Good Time

Movie Name: Good Time
Year of Release: 2017
Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Buddy Duress, Taliah Webster, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Peter Verby, Necro, Barkhad Abdi, Eric Paykert, Rose Gregorio, Rachel Black
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

While Benny and Josh Safdie made a name for themselves with some very well received films such as "Daddy Longlegs" and "Heaven Knows What", "Good Time" is the film that finally expanded their features to a wider audience, propelling them to other features, such as "Uncut Gems", which was also met with rave reviews. "Good Time" follows the story of Connie Nikas, whom we first witness getting his brother Nick out of a court ordered therapy session. Nick has some cognitive challenges. The brothers rob a bank, however while they're making their escape in an Uber, the dye pack in the bag explodes, rendering the money unusable. They manage to wash the dye from their clothes but eventually get caught up with the police. While Connie manages to escape, Nick is sent to prison. While in prison Nick rapidly gets involved in a fight which results in a severe beating which sends him to the hospital. Connie in the meantime is desperately trying to find bond money, starting with his girlfriend, whose mother disapproves of their relationship. Connie goes to the hospital and manages to get a police-guarded patient out, whom he thinks is Nick. He manages to get help from another patient who was dropped at home, and plans to spend the night at that person's house, when much to his surprise, the person he helped escape is a man by the name of Ray. Ray recounts the story of his tribulations, and Connie figures out a plan of leveraging what happened with Ray in order to get the bail money he needs. However nothing is as simple as it seems.

There's something quite visceral and also eerily reminiscent of the thrillers of the 1970s in this feature. There's a Sidney Lumet aspect to "Good Time" that makes it that much more endearing, though the Safdie brothers manage to carve out a very authentic piece of the small criminal world of New York, that is very much their own. The journey Connie goes through that one particular evening is very much like an Odyssey, where he has to handle unexpected challenges being thrown at him from all directions. The film manages to have a pulse and rhythm that are quite impressive, in the sense that it feels realistic in its depiction of the characters whose lives are being illustrated, but also in the sense that the film-makers time the events of the narrative to this nightly excursion, and do so almost in real time. The cast is uniformly solid, with Robert Pattinson solidly bringing Connie to life, the same going for Jennifer Jason Leigh and Buddy Duress. However the great revelation from the cast is Benny Safdie playing Nick, who truly gives that particular character an authenticity in his reactions, which includes a sense of genuine bewilderment and constant sense of inadequacy to the events that are occurring in his life (alongside the sense of generally being lost and overwhelmed by life in general). The production team is equally fantastic, including the fantastic score from Oneohtrix Point Never and cinematography from Sean Price Williams. It's a riveting film, one that could have benefited from character expansion, but that is nonetheless impeccably crafted. Worth watching. 

Badland Hunters

Movie Name: Badland Hunters
Year of Release: 2024
Director: Heo Myeong Haeng
Starring: Ma Dong-seok, No Jeong-ee, Ahn Ji-hye, Lee Jun-young, Kim Young-sun, Andrew Grace, Lee Hee-joon, Roh Jeong-eui
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Netflix continues its constant output of various films, this time around the focus in on the South Korean feature directorial debut from Heo Myeong Haeng, himself an actor for films such as "Oldboy" from Park Chan-wook. The film takes place in Seoul, following a devastating earthquake which decimates a large part of the population. The survivors are trying their best to stay alive and live in refuge camps. Water is scarce, and the same goes for food in general. In one of those camps, Nam San and Choi, try their best at making a living by selling whatever food supplies they can. Choi has a long standing infatuation with Han Su-na, who mostly stays to herself and takes care of her grandmother. Life on the camp is disrupted when a female recruiter, alongside a few assistants comes over and explains that there's an apartment complex still standing, where they have potable water and where other amenities are available. The complex however is limited to adolescents and children, alongside their families. Han Su-na gets recruited, and soon gets separated from her grandmother. Upon arrival at the complex, she notices a series of weird occurrences, all the while her grandmother is nowhere to be seen. In the meantime Nam San and Choi learn through Lee Eun-ho, a former military officer and known to Nam San, that deadly experiments are being conducted at the complex, and that Han Su-na is in great danger. 

"Badland Hunters" is yet another post-apocalyptic film, this time around not focused on zombies, but opting instead for the "weird experiments" angle. It's a film where the dynamics of the opposing forces are quickly established, but where the characters are very thinly constructed. Not much background is given about the characters, or how they even know each other, however, the film's purpose is mostly to focus on the journey of the friends in tackling the apartment complex, and the action scenes that ensue. As a result, there isn't much to say about these characters, or even the plot itself, aside from the fact that both the narrative structure and characters are very much built upon well known archetypes and situations. It's not a particularly original film or premise, but manages to be watchable thanks to the charisma of its performers, particularly the always great Ma Dong-seok (who was also a compelling presence in "Train to Busan"). The production team is competent, making the post-apocalyptic world feel somewhat authentic and with some credibility (definitely with some inspirations from George Miller's "Mad Max" universe). While not particularly original and fairly limited on its premise, it's still a watchable feature. 

Thanksgiving

Movie Name: Thanksgiving
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Eli Roth
Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Addison Rae, Chris Sandiford, Tomaso Sanelli, Gina Gershon, Ty Olsson, Karen Cliche, Rick Hoffman, Derek McGrath, Katherine Trowell, Mike Amonsen, Amanda Barker, Shailyn Griffin, Tim Dillon, Milo Manheim, James Goldman, Yusuf Zine, Russell Yuen, Jeff Teravainen, Jordan Poole, Joe Delfin, Dorian Giordano, Joseph Claude Dubois, Frank J. Zupancic
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Eli Roth has had a diverse career since making a name for himself with "Cabin Fever" and the "Hostel" series (the latter of which started a trend at the time named "Torture Porn"). He has also ventured into acting, as was the case of his performance in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Bastards". "Thanksgiving" is actually inspired by the short fake trailer for the "Grindhouse" film Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez released in 2007. The film follows the story of Jessica Wright, a high school senior in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Jessica's father owns a local store called RightMart, and after Thanksgiving, the entire population it seems, is desperate to get into the store for the Black Friday sale. Jessica and her boyfriend Bobby, alongside a few of their friends manage to get in early, through a side door, which heightens the frenzy of people waiting, who witness them doing so. A stampede quickly ensues, resulting in something close to a riot in the store, resulting in multiple deaths. A year later, the store is getting ready for another Black Friday sale, even though there are multiple protests against it. However, multiple people involved in the riot at the store in the prior year, start being targeted and killed in particularly horrifying manners. Jessica aids the investigation by providing some of the footage of the riot to the town's sheriff. As more people get killed and abducted, the police set a trap by placing Jessica and her family as bait during the Thanksgiving parade. However things don't go according to plan. 

One of the best things about Eli Roth, is his economical way of showcasing a narrative, and the characters that inhabit it. He's very much deft at putting a polished B-movie spin on his best features. This one is no exception. He quickly creates the set up for the action that is about to take place, and populates the narrative with an inventory of characters where any of them can possibly be the lethal killer. What is less engaging on this narrative is of course the fact that most of these characters are threadbare developed, without much to them essentially, aside of the fact they all embody a type (the cheerleader, the jock, the trophy second wife, and the list goes on). Of course Eli Roth knows the rules of creating this type of device, and he also plays with it. Therefore the film moves efficiently, without being particularly original, but emphasizing the particularly brutal death scenes for the characters. The cast is a bit all over the place, with Nell Verlaque leading the group, but with the memorable roles going to Rick Hoffman and the underrated Ty Olsson. The production is solid, with highlights going to Milan Chadima's cinematography, Brandon Roberts' score and Peter Mihaichuk's production design. It's not a particularly memorable endeavor, but it's a watchable film. 

My Friend Dahmer

Movie Name: My Friend Dahmer
Year of Release: 2017
Director: Marc Meyers
Starring: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche, Vincent Kartheiser, Tommy Nelson, Harrison Holzer, Dallas Roberts, Miles Robbins, Liam Koeth, Cameron McKendry, Tom Luce, Nancy Telzerow, Dave Sorboro
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"My Friend Dahmer" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival of 2017, where it was met with warm reviews, on its way to do a very robust run through most of Fall/Winter festivals of that year (it also made appearances at the BFI London Film Festival and the Deauville Film Festival to name but a few). The narrative focuses on the life of teenager Jeffrey Dahmer, who in 1974 is a high school freshman living in Bath, Ohio. We witness his family dynamics with his parents and younger brother, and his fascination with collecting dead animals, and the experiments he does with them. A few years later and now a high school senior, Jeffrey who typically flies under the radar, catches the attention of a few colleagues, when he imitates the speech and gestures of one os his mother's friends, who has cerebral palsy (an Interior Designer friends with his mom Joyce). He becomes a bit of a class clown, known for his fearlessness in portraying people with disabilities and for illustrating people with erratic behavior, which charms some of his high school colleagues, who even form a "Dahmer Fan Club". On the home front, things are disintegrating for Jeffrey, whose mother has a chronic mental illness that starts bleeding off into her relationship with his father, with frequent arguments taking place. Jeffrey starts drinking more and more, and in the meantime he also becomes obsessed with a jogger he sees frequently near his house. He starts stalking him with a baseball bat, but never attacks him. In the meantime, Jeffrey graduates, while his mom takes his younger brother Dave to live with relatives in Wisconsin, leaving him alone at home.

The number of films and TV series focused on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer have been steadily increasing. David Jacobson's "Dahmer" was a good showcase for Jeremy Renner playing the title role, and since then "Raising Jeffrey Dahmer" directed by Rich Ambler, and in particular the highly successful "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" miniseries from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan (featuring Evan Richards in the title role), have kept the name of this infamous individual in the public consciousness. "My Friend Dahmer" opts for a different approach when it comes to the story of this individual/character: it tracks his teenage years, and how he progressively morphed into the person who would soon become a well known killer. The director successfully illustrates how Jeffrey is perpetually in a world of his own, even when surrounded by others who try to embrace and celebrate his idiosyncrasies. He comes across as someone alienated from the world, and mostly fascinated by nefarious experiences with animals (dead and alive), married with a pulsating desire for men and to also perform clinical experiences with them. The film walks a fine line between capturing a nuanced psychological portrait of this individual and also giving into the more gratuitous aspect of portraying his violent acts (which the director smartly refrains from doing so). While Jeffrey captures the lion share of screen time and attention, the supporting cast gets very little to do in the film.  For instance, the fan club devoted to Jeffrey, and in particular its members, could have benefited from having some additional screen time or at least more scenes capturing their interactions with him, but aside from a particularly tense moment towards the end of the film with Alex Wolff's Derf character, it's all rather bland. The same thing happens with the way his family life is illustrated: not much attention is given to it, or to Jeffrey's relationship with his parents. The cast is uniformly solid, with Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche and Dallas Roberts all crafting solid performances. The production team is equally solid, featuring the cinematography from Daniel Katz, production design from Jennifer Klide, and costumes from Carla Shivener. It's a subdued film worth watching. 

Cube

Movie Name: Cube
Year of Release: 1997
Director: Vincenzo Natali
Starring: Nicole de Boer, Maurice Dean Wint, David Hewlett, Andrew Miller, Nicky Guadagni, Wayne Robson, Julian Richings
Genre: Mystery, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Cube" was writer/director Vincenzo Natali's feature directorial debut, which premiered at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival on its way to receiving considerable critical accolades, and being a staple for quite a variety of Film Festivals during 97/98 (it went to the Sundance Film Festival of 1998, but also graced the Berlin Film Festival, to name but a few). The film follows the narrative of 6 characters all of whom are strangers to each other and who individually wake up to find themselves inside a prison of sorts, where all the rooms are in the shape of a square, and have a series of gates to move towards another room. Everyone soon finds out some of these rooms have lethal traps. The group is comprised of a police officer by the name of Quentin, a doctor by the name of Holloway, a student by the name of Leaven, a somewhat mysterious man by the name of Worth, and they're soon joined by an escape artist named Rennes and an autistic gentleman by the name of Kazan. While Rennes wants to move forward with his plan of getting out of the cube, he's soon killed by one of the traps from one of the rooms. Leaven in the meantime finds out that each passage between the rooms has numbers imprinted and there's a code associated with them (related to prime numbers). Those that are indeed identified as prime numbers are safe rooms, whereas the others are not. While the group is initially very collaborative, even if suspicious of each other, as time progresses, and they become more and more frustrated, their violence towards each other also starts bubbling to the surface. Leaven in the meantime thinks she can guide the group to one of the rooms closer to the outside of the platform, so they can finally be liberated, while Holloway believes all the events to be part of a massive Government conspiracy. Worth suspiciously keeps his opinions to himself, until he finally reveals what he knows to the group.

One of the most interesting things about "Cube" is the claustrophobic environment the director manages to create throughout the entire duration of the narrative. The fact that everyone is unaware of why they've been caught, and what are the rules for getting out of the prison, remain pretty much one of the great mysteries of this narrative. The film for all intended purposes feels like a "Twilight Zone" episode, only without Rod Serling's narration, and without an epilogue that smoothly closes what just took place. The film is also a keen observation on the disintegration of people's best and more acceptable social behaviors, since as the threat remains constant, but their closeness to death increases, more of the characters' primal survival instincts come to the forefront (and some of their darker behaviors also make an appearance). The film feels very much like a slick B-movie, and considering it's small budget, it smartly leverages the claustrophobic stance of the prison (and the effective production design that brought it to life), to put these characters through considerable challenges. Where the film does miss out is on the character development, since all these characters are rather archetypes without much nuance or detail that illustrates who they actually are, and even in how they relate to each other. The acting within the group is also a bit all over the place, but the production team is effective, including Derek Rogers' cinematography and Jasna Stefanovic's production design. It's an interesting and worth watching film from a director who has gone on to create some interesting features. 

Minari

Movie Name: Minari
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan Kim, Noel Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, Will Patton, Ben Hall, Eric Starkey, Darryl Cox, Esther Moon, Scott Haze
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Minari" made a splash when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2020, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. Of course it then went on to be nominated for 6 Academy Awards (though this in itself is no longer an indication of anything), amongst a string of other awards that it collected during the year (it almost reminds me of the string of awards the film "Coda" also won, and strangely enough, no one ever talks about that film just a few years later). The film takes place in 1983 and focuses on a Korean family who moves from California to a plot of land they've purchased in the Arkansas area. They move into a mobile home stationed in the property, and the father hopes to sell Korean produce to vendors in Dallas. Friction starts emerging when Jacob (the father) dismisses the services of a water diviner, and decides to dig a well on a spot he randomly chooses. That well soon dries up. He manages to secure the help of Korean War veteran by the name of Paul, to start working on the crops. In order to keep money coming in, Jacob and his wife Monica work in a hatchery, but Monica is increasingly unhappier with the situation, and concerned with the children, including David, their son who has a congenital heart issue. In order to help with the children, Monica arranges for her mom, Soon-ja, to travel from South Korea. Soon-ja's relationship with the children is initially quite difficult, and she has some challenges adjusting to life in the US. As the challenges mount, the strain on the relationship between Jacob and Monica also escalates. Things become more complicated when Soon-ja suffers a stroke, which impacts her speech and movement. 

Prior to the release of "Minari", Lee Isaac Chung had already directed 4 features all of which met some critical acclaim, but nothing like the universal applause that "Minari" achieved (and that has opened different doors for him, since he has gone on to direct episodes of Disney's "The Mandalorian" and has a new version of Jan de Bont's "Twister" coming up soon). The most interesting thing about "Minari" is in fact how authentic it attempts to be in depicting the tribulations and challenges a Korean family faces, particularly tackling a situation they're not familiar with, within a country where they're also strangers. The writer/director manages to give enough space for the characters to interact, and in doing so allows us to get to know more about their hopes, dreams, fears and ambitions. These relationships are woven very organically and very naturally. The family's core feels imminently real, including the relationships with the children and the grandmother, even if for her the reality she's dropped on is even more remote and alien to her habits. This microcosms of their existence is perfectly captured. Where there seems to be a bit of a loss of grit and veracity is the actual environment in which these characters actually live. The farming, the environment in which these characters exist lacks texture, and almost an identity in itself. Farming is a challenge, an all too consuming activity, and the film fails to illustrate that properly and how that significantly impacts the lives of people who choose to make a living from it. There's almost a disconnect between the staging of the relationships between these characters and the environment in which they exist (one feels more authentic than the other). The cast is fantastic, with Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan Kim, Noel Cho and Will Patton all excelling in their roles. The production team is equally solid, with highlights going to Lachlan Milne's cinematography, Yong Ok Lee's production design and Susanna Song's costumes. A solidly told narrative from an interesting and emerging talent. 

Look Away

Movie Name: Look Away
Year of Release: 2018
Director: Assaf Bernstein
Starring: India Eisley, Jason Isaacs, Mira Sorvino, Penelope Mitchell, Harrison Gilbertson, John C. MacDonald, Kristen Harris
Genre: Drama, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 1
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Writer/director Assaf Bernstein made a name for himself with the film "The Debt", which ended being remade by John Madden in 2010 with a stellar cast, which included Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain. Since then he has devoted time to TV shows, with "Look Away" being his proper sophomore directorial effort. The film follows the story of 17 year old Maria Brennan, who is a high school student, with a less than harmonious family life and very few friends. She is bullied in high school, something she also keeps from her parents. Surprisingly she starts noticing and starts interacting with the reflection of herself in the bathroom mirror. This reflection of herself however bears a much stronger personality, and lures her with promises of being able to make her life better. After a particularly crushing high school prom, where she gets publicly humiliated, Maria decides to accept the reflection's help, and they "switch" places. The new Maria stands up to her bullies, and also unveils some harsh realities to her mom regarding some of her father's behaviors. This new version of Maria becomes increasingly daring, with violent behaviors which result in some accidents and deaths. As the body count increases, more about Maria's birth also comes into light, explaining her apparent duality of behaviors. 

There really isn't much to say about this film in all honesty. Assaf Bernstein poorly illustrates a rather pedestrian version of David Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers" (of sorts), but goes for the shock value and not for subtlety when it comes to the characters that populate this narrative. These pseudo twins, who are the center of the storyline, and who have very distinct personalities, bring to mind certain aspects of Barbet Schroeder's "Single White Female" (mostly the psychotic behavior Jennifer Jason Leigh embodied so well), but as the body count increases, the questions as to what exactly universe these characters live in becomes more and more puzzling. Maria and her evil twin, Airam (get it, it's Maria backwards), even though they're center stage of this feature, are surprisingly shallow in terms of character development. Maria is bullied, though we never really understand why. And Airam who also borrows/models some of her behavior from Lara Flynn Boyle's character in Tom Holland's "The Temp" or even from Linda Fiorentino's character in John Dahl's "The Last Seduction", seems to have forgotten that this isn't another episode of "Poison Ivy", and that the character in order to actually be edgy has to do more than squint her eyes or chase others on ice skates. The writer/director also throws in a variety of nightmares that afflict Maria's mom, in order to fully portray this reality as a dark one, but as most of the plot points in this film, it's both lackluster and undercooked (as are the incestuous hints that permeate throughout the film). Everything seems to be thrown into this broth, including all clichés that anyone can think of when it comes to high school tropes (though even those are not that greatly illustrated). This confection doesn't work, and the sole highlight for this film is Jason Isaacs who is a solid actor and definitely deserves better. This is just a film to avoid. 

La Sociedad de la Nieve/Society of the Snow

Movie Name: La Sociedad de la Nieve/Society of the Snow
Year of Release: 2023
Director: J.A. Bayona
Starring: Enzo Vogrincic, Agustin Pardella, Matias Recalt, Esteban Bigliardi, Diego Vegezzi, Fernando Contingiani, Esteban Kukuriczka, Francisco Romero, Rafael Federman, Valentina Alonso, Tomas Wolf, Agustin Della Corte, Andy Pruss, Felipe Gonzalez Otano, Blas Polidori, Felipe Ramusio, Simon Hempe, Luciano Chatton 
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Netflix has scored another awards contender in the shape of "La Sociedad de la Nieve", the latest film from director J.A. Bayona, who previously tackled "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" and "A Monster Calls". The film is an adaptation of the book by Pablo Vierci, but it is essentially the same narrative tackled by Frank Marshall in his film "Alive", which premiered in 1993 (with "Alive" being based on the book by Piers Paul Read, featuring a screenplay by the celebrated John Patrick Shanley). The film which takes place in 1972, follows the narrative of a group of friends who are part of the Uruguayan rugby team. They're on a flight to Chile, however when going over the Andes the plane crashes. Some of the passengers though hurt, manage to survive, and some are actually unharmed. While they figure that rescue parties are going to be sent after them, they soon realize that due to their location and the surrounding snow, the chances for them to be detected are very limited. As the days and weeks progress, and as their rations wither, they are confronted with the difficult choice of eating some of the dead passengers who have been preserved in ice, if they want to survive. A few of the stronger survivors eventually decide to climb the mountains and seek out rescue, at the risk of their own demise.

"La Sociedad de la Nieve" is a riveting and compelling retelling of a well known narrative, this time around with a cast that feels closer to its original authentic survivors. J.A. Bayona successfully manages to depict the violence of the natural elements, and the despair the survivors are going through, as they watch their friends and loved ones pass away, and they themselves progressively wither close to nothing. It is a narrative that is very much anchored on this survival mode the characters have to adopt, all the while highlighting the closeness, the ties all these individuals shape in order to possibly survive such a dire situation. The characters themselves are brief sketches, but their interaction manage to illustrate the complicity and tenderness that exists between all these young men. It's a film that lives from the herculean challenge these individuals face, not just from nature itself, but also from the choices they have to make in order to survive. It's also a solid testimony to human nature's resilience and quest for survival, something J.A. Bayona perfectly captures, even as the situation becomes increasingly more dire and difficult (and the claustrophobic shots are perfectly captured).

The cast is uniformly solid, with highlights going to Enzo Vogrincic, Agustin Pardella and Matias Recalt. The production team is equally impressive, including Pedro Luque's cinematography, Alain Bainee's production design and Julio Suarez's costume design. An entertaining and well crafted feature, from an underrated and solid film maker. 

A Haunting in Venice

Movie Name: A Haunting in Venice
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Kelly Reilly, Camille Cottin, Jude Hill, Riccardo Scamarcio, Amir El-Masry, Fernando Piloni, Rowan Robinson, Emma Laird, Vanessa Ifediora, Kyle Allen, Ali Khan
Genre: Crime, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Actor, producer, director Kenneth Branagh has returned with another tome in the series of Agatha Christie adaptions he has been tackling since 2017. This time around, he and his screenwriter partner Michael Green adapt the novel Hallowe'en Party, originally published in 1969, and reposition it as a ghost story taking place in Venice. The narrative once again focuses on Hercule Poirot, whom we find living in Venice, retired in 1947. His peaceful retirement is challenged when mystery writer Ariadne Oliver convinces Poirot to attend a séance at the palazzo of a famed opera singer by the name of Rowena Drake. Ariadne wants to unmask Joyce Reynolds, a former army nurse, turned famed medium, as a fraud. The palazzo is believed to be haunted, since it was previously an orphanage where children were locked and abandoned when the city dealt with plague. The opera singer wants to communicate with her recently deceased daughter (she apparently has committed suicide). The guests include Maxime Gerard (the former fiancé of Rowena's daughter), family doctor Leslie Ferrier and his son Leopold, and Joyce's assistant, Desdemona. While the séance initially impresses everyone witnessing it, Poirot soon realizes the mechanics behind it, exposing Joyce and what turns out to be two assistants who rigged the place. Things however take a darker turn, and Joyce is killed, while Poirot himself is victim of a murder attempt. Poirot decides to lock up the palazzo (with the assistance of his bodyguard), and investigate how Joyce's murder took place. As it turns out, everyone has connections with each other, that were not as apparent as they may have seen. 

Unlike his two prior adaptions of Agatha Christie novels, Kenneth Branagh manages to create a chilling and darker atmosphere with "A Haunting in Venice", toying the audience with the concept of a possible ghost story that may finally be a foible for Poirot's unbeatable pragmatism and logic. For the most part of its narrative, the director does manage to illustrate a claustrophobic and ominous atmosphere, something that the production design and location itself greatly enhances. Some of the issues with the film itself lie with the fact that the characters have very little human tissue to them, aside from the one-line descriptions that summarize/introduce them. There's more to uncover from all these characters and their motivations, but sadly the duration and structure of the film isn't focused on these developments. Poirot himself is coincidentally the character that comes across as a far more dimensional and compelling presence, as Kenneth Branagh portrays him as someone who wants to be away from the attention of prying eyes, someone who feels exhausted and wants to enjoy his retirement (a bit like someone who is recovering from war wounds). The whole aspect of "who did it" is equally well built out, and the film doesn't falter from the expected Poirot process and final reveal, but the real winning hand is the diverse and effective cast Kenneth Branagh brings together. Possibly less packed with flashy stars as the previous adaptations, this feature manages to give Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan and the always underrated Kelly Reilly, interesting characters to play. The production team is equally solid, including the cinematography from Haris Zambarloukos, score from Hildur Gudnadottir, production design from John Paul Kelly and costume design by Sammy Sheldon. While not necessarily a fresh take on Agatha Christie's material, it's nonetheless a film worth watching. 

Role Play

Movie Name: Role Play
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Thomas Vincent
Starring: Kaley Cuoco, David Oyelowo, Bill Nighy, Connie Nielsen, Rudi Dharmalingam, Lucia Aliu, Regan Bryan-Gudgeon, Simon Delaney, Sonita Henry, Jade Dregorius
Genre: Action, Romance
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Another release from Amazon's Prime Video platform, this is another take, hot on the heels of my prior review for Tate Taylor's "Ava", on the life of a female hired assassin whose life starts to unravel. Apparently hired assassin is a hot topic on Linkedin or something. The narrative for this film focuses on Emma Brackett, who is a lethal hired killer, but who also maintains a more sedate facade on her day to day life as a suburban mom in New Jersey. Emma is married to Dave, and they both share two young children. Emma justifies her constant traveling (for her killing assignments) as requirements from her job, which demands her to go to Iowa, and other locales in the midwest. When she misses her wedding anniversary, she and Dave decide to spruce things up, and do some role playing in NY, which includes booking a hotel room, and generally playing sexy with each other. However things take a different turn, when Bob Kellerman, an older gentleman interferes, and he turns out to be another hired assassin trailing Emma. Emma as it turns out, used to work for a highly specialized agency, and they really want her back in their ranks. And they'll stop at nothing to do so, including bringing Dave and the kids into the game.

While Tate Taylor's "Ava" tried to bring some drama to the life of a hired assassin, director Thomas Vincent goes for a slightly more lighthearted approach to that topic. However and much like "Ava", this is yet another film that doesn't know what to do with these characters, or with the situations themselves. Thomas Vincent who has mostly worked on TV Shows (including Amazon shows such as "Reacher", Netflix shows such as "Bodyguard"), mostly illustrates what's on the threadbare script, never really going beyond the limited dilemmas the characters face, which in this case mostly pertains to Emma maintaining her double lives going. This isn't a film that questions what Emma actually does, the whole killing spree is just a byproduct of her double life, it mostly focuses on the issues of being a hired killer and a mom/wife. We never get to understand much about Emma's past, nor what her ambitions actually are, the same going for all the characters who surround her, who apparently have nothing better to do than think about her and what she's doing. Whereas "Ava" tried to be a quasi character study on a woman who kills others for a living, this is more like the sitcom version of that storyline (without the over the top situations and snark that Shane Black's screenplay for "The Long Kiss Goodnight" for instance had). The problem with this film is the lack of commitment to whatever agenda the writers are going for. It's never truly a comedy, nor is it a gritty action film: it tries to be everything and the result is simply generic and forgetful. The film surprisingly has some really good actors in its cast, including the always fantastic David Oyelowo, Bill Nighy and Connie Nielsen, all of whom I hope got really well paid to be in this. The production team is competent, including Maxime Alexandre's cinematography. This is simply not an interesting proposition and film, and the only reason for this score lies with the quality of its cast. 

Ava

Movie Name: Ava
Year of Release: 2020
Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Geena Davis, Jess Weixler, Common, Colin Farrell, Diana Silvers, Joan Chen, Ioan Gruffudd, Christopher J. Domig, Aramis Merlin, Michael Guarnera
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Tate Taylor who made a name for himself with the films "The Help" and "Get on Up", has had a mixed directorial output since then, something that "Ava" didn't help cement. The film focuses its narrative on Ava, a for hire assassin, whom we first encounter in France dealing with a target, someone she wants to know more about, and whom she point blank asks what warranted his death. That has been something Ava has done in the past, in order to deal with the morality (or lack of) related to her jobs. Unbeknownst to Ava however, every move she makes is being monitored and listened to. Upon returning to the US, she tries to reconnect with her sister and her mother, the latter currently in the hospital recovering. It's been 8 years since she has contacted them, and during that time her father died, and her sister was left to tackle much of that situation. Her former fiancée is also now dating her sister, and there's some animosity/unresolved feelings between them. Ava is quickly sent out on another assignment, but this one takes a dark turn, and she barely makes out alive. She suspects her agency has targeted her, but her handler Duke reassures her otherwise. However when Duke visits Simon, a former protege of his, who is also handling assignments, and he does confirm he wants Ava out, as she's too much of a liability. As another hit is put on Ava, things quickly escalate, as does her tendencies to self-destruct. 

"Ava" tries to be a lot of things. It wears Luc Besson's "Nikita" influences very vividly, but without as much insight, or for that matter, thrill. It also tries to be a family drama about a woman dealing with the consequences of her addictions and actions, and how she tries to reshape the path of her life. These two venues in the film somehow never truly marry successfully. This film also joins a series of others that have recently been made about female hired assassins/secret agents, including "Atomic Blonde", "Gunpowder Milkshake", "Kate", "Jolt", all somehow trying to reach the same type of success that Luc Besson got with "Nikita" and even Phillip Noyce garnered with the Angelina Jolie vehicle "Salt". And unlike "Atomic Blonde", or for that matter "Nikita", most of these films never really know how to give these central characters a motivation and backdrop that is actually meaningful, and that goes beyond some of the acrobatics of the action scenes. With "Ava" in particular, Tate Taylor delivers a film that is shallow on character interactions, and filled with clichés, wasting away a fantastically assembled cast in the process. It's also a film that has no sense of humor, and takes itself very seriously, considering some of the nonsense that it puts on display. Jessica Chastain who also wears a producer hat on this feature, stumbles in a role that in her hands becomes somewhat dulled and muted, the same going for the reliable Jess Weixler, whose part is a collage of a variety of other similar ones, but illustrated on a single note, namely the bitter younger sister who has always had to portend with the flashier and prettier older one. The most interesting parts fall on the shoulders of Geena Davis and Joan Chen, both of whom have fun with the little parts they have, with John Malkovich and Colin Farrell barely registering. The production team while talented, also fails to impress much, including the always fantastic Stephen Goldblatt work on cinematography (he typically worked with Mike Nichols, including "Angels in America" and "Closer"), Bear McCreary's score, and even Megan Coates' costumes. It's a generic endeavor and a bit of a stain for everyone involved. 

Maestro

Movie Name: Maestro
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Sarah Silverman, Maya Hawke, Miriam Shor, Zachary Booth, James Cusati-Moyer, Josh Hamilton, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton, Jordan Dobson, Michael Urie, Nick Blaemire, Greg Hildreth, 
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another prestige release from Netflix, this one comes courtesy of multi-hyphenate Bradley Cooper, in his sophomore directorial outing, following his great debut with "A Star is Born". The narrative focuses on the life of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, and his numerous relationships, but with a particular focus on his marriage to Felicia Montealegre. The film captures Leonard's life at different junctures, starting with his journey towards recognition, when at age 25 (in 1943) he makes his conducting debut, quite unexpectedly, as a result of a guest conductor falling ill. Following raves reviews of his work, his career takes off. He maintains a romantic relationship with clarinetist David Oppenheim, but he meets Felicia Montealegre, an actress, at a party and is smitten with her. They eventually marry, and have three children, and remain supportive of each other's careers throughout their lives. Bernstein's success continues to rise, with his name appearing on multiple successful operas and Broadway musicals, including West Side Story. However in parallel with his success, Bernstein's personal excesses also start becoming more evident, including multiple affairs with men, and substance abuse, something that starts corroding his relationship with Felicia. They have a devastating argument one Thanksgiving, but remain married. While they manage to patch their relationship, things take a darker turn when Felicia becomes ill.

In a way Leonard Bernstein's life had a way to wreak a bit of havoc on Bradley Cooper's second directorial outing. One of the things that I mostly personally appreciated about his debut, "A Star is Born", was how he pursued a sense of authenticity to his characters, allowing them to be flawed, and imminently human, even if they were operating within the confinements of a well known story. In "Maestro", Bradley Cooper stylizes his approach, and looks a bit over his shoulder, as if the figure of Mr. Bernstein is looking at his interpretation of his own life, and therefore the director has to tread the topics with competence, but without infusing them with an actual spark of life. And that's what ends up summarizing this film: it's competent, and hints at brilliance, but there's too much restraint and it is unable to bring the characters to life. With that being said, there's much to admire here, and while Bradley Cooper is trying to find his stylistic voice and approach, one thing remains true: he is able to elicit great performances from his cast, and this case is no exception. Both him and the luminous Carey Mulligan carry this film with an ease and complicity which makes the relationship between Leonard and Felicia feel intimate and authentic. Sadly the script is unable to do much for the supporting characters and even for the supporting scenarios. It treats them all as sketches for a brief montage, which almost begs the question if Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer had focused on a specific time period of Bernstein's life, maybe that would have allowed more characters to have additional dimension and bring some nuance to the web of relationships that the film hints at, but never truly develops (I personally wanted to know more about Sarah Silverman's Shirley Bernstein). Nonetheless, and while some reviews found the film pretentious, and even tedious, I disagree with that assessment. While it doesn't hit all its marks, it's an ambitious film, focused on a flawed and larger than life persona, and while unbalanced, it still manages to characterize and bring color to the central characters of the narrative. Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan are excellent, as expected, with good support provided by Sarah Silverman and Matt Bomer. The production team is impeccable, including the beautiful cinematography from Matthew Libatique, production design from Kevin Thompson, costumes by Mark Bridges, and the makeup artistry from Kazu Hiro and an array of artists, all of which did a phenomenal job of adding authenticity to these characters. A flawed film, but worth watching for sure.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Movie Name: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Joaquim dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Shea Whigham, Greta Lee 
Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review:

After the resounding commercial and critical success of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" it was only a matter of time until a sequel was set in motion. This narrative picks up right after the events of the first film. Miles Morales is still dealing with his challenges of finishing high-school and preparing to go to college, while still having a crush on Gwen Stacy, the Spider-Woman from a parallel universe. Gwen in the meantime is dealing with a version of the Vulture, who came into her universe wreaking havoc, and finds some help courtesy of other universe travelers, Miguel O'Hara and Jess Drew. Her father in the meantime, police captain George Stacy thinks Spider-Woman is a criminal, unaware that he is actually pursuing his own daughter. Miles also has additional challenges, courtesy of a new villain, someone who goes by the name Spot and has the ability to create portals and navigate through them. Spot blames Miles for his condition, since he was just an average scientist, and suddenly developed those abilities as a result from an explosion that took place in the previous film. As Gwen travels to Miles' universe with the intent of also tracking Spot, and while they pick up their friendship/love interest right where they left it, they find themselves going into yet another universe in pursuit of Spot, only for those actions to start having dramatic consequences. Their action force the Spider-Man society to intervene and in ways that none of them were expecting.

One of the most interesting aspects of the "Spider-Verse" films has been their obvious superior animation and aesthetics. Both films are astonishingly well done, with a superlative use of color, transitions/editing, animation styles, all assembled in what feels like a frantic momentum, but one that is actually sensical, and eventually demonstrates the high energy and stakes that the central characters face. These films have successfully branched out beyond the traditional and have demonstrated the potential that modern animation can actually have in storytelling. However one of the big challenges with these narratives are the storylines, and in this case in particular, the multiverse plot point which is starting to sound tired and repetitive. The multiverse aspect of a storyline is something comic-books have used many times, and at some point writers have always found ways to press the reset button, since it's a plot device that becomes complex and frankly, tiresome to tackle at the same time with a considerable amount of characters to expand upon (multiple versions of the same character, with different families, and relationships, and so on). DC Comics legendarily tried to solve some of these Multiverse issues with the iconic series "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in the mid 80s to much success. Marvel however is still persisting on this journey, as can be witnessed from Sam Raimi's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness", though based on their filmic output of 2023, they may also have to rethink their storylines. All this to say, while this iteration of the "Spider-Verse" is aesthetically stunning to look at, and everything does align, from an art direction, character design, score, voice cast, the narrative itself is starting to wear itself out. Miles Morales essentially treads on topics that have been tackled before (in the other "Spider-Man" features), with the biggest difference for this film being the drama faced by Gwen, and her relationship with her father. But these aren't the central topics of the narrative, with the attention being pulled into this multiverse storylines. And that just isn't enough anymore. It's a film worth watching, but one that also questions what else could have been told about these characters that doesn't necessarily revolve jumping around different universes. 

Uncharted

Movie Name: Uncharted
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali, Tati Gabrielle, Steven Waddington, Pingi Moli, Tiernan Jones, Rudy Pankow, Georgia Goodman, Alana Boden, Joseph Balderrama
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 1
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Ruben Fleischer continues his prolific output, following the commercially successful but critically reviled "Venom" and the sequel to the film that originally put him on the map, "Zombieland: Double Tap". This time around he's tackling the adaptation of a very successful video game, courtesy of a script by Rafe Judkins, Art Macum and Matt Holloway (Macum and Holloway have written the scripts for Jon Favreau's "Iron Man" and F. Gary Gray's "Men In Black: International", to name but a few). The narrative focuses itself on Nathan Drake, a young bartender with pickpocketing skills, who we initially witness as a teenager with his older brother being caught trying to steal a map, one that traces the Magellan expedition. The brothers get separated with Sam Drake fleeing and Nathan staying at the orphanage. In the present, Nathan is contacted by a man calling himself Sully, who claims to be a fortuned hunter who was working with his brother Sam. He claims his brother disappeared after they both stole a diary from an ancient Spanish navigator. Nathan agrees to work with him, hoping this will enable him to find Sam. They go to an auction to try to steal a golden cross linked to the Magellan crew, which they believe will give them more clues in their quest to get the gold they're pursuing. However more people are on the trail of that antique and that treasure, including Santiago Moncada, the last descendant of that Spanish family. They manage to steal the cross and fly to Barcelona where they hope to continue their search, since Sully has a contact there who had the other cross needed for more clues to be uncovered. However things quickly escalate and get out of control upon arrival. 

Ruben Fleischer tries to modernize the Indiana Jones archeologist/adventurer character for newer generations with this film, without realizing that sadly this film (and its script) fails to provide much in terms of giving characters something memorable to say (or do), the same going for the tired premise of the film itself. The film which at times comes across as a slow burner that is about to reveal something tantalizing, actually never really reveals much, and most of the characters have very little to expose in terms of motivations or for that matter, of who they actually are (Tom Holland's Nathan Drake is a twenty something bartender who lives in a great space in the New York area, which in itself is fiction enough, though we never really know more about him, his relationships, what his goals are, nothing much really). The villains themselves, portrayed by the always underrated Antonio Banderas, and the muscle/brawl, embodied by the great Steven Waddington (who definitely had better things to do in Derek Jarman's "Edward II" and Christopher Hampton's "Carrington"), also have nothing much to do, other than appear "menacing" and "irritated", with their motivation at times appearing to be that precisely that (make facial grimaces). It's a film that is so vapidly built and staged that at times it comes across as a parody of what an action/adventure film actually is meant to be (or how it was done in prior decades). Tom Holland tries his best to bring Nathan Drake to life, but the character is as generic as possible, while the wooden Mark Wahlberg continues to basically portray the same character he actually does from film to film, though in this case he attempts to emulate a Cary Grant "To Catch a Thief" mystique, without any semblance of memorable results (what a difference a visionary director such as Paul Thomas Anderson makes, who managed to get a great performance from him in "Boogie Nights"). The production team is competent but unremarkable. This isn't worth watching. 

Pain Hustlers

Movie Name: Pain Hustlers
Year of Release: 2023
Director: David Yates
Starring: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, Catherine O'Hara, Chloe Coleman, Brian d'Arcy James, Jay Duplass, Amit Shah, Valerie LeBlanc, Aubrey Dollar, Alex Klein, Britt Rentschler, Michael Kosta
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release from Netflix, "Pain Hustlers" is the latest directorial endeavor from David Yates, whose name has become permanently associated with the "Harry Potter" universe, courtesy of the fact he directed the final 4 films of that saga, alongside the 3 more recent films of the "Fantastic Beasts" saga (in between those two sagas he found the time to direct the truly terrible "Tarzan" with Alexander Skarsgaard and Margot Robbie). The film which is an adaptation of the book by Evan Hughes with the same title, features a script by Wells Tower, and focuses its narrative on Liza Drake, whom we first encounter working as an exotic dancer in order to make ends meet for herself and her daughter Phoebe (who experiences epileptic seizures on occasion due to a congenital brain issue). While at the club where she performs, she meets Pete Brenner, who works for a pharmaceutical start up. They strike a conversation and she demonstrates her salesperson capabilities, which impresses Pete enough for him to share his card with her and suggest the possibility of a job for her. Liza's life suffers another setback when her living arrangements change, since her sister expels her out of her garage, and Liza finds herself living in a motel. She decides to reach out to Pete, and beg for a job. Unbeknownst to her however, Pete's employer Zanna, is also struggling financially, and no hiring is actually in place. The company is desperately trying to find investors, and in the spur of a moment, and while doing a pitch for a potential investor, Pete rewrites Liza's resume and introduces her as someone with a degree in biochemistry. Pete gives her 5 days to convince a physician to prescribe their drug, Lonafen. He offers a risible baseline salary, but lures Liza with the promise of sales commissions. Liza goes through the list of doctor prospects very quickly, without getting a single one to adopt the drug. At the last moment however, one of the doctor is convinced by her arguments, and prescribes the drug. This starts a momentum for Liza who soon hires a team of sales reps to push the drug across the regional market. And while the company starts to suddenly bring money and dominate that market, Liza starts noticing certain things that are not correct at all.

The opioid crisis is a topic ripe for an interesting feature film, which sadly "Pain Hustlers" is not that feature. The film tries, unsuccessfully one should say, to emulate the environment and energy Martin Scorsese brought to life in "The Wolf of Wall Street". However the way David Yates has chosen to illustrate the narrative, is both anemic and also arid when it comes to giving any of the lead characters something substantial to actually do and be. Liza, the protagonist, we progressively learn during the narrative that she's been divorced and has had a prior arrest, something we only uncover much later in the film, and it's something casually discussed, but never really addressed again. We also know she has a troubled relationship with her mother and sister, but those relationships are briefly illustrated and quickly tossed aside (the fact that the only somewhat healthy relationship Liza is able to maintain is with her daughter is never really discussed). The script is so worried in making a big statement about the maladies and greed of the pharmaceutical industry, that it forgets that characters have to actually mean something, have motivations beyond showing up on screen and utter a few lines. It's a film that touches on quite a few clichés, but does so without reinterpreting them or presenting them in a new light (the single mother who works in a strip club to make ends meet for herself and her daughter, isn't that also Andrew Bergman's "Striptease" premise which features Demi Moore and Robert Patrick, and came out in 1996). Chris Evans, Andy Garcia, Catherine O'Hara, Brian d'Arcy James, Jay Duplass are all talented performers who sadly have very little to do in this tale of ambition, greed and conspiracy. Their characters have the dimension of a cue card, including the ambitious corporate man who doesn't want to settle down and is cutthroat in his dealings with others, the mother constantly pursuing crazy schemes, the eccentric CEO, etc. Emily Blunt for all her investment in the role, also lacks both the spunk and the beaten by life aspect that this role needed (this role needed someone with the energy of Charlize Theron). The production team is not particularly memorable either, with just a serviceable cinematography from George Richmond, the same going for the score from James Newton Howard, Cliff Lanning and Michael Dean Parsons. It's not a disaster of a film, it's just not a particularly interesting one.