This Is the End

Movie Name: This Is the End
Year of Release: 2013
Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Martin Starr, Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Seth Rogen and his creative partner Evan Goldberg's feature directorial debut is a doomsday comedy, one that pokes fun at celebrities and even at Rogen and his friends themselves. The narrative focuses on Jay Baruchel who is in LA to spend time with Seth Rogen. After getting high and doing a bunch of random things around Rogen's house, the latter manages to convince Jay to go to James Franco's party, even if Jay isn't that comfortable with that crowd. Jay manages to convince Seth not to leave him by himself at the party. Soon an earthquake strikes and everyone goes outside to check on what's happening. A bunch of actors and performers get killed, and they soon realize the rapture is upon them. Seth, Jay, James, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson all get back in the house, and decide to ration whatever food and drinks they have left. However Danny McBride who crashed the party and fell asleep in one of Franco's bathrooms soon destroys their finely arranged set up. As they try to get through the end of the world and figure out how to get away from the hell that LA has turned out to be, all matters of occurrences come their way, including Jonah Hill getting possessed.  They soon realize only by performing a selfless act can they redeem themselves and ascend to heaven. 

"This Is the End" is a surprisingly ingenious and at times quite funny comedy from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Everyone on the film is essentially playing caricatures of themselves, in a quasi-meta type of way, which allows for all of them to poke fun at their own personas, but only so far, since they're all playing with clichés of what actors are perceived to be and behave like (particularly the very successful ones). This ingenuity however is not as acerbic as it can be, since the script does go for some slapstick and the gross-out laugh, failing to actually probe deeper into the narcissism and rampant self-serving aspect that exists to a certain extent in that particular artistic community. Either way, the film smartly references other iconic films such as William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" but in a comedic way, and gives some of these actors an opportunity to create new types of caricatures (Jonah Hill's being of course the most obvious one, followed by the potent cameo of Emma Watson). It's a film that for all its limitations in terms of characters and set up, is nonetheless pretty funny, since it also juggles with people's perceptions of these actors and their image. And while its message is somewhat basic, the journey getting there is nonetheless entertaining and at times quite funny (Jonah Hill's possession is a highlight). The cast is uniformly solid, with highlights going to Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Danny McBride who in particular manages to create someone truly exasperating and unpleasant. The production team is solid, including Henry Jackman's score, Brandon Trost's cinematography and Chris Spellman's production design. Worth watching. 

Neighbors

Movie Name: Neighbors
Year of Release: 2014
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Effron, Dave Franco, Lisa Kudrow, Ike Barinholtz, Brian Huskey, Carla Gallo, Halston Sage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Roberts, Jerrod Carmichael, Ali Cobrin
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the well received "The Five Year Engagement", director Nicholas Stoller tackled what became his first collaboration with actor/producer Seth Rogen. The film focuses its narrative on Mac Radner and his wife Kelly, who have recently become new parents with the arrival of their daughter Stella. Much to their surprise the house next to theirs sells to a fraternity by the name of Delta Psi Beta, who is well known for their outrageous parties. The leaders of that fraternity, Teddy Sanders and Pete Regazolli, aspire to join the hallmark of the most infamous parties the fraternity has previously organized. Fearing the worst, Mac and Kelly try to build a relationship with the fraternity, particularly their leaders, who figure out it's best if they invite them for a party. Teddy asks the couple that in case they feel troubled by any of their parties, to simply call him first instead of resorting to the police. That soon turns out to be the case, as one of the parties taking place keeps Stella awake, and Mac after attempting to reach out multiple times eventually resorts to calling the police. This opens up the hostilities between the neighbors, something that quickly starts escalating.

"Neighbors" is an interesting film in the sense that has two very distinct layers coming across as the narrative is unfolding. On one hand there's the slightly risqué tone, almost a node to Bob Clark's "Porky's", where the somewhat archetype of college parties as a means to have sex comes across very heavily, while on the other hand, there's the slightly more interesting part of the narrative with the couple who is in their 30s, has a child and is fearing that their youth is gone, including their ability to be spontaneous and even be sexy towards each other. While Mac and Kelly's relationship is effectively rendered, even if the characters themselves are somewhat stunted in their outlines, the fraternity residents are given very little dimension at all, functioning mostly as clichéd antagonists, as opposed to fully rounded characters who have some depth or even motivation beyond just having parties. Part of the problem with this narrative is also the fact that whatever humor there is, comes primarily from Mac and Kelly's reaction to this disruption in their habitat. Nothing that the fraternity and their residents do or for that matter are, is in reality funny at all. Whereas Fred Wolf's "The House Bunny" had the concept of bringing someone oblivious to reality to a sorority and generating the humor from that inadequacy, in this particular case the fraternity itself comes across as reckless, privileged and cruel (and once again, not funny). The film is salvaged due to Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne's (who is phenomenal in everything she does) performances: they have an undeniable chemistry, and they both manage to bring silliness, complicity and warmth to their characters, in their interactions, but also in how they relate to others. They have good support from the somewhat underrated Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz and Lisa Kudrow. The production team is effective but not particularly memorable. It's a somewhat unbalanced film, worth watching for Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen's undeniable charisma.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Movie Name: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Year of Release: 2023
Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head, Chloe Coleman, Rege-Jean Page, Will Irvine, Nicholas Blane, Bryan Larkin, Spencer Wilding, Kyle Hixon, Georgia Landers
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

The writing/producing and directing duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have made a name for themselves since they wrote Seth Gordon's "Horrible Bosses", and have since then tackled interesting projects such as Jon Watts' "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and even this year's maligned "The Flash" which was directed by Andy Muschietti. Their prior directorial effort was the well received "Game Night", featuring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is based on the game of the same name, and focuses its narrative on bard Edgin Darvis, who lives with his wife and young daughter in the Forgotten Realms. Edgin's life suffers a dramatic turnaround, which includes the death of his wife, resulting in him having to figure out a different way to make a living, which eventually finds him resorting to theft, with a series of accomplices which includes Holga, Simon the sorcerer, Forge who is a con artist, and Forge's acquaintance Sofina. While trying to steal a "Tablet of Reawakening" (which will enable him to resurrect his late wife), he and Holga are captured. After two years of imprisonment, they escape to Neverwinter, only to find out Forge has in the meantime become the Lord of the domain, and has in fact been the one responsible for Kira, Edgin's daughter. Turns out Forge who thinks he's in charge of the situation, has been a bit of a puppet for Sofina who is in reality a villainous Red Wizard. It's up to Edgin and his friends to retrieve the Tablet and stop Sofina and her master from creating another army of the undead. 

"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" manages to be an unpretentious action/adventure film that though filled with character sketches, it's nonetheless smart enough to give all these character just enough charm to make them compelling and a bit more than offensive clichés. It's a film that reminds at times the better work of Richard Donner (circa "Ladyhawke" for instance), but with a more substantial comedic tone (the obese dragon is a good example). The directors smartly walk a fine line between not taking the premise very seriously, but also not making the film fall into the trappings of self mockery. It's a breezy action film, which at some point brought to mind what Michael Curtiz for instance did with the original "Robin Hood" (with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland), in the sense that it's colorful, the characters are briefly explained and given some substance, and the chemistry between all of them makes the narrative that much more palatable and engaging. The film also benefits from a solid cast, in particular the trifecta of Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant. The production team is equally solid, with highlights going to Barry Peterson's cinematography, Lorne Balfe's score, Ray Chan's production design and Amanda Monk's costume design. Worth watching. 

The One

Movie Name: The One
Year of Release: 2001
Director: James Wong
Starring: Jet Li, Carla Gugino, Delroy Lindo, Jason Statham, James Morrison, Dylan Bruno, Richard Steinmetz, Steve Rankin, Tucker Smallwood, Harriet Sansom Harris, Dean Norris, Darin Morgan, Rom Zimmerman, Joel Stoffer
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"The One" was a vehicle to further cement Jet Li's ascension in the North American market, which started with his supporting turn in Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon 4", which was quickly followed by lead roles in "Romeo Must Die" and "Kiss of the Dragon". The narrative of the film focuses on Gabe Law a deputy sheriff in LA, who is married to the lovely T.K.. Hot on his trail is another version of himself by the name of Yulaw, who was once an agent part of MVA who police cross-dimensional travel. Yulaw has been killing all different versions of himself across different universes, and absorbing their energy to himself, all with the intent of becoming "The One". His goal is to do the same with Gabe. Agents Roedecker and Funsch are pursuing him and their goal is to both stop Yulaw and also save Gabe from that fate. Gabe in the meantime has also noticed he has been gaining increased strength and speed. Funsch eventually explains to Gabe what is happening, though they're both unable to save T.K. from Yulaw's killing spree. As Gabe and Funsch eventually fight Yulaw, they're sucked in by a wormhole which drops them at the MVA headquarters. 

Coincidentally enough, James Wong's "The One" tackled the topic of Multi-verse well before Marvel came along and planted that narrative device across most of their films. Wong who started his feature  directorial career with "Final Destination", but had an already well established screenwriting career beforehand, has plenty of interesting items to work with in this film (namely this notion of a multiverse police department who keeps an eye on what's taking place across multiple universes). However and while the concept of multiverse allows for interesting permutations with the same characters, this film in particular falls somewhat short since we never get much of an understanding of who Gabe or Yulaw actually are. And while the suggestion of "The One" is supposedly enticing, that narrative mechanism or ploy is never fully explored or explained. This film did have the potential to be an enticing B-movie, one where the characters are briefly explained and where their motives are swiftly rendered, but sadly the director chooses to focus more on action and fighting scenes, which as well staged as they are, don't necessarily add color or detail to what is happening, at least not in the same way some of Jackie Chan's films have been able to do (such as "Police Story" for instance). In the end we're left with some stilted dialogue options, and plenty of action scenes which do illustrate Jet Li's acrobatic skills and very little beyond that. The always underrated Carla Gugino and Delroy Lindo manage to salvage whatever there is from their scenes, while the production design team (headed by David L. Snyder) is underwhelming, with some of the choices bringing to mind some of the Farscape sets. It's watchable and instantly forgettable. 

Prom Night

Movie Name: Prom Night
Year of Release: 2008
Director: Nelson McCormick
Starring: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Idris Elba, Jessica Stroup, Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, Kelly Blatz, James Ransone, Brianne Davis, Kellan Lutz, Mary Mara, Ming-Na Wen, Johnathon Schaech, Linden Ashby, Jana Kramer, Jessalyn Gilsig, Rachel Specter, Valeri Ross
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 1
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Nelson McCormick has largely made a career for himself directing a variety of reputable TV shows, which has included "The Man in the High Castle", "Homeland", "The Good Wife", "Southland", and going back even further, "Nip/Tuck" and "ER". And for all his prolific career on TV, this remake of "Prom Night" was his second feature directorial outing. The film follows the narrative of Donna Keppel who is a high school senior currently living with her uncle and aunt following a traumatic occurrence in her life, specifically one where her father, brother and mother were all killed by a stalker she had, her former biology teacher. As Donna prepares for her senior prom, the local detective learns that the killer escaped from the mental hospital where he was being held captive, and in all likelihood is coming for Donna once again. Donna and her boyfriend Bobby, alongside their close friends all head for a hotel where the prom celebration is taking place, only for the killer to start attacking each one of them all with the goal of getting to Donna. The police uncovers the killings, and orders the hotel to be evacuated and Donna and Bobby to be sent home with a series of police patrols escorting them. However the killer is hot on their trail.

The original "Prom Night" came out in 1980 (directed by Paul Lynch) and featured Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen in the central roles. It wasn't the most riveting of titles from the time period, and definitely isn't one of the most memorable features in Jamie Lee Curtis and Leslie Nielsen's respectable careers. This update however fails to do much with the original source material, failing to provide much substance as to who these characters actually are. Donna who is incarnated in this version by Brittany Snow, is somewhat objectified as a lovely young woman, though the audience hardly ever understands what makes the killer so drawn to her ( or for that matter why should we care). The supporting characters suffer a similar contrived experience, ranging from Donna's friends to the police officers who are responsible for her safeguarding. All this array of characters has hardly any motivation or for that matter, existence, beyond being fodder for that persistent killer. Even the killer himself, it's never truly uncovered the reason for his obsession for that young woman. It's a film that fails to not only provide much dimension to any character, but one that also isn't very subtle in the way it stages the killer's attacks and his methods to get to his target. This does not come across as a slick B-movie, instead it's a poorly realized TV slasher film with very little entertainment value, save for Idris Elba who as always manages to do something with the paltry elements he is given and the always reliable James Ransone who also has very little to do here. The production team is somewhat generic and unmemorable. It's a missed opportunity and a lackluster feature. 

Tenet

Movie Name: Tenet
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Clemence Poesy, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Martin Donovan, Himesh Patel, Anthony Molinari, Laurie Shepherd
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review

After the critical and commercial success of "Dunkirk", writer/producer/director Christopher Nolan decided to tackle a deconstructed take on time travel, married with some of the familiar layers he usually peppers his stories with. The film premiered at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic, and didn't get much tracking, particularly when compared to his previous endeavors, which also precipitated his abandon of the long term relationship he had with Warner Brothers. The film focuses on a character we only know by the Protagonist, who gets involved with an underground organization, with the intent to prevent a notorious arms dealer by the name of Andrei Sator to get access to various critical ingredients which will enable him to have nuclear capabilities. While doing this, he gets acquainted with Andrei's wife Kat, who is in a precarious situation when it comes to her personal relationship with Andrei. He also forges a partnership with the resourceful Neil, who always knows a bit more than he leads on. The Protagonist soon realizes that Andrei is always a step ahead, because he has access to futuristic technology which enables him to walk through different timelines and control the outcome of everything. That in itself turns out to be an additional layer of danger he and his team have to learn to overcome so they can avoid the collapse of the entire planet. 

I've long been a big fan of Christopher Nolan, since he always manages to find a fine balance between the cerebral aspect of the stories he's trying to tell, with the human layer which surrounds them, since he has understood all along that without characters, without a human heart at the core of these pseudo-intellectual reflections, there's nothing to vie for. "Tenet" is a big stumble for the director, one where the love for the mechanism of the story is all there, but the marriage with the human element, and the characters themselves for that matter, simply isn't properly addressed or solved for. One of the biggest puzzling effects for instance, is the relationship that is established between Andrei (played by the stupendous Kenneth Branagh) and his wife Kat. It essentially plays itself out like a mediocre action B-movie of the 80s (it reminded me of the plot machinations of some of the Cannon films), never truly expanding much on who these characters or what their goals are, aside from destroying everything (a) and saving a child (b). Truth be told "Inception" failed to elevate much of the familiar relationship of Leonardo Di Caprio's character with Marion Cotillard's, but his guilt propelled him, and instilled a drive in him to keep the game going. Here the director seemingly focused solely on the aspect of the time displacement mechanism, and forgot to wrap actual characters around all this. What ends up happening is a cold observation of what are seemingly very important exchanges between these characters, all of which feels stilted and unimaginative. Where "Inception" constantly felt like time was running out (or stretching itself out), this one relies so much on exposition, and what the mechanism does, that at some point the characters themselves are trying to figure out what all this means (and maybe that was one of the goals of the film itself). To top it all off, the visual effects that populate the narrative end up feeling lackluster and frankly cheap, which is something surprising for a film with this type of budget (and I'm going to say that unlike Doug Liman's "Edge of Tomorrow", this one is not going to age well in that regard). What is left at the end of this interminable saga? Mostly the presence of Kenneth Branagh, who even with an underwritten and cliché ridden role is still a joy to behold, the same going for Robert Pattinson who plays a good supporting character, a bit of a cypher but somewhat of a generic one as well. The cinematography from the wonderful Hoyte van Hoytema is fantastic, as is the score from Ludwig Goransson. It's not a very realized vision from this director, and feels like at some point someone should have said: "we need to talk about this". Too bad no one ever did.

How to be Single

Movie Name: How to be Single
Year of Release: 2016
Director: Christian Ditter
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, Alison Brie, Anders Holm, Nicholas Braun, Jake Lacy, Damon Wayans Jr., Colin Jost, Vanessa Rubio, Sarah Ramos
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review

Director Christian Ditter followed his mildly successful "Love, Rosie", with "How to be Single", in what can be considered the typical rom-com format. The film follows the story of Alice, whom we are first introduced as someone who has been in a relationship since she arrived in college and met the affable Josh. Longing to learn more about what's out there, Alice decides to propose they both take a break so she and Josh can see a bit more of the world, and then decide if they do want to stay together or go their separate ways. Alice comes to NY and lives with her sister, a successful MD, who is going through a tough decision in her life, namely figuring out if she wants to have a child on her own or wait. Alice joins a law firm as a paralegal, where she meets the irreverent Robin, who is always partying and enjoying her single life. Robin makes it one of her goals to make sure Alice gets to experience a bit of that as well. Alice has a fling with serial non-committal Tom, a bartender who in the meantime has started to develop feelings for Lucy, someone who is trying to figure out how to date online. Alice decides single life isn't for her and reaches out to Josh, in the hopes they can resume their life. However, Josh has also met someone, and has moved on. Alice finds herself in the position of having to rethink her life and her options, as a single individual as opposed to someone always in a relationship.

"How to be Single" is an interesting feature, in the sense that while not the most original take on the aspirations of a single woman coming to terms of what being single versus being in a relationship means to her, it still holds one's attention courtesy of the very talented and eclectic cast assembled (and one can always revisit Paul Mazursky's "An Unmarried Woman" with Jill Clayburgh in order to witness a far more interesting take on this topic). Alice, the central character to this odyssey, isn't necessarily the most well defined character, but her attempts at figuring her path and options, manage to briefly define someone who is on a journey of self discovery and ultimately becoming an adult. The supporting characters however don't benefit of being quite as well defined, falling into the trappings of either being the outrageous comical sidekick, or the older sensical sister going through some questioning of her own options, or the somewhat idyllic woman who has to come to terms with the brutal aspects of dating. The male characters in this universe, are also somewhat stereotypes, falling either into the bucket of the eternal cynical womanizer, or the bruised and emotionally unavailable single parent, or the immature one. While they provide some fodder for some circumstantial exchanges, they're ultimately not as resonant as they're not fully fledged characters with their own goals and aspirations. For all the script's limitations, the cast does manage to bring something unique to these roles with their performances, particularly Dakota Johnson and Leslie Mann, who share a great complicity, while Rebel Wilson does most of what she can with an underwritten part. The production team is fairly solid, highlighting in particular the cinematography of Christian Rein. While not a terribly memorable film, it's still a watchable endeavor. 

Blood Red Sky

Movie Name: Blood Red Sky
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Peter Thorwarth
Starring: Peri Baumeister, Carl Anton Koch, Alexander Scheel, Kais Setti, Gordon Brown, Dominic Purcell, Graham McTavish, Kai Ivo Baulitz, Roland Moller, Chidi Ajufo, Jan Loukota, Nader Ben-Abdallah, Leonie Brill, Rutger Lysen, Rainer Reiners, Ilona Schulz
Genre: Action, Horror, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release from Netflix, this time around a German film from director Peter Thorwarth, who has directed previous action films and also music videos. The narrative follows the story of Nadja who is traveling with her son Elias to the US. As we find out throughout the narrative, her ailment turns out to be a form of vampirism, since while out and about with her husband and her toddler, and due to a car problem which rendered them unable to move, her husband is killed by what Nadja soon discovers to be a vampire. She herself manages to kill the creature who killed her husband, but in the process is hurt by the vampire, and therefore carries the virus in her, which forces her to start desiring blood constantly. As Nadja and Elias start their journey across the Atlantic, the plane is highjacked by a group, who plans on blowing it up, while escaping with some parachutes into a position that has been previously arranged. While that is the initial plan, some of the highjacking team members get very violent, very soon, shooting Nadja in the process and terrorizing Elias. Nadja due to her condition manages to quickly recover and sets out to thwart their plans and protect Elias above all.

"Blood Red Sky" has the workings to be a suspenseful B-movie, mixing influences which range from Robert Schwentke's "Flightplan", David R. Ellis' "Snakes on a Plane",  to Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk Till Dawn". Sadly it truly never capitalizes on these inspirations and soon becomes bogged down by action set pieces that are not that exciting, and characters that are not well developed. The script goes all in when it comes to describing the villains of the narrative as broadly and as generically as possibly, but tries to bring some dimension to the central motherly figure personified by Nadja, though it never really explains much about what she does, or did for that matter, what was her life like or even what her vampirism has been about and in what way has it impacted her life (aside from the "medication" she takes). And while all those plot points could have been quickly summarized, had the script approached an economical stance on what makes Nadja a ferocious protector (a vampire version of Zoe Saldana's character in Olivier Megaton's "Colombiana" for instance), it could have taken the narrative in a much more exciting direction, playing with the claustrophobic environment and the fact that Nadja herself could in turn be the danger to them all. Instead the narrative becomes this mix/hybrid of multiple styles that never truly marry well together, namely a drama of a mother who wants to get better and save her child, mixed with a horror film where she's a blood thirsty monster who refuses to let that thirst win, until another evil reveals itself. The characters sadly are not memorable, including the expected villains whose motivations and actions are equally all over the place. In the end it's an unsatisfying film, one that tries to fiddle with genres but that doesn't really know how to properly tell a simple story with a point of view. The cast, with the exception of the always charismatic Graham McTavish, is forgettable, as is the production values. It's ultimately a mediocre endeavor. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Movie Name: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, David Kelly, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Deep Roy, Christopher Lee, Adam Godley, AnnaSophia Robb, Julia Winter, Jordan Fry, Philip Wiegratz, Blair Dunlop, Liz Smith, Eileen Essell
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Tim Burton followed the well received "Big Fish" (which was positioned for a big Oscar momentum that never occurred), with a new take on Roald Dahl's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which was adapted to the screen by his usual collaborator John August. The narrative focuses on the story of Charlie Bucket, who lives with his family of meager possessions in a small town where an enormous chocolate factory exists. Charlie lives with his parents and his grandparents, all of whom are bedridden. Grandpa Joe who used to work in the factory, tells Charlie that the factory is owned by a genial chocolatier by the name of Willy Wonka. Wonka made a name for himself by creating fantastic treats and desserts, however his secret concoctions started being copied by others, and he decided to close his factory completely, laying off all workers as well. To everyone's surprise, Wonka decides to open the factory to 5 special children, as long as they find a golden ticket he has hidden in his chocolate bars that are sold all over the world. After a few attempts, Charlie finally gets his, alongside Augustus Gloop from Germany, Veruca Salt from the UK, the competitive Violet from Denver and the smart Mike, who doesn't even like chocolate. As the children and their guardians get to the factory, Wonka appears as their host, explaining that he's taking them on a journey through the factory and much of what he does, with a special prize being awarded to one of them. 

The marriage of this particular book from Roald Dahl with Tim Burton's universe actually makes total sense. Tim Burton has always focused his universe and attention on heroes/characters that are somewhat alienated from the world, or who are considered eccentric or monstrous by the world at large. Willy Wonka with his sense of humor, poise and eccentric personality fits this Burtonesque archetype perfectly. The film manages to move through the different set pieces distilling both a sense of wonder and also a slight edginess which comes from watching these somewhat spoiled children (and their parents/guardians) get their comeuppance. Tim Burton manages to bring a true sense of wonder and also melancholy to some of these pieces, all of which are amplified by the nuanced performance that Johnny Depp brings to the character. His take on Willy Wonka is a bit like a grown up that never truly stopped being a child, and yet also someone who can and has seen the darkness that lurks behind both a child's and an adult's universe. And while most of the supporting characters are indeed limited archetypes, they're nonetheless showcased in a way that makes them both endearing and humorous (for all their limitations, they're never portrayed as monsters or avarice purveyors). The supporting cast is solid, with Missi Pyle, David Kelly, Noah Taylor and Helena Bonham Carter all creating affable characters. The production design from Alex McDowell is stunning, as is the cinematography from Philippe Rousselot, costumes from Gabriella Pescucci and score from Danny Elfman. A solid film from a director whose work is always worth visiting. 

The Trip/I Onde Dager

Movie Name: The Trip/I Onde Dagger
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Aksel Hennie, Atle Antonsen, Christian Rubeck, Andre Eriksen, Nils Ole Oftebro, Stig Frode Henriksen
Genre: Action, Comedy, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Tommy Wirkola, the writer/director known for the series "Dead Snow" has since expanded his footprint to other films such as "Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters" and even the more recent "Violent Night", films that have been met with mixed audience success and poor critical reception. "The Trip/I Onde Dagger" follows the story of Lisa and Lars, an apparently well to do couple who decide to go to their cabin for the weekend. The cabin has been an inheritance from Lars' family, whose father is now in a retirement home. Both Lisa and Lars despise each other and accuse each other for their shortcomings in terms of financial and career success. Lars plans on killing Lisa and giving the impression she had an accident while on a hike, whereas Lisa plans on killing Lars and giving the impression he died while fishing. When they arrive at the cabin they're surprised to find it unlocked, but move according to their plans. Their handyman Viktor shows up, as planned, to help with Lars' plan, but things go awry, and eventually Lars kills him. As the couple continues to squabble and their fighting escalates, they uncover three criminals who have bee hiding in their attic. Lisa and Lars suddenly have to help each other and fight for their lives.

"The Trip" starts in what some might say is a darker take on Danny DeVito's "War of the Roses", however it lacks the humorous tone and the magical chemistry that Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas always had. However and as the narrative unfolds, it turns into a sort of "Deliverance" meets "True Romance", with the couple trying to save themselves from some nefarious forces and having to join forces in order to do so. The main problem with this film is that while trying to portray a dysfunctional couple, it never really gives much information in terms of who these characters actually are. Lisa is an out of work actor, and Lars is a director having to work on television since he can't get any other jobs. Neither are ever more than those archetypes, and though we learn that she's had an affair and he has gambling problems, that's pretty much all we get get from these two. It's difficult to understand what brought them together, and why they've stayed together. By the time the criminal troupe comes along, it adds a layer of gore, but never a layer of actual menace and danger. The tone is borderline gore slapstick, which can work if you're a talented film maker such as Sam Raimi, but not so much in this case. The great Atle Antonsen tries his best at bringing some gravitas and menace to a thankless role, but the director can never properly set an environment in which it can really soar and give the film the edge it needs. The film oscillates between being a comedy with an edge or a thriller with comedic vibes. In the end it's neither, emphasizing the gore to somehow keep things afloat and the viewer's attention focused. Atle Antonsen, Christian Rubeck and Andre Eriksen, with little character development as they have (they're a darker version of the Coen Brothers fugitives from "O Brother Where Art Thou"), end up being the most memorable characters. Production is meager and unremarkable. Gore does not equal interest, which sums up this film. 

The Voices

Movie Name: The Voices
Year of Release: 2014
Director: Marjane Satrapi
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Atherton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver, Ella Smith, Paul Chahidi, Stanley Townsend, Adi Shankar, Sam Spruell, Valerie Koch, Gulliver McGrath
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review

Following the very well received "Persepolis" (which she co-directed with Vincent Paronnaud) and "Chicken with Plums", director Marjane Satrapi tackled a script she did not author, which had been on the Blacklist of the best un-produced scripts. The narrative focuses on the story of Jerry Hickfang, a young man who works at a plumbing fixtures factory. He lives above a bowling alley and has a cat and a dog as companions. They both talk with Jerry frequently, with Bosco the dog being a more supportive voice, while Mr. Whiskers the cat is more akin to a bad influencing one. Jerry also has frequent consultations with a therapist, since he is in fact on probation for a traumatic occurrence in his past, which also forces him to take medication with regularity (and he has been skipping on his medication as well). Jerry develops a romantic interest in Fiona, a co-worker of his, and invites her to a Chinese dinner theater, but she opts to go to karaoke instead with her other co-workers. When her car doesn't start, and as Jerry is on his way home, he volunteers to give her a lift. Shockingly they hit a deer, and Jerry puts the animal out of its misery. Terrified Fiona flees the scene, and while trying to find her and appease her concerns, he accidentally stabs her and eventually kills her. After getting home, Bosco and Mr. Whiskers provide counseling on what to do next, which sends Jerry on a series of increasingly bloody adventures.

"The Voices" has a great premise in the sense that it focuses its attention on a hero dealing with schizophrenia, who while haunted by a traumatic past, is somewhat oblivious to the monstrous things he's currently doing. There's a lot of opportunities for dark humor to pop up, and thanks to the always fantastic Ryan Reynolds, they do make their way through the film, sadly not with the bite they should have. The biggest problem with this film is the fact that the director can't quite settle on the tone it wants to adopt for it: it presents a somewhat stylized look to the reality Jerry views undaunted by his medication, versus a much darker one that surfaces to the surface when the same medication impacts him. However with either of those realities, the director never goes full board in either of them, so ultimately what comes across is a half baked narrative that is never fully whimsical and never fully grotesque (particularly considering the things Jerry is doing). We do progressively come to understand Jerry's motivations and what has driven him on his current path, however the supporting characters for the most part are quite underdeveloped, which also makes for the interactions with Jerry to feel fleeting and undercooked. It's a film that has such untapped potential, which could have gone in so many directions, and with a terrific cast, sadly it falls short of truly showcasing life through Jerry's prism. The cast is solid, with Ryan Reynolds once again bringing a mix of vulnerability, goofiness and shock to a character who is out of place with the world, with great support from Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver. The production team is serviceable, but not necessarily memorable. It's a watchable film though not necessarily memorable.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Movie Name: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Year of Release: 2023
Director: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, Miriam Shor, Nico Santos, Vin Diesel, Maria Bakalova, Sylvester Stallone, Nathan Fillion, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry, Karen Abercrombie, Linda Cardellini, Mikaela Hoover, Asim Chaudhry
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review

Writer, producer, director James Gunn is back with the set of characters he first adapted and brought him a wider audience recognition, this after venturing into DC comics with his solid adaptation of "The Suicide Squad". This time around "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" finds the team in Knowhere, trying to rebuild what Thanos destroyed, until they're attacked by a powerful being by the name of Adam, who hurts Rocket quite severely. When they try to heal Rocket, they realize they can't do so, due to a kill switch that is embedded in him, which harks back to his genetic manipulation by an entity who calls himself High Evolutionary. The team decides to go find a way to bypass that kill switch, but in order to do so they need the help of the Ravagers, who are now led by a new version of Gamora. Their investigation leads them to Counter-Earth, where the team gets split, and matters get even further complicated when the High Evolutionary decides to decimate that entire planet. As Peter and a newly restored Rocket try to save the rest of the team, they realize the High Evolutionary's spaceship has a lofty cargo, forcing them to make some dramatic decisions.

One of the most interesting traits to James Gunn's work lies in his ability to mix a somewhat visceral approach to depicting horror/violence, with a hearty sentimentality for (and with) this lead characters, with dashes of various pop culture references, all wrapped in a rhythm that is perpetually in motion. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" is one of the most interesting films of the series, if not the most, since while it does have a fair amount of sentimentality, it's also peppered with various layers, some of which are very humorous, and others that are quite violent. This balance of humor/violence/sentiment is fairly well distributed, and for a change the characters have clearly established motivations, with a few of them having a backdrop which explains their origin. And while the villain of the narrative is somewhat two-dimensional alien, there's something perversely human and quite historically pertinent to his horrific experimentations, which brings to mind said experimentations people have done to animals and people themselves in the past. It's a film that ultimately focuses on the meaning of family, finding one's roots and a sense of belonging. The fact that it does so within the trappings of a comic book adaptation, is even more commendable to James Gunn's talents, who places all these narrative threads in motion with a visual aplomb that is superb, even more so than the previous films. The cast does a great job of bringing these characters to life, with their chemistry and camaraderie being both palpable and riveting. The production team is superlatively good, with highlights going to Henry Braham's cinematography, score from John Murphy, production design from Beth Mickle, and stupendous costume design from Judianna Makovsky. The visual effects are of course fantastically good. Entertaining and worth watching. 

Babylon

Movie Name: Babylon
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Diego Calva, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Jean Smart, Li Jun Li, Jovan Adepo, Lukas Haas, Max Minghella, Samara Weaving, Tobey Maguire, Eric Roberts, Rory Scovel, Jeff Garlin, Katherine Waterston, Ethan Suplee, Olivia Hamilton, Flea, Olivia Wilde
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 1
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Synopsis and Review

After the critically well received "First Man" which somehow never truly found its audience, writer/director Damien Chazelle returned with a bigger canvas/opus, focused on the movie industry itself, in the roaring 20s as the talkies were changing everything in that industry, including upending the lives of its big players. The narrative while focusing on the threads of a few key characters, chooses it's core emcee to be Manny Torres, a Mexican immigrant who is intent on working in the film industry. While arranging for the transportation of an elephant to a wild party, he meets and becomes enamored withe Nellie LaRoy, a young ambitious and full of personality woman from New Jersey who declares herself a star even if she's never been on a movie set. As a result of attending that party, everything changes for them. Nellie gets recruited to shoot a film, while Manny becomes friendly with Jack Conrad, a big star at MGM, who also helps him secure a job at Kinoscope. While Nellie becomes quite popular, aptly documented by gossip columnist Elinor St. John, Manny also climbs the studio ranks, starting to even get directorial gigs. Things start to change for Nellie with the advent of sound in films, where she has considerable challenges dealing with the technical aspects of film making,  which mixed with her drug use and gambling start destroying her reputation. To pile on her issues, her father, who is also her manager is poorly managing her funds and her relationship with Fay Zhu (a Chinese-American cabaret singer) is also cut short at the insistence of the studio, due to stricter morality codes that have come into play. Another character that is a focus of attention is Sydney Palmer, a fantastic musician in his own right, who suddenly sees himself in Hollywood, but also witnesses the other side of the dream. Nellie gets in trouble with gambling debts, and desperately asks Manny for help. At the same time Jack Conrad realizes his time at the top is coming to an end and there's nothing he can do to change it.

"Babylon" is one of those features that is ripe with ambition. It has a plethora of plot threads, each competing for attention. What it doesn't seem to have is a bit of a quality barometer for the narrative that is trying to build and editing capabilities which would enable its director to recount it both succinctly and with substance. It's a film that depicts the excess of Hollywood in the 1920s, when the film industry was growing and establishing itself, how stars and fortunes were easily made. In parallel with this it also depicts its uglier side, by showcasing the racism, misogyny and sheer mercenary aspect that ruled everything and everyone working in it. None of these topics are new and have been of course the focus of multiple films and tv shows, however director Damien Chazelle infuses the film with a frantic energy that supposedly illustrates the vibe and debauchery taking place, though in an apparent quest to be somewhat graphical, taste level of any kind has been something that he has chosen to avoid. It's a very self-indulgent film, where there are entire sections devoted to plot points that add absolutely nothing to the characters or to the narrative itself (case in point, the entry scenes with the Elephant, the snake biting situation, the gangster showcase of the pits of hell, and the list goes on). There is something interesting about these characters and the journey they experience, but the director chooses to focus more on the noise and the clichés one associates from that particular time period, though not much from the great depression is touched upon or even illustrated (no misery porn here). There's not much dimension given to the central characters, or the supporting ones for that matter, which is even more surprising considering this film goes on for over 3 hours (though it feels like double that time). It's genuinely perplexing how someone read this script and thought "I want to see this on the screen", and this sentiment doesn't come from the characters or parts of their journey: it's more of a sentiment towards a film that at some point turns into a pedestrian intellectual reflection on the power of film (and sadly it taints all the films it brings into its jarring mess). The cast, particularly Margot Robbie, Jean Smart, Katherine Waterston, Rory Scovel, and Lukas Haas manage to get out of this mess unscathed, the same going for the cinematography from Linus Sandgren, but this is a low point for all the people involved in this film. Avoid. 

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Movie Name: Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Vanessa Kirby, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Frederick Schmidt, Cary Elwes, Mariela Garriga
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review

After the critical and commercial success of "Mission: Impossible - Fallout", the collaboration between writer/producer/director Christopher McQuarrie and actor/producer Tom Cruise continues with another installment of the franchise. This time around Ethan Hunt is reunited with Eugene Kittridge, his original boss from when he started working for the IMF. He and his team are dealing with a superlative enemy this time around, an Artificial Intelligence engine, who is keen on dominating the world, with the only thing to stop it being a key that unlocks access to its original code. The key which is comprised of two halves has to be joined in order to be fully functional. A series of players want to get access to the key, as they all wrongly think the key allows them control over the AI entity. This entity has a nefarious individual making its bidding in the shape of Gabriel, one of Ethan's previous adversaries. As they go through the process of retrieving the key, Ethan has to enlist the help of Grace, an expert thief who was brought into the situation to also make sure the key reached Gabriel's hands. However this time around the mission will cost his team a heavy toll. 

Since taking over the "Mission: Impossible" franchise with "Rogue Nation", Christopher McQuarrie has been able to not only reinvigorate the series with ever more daring scenarios, but he's also been able to bring a sense of spectacle and elaborate action set pieces that keep getting better and better. This film is no exception, with the director allowing for its lead actor and character to have more time to both uncover what originally brought Ethan Hunt to the IMF, as well as go through a painful moment which profoundly impacts him and the team itself. This moment further humanizes all the characters a bit further, but the script smartly also maintains a sense of humor and levity that has also been a staple for this series and for this group of characters. The script smartly places the team at odds with AI, which is something on everyone's mind, but it does so by tying it with very human opponents and ones that have a personal history with Ethan Hunt's character. And that is a very smart concept, since in the past when other films have tackled nefarious AI engines, such as D.J. Caruso's "Eagle Eye" for instance (or even the AI that assists the Umbrella Corporation in Paul W. S. Anderson's "Resident Evil" series) , that enemy is always an abstractly rendered notion, with an accent or a distorted sound glitch (a la Siri). Ultimately embodying the villainous traits in a character such as Gabriel, gives the series another foe with an agenda of its own, even if at the end this character is also another puppet. The action set pieces are impeccably shot (the chase scene in Rome is formidable), and the cast assemble is once again top notch. Tom Cruise manages to carry Ethan Hunt with a bruised sense of existence for all the losses he has experienced, and he gets great support from Haley Atwell, the always fantastic Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby and Henry Czerny. The production team is also fantastic, including Fraser Taggart's cinematography, Lorne Balfe's score, Gary Freeman's production design and costumes by Jill Taylor. A very entertaining film from a solid writer/director. 

The Family Stone

Movie Name: The Family Stone
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Thomas Bezucha
Starring: Diane Keaton, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes, Tyrone Giordano, Brian White, Elizabeth Reaser, Paul Schneider, Savannah Stehlin, Jamie Kaler
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review

Director Thomas Bezucha made a name for himself with his debut feature "Big Eden" which premiered in 2000 to overall good critical reception, which in turn opened the doors for this bigger budgeted endeavor. "The Family Stone" follows the narrative of a large family who meets on a recurring basis for Christmas. This year, the oldest sibling, Everett is bringing home with him his girlfriend Meredith. Meredith who is a bit high strung, believes his family won't particularly like her. Amy one of Everett's sisters, briefly describes to the rest of the family meeting her and how awkward Meredith is. The remaining siblings appear for the holidays, including Thad and his partner Patrick, Susannah who is pregnant and whose husband isn't able to join for now due to work, and Ben who is currently single. Meredith's attempts to ingratiate herself with the family, including Sybil and Kelly, respectively the matriarch and patriarch of the family don't go so well, and after a few incidents she decides to take shelter at a local inn. She also decides to call her sister Julie for support. Everett who is planning to propose to Meredith, and wants to pass on a family heirloom in the process, gets a disapproving message from Sybil. As Julie arrives in town, the interactions between the group start changing, as does Sybil's own revelations that all is not well with her.

"The Family Stone" is a film that tries to be a lot of things simultaneously, aiming to be a heartwarming Christmas film, one that has a message of tolerance and inclusivity, but also a romantic comedy where a career focused woman has an epiphany that work isn't everything (a la Charles Shyer's "Baby Boom"), and where misaligned couples eventually find their happy ending. It's quite a lot, with a lot of different characters all aiming to have space for their quirks and specificities, which allows them to differentiate themselves from each other. In the end all these competing agendas is one of the downfalls of the film. Meredith's storyline is treated rather shoddily, with Sarah Jessica Parker channeling a bit of Kathy Wood into the role, but not having the opportunity to give her a bit more dimension. She's portrayed for the most part as a rather shrill and grating character (a bit similarly to what Sandra Bullock started with in "The Proposal", but was able to deconstruct as the narrative continued), never giving the character an opportunity to demonstrate what makes her successful, appreciative of her path or even her brilliance. The family itself comes across as both loving and accepting, but oddly enough also judgmental and rather prickly. None of the siblings has much in terms of discernible character traits (what exactly is the difference between Luke Wilson's Ben and Dermot Mulroney's Everett, aside from the actors themselves is hard to understand), with some of them appearing more as backdrop, as opposed to fully functional characters (this isn't Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" for sure). Ultimately what makes this film watchable is the fantastic cast that is assembled. Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson have great chemistry and bring warmth and humor to the film, and get solid support from Rachel McAdams (who still gets a bit lost in all the noise) and Luke Wilson. The production team is solid, including the cinematography from Jonathan Brown and score from Michael Giacchino. It's watchable, but not as memorable as this fantastic cast deserves.