Month: December 2023

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 & 3” TV Series Review

A scene from the Swedish-Danish crime TV series “The Bridge.” Courtesy of Topic

Back in 2011, the Scandinavian crime series, “The Bridge,” was not only hugely popular in Europe but spawned quite a few remakes and derivatives on both sides of the Atlantic. The now oft-used premise is that a body is found straddling the national border of a bridge joining Denmark and Sweden, creating jurisdictional confusion. That gets worse when they discover that the top and bottom halves are from two different women. Successor series have been set on the US/Mexico, Singapore/Malaysia, Greece/Turkey and the Russia/Estonia borders. A France/England version used the Chunnel in the same way. That list may be more illustrative than complete, since variations exist under non-bridgey titles. In each, a cop from one side partners with one from the other, despite cultural and personal differences that add tensions and friction to the whodunnit component.

This original paired Sweden’s detective Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) with Denmark’s Martin Rhode (Kim Bodnia). Since all cop duo dramas or comedies must begin with irritating differences, Saga is somewhere on the high-functioning end of The Spectrum – brilliant, hyper-focused, feeling virtually no emotions in her professional or personal lives, and blunt with everyone about what she’s thinking – unable to use normal sensitivities in any conversation. What she thinks will be what she says.

Martin is the grizzled, world-weary Dane who can be soft and supportive when the situation calls for tact. The two don’t particularly like or understand what makes each other tick, but mutual respect evolves during this somber season of shared sleuthing, weaving their way through a maze of political and financial motives and suspects.

Season Two opens 13 months after the first and introduces some new detectives before settling in with the first pair. This year’s plot escalates from the realm of crime to international terrorism. Even so, there’s a significant carryover from Season One affecting roles and actions in the new case. Without providing details, the season ends in a way that might preclude the two sharing any other cases.

Season Three, another 13 months later, pairs Saga with a younger Danish partner, Henrik (Thure Lindhardt) and returns to the more familiar realm of civilian murders, with a serial killer dispatching victims in apparently ritualistic, attention-seeking displays. Really gory, too, with each posed differently. Both seasons are filled, if not overrun, with characters and subplots, giving viewers more of a challenge than average. As usual, I recommend starting from the beginning to understand the carryover elements. Bingeing each season is advisable for keeping their plots and players in mind. As one expects from a Scandinavian drama, the tone is somber – longer on mood than action, and even lower on moments of levity. Both sets do a pretty good job of living up to Season One’s level of quality in scripting, acting and production values. A final fourth season aired abroad and is sure to follow here shortly. Stay tuned , as they say…

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 and 3,” mostly in Swedish and Danish with English subtitles, streams on Topic starting Tuesday, Dec. 26.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

Win Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of THE BOOK OF CLARENCE

From visionary filmmaker Jeymes Samuel, The Book of Clarence is a bold new take on the timeless Hollywood era Biblical epic. Streetwise but struggling, Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is trying to find a better life for himself and his family, make himself worthy to the woman he loves, and prove that he’s not a nobody. Captivated by the power and glory of the rising Messiah and His apostles, he risks everything to carve his own path to a divine life, a journey through which he finds redemption and faith, power and knowledge. The Book of Clarence Official Soundtrack features new music by Jeymes Samuel, JAY-Z, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi and more.

The film stars LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, Anna Diop, RJ Cyler, David Oyelowo, Micheal Ward, Alfre Woodard, Teyana Taylor, Caleb McLaughlin, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Marianne Jean-Baptiste with James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch.

https://www.thebookofclarence.movie/

The St. Louis advance screening is Thursday, January 4 at 7pm at the AMC Esquire 7.

Please arrive early as seating is not guaranteed.

Enter at the link: https://events.sonypictures.com/screenings/unsecured/main/screeningInfo.jsf?code=PBBD9ZDVS1

Rated PG-13.

Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield), Barabbas (Omar Sy) and Elijah (R.J. Cyler) in THE BOOK OF CLARENCE.

Win Passes To The St. Louis Advance Screening Of NIGHT SWIM

THIS WINTER… EVERYTHING YOU FEAR, IS UNDER THE SURFACE.  FROM JAMES WAN, PRODUCER OF THE NUN.  AND BLUMHOUSE, PRODUCER OF MEGAN.  UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS NIGHT SWIM. ONLY IN THEATERS JANUARY 5TH. 

RATED PG-13

Join Jason Blum and James Wan in the deep end for a look inside NIGHT SWIM.

The St. Louis advance screening is 7PM on Wednesday, Jan 3rd at Marcus Ronnies Cine.

Please arrive early as seating is not guaranteed.

Enter at the link: http://gofobo.com/KhGsx81013

Night Swim/© 2023 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

No running. No diving. No lifeguard on duty. No swimming after dark.

Atomic Monster and Blumhouse, the producers of M3GAN, high dive into the deep end of horror with the new supernatural thriller, Night Swim.

Based on the acclaimed 2014 short film by Rod Blackhurst and Bryce McGuire, the film stars Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as Ray Waller, a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, who moves into a new home with his concerned wife Eve (Oscar® nominee Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin), teenage daughter Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle, this fall’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) and young son Elliot (Gavin Warren, Fear the Walking Dead).

Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades Eve that the new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror.

Night Swim is written and directed by Bryce McGuire (writer of the upcoming film Baghead) and is produced by James Wan, the filmmaker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, and Jason Blum, the producer of the Halloween films, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man. The film is executive produced by Michael Clear and Judson Scott for Wan’s Atomic Monster and by Ryan Turek for Blum’s Blumhouse.

Website: https://www.nightswim.movie

Night Swim

FERRARI – Review

And what’s that zooming toward the multiplex? Why, it’s yet another true-life sports film, and it’s comin’ in hot. Yes, it’s a whole lot faster than the rowing movie, as it is set in the world of auto racing. And unlike the other racing flick this year, GRAN TURISMO, there’s no video gaming involved as the bulk of it takes place over sixty-five years ago. Oh, and the director of this new film has been making some of the most interesting and stylish action epics over the last five decades. He’s focused on one year in a man’s life synonymous with the sport, so it could be considered a biography. Even after all this time that name resonates throughout the world in general. Sure it’s now a brand name, but behind all the iconic autos was the man named Enzo FERRARI.

This profile begins with newsreel-style footage of Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) churning up the dirt raceway in the 1920s. Flash forward to 1957, as he awakens and joins Lina (Shailene Woodley) for breakfast with their eight-year-old son Piero. He says goodbye but doesn’t go directly to his auto factory. Instead, he stops at the crypt of his late son Alfredo (‘Dino’) and the home he shares with his wife Laura (Penelope Cruz). Of course, she knows nothing of Enzo’s second family, perhaps owing to Italy’s ban on divorce in the day. Enzo’s arrival precedes a heated argument ending with her firing a pistol (later one would end with kitchen tabletop lovemaking). It’s a big day at Ferrari S.p.A, as a new racer, Alfonso De Portiago (Gabriel Leone) joins the company team before the next big road race. And much to Enzo’s chagrin, his movie starlet girlfriend Linda Christian (Sarah Gadon) steals some of the fanfare. He appears to have a complex relationship with the press. Enzo despises the “paparazzi” for trying to pry into his personal life, but uses them to plant rumors, like a possible merger with Ford Motors, in order to generate much-needed cash. Seems the company is teetering toward bankruptcy, which forces Enzo to make risky loans with banks and even barter with Laura over shares of the family company. Ah, but all will work out when his team wins the highly-touted race, Mille Miglia, which runs over several miles of public roads throughout Italy. But what would happen if disaster and death take the wheel?

In the title role, Driver (nice coincidence) is quite intimidating as the looming, passionate auto maven. he conveys a man completely focused on his profession, down to the smallest bit of machinery, while also juggling every penny of his company’s dwindling funds. But his best juggling is in his double life. With Lina and Piero he’s a warm nurturing patriarch, doting on his boy while frustrating his mother. But with Laura, he never quite knows what’s behind their home’s front entrance. Like the old fable, is it “the lady or the tiger”? As Laura, Cruz has a fierce bite along with her ultra-sharp claws, as she suspects that Enzo has “something on the side”, while she she to reign in his spending excesses. But Cruz also shows us that the wounds of losing a son have never healed as she lashed at him to unload her smothering grief. As the “other woman” Woodley shows us the defiant attitude that is tempered with a lingering affection for Enzo, paired with a sense of shame for having to exist “in the shadows”.As for team Ferrari, Leone oozes with machismo charm as the new “darling of the tabloids, while another charmer, Patrick Dempsey, conveys an easygoing demeanor as veteran “pedal man” Piero Taruffi.

Oh, the director mentioned above (who also serves as co-producer and “script doctor”) is the talented Michael Mann in his first sports biopic since ALI. He’s worked in many movie genres, but Mann may be best known for his action epic. That skill suits him well in this true tale, particularly in the “signature scene” that will leave audiences stunned. Some critics of auto racing believe it’s an excuse to witness a disaster, and since the film is based on real events, it happens here. Kudos to Mann for not “sugarcoating” the shocking horror of it all by “cutting away” or making it abstract or “dreamy”. The ‘blink of an eye” carnage and its aftermath will have viewers gasping and perhaps a bit shaken. Hopefully, the power of this sequence doesn’t detract from the strength of the quieter scenes like Enzo talking about racing skills with as son, or the haunting montage of the drivers preparing “goodbye letters’ for their loved ones on the night before the big race (and finding a spot for the envelopes to be discovered). The verbal sparring between Enzo and Laura verges on becoming a repetitive cycle, and we’re often not sure of Enzo’s intentions, especially in his relationship with Lina (despite the brawling there’s more heat with Laura). this is offset by the superb cinematography by Erik Messerschmidt, the expert period recreations (fashion, decor, and hairstyles), the gorgeous Italian locations, and some terrific insider info on the sport (I wasn’t aware of the two-man driving teams). Though it occasionally veers off the track, there is lots of super-charged power in the world of FERRARI.

3 out of 4

FERRARI opens in theatres everywhere on Christmas Day 2023

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT – Review

BITB_15372_R (l-r.) Thomas Elms stars as Chuck Day, Tom Varey as Johnny White, Bruce Herbelin-Earle as Shorty Hunt, Callum Turner as Joe Rantz, Luke Slattery as Bobby Moch and Wil Coban as Jim McMillin in director George Clooney’s THE BOYS IN THE BOAT An Amazon MGM Studios film Photo credit: Laurie Sparham © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

As promised the onslaught of 2023 sports films marches, or in this case paddles, on. Hot on the heels of last week’s historical sports drama, comes this one based on a popular book from a few years ago. It’s not about wrestling, like Friday’s flick, but it is set in the past, though nearly fifty years before the Von Erichs. But there is an Olympic connection. This one concerns a larger team of young men defying the odds and overcoming hardship to go for the gold, rather than fame and fortune. Yes, the idea of “team” as in teamwork is essential to them as this particular sport depends on all those involved acting and reacting “in sync”. Otherwise, it’s a splash into the murky depths (or a nasty collision) for THE BOYS IN THE BOAT.


Actually, this film begins in the 1980s with a brief prologue of a grandpa’ advising his grandson on the nuances of canoeing. Cue the “fade out/dissolve” to the 1930s at the heart of the depression. In a junkyard next to a makeshift camp (perhaps they were still “Hoovervilles”), eighteen-year-old Joe Rantz (Callum Turner). studies for his college courses by lantern light in the back of a beat-up old jalopy which is now his home since he lost his mother after his father ran off. He’s doing well at the University of Washington, getting good grades, making friends, and even attracting the attention of a cute co-ed named Joyce (Hadley Robinson). Joe is somehow adept at hiding his homelessness until the college bills catch up to him. Due to the Great Depression, jobs are truly scarce. Then a buddy informs him that he can defray some costs by being part of the rowing team. At the tryouts, Joe and the other freshman are put through “the paces” by tough veteran head coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton). Joe barely makes the team as Coach Al pairs the “junior squad” with a somewhat rebellious coxswain. Though Al is an inspiration, Joe forms a close bond with elderly boatbuilder George Pocock (Peter Guinness), more of a father/son relationship rather than a student/mentor. Slowly Joe and the team ‘click, and Al shocks the school by sending them to the big meets instead of the senior team. Despite their inexperience, they have a shot at competing in the Summer Olympics in Germany. But after barely scraping together enough money for the trek, will they take home the gold and glory when one of the team is stricken by an unexpected illness?


As the affable, stoic everyman at the center of the story, Turner gives real dignity and strength to the hardworking Rantz, making his intimacy with his mentor and girlfriend into powerful scenes in which he exhibits his vulnerability and inner heartbreak (the little boy inside still yearns for his folks). Edgerton is every inch the tough taskmaster as Coach Al, who is careful not to overpraise “his boys” but expresses his doubts and hopes in private with his assistant Tom Bolles (the engaging James Wolk) and his gorgeous wife Hazel (played with sexy humor by Courtney Henggeler). As Joe’s gal Joyce, Robinson is an energetic flirt as she tries to “wake him up” to notice her charms, then slowly becomes the rock of support he needs when the past catches up to him. But the film’s warm beating heart might be Guinness as the wise nurturing woodworker who gently passes on his knowledge and his way of living to the somewhat aimless young Rantz, acting much like a carpentry Yoda or Mr. Miyagi.


The film’s real coxswain. and head coach is director/co-producer George Clooney who captures the bleak look of a downtrodden 1930s America intercut with old-style mahognay-tinged academia. He’s most adept at telling the story with few cinematic flourishes, giving it the feel of a film from that era. But that’s part of the film’s problem as this true tale feels as though it’s been presented so many times and teeters on “inspirational sports film” cliches. There are the underdogs from RUDY, along with its “last chance at glory” coach from HOOSIERS, mixed with training montages right from CHARIOTS OF FIRE. It doesn’t help that the “big show’ at the 1936 Olympics seems tacked on scenes from 2016’s RACE with a fleeting cameo from Jesse Owens and flimsy Fuhrer imitator. Yes, since it’s based on a true story (and a best seller) we know the outcome, but even if it was fiction there are few surprises and little suspense (no virus is going to topple this team). Oh, the team members aren’t defined characters other than Joe and a shy guy who is a musical wiz. This all resembles a fairly glorified basic cable movie ( or a “special event” broadcast network “sweeps” flick). The look of the Northwest of 85 years ago feels authentic but it is not enough to send THE BOYS IN THE BOAT over the cinematic finish line.

2 Out of 4

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT opens in theatres everywhere on Christmas Day 2023

POOR THINGS – Review

Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo in POOR THINGS. Photo by Atsushi Nishijima. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

Smart, clever and inventive, POOR THINGS is described by the filmmakers as “the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life from the brink of death by the brilliant, daring scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe).” Based on the novel by the late Scottish author Alasdair Gray, director Lanthimos and scriptwriter Tony McNamara also reference Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” making this off-beat coming-of-age fantasy a kind of “feminist Frankenstein” that is part dark comedy, part adventure thriller and pure smart entertaining fantasy with an uplifting message.

POOR THINGS is a wild science fiction coming-of-age tale set in an alternate Victorian world that is part steam punk and part anachronistic fantasy from the writer/director who gave us THE FAVORITE and THE LOBSTER, Yorgos Lanthimos. It is also a whole lot of fun and an eye-popping visual treat, in which a young innocent meets a villain but it upends melodrama rules by essentially rescuing herself. The film is somewhat in the vein of a coming-of-age sexual romp like “Tom Jones” but flips the script on that male-centric sexual adventure by putting a young woman on that rule-breaking journey, making it a rollicking feminist adventure tale. Some of those adventures are bawdy, as they would be if the lead character were a young man, and the whole tale relishes breaking the rescue-the-maiden rules of melodrama.

Lanthimos and McNamara also collaborated on THE FAVOURITE, and audiences familiar with that fantasy retelling of Queen Anne’s real relationship with her closest friend, and with Lanthimos’s darker THE LOBSTER, know that this director can skillfully balance dark humor with thriller and even horror themes, turning from one to the other on the proverbial dime but without audience whiplash.

Set in a Victorian fantasy world that is part steam punk and part Merchant-Ivory film, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone ) is the creation of brilliant, eccentric scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Curious, energetic Bella has the body of a beautiful young woman but the brain of a baby, the result of Dr. Baxter’s experiment to save two lives by reviving a recently-dead body. We watch as Bella quickly grows from precocious as a curious child to an intellectually questing, sexually curious as a young woman eager to learn about the wider world.

Bella longs to explore the world beyond her sheltered home with her protective father-creator Dr. Godwin Baxter, whom she calls “God.” When the inquisitive woman-child also shows sexual curiosity, the doctor arranges for his medical student protege Max McCandless (Ramy Youssef) to become engaged to her. While Bella likes her new fiance, she is tempted by tales of the wider world told by crafty, unethical cad Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), and runs off with the villain.

While Dr. Baxter and Bella’s fiance are in frantic pursuit of the runaways, Ruffalo’s serial exploiter plans to seduce the innocent Bella and then discard her, of course. But Bella herself turns the tables on this familiar plot,” rescuing” her herself in her own way, while embarking on a grand tour combined with intellectual, philosophical and feminist coming-of-age journey.

This old-fashioned melodrama set-up is played for both drama and tongue-in-cheek comedy, with scenes sometimes mixing both serious and humorous. Bella embarks on an adventure that has a strong elements of “Tom Jones,” a continent-spanning journey that is a sexual adventure and intellectual/philosophical exploration, with a definite feminist twist. Who is exploiting who becomes the question.

Emma Stone gives an outstanding performance as the brilliant, irrepressible Bella, perhaps Stone’s career best so far, creating a character who is constantly surprising yet irresistible. Mark Ruffalo is also excellent as the villainous abductor, who more than gets his just desserts. Willem Dafoe’s doctor looks like an experiment gone wrong but turns out to have a heart of gold and Ramy Youssef makes his sweet, loyal assistant more than we expect too. The film is peppered with other memorable characters, with striking performances by Christopher Abbot , Suzy Bemba, Jerrod Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, Vicki Pepperdine, and Margaret Qualley particularly.

POOR THINGS is a visual banquet, thanks to cinematography by Director of Photography Robbie Ryan, and production designers James Price and Shona Heath, and costume designer Holly Waddington. The colorful, creative costumes signal that we are in a very different world. From the waist up, Bella looks the picture of Victorian modesty, with high collars, ruffles, and puffy shoulders, but below the waist, she is dressed in mini-skirts, shorts, or skirts of gauzy fabric. Everyone else is dressed in proper Victorian attire, yet no one notices Bella’s wild, revealing outfits. The gorgeous sets are all lush Belle Epoque, Beaux-Arts architecture and plush velvet furniture, but with unexpected little visual twists to remind us we are in the realm of the fantastic.

This mix of dark humor, sexual adventure and feminist empowerment means POOR THINGS adds up to a very entertaining, smart movie, with both a brain and a heart, and topped by an uplifting message that will leave you bouncing out of the theater.

POOR THINGS opens Friday, Dec. 22, in theaters.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

THE IRON CLAW – Review

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to …watch another sports-themed movie! Sheesh and people whine about a “glut” of superhero flicks! So far this year we’ve got four or five “sports flicks”, the latest being the soccer comedy NEXT GOAL WINS. Now that’s based on a true story, like most of the others. Oh, and two more true sports films finish out the year on Christmas Day. So, what sets this weekend’s release apart from the others? Well, it’s set in the world of professional wrestling in the “go-go” 1980s. Hmm, sounds like lots of campy, flashy fun. And you’d be a bit mistaken. Mind you, there are chuckles but this true tale is really a tragedy, close in spirit to a Greek one or even Shakespeare, but with spandex and mullets. In the center ring…a fable of a wrestling family dynasty whose patriarch gained fame through his signature “move”, THE IRON CLAW.


The film actually starts a couple of decades earlier, in the final moments of a match won by Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany), and he does indeed use “the claw”. In the parking lot, he meets up with his grade-school-aged two sons and their mother Doris (Maura Tierney), and introduces them to their newer bigger vehicle for traveling on “the circuit”. She’s annoyed, but little Kevin and Kerry are thrilled. Flash forward about a decade and a half as buff twenty-something Kevin (Zac Efron) goes for a morning jog around the family’s Texas ranch home. He finishes in time for a big breakfast with Mom, Dad, and kid brothers David (Harris Dickinson) and Mike (Stanley Simmons). And what of brother Kerry (Jeremy Allen White)? The prodigal is away training for the upcoming 1980 Olympic games. Fritz is out of “the game” and now works as a manager for Kevin while starting up a new league, World Class Championship Wrestling. Unfortunately, despite his physical prowess, Kevin is awkward in front of the camera in promotional interviews, while David proves to be more of a “showboat”. This prompts Papa to focus on him, much to Kevin’s frustration. He does get a boost from dating a lovely fan named Pam (Lily James), leading to an eventual marriage. And then world politics impacts “the act” when the USA boycotts the Olympics, sending Kerry home. Fritz then creates a three-man tag team with Kevin, Kerry, and David as Mike pursues his music dreams. But fame splits the trio, as the brothers go solo, and tragedy spurs Mike to enter the “family business”. Fate is far from finished with them as the rumored “Von Erich curse” threatens to destroy the tight-knit group.

As the eldest Von Erich son, and the film’s main focus, Efron achieves a real maturity as an actor, blasting beyond his teen heartrob era to convey the complexities of the deceptively simple Kevin. Though he has the shape of a Samson (and many other “sword and sandal” screen stalwarts) Kev seems to be a vulnerable youngster yearning for his papa’s love and respect. His behavioral development seems a bit stunted perhaps causing his inability to sell himself on camera, and later when in his relationship with Pam (like his pop, she’s almost his coach). Efron shows us how life chips away at that awkwardness until he pushes back against his dad in a powerful third-act sequence. As Pam, James completely morphs into the twangy Texas belle who’s awed by the “beefcake” and then smitten by the timid soul beneath. White, the breakout star of TV’s “The Bear”, doesn’t have nearly as much screen time, but his struggles with a cruel impairment give extra strength to the changing family dynamic. Dickinson oozes charisma as David who becomes the face of the family franchise with his boasting bravado and showmanship (he rocks all those sparkly stetsons). As the “baby”, Simmons has a real warmth and sweetness as he tries to break away with his tunes while obviously crushing on his big bro’s gal. This makes his fate even more heartwrenching. The talented Tierney isn’t given enough to do as the sometimes aloof matriarch, though she is an excellent partner to the blustery, manipulative McCallany is the former fighter denied his glory who now believes he can attain it, along with the big payday, through his boys. For much of the story, he’s more of a villain than any of the wrestling adversaries, and McCallny brings all the intimidation and callousness needed for the role.


This sports saga is told bywriter/director Sean Dirkin who crafts a believable bond between the brothers and deftly recreates the era when wrestling was beginning its steady climb into the mainstream. Dirkins gets great work from the ensemble and makes effective use of the Texas locales. However, the matches themselves seem to lack the trashy campy exhilaration of those big events. Much as in the recent PRISCILLA, the spectacle seems “muted” with the action at a distance and in shadows, perhaps to obscure the backgrounds. We hear some of the chatter between the champs and get a look at their camaraderie in the locker room, but some of the absurdities are “watered down”. Outside the arenas, we never really get to know the brothers, aside from Kev, until the “curse” begins picking them off like an early 80s horror flick stalker. I’m wondering if the story should have had more room “to breathe”, perhaps as a TV mini-series (this may be the reason why one brother, Chris, was completely written out). The last act is given a boost by the big confrontation between father and son but is then diluted by a fantasy/dream sequence that feels cloying and mawkish like something from a film from eighty years ago. Still, this is not to take away from the excellent cast, who “flex their pecks” and give heart to the Von Erichs in THE IRON CLAW.

2.5 Out of 4

THE IRON CLAW is now playing in theatres everywhere

MIGRATION – Review

It’s the big holiday weekend, and for many families, it’s the perfect time for a big getaway. Oh, we’re not talking about a brief trek “over the river and through the woods”. Nope, how about a big excursion like the McCallister clan in the original HOME ALONE (Paris, sheesh somebody’s doing well)? Come to think of it, it’s strange that the Grisswalds don’t travel anywhere in CHRISTMAS VACATION, though Cousin Eddy drops in from afar. But I digress. Now if that’s what human families do, then how about animal families? To be more specific, those “fine feathered” families. Now in this new animated feature, it’s not ‘”yuletime”, but the temps are starting to fall prompting those web-footed folks to join a big southbound MIGRATION.


Oddly enough this story begins, actually, during storytime. Papa of the Mallards, Mack (voice of Kumail Nanjiani) relates a cautionary fable of ducks leaving the safety of the nest and flying to their doom to his kids, free-spirited pre-teen Dax (Casper Jennings) and sweet adorable baby sister Gwen (Tresi Gazal), all while mom Pam (Elizabeth Banks) rolls her eyes. She thinks that they should “expand their horizons” well past the comfy confines of the bucolic pond near Moose Lake in New England. Then, almost on cue, a flock of migrating ducks drops in for a brief respite. Of course, Dax falls for a cute duckling gal. After they leave, the family puts pressure on Mack, and…he gives in. They’ll catch up with the flock and join them on their journey to sunny Jamaica. And thanks to the pleading of Gwen, grumpy, sloppy old Uncle Dan (Danny DeVito) will also make the trip. The quintet takes to the skies and …heads in the wrong direction. After a detour to a dank swamp that’s home to a spooky but friendly heron named Erin (Carol Kane), the Mallards nearly fly right into the skyscrapers of NYC. There they encounter the boss of some hungry pigeons, Chump (Awkwafina), who, after a near rumble, takes them to a bird that can guide them to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the exotic Delroy (Keegan-Michael Key) is locked up in a cage in the office above a trendy restaurant. Can they evade the knife-wielding chief and get back en route to paradise? Or will their final stop be inside a hot oven, covered not in suntan lotion, but in orange sauce?

Unfortunately, as with many major animated releases, the celebrity voice cast seems to be a big marketing point. Luckily there are several assured comic voices in use here. Nanjiani excels when Mac is in full over-protective panic mode. DeVito is perhaps our most endearing screen (big and small) grouch. Key is a bombastic delight as the ecstatic bird so far from home. There’s also some funny vocal work from David Mitchell as the yoga instructor/ rec-director of a place that seems like a spa retreat for ducks. Kane brings her zany quirk to the long-limbed Erin. Now, I’m a big fan of Awkwafina (she’s great in the underrated QUIZ LADY), but I’m wondering if she may want to take a voice-over “time out” as this is her eighth feature film (unless she’s hoping to follow in the legacy of the late great June Foray). Ah, but the look of the film is its real “selling point”. The backdrops are full of dazzling primary colors (those rich greens of the forest) in nature which make a terrific contrast with the looming dark canyons of the city and the stunning neons of its trendiest eatery. The character designs are also superb, making each duck unique, and giving some other fowl (Erin, Deroy) a nice “spindly” look as though their limb are bendable plastic tubing. But my favorite design may be the mute villain, the too-cool, muscle-bound, “fully-tatted” chief (love the diamond-shaped shades and the long platinum ponytail with gold hoops). Extra kudos for working in some terrific 2D-style animation in the movie’s “bedtime story” opening prologue. It’s just a shame that the story is not as unique. It’s an air-and-land riff on FINDING NEMO, as the Mallards encounter a new danger and learn lessons in teamwork and understanding others. The tiniest of moviegoers may be enthralled by the bouncy birds, manic action, and eye-popping backdrops, but this family’s not quite a “duck dynasty” in this occasionally amusing MIGRATION.


2.5 Out of 4


MIGRATION is now playing in theatres everywhere

GIVEAWAY: Win A Blu-Ray Copy Of THE HOLDOVERS

Paul Giamatti “has never been better” (Deadline) in acclaimed Academy Award® -winning director Alexander Payne’s newest film, THE HOLDOVERS, available to own with all-new exclusive bonus featurettes on Digital on December 29, 2023, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD on January 2, 2024 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 96% and nominated for 8 Critics Choice Awards® including Best Picture, THE HOLDOVERS delivers an expert balance of comedy and warmth.

“Raucously funny” (The Hollywood Reporter) and poignant, THE HOLDOVERS stars critically acclaimed actor Paul Giamatti (Sideways, American Splendor), alongside the remarkable Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite Is My Name, “Only Murders in the Building”) and Dominic Sessa in his feature film debut.

From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, THE HOLDOVERS follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

WAMG is giving away to THREE of our lucky readers a 4K/Blu-ray copy.

  • EMAIL michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com to enter.
  • WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST LIVE IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S.

‘COLLECTOR’S EDITION’ EXCLUSIVE BONUS FEATURES TO OWN ONLY ON DIGITAL, BLU-RAYTM & DVD:

  • Alternate Ending – “Mary Continues On”
  • Deleted Scenes
    • Introduction by Alexander Payne
    • New Room
    • Making a Scene
    • The Road Back to Barton
    • Ancient History
  • The Cast of THE HOLDOVERS – Sit down with the cast of THE HOLDOVERS, including Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and newcomer Dominic Sessa, while they discuss getting into the minds of their characters. Meet the boys of Barton and learn more about director Alexander Payne’s casting process.
  • Working with Alexander – Hear the cast and crew about their on-set experience working with acclaimed director Alexander Payne.

Get it on Amazon HERE.

FILMMAKERS:  
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

Casting By: Susan Shopmaker, CSA

Music: Mark Orton

Costume Designer: Wendy Chuck

Editor: Kevin Tent, ACE

Production Designer: Ryan Warren Smith

Director of Photography: Eigil Bryld

Executive Producers: Andrew Golov, Thom Zadra, Chris Stinson, Tom Williams

Produced By: Mark Johnson P.G.A., Bill Block, David Hemingson

Written By: David Hemingson

Directed By: Alexander Payne

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAYTM:

Street Date: January 2, 2024

Selection Number: 191329241967 (US)

Layers: BD 50

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.66:1 Side Matted

Rating: R for language, some drug use and brief sexual material

Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, and Latin American Spanish

Languages/Sound: English (DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 for Feature, Dolby Digital 2.0 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (DTS Digital 3.0), and Latin American Spanish (DTS Digital 3.0)

Run Time: 2:13:16

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD:

Street Date: January 2, 2024

Selection Number: 191329241974 (US)

Layers: DVD 9

Aspect Ratio: 16:9 1.66:1 Side Matted

Rating: R for language, some drug use and brief sexual material

Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, and Latin American Spanish

Languages/Sound: English (DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 for Feature, Dolby Digital 2.0 for Bonus Content), French Canadian (Dolby Digital 3.0), and Latin American Spanish (Dolby Digital 3.0)

Run Time: 2:13:24

HO_04392 Paul Giamatti stars as Paul Hunham and Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully in director Alexander Payne’s THE HOLDOVERS, a Focus Features release. Credit: Seacia Pavao / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

“Deadly Tropics” Season 4 (French) – TV Series Review

A scene from the French crime series “Deadly Tropics.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

Regular readers know how much I’ve enjoyed the first three seasons of ”Deadly Tropics (Tropiques Criminels),” a relatively light-hearted police procedural set in Martinique, starring two attractive, yet totally opposite in every way, detectives and a recurring cast of colleagues, family members and the occasional romantic sidebar.

Here’s a link to my previous reviews for those starting anew with this 4th season, or wanting to refresh their memories:

“Deadly Tropics: Season 3” – TV review

As before, the season is eight hour-long episodes. Other than an opening two-parter, the rest present new crimes for our intrepid duo of Commander Melissa (Sonia Rolland, Captain Gaelle (Beatrice de la Boulaye) and their crew. Their oil-and-water personalities clash before they prove effective, as is customary for the genre. The elegant Melissa is still serious and by-the-book; tomboy Gaelle remains playfully indifferent to procedures while laser-focused on solutions. Respect and friendship have evolved, but friction between them over procedures and attitudes still flares up kind of regularly. And mostly amusingly.

The murders du jour occur in the context of other crimes, ranging from human trafficking and sexual websites, to a ritual serial killer, assorted wackos and illegal MMA fighting. There are more romantic byplay and domestic problems for both stars than before, including a couple of annoyingly surly teenagers (is that a redunmdancy?). Though the stories are stand-alone episodes, they’ll be much better appreciated by seeing the earlier years first, rather than starting with this set. Some prior characters and subplot threads recur.

There’s still levity coming from several sources complementing the dramatic side. There’s not much violence and gore on display – less than many of our prime-time network cop shows. A few aspects of Season 4 made it slightly less enjoyable for me (did I mention the annoying teenagers?), but others may differ. This round ends on a note that compels a fifth season for closure. Deal me in when it arrives.

“Deadly Tropics (Tropiques Criminels): Season 4,” mostly in French with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice starting Tuesday, Dec. 19.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars