Tully

Movie Name: Tully
Year of Release: 2018
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Ron Livingston, Asher Miles Fallica, Lia Frankland, Elaine Tan, Gameela Wright, Joshua Pak
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

After the not so well received "Men, Women & Children", director Jason Reitman reunited with screenwriter Diablo Cody and actress Charlize Theron, his previous collaborators on the fantastic "Young Adult" (and in the case of Diablo Cody, his third collaboration since their acclaimed first project, "Juno"). "Tully" follows the story of Marlo, a woman in her early 40s who's about to give birth to her third (and unexpected) child. She works in HR and is quite exhausted with all the tasks and responsibilities she has to attend. As she's about to give birth, her much wealthier brother, suggests and offers to hire a night nanny to come in and help her with the newborn. While initially reticent about the whole notion, after the birth of Mia, Marlo's exhaustion worsens, and she concedes eventually calling the nanny. Tully shows up that evening, and while initially unsure about the whole situation, Marlo decides to give in. Tully proves more than apt for the job, and assists Marlo around the house, including cleaning, baking cupcakes, and even jolting her relationship with her husband. One night Tully shows up clearly distressed, and they both decide to go to Brooklyn and have a girls night out as a way to relieve the stress. As Marlo reminisces about her single years, and what her life has become, Tully informs her she is moving on. 

"Tully" is another great character study shaped by Diablo Cody's writing, Jason Reitman's staging perspective and Charlize Theron's phenomenal performance. Jason Reitman manages to efficiently showcase Marlo's daily life and convey her sense of exhaustion, with all the challenges she has at hand. We palpably feel the workload, the crushing weight of life on Marlo's shoulders, and how her dreams and even her personality, seem very much muted out as a result of all that she has to tackle. As the narrative unfolds, and Tully the nanny shows up, there's a magical sense of a weight being lifted, and with that the nuances of her personality also shine through. Even though we are eventually presented with the scenario that Tully is indeed a representation of Marlo's younger self (and Marlo's maiden name is Tully), and that she created that persona due to sheer exhaustion, the film manages to portray the burden of every day life, of how getting older and accepting some choices, also means letting go of some expectations and dreams one had at some time. And as people change, so do their dreams and journeys. It's a smart script, anchored in a towering performance from Charlize Theron, who is simultaneously funny, wired, warm, saddened, and nothing short of brilliant. She gets good support from Mackenzie Davis, but where the film lacks some dimension is in the remainder supporting characters, who are for the most part, very flat (the husband who is sweet, but is playing video games, and the rich brother, who is slightly full of himself, are just two examples). The production team is uniformly excellent, featuring a great cinematography from Eric Steelberg, score from Rob Simonsen and production design from Anastasia Masaro. Worth watching. 

The Devil Wears Prada

Movie Name: The Devil Wears Prada
Year of Release: 2006
Director: David Frankel
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adrian Grenier, Simon Baker, Tracie Thoms, Rich Sommer, Daniel Sunjata, David Marshall Grant, James Naughton, Tibor Feldman, Rebecca Mader, John Rothman
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

With a career peppered with brilliant roles and performances, Meryl Streep's rendition of Miranda Priestley in "The Devil Wears Prada" is still to this day, one of her most memorable and instantly recognizable roles. The film which is an adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's novel, follows the story of Andy Sachs, a young journalism graduate who applies for a job at Runway, a prestigious and well known fashion magazine. The role she specifically is considered for is that of second assistant to the magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Miranda Priestley. After initially being dismissed due to not fitting the style they want, she manages to intrigue Miranda and is hired. While initially she struggles with fitting in, mostly due to the fact that she believes to be above fashion and its trends, Andy quickly learns some valuable lessons thanks in no part to Nigel, a close confidant of Miranda and a successful Art Director in his own right. She evolves her style and also her work ethic, constantly fulfilling Miranda's demands, at times going beyond what is actually professionally possible to be delivered. She soon finds herself struggling with her personal relationships, while also at work she is presented with a tough and morally challenging situation when Miranda asks her to go Paris for the fashion shows, something her colleague Emily had been longing to do for quite some time.

"The Devil Wears Prada" is a perfect example of how the brilliance of a performance can at times actually minimize the entire narrative of a film. "The Devil Wears Prada" is intended to be the story of how Andrea/Andy, a young and somewhat ambitious wannabe, gets tangled up in a high profile job which threatens to eat away at her soul and integrity. A bit like Alexander Mackendrick's "Sweet Smell of Success", only without the sophisticated scenario, "The Devil Wears Prada" features an iconic and ruthless figurehead, one that is feared by all, and that Meryl Streep manages to create as both a collection of quotable expressions and soundbites, but also someone she humanizes, by showing the person behind the facade. Even without being the central character in the narrative, she manages to maker her character simultaneously the most outlandish one, and the most humane. David Frankel who started his career in television before making his feature directorial debut with "Miami Rhapsody" in 1995, merely illustrates the narrative, failing to bring much in terms of a distinct storytelling, style or point of view. The film is nonetheless watchable, with the director capturing influences from Charles Shyer ("Baby Boom"), Rob Reiner ("When Harry Met Sally"), Nancy Meyers ("Something's Gotta Give") and even Nora Ephron ("You've Got Mail"), all films and directors who have somehow defined the staple for this type of "polished and elegant" comedy, where no one is ever particularly vicious, or insufferable, and where everyone is always minimally rich. The supporting cast manages to bring some dimension to the film, with particular emphasis going to Emily Blunt (in her breakout role) and Stanley Tucci. Anne Hathaway's role, for all her charm and competence, could in fact be played by a variety of other actresses to more memorable results (at the time, why not hire Reese Witherspoon or the edgier Eva Green for that role). The cinematography from Florian Ballhaus is solid, as is the score from Theodore Shapiro. The film is ultimately a good showcase for Meryl Streep's magnum talent, in a somewhat generic wrapper of a film. 

John Carpenter's Vampires

Movie Name: Vampires
Year of Release: 1998
Director: John Carpenter
Starring: James Woods, Daniel Baldwin, Sheryl Lee, Thomas Ian Griffith, Maximilian Schell, Tim Guinee, Mark Boone Junior, Gregory Sierra, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Thomas Rosales Jr., Henry Kingi
Genre: Action, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Amazon

Synopsis and Review

The 90s were an interesting decade for the fantastic John Carpenter. While he managed to create some solid films for his cannon, including "In the Mouth of Madness", the underrated "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" and "Village of the Damned", he also released "Escape from L.A." and "Vampires", both of which were met with a tepid response. "Vampires" focuses its narrative on Jack Crow, a vampire hunter/slayer, whose activities are sponsored by the Vatican. He has assembled a solid crew which includes his good friend and second in command, Tony Montoya. After a particularly successful hunt and disposal mission, all of his team is celebrating, until they're caught by the Vampire leader, whom up until that moment they had been unable to locate. That Vampire, by the name of Valek, kills everyone, save for Crow and Montoya who manage to escape, taking with them Katrina, a woman Valek had bitten, thus creating a psychic link with him. Crow meets with his superior, Cardinal Alba, who explains Valek is in reality a disgraced priest who led a rebellion against the church centuries ago, which eventually led to his execution and transformation into the first vampire. Crow goes on the hunt once again with the additional assistance of Father Guiteau, and soon they reconnect with Montoya and Katrina, leveraging her link with the master Vampire, to locate him. Valek however has been recruiting and all is not as transparent as Crow has been led to believe. 

"Vampires" most interesting aspect lies in the perspective John Carpenter brings into the film, shooting it very much like a B-movie western (with faint traces of Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch"). Characters are economically established with bare dimension to them, with the single purpose of getting the action going. Something John Carpenter has always been able to successfully do, even with low budgets, is effectively create a context in which his characters live, making the narratives all the more consistent and enthralling. "Vampires" brings to mind Robert Rodriguez's "From Dusk till Dawn", which in itself isn't that memorable, without ever truly establishing an identity of its own. It's a film that lacks some of the visual inventiveness of the director, something that may be tied with some issues he encountered while shooting the film. The cast is also not as compelling as his previous features, with Sheryl Lee and Maximilian Schell being the highlights of the film, whereas the lead character needed someone who could marry grit, charisma and resourcefulness, something James Woods sadly is unable to properly translate (he plays the character very similarly to the work he did in Luis Llosa's "The Specialist" or even John Badham's "The Hard Way"). Thomas Ian Griffith sadly also does not bring much to the role of Valek, making the central villain an anemic one. In the end, while not a dreadful film, it's not one of the most memorable endeavors from the always compelling John Carpenter.  

Umma

Movie Name: Umma
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Iris K. Shim
Starring: Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, Dermot Mulroney, Odeya Rush, MeeWha Alana Lee, Tom Yi
Genre: Drama, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release hailing from Netflix, and another directorial debut, this time around for Iris K. Shim, whose previous works includes some shorts and also documentary features. "Umma" follows the story of Amanda, who lives with her daughter Chrissy on a farm, raising bees, selling honey, and also raising chickens, all this without modern technology. Amanda has explained to Chrissy she has an allergic reaction to electronics and electricity, which explains the somewhat rustic way they have lived. Amanda is surprised to learn Chrissy wants to leave the farm and go to college. At the same time she receives the visit from her uncle from Korea, who is delivering the ashes of her recently deceased mother. These events spark some memories of her abusive childhood. Turns out Amanda was raised by her mother, whom she refers as Umma, in the US, and her mother was unable to speak English or understand the culture. Amanda fabricated her pseudo allergy to electricity, since her mother used to shock her multiple times as a punishment. Amanda eventually cut ties with her mother and her culture. Soon after the ashes arrive, a vicious spirit appears, with the intention of claiming Amanda's body. As the supernatural events continue to present themselves, Amanda's fears she's becoming her mother intensify. This is also enhanced by Chrissy's desire to leave for college. When Amanda decide's to bury her mother's ashes, a flurry of events occur which threaten the peaceful existence she has carved for herself and her daughter.

One of the biggest issues with "Umma" doesn't lie with the fact that it doesn't have an interesting premise. In reality the premise itself is fantastic, since it deals with issues such as cultural inadequacy, loneliness, alienation of affection and fear of abandonment. What doesn't really work is that the film showcases the relationship between this mother and daughter in a somewhat shallow manner, never truly going beyond the superficiality of certain tasks, or for that matter, never illustrating the ties that bind these characters. For that matter, it doesn't do the same for Amanda and her relationship with Umma. And that's one of the film's biggest gaps, because there's not much context illustrated for what Amanda went through in the past, and how that shaped her present (including her own relationships with others). While the film toys with shadows and darkness to build this ominous environment, it's at times too dark to actually allow the viewer to catch a glimpse of whatever is happening, which is also an apt metaphor for the fact that so much of background on these characters is actually given. It's a film that feels built around an interesting concept, but which has failed to materialize itself with actual characters and storytelling behind them. Sandra Oh tries her best to bring Amanda to life, but there's so much more to explore in that character that her rendition feels somewhat incomplete, the same going for the supporting cast who sadly never have much to do (her daughter apparently only wants to go to college, and has no interests other than that). The cinematography from Matt Flannery is at times too dark, and the production design from Yong Ok Lee is stark but efficient. While not a dreadful film, it definitely could have benefited from additional development time. As it is, it's forgettable. 

The Gray Man

Movie Name: The Gray Man
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Alfre Woodard, Rene-Jean Page, Wagner Moura, Julia Butters, Shea Whigham, Robert Kazinsky
Genre: Action, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are back, following "Cherry" which they tackled for Apple's streaming service. "The Gray Man" is an adaptation of a book by Mark Greaney, and follows the story of a man by the code name of Six, whom we first encounter being recruited for a special undercover program, after being sentenced to jail for a particularly violent crime. Onwards a few years and Six as it turns out, is one of the most efficient agents of that secret initiative. In his latest assignment, he is given the directive to avoid a transaction taking place and take a particular target down. Things don't go quite so well, but much to Six's surprise, his target is another agent whom he doesn't know from his agency, under the name Four. Before dying, this individual tells him to take an encrypted drive, which contains data exposing the corruption going on in his agency, which traces itself to the people who are his actual bosses. His bosses intent on getting that drive back, unsuccessfully try to kill Six with their own team, and soon resort to hiring Lloyd Hansen, a former agent kicked out of the agency for being too violent. Six in the meantime becomes a worldwide target, since Hansen puts a bounty on his head, and as Six tries to elude his pursuers, his only assistance comes from Miranda, who has already been a good partner in a prior mission. Hansen however also holds a special trick up his sleeve, and is determined to get that drive and capture/kill Six.

"The Gray Man" is another Netflix production, one of their most expensive thus far, and yet it feels very much like a spy film from the 80s/90s that is essentially a mash of far better and more interesting films. There are elements of Luc Besson's "Nikita", Doug Liman's "The Bourne Identity", Richard Donner's "Assassins", Chad Stahelski's "John Wick" and even dashes of John McTiernan's "Die Hard" series peppered throughout this narrative, with obvious references also to Anthony and Joe Russo's own work in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier". All this to say, this film doesn't feel necessarily fresh or particularly distinctive, even if the directors did manage to hire a fantastic cast to bring this narrative to life. The main issue with the film is the fact that for all its mayhem and destruction, the film ultimately doesn't have much at its core in terms of character motivation or even much in terms of actually defining who these characters are. Whereas Jason Bourne's motivation in that series was to recover his memory and understand who he was, Six's motivation is the rescue of the niece of his mentor, and his nemesis who is simply established as deranged, quickly hates him with a passion. There isn't much subtlety in this film, and everything goes mechanically from one set piece to the next, as if the directors have failed to realize all the excellent work that Christopher McQuarrie for instance has done with the "Mission: Impossible" series, where there's a logic and a progressive momentum for what is occurring onscreen. The cast fails to bring much to the film, with Ryan Gosling tracing some aspects from his previous characters such as Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" to his vision of whom Six is, whereas Chris Evans just repeats some of his prior performances but without much nuance and Ana de Armas doesn't really have much to do. It's a film that independently of its obvious production values, feels heavy handed, dated and made in auto-pilot (almost like everyone knew this was a flashy, glossy paycheck, and therefore their own investment was quite basic). The supporting cast also fails to register in a meaningful way, as does the production team itself (the cinematography from Stephen F. Windon is generic as is the score from Henry Jackman). Forgettable and unnecessary. 

Monsters

Movie Name: Monsters
Year of Release: 2010
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able, Mario Zuniga Benavides, Annalee Jefferies, Justin Hall, Ricky Catter
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review:

Though these days director Gareth Edwards is known for tackling "Godzilla" and "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", his actual feature directorial debut was "Monsters", which he almost single handedly created on his own. The film which premiered at South by Southwest Film Festival in 2010, on its way to being well received a bit everywhere, follows the story of Sam Wynden and Andrew Kaulder who both meet in dire circumstances. Andrew is a photojournalist, and his boss asks him to escort his daughter Sam to safety in the US, since they're both in Mexico, and the border area between both countries is about to become inaccessible for quite some time. In fact that whole area has been riddled by issues since an alien species has come to Earth and latched on that particular area. The alien species came onboard of a space probe originally sent from Earth to investigate alien life forms. The creatures have quickly taken hold of the region, and the American side has built a large wall trying to prevent their invasion. After realizing the train lines are blocked and that option is no longer viable, they decide to hitchhike their way to the coast. Upon reaching the coast, Andrew buys a ferry ticket for Sam, however after a night of partying, they find themselves without passports (they were stolen by Andrew's casual partner of the evening). They use Sam's engagement ring to negotiate another exit strategy, this journey forcing them to go through the quarantine zone, including across the river and then by land.

Gareth Edwards managed to shoot "Monsters" on a very limited budget, with himself playing many of the production related roles, including cinematographer, visual effects supervisor, in addition to writing and directing the feature itself. And for the most part, he manages to be quite successful in his endeavors. With limited resources, he has successfully created an environment that very much feels like it is descending into an apocalyptic type of scenario, showcasing humanity's inability to unite their efforts, and also the chaos of dealing with the unknown. While not as distinctive and impactful as Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" or inquisitive and ambitious as Alex Garland's "Annihilation", it's still very much a film that manages to convincingly portray this suspenseful and possibly lethal situation in which these characters find themselves in, smartly avoiding to gratuitously showcase much of the monsters themselves. The film feels at times like an extended "Twilight Zone" episode, save for the fact that the characters are very thinly characterized, and while their burgeoning romantic interest is completely expected, it also doesn't add much to the characters depth or for that matter, provide additional meaning to their travel. It's nonetheless an economically and smartly crafted film, featuring a solid performance from Scoot McNairy, and a stunning score from the always great Jon Hopkins. Worth watching. 

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Movie Name: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Tim Burton, Mike Johnson
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Richard E. Grant, Tracey Ullman, Joanna Lumley, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse, Albert Finney, Michael Gough, Jane Horrocks, Enn Reitel, Deep Roy, Danny Elfman
Genre: Animation, Musical, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review:

Coming off the well received "Big Fish", director Tim Burton premiered two films in 2005, firstly the re-imagining of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", followed by "Corpse Bride", which he co-directed with Mike Johnson, while also authoring some of the characters of the narrative, leaving the screenplay itself in the capable hands of writer/screenwriter John August (whom with he also worked on "Big Fish", the aforementioned "Charlie...", and he would later work with again on "Frankenweenie" and "Dark Shadows"). The film which takes place in a Victorian town, follows the story of Victor, a young man still living at home with his family. His family has made its money in the fish industry, and he is betrothed to a young woman whom he has not met, by the name of Victoria. She is the only daughter of an aristocratic yet impoverished family, who considers this marriage like a transaction which will allow them to keep their mansion and their reputation. Victor is tremendously nervous with the whole situation, and when he accidentally meets Victoria before the wedding rehearsal, they both are drawn to each other, but Victor's nerves make him fail miserably during the rehearsal. Fleeing the scene, he goes to the woods, where he recites his vows out loud, and places the ring on what he thinks to be a tree. Turns out, it's actually the finger of a dead bride by the name of Emily. She rises from her grave, and announces herself as Victor's wife and brings him to the land of the dead. While there Victor learns of Emily's story, while also understanding the actual value of what he has in the land of the living.

While possibly not as immediately associated with Tim Burton's directorial career as "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (or even "Frankenweenie"), though of course "Nightmare..." was actually directed by Henry Selick, "Corpse Bride" is nonetheless very much a film tied to his universe, with plenty of Gothic elements and a story that at first glance sounds romantic, but as the layers get peeled off, is at its core a very dark tale. The central characters of the narrative are also very much drawn from his typical universe, including the hapless central hero who finds himself in a situation that he's not comfortable with, and that he desperately needs to understand and come to terms with. There's also the additional central character who has been wronged, who has her own agenda, and wants nothing more than to find closure in her existence (these characters arcs for instance, have ties with some of the characters from "Edward Scissorhands", "Batman Returns" and even "Sleepy Hollow"). It's a film that touches on topics such as wronged lovers, violent deaths, arranged marriages, topics that could be somewhat grotesquely characterized in less capable hands, but that Tim Burton elevates and brings a touch of whimsicality, humor, and irreverence, in the process also embedding an energy and exuberance to the land of the dead, which rivals the dour grayness of the land of the living (something Pixar also used in their 2017 release, "Coco" from directors Adrian Molina and Lee Unkrich). Stylistically and aesthetically it's a stunning feature, with fantastic voice work from the entire cast, with special highlight going to Helena Bonham Carter who makes the bride a mix of hopeful, naive but also embittered for all that she has gone through. The score from Danny Elfman is wonderful, as is the cinematography from Pete Kozachik. A wonderful feature always worth revisiting.  

Bliss

Movie Name: Bliss
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Mike Cahill
Starring: Owen Wilson, Salma Hayek, Nesta Cooper, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Ronny Chieng, Steve Zissis, Joshua Leonard, Madeline Zima, Bill Nye
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review:

Director Mike Cahill who has made a name for himself collaborating with actress/writer Brit Marling on the features "Another Earth" and "I Origins" is back, once again tackling a mind bending concept of a story. The narrative focuses on Greg Wittle, whom we first witness being fired from his job, in a situation that quickly escalates to something much worse. Looking to flee the scene, he goes to a nearby bar, where he catches the attention of Isabel, who starts telling him some of the people in the bar, and whom he has been crossing paths with, are not real (she also knows what has just happened with him). She also mentions she can help him and get him out of the trouble he currently is. Greg follows Isabel to where she lives on the streets, and they soon forge a relationship. Isabel also introduces Greg to some yellow crystals, which allow him to manipulate reality telekinetically. While the both of them get involved in some altercations, Greg's daughter is desperately trying to locate him, so he can come to her graduation, and patch up their relationship. Looking to prove what reality actually is, Isabel uses blue crystals on her and Greg, and they wake up connected to a massive computer, alongside several other people. Greg is informed that the has in reality been experiencing a simulation within a Brain Box, something that has been created by Isabel to study alternate realities. As elements of the simulation start invading their reality, Isabel suggests they need to go back into the simulation and take more blue crystals, in order to fully exit it.

"Bliss" is an interesting concept of a film, where what is real and what is a simulation is never quite properly established. The director manages to create a strong enough case for both contexts/realities to make them fairly believable, however where the story never gels is in the lead characters themselves. Isabel acts as someone in control in both realities, but it's never really clear who she actually is (she's either a doctor doing some innovative research, or a homeless person with substance abuse problems, but we never know more than that about her). With Greg the issue is fairly similar, we understand he has had family issues, his children are somewhat alienated from him, and then he quickly forms a bond and relationship with Isabel. The characters remain cryptic for the entire narrative, and while their adventures are fairly compelling, the film fails to bring both humor and an actual sense of urgency/danger to what is occurring (what is it in fact that they potentially face losing). It has a tremendous amount of potential in concept, but it fails to materialize into something more than that. The cast is solid, with Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek embodying these characters with assuredness. While unbalanced, it's still worth watching. 

House of Gucci

Movie Name: House of Gucci
Year of Release: 2021
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, Jack Huston, Reeve Carney, Camille Cottin, Youssef Kerkour, Vincenzo Tanassi
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 2
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

The prolific Ridley Scott continues his unparalleled output, this time around focusing on a dramatic series of real life events which took place surrounding one of the most famous fashion houses in the world. The film focuses its attention on Patrizia Reggiani, a young woman who works for her stepfather's trucking and distribution business (in the early 70s). One night while partying, she meets the slightly shier Maurizio Gucci, and they soon become infatuated with each other. As their relationship evolves, Maurizio's father warns him she may only be interested in their wealth and name, and threatens to disinherit him if he pursues the relationship. Maurizio who is studying to become a lawyer dismisses his father's warnings, and proposes marriage. He cuts ties with his family and starts working for the Reggiani's trucking company. Patrizia soon gets pregnant and with the assistance of Maurizio's uncle, Aldo, manages to get Maurizio to reconcile with his father before his passing. She also starts influencing Maurizio to take more ownership in the dealings of the Gucci house, which has mostly been handled by his uncle Aldo. Aldo's son Paolo, who is an aspiring Fashion Designer, also has a stake in the business, and Patrizia's goal is to phase them out of the business. Patrizia slowly weaves a web of lies between these family members, hoping to push both Aldo and Paolo out of the business, in her longing for power. However her machinations become increasingly grating to Maurizio, who eventually starts an affair, and soon seeks a divorce. Patrizia however has other plans for herself and for her quest for power. 

With a storyline as potboiler inspired as the one that is briefly summarized above, one would expect a tragic story of lust for power, mixed with over the top fashion and opulence, with dashes of high court drama (particularly since most of this storyline begins in the 70s and continues well into the 80s and 90s). However Ridley Scott merely illustrates the superficial aspect of this story, never really showcasing much of a journey for Patrizia nor for Maurizio. Both lead characters are never more than just a collection of certain picturesque details, with those details manifesting themselves in what they wear or in some of their interactions, but that never truly providing much insight in terms of revealing what their motivations and ambitions actually are (case in point, we learn that Maurizio rides his bike around, which is meant to illustrate how down to Earth he actually is, though we never really learn why that happens). For a film that is well over two hours long, it's surprising how overwhelmingly shallow all the characters' definition actually is. Not to mention the epilogue of the narrative itself feels rushed and anti-climatic. Another big issue with the film lies in the casting. While Adam Driver and Al Pacino (who once again brings some humanity and depth to the film), manage to walk away from this film with their unscathed reputations, Lady Gaga registers her character in a series of different tones, ranging from cliched Jersey Housewife to a farcical Lady MacBeth, never truly creating Patrizia as a real person, however flawed she may be (she also registers her character as if she's on a high end soap opera, quasi "Dinasty" style). Jared Leto in his apparent quest to be seen as a chameleon type actor, is so over the top in a distracting way, that he seems to be on a completely different film than everyone else (and with all due respect to this gentleman, he's no Christian Bale nor Joaquin Phoenix). The production team is solid as usual, with the icy cinematography from Dariusz Wolski being a bit surprising, contrasting with the warmth typically associated with Italy and the events being depicted in the storyline itself, with additional highlights going to Harry Gregson-Williams' score and Janty Yates' costumes. A missed opportunity and a forgettable film for everyone involved. 

Sixteen Candles

Movie Name: Sixteen Candles
Year of Release: 1984
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Justin Henry, Haviland Morris, Gedde Watanabe, Paul Dooley, Carlin Glynn, Blanche Baker, Edward Andrews, Billie Bird, Carole Cook, Max Showalter, Liane Curtis, John Cusack, Joan Cusack
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review

"Sixteen Candles" was John Hughes' feature directorial debut, however by then he had already achieved success in his writing career, since he had already authored Stan Dragoti's "Mr. Mom" and Harold Ramis' "National Lampoon's Vacation". "Sixteen Candles" focuses its narrative on the life of Sam Baker, who is turning 16 and much to her surprise and shock, suddenly realizes her whole family has forgotten about it. Everyone is focused on the impending nuptials of her older sister, and her special day falls to the wayside. However things at school start shaping up for the better, since her object of adoration, Jake, a senior also notices her. While he has a current girlfriend, their relationship is strained due to her constant partying. Sam in the meantime is also fending off the constant hounding of Ted, a freshman. Things come to a halt when school has a dance, that also transfers to Jake's home for a non stop party.

Many of the iconic films of the 80s are undoubtedly associated with John Hughes, including "Pretty in Pink", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "The Breakfast Club", to name but a few. He attempted and very often succeeded in capturing the lives of teenagers then, giving his stories a mix of nonsense humor, tenderness and an energy that to this day, most films with teenagers have failed to rival. He also had a fantastic good taste in music, which means his films had tremendously engaging scores, that to this day function as a time vault for that particular time period. "Sixteen Candles" which is his feature directorial debut, contains many of his trademark motifs, namely the central hero pining for someone apparently inaccessible, only to realize throughout the film's journey their own sense of self worth, just as the object of their affection also notices the same. And of course, he also populates the stories with an array of supporting characters which add a tremendous amount of color and irreverence to what is taking place on screen. While some of the supporting characters are invariably archetypes, as his films evolved, so did some of these characters arcs, including for instance Harry Dean Stanton's character in "Pretty in Pink" or even James Spader's in that same film (though that film was actually directed by one of his collaborators, Howard Deutch). "Sixteen Candles" is a comedy that aside from some character's troublesome portrayal, has momentum, heart and whimsicality. The cast is uniformly great, with Molly Ringwald successfully leading the whole group. A classic always worth revisiting. 

Match Point

Movie Name: Match Point
Year of Release: 2005
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Matthew Goode, Emily Mortimer, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, Rupert Penry-Jones, Mark Gatiss, Alexander Armstrong, Simon Kunz, Steve Pemberton, Ewen Bremner, James Nesbitt, Colin Salmon, Selina Cadell, Georgina Chapman
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon Prime

Synopsis and Review:

After the somewhat discrete "Melinda and Melinda", writer/director Woody Allen tackled an updated version of some of the themes he had already captured so eloquently in "Crimes and Misdemeanors".  The film follows the story of Chris Wilton, a retired professional tennis player, who currently works as an instructor in a posh club in London. While working there he develops a friendship with one of his clients, the wealthy Tom Hewett. Tom's older sister becomes smitten with Chris, whereas he is instantly enthralled by Tom's American girlfriend, Nola. Chris is given a job at Tom and Chloe's father's company, and he is soon advancing professionally, which also prompts conversations of marriage between him and Chloe. Unbeknownst to Chloe, Chris is involved in an affair with Nola. Once Chris gets married, the relationship with Nola cools off, until they accidentally meet and rekindle the affair. Things take an unexpected turn, when Nola informs him she's pregnant, something that threatens his plans. He decides to resort to drastic measures in order to assure his life does not change.

"Crimes and Misdemeanors" is one of Woody Allen's best features, not only because he manages to reconcile different plot threads expertly, but also because he tackles issues like guilt, crime and greed in ways that are both insightful and also darkly comical. In that film he also tackles the narrative of a well established man, who has a mistress, and who decides to get rid of her once she threatens his comfortable and pleasurable lifestyle. His guilt and fear of being caught weigh on him, until he realizes nothing will happen to him and that he has in fact, gotten away with it. "Match Point" has some echoes of that narrative, but the multiple narrative threads are streamlined to focus more intently on Chris' journey. There's also less humor in this feature, but definitely more eroticism between its lead characters. It's a film that traces and observes the lives of privileged individuals, and how that in itself, creates a dome/bubble around which they all seemingly live, without much consideration into the real world. While there are some interesting nuances into how Chris' social background meshes with the life of the affluent, the film never spends much time debating those issues. The film also fails to give much dimension to its main characters, aside from very broad strokes, but it is still one where the exchanges between the characters and the situations it stages, are both compelling and watchable. The production team assembled for this film is impeccable, including Remi Adefarasin's cinematography, Jim Clay's production design and Jill Taylor's costume design. The cast is uniformly strong, though Jonathan Rhys Meyers feels at times like a fish out of water. Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton and Scarlett Johansson are all solid in their creations. Worth watching.

Interceptor

Movie Name: Interceptor
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Matthew Reilly
Starring: Elsa Pataky, Luke Bracey, Aaron Glenane, Mayen Mehta, Paul Caesar, Belinda Jombwe, Marcus Johnson, Zoe Carides, Kim Knuckey, Deniz Akdeniz, Che Baker, Nick Barker-Pendree
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 1
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review

Another release hailing from Netflix, "Interceptor" is the feature directorial debut for Matthew Reilly, a well known writer/novelist. The film follows the story of Captain JJ Collins whom we first encounter working in a nuclear missile interceptor base in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. She is there following a high profile case where she reported sexual misconduct by one of her superiors, which in turn rendered her as a pariah of sorts, which also sparked her deployment to the remote base, as opposed to her dream job in the Pentagon.

Her base is soon attacked and most of her team is killed, with only a few managing to survive, including herself. She and the remaining survivors retreat to the command center, where they notify the events taking place to the chain of command. The attackers are interested in deploying nuclear devices but their main intent is blackmailing governments in order to make money from those threats. As Collins holds her ground, her main opponent Kessel, tries by every means necessary to dissuade her and get access to that control room.

"Interceptor" comes across as a Cannon Films release from the 1980s, either featuring Chuck Norris, Michael Dudikoff or Cynthia Rothrock, all of which had flourishing and prolific careers with that studio during that timeline. It's a film that is trying to be taut and a somewhat sophisticated B-Movie, claiming some classic influences including John McTiernan's "Die Hard" (and even some more modern influences, such as Denis Villeneuve's "Sicario"), where essentially the central hero has to overcome a formidable and apparently far more powerful opponent, only to succeed when everything seems lost. Sadly this film never manages to create characters that have some depth or substance, this being applicable to both the lead, but also the supporting characters, the latter of whom are clichés which are quickly tossed aside. For a film with a central female character, most of her backstory is crudely developed, and not much is expanded upon. It's a film where its premise is fairly engaging, but one where the story development and dialogue were barely finessed, and one where director Matthew Reilly merely illustrates what is on the pages, without adding much nuance, humor or sense of dramatic urgency to what is happening. The cast is sadly also forgettable, while the production team, including cinematographer Ross Emery, try to bring some verisimilitude to what's happening on screen. For all its noise, it's a forgettable endeavor. 

Fire Island

Movie Name: Fire Island
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Andrew Ahn 
Starring: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomas Matos, Margaret Cho, Torian Miller, Nick Adams, Zane Phillips, Michael Graceffa
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
View Trailer

Synopsis and Review

Another streaming platform also releasing original films is Hulu, and this time around they're releasing a Searchlight Pictures film (previously known as Fox Searchlight, which produced and released films such as Guillermo Del Toro's "The Shape of Water" and Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton's "Little Miss Sunshine"). The film follows the story of a group of gay friends who meet on a yearly basis, to spend a brief week together on Fire Island. The story focuses in particular on two of those friends, Noah and Howie, who have been close for quite some time, though now they see each other much less since Howie moved to the West Coast to work on a startup, while Noah has stayed in New York. Noah has long been comfortable with having multiple flings with men, whereas Howie has had his fair amount of challenges in connecting with men. Noah decides to be a wingman for Howie, and make sure he has an exciting vacation. Things get to an auspicious start when Howie meets Charlie, a sweet man who has recently broken up with his boyfriend. Things also quickly shape up for Noah, who has an immediate attraction to one of Charlie's friends, the quiet Will, though his assumptions quickly create some friction between the both of them. As they navigate the niceties of living in that bubble, they soon realize this may be the last Summer they all have together.

Andrew Ahn made a name for himself with the features "Spa Night" and "Driveways", both of which were met with positive critical responses. This new feature of his is based on a script by Joel Kim Booster, who is also one of the lead actors in the ensemble (he plays the somewhat jaded and cynical Noah and he also has previously written for TV Shows, including the hilarious "The Other Two"). The film, unlike for instance Norman René's "Longtime Companion", which also took place in Fire Island, and also with a group of gay friends, opts to be much more lighter in tone, though with some interesting observations as to what happens in the gay universe (or at least in that particular microcosms, the film is also inspired by Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"). The director manages to create a believable sense of camaraderie between the group of characters, even if at times some of those characters definitely feel like they're inhabiting different realities (namely the over the top friends who come across as very roughly drawn caricatures). There are indeed interesting observations in terms of the power dynamics that are established within this bubble of an existence, and the film also briefly illustrates some of the current trends that are front and center within the gay community, but for the most part, the characters themselves, while sufficiently engaging, are very thinly defined and aren't given much in terms of motivation. The film needed a stronger point of view in terms of where these characters are actually going, and also pose some questions in terms of what makes that caste system be what it is in that island (and in the gay world itself). What is left is indeed watchable and entertaining, but also fairly superficial. The cast manages to be quite engaging, with particular emphasis going to Bowen Yang, while the production team is equally strong, namely featuring the beautiful cinematography from Felipe Vara de Rey. Worth watching. 

Crimes of the Future

Movie Name: Crimes of the Future
Year of Release: 2022
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux, Scott Speedman, Don McKellar, Kristen Stewart, Tanaya Beatty, Nadia Litz, Welket Bungue, Ephie Kantza, Lihi Kornowski, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Jason Bitter, Sozos Sotiris, Denise Capezza
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

Writer/Director and occasional actor David Cronenberg is back, following an eight year hiatus since the premiere of his previous feature, "Maps to the Stars". "Crimes of the Future" is also an original script of his, the first he has tackled since he directed "eXistenZ" in 1999. The film which takes place in the near future, focuses on a couple known for being performance artists. Saul Tenser and Caprice, those are their names, have an artistic process where she takes/removes new organs that have developed within Saul, doing so on stage, using sophisticated and somewhat clinical devices (she was previously a medical professional who specialized in trauma). Saul experiences discomfort when sleeping and even eating, as if though his body is fighting against some of the habits and foods he is providing. This is something he and Caprice can't quite understand. Their name recognition in the art world brings them under the attention of the National Organ Registry and its two investigators. They are researching and documenting interesting developments occurring in human bodies. Saul has also fallen under the attention of Lang Dotrice, who has quietly and alongside an army of anonymous collaborators, been developing food substitutes based out of plastic. As Saul realizes all these different agendas, he alongside Caprice, have to tackle a demanding challenge from Dotrice and be truly faced with how human bodies have changed and adapted to the world itself.

"Crimes of the Future" is an interesting mélange of quite a few David Cronenberg films, including aspects of "Videodrome", "Dead Ringers", "Naked Lunch" and also the previously mentioned, "eXistenZ". The film once again plays with the concepts of what the human body actually is, and just as importantly, how the body has evolved in the face of the ecological meltdown humans have brought on the planet itself. It continues to expand on the themes of the director, though this time around, the element that seems to falter more bluntly in the film, is the contextualization of the narrative itself. In all of his films, Cronenberg has always managed to operate with limited budgets, but thanks to very resourceful production design teams, the universes he illustrates are usually impeccably rendered. This time around however, the choice of film location, and even the production design itself, fails to create something truly unique, mostly highlighting the limited budget of the production. Also the theme of Performance Art in which these characters move through, feels just a bit too artificial (it doesn't mesh as well as the artists he previously captured in his narratives, for instance in "Scanners"). The cast is however deeply invested in the narrative, and they're all solid presences, including Viggo Mortensen (who worked with Cronenberg in "A History of Violence", "Eastern Promises" and "A Dangerous Method"), Lea Seydoux, Kristen Stewart and Don McKellar. It's a very interesting journey, one that definitely aligns with many of the topics the director likes to focus on, but ultimately this journey feels under developed, something that his previous endeavors, particularly the ones from the 70s, 80s and 90s always excelled on. It's nonetheless worth watching, from a truly unique voice in cinema. 

The Adam Project

Movie Name: The Adam Project
Year of Release: 2022
Director: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Catherine Keener, Zoe Saldana, Walker Scobell, Alex Mallari Jr., Braxton Bjerken, Kasra Wong, Donald Sales, Esther Ming Li, Ben Wilkinson
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
Watch it on Netflix

Synopsis and Review:

Another big budget film stemming from Netflix courtesy of the creative team of Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds (who also worked on the successful "Free Guy", while Levy has also been a prolific producer on his own, including working with Netflix on the highly visible "Stranger Things" show). The narrative introduces us to Adam Reed, a fighter pilot who in a dystopian 2050 is in the midst of trying to time travel in order to save his wife, Laura. Just as he's about to make that jump in time, his captors catch up with him, and in the process he is injured, and he is also accidentally sent to 2022. In that timeline, his own self is a 12 year old, who is bullied in school and who is having some issues with his mom, particularly since his dad passed away in the previous year due to a car accident. As the Adams eventually interact and the older one briefly explains what's going on, he is soon also tracked by his captors. Just as he's about to be taken back, his wife Laura appears and manages to save them both. She explains they have to go back to 2018 before time travel got discovered, and get their father to somehow stop everything, since he's at the genesis of that discovery. The Adams decide to do so, even if Laura has to stay behind once more.

Shawn Levy who has been having an extremely busy career in production, has also managed to amass a substantial directorial output, from feature films to TV shows and Miniseries. Following the entertaining and successful "Free Guy", which had its fair share of delays due to the Pandemic, "The Adam Project" is more of a formulaic and not as compelling feature as his previous collaboration with Ryan Reynolds. The film tries to retain certain aspects of sci-fi films of the 80s, including some nods to Steven Spielberg's "ET" and John Carpenter's "Starman", but the narrative itself lacks originality, not to mention, fails to provide much dimension to the characters themselves. The main antagonist herself, Sorian, seems to initially be defined and characterized as a conflicted authority figure in 2018 which is a stark contrast with her Start Trek villain approach in 2050 (and Catherine Keener has very little opportunity to do much with this character). The same thing going for Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo's parents characters, who come across as perfect sketches of what parents are supposed to be, as opposed to characters with some motivations. Ryan Reynolds as usual manages to keep the action lively, consistently funny, and he always does so effortlessly. This time he has good support from Walker Scobell as his younger self. While some of the visual effects look a bit cheaply applied, the cinematography from Tobias A. Schliessler is solid, as is the score from Rob Simonsen. Overall it's a film that while not terrible, it also isn't very memorable.