Everything Everywhere All at Once

Movie Name: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Tallie Medel, Jenny Slate, Harry Shum Jr., Biff Wiff, Brian Le, Andy Le, Narayana Cabral, Chelsey Goldsmith, Anthony Molinari
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

After making a splash with their feature directorial debut, "Swiss Army Man", the Daniels have returned with an even more ambitious feature, one that tackles multi-universes and ultimately a reflection on how our choices can produce a multitude of occurrences in different planes of existence. The narrative is divided in three different chapters, starting with Everything, followed by Everywhere and finally closing off with All at Once. The narrative is centered around Evelyn Quan Wang, a Chinese American immigrant who runs a struggling laundromat business with her husband, the sweet and affable Waymond. Evelyn is particularly stressed out since her business is being audited by the IRS, and her disapproving father Gong Gong is visiting her from their home town of Hong Kong. Evelyn has also a checkered relationship with her daughter Joy, and can't seem to fully embrace her relationship with the sweet Becky. Things take an unexpected turn, when after a disastrous meeting with Deirdre their IRS inspector, Waymond's personality changes, and he explains he has been taken over by a different version of himself from a different universe. He explains that in his universe there's a technology that has enabled "verse-jumping", which allows people to access skills, memories and the body of their parallel universe counterpart. What follows is a series of adventures, where Evelyn tries to salvage her life, understand her choices, and patch what can be patched within her family and relationships.

For all its surreality, visual gimmickry, and sense of humor, there's a profound sense of finding meaning in relationships and coming to terms with one's choices in this film from the Daniels. The journey we embark on, is one where Evelyn is initially crushed by life, and in a way, by her choices. She bears the pain of her father's disappointment, and carries it forward in her relationships with her husband and child, never realizing she herself is perpetuating a cycle of toxicity in her relationships, since she herself can't come to terms and overcome the fear of disappointment she has within herself. The script smartly layers this sense of choices and how they produce multiple variations of existence, and how they can all impart knowledge upon each other (not totally different from what the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer did in the adaptation of David Mitchell's "Cloud Atlas", though they did this in an extended chronological sequence of events). It's a film filled with interesting ideas, one that at times brings to mind the work of Michel Gondry (at least visually), but that manages to have its own authentic point of view, peppered with references from martial arts films from the 70s and 80s, but also low budget sci-fi from the 80s (such as Steve De Jarnatt's "Cherry 2000"), mixing all these references in a coherent and heartfelt narrative. The cast is fantastic, bringing all these variations and nuances to the characters to life, with Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis all making for a superb ensemble. Though some of the characters are more unidimensional than others, they're nonetheless compelling, and always watchable. It's a film that has heart and imagination, one that is peppered with humor and idiosyncratic stylistic choices (which I personally loved in Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers", but never saw it since quite well flushed out as in this particular case). It does have some rough patches to it, but it's entertaining, humorous and heartfelt. Worth watching. 

Morbius

Movie Name: Morbius
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson, Al Madrigal, Michael Keaton, Joe Ferrara, Zaris-Angel Hator, Joseph Esson, Charlie Shotwell
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Director Daniel Espinosa who made a splash with a few films both of which featured Ryan Reynolds, namely "Safe House" and "Life", tackles the superhero genre with a narrative focused on a villain that appeared on Spider-Man's adventures, harking back to 1971, when the character originally appeared. This feature focuses on the story of Michael Morbius, who as a child is challenged by a chronic and debilitating illness. He soon is joined at the hospital by another young boy with a challenging ailment by the name of Milo, and they bond as they grow up under the tutelage and protection of hospital director, Nicholas. Michael eventually becomes a doctor himself, and a celebrated one, thanks to his work developing artificial blood. However he is also researching a cure for himself, relying on vampire bats from Costa Rica. While the solution he uncovers, and tests on himself does work, it also turns him into a vampire, turning his bloodlust into a killing spree, one that firstly impacts the crew he was on the research expedition with. Upon returning to New York, Morbius tries to control his blood urges with artificial blood, which only lasts for a few hours. Milo soon discovers what is happening, and seeking a medical solution for himself, also takes the serum, in the process becoming a vicious vampire just as Morbius. However whereas Michael fights with his condition, Milo relishes it, and becomes progressively consumed by his bloodlust. It's up to Michael to eventually stop him. 

"Morbius" is another film that was impacted on its release schedule by the challenges created with the pandemic. It's also a film where the narrative arc that is created for its characters, is thinly defined, therefore never truly delivering much in terms of understanding who these characters actually are and what is motivating them (well, aside from the lust for blood). The narrative places Michael Morbius as a scrupulous and honest physician, whose sole purpose is helping others, but also himself from the debilitating illness that plagues him. And that's pretty all that the character ever amounts to be. Even as the character does some monstrous things, they're rapidly justified by the fact that the victims were disposable, and whatever moral ambiguity or falling from grace the character experiences, is never particularly focused on. The character is built much like an anti-hero, without openly calling its villainy, leaving that to Matt Smith's Milo, whom we basically know nothing about, aside from the fact that he also has a debilitating disease, and upon taking the serum, becomes a vicious vampire. There's no subtlety to the evolution of these characters, or justification for their actions. The remaining supporting characters are also rough sketches, from Nicholas and his father figure persona, Martine the colleague who eventually becomes a love interest, and the detectives, who also function as a comic relief. It's a film that while featuring an efficient production team, it fails to deliver insightful characters and a compelling arc for them to live on. Matt Smith and Jared Harris try their best to respectively bring some edginess and heart to their characters, whereas Jared Leto is somewhat forgettable in a role that had immense potential as a man who swore to protect and cherish life, and who has had to kill in order to preserve his own (and his character also resembles an emo rock star rather than an actual doctor). It's yet another formulaic and fairly undeveloped comic book adaptation that will quickly be forgotten. 

Jurassic World: Dominion

Movie Name: Jurassic World: Dominion
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Campbell Scott, BD Wong, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, Isabella Sermon, Omar Sy, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Scott Haze
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

Following the critical lambasting of "The Book of Henry", his previous feature, and some high profile projects that subsequently were dropped from his plate, director Colin Trevorrow has returned to the franchise that made his name more recognizable to film audiences. The film takes place after the events of the previous chapter and finds Owen and Claire now living remotely while raising Maisie Lockwood. The dinosaurs roam freely causing all sorts of incidents. Biosyn Genetics in the meantime, under the direction of Dr. Lewis Dodgson, has established a dinosaur preserve in Italy, with the intent of creating groundbreaking pharmacological applications. Maisie is kidnapped, as is one of the Velociraptors who is near Owen and Claire's cabin, which sends them on a desperate rescue mission. In the meantime, Dr. Ellie Sattler is called upon to investigate the destruction brought on by massive locusts on several crops, except for the crops that are using Biosyn, which raises suspicions they may be genetically modifying these creatures. Ellie seeks the help of her former partner Alan Grant, and they are eventually reunited with Ian Malcolm, who is now working for Biosyn, but who is intent on exposing what he has uncovered of Lewis Dodgson's illegal activities. They all eventually converge on Biosyn's main offices, where things quickly lose control, threatening their lives and of the living dinosaurs. 

This third chapter of the Jurassic World franchise is oddly enough the least interesting of all films in the series (and odd, since one would assume the creative team behind this universe would in reality consider learning lessons from the previous installments). The most interesting aspect of the film is the way it almost cannibalizes the events and everything that made the original Steven Spielberg film from 1993 so iconic and indelible. This installment almost replicates some of the events and scenes from the original film. While that aspect of making an homage to the original feature is somewhat interesting, it also begs the question if the creative team didn't have something to say for themselves or for the narrative they've been crafting throughout the trilogy. On par with these narrative issues, which also include the obvious inclusion of the corporate villain (once again barely defined), there are quite a few perplexing scenes during the film itself, which are borderline amateurish in their construction, including for instance the obvious stage scenes inside Owen and Claire's cabin and even the scenes in Malta. The characters populating this feature are once more rough drafts, with the director holding on to the fact that hopefully they've all been established previously, and therefore this particular narrative doesn't have to provide any additional dimension to them. This volume of the Jurassic Park franchise is akin to Gary Nelson's "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold", which was desperately trying to capture the charisma of Indiana Jones, but turned out to be more kitsch than anything else. This volume of Jurassic World, while not reaching kitsch, fails to bring anything new to the table, with the only highlights being the gathering of Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum, who are always superlatively great, with support from the always fantastic Campbell Scott, who sadly doesn't get much of a role. The film is a bit of a mess, questioning the director's ability and taste level. Forgettable. 

The Lost City

Movie Name: The Lost City
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nunez, Patti Harrison, Bowen Yang, Hector Anibal, Thomas Forbes-Johnson, Sli Lewis
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

"The Lost City" is the latest project produced by Sandra Bullock, in a feature that takes her back to the romantic/action comedy that originally propelled her name in the 90s, with films such as "While You Were Sleeping" and even "Miss Congeniality" (which came out in 2000). The film follows the story of an author by the name of Loretta Sage, who writes romantic driven novels, typically featuring two characters, Dr. Angela Lovemore and Dash McMahon. Loretta finds herself on a book tour at the insistence of her agent, with an unexpected partner at her side, the male cover model that is featured on all her books, the dashing Alan (she has become somewhat of a recluse since the passing of her husband). While coming to terms with a disastrous beginning of the tour, Loretta is kidnapped by Abigail Fairfax, a billionaire who is intent on recovering the Crown of Fire, a priceless treasure he believes to be located in a remote island. However in order to retrieve the artifact, he needs Loretta's ability to decode an ancient map, which he believes she can do since she performed actual historic research with her late archaeologist husband. Alan who is secretly infatuated with Loretta, recruits Jack Trainer, a former navy SEAL turned CIA operative to help rescuing her, while Loretta's agent tries unsuccessfully to convince the police of what's taking place. While Alan's cluelessness soon becomes noticeable, Jack manages to save Loretta quite rapidly, that is until he is killed. Loretta and Alan soon find themselves in the jungle trying to elude their captors while Abigail is hot on their tail. 

"The Lost City" is not without its charm, but it obviously instantly brings to mind the wonderful "Romancing the Stone", which was directed by Robert Zemeckis and came out in 1984. In both films we have slightly isolated female American authors who are suddenly thrust out of their comfort zones, and into the jungles in areas they're unfamiliar with (in "The Lost City" that is an unknown island, in "Romancing the Stone" Joan Wilder finds herself in Colombia). What worked out so well in "Romancing the Stone" was the instant chemistry between the leads, and the fact that the narrative felt effortless, a bit like a rehash of classic adventures, drinking inspiration from some of the serials of the 1940s and 50s, which also influenced Steven Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark", with a strong/resourceful female character. In that sense "The Lost City" ends up not feeling quite as fresh or quite as effective, since while both leads do have chemistry and play off each other quite well, the story is threadbare and doesn't amount to much. The creators of this narrative have also realized this, which is why the physical comedy is amped up quite a bit more, which can also be witnessed in the extended cameo by Brad Pitt, but for all its noise and flashiness of production values, what ultimately works best is indeed the moments between Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. The supporting cast of the film doesn't have much to do, aside from playing archetypes, including Da'Vine Joy Randolph as the agent, and Oscar Nunez as the eccentric pilot. The film knows these characters are as flat as playing cards on a game, and thankfully the actors try their best to bring them to life, but the film lives solely from the charisma of their leads, and the fact that it definitely doesn't take itself very seriously. The production team assembled is competent without being particularly memorable in its delivery. Somewhat competent, but also forgettable.