Review – Page 61 – We Are Movie Geeks

CORDELIA- Review

So, what’s one of the hazards of living in a big city? Most folks might immediately think of crime or perhaps trying to earn enough to keep up with the high rents. Strangely, a lot of city dwellers deal with isolation, that sibling to loneliness. And even though the streets are packed with bustling commuters and shoppers, there are those who internally “cut themselves off”, going about a routine before locking their doors and almost hibernating, Then there’s an element that accelerates this behavior, say a traumatic incident or accident. This is all at the center of a new psychological thriller set in one of the world’s biggest population centers, London. Even though it focuses on a “flat” that’s the home of two sisters, a deep loneliness haunts the one named CORDELIA.

Oddly, our introduction with her is when she sweetly gives up her seat on a packed subway train (over there it’s “The Tube”) to a standing blind passenger. It turns out that this is a “flashback dream”, one that’s more of a nightmare, which causes Cordelia ( Antonia Campbell-Hughes) to wake up with a muffled scream while drenched in sweat. Her twin sister Caroline rushes into her bedroom, pulls back the curtains to let the sun cleanse the space, and offers to draw her bath. She remarks about the cello solo that wafts in from the upper flat, a sound that seems to soothe the still frazzled Cordelia. She bids Caroline adieu, puts their cat Hunter outside, and walks briskly to a theatre near Covent Garden where she’s an understudy in a new production of “King Lear” (as Cordelia, ‘natch). While grabbing a spot of tea, she sees a handsome young man toting a cello case. He recognizes her since he’s her upstairs neighbor Frank (Johnny Flynn). They meet for drinks later that evening and share a cab back to their building. After heading to their respective flats, she is caught off-guard by a caller who hangs up on her “landline”. As Caroline is spending the weekend with a new beau, Cordelia calls on Frank for protection after a voice on a later call asks why she’s closed her drapes (it’s a slightly below ground-level space). Frank finds nobody “creeping about” and tries to comfort the haunted young woman. Thus begins a tentative romance, one that may end abruptly if they reveal the secrets that help them survive another day and keep their inner demons at bay.

The very complex and demanding title role is superbly brought to life by the talented Campbell-Hughes. It’s difficult enough to play twins, though Caroline is absent for the last hour or so, she makes us believe that she’s two sisters with distinct individual personalities rather than merely “talking with herself” aided with a bit of subtle VFX trickery. But the “meat of the tale” rests with Cordelia, who Campbell-Hughes first conveys as a fragile, timid flower who just might break apart when a strong wind swoops in. Slowly we see her stand straight, rather than being stooped over in advance of crouching into a “ball” to brace herself against the pummeling of everyday life. And just when we think of Cordelia as a mousey victim, an inner switch is “flipped” and she’s a snarling, sexy “beast” looking to pounce on her tormentors. To a lesser degree, Flynn’s Frank also has a moment of metamorphosis as the sensitive rom-com “dreamboat’ from upstairs is revealed to be a man of mystery, as he begins a game of passive-aggressive courting with Cordelia. Is he the noble protector or could he be a master manipulator? But, this isn’t a two-person character study. Michael Gambon has a nifty cameo as Caroline’s addled, chatty elderly neighbor, while Joel Fry is the new boyfriend who just can’t wrap his mind around dating a twin (or perhaps he’s hiding some filthy fantasies).

Adrian Shergold directs the film with several interesting visual flourishes, making good use of the main “maze-like” flat, following Cordelia as she often switches personalities mid-stride. The script he co-wrote with title star Campbell-Hughes, doesn’t “lay everything out”, instead it doles out backstories in small chunks, encouraging the viewers to piece everything together. And though most of it is in the twin’s home, the film never feels claustrophobic, although the story is opened up (sadly, a train trip to the country just feels like a “wheel-spinning” interlude). The London streets and neighborhoods look splendid, especially a trek about the theatre district (perhaps a few more scenes of Cordelia at work would reveal of bit more of her wounded persona to us). And as I noted the performances are strong, but unfortunately the final act feels far too abrupt, leaving several threads hanging, and making us ponder the reality of what preceded it (Cordelia is the epitome of the “unreliable narrator”). But if you’re looking for a thriller that’s a real “slow burn” with a duo flipping back and forth as prey and predator, then CORDELIA may just be your cup of somewhat curdled tea.

2.5 Out of 4

CORDELIA opens in select theatres and can be streamed on most apps and platfroms as a Video-on-Demand beginning on Frdiay, May 20, 2022

HAPPENING – Review

Wow, now there’s some epic movie “subject matter” timing, almost on par with THE CHINA SYNDROME (in theatres when the news on Three Mile Island broke). Now, mind you this film’s set over 60 years ago, and it’s based on a celebrated novel from 2000. But it couldn’t be released at a better time. Oh, and it arrives after receiving many significant awards, particularly the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion last year. And though its themes have dominated US headlines for the last couple of weeks, a very long time ago in a foreign land it was still a most dire and morally fraught HAPPENING.

That aforementioned time is 1960 and that land in France, in a medium-sized city far from bustling Paris. Twenty-year-old Anne (Anamarie Vartolomei) is living on the campus of what we might call a “junior college”, but only miles away from her folks Gabrielle and Jacques who run a small bistro. Happily, Anne has two best school pals, the wild, free-spirited Brigette (Louise Orry-Diquero), and the shy, fairly naive Helene (Luana Bajrami). Now, Anne’s the more studious of three as she focuses on literature, with aspirations to be a writer herself rather than a teacher. Oh but she’s not always “buried in the books’ and enjoys heading down to the local pub/dance club with the trio’s male buddy (Katey Mottet Klein) who steps in when the flirtatious local firemen get a bit too aggressive. Life is going great until she develops a ravenous appetite and becomes pale and lethargic…and “late”. A trip to the doctor confirms her worse fear: she is pregnant. The distraught young woman hints that the doc should help her “end it” causing him to reel back in fear of a prison sentence for both of them. Another doctor merely prescribes a drug that would resume her “cycle”. As the weeks pass Anne becomes more desperate, imploring her friends for “contacts” and hearing their fears of the harsh laws. She can’t bring herself to tell her folks, then turns to her brief vacation fling (she had lied to her doctor about her “sexual history”), who’s of no help or support. She begins to neglect her studies as the ticking clock gets louder. Are her literary dreams dashed? And if she can find a “secret provider” could she lose her life by waiting too long?

No matter the relevancy and urgency of any “hot-button” film, its strength lies in the main character. Here the gifted Vartolomei makes Anne more than a mere ‘symbol” for a “movement”. This aspiring writer is the “girl next door” or even your daughter or sibling, trying hard to find a way past her circumstances. Vartolomei shows us Anne’s desperation through her sad, haunted eyes as she hurriedly must decide which person to confide in and who must not be “let in” on her situation. What’s perhaps direr is her spirit nearly “shutting down” as despair squelches that hunger for knowledge. And just as light seems to be cutting through the darkness, Anne is almost swallowed up by agonizing pain and suffering. Ms. Vartolomei proves to be a most formidable young talent. Luckily she’s aided by two other terrific young actresses as her BFFs. Orry-Diquerio delights in shocking the other two, especially as she recreates the “dirty pics’ she found hidden in her family home, yet when she’s told of Anne’s indiscretion her Brigette is horrified and almost prudish. This is the recreation we expect of Bajrami’s Helene, who instead, in a powerful but quiet monologue tells Anne of her own secret affair that could have put her in the same spot. Another powerful performance is given by Pio Marmai as Anne’s tough and challenging mentor/teacher who is perplexed and angered by Anne’s complete attitude change. Also offering support, though with a keen maternal instinct is Sandrine Bonnaire as Anne’s mother, who wants to be her daughter’s lifeline while never allowing Anne to disrespect their family unit.

This subtle, unflinching treatment of what could be a most lurid and exploitive topic is directed with great skill by Audrey Diwan, who also contributed to the screenplay adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Annie Ernaux, along with Marcia Romano, Anne Berset, and Alice Girard. They expertly recreate the repressive late 60s early 60s small-town atmosphere, just a few years away from a huge social revolution. But as the title cards, show the pregnancy’s progression, we see that Anne can’t simply “sit it out” till that enlightened time arrives. The film’s biggest strength may be the depiction of Anne’s utter isolation, as friends push her away and leave just as Anne begins a spiral into panic and torment, which then leads to a choice that could be another ‘station of Hell” as Anne dives into a seedy underground of whispered names and location, along with access to quick funding. As many are hoping to “turn back the clock” on this controversy, Diwan’s work provides a much-needed nostalgic antidote. Those “good ole’ days” were indeed very dark for many, at least when dealing with an impending life-altering HAPPENING.

3.5 Out of 4

HAPPENING is now playing in select theatres everywhere

OPERATION MINCEMEAT – Review

*Colin Firth as Ewen Montagu and Matthew Macfadyen as Charles Cholmondeley, in OPERATION MINCEMEAT. Photo Credit: Giles Keyte/See-Saw Films, Courtesy of Netflix*

“Truth is stranger than fiction” stories are often the best, and the true story behind the British WWII tale OPERATION MINCEMEAT is plenty strange, and surprisingly impressive in its audacity and brilliant execution. Colin Firth (THE KING’S SPEECH) and Matthew Macfadyen (TV’s “Succession,” PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) star as a pair of WWII British intelligence agents with an odd idea for a ruse to plant false information, aimed at Hitler, about a planned Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe, using a most unlikely spy: a dead man. Director John Madden’s thriller OPERATION MINCEMEAT inevitably has the potential for gallows humor, given that outrageous idea, but it is also a tale about an impressive intelligence operation that actually took place and, moreover, played a pivotal role in the war. Add in the fact that the two agents are working partly with a creative young intelligence agent named Ian Fleming (yes, that Ian Fleming, the guy who wrote the James Bond stories), and you have a lot of juicy factual material to work with.

In addition to Firth and Macfadyen, OPERATION MINCEMEAT has an excellent cast that includes Kelly MacDonald, Penelope Wilton, Mark Gatiss, Jason Isaacs, Johnny Flynn and more. With all that, you have all the elements in place for an engrossing historical true story but one that is different from the usual WWII tale. It is a different kind of war story, one that takes place far from the battlefield, but what these individuals are doing in secret proves crucial to the Allies’ success in the war.

It is 1943, and British troops have been battling Nazi troops in grueling conditions in Africa and Asia, but are now poised to launch an invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. The most obvious landing spot for that assault is Sicily but the Allies will face daunting odds against the entrenched Axis forces. Unless the Allies can convince Hitler that the attack will come elsewhere, specifically Greece, Allied troops will likely face massive loss of lives and potential failure of the invasion. If the invasion of Italy fails, it would be as catastrophic as if D-Day had failed. The stakes could not be higher.

Desperate to come up with a plan, the Brits turn to their intelligence community. Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth), a brilliant barrister turned intelligence officer, and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) are part of a team of British intelligence agents tasked with finding a ruse that will persuade Hitler that the Allies plan to land in Greece instead of Sicily, and make him shift his troops there. Drawing from a handbook of spy craft and subterfuge created by an intelligence officer named Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn), Montagu and Cholmondeley pick out an outrageous idea: to plant false secret information on a dead body and then arrange for the Nazis to find it. Their “agent” will seem to be a courier who died in a plane crash at sea and washed up on the coast of Spain, a fascist but neutral country. The plan then calls for secret efforts to guide the information straight to Hitler’s eyes. The idea is so far-fetched that it faced significant opposition but eventually the plan is approved by Churchill. Montagu and Cholmondeley (whose name is pronounced “Chumley”) are assigned to lead the top secret Twenty Committee of Naval Intelligence, and a dingy basement office for their work. Montagu’s long-time assistant and friend Hester Leggett (Penelope Wilton) and a clever, young office worker, Jean Leslie (Kelly Macdonald), also join the team working on the plan, which is dubbed “Operation Mincemeat.”

In order to pull off this plan, the team has to devise a complete story and convincing persona for their “agent,” as well as create a convincingly worn uniform, the contents of a wallet and personal effects, and numerous other details, along with the documents to convince the Germans of a secret plan to invade Greece. They also must decide where (and how) to get the body off the coast of Spain, and then guide it to the right people so the information goes straight to Hitler, while convincing the Spanish and Germans that the Allies were desperate to retrieve the documents about the faux invasion plans. No detail can be overlooked, because discovery of the ruse means disaster for the troops.

They also need a body to play the part. You would think that finding a dead body in wartime would be easy, but no. For one thing, the dead person has to meet strict criteria: be young and look convincing as British officer, and appear to have drowned, as the Germans will certainly do forensics on the corpse. They have their work cut out for them.

Oddly, one of the first things the team does in constructing this complicated ruse is obtain the dead body to play the part, which means there is a ticking clock immediately running, as they race to get all the pieces in place for the ruse before the dead body becomes too far gone to be useful. Meanwhile, as they work furiously on the project, a kind of love triangle develops with Montagu, Cholmondeley and Jean Leslie.

The idea is so outrageous, and the steps they take to make sure every detail is seamless are fascinating, making this rich material for an entertaining film about in this behind-the-scenes WWII true story. Plus, OPERATION MINCEMEAT features a splendid cast of talented Brits, and the cast alone is a treat for fans of British films and television series.

OPERATION MINCEMEAT features voice-over narration that seems a bit flowery at first, until you realize that the narrator is Ian Fleming, played with charm by Johnny Flynn. There is a running joke about Fleming, and a seeming host of others in the offices, typing away on novels in their spare moments, on the office typewriters. There are plentiful references to the British tradition of adventure novels, particularly John Buchan and his bestseller “The 39 Steps.” Director John Madden is famous for such period works as SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, so he handles all that well here, but the director is less known for comedy. To be clear, this is not a comedy, but it does have a bombastic, humorous element, and sometimes a little inner “Weekend with Bernie” wants to come out.

Madden’s attention to period detail is flawless and the photography splendid as well. The concept of storytelling is a strong theme in this film, where the team is writing the story of their fictional agent, while several people involved are writing their own novels. The film is based on a book by Ben Macintyre, but director John Madden and scriptwriter Michelle Ashford build the film around the characters as much as the surprising story. In the course of their work, Montagu and Cholmondeley develop a close friendship, but it is strained by the fact that they are both attracted to Kelly Macdonald’s Jean. In addition to the romantic rivalry, both Montagu and Cholmondeley have complicated personal lives that add to the tension as they work.

The fact that the film has so much going on – the clandestine operation, the love triangle, the complex personal stories of Montagu and Cholmondeley, and the storytelling theme – means holding a focus is a challenge. At times, that complexity actually works against the film as a whole, making a bit cluttered and unfocused. This is a fascinating true story but all the moving parts makes it feel as if Madden did not quite trust the appeal of this unlikely tale. There is enough material here for a couple of good movies but less may have been more in this case. Still, the cast is wonderful, the little touches of humor, and the basic unexpectedness of the true story do add up to an entertaining film highlighting the brilliance of these unsung war heroes and this remarkable untold story.

OPERATION MINCEMEAT opens at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and other theaters on Friday, May 6, and debuts streaming on Netflix on May 11.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS – Review

(L-R): Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange in Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2022. All Rights Reserved.

“Tra la! It’s May! The lusty month of May!” sings Guenevere in Lerner and Lowe’s classic musical “CAMELOT”. Well, if that “lust’ is for big Summer blockbusters, then the song holds true for film fans. Ah, but for the last fourteen years, May also means Marvel, as the cinema season officially begins with another trip into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). But it was in a later month, October, that Marvel’s master magician made his first big-screen appearance in a splashy solo outing/origin story. And can you believe that it was waaay back in 2016? Pretty long for a follow-up, though the good doc has been kept quite busy in the MCU, conferring with the Norse God in THOR: RAGNAROK, battling Thanos in the last two Avengers epics, and nearly six months ago he attempted to help Peter Parker in SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME with pretty calamitous consequences. Oh, but this one’s his “baby’ as he touches up the goatee (we saw that “coloring kit” in the basement), and irons his devoted cloak of levitation for DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS. Nuthin’ up his sleeves…

As that familiar logo fades out, the good doctor, Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is right in the midst of a harrowing rescue mission, protecting a terrified young woman from a looming, vicious “beastie”. And things aren’t going well…until he awakens. What kind of late-night snack could’ve spawned that nightmare? Before we can find out, he’s on his way to a wedding involving his former hospital colleague Christine (Rachel McAdams). Of course, the reception is disrupted, as the sounds of mayhem alert Strange to an unknown and unseen destructive force (hurling cars, buses, the standard Kaiju stuff). With the wave of his hand his spiffy tux morphs into his familiar “work uniform”, and Strange leaps into the fray as his spells make the beast visible, a nasty one-eyed massive “land-octopus”. Oh, and that single orb is focused on a teenage woman, the same one from Strange’s dream. Luckily the current Sorceror Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong) joins the battle royale and the young lady is rescued. The duo founds out her story at a nearby diner. She’s America Chavez ( Xochitl Gomez), who’s a visitor to the city. And this universe. It seems she has a “gift”: the ability to “cross over”, opening portals into different dimensions, a concept Strange dealt with in his team-up with Spidey. He believes that a powerful being used witchcraft to send the monster after her in order to exploit and perhaps steal her power. As Wong whisks her away to the mountain top magic fortress/training camp Kamar-Taj, Strange pays a visit to someone familiar with those dark arts. He finds Wanda Maximoff AKA the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), still in mourning at her secluded rural home. When the menace is revealed, a huge battle at the Taj sends Strange and Chavez on a wild multiverse trek, from “616” to “838” (not area codes), as they try to thwart a crazed masterplan that could destroy theirs and all the worlds.

Once again Cumberbatch reminds us of his “action hero” skills, though if he can be a self-loathing “cow-puncher, then the man can tackle any role. After his last three MCU exploits, he’s balancing the conjuring with an often dry, even brittle sense of humor, which offsets the deadly danger and often incredulous concepts. But here Cumberbatch shows us the good doctor’s somber side as he’s reminded of his life choices and ponders the “path not taken” (he’s caught off guard several times when asked, “Are you happy?”). Of course, he also conveys the doctor’s razor-sharp intelligence, even as he forgoes the “spells’ for some hand-to-hand battles. Matching his mystical methods is Olsen, fresh off her justly lauded work in the streaming series “Wandavision”, who delves further into the emotional depths to make Ms. Maximoff perhaps the MCU’s most conflicted character. She’s literally the “walking wounded”, haunted by the memories of the love she shared with her fantasy siblings (and Viz). But those sad eyes can turn icy cold when those “visions” are threatened, flipping the switch into “danger mode”. Olsen firmly establishes herself as one of the movies’ most talented and interesting talents. We also get another superb actress returning after the first DS epic, namely McAdams, who is given much more to do this time around as Strange’s “lost past love”, Christine. She projects that intense, still simmering passion for him, though it’s tempered by the heartbreaks of the past that remind her that they’re just “not in the cards”. Oh, and the film showcases a terrific new screen star in Gomez as Chavez, a teenager who’s much more than a “damsel in distress” or the prize in an epic “tig-of-war”. She’s dealing with intense guilt over her own past while forcing herself to move forward and find the solution within herself while being careful about the new version of familiar faces and not trusting too quickly. Wong as “Wong” is an excellent verbal sparring partner for the doctor, fighting to protect, but fast to deflate any bit of ego. And also returning from the 2016 flick is Chiwetel Ejiofor as Baron Mordo, Strange’s “frenemy” then, but now perhaps a pillar of support in a multiverse variant that may be an aid in the fight, though Strange keeps his defenses “up”.

Here’s a rare bit of merchandising from the 1960s: A T-shirt put out by Marvel themselves. Can you imagine the comments at school when you wore this? “Dude, izzat’ Vincent Price? Cool”

Earlier I provided a look into what’s really just the first act, or perhaps a prologue, of the film, to keep from spoiling any of the twists and surprises. Yes, it’s really action-packed, unlike many stories set in the “nether-realms”. And it charges right “out of the gate” at audiences, as though “shot out of a cannon” perhaps due to the new force at the “director’s chair’. But we could also call him a “seasoned” one as he’s new to the MCU, but a veteran of Marvel movies. I’m speaking of the masterful Sam Raimi who first brought Spidey to the cinemas twenty years ago (wow), along with two sequels for Sony (before Marvel started their own studio). Now he’s back, working directly for Marvel Studios on the other major “silver age of comics” creation from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (and with his jet-black goatee and hair, with a side silver streak, Cumberbatch really looks like Ditko’s rendition in the flesh). Hard to believe that Raimi has been making movies for 40 years as he brings the energy and inventive spark of a recent film school grad to this superhero/ horror hybrid. Yes, there’s some truly scary stuff, so parents may want to check it out before deciding if their lil’ MCU fans can handle it. Oh, and Raimi brings much the same ferocity (as Stephen King said on the movie poster and ads) he used in the EVIL DEAD trilogy, the Spidey trilogy, and his pseudo-superhero DARKMAN with a pinch of the “gallows humor” of DRAG ME TO HELL. Plus he uses the new film tech as though he’s a kid in a candy store with swooping drone shots, twisty spiraling dreamscapes, and BEMs (bug-eyed monsters) who seem to have sprung from those Ditko-drawn Atlas comics of the late 50s. I’m most happy to report that he’s not merely “punching a time clock” doing “work for hire”. The wise execs in charge are letting Raimi be Raimi, complete with the signature camera shots and inside jokes and “running gags” that will warm his fans’ hearts. And it’s a blissful reunion with the music maestro behind many of his films, the great Danny Elfman who’s a big aid in a scene that’s a “music throw-down” mixing nods to FANTASIA and THE 5000 FINGERS OF DR. T (really). The screenplay from Michael Waldron provides a great “springboard’ for the fun, though the story’s highlight occurs prior to its third act with a “set piece’ that will make Marvel fans vibrate with glee (giddy doesn’t quite describe it). The MCU knows how to “reward” their fans (listen up, “Distinguished Competition”). But since that sequence is early, the film tends to drag a bit as it could use a bit of a trim (maybe five or six minutes to keep up the pace). And yes, the mid and post-credits bits are great, as this proves to be a most worthy successor to the recent Spidey spectacle. DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS is more movie magic from the “house (and studio) of ideas”! Somewhere Stan is flashing that sweet smile…

3.5 Out of 4

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS is now playing in theatres everywhere

A TEAR IN THE SKY – Review

By Marc Butterfield

You couldn’t be blamed for thinking that the documentary A TEAR IN THE SKY was just another UFO offering in the same vein as History channels “Ancient Aliens”, after all, Caroline Cory is the writer and directory, and is deeply involved with that show. Cory gives the vibe of a wide-eyed believer at all times, but not so wide-eyed that she isn’t a truly thoughtful observer who wants to get proof of her beliefs. However, A TEAR IN THE SKY is a horse of a completely different color. It is about the search for UFO, or UAP’s as they are now called (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon), but in this documentary, they are putting in to play not just Cory, as the writer and director, and William Shatner as a guest, but the group UAPX, a team of engineers and scientist, who don’t rely on anecdotal evidence and wild theories, but rather the data they can gather from finding a spot known for regular sightings, and then set up and work to triangulate their data collection points, with surprising and encouraging success.

Mixed with interviews of renowned scientists like Michio Kaku to shore-up some of the theories (but REAL scientific theories) about what is going on in the sky, the UAPX team uses a variety of collection equipment including standard video capture, along with radiation tracking, infrared, and gamma sensors, and then coordinate with each other at three locations to see if they can not only visually SEE the tic-tac shaped objects (made famous from the US Navy fighter pilot and US Navy ship videos) can be spotted, tracked, and what impact these objects are having on the space around them. It was truly fascinating to see the teams discuss in detail how they plan to do this, where they set up, and how they stayed in close radio contact to ensure optimum success with their mission.

In the end, the results were even more surprising than I thought I would see in the documentary A TEAR IN THE SKY, a short one-hour 28 minutes. The answers were, unsurprisingly inconclusive, however the things they were able to capture were very surprising, and they actually caught at least on thing that I don’t think anyone else has ever seen, certainly not in the standard “look, do you see that” blurry image you normally get that could be anything from a mylar balloon to who knows what. They saw the tic tacs, they got radiation readings, they brought up a host of salient points that anyone with even the tiniest hint of an open mind would have to mentally chew on for a bit to wrap their brain around. You won’t walk away knowing any absolutes, but you also can’t just leave what you see here still in one hundred percent denial, either. The UAPX team shows that given proper funding with a competent team, and current technology, we humans may actually be on the cusp of finding out exactly what these unidentified Aerial phenomenon really are. After all, Cory only had a week to get her team together and get this much, imagine what a team with real funding and a more realistic time frame could get?

Watch the skies, keep an eye out for those UFO’s… A TEAR IN THE SKY is an engaging film.

3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

AVAILABLE NOW: https://geni.us/ATearInTheSky

FIREBIRD – Review

Set in Cold War-era Estonia, then occupied by the Soviet Union, a two young men, a soldier and a pilot, fall in love, a dangerous relationship forbidden by homophobic law, in the English-language romantic thriller/drama FIREBIRD. Appropriately, this moving film is debuting in St. Louis just as Cinema St. Louis’ QFest, its celebration of gay-themed film, kicks off on Friday, April 29.

Sergey (Tom Prior), Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya) and Volodja (Jake Thomas Henderson) are an inseparable trio, in military service at the Soviet Air Force base in Estonia, and as the film opens, the three friends have sneaked off to swim on the rocky coast. When a Soviet security patrol catches them, Volodja’s family connections keep them out of trouble but the tension of living in 1977 Soviet-occupied Estonia is made clear. Also made clear in the scene, as the three young people play in the sea, is that beautiful Luisa is infatuated Sergey, while Sergey is far more interested in Volodja.

The opening scene leads us to expect this be a romantic triangle but this fact-based story takes a different turn, with the arrival of a new pilot, Lt. Roman Matvejev (Oleg Zagorodnii). Private Sergey Serebrennikov has just informed his kindly commander Major Zverev (Margus Prangel) that he intends to leave the military, to return home to his family farm to support his widowed mother, but Major Zverev gives him a last assignment, as the driver and assistant to the new lieutenant. Sergey quickly discovers they share an interest in photography, theater, and Tchaikovsky, and the pilot encourages Sergey to pursue his deferred dream of attending acting school in Moscow. The pair really bond over a trip to a performance of The Firebird, where Sergey drives the lieutenant over the border and stays to watch the show from a back row while the lieutenant joins friends up front. The ballet is a revelation to the young Sergey, as is a secret embrace and kiss in a forest near the border where they pause when returning. Well aware what they are doing risky but deeply in love, the tension of their situation increases when an anonymous note is sent to the camp’s KGB officer Colonel Kuznetsov (Nicholas Woodeson). The KGB agent becomes determined to catch and expose the pilot and his unknown lover.

Again, this true story veers from our expectations, as it becomes increasingly complex. But it remains a tense, and ultimately heartbreaking and tragic romance as it unfolds. FIREBIRD is led by a fine performance by Tom Prior as Sergey, well supported by the rest of the cast and director Peeter Rebane’s nuanced direction. Prior and Rebane co-produced the film and co-wrote the script from the story by Sergey Fetisov.

FIREBIRD starts out feeling more like a basic gay romance with the added tension of the time period and place, but quickly deepens to something more, exploring other choices in life and the price others might pay for our choices, in addition to its political commentary on the fall-out of homophobic policies on individual lives. Peeter Rebane directs this complicated tale with sensitivity but a firm hand. There is a recurring use of water and swimming, with its symbolism of birth, rebirth, and the natural world, but the water also provides some romantic scenes with bare bodies and an extra frisson of excitement, without being particularly explicit, therefore making them more romantic than erotic. The acting is fine throughout, although the focus is very much on Tom Prior’s Sergey, but Diana Pozharskaya is a standout as well as Oleg Zagorodnii. The toxic influence of secrets runs through this tale.

FIREBIRD opens Friday, April 29, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema, the Chase Park Plaza Cinemas 5, and other theaters nationwide.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

MEMORY – Review

*Liam Neeson stars as “Alex Lewis” in director Martin Campbell’s MEMORY, an Open Road Films / Briarcliff Entertainment release. Credit: Rico Torres | Open Road Films / Briarcliff Entertainment*

Adapting an old comic line: of all the Liam Neeson action/revenge/rescue movies MEMORY is the most … recent. Neeson plays Alex Lewis, a hit man with scruples (again), seeking retirement (again) from his craft. But he’s forced into one more job (again) that goes awry (again) putting the target on his back (again). One of the reasons for his attempt to quit is awareness that the same dementia that has already deprived his brother of all awareness is starting that downward spiral for him. The complication that drives this tired plot is his refusal to whack a child, and his anger at those who did.

Guy Pearce supports the effort as FBI agent Vincent Serra, frustrated by constraints from his superiors that keep him from shutting down the human trafficking ring he’s been pursuing here and in Mexico. Coincidentally, when Neeson starts writing reminders on his arm in moments of clarity, anticipating lapses, it’s reminiscent of Pearce doing the same on his body for similar reasons in MEMENTO. Pearce must have had pleasant flashbacks to that excellent movie when reading this script. Presumably, that kept him from realizing how convoluted and predictable it was.

If you haven’t seen more than one of Neeson’s last half-dozen or so action flicks, you might still find this one engaging. The Alzheimer’s theme is relatively new but not exactly unique among crime dramas here and abroad. In fact, this one is apparently based on a Belgian film from 2003, THE MEMORY OF A KILLER (De Zaak Alzheimer), which I haven’t seen. In this incarnation, symptomatic episodes tend to occur in relatively benign moments but other films have been more daring, with their protagonists going blank during a fight or other dangerous situation.

The cast is full of stock types doing stock things on both sides of the law. What suspense exists is propped up by some ambiguity about who are the good guys, and whose strings are being pulled by the bad ones. Monica Bellucci sleepwalks through her rich, powerful villainess turn as an El Paso real estate magnate named Davana Sealman. Director Martin Campbell does no favors for his cast or audience with a slow pace in mostly dark settings that make it seem much longer than its 114-minute running time. The sex and violence elements are minimally graphic for its R-rating, adding to the dullness of the product.

At the risk of stating the obvious too obviously, MEMORY is eminently forgettable, if not regrettable.

MEMORY opens Friday, Apr. 29, in theaters.

RATING: 1 out of 4 stars

THE DUKE – Review

*Jim Broadbent as Kempton Bunton, Helen Mirren as Dorothy Bunton in THE DUKE. Photo by Mike Eley, BSC. Courtesy of Pathe UK. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics*.

In this delightful, true story-based, quirky comic tale, Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren costar as a bickering couple in a tale of a working class Newcastle man with a plan to ransom a stolen painting, Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington, to provide benefits for low-income retirees. Broadbent plays the rarely practical but idealistic man with the plan, while Helen Mirren stars as his long-suffering, more practical wife. THE DUKE focuses on a real 1961 incident in which a portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya, newly purchased by the British government for 140,000 pounds, was stolen from the national gallery, the first and so far only theft from the gallery to date. The authorities are convinced a professional ring of thieves, possibly Italian, are behind the theft, until they receive a ransom note demanding millions – for charity.

Britain is a nation famous for eccentric characters and director Roger Michell’s comedy mines the classic humor in that vein. Often these are upper-crust eccentrics, so this working class fellow is a refreshing change, especially with this character’s obsessive crusading on behalf of the poor and forgotten. The fact that this is based on a real person makes the film all the more charming and heart-warming, even if the film is more true-ish than strictly factual.

THE DUKE is as quirky and charming as its lead character, and much of its delightful charm comes from Jim Broadbent and also the comically crackling scenes between Broadbent and Helen Mirren as the seeming mismatched couple. Broadbent’s happy, impractical dreamer Kempton Bunton is described in the film’s promotions as a taxi driver but that is just one in a long line of jobs as the oddly-named fellow pursues his true passions, writing plays and waging an on-going protest campaign for free TV for seniors. Kempton Bunton is a self-educated, endlessly optimistic man who aspires to be a playwright and is a staunch defender of the poor, particularly veterans, widows and pensioners, but who has trouble holding a job and making a living. His perpetually-worried, practical wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren) takes up the financial slack by cleaning house for the well-off Mrs. Gowling (Anna Maxwell Martin), the wife of an local official, who admires her hard-working housekeeper and her idealistic husband.

In 1961, Britons are required to buy a license to own a TV to watch BBC, but Bunton protests that it is unfair to Old Age Pensioners (OAP) for whom TV might be their only entertainment or company. Bunton is outraged when the government buys the Wellington portrait, noting how many TV licenses it could pay for with those funds. His wisecracking, more practical and worried wife Dorothy loves him but is clearly frustrated by his lack of practical sense about making a living and embarrassed by his many community campaigns. Bunton makes a deal with Dorothy: if she lets him take a two-day trip to London to try to speak to Parliament about his TV campaign and it fails, he will give up his community activism and his play writing and just get a steady job. She agrees, but while in London, Bunton gets up to far more. When he returns, the news is full of talk about the theft of the painting.

Director Roger Michell’s film focuses more is on the trial than on the heist itself, although we do learn about that too, and on the couple’s home life. That choice gives more room for the entertaining banter between the couple as well as showcasing Jim Broadbent’s entertaining humorous patter in court. An excellent Matthew Goode plays Bunton’s barrister Jeremy Hutchinson, a high-priced attorney married to a famous stage actress, presumably doing pro bono work here. Goode offers his own humorous touches while also serving as a foil for the oddball Bunton, while John Heffernan plays prosecutor Edward Cussen, his nearly-unbeatable adversary, as amusingly superior as he calls his long list of witnesses. James Wilby plays the long-suffering judge, facing a court gallery filled with sometimes-noisy Bunton supporters, and who at one point reminds Bunton they are in court and he is not “auditioning for a musical.” Charles Edwards is droll as the very proper chief investigator Sir Joseph Simpson who is so certain he is tracking an elusive team of international pro thieves and is so chagrined when the real culprit is revealed.

The Buntons’ youngest son still lives at home but the couple actually had three children, although they lost their only daughter as a young woman in an accident that still haunts the family. Fionn Whitehead is excellent as the couple’s well-meaning younger adult son Jackie, a sharp contrast to their older son Kenny (Jack Bandeira), an often-broke petty criminal who returns home to lay low, along with his still-married girlfriend Pamela (Charlotte Spencer), much to the dismay of his morally-straight mother. Aimee Kelly plays Irene, who becomes Jackie Bunton’s supportive girlfriend

At a brief 96 minutes, THE DUKE moves along briskly, but gives us enough time to get to know the characters and explore the quirks of the oddball story. Cleverly, the film is partly shot in the style of 1961 films, with split screen shots and a bouncy jazz score, which gives it an extra charm.

The biggest delight in this off-beat warm and funny tale is Jim Broadbent’s performance as the quip-prone, idealistic Bunton. But he is closely followed by Helen Mirren and their marvelous bantering, battling scenes are among the film’s best. The film is structured to reveal some surprises that came out much later, long after the trial, but there are moments when jumping back and forth in time feels a bit awkward. Still, it is a minor flaw in an otherwise warm, amusing, unlikely true story tale.

THE DUKE opens Friday, Apr. 29, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and other theaters.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

POMPO THE CINEPHILE – Review

Alright, who’s ready for a movie about making a movie? Pretty tired idea, eh? Sure we’ve seen recent flicks about the making of several classics, from CITIZEN KANE to PSYCHO, even THE ROOM. Why there’s now a streaming miniseries about all the effort to get THE GODFATHER made. Well, this flick’s got a couple of twists. First, it’s about a movie that’s not legit (kind of like the Rick Dalton movies of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD). Oh, and here’s the second, really big thing: it’s an animated feature. Specifically, an anime based on a manga originally serialized online. How’s that for “something completely different”. Plus the film title actually refers to this film’s producer, not the director or star, who is known as POMPO THE CINEPHILE.

So, where is she known? Pompo (voiced by Konomi Kohara) is practically royalty in the movie capital of the world, Nyallywood (hmm) where she is part of a dynasty, the teenage granddaughter of the founder of Peterzen Picture Studios. Of course, she’s hired lots of folks to help produce her big-budget (bur “B” in spirit) blockbusters starring the blonde “screen queen” Mystia (Ai Kakuma), the main one being the shy, nervous film fanatic Gene Fini (Hiroya Shimizu). That is, until one morning when Pompo stuns him by giving him the chance to direct her screenplay “Meister”, a somber drama about an artist getting back his creative spark. Oh, and it will star reclusive acting icon Martin Braddock (Akio Otsuka), who has been lured out of retirement. He’ll be back acting opposite an unknown, an aspiring actress Natalie Woodward (Rinka Otani), who Gene has adored from afar. After the footage has been shot, Gene toils for countless hours in the editing suite, only to realize he needs one more scene. But the premiere date looms, and Pompo has run out of money. Luckily Gene runs into an old classmate, Alan (Ryuichi Kijima) who has gone into banking, though he shares a love of cinema. Can he convince his bank’s stuffy board of directors to take a chance on what could be a movie masterpiece? Or will Gene be overseeing another Mystia action extravaganza?

Well, this is a big departure for animated features as it uses the medium (not a genre) to satirize and comment on the current state of cinema, while still establishing a whimsical fantasy “dream-world”. Its take on “Tinsel-town” is that of a wild and wonderful pastel and candy-colored utopia, although Natalie (nice nod to a screen legend) most take lots of menial jobs (but nothing seedy). Sure, it’s pretty much all-ages even with the scene of a giant octopus nearly squeezing Mystia out of her too-small bikini top (another nice nod, perhaps to Jessica Rabbit). The character design mixes fairly realistic-style looks (think the superhero toons) of Braddock and Pterzen with the wild, manic manga types (Gene and Nat) with large open mouths and exploding water beads. On the other hand, Pompo herself appears to be a mix of Sailor Moon and Pippi Longstocking (her braids and pigtails are fluffy and billowing). Credit is due to director Takayuki Hirao for finding a way to make software film editing cinematic as he pictures Gene in a bright-neon glow dreamscape fighting a celluloid hydra by brandishing a scythe/machete (maybe a Klingon mace). And as I mentioned earlier, the pace is frenetic, whipping back and forth through time and (inner) space, but it’s never confusing. Oh, I do whole-heartedly agree with the big cinema secret revealed in the final moments. Maybe we could use a few more studio heads who sympathize with the audience like POMPO THE CINEPHILE. And that’s a wrap!

3 Out of 4

POMPO THE CINEPHILE opens in select theatres everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at the Marcus Ronnie’s 20.

HIT THE ROAD (2022) – Review

Ah, with the slowly rising temps and with most schools getting ready to finish u[ their “grade years”, many families are hearing the call of the open highway. Maybe more so than other forms of mass transportation, driving may be the best option with new “variants’ popping up . But long hours in such “close quarters’ can certainly put a strain on the old “family dynamic”. And that’s probably true with families all around the world. In this new release, we’re in the ‘passenger seat’ for a winding journey through the battered dusty highways and byways of Iran. What really complicates this trek is what’s “packed away” with the bottled water and snacks, namely some big secrets. So, will these “hidden agendas” keep locked away when they HIT THE ROAD?

This story begins with a “rest stop’ off the shoulder of a baking trail full of sand and rocks. Papa (Hasan Majuni) is trying to nap in the back seat, while his left leg, which has been in a plaster cast for a loooong while, stretches into the front armrests. Of course, his slumber is thwarted by his “spirited” six-year-old son who’s mainly known as “little bro” (Rayan Sarlak). Meanwhile, his older “big bro” (Amin Simiar) walks around the borrowed SUV, looking for dents and leaks. In the front passenger seat, Mama (Pantea Panahiha) is jolted awake by her little boy’s hidden cell phone he had promised not to bring it along, so she grabs it and dashes away to hide it under a nearby rock, insisting that they will pick it up on the return home (odd). Soon they are back on the move, with the somber big brother at the wheel. Along the way, they encounter a cycling fan and make several “pit stops” to take the dog Jessy (who is very ill, though his frailty is hidden from the youngster) for a “walk”. After much squabbling, they get directions to their destination from a shepherd. It’s a “drop off” point for Big Bro, who has told his Little Bro that he’s off to a new job in a new city. The parents go along with the big “fib” and try to comfort their younger son while worrying about the possible dissolution of their family.

There’s a reason that the marketers have put Sarlak on the film’s poster (solo at that). He’s that rarity of child actors, one who seems completely natural on-camera. Plus he’s like so many “little men” of so many families. His character tests the patience of everyone around him, exhausting his elders to the breaking point. But it’s so hard to stay mad at him as he’s so endearing and plain adorable (watch him dance to the local pop tunes on the radio). Oh, but there’s the stubbornness, like a “dog with a bone”, never letting up on the questions as though he’s a broken record (or sound file). He’s a “formidable opponent” and makes a good sparring “scene partner” for Majuni as the gruff, always somewhat annoyed papa. He teases and taunts as he doesn’t let his inner turmoil bubble to the surface. He is quite the counterpart to Panahiha as the matriarch with her “emotions on her sleeve”, also trying to hide her fears and comforting her two “fellas” and attempting to be the glue that must repair their fractured family. The most crumbling piece is her eldest who is an enigma as played by a very stoic Simiar. He’s trying to keep focused and not get caught up on the fable concocted for his tiny sibling. There’s a spiritual sword dangling above his head but struggles to keep it out of his thoughts.

Director/writer Panah Panahi deftly balances comic exchanges and deep interpersonal conflicts while following this quartet across the desert. Sure, we know folks get quarrelsome while traveling, but there’s much going on beneath the surface. That may be the most difficult aspect of this tale. Clues and hints are dropped, but we feel almost as baffled as “lil bro”, aching to know exactly why we’re there and what’s really the problem with “big bro”. But there are great “crumbs’ along the trail. An encounter with a cyclist provides some needed humor, while a camping sequence with papa and his lil’ boy has a cosmic, mystical vibe. But then we’re kept at arm’s length, observing scenes from far, far away (this makes the subtitling even more difficult to sort out), leading to an ending full of dangling plot threads. Thanks to the teaming of Sarlak and Mujani HIT THE ROAD chugs along but over its final miles, the film just meanders and runs out of gas.

2 Out of 4

HIT THE ROAD opens in select theatres everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

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