Multiplex Madness
Bird
⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Director: Andrea Arnold
Starring: Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski, Jason Buda, Jasmine Jobson, Frankie Box, James Nelson-Joyce
A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg directs himself and Kieran Culkin as cousins who go on a tour of Holocaust sites in Poland after the passing of their grandmother, while Culkin's erratic behavior makes Eisenberg and the rest of the tour uncomfortable along the way. A Real Pain is a contemplative dramedy featuring contrasting performances by its two leads. Culkin is given the jucier role of the two, allowing for an unfiltered character who projects a frivolous nature that masks an internal depression. Eisenberg gives himself a straight man role to use in observational study of such inner pain. The movie has no answers for its subject, opting instead to be a study of the aimless lives that haven't been figured out, and how small they might feel in contrast to both people they know and the people that preceed them. It's a lot to chew on for such a small movie.
Red One
A troubled young girl befriends an awkward outsider who is searching for his mother in this indie coming-of-age drama. Bird starts off pretty straightforward, with rebellious teenage angst taking center stage of what, at first glance, is pretty run-of-the-mill and comes off an aimlessly generic attempt. Assuredly, it takes a turn. Does it make it more interesting? I'd be challenged to say it does. If anything, it turns its from aimless to lightly baffling. The film crosses into metaphorical fantasy as it goes on, which feels like it's doing so because it doesn't trust its drama. That's not entirely unwarranted, because while the acting is pretty good, the story ebbs and flows as it meanders without full certainty of where it's going. As its final element starts rolling, the film has something to cling to, even as it grasp slips while it clumsily tries to fuse it into itself. I'm curious if there is some local English folklore I'm missing that helps bring this movie together, but even if there is, I'm still left piecing this movie together from what abstract pieces it offers. But Bird is an interesting piece, even as it misfires.
A Real Pain
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes
Jesse Eisenberg directs himself and Kieran Culkin as cousins who go on a tour of Holocaust sites in Poland after the passing of their grandmother, while Culkin's erratic behavior makes Eisenberg and the rest of the tour uncomfortable along the way. A Real Pain is a contemplative dramedy featuring contrasting performances by its two leads. Culkin is given the jucier role of the two, allowing for an unfiltered character who projects a frivolous nature that masks an internal depression. Eisenberg gives himself a straight man role to use in observational study of such inner pain. The movie has no answers for its subject, opting instead to be a study of the aimless lives that haven't been figured out, and how small they might feel in contrast to both people they know and the people that preceed them. It's a lot to chew on for such a small movie.
Red One
⭐️⭐️
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Adventure
Director: Jake Kasdan
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt
The one-and-only Santa Claus has been kidnapped in the days leading up to Christmas, and personal bodyguard Dwayne Johnson teams up with professional tracker and "Level 4 Naughty Lister" Chris Evans to track him down and return him to the skies by Christmas Eve. Johnson reteams with his Jumanji director Jake Kasdan for another hectic family adventure, though Red One lacks the creative spirit of the Jumanji films, even if the good-natured humor still wins it some charisma points. The problem with doing a globe-trotting techno caper take on the Santa Claus mythos is that the novelty of "Christmas magic" falters while making things shinier and more action-based. The appeal of the holiday gets lost in the gloss. That's not to say it can't be done, but Red One is too pleased with its cheek to get in touch with its imagination. The movie does clearly think its genre mash is imaginative enough, though it's probably confusing imagination with Christmas-themed gimmickry. Red One is a lot of holiday paint airbrushed on basic noise. It's enough for an empty evening at the movies, though it likely won't inspire many to put it on their annual holiday rotation.
Movies Still Playing At My Theater
Anora ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Conclave ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Elevation ⭐️⭐️
Heretic ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Smile 2 ⭐️⭐️1/2
We Live in Time ⭐️⭐️1/2
The Wild Robot ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
New To Digital
Goodrich ⭐️⭐️1/2
Megalopolis ⭐️⭐️
Rumours ⭐️⭐️
Saturday Night ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Coming Soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment