tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21912634836418163272024-03-16T11:52:15.339-07:00Derrick Bang on FilmCAPTIVATING CINEMA COMMENTARY FROM DAVIS, CALIFORNIADerrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.comBlogger1617125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-24052566524667429822024-03-15T01:00:00.000-07:002024-03-15T01:00:00.147-07:00One Life: A stunning Holocaust story<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>One Life </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ethollg-PI" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>4.5 stars (out of five). Rated PG, for dramatic intensity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 3.15.24</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Save one life, save the entire world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Until this moment, it’s safe to assume that London stockbroker Nicholas “Nicky” Winton was unknown, here in the States, notwithstanding the 2014 publication of <i>If It’s Not Impossible</i> by his daughter, Barbara Winton.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e0KFwfqASHofzNgF1joCa6rcHg4iPsb_8s34yVvsqyb_M_mTnMxBr64kLav4_q6FwjV1gvU_pu03grV_LjmtLtUF6oYiknLM33l7b7E9ineq8khTq9xvjFU95JuiItfOz_ZLNl2JvxT3W85N2pBxfrkDKYzQYt54li4Ar41JiBh5TuQBNnc6wVa9bIg/s504/One%20Life%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="504" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e0KFwfqASHofzNgF1joCa6rcHg4iPsb_8s34yVvsqyb_M_mTnMxBr64kLav4_q6FwjV1gvU_pu03grV_LjmtLtUF6oYiknLM33l7b7E9ineq8khTq9xvjFU95JuiItfOz_ZLNl2JvxT3W85N2pBxfrkDKYzQYt54li4Ar41JiBh5TuQBNnc6wVa9bIg/w400-h266/One%20Life%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">In London, Nicholas "Nicky" Winton (Johnny Flynn) awaits the arrival of a train <br />carrying a very special set of passengers.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And yet Oskar Schindler and Winton are revered for the same reason, and director James Hawes’ <i>One Life</i> is an equally moving spiritual cousin of 1993’s <i>Schindler’s List</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">There’s no indication of the miracle Winton orchestrated, as Hawes’ film opens. It’s 1988, and an elderly Nicky (Anthony Hopkins) has retired to a lovely countryside home that he shares with his wife, Grete (Lena Olin). He’s at loose ends, but she’s at wit’s end; Nicky’s lifetime of humanitarian work is catalogued in mountains of boxes that have taken over several rooms; there’s no space for them to enjoy the grandchild that their daughter and son-in-law soon will add to the family.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of particular note: the contents of a battered brown suitcase, which rests inside a lower desk drawer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nicky’s malaise goes deeper. He’s deeply troubled by something that has haunted him for a very long time; Hopkins conveys all this via posture, a weary gaze, and an aura of regret that enshrouds him like a cloak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We then flash back to December 1938, as young Nicky (Johnny Flynn) abruptly cancels a skiing holiday after receiving a telephone request for help from Doreen Warriner (Romola Garai) and Trevor Chadwick (Alex Sharp). They’re in Prague, helping refugees who’ve fled persecution from Austria and Germany, into Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nicky hastily travels to Prague, where he’s stunned by the magnitude of the crisis. The streets are filled with homeless people and families; food and shelter are scarce, and the cruel bite of winter has just begun. Most particularly, he’s appalled by the huge number of children in such a state: particularly vulnerable little bodies unlikely to survive the upcoming months of brutal weather.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hawes doesn’t dwell on this misery, but cinematographer Zac Nicholson’s tracking shot pauses at key moments, highlighting forlorn individuals who establish the magnitude of this crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nicky impulsively insists that something must be <i>done</i>, which initially exasperates Doreen and Trevor, who gently scoff at Nicky’s naïvete. He’s a posh London stockbroker with virtually no experience in such matters; what could he possibly do, that boots-on-the-ground crisis workers haven’t been able to achieve?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Garai’s Doreen has the bearing of experience and authority; she’s a tireless champion for these refugees. Sharp’s equally credible Trevor is eager to assist: perhaps more hopeful, and willing to believe in miracles. They’re joined by the younger Hana Hejdukova (Juliana Moska): also a hard worker, but clearly frightened.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nicky is adamant; he’ll find a way. Flynn’s expression is so earnest and insistent, that we almost pity him for being so foolish. Indeed, what Nicky proposes — <i>hope</i> — could be considered cruel. The very thought is impossible; for starters, such travelers would require British passports, or else they’d be stopped at the border and sent back to their point of departure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ah, but aside from a belief in his ability to somehow move large mountains, Nicky has a secret weapon: his mother Babi (Helena Bonham Carter). He calls and asks her for a massive favor — warning that it will be difficult — and extends his one-week stay in Prague.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back in London, Babi bluffs and bullies her way through London’s immigration offices, ultimately securing what initially threatens to become a very brief meeting with a mid-level bureaucrat named Leadbetter (Michael Gould). He’s initially dismissive, but she’s having none of that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Seriously, who could withstand Helena Bonham Carter’s withering gaze and disapproving school marm frown, when her character goes into full-blown Don’t Be Obdurate And Tiresome mode?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Babi eventually triumphs, but with concessions. As she relates to Nicky, during another phone call, each child must provide identification and a photograph for passport purposes; must have a willing foster family in place prior to departure; and must be “warranted” with a £50 deposit for eventual return to their own country. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(That was a huge sum at the time: the equivalent of £3,397 in 2021.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Each of these demands amplifies Nicky’s rash promise. Time is critical, with Hitler’s expanding its invasion of Czechoslovakia. How can so much money be raised, and foster families found, so quickly? More crucially, Czech parents are wary of <i>anybody</i> requesting personal information, fearing such individuals might be Nazi spies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nicky returns to London, and what happens next ... ah, but that would be telling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The unfolding drama is richly enhanced by Volker Bertelmann’s deeply moving score: a blend of poignant orchestral touches and somber solo piano.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is a 110-minute film; scripters Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake, in adapting Barbara Winton’s book, have compressed events and characters, out of both necessity and the cinematic demands of dramatic impact. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Doreen and Trevor — both historical figures, like Nicky and his mother — are the faces of the many brave members of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia, established in October 1938. (Hana is a fictitious composite character.) Leadbetter stands in for London’s entire House of Commons, which one month later approved a measure to allow entry into Britain of refugees younger than 17 (albeit with the stipulations cited above).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Coxon and Drake have a sensitive touch with dialogue; the younger Nicky’s conversation with a wary rabbi (Samuel Finzi) is particularly moving.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hawes and his scripters also employ a device identical to Steven Spielberg’s red-dressed little girl, in the otherwise monochromatic “Schindler’s List.” In this case, it’s a 10-year-girl with a haunted gaze, cradling an infant of unknown parentage, whom Nicky spots during his initial horrified walk through Prague’s streets. She becomes the catalyst that drives his mission.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Events continue to bounce back and forth between 1938 and 1988; increasing our anxiety each time, as the situation becomes more dire in Prague. The reason for the older Nicky’s malaise eventually becomes clear, as conveyed with such delicately nuanced touches by Hopkins. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This, too, hearkens back to <i>Schindler’s List</i>, and Liam Neeson’s heartbreaking belief that “I could have done more” (a truly shattering scene, in a film laden with them).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it’s more than that. The elderly Nicky also worries that, half a century later, nobody <i>remembers</i> what he accomplished, back in 1938 and ’39. How can that legacy be properly preserved and publicized. (In the real world, Spielberg’s film — which would have provided one possible solution — was five years away.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The actual answer is a stunner: another case of truth being <i>far</i> more amazing than fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s also as deeply emotional — a true gut-punch — as the outcome of events in Prague, as 1938 gives way to ’39.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;">One Life</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> clearly was made, and operates, on a much smaller and more intimate scale than </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Schindler’s List</i><span style="font-family: arial;">. But this new film is just as powerful, and deserves to be placed alongside its 1993 predecessor. I defy anybody to remain unmoved, as Hawes’ film concludes.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-91709446184128766242024-03-15T00:30:00.002-07:002024-03-15T13:09:09.140-07:00Dune Part 2: Moral ambiguity clouds this second chapter<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Dune Part 2 </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Qp5pL3ovA" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for strong violence, dramatic intensity and fleeting profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As <i><a href="https://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2021/10/dune-epic-sci-fi-storytelling.html" target="_blank">Dune Part 1</a></i> concluded, back in October 2021, Chani (Zendaya) glanced at Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), newly accepted among her Fremen clan, and said — to him, and to us — “This is only the beginning.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzOh9b4oAwzH0_WYsG1x9rM6cCA8gVshx2AfvV7mmfVM_Fi3TiLbAvJXlTPz-s-DwTCpKnyDC-3LStpbH8c6M2m9qBEJM0_BAdVrvN2uDDCNbPKhQ1Xc5VaX_ECCiIfiVv9umqr2YxtRHU10n1kWxlh80o-PKx2UWKVgV1GPZGAm_vhnSTNQVP4hh-RE/s504/Dune%202%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="504" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzOh9b4oAwzH0_WYsG1x9rM6cCA8gVshx2AfvV7mmfVM_Fi3TiLbAvJXlTPz-s-DwTCpKnyDC-3LStpbH8c6M2m9qBEJM0_BAdVrvN2uDDCNbPKhQ1Xc5VaX_ECCiIfiVv9umqr2YxtRHU10n1kWxlh80o-PKx2UWKVgV1GPZGAm_vhnSTNQVP4hh-RE/w400-h266/Dune%202%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">As Paul (Timothée Chalamet) begins to suffer increasingly distressing visions and<br />nightmares, Chani (Zendaya) finds it harder to comfort him.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In hindsight, I almost wish that hadn’t been true.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">The first film encompassed only (roughly) half of Frank Herbert’s famed 1965 novel, and Paul’s saga was far from over. Unfortunately, the book’s less satisfying second half takes a distinct ethical turn. Characters we had grown to like become less admirable; the story’s broader palette shifts, turning less heroic and more disturbing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although Herbert’s messianic subplot may have seemed benign (even worthy?) six decades ago, our world has changed. While director/co-scripter Denis Villeneuve — with fellow scribe Jon Spaihts — are once again commended for so faithfully adapting the key plot points of Herbert’s book, this second installment’s rising call for jihad strikes an entirely different note in our tempestuous times.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To put it another way, the story’s first half — with its clash between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, provoked behind the scenes by an unseen emperor and the mysterious women of the Bene Gesserit — felt very much like <i>Game of Thrones</i>, with all manner of similar subterfuge, betrayals and dashed hopes. (One wonders if Herbert’s book was on young George R.R. Martin’s reading list.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The second half, alas, focuses more on Paul’s struggle to avoid a horrific destiny that he fears is preordained. To be sure, the promise of revenge also is on the table ... but it feels less important, given the gravity of the bigger picture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All this said, there’s no denying — once again — the epic magnificence of Villeneuve’s vision, and the jaw-dropping scale of his world-building. Herbert’s fans will be gob-smacked anew.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To recap:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul’s father, the honorable Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) of House Atreides, ruler of the ocean world Caladan, is sent by the Emperor to replace House Harkonnen as the fief overlords of the inhospitable planet Arrakis. This desert world is the galaxy’s sole source of “spice,” which enables safe interstellar travel. But mining operations are extremely dangerous due to the ginormous sandworms that move beneath desert sands, like whales swimming through water, and have teeth-laden maws immense enough to swallow a huge spice-mining platform whole.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Leto knows this mission a trap, and that he has been set up to fail; he and his people nonetheless occupy the Arrakian capital of Arrakeen, and attempt to make allies of the planet’s indigenous Fremen people. He gains the grudging respect of Fremen representative Stilgar (Javier Bardem).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition to having been trained for battle by elite soldiers Duncan Idaho (Jason Momoa) and Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), Paul also has been schooled in the “witchery ways” of the Bene Gesserit by his mother — also Leo’s concubine — Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). On top of which, he has been having dream-visions of a Fremen woman (later revealed as Chani).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As feared, Harkonnen’s Baron Valdimir (Stellan Skarsgård) orchestrates a surprise attack on Arrakeen, and — assisted by the Emperor’s elite Sardaukar troops — massacres every one of Leto’s soldiers and civilians, thereby destroying House Atreides. Valdimir’s loutish nephew, Glossu “Beast” Rabban (Dave Bautista), resumes control of spice mining.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul and his mother escape into the desert, where they eventually encounter Stilgar and members of his Fremen clan, whose number include Chani. After a bit of, um, discussion, Paul and Jessica are accepted ... albeit reluctantly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As this second film begins, Paul and Jessica still tread thin ice, since the Fremen — after enduring generations of Harkonnen violence, corruption and greed — instinctively mistrust <i>all</i> off-worlders. But Stilgar is grudgingly impressed by Paul’s pluck and determination to prove himself, while remaining wary of Jessica’s Bene Gesserit abilities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matters get worse when Stilgar takes them to the massive underground Fremen enclave of Sietch Tabr, where half the populace favors killing the outworlders. Stilgar has his hands full, trying to prevent that; he’s helped by his strong religious suspicion that Paul might be the long-awaited messiah of prophecy, a belief shared by many other Fremen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chani and her best friend, Shishakli (Souheila Yacoub), represent the tribe’s skeptical secular side: a familiar clash between faith and pragmatism, with disturbing parallels to the culture wars currently infecting our United States.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul wants to help the Fremen take control of their own destiny, which means somehow orchestrating a confrontation with Baron Valdimir and the Emperor. But Paul also worries — due to his visions — that doing so could lead to untold chaos and war.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That said, the first film established that Paul’s visions can be misleading.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Additional new characters — or those granted larger roles — include the Emperor (Christopher Walken); his daughter, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), also trained in Bene Gesserit ways; Lady Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux), an enigmatic Bene Gesserit; and the Baron’s other nephew, the murderous sociopath Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler, delivering quite a switch from his Oscar-nominated performance in 2022’s <i>Elvis</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Paul, no longer the naïve, unworldly youth introduced in the first film, has become tougher and more sure of himself. Chalamet persuasively handles this transition, particularly as he leads dangerous skirmishes against Harkonnen spice-harvesting operations, or tackles the scary challenge of learning how to <i>ride</i> a sandworm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Paul also is increasingly tortured by indecision over how to proceed, and concern regarding the potential consequences of his actions. (Chalamet does anguish quite well.) Villeneuve and Spaihts’ script gets a bit wobbly here; it’s difficult to be sure, as the story moves into its final act, that Paul retains the moral high ground.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jessica’s transition, on the other hand, is flat-out disturbing. One of the first film’s best elements was the strength of the bond between Paul and his mother, each of them having each other’s back. That’s far less certain in this concluding half, with Jessica embracing Machiavellian maneuvers that compromise her son’s efforts at integrity: behavior we’d more likely expect from the Emperor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On top of which, Jessica spends much of the film conversing with the unborn daughter in her womb, who — thanks to Bene Gesserit breeding and having consumed the Fremen “Water of Life” — has become a fully sentient being. These chats don't really serve any purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After having been little more than an idealistic vision in the first film, Zendaya makes Chani a fully fleshed individual: initially contemptuous of Paul, but soon attracted to him. Her ethics remain pure, and she becomes his moral compass; Zendaya deftly handles this shift. But despite their blossoming love, Chani becomes increasingly troubled, as Paul struggles over the nature of his destiny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Villeneuve and Spaihts accelerated this saga’s time frame, thereby skipping the birth of Paul’s sister, and the fact that he and Chani have a son.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Feyd-Rautha is a nightmare: an absolute monster who delights in pain and torture. (It does not pay to be a female commoner, in House Harkonnen.) Butler plays this role with chilling, gleeful ferocity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Skarsgård’s Baron continues to be a dark, sadistic, gravity-defying monster of a man, brought to nightmarish life by an impressive blend of makeup and CGI.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Princess Irulan and Lady Margot remain under-developed. Although both clearly take their marching orders from Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) — who administered the painful Gom Jabbar test to Paul in the first film — Pugh and Seydoux aren’t given enough screen time to add any depth to their characters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Walken, even worse, sleep-walks through his handling of the Emperor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the production side, Villeneuve has retained the same team: editor Joe Walker, production designer Patrice Vermette, cinematographer Greg Fraser and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert, all of whom won Oscars for the first film. Their work here is equally splendiferous; the Fremen assaults on spice-mining operations are tense and exciting, and the sandworm “taming” sequences simply jaw-dropping.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the other hand, Hans Zimmer’s so-called “score” remains nothing more than thundering, insufferably monotonous, low-end bass synth chords. Granted, such unsettling cacophony is a suitable backdrop for Harkonnen misdeeds, but there’s no melodic counterpoint for — as just one example — time spent with the Fremen in Sietch Tabr. It’s all just <i>noise</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the curtain falls on this 166-minute film, it’s hard to be satisfied with the outcome of all this <i>sturm und drang</i>. After nearly six hours of intrigue, violence and diminishing hope, the story <i>still</i> feels unfinished. No surprise, then, that Herbert followed his novel with five (!) sequels ... and, yes, Villeneuve already has the second book, 1969’s <i>Dune: Messiah</i>, in development.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not sure how I feel about that...</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-61443658657401727062024-03-15T00:30:00.001-07:002024-03-15T00:30:00.130-07:00The Crime Is Mine: A frothy period romp<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The Crime Is Mine </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipeDYBawfec" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Unrated, equivalent to PG-13 for sexual candor and brief nudity </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Amazon Prime and other VOD options</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is <i>way</i> too much fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Director François Ozon’s frothy period farce is many things: an homage to 1930s Hollywood screwball comedies, and a canny nod to the tempestuous cinema transition from silents to talkies, along with a cheeky soupçon of contemporary gender issues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IMYSMoOHGGtCUphb9Yylwp9YfqDkJ0fRVztgUy1_fFZWBsSFsOLjC3hso9LN8CQbPMo7ANDcX_jJNSyaB8IelMIJadgX9H-TPpRUvYbaHe4SVEi6J9XRzYM8KvcrnRx1Sgp0AKEdIWXJQsST0SgXk6jVjNEXyQ8-RT72PKuK6gsSO0N7PGE_G50-hrE/s501/The%20Crime%20Is%20Mine%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="501" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IMYSMoOHGGtCUphb9Yylwp9YfqDkJ0fRVztgUy1_fFZWBsSFsOLjC3hso9LN8CQbPMo7ANDcX_jJNSyaB8IelMIJadgX9H-TPpRUvYbaHe4SVEi6J9XRzYM8KvcrnRx1Sgp0AKEdIWXJQsST0SgXk6jVjNEXyQ8-RT72PKuK6gsSO0N7PGE_G50-hrE/w400-h276/The%20Crime%20Is%20Mine%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Crafty attorney Pauline Mauléon (Rebecca Marder, right) isn't about to let best friend<br />Madeleine Verdier (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) be convicted of a crime she didn't<br />commit ... or <i>did</i> she?<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh, and it’s also a murder mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">The result is joyously entertaining, thanks both to a sharp script by Ozon and Philippe Piazzo — adapting Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil’s 1934 play, </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Mon Crime</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"> — and effervescent performances by the entire cast. Traces of the original stage production are evident (which must’ve been a hoot, back in the day), but the presentation never feels cramped; Ozon, production designer Jean Rabasse and cinematographer Manual Dacosse “open up” the story in a manner that’s far more cinema than theater.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The setting is Paris, the year 1935. Struggling actress Madeleine Verdier (Nadia Tereszkeiwicz) and best friend Pauline Mauléon (Rebecca Marder), an unemployed lawyer, share a cramped flat and owe 3,000 francs in five months’ back rent. Their oafish landlord, Pistole (Franck De Lapersonne), seems willing to take it out in trade, but — <i>harumph</i>! — Madeleine and Pauline aren’t that sort of gals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While Pauline verbally jousts with Pistole, Madeleine is in trouble elsewhere; we see her hastily depart the lavish estate of famed theater producer Montferrand (Jean-Christophe Bouvet). She’s disheveled and clearly distraught. Upon returning to their flat, she tearfully explains that Montferrand offered her a bit part only if she’d become his mistress; we she refused, he tried to rape her, and she fled.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Madeleine’s longtime boyfriend André Bonnard (Édouart Sulpice) shows up — he’s heir to the Bonnard Tire corporation — but is scarcely a comfort. 400,000 francs in debt, thanks to bad luck at the horse track, the only “solution” offered by his father (André Dussollier) is an arranged marriage with Berthe Courteil, which — conveniently — will pump millions of francs into the ailing Bonnard factory operation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But that’s okay, André insists, to the shattered Madeleine; we’ll still see each other for at least one meal per day ... as my mistress. (The cad! The bounder!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Enter police Inspector Brun (Régis Laspalés), who arrives with the news that Montferrand has been found dead, murdered by a single gunshot ... and isn’t it rather suspicious, that Madeleine owns a gun with one chamber fired? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Mais non</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;">, the young woman insists. But then, after an unsatisfied Brun departs, Pauline takes her friend aside ... and a plan is hatched.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Madeleine is summoned to police headquarters, investigating judge Gustave Rabusset (Fabrice Luchini, hilariously pompous) spins an ongoing series of contrived murder scenarios wholly at odds with established evidence, much to the eye-rolling delight of clerk Léon Trapu (Olivier Broche). We see these setups in monochrome, silent-movie style, each more unlikely than the previous one.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Rabusset finally winds down, with Madeleine wide-eyed and speechless, Trapu insists that she sign “these rather contradictory statements.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But then circumstances overtake such speculation, when Madeleine <i>confesses to the crime</i>, insisting that she killed Montferrand in self-defense, protecting her virtue. The subsequent trial is a media sensation, with Pauline serving as defense attorney against bloviating public prosecutor Maurice Vrai (Michael Fau). He wants Madeleine sent to the gallows, as a warning against other wives and mistresses who might kill their loutish husbands and boyfriends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The resulting publicity elevates Madeleine’s status to a degree she never could have imagined: a result with a strong echo of the Bob Fosse/Fred Ebb musical <i>Chicago</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Additional key characters include Fernand Palmarède (Dany Boon), a somewhat prissy, <i>nouveau riche</i> architect from Marseille, who circles around these events; and ambitious young journalist Gilbert Raton (Félix Lefebvre), a deliberate nod to Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi’s (aka Hergé’s) boy reporter, Tintin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s also one more essential player, who cannot be mentioned due to spoilers. That said, this performer also delivers an exceptional — and quite mirthful — performance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Given the breathless pacing and rat-a-tat dialogue, and as matters become increasingly confused, viewers may overlook a key question: If Madeleine <i>didn’t</i> kill Montferrand ... then who did?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Everything about this film is delightful, most notably the way Ozon ingeniously blends an old-school Hollywood atmosphere with modern-day nods to gender equality — in the workplace — and the capricious nature of love. It’s no accident that costume designers Constance Allain and Pascaline Chavanne garb Pauline in pants suits, and the occasional wistful gaze on the lawyer’s face, when Madeleine’s back is turned, becomes increasingly heartbreaking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marder plays Pauline as resourceful, whip-smart and cunning, easily capable of confounding everybody from their landlord to the public prosecutor. (It’s difficult to imagine why she’d be unemployed, as these events begin.) But Pauline also has a melancholy, vulnerable side that makes her wholly endearing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Madeleine initially seems little more than a breathy, bubble-headed blonde, but that belies the subtlety of Tereszkiewicz’s performance. Madeleine actually is feisty, quite perceptive, a shrewd judge of character, and indignantly able to stand up for herself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Both women, it must be mentioned, are sensuous in the deliciously casual way that is pure French.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sulpice is the pluperfect scoundrel, utterly oblivious to his faults; as André’s father, Dussollier is the epitome of tradition, good taste and bourgeois classicism. (His son, in love with a mere <i>actress</i>? Perish forfend!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During an impressively prolific career that stretches back to 1988, Ozon has proven equally adept at features and short subjects, in pretty much every genre. He’s obviously fond of stories involving murder and other crimes, whether in comedies or erotic thrillers; 2003’s <i>Swimming Pool</i> is an excellent example of the latter.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;">The Crime Is Mine</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">is a thoroughly entertaining romp, and it’s a shame an eye-blink U.S. release late last year has morphed to the potential obscurity of video-on-demand. It deserves better ... so</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">do</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">seek it out.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-9521192390115055482024-03-15T00:30:00.000-07:002024-03-15T00:30:00.130-07:00Arthur the King: Needlessly overcooked<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Arthur the King </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjDJNEPghNY" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Three stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for dramatic intensity and occasional profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Director Simon Cellan Jones’ modest drama has three highlights: an extreme sport that’ll likely be new to most viewers, a really cool dog, and the benefit of being inspired by actual events.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DiuzFac1ovzIKHE9sfCnSZsZ-VNSmOEHKsJtCkXKP-nwnWJxLECXksvryxa-i_1YkGJUbP5bXIvjDotl7RshXhycF7rLzYrtVW1Ap3Fqcg6peGOsEOXDY2uQ1pRBICon1LPbt-ThyhqpR2nr11oHLcbjzbSqK97uUbQI0dqvC6tcXqY0Ddfgk4NXS8Y/s504/Arthur%20the%20King%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="504" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DiuzFac1ovzIKHE9sfCnSZsZ-VNSmOEHKsJtCkXKP-nwnWJxLECXksvryxa-i_1YkGJUbP5bXIvjDotl7RshXhycF7rLzYrtVW1Ap3Fqcg6peGOsEOXDY2uQ1pRBICon1LPbt-ThyhqpR2nr11oHLcbjzbSqK97uUbQI0dqvC6tcXqY0Ddfgk4NXS8Y/w400-h274/Arthur%20the%20King%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The kayaking portion their race would be punishing enough under ordinary circumstances,<br />but Leo (Simu Liu, foreground) and Michael (Mark Wahlberg) find it even more taxing<br />with the large, water-soaked Arthur as an additional passenger.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That said, Michael Brandt’s script — <i>very</i> loosely based on Mikael Lindnord’s popular 2016 non-fiction book — leans too heavily on melodramatic macho nonsense, and also stretches truth to a degree that’ll lift both eyebrows. The result often feels like a TV movie with delusions of big-screen grandeur, but — even so — it’s family-friendly entertainment, which has gotten rather rare lately.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">The sport in question is “adventure racing,” a multidisciplinary team activity that typically involves alternately running, hiking, climbing, bicycling and kayaking over hundreds of miles of wilderness terrain. The clock never stops; competitors must choose if or when to rest — and for how long — while restocking supplies at mandatory “transition areas.” Route decisions and GPS navigation are up to each team.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mark Wahlberg stars as Michael Light, an Americanized version of Lindnord introduced toward the conclusion of one such competition. He foolishly leads his team to failure during a final leg, when the tide goes out, and strands their kayaks in mud flats. The resulting tirade leaves Michael estranged from teammate Leo (Simu Liu), and one choice image of the messy disaster erupts on social media, subsequently haunting Michael at every turn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Several years pass, during which Michael continues to train in the gorgeous terrain surrounding the Colorado mountain home he shares with wife Helen (Julie Rylance), who has retired from the sport in order to raise their young daughter. Michael is the epitome of stubborn single-mindedness; he’s determined to take one more shot at the world championship that has eluded him thus far.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(We wonder, at about this point, what Helen and the under-employed Michael are living on. Air?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Elsewhere, in the Dominican Republic’s capital city, a scruffy brown street dog does his best to survive. As the story proceeds, Cellan Jones frequently cuts back to this bedraggled mutt’s wanderings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adventure racing is expensive, and requires sponsorship: a complication, given Michael’s well-known reputation for being bull-headed. He nonetheless perseveres with the executives at the sports firm Broadrail, albeit with conditions: most notably, their insistence that his now-nemesis Leo be on the team. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cue more snarky posturing between Wahlberg and Liu.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Michael then recruits his remaining team members: Chik (Ali Suliman), a savvy navigator with a talent for finding short cuts; and Olivia (Nathalie Emmanuel), daughter of a mountain-climbing legend. The newly christened Team Broadrail then join scores of other teams at the starting line in the Dominican Republic, for a race that’ll cover 435 miles of dense jungles, viscous mud, bottomless ravines, sheer vertical cliffs and challenging landscapes, amid torrential rains, oppressive heat, snakes and ravenous insects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(At which point I turned to Constant Companion, and muttered “These people are <i>insane</i>.”)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By coincidence, the aforementioned mutt turns up when Team Broadrail arrives at an early transition area. Michael gives it some meatballs from a food pack, and then presses on with the rest of his team, leaving the dog behind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He’s surprised to find the same dog at a later transition area, as if waiting for them. Michael dubs him Arthur, due to his regal bearing and intelligent gaze; the dog subsequently follows Team Broadrail during the rest of the race, becoming an unofficial fifth member and Internet sensation, thanks to Leo’s multitude of social media followers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Arthur — actually a mutt named Ukai — has beautifully soulful eyes and impressive screen presence, thanks to the efforts of veteran dog trainer Mathilde de Cagny. (In another medium, she found and trained the Jack Russell Terrier who played Eddie during 11 seasons of television’s <i>Frasier</i>.) Ukai handles the vast majority of Arthur’s dramatic scenes, with occasional assists from “stunt double dogs” Beau and Hunter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The extended racing sequences are persuasive, with cinematographer Jacques Jouffret getting down and dirty among the cast members. Wahlberg and Liu look buff enough for this grueling mayhem, and Emmanuel is equally credible as a lithe climber. Suliman, although an engaging actor, seems too fragile for such ongoing, strenuous effort.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Brandt’s dialogue often is clunky and contrived, and he doesn’t give the four primary actors much with which to flesh out their characters. One abrupt revelation by Olivia lands like a lead balloon, as if Emmanuel hadn’t the faintest idea how to deliver the line. (That’s bad directing; she has been much better elsewhere.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The race terrain and physical demands are riveting enough, as Team Broadrail (forgive me) doggedly tries to improve its standing while heading toward each transition area. But Cellan Jones and Brandt, apparently worried that this wasn’t suitably thrilling, further goosed the drama with ongoing uncertainty concerning Chik’s bum knee, and a calamitously dangerous zip-line sequence (which, although ludicrous, is suspensefully staged).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That said, Cellan Jones and Brandt deserve credit for confounding expectations during an extended third act that’ll have young viewers wringing their hands with concern.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The real-world Arthur’s saga is impressive enough, and it’s a shame the filmmakers felt it necessary to enhance and “Hollywoodize” those events. The actual Lindnord led a <i>Swedish</i> team in Ecuador in November 2014, when they encountered Arthur; the dog then followed them for the rest of the race (as opposed to this script’s dog “mysteriously” waiting for the team at a later transition area).</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even so, this film goes down easily, and likely will encourage curious viewers to further research adventure racing and Arthur; a 2017 ESPN documentary about Lindnord and the pooch is readily available online.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-36327977956376520702024-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:002024-03-08T01:00:00.136-08:00Kung Fu Panda 4: Fun and frenetic<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Kung Fu Panda 4 </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_inKs4eeHiI" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated PG, for scary images and mild rude humor</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The folks at DreamWorks animation deserve considerable credit; they keep finding clever ways to inject fresh life into a franchise that began as little more than a one-note visual gag.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(A panda becoming a kung fu expert? <i>Seriously</i>?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfrqg8bpj39zqzLsmIkkqOMQvr-8j4FK9sDcyvJva-aXdPGml1Vh_QP1ew5_NCVcuSJfCQO0wmeYPSBNKmD5Zs9lBTAobrrLHswtRP1gRDZn0S0UTah7N4Rh4prT0TA5f1-R4sW4WiGtCijhKIhDzE0zzFi5EWaWBX4H0Ov1k81791a2Q4E5kl5D-CdU/s540/Kung%20Fu%20Panda%204%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="540" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfrqg8bpj39zqzLsmIkkqOMQvr-8j4FK9sDcyvJva-aXdPGml1Vh_QP1ew5_NCVcuSJfCQO0wmeYPSBNKmD5Zs9lBTAobrrLHswtRP1gRDZn0S0UTah7N4Rh4prT0TA5f1-R4sW4WiGtCijhKIhDzE0zzFi5EWaWBX4H0Ov1k81791a2Q4E5kl5D-CdU/w400-h223/Kung%20Fu%20Panda%204%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Following a rough ocean voyage, Po and Zhen get their first glimpse of bustling<br />Juniper City. Po wouldn't be so excited, if he knew what was coming...<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thanks to an inventive script by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger and Darren Lemke — along with sharp, rat-a-tat dialogue delivered with great comic timing by the voice cast — this is Po’s best adventure since his debut, back in 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Directors Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine, with an able assist from editor Christopher Knights, ensure that this 94-minute romp never slumps. Indeed, the length feels perfect; all concerned know when to get off the stage, on a crowd-pleasing high.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This new film’s premise is perfect: After three death-defying adventures involving world-class villains and amazing martial arts moves, Po (voiced by Jack Black) is told by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that it’s time to give it a rest. It’s time for Po to assume a greater role as Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace ... which means finding and training a new Dragon Warrior, before he can assume this lofty position.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Alas, Po has no interest in giving up his mad kung fu exploits as the current Dragon Master. More to the point, he hasn’t the faintest notion of what his new role might involve. (Spiritual Leader? Sounds like a snooze!) Po also is unwilling to abandon the love-fest adulation emanating from the many animal denizens of the Valley of Peace, particularly since he has concocted so many ways to franchise himself (much to Master Shifu’s disapproval).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adoptive goose dad Mr. Ping (James Hong) and panda birth dad Li (Bryan Cranston) offer encouragement, but they can’t help Po find enlightenment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He’s briefly distracted while catching a cloaked thief who tries to steal valuables from the sacred palace; after a brief skirmish, Po is able to put this nimble, wisecracking intruder — a Corsac fox named Zhen (Awkwafina) — behind bars.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(At this point, savvy viewers will have a pretty good idea how this story will conclude, but that doesn’t diminish the delights along the way.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Potential Dragon Master tryouts are interrupted when Po learns that a nearby water buffalo quarry has been terrorized and taken over by raging snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane), Shifu’s former student and arch-nemesis. But wait ... wasn’t Tai Lung soundly defeated back in the first film, and banished to a golden-hued afterlife?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All is not what it seems ... and — wouldn’t you know it — Zhen has some answers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To Master Shifu’s simmering displeasure, Po springs the fox, and the two of them leave the Valley of Peace, and embark on a lengthy trip to bustling Juniper City. Zhen promises that answers can be found there ... but can the wily fox be trusted?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The journey includes a hilarious stop at the Happy Bunny Tavern, perched precariously on a pointy mountaintop, where the adorable little lagomorphs are bullied constantly by their much larger, boar-ish patrons. (Cue the first of this film’s many razzmatazz action sequences.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Meanwhile...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Juniper City is being terrorized by The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a powerful sorceress who can shape-shift into <i>any</i>creature, no matter how large or small. (We must ignore conservation of matter. After all, magic is magic.) She’s somehow behind what went down in the water buffalo quarry, and she’s also extracting ever-increasing tributes of wealth from city city’s crime bosses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But to what end?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nothing good, that’s for sure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Po and Zhen’s arrival in Juniper City cleverly reverses their character dynamic. Po, wholly at home in the Valley of Peace, becomes the “country mouse” to Zhen’s seasoned, street-wise “city mouse.” Poor Po is wholly out of his element, particularly when he confronts threatening criminal underground characters such as pangolin Han (Ke Huy Quan) and a trio of bunnies, whose angelic looks conceal gleefully homicidal tendencies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(They’re hilariously lethal distant cousins of Snowball, the evil bunny from <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-secret-life-of-pets-too-much-bite.html" target="_blank">The Secret Life of Pets</a></i>, along with a nod to the Killer Bunnies card game.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back at home, Mr. Ping and Li decide that Po could use additional help, and set off to find their son.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This realm’s tapestry continues to be a colorful and imaginative, laden with all manner of animals going about their various routines. The core plots notwithstanding, this series also has thrived on background detail: all manner of sight gags and little bits of business. It’s impossible to catch everything in one go, particularly when the evolving story demands so much attention; repeat viewing is essential (and always rewarding).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Po continues to be an amusing blend of defiant macho bravery and befuddlement. Black’s running dialogue is low-key comical, and highlighted by a running gag that finds Po trying hard to come up with the sort of wise aphorisms that Master Shifu rattles off so easily.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Awkwafina is a force of nature. Her sassy, rat-a-tat commentary perfectly complements Zhen’s sleek appearance and swift stealthiness. She’s the perfectly aerodynamic yin to Po’s corpulent yang.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">James Hong’s Mr. Ping continues to be fussy and forever on the verge of hysteria; Cranston’s Li is calmer and pragmatic. Hoffman’s normally calm and soothing handling of Master Shifu frequently becomes strained, as the poor red panda’s patience is stressed repeatedly by Po’s recklessness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Davis hisses with evil as the sinister, slithering Chameleon: definitely a villain to be reckoned with.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Steve Mazzaro and Hans Zimmer’s energetic score deftly complements on-screen events, and everything builds to a cataclysmic finale, followed by a sweet epilogue.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All in all, a richly entertaining package.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-92041285392316127692024-03-06T01:00:00.000-08:002024-03-06T01:00:00.141-08:00Ricky Stanicky: Uneven vulgarity<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Ricky Stanicky </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXpBN_31-Cw" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Three stars (out of five). Rated R, for drug use, sexual candor, and relentless profanity and raunch</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Amazon Prime</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although director Peter Farrelly has gained respect for serious fare such as <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2018/11/green-book-inspirational-journey.html" target="_blank">Green Book</a></i> and <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-greatest-beer-run-ever-heady-brew.html" target="_blank">The Greatest Beer Run Ever</a></i>, one knows what to expect when he indulges his smuttier instincts: a thoroughly dumb story, and relentless raunch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8l2vOIF-bEkYgIsWnRuP0aWSxkwkIqc-pExrLBClsel2FIRFLnpHRgieRG_lhRn2djYJgTau07jJg2tHDvbZ3Y1EUzA0zbAoG5LtonR1AuC82q70l3t9KxObUtB4ucr3_WLU8kv_B4AAi6kcL8DzTOkm-XIwT1dtVwTiH-Qj2-UomMMcc0p-H1xrKv4/s518/Ricky%20Stanicky%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="518" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8l2vOIF-bEkYgIsWnRuP0aWSxkwkIqc-pExrLBClsel2FIRFLnpHRgieRG_lhRn2djYJgTau07jJg2tHDvbZ3Y1EUzA0zbAoG5LtonR1AuC82q70l3t9KxObUtB4ucr3_WLU8kv_B4AAi6kcL8DzTOkm-XIwT1dtVwTiH-Qj2-UomMMcc0p-H1xrKv4/w400-h268/Ricky%20Stanicky%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rod (John Cena, far right) tries hard to ingratiate himself with, from left, Dean<br />(Zac Efron), JT (Andrew Santino) and Wes (Jermaine Fowler). The effort fails, but<br />not to worry; they'll meet again.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Both are boldly front and center in his new film.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">That said, </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Ricky Stanicky</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"> gets plenty of momentum from an audacious and absolutely hilarious performance by star John Cena. He’s a veritable force of motor-mouthed, well-timed comedy, and this film would sink into oblivion without him.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But we don’t meet him right away. Events begin during a prologue on Halloween night 1999, when obnoxious brats Dean, JT and Wes decide to get even with homeowners who have a reputation for not giving out candy. Their prank goes horribly awry, nearly burning down the house in an appalling and thoroughly unfunny sequence that almost torches this film before it has a chance to start.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While fleeing the carnage, the three boys concoct the “alibi” that sets up what is to follow: They write the name “Ricky Stanicky” on a discarded item of clothing, the way a child’s mother would have done, and leave it at the scene. The police therefore focus on trying to find a juvenile delinquent who doesn’t exist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During the next couple of decades — via an animation montage that serves as title credits — the boys use Ricky as the fall guy for all manner of bad behavior. As they get older, Ricky morphs into a “good friend” employed as a get-together excuse for skipping things Dean, JT and Wes simply don’t want to do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cut to the present day, at which point these guys have become the ultimate arrested adolescents. Over time, they’ve developed a thick “bible” of Ricky’s supposed exploits as a wealthy, tree-hugging do-gooder, along with a litany of childhood and adult achievements and ailments.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And yet — as established by this wildly uneven script from Farrelly and seven (!) other hands — Dean (Zac Efron) and JT (Andrew Santino) somehow managed to land high-profile jobs at an investment firm run by Ted Summerhayes (William H. Macy). Dean is blessed with girlfriend Erin (Lex Scott Davis), who hopes to become a respected TV news journalist; JT is married to Susan (Anja Savcic), and they’re expecting their first child.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The cannabis-obsessed Wes (Jermaine Fowler), alas, is at loose ends. His half-hearted efforts to write a children’s book haven’t impressed hard-working boyfriend Keith (Daniel Monks).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All have gathered for a baby shower, to celebrate the impending arrival of JT and Susan’s little bundle of joy. At the last moment, Dean, JT and Wes are pulled away by their good buddy Ricky’s (supposed) cancer flare-up: actually an excuse to party at several Atlantic City casinos, rather than suffer through a dumb baby shower.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(I know. Total jerks, right?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At one bar, they encounter “Rock Hard” Rod (Cena), a pushy alcoholic entertainer who dresses up as various rock ’n’ roll stars while doing a late-night, X-rated show of lyrics-modified “jerk-off songs” (Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” anything by The Strokes ... you get the idea). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We ultimately experience a good chunk of Rod’s routine, which sinks like a stone in front of a paltry half-dozen aghast patrons. (In fairness, the performance is <i>supposed</i> to be terrible ... and it truly is.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having extracted themselves from Rod’s pushy presence, our three schmucks are about to enjoy themselves further, when Dean chances to glance at his phone ... and sees an increasingly agitated series of messages. Susan has gone into labor, six weeks early ... <i>and the guys aren’t there</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A hasty return plane trip isn’t entirely successful; JT misses his son’s arrival. More to the point, the evasions, excuses and missed phone calls have raised suspicion among everybody assembled in Susan’s hospital room, most notably her mother’s friend Leona (Heather Mitchell). She has long harbored doubts about Ricky’s existence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Drastic measures are required, particularly after Dean and his buddies promise that Ricky will be present for Baby Whittaker’s bris, just a week away. The lies, finally, are catching up with them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wes, bless his heart, favors coming clean. But no; Dean doubles down by insisting they <i>can</i> produce Ricky, by hiring an actor to play the part ... and he just happens to have Rod’s business card in his pocket.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But ... <i>this</i> is the guy they’ll get, to play an intelligent, sophisticated and selfless humanitarian?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Given that Rod’s arrival at the bris ceremony is this film’s best extended sequence, I’ll say no more, except to mention that his repeated insistence, back in the casino — “I’m a good actor!” — proves true. Things get better and better, with an able assist from Jeff Ross, as the jovial Rabbi Greenberg. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, because this is a crude Peter Farrelly comedy, which can’t go 30 seconds without raunchy references to male genitalia, one hiccup is guaranteed to make male viewers cross their legs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Alas, from this point forward, Farrelly and his co-writers overplay their hand. Incidental side-bits involving Erin’s lengthily-tressed cousin Carly (Apple Farrelly) — along with an encounter between Dean and Erin’s small dog and a goose — are dumb, bewildering, and don’t even seem to belong in this film.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matters get even more bizarre during the third act, which pulls Summerhayes and his company into increasingly contrived events.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh, and just in passing, Rod apparently stops drinking. Just. Like. That. [Insert sound of fingers snapping.]<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seriously? In our enlightened times? That’s just <i>wrong</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Efron does his best to play a good guy who tries to make the best of bad choices, but he can’t pull it off; we quickly conclude that Erin would be better off without him. Santino’s JT is simply repugnant: a nasty, mean-spirited asshole whose snide remarks further damage this film’s already precarious balance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fowler’s Wes, on the other hand, is wholly sympathetic: almost a genuine human being amid the chaos ... even when his literary aspirations take a, um, prurient turn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">While <i>Ricky Stanicky</i> has moments — almost all of them belonging to Cena — it’s far from the gleefully uninhibited idiocy and raunch of <i>Dumb and Dumber</i> or <i>There’s Something About Mary</i>. That said, it’s also better than Farrelly bombs such as <i>The Three Stooges </i>or <i>Dumb and Dumber To</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Which is damning with awfully faint praise.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-46675316763921991042024-03-01T01:00:00.000-08:002024-03-01T01:00:00.137-08:00Drive-Away Dolls: Unapologetic trash<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Drive-Away Dolls </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy0RYiQRWUk" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Three stars (out of five). Rated R, for full nudity, violence and relentless profanity and sexual content</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the smuttiest film I’ve seen in quite awhile.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That might have been enough to discourage any sort of endorsement ... but, well, y’see, this flick also is pretty damn funny.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKxmSsvL-_qhVvwrsmQPj79KJgcxHKukfSF3H-oQ5ZCK9MIE6Hn5cFnarGzfLnqeBv61RtSuLLbMnpyffUGqpucjLelorr0HOo0zF3OFpToTMUF4O9DB3IY9OFRcrckrSXJF3XFJ3VDPAlcB0OZw2KwLNgm1mrSxraU1RB-opYSBexLtymFiPAdgzRJc/s504/Drive-Away%20Dolls%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="504" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKxmSsvL-_qhVvwrsmQPj79KJgcxHKukfSF3H-oQ5ZCK9MIE6Hn5cFnarGzfLnqeBv61RtSuLLbMnpyffUGqpucjLelorr0HOo0zF3OFpToTMUF4O9DB3IY9OFRcrckrSXJF3XFJ3VDPAlcB0OZw2KwLNgm1mrSxraU1RB-opYSBexLtymFiPAdgzRJc/w400-h265/Drive-Away%20Dolls%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">When a flat tire forces James (Margaret Qualley, left) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan)<br />to check the trunk for a spare, they find something ... rather unexpected.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For folks with a deranged sense of humor, that is.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">(Guilty as charged.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Those familiar with the Coen brothers’ sensibilities will recognize the tone and territory, although this time out Ethan Coen is directing on his own, from a seriously daft script he co-wrote with wife Tricia Cooke. They deliberately set out to bring modern sensibilities to the sort of gratuitously sleazy 1960s drive-in fare that film critic Joe Bob Briggs (aka John Irving Bloom) championed in the 1980s and ‘’90s. (<i>Motorpsycho</i> and <i>Bad Girls Go to Hell</i> are cited in this film’s production notes. I’ve yet to have the pleasure.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The result is an aggressively vulgar, <i>noir</i>-ish blend of smutty sex, nasty criminal behavior and screwball comedy: definitely not for the faint of heart or sensitive of mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The year is late 1999, the city Philadelphia. A late-night prologue finds an extremely nervous man (Pedro Pascal) in a dive bar, clutching a silver metal briefcase while awaiting contact from another party.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What follows does not go well for him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Elsewhere, the cheerfully uninhibited, hypersexual Jamie (Margaret Qualley) is caught cheating on her girlfriend, Sukie (Beanie Feldstein). Jamie couldn’t be faithful if her life depended on it; she’s much too fond of one-night hook-ups. Even so, the resulting break-up leaves her at loose ends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jamie’s best friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) — also gay, but in a much quieter way — is dissatisfied with her life and current employment. Her solution: quit the job and travel to Tallahassee, to visit her bird-watching Aunt Ellis (Connie Jackson). Marian begs Jamie to tag along; she doesn’t need much persuading. A road trip would give both women time to re-think some stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But money is tight, so they decide to offer their services at a drive-away car service, where those needing to go from A to B can transport a vehicle one-way, for another client.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cut to Curlie’s Drive-Away, where the stone-faced proprietor (a hilariously understated Bill Camp) receives phoned instructions regarding a Dodge Aries that has been left in his lot: destination, Tallahassee, due the following day. He’s told two people will show up to make the drive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(You know where this is going, right?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Moments later, by chance, Marian and Jamie show up, requesting a car for a one-way trip to Tallahassee. Curlie makes the logical — but sadly incorrect — assumption, and sends them off in the Aries.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This doesn’t sit well with the two mopes — Arliss (Joey Slotnick) and Flint (C.J. Wilson) — who arrive shortly thereafter. Their boss (Colman Domingo) is ... similarly displeased.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marian and Jamie, blithely unaware of this, also don’t realize that their vehicle’s trunk contains a certain silver metal suitcase ... along with something else.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In theory, retrieving the car should be simple, since Arliss, Flint and their boss know where it’ll be the following day. But Jamie, a seasoned road-tripper determined to loosen up her repressed BFF, ignores the direct route and next-day mandate, and merrily plots a meandering course that intersects with weird roadside attractions, favorite BBQ joints and notorious lesbian bars (with droll names such as She Shed and The Butter Churn).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Let the chaos begin...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The two women are a delightfully mismatched pair. Qualley’s motor-mouthed Jamie is an amped-up ball of energy: cheerfully profane, her shockingly randy and candid descriptions of past conquests and future hopes given additional color by a charming Southern-fried drawl. She can’t possibly be shamed, and sees no reason to worry about it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Viswanathan’s buttoned-down Marian is quiet, prim and proper: much more comfortable reading Henry James’ <i>The Europeans</i> than cruising for pick-ups. She’s also more practical than Jamie, and — at rare times — able to (partly) control her friend’s reckless behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A very sweet — and quietly sexy — flashback reveals how the much younger Marian learned of her fondness for women. Trouble is, her older self hasn’t figured out how to find a lover more attuned to her discreet nature.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wilson and Slotnick are a similarly incompatible duo. The former, forever impatient, leads with violence, much to the latter’s annoyance. Arliss believes that more flies — which is to say, information — can be obtained via honey and amiable conversation. In truth, both men are totally useless, and their behavior becomes increasingly desperate as the women continue to elude them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The love-shattered Sukie proves unexpectedly resourceful on numerous occasions; Feldstein is quite persuasive — and also amusing — as a tough-talking gal who won’t take crap from anybody.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Coen movies are filled with capable women and inept men; the filmmakers obviously love that dynamic.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The sharp and profane rat-a-tat dialogue is an amusing nod to the aforementioned classic screwball comedies, and — let it be said — the plot is totally bonkers. The frequent bedroom scenes are simultaneously graphic and chaste, funny and sweet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Longtime <i>noir</i> fans will be reminded of 1955’s <i>Kiss Me Deadly</i>, and its plot-driven search for a box containing a mysterious whatzit; 1984’s <i>Repo Man</i> covers similar territory with the glowing contents of a Chevy Malibu trunk.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The difference here is that we <i>do</i> eventually find out what’s in the suitcase — shortly after the wide-eyed Jamie and Marian make that discovery — and it’s, well, quite a surprise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of these outrageously demented qualities aside, Coen and Cooke separate numerous acts with lengthy psychedelic color washes that become tedious in a film that runs an otherwise fast-paced 84 minutes. Granted, these interstitial sequences exist for an ultimately revealed reason — with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her cameo by Miley Cyrus — but they’re still annoying.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Cyrus’ character is based on an actual individual, but identifying her would be too much of a spoiler.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you’re game for something</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">way</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">out there, dive right in. Otherwise, steer clear.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-2699821139686495582024-02-23T01:00:00.000-08:002024-02-25T08:02:26.042-08:00The 2024 Oscar Shorts: (Some) good things in small packages<div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The 2024 Oscar Shorts </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOL2ruGfhtU" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>3.5 stars (out of five). Not rated, but akin to PG-13 for subject matter and dramatic intensity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e;"><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With the Academy Award nominations in hand — and predictions and second-guessing increasing by the day — it’s time for one of my favorite traditions: checking out the live-action and animated short subjects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As always, this year’s nominees range between the good, the bad and the baffling. I’ve long been puzzled by the wildly divergent tastes of those who select these nominees; it’s intriguing that the folks who pick the obviously excellent stand-outs also (apparently) find something to admire in entries I wouldn’t consider for a second.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But as my father often said, That’s why we have horse races: divergent candidates for every taste.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGQKYarDJlV3K9qoz55RB1qYYMCaoG0Cxk-CRKy0zKk9WF8LTmnfrRFd257yw-_GyMtGQhihzmtCw_feU0rqFBrcl-YWrmHpNc6tHCn4TxyTdEjQrqdMfBeVxttE3U-gfrVJmjxZpQ7Cnwj6ZQq9jseQ0hInjxULuiULs4Il3FPs56GSBD1qgPNwgG-I/s575/HenrySugar%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="575" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGQKYarDJlV3K9qoz55RB1qYYMCaoG0Cxk-CRKy0zKk9WF8LTmnfrRFd257yw-_GyMtGQhihzmtCw_feU0rqFBrcl-YWrmHpNc6tHCn4TxyTdEjQrqdMfBeVxttE3U-gfrVJmjxZpQ7Cnwj6ZQq9jseQ0hInjxULuiULs4Il3FPs56GSBD1qgPNwgG-I/w400-h241/HenrySugar%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Turning first to the live-action candidates, director Wes Anderson’s handling of Roald Dahl’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” is the obvious stand-out for bravura creativity. I cannot imagine a more perfect artistic collaboration, and blend of sensibilities, than Anderson and Dahl.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">This droll tale stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character, a bored and self-centered aristocrat who, as a result of a book he steals, painstakingly develops the talent to see </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">through</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"> objects. What he ultimately does with this gift proves unexpected.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dahl, played by Ralph Fiennes, narrates much of this saga — “Henry Sugar” actually is three stories nested within each other — although Dev Patel’s Dr. Chatterjee occasionally takes over. The staging throughout is theatrical and exaggerated, with backdrops sliding back and forth, sometimes manipulated by visible tech hands. Occasional scenes rely upon vintage rear projection. The result is bravura filmmaking, and totally cool.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbSnb9uAYM-IFAbblvPSFaRzMMgISebeYWtD4c_DioEmgMKloKZzmCEPU_vpWRmjIrTD7ruKjBVhlOeO7W2Zckw8rY4gu0DmEsKr0amxYtD-mN2OOX4IHc3V0OSFZA4JhidJN1egXxNAB-pvjAMsMkwks-eH_7p3VS3sfjfbWGSC0s0c_IZEqotBgVZs/s470/KnightOfFortune%20blog.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="470" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbSnb9uAYM-IFAbblvPSFaRzMMgISebeYWtD4c_DioEmgMKloKZzmCEPU_vpWRmjIrTD7ruKjBVhlOeO7W2Zckw8rY4gu0DmEsKr0amxYtD-mN2OOX4IHc3V0OSFZA4JhidJN1egXxNAB-pvjAMsMkwks-eH_7p3VS3sfjfbWGSC0s0c_IZEqotBgVZs/w400-h295/KnightOfFortune%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Danish writer/director Lasse Lyskjaer Noer eschews fancy bells and whistles in “Knight of Fortune,” a quietly poignant study of a recent widower, Karl (Leif Andrée), who is overwhelmed by having to bid his deceased wife farewell, while she lies in state in a morgue room. Seeking any sort of distraction, he agrees when Torben (Jens Jorn Spottag) requests company while paying the final visit to <i>his</i> wife.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Except that things aren’t quite what they seem. Noer’s little story takes an oddly quirky turn — the tone and atmosphere uniquely Scandinavian — en route to a sweet conclusion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The same cannot be said of Nigerian-born writer/director Misan Harriman’s “The After,” which stars David Oyelowo as a London ride-share driver whose world crumbled after he survived a senselessly random street attack (a sequence that viewers will find difficult to watch). Oyelowo is the film’s strongest asset; he’s a terrific actor, and his portrayal of this man’s anguish is shattering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Harriman’s story doesn’t resolve; it simply <i>stops</i> ... leaving us with What The Heck? frustration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Canadian writer/director Vincent René-Lortie fares better with “Invincible,” a dramatized tribute to an emotionally troubled childhood friend who took his life at age 14. Léokim Beaumier Lépine stars as Marc, abandoned to institutions by a family unable to cope with his anger issues and mental illness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lépine’s performance is heartbreaking. The story begins as a brief visit with family concludes, and the frustrated Marc is forced to return to his incarceration cell. Overwhelmed by rage and disappointment, he recklessly seizes an opportunity that we viewers know cannot end well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6kIZJ_VvRgRqDGgl6Ln3EZpm0uR6Qph8nus5Ouj66qRXvUwSWbvxDr8Ni6VqZv-aLMBYeWdhboVkNIosX5m24_ijDxXbcrJM6k0HQLpC3Ewj5J2doaM7pfXA1fKGhf3tC-FhXec3T2pCjulfdKBAAyXamNrWfMHT2TEFhu_10YH9U14KdyPjI2ETvi0/s624/RedWhiteBlue%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="624" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6kIZJ_VvRgRqDGgl6Ln3EZpm0uR6Qph8nus5Ouj66qRXvUwSWbvxDr8Ni6VqZv-aLMBYeWdhboVkNIosX5m24_ijDxXbcrJM6k0HQLpC3Ewj5J2doaM7pfXA1fKGhf3tC-FhXec3T2pCjulfdKBAAyXamNrWfMHT2TEFhu_10YH9U14KdyPjI2ETvi0/w400-h221/RedWhiteBlue%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Lastly, British screenwriter/actress Nazrin Choudhury, with extensive credits in American television, makes a smashing directorial debut with “Red, White and Blue,” a ripped-from-the-headlines response to the draconian abortion laws enacted by so many red state governors.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Rachel (Brittany Snow), a single mother with two children, works as a diner waitress. The story begins as, with dismay, she contemplates the unwanted results of a pregnancy test. Snow’s performance is sublime; even before we see her family’s home environment, we know they barely survive, paycheck to paycheck. Another mouth to feed? Impossible.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Rachel lives in Arkansas, where abortion isn’t an option. The long drive to Illinois will be an arduous budget-buster, along with the need to park one or both of her children with friendly neighbors. Rachel is able to find child care for young son Jake, but is forced to bring daughter Maddy (Juliet Donenfeld) along for the ride.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rachel’s attempt to turn this into a “fun” mother/daughter road trip builds to an unexpected conclusion that’ll knock viewers out of their chairs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Choudhury’s film is, by far, my choice for this category’s Oscar.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The animated nominees, alas, are wildly uneven.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">French director Stéphanie Clément’s “Pachyderme” unfolds as a memoir by an adult Louise (narrator Christa Théret), who looks back on the childhood summers she spent with her grandparents in their country home. Writer Marc Rius’ story initially feels like a young girl’s paradise, laden with fishing alongside her grandfather, lake swims, walking barefoot in green grass, and savoring her grandmother’s strawberry pies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But all is not as it seems, and it soon becomes clear that Louise’s night terrors — her fear of the elephant tusk displayed in an upstairs hallway, and her desire to disappear into her bedroom’s wallpaper — are more than a little girl’s imagination. Unfortunately, the story’s impact is diluted by an unusual “painterly” animation style, and the flat manner in which young Louise is rendered makes her oddly unappealing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Ninety-Five Senses,” from the longtime filmmaking team of Jerusha and Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre, among others), concerns the final hours of Coy, a condemned prisoner who muses about his fate. Tim Blake Nelson’s hillbilly-esque drawl is amusing, as Coy wonders if losing his five senses to death will — at the last moment — kick in the other 95 senses supposedly dormant within human beings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the animation is bland and unappealing; it’s ironic that a film with this title does such a poor job of <i>depicting</i> this man’s senses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Israeli writer/director Tal Kantor’s “Letter to a Pig” is even uglier: hand-drawn animation overlaid with video elements, varying from minimalist black-and-white to garishly pink verisimilitude. The story begins reasonably well, as bored schoolchildren listen to a Holocaust survivor recount how a pig — an animal traditionally regarded as “unclean” by Jews — saved him from Nazis during World War II.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Kantor’s approach turns bizarrely surrealistic midway through this 17-minute saga, as (the production notes claim) one young girl “sinks into a twisted dream where she confronts questions of identity, collective trauma, and the extremes of human nature.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Seriously?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If Kantor genuinely intended such gravitas, she missed it completely. Her film’s second half is simply weird and impenetrable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happily, the final two entries are vastly superior.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKb8Zgpxtb2wRsmqAqwbncCPn9wIfGCMvPc2Jl9gwamOZ8T8DskdThSUurRvqc3_IT3o1ydChJmDSUsGolibsCZiTLvFrclKZr8zXsX6eSfYv4vca3VxuPB1SVcwX3CgX9w9fL2OIj46iW7rsXUGFSNsya58c5ByqGDZd5fQ6IdJ5gjc65kXWEamx-bU/s614/Ouruniform2%20blog.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="614" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKb8Zgpxtb2wRsmqAqwbncCPn9wIfGCMvPc2Jl9gwamOZ8T8DskdThSUurRvqc3_IT3o1ydChJmDSUsGolibsCZiTLvFrclKZr8zXsX6eSfYv4vca3VxuPB1SVcwX3CgX9w9fL2OIj46iW7rsXUGFSNsya58c5ByqGDZd5fQ6IdJ5gjc65kXWEamx-bU/w400-h225/Ouruniform2%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Iranian animator Yegane Moghaddam’s “Our Uniform” grants voice to a young girl who explains the purpose of the mandatory full hijab that she and her female peers are forced to wear. The animation style is a cleverly creative blend of hand-drawn figures set against stop-motion clothing folds and fabric: an ingenious technique that <i>perfectly</i> mirrors the story being told.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">The girl loves to travel, because it allows her to see people of different colors, patterns and textures.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I grew up in Tehran, went to school, and became a FEMALE. Nothing more, nothing less.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Maybe I’d be something else, had I lived somewhere else.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Her Farsi narration (English subtitles provided) is calm and matter-of-fact, which matches Moghaddam’s tone. There is no judgment or anger ... although the girl’s resignation is blindingly obvious. The overall effect is quietly chilling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On a side note, this is the category’s first-ever Iranian entry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieeV9yWIGNyZhtj5jHnYk8MFH5IdDTJAxIIHYhbkHvTvI3QkeWAgq7LRfcolAHcrgojwUI7UAWlmPyrVLQ6MXTsFQLqk4O1SUf-E0glL2OjIhuxDBYQMwao2EITHDZT1F6cN-X3EYaV1ir03_41vyT1eFJ1n9YAcJ3h7vUx5YikBoHGi4BO87RBtlYLkU/s608/WarIsOver%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="608" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieeV9yWIGNyZhtj5jHnYk8MFH5IdDTJAxIIHYhbkHvTvI3QkeWAgq7LRfcolAHcrgojwUI7UAWlmPyrVLQ6MXTsFQLqk4O1SUf-E0glL2OjIhuxDBYQMwao2EITHDZT1F6cN-X3EYaV1ir03_41vyT1eFJ1n9YAcJ3h7vUx5YikBoHGi4BO87RBtlYLkU/w400-h228/WarIsOver%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Veteran Pixar animator Dave Mullins’ “War Is Over,” finally, is a gorgeous work of art. The story, co-written with Sean Lennon, is inspired by his parents’ iconic song; events take place in an alternate World War I reality, where a senseless trench war rages.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">A carrier pigeon, ostensibly tasked to ferry battle movement messages between the (apparently) Allied colonel and his men, is co-opted to move chess moves between two soldiers on opposite sides of the conflict. Neither soldier knows his opponent, and the pigeon bravely dodges bursts of flak while flying back and forth over No Man’s Land.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the game progresses, the respective players are cheered on by a rapidly rising number of fellow soldiers, who eagerly await the outcome. And then...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">...but that would be telling (although the story is loosely inspired by an historic miracle).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Both “Our Uniform” and “War Is Over” benefit from strong real-world topicality, and I’m hard-pressed to choose between them. You’ll not soon forget either.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Both sets of films, along with a third category devoted to short documentaries, can be viewed via road-show packages at theaters across the country; visit <a href="http://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/">shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/</a> to find out where.</span></p><span face="-webkit-standard" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-size: medium;"></span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-40597753886424248302024-02-23T00:30:00.000-08:002024-02-25T15:51:19.529-08:00Ordinary Angels: Sweet and heavenly<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Ordinary Angels </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNv-HpcGe0I" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>3.5 stars (out of five). Rated PG, for dramatic intensity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 2.23.24</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Given how polarized our country has become, it’s refreshing to see a story that involves community members selflessly coming together for a common purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRJnrsCRlcoweIg8RN6ZLKV4r1xokUHiQ_5FTBxZtMqqF6q3d0gdeRBasYmXQc0vGxjasoOhhwqQX6s8VyrQc-wGXBxgtivIldQutnuzX8EPhaKvrklogSYxuPWxvAwYIsYC_bN8cbtN-2hp2y5kSbNR65wGr6vyVCe6J5MWRH90D-UdB70Gn2gWNgoY/s504/Ordinary%20Angels%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="504" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRJnrsCRlcoweIg8RN6ZLKV4r1xokUHiQ_5FTBxZtMqqF6q3d0gdeRBasYmXQc0vGxjasoOhhwqQX6s8VyrQc-wGXBxgtivIldQutnuzX8EPhaKvrklogSYxuPWxvAwYIsYC_bN8cbtN-2hp2y5kSbNR65wGr6vyVCe6J5MWRH90D-UdB70Gn2gWNgoY/w400-h266/Ordinary%20Angels%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Faced with stacks of overdue notices, Sharon (Hilary Swank) helps Ed (Alan Ritchson)<br />separate them into three piles, from "it can wait" to "extremely urgent."<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The fact that director Jon Gunn’s heartwarming film is based on actual events — astonishing actual events, at that — is icing on the cake.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Scripters Kelly Fremon Craig and Meg Tilly haven’t strayed far from what went down in Louisville, KY, in late 1993 and early ’94: a winter still remembered for a massive storm that dumped almost 16 inches of snow in a single night, killed at least five people, and left much of the city without power.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ed Schmitt remembers it for an entirely different reason ... but that’s getting ahead of things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gunn opens his film on tragedy, as Ed (Alan Ritchson) loses his wife Theresa (Amy Acker, seen only fleetingly) to Wegener’s disease, a rare and horrific condition that leads to organ failure. He’s left to function as a single parent to young daughters Ashley (Skywalker Hughes) and Michelle (Emily Mitchell).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">His wife’s loss isn’t the end of Ed’s anguish; Michelle was born with liver disease, which has worsened to the point that the little girl desperately needs a transplant. But that’s expensive, and dealing with Theresa’s illness and death left Ed with nothing but bills and overdue notices; he’s a blue-collar roofer with no means of quickly raising the necessary cash.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Elsewhere in the city, hard-living hairdresser Sharon Stevens (Hilary Swank) is on the fast track to alcoholic extinction. Her adult son wants nothing to do with her, and best friend Rose (Tamala Jones) can’t get her to acknowledge the drinking problem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then — proving anew that sometimes the best way to help yourself, is to help somebody else — Sharon spots a newspaper article that describes the Schmitt family’s plight, and appeals for help.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She impulsively decides to provide some.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But that’s an uphill sell, particularly after she crashes Theresa’s funeral service (a teeth-grindingly embarrassing sequence that’s almost impossible to endure, due to Swank’s performance). Even so, Sharon’s self-destructive tendencies are matched by an equally strong stubborn streak; she’s not one to take “no” for an answer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She therefore turns into a ferociously persistent, one-woman public relations machine ... albeit after a rocky start. (Political campaign managers should be so doggedly tenacious.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite his initial doubts and mistrust, Ed eventually succumbs to Sharon’s perseverance; he simply lacks other options.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And this is when the story <i>really</i> takes off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ritchson, best known as the embodiment of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher on the Amazon TV series, is a terrific example of casting against type; he’s perfect as Ed. Ritchson certainly has the build and bulk of a roofer, but — this is key — he persuasively conveys the man’s anguish and helplessness. Ed’s gaze says it all: His strength, physical presence and determination simply aren’t enough. The crisis is beyond his ability to handle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He's desperate, and needs help.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sharon also is desperate, albeit in an entirely different way. Swank’s richly nuanced performance suggests that, deep down, Sharon understands that she <i>needs</i> to become this family’s “ordinary angel.” It gives her focus and urgency (and you’ve gotta love Swank’s honeyed Kentucky drawl). As the days pass, she blossoms from out-of-control alcoholic to a woman of purpose ... even though the urge to drink remains constant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Craig and Tilly’s script soft-pedals the latter; it seems likely that Sharon would have endured some lapses. But that’s a forgivable omission.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jones is a hoot as the warm-hearted, tart-tongued Rose: the “voice of reckoning” who isn’t about to let Sharon succumb to her demons. Nancy Travis is terrific as Ed’s mother: the indomitable family rock who holds everything together, as matters become more dire.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Drew Powell makes the most of his brief role as Pastor Dave Stone, who’s instrumental in creating the help network that leads to the newspaper article that Sharon spots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Skywalker Hughes, recognized as the wise-beyond-her-years daughter of the title character in television’s <i>Joe Pickett</i>, is equally memorable here; she nails the “worried older sister” vibe. Little Emily Mitchell is achingly tragic, as Michelle becomes more wan and fragile.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The film takes two key liberties with actual fact. Hughes and Mitchell play the girls as slightly older than their counterparts, who were (respectively) 5 and 3 when these events went down. More significantly, Ashley was born with the same liver disease, and already had undergone a transplant prior to her younger sister going into crisis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Skipping the latter detail is understandable; it would have been too much trauma for one movie, and unbalanced Gunn’s desired blend of tragedy and triumph.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But what happens, as the film hits its third act, is <i>totally</i> faithful to reality ... and absolutely amazing. “Heartwarming” is an insufficient descriptor; you’ll leave this film with the broadest smile possible.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Which, clearly, is what all involved intended.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-44194566253768457712024-02-16T01:00:00.000-08:002024-02-16T01:00:00.146-08:00The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan — Energetic swash and buckle<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvWLpi5J-NI" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Not rated, but akin to PG-13 for violence and brief nudity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Amazon Prime and other VOD outlets</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s plenty to enjoy in this sumptuous, old-school adaptation of Dumas’ 1844 novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That said, Dumas purists might get cranky, because scripters Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patelliére have taken <i>serious</i> liberties with the author’s book.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_Fk7ATHAZUXOJ_bfP_OdXn2beCjqqQXuhU5kHZfqymB5fTjiypK906a906obwYQhdUtuUAZqr3W6gr-96Q7-DVhLspOSbnvv8o9fPwKnuxbgenDeuXuXrHLp6Lst8OL8Xh_mMOPvCLk-OKePL2P2mNIPrl5KZJEwzUDnfYQ4RmISXq2kSN1Bs-T62u0/s687/Three%20Musketeers%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="687" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig_Fk7ATHAZUXOJ_bfP_OdXn2beCjqqQXuhU5kHZfqymB5fTjiypK906a906obwYQhdUtuUAZqr3W6gr-96Q7-DVhLspOSbnvv8o9fPwKnuxbgenDeuXuXrHLp6Lst8OL8Xh_mMOPvCLk-OKePL2P2mNIPrl5KZJEwzUDnfYQ4RmISXq2kSN1Bs-T62u0/w400-h201/Three%20Musketeers%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">The musketeers — from left, Athos (Vincent Cassel), Aramis (Romain Duris) and<br />Porthos (Pio Marmaï) — are amused to discover that brash young D'Artagnan<br />(François Civil, back to camera) has arranged to duel all three of them ...<br />at hourly intervals.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was surprised to discover that this rip-snortin’ saga hasn’t been filmed in its native country since a 1959 TV movie with Jean-Paul Belmondo, starring as D’Artagnan. During that time, Hollywood gave us no fewer than <i>four</i> big-screen versions, most notably director Richard Lester’s two-parter in 1973 and ’74 (which, it must be mentioned, followed Dumas’ novel <i>very</i> faithfully).<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Director Martin Bourboulon and his writers mimicked that two-part template with their new Gallic adaptation; both halves debuted in France last year, and “Part 1” just hit video-on-demand in the States, with (I hope) the conclusion following soon.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The year is 1627, and France is a bitterly divided country. King Louis XIII (Louis Garrel) and his wife, Anne of Austria (Vicky Krieps), have yet to produce an heir, placing the monarchy in peril. Protestant separatists, supported by England, wish to establish their own state; this enrages the king’s Catholic advisors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Louis is cautious, though, not wanting to provoke a civil war ... but his younger brother Gaston, Duke of Orléans (Julien Frison), believes they should attack the Protestant rebels at their stronghold in La Rochelle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Waiting in the wings: Cardinal Richelieu (Èric Ruf), playing a nefarious long game with the expectation of seizing power himself. To that end, he has enlisted the aid of the villainous Milady de Winter (Eva Green, sublimely evil), to set a crafty plan in motion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of this is backdrop, as young D’Artagnan (François Civil) leaves his Gascony homeland in order to join the ranks of the King’s Musketeers in Paris. While en route, D’Artagnan unwittingly stumbles on an attempt by ruffians to kidnap a young noblewoman, Isabelle de Valcour (Charlotte Ranson). Alas, the kidnappers succeed, and D’Artagnan’s attempt at chivalry nearly proves fatal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Standing nearby, Milady smiles in satisfaction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Longtime fans will recognize what comes next. D’Artagnan arrives in Paris, garners an encouraging audience with Captain de Tréville (Marc Barbé), and then manages to insult — in quick succession — musketeers Athos (Vincent Cassel), Porthos (Pio Marmaï) and Aramis (Romain Duris). They demand satisfaction via duels in the nearby woods; D’Artagnan rashly books them at hourly intervals ... much to their amusement, when all three arrive together.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Richelieu has outlawed dueling, and a sizeable regiment of his guards arrive, with the intention of arresting the quartet. What follows is the first of the film’s energetically choreographed, hell-for-leather skirmishes; it’s exhilarating, messy and rather brutal, which follows Bourboulon’s insistence on a period-accurate dark and gritty environment. (Clearly, these guys don’t bathe very often.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another nice touch: Civil’s D’Artagnan goes all-in during this fight, and — toward the end — looks and moves like a man at the verge of total exhaustion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having proved his mettle, D’Artagnan and his new friends manage to avoid being arrested (which seems a stretch, given the damage they wreak on the Cardinal’s guards). D’Artagnan finds lodgings at a place managed by Constance Bonacieux (Lyna Khoudri), with whom he’s immediately smitten. He doesn’t yet realize that she also works for Anne, often acting as a go-between for the queen’s secret affair with the English Duke of Buckingham (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Richelieu learns of this ill-advised relationship; once again, long-time fans will know what he and Milady plan next, which becomes the story’s primary storyline.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But before that’s set in motion, Delaporte and de La Patelliére introduce a plot wrinkle that’ll certainly raise eyebrows ... and confound expectations, in terms of how things subsequently will transpire.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(I’m not saying it’s a <i>bad</i> twist, merely unexpected. It dovetails credibly with what has gone down thus far, and certainly is much more reasonable than the steampunk touches in 2011’s misfired “adaptation” of Dumas’ book.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Civil’s D’Artagnan is appropriately reckless, fearless and earnest; the actor also gives him a charming innocence, particularly during the playfully flirty banter he exchanges with Constance. Khoudri makes this young woman intelligent, brave and refreshingly feisty (a welcome change from the way Raquel Welch played the character as a clumsy doofus, in Lester’s two films).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Green steals the show, as the vile and crafty Milady; the actress literally oozes malevolence (as she has done many times before, in films such as <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2014/03/300-rise-of-empire-fall-of-movie.html" target="_blank">300: Rise of an Empire</a></i> and <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2014/09/sin-city-dame-to-kill-for-not-nearly.html" target="_blank">Sin City: A Dame to Kill For</a></i>). Green’s sinister smile and mocking demeanor are a chilling combination.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aramis has the most troubled back-story, and Cassel injects just the right amount of world-weariness. We sense that he greets each new day with resignation, and that he desperately needs some sort of cause, or challenge, to reawaken his nobler spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Porthos is the trio’s sybarite, and strikingly powerful presence; Marmaï makes him appropriately gregarious and lusty (and bisexual, which will raise eyebrows). He also gets some of the film’s occasionally mordant one-liners, as when D’Artagnan grows uneasy over the way information is being extracted from a grave-digger.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“I abhor torture,” the young man confesses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Everybody does,” Porthos cheerfully replies. “That’s why it works!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Duris’ Aramis is the quiet one, keeping himself to himself. He’s the group’s sharpest observer and student of human nature: appropriate for a man eventually destined for the priesthood (at which point, one imagines he’ll have plenty to repent).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ruf is an oddly flat presence as Richelieu: the film’s sole glaringly poor casting choice. (Charlton Heston, certainly no great actor, was a far more threatening Cardinal in Lester’s two films.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Production designer Stéphane Taillasson and cinematographer Nicolas Bolduc deftly establish time and place; their early 17th century looks rigorously authentic. Bourboulon also orchestrated a massive army of smaller roles and extras, and he meticulously avoided the use of any digital effects; the result feels like a 1960s-era epic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Do make a point of hanging around during the closing credits, in order to catch an important cut scene involving Richelieu.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m definitely awaiting the arrival of “The Three Musketeers: Milady,” which says a lot about this first half’s entertainment level.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-38194390082462656922024-02-16T00:30:00.000-08:002024-02-16T00:30:00.160-08:00Madame Web: Hopelessly tangled<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Madame Web </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_76M4c4LTo" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>One star (out of five). Rated PG-13, for action violence and profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 2.16.24</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the worst — and wholly failed — attempt at a high-profile superhero movie I’ve ever had the displeasure of enduring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_OTV-m_ia0IrUEq9EnkIMxry_gwgo80iK0ll7y9nd8F-deyb_OFF1-j2HERAiI4ZcRplVsi9KX-2UoPu4_4rg7EcjLMNeiEF4kcks6S-UDiV5BFAEfUfy9X-YgDxfBzBKV9K_XsDGK_3j3Qo5qIcAZUcV7znP19EbIr-tZfiCK6TboROzHqinRw9G6w/s576/Madame%20Web%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="576" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_OTV-m_ia0IrUEq9EnkIMxry_gwgo80iK0ll7y9nd8F-deyb_OFF1-j2HERAiI4ZcRplVsi9KX-2UoPu4_4rg7EcjLMNeiEF4kcks6S-UDiV5BFAEfUfy9X-YgDxfBzBKV9K_XsDGK_3j3Qo5qIcAZUcV7znP19EbIr-tZfiCK6TboROzHqinRw9G6w/w400-h215/Madame%20Web%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cassie (Dakota Johnson, rear) and her three new companions — from left, Mattie<br />(Celeste O'Connor), Anya (Isabela Merced) and Julia (Sydney Sweeney) — are<br />terrified to discover they're being pursued by a powerful, costumed assassin who can<br />scuttle along ceilings.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I cannot imagine what prompted Sony/Marvel to green-light this pathetic excuse for a script by five credited hands: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, Kerem Sanga and director S.J. Clarkson. <i>Nothing</i> — not the premise, plot, characters or dialogue — works, or feels even remotely like how real-world people would behave or talk.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">This filmmaking team clearly wished to create a franchise that would give teenage girl heroes an entry into Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, and that’s a noble goal.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To have squandered that opportunity so egregiously, however, is deplorable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Why these writers chose to re-invent such an obscure Marvel Comics character also is bewildering.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cassandra Webb — aka Madame Webb — has occasionally scuttled around the fringes of Spider-Man comics since her debut back in November 1980. She’s a “precognitive clairvoyant” who gets unexpected flashes of near-future events, and therefore is able to <i>change</i> them, ideally for better outcomes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But this numb-nuts script by Clarkson <i>et al</i> ignores most of that, instead setting this story’s events in an alternate universe that apparently lacks Spider-Man and all the other familiar Marvel superheroes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead, a brief prologue introduces the very pregnant Constance Webb (Kerry Bishé), as she searches the Peruvian jungle for a rare spider, whose venom is reputed to have powerful healing and enhancement properties. She’s accompanied by bodyguard Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who may as well have the phrase “actually a murderous opportunist” tattooed on his forehead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rahim has done better work in other films, but Clarkson clearly couldn’t inspire him here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sure enough, Sims shows his true colors once Constance finds one of the spiders; she’s mortally wounded in the subsequent scuffle. Sims gets away, while Constance is scooped up by — I’m not making this up — a hitherto-only-rumored tribe of web-garbed individuals with superhuman strength and agility, courtesy of the multitude of those same spiders with whom they’re <i>sympatico</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">These guys carry her off to an underground grotto, and successfully deliver her baby daughter; alas — despite a helpful bite by one of the spiders — Constance dies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Honestly, it’s hard not to laugh. The webby costumes are just silly, and their tree- and vine-hopping swiftness is ridiculously overstated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anyway...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Flash-forward roughly three decades. Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), having weathered a childhood in foster care, has become a skilled Manhattan paramedic. She’s a bit standoffish, really only comfortable with her partner, Ben (Adam Scott), and his wife, Mary (Emma Roberts).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The always reliable Scott delivers this film’s sole credible performance: a nice blend of integrity, kindness and wry humor.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cassie recently has been experiencing odd flashes of déjà vu, wherein she re-lives brief sequences at random moments. She’s puzzled, particularly when impulsively opening her apartment window allows a pigeon to survive, after she previously saw it smash into the closed window and die.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Elsewhere, Sims has amassed fabulous wealth — we’ve no idea how — and, thanks to frequent injections of venom from the spider he stole, has strength and agility akin to the Peruvians. He also is able to fatally poison people with pincer-like fangs in his palm (say <i>what</i>?), which he uses to dispose of the world’s most naïvely trusting NSA agent, after bedding and extracted her ultra-secret mainframe access code.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sims wants the NSA’s world-wide surveillance tool because, every night, he has the same nightmare of being killed — at some point in his future — by three arachnid-garbed superhero women. (One of them looks so absurd, that I burst out laughing during Monday’s preview screening.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sims’ solution: Kill their younger selves now, before they embrace their future roles.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To that end, he’s somehow able to extract their faces from his nightmares — I know, I know; you gotta roll with this lunacy — and feed the images to a surveillance network monitored by his talented hacker assistant, Amaria (Zosia Mamet), who apparently was born lacking ethics. She finds them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wonder of wonder, on this particular day, all three girls — who don’t know each other — board the same passenger train car as Cassie. She’s horrified to see a man (Sims) stride into the car and kill them ... but then flashes back a few minutes, to when all three get on the train, before Sims shows up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At which point, panicked, she yells at them to follow her off the train ... and they do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Yeah, right. They obey a lunatic stranger.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The rest of the film follows Cassie’s efforts to a) learn more about her precog powers; and b) somehow prevent Sims from killing Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Anya (Isabela Merced) and Mattie (Celeste O’Connor). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(From this point onward, Sims’ garb of choice is an ugly riff on our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’s costume. If that’s intended to be some sort of inside joke, it falls flat.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">For the most part, the girls go along with Cassie’s increasingly absurd behavior, which we’re supposed to accept because they’re mostly on their own. Julia’s father’s new family doesn’t want her; the undocumented Anya’s father was deported six months earlier, and she (somehow) has evaded her apartment landlord the entire time; and smug, smart-assed Mattie’s parents work overseas and don’t give a damn about her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Nothing</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> these girls say or do is the slightest bit credible, thanks both to the idiotic dialogue the actresses are fed, and Clarkson’s inability to draw anything approaching persuasive performances from them. Junior high school drama clubs could do a better job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Johnson isn’t much better. She’s far more adept at slutty <i>femme fatale</i> roles in stuff like 2015’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-bigger-splash-only-ripple.html" target="_blank">A Bigger Splash</a></i> and 2018’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2018/10/bad-times-at-el-royale-well-titled.html" target="_blank">Bad Times at the El Royale</a></i>, or the full-blown trash of the hilariously overcooked <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2015/02/fifty-shades-of-grey-colorless.html" target="_blank">Fifty Shades of Grey</a></i> trilogy. Johnson’s go-to expression here is “bewildered.” She can’t even do panic credibly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One gets the impression she had no idea how to handle this nonsense, and therefore didn’t try.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We also must suffer through an interlude that finds Cassie traveling to Peru, in order to find the spider-tribe and Learn Everything from the Yoda-like Santiago (José María Yazpik, and I’m amazed he didn’t crack up midway through his inane explanations).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Since this sorry script ignores everything else about reality, it’s also a hoot that Cassie somehow manages to instantaneously set up travel arrangements, fly to Peru, bus and hike to the right location, find Santiago, experience the spiderwebbish wonders of her <i>myasthenia gravis</i> (the scope of her powers), hike back to civilization, and fly back to Manhattan, <i>all in a single week</i> ... arriving <i>just</i> in time to intervene as Sims is about to succeed in his murderous rampage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(She must have one helluva travel agent.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At which point, I could do naught but throw up my hands in disgust.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Clarkson’s film concludes on a note that clearly anticipates multiple sequels ... which obviously never will happen, given how quickly this train wreck will tank.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Shortly after meeting the girls, Cassie briefly leaves them hiding in the woods outside the city, and sternly warns them, “Don’t do dumb stuff.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In hindsight, that’s a hilarious line ... because they couldn’t have done anything dumber than signing up for this bomb.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-22078793791623576292024-02-09T01:00:00.000-08:002024-02-09T01:00:00.149-08:00The Teachers' Lounge: An unsettling real-world parable<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The Teachers' Lounge </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YgQBGqhTcM" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for occasional profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 2.9.24</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As director Ilker Çatak’s thoughtful drama reaffirms, the road to hell continues to be paved with good intentions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSh2p_hwuG6N6PmThnoUGjuWcCCNeU8LyahkkqVdAWSe8RRGv42SmefFn9trUX3TeV3ERlUYMdzIr01OzxLGNr9ElwpIdP-B-pd-oFPmURBCj8QbEICStyvnFD9lUJ4oE8MeE9DTVpKCAGNLfpty84tV_ZTGTme8qcJF8Hn6WPxnZWujpqsMjbno8MjHI/s461/The%20Teachers%20Lounge%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="461" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSh2p_hwuG6N6PmThnoUGjuWcCCNeU8LyahkkqVdAWSe8RRGv42SmefFn9trUX3TeV3ERlUYMdzIr01OzxLGNr9ElwpIdP-B-pd-oFPmURBCj8QbEICStyvnFD9lUJ4oE8MeE9DTVpKCAGNLfpty84tV_ZTGTme8qcJF8Hn6WPxnZWujpqsMjbno8MjHI/w400-h300/The%20Teachers%20Lounge%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Carla (Leonie Benesch) knows that Oskar (Leo Stettnisch) is one of her brightest students,<br />but he's also withdrawn; she wonders how best to reach and engage him.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Çatak and co-scripter Johannes Duncker intend their story’s middle school setting to be a microcosm of the outside world, with respect to defensiveness, unintentionally bruised feelings, political maneuvering, failure to communicate and outright lying.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">At first blush, though, things seem reasonably comfortable.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The location is deliberately vague and ambiguous; this could be any school, in any city. Carla Nowak (Leonie Benesch) nurtures a positive, respectful and productive atmosphere in her seventh-grade classroom. Her students like her, but she doesn’t get similar “warm cozies” from much of the staff; Carla is new to the school, and many of the veteran teachers have long-established cliques in their lounge, between classes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the story begins, teachers have become concerned about an ongoing series of thefts: money and property, stolen from students and adults. For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, suspicion falls on somebody in Carla’s class. A meeting is set up by senior teachers Thomas Liebenwerda (Michael Klammer) and Milosz Dudek (Rafael Stachowiak); Carla’s unease rises as they become increasingly insistent with seventh-grade class representatives Jenny (Antonia Küpper) and Lucas (Oscar Zickur).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Carla is dismayed when Thomas finally manipulates an answer from the children ... but, given her newcomer status, she doesn’t feel comfortable enough to voice her concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The following day’s classroom activities are highlighted by one of Carla’s brightest students, Oskar (Leo Stettnisch), who solves a complex math problem involving limits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Pre-calculus, in seventh grade? American kids better watch out, or they’ll be eaten for lunch.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The happy moment is interrupted by the arrival of the principal, Dr. Bettina Böhm (Anne-Kathrin Gummich), along with Liebenwerda and Dudek. What follows is inappropriately heavy-handed; the outcome reveals that one student, Ali Yilmaz (Can Rodenbostel), has an “unacceptably large” amount of money in his wallet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That’s the worst sort of circumstantial “evidence,” and easily swatted aside by Ali’s parents, when they show up. They indignantly suggest that racism was behind their son’s being accused: an allegation that neither Böhm, Dudek or Liebenwerda can refute.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Böhm lamely justifies the “process” as being required by the school’s “zero-tolerance policy” (a contemptible blanket excuse that continues to be responsible for all manner of real-world harassment, unjust accusation and punishment).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Later, in the teachers’ lounge, Carla voices her strong disapproval; Liebenwerda once again defends the school response. The room’s atmosphere becomes brittle, and this is the best aspect of how Çatak handles his excellent cast: This seemingly minor “problem” slowly blossoms into a cancer that soon will alienate students against teachers — even the one, Carla, they’ve previously liked and trusted — and teachers against staff and each other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Determined to prove that <i>all</i> her students are innocent, Carla sets a trap; her ploy proves successful, and the actual culprit’s identity is obvious. But here’s where matters become <i>really</i> complicated: That individual angrily denies the charge — in what most people would recognize as an overly loud and defensive manner — and accuses Carla of an illegal secret recording, which “violates personal privacy rights.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Zero-tolerance policy, again. At which point, Çatak and Duncker’s core message becomes blindingly clear: <i>Nothing</i> can be accomplished — in this school, or the outside world — under the burden of so many zero tolerance policies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“The school is like a society trapped in itself,” Çatak explains, in the film’s production notes, “where no action is taken, only a lot of dust is raised by a lot of talk, to end up with a very unsatisfactory results: Everyone is damaged.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(That said, it’s easy to see why Germany lets the scale swing so far on this issue; memories of the <i>stasi</i> won’t die quickly.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The collateral damage is crippling, since it affects the promising relationship Carla has nurtured with one of her students. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This crisis notwithstanding, the school’s student/teacher dynamics are fascinating, particularly when compared to their American counterparts. These students have a much stronger voice in all aspects from curriculum to discipline; the student reps are present at meetings that one would expect would be adults-only. (One assumes this is a progressive school, but still...)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Social media plays its usual damaging role, but even the school newspaper staff members behave more like intractable interrogators than investigative reporters willing to suss out actual truth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, through it all, Carla becomes trapped in a expanding whirlwind of her own creation, which threatens the stability of the school environment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Benesch’s performance is sublime. Carla subtly shifts from the cheerful, friendly and passionate instructor we initially meet, to bewildered, then angry, then frightened and finally — worst of all — powerless. Most of this is accomplished without dialogue, solely via Benesch’s expressions, posture and eyes that eventually grow wider than we’d have thought possible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many of the children also stand out (and not always for positive reasons). They’re well-developed characters, and they <i>look</i> like seventh-graders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marvin Miller’s “score” is little more than plucked single strings, which heighten the developing — and quite unsettling — tension.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All this said, questions remain. One of Carla’s fellow teachers remains kind to her throughout, and they exchange a hug at a key moment. Is their relationship deeper than mere work colleagues? And what is the nature of Carla’s relationship with the man with whom she shares a videotelechat, toward the film’s beginning?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On top of which, few will be satisfied by the ambiguity of Çatak and Duncker’s concluding scene. I suspect the director would argue “That’s the way it is, in the real world,” but even so; far too many chads are left hanging. (Much as I’d like to cite a few, they’d be spoilers.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even so, Çatak and Duncker have an unerring sense of today’s work dynamics and relationships ... which is to say, we’re</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">all</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">in a bad place, given this degree of suspicion and reflexive hostility. It’s no surprise this film is Germany’s Oscar nominee for Best International Feature Film.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-73477659120982554822024-02-09T00:30:00.000-08:002024-02-09T00:30:00.143-08:00Orion and The Dark: Joyously illuminating<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Orion and The Dark </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cScAQ2O26Y4" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated TV-Y7, and suitable for all ages</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Netflix</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As he introduces himself, at the beginning of this delightful animated film, Orion claims to be “a kid just like you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But that isn’t quite true.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHydfU9Cw3iiUW_PjHwdiJuotcB9mvF8iQgTE6ZAWnYvEKRKvTnWpRaTYhSBNMWDnr-H2uiprC6e9Vp3zCQziIJ5fchuTrmXwvz_YS7xv5UM0uwRoQGaCM9UTOYpHGB_eBKPF5S8VW2U11ZwyhoSt-Ak8zjUBZsb0fMmHbAzVRWAOPKmTvAQCoqpdt6gA/s576/Orion%20and%20The%20Dark%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="576" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHydfU9Cw3iiUW_PjHwdiJuotcB9mvF8iQgTE6ZAWnYvEKRKvTnWpRaTYhSBNMWDnr-H2uiprC6e9Vp3zCQziIJ5fchuTrmXwvz_YS7xv5UM0uwRoQGaCM9UTOYpHGB_eBKPF5S8VW2U11ZwyhoSt-Ak8zjUBZsb0fMmHbAzVRWAOPKmTvAQCoqpdt6gA/w400-h209/Orion%20and%20The%20Dark%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Orion is understandably apprehensive when his late-night bedroom is invaded by a<br />partially shapeless, ink-black apparition that introduces himself as Dark.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All kids fret about this or that, but Orion’s fears are on an entirely different level. To quote Charlie Brown, his anxieties have anxieties.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">As Orion soon confesses, he worries about...</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• Murderous gutter clowns;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• Cancer-causing cell phone waves;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• Mosquito bites getting infected, causing a limb to wither and drop off;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• Falling off a skyscraper;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• Being responsible for his team losing;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• Being rejected by Sally, the girl he worships from afar;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• School locker rooms, particularly when local bully Richie Panici is present; and<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">• Bees, dogs, the ocean, haircuts and monsters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of this is depicted in a colorful, crayon-style animated rush lifted from the artwork in Orion’s personal journal: a style distinct from the more traditional animation work in this DreamWorks charmer from director Sean Charmatz, making an impressive big-screen feature debut.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Most</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> of all, though, Orion is afraid of the dark. He insists on sleeping with night lights, and his bedroom door open. His tolerant parents haven’t quite given up on him, but they’re running out of ideas; he blatantly rejects their insistence that much of what he professes to fear would be <i>fun</i>, if he simply yielded to the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“<i>Fun</i>?” he retorts. “Fun is just a word people made up, to make danger sound more appealing!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Orion and The Dark</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> is adapted from British author Emma Yarlett’s captivating 2014 children’s picture book ... although “adapted” isn’t quite the right word. Her book actually is a jumping-off point for a pleasantly mind-boggling script by Charlie Kaufman, who previously perplexed our brains with <i>Being John Malkovich</i>, <i>Adaptation</i> and <i>Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind</i> (the latter earning him a well-deserved Academy Award).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Trust Kaufman to weave a singularly unique, existentialist storytelling style into a children’s fantasy, while smoothly blending this with Yarlett’s gentle wisdoms.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On this particularly night, Orion (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is visited by an ink-black apparition dubbed Dark (Paul Walter Hauser, doing a spot-on imitation of Seth Rogen), who is determined to defend his role in The Nature Of Things. Night must follow day, he insists, and darkness is as essential as his counterpart, Light (a sun-worshiping surfer dude given mild, beach-bro pomposity by Ike Barinholtz).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Orion doesn’t buy it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fine, Dark responds, and challenges Orion to accompany him on a typical night’s journey. The boy really isn’t given a choice, and quickly finds himself astride this shadowy, mostly shapeless companion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They’re quickly joined by Dark’s equally indispensable companions, who help — or hinder — our ability to enjoy a restful night: Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), whose role is obvious; Insomnia (Nat Faxon), who whispers festering apprehensions in our ears; Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), who alarms us by — for example — banging trash cans together; the gentle Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), who absorbs and eliminates unwanted nighttime sounds; and, most crucially, Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They’re all appalled by Dark’s having brought along a human interloper, a viewpoint made clear during their hourly café breaks when crossing each time zone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Orion’s subsequent adventures, during the course of this wild ’n’ crazy night, prove enlightening on numerous levels ... and not just for him. Dark confronts some of his own insecurities, most notably the feeling that he runs a distant second to Light, who — every day — brings radiant smiles to people throughout the world.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And, just as Dark’s five companions feared, events build to a crisis...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">...which prompts an unexpected, eyebrow-lifting narrative twist by Kaufman that you’ll <i>never</i> anticipate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The film’s lush visual style — a blend of cartoonish, playfully exaggerated character design and more realistic backgrounds, —comes from the talented crew at France’s Mikros Animation; they previously teamed with DreamWorks on 2017’s <i>Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie</i>. We get an immediate sense of what’s to come, in this new film, from their whimsical handling of the iconic DreamWorks logo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dark’s five companions are designed according to their function. Sleep, resembling a cuddly plush toy, is in constant danger of nodding off himself. Insomnia, a garish green insectoid with an oversized head, is an obvious pest. Unexplained Noises looks like a robot built from spare parts from a dozen different kits; the mouse-like Quiet speaks so softly that she can be “heard” only via closed captions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As for Sweet Dreams ... well, she’s regal and luminescent, like Bassett herself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Gentle epiphanies emerge throughout this adventure, all of which help make Orion more self-assured: among them, “The only stories that really help are the true ones” and “So much of how you see yourself, is through the eyes of others.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Along with Orion’s climactic insight — not to be revealed here — which is on par with Dorothy Gale’s realization that “There’s no place like home.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many animated films arrive bearing messages, but few have done so with such wily creativity. Yarlett must be pleased, and you’re certain to feel the same.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-3783635541512782052024-02-02T01:00:00.000-08:002024-02-02T01:00:00.135-08:00Argylle: Fails to knock our socks off<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Argylle </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mgu9mNZ8Hk" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>2.5 stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, and much too generously, for relentless strong violence and occasional profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 2.2.24</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’m not the slightest bit surprised to recall that scripter Jason Fuchs’ early résumé includes 2012’s <i>Ice Age: Continental Drift</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because, after a promising first act, this new spy comedy devolves into an increasingly insufferable — and boring — live-action cartoon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlYFFRhR29Mg0_xv6mhVdU2T9M1VCEha2yV4jCl4_Ch5zjsOcyP0Bu5ajgpITNvOt1_X9v9viZ61XLCE0vTN-nPfGOot3xzE6U4Jc4XRE4mjKrHUF3thBQoi6sRQrNaWPbRKP4AIZ9IA6LxE2heG3NioVWU_2mVcxwbbZ98AYMNesQbrOeUcWi3BZ2GM/s504/Argylle%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="504" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlYFFRhR29Mg0_xv6mhVdU2T9M1VCEha2yV4jCl4_Ch5zjsOcyP0Bu5ajgpITNvOt1_X9v9viZ61XLCE0vTN-nPfGOot3xzE6U4Jc4XRE4mjKrHUF3thBQoi6sRQrNaWPbRKP4AIZ9IA6LxE2heG3NioVWU_2mVcxwbbZ98AYMNesQbrOeUcWi3BZ2GM/w400-h266/Argylle%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Having discovered a secret stash in an otherwise abandoned London safe house, Aidan<br />(Sam Rockwell) is surprised to see that Elly (Bryce Dallas Howard) recognizes some<br />of the concealed tech.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Director Matthew Vaughn has long favored violent, over-the-top material, from 2010’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2010/04/kick-ass-quite-kick.html" target="_blank">Kick-Ass</a></i> to the <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2015/02/kingsman-gleefully-vicious-carnage.html" target="_blank">Kingsman</a> </i>trilogy (with, so it seems, two more on the way). But even by his outré standards, this film’s third act spirals totally out of control.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">And not in a way that can be excused as “dumb fun.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This one’s just dumb.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A revved-up prologue opens as stylish spy Argylle (Henry Cavill) meets a <i>femme</i> most <i>fatale</i>, who unexpectedly turns the tables on him. A rambunctious chase sequence follows, the woman finally captured with the assistance of colleagues Wyatt (John Cena) and Keira (Ariana DeBose).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the mission has ended badly, and our good guys now are isolated from their agency handlers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At which point the curtain pulls back, and all this is revealed as the visualized final chapter of book five in the popular Argylle spy series, read aloud at a bookstore event by author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard). Fans adore her and the series; one questioner wonders aloud how she’s able to so uncannily concoct stories that seem to anticipate real-world events.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Plenty of dull research Elly replies, with a modest smile.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back at home with her beloved cat Alfie, Ellie has an intriguing “relationship” with her series character; when stuck for a bit of dialogue, or how to move the action along, she “becomes” him — Cavill obligingly reappears — long enough to find the right words. Indeed, she has just finished the sixth novel, which she cheekily intends to conclude on a cliffhanger.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Oh, those merciless authors; they <i>do</i> love to torture us readers.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Elly’s No. 1 fan — her mother, Ruth (Catherine O’Hara) — having been sent a copy, can’t believe that her daughter would be so cruel. Let’s get together, Ruth proposes, and we’ll brainstorm a final chapter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bundling Alfie into the world’s cutest hard-shell bubble capsule pet carrier, Elly boards a train. (Flying terrifies her.) She winds up accosted by Aidan (Sam Rockwell), a scruffy fan who proves quite useful when everybody else in their train car suddenly tries to kill them both. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cue a lively fracas, which is well-staged by fight choreographer Guillermo Grispo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Turns out these assassins work for Ritter (Bryan Cranston), director of an off-book, black-ops agency with clearly evil intentions. Such details emerge in a rush from Aidan, who further explains that Elly’s gift for creative spyjinks have made her of interest to Ritter, who wishes to kidnap her and mine her imagination, in order to anticipate likely “what will happen next?” world scenarios.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Yes, that’s a bit of a lift ... but certainly a cheeky one.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Subsequent key players pop up in a rush, including Saba Al-Badr, the “keeper of secrets” (Sofia Boutella, well remembered as the lethal Gazelle, in Vaughn’s first <i>Kingsman</i> film); and Alfred “Alfie” Solomon (Samuel L. Jackson), a former spymaster who has retired to his own private vineyard in France.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As Vaughn and Fuchs move their film into its second act, the “all is not as it seems” touches accelerate in a manner that initially seems quite slick (and answers our numerous rising questions).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But once a couple of seemingly final Big Surprises are revealed ... everything goes to hell.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fuchs can’t resist mounting ever more triple-, quadruple- and quintuple-crosses, until trying to keep up proves exhausting. Worse yet, the aforementioned third act descends into an orgy of bullet- and blade-inflicted violence that seriously stresses the film’s PG-13 rating.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Elly nonetheless makes a captivating protagonist, as she tries to keep up with all this madness. Howard makes her appropriately flustered, bewildered and even terrified, although we also sense a core of steel that occasionally proves useful. The funniest bit comes when Aidan tries to teach her how to stomp, twist and break a downed bad guy’s neck: a maneuver that prompts all manner of grimaces, squinches, groans and eyes turned heavenward by Howard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Does Elly actually do it? I’ll never tell...)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rockwell makes ample use of long-suffering sighs and his signature deadpan humor, as poor Aidan alternately tries to cajole and browbeat Elly into getting with the program. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cranston makes a suitable villain, and Jackson has fun with a role he mostly phoned in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The film’s true star, though, is Alfie: an expressive Scottish Fold tabby named Chip, and owned by Vaughn and wife Claudia Schiffer. Aside from always looking adorable in his bubble carrier, Alfie ultimately plays a key role in these proceedings (although it’s obvious that some of his activity is handled by a CGI stunt double).</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Argylle</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">has moments, the tediously extended and progressively ridiculous conclusion destroys the first act’s marginal good will. One hopes Vaughn</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">doesn’t</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">intend to make this a series.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-91565984521827648992024-01-26T01:00:00.000-08:002024-01-26T01:00:00.241-08:00The Zone of Interest: Horrifying, but flawed<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The Zone of Interest </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-vfg3KkV54" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>3.5 stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for dramatic intensity and disturbing content</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Given the alarming rise of antisemitism and Holocaust denial during the past several years, this film’s arrival couldn’t be more timely. Academy voters obviously thought so, and granted it five Oscar nominations.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBJ-gNEcNZEMcOnnOdWTRrHxS01eEte7A5RyTPvFQjE1jLQVkJ5SIvfVcnJQBDKy-AfxpLk6WydMroMp2J5twgvPxMlgyWkB3k8TKb-buOs8g8gHO1f2jA10N9tLp1rza-Nh-i0pSObbIyLNrLv04s_70xBYAP9cfWlL9fCqMZDJfgtNd9yBYQh8FwPA/s479/Zone%20of%20Interest%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="479" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFBJ-gNEcNZEMcOnnOdWTRrHxS01eEte7A5RyTPvFQjE1jLQVkJ5SIvfVcnJQBDKy-AfxpLk6WydMroMp2J5twgvPxMlgyWkB3k8TKb-buOs8g8gHO1f2jA10N9tLp1rza-Nh-i0pSObbIyLNrLv04s_70xBYAP9cfWlL9fCqMZDJfgtNd9yBYQh8FwPA/w400-h289/Zone%20of%20Interest%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rudolf (Christian Friedel, standing far left, dressed in white) and his family invite friends<br />for an afternoon romp in his wife's carefully nurtured garden, all of them oblivious to<br />what takes place on the other side of the barbed-wire-topped wall at one edge<br />of their property.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Director/scripter Jonathan Glazer’s extremely loose adaptation of Martin Amis’ 2014 novel is undoubtedly one of the most chilling and memorably haunting movies ever made: an unusual Holocaust story which — like long-ago radio dramas — derives its power from what it makes us <i>imagine</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Amis based his novel’s cold-blooded villain, Paul Doll, on Auschwitz concentration camp commandant Rudolf Höss; Glazer boldly draws directly from history in his depiction of the actual Rudolf (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), their five boisterous children, and the bucolic setting in which they live.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Bucolic,” only by force of disregard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The year is 1943. Glazer opens his film on a charming pastoral scene, as Rudolf and his family are joined by friends for a riverbank picnic. (Actually, this <i>isn’t</i> how the film begins, but I’ll get back to that.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Everybody returns home after an enjoyable day of sun, splashing in the water, and convivial conversation. Rudolf and his family live in a charming multi-story villa, their every need tended by quietly obedient young women. Hedwig delights in the Edenic garden she has nurtured behind their home, with the assistance of numerous workmen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Glazer stages these outdoor scenes against the tall, barbed-wire-topped concrete wall that runs the length of their property: the most grisly theater backdrop ever imagined, with unspeakable horrors taking place behind this stage’s metaphorical closed curtain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(The 40-square-kilometer area immediately surrounding the Auschwitz concentration camp was designated by the Nazi SS as <i>interessengebiet</i>: the “zone of interest.” Höss and his family did indeed live therein, alongside the camp.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Glazer calmly, clinically — <i>relentlessly</i> — depicts the banality of the day-by-day Höss family life. Hedwig shows flowers and buzzing bees to their infant daughter. Younger son Hans (Luis Noah Witte) plays with toy soldiers and occasionally beats a toy drum; his sisters Heidetraut (Lilli Falk) and Inge-Brigitt (Nele Ahrensmeier) cavort in the small swimming pool their father built, complete with wooden slide.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We can’t call their behavior denial; that’s too easy. It’s actually indifference. While evil comes in many forms, <i>casual</i>evil arguably is the worst.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Quiet atrocities mount. Shortly after each transport train departs, bundles of clothing are delivered to the Höss home. “Pick one you like,” Hedwig tells her children and staff, before heading into her bedroom to preen in front of a mirror, wearing a “new” fur coat. She finds lipstick in one pocket, and uses it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hedwig’s workmen pull weeds and then till her garden soil with the readily available ash. Hans stays up at night with a flashlight: not to read comic books, but to examine his collection of gold-filled teeth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Early on, Rudolf meets with engineers who proudly display plans for new and improved crematoria, which will “cycle” hundreds of Jews each day, via alternating furnaces. Given their detachment, the men could be discussing the fine points of a sawmill processing lumber.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside from that, and one brief later scene that frames Rudolf against billowing gray smoke, we’re never confronted with what takes place on the other side of that massive wall. Cinematographer Lukasz Zal’s camera never goes inside.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Glazer and sound designers Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn ensure that we <i>hear</i> it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Day and night: an aural onslaught of moans, thumps, cries, gunshots, barked commands and a constant unspeakable roar ... Mordor’s Black Pits writ tangible. Glazer explains, in his production notes, that he made <i>two</i> movies: the one we see, and the one we hear. They complement each another, and both verge on unbearable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not that Rudolf and his family seem to notice, or care.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And yet ... despite the artifice and pretense, the Höss paradise is not without flaws: cracks in a Satanic, stained-glass universe. Rudolf takes two of his children fishing at the nearby river: a serene setting that goes awry when the water surface subtly changes, at the upper right of Zal’s framing shot. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Is it just reflected sunlight? Are we imagining it?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But no; what soon is revealed as a widening blanket of gray sludge prompts Rudolf into hasty action. He pulls the children from the water and bundles them home, where they’re painfully scrubbed in scalding water. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Inge-Brigitt has nightmares, and sleepwalks. When Hedwig’s mother Elfryda (Medusa Knopf) visits, the older woman initially is charmed by the surface pastoral grandeur of the life her daughter has made. But Elfryda’s good humor shifts to revulsion that night, when confronted with the unceasing sounds, smells and charnel-house glow (a deft bit of silent acting by Knopf).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Friedel’s Rudolf is coldly clinical: the epitome of Nazi efficiency, even during trivial moments as when he switches off all the house lights, Zal’s camera tracking his movements from hallway to room, before retiring for the night. Friedel is so stoic that his occasional bursts of laughter are jarring, as when he and Hedwig tease each other from their separate single beds.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rudolf is a doting father ... although we get the impression that he fulfills this role because it’s <i>expected</i>, not because he genuinely loves his children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hüller tricks us. At first blush Hedwig seems to be cheerfully apathetic and complacent: the model of an obedient wife. But her true colors emerge when Rudolf is promoted to deputy inspector of all concentration camps, and must relocate to Oranienburg, near Berlin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hedwig is furious at the very thought of having to abandon her garden-laden “nirvana.” She refuses to leave, becoming shrill, spiteful and mean to her servant girls; one particularly nasty remark erases all doubt. Rudolf may “console” himself with the belief that he’s fulfilling a purpose, but Hedwig is a greedy, predatory, unfeeling monster.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, this film’s power frequently is diluted by Glazer’s increasingly irritating stylistic touches, and his inability to get out of his own way. Over the course of a few nights, Rudolf reads “Hansel and Gretel” to his daughters (which, you’ll recall, concludes when Gretel shoves the witch into her own oven, and cooks her to death).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This charming bedroom setting vanishes as Rudolf’s narration continues against scenes of a young Polish girl, who risks her life each night to gather apples and pears, which she hides at the prisoners’ trench work sites, so they can find and eat them. But why does Zal shift to infrared for these surreal sequences? To make the girl look like a ghost? It’s also difficult to tell what she’s doing, and seems weird for its own sake. And annoying.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Getting back to how Glazer actually begins his film, the title — white text against a black background — slowly fades away as we’re left staring at a dark screen for two (three?) minutes, while assaulted by weird noises which — at this moment — have no context. (You’ll swear the theater projector’s bulb burned out. It didn’t; just be patient.) After what seems an eternity, Glazer finally cuts to the aforementioned riverside picnic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He concludes the film the same way, and the effect does not improve with repetition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At another point, about halfway in, Glazer intercuts blank, bright redness for several seconds. (Because ... why?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the other hand, our final image of Rudolf, as he slowly descends the stairs of an otherwise empty building, and then peers down a long, dark hallway, cleverly cuts to a future beyond his imagination ... but <i>we</i> know what is being showcased.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s no question that Glazer hopes his work will join the pantheon of memorable Holocaust films, alongside</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">The Diary of Anne Frank</i><span style="font-family: arial;">,</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Au Revoir Les Enfants</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Schindler’s List</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">... but, sadly, his self-indulgence places it behind those masterpieces.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-50782386866236800552024-01-19T01:00:00.000-08:002024-02-01T07:28:48.448-08:00Fast Charlie: A briskly paced crime saga<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Fast Charlie </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEjexRdeuo0" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>3.5 stars (out of five). Rated 18+, for strong bloody violence, gore and frequent profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Amazon Prime and other video-on-demand options</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Phillip Noyce’s résumé as a thriller director runs hot and cold; for every <i>Quiet American</i> and <i>The Bone Collector</i>, he has bottomed out with swill such as <i>Sliver</i> and <i>The Desperate Hour</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></i></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpv6Bw_Emmd59vsDqDabtt7ZTKOxucP5nImVXe_9iqEaP55cZ4Wovw52LBr_rNdrgS1kdbo5sOo9QfnEKHNoflRH19PgdE5r0kxLcDwbbxlxOj8vvlANkoc-rsb780xUPf1T_X_x-2e6bicwo1wPmXTGhyphenhyphenAJua9z_AOfxqOnCRnUiVb7RIJ0gDMasvuDE/s635/Fast%20Charlie%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="635" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpv6Bw_Emmd59vsDqDabtt7ZTKOxucP5nImVXe_9iqEaP55cZ4Wovw52LBr_rNdrgS1kdbo5sOo9QfnEKHNoflRH19PgdE5r0kxLcDwbbxlxOj8vvlANkoc-rsb780xUPf1T_X_x-2e6bicwo1wPmXTGhyphenhyphenAJua9z_AOfxqOnCRnUiVb7RIJ0gDMasvuDE/w400-h217/Fast%20Charlie%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Marcie (Morena Baccarin) is completely surprised by an unexpected double-cross,<br />although Charlie (Pierce Brosnan) had his suspicions. But what will they do about it?<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Fast Charlie</span></i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> falls somewhere in between, with Pierce Brosnan’s laconic charm giving Richard Wenk’s bare-bones script more juice than it deserves. The film is adapted loosely from Victor Gischler’s 2001 crime novel, <i>Gun Monkeys</i>, retaining the core plot beats while abandoning the dark humor that finds the author sharing territory with Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiaasen.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Wenk — undoubtedly with input from Brosnan — also has softened the title character. He’s still a ruthless killer, but solely in the service of restoring honor; most notably, the film’s Charlie Swift doesn’t take out cops.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The story settles into well-worn territory, with Charlie a career “concierge” — please, don’t call him an “enforcer” — for elderly crime boss Stan Mullen (James Caan, genuinely touching in his final film role). Stan has long controlled Mob operations in Biloxi, Miss., with a well-honed crew that oversees various profitable enterprises. But his memory has been failing with age; Charlie spends every possible moment helping the man he has called a friend for decades.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stan and his crew are <i>family</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the times, they are a-changing. Beggar Johnson (Gbebga Akinnagbe), an ambitious up-and-comer not inclined to patience with The Way Things Have Been Done, has his eye on Stan’s territory.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Charlie — an accomplished chef on the side, who loves Italian food — has been contemplating retirement. Under ideal circumstances, he’ll succumb to his long-nurtured dream of buying and restoring an Italian villa. (This is a real thing: One can purchase a property for just 1 euro, with the understanding that it’ll be properly renovated within a specific deadline.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But — wouldn’t you know it — circumstances swiftly cease to be ideal, and Charlie suddenly is faced with scores to settle: the ol’ “one last time” scenario.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The cascading chain of events begins with a request from Stan’s boss, Sal (Fredric Lehne), to whack a low-life named Rollo, as a favor to Beggar. To Charlie’s dismay, he’s “asked” to let a smart-mouthed newbie dubbed Blade (Brennan Keel Cook) handle the actual deed. In Wenk’s sole scripted nod to Gischler’s sardonic touches, the assignment goes horribly awry, leaving Charlie with a body that can’t be identified ... and how would <i>that</i> satisfy Beggar?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The resourceful Charlie apologetically visits Rollo’s ex, Marcie (Morena Baccarin), hoping she might be able to, um, provide proof of identity. Marcie turns out to be a tough cookie: a philosophical taxidermist with longtime knowledge of mob behavior, thanks to the several years she wasted with Rollo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Turns out the assassination was only part of Beggar’s intentions; he’s also desperate to find and destroy some sort of incriminating evidence that Rollo has hidden away. Marcie, in turn, has long wanted the $50,000 that her ex once promised her.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When Beggar ups the ante by moving against Stan and his crew, Charlie realizes that balance must be restored.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although the escalating body count threatens to move this film into <i>John Wick</i> territory, Brosnan’s scruffy, laid-back charisma keeps matters palatable. Noyce and his editors — Lee Haugen, Sherwood Jones and Jered Zalman — move things along at a fast-paced clip; the 90-minute running time feels just right.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A few of the executions — deliberate and, in one case, accidental — are imaginatively gruesome, and needlessly gory; the film’s 18+ rating is well deserved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Baccarin brings plenty of sultry sass to Marcie, who proves impressively capable at key moments; she and Brosnan share flirty, world-weary chemistry. Both these characters have witnessed and done too much; the question is whether an actual relationship can be salvaged from their complicated pasts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And whether one or both will survive long enough to find out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sharon Gless appears fleetingly as Rollo’s foul-mouthed and thoroughly repugnant mother (and I can’t imagine what prompted her to take the role). The hulking Christopher Matthew Cook is genuinely terrifying as “The Freak,” Beggar’s No. 1 assassin.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Fast Charlie</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> won’t win any points for originality, but it’s an engaging and suspenseful little package: not a bad way to spend a Friday evening.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-27180061320465313872024-01-12T01:00:00.000-08:002024-01-22T17:22:28.922-08:00Mean Girls: Spitefully high-spirited<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Mean Girls </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFtdbEgnUOk" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for sexual candor, profanity and bad teen behavior</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 1.12.24</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Confucius said it best, so long ago:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcivjoVgM1FbCcJhr11H19nnnvlTPdvn2nZxLGWUW67xccemcDF63hUHvaz_U77QhA2_QnmHrEUqq_NxVaV5rUp4mGbFI7ijg6w-H2rr8XRRABZhVILrQcu8o2Mtc6RNzDDqXybTdoFxWMEvcB3Q-v4fWoladZKoNkOJo0_RDZZq2QkI8gaJLBzl0H2lI/s504/Mean%20Girls%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="504" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcivjoVgM1FbCcJhr11H19nnnvlTPdvn2nZxLGWUW67xccemcDF63hUHvaz_U77QhA2_QnmHrEUqq_NxVaV5rUp4mGbFI7ijg6w-H2rr8XRRABZhVILrQcu8o2Mtc6RNzDDqXybTdoFxWMEvcB3Q-v4fWoladZKoNkOJo0_RDZZq2QkI8gaJLBzl0H2lI/w400-h266/Mean%20Girls%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">While Cady (Angourie Rice, far right) watches apprehensively, her school's "mean girls"<br />— from left, Karen (Avantika), Regina (Reneé Rapp) and Gretchen (Bebe Wood) —<br />reveal the "Burn Book," in which they've written all manner of nasty comments about<br />fellow students.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Unlikely as it seems, this story has become even more relevant today, than it was when scripter Tina Fey’s clever adaptation of Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 parental guide — <i>Queen Bees and Wannabes</i> — became a popular 2004 film for Lindsay Lohan.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Although it seemed an unlikely choice to transition into a musical, </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Mean Girls</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"> became a Broadway hit upon opening in 2018; Fey wrote the show’s book, accompanied by Jeff Richmond (music) and Nell Benjamin (lyrics). Touring productions continue to this day, and a film adaptation was inevitable; directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. — with a script once again by Fey — have delivered a thoroughly entertaining two hours of lively razzle-dazzle.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(And I have to wonder: Was Fey prescient, two decades back? Did she somehow know that the dark side of social media would make this story fresh again?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of the original film’s essential plot beats have been retained; many have been re-tooled as energetic production numbers by choreographer Kyle Hanagami.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The first is a seemingly spontaneous, home-made garage video by Janis ’Imi’iki (Auli’I Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (Jaquel Spivey, a force of nature), who function throughout this saga as both characters and a Greek chorus. This opening number, “A Cautionary Tale,” sets the stage for the events to follow. (Pay close attention; their promised details will prove accurate.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The scene then shifts to Kenya, where 16-year-old Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) — despite having thoroughly enjoyed studying animals and stars in the wild, with her mother (Jenna Fischer) — laments her inability to enjoy a “normal” teenage experience. Mom relents, moves them to Evanston, Ill., and Cady eagerly begins her first day at North Shore High School...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">...and hasn’t the slightest notion how to fit in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A droll montage introduces her various teachers and subjects, most importantly the AP math class taught by Ms. Norbury (Fey, reprising her role from the 2004 film). Cady winds up sitting behind Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), and is instantly smitten.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lunchtime is the worst, as Cady slowly walks down the center aisle, silently shunned by the cliques at each table. Janis and Damian — outcasts themselves, and proud of it — take pity and rescue her from social oblivion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the air is sucked out of the cafeteria, as queen bee-yatch Regina (Reneé Rapp, deliciously haughty) makes her entrance, joining her already seated posse, Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika). They’re “The Plastics,” over-the-top glamour girls with nothing but disdain for the common herd. Regina spots Cady, and — much to everybody’s surprise — invites the new girl to their table.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cady naïvely believes she has been befriended; in truth, Regina wants to embarrass this apple-cheeked, ponytailed newcomer. But when Cady proves resilient, Regina grudgingly makes her part of their clique. All seems well, until Cady admits to her crush on Aaron, who — bad luck — is Regina’s ex. That simply won’t fly, and Regina’s response is spitefully cruel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Humiliated and angry, Cady accepts Janis and Damian’s multi-faceted plan to take down The Plastics. This will require Cady to feign friendship with the three girls, and pretend not to be concerned about Regina’s betrayal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At which point, a quote by Nietzsche springs to mind:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We’re not even halfway into the film at this point, with all manner of spite, jealousy and bad behavior to go. Fey also will deliver pointed statements about acceptance, inclusion, honesty and the collective experiences that should <i>unite</i>young women, rather than divide them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rice credibly handles her character’s emotional and behavioral arcs; they’re quite a roller coaster ride, with all manner of highs and lows. She’s most sympathetic when Cady acts true to herself, but equally effective when succumbing to the dark side.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rapp leaves no doubt that Regina is not to be messed with, and the actress delivers dismissive one-liners with lethal, cut-them-dead effectiveness. She’s also outrageously self-centered; one suspects that she spends hours in front of a mirror, admiring herself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Avantika deftly navigates a <i>very</i> difficult role, because Karen is drop-dead gorgeous, eternally optimistic ... and an utterly clueless dim bulb. She also flaunts her sexuality to a cleavage-enhanced degree, particularly during a provocatively slutty, costume-laden production number (“Sexy”) during a raucous Halloween party.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And yet — this is important — Karen also has a sweet, innocent kindness (which Regina has no use for, of course).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although Gretchen initially seems a willing lieutenant to Regina’s various machinations, Wood gradually reveals that this girl is vulnerable and insecure. As the story progresses, some of Wood’s scenes are heartbreaking: notably her quiet solo number, “What’s Wrong with Me?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Ashley Park, cast here as the school’s French teacher, played Gretchen in the original Broadway production.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tim Meadows brings considerable depth to his performance as school principal Duvall, and Jon Hamm is wonderful during his brief scenes as Coach Carr. Busy Philipps is hilarious as Regina’s determine-to-be-cool mother.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Several of the production numbers are wonderfully inventive: notably “Apex Predator,” with the student ensemble pretending to be prey animals whenever Regina strolls by; and “I’d Rather Be Me,” a power ballad that Cravalho delivers with enraged intensity. And I’m particularly impressed by the fact that these numbers are presented in extended takes and lengthy tracking shots by cinematographer Bill Kirstein, whose camera often moves in improbable directions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Another cute touch: the numerous times that music accompanying a song turns out to be performed by the high school musicians, sometimes in unlikely places (such as up a tree).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That said — under the heading of Too Much Of A Good Thing — the songs occasionally are intrusive. This film would be better if the weaker ones were dropped, starting with Cady’s opening solo, “What Ifs” (which was added for this film, and it shows).</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even so, that’s a minor quibble. I’ve no doubt this musical</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Mean Girls</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">will prove just as popular as its dramatic predecessor, and — if Tuesday’s sold-out preview audience was any indication — fans will be wearing pink for quite awhile.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-68463779598457434752024-01-12T00:30:00.000-08:002024-01-12T00:30:00.258-08:00The Beekeeper: Buzzes with guilty pleasure<div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The Beekeeper </i>(2024) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzINZZ6iqxY" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>3.5 stars (out of five). Rated R, for strong violene, pervasive profanity, sexual references and drug use</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">There’s nothing like starting the new year with a vicarious revenge saga, particularly when the villain has been concocted for maximum audience satisfaction.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWkHiDRa32vuDdXmKOUivw6lZouKBwTZIV_FeSTdYVDr7R7X5q6pMPVSRh7_b7PanJTHpaaJgLoCs0v2F8gNlIRQDh4JTNi6_duWvtJ-VFbFT83Q6hPf0fsK4vNjEUFm_UCnXblPizvDUpzMCXYWEDF-GIxW8zYRIXjSVn_VO_crlZiaqSXtPfGSMaV0/s519/The%20Beekeeper%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="519" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWkHiDRa32vuDdXmKOUivw6lZouKBwTZIV_FeSTdYVDr7R7X5q6pMPVSRh7_b7PanJTHpaaJgLoCs0v2F8gNlIRQDh4JTNi6_duWvtJ-VFbFT83Q6hPf0fsK4vNjEUFm_UCnXblPizvDUpzMCXYWEDF-GIxW8zYRIXjSVn_VO_crlZiaqSXtPfGSMaV0/w400-h266/The%20Beekeeper%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Having located the building that houses the illegal phishing call center that victimized<br />his friend, Adam (Jason Statham, left) promises to burn it to the ground ... which two<br />security guards find amusing. Until they don't...<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jason Statham continues to kick ass with pizzazz at age 56, with that grim, go-to scowl that always means somebody’s about to suffer well-deserved damage; <i>The Beekeeper</i> clearly has been fashioned around his crowd-pleasing strengths. Although the third act succumbs to excess that only a superhero could endure and survive, his occasional flinty smile and taciturn one-liners will keep viewers happy.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Director David Ayer is a veteran of action-packed thrillers; he and editor Geoffrey O’Brien move things along at a lively clip.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay is a long way from Shakespeare, but he sets the stage cleverly, and definitely knows how to punch our buttons.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The story opens quietly, shadowing beekeeper Adam Clay (Statham) as he lovingly cares for his hives, carefully scrapes the raw honey from combs, then processes that into jars of sweet syrup. He works and lives in a large barn rented from elderly Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), who greatly admires the way that Adam and his bees have transformed her once-dilapidated gardens into things of beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Alas, on this particular day, while Adam works outside, Eloise’s computer is hit with what appears to be a security alert. Understandably concerned — and the always regal Rashad is radiant, even when flustered — she calls the number on the screen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We see what she doesn’t: The call is routed to a scam center run by slick, slimeball conman Boyd Garnett (David Witts), who overcomes Eloise’s uncertainty — “Yes, you <i>could</i> call your bank first, but you’ll lose all your files” — with the smooth-talking élan of considerable experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This credibly written sequence could be extracted as an effective public service announcement: People, <i>don’t do this at home</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The glee with which Boyd reels her in, to the delight of the equally skeevy dozens fleecing their own victims in the call center, is truly appalling. And, sadly, Eloise succumbs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But she isn’t an average mark; along with several personal accounts, she manages a charity fund of more than $2 million ... all of which vanishes in an electronic heartbeat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Eloise’s next move is tragic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adam’s subsequent reaction is cold fury.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And — surprise, surprise — he’s not merely a quiet beekeeper. He has <i>connections</i>. After calling in a high-tech request for a location trace, Adam pays an unannounced visit to Boyd’s phishing operation ... and let’s just say, what happens next is <i>thoroughly</i> enjoyable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(The obvious flaw here, for folks aware of such things, is that Boyd’s operation — and those that follow — are located in various U.S. cities, when in real life they’d be in Russia and elsewhere overseas.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Turns out Boyd’s set-up was merely one of several dozen identical operations overseen by Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), chief exec of his family’s thriving corporation: thriving, that is, on illegally obtained funds. Derek is an insufferable 28-year-old man-child who navigates Danforth Enterprise’s mammoth headquarters via skateboard; his “work” amounts to ordering oatmilk coffee drinks, manicures and head massages, the latter enjoyed amid sound baths.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Along with overseeing a completely illicit business empire.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hutcherson gleefully plays this waste of space with over-the-top glee, clearly taking a much-needed swipe at the Silicon Valley culture that emerged during the early dot-com years, as typified by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg. Derek is too arrogant and stupid to realize the danger posed by Adam’s promise to “take him down,” believing instead that the situation can be “resolved” by Danforth handler Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons), a 35-year government op and former CIA director.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Westwyld <i>does</i> know enough to be scared. He realizes that Adam is a Beekeeper — initial capital intended — a member of a “special program outside the chain of command,” formed long ago in order to “protect the hive” (civilized society). When traditional law enforcement is unable to mete out appropriate justice, the Beekeepers step in, etc., etc.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And while Adam may be a retired Beekeeper, he remains motivated by a strong sense of right vs. wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nor is he Derek’s only problem. Eloise’s daughter, Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman), happens to be an FBI special agent who soon realizes that her mother’s former lodger is far more than he seems. Verona is partnered with fellow agent Wiley (Bobby Naderi), a family man with a mordant sense of humor, inclined to caution when Verona would prefer to charge directly into danger.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their easygoing relationship and mutual respect are welcome breaks from all the Statham-induced mayhem; it’s also fun to watch Verona and Wiley work the escalating problem from the law-and-order side of the fence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Minnie Driver makes a fleeting, why-did-she-bother? appearance as Janet Harward, Westwyld’s friend and current CIA director: just two quick scenes shared with no other cast members.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Adam is a righteous vengeance avatar; although he has no qualms about using lethal force against the endless supply of Danforth goons, he’s careful to merely <i>pummel</i> hard-working police officers and FBI agents.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Two of Adam’s alpha opponents, however, are overblown cartoon grotesques. The purple-garbed Anisette (Megan Le), his replacement in the Beekeeper ranks, is a reckless, heavy-gun-toting lunatic who couldn’t care less about innocent bystanders; her role is simply stupid. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Taylor James has far more presence as Lazarus, Westwyld’s “last stand of mercenaries,” who lost a leg successfully killing a Beekeeper. His British/South African accent is as striking as his colorful hairstyle, matched with a wardrobe straight out of <i>Mad Max</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although the aforementioned climax gets totally ridiculous, Statham and the filmmakers have built up enough good will to elicit tolerant grins ... and, to be fair, Monday evening’s previous audience broke into cheers when the end credits appeared.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">What’s not to love? We’d all like to cook boiler-room phone scam administrators in their own juices. (Slowly.)</span></p></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-65816444516132768972024-01-09T11:55:00.000-08:002024-01-09T11:55:38.171-08:00Saltburn: Spicy, seductive and sinister<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Saltburn </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lALMdJf6UUE" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated R, for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, constant profanity, drug use and disturbing violent content</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Amazon Prime</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Trust the writer/director of 2020’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2021/03/promising-young-woman-beware-her-wrath.html" target="_blank">Promising Young Woman</a></i> to follow that with an even edgier premise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulbxNWmlp8_ZrxCTwMUH-oBaGrputhu8y_kRaU9x1Y3pFWzd54VuVdwKRDJBB9gFWY-fv_ozKsF-ujKUnm1cFABRYIvgN84VlAvQ_InaYvMoS9Vi5_ILMc9zc9R7gk8qkJq48j5ArdT1yL3OM82YaSTaBncqdD_7Wunj9xXbjU8JkaYYGFaR2rFx9VC0/s514/Saltburn%20blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="514" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulbxNWmlp8_ZrxCTwMUH-oBaGrputhu8y_kRaU9x1Y3pFWzd54VuVdwKRDJBB9gFWY-fv_ozKsF-ujKUnm1cFABRYIvgN84VlAvQ_InaYvMoS9Vi5_ILMc9zc9R7gk8qkJq48j5ArdT1yL3OM82YaSTaBncqdD_7Wunj9xXbjU8JkaYYGFaR2rFx9VC0/w400-h269/Saltburn%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Having achieved his goal of getting closer to the charismatic Felix (Jacob Elordi, center),<br />Oliver (Barry Keoghan) soon learns all manner of things about Felix's sister Venetia<br />(Alison Oliver) and the rest of their family.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table>Emerald Fennell has concocted a truly unsettling story, populated by cheerfully mean-spirited characters: a horrifying brew of envy, greed and poisonous privilege.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The result is mesmerizing, in a macabre way ... although you’ll likely feel guilty — and dirty — the following morning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">English boarding schools have been the setting of class-based horror stories ever since Thomas Hughes wrote <i>Tom Brown’s School Days</i> back in 1857. The formula remains unchanged, although modern tastes have allowed the depiction of increasingly deplorable behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The year is 2006. Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) begins a term at Oxford as a working-class fish out of water, wholly unable to blend with the university’s predominantly wealthy, entitled young men and women. He’s singled out by another outlier, Michael Gavey (Ewan Mitchell), a nerdy math savant, but this “friendship” isn’t destined to last long; Michael is pushy and <i>much</i> too intense.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oliver instead longs to bond with the charismatic and immensely popular Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), but the class divide seems insurmountable. Even when fate grants Oliver a chance to do Felix a much-needed favor, the latter is unable to repay the gesture with inclusion in his circle of friends. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“He’s a <i>scholarship</i> student,” one contemptuous girl snaps, putting dismissive emphasis on the descriptor. “He probably buys his clothes at Oxfam.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oliver overhears this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">His anguish is palpable; Keoghan’s expression and bearing are beyond woebegone. His slumped posture feels utterly lost, misery hovering over him like a dark cloud. We must remember that he was nominated for a well-deserved Supporting Actor Oscar, for his heartbreaking performance as the abused son of the local Garda, in 2022’s <i><a href="https://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-banshees-of-inisherin-wails-of.html" target="_blank">The Banshees of Inisherin</a></i> (and he was one of the best parts of that film).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Felix actually isn’t as contemptible as most of his peers; we can see, in Elordi’s eyes, that his sympathy is rising. He finally punches through his clique’s intolerance and gets Oliver a seat at their cherished pub table, but that almost proves worse; the younger man now is overwhelmed by his unfamiliarity with unspoken “rules” and mocking “politeness.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Much of that comes from Felix’s American cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), who makes no attempt to hide his snobbery (totally ironic, once we learn more about him ... but his attitude also makes perfect sense).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Toward the end of term, when a family crisis rips Oliver’s world apart, Felix impulsively invites him to spend the summer at his family’s estate, Saltburn ... much to Farleigh’s annoyance, who fancied himself the sole guest.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oliver’s first glimpse of Saltburn takes his breath away (and ours); the enormous place would look right at home in <i>Downton Abbey</i>. Cinematographer Linus Sandgren has fun with sweeping overviews of buildings and lands, and of course there’s also a large hedge maze. Once inside, the camerawork turns into a carnival ride through long corridors and hallways, as a lengthy tracking shot swiftly follows Felix’s hasty identification of each room, with a goggle-eyed Oliver at his heels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The interior seems frozen in some long-ago time, laden with period furniture and a mildly gothic atmosphere heightened by composer Anthony Willis’ thunderous organ touches. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oliver is overjoyed, his expression blissed out: He has <i>made</i> it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly ... no.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Indeed, he already has miscalculated, by arriving via an early train; Duncan (Paul Rhys, truly terrifying), the estate’s icy butler, coldly informs the boy that a carriage was waiting to collect him at the <i>arranged</i> time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Felix’s parents are a case study in eccentricity. The excitable Sir James (Richard E. Grant) constantly holds forth about nothing in particular; his wife Elspeth (Rosamund Pike) overstates her concern about Oliver’s comfort level, treating him like a puppy. Felix’s hard-partying sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) is a lost soul who clearly couldn’t cope with her upbringing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“She’s too <i>beautiful</i>,” her mother interjects, as if by explanation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We abruptly think, My God, these people will eat Oliver alive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He isn’t the only victim. As the days pass, it becomes clear that another longtime guest has overstayed her welcome: “Poor Dear Pamela” (Carey Mulligan), as Elspeth constantly calls her. Mulligan is all but unrecognized beneath wild hair, improbable outfits and body art, and her every move makes Pamela look like damaged goods.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sir James and Elsbeth want her gone, but they’re too “polite” to be direct, so instead they resort to passive/aggressive tactics. When Pamela suggests that perhaps it <i>is</i> time to move on, Elsbeth quickly replies, “But only if you’re really <i>ready</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They’re all monsters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As the initial days pass, nothing challenges that assumption. Oliver is confronted constantly by innuendo and mildly taunting challenges; he gamely does his best to rise to each occasion. He also learns, from a passing comment, that Felix has made a habit of bringing “strays” home for the summer, which stings further; is he just some sort of project?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the dynamic begins to shift: subtly, with a sinister twist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And saying anything else would spoil the provocative care with which Fennell develops her second and third acts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sandgren also spends considerable time on close-ups, particularly of Keoghan. I’ve often complained about this gimmick as the hallmark of lazy directors, but Fennell knows <i>precisely</i> what she’s doing; her actors respond to these moments with nuances and subtle changes of expression that speak volumes. It’s particularly important in Keoghan’s case, as Oliver navigates each new day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grant’s Sir James is an overblown Gilbert & Sullivan parody; we almost expect him to burst into a theme song. (One wonders how he fills his days.) Elsbeth, in contrast, seems a genuinely compassionate soul, although good intentions get scrambled by her reflexively aristocratic manner. She also seems overly trusting and easily deceived; Pike’s performance is marvelously nuanced.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Madekwe’s Farleigh is a contemptible cad, thoroughly deserving of our hatred. Venetia feels like a fragile porcelain doll who, if shattered, never could be reassembled.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The more we learn about all these people, as Oliver sinks ever deeper into their world, the more horrifying everything becomes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s also important, at the outset, to remember that this saga — definitely a mystery — is being narrated by one of the participants. And who’s the listener?</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fennell’s new film definitely isn’t for the squeamish or easily offended, but viewers who can find the dark-dark-</span><i style="font-family: arial;">dark</i><span style="font-family: arial;">humor in this depraved exercise are likely to be spellbound.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It</span><span style="font-family: arial;">’</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ll be hard for Fennell to top this one ... and I</span><span style="font-family: arial;">’m not sure I want her to try.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-6866184887236102832024-01-05T01:00:00.000-08:002024-01-07T12:48:35.342-08:00The Boys in the Boat: A riveting historical sports saga<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The Boys in the Boat </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfEA-udzjjQ" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for occasional profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some people have levels of strength, grit and determination that challenge credibility, and can only be called heroic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjho36yFZOLJffRv8gF0I-kJhvbT2k6x3odaP7KG2MyZ4QmSpI8hd53S7KtC_jmXueMTDCOABadWt88_31bwYLnQNkGIhY5FmRRfhQs0qw6omm_UlqAhQh_kdg6d9q3JLO1DjH-DOmj6xhFq7F-gf6c7ZZ0YckOOsyK1B41hOU5CVs7X6zMrwcO-vjrpIQ/s504/The%20Boys%20in%20the%20Boat%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="504" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjho36yFZOLJffRv8gF0I-kJhvbT2k6x3odaP7KG2MyZ4QmSpI8hd53S7KtC_jmXueMTDCOABadWt88_31bwYLnQNkGIhY5FmRRfhQs0qw6omm_UlqAhQh_kdg6d9q3JLO1DjH-DOmj6xhFq7F-gf6c7ZZ0YckOOsyK1B41hOU5CVs7X6zMrwcO-vjrpIQ/w400-h266/The%20Boys%20in%20the%20Boat%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That certainly was true of the 1936 University of Washington junior varsity rowing team, which became the subject of Daniel James Brown’s 2013 best-seller, on which this film is based. (The book also prompted a 2017 episode of PBS’ <i>American Experience</i>, “The Boys of ’36.”)<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Director George Clooney clearly has a soft spot for period sports stories — his 2008 dramedy, </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2008/04/leatherheads-football-frolic.html" target="_blank">Leatherheads</a></i><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">, is seriously underrated — and he has a clear winner here. Although both book and film focus on scrappy Joe Rantz (played here by Callum Turner), scripter Mark L. Smith has narrowed the window to the 1935-36 academic year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Clooney opens with a sweet prologue that echoes the similar “bookending” that Steven Spielberg employed in 1998’s <i>Saving Private Ryan</i>. We then flash back to the mid-1930s, with the United States mired in the Great Depression. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Joe, on his own since age 14, finished high school and somehow managed to get enrolled at the University of Washington. He’s an attentive student, despite living in the remnants of a car, studying by the light of a lantern, and frequently going hungry. Employment has been spotty, and not quite enough to maintain tuition fees.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As this saga begins, he’s given a 14-day notice to pay the balance, or face expulsion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Best friend Roger Morris (Sam Strike), equally poor and struggling, learns of potential salvation: obtaining a spot on the university rowing team, which would include food, lodging and enough money to handle tuition.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Joe and Roger are hardly unique; they’re among literally hundreds of young men who show up for tryouts. Coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton, note-perfect) and Assistant Coach Tom Bolles (James Wolk) calmly explain that the odds are heartbreaking; the one team opening has only eight spots, plus an alternate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Edgerton masterfully handles Ulbrickson’s initial warning, as he catalogues the degree to which the human body simply wasn’t designed for the amount of punishment inflicted by this sport; it’s a superbly scripted speech, delivered with gently implacable emotion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ulbrickson has his own share of troubles. His rowing teams have performed poorly during recent years, and their continuing losses to Cal (UC Berkeley’s) team are particularly galling. He’s given to understand that if things don’t improve, funding may be eliminated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tryouts are relentless: a grueling regimen of push-ups, sit-ups, long-distance runs and — of course — rowing. Most applicants can’t get the outrageously tricky rhythm required, with eight men holding one oar each, alternating sides of the boat, front to back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Composer Alexandre Desplat has fun with these training sequences, backing them with exhilarating, hard-charging orchestral fanfares. Although the music here is upbeat, it doesn’t mask the gravity of the stakes involved; <i>all</i> of these young men are desperate to succeed ... but only nine of them ultimately do.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Aside from Joe and Roger, we also get to know the shy, quiet Don Hume (Jack Mulhern), who proves to have an unexpected sidebar talent; and feisty coxswain Bobby Moch (Luke Slattery) — the team’s essential 10th man — who proves quite adept at inspirational psychology. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Smith’s script short-shrifts the rest, which is unfortunate. They’re little more than their names: Chuck Day (Thomas Elms), Gordy Adams (Joel Phillimore), Johnny White (Tom Varey), Jim McMillin (Wil Coban) and Shorty Hunt (Bruce Herbelin-Earle). They’re uniformly buff and well-built — certainly credible as rowers — but not granted much personality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This mesmerizing saga unfolds in three distinct chapters, starting with the build-up to the annual challenge from Cal. This is followed by an even more crucial race in Poughkeepsie, where much better financed Ivy League schools have long dominated the sport; and then the climactic trip to Berlin, for the 1936 Olympics.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The outcome of each match obviously isn’t in doubt — otherwise Brown wouldn’t have written his book, and Clooney wouldn’t have made this film — but the behind-the-scenes details make the results even more miraculous. The team faced far more than racing opponents; they and Ulbrickson also had to deal with hostility from the UW varsity team, which believed itself superior “just because”; snickering derision from Cal athletes; Ivy League snobbery; bad-faith “old money” shenanigans behind the scenes (particularly atrocious); and, well, Nazis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The racing footage — and there’s plenty — is mesmerizing, and totally believable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What ultimately emerges is a classic underdog saga: the poor standing up to the rich, speaking power to authority, and never, ever giving up. The latter makes perfect sense; these boys had everything to lose — college placement, career plans — if they failed. Small wonder they pushed themselves so hard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Smith parallels the sports activities with a slowly developing romance between Joe and a classmate, Joyce (Hadley Robinson), who remembers that he had a crush on her, when both were in fourth grade. The developing relationship is totally old-school, with Turner and Robinson making the most of their shared chemistry: too sweet for words.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Turner’s Joe is a terrific core character, with a gift for expressing much while saying little. It’s easy to see why Brown focused on him, and Turner exemplifies our best qualities: hard-working, uncomplaining, intelligent and sincere. All of this is noticed by Ulbrickson, leading to a strong but unspoken bond between the two.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Peter Guinness also is strong as the calmly wise, Yoda-like George Pocock, soon to become the 20th century’s most famous designer and builder of racing shells; his crucial presence at UW, early in his career, had much to do with what transpires in this story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Desplat’s orchestral contributions are augmented by telling use of the popular 1921 foxtrot song “Ain’t We Got Fun,” at two pivotal moments involving Don and Bobby.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps more than anything else, this saga illustrates how obstacles and supposed limits can be surmounted when people <i>work together for the greater good</i>: a message that I’ve no doubt Clooney and Smith intend to be front and center, at a time when cooperation and compromise seem to have lost favor.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">That aside, this is simply a swell story, told with panache.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-50045331706471490062024-01-05T00:30:00.000-08:002024-01-05T00:30:00.137-08:00Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget — Aardman hatches another winner<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-Kz67kea8Q" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated PG, for dramatic intensity and humorous action</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Netflix</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The moment you look away, they do something stupid.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AcJRrcCE4f0MPqigJ3oUF-Rffu4aBuAZn9vcNLhlrBJR_Y0MN2SUXFTyOl6JCdbd1QXhziPg1-CLh51-bTb9ZwHPwpwZ8YmqEPHTLvMkP7XNj0Rro4vQvXGwPU1HtJtRCBTQExq6zzEYALjakkPo_1Lgg_soKGrYx6XQ29ydc0tpkQ2QWA3aW9qHTgI/s585/Chicken%20Run%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Nugget%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="585" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AcJRrcCE4f0MPqigJ3oUF-Rffu4aBuAZn9vcNLhlrBJR_Y0MN2SUXFTyOl6JCdbd1QXhziPg1-CLh51-bTb9ZwHPwpwZ8YmqEPHTLvMkP7XNj0Rro4vQvXGwPU1HtJtRCBTQExq6zzEYALjakkPo_1Lgg_soKGrYx6XQ29ydc0tpkQ2QWA3aW9qHTgI/w400-h236/Chicken%20Run%20Dawn%20of%20the%20Nugget%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Although Funland Farms appears to be a larkish paradise, Frizzle and Molly soon wonder<br />why all the other chickens seem ... well ... not in control of their own selves.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Such behavior obviously isn’t limited to human beings, given what kicks off the action in Aardman Animation’s marvelous new Claymation entry: another hilarious, stop-motion masterpiece from the folks who brought us Wallace & Gromit.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">(This seems to be the season for animated poultry, given that this film follows hot on the wings of Illumination’s </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2023/12/migration-delightful-trip.html" target="_blank">Migration</a></i><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This sequel is something of a surprise, given that 2000’s <i>Chicken Run</i> was almost a quarter-century ago. But scarcely any time has passed in the lives of intrepid avians Ginger (voiced by Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi), since they orchestrated a mass escape from the farm run by evil Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy. The clutch has settled in an idyllic island sanctuary in the middle of an isolated lake, where life has been stress-free.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Their only visitors are skillful scavenger rats Nick (Romesh Ranganathan) and Fletcher (Daniel Mays), who pop up occasionally with supplies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ginger and Rocky soon are blessed with a hatchling, Molly, who grows into an adventurous — and restless — adolescent (now voiced by Bella Ramsey).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A surge of suspicious-looking trucks on the mainland fuel concern that a new chicken farm is being constructed, which prompts Ginger and the others to better conceal their community. Alas, that isn’t enough to deter the insatiably curious Molly, who crosses the water and then — having never before seen one — stops in the middle of a paved road.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Insert the obvious joke.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She’s rescued from a nasty death by Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davis), a similarly adventurous young chicken beguiled by the slogan on all the passing trucks: “Funland Farms: Where Chickens Find Their Happy Endings.” All the trucks are filled with happily clucking chickens, apparently oblivious to the slogan’s implications; Molly and Frizzle hop aboard for what they believe will be a great adventure.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If that slogan seems a bit dire for a family-friendly comedy, the film’s title is significantly worse ... and the scripters — Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell and Rachel Tunnard, assisted by seven (!) more credited writers — also don’t shy away from depicting <i>that</i> consequence. (Remember, the Brits gave us Roald Dahl. They have faith in a youngster’s appetite for gruesome touches.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Realizing full well where their daughter has gone, Ginger and Rocky organize a rescue with friends Babs (Jane Horrocks), Bunty (Imelda Staunton), Mac (Lynn Ferguson) and Fowler (David Bradley). Once Nick and Fletcher realize their “beloved god-daughter” is in danger, they join the crew. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But a closer examination of Funland Farms makes their undertaking seem hopeless; the place is an enormous poultry processing plant laden with human guards, advanced security measures and laser-wielding robots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Inside, however, Molly and Frizzle find themselves in an amusement paradise laden with rides, games and all the food one could desire (also a plot point in <i>Migration</i>, although this film went into production first).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Odd, though, that all the other chickens wear numbered electronic collars...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Although what must follow is obvious, I was surprised — at this point — to be barely half an hour into this 101-minute film. Would director Sam Fell and his legion of writers be able to sustain suspense and comedy?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Silly question. Fell previously helmed 2008’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2008/12/tale-of-despereaux-sizable-odds.html" target="_blank">The Tale of Despereaux</a></i> and 2012’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2012/08/paranorman-whimsical-horror-with-clever.html" target="_blank">ParaNorman</a></i>, among others, and Aardman veterans Nick Park and Peter Lord obviously kept a careful watch throughout this new film’s six years (!) of production. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A clever touch reverses the events of <i>Chicken Run</i>. That time, Ginger and Rocky labored to break <i>out</i> of a chicken farm; this time, they face the far more formidable challenge of breaking <i>into</i> one. The <i>Mission: Impossible</i>-style touches are deliberate, with each obstacle and setback requiring fresh ingenuity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The tension builds with the introduction of each new villain: first crafty Funland scientist Dr. Fry (Nick Mohammed); then businessman Reginald Smith (Peter Serafinowicz), representing the Sir Eat-A-Lot family restaurant chain; and finally — horrors! — a familiar and terrifyingly nasty face from the past.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It all works because we’re emotionally invested in these finely sculpted characters, thanks both to the excellent voice talent, and the degree to which Claymation creations seem ... well ... genuinely <i>alive</i>, even when exaggerated for comedic effect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rocky is bold and fearless, but rash; Ginger is a planner, more cautious and thoughtful. The Scottish Mac is a nerdy inventor with a flair for improvisation; Babs is a dim-bulb chatterbox who knits up a storm when stressed out. Fowler is an elderly rooster and former RAF mascot, with fond memories of long-ago skirmishes; the cynical Bunty, a former champion egg-layer, fears that everything will go wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The core plot aside, every scene is laden with sight gags and all manner of delightful touches; one cannot help being amazed by the degree of detail, and the painstaking manner in which such a film is created. (Netflix also has a must-see 20-minute companion documentary, <i>The Making of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget</i>, but watch it <i>after</i> the film, because it contains spoilers.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Harry Gregson-Williams contributes the lively orchestral score, which — thanks also to editor Stephen Perkins — enhances the film’s breathless pacing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Getting even one sensational animated feature is rare enough during the holiday season; being gifted with a second is unprecedented.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s also nice to see that the Aardman folks haven’t lost their touch (as if that could</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><i style="font-family: arial;">ever</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">happen).</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-26253683583981959522023-12-29T01:00:00.000-08:002024-01-11T09:24:49.758-08:00Maestro: Rhapsodic<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Maestro </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJP2QblqLA0" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Four stars (out of five). Rated R, for profanity and drug use</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Netflix</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 1.5.24</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This film’s title suggests that it’s about a man: acclaimed composer/conductor Leonard “Lenny” Bernstein.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But that’s not entirely true. Director Bradley Cooper’s thoughtful, lovingly crafted tone poem actually focuses on the lengthy, loving and tempestuous relationship between Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvJwGcNIrP4Jbrs1Zdl5nIW56rAouI1rFAlLUWsp6oEnyM4wZ7sdEV7DlExIngOlZSG5B85bWQsRSdGeMz1vbOR9aw-vxWGPRE7kyuvZ1z71G-_8-iL4OnT6sK5tc314yfjEMaZmeXZaPHFpIFY9N0gumQu9oBMWgUL9VojhLv1Z6fpY6L5KmFlFBM18/s576/Maestro%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="576" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvJwGcNIrP4Jbrs1Zdl5nIW56rAouI1rFAlLUWsp6oEnyM4wZ7sdEV7DlExIngOlZSG5B85bWQsRSdGeMz1vbOR9aw-vxWGPRE7kyuvZ1z71G-_8-iL4OnT6sK5tc314yfjEMaZmeXZaPHFpIFY9N0gumQu9oBMWgUL9VojhLv1Z6fpY6L5KmFlFBM18/w400-h221/Maestro%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">When Felicia (Carey Mulligan) wants Lenny (Bradley Cooper) to slow down and truly<br />pay attention to her, they sit in a field, back to back: a sweet tableau laden with<br />quiet intimacy.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The result certainly is one of the year’s most visually sumptuous and imaginatively staged dramas. Cooper and cinematographer Matthew Libatique collaborated meticulously, almost intimately, in a manner rarely seen in today’s films; every setting, every frame, is a work of art.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Cooper and Libatique also worked together on 2018’s </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-star-is-born-loses-some-sparkle.html" target="_blank">A Star Is Born</a></i><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">, which earned the latter a well-deserved Academy Award nomination.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As was the case with that earlier film, Cooper again wears three hats: director, co-scripter — with Josh Singer — and star. Thanks to the finely crafted work of prosthetic makeup designer Kazu Hiro, Cooper’s transformation is uncanny: particularly during the onset of Bernstein’s career, in the 1940s. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The performance goes much deeper than mere appearance. Cooper also nails the cadence of Lenny’s stiff, formal manner of speaking — adding emphasis with frequent pauses, as if ensuring his listeners are hanging onto every word — along with the man’s charismatic <i>presence</i>. He wasn’t merely the most interesting person in a given room; he consumed the very atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He talks — and smokes — <i>constantly</i>. His running commentary is as relentless as the chained cigarettes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lenny also was his own, fiercest taskmaster. We get a sense that he rarely slowed down — perhaps didn’t even know how to do so — because he wanted to maximize the potential of each moment: whether composing, conducting, teaching, partying or indulging in a liberated sexual lifestyle that occasionally threatened his career.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The latter is a running undercurrent in Cooper and Singer’s script, which is drawn heavily from archival video footage, documentaries and interviews — notably those by TV newsman Edward R. Murrow and journalist John Gruen, briefly depicted in this film — and daughter Jamie Bernstein’s 2018 memoir, <i>Famous Father Girl</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Following a brief color prologue that catches an aging Lenny during a solemn, meditative moment, the film stock shifts to monochrome as we bounce back to the World War II era, and the fortuitous event that launched his career. After having spent a few preceding years in Manhattan teaching piano and coaching singers, Lenny was appointed assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">His lucky break came on November 14, 1943, when guest conductor Bruno Walter called in sick at the last moment. Lenny made his debut on short notice, without any rehearsal, facing an ambitious program that included works by Richard Strauss, Miklôs Rózsa and Richard Wagner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Between the live national CBS Radio broadcast and the following day’s celebratory front-page story in <i>The New York Times</i>, Lenny became famous overnight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cooper and Singer don’t dwell on the varied career achievements during the rest of this decade, focusing instead on what occurs after Lenny meets Felicia (Carey Mulligan) at a 1946 party given by Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau (from whom she had been taking piano lessons). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It could be argued, just in passing, that this film skips <i>too</i> much; viewers hoping for a straightforward series of highlights from Bernstein’s career are apt to be disappointed. (<i>West Side Story</i> is barely mentioned.) Cooper’s emphasis, as mentioned earlier, is the initially giddy — and ultimately painful — nature of Lenny and Felicia’s relationship: the <i>man</i>, not his myth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Music fans also are apt to be unhappy with the film’s score. Although pure Bernstein, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, it’s a scattershot mélange of snatches from dozens and dozens of concert, stage and film works: sometimes appropriate to a given scene, sometimes bewildering choices. And always <i>loud</i> ... at times intrusively so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lenny and Felicia click instantly, with an effervescent giddiness. Mulligan is radiant, personable and enthusiastic; Felicia easily matches Lenny’s intellectual curiosity, and shares his passion for everything the world might offer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She also is a calming influence, if only for brief moments; at one point, she impulsively insists that they sit contemplatively in a field, back to back. Lenny is baffled; Cooper is almost comical, depicting the man’s uncertainty over this (to him) bizarre request. And yet this becomes their tableau, to be revisited much later, at a different telling moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite their shared nature, Lenny and Felicia don’t marry until 1951. Their early years are a blissful blend of work and play; she establishes a busy career with starring roles on stage and in numerous television anthology series — which makes Cooper’s choice of monochrome film stock even more savvy — while Lenny bolsters his fame by scoring the 1953 Broadway musical <i>Wonderful Town</i> and 1954’s <i>On the Waterfront</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Excerpts of the former become an opulent fantasy number, with Lenny suddenly inhabiting one of the starring roles, while Felicia watches from the wings. And we realize, from Mulligan’s mildly wary expression, that Felicia knows she’ll never own more than a superficial portion of her husband. But it’s already too late: She loves him, despite being fully aware of his insatiable appetite for affairs with other women. And men.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He certainly could choose from a wide variety; Lenny and Felicia frequently entertained at home, with lavish parties laden with professional friends and intellectuals of the day, including Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim, Lillian Hellman, Richard Avedon and many, many others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lenny probably shouldn’t have married; his behavior borders on cruelty. And yet he <i>needed</i> to marry Felicia; it becomes obvious that she’s his muse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Be discreet,” she implores, more than once: if not to protect his career, then for the sake of their three young children ... advice he repeatedly ignores.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then, <i>whoosh</i> ... we skip forward to the 1960s and ’70s; Libatique shifts back to color film stock, with a different, period-appropriate aspect ratio. The children — Jamie (Maya Hawke), Alexander (Sam Nivola) and Nina (Alexa Swinton) — are grown, struggling to deal with both their father’s fame and extramarital behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(All three children cooperated fully during the making of this film, and are quite pleased with it.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Felicia has made peace with the situation; Mulligan’s go-to expression has become a blend of admiration and mild regret. She has a wistful bearing, but Felicia is strong; she now fills her time with social activism, anti-war campaigns and work with Amnesty International.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s even harder to nail down time and place during this lengthy second act; specific events — such as Lenny’s charming run as host and conductor of 14 years’ worth of Young People’s Concerts — are a little more than a blur. This act climaxes with an extended slice of Bernstein’s hyperbolic conducting of Mahler’s Second Symphony during a London performance; Cooper throws himself into this moment, as Lenny dynamically cajoles and savors every note with an intensity that feels feral.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And then, soon, we’re back to where we began ... and we now realize why, as in the prologue, Lenny seems only half of who he once was.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Maestro</i> is a dazzling experience: a loving valentine to a talent whose genius and impact probably cannot be depicted in any sort of conventional manner, and whose relationship with Felicia was both crucial and baffling. It’s also impressive filmmaking on Cooper’s part; even so, the haphazard approach to the timeline, and Bernstein’s accomplishments, remains irritating.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps Cooper should have settled for directing and acting, and let somebody else write the script.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-54136077281532012372023-12-27T12:11:00.000-08:002023-12-27T12:11:40.775-08:00The Family Plan: Amiable spyjinks<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>The Family Plan </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYRRuLXAi1s" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>3.5 stars (out of five). Rated PG-13, for comedic action violence, brief sexual candor and fleeting profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Apple TV+</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a></b></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This one couldn’t be more ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But it’s an <i>enjoyable</i> level of “silly,” which makes all the difference: perfect for a turn-off-the-brain Friday evening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpUGzhyfXdihWfW-tGG_34mywv1FVUrF3BVgAo5zxynT1XQj2HVCcy8o2TEsoq9PzMnufcyvwZFlqhZuecb2EtdMn2Iezpz65ifO3q9lI4wgeTNTKU6mY-811rP6S0NGfP9BH89sfQfoHQphByS4l7gB0R_QX2mPG1IH41kEySZ52YUmk5t8xlNBhphc/s518/The%20Family%20Plan%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="518" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpUGzhyfXdihWfW-tGG_34mywv1FVUrF3BVgAo5zxynT1XQj2HVCcy8o2TEsoq9PzMnufcyvwZFlqhZuecb2EtdMn2Iezpz65ifO3q9lI4wgeTNTKU6mY-811rP6S0NGfP9BH89sfQfoHQphByS4l7gB0R_QX2mPG1IH41kEySZ52YUmk5t8xlNBhphc/w400-h268/The%20Family%20Plan%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">It's Vegas, baby! Only Dan (Mark Wahlberg, far left) knows why he has made this road<br />trip with the family — from left, baby Max (Iliana Norris), Jessica (Michelle Monaghan),<br />Nine (Zoe Colletti) and Kyle (Van Crosby) — but they're about to find out.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">David Coggeshall’s larkish script is a far cry from the horror genre that has dominated his career until now. The premise here may be cliché in the realm of spy comedies, but he develops it well, and grants us an appealing set of characters. Director Simon Cellan Jones and editor Tim Porter maintain a reasonably brisk pace, although their two-hour film would be tighter with 10 to 15 minutes shaved off.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Even so, I didn’t mind the length.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dan Morgan (Mark Wahlberg) has carved out a happy suburban life as a devoted husband and father of three children. He’s content in his career as a successful car salesman; he’s amiable and remarkably persuasive. The key word he’d use to describe his life is <i>peaceful</i>: no stress, no excitement, no grandiose desires.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The key word his family likely would use is <i>boring</i>. Wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan), although happy, wouldn’t be bothered if Dan showed more ambition; teenagers Nina (Zoe Colletti) and Kyle (Van Crosby) roll their eyes at the day-to-day sameness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ten-month-old Max (Iliana Norris), cute as a button, isn’t old enough to be bothered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ah, but...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sharp-eyed viewers may wonder, early on, why Dan takes such pains to avoid publicity. His caution goes up in smoke one day, thanks to a burst of unwelcome social media ... and suddenly he’s confronted by a hardened killer, while grocery shopping with Max strapped in a chest pouch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is each viewer’s make-or-break moment. If the resulting supermarket skirmish seems too silly — Dan doing his best to evade this thug, scrambling to improvise, while keeping Max out of harm’s way — then you may as well stop now. But if you’re able to roll with this cleverly choreographed fracas, what follows will be equally enjoyable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(Frankly, I found it hilarious.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Turns out Dan was an elite government assassin in his former life, tasked with eliminating the world’s deadliest threats. He racked up a sizeable stack of enemies in the process — most particularly the vengeful McCaffrey (Ciarán Hinds, suitably malevolent) — who now know where to find him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Determined to protect himself and his family — while somehow preserving this secret past — Dan surprises everybody with a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas. Once there, they’ll assume new identities and (he hopes) once again fade into obscurity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As for how he expects Jessica and the kids to blithely go along with such plans ... well, Dan hasn’t gotten that far yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But he does get them into a car, and off to Vegas. With Nina and Kyle acting petulant and grumpy all the way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Such contrived nonsense aside, Coggeshall’s script has a beguiling nugget of real-world angst experienced by adults who — having settled into a similarly comfortable family dynamic — wonder about the activities left behind, the paths not taken. And specifically this question: “Does my family have any idea how interesting I <i>used</i> to be?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Needless to say, Dan’s attempt to keep McCaffrey — and his inexhaustible supply of killers — off their trail, is unsuccessful. Similarly, Dan’s progressively bizarre behavior can’t help being noticed, and Jones and Coggeshall develop mild suspense as we wait for The Big Reveal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When that moment finally comes, it’s definitely worth the wait. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wahlberg handles all this balderdash with a smooth blend of well-timed light comedy and (modestly) credible physical prowess. His motor-mouthed patter and aw-shucks, “Who, me?” sincerity go a long way toward selling this improbable scenario, which in turn keeps things entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Monaghan is equally game, although she can’t quite peddle Jessica’s willingness to go along with the whole road trip/Vegas thing. (Frankly, I doubt there’s an actor alive who could sell that moment.) Even so, Monaghan similarly gets into the spirit of things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Colletti nails Nina’s cynicism and angst; as the eldest child, nearing high school graduation, her goals obviously don’t mesh with what her parents might prefer. Indeed, to their horror, she has abandoned former college plans — suited to her academic strengths — in order to follow boyfriend Trevor to <i>his</i> school.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In a nice bit of parallel structure, Crosby’s Kyle has his own secret life. On the surface he seems a typically smart-mouthed, slacker teen, but — without his parents’ knowledge — he actually has established a career as a pro-level gamer who’s known as “Killboy” to legions of online fans. Ergo, the <i>last</i> thing Kyle wants, is to be yanked from his clandestine access to keyboards and screens.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Maggie Q is memorable as a bad-ass killer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stunt coordinator Sean Graham keeps things lively, thanks to the increasingly chaotic action sequences that Jones and Coggeshall weave into this romp.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;">The Family Plan</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> certainly won’t win any awards for originality, but the goal here obviously was for viewers to have a good time. In that, it succeeds quite well.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-20709584566686701262023-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:002024-01-11T09:25:06.808-08:00American Fiction: So true, it's scary<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>American Fiction </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0MbLCpYJPA" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>Five stars (out of five). Rated R, for brief drug use, sexual references, fleeting violence and pervasive profanity</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 12.29.23</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is as scathing a slice of social commentary as 2021’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2021/12/dont-look-up-profoundly-unsettling.html" target="_blank">Don’t Look Up</a></i> ... and just as timely and relevant.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ER43A7jWX66bNgAvVfbKZMFW3gZzCC8GxI9dAWaaDgtIVJsX_CkYRcSg1ta6CBQvJPnv_mustbPjMMk2fFCUiiaiQILsDoXp0dyHXK2xkwr2dLBRul3bdKPShlnvkTa2rHReUI1FZjpRJkzVlaVzbvaU-GjplLgbLKdEn1PZS8OuTCwYf2ChKpIVTqM/s504/American%20Fiction%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="504" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ER43A7jWX66bNgAvVfbKZMFW3gZzCC8GxI9dAWaaDgtIVJsX_CkYRcSg1ta6CBQvJPnv_mustbPjMMk2fFCUiiaiQILsDoXp0dyHXK2xkwr2dLBRul3bdKPShlnvkTa2rHReUI1FZjpRJkzVlaVzbvaU-GjplLgbLKdEn1PZS8OuTCwYf2ChKpIVTqM/w400-h313/American%20Fiction%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">With his professional life taking an increasingly chaotic turn, Monk (Jeffrey Wright)<br />finds joy in his slowly developing relationship with Coraline (Erika Alexander).<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But director/scripter Cord Jefferson’s new film — adapted from Percival Everett’s 2001 novel, <i>Erasure</i> — also is a deeply personal drama about a family in crisis, with memorably sculpted characters superbly played by a talented cast.<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">These two qualities seem wholly at odds with each other, and yet Jefferson makes it work. The result is enthralling — by turns hilarious, heartbreaking, sensitive and blistering — from the first moment to the last.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And very, <i>very</i> clever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is a respected author and professor of English literature, with several thoughtful, critically acclaimed books to his credit. Alas, they’ve not sold well, much to his disappointment, and that of his agent, Arthur (John Ortiz, making the most of a small part). Worse yet, his newest manuscript has collected nothing but rejection letters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The carefully worded reason, from each potential publisher? The book “isn’t Black enough.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“They want a Black book,” Arthur sighs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“They <i>have</i> one,” Monk snaps back. “I’m Black, and it’s my book!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This fuels Monk’s ire over — to quote Jefferson, in the film’s press notes — American culture’s tunnel-visioned fascination with Black trauma, typified by the fact that books and films almost never portray Black doctors, professors or scientists, preferring instead to focus on Black rappers, drug addicts, gang-bangers and slaves.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Because that’s what sells to the white audience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Monk also is impatient when it comes his students’ cultural sensitivities, insisting that only snowflakes would be bothered by a course in early fiction of the American South, which includes coverage of Flannery O’Connor’s <i>The Artificial N- and Other Tales</i>. This attitude doesn’t endear Monk to his departmental colleagues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But the absolute worst comes when Monk’s presence on a Boston literary festival panel draws a pitifully small audience, because almost everybody is in the much larger hall that features Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), whose newly published first book, <i>We’s Lives In Da Ghetto</i>, has become a smash best-seller.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Her read-aloud excerpt makes Monk wince, since the content and fractured English clearly panders to readers seeking stereotypical stories of Black misery.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Watch Wright’s expression, in this scene, as Monk stands at the back of the hall. He slowly takes in the room, his gaze becoming ever more despondent, as he sees the audience hanging onto Golden’s every word. It’s a masterful moment of silent acting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Los Angeles-based Monk’s personal life is a mess. He’s long estranged from his mother, Agnes (Leslie Uggams), younger sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) and younger brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown). This literary festival has presented the opportunity to visit them in their Boston family home, and the reunion is all over the emotional map.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Agnes is delighted to see all three of her children together, but Cliff’s relationship with Monk has been strained under the best of circumstances ... and, at the moment, the former is in crisis. Cliff recently blew up his marriage and turned his wife and family against him, by coming out of the closet and having a very public affair with a man; the result has made the youngest Ellison sibling an outcast.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lisa and Monk share the strongest bond, even after a remove of many years. Their conversations are reflective, and Ross brings impressive depth to her role. After just a few short scenes, we feel as if we’ve known this woman for years, either as a close friend or member of our own family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">She and Monk tease each other relentlessly, and she playfully challenges his pomposity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Has something I’ve ever written changed your life?” he asks, in all seriousness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Absolutely,” she deadpans. “My dining room table was wobbly as hell until your last book came out.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jefferson’s script is laden with zingers like that, and to a degree they help Monk and his family mask harder topics. That changes abruptly with an unexpected tragedy that hits us like a body blow. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In part by way of distraction, and also in a fit of spite, Monk spends an entire night concocting a pseudonymous novel, <i>My Pafology</i>, laden with every Black cliché he can imagine. Mention must be made, of the marvelous manner in which Monk’s writing process is brought to life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He orders an appalled Arthur to send it to the usual publishers, in order to make what Monk believes will be a telling point: that that lily-white environment contains absolutely the wrong people to be deciding what sort of Black fiction should be published.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Even Monk’s pseudonym is a joke that he’s certain everybody will get: Stagg R. Leigh.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(You know what’s coming, right?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To Monk’s horror — and Arthur’s delight — the book immediately garners a high six-figure sale. Worse yet, the editors want to chat with Mr. Leigh, forcing Monk to speak and behave in the manner they’re expecting; Wright’s agonized reaction is priceless, and “Stagg’s” initial phone call with his white female editor is hilarious.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back home, things have taken another dire turn. Agnes, already somewhat scattered, is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She’ll soon need full-time care: an expense that Monk can’t meet ... which forces him to embrace his ex-con alter ego, and the despised “joke novel,” for all they’re worth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">All of which gives Jefferson the opportunity to savagely skewer latent racism, cultural appropriation, the narrow window of “what sells these days” — which prompts an equally caustic shot at Hollywood deal-makers — and (Jefferson’s words again) the exasperatingly “reductive view of Blackness.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wright carries a heavy load throughout this film. Monk is an angry man, which prevents deep relationships. He’s aware of this to some degree, and Wright persuasively depicts all the nuances of this frustrated guy who hasn’t yet realized that if he wants the world to treat him with respect, he first must treat <i>others</i> with respect.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wright never slides into caricature or exaggeration. As is true of all the characters here, he remains wholly authentic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The one new bright spot in Monk’s life is Coraline (Erika Alexander), a neighbor he “meets cute” when she has an accident with a bag of groceries. Alexander makes her warm, flirty, funny and every bit as intelligent as Monk, without his airs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Brown’s Cliff is tragic in an entirely different way. Unable to navigate out of the mess he has made of his life, he instead plunges more aggressively into destructive behavior. But he’s also intelligent — he’s a surgeon, after all — and quite perceptive, when the need arises. Brown is superlative during Cliff’s telling confrontation with Monk, toward the end of the film.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Myra Lucretia Taylor is loving warmth personified as Lorraine, the Ellison’ live-in housekeeper: a position she has held so long, that she’s part of the family. Taylor also is radiant during a key scene toward the end of the film: a moment when Monk suddenly realizes that Lorraine’s graciousness, no matter the circumstances, is a far better default response than his own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The film’s moods, moral dilemmas and emotional upheavals are anchored by Laura Karpman’s charming jazz score ... which (no surprise) also is an affectionate tip o’ the hat to the famed jazzman for whom Monk is named.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><i style="font-family: arial;">American Fiction</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> marks Jefferson’s directorial and screenwriting debut: as impressive and explosive a Hollywood entry as can be imagined. If his sharp script doesn’t garner an Academy Award nomination — along with other nods — there is no justice.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2191263483641816327.post-83070835683643462932023-12-22T00:30:00.000-08:002023-12-22T00:30:00.145-08:00Migration: A delightful trip<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><i>Migration </i>(2023) • <span style="color: #27a9c5;"><span style="color: #40bed9;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQfo0HJhCnE" target="_blank">View trailer</a></span></span></b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><b>4.5 stars (out of five). Rated PG, and a bit generously, for dramatic intensity and mild rude humor</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Available via: Movie theaters</b></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(94, 94, 94); color: #5e5e5e; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>By <a href="https://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">Derrick Bang</a> • P</b></span>ublished in <i><a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/" style="color: #27a9c5; text-decoration: none;">The Davis Enterprise</a></i>, 12.22.23</b></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is <i>way</i> too much fun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Honestly, they had me at the hilariously Minionized rendition of the famed Universal Studios logo, before the movie even began.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JI1_MRQ7tk1QyQImgYycJKap_Juo8OqGIHXiAajA8hQ7uMjJCfCqm-ka5t7BpiBWTh-iBHacnwNsnThCBIH5q9ZVDWJB5wQ-D2H0VdhcrEYeZEwasQPlTGKLGlYm-OA8NHxN-6zVRrW4GJNlfHhVsSJEESz7hyphenhyphenHSsBTZyJCfV2ctpnmShzFAaEqV3M0/s547/Migration%20blog.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="547" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JI1_MRQ7tk1QyQImgYycJKap_Juo8OqGIHXiAajA8hQ7uMjJCfCqm-ka5t7BpiBWTh-iBHacnwNsnThCBIH5q9ZVDWJB5wQ-D2H0VdhcrEYeZEwasQPlTGKLGlYm-OA8NHxN-6zVRrW4GJNlfHhVsSJEESz7hyphenhyphenHSsBTZyJCfV2ctpnmShzFAaEqV3M0/w400-h243/Migration%20blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This duck family — from left, Uncle Dan, Gwen, Dax, Mack and Pam — is about to have<br />an unexpected encounter with a rowdy flock of pigeons.<br /><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The icing on the cake: This film is preceded by “Mooned,” a Minions short that re-introduces the villain Vector, who has been stuck on our Moon since the events in 2010’s <i>Despicable Me</i>. (This short also serves as a prologue to next summer’s <i>Despicable Me 4</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">As for the cake itself, director Benjamin Renner and Guylo Homsy have a winner, with their mirthful saga about a family of ducks that embarks on a supposedly routine endeavour — migration — which gets more chaotic with the flap of every wing. Renner and Mike White’s script deftly balances comedy, peril and family values, armed with a roster of well-sculpted characters brought to life by seasoned voice talent.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(I must mention that Renner shared an Oscar nomination for co-directing 2012’s <i><a href="http://derrickbang.blogspot.com/2014/02/ernest-celestine-magical-ode-to.html" target="_blank">Ernest & Celestine</a></i>, one of the finest animated films ever made.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It can’t be easy to maintain such comic timing over the course of a 92-minute film, but Renner, Homsy and White are up to the challenge. The narrative is divided into distinct chapters and encounters, each cleverly expanding upon what came before, and ultimately building to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nervous, overly protective Mack Mallard (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) hasn’t ever allowed his family to migrate, preferring to remain in the safety of their isolated New England pond. Wife Pam (Elizabeth Banks) has put up with this for years, but now yearns to show the much wider world to their kids: teen son Dax (Caspar Jennings) and duckling daughter Gwen (Tresi Gazal).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matters come to a head with the brief arrival of another migrating duck family, who share thrilling tales of far-flung places. Dax goes googoo-eyed over their teen daughter, Kim (Isabela Merced), and — when her family departs — that really <i>is</i> the last straw.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So, Mack reluctantly allows himself to be talked into a family trip to Jamaica, via New York City. Cranky Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) agrees to tag along.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Merely getting out of New England proves problematic, with the arrival of a nasty storm; an effort to seek shelter prompts the arrival of Erin the heron (Carol Kane), who absolutely terrifies Dax and Gwen ... because Mack has long filled their heads with scary bedtime stories about carnivorous herons that (gulp!) eat little ducks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kane doesn’t help matters any. Her raspy-scary voice is laden with ambiguity and apparent menace, and Erin is animated — and framed, in each scene — in a manner that evokes the gingerbread house witch who hoped to dine on Hansel and Gretel. (Parents with impressionable little ones, be advised; this sequence stretches the film’s PG rating.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After eventually reaching New York, Uncle Dan — um— runs afoul of a flock of pigeons led by the scrappy Chump (Awkwafina, a total hoot). A squabble over a discarded hero sandwich ultimately concludes peacefully, after Pam and Chump engage in a ferocious bartering duel. The puny pigeon then leads the family to Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key), a Jamaican parrot who’d cheerfully guide them to his native land.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But Delroy is locked in a cage, in the upstairs office of an upscale Manhattan restaurant that specializes in Duck à l’Orange. (Wouldn’t you just know it?)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At which point, we meet this story’s <i>true</i> villain: the restaurant’s hulking, hot-tempered chef, who will stop at nothing while constantly seeking fresh ingredients for his signature dish. He’s terrifying; although he never speaks actual words, French voice actor Boris Rehlinger puts considerable intensity into the guy’s angry grunts, grumbles and grimaces.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The final key character is Goo Goo (David Mitchell), the serenely clueless yogi leader of a paradisiacal duck farm run by an elderly couple. Mack and his family stumble upon this compound entirely by accident, and at first blush the idyllic setting seems an ideal place to relax and recharge one’s wings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Odd, though, how all the ducks are encouraged to gorge themselves on as much food as possible (once again evoking Hansel and Gretel).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Nanjiani minimizes his frequently whiny, self-deprecating shtick while voicing the excessively cautious Mack. The daddy duck worries a lot — frequently with cause, as these events proceed! — but ultimately is fair, recognizing that every member of the family deserves consideration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Banks nimbly handles Pam’s persuasive side, always arguing in favor of reasonable compromise. That said, she’s not to be crossed when the chips are down, and is capable of mother-bear ferocity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">DeVito is a hoot as cantankerous Uncle Dan, frequently causing trouble or getting in the way. Jennings makes Dax a typically impetuous teen, oblivious to potential danger; Gazal is adorable as impressionable, wide-eyed little Gwen.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Once Delroy enters these proceedings, however, Key steals the show. The proudly patriotic parrot, with his Jamaican <i>patois</i>, is as dazzling as his colorful feathers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Matters get quite dire, as we swoop into the third act; each time we think the Mallards have left danger behind ... it strikes again. And ever more dire.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-weight: bold; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">John Powell’s rich score blends orchestral elements with Colombian beats and 1960s French pop vocals; the result adds substantial zip to the story.</span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Folks seeking family-friendly holiday entertainment can’t do better than this one.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div>Derrick Banghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12885694730612878577noreply@blogger.com0