'Alien: Romulus' A Review

Alien: Romulus is a scifi/horror movie, the latest in the Alien franchise. Between the events of Alien and Aliens a group of young miners go to salvage an abandoned ship. What is on the ship is more dangerous than they anticipated!

The young cast flounders to cut out any kind of believable or 3D character. There's talent there but they are not seasoned enough to really make much of the rote, exposition heavy script. The sole exception is David Jonsson as the android Andy, who is the only one who(ironically) conveys realistic emotion and who's journey actually has some traction and interest. There's a legacy appearance from Alien via CGI that is an astonishing misjudgment. All-in-all just not great casting or directing of the performances and the actors are mostly just indistinguishably adrift.

It looks incredible. The sets, the practical effects, the creature design. Its all really good and transportive and leans more heavily into horror/body horror than previous installments. There's little philosophizing like there was in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant which is too its credit. But all the effort and skill ultimately can't overcome how poor the script is and how confused the performances are. The outline, the idea, for the movie isn't bad but what the characters say and do is so bafflingly dumb and devoid of any kind of inner logic its all rendered relatively meaningless. 

Transparent attempt to hook Gen Z into the Alien franchise mostly misfires. Massive potential hamstrung by unnecessary plotting.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'Jackpot!' A Review

Jackpot! is an action/comedy set in near future LA about aspiring actor Katie(Awkwafina) who accidently enters the state's death-lottery then befriends aspiring lottery-winner-bodyguard Noel(John Cena). Katie needs to survive to the end of the day to receive her winnings and she and Noel weather various attacks and surprises along the way.

Awkwafina is her usual charismatic self and she's got great chemistry with Cena, the two utilize their natural star wattage and comedy chops to make it a fun ride, though their talents occasionally exceed the scripts. Simu Liu as the heavy kind of flounders, not enough to derail anything but enough to be noticeable. He's a fine actor but, particularly here, doesn't have the comedic ability to keep up or really get on the same wavelength. The supporting cast has some great character actors- Ayden Mayeri, Adam Ray, Becky Ann Baker and Seann William Scott, Dolly de Leon who show up briefly in the prologue. All of them build out the world nicely, if, just by nature of the story they are all a little too cruel.

Shot competently if not particularly uniquely the action sequences, of which there are several, are all fun and energetic and stand alone on top of the jokes that punctuate them. And most of them appear to be practical which is always refreshing and almost always better than CGI equivalents. At a little under two hours the pacing lags at points but not overly so. The costumes and the soundtrack both work well to elevate what the film is trying to do and overall its got a slick professional(ie well funded) look. 

Which kind of begs the question why it was released direct to streaming. This is the kind of mid-range comedy that doesn't really get released in theaters anymore, as such there is demand. Its the same problem as Awkwafina's 2023 flick Quiz Lady. Give this an opportunity to make some money. This may not be an incredible movie but its fun and people would pay to see it and it would offer needed variety. Ah well.

Fun action, funny, as advertised. If in need of a tighten-up all around.

Currently streaming on Prime.

Rent It.

Trial

Then come a long night

a testing

plunged into darkness

the mind- clouded

the body- rebelling

sleep, a distant shore

then

it passes

as all things must

'Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes' A Review

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes is a documentary about the life and career of the titular actor. Through montage of archival footage and stills and audio interviews with Taylor her story is told.

The film is surprisingly compelling given the real spine of it is only audio. Director Nanette Burstein and editor Tal Ben-David weave together, from what seem like spare parts, an, if not totally complete, but a relatively in-depth and honest look at who Taylor was and why she was the way she was. A feat not many projects like this are able even to aspire to let alone attain. 

Because the "lost tapes" were recorded in 1964 Taylor doesn't address her substance abuse or her later life, the 80's through to her death are mostly skimmed over in the last several minutes. Yet it does feel like her and the way the film is put together we can understand what her professional and (non-existent) personal life look and felt like. It feels a bit like a time-capsule and its nice to hear her voice again.

One of the best of its genre.

Currently streaming on Max.

See It.

The State Of Things

O' Gods

how gracious you are
with all these gifts

'Sing Sing' A Review

Sing Sing is a drama based on the real life Rehabilitation Through The Arts program at the titular prison. Divine G(Coleman Domingo) and the group are looking for new members, they approach Divine Eye(as himself) to be a part of it and he joins the group as they begin to put together their next production.

Domingo gives an emotional and theatrical performance, able to play with the theme of theater, with moments of capital P performance balanced with some straight up realism. But he is, at times, tonally differentiated from most of the cast. As one of the few professional actors in the cast and as the lead, there are some moments, if not discordant, at least odd where you can tell he is an actor and the other inmates are not. Divine Eye is the real surprise, the groundedness and truth he's able to bring, the subtlety and transformation and exuberance is really wonderful. Perhaps more so than Domingo simply because he is less studied in what he's doing. The rest of the supporting cast are all great and their rough realism, mostly all playing versions of themselves, create an evocative if occasionally stilted reality.

Filmed mostly on location, visually the film is immersive and the various theatrical productions and costumes and sets serve to further the theme juxtaposing the bleakness of prison life with the potential of art. If there is a flaw its that the movie doesn't necessarily trust us to get what its doing, there are times when it is too direct with how it wants us to feel instead of trusting the actors and us the audience to get it. Even so its an effecting piece of cinema.

Inspiring, with a unique and talented cast, a small film with something to say.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.

'Trap' A Review

Trap is a thriller about the attempted capture of serial killer 'The Butcher', Cooper(Josh Hartnett), at the concert of a famous pop star Lady Raven(Saleka Shyamalan) which Cooper brings his daughter Riley(Ariel Donoghue) to.

Hartnett in his first lead role in awhile gives a deliciously evil and complicated performance, balancing humor, heart, and threat with a sophistication that is quite frankly above the rest of the movies abilities or concerns. He's having fun, you can tell, but he also roots the character with realism, imbues him with genuine emotion(however perverted) really investigating what this guy would be like rather than a 2D killer. Shyamalan is OK but doesn't have the presence the role requires nor is she really able to match Hartnett's commitment. Donoghue is servicable but there's no scene where she has to really contend with any of the underlying truths of what's going on so she doesn't have much with which to stretch. Alison Pill and Hayley Mills are both inspired pieces of casting but neither is given enough to do.

The look and feel of the production is a bit uneven. The first hour plays almost exclusively like a concert film seemingly only to attempt to further writer/director M. Night's daughter's musical career. She's not untalented as a musician but all her songs and various dance numbers that are featured are distracting given the movie is not about her and Hartnett is clearly the more interesting character and performance. The second half of the movie is when it really starts going, there's more movement not only in the locations but in the story. The pacing is uneven as is the tone, it veers from straight-thriller to camp in an odd ADD kind of way, some of which is really effective. But overall you are left with a feeling of unfulfilled potential.

M. Night, like many auteurs of his generation, should no longer write his own scripts. He is still a craftsman, he still has a great eye for talent and knows how to put together a good looking movie but his screenwriting ability has fallen off. Where this movie fails is in the sporadically stilted dialogue and lack of narrative focus.

An excellent Hartnett elevates a wobbly script. Not a great movie but a mostly fun one.

Currently in theaters.

Rent It.