notes as he can- he's funny, romantic, guilt ridden, despairing- but ultimately the character on the page doesn't transform so nor can he. Dunst is also sensational and their chemistry is exquisite. Dunst has become the sleeper, dominate, actress of her generation, one hopes she gets more higher profile roles in the coming years. Watching the two of them together you just wish they were in a straight-forward rom-com(which the trailers make it look like this is when it most definitely is not). The supporting cast is incredible- Ben Mendelsohn, Peter Dinklage, Uzo Aduba, Juno Temple, LaKeith Stanfield, among others- and they all just creates a really rich world and context.

Visually the film isn't flashy but very effective, immersive, and intentional. The production design across the board just feels real and evocative. If there's an issue with the film it's one of tone. Life doesn't always translate into narrative and it seems like the script adheres perhaps too closely to Jeff's actual life. As a result it's just kinda unclear what this movie is. Is it a romance? Well Jeff is charming and sweet but also a gaslighter and manipulator. Is it a comedy? Well there's a lot of funny stuff in here but also some really intense tragic stuff. Ultimately all those threads and genres just don't really coalesce. It's unclear what the movie wants to do other than tell Jeff's interesting but not particularly coherent story.

Engaging and emotionally effecting but not necessarily in harmony with itself.

Currently in theaters.

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'Friendship' A Review

Friendship is a surrealist dramedy about a suburban man Craig(Tim Robinson) who's life falls apart after he is first befriended then rejected by his new neighbor Austin(Paul Rudd).

It's wonderful to see Robinson in the lead of a feature, he brings commitment and energy as he always does but he's not able to manage the the uneven script and direction from first-timer Andrew DeYoung to make this a bonafide homerun. He's funny and some individual scenes and sequences are effective but the movie never really comes together as a whole. Rudd brings his ineffable charm and there are moments of real depth and complexity but the character, as written, is inconsistent and as the story progresses doesn't really make much sense. Kate Mara as Tami Craig's wife is underutilized and misdirected. She's always stunning on screen, she has a unique poise and presence, but she's just not given enough to do. The supporting cast is equally kind of confused and this is a result of DeYoung's mismanagement of tone.

Shot on location(ish) New York for New Jersey(opposite of Nonnas oddly) it feels and looks real and authentic. The creeping score and the occasional heightened bits of lighting and action are effective. But the whole is not equal to the sum of it's parts. There's an implication that this will be some kind of satire or comment on male loneliness and/or become some Lynchian fever dream but those feints from the screenplay never go anywhere. What were left with is just a stupid and terrible guy, Craig, being stupid and terrible. The surreal moments tease at something more lofty and interesting but never go above a certain volume, never crescendo. It's not bad it's just not great and it so clearly could have been.

Lots of promise, mostly under-realized.

Currently in theaters.

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'Nonnas' A Review

Nonnas is a dramedy about a Brooklyn MTA worker Joe(Vince Vaughn) who, after the death of his mother, opens an Italian restaurant where nonnas(grandmothers) are the chefs.

Vaughn brings his patented ease and charm to the role but he's not really let-off-the-leach comedy wise and some of the scenes veer into exposition dumps and melodrama, a script problem not his, and he does a decent job navigating those bumps and anchoring the movie. The real treat though, no surprise, is the titular nonnas- Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro, and Susan Sarandon. Bracco, Shire, and Vaccaro go hard and it's an absolute delight. Sarandon is a bit more restrained but balances out the foursome's chemistry well. The movie, unfortunately, gets sidetracked with plot- money problems, permit problems etc.- when the real juice of the whole thing is just the nonnas cooking and hanging out(which we get some of but could use quite a bit more). Joe Manganiello and Drea de Matteo round out the cast as Joe's best friends, Manganiello maybe giving maybe the most grounded performance of his career(which we love to see!) and Matteo always a stunner.

Visually the movie is pretty pedestrian with a few wonky greenscreen shots. Although not shot on location it's shot not too far away in New Jersey so it has a decent feel of authenticity(i.e. Toronto or Atlanta as stand ins for every city in existence). Soundtrack works, the cooking/food scenes really work you just wish there was more of them. The movie has a lot of heart, a great message, the screenplay just gets bogged down a bit in trying too hard to be a screenplay i.e. unnecessary conflict.

An incredible cast elevates an uneven, but sweetly sincere, script.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

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'The Ballad Of Wallis Island' A Review

The Ballad of Wallis Island is a dramedy about a widower Charles(Tim Key) who brings out a famous folk duo who have been broken up for years, Herb(Tom Basden) and Nell(Carey Mulligan), to the remote island where he lives to play a private concert.

Key explodes on screen brining his delightful banter and positive energy to the character with a large helping of idiosyncrasy and pathos to the affable but grief stricken Charles. It's pretty astounding what he's able to do and, one hopes, bodes well for more meaty acting roles in his future. Mulligan is perfectly cast and brings her immediacy and poignancy to this(for her) more light hearted role. She's one of those actors that just has a knack for being there, for being present and authentic, and this serves the film well. Her nature presence just anchors the action and whenever she's onscreen you are comfortable. Basden can't quite get to the level of either of his co-stars, he's good no question, but his character has more of a formulaic arc and there are points where he kind of flails(sometimes this works) and his transformation, especially contrasted with Key's, feels a bit over worked.

Visually the film is picturesque, shot on location(or an excellent equivalent), it's evocative. The only misstep is a kind of bizarre and unnecessary scene with CG paper balloons. The music, mostly diegetic, is wonderful and effective although there's not enough of it. Particularly not enough of Mulligan and Basden performing together, this is deliberate for narrative purpose, but it is a disappointment as the brief glimpses we see are really spectacular.

Sincere, simple, funny, occasionally moving and briefly cathartic. A triumph for modern 'adult' cinema.

Currently in theaters.

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'Eephus' A Review

Eephus is a slice-of-life sports dramedy about the last game of a men's rec league before their field is demolished and replaced by a school.

Sporting a cast of incredible talent of mostly unknowns and perhaps some non-professional actors this 90's set Massachusetts small town is translated intricately, beautifully, and with a profound dignity. Through the course of the game, which comprises basically the run time, themes of time, companionship, ambition, aging, and of course sport are explored. It's artsy in its subtlety but it's unpretentious. A tone poem with humor, insight, joy, and a delicate melancholy. We get a full sense of the characters through their interactions and how they play the game but there is little to no exposition. Most of what we see and learn is on the field, as it should be.

Shot impeccably on location on film(it looks like, could be a digital approximation) it pairs perfectly with the story evoking a feeling of fall afternoons, camaraderie, fun, and a degree of introspection, of meditation, as well as place.

A crystalline, graceful, powerful piece of cinema. One of the best of the year.

Currently in theaters.

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'Between the Temples' A Review

Between the Temples is a cringe dramedy about Ben(Jason Schwartzman) a widowed cantor who, in his grief, can no longer sing. He reconnects with his grade school music teacher Carla(Carol Kane) when she wants to get a late-in-life bat mitzvah. The two develop a connection the walks the line between friendship and romance.

Schwartzman has always been an incredible if inconsistent talent, typically when directors don't know what to do with him which seems to be the case here, he struggles. The performance is a reflection of the overall film which is tonally inconsistent. Schwartzman careens from dark melancholy to farce with little fluidity. It's just too disjointed to make the kind of impact it seems its intended to. Kane fairs better and its a delight to see her in this meaty of a role in the third act of her career. The two have wonderful chemistry and its a shame because a lot of the conflict and the cringe impede on what's naturally happening between the two.

Visually the film is inappropriate, cinematographer Sean Price Williams deploys his patented style, hand-held, washed out, and grainy(which he's used to great affect in previous features notably Listen Up Philip another Schwartzman vehicle) it not only doesn't work here it's distracting and seems to work against the film itself. It feels forced, almost like an indie dramedy cliché. Co-writer/director Nathan Silver fails to manage the tone and seems unsure of what the film is, taking wildly big swings but maintaining no emotional continuity. The production, overall, is a mess held together primarily by the talents of its two leads.

Worth a watch for Kane, otherwise overly plotted and under developed.

Currently available to rent on most VOD platforms.

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'A Real Pain' A Review

A Real Pain is a travel dramedy about two cousins David(Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji(Kieran Culkin) who travel to Poland as part of a Holocaust tour group and to see the childhood home of their deceased grandmother who was a survivor. David is the more conventional, Benji the free spirit, Benji's recent personal struggles have prompted David to plan the trip.

Culkin is really the star, electric at times incandescent with his energy and characterization. He's magnetic and its nice to see him get this kind of showcase especially in the wake of Succession. Eisenberg is, no surprise, more understated. He's never had anything like range but he fits well here and has a scene or two of real pathos. The support cast, basically the tour group, are all fabulous- Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Will Sharpe, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes-  and there are a couple great ensemble scenes but the film is conflicted about its focus and ultimately the tour group isn't delved into as much as it could be.

The score is beautiful and pitch perfect classical piano, shot on location in NYC and Poland the production all around has an authenticity and elevation to it which speaks to Eisenberg's increasing skills(he is also writer/director based on a short story he wrote). Where the film stumbles is in its story and tone. As a short story this slice-of-life approach would be appropriate here it is clear there is a struggle about what the film wants to be. Is it about the cousins? Is it about the trip? Is it comedic or cathartic? These competing impulses muddle the delivery and ultimately it feels incomplete. It's a pleasant, diverting watch but it doesn't really hit you, either comedically or dramatically, with enough impact to leave much of an impression.

Interesting but mild.

Currently in theaters.

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'Anora' A Review

Anora is a rom-dramedy about a NYC stripper Ani aka Anora(Mikey Madison) who meets Vanya(Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch, at her club. He initially pays her to be his 'girlfriend for a week' and the two develop a burgeoning romance culminating in a Vegas wedding. Once his family becomes aware of the marriage they intervene.

Madison is totally present, totally committed, and gives a textured, transcendent performance as the titular Anora. She conveys all kinds of layers and contradictions- strength, desire, vulnerability, joy, calculation- the whole gambit but above all what shines through is a beautiful and delicate humanity. It's truly stunning. Yura Borisov as Igor is the only one that's able to really push up to her level offering a character that's interesting and with dimension. The supporting cast are all competent but they are either as-written or as a result of the script just not as engaging. Eydelshteyn for example serves the role but the character is a petulant, immature, Peter Pan, there is simply no depth to him, that seems to be intentional but it doesn't make it any easier to watch and he's onscreen quite a lot.

As with all of Sean Baker's work it looks incredible, shot on location, with evocative lighting, an effective thrumming soundtrack the production all works, its transportive. Where it stumbles is simply in the run time, in the pacing, the middle section languishes and unintentionally highlights the shallowness of the supporting cast. It picks up at the end but by that time it feels the film has already ended two or three times. The film is still great but it does not reach the heights of Baker's earlier work Tangerine or The Florida Project. Maybe that's an unfair comparison it's just a shame the film as a whole doesn't quite meet Madison's performance.

A must-see for Madison alone.

Currently in theaters.

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'My Old Ass' A Review

My Old Ass is a coming-of-age dramedy about Elliott(Maisy Stella) a teen living in rural Canada on her parents cranberry farm the summer before she heads off to college in Toronto. During a mushroom trip her older self played by Aubrey Plaza manifests to give her advise.

Stella is blithely charming as the lead with an age appropriate streak of obliviousness and self centeredness which at times grates although part of the story is her evolution. Plaza is fun and mysterious and the two have great chemistry. Percy Hynes White as Elliott's love interest Chad is awkward if mildly compelling and the two have a connection that doesn't really feel genuine until the end. The supporting cast are all solid, Elliott's two friends, her parents and brothers, but they don't have much screen time to do much with.

Visually competent if relatively nuts-and-bolts for a low budget indie, the soundtrack is effective and catchy, but overall the production elements are more serviceable than creative aside from one fantastic Justin Bieber dream sequence. Its a great idea, has ambition, and the cast is talented but it doesn't fully come together or deliver on its full potential.

Pleasant, breezy, occasionally a bit on-the-nose, but mostly fun. Low impact.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

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'Inside Out 2' A Review

Inside Out 2 is an animated coming-of-age dramedy a sequel to the 2015 hit. Riley hits puberty and Joy/Sadness/Anger/Disgust/Fear welcome new emotions Anxiety/Ennui/Envy/Embarrassment. As Riley sets off for a weekend hockey camp the summer before high school the emotions jockey for control.

The vocal performances are all decent although the re-casting of Fear and Disgust conveys an odd audio uncanny valley, like Dan Castellaneta taking over the role of the Genie from Robin Williams. But the emotional impact of the original is not present, not a fault of the cast but of the script.

It is nice to revisit Riley and her emotions but there is an assembly line quality to the story that leaves something to be desired. The movie splits its time between Riley in the real world and the world in her head which results in a distracting lack of focus and much of the plotting feels perfunctory. With some of the action it also implies that Riley herself is more a robot to be controlled by the various emotions which is disconcerting and doesn't jive with the mechanics of the original in some ways undercutting the whole metaphor. The emotions don't really have a clear journey, Joy and company pretty much just tread water for the entire second act, and it is apparent Riley, on the precipice of puberty and high school, is the more interesting character and has the more engaging story. The two don't feel particularly integrated and in splitting the narrative down the middle neither are fully realized. Riley's anxiety attack towards the end of the movie is the only really inspired and effective sequence.

Mildly diverting but not particularly exciting, lacking the desired Pixar emotional punch.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

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'Argylle' A Review

Argylle is a meta-spy action-dramedy about an author of spy novels who gets embroiled in an espionage plot.

The cast is full of A-listers but there are too many of them and they are given too little to do. The movie has a great elevator pitch but the actual script is overlong, borderline incoherent, and is populated by paper thin characters no amount of talent can salvage it.

An over-reliance on unnecessary CGI and green screen give the movie a tacky, cheap look and the handful of action scenes with manic cuts and close ups do nothing to dispel this. The movie was either re-written and/or re-edited so many times the result is something that feels AI generated.

Too much plot, no actual story.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to Apple+.

Don't See It.

'American Fiction' A Review

American Fiction is a dramedy about Monk(Jeffrey Wright) a professor and frustrated writer who after being put on a leave-of-absence, having his latest book rejected, and a death in the family forcing him to return home to Boston writes My Pafology a melodrama about dead-beat dads and policy brutality, asend-up of the expectations black writers are burdened with. The book generates unprecedent monetary interest which Monk has to morally contend with given his increasing complicated family situation.

Wright, one of the greatest actors living, gives another staller performance. Monk gives him an opportunity to play more grounded, more real, not that he's ever not believable but in genre fair like The Batman or the extremely stylized like The French Dispatch those characters have a bit harder edges. Here he gets to play with and through some interesting socio-economic themes without being preachy or bludgeoning as well as familial responsibility, romance, and grief, and these things don't have any easy or clear answers. Wright, through Monk, is allowed to explore and simply be and he does it with an authenticity and honesty which has defined his career. The supporting cast all give equally dimensional subtle but still provocative performances- Tracee Ellis Ross(in a quietly heartbreaking brief appearance), Sterling K. Brown as Monk's deliciously hedonistic younger brother, Leslie Uggams as Monk's mom with Alzheimer's, just to call out a few.

This debut from writer/director Cord Jefferson is extremely assured, sincere, and effecting but it is not loud. The themes and ideas are explored with humor and heart but we are never left feeling despairing or beaten by it(in contrast to some of this year's other awards contenders). Its thoughtful and perhaps this lack of flash and middle school moral simplicity have not put it in the same conversation as splashier film's like Saltburn or more ostentatious ones like Oppenheimer but it should be. It is, in virtually every aspect, better than most of the "serious" movies released in the last gasp of 2023.

Filmed on location the with a decent but subtle soundtrack and some interesting if restrained editing the production makes it feel real, makes it feel true. It is not smug, it is no pandering, it asks interesting questions and explores them without apology or certainty.

A layered funny, thought-provoking debut from a filmmaker to watch lead by a Wright in his prime.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

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'Saltburn' A Review

Saltburn is a dramedy/thriller about Oxford first year Oliver(Barry Keoghan) who becomes infatuated with the rich/popular/handsome Felix(Jacob Elordi) and his crowd and semi-befriends him scoring an invitation to spend the summer at Felix's family estate the titular Saltburn.

Keoghan is miscast and out of his depth, Oliver never feels like an actual human being and more a collection of ticks and tactics that Keoghan employs. It is clearly A Performance. He has his same superhero build from The Eternals which is unnatural for his frame and which he is clearly not comfortable with so above and beyond the deliberately awkward performance his physicality is also stilted, one would presume part of the reason is that there are extended scenes of Keoghan naked none-the-less it serves only to make the performance less believable. The supporting cast, at least the younger individuals, come across as equally inauthentic, it doesn't help that all of them are 8-12 years too old for their roles, presumably the characters are supposed to be in their teens. Part of the issue is that the film is tonally inconsistent changing from scene-to-scene- is it comedy, farce, melodrama, thriller, magical realism- the film can't decide, wants to do it all and in so doing dilutes its intent. The veteran performers who have the smaller 'adult' roles are much more assured- Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Carey Mulligan- but this isn't about them and their ability to provide consistent characterizations and ride the tonal shifts doesn't trickle down to the younger cast who are the focus.

The film looks incredible with some beautiful sometimes provocative shots and sequences, but it is clear cool looking scenes and challenging images take priority over narrative/coherence. The score is inconsistent, sometimes pitch perfect and elevating the action other times dragging the viewer to a particular feeling by the ear. Other than Keoghan the big issue is the script, first and foremost it is transparently derivative it is The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Call Me By Your Name with a dash of Euphoria. Its influences are so glaring that it quickly goes past 'inspired by' to 'lifted from'. The motivations of Oliver(and Felix and his sister and cousin) are always opaque, there is very little context provided for any of the characters and their behavior is so varied its as if these things don't exist. As a result they are not people but kind of vacant decadent teen archetypes pantomiming prescribed plot beats. Further, the morals/messaging are so convoluted it is unclear what the point of it all even is, presumably that's the intent, to be thought-provoking, but the what's conveyed is an inert apathy.

Writer/director Emerald Fennell's freshman feature Promising Young Woman was a revelation, a knockout. This still shows ambition, shows tremendous talent, but has none of that thematic power or pointed characterization. Ultimately it is, like its subjects, a vacuous indulgent mess with very little to be entertained by or learned from.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

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'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.

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'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.

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'Dumb Money' A Review

Dumb Money is a biographical dramedy about the 2021 GameStop short squeeze. Keith Gill(Paul Dano) is a financial advisor and recreational youtuber who makes vids about GameStop stock which he has heavily invested in. Other retail traders connected through Reddit bring on the short squeeze in opposition to various hedge funds who have shorted GameStop.

The cast is stacked with talent and celebs, to run down a few- Dano is wonderfully gentle and moral as Gill, Sebastian Stan and Vincent D'Onofrio(as rich start up guy and rich hedge fund guy respectively) both give really specific funny performances. But the rest don't have much to do, this isn't a movie about people this is a movie, ultimately, about the stock market and it has little interest in actual humanity. The rest of the cast come and go through scenes but have little in the way of actual dimension or personality(no fault of the actors).

Sharply made with lots of time jumps, quick edits, and text on screen - The Big Short meets the The Social Network but derivative of those and equally focused not on people or narrative but recent historic financial instances. It's a bizarre focus to make a feature about and shows, along with the recent glut of movies about products(Air, Blackberry, The Beanie Bubble) that Hollywood is adrift, aimless, when it comes to understanding what we, regular folks, want to watch. This movie is fine, Dano's pretty great in it actually, but this isn't entertaining enough or interesting or moving enough to be really great. The attempted commentary on class is, quite frankly, insulting. It's much more interested in getting the titular dumb money to get involved in the stock market than telling a compelling story about the working or middle class. All these corporate movies are fine but they're never going to make a splash, they are never going to be hits because they've forgotten what good stories(and therefore good films) are about. People.

An inoffensive waste of time and talent.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

Stream It.