Multiplex Madness
Bob Marley: One Love
⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Drama
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Starring: Kingsly Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton
Get ready for those sweet reggae beats, because it's Bob Marley's turn for a biopic. This film primarily covers Marley fleeing Jamaica and putting together his final few albums, primarily Exodus. I think for Marley fans who are intimately familiar with his work, One Love works as a small window into his life. It's not as ambitiously encompassing as other biopics, choosing to keep things narrow and tight without succumbing to bloat. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't have any rhythm to it, which seems sacrilegious because if anybody knew rhythm, it was Bob Marley. The narrative is choppy and sloppy, sometimes feeling like it's not going anywhere. The movie does a trust-fall in hoping the audience bears with it as it gets ponderous, and it's lucky it has its smooth soundtrack to keep it enticing. Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch both give performances worthy of award consideration, but unless it was in a movie far more memorable than this, it's doubtful they'll be remembered by year's end.
Land of Bad
⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: War, Action, Adventure
Director: William Eubank
Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, Milo Ventimiglia
Starring Russell Crowe and every Hemsworth that isn't the famous one, Land of Bad is one of those dad-targeted movies that centers on a military ops mission with lots of jargon and gunfire thrown in, seeing Liam Hemsworth playing a soldier battling obstacles on his way to an emergency evac. It's like Behind Enemy Lines, but less straightforward. Land of Bad's biggest weakness is how hamfisted its attempts are at making its situation go sideways, sometimes going out of its way to do so. The effort is admirable, as the idea seems to be chaotic look at warfare, we're given only the information that our soldiers have and experiencing it through their eyes. That gets across, though the narrative can suffer because of it. Liam Hemsworth is a solid lead, often coming off as a demo reel to be cast as Captain America should Marvel ever need a new one. The film is directed with style to spare by Underwater filmmaker William Eubank, keeping the film constantly brisk and exciting. It's a film that will be fully embraced by its audience, though mileage may vary should you be outside it's demo.
Madame Web
⭐️
🏆 "Hurts So Good" Must-See Bad Movie Award
Genre: Superhero, Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Director: S.J. Clarkson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabella Merced, Tahar Rahlm, Adam Scott, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts
Look, I'm up for adapting any obscure comic book character to the big screen you can name. Anybody who thinks differently is someone I'll never see eye-to-eye with, and they can pry my 4K copy of Howard the Duck out of my cold, dead hands. I'm skeptical of Sony's attempts to create solo films out of Spider-Man villains, not because I don't want them, but because they haven't given any indication that they're going to be made in good faith and affection for these characters. Deep down, I can see how Venom and Morbius can work as their own franchises, though I'd have preferred them done better. I can vaguely see it for Kraven, too, however Kraven's most interesting ambition is his determination to hunt Spider-Man and eliminating that deflates him. Madame Web is an interesting choice, largely because I never expected to see her in a movie at all, let alone headlining one without Spider-Man. She largely exists as someone who just spews cryptic shit for the webslinger to decipher, and as far as I know, she's never been much of an action hero. But still, she is more of a character than El Muerto, so this was never the worst idea for a movie on Sony's slate. But then Madame Web came out, and whew boy. Few movies are bigger disasters than this one.
But I want to make two things abundantly clear: This movie is really fucking stupid, and I loved every minute of it.
The story of this movie that probably shouldn't exist sees Dakota Johnson's title heroine suddenly having visions of the future, and she stumbles across three teenage girls who are fated to be killed by a man with spider powers. That's just skimming the surface of this garbled stew of nonsense. When I watch a movie like Batman & Robin, I understand what it's doing. I get what it wants to be. Madame Web is something else. The weird Spider-Man call-forwards including a villain who dresses like him, out of body sequences that are just chaotic noise, the concentrated effort in trying to make Sydney Sweeney look frumpy...Madame Web is filled to the brim with decisions so baffling that the only explanation is that they were trying to be innovative and are failing spectacularly at it. The movie takes a stab at a uniqueness in crafting action around a character who can see the future, which is similar to a Nicolas Cage movie called Next, but they scale it down and try to be more creative with it. Next is a better movie, though, and if you know how laughed out of theaters that movie was, that should tell you something. Despite what it tries to craft with the action, the movie isn't really all that much of an action movie. It centers on four women who are just stuck in an action scenario and don't know what to do. When the movie requires them to do a big stunt, they'll do it, even though it also feels as if they're out of character while doing it. Underlining all of this is the film's desperation to remind you it's Spider-Man related, doing Spider-Man references often and in full force for a character that isn't even born yet (the film features his pregnant mother as a supporting character). I assume they're trying to use this to enhance themes of fate and influence, but it all becomes a hot mess when your bad guy is basically Spider-Man if he were a prick.
This all boils down to the flaw that they chose to do a Madame Web movie at all. She's a limited character who can be interesting, but not like this. It feels like she's only being used to fish for interest in a Spider-Women movie with the brat pack heroines of this movie. If you want to do a Spider-Women move, do a Spider-Women movie. These women who are pretending to be teenagers are all in their 20's anyway, why this charade? Madame Web is just a trailer for that, albeit with cheap cosplay costumes and really bad ADR reading connecting those shots of the future lady heroes.
And yet, I had fun with it. As a movie that completely tanked itself, I had a lot of lols watching it go down in flames. There is even stuff in this movie that I loved. I like how Dakota Johnson is fumbling around in this movie without an actual plan. There is a part that she thinks she has spider powers and tries to climb a wall that made me laugh. I even think Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabella Merced, and Celeste O'Connor would be great in a proper superhero movie. It's stuff that makes it evident that the people making this movie really wanted it to be something. Oh, it's something alright. Too bad that "something" is the worst film based on a Marvel comic since the 90's Captain America film. But, I got to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. I haven't gotten this much enjoyment out of a bad movie since Ouija Shark.
Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation
Letter to a Pig
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
A classroom listens to an account of a Holocaust survivor, who reads them a letter he wrote to a pig who he claims saved his life. Interesting use of live action with animation rotoscoped on top of it, ensuring the look of this short is very striking. I felt my interest waning as it got more surreal and expressionistic, but the lovely craft of this short helped make it a standout.
Ninety-Five Senses
⭐️⭐️1/2
Napoleon Dynamite creators Jared and Jerusha Hess helped made this short, which sees Tim Blake Nelson play a man reflecting on how his life shaped out through the sensation of his five senses. Interesting turns don't entirely capture my waning interest in this short, which has a mildly interesting premise that, if I'm being honest, feels slightly disconnected from the "senses" storytelling device, because his senses feel irrelevant to certain events that transpire and are quite possibly the least compelling thing going on. Nelson also goes full hammy redneck in his performance, which gets tiresome after several minutes. Admirable effort that just didn't click for me.
Our Uniform
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Up there with Letter to a Pig as one of the more uniquely animated efforts here, Our Uniform is a short that is told through what appears to be stop-motion on fabric, showing the story of an Iranian girl and her restrictive life in school. The story feels more like a diary entry than a narrative, but the look of the short kept me engaged and charmed throughout. Such beautiful textures and colors, this animated effort pops.
Pachyderme
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A French film stylized like a bedtime story grows darker as it goes on, as a woman recounts her childhood stays with her grandparents, in which traumatic experiences seem to be glossed over. The film is more of a metaphor than a narrative, opting a simplistic and muted view on what is implied to be a horrific experience. It feels therapeutic, but it also feels like it hasn't taken the whole journey. What more could be done with this is beyond me, because this isn't my artistic expression, but I also can't shake the feeling that it only barely reached what it grasped.
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
This one is a bit silly if you think about it too hard, but it's lovingly animated and is full of schmaltzy spirit, which has two World War I soldiers on opposing sides playing chess via a carrier pigeon. And, of course, there is also music from John Lennon and Yoko Ono, like the title implies. There is a heartfelt metaphor of soldiers being people in the middle of a bad situation that requires the worst of them, while the short is more for "the feels" than anything stirring. It's still a lovely little short that I think animation lovers will appreciate.
BONUS:
*It appears that our short films only ran a combined fifty minutes this year, so the venue threw in a couple of bonuses from the shortlist that probably would have went unseen otherwise.
Wild Summon
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This short relates the life cycle of salmon...except they're people in scuba suits? Weird, body horror vibes from this one, which combines live action landscapes with animated fish people. I believe the intent was to show off such an alien way of life as if it were happening to humans, while asking "This is pretty fucked up, right?" It is. Very. Let's not speak of this again.
I'm Hip
⭐️⭐️
Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Moana director John Musker helms this animation over a song performed by David Frischberg, where a cat sings about how much of a cool cat he is. Didn't care for this one, which felt like someone had a lot of fondness for those animated prime-time Garfield specials from the 80's, complete with jazzy musical numbers and a singing feline, while stylized like someone with a lot of fondness for The Aristocats and Oliver & Company. All of these are things that I like, but this was just a four-minute overload of razzamatazz that I didn't particularly enjoy.
Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action
The After
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A former businessman becomes a taxi driver after the sudden loss of his wife and daughter, who confronts his grief face-on when his latest fare is a family that looks just like the one he lost. A portrayal of a man avoiding grief, this short can be a bit on-the-nose. Sometimes it just whisks up its story too much, and it comes off as either over-thought or under-thought at different points, though it is still a moving piece.
Invincible
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A troubled teen in a detention center longs to run away from his problems, but finds the further he runs, the more they follow him. Angsty teen drama feels like it's a metaphor for the struggles of change, when one feels so broken that they double down on the path they're on, even when they show promise of being something better. The short struggles to break free of repetitveness, but it's also based on a true story, so I feel like the filmmakers were a bit cornered in how to play it out. The film's title choice is interesting, relating the youthful feeling of immortality even as one takes a self-destructive journey.
Knight of Fortune
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Like The After, Knight of Fortune is another short about grief, though it's more nuanced about it. This short sees a man who has lost his wife, but finds himself unable to open the casket, who meets another man at the morgue who seems to have the same issue. Contemplative, but surprisingly funny, this short has a few unexpected turns on the way to its surprisingly sweet ending. It takes a while to get going, but it is one worth seeing through to the finish.
Red, White and Blue
⭐️⭐️⭐️
What seems like it was filmed as a reaction to the Dobbs decision, this short sees a woman crossing state lines in emergency need of an abortion. It's a timely issue, though it's also one that doesn't press as hard as it could. The film makes the unique choice in being told through misdirection and mystery boxes that pay off later. It's not frustrating, as it's only twenty minutes long, though it feels like it was filmed for its twist over its story, which holds it back. Women (and men) who support Roe v Wade will probably want to seek this short out and champion it, regardless of its faults, though.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Look, I'm not the one who's opinion you should listen to on Wes Anderson. I've always felt a little bit of Anderson goes a long way, and I'm just thankful this was a short and not a feature. Anderson did a series of shorts for Netflix that adapted short stories from Roald Dahl, of which The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar seems to be the singled-out champion. The story tells of the strange tale of Henry Sugar, who learns an uncanny ability to cheat at cards but grows morality along the way. It features a traditionally stacked Wes Anderson cast, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Dev Patel, and Richard Ayoade, all delivering Anderson's trademark wit and Dahl's trademark whimsey. I enjoyed this, mostly, because I just appreciated that I didn't have the opportunity to grow tired of it. That was not for a lack of trying, as it goes on for long patches with lengthy stories that usually tell the same joke over-and-over again. But short-form does wonders for Anderson. I'd probably be a fan if all of his movies were this long.
Art Attack
The Taste of Things
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Drama
Director: Tran Ahn Hung
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel
France raised some eyebrows when they chose not to submit Anatomy of a Fall for Best International Film at the Oscars, choosing instead to favor The Taste of Things. Anatomy of a Fall wound up getting nominated for Best Picture instead, while Taste of Things got thrown in with the leftovers. It was a shortsighted move, because Anatomy of a Fall is a better, more interesting movie. The Taste of Things is quite good too, but it leans a bit more heavily in contemplative drama rather the heated drama of the moment, of which I've always found the latter far more appealing. The Taste of Things is, above all else, a film about art and appreciation of it, choosing to use the art form of filmmaking to portray culinary art. It's a hurdle, because two thirds of culinary art are smell and taste, but the visual appeal still strikes. The film centers on a restaurant owner who takes pride in his craft, and is madly in love with his cook, and together they create exquisite dishes that few can replicate. Combining the film's themes of art is also a theme about love, as the two prove to be perfect collaborators who are perfectly in sync with each other. The film tends to grow a bit wearisome though it's extensive sequences of food preparation, of which it hopes to enchant without ever really developing a flow to its presentation, but the beauty of creation keeps the film intact. The movie can get too big for its britches because of its own indulgence, but that seems poetic for a film about food.
Oscar's Trash Can
20 Days in Mariupol
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oscars Nominated: Best Documentary
Genre: Documentary
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
Starring: Mstyslav Chernov
This harrowing, gut-punch of a documentary is not for the faint of heart. The film can be very graphic, and also features the deaths of real people, including very young children and infants. But it's powerful imagery that demands to be shown, as 20 Days in Mariupol chronicles the earliest days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, taking place in the war-ravaged city of Mariupol over the span of three weeks. A group of journalists who are still in the city use whatever tactics they can to film what they see and spread it to news outlets across the globe. It's biting stuff, but it's also haunting. The siege of Mariupol is relentless, and the footage is striking. The stakes they risked just to gain internet access to spread it also bring unexpected tension, only to have the Russian government try and deny everything shown as a form of propaganda. Seeing everything rolled out in this film makes it even more evident that everything that was shown is real, and it's also an outrage.
Of note, I watched this just after the breaking news that Alexei Navalny died in prison, which is notable because he was the subject of last year's Best Documentary winner and was a political rival of Vladimir Putin. I feel this and Navalny make a good combination for anyone who wants to go more in-depth with the atrocities that Putin has committed, though Navalny is a less heavy watch, so you may want to watch it first. May Navalny rest in power, hopefully knowing these images are still being spread throughout the world and will hopefully bring about an end to Putin's reign.
Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary
The ABCs of Book Banning
⭐⭐1/2
It's been no secret that certain states have been going on book banning sprees of late, and the fact that someone made a documentary on the subject isn't surprising. You probably could have gone feature-length on this topic (especially the books that teach objective history), but The ABCs of Book Banning aims to primarily show the reactions of children, those who have no say in what their state does and does not want them to read. The intentions are noble, but the sad truth is that most people who are already aware of this issue already have their minds made up on it, and those who are in favor of book banning are probably more likely to just be angry that this documentary has the children discussing topics that they would rather have them sheltered from. This documentary has heart, but it's not really informative. We get a list of books that have been banned, and while I personally agree that the practice is unfair, there is no discussion made about the subject matter in the books, who is banning them, and how best to contest it. Instead, it's all "This sucks." Yes, it does. Unfortunately, this documentary isn't going to change that.
The Barber of Little Rock
⭐⭐⭐1/2
This glint of optimism amidst the sad truths of systematic racism takes a look at Arlo Washington, a barber in Arkansas who created a community bank to help out African Americans in need when the banks fail them. Narrative is rather light in this documentary, because it largely feels like Washington's story is nowhere close to being finished. This is instead an in-depth look at the positive impact he has had on his community, with interviews of the people he has helped over the years talking about their experiences that led to Washington filling this need in their lives. Their stories can be sad, but the tone of the piece is uplifting. It feels like this could be the start of something great, and the documentary shares that rather well.
Island in Between
⭐⭐⭐
Filmmaker S. Leo Chiang visits the island of Kinmen, a small piece of land that Taiwan used to defend itself against China during the Chinese Civil War. He then relates to the viewer his relationship to Taiwan, China, and the United States, pondering which country he considers himself a true citizen of. This is an interesting piece, though I'd say it comes off as a bit of a video diary. I think those who are familiar with the history of Kinmen already will probably gain the most from Chiang's ponderings, and I'll admit that I'm not fully up to speed on Chinese-Taiwanese relations and politics. The shots of Kinmen are excellent, and I yearned to learn more. That wasn't the goal of this documentary, so I can only consider that a me-problem. It's a poetic take on Chiang's inner turmoil, though.
The Last Repair Shop
⭐⭐⭐
This documentary takes a look at a dying breed of repair centers that specializes in refurbishing musical instruments for students. The concept is rather simple for a documentary that still pushes forty minutes, which one can test patience as it sometimes treads water with students talking about their love of music. It's not irrelevant, though one would hope it would jump into the meat a bit quicker. We then get some in-depth conversations with the people who work on the instruments, some telling their backstories, which can range from sad to incredible. It's a bit of a ride, because the documentary can feel tedious at some points and compelling in others, though it wins the day by pressing its moral of "What's broken can usually be fixed."
Năi Nai & Wài Pó
⭐⭐⭐
Meet Năi Nai and Wài Pó, the grandmothers of filmmaker Sean Wang, who's daily lives are captured on film for a good twenty minutes, as we get to watch them chat, dance, accuse each other of farting, all kinds of stuff. Those who watch documentaries to learn something new will likely leave Năi Nai & Wài Pó without much, as this short is more of Wang's tribute to two women he loves dearly. There's not much to glean from it other than entertainment value, and the documentary can be very, very funny at the best of times. I enjoyed spending time with Năi Nai and Wài Pó, and I'm happy I got to meet them. As a work itself, it gets by on personality more than anything, though.
Oscar Nominees
20 Days in Mariupol ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The ABCs of Book Banning ⭐⭐1/2
The After ⭐️⭐️⭐️
American Fiction ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️American Symphany (N/A)
Anatomy of a Fall ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Barber of Little Rock ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Barbie ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Bobi Wine: The People's President (N/A)
The Boy and the Heron ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
El Conde (N/A)
The Color Purple ⭐⭐⭐1/2
The Creator ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Elemental ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Eternal Memory ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Flamin' Hot ⭐️⭐️1/2
Four Daughters (N/A)
Godzilla Minus One ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Golda ⭐️⭐️
The Holdovers ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Io Capitano (N/A)
Invincible ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Island in Between ⭐⭐⭐
Killers of the Flower Moon ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Knight of Fortune ⭐⭐⭐
The Last Repair Shop ⭐⭐⭐
Letter to a Pig ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Maestro ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
May December ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Năi Nai & Wài Pó ⭐⭐⭐
Napoleon ⭐️⭐️1/2
Nimona ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ninety-Five Senses ⭐️⭐️1/2
Nyad (N/A)
Oppenheimer ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Our Uniform ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Past Lives ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pachyderme ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Perfect Days (N/A)
Poor Things ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Red, White, and Blue ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Robot Dreams (N/A)
Rustin ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Society of the Snow ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Teachers' Lounge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
To Kill a Tiger (N/A)
War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Zone of Interest ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Movies Still Playing At My Theater
Amélie ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Anyone But You ⭐️1/2
Argylle ⭐️⭐️1/2
The Beekeeper ⭐⭐1/2
The Boy and the Heron ⭐⭐⭐1/2
Lisa Frankenstein ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Migration⭐️⭐️1/2
Night Swim ⭐️
Out of Darkness ⭐️⭐️1/2
Poor Things ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wonka ⭐⭐⭐
New To Digital
The Iron Claw ⭐️⭐️⭐️
New To Physical
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (no)
Hypnotic ⭐️⭐️
The Marvels ⭐️⭐️1/2
Priscilla ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Coming Soon!
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