Multiplex Madness
Captain America: Brave New World
⭐️1/2
Genre: Superhero, Action, Thriller
Director: Julius Onah
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Tim Blake Nelson, Shira Haas, Giancarlo Esposito, Carlos Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Liv Tyler
I don't think there is anybody who wanted this movie to be good more than I did. Of all of Marvel Studios' franchise runs, their biggest heavy-hitter, for my money, was Captain America. They hammered out three wildly entertaining adventures that got better as they went, outshining their contomporaries with one of the most impressive superhero runs ever committed to film. I was hoping that handing off the shield to Anthony Mackie for a Sam Wilson continuation would keep that streak going, and while Falcon and the Winter Soldier wasn't my favorite of the Disney+ Marvel shows, it did enough to make me believe there was potential. Rumors were that Brave New World's production was riddled with problems, though how much that strangles the finished film is unclear. What I can say about the finished product is that it feels more like a placeholder than the movie that was promised. Brave New World feels like a rough draft of an exciting Captain America adventure, but doesn't deliver the thrills in its mystery nor the adrenaline of action spectacle.
The story focuses on the newly christened Captain America Sam Wilson, who uncovers a plot to assassinate recently-elected President of the United States Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, taking over the role from the late William Hurt). Wilson's delving into the mystery has twists, though none of it is intricate enough to get the blood pumping. The film feels like it's modeling itself after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, offering up political intrigue in uncovering a deep conspiracy, but Winter Soldier's plot kept moving and its storyline was tightly woven and exciting. Brave New World's most interesting aspect is how it ties to a previous Marvel film from over a decade ago, and its returning villain is one of the highlights of the film. The evil plan they've concocted lets them down, because there is only so much they're allowed to do in this movie and the journey to uncover the big endgame (which is given away in the trailers) is a bit of a flavorless slog.
Some of the lesser shortcomings of the film would be easier to dismiss if the film were a rousing action entertainer. Sadly, Marvel's normal zip with action sequences has little-to-no gusto, ensuring the movie isn't very fun. The film's highlight is an aerial sequence set around the Celestial from Eternals, while the climactic battle has some solid moments, but gets more vanilla the longer it goes and the emptier the fight choreography gets. All of the action in the first half of the movie is a quick-cut nightmare, feeling rushed and with little care. Marvel is normally very careful to make sure their movies aren't boring. This is their first triumphant failure on their part in that arena.
It's a bummer, because this is the first project Marvel Studios has put out that I consider genuinely bad. Eternals was messy, but I credit it for the things it did well. I'm one of the few who enjoyed Quantumania, which was weird and silly but I had a good time watching it (I even watched it twice to make sure that I was the sane one and the rest of you were crazy). Marvel's worst products are usually aggressively mediocre, like Iron Man 2, or something that's exactly what it's trying to be but I'm not responding to it, like Agatha All Along. Brave New World is just a bad experience from top to bottom, which is the first time Marvel's movies has touched a Morbius tier in lacklusterness. But it also seems like a shipwreck of this scale was the only logical conclusion for Marvel's flummoxed Phase 5 line-up, which started with the confident but panned Quantumania and spent the rest of its time panicked and in damage control, resulting in promising but gutted projects like Secret Invasion, The Marvels, Echo, and now Brave New World. The only high-points were the far removed stories of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Deadpool & Wolverine, because at least those movies were comfortable in their own skin.
Still, Thunderbolts looks pretty good. I'll be staying optimistic for that.
Paddington in Peru
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Director: Dougal Wilson
Starring: Ben Wishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Carla Tous, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas
The latest from the film series based on the popular children's books sees the Brown family visiting Paddington's Aunt Lucy in Peru, only to find that she has gone missing, assuming she is in search of the lost city of El Dorado, in which they follow suit. Paddington in Peru is also the long-gestating follow-up to what is universally considered the greatest movie ever made, Paddington 2. As luck would have it, Paddington 2 is the only film in this series that I haven't seen (it just was never opportune for me to do so), so I can't say I went into the third film with impossible expectations, though there are some production shake-ups from the previous films that give pause, including the loss of director Paul King and star Sally Hawkins. They are replaced by capable newcomer Dougal Wilson and charming veteran Emily Mortimer, respectively, so all is not lost even when certain things change. For the most part, Paddington in Peru has no major departure in spirit or comedy, which is still good-natured delight and whimsical slapstick. The full experience is pushed forward by a talented cast who blend with the material, including a scene-stealing Olivia Colman. The movie is charming and fun, and Paddington has yet to wear out his welcome on the big screen. If his family-orented adventures continue, one does hope they can at least stay this endearing.
Art Attack
Oscar Nominated Shorts: Animation
Beautiful Men
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Male-pattern baldness, midlife crises, and inadequacies highlight this stop-motion tale of three men who seek hair transplants. The first thing to notice is that this short has a lot of puppet schlong. Like, as far as animated Oscar fare goes, this has more dick than My Year of Dicks. Ignoring that, it's a pretty humorous, if dry, tale of three middle-aged men searching for some light validation.
In the Shadow of the Cypress
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This Iranian animation features a father having a strained relationship with his daughter, who find their relationship coming to a head when they find a beached whale and try to help it. This heartfelt story is about trauma, relationships, and compassion. It's mostly pantomime with soft animation to bathe in.
Magic Candies
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This Japanese stop-motion sees a lonely boy who eats magic candy that allows him to hear the voices of certain things around them. A cute and playful metaphorical tale of finding one's voice is highlighted by a heightened sense of humor and environmental awareness. Also, fart jokes!
Wander to Wonder
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A stop-motion animator passes away in his studio, leaving his sentient puppets to fend for themselves in this odd survival tale. To be honest, some of the puppet models are more than a little terrifying, which makes the intent about being a puppet show for children a bit questionable. This short is strange, but interesting, with it's bizarre mixture of both the humorous and the harrowing. It's in ways both a parody of survival drama and an honest portrayal of one.
Yuck!
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Of course, there has to be a French story about kissing. It was only a matter of time. This cute short features a group of children who are grossed out by the concept of locking lips, only for two of them to become curious about trying it themselves. The film is about adolescence and the maturation into sexual curiosity, with some interesting animated florishes to portray heightened emotional states. It's a fun watch.
Oscar Nominated Shorts: Live Action
A Lien
⭐️⭐️1/2
A father seeks out a Green Card only to be pinned down by immigration services during his legal immigration process. The film reminded me somewhat of last year's Red, White, and Blue as a raw look at a governmental failing that is actively harming people, though fighting just how on-the-nose it is (the film even includes a gratuitous "cameo" by a certain government figure that has made these institutions much worse, and it wants you to know exactly who to blame). It's messy, but efficient, portraying a chaotic event rather chaotically itself, but one can't deny it makes its point. I do wish it had done so in a less "screaming-into-the-void" manner.
Anuja
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
This charming little film sees a young Indian girl who works in a sweatshop with her sister, only to be discovered as a math prodigy and sought out for her talents by both the educational system and by her boss. It's a lovely look at adolescence reaching a crossroads of what their life will end up being. It's a joyous little burst of breaking out of a limited life with a captivating young cast. The ending is ambiguous, but the heartfelt tale resonates within it.
I'm Not a Robot
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Almost a companion short for the film Companion (see what I did there?), a young woman's struggles with "bot security" on her computer lead her to the conclusion that she might actually be a robot. The short is really funny, as the series of gags leading through the self-discovery is very strong and chuckle-inducing. The short struggles with maintaining momentum, as it feels the need to justify itself with a lore-dump in its third act. I don't think short films are the best place for something like that, as they're better suited for hitting-the-ground-running. It's an entertaining watch, regardless.
The Last Ranger
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
An African boy goes on a ride with a local ranger only to find their lives in danger when they stumble upon poachers seeking rhinoceros horns. This environmental tale is exciting and emotional, telling a compelling story about the human responsibility to our wildlife companions that we share this earth with and the harrowing reality if we fail. The scenery and locales are gorgeous while the story captivates.
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This tense story takes place in 1993 Štrpci, where a military unit stopped a train and dragged Muslim passengers off to be tortured and executed, with a Croatian soldier stepping up to protect his fellow passengers, only to be taken off himself. The film is based on a true story, honoring a real-life soldier who did this and lost his life in doing so. At the same time, there is little to the film other than its momentum, while the soldier its paying respect to has a role that is slighter than one would wish. The film is still quite stirring in spite of that and is worth a look.
Oscar's Trash Can
The Girl with the Needle
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oscars Nominated: Best International Feature Film
Genre: Drama, Horror
Director: Magnus von Horn
Starring: Vic Carmen Sonne, Trine Dyrholm, Besir Zeciri, Joachim Fjelstrup, Tessa Hoder, Avo Knox Martin
I don't know what I expected from this movie. All I know is that I need a hug.
This Danish entry into the Oscars race is a grim story of a woman whose husband has been disfigured by World War I and finds herself pregnant with the child of another man, who refuses to care for the child. In desperation, she gives up the child to a woman who claims to find homes for them, only to discover a shocking truth about what she is really doing with them. The film is based on true events, with some details too taboo to even desire to type out. If nothing else, I can at least respect that the movie gets elbow deep into the taboo itself and is unafraid to "go there." Quite graphically in some instances, too. The Girl with the Needle is well-made and acted, but very, very dour, almost universally resentful, and certainly not for the faint of heart. If you aren't prepared for a grim, unhappy little movie that wants to break you, then one needn't bother with it. Positive interactions in the film are few and far between, like little flowers in a barren desert. But at the same time, the film presents itself with a sense of distrust, showcasing characters born within hardship and not accepting empathy without knowing what might be ulterior behind it. What's worse is that the characters' mistrust is often correct, because everyone and everything sucks and life exists to suck the joy out of the innocent probably.
I am curious if on some subliminal level the movie is supposed to be a message on abortion, but the movie is so cynical in all directions that, if it were to deliver such a message, it's thrashing so wildly that it's tearing every position down in its wake. If anything, what message it does deliver is pro-love as a shield from cruelty. It takes a really long time to deliver that message, and it puts the viewer through hell and back on the way, but there is that slight little sunlight to it. I admired the film, but I most certainly would never watch it again. I have too much respect for what remains of my sunshine-and-rainbows fantasies.
Oscar Nominated Shorts: Documentaries
Death by Numbers
(N/A)
I was unable to find a screening of this film.
I Am Ready, Warden
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Interesting hot-button topic doc follows death row inmate John Henry Ramirez during his last days before execution. The film is a very melancholy judgment of a controversial institution, as most have their feelings on the subject of a "death penalty" set in stone. I think the film could use more perspective and less retrospective, as the movie focuses on Ramirez's regret far more than what actually happened the night he took a man's life, but the film's point is that a concrete and final punishment such as death does not allow for rehabilitation and betterment, which is a point that it gets across effectively. The most powerful scene in the movie features Aaron Castro, the son of the man who Ramirez killed, showcasing nothing but anger and resentment in his heart for Ramirez, only to hear the news of his death as the camera lingers on his blank face, unable to express an emotion as he processes this information. It's an expression that asks a question of the effectiveness of the death penalty without saying a word.
Incident
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
A compilation of security and bodycam footage shows the death of Harith "Snoop" Augustus, who was gunned down by police while trying to detain him for a concealed firearm in 2018. The structure of this short documentary is very raw, as it displays the events mostly in real time, with multiple cameras on screen showing the event from different angles. This also makes it very chaotic to follow because multiple aspects require attention at the same time and one's gaze might be too narrow to follow it thoroughly. That being said, the film is a hard look at a snap event that ends in tragedy, showcasing the heat of the moment and, probably most discomforting of all, the attempted justification of it in the aftermath. The documentary is a plea for law responsibility while the officers on display deny the idea that they owe the public any. That makes the featured "Incident" much, much worse.
Instruments of a Beating Heart
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Japanese students put on an orchestra performance of "Ode to Joy" at their school, with a student losing confidence after making mistakes, learning how to bounce back. A very basic story of practice and esteem. It's not something that stands out in a crowd, but it's a good piece of persistence for children.
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Retired New York Philharmonic bassist Orin O'Brien takes center-stage in this documentary crafted by her niece, reminiscing about being the daughter of two Hollywood stars (George O'Brien and Marguerite Chirchill) and growing up to being the only woman in the Philharmonic and the sexism that surrounded that. But the film largely waves that away and becomes a celebration of O'Brien's passion and her love of the music itself. O'Brien's humbleness and spirit are infectious, making this documentary an easy recommend.
Movies Still Playing At My Theater
Companion ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Dog Man ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heart Eyes ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love Hurts ⭐️⭐️
Mufasa: The Lion King ⭐️⭐️1/2
One of Them Days ⭐️⭐️1/2
New To Digital
Better Man ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flight Risk ⭐️⭐️
Nickel Boys ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One of Them Days ⭐️⭐️1/2
Oscar Nominations
A Lien ⭐️⭐️1/2
Alien: Romulus ⭐️⭐️1/2
Anora ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2Anuja ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Apprentice ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beautiful Men ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Better Man ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Black Box Diaries ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Brutalist ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Complete Unknown ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Conclave ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Death by Numbers (N/A)
A Different Man ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dune Part Two ⭐️⭐️1/2
Elton John: Never Too Late (N/A)
Emilia Pérez (N/A)
Flow ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Girl with the Needle ⭐⭐⭐
Gladiator II ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I Am Ready, Warden ⭐⭐⭐1/2
I'm Not a Robot ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I'm Still Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Incident ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Inside Out 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Instruments of a Beating Heart ⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the Shadow of the Cypress ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Last Ranger ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Magic Candies ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maria ⭐️⭐️
Memoir of a Snail (N/A)
Nickel Boys ⭐️⭐️⭐️
No Other Land (N/A)
Nosferatu ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Only Girl in the Orchestra ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Porcelain War (N/A)
A Real Pain ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Seed of the Sacred Fig ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
September 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sing Sing ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Six Triple Eight ⭐️⭐️
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (N/A)
The Substance ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Sugarcane (N/A)
Wander to Wonder ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wicked Part I ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Wild Robot ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Yuck! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Coming Soon!
