'The King Of Staten Island' A Review

The King Of Staten Island is a dramedy about a listless 20-something Scott(Pete Davidson) trying to figure out his life. Scott is an aspiring tattoo artist and pot head with mental health issues. Living with his mom Margie(Marisa Tomei), leading on his best friend Kelsey(Bel Powley)and hanging out with his equally unmotivated friends he must deal with the wreckage of his present and the pain of his past, the death of his fire fighter father, while competing with Ray(Bill Burr) for his mom's attention.

This is, in many respects, Davidson's story and he is playing a version of himself so his performance is quite good. Where he somewhat struggles is when deep emotion/transformation is required, and he's servicable but his humor and innate charm shines throughout. The supporting cast are all kind of incredible especially Powley as this ambitious Staten Island woman, who's in turns guileless, vulnerable, smart, and tough. She is just effervescent onscreen and really stuns, an award worthy performance. Tomei is always great and is so here but after this coming off the back of Spider-Man it makes you wish she was getting more meaty roles. Burr shows more range and restraint than has ever been apparent and is surprisingly effective. The other standout is Maude Apatow as Scott's sister Claire, who seems to be coming into her own, or is at least given more than some of her previous roles as precocious kids/teens. On the whole the cast is shockingly good and dimensional with a number of surprise cameos and supporting turns.

Visually the film, like all of Apatow's work, is mostly workman like, there isn't a lot of flashy camera work or artistic composition but it does feel intimate, the film is in some ways a slice-of-life and it feels like you're with Scott on his day-to-day. Also like many of Apatow's work the film is too long, he's very patient with scenes and pacing and this provides the real, authentic quality which is part of his trademark and allows his cast space but it can easily turn to bloat(Funny People being the most egregious example of this with an entire unnecessary third act). And although this doesn't quite drag a 2:15 runtime for this type of film is a bit much.

The other issue is one of subject, this is certainly consistent in Apatow's oeuvre, a young troubled Peter Pan finding his way but that narrative, which because of Apatow has basically become it's own subgenre, isn't as fresh or exciting as it once was.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Rent It.

'Da 5 Bloods' A Review

Da 5 Bloods is a war drama from co-writer/director Spike Lee. Four Vietnam War veterans- Paul(Delroy Lindo), Otis(Clarke Peters), Eddie(Norm Lewis), and Melvin(Isiah Whitlock, Jr.)- return to Vietnam to recover the remains of their friend killed in action Norman(played in flashbacks by Chadwick Boseman) as well as gold they buried as part of a failed mission. Before setting off Paul's estranged son David(Jonathan Majors) joins them.

Lindo is the clear lead and gives a complex, conflicted, operatic at times performance. His presence and portrayal is so powerful it, at times, over shadows the rest of the ensemble, which perhaps is intentional and not necessarily a criticism. A big, brash, unapologetic and effective turn that dominates the film. Peters is given some solo screentime, some individual dimension, and his calm, assured presence is always a wonderful to watch. Lewis and Whitlock are given less time and less to do but its pleasing to simply see the group hanging out before the adventure portion really takes off. Majors is great but also isn't really allowed time to develop. The core four play younger versions of themselves in flashbacks which is a bold and effective choice, there is no uncanny valley distraction like in The Irishman.

Tonally the film is incredibly ambitious, not a surprise coming from Lee, it flows and flashes from heist to thriller to drama to melodrama to comedy. The flashbacks are instigated with a change in aspect ratio and match cuts, Lee employs his always effective and singular dolly shots and direct address as well as cut-aways to documentary footage and stills. It's a writhing mercurial film which makes you think and raises questions and doesn't offer a neat or concise experience. And although perhaps some of the cast is underutilized they are all in service to this greater cinematic ambition that the film is which makes it work. Yes, it would have been great to see more Whitlock who is a perceptually underrated performer but that doesn't detract from its success.

Beautiful and furious, slippery and at times difficult Da 5 Bloods maintains Spike Lee's status as a master and his decades spanning relevance.

Don't Miss It.

Simple, Not Easy

All love is a struggle
because it is not an easy thing
there is an element of striving
to maintain any precious feeling
an element of effort, sweat and tears
to develop the intimacy required
to survive the ever-passing year.

It's peaks and valleys, ebbs and flows
not a perpetual unbending line
life's periodic and myriad trials
never as simple as valentines
like waves they crash
upon devotion, to test and temper
and perhaps to crack and shatter.

But success is not complicated-
communication, desire, and support
thus is foraged a partnership
that can answer all retorts
trust the path to walk upon
affection the compass way
hope the breaking of the dawn
and faith to fend off time's decay.

'Shirley' A Review

Shirley is a psycho/sexual thriller bizarrely masquerading as a biopic about a young couple going to live with writer Shirley Jackson(Elisabeth Moss) and her professor husband Stanley(Michael Stuhlbarg) in the early 60's. Fred(Logan Lerman) is a post-doc in service to Stanley and due to Shirley's mental health/substance abuse/psychic powers-witchcraft(?) Fred's wife Rose(Odessa Young) is forced to become the defacto housekeeper. A strange and nearly incomprehensible farce (unintentional) ensues.

Moss gives a big performance and perhaps in a different production with a different script this could really soar but here it makes an already confusing story even more muddled. Moss's Shirley oscillates so quickly and so broadly from normal human to unintelligible prophetess to righteous vengeful housewife in aggregate the character makes no sense and it is transparently actor Elisabeth Moss giving a capital P Performance. Stuhlbarg seems to relish his opportunity to play a manipulative lecherous professor, and good on him I guess, but the result is patently unlikable and uninteresting and seemingly purposeless. Lerman's character is so underwritten and he has so little screentime his inclusion is irrelevant. Young is the only one that convey's anything like an actual character, and she is compelling, but any in roads she makes are rendered moot given all the noise which surrounds her.

Speaking of noise, the near ever-present writhing score is a constant distraction and its assertiveness seems to convey a lack of confidence in the material rather than bolstering it up. Instead of letting the viewer settle in to the creepy cloying feel of the film the score telegraphs it's intent. The film is almost exclusively shot in shaky hand held and, again, it's a distraction and shows a lack of trust in the actors and the script forcing us into a particular mood which feels ever more contrived as it progresses. The period production design and costumes are fantastic.

The story itself is some what baffling, it has wonderful ambition but the actuality is more wannabe decrepit Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? And the use of actual author Shirley Jackson as a character actually undercuts its intent significantly as the story seemingly has no semblance to reality. The other major issue is that of tone. The film flips through different genres and there is the implication of many things but in total nothing is ever clear. Is this a supernatural tale? A crime story? A bedroom drama? The film flits and flirts but never settles so the result is muddled.

Perhaps for those with interest in the avant-garde over narrative clarity.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

Don't See It.

Nature's Reckoning

Famed film director
Werner Herzog would say
our Mother is indifferent
this disease not cruelty
or consequence
but cold coincidence
yet She has ever been
a giving one
the wood Her bone
the earth Her blood
perhaps this is not penalty
but lesson, love.

Never say She was not exacting.

Our City

Break, burn, or bleed
that's not what I see
I see survival
and perhaps,
perhaps a chance
at transformation
thus I will not fear
or flee.

'The Wrong Missy' A Review

The Wrong Missy is a romcom from Happy Madison(aka Adam Sandler and Co.). The movie opens on Tim(David Spade) going to a blind date at a restaurant where he's tricked into an uncomfortable situation by his date Missy(Lauren Lapkus), she's antagonizing and wild so he attempts to bail out the bathroom only to injure himself. Flash forward to months later and Tim has not dated since, he accidentally exchanges luggage Melissa(Molly Sims) at the airport and the two strike up some chemistry. With an upcoming worktrip to Hawaii Tim takes the plunge and invites Melissa along only to find out it Missy instead. Trouble and romance ensue!

Lapkus is by far the comedic fire and saving grace of the movie, Spade is surprisingly restrained and likable as the searching middle-aged worker bee and the two have decent chemistry although she is twenty years his junior(which they kind of address in a brief throwaway). But other than Lapkus there's no real surprises from the cast, she almost has enough energy and unpredictability to carry the movie but there's only so much she can do with the tired, paint by numbers script and the tired and old Sandler stable.

Pleasing if not quite entertaining the luminescent Lapkus overshadows some but not all of the triteness of the premise and the dullness of the cast.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.