Category: Review

Reviews from all of the movies we have seen lately, including everything in theaters and on DVD.

NO TIME TO DIE -Review

B25_25594_R James Bond (Daniel Craig) prepares to shoot in NO TIME TO DIE, an EON Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios film Credit: Nicola Dove © 2020 DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Hey all you lovers of cinema excitement and thrills, you know the name and you know the number. The “gentleman secret agent’ has been delighting movie audiences for nearly sixty years now .Each new adventure just seems to build on the prvious one, with more action, more romance, and, well, just more (not a pun on the 70s into the mid 80s potrayer). Oh, but what an excruciating tease this has been. He was supposed to return to the multiplexes nearly 18 months ago, but a worldwide crisis (one that some felt was similar to some of the villainous schemes of previous movie masterminds) kept him “out of duty”. But the wait is over. I’ve been viewing these films in theatres for over fifty years now, but I must admit that seeing those opening white circles along with the opening strains of his musical theme kicked my pulse rate up a couple of beats. But really, with the official 25th entry will film fanatics worldwide insist that 2021 is NO TIME TO DIE?

The producers still have a few surprises up their sleeve with the franchise as it opens with a traumtic flashback that doesn’t focus on “the pride of the British Secret Service”. No it’s a look into the past of Madeline (Lea Seydoux), who was introduced in 2015’s SPECTRE. Since the end of that mission, she’s the traveling paramour of 007, James Bond (Daniel Craig). While visiting Matera an ambush leads to a painful parting for the couple. Skip ahaead five years as a secret MI6 biological warfare lab is attacked by heavily armed goon who grabs one of the deadly viral creations along with its creator, Valdo (David Dencik). We’re than off to Jamaica, the retirement home of Bond, who suspects he’s had a visitor drop in while he was out. Heading into a nightclub that evening he bumps into the mysterious Nomi (Lashana Lynch), a woman connected to Bond’s past life. A bit later he discovers his “houseguest’, old friend and CIA liason Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) who is mentoring over-eager young agent Logan (Billy Magnussen). After much cajoling, Felix enlists Bond to join them in Cuba to resuce the kidnapped scientist and his work. On that island, Bond is teamed with another agent, the sultry Paloma (Ana de Armas), but the retrieval mission goes fatally wrong. This prompts Bond to return to London and MI6 HQ where he is reunited with weapons wiazrd Q (Ben Whishaw), Miss Moneypenny (Naomi Harris), along with his former boss, M (Ralph Fiennes), who may ulterior motives. Nonetheless, Bond is on the job, one that will have him crossing paths with a former love, an old archenemy, and a sinister new threat named Safin (Rami Malek). Could he be the fiend that finally closes the case file of 007?

With his fifth Bond blockbuster under his belt. Craig easily delivers all the requirements of the iconic role, handling the stunts confidently while looking elegant in his Tom Ford suits. Unlike some of the previous entries he gives us a bit more of the Bond humor, tossing off witty asides while never overdoing the cringe-wothy “bon mots” that several actors couldn’t quite “land”. And, once again, Craig is perhaps the most beaten and battered Bond, but not just phsically in this outing (though his facial cuts and bruises don’t quite fade). This time he’s emotionally “put through the ringer” as he reflects on past romances and deals with a heartbreak in the opening minutes that hits him worse than a “too close for comfort” bomb blast. Craig balances Bond’s ruthlessness with a little explored vulnerability. If this is Craig’s last mission, then he more than the delivers the goods bringing an unexpected humanity to “Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”.

Much of the same can be said for Seydoux, who is more than merely the “Bond-girl” damsel-in-distress (it helps that she’s the first major “love interest” to be in back-to-back installments). Turns out that there was much more to Madeline’s story, and Seydoux expertly shows us her complexity and inner trauma. Yet there’s still her passionate protective instinct that kicks in when evil surrounds her and those she loves (not just her James). Malek is suitably unnerving as the “big baddie” Safin, but he’s not very compelling as Malek delivers a hestitant line delivery couple with a constant “deer in the headlights” leer. He’s such a talent, so it’s a shame that these choices don’t work. What does work in this story is another return, that of Christoph Waltz as the now incarcerated mastermind Blofeld. Though he over-indulged on the role’s eccentricities last time, the Hannibal Lechter-like restraints have brought a greater intensity as Blofeld intellectually toys with Bond like a cat with a trapped mouse. Also bringing a new spin on a familiar role, Fiennes gives M some deceptive and devious dark tones as we learn of his twisted machinations when he’s not barking at Bond. Luckily there’s Harris as Moneypenny, the peacekeeper, who displays a cynical sense of irony. Much of that is shared by Whishaw as Q, who still is flusterd by Bond, but has a quiet respect for him. But this time he’s not really sure of his own “gadgets and gizmos a-plenty”. Lynch is impressive as the very capable Nomi along with de Armas as the awlward but very skilled (a deadshot in a deliciously distracting outfit) Paloma, though I wish we saw more of her (and I’m not still talking about that dress). Magnussen and Dencik also provide a bit of comic relief until they both get the proper and very deserved denouncement.

It’s intersting that this actor arc of the series concludes under the skilled eye of a filmmaker new to this world of spies and seducers. Cary Joji Fukunaga , most celebrated for his TV work on HBO’s “True Detective” injects a sense of gritty and grim danger into this globe-trotting movie mission. He brings an edge to the often downbeat dramatics along with a fevered immediacy and even a sence of “gallows humor”. Much of this works thanks to the screenplay that he worked on with Robert Wade, Neal Purvis, and Emmy darling (for Fleabag) Phoebe Waller-Bridge (perhaps she aided in the comic interpaly and the strong female characters). As far as entries in the “Craig-era” of Bond, this is near the top of the quintet. It’s one that’s easily accessable to “new operatives” as it’s stuffed “to the gills’ with breathless action, mystery, and some “grounded gadgetry” ( the pulse-emitting watch is more plausable than the “invisible car’ from the last era). And happily there are lots of nods and winks at the series legacy, from a phrase and a song instramental early in its first act ( a big thanks to master music-scorer Hans Zimmer for his tribute to the great John Barry), to Safin’s attire, which seems to have been swiped from Dr. No’s closet. And that goes for the villain’s hidden lair/fortress (no, it’s not a hollowed-out volcano, but close) and even the hallways of MI6. Sure, this flick is a tad too long (too much dispatching of faceless goons John Wick-style in endless corridors in the big finale), but the surprising (for this franchise) conclusion is a fitting final bow to Craig whose bruised tightly-pursed lips breathed new life into a character who always seems to be re-invented just in time to capture the hearts of eager and always greatful filmgoers.It may be time for him to hang up the tux, but for Ian Fleming’s immortal creation, there’s really NO TIME TO DIE.

3.5 Out of 4

NO TIME TO DIE is now playing in theatres everywhere

VENGEANCE IS MINE – Review

A scene from VENGEANCE IS MINE. Photo credit: Dubin (Submersive Media). Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

I wonder what percentage of action movies rely on our innate human desire to avenge a wrong? That premise serves many genres – Westerns, martial arts, period and contemporary crime, etc. They range from low-key Everyman protagonists to hardcore splatterfests. This quiet little offering is a fine example of the former.

VENGEANCE IS MINE opens with an armed robbery and escape by four masked thugs in an SUV. Cut to Harry (Con O’Neill), a severely depressed man living on a cot in a church basement, in exchange for menial services. He considers suicide. We gradually learn that his state is the result of helplessly witnessing his wife and daughter being killed by those thugs’ vehicle during their escape. Harry has spent years waiting for a hired detective to discover who they were, since he’d only briefly glimpsed their faces and they were never caught. The real story kicks in when he finally gets a lead from his investigator.

Harry was obviously never a man of action. He’d surely never even seen a Charles Bronson movie, since he commits so many rookie mistakes that result in various unpleasant consequences. O’Neill makes it work with a splendid performance, showing us Harry’s overwhelming grief and his inner conflicts when the opportunity for payback finally arises. Despite his years of searching and suffering, that opening doesn’t turn him into a Billy Jack (you were expecting me to cite Rambo, weren’t you?). His pain continues even in moments of gratification. That makes him more relatable than many such leads who already have, or train hard to acquire, the kill skills for their missions. Writer/director Hadi Hajaig tells the tale efficiently in only 79 minutes, which is still enough time for showing all the character traits, moods and story arc needed for a satisfying package. The gritty London locations support the realistic, human-scale action while presumably minimizing the budget.

Finally, here’s a nod to stunt coordinator Peter Pedrero. In 30 years, he’s amassed 335 stunt credits while only getting a score of roles to call his own. He looks and acts the part of a low-level thug like one who’s done a lot more on camera than take some other guy’s punches and falls.

That path reminds me of Red West, who spent much of his career in stunts, often playing unnamed henchmen, before landing some featured roles later in his career, including a lead in another fine indie film, GOODBYE SOLO. It’s nice to see hard work in the trenches rewarded.

VENGEANCE IS MINE opens Oct. 8 in select theaters and on demand.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

MAYDAY (2021) – Review

Okay, here’s a unique twist on some classic fables, one that could truly be called a “fairy tale for grown-ups”. Like many of those “bedtime stories,’ it concerns the main character who’s whisked away from their dull existence into an exciting fantasy realm. Ah, but here the starting point is oppressive sexism in a place all too similar to our world. And the escape spot is not full of whimsical, magical creatures. No, it’s a place of blood, bullets, and near-constant warfare, as the land’s group of transplanted sisters spend much of their days brethelessly repeating one phrase into a spawky radio transmitter. In Military Phonetic Alphabet, over and over, it’s always MAYDAY.

And that’s just what we hear on the soundtrack (“Mary….Alice…Yankee..”) as the black screen gives way to a modern-day young college-age couple in a late model car. Ana (Grace Van Patten) and Dimitri (Theodore Pellerin) work in a dreary banquet hall. She serves the guests, while he busses and occasionally supplies the music. Everyone’s rushing to set up a wedding as a thunderstorm threatens to shut down the electricity. Ana’s supervisor is an abusive bully who berates her and eventually assaults her in a walk-in cooler. She runs out and ends up near the downstairs fuse box. A flip of a switch leads to a burst of sparks and darkness. When Ana opens her eyes, everyone is gone as she heads back to the kitchen. Odd noises and a strange light beckon her to open up the oven of a stove and crawl inside. Suddenly she’s swimming in a bright blue ocean. She’s awakened by a woman around her age, dressed in WW II-era army garb named Marsha (Mia Goth). The two travel to a beached rusted-out submarine where Ana meets the other girls, the tough-talking Gert (Soko) and the child-like Bea (Havana Rose Liu). The women use the sub’s radio equipment to broadcast out the “Mayday” message in order to send nearby ships into destructive storms. Those survivors (and any parachuters) that make it to their island are picked off sniper-style and stripped of ammo, boots, and any other items of use. The ‘sides” in the ongoing war aren’t important, as Marsha and her troupe try to eliminate them all. And it looks like they have an asset in Ana as she is adept with a rifle and spotting the enemy in the darkness. But when she balks at her first kill, a power-rift develops between her and Marsha, prompting Ana to try to return to her past world. But is there a way to defy Marsha and get off the island?

As the world-tripping heroine, Van Patten projects a relatable vulnerability as the often bewildered Ana. In the opening scenes at her job, she averts her eyes, hoping to blend into the scenery as she endures some really horrific treatment (HR, where are you). But on the island, we see an inner glow slowly fill her body, as she seemingly awakens from a stupor, though she doesn’t give in completely to revenge. Van Patten’s body language suggests a prisoner finally free from her heavy shackles. Of course, there are no such emotional restraints on Marsha, who Goth plays as the island’s swaggering “queen bee”, who relishes the chance to call the shoots ala’ Peter Pan. But when she’s crossed by Ana we see the inner tyrant emerge as she endangers her sisters with no remorse before pushing back with a truly scary screech of dominance. Soko as Gert is a most supportive soldier who finally sees the strength of Ana while discovering the pettiness of Marsha. Liu as Bea is the sweet, almost sassy kid sister of this “family”, who craves touch even as she helps in “cleansing” her home. A nice addition to these screen newcomers is film and TV vet Juliette Lewis in a cool dual role. In our world, she’s a dour restroom “attendant”, while in the “war world” she’s a hermit-like “Ms. Fix-It” (“I don’t play well with others”) who runs the garage and offers good advice with the gasoline.

With this, her feature film debut, writer/director Karen Cinorre, has come up with an intriguing fantasy commentary on the treatment of women in society. The “war island” becomes a space of empowerment and revenge, as the women act as contemporary “sirens” of mythology, luring men to their doom (the shots of their bodies floating underwater has almost a disturbing beauty). Cinorre mixes elements of Wonderland, Oz, and Neverland to showcase these talented actresses, while offering a debate on morality and justice (Ana has a code that Marsha will not tolerate). Unfortunately the story detours into precious dream sequences (do we really need to see Ana and a dozen hunky male GIs frolicking to Liberace’s take on ” Love is Blue”), along with countless montages of the quartet swimming in their “civies”, when they’re not endlessly chainsmoking (ugh). There are some involving ideas here, but often the execution is awkward, with muffled dialogue and nearly pitch-black battles (perhaps to tighten the already small budget). MAYDAY is certainly a film for adventurous viewers, while the abstract adventures and very abrupt ending will have many moviegoers scratching their heads, and perhaps trying to track down the exotic locales.

2 Out of 4

MAYDAY is in select theatres and can be streamed as a Video On Demand via most apps and platforms.

BLACK AS NIGHT – Review

A scene from Amazon’s DARK AS NIGHT. Courtesy of Amazon Studios

Ever since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the woefully inadequate efforts to rebuild many residential areas, New Orleans has served as glaring example of income inequality, racism and government stasis. BLACK AS NIGHT is a darkly comic film that piles one more problem onto the shoulders of a blighted, mostly minority neighborhood – vampires who feed on junkies and the homeless. From the bloodsuckers’ point of view, it’s a way to fly (figuratively, if not literally) under the radar, since they’re feeding on those least likely to be missed by the authorities. Locals understandably feel otherwise, once they’re aware of the situation.

When a teenager (Asjha Cooper) happens to see a group feeding on one poor soul, she tries to intervene, getting bitten in the process. Fortunately a passing car causes the vamps to pull out – suckus interruptus – before she’s been drained enough to be killed or turned. She researches the creatures, recruiting a few allies for a more serious version of a Scooby Doo or Nancy Drew counterattack. Casualties occur in a moderately gory battle for the community and our species.

The script by Sherman Payne efficiently packages a nice mix of humor, suspense, action and social messaging. A couple of performances and scenes border on the campy (Keith David, consider yourself warned) but the author’s important points land without pontification or other forms of overkill. The trio of plucky protagonists discharge their acting duties as well as their slaying. Better, actually, since they’re forced to learn the essential techniques on the fields of battle, with inevitable missteps along the way. Dangerous setting for a long learning curve.

Cooper’s performance as actor and narrator is noteworthy, particularly for a relatively new face. As her initially-shy character grows in confidence and determination, she reminds me of another female vampire foe – a younger version of TRUE BLOOD’s Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley). The film comes from prolific low-budget horror source Blumhouse Productions, and rates as one of their better efforts among those I’ve seen. They know how to get the most value per dollar of investment.

BLACK AS NIGHT is available for streaming on Amazon Prime starting Oct. 1.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK – Review

(L-r) BILLY MAGNUSSEN as Paulie Walnuts, JON BERNTHAL as Johnny Soprano, COREY STOLL as Junior Soprano (in back), JOHN MAGARO as Silvio Dante, RAY LIOTTA as “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti and ALESSANDRO NIVOLA as Dickie Moltisanti in New Line Cinema and Home Box Office’s “THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo credit: Barry Wetcher / Warner Bros. Courtesy of Warner Brothers Studios

The highly-anticipated “Sopranos” prequel THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK finally arrives in theaters and proves that it was worth the long wait. “The Sopranos” was the influential, award-winning television series that likely started the binge-watching phenomenon, but one of the nice things about this mobster drama is that there is no need to be a fan of the long-running series, or even to have seen a single episode, to fully enjoy this film and be drawn into its well-rounded world and thrilled by its surprise-around-every corner plot. There is plenty here for any fan of mobster movies or twisty thrillers generally. But if you are a Sopranos fan, there are plenty of extra thrills in seeing characters only talked about in the series or younger versions of favorites like Paulie Walnuts and Silvio Dante, and discovering how New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano and his world came to be.

Focusing on the Soprano-Moltisanti branch of New Jersey’s DiMeo crime family, the film gives an introduction to the world of “The Sopranos” and every major figure from the series at an earlier time. However, if you are a Sopranos fan expecting this film to deliver you right to the doorstep of Tony’s home, with the late James Gandolfini as the grown mob boss trundling out in his robe to get the morning paper, this ain’t it. The story ends with Tony still young but with a brilliant script by series creator David Chase and Lawrence Konner and strong direction by Alan Taylor (whose work included episodes of The Sopranos and Game of Thrones), THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK has creator David Chase’s fingerprints all over it and fully sets up how Tony Soprano and his world came to be, setting the stage for that iconic shot that opened every show but with room to fill in more details.

Set in the turbulent late ’60s and early ’70s in Newark, New Jersey, the story incorporates real historical events, as rival gangs challenge the powerful DiMeo crime family and racial tensions and changing times rock the city of Newark. The film’s striking cinematography by Kramer Morgenthau brings the turbulent times to life, while production designer Bob Shaw (who was with “The Sopranos” for five seasons), effectively recreates the period and the feel of the Sopranos’ world.

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK introduces us to 11-year-old Anthony Soprano (William Ludwig) and then 16-year-old Tony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini, son of the late Sopranos star). But the young Tony is less the central figure in this tale than his Uncle Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who was the unseen, but often spoken of, mentor to crime boss Tony’s in the series, as well as the evolution of this world into the world of the Sopranos series. Although young Tony Soprano is in the opening scene, the narration that introduces it comes not from him but from an unseen Christopher Moltisanti, Uncle Dickie’s not-yet-born son. Dickie isn’t really Tony’s uncle but a close friend of Tony’s father and a fellow member of the DiMeo crime family. Dickie, also known as “Gentleman Dick” for his nice manners and smooth style, is a father figure to young Tony while his father Johnny Soprano (Jon Bernthal) is in prison, also serving as Tony’s role model with the approval of Tony’s mother Livia (Vera Farmiga). Dickie’s own father, “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti (Ray Liotta), a crime boss who once rubbed elbows with stars, has stepped back from running things, turning them over to Dickie. But his hot-tempered father still brings lots of stress to Dickie, after he and his new young Italian wife Giuseppina (Michela De Rossi) move into a shared duplex with his son and his family.

You might wonder who the “saints” are in this crime tale. Moltisanti means “many saints” in Italian but it is not the only reference the film slyly reveals throughout. The first of these “saints” are a street gang of Black youths named the Black Saints, who are stepping on the toes of this established Italian American crime syndicate in Newark. To deal with them, Dickie has brought in childhood friend and former high school football team mate Harold McBrayer (Leslie Odom Jr) to deal with one particularly bold Black Saint. Harold and Dickie are friends but Harold does not find a warm welcome from the rest of Dickie’s Italian American crime family. Both Harold and Dickie are ambitions but circumstances of the times are frustrating Harold’s ambitions.

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK is an ensemble film that blends many story lines as it weaves a picture of its times and the world young Tony Soprano is growing up in. Yet, the film is very cohesive, never losing us as it brings the various thread together, thanks to the well-crafted script. We are kept on the edge of our seats by every unseen turn in the plot but the film effectively mixes family drama and psychological character studies with crime film action and violence.

The crime family is on the verge of change and all their maneuvering is set against the changes and upheaval of Newark in the 1960s, particularly the race riots of the summer of 1967. The time period allows the introduction of a subplot about Harold McBrayer, played marvelously by Leslie Odom Jr., and an emerging Black crime syndicate. Early on, McBrayer’s experience with the Italian Americans parallels the path of Jewish and Irish mobsters in an earlier era, but the changing social and racial landscape alters that path and deepen the story.

Racial tensions are a big part of the story, not just historical backdrop, and some pivotal scenes take place during the summer 1967 Newark riots, which set large parts of the city aflame. In 1967, Newark is undergoing changes, as migration from the South brings increasing numbers of Black people into its working-class Central and North Wards, neighborhoods once dominated by Italian immigrants, cause clashes. The summer of 1967, the Summer of Love, sees the explosion of race riots, setting large portions of the city on fire, as changing times roil this branch of the DiMeo crime family.

Like the original show, the casting is superb, the characters striking, and the clever script provides drama, humor and mob thrills in satisfying measures. As Dickie Moltisanti, Alessandro Nivola is superb as a man torn by maintaining the smooth veneer of his family persona and coping with burning ambitions to discover his own path. All the characters in this tale are complex and multi-layered, chief among them this central one. Leslie Odom Jr has the character, Harold, who undergoes perhaps the greatest shift, and Odom handles the role masterfully.

Two of the most pivotal roles go to Ray Liotta, who plays both boss “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti, a flashy, egotistical character with a short fuse, and his imprisoned brother Salvatore “Sally” Moltisanti, a looming figure who has embraced jazz, Buddhism and honesty in prison while still maintaining the requisite mob silence. A standout on the comedic side is John Magaro as the younger balding consiglieri Silvio Dante (played memorably in the original by Steven Van Zandt) – before the wig. The gifted John Magaro (who really should have been nominated for an Oscar for his moving performance as Cookie in last year’s unjustly-overlooked FIRST COW) is both delightful and unrecognizable in this role, capturing Silvio’s vanity and distinctive mannerisms while missing none of his underlying menace.

A standout on the drama, and psychological, side is Vera Farmiga’s performance as Tony’s troubled mother Livia, a role played so masterfully by Nancy Marchand in the original and matched here in intensity by Farmiga. Corey Stoll likewise shines as Junior, a character we meet in his dotage in the series but here a conniving striver with a penchant for accidents. Tony’s associates Paulie “Walnuts” Gualtieri, played by Billy Magnussen and Sal “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, played by Samson Moeakiola in his screen debut, are also well-drawn and help craft that evolving Soprano world. Italian actress Michela De Rossi plays Hollywood Dick’s much younger Italian trophy wife, a figure that evokes thoughts of THE GODFATHER in a different form.

Shot on location in New Jersey and New York, the film also perfectly captures the period look and feel, with portions of Patterson and other New Jersey towns along with areas of the Bronx, Yonkers and other parts of New York standing in for an earlier Newark. While the mobsters are playing out their operatic dealings, the landscape around them is in flames. The camera work is breathtaking and the framing of the crime family dealings against the historic backdrop is stunningly jarring. All the costumes and props are properly vintage but so are the mannerisms, the racist undercurrents, and sense of seismic shift at work. Period music individually suited to each character compliments each scene.

Whether you are a fan of The Sopranos or never saw an episode, THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK delivers as a satisfying experience, a crime tale set in a volatile period, packed with depth, striking characters, drama and action, sprinkled with sly humor and crackling dialog.

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK opens Friday, Oct. 1, in theaters nationally.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

I’M YOUR MAN – review

Dan Stevens as Tom and Maren Eggert as Alma, in German director Maria Schrader’s sci-fi I’M YOUR MAN (Ich Bin Dein Mensch). Courtesy of Obscured Pictures and Bleecker Street

Would you fall in love with an android specially designed to please you? Would that be a good thing? That is the premise behind director Maria Schrader’s German sci-fi tale I’M YOUR MAN (Ich Bin Dein Mensch) starring Dan Stevens and Maren Eggert. I’M YOUR MAN starts out like a romantic comedy, but takes a deeper, more thoughtful, and thought-provoking turn in this excellent German language film. Of course, people falling in love with robots has a long literary history, going back to Pygmalion, and human-made men tales go back to the Golem and Frankenstein, was well as being a familiar science fiction theme. But Schrader, whose previous work includes the Netflix series “Unorthodox,” puts a new spin on it and what starts out as a meet-cute human-robot rom-com eventually evolves into something deeper, even meditating on the risks of substituting a perfect artificial construct for real human interactions.

Set in the near future, Alma (Maren Eggert) is an archaeologist who studies ancient poetry in cuneiform writing, who is drafted by the director of the museum where she works to be a tester for a new invention: an android designed to be a substitute for a romantic partner, but especially programmed to suit her. Alma, who is still getting over the break-up of a serious relationship, really does not want the task, but her boss insists, as the assignment comes with funding for her research. She is supposed to keep the android (which this German film calls a robot) for three weeks, and then write a report evaluating it. When she arrives to pick up her assigned android, she is escorted to a room recreating a romantic 1940s nightclub to meet her android Tom (Dan Stevens), but the robot starts glitching almost as soon as they meet, and is hauled off for quick repairs.

That meet-cute gets the rom-com side rolling quickly, as the AI robot Tom tries to find a way to please his would-be partner, who decides to house him in a utility closet with the broom and bucket. But the film slowly becomes something more serious and contemplative, meditating on the risks of substituting a “perfect” artificial construct for real if imperfect human interactions. While there are parallels to films such as HER and EX MACHINA, this android is far less threatening because he is programmed specifically to please her and to have no other purpose than to get better at doing that. It gives Dan Steven’s robot man a bit of a puppy dog aspect, both irritating Alma with his devotion and tugging at her heart – and ours – with his dogged determination to get better at his job and win her over.

Both Dan Stevens and Maren Eggert turn in strong, affecting performances that make the film work, along with its well-crafted script. Stevens has the tougher job, appearing machine like but a machine trying hard to be human, which requires the actor to walk a very fine line. At the same time, Stevens still has to make the audience like robot Tom. Eggert has more emotional latitude but she does an outstanding job as she explores all the various aspects of a conflicted woman who is anything but open to this whole idea. Alma is determined to approach it with a researcher’s professionalism, while coping with her broken heart. Alma’s ex, Julian (Hans Löw), works at the same museum institution, so running into him is painful and unavoidable. Clueless, Julian wants to be friends, which makes matters worse. Alma’s boss, played by FALILOU SECK, not only pressured her into this assignment but seems to view her as the test subject as much as the robot.

The strong supporting cast includes Sandra Hüller as an employee of the robotics company, which is hoping to market the romantic androids to the public, once they pass the testing phase. Huller provides much of the comedy outside of the central pair.

The script was based on the short story “Ich bin dein Mensch” by Emma Braslavsky, adapted for the screen by Jan Schomburg and director Schrader. Maria Schrader was an actor, starring in films such as AIMEE & JAGUAR, before turning to directing. Dan Stevens was cast because he speaks German well, and the script called for a “foreign” sounding android with a British accent, making Stevens was a perfect fit. Plus, the director wanted an actor who was less familiar to German audiences, and again the Downton Abbey star fit the bill (maybe that British hit series hasn’t reached German audiences yet).

What is most curious about the production is that, while it was cast before Covid hit, it was shot at the height of the pandemic, starting in August 2020, which required special precautions. Still, you would never know that looking at the finished film, although most scenes have two or three people. The acting is strong, as well as the script, but the photography and the whole production values are spot on, and the film is graced with a nice score, including jazz classics for that early meet-cute although, curiously, it does not include that Leonard Cohen classic in its title.

Schrader crafts a thoughtful film that both amuses and tugs at our heart and yet makes us think. I’M YOUR MAN, in German with English subtitles, opens Friday, Oct. 1, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and in theaters nationally, and will be available digitally on Tuesday, October 12th.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

OLD HENRY – Review

Tim Blake Nelson in the Western OLD HENRY. Courtesy of Shout! Studios and Hideout Pictures.

The classic Western rides again, with Tim Blake Nelson playing a quiet widowed farmer with teen-aged son on a hardscrabble Oklahoma farm, who takes in a wounded man found with a bag full of money and soon finds trouble follows. Writer/director Potsy Ponciroli’s low-budget indie Western action film OLD HENRY sports a much better than expected cast, and is elevated greatly by Tim Blake Nelson in a rare lead role.

OLD HENRY evokes classic Westerns, with its tale of an aging widowed farmer with a teen-aged son, defending his homestead when a group of armed men come looking for the wounded stranger they took in, and the bag of loot he had with him. Both the stranger and the men who have come looking for him claim to be lawmen, leaving the farmer to decide who to believe. But this farmer proves to have both more determination and surprising skills once the shooting starts, raising questions about his identity.

It is the classic lone man against many Western. In 1906 Oklahoma, Henry (Nelson) and his son Wyatt (Gavin Lewis) are working their little farm alone, struggling to get by without the help of a then-new invention, a tractor, but with a little help from the farmer’s late wife’s brother Al (Trace Adkins) who has the neighboring farm. Young Wyatt is itching to go off and leave farming behind, and chaffing under his stern, Bible-quoting father’s over-protectiveness. When the farmer spots a rider-less horse with a bloody saddle wandering onto his property, Henry feels bound to investigate. In an nearby creek bed, he finds an unconscious, nearly-dead stranger with a bag full of cash. Old Henry knows it is trouble as soon as he sees that money and his initial impulse is to walk away. Instead he slings the unconscious man across his saddle and brings the wounded man and the bag of loot back to his homestead.

Back home, Henry quickly hides the loot. He tends to the stranger’s wounds with skill but ties him to the bed, showing a level of wariness that surprises his son. When the wounded man, Curry (Scott Haze) awakes, he tells them he is a lawman but Henry remains suspicious. Soon a posse of three men show up, led by a man named Ketchum (Stephen Dorff) sporting a badge, and also claiming to be lawmen, looking for the wounded man.

Earlier violent scenes have raised our doubts about the claims of Dorff’s Ketchum and his companions Dugan (Richard Speight Jr.) and a Mexican tracker named Stilwell (Max Arciniega) to be the law. But it is the farmer’s cool, steely nerves and skilled response suggesting a hidden past that really intrigues. When the shooting inevitably starts, Henry’s skill with a gun raises questions about who he really is.

The heart of the film is about the father and son, although there is plenty of action too. There is a lot of classic Western here, including the combination of gruffness and tenderness in the father-son relationship and the son challenging his underestimated father, but also a touch of “a special set of skills” contemporary action thriller. However, it takes awhile for director Ponciroli to get around to the action, despite the film’s fairly brief running time.

The story is set in Oklahoma but looks more like Tennessee, where it was actually shot. It is not the usual movie image of Oklahoma’s dry grassland plains, although eastern Oklahoma is a likely match. The director reportedly found this location in Watertown, Tennessee, and was taken with how hidden and forlorn the old homestead looked, and took the location as the inspiration for the story. However, the writer/director decided to relocate the story in Oklahoma. Mismatched location aside, the cinematography by John Matysiak is strong, effectively giving a sense of isolation to the farmstead and a kind of rough beauty, while the costumes and production design gives the proper period feel.

The director seems to go out of his way to make the slight Nelson look even smaller, with an over-sized hat and casting a young actor as his son who fairly towers over him. It just sets up the audience to further underestimate the quiet unassuming farmer before the fireworks begin. Once unleashed, Nelson is masterful in the shootout sequence against the even-larger group that eventually shows up to the fight, surprising his son most of all.

What is not surprising is that Tim Blake Nelson’s performance makes this film, supported well by Stephen Dorff as the principle baddie and the other cast members. A long-time character actor, whose breakout role in the Coen brothers’ O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU brought him a level of stardom, Tim Blake Nelson truly delivers in this too-rare lead role.

OLD HENRY opens Friday, Oct. 1, at theaters in select cities.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE – Review


Carnage in Columbia Pictures’ VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE.

Okay, movie fans were ready to re-enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the multiplex and sent SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS to the top of the box office (still hovering there, actually). Are they ready for another fix, though this new flick has “tenuous ties” to the MCU? Yes, this is part of Sony’s licensing deal with Marvel (much like last year’s THE NEW MUTANTS was with Fox), but is not a co-production with Marvel Studios, as was the last two Spidey flicks and the upcoming NO WAY HOME. Three years ago, Sony decided to do “spin-offs” without the wall-crawler. But before the Oscar-winning animated epic SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE there was VENOM. And because he made a decent haul in theatres, a sequel was shot, then delayed due to the pandemic, and now finally “escapes”. But there’s no number in the title, as it’s called VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE.

But before we catch up to the “big V”, the new entry flashes back several years as future serial killer Cletus Kasady is separated from his first love Francis Barrison, when she is transferred out of the orphanage they shared and sent away to be studied at the secret research center Ravencroft (she emits a deadly high-pitched wail, a “gift” that earns her the nickname “Shriek”). Jump ahead to present-day San Francisco where Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is trying to get back into journalism while dealing with the ravenous alien Symbiote, Venom, that shares his body. One big setback is the news that his former lady love Anne (Michelle Williams) is now engaged to the annoying Dan (Reid Scott). Ah, but the now grown-up and incarcerated Cletus (Woody Harrelson) has decided to grant an interview with only Eddie. He gets the scoop, while Venom gets the location of Cletus’ still missing victims by recreating Casady’s cell wall chalk mural. This sends him quickly to “death row”. A follow-up “pre-execution” interview ends in a struggle between Eddie and Cletus. This eventually leads to Cletus becoming a “host” himself to the deadly red-tainted creature known as Carnage. After breaking out of Alcatraz, he rescues Shriek as the duo embarks on a rampage of destruction and death. But who will stop this new menace after Venom finally exits Eddie for “greener pastures” ?

Hardy brings lots of “working class”, “average Joe” heart to the often exhausting role of Brock, though it may be considered a dual role. He’s often frustrated and frazzled while in nearly constant arguments with Venom, though all those around can’t hear the growling “hangry” alien. Luckily Hardy makes it clear that Brock is the moral compass of the two. And lacking one of those needed guides, Cletus as played with frenzied glee by Harrelson, is the unchained id, lashing out even before he receives his “upgrade”. It’s a nice rift on his iconic role of Mickey Knox in the 1994 (!) classic NATURAL BORN KILLERS ( a bookend perhaps). The super-powered Bonnie to his Clyde is Shriek played by Harris as a most dangerous and unpredictable “wild card”, a loose cannon who might unleash sonic Hell with no warning. Scott scores lots of laughs as the endearing, but exceedingly understanding dweeb Dan. It’s great to see Williamson back on the big screen, but as with the 2018 original, her crusading lawyer Anne gives her even less to do, aside from being in need of rescue. It seems that her small screen roles have been much more interesting (she’s amazing in “Fosse”). Much the same can be said for Stephen Graham (so formidable in THE IRISHMAN), who mainly gives Brock the “stink eye” when he’s not barking out orders and firing his ineffectual pistol as Detective Mulligan.

Taking over the directing duties this time out is actor Andy Serkis, master of “mo-capture” emoting. who puts those skills to good use with the CGI-heavy third act. And that’s a big part of the film’s problem as the story devolves into a tiresome (even with the whole running time at a lean 90 minutes) battle of the pixels with gooey-ooey tentacles and claws filling the screen as they flail about and disorient the viewer (it doesn’t help that the big showdown occurs inside a dusty old cathedral under renovation…around midnight). Occasionally Cletus or Eddie will peel about from the rubbery “beasties”, but the human connection is lost in the mud and muck. At least Venom gets off some clever quips in the film’s first act, thanks to the screenplay by Kelly Marcel and Hardy himself, but the lines often overlap clumsily with some words getting mangled by the alien’s guttural growl. Oh, and his eyes still look like slick shiny white plastic orbs, while the teeth are gnarled with seemingly ending rows of spiky fangs. Often it appears as though Serkis is trying to inject an energetic urgency by whipping the camera about to the point of motion sickness. And the Shriek stuff feels lifted from one of the older X-MEN entries. Those who enjoyed the 2018 flick (and even SPIDER-MAN 3) will get lots of wild action for their buck, but he’s never been one of my top-tier Spidey villains (looking forward more to the much-delayed MORBIUS spin-off in the new year). But, as the old saying goes (with liberties), VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE is a tale full of sound and fury signifying nothing (well, maybe a set-up for a “Sinister Six” future flick). Still, I’ll bet that it would’ve worked better over in the real MCU.

2 Out of 4

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, October first, 2021.

DEAR EVAN HANSEN – Review


(from left) Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan) and Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) in Dear Evan Hansen, directed by Stephen Chbosky.

And a week later we’re back in the messy, stress-filled, anxiety-inducing halls of high school in this new film. Oh, this has songs too, since it’s also based on a musical produced for the stage. But that may be where the similarities end (well, Daddy’s not running the house). EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAIMIE is set in the UK, Sheffield specifically, with a lead character who’s fairly happy, though he yearns to follow his drag diva dreams. Across the pond, in the US in an unnamed sunny suburb (probably in the West, with mostly Atlanta, again, based-locations), this title character (he gets his full name, though) doesn’t really have such long-term goals. He’s just trying to “push on” while remaining essentially invisible to his classmates. Oh, and this tale tackles life and death issues, really. Plus it was a big Tony winner back in 2015. And all the songs and drama stem from a letter that opens with DEAR EVAN HANSEN.


Actually, those are the first words we see, on a computer monitor. Nervous, always anxious Evan (Ben Platt) is completing the daily assignment given to him (along with a prescription for lots of meds) by his therapist. It’s a letter to himself, a sort of written “pep talk’, pushing him to assert himself and strive for positivity. He’s interrupted by a phone call from mother Heidi (Julianne Moore) who has to work later at the hospital (she’s gotta pick up shifts since her hubby went AWOL years ago). Soon Evan arrives for the first day of his senior year of high school. He dashes to the gym where he helps run the audio system for the big “welcome assembly” alongside old “family friend”, the snarky Jared (Nik Dodani). As usual, Evan pines for the band’s cute guitarist, Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever). Unfortunately, Evan runs afoul of her sullen brother Conner (Colton Ryan) in the computer room. After writing his name in huuuge letters on Evan’s arm cast, Connor snatches up Evan’s daily letter from the single printer. Incensed at the mention of his sister in it, Connor storms off with the letter. Days later, Evan is called into the principal’s office where he meets Connor’s distraught parents, Cynthia (Amy Adams) and Larry (Danny Pino). It seems their son took his own life and the only note found was Evan’s stolen letter. Cynthia believes it was written by Connor and that he and Evan were “secret” BFFs. In an effort to give them some comfort, a flustered Evan lies. This lie leads to others as he and Jared compose more “fake” emails for a “fake” secret online account. Soon Evan is coming over to Cynthia’s home, mostly to be closer to Zoe. But things get more complicated when the very popular Alana (Amandla Sternberg) approaches Evan about raising funds for a suicide prevention program dubbed “The Connor Project”. When his speech goes viral, Evan finds himself drowning in a sea of deception. Can he stay adrift or will he be dragged down in the depths of (well-intentioned) deceit?

Reprising his Tony-winning role, Platt easily works past the media speculations about his “aging-out” of the seventeen-year-old (hey look at most teen TV dramas from a few decades ago) and is achingly believable as the awkward, twitchy Evan. His social awkwardness is expertly conveyed by Platt’s body language as he walks stiffly with shoulders haunched and arms never veeringly far from the torso. This also heightens his musical numbers as his confident singing makes up for his character’s stunted verbal skills. As his fib grows we see him start to blossom (thanks to Zoe, perhaps), occasionally lashing out (poor mum), but that “skittish mouse” is always there, especially when the “social walls” begin to close in. As Zoe, Dever projects a lot of the rebellious, but still accessible “cool kid” vibe as she delves into her complex family issues (at the dinner table she’s the unfiltered “voice of truth”). As for the main adults, Adams as Cynthia is vulnerable and somewhat fragile as she uses the “letter’ as a lifeline that will soften her grief, holding on to a fantasy of her son with her last bit of strength. Pino as Larry tries to be the “solid anchor’ for the floundering family, but he’s trying to push down his own feelings of anger at rage (over Connor, but mainly directed at himself). Though she’s absent (dashing through the hospital) for most of the tale’s midsection, Moore is strong but somewhat oblivious as the frazzled, but proud Heidi, who truly thinks her son has defeated his past demons (and Moore does well with her solo song). Sternberg is quite compelling as the high school “joiner” and organizer whose bright smile is her shield against her own insecurities as she and Evan bond over their mood-altering meds. Ryan, in a pivotal role with little screen time, ably handles the different “versions” of the volatile Connor, truly scary in hisreal encounter with Evan, and endearing as Cynthia’s “fantasy” of a sweet devoted pal. And luckily, Dodani generates some much-needed levity as the cynical Jared, taking the “p#*%s” out of his “bro” at nearly every turn.

The direction from Stephen Chobsky (best known for helming the movie of his YA novel THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER) is very creative, exposing little of the material’s “stage roots’, while “opening up” the story and making it a bit more intimate, as the camera can focus in on the main characters. He eases the action into the musical numbers with few bombastic bits of flourish. Plus he makes great use of montages in order to bring us into the “viral world”, which is as important a setting as the school or Zoe’s opulent home (or Heidi’s modest two-bedroom tract house). Unlike the aforementioned JAIMIE, there’s not an abundance of flashy dance numbers (“Sincerely, Me”, a fantasy duet with Evan and Connor comes close), which aid in showcasing the clever songs by Justin Paul and Dan Romer (LA LA LAND). The screenplay from Steven Levenson (another Tony winner)aptly explores the social hierarchy of high school while also touching on economic class clashes (Evan likes the “swanky digs” at Zoe’s), though the third act (like many stage shows) feels a bit lacking in its denouncement, especially as Evan “faces the music” while trying to achieve a somewhat hopeful finale’.I kept harkening back to a much darker, though similar in subject teen comedy/drama from 2009, Bobcat Goldthwait’s WORLD’S GREATEST DAD, which is an underrated gem with a messier, but more compelling conclusion. The final moments aside, this is one of the better stage adaptations with soulful songs and a stellar cast giving the flick a real emotional punch. DEAR EVAN HANSEN delivers its heartfelt message both dramatically and musically, one that should resonate with all ages (and hopefully lead to some needed family discussions).

3 Out of 4

DEAR EVAN HANSEN opens in select theatres on Friday, September 24, 2021

BORIS KARLOFF: THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER – Review

(L-R) Boris Karloff with fellow horror star Vincent Price, in a publicity photo. BORIS KARLOFF: THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER is a documentary about the career and life of Karloff. Courtesy of Abramarama and Shout Studios

BORIS KARLOFF: THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER is a gloriously enjoyable retrospective of the legendary actor, who is forever tied to the horror genre and the monster role of Frankenstein’s monster, which first brought him fame. The film, directed by Thomas Hamilton, is thoroughly enjoyable but, despite its subtitle, it is less a personal biography than a review of this career, with an emphasis on how his work influenced future filmmakers and the horror genre. Karloff fans and serious film history buffs will find little that was not already known about the man but it is a wonderful introduction and retrospective on Boris Karloff.

If ever there was an iconic Hollywood figure who deserves a biopic, it is Boris Karloff. Everyone knows his name, whether as the star of the classics FRANKENSTEIN or THE MUMMY, or the voice narrating HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. Despite his fame, Karloff has been long dismissed as only character actor, the result of having primarily worked in horror genre films. But Karloff’s is more complicated story, with acting experience grounded in the theater, a story that warrants a new, deeper look at the man and his work. Something this documentary touches on is Karloff’s ethnicity and what that meant in an earlier, more racist era and in early Hollywood.

Boris Karloff was not Russian nor was that his real name, but an Englishman named William Pratt, the youngest of nine children of a Anglo-Indian man, who had been in civil service in Indian, and his much younger wife. Young Billy Pratt was well-read and well-educated. but he and his brothers faced racism comments at school. Family expectations were that he would follow his older brothers into the diplomatic service, yet he fell in love with theater. Leaving college early, he immigrated to Canada, adopting the stage name Boris Karloff. His partly East Indian heritage gave him a darker complexion and led to him being often cast in ethnic roles. He had appeared on stage and in over 80 silent and sound movies by the time he was cast as the Monster in James Whale’s ground-breaking FRANKENSTEIN.

It is an intriguing story and the above details are among the personal background offered by the documentary. However, the documentary’s greater focus is on Karloff’s career. This fine, long-overdue documentary has admiring commentaries from such name directors as Guillermo Del Toro, along with John Landis, Roger Corman and Peter Bogdanovich. Del Toro in particular, speaks at length about the influence Karloff’s films had on him. Interviewees are a mix of directors, actors and film historians, including Christopher Plummer, Stefanie Powers, Lee Grant, Sir Christopher Frayling and Kevin Brownlow. There are also interview footage with Karloff’s only child, daughter Sara Karloff, and a few who knew him or worked with him. Not many of the latter left, given that Karloff died in 1967.

Besides the interviews, there is plenty of footage from Karloff’s many films, and analysis by critics and film historians. The footage include Karloff’s biggest hits and most iconic roles, FRANKENSTEIN with director James Whale, and THE MUMMY with director Karl Freund. There are insightful discussions of the films, tidbits on their filming and an examination of performance details. The discussions often turn on how Karloff’s performances, which gave the monsters a sympathetic aspect, riveted audiences, shaped the genre and influenced films and directors far beyond that role itself.

But the documentary also offers footage and discussions of perhaps less famous but influential films Karloff appeared in, like THE OLD DARK HOUSE and THE BODY SNATCHER, and an appreciation of his skill in lesser-known films and dramatic roles. These discussions are among the most intriguing for serious film buffs.

The footage, and the film-by-film analysis, are the best parts of the film, putting Karloff’s work in perspective of the times and tracing his mix of work, with included silent and sound films, stage performances, radio, and television. A highlight is the focus on the way HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS re-vitalized Karloff’s career and introduced him to a new generation of fans, as did “monster movie” archival TV shows of the ’60s and ’70s. The documentary covers Karloff’s hit Broadway debut in “Arsenic and Old Lace,” winkingly playing a crook who is angry that botched plastic surgery left him looking like Boris Karloff. The role led to a return to other stage roles, and, as the e documentary highlights. Karloff’s role in “The Lark,” which won him a Tony nomination.

All the old film footage and career highlights are delightful. Where the documentary falls a bit short is in the biographical, where the information is thinner and often leaves the audience with questions. Serious fans will already know the details but the less well-informed are left to wonder when the actor actually adopted the stage name Boris Karloff, and exactly when he arrived in Hollywood. Of course, like many actors of his era in particular, Karloff had a tendency to re-write his own history, which makes uncovering his past a bit difficult. One re-writing of the past the film does note is that Karloff used to tell people his parents died when he was very young, which was not true, to avoid questions about them. Partly this may have been to conceal his Anglo-East Indian heritage, in an era rife with open racism, but perhaps it was partly to save his family, all respectable members of the diplomatic corps or other professions, from embarrassment over having an actor in the family.

Another unexpected detail of the actor’s life is how many times he was married, at least five (there may have been more) but only some of the wives even get a mention. Despite all the marriages, Karloff had only one child, Sara. The story of her birth during the filming of one of the Frankenstein movies and on his birthday, along with still photos, provides some of the best moments in the documentary. Sara Karloff herself is a great asset to the film, often giving those personal insights the subtitle promises.

This enjoyable documentary is an fine introduction to Boris Karloff and particularly his career, which reaches beyond his most familiar roles and deepens appreciation of his work.

BORIS KARLOFF opens Friday, Sept. 17, at theaters in select cities, expanding to others over the coming weeks.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars