Cinema Playground Journal 2024: Week 41 (My Cinema Playground)

Multiplex Madness

The Apprentice

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Drama

Director:  Ali Abbasi

Starring:  Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Martin Donovan, Maria Bakalova

The second mainstream biopic of a former President of the United States, though this one is less of a shoddy, dick-riding propaganda piece than the last one.  So much so that Donald Trump actually sought to have the film's released blocked.  I'm not sure there's anything in the film that will soil his "branding," because everything in the film is what any astute person already knows about Donald Trump, whether they admire him or detest him.  It will likely only irritate those under the delusion that Trump is a name of intense moral fiber and devote patriotism, but if you believe that, lol.  The Apprentice, not to be confused with the semi-related reality show, is a story of a bad man who learns he can get away with almost anything he wants when he bends the rules to his own will.  The Apprentice shows Trump in the 1970's being mentored by seedy lawyer Roy Cohn, who teaches him several ruthless rules that Trump takes to heart as he rises in the business world.  Modern day Donald Trump is such a cartoon character of narcissism and bankrupt morality that it's hard to think of him in a grounded way, mostly because its feels like he has always been like this.  It's interesting that The Apprentice actually does manage to humanize him while realistically paving a road to the Donald Trump we know today.  Sebastian Stan is pitch-perfect casting.  His facial expressions and hand gestures are spot-on, and he plays the young and relatively naive Trump and the older and colder Trump with stark effectiveness.  The movie itself can't shake several redundancies about it, feeling like a retooling of Wall Street with slight elements of All About Eve peppered in.  Excellent performances and a well-created character study help it overcome this, making it one to check out if you want a glimmer of an idea of what makes Donald Trump tick.

Piece by Piece

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Drama, Comedy

Director:  Morgan Neville

Starring:  Pharrell Williams

Rapper Pharrell Williams puts together a biographical semi-mockumentary based on his life and career...told entirely in Legos.  It's a fun idea, one that's rich in novelty, while also tumbling over itself on mixing the straight autobiographical with the abstract.  The point is to be exprssionistic with its artistic license, though it's sometimes so far into its own beat that it becomes coasting on vibes.  It's an interesting attempt to step outside-of-the-box documentary, one that encourages imagination and individuality.  It's a message that would resonate with the youngest of Lego enthusiests, though it's not exactly a movie kids will be interested in.  That audience will be more interested in the Legos than the life story, which is probably for the best, seeing how the movie goes through its share of more adult-themed lyrics.  However, the movie's existence is purely for the pleasure of those who made it, and even if never gains an audience, it has already pleased the people who wanted to see it.

Saturday Night

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Comedy

Director:  Jason Reitman

Starring:  Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, Emily Ferin, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, J.K. Simmons

Our third biographical movie in a row, Saturday Night flashes us back to 1975, where young producer Lorne Michaels struggles to put on the premiere of a new live sketch comedy program, which will eventually be known as Saturday Night Live.  Onset, he has to control his rowdy cast, duck the censors, structure the show, and convince executives that he's worth putting on instead of reruns of Johnny Carson.  Saturday Night is a colorful ode to wrangling up rambunctious comedic chaos.  Longtime fans of Saturday Night Live couldn't ask for anything more than that.  SNL is pretty much a fifty year dumpster fire of a TV legacy, and rightfully so if half of this is true.  I'm sure a lot of it is embellished, because it's a lot of chaos to handle in ninty minutes, but even if it is, it works as a tribute to nature of the series it's inspired by.  The cast is excellent, as each member captures the essence of their performer almost as if they are being possessed by their vengeful spirits.  Then there is J.K. Simmons as Milton Berle, which is low-key the most brilliant casting I've seen in any movie all year.  You don't realize how good he's going to be until he's right in front of you.  Those looking for a film that gleefully cherishes the hot mess that inspired it will find a lot to love about Saturday Night.  I, for one, had a blast watching it.

Terrifier 3

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Horror

Director:  Damien Leone

Starring:  David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Antonella Rose, Samantha Scaffidi

As if one movie about a murder clown wasn't enough for this October, now director Damien Leone is back with his Art the Clown character to make heads go splat.  Following where the franchise left off in the second film, Arthur resurrect himself yet again with the help of his crazed mutilated victim from the first film, Victoria.  Five years after their last appearance, Art and Victoria stalk the survivor of the previous film during a bloody Christmas season, carving up anybody in their way.  It's difficult to not get desensitized to any given horror franchise no matter what it has to offer, especially when all it wants to offer is more of the same.  In Terrifier's case, what it's willing to give its audience is even more extreme blood and nastiness.  But when you've already started at the ceiling, how high can you go?  Shock value is nonexistent.  We all know what to expect from Terrifier 3, and if you don't, then you're not seeing Terrifier 3.  However, Terrifier 3's strength lies in what made the other films enjoyable for horror enthusiasts:  it knows what it is, and it loves itself for it.  The original Terrifier is an homage of an underground style of horror film from decades past that few outside the mainstream where most feverish of horror fanatics have gone out of their way to see, such as Blood Feast or Basket Case.  The second and third are indulgent exercises in excess, and if you're not in the mood to watch faces getting kicked in, nether-regions getting chainsawed, or axes getting stuck in people's spines, then there is no point in watching any of them.  It's another Terrifier movie.  Those who seek out any Terrifier movie already know what they want from a Terrifier movie, and they'll get it.  Personally, I think I enjoyed the first one the best, due to its crafty homage.  This one is a little lesser than the second one, even though I found the Christmas setting fresh (albeit pointless), Lauren LaVera played her PTSD storyline with effectiveness, and the rebranding of Victoria as a sidekick villain was fun.  Terrifier 3 also ends with little resolve and a cliffhanger tease, wanting us to be excited for Terrifier 4 instead of giving us a whole movie.  It almost feels like John Wick 3, where we got the action we came for and just ends when it should be beefing up.  Those who saw a third will definitely see a fourth, though.

Movies Still Playing At My Theater

Alien:  Romulus ⭐️⭐️1/2

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Blink ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Deadpool & Wolverine ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Joker:  Folie à Deux ⭐️1/2

My Old Ass ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Speak No Evil ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Super/Man:  The Christopher Reeve Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Transformers One ⭐️⭐️

White Bird ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Wild Robot ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

New To Digital

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

New To Physical

Harold and the Purple Crayon ⭐️1/2

Kinds of Kindness ⭐️⭐️1/2

MaXXXine ⭐️⭐️1/2

A Quiet Place:  Day One ⭐️⭐️

Robot Dreams ⭐️⭐️1/2

Thelma ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Coming Soon!

Cinema Playground Journal 2024: Week 40 (My Cinema Playground)

Multiplex Madness

Blink

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Documentary

Director:  Daniel Roher, Edmund Stenson

Starring:  Édith Lemay, Sébastien Pelletier, Mia Pelletier, Léo Pelletier, Colin Pelletier, Laurent Pelletier

The director of the Oscar-winning documentary Navalny goes for something a little less dark, but steering away from Russian politics in general is likely to achieve that.  This documentary follows the French-Canadian Pelletier family, who has learned that three of their four children have a genetic disease that will cause them to gradually go blind as they age.  Wanting to give their children images to remember, they travel the globe to give them sights to see while they still can.  The movie's lack of a full narrative weighs it down, though not fatally.  A good amount of this movie is devoted to the family acting like a family, with all the moments beautiful and messy that happen along the way.  There are a couple of moments that are filmed that are poignant, such as the youngest child coming to terms with what it means to become blind and struggle to accept it.  There is also a point where they get stuck in a cable car for several hours, where several of the children have a meltdown.  The talking heads try to associate this with the children's fear of going blind, which feels like it's stretching it.  It's more likely that they were upset because they were children stuck in a confined space for an ungodly amount of time.  But the movie is a good-natured and interesting watch, while not exactly as life-affirming as it believes it is.

A Different Man

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Drama

Director:  Aaron Schimberg

Starring:  Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, Adam Pearson

A curious psychological drama sees Sebastian Stan playing a man with neurofibromitosis who undergoes an experimental procedure that makes him look normal, which he then decides to fake his own death and rebuild his life.  Years later, he discovers the former neighbor he longed for has turned his life into a stage play, and he auditions for the lead role.  A Different Man has interesting ambitions, initially presenting itself as the story of a man who is seen as a monster desiring a different life.  As the film goes on, it becomes clear that this isn't the story at all, wishing to analyze personality and how physical alteration doesn't change who you fundamentally are.  That may sound a bit cheesy, but the film's dark presentation allows it to maintain a fresh perspective.  The movie isn't a schmaltzy fell-good inspirational movie, choosing instead to be a psychological mindfuck instead, while also tearing down the tropes of a "Beauty & the Beast" narrative in a pretty savage way.  Stan's introverted character has more light shed on him when Adam Pearson's character comes into the story, who also has neurofibromitosis, yet displays more extroverted traits and seems to achieve many things that Stan could not.  Stan's reactions to this are the theme of the film that has proved evasive so far, providing a mixed reaction to a man that has mastered his life compared to Stan's own internal misery.  The film is a tale of change being skin-deep, but our own demons being the real challenge.  It doesn't have an answer to overcome that challenge, choosing instead to point out that some things just are and that one physical change might not bring the joy you hope for.  Sometimes the gray morality of the film gets in its way, and I find myself hesitant with fully embracing the movie because its message comes dangerously close to being "your mental health is your own fucking fault, you piece of shit," making the movie come off less as tough love than just cruelty.  But it's worth sticking with if its setup intrigues you.

Joker:  Folie à Deux

⭐️1/2

Genre:  Drama, Thriller, Superhero, Musical

Director:  Todd Phillips

Starring:  Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, Steve Coogan, Harry Lawtey

Joaquin Phoenix reprises his Oscar-winning role (the same role that won Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar, Jack Nicholson a nomination, and Jared Leto jack squat) in this follow-up, which takes place two years later, where Arthur Fleck is on trial for murder.  He also meets Harleen Quinzel, a fellow patient that he forms a relationship with and ecourages his worst attributes.  To put it quite bluntly, Folie á Deux doesn't work.  I feel miserable saying that, because I think the first one is a very good movie.  A psychological drama about the origin of the Joker, a character who is more compelling when he's not explained, worked better than it should have.  In trying to push its own limits, the sequel winds up breaking itself.  It's a movie that is built on the wrong foundation, fundamentally misunderstanding the character of Harley Quinn and her relationship to the Joker, while also cowering back on the Joker himself, not wanting to tell a story about the Joker but rather his iconography.  The latter probably seems like an idea with temptation, but I'd argue that the character isn't suited for such a story.  Hell, the version of the character introduced in the previous Joker movie isn't suited for it either.

To start on the first point, one thing needs to be immediately clear about Harley Quinn if you're going to try and portray her:  the woman is as much a victim as she is a villain.  She believes she's in love, but the Joker views her as a trophy and not a love interest.  She's what happens when he corrupts a pure soul and breaks it.  The Harley in this movie is a groupie.  She sees the Joker on TV and falls for his image.  Arthur Fleck's incel Joker is excited because she lets him into her pants, and she's the only woman who has ever thought of him sexually.  This is still a toxic romance, but it's toxic in a way that's not true to the characters its portraying.  Building off of this, Arthur Fleck builds back into his Joker persona, but the image of the Joker is proving to be bigger than the man.  Is this a meta commentary on the toxic masculine hero worship that the previous film produced getting away from the filmmakers?  Maybe.  I'm not so sure that the movie is that smart.  If it is, it's an interesting ambition, though it crosses the line so carelessly that it becomes the antithesis to the aspects of that film that are admirable.  The theme doubles down until a misfire of a climax, which is an ending so bad that it just might make the original's biggest fans hate the previous film in retrospect.  But I've never been a fan of that particular take on the Joker in question, which is mostly ripped straight from a bullshit plot turn from the Gotham TV series.  I'm more in tune with the idea of the Joker being a unique being of chaos, rather than a source of inspiration and aspiration for someone else.  The Joker is not one who enjoys sharing the spotlight.

The musical element is dry and tacked on.  The best musicals have a sense of hyper-reality to them, something Folie à Deux tries to commit to by making this aspect something that's happening in Arthur's head rather than what's actually going on in the story.  It seems utterly flummoxed as to how to make it meaningful, though.  Instead, it comes off as something bewildering that barges in on the narrative.  It also doesn't help that Joaquin Phoenix isn't a very good singer.  That might be intentional, because Arthur's not very good at anything he does, so why would he be any better at this?

Part of me wants to say this movie isn't as bad as I'm making it out to be.  After all, it's okay enough for a good long while, and it even starts with a cute little Joker cartoon that emphasizes the movie's attempted theme.  It's a steamroll of irritation though, a movie that gets gradually worse as its ambition gets away from the storytelling.  It's a movie that feels like it was made by people who resent the fact that they were roped into doing a sequel, tossing in experimental ideas in the hope that they can make it interesting, and when they don't work, they botch the climax in retribution.  I entered the theater hopeful and I left it miserable.

Monster Summer

⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Horror, Adventure, Comedy

Director:  David Henrie

Starring:  Mel Gibson, Mason Thames, Julian Lerner, Abby James Witherspoon, Noah Cottrell, Nora Zehetner, Patrick Renna, Lorraine Bracco, Kevin James

Schoolchildren begin popping up in a small town acting differently, and a young boy begins to suspect that there is a witch in the population that is preying upon them.  Monster Summer is an earnest, yet dysfunctional, macabre misfits misadventure throwback, made by someone who probably grew up on The Goonies, The Sandlot, Gremlins, Eerie Indiana, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the Disney Channel, and a whole lot of Goosebumps books.  If one has fondness for those kinds of rambunctious grade school stories, then Monster Summer is worth spending ninety minutes with.  It even has a decent scare or two, but as far as Scooby-Doo adventures go, there aren't enough jeepers from the creepers.  The movie is a bit of a flat experience, with some crude effects and a mystery that lacks momentum.  Also, Mel Gibson is in this movie for some reason.  I don't know why, and his character only serves to pad out the film and give the kids an adult to talk to.  It's not the best plotted movie, but kids looking for Halloween spookums will probably get a kick out of it.

White Bird

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Drama

Director:  Marc Forster

Starring:  Helen Mirren, Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheiser, Gillian Anderson

I'm not entirely sure why the author of Wonder, a story about a deformed boy fitting in at grade school, looked at it and said "Let's do a Holocaust-themed prequel."  Anyway, I haven't seen nor read Wonder, so maybe this makes more sense to people versed in that rich Wonder lore.  Based on a graphic novel follow-up to a regular novel, White Bird sees Helen Mirren reminiscing with her grandson about escaping Nazis in World War II and hiding in the barn belonging to the family of a crippled boy.  White Bird is a tale of two clashing tones, one of schmaltzy feel-good optimism and the other...Nazis doing the Nazi thing and everything that comes with that.  Zone of Interest and Schindler's List this is not.  It even leans more into theatricality than last year's One Life.  If you desire your Holocaust tales to lack the relentless bleakness and wish them to have hope in them, White Bird isn't a terrible option.  It's melodramatic, sentimental and has strangely absurd third act plot twists, but it's also a warm presentation of a lovely childhood romance set among a dark backdrop.  It's one of those movies where you'll either be focused on its worst aspects or its best, and your opinion will differ based on that glass-half-full mentality.  The audience it's aimed at will likely think of it as a yearly favorite, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Netflix & Chill

'Salem's Lot

⭐️⭐️1/2

Streaming On:  Max

Genre:  Horror

Director:  Gary Dauberman

Starring:  Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, John Benjamin Hickey, Bill Camp, Jordan Preston Carter, Nicholas Corvetti, Spencer Treat Clark, William Sadler, Pilou Asbæk

Based on the Stephen King novel, which has already been adapted into two previous television miniseries, 'Salem's Lot is a town in Maine that finds itself in the middle of a vampire outbreak.  The movie was filmed years ago, riding the tidal wave of Stephen King adaptations that resulted from It's popularity, but after production, the film almost disappeared into the night.  It was almost believed to be one of Warner Brothers' now infamous "tax write-offs," like Batgirl or Coyote vs. Acme, but was eventually dumped on streaming for Halloween season.  Compared to adaptations that have come before it, this version of 'Salem's Lot is tight, running over an hour shorter than miniseries prior, making it feel hectic.  It's a blessing and a curse, as the original Tobe Hooper version of Salem's Lot has many iconic imagery and scenes in it, but they're interspersed in a narrative that takes forever.  This new film, directed by Annabelle Comes Home director Gary Dauberman, is more fog machine atmosphere than terror, and while it's narratively jumpy, at least it gets to the point.  It's hard to say if seasoned King fanatics will think highly of it, but it's certainly an exorcise in gothic theatrics set to flash and noise.  I find its sillier aspect forgivable in that it keeps them fun.

V/H/S/Beyond

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Streaming On:  Shudder

Genre:  Horror, Anthology

Director:  Jordan Downey, Christian Long, Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kate Seigel, Jay Cheel

Starring:  Dane DeLiegro, Alanah Pearce, Mitch Horowitz, Namrata Sheth, Bobby Slaski, Libby Letlow

V/H/S is going for broke in becoming the longest running found footage horror franchise, matching Paranormal Activity's mainline count with this entry.  There is an asterisk next to that depending on whether or not you count Tokyo Night as an actual Paranormal Activity film of if you consider Siren and Kids vs. Aliens to be V/H/S films (those movies are not found footage, so that kinda defeats the purpose).  But if we're talking meat-and-potatoes entries, Shudder's devotion to V/H/S seems to put it on track to taking the crown by next year.  I admitted ignorance to the franchise when I went in blind on V/H/S/85 last year (also Kids vs. Aliens, but I didn't know that was a spin-off when I watched it), but since then I got to work and watched all the other entries in the franchise.  I must say, it's pretty fun (except Viral), though I'll admit I enjoyed the spirit of the first two the most.  Shudder's entries since taking over the franchise don't have the same gung-ho attitude.  V/H/S/Beyond, however, is clearly the best since the second.

V/H/S/Beyond tries to stick the franchise in a sci-fi horror direction, mostly revolving around aliens.  Not all segments commit to the bit, but most of them deal with invaders of some sort.  Instantly recognizable directors are kept to a minimum for Beyond, with the biggest seasoned name being Radio Silence's Justin Martinez, who is unfortunately not a member who collaborated on Radio Silence's best/most well-known features (he helped with Devil's Due and Southbound, rather than Ready or Not, Abigail, or Scream 5 and 6), but he did work on the group's previous V/H/S collaboration in the first movie, and that segment was an anthology highlight.  The best known names of the directing pool are actually actors Justin Long and Kate Siegel, each making their directorial debut here.  Long's segment is a low point, which sees animal rights activists trying to expose a "Doggy Dream House" nanny for animal cruelty only to become trapped by her as pets.  The segment rips its idea straight from Kevin Smith's Tusk, which I'm curious as to whether or not Long realizes this, because he starred in the fucking movie.  The best segments belong to Martinez and Siegel.  The former has a hectic story of a group of friends who are skydiving when an alien invasion hits, which is an energetic hit-and-run chase thriller that goes from the sky, to an orchard, and back into the sky.  Seigel's segment was written by her husband, horror maestro Mike Flanagan (who directed her in Hush, Midnight Mass, and The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor), and is the most polished and expertly shot film of the lot.  While the story is slight (a woman hunts UFOs and becomes trapped in one), the visuals Seigel accomplishes can probably be considered some of the finest work in the V/H/S franchise.  Color me impressed.

Remainder segments include a segment about a police group searching a house for missing children, only to be attacked by undead corpses.  It feels very video game inspired, especially by Doom and Resident Evil.  There is also the trademark "mysterious hot girl is actually a terrifying monster" story that the V/H/S franchise has been fucking around with since its very first segment over a decade ago, only this time with a Bollywood flavor.  The wraparound is a paranormal documentary about two VHS tapes that supposedly prove the existence of aliens, which is humdrum until the ending, where the contents of the tapes are actually seen and are suitably unnerving.  If you enjoy the V/H/S franchise, Beyond won't turn you off.  It's arguably the series back in top form.  If nothing else, it's a hint that there is still gas in the tank, making one interested in seeing what Shudder cooks up with this franchise next year.

Movies Still Playing At My Theater

Alien:  Romulus ⭐️⭐️1/2

Azrael ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Deadpool & Wolverine ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Megalopolis ⭐️⭐️

My Old Ass ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Speak No Evil ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Transformers One ⭐️⭐️

The Wild Robot ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

New To Digital

The 4:30 Movie ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blink Twice ⭐️⭐️1/2

Deadpool & Wolverine ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

It Ends with Us ⭐️⭐️

The Killer's Game ⭐️⭐️1/2

Speak No Evil ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Strange Darling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Coming Soon!

Cinema Playground Journal 2024: Week 39 (My Cinema Playground)

Multiplex Madness

Azrael

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Horror, Thriller

Director:  E.L. Katz

Starring:  Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett

Taking place years after the Rapture, Samara Weaving plays a woman who has escaped a ritual sacrifice to the undead corpses in the wilderness, fleeing into the post-apocalytic woods for survival.  Like last year's No One Will Save You, Azrael is a thriller told mostly in pantomime, which is something that makes me giddy while also being a gateway into style over substance.  Azrael is a very handsome-looking grit thriller, though it sacrifices narrative elements in doing so.  No One Will Save You was simple enough to understand despite it's lack of dialogue, while Azrael has complexities that it brushes by because it chooses implication rather than exposition, leaving us with questions throughout the story that we never get the answers to.  Azrael works in spite of this, because context matters little to the main character herself, who is just fighting for her life and doesn't care why.  Samara Weaving's role can be argued to be a career highlight, giving an expressive performance of feral desperation.  It's another argument for her being the best scream queen of her generation.  Weaving keeps eyes on her, stumbling in and out of obstacles with determination, while the film's grit keeps the looming threats in mind when even when they're off-screen.  It's a thrilling watch, with just a little hint of a desire for more on display.

Bagman

⭐️

Genre:  Horror

Director:  Colm McCarthy

Starring:  Sam Claflin, Steven Cree, Antonia Thomas, Adelle Leonce

A man protects his son from a superstitious being known as the Bagman, who takes people's children and feeds on their fear.  Suspense scenes are few and far between in this go-nowhere horror film, which is unfortunate, because it's better at tension than it is in other departments.  Setpieces are actually okay enough, though it's the run-up where the movie bores its audience.  The lore-heavy film seems exhausted in explaining itself, while character scenes lack characterization, and it ends on a lame twist ending that sucks up what little esteem the movie has.  Bagman falls flat because everyone involved in the film looks like they can't be bothered with enriching it.  It's hard for me to work up enthusiasm for a movie that doesn't seem all that enthusiastic about itself.

Lee

⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Drama

Director:  Ellen Kuras

Starring:  Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samburg, Noémie Merlant, Josh O'Connor, Alexander Skarsgård

Kate Winslet stars as real life model-turned-journalist/photographer Lee Miller, who is sent into active warzones during World War II to cover them.  Lee is a film that is very prideful in its feminism, covering its own feminine warrior during a time of what can be considered a man's battleground.  One can't blame it for rallying behind its subject, though its bland monotone in its idolization makes it less compelling than it wants to be.  But trying to wrestle away it's melodrama from it feels mean, because the movie clearly feels like it earned it.  Winslet follows the tone's lead, with a performance that is good at being what the movie wants it to be without ever escalating what it needs to keep it from dropping into mediocrity.  The entire movie shouldn't rest on her shoulders, but the filmmakers push more of it on her because she's its chosen asset.  Lee is a movie that would benefit if it took some of that burden and spread it around.

Megalopolis

⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Science Fiction

Director:  Francis Ford Coppola

Starring:  Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emanuelle, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Lawrence Fishburne, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman

This long-gestating Francis Ford Coppola passion project hits without much fanfare, likely because it would have been more interesting in the 90's than it is in its present state.  Magalopolis is a utopian city dreamed up by Adam Driver, made up of some bullshit material that allows him to freeze time.  This material is called "Megalon," which I assume is a resource mined from the Godzilla villain of the same name.  Anyway, he strives to create, while others in the city seek to smear his reputation.  The movie is very Fritz Lang influenced, in its cinematography, transitions, and vibes, while it's hard not to think of Metropolis when looking at several of its visuals.  The movie also feels like vintage comic book pulp, like a film like Dick Tracy or Sin City.  For better or worse, it's a movie that's unlike anything else you'll see this year.  But that just means it sucks in its own distinct way.  It's the rare instance where a movie might be more excusable if it were made by a hack instead of a renowned auteur.

Earlier this year, Megalopolis had a marketing controversy when it put up an ad that was trying to get ahead of the film's spiraling polarizing reception by pulling quotes from negative reviews of Coppola's most popular films.  The ad wound up being pulled because the quotes wound up being fake, possibly AI generated, but the intent of the ad was clear, as it tried to gaslight you into believing that if you didn't like this movie then you didn't get it.  I counter that the movie is easy to understand, it's just kinda shitty.  The movie is a story of a visionary/artist who tries to express his vision, only to be criticized or railed against, and it's a bit meta in that it presents such a tale in a manner that's meant to polarize its own audience as it reaches for the stars while still seemingly aware that creative choices don't work, but do them anyway because MY ART, I DON'T CARE.  How do you criticize a movie that's basically just saying "Joke's on you!  You're the system that I am criticizing!"  Nice try.  If your art is crap, it's still crap.  Coppola's attempt at boundary pushing and innovation is stale and expired, while utilizing visual symbolism that make Coppola seem desperate to create a masterpiece out of thin air but only makes him look out of touch.  Megalopolis is a vision of the future that's stuck in the past.

My Old Ass

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Comedy, Drama

Director:  Megan Park

Starring:  Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks

A teenage girl has a strange trip on shrooms and sees a vision of herself from twenty years in the future, played by Aubrey Plaza, who gives her life advice and warns her away from a boy she might be interested in.  My Old Ass is an interesting take on the coming-of-age tales, one that's is really bizarre if you try to think of the logistics of what is happening, so it's best to not care and go with its flow.  The movie presents itself as a story of "What would you tell your younger self?" but it hesitates in committing.  Instead, it becomes a movie about treasuring the moment while it lasts, and not regretting that it doesn't last forever even when you wish it did.  There's something brilliant about how it turns its moral around like that, though I feel it would have benefitted from more of its premise at work.  Aubrey Plaza is in the movie less than you'd expect, and that's because the movie is primarily about a teenager making teenage decisions and just an overall ode to being young and dumb and the experience that brings you.  It might have been interesting to dwell on those decisions with the hindsight perspective more, instead of Plaza giving off one cryptic warning and fading into the background.  But the movie is funny, charming, and has a sweet tearjerker ending regardless, which will make it a must-watch for those who like movies about young people finding themselves.

Notice to Quit

⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Comedy

Director:  Simon Hacker

Starring:  Michael Zegen, Kasey Bella Suarez, Nell Verlaque

Well-intentioned indie comedy sees a down-on-his-luck realtor struggling to keep his feet on the ground, who's daughter comes for a surprise visit and springs the news on him that she and her mother are moving.  If a comedy can coast on quirk, Notice to Quit has its bases covered.  It's full of scenes that are conceptually amusing while being underlined by lighthearted music crafted to amplify a silly tone.  I find the movie difficult to dislike, mostly because it's such an earnest screwball and everyone involved looks like they're having a good time.  They can't overcome its flat simplicity, which makes the movie less joyful than it clearly wants to be.

The Wild Robot

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Science Fiction, Adventure, Comedy

Director:  Chris Sanders

Starring:  Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Tsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames

Based on the bestselling children's book, The Wild Robot is the story of Roz, a robot who is shipwrecked on an island and adapts to survive.  Primarily, the film is an allegory for parenthood, as its main storyline sees Roz raising an orphaned gosling and teaching it leave the nest.  The film is warm and brisk, the latter sometimes comes at the expense of narrative.  It makes up for that by filling itself with heart, dressing it up with gorgeous storybook animation.  It's a stunning looking movie that is in constant momentum, telling a saga of trust, friendship, and family, while borrowing the best elements of films like Wall-E, Ron's Gone Wrong, and Bambi.  If at least two of those movies hit the top of you animation admiration list, The Wild Robot is a must-see, while also being a frontrunner for best animated movie of the year.

Movies Still Playing At My Theater

Alien:  Romulus ⭐️⭐️1/2

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Deadpool & Wolverine ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

It Ends with Us ⭐️⭐️

The Killer's Game ⭐️⭐️1/2

Never Let Go ⭐️⭐️1/2

Speak No Evil ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Substance ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Transformers One ⭐️⭐️

Whiplash ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

New To Digital

Between the Temples ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Front Room ⭐️

The Thicket ⭐️⭐️1/2

New To Physical

Bad Boys:  Ride or Die ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Despicable Me 4 ⭐️⭐️1/2

The Exorcism ⭐️

Longlegs ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Cinema Playground Journal 2024: Week 38 (My Cinema Playground)

Multiplex Madness

A Mistake

⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Drama

Director:  Christine Jeffs

Starring:  Elizabeth Banks, Simon McBurney, Mickey Sumner, Rena Owen, Richard Crouchley, Matthew Sunderland

Elizabeth Banks plays Elizabeth Taylor (NO NOT THAT ONE), a surgeon who makes an error during a surgery.  After the patient dies, she has to deal with the fallout as her life spirals out of control.  Medical drama enthusiests will find investment in A Mistake, which seems to be playing up to a comfort food audience while dealing with a subject that's less than comforting.  The film is based on a novel, which feels very evident.  The drama is very dependent on Banks's state of mind, which is easier to convey in text than it is through performance.  Banks is eager to prop that on her shoulders, though the melodrama tends to weigh her down.  The movie heads in aggressively somber directions, and its downbeat plot-turns pile up until the movie blows out its own wheels.  I'm not convinced the movie needed to be this relentlessly dark, but it's also not boring.

Never Let Go

⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Horror, Thriller

Director:  Alexandre Aja

Starring:  Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins

Halle Berry plays a mother living in a cabin, which has been supposedly blessed to protect her and her children from a supernatural "evil" that lives in the woods.  As time goes on, she begins to suspect the evil has possessed her children while they begin to doubt her story.  It's not entirely dissimilar a premise to this year's Arcadian, except Never Let Go isn't nearly the pain in the ass to watch.  The issue with Never Let Go is that its themes and style challenge each other for superiority.  Its desire to keep the audience second-guessing turns a movie about trauma, paranoia, and social isolation into a movie that's almost about nothing.  That is probably harsh, because the movie is effectively creepy and has heart-racing suspense scenes, it just becomes more obtuse as it goes because it's trying to be a tease.  Whether or not it ends in a satisfying place is up to debate, and I'm willing to bet a lot of viewers will leave frustrated, but it's mostly a solid Autumn chiller.

The Shade

⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Horror

Director:  Tyler Chipman

Starring:  Chris Galust, Dylan McTee, Laura Benanti, Mariel Molino, Sam Duncan

Another horror movie with PTSD themes, The Shade sees a young man suspecting that his brother brought home a dark entity into his family's house.  I find myself torn on this movie.  Half of it is a moody and understanding dissection of trauma, while the other half is a meandering bore.  It's an unbalanced movie that seems to be more invested in its metaphor than its story, which would be fine if it didn't fumble plotting itself out.  It dives into its characters, likely thinking the more we get to know them, the more we'll be invested.  Unfortunately there isn't all that much to learn about them, and the movie winds up repeating itself on the journey to find horror in their anxiety.  The horror sequences are well done.  None are showstoppers, though genre enthusiests will likely find interest in the film that has been created here.  It's unfortunate that the movie only seems to understand half the assignment.

The Substance

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Horror, Comedy

Director:  Coralie Fargeat

Starring:  Margaret Qualley, Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid

Demi Moore plays an aged aerobics celebrity who is given the opportunity to try out "The Substance," a procedure that turns her into Margaret Qualley for seven days at a time, so she can be younger, and more vibrant.  MSTies will recognize the story as old hat, as variations of it play out in films like The Wasp Woman and The Leech Woman.  The Substance is a more evolved version of the premise, adding in body horror and satirical parody.  The Substance is a raw commentary on society's obsession with youth and beauty and the pressures of aging that walk hand-in-hand with it.  It can grow a bit on-the-nose with its satire, but it's worth sticking with just to see how far it goes.  And it goes pretty far, leading up to a climax that is Cronenberg meets Raimi as it seeks to sicken while also soaking the audience in body fluid.  Both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are in full commitment, not only ready to flaunt their beauty for the camera, but to also jump into a deformed body suit to counteract the sex-appeal with something that will make you wince.  The movie is about 50% Margaret Qualley gyrating her buttocks into the camera (I'm pretty convinced most of these scenes are body doubles, but I digress), but it's also 30% Demi Moore looking miserable and 20% vomit, so prepare for complex emotions.

Super/Man:  The Christopher Reeve Story

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Documentary

Director:  Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui

Starring:  Christopher Reeve, Dana Reeve, Matthew Reeve, Will Reeve, Alexandra Reeve Givens, Gae Exton

The innagural feature film from James Gunn's DC Studios (not including the first episode of The Penguin this week) is probably not what you would expect.  Instead of hitting us with superhero action and adventure, they present us with a documentary of an actor who played a superhero who became an inspiration:  Christopher Reeve.  Unfortunately, this came after head company Warner Bros reproduced his image with CGI for a quick buck in the Flash movie, so they owed the man.  Now, they just need to repent for the arguably in poorer taste George Reeves recreation and we'll be square.

Super/Man tells the life story of Reeve, switching back and forth between two periods in his life.  The first presents his early days as an actor, being cast as Superman, and raising his family, and the latter showing the aftermath of his paralysis, which resulted in his creating of the Christopher (& Dana) Reeve Foundation.  Sometimes the flow can feel jumbled because it's telling these two stories side-by-side, but there is a narrative to be found in both of them to keep the audience in their seats.  The film's main focus is the post-paralysis period, keeping Reeve's acting career as more of a subplot that pops in.  The reason they do this is to combine the inspirational figure with the image of a superhero as long as possible, and it's striking.  Sometimes it can be a tad cheesy, like a scene of Reeve addressing Congress that's mixed with a scene at the United Nations from Superman IV or the constant image of a Superman statue that is growing Kryptonite, but it is an effective piece despite this.  It even has the looming presence of Reeve's friend Robin Williams to bring levity to the film's darkest moments.  It's a movie that we all know is going to have an unhappy ending, but it's crafted in a way that even after its bittersweet conclusion hits, it makes us feel like we can fly.

Movies Still Playing At My Theater

Alien:  Romulus ⭐️⭐️1/2

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Deadpool & Wolverine ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Despicable Me 4 ⭐️⭐️1/2

Inside Out 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It Ends with Us ⭐️⭐️

The Killer's Game ⭐️⭐️1/2

Reagan ⭐️

Speak No Evil ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Transformers One ⭐️⭐️

Whiplash ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

New To Digital

1992 ⭐️⭐️1/2

AfrAId ⭐️

Blink Twice ⭐️⭐️1/2

Cuckoo ⭐️⭐️1/2

Slingshot ⭐️1/2

You Gotta Believe ⭐️⭐️

Coming Soon!

Cinema Playground Journal 2024: Week 37 (My Cinema Playground)

Multiplex Madness

The 4:30 Movie

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Comedy

Director:  Kevin Smith

Starring:  Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo, Reed Northrup, Siena Agudong, Ken Jeong

Apologies to Kevin Smith, but I watched The 4:30 Movie at 3:50 instead.  There was no 4:30 showing, and 3:50 was as close as I could get.  But with trailers and ads, it started around 4:30 anyway, so I think it counts.  But enough of my problems, let's just appreciate that a new Kevin Smith movie came out on the 37th week of the year (IN A ROW?!?!?).

The 4:30 Movie was inspired by Kevin Smith's purchase of his childhood movie theater in New Jersey, which he used as a free setting to make autobiographical nostalgia movie, possibly also inspired by his love of Steven Spielberg's The Fablemans.  That last bit is an assumption on my part, but considering The 4:30 Movie also addresses the corelation between movies, dreams, influence, and aspirations, I think it's fair to think he had Spielberg in the back of his head.  The 4:30 Movie has less of an enormous narrative, scaling back it's story and stakes to a single day.  That day sees Smith's surrogate character asking the girl of his dreams to an afternoon movie, but since it's rated R, he and his friends have to play some rounds of sneaking-in shenanigans in getting into the movie.

Along with Clerks III, The 4:30 Movie marks something of a return to form for Kevin Smith, who spent nearly the entirety of the 2010's in an experimental stage of his career, which probably wasn't helped by his marijuana addiction, if I were to be blunt (lol, blunt).  His last two films saw him slingshot back to making semi-autobiographical comedies based on his life experiences, which is really the type of movie that earned him his cult following (with the aid of two stoners named Jay and Silent Bob).  I can't fully say he has his mojo back, because I think there was a hard-hitting Gen X edge to his movies from the 90's that is hard to restore, and it becomes hard to maintain such an edge as we get older and other generations become more prominent.  The 4:30 Movie is on the right track, and I think it's an improvement on Clerks III, even if it's not a sizable one.  The movie is both very funny and very sweet-natured, making it hard not to leave with a smile on your face.  Smith concentrates on those aspects while the plotting suffers because the turns in the movie are too trifle for a full story.  I think that matters very little to the movie that Smith wants to make, though it doesn't stop him from pilfering stronger moments from his earlier movies to tell his story (he has not one, but two scenes that echo Stan Lee in Mallrats or Will Smith in Jersey Girl, but without the big celebrity cameo to push them).  The result is a movie that's easy to like but a hike to love, as its few attempts at big, impactful moments fail to land.  That being said, my personal wish is that Kevin Smith continues to occupy this comfort zone space where The 4:30 Movie resides.  If he wants to keep making Yoga Hosers movies, power to him, but this is the area where he seems most confident.

The Critic

⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Drama, Thriller

Director:  Anand Tucker

Starring:  Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, Lesley Manville

Ian McKellen plays an aged theater critic in 1934, who manipulates an actress into helping him blackmail his boss.  Complications and melodrama ensue.  This is a movie I wish were better than it is, because if it followed its best instincts, it could probably be an exceptional drama.  The movie weilds a tremendous cast, though most are kept in monotone circling around Ian McKellen, who is the only one given any character.  Meanwhile, the plot's trajectory spirals in convoluted directions, despite playing with an interesting story.  It's a lot of muchness, too high on the thickness of its dramatic tension to take a step back and really see what works and what doesn't.  Early on, McKellen's character advises Gemma Arterton that less can be more, telling her that a good audience can read the subtlety of a performance without having it spelled out to them.  It's crazy to me that the movie that vocalized that advice never heeded it.

The Killer's Game

⭐️⭐️1/2

Genre:  Action, Comedy

Director:  J.J. Perry

Starring:  David Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Pom Klementieff, Ben Kingsley, Alex Kingston, Daniel Bernhardt

Dave Bautista plays an assassin who is diagnosed with cancer, and then puts out a hit on himself so his girlfriend will be paid out on his life insurance policy.  He the discovers he has been misdiagnosed and has to wade his way through a wave of assassins trying to cash in.  It doesn't take long before a viewer will note that the violence in this movie looks fake, with what seems to be cheaply produced CGI blood splatters.  One could probably hold it against the movie, but if you're paying close attention, it's very much an intentional stylistic choice.  The movie is tongue-in-cheek, Looney Tunes nonsense with the goal of being perfectly serviceable junk food cinema, so ridiculously unrealistic that its charisma lies in how far you're willing to ride its off-the-charts bullshit-o-meter.  Some might struggle to give the movie a pass based on how hamfisted its sense of cheek is, though knee-slapping action junkies will likely find something to enjoy in its stupidity.  There are certainly movies that do what The Killer's Game does far better than it, though The Killer's Game is a movie with its sole focus on playing up to those who can't get enough.

MSTies will want to keep an eye out for Future War's Daniel Bernhardt in a supporting role.

Speak No Evil

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Thriller

Director:  James Watkins

Starring:  James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough

In this remake of the recent Danish film, a family is invited to stay the weekend at the farm of people they've just met, which grows increasingly more disturbing the longer they stay.  I haven't seen the original Speak No Evil.  I've heard gushing things, but it just has never been opportune.  Whether or not fans of that movie will be happy with this Americanization is something I can't attest to, though from a quick study of a wiki synopsis, this version has an extended climax and a far less cynical outcome.  Of course, that might make the movie sound watered down, though, in it's own right, the remake is a pretty skillful suspense thriller.  Most of its tension is saved for the climax, where the film becomes a chase movie.  Setpieces are primal and cleverly constructed, while the performers step up to the plate.  James McAvoy is a fucking lion in this movie, switching back and forth between charismatic and intense on a dime and at times demonstrating that he can do both at the same time.  I think the movie offers very few surprises that you can deduce from seeing a trailer or TV spot, but it is a solid evening for suspense fans.

Transformers One

⭐️⭐️

Genre:  Science Fiction, Action, Comedy

Director:  Josh Cooley

Starring:  Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Lawrence Fishburne, Steve Buscemi

There was a pre-release screening of the new animated Transformers movie this weekend, so I decided to quell my curiosity on it.  The trailers looked horrendous, but the word on the street said it was quite good.  Allow me to dissent.  Indeed, the movie is better than the trailers make it out to be, but not by any sizable margin to legitimately matter.  Which is unfortunate, because I would like some stability with this franchise, but it never seems to be in the cards.  The original Michael Bay movies are random noise, some better than others.  It's been evident that the Transformers franchise needed to leave Bay behind since...well, 2007.  Watching it limply flail around for any possible foothold has been truly sad to watch, especially when they had a template in Bumblebee in their hands that they foolishly let go.  This series seems to have no idea what it's trying to be anymore, and Transformers One is a loose cog in a haywire clock.

The film is supposedly a prequel.  To what?  I'm not sure.  Plot developments contradict the Michael Bay movies and it even feels removed from the Bumblebee/Rise of the Beasts dualogy, which may-or-may-not still be in the Michael Bay series but we don't know because nobody who works on them seems to know or care.  It's probably best to treat Transformers One as its own thing, as it delves into pre-war Cybertron, where bromanced Orion Pax (future Optimus Prime) and D-16 (future Megatron) are untransformable Energon miners who accidentally discover the gravesite of the Primes, where they might find the dark secret of why they disappeared.  It's a story that feels like it should be interesting for those who grew up with Transformers lore, which I have, so I was partially invested in seeing a story like this play out.  It just frustrates me that I seem more invested than the people who wrote it.  There are ideas here, but the film doesn't take advantage of them.  It often goes for the easy, low-effort way out.  Megatron's storyline, for example, feels like it should be the most powerful arc of the movie, but it's so undernourished and carelessly constructed that the character that begins the movie just decides to switch him into an entirely different character by the end.  It's frustrating to watch, and it probably would have been best played over the course of two films instead of one.  Meanwhile, the main plotline of the movie is accidental misfits bumbling their way into a scenario they daydream about, then suddenly become competent because the plot requires it.  This whole approach sucks.

The animation is uneven.  The character models are ugly, resembling that of television productions with much lower budgets where we would give them a pass, where the only sign that they're in a big budget movie is how shiny they are.  The Cybertronian landscapes fare much better, with rich and interesting design work.  But even if it were a better-looking movie, it would only go so far to save what is here.  It's lavish production design with a convoluted script and clumsy ironic humor that is often the same two or three jokes over and over again (most of the humor lies in variations on a character just getting beaten up off-camera or saying "Oh, wow, okay, we're really doing this?").  The film is so tonally off-balance that it comes off as the animated equivalent of a rumbling wash machine, while there is no ambition to be a real story instead of a loud series of flashy images.  It's a shame the movie doesn't capitalize on the creativity it could have, instead of just becoming a generic child-pleaser.  The child I took to the theater to see this enjoyed it very much, so parents with young Transformers fans will likely want to check it out.  It's only up for exceeding the lowest of expectations, though. 

Movies Still Playing At My Theater

Alien:  Romulus ⭐️⭐️1/2

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Blink Twice ⭐️⭐️1/2

Deadpool & Wolverine ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Despicable Me 4 ⭐️⭐️1/2

The Front Room ⭐️

Inside Out 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It Ends with Us ⭐️⭐️

Reagan ⭐️

Twisters ⭐️⭐️

New To Digital

The Crow ⭐️1/2

New To Physical

All of Us Strangers ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Horizon:  An American Saga - Chapter I ⭐️1/2

Inside Out 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Coming Soon!