'The French Dispatch' A Review

 The French Dispatch is a cinematic magazine a la The New Yorker, broken up into vignette "articles". Each one with a different topic, story, and title card. The film is framed as the last issue and contains all of the typical artistic meticulousness people have come to expect from writer/director Wes Anderson.

No surprise coming from Anderson, the ensemble cast is large and stacked with talent, to the point about a third of the famous actors on the bill have virtually nothing to do. They all fair well, an Anderson picture virtually never fails, almost all just kind of show up, get into the fast-talking somewhat monotone Anderson vernacular and that's it. Which is successful to a point. But the the thing Anderson struggles with, particularly in his post-Tenebaums phase is pathos. The film looks beautiful, it's precisely, complicatedly constructed, the dialogue is tight but it struggles for real human emotion. The two stand outs who are able to meet the Anderson patois but then go beyond are Adrian Brody in a large comedic, almost Wil-E-Coyote cartoon performance, and Jeffrey Wright in a funny, authoritative but deeply melancholic turn. Wright particularly is astounding. And his performance, by comparison, shows what the other actors aren't doing.

Production all around from set to costumes to score, no surprise- perfect, pristine. But it seems in recent years Anderson is relying more on his production design rather than his actors, which is certainly a choice, and it works well enough, but taking time and focus away from the actors has a result of the director or his film somewhat losing focus of humanity and that's a problem. It seems, perhaps, that he's using ensemble casts with a gross of famous names to compensate for this but it only shores up this oversight but so much.

A gorgeous puzzle box of a movie with a dominating turn from Wright but somewhat too calculating and twee.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

Rent It.

'Old Henry' A Review

Old Henry is a western about reserved Oklahoma farmer/homesteader Henry(Tim Blake Nelson) and his son Wyatt(Gavin Lewis) who discover an abandoned horse and get drawn into a violent situation while they grapple with familial tension.

Nelson gives a wonderfully layered, recalcitrant, physical performance. Despite his small stature and ropey frame he is utterly believable as a turn of the century farmer as well as a capable combatant when called upon. It's a fine line and he can be(and has been cast as many times) an odd presence but he is refreshing and effective as the lead here. Lewis as his son is clearly a bit green but none the less has good chemistry with Nelson and their dynamic gives the story some necessary dimension. Stephen Dorff as Ketchum the heavy continues his post True Detective resurgence and is deliciously villainous here, he plays the black hat with a charming loquacious wryness which pairs perfectly with Nelson's gruff restraint.

Unadorned cinematography evokes a sprawling bleak beauty which matches perfectly with the genre and the setting. Most of the action takes place on a single farm and all of the action takes place within a couple miles and this focus of location furthers to enhance rather than restrict the narrow but potent story. The narrative is simple, as is the production, as are the performances, but taken together it all has a surprising depth. And the result is a very pleasing, effective, at times meditative, at times thrilling, modern western. It's great to have Old Henry in the same year as the questionably critically lauded, unduly complicated The Power Of The Dog as counter programing.

An excellent, straight-up, genre piece. No frills.

Currently available for rent on most VOD platforms.

See It.

Joker's Move

At the first party I went to
a friend of my sister's boyfriend
nicknamed Joker

ashed his cigarette

into the beer

of this asshole 

German exchange student

in order to instigate

a confrontation

and it was stunning

to my 15-year-old self

not only because

it was so effective

but because the move

was so simple

even elegant.

I would later co-oped it

during my own times

of collegiate conflict

the difference being

I smoked clove cigarettes

(because they were black,

burgeoning artist that I was)

it's utility was undiminished.

'Don't Look Up' A Review

Don't Look Up is an end-of-the-world "satire" about two scientists who discover a meteor headed for earth, their difficulty getting anyone in the government to believe them or take it seriously, the media tour they embark on in order to sway public opinion, as well as the various responses the world has to trying to prevent the impending impact.

Leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are underutilized, their characters underwritten, and from a casting stand point they're not particularly appropriate for this kind of tone. The cast is absolutely stacked with talent, good on writer/director Adam McKay for all the gets, but for the most part they are not comedians and the odd tone is continually missed(other than Timothée Chalamet who seems to be the only person to understand what kind of movie he's in) making for something that is not very fun, pleasant, and from a satirical perspective, effective.

McKay is a great director and the production is well put together but never goes quite beyond competent in its aesthetics. There are simply some fundamental issues with the story- obvious, bludgeoning, inappropriate metaphors- with characterization which are not far enough removed from reality to be considered satire and so many characters and virtually no character development rendering this story about humanity relatively devoid of it. The approach also just feels old, dated, and careless. Who is this movie for? Other than 'climate change is real', what is this movie trying to say? If that is the sole message Al Gore did it better, more concisely, more informatively, less contentiously in 2006 with An Inconvenient Truth and then did it even better in 2017. So, what's the point?

Boring, pedantic, pseudo-liberal grandstanding. Waste of talent on all fronts.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Don't See It.

'Red Rocket' A Review

Red Rocket is a dramedy about down-and-out porn star Mikey(Simon Rex) who returns to his hometown of Texas City after bottoming out in LA. He shows up on the doorstep of his estranged wife Lexi(Bree Elrod) and her mother Lil(Brenda Deiss) and begs for a place to stay which they reluctantly provide but require him to do chores and get a job. Mikey uses his charm and seemingly relentless narcissistic optimism to hustle a life back together. After some successes he treats Lexi and Lil to donuts at a local shop and meets Strawberry(Suzanna Son) who he becomes infatuated with.

Rex gives a remarkable performance both grounded and with a kind of perverted exuberant whimsy. The character is shallow and yet Rex makes him if not exactly dimensional at least motivationally clear and magnetic. He is the lead and no question anchors the film and is the guiding throughline through it but it is Texas City itself, the community, and by extension the support cast that really bring the film to a depressed yet effervescent life. Elrod is absolutely stupendous as Mikey's ex, full of humanity, and a stunning reality. Deiss along with a large support cast of mostly non-actors fill out the cast in a robust powerful way. Although Mikey and his story is the focus it is the community that feels the most alive and is given a deserved but much neglected dignity. Son is absolutely fearless and her character's relationship with Mikey becomes the crux of the film. It is complicated, delicate, and difficult but through her(and Rex's) assured performance(s) we can understand what's happening, laugh at the foibles, cringe at the grossness, but not condemn the fact we are seeing it.

Shot with Baker's usual understated but engrossing assurance, Texas City comes a live in the most unexpected way. A refinery, dilapidated homes, old cars, a depressed mall, all have a vibrancy and respect we've really never seen. The score amounts to basically one song repeated maybe three times, with one surprising diegetic performance, and this restraint just furthers the integration of the production design and its effectiveness.

The relationship between Mikey and Strawberry is a grooming abusive one and that is featured prominently in the second half of the film which may be, fairly, a turn off for some. Yet Baker continues to tell unconventional stories in unconventional ways, spot lighting classes, groups, and cultural subsets that don't usually have their stories told. And even if this aspect is complex and hard the film as a whole is filled with such an energetic life, such a Truth, the ride is certainly worth it, the ideas are ones that should be contended with, and the people are deserving of respect(if not always sympathy).

Currently in theaters coming soon to VOD.

Don't Miss It.

Life's Ledger

We can say, easily, and with perfect correctness
yes, the cold is uncomfortable, even intolerable
it bites and picks and squeezes
and noses run and throats scratch
and sweat pours from layers once inside

yes, COVID is exhausting and continues to be scary

and somehow we are in some ways anesthetized to that fear

because it is so common place, so everyday

and political derision and governmental inability

and isolation and household chores that seem to compound

because the only place safe now is the home

all this is true

but what is also true

a friend's child takes his first steps

and given all the constriction and worry

this landmark is not only good, its joyful, rapturous

and the silence when the snow gently falls and piles

the cold when its not so cold, that clarity, that beauty

the satisfaction of a perfectly constructed warm sandwich

the inspiration and assurance of a great film

masked laughter in a dark theater

the courage of a child fearless in receiving shots(or at least the bravado of such)

support of friends, love of family, the camaraderie of simply sharing time

the scales always balance, if you make a ledger, the scales always balance.

'Scream' A Review

Scream is a meta-slasher movie, the fifth installment in the series, that brings us back to Woodsboro 25 years after the events of the first movie. The movie opens with a scene mirroring that of the original but with commentary on the evolution of the horror genre in the ensuing years as well as digital security. The Ghostface killer has returned! The movie pulls in a new cast of young characters that are targeted/have to deal with the threat as well as the series hero Sydney(Neve Campbell) and series mainstays Gail(Courtney Cox) and Dewey(David Arquette).

The newcomers all bring a freshness and much-needed contemporary connection to the movie. Melissa Barrera as Sam is the lead but doesn't function to replace or duplicate the character of Sydney, there's a fun twist to her character, and she anchor's the movie effectively although the real fun is had by the supporting cast. Mason Gooding(as Chad), Mikey Madison(as Amber), Jack Quaid(as Richie), Jasmin Savoy Brown(as Mindy) all really lean in, are funny, and have a ton of fun which is contagious. And there's a good balance between establishing this new young cast with bringing in the series vets Campbell, Cox, and Arquette. It isn't their movie but they're an integral part of it, there inclusion is enough to be satisfying but not so much where it falls victim to the kind of flaccid retread many of these "requels" tend to.

The production design is sharp, the pacing propulsive, with some bangers on the soundtrack. Great balance of gore and humor as well as perfect and precarious balance of homage and narrative progress. If it isn't out-and-out scary well the Scream franchise was never really about that. The story moves, the kills are gross, there's a lot of laughs, Campbell returns as reigning final girl Sydney, and there's plenty of commentary about the horror genre as its evolved over the past decade or so. What more could you want?

A surefire hit for horror or Scream fans. A notable improvement from Scream 4.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.