Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Movie Name: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Starring: Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams, Clarke Peters, Daniel Washington, Kris Sidberry, Dave Heard
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
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Synopsis and Review

The success of Bryan Singer's "Bohemian Rhapsody" has opened the floodgates for a series of late and iconic singers' lives to be portrayed on the big screen, which has since included Dexter Fletcher's "Rocketman" (based on the life of Elton John), and upcoming features which will focus on the lives of Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson (at least for now). Director Kasi Lemmons (who started her career as an actress, including Jonathan Demme's "Silence of the Lambs"), whose most recent directorial effort "Harriet", was also a dramatic rendering of the life of an iconic individual, namely Harriet Tubman's, illustrates the script from celebrated screenwriter Anthony McCarten (who previously wrote Joe Wright's "Darkest Hour", James Marsh's "The Theory of Everything" and also Bryan Singer's "Bohemian Rhapsody"). The film focuses on the life of Whitney Houston and her humble beginnings as a backup singer for her mother and also singing in the choir of her church. While her mother is strict, Whitney's talent is quite apparent and following a performance in a club where Clive Davis is in the audience, he quickly signs her up for Arista Records. At the same time, Whitney finds a stable romantic relationship with Robyn Crawford. After the success of her debut album and her first live TV performance, Houston's star is on the rise. Looking to keep Robyn close by, Whitney wants to hire her as an assistant, something her father disapproves of. Eventually their romantic relationship fizzles, but they keep their professional relationship intact. Whitney eventually gets tangled with Bobby Brown, who has a bad boy reputation and while they have a rocky start to their relationship, they eventually get married. Their marriage is peppered by friction, including drug usage, but they eventually have a daughter and manage to stay together. Whitney becomes aware of issues in her career management prompted by her father, which leads to his dismissal as he nears the end of his life. Whitney's own turmoil and drug issues continue, until she attempts a comeback starting with a Grammy party.

The rise and fall of a rock star is something that has been the focus of innumerable stories. Bradley Cooper's recent adaptation of "A Star is Born" is a good example of it. This take on the life of Whitney Houston however is a pale rendition of someone who always had a larger than life persona, and whose life was also peppered with many publicly visible challenges (courtesy of reality shows). The script is a somewhat sanitized version of someone's life, failing even to give Whitney Houston, the character/person, a personality beyond the artist facade she puts on for everyone to consume (and whenever the facade does crumble it only does so for very little periods of time). The struggles and challenges that do appear, either with her family, or her sexuality, and eventually her romantic relationships, are superficially illustrated and demonstrate very little of what she actually wanted (aside from wanting a family). Whatever demons haunted this character, very few of them see the light of day in this feature, which chooses instead to focus quite a bit on the music choices she had throughout her career. It's a film that reads more like a LifeTime or Movie of the Week type of rendition, one that bears no distinct point of view, and it's merely illustrating a well known formula. It fails to illustrate someone's cultural background, ambition and challenges in life, even if in the end that makes them more human. As it is, it reads like promotional material for someone who didn't need it to begin with. Highlights in the cast include Tamara Tunie and Clarke Peters' performances: they're both riveting and manage to bring some edge and dimension to underwritten roles. The cinematography from Barry Ackroyd is fantastic, as is Gerald Sullivan's production Design. Ultimately, this is a mediocre feature unworthy of the talent of the person depicted in it. 

Tag

Movie Name: Tag
Year of Release: 2018
Director: Jeff Tomsic
Starring: Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Jake Johnson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Annabelle Wallis, Hannibal Buress, Nora Dunn, Steve Berg, Leslie Bibb, Rashida Jones, Indiana Sifuentes, Thomas Middleditch, Al Mitchell, Sebastian Maniscalco
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

"Tag" is the feature directorial debut for Jeff Tomsic, though he has had a lengthy career in TV shows (he directed episodes of shows such as "Broad City" and "Wrecked" to name but a few). The film, which is based on a true story, follows the story of a group of men who have been close since they were children, and who get to play tag during the month of May. Jerry out of all in the group, is the only one who has never been tagged. Hogan, alongside his wife (who is not playing since girls were not allowed when the game was devised in their childhood), recruits Bob, Chilli and Kevin for one last attempt at tagging Jerry, since Jerry has informed them he plans to retire after this year's game due to his impending nuptials. The group is also joined by Rebecca Crosby, a Wall Street Journal reporter doing a piece on Bob. When they get to their hometown, they locate Jerry and attempt to tag him, which proves to be unsuccessful once again. They all agree no to play tag at any wedding-related events, but as they try to find ways to catch Jerry outside of those, they keep failing. They finally crash the wedding and Hogan tries to tag Jerry at the end of the ceremony, but he fails once again, but with some unexpected outcomes.

"Tag" is powered by its unique premise, one of a game played by friends throughout decades, as a means to keep a friendship alive and never lose the child within each and everyone one of them. While this is indeed a great premise, sadly the film latches on to this playful aspect alone and never truly gives much insight into who these characters actually are, and what exactly makes them compelling (or for that matter, what makes them stay friends throughout all those years). While the levity of the description of these characters may seem like a quirky way to invite situational humor (Jeremy Renner's character Jerry reads as series of different personas for instance, whereas Jake Johnson's druggy Chilli, is persistently characterized as simply that), it mostly comes across as lazy story writing, which also extends to the female characters, who literally have nothing to do but "tag along". This is a concept that could have had at the core of its narrative the mix of the lunacy of these friends tagging each other year after year, married with an actual human element of people who support each other and characters who are more than just a single paragraph description, meant to illustrate them by one single aspect of how they present themselves (case in point Jon Hamm's successful business man). There are aspects that work in this film, namely the camaraderie which is captured between the group, and things indeed get more interesting when Rashida Jones makes her entrance and brings some edginess to the narrative, but sadly she never gets much screen time, and neither gets the opportunity to know more about these characters. It's an interesting concept that never really lands, oscillating between trying to be a somewhat riveting physical comedy (which it never commits to) and an ode to friendship (which again never carves the depth for). The cast tries to bring their characters to life, but out of the whole bunch it's actually Rashida Jones who manages to get away with the film. She actually is puzzled by who and what these people turned out to be, and in the end so are we. 

Beau is Afraid

Movie Name: Beau is Afraid
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Ari Aster
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Nathan Lane, Parker Posey, Kylie Rogers, Denis Menochet, Zoe Lister-Jones, Armen Nahapetian, Julia Antonelli, Richard Kind, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Bill Hader, Alicia Rosario
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

After a making a huge splash with "Hereditary" and "Midsommar", writer/director Ari Aster is back with an unexpected tale, focused on guilt and swarming with powerful metaphors. The narrative focuses on the story of Beau, a middle aged man who is going through therapy and is about to go visit his mother. Beau lives in a rough area and is particularly prone to anxiety. The day he's about to take off to see his mother, a series of unexpected problems occur, which prevent him from being able to catch the flight. When he communicates this to his mother she becomes upset. After another flurry of surreal events, Beau is confronted with an unexpected occurrence when he calls his mother the following day, only to discover that a UPS man has found a corpse of what seems to be his mother whose head has been decapitated. As Beau tries to escape a series of additional odd occurrences, he is unexpectedly hit by a food truck. He wakes up in the house of a married couple by the name of Grace and Roger (who also hit him with the truck). This couple have a teenage daughter, and are also taking care of an emotionally damaged war veteran named Jeeves, who was part of the same platoon as their late son (who was killed in action). Beau is desperate to get to his mom's funeral, but he's in bad shape following the car collision. To make matters worse, Toni, the teenage daughter of their rescuers, also resents him. As Beau navigates these new events, he realizes he has to act soon enough in order to get to his mom's funeral.

Working with his biggest budget yet, Ari Aster has crafted with "Beau is Afraid" what many reviewers and audiences may deem a "brave" film. And typically that statement always underscores something that has a strong subject, but one that doesn't necessarily is communicated in the most successful manner. And that is indeed the case here, where the film is filled with metaphors and analogies but it is very much focused on the concept of parental love riddled and poisoned by guilt towards its children. This poison stems from the expectations of parents, and in this case in particular, from the overbearing, larger than life Mona and the impact and implications her attitudes, secrets and hangups actually have on Beau. The distance that Beau has created from his mother is a buffer for him to lead a semblance of a normal life, even if he lives in an environment that feels like an exposed raw nerve, which dramatically contrasts with Mona's locale, a place of serenity, seclusion and privilege. Beau is indeed haunted by all these issues imposed on him by his mother, things that control to this day his relationships, his anxieties, even his sexuality and ultimately his fear of death. It's an ambitious film, that indeed illustrates Beau's journey through a quasi hellish ground to get to his destination, and while there's so much to admire, there's also a very distinct notion that Beau is portrayed always in the exact same way. He's never a truly and fully realized character, as he is always seen in the exact same way, and even though he has this lovable schlub aspect to it, that's always the unique way in which he's rendered. Of the supporting characters, the one that rises and has a striking impact is of course Patti LuPone who creates a character both terrifyingly monstrous and also at times strangely fearful and resentful. Most of the supporting characters exist as a symbol for something, and while they're cleverly brought to life (such as Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane's creepy couple), they're still very much defined in terms of Beau's journey, and never as standalone characters. This is a film that is indeed distinctive, featuring a tremendous performance from Joaquin Phoenix (who is indeed brilliant), with an impeccable production team (including the score from Bobby Krlic), but one who also loses itself in the topic that is trying to illustrate. However, it's a feature that grabs you and stays with you, and that is a testament to Ari Aster's capacity to weave this story and Joaquin Phoenix's embodiment to bring this character to life. It's a flawed yet worth seeing film.

Snakes on a Plane

Movie Name: Snakes on a Plane
Year of Release: 2006
Director: David R. Ellis
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Bobby Cannavale, David Koechner, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard, Flex Alexander, Kenan Thompson, Keith Dallas, Lin Shaye, Bruce James, Sunny Mabrey, Tom Butler, Todd Louiso, Gerard Plunkett, Terry Chen, Elsa Pataky, Emily Holmes, Casey Dubois, Daniel Hogarth, Taylor Kitsch
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Late director David R. Ellis initially made a name for himself in stunts before jumping into directing, starting with the film "Homeward Bound II" and then directing the second installment of the "Final Destination" franchise. Following the fairly well received "Cellular" Ellis took on "Snakes on a Plane", which was a title which generated a lot of interest online alone. The film follows the story of agent Neville Flynn who has to accompany the witness to a crime, the young Sean Jones, from Hawaii to Los Angeles so that he can testify against a crime boss. The flight starts fairly well, with Head Flight Attendant Claire Miller initially somewhat annoyed by the fact that the crew wasn't informed two FBI agents would be onboard. Things however take a quick turn for the worse, when mid flight a slew of venomous snakes is unleashed on the plane wreaking havoc and killing a series of passengers. Neville and Claire have to work together, since soon even the pilots fall prey to the snakes, and they have to prevent the plane from crashing and killing everyone onboard.

This film is one where the title aptly and accurately describes what takes place during its narrative. It's a film that clearly knows it's a B-movie, and David R. Ellis wastes no time in establishing the context of what's about to take place and defining its main characters. The tone isn't so much about the suspense of an unknown danger, but more about surviving these snakes who are seemingly everywhere and who are lethal in their attacks. Both Neville and Claire, the lead characters in this ensemble, while thinly characterized, manage to have a good chemistry between each other, which makes for an interesting watch, particularly since they're embodied by the always charismatic Samuel L. Jackson and the underrated Julianna Margulies. The director also manages to make good use of the claustrophobia associated with being inside an airplane, exploring the space in which the characters can flee and seek refuge (and others where they are indeed more vulnerable). It's an unpretentious film, one that knows the ridiculousness of its premise, but nonetheless one that creates an over the top watching experience, inspired by catastrophe films (and frills) from the 70s, including George Seaton's "Airport" and even Ronald Neame's "The Poseidon Adventure". The supporting characters are barely sketches, but Bobby Cannavale, David Koechner and Todd Louiso manage to create compelling characters. The production team is solid, featuring the cinematography from Adam Greenberg and score from Trevor Rabin. Watchable but forgettable. 

The Snowman

Movie Name: The Snowman
Year of Release: 2017
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jonas Karlsson, Chloe Sevigny, Ronan Vibert, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer, Toby Jones, Genevieve O'Reilly, James D'Arcy, Adrian Dunbar, Michael Yates, David Dencik, Jete Laurence, Jamie Clayton
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

After breaking through with "Let the Right One In", director Tomas Alfredson soon returned with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", which was another critical darling. "The Snowman" was his following big project and was his first resounding setback, both critically and commercially. The film is an adaptation of one of the novels by author Jo Nesbø, which focuses on the character of police detective Harry Hole (unfortunate name, but so be it). The film introduces us to Harry as he's going through a rough patch in his life, being completely consumed by his alcohol addiction, which has sacrificed his relationship with Rakel, and estranged him from her son Oleg. A series of murders starts occurring, targeting women who have had family issues or have had to make some difficult decisions regarding bearing children. Harry starts receiving notes from the killer regarding these murders, all of which have a very similar and violently graphic staging. In parallel Harry starts working with a new partner by the name of Katrine, who also has an agenda of her own, and whose past may even have connections with this killer. Harry has to find ways to navigate this puzzling investigation, and still maintain his relationship with Rakel and Oleg, which in the meantime has become more complicated with the introduction of Mathias, whom Rakel is dating. 

While "The Snowman" has all the ingredients to make a superb confection, the film was sadly riddled with issues during shooting, which included substantial amounts of the script not being shot, which explains why some characters are somewhat inconsistently depicted and showcased throughout the film. Inconsistencies seems to be one of the things that immediately springs to mind, since all the characters in this film seem to all be hailing from very different narratives. They all have substantially different accents, with some speaking with a British accent, others with a Swedish accent, and others a mix of American accent with something else, all of this of course considering that the narrative takes place in Sweden. The intention of using the icy landscapes as a backdrop for these clinically precise and methodical killings makes sense, however the killer and his intent are given very little attention, the same going for the characters who are in his pursuit. The adaption of the novel is clumsily put together, which means we never really understand or get any context as to why Harry is an alcoholic, nor what makes him such a celebrated detective (or the sudden interest of the killer in him). The relationship he has with Rakel, while filled with chemistry is also never explored much, the same going for the sub-plots involving Val Kilmer and Toby Jones' characters (why are they such antagonists). It's a film that needed a better script, with better context into why these characters find themselves in the situations they're in, and where the characters themselves have the opportunity to have some nuance and a sense of a journey (J.K. Simmons character is underused, as is the actor himself). What is left is indeed the talent of this cast who tries to do the best they can in a chaotic universe, with Michael Fassbender and Charlotte Gainsbourg being the highlights. Rebecca Ferguson who is always a welcomed addition to any film, has little to do here, as do Chloe Sevigny (why was she even doing this film), Toby Jones and Val Kilmer (his character and plot thread in particular deserved some additional attention). The cinematography from the great Dion Beebe is sadly wasted here. A wasted opportunity. 

Cocaine Bear

Movie Name: Cocaine Bear
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Brooklynn Prince, Christian Convery, Margo Martindale, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristofer Hivju, Ayoola Smart, Aaron Holliday, J.B. Moore, Leo Hanna, Matthew Rhys, Kahyun Kim, Scott Seiss
Genre: Comedy, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Actress, producer and director Elizabeth Banks is back, with one of her most interesting and diverse films yet. The film which is based on a true story which took place in 1985, in which a corrupt Kentucky cop and lawyer turned drug smuggler, flew in a smuggling expedition and dropped packages of cocaine over Georgia before attempting to escape with nearly 80s pounds strapped to his body. The narrative starts with this event, where Andrew Thornton gets rid of the cocaine, but dies trying to escape. In the meantime the drugs that were dropped in the Chattahoochee park area start getting the attention of many. Initially of a bear who gets all hyped up on it, attacking a couple of tourists hiking in the forest and immediately killing one of them. The bear then attacks a couple of kids who are skipping school, Dee Dee and her best friend Henry. Dee Dee's mother, nurse Sari comes to the park in order to investigate where they are. She gets acquainted with Ranger Liz and Peter, both of whom are not too thrilled to help her out. They soon locate Henry, who is up on a tree, avoiding the bear, who soon appears once again, going on a rampage. Coming to the park is also Detective Bob who identified Andrew's body and understood what had taken place, and also Eddie and Daveed who are intent on retrieving the drugs for Eddie's father, Syd. 

One of the most interesting things about "Cocaine Bear", besides its otherworldly premise, is of course the fact that the film doesn't take itself very seriously. Elizabeth Banks is herself a great comedienne, and she tackles this narrative as an ensemble piece, but one where one of the players is a viciously violent bear who has no qualms about killing everything and everyone in sight. While most characters are thinly characterized, Elizabeth Banks grounds the events that are occurring on the always excellent Keri Russell, playing the concerned nurse Sari, who is desperately seeking her daughter, while being both horrified by what she's witnessing, yet remaining as cold headed and collected as she can. If Sari is indeed the grounded one, all the other remaining characters in this film are going through something that is affiliated with the drugs which of course places them in the trajectory of the drug addled bear. It's a brutally funny film, one where the surreal aspect of the events taking place and the way the characters react to it, make it even funnier (the ambulance escape is a good example). The cast is uniformly good, including the aforementioned Keri Russell, who gets great support from Alden Ehrenreich, Margo Martindale, Ray Liotta (in one of his final roles) and O'Shea Jackson. The production team is solid, including the cinematography from John Guleserian and score from Mark Mothersbaugh (and the soundtrack is fantastic). It's a brutally funny comedy with a surreal premise, with a great cast and an economical direction. Worth watching. 

Firestarter

Movie Name: Firestarter
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Keith Thomas
Starring: Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Michael Greyeyes, Gloria Reuben, Kurtwood Smith, John Beasley, Tina Jung, Hannan Younis 
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 1
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

After launching his directorial career with the well received "The Vigil", director Keith Thomas decided to tackle the adaptation of one of Stephen King's most charismatic novels, "Firestarter". The film follows the story of the McGee family, comprised of father Andy, mother Vicky and the young daughter by the name of Charlie. They all keep a low profile as Andy and Vicky were actually test subjects for an experimental drug which resulted in them getting special abilities. While their artificially enabled abilities have brought them some physical issues, their daughter Charlie has the natural capability to generate fires, alongside other abilities. The family is being pursued by Captain Jane Hollister who wants Charlie under the control of her department. She enlists the services of John Rainbird to track them. Rainbird eventually locates them, and does more than just track them. He kills Vicky, though Charlie and Andy manage to escape. As they try to make their way to Boston they get helped by a man named Irv, who takes them to his farm and provides some assistance. However they're soon located once again, and this time around Andy is captured, while Charlie manages to escape. She eventually decides to go to the DSI to rescue him.

"Firestarter" had a previous adaptation directed by Mark L. Lester featuring Drew Barrymore in the central role, with supporting turns from George C. Scott, Martin Sheen and David Keith. Though not a great adaptation by any means, that film has withstood the test of time thanks to a solid central performance from Barrymore and the great score from Tangerine Dream. This new adaptation hailing from Scott Teems (who also co-wrote David Gordon Green's "Halloween Kills"), takes some considerable liberties with the original novel (a really good one by the way), but sadly it never injects a fresh perspective or dimension to the characters and events taking place. If anything, Andy and his wife Vicky have even less to do in this feature than before, whereas Charlie in this version while a bit older than the prior incarnation of this character, also fails to exhibit the sheer panic the character always felt from using her power and possibly harming others in that process (that was always her inner conflict). It's a truly terribly executed and ultimately perplexing film hailing from Jason Blum's studio. It feels like an undercooked project where plot points are dastardly abandoned, motivations for characters are risibly brought forth but never truly explained, all wrapped around a film that feels as if though it had a budget of a few cents. For a studio such as Blumhouse which has managed to release fairly interesting features with relatively low budgets, this film actually poses some serious questions on their taste level and actual respect to the original material. Zac Efron and Kurtwood Smith manage to redeem themselves as much as possible, but there's literally nothing much to appreciate about this adaptation. Avoid at all costs. 

The Invitation

Movie Name: The Invitation
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Jessica M. Thompson
Starring: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Sean Pertwee, Hugh Skinner, Carol Ann Crawford, Alana Boden, Stephanie Corneliussen, Courtney Taylor, Scott Alexander Young
Genre: Crime, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

After her feature directorial debut with "The Light of the Moon", director Jessica M. Thompson has had her sophomore directorial effort with "The Invitation", written by Blair Butler, which is largely inspired by Bram Stoker's "Dracula". The film follows the story of Evie, an artist making her living as cater waiter in New York. While seeking some information on her family background, she discovers part of her family has roots in England. She also manages to discover there's a distant cousin of hers by the name of Oliver Alexander who actually reaches out to her. They arrange for a coffee meet-up where he tells her some of the family history. She gets invited to a wedding, one that is part of this newfound family of hers. She travels to England, specifically Whitby, where she meets the rest of the Alexander family. She also meets the lord of the Manor where she's staying, the seductive Walter De Ville and also the maids of honor for that wedding, comprised of the friendly Lucy and icy Viktoria. During her stay she starts noticing strange occurrences, namely some maids who start disappearing, mixed with some vivid nightmares, though she also gets tangled in a seduction game with De Ville. As the date to the wedding approaches, and her relationship with De Ville gets more intimate, the family holds a rehearsal dinner, where Evie expects to meet the bride and groom. Much to her surprise and shock, De Ville announces he and her are to be wed. What comes next completely takes Evie by surprise, but she soon realizes she has to fight for her life as she has never had to before. 

"The Invitation" is a film that tries its best to put a fresh and modern spin on Bram Stoker's masterpiece novel, "Dracula" (originally published in 1897). With over two hundred adaptations to the screen it is definitely a tall order to pursue, but though this film has modest ambitions, it fails to make itself memorable in any way. There are large incongruences in the narrative, which can be stomached, if indeed the characters had been fairly well characterized, but sadly even the focus of the narrative itself, Evie, seems to be a bit of a cypher. She makes her living as a cater-waiter, but is in reality a struggling artist (another repeated and tired cliché), her mother has died fairly recently and she's now all alone. That's pretty much all that is provided in terms of information regarding this character. Nothing much is volunteered in terms of her ambitions, her personality or social interactions (any additional detail that is provided comes in the shape of her close friend Grace and that's pretty much it). The supporting characters are even less defined and established than Evie's. De Ville, who for all intended purposes is a new version of Dracula, is a bloodless character, trying to be seductive, stoic and taciturn, but mostly comes across as a shallow dilettante. The main problem with the film ends up being this rather generic approach to the material, one that never truly embraces the tragic aspect of these main characters (De Ville's quest for the additional bride, the passing of time, Evie's fear of being alone, the discovery of an unknown family with a possible dark agenda), nor the parasitic and vilifying aspect of the characters who live in the shadow of this supernatural entity. The fantastic Sean Pertwee as always manages to bring his Renfield character to life, though the remainder of the cast is rather forgettable. It's ultimately a film that adds nothing to the Dracula cannon and it's simply not worth watching. 

I See You

Movie Name: I See You
Year of Release: 2019
Director: Adam Randall
Starring: Helen Hunt, Jon Tenney, Owen Teague, Judah Lewis, Libe Barer, Gregory Alan Williams, Erika Alexander, Allison Gabriel, Riley Caya, John Newberg, Jeremy Gladen, Teri Clark, Wyatt McClure, Brooks Roseberry
Genre: Crime, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Director Adam Randall who has released some middle of the road features so far, may have with "I See You" his best calling card as of yet. Working with a script written by actor/writer Devon Graye, the story focuses on the story of a family who is on the verge of disintegration. Jackie Harper, the mother, had an extra marital affair which has brought tension to her relationship with her police officer husband Greg and their embittered son Connor. As Jackie slowly tries to make amends for what she did, her husband is in the middle of a new case, of a young boy who has been taken/kidnapped, in a small town where some wounds are still open from a prior case which also involved young boys being taken and killed. Odd things start occurring in the Harper household, which seem as if though some supernatural entity is at stake. When Jackie is surprisingly visited by her former lover, he is attacked by a mug that falls from the roof of the house. Jackie fears the attack came from her son, and she cares for but also hides her former lover Todd in the basement, while she takes Connor to school. Todd is mysteriously attacked and killed, which throws Jackie into a state of panic. She reaches out to Greg in despair. They jointly take the body into the woods and get rid of it. However things continue to escalate in the house. And Connor becomes the next victim. However, not all is what it seems.

"I See You" smartly concocts a narrative where what it initially seems like the storyline of a broken family dealing with a haunted house, it slowly turns out to be something quite different. The layers that the film and the storyline keep revealing add more and more sense to the motivations of the characters, in a format not all that dissimilar to what M. Night Shyamalan does with his films. The director and writer use their progressive disclosure strategy very smartly, never retorting to gratuitous violence, choosing instead to illustrate the family dynamics, the overall context in which these characters exist, to then start mining the terrain for everything that isn't necessarily right. By the time the third act unveils itself, the narrative has already been taken in a different direction, something that the epilogue further amplifies. The build out of this film is deftly done, save for the characters that inhabit it. Both Helen Hunt and Jon Tenney fail to bring much to their characters, who come across as rather generic TV drama/film of the week parents going through a challenging moment in time, with only the progressively more disturbing presence of Owen Teague's Alec taking the film into a more sinister territory. It's a film that manages to capture one's attention, one that is cleverly written but also in need of far more interesting and vivid characters (and better casting options). It's watchable and entertaining, but definitely could have been a far more disturbing and memorable feature. 

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Movie Name: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Noah Segan, Jackie Hoffman, Dallas Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, Natasha Lyonne, Stephen Sondheim, Serena Williams
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Following the critical and commercial success of "Knives Out", writer/producer/director Rian Johnson entered into an agreement with Netflix to continue the adventures of detective Benoit Blanc. "Glass Onion" is the first of the series, and while it definitely has a vibe akin to Sidney Lumet's "Murder on the Orient Express", it is definitely a farcical film that stands on its own, and is very much a representation of what our society is currently focused on. The film focuses on a series of characters, all of which have been friends for a while, and who come together in Greece under the generous guidance of their host, the billionaire Miles Bron. Miles is about to launch a new venture, but wants for the group to get together to celebrate his birthday with a murder mystery he has paid others to elaborately devise. Benoit Blanc comes along even though it is soon revealed his invitation was a mistake. Much to everyone's surprise, Andi Brand is also in attendance. She was Miles' prior partner, whom he managed to axe from the conglomerate in a highly visible corporate showdown. As the weekend continues, and as Benoit quickly dispels the outcome of the mystery, the true reasons for everyone's attendance soon reveal themselves. And not everyone is who they seem to be, including the moronic, unscrupulous Miles. 

One of the best things about "Glass Onion" is the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. At all. It's also a film that takes the pulse of what is taking place in society, perfectly capturing in the process the sense of superficiality which permeates the lives of every single character on display (even to a certain extent of Benoit Blanc's sheltered and pampered existence). The film plays with somewhat modern character archetypes, which turns out, are not so modern after all, remembering many of Agatha Christie's Poirot centric novels. Every character surrounding Miles has both a personal investment in him and is also controlled by him in a less than reputable way (ie, they all stand to lose something if he decides to spill the beans). These ties are very much similar to the classic works of Ms. Christie, with the difference that Rian Johnson modernizes them, bringing them into the arena of social Media, Tech profusion, and a society where seemingly profound insights mask instead profound narcissism and stupidity. This is all wrapped in a bow that is light and airy, never feeling like the mordant and biting satire that it is. While the characters are indeed thinly characterized, they're given just enough of a nuance to register as more than flat cardboard representations of what an influencer or a politician or a failed actress actually are. The cast is also up to the game, particularly Janelle Monae who manages to walk away with the film, with good support from Edward Norton and Kathryn Hahn. I continue to think Daniel Craig is miscast, with his role being better suited to someone as Ben Whishaw or even Sam Rockwell. The production team is impeccable, including Steve Yedlin's cinematography, Nathan Johnson's score and production design by Rick Heinrichs. A solid and entertaining film worth watching.  

Don't Worry Darling

Movie Name: Don't Worry Darling
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Olivia Wilde
Starring: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Olivia Wilde, Nick Kroll, Sydney Chandler, Kate Berlant, Kiki Layne, Asif Ali, Douglas Smith, Timothy Simons, Steve Berg, Ari'el Stachel
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

Olivia Wilde's directorial sophomore effort was of course surrounded by all sorts of noise, including the dismissal of Shia LaBeouf from the role that was then taken over by Harry Styles, to the odd series of events that occurred at the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Nonetheless the expectation was considerable, particularly since her feature directorial debut, "Booksmart", was such a fantastic film. "Don't Worry Darling" focuses its narrative on a couple, comprised of Alice and Jack Chambers. They are a loving couple and live in what seems to be a suburb in California in the late 1950s/early 1960s. The husbands leave for work every morning, while the wives take charge of housework and the children when that's the case. They all have very active social lives, all around elaborate dinner parties and cocktails. Things start to take a darker turn firstly with Alice's friend Margaret. She went into the desert with her child, resulting in his apparent death, though she claims otherwise. Adding to this, Alice sees a plane crash in the desert, and rushes to help. She stumbles onto headquarters (where Jack works), and experiences surreal hallucinations. Margaret confides in her that she has seen the same thing. After a dramatic incident with Margaret, Alice becomes even more suspecting of something being terribly wrong, with her suspicions being particularly hurled at Frank, the director of Victory, where her husband works. Her suspicions lead to a particularly tense evening where the Chambers' have a small gathering for dinner, with Alice eventually pleading with Jack for them to leave such a place. While he seems to agree with her, the next day she is taken by Victory employees and sent to an institute where she goes through electroshock therapy. The therapy sparks some memories of her in a different timeline, where she's an overwork medical specialist, and Jack is her unemployed partner. She finally realizes, that Victory is indeed a simulated world, where Jack and the other men lead their version of perfect lives. However Alice isn't ready to settle for this version of reality.

There's quite a lot happening in this narrative, which is partially Twilight Zone inspired and also gives some nods to the work of M. Night Shyamalan. While Olivia Wilde was clearly ambitious in what she wanted to tackle, the output however is a bit all over the place. And part of the problem lies with the characters that inhabit this narrative. Alice who is the center of the narrative, starts out as a seemingly non-confrontational individual, and suddenly shifts into a paranoia which increases since everyone seems to be disregarding what she's witnessing. Nothing much is initially exposed about her or any of the characters to add to the surprise or the twist that the script contains. However the issue with this approach lies with the fact that why would anyone care for these characters who are as shallow and thinly characterized throughout most of the narrative? By the time the twist comes along in the final act, some additional context is provided, but not much to actually explain why these characters are who and where they are. Even the more sinister ones, such as Chris Pine's Frank, aren't given much to do. In an attempt to wrap the narrative with a nice bow, plot points are quickly shedded, resulting in a film that ultimately lacks both character definition and an actual message/statement and point of view. The cast is a bit all over the place as well. While Florence Pugh is able to carry an effective and constant simmering tension, Harry Styles is very limited in his acting skills and fails to give Jack any resounding presence. Chris Pine and Gemma Chan ultimately give the film some well deserved color and even dark humor. The cinematography from Matthew Libatique is stunning, as are the costumes from Arianne Phillips. It's a disconcerting film, one that had a lot of potential, but probably not a good marriage of material and point of view for this director. 

Three Thousand Years of Longing

Movie Name: Three Thousand Years of Longing
Year of Release: 2022
Director: George Miller
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Erdil Yasaroglu, Nicolas Mouawad, Ece Yuksel, Megan Gale, Lachy Hulme, Zerrin Tekindor, Matteo Bocelli, Jack Braddy, Anna Adams, Melissa Jaffer, Anne Charleston, David Collins, Lianne Mackessy, Peter Bertoni
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

After the critical and commercial success of "Mad Max: Fury Road", writer/producer/director George Miller decided to adapt a short story from A.S. Byatt, in collaboration with Augusta Gore. The film follows the story of a British scholar by the name of Alithea Binnie. We discover her arriving in Istanbul for a speaking engagement. After an episode during the engagement in which she loses her senses, Alithea goes to a bazar and purchases an antique bottle. Back at her hotel, she decides to clean the bottle, and in the process of doing so, releases a Djinn who has been trapped within it. The Djinn offers her three wishes, explaining to her the limits of what those wishes are and what he can achieve. Alithea suspects there are possible unexpected consequences from her wishes, and what starts as a conversation about wishes, it evolves into the a narrative about what has happened to the Djinn throughout his existence. He starts with the Queen of Sheba, his cousin and lover who is seduced by King Solomon, who in turn traps him, followed by a second chapter where he narrates a story where he's discovered by a young woman named Gulten, who while asking for a few wishes, fails to request the final one, leading the Djinn to a dark entrapment once more. In his final chapter he references Zefir, the young wife of a Turkish merchant, whom he eventually falls in love with, a brilliant woman filled with an immense creative mind, who eventually wishes they have never met, resulting in the Djinn once again being locked. Alithea is moved by his stories and wishes for them both to fall in love. They travel back to London, and while Alithea manages to get back to work, her loved Djinn has issues with the satellite transmissions and overall technology surrounding them, since it interacts with his electromagnetic physiology. She realizes she has to make a difficult decision on how to insure his survival.

"Three Thousand Years of Longing" is an interesting fantastical narrative that at its core, holds something that permeates across all of George Miller's feature films: this everlasting love story that is either present or has existed, which drives and influences the behaviors of his lead characters. This can be witnessed across his "Mad Max" features, "Lorenzo's Oil" and even his animated features "Happy Feet". In this case as the Djinn narrates his life and ultimately his failures at finding love and a soul mate that understands him, he also showcases his vulnerabilities to someone who seemingly closed that part of her existence, only to be reawakened by him. It's a film that has some echoes of the excess of a Terry Gilliam film (there are some set pieces very similar in tone to "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen"), but where the sincerity and emotional side of it make it that much more distinct. George Miller manages to bring to life these distant worlds, and populates it with threadbare characters, therefore anchoring the character development and the trappings of the narrative in the relationship between the Djinn and Alithea. And that's where the film has its biggest strength and weakness. Strength in the sense that as their relationship evolves, something magical is captured, but simultaneously is indeed its biggest weakness because it's not sufficiently developed, and eventually wraps itself up a bit too briefly and perfectly. In a film that is about love and its immortal quest, the magic of the Djinn is better captured than the poetry at the heart of a love story. Tilda Swinton is wonderful, even if the role deserved a bit more, the same going for Idris Elba. This film needed a nod in the direction of what Sally Potter has done with "Orlando" for instance, allowing for this central relationship to be more at the core of the narrative. The production team is fantastic, including John Seale's stunning cinematography, Kym Barrett's costumes, Roger Ford's production design and Tom Holkenborg's score. Worth watching. 

John Wick: Chapter 4

Movie Name: John Wick: Chapter 4
Year of Release: 2023
Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Hiroyuki Sanada, Clancy Brown, Marko Zaror, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Shamier Anderson, Natalia Tena, Scott Adkins, Aimee Kwan, Marie Pierra Kakoma
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
View Trailer

Synopsis and Review

Director Chad Stahelski and by now his usual collaborator, actor Keanu Reeves, are back with another installment of the "John Wick" franchise (the last with this character according to some reports, though the success of the film may point in a different direction). Following the events of the previous feature, John Wick is ready to pursue revenge against the High Table, in the hopes the bounty on his head is also removed. He kills the Elder, but that doesn't solve anything. Winston in the meantime suffers a brutal punishment for his failure to kill Wick, which includes the killing of his loyal aid Charon, and the near complete destruction of his hotel. A new representative from the High Table is given unlimited resources to kill Wick, which leads him to Japan and to finding solace with an old friend. Sadly another old friend is forced out of retirement to kill him, the charismatic and lethal Caine. Things escalate in Japan resulting in the death of Wick's friend who offered him shelter, while in the aftermath of these events, John is forced to figure out a way to stop being a target of the High Table. Winston volunteers a solution, one that also benefits him, but it's a solution which will ask quite a bit from Wick himself. 

The John Wick franchise has become a reliable entertainment source, since it essentially manages to be a polished B-movie experience, where characters are succinctly introduced only to be quickly discarded later on. The films in this series and its creators make no qualm about their goal, which is a mix of operatic and ballet like violence, with the narrative of this loner, lethal and anti-hero who walks the Earth aiming to find a peace that stubbornly eludes him. If the past films took the character on a world quest, this chapter doesn't diminish the scope of that intent, but this time around introduces longer fighting sequences, some of which seem gratuitously extended. One of the aspects that was always efficiently entertaining about these films is the fact that they don't take themselves very seriously, but also because they're economical in the action set pieces they set in motion. This chapter however has a bit of an indulgent side to it, trying to demonstrate Wick's vulnerabilities, which in hindsight proves to add very little to the narrative or even the outcome of the film itself (and this is one of the downfalls of this film, too much of the same). Much like the previous features, Keanu Reeves takes the mantle of leading the action and providing both the weary and wiry demeanor to the central character, with good support from Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and Donnie Yen. Sadly the always reliable Bill Skarsgard has little to do and offer with his villainous character. The cinematography from Dan Laustsen is stunning, as is the stunt work on display. Entertaining and worth watching, but the narrative and its illustration on the screen are starting to need a bit of a rethink. 

Coda

Movie Name: Coda
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Sian Heder
Starring: Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin, Daniel Durant, Eugenio Derbez,  Amy Forsyth, John Fiore, Lonnie Farmer, Kevin Chapman, Courtland Jones, Molly Beth Thomas, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Apple TV

Synopsis and Review

Writer/director Sian Heder had an auspicious feature debut with "Tallulah", which scored solid performances from Elliot Page and Allison Janney. Since then she has tackled a series of prestige TV shows which has included "Orange is the New Black", "Glow" and "The Path". "Coda" is her sophomore directorial effort, and is in fact the remake of the French film by Éric Lartigau titled "La Famille Bélier". The fact that this film went on to win the Oscar for best picture, once again reinforces the somewhat popular stance the voters lean on, disregarding at times the point of view of directors/authors whose films may not be as immediately embraced, but that are long lasting artistic achievements (this film won over Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" for instance). The narrative focuses on the story of Ruby Rossi, a high school senior whose family has hearing disabilities. Ruby has served as a translator for her whole family, including her loving parents and older brother, for her whole life. Her father and brother work as fishermen in the Boston area, something Ruby also helps with every early morning, before going to school. The family is having issues with the local association in terms of getting properly compensated for the fish they sell. Ruby in the meantime decides to enroll in the local high school choir, since she's interested in Miles, someone she has had little interaction with, and also because she genuinely loves music. Her teacher, Bernardo Villalobos, realizes there's talent but fears she lacks conviction to move forward with that activity. He decides to help prepare for an audition for college, which leaves the family in a bind, when their business is also going through some serious shifts.

The whole aspect of remaking non English speaking films is always a bit puzzling (even Martin Scorsese did so with "The Departed"), but "Coda" and its director manage to craft a compelling and even rather straightforward narrative, though a bit generic at times. It's a film that manages to define its characters rather briefly, leaving the lion share of attention to Rubi as the focal point and the one who introduces us to the challenges of the life she currently has. Her family is categorized as colorful, which typically is a way to reduce people to certain stereotypes (usually in films when a family is presented as colorful, it's due to their historical background, be it Greek or Italian, or any other that allows people to fall under certain types of behaviors), but in this case they're characterized as colorful due to their disability and way of communicating. This leaves very little for the characters to live beyond certain traits, which is one of the downfalls of the film. It would be far more compelling to understand a bit more about what the aspirations of that family actually are, and what makes them well rounded characters, beyond just the fact that they have a hearing disability. As it is, Ruby is characterized as a sensitive young woman, wanting to find her own path in the world, leaving behind the responsibility of caring for her family, who finally also have to come to their own terms and learn to be reliable on their own. It's a film with heart, and features solid performances from the whole cast, but that's pretty much it. It doesn't soar, and probably doesn't need to, but it isn't necessarily the most memorable feature. Watchable.