Tag: 1980s

MICHAEL (2026) – Review

Okay, many would say that the Summer season got off to a very early start with the still-playing PROJECT: HAIL MARY and the animation “one-two-punch” from Pixar and Illumination. That could be the case, since the big box office race had, until recent years, its “starting line” on the first of May, and the “finish line” just before Labor Day. Well, the “starting gun” has been fired with this big-budget musical “biopic”. While many of these have been relegated to the “prestige” months near the end of the year (to qualify for awards), this one is setting its sights on a big “wide” opening in many, many screens. This makes sense, since the subject held a “royal” moniker. We’re talking about the “king of pop”, the sparkly “gloved” one, MJ, though this potential blockbuster’s title simply uses his forename, MICHAEL.


This cinematic retelling doesn’t begin with his birth. Rather, it opens sixty years ago, as an eight-year-old Michael Jackson (Juliano Valdi) and his four brothers, now dubbed the “Jackson 5,” are coached and trained by their papa Joe (Colman Domingo) while mama Katherine (Nia Long) adoringly watches. But the road to fame includes long, grueling hours of rehearsal and the savage punishments from Joe. Eventually, they are discovered by Motown Records exec Suzanne de Passe (Laura Harrier), who brings them to her boss, the company founder Berry Gordy (Lorenz Tate). He’s a kind, nurturing mentor, the opposite of Joe, who patiently tells the lad not to “move around so much” in the studio. The team is a sensation, as the story springs ahead to 1978, with the family now living in an Encino, CA mansion. But now 20-year-old Michael (Jaafar Jackson) lives a sheltered life in a bedroom filled with toys, animals, and ideas for a solo album, which irritates Joe. Thinking this will “derail the gravy train,” he tells Michael’s agents that he can do a solo album in his “off time” (after the team’s 9-to-5 schedule). MJ’s a smash “single act, and soon yearns for more artistic freedom. Encouraged by his Mom, bodyguard/driver Bill Bray (Keilyn Durrel Jones), and new attorney John Branca (Miles Teller), Michael becomes a solo superstar, hitting new heights with the most successful record of all-time, “Thriller, produced by Quincy Jones (Kendrick Samson). As the years pass, MJ dominates MTV with lavish music videos, amasses a zoo on the grounds of his home, “steals the show” on the “Motown 25th” TV special, and indulges in cosmetic surgeries (he’s haunted by the childhood taunts of “big nose”). But Joe’s not finished with him, as he pressures his son to join his brothers on the “Victory” tour and be part of a “tie-in” commercial shoot for a soft drink company sponsor. This leads to a life-changing on-set accident that sets in motion a plan for Michael’s independence.


The ensemble cast works hard to recreate these pop culture icons, especially the title role, which is shared by a pair of talented screen newcomers. Getting the “lion’s share” of screentime is Jackson (yup, he’s the nephew of the “superstar”), who is a striking physical recreation, particularly in the musical numbers. Yes, he’s got the “moves” down so well that it’s a shame that he’s given such a limited dramatic arc. In most scenes, Jaafar flashes a frozen, immovable smile as he’s showered with praise or deals with family drama. Still, there are a few flashes, as he picks his lawyer, or during a “creation” sequence. Valdi is completely captivating as a ten-year-old (claiming to be eight) Michael, effortlessly earning empathy, whether serenading an adoring throng or enduring Joe’s “guidance”. As the story’s main “villain”, the superb Domingo deftly conveys Joe’s bullying swagger, though, again, we’re not given much insight into his motivations, other than greed. Teller also has little to work with, as Michael’s champion, who is often just a supportive ear and often verges on the old “white savior” cliche. Much could be said of Jones as the “dad surrogate” Bray. Long is solid as mom Katherine, who is finely given some strong scenes against Domingo in the third act. And kudos for casting a beloved comic treasure in a cameo role that harkens back to another musical biopic (no spoilers from me).

As I said, the musical recreations are exhilarating, reminding us of the exuberant sense of nostalgia, when the world seemed to float on a cloud of pop tunes (the 5 was perhaps the most fun act since the “Fab 4”). But for those hoping to get much more depth into this “pop royalty”, well, the film’s story is too light and fluffy. It’s a surprise since that comes from the man behind the “down and dirty” TRAINING DAY (can it be 25 years now), Antoine Fuqua. This is truly sanitized and pretty “toothless”. Since it’s authorized by the Jackson estate, Michael is so angelic, he often appears otherworldly (that’s why he’s an alien in the first MEN IN BLACK). It’s almost “The Adoration of Michael” as we see countless scenes of him doing visits to kids’ hospitals and bonding with youngsters in his happy place, “Tom’s Toys” (we know its real name). And then there are scenes so sweet your molars might ache, as Michael immediately bonds with pet chimp Bubbles, who seems to have been transported from the CGI ape world from that SF franchise, along with a whole pixel menagerie. Perhaps this “scrubbing” was needed in order to showcase and promote the music catalog and appease the family. But not everyone was on board, as sister Janet is not only absent, she’s never mentioned, leaving La Toya to be his fawning lil’ sis’.Still, there are a couple of sequences that offer us a glimmer of a more interesting biopic, including the aforementioned “creation” of one of his greatest hits, “Beat It’, and the hiring of Branca (“He’s my guy.”). Also in the film’s plus side is the superb production design by Barbara Ling, the costumes by Marci Rodgers, and the entire srt department and makeup team, though Joe looks a bit rough as he’s “de-aged” in the mid-60s opening. Those wanting to bathe in the musical memories will be blissfully taken back to their youth, but those of us who recall the later controversies and tablod “fodder” will find little “substance” in this “puff pastry”. At the final fade-ot we’re teased with a possibel sequel. If so, let’s hope it has a lot more dramatic heft than the sparkly simplicity and “canonizing” of MICHAEL.


2 Out of 4

MICHAEL is now playing in theatres everywhere

SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE – Review

We must be “all in” for the end-of-the-year awards season as we’ve got a new big biographical film of a music superstar from an acclaimed director. Last year, Christmas Day to be exact, filmgoers got to do a deep dive into the 60s musical odyssey of Bob Dylan with James Mangold’s A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. Though it didn’t garner as many awards (and box office) as BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY in 2018, it still racked up lots of critical raves (and even a Sag Best Actor for its star Timothee Chalomet). Now, like that earlier biopic, this one showcases another rising young star who is best known for an acclaimed TV show. Oh, but the big difference is that this is set a couple of decades later, at the start of the 1980s. Still, there’s a lot of musical “common ground between “Mr. Zimmerman” and SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE. As “the Boss” might say, “One, two…”.

After a brief black and white prologue with our young hero riding his bike through the means streets of Long Branch, New Jersey, the story jumps ahead to the splashy color of 1981 as fans are left breathless after the final concert number from Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) at a packed arena. As he winds down backstage, his trusted manager Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong) tells him that after a few post-concert dealings (including an interview with “Creem” magazine, remember it), his rental home on a lake in Colts Neck, New Jersey is ready. After he settles in there, the Boss contemplates his next album while recalling his turbulent early life with dutiful mother Adele (Gaby Huffman) and his boozing, abusive father Douglas (Stephan Graham). Later, in an effort to “blow off some steam” he joins the local rockers at The Stone Pony bar/music venue in Asbury Park. As he leaves, Bruce runs into an old high school buddy, who introduces him to his sister Faye (Odessa Young), a single mother working at a nearby diner. She gives him her number, in case he wants to “hang” sometime. Chilling back at his lake house, he does a bit of channel “surfing” and stumbles upon the 1973 Terrence Malick classic BADLANDS. Bruce is riveted, heading to the library to gather more info on the film’s inspiration, killer Charles Starkweather, then returning home to jot down lyrics and strum on his guitar. He has an epiphany: the new song collection “Nebraska” will have no polished studio sound. He brings in his audio-tech Mike Batlan (Paul Walter Hauser) to record a demo tape using very low tech (cassettes). When Landau meets Columbia Records’ Al Teller (David Krumholtz), the exec is stunned by Bruce’s subject matter and his rules. There will be no singles, right after Bruce landed a single on the Billboard top ten. But Jon and Bruce persist. Meanwhile, the Boss struggles to get “the sound” just right while the process dredges up brutal memories from childhood. Can a burgeoning romance with the “hometown gal” vanquish the inner demons inside the rising rock and roll superstar?

Wow, in this film you get two (yes two) great Jeremys heading the ensemble. First, of course, is White, who we’ve not seen on the big screen since 2023’s THE IRON CLAW (though he continues to cook up a storm on TV’s “The Bear”). Without the use of prosthetic makeup, but with a little color “tweaking” in his curly mane, he makes us believe that he’s the “Boss”. He’s got that confident strut as he wields that guitar like a gladiator’s broadsword before the adoring throngs. But he’s more Clark Kent as leaves the backstage door, trying to blend in with the “average Joes”. However, White shows us his simmering intensity, whether achieving his artistic goals, struggling to put the right words in his battered notebook, or clamping down on his childhood monsters. Plus, he projects an almost boyish charm during his “downtime” with Faye. The other J is the superb Mr. Strong (so wonderful in last year’s THE APPRENTICE) as the laser-focused Landau. He’s Bruce’s strong right hand, whether he’s dealing with the press or anxious record execs demanding more “hits”. Strong’s stare seems to burrow into White’s brain, forming a connecting line of creative thought. The two actors’ performance anchor the tale. But then they have a great supporting cast. Young exudes a sexy “tough gal” persona as the smitten, but steadfast (not putting up with any “Boss BS”) as Faye. Hauser provides a few needed laughs as the perplexed but hard-working audio geek, Mike (he questions, but never refuses Bruce’s needs). The other big emotional role may be Graham as the stoic papa Stephan who lashes out in order to “toughen up” his boy, while casting a dark shadow that looms over the crumbling house, leaving Hoffman as mama Adele as the sole bright light in the lad’s life. Krumholtz is also funny as recording bigwig Teller, while the great Marc Maron shines with just a few lines as audio mixer Chuck Plotkin.


The acclaimed filmmaker is director/screenwriter (adapting the book “Deliver Me from Nowhere” by Warren Zanes) is Scott Cooper (CRAZY HEART), Wisely, he decided to focus in on an important year or two in Bruce’s life, rather than giving a full “life story” (though we do have those 1957 snippet flashbacks), to not get into the cliché biopic “checklist” (then he did this, then that, then…) which gives the personal drama more room to “breathe”. Also, it allows Cooper to really explore the creative process of an artist, which is usually a “stumbling block” (always a problem with stories about writers). At times, Bruce seems rigid and too unwavering, but Cooper shows us that it’s a quest for purity in the music’s intent. The era of the early 80s is painstakingly recreated with nods to pop culture and a big ode to the power of cinema, not only BADLANDS (young Bruce watches a 1950s cult classic with his pop). The pace is rather languid, with bursts of the remarkable rock and folk anthems. At times that measured pace is sidetracked by the romantic subplot, (it somewhat evaporates by the final act) which doesn’t add much to the story of the creation of an album. And a few fans may wish there were more recreations of the marathon concerts, but Cooper gives us enough of a taste to convey the power of Mr. S. But in those final moments, Cooper provides a positive message about seeking help from mental health professionals (might nudge those struggling to see a “rock god” getting back on track) It’s not a bombastic tune-filled spectacle, but rather a powerful, intimate portrait of a man exploring new artistic territory while exploring his own past. That power of creation fuels SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE.

3.5 Out of 4


SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE is now playing in theaters everywhere

DEAF PRESIDENT NOW – Review

(L-R) Tim Rarus, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Greg Hlibok, and Jerry Covell, the leaders of the Gallaudet protest, in DEAF PRESIDENT NOW. Courtesy of Apple TV+







The biggest student protest you never heard of took place in 1988, when the Deaf students of Gallaudet University rose up to demand that a Deaf person be chosen as President of the world’s only university for the Deaf, for the first time in 124 years. The powerful documentary DEAF PRESIDENT NOW tells the story of that game-changing eight-day protest, which took place before the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and did so much to change how other people saw Deaf people. It marked a major turning point in the drive for equal rights for Deaf and others classified as disabled by society.

And the Gallaudet students had reason to hope for a Deaf president this time, as the university’s governing Board of Directors was considering three candidates, two of which were Deaf. But they chose the one hearing person, and the outraged students poured out in protest, eventually taking over Gallaudet’s Washington, D.C. campus, carrying signs and banners demanding “Deaf President Now.” After waiting 124 years since Gallaudet’s founding. it finally was time for a Deaf president.

The documentary capitalizes Deaf throughout, and this review follows that lead. DEAF PRESIDENT NOW revisits this monumental moment for deaf people and for human rights, through contemporary interviews with the four student leaders of this rebellion, Greg Hlibok, then the newly-elected student body president, charismatic, fiery leader Jerry Covell, energetic feminist Bridgetta Bourne-Firl and committed, steady force Tim Rarus. The contemporary interviews are supplemented by stills and archival footage of the events, before and after the students took over the college campus. There are also interviews with one of the deaf candidates for president of Gallaudet, a popular professor on campus, Prof. I. King Jordan. The documentary, which debuted at Sundance this year, was co-directed by Davis Guggenheim and Nyle DiMarco.

This rebellion of Deaf students took place in 1988, before the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but near the end of a century that saw numerous groups stand up and demand their rights. At the beginning of the twentieth century, women demanded the right to vote, and got it in 1920. In the 1950s, after the end of WWII, the Civil Rights Era began, as Black people demanded their rights. In the 1960s, woman demanded equality and almost got the Equal Right Amendment passed despite extra restrictions placed on it. In the 1970s, gay people spoke up and fought back to demand their rights, and at the end of the 1970s, older people and those with disabilities began to demand their rights too. The 1980s saw this trend toward rights stall, but didn’t kill the fight for rights for the disabled.

The documentary does not go into this historical context but it is important that audiences keep it in mind while witnessing the degree of condescension with which the students are treated, first by the imperious wealthy woman, Mrs. Spilman, who is the board’s president, and then by the hearing woman the board selected, Dr. Zinzer, a nurse with no experience dealing with the deaf community, as the best candidate for president of the world’s only university for the deaf. Neither woman knew sign language and both spoke to students in soothing tones as if they were small children while failing to address their very valid concerns.

DEAF PRESIDENT NOW toggles back and forth between the contemporary interviews and archival images and footage, some in black-and-white and some in color, detailing the events of each of the eight days of the protest, all of which is marked with a title card. The archival footage includes some of broadcast interviews with the university’s Board President, Mrs Spilman.

An interesting aspect of this moving film is its sound design. Periodically, the directors just drop out the sound, so we “hear” what the students hear, which is silence. It is a striking effect, because it comes and goes, and constantly reminds us their world. The four leaders of the protest, and deaf professor I. King Jordan, all speak some on their experiences growing up, either in a deaf family or in one more mixed. There is discussion of degrees of hearing loss, differences between people who grew up deaf and those who became deaf later, and about deaf culture itself.

This well-made, eye-opening documentary is both an inspiring and moving film about an important, unjustly forgotten historical event and an intriguing glimpse into deaf culture, with a chance to meet some real heroes who changed the world for the better.

DEAF PRESIDENT NOW debuts streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 16.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

MAXXXINE – Review

(L-R) Mia Goth as Maxine and Halsey as Tabby, in MAXXXINE. Photo Credit: Justin Lubin. Courtesy of A24

Director Ti West and actor Mia Goth are back with a third film in the X horror series. MAXXXINE is a sequel to 2022’s X, while the second in the series, PEARL (also 2022), was a prequel. The first film, X, was a surprise hit at SXSW with audiences and critics, a kind of fun, tongue-in-cheek homage to both horror and porno films of the late 1970s and early 1980s, where the owner of a strip joint and his pals set out in make a porno film titled “The Farmers’ Daughters” at a rural house they have rented from an elderly couple, but without telling the old folks what kind of film they are making. Mia Goth plays in dual roles as one of the actresses in the porno, Maxine, and the elderly farm wife, Pearl. Following the traditions of horror films of that earlier era, their sexual misbehavior is punished by murder and mayhem.

MAXXINE is set in 1985 Hollywood, when the Night Stalker serial killer was roaming the streets. Mia Goth again plays Maxine, the sole survivor of the Texas massacre in the first movie, who is now working in the Hollywood adult film industry under the name Maxine Minx, while concealing her violent past. Maxine is ambitious to make the leap to mainstream movies via horror films, and gets her chance in an audition for “The Puritan II,” a sequel to a horror hit directed by Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki).

The film opens with black-and-white home movie footage of Maxine as a child performing on stage while hear her unseen preacher daddy (Simon Prast), who encourages her ambitions to be the “star” of the church, which sets up a backstory for ambitious Maxine. Maxine’s ambitions to step up to stardom via horror is backed by her agent/lawyer Teddy Knight (Giancarlo Esposito). But her closest friend and confidant is Leon (musician Moses Sumney), a clerk at the X-rated video store under her upstairs apartment. Ambitious and hardworking Maxine has a second job, as a live performer at a peep show, and declines two co-workers’ separate invitations to join them at a party at a fancy house near the Hollywood sign. As the Nightstalker takes more victims and police detectives (Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan) investigate the murders, a mysterious man, wearing black leather gloves, pays to see Maxine at the peep show but reacts with anger at what he sees. Shortly after, a sleazy Southern private detective, Labat (Kevin Bacon), contacts Maxine with a threat to reveal her past if she doesn’t accept his mysterious employer’s invitation to the house under the Hollywood sign.

MAXXXINE is absolutely packed with movie references and shots of icon Hollywood locations, including famous backlot sets, which is actually the biggest thrill in this horror-homage thriller.

As you can guess from the cast, the third film in the series has a bigger budget and hence a more star-studded cast, including Kevin Bacon, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Monaghan and Giancarlo Esposito.

Like the first film, MAXXXINE is less an actual scary horror movie than an homage to horror movies, and to soft porn videos and drive-in fare of the early 1980s era. The Hollywood setting means the filmmakers could include wonderful location shots, such as the set for PSYCHO, and both visual and dialog references to a host of classic thrillers, including CHINATOWN, often with a dark humor twist, such as one with a Buster Keaton impersonator.

Mia Goth again does the good job she did the the first two films, and adding the stars to the cast are a bonus. A particular standout is Kevin Bacon, as the oily New Orleans private detective bedeviling Maxine, in a sleazy version of Jack Nicholson’s character in CHINTOWN (complete with bandaged nose) crossed with a number of gangster film baddies, until he gets his comeuppance via Giancarlo Esposito’s “Better Call Saul”-ish agent/lawyer.

In fact, the too-few moments like that and the many other movie references, along with the chance to see behind to facades of some famous film sets, such as going inside through the doors of the mansion on the hill behind the Bates Motel, are the major thrills in MAXXXINE. Otherwise, the movie is not very suspenseful or scary, and it has less tongue-in-cheek humor or Hammer Film fake bloodiness than the first one (although cheesy Hammer Film effects do get a mention). Of course, there is some gore and violence, but much less than you might expect, and the tension and thrills are sparse, as are the dark humor moments. It’s not the first time an indie film has been diminished by a bigger budget, of course, but audiences expecting the same horror-homage entertainment as the first one are likely to feel let down. However, fans of Old Hollywood and classic thrillers will get some treats in the movie’s tour of backlots and back streets circa 1985.

MAXXXINE opens Friday, July 5, in theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

RANSOMED – Review

A scene from the Korean action drama-adventure RANSOMED. Courtesy of Well Go USA.

South Korea has exported a slew of first-rate action flicks in the past few years, and RANSOMED counts as another. Most have been based on cops vs. bad guys within the country. This one, supposedly based on real events, takes us to Lebanon in the 1980s. It also plies the waters of plot complexities and suspense more, without sacrificing the action component.

As factional wars rage within Lebanon, one group kidnaps a Korean diplomat, holding him for over a year before finally demanding a $5 million ransom. A foreign-service colleague, Min-joon (Ha Jung-woo), volunteers for the risky task of delivering the cash and returning with the hostage, even though he’s been a desk jockey without any military that would prepare him for the likely difficulties in achieving the rescue. Corrupt police are swarming the airport, waiting to grab him and seize the dough. He barely escapes, leaving him too little time to locate his contact. Fortunately (or possibly not) he finds a fellow Korean, Pan-su (Ju Ji-hoon) in the line of taxis. They speed away from the cops, setting up the first of several chase scenes to come. His supposedly covert arrival quickly proves to rank among the worst-kept secrets since Liberace came out of his lavishly-sequined closet.

Pan-su, who is quite a hustler, and understandably averse to being shot at, reluctantly agrees to take him to the exchange point, after being offered a lot more money than metered cab fare would be. They have to sneak through a checkpoint of a second faction, and continue avoiding the militarized cops. Meanwhile, another well-armed terrorist group also knows he’s coming and snatches the hostage from the original kidnappers before he reaches the exchange point. The rest of the movie is Min-joon dashing about in unfamiliar territory, variably assisted, undermined or menaced by the aforementioned players, as he frantically tries to complete his mission.

No one is all good. Not all the opposing interests are all bad. Even our hero is less than noble. He took the gig partly as a matter of patriotism but mainly because it seemed his only path to a coveted promotion that was on the verge of being given to another member of the staff. The Korean honchos who had to approve and fund the effort are driven largely by concerns about politics, public relations and cost, rather than devotion to their colleague’s survival. Beyond that venality, there is very little judgment, or even mention, of any faction’s political position. Everyone competing in Lebanon is chasing the big payday, with the other groups merely rivals for the cash. It’s like a game show with a high body count among the gun-totin’ contestants. Suspense is the main element, with some bits of comic relief – mostly coming from Pan-su.

The chases, shootouts and explosions are superbly executed by director Kim Seong-hun and the stunt team. Kim’s resume at the helm isn’t long but it’s mostly action fare on TV and big screens. That experience shows. The film was shot in Morocco on locations that emphasize the extent of destruction from the larger conflicts, and ramp up the excitement level of the action sequences. The pace makes it seem shorter than its 132-minute running time. Perhaps most admirably, they don’t turn this white-collar star into a Rambo. He’s highly dependent on the kindness of strangers – even some who aren’t particularly trustworthy.

RANSOMED, in English, Korean and Arabic with English subtitles, debuts streaming on Well Go USA Entertainment in digital exclusively, on Friday, Feb. 2.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

COCAINE BEAR – Review

As the forced hibernation of an often (in some parts of the US) ends lots of folks, besides the college kids, are making plans for the big “Spring break”. Aside from hitting the beaches, a good percentage will haul out the camping gear and make their journey into the woods to commune with Mother Nature. Oh, but what if “mama’ is not very welcome, especially those animal residents? These “humans vs. the wild” showdowns have been film thriller fodder for decades with the “king” JAWS, FROGS, NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLY, and DAY OF THE ANIMALS, And you remember how THE REVENANT grabbed a load of Oscars in 2015. Perhaps its most shocking scene pitted the story’s hero against a ferocious bear (the producers tagged as “Judy”). Now she was protecting her cubs, while the title star of this new flick, which is “inspired by true events” has a very different motivating “fuel”. This tale’s forest is truly frightening because it’s the lair of the COCAINE BEAR (sniff)!


This weird bit of recent legend begins in the hard-partying year of 1985 when a drug smuggler tosses dozens of duffel bags full of bars of blow out of his rapidly descending twin-engine plane (gotta’ lighten the load). Oh, but he still crashes in Tennessee, which sends a local narcotics officer on a mission. Bob (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) believes it’s connected to a St. Louis drug kingpin named Syd (Ray Liotta). And he’s right since Syd has assigned his best “muscle” Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and Syd’s depressed son Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) to head to Chattahoochee River National Park, home of Blood Mountain, to recover the “merch”. As the cop and the “crew” hit the trail, a good deal of the “product’ has been consumed by a rampaging black bear, about which the locals are clueless. That includes the park’s oblivious ranger Liz (Margo Martindale) and “nature advocate” Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson). Also in the dark is single mom Sari (Keri Russell), who heads off to her nursing job as her preteen daughter Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince) joins her pal, the nervous Henry (Christian Convery) for a day of “hookey” in the nearby park to “paint the rainbow”. Throw in a trio of local toughs (a gang dubbed “The Duchamps”), and that over-medicated ursine predator could enjoy a tasty buffet, once he mellows out (if ever).

As you might’ve guessed, this is pretty much a raucous rowdy farce, which the talented cast fully embraces. However, a couple of the actors also get a chance to flex their dramatic “chops”, especially Russell as the struggling single mom who has to channel her own inner “mama bear’ to find her only child. She conveys the spirit of an average woman suddenly facing down her fears. And then there’s Jackson’s Daveed, who begins to see the despair of his henchman role as he must become a big brother to Ehrenreich’s Eddie, who’s going down for the “third time’ as the grief over his wife’s recent passing suffocates his spirit. Their adversary is the engaging Whitlock as Bob, the low-level cop determined to finally capture his “white whale”, Syd played with grit and gusto parodying his iconic gangster roles by the much missed Liotta in his final film performance. The comic MVP might be Martindale as the gruff, Yosemite Sam-like ranger with a short fuse and an itchy “hair trigger” temper. Ferguson also scores some laughs as the “tree hugger” who is ill-prepared for the full fury of the forest. Kudos also to the comic duo of Kristofer Hivju and Hannah Hoekstra as the Nordic hikers who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time (“Ve are lucky wit’ nature!”). Ditto for the “kids in peril”, Prince as the sassy, smart Dee Dee, and Convery as the “desperate-to-seem-cool” Henry.

With this, her third feature film, actress Elizabeth Banks is proving to be an equally talented director. She keeps the pace brisk, spacing the frantic action sequences with bits of character dialogue, giving us a chance to catch our breath before the beast strikes. Sure, this is almost a live-action cartoon, though closer in spirit to the old EC horror comics (this story would make Dr. Wertham’s eyeglasses shatter) like “Tales From the Crypt”, with several of the characters enduring Wile E. Coyote-style injuries, though they lack his “rejuvenating skills”. However, Banks doesn’t go for the splatter stuff too much, perhaps to make it a bit more “kid friendly” (but it’s really not a family flick). Those audiences jazzed by the high (oops) concept title are getting just what they want, but at around 95 minutes it begins to feel a bit forced. much like an extra-long SNL sketch stretched to feature length (I could almost hear Chevy’s “…land shark.”). Plus there’s a nagging feeling throughout that the producers really want this to be a “super-sized” and big-budget “midnight movie” to inspire a cult (maybe wearing big furs to showings), and trying to be “edgy” (really, ten-year-olds dropping “F-bombs”). But the “core demographic’ will be pleased with the CGI “mo-cap” critters, even as the star gets revived by the “nose candy’ much as Popeye did with the smell of spinach (I’m aging myself). So, if you’re in the mood for a campy horror comedy, the best “pick-me-up” may be the chemically chaotic COCAINE BEAR (so he snorts and s*#ts in the woods).

2.5 Out of 4

COCAINE BEAR is now playing in theatres everywhere

ARMAGEDDON TIME – Review

(L to R) Michael Banks Repeta as “Paul Graff” and Anthony Hopkins as “Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz” in director James Gray’s ARMAGEDDON TIME, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Anne Joyce / Focus Features

Well, it’s been over two years now. I’m talking about the near-global pandemic “time-out”. So, do you recall what you did to pass the hours? Was “recall” part of it, as in revisiting old memories and childhood experiences? It appears that many “creatives”, including lots of filmmakers, took a “sentimental journey”. Of course, that’s not rare as many movie makers have opened up about their past, from Fellini to Scorsese (sure it’s the story of Henry Hill, but there’s a lot of young martin in GOODFELLAS). And now, with a few years put into making them, the nostalgic film “floodgates” are opening up. In the next few weeks, we’ll delve into the recollections of Sam Mendes and Steven Spielberg. This weekend another artist gives us his “take” on the “coming of age” saga. Ah, but things aren’t bathed in a “rosy haze” in this work. Which explains its title, ARMAGEDDON TIME.

The time in question is the Fall of 1980. Aspiring comic book artist Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) shares his artistic gifts with his eight grade classmates via a cartoon of their teacher Mr. Turkeltaub (that name just begs for a human/ poultry hybrid sketch). Of course, Paul is busted but luckily another student, Johnny (Jaylin Webb) defends him. Being the only black student there, due to recent “busing” rulings, Johnny “butts up” against the school faculty. But he and Paul forge a strong friendship, leading to lots of after-school adventures and mischief. Johnny’s ailing and addled grandma (his sole parent) lives far across town, so Paul lets him stay in the clubhouse shed behind his Queens, NY home. It’s the site of many Graff family dinners, prepared by mother Esther (Anne Hathway), who’s involved in the PTA, and hosted by electrician papa Irving (Jeremy Strong). Oh, Paul’s older brother who attends a swanky private school, Ted (Ryan Sell) is there. But the most revered guest is Esther’s father, beloved grandpa Aaron (Anthony Hopkins). He and Paul bond over their shared love of art and model rockets. And yet the lad continues to get into trouble both at school and at home, which is on edge due to the upcoming elections (“That movie actor will have his finger on the button”). When the antics of Paul and Johnny get more serious, the Graffs decide that public school is not working for their youngest. Can Paul fit in with the “swells” at that stuffy elitist place? And what will happen to his friendship with the “unsupervised” Johnny?


Despite the “heavy hitters” in the cast (at least two Oscar winners), the focus of the story is Repeta as the impulsive Paul. The young actor seems relaxed and very natural in the role. Oh, and very real as he can turn from endearing and sweet to annoying and cruel “on a dime”. Sure, he’s the “center” but he’s not truly the hero. Much of that also applies to Webb as Johnny who projects an aura of tough apathy, which deflects any further disappointments and frustrations. He has big dreams that would take him far from the “mean streets”, but he knows that the odds are against him, along with almost everyone in the inner city. Supporting Paul on the homefront is Hathaway as the nurturing Esther who wants to be a progressive, but fears for her lil’ guy as he pushes against her protective embrace. The most complex parent may be Strong as Irving who must temper his affection for “his guys” with the need to be the “final word”. Strong convey a nerdy warmth as he sings a song (aided by banging a pan) to wake his lads, then becomes a terrifying “rage monster’ while dealing with Paul’s latest escapade. He truly scares the boy, but we can see in Strong’s eyes that he’s also unnerved by his out-of-control anger. Then in the final act, Irving insists on staying in the car with the boys during a memorial service, though not for their benefit as he suppresses a sob. But Repeta truly shines in his scenes with Hopkins as the ultimate grandpop’, full of patience and grumbly good humor, eager to be Paul’s sidekick in mischief. Though he seems an unlikely choice to play a Jewish family patriarch, Hopkins commands the screen as he regales his precious children with old songs or rivets them with his horror stories of survival and escape. Plus you just might feel your heart melt as Paul addresses him as “my good man”.Oh, and another big talent provides a most compelling cameo as a real figure from the era (with a big connection to the present).

All of this flows from the mind and memories of writer/director James Gray, who has fashioned an engaging “memory piece” that expertly invokes an era with almost no sentimentality. Yes, these years are full of wonder, but they’re also infused with anxiety. that mood is best seen as the adults discuss the presidential elections which may surprise younger filmgoers. Reagan may seem like an affable uncle in archival footage, and too soft now for his old political party, but for many at that time he was seen as the fellow who could bring about…the movie’s title. But the tale’s real tragedy may be the “arc” of Johnny, who will not get the second and third “chances” afforded to Paul. He’s the sacrifice to make the “system work”. The pace of the piece is problematic as it seems to lurch from one “dire incident” to the next with little coherence. Perhaps some more interaction between the parents would give a better understanding of the family. Or at least it would explain their inconsistent disciplinary strategies, especially when Paul really goes “over the line” and rebels at the first big family meal. Kudos to the production team for re-creating the hairstyles and fashions of the era (being a middle-class family, they wouldn’t be sporting the big “disco duds”). It’s worth seeing for the superb cast, but a wobbly script that just seems to abruptly stop drains the drama out of ARMAGEDDON TIME.

3 Out of 4

ARMAGEDDON TIME opens in select theatres on Friday, November 4. 2022

HAND OF GOD – Review

(l-r) Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo and Teresa Saponangelo, in THE HAND OF GOD by Paolo Sorrentino. Photo by Gianni Fiorito. Courtesy of Netflix.

Memory can be a powerful thing. The vivid autobiographical tale from Oscar-winning writer/director Paolo Sorrentino, THE HAND OF GOD is a coming-of-age tale about an awkward teenage boy growing up in 1980s Naples, a sun-splashed, gritty, quirky place where he is surrounded by loving family and colorful characters, a place where the mundane and the magical exist side-by-side. Soccer and cinema are his obsessions but fate or luck – the hand of God – steps in and shapes the direction of his life.

Fabietto Schisa (Filippo Scotti) lives with his parents Saverio Schisa (Toni Servillo) and Maria Schisa (Teresa Saponangelo), older brother Marchino Schisa (Marlon Joubert) and a sister we never see because she is always in the bathroom, sharing an apartment near the the port city’s old harbor. They, and Fabietto’s extended family, are a talkative, entertaining lot, and the teen lives in a world of family and warmth filled with colorful characters, and the striking quirkiness of the place and the time.

Humor and heartbreak suffuse Sorrentino’s autobiographical film. THE HAND OF GOD is a glorious mix of joy tempered with tragedy, a story packed with colorful, out-sized characters, and filled with wild tales and warm family ones, all presented through ravishingly beautiful images by cinematographer Daria D’Antonio.

Sorrentino is famous for the bold cinematic style of his films, on full display in his Oscar-winning THE GREAT BEAUTY, IL DIVO and other films. In THE HAND OF GOD, Sorrentino’s most personal film, his usual flamboyant visual style is more muted, to put the focus on the characters. Muted but not absent, as there are plenty of moments of the magical.

An opening scene encapsulates some of the film’s mundane and magical dichotomy, with a sequence where a beautiful woman, waiting for a bus on a busy, nighttime street, is called over by a rotund man in a limo claiming to be San Gennero (Enzo Decaro), the patron saint of Naples. He is offering a ride and a promise to meet the “Little Monk,” a Neapolitan myth, and claims to know her secret sorrow, that she does not have a child. What follows feels like something out of Fellini, until she returns to the real world, dropped off on a dim street.

Reality or fantasy? The beautiful woman is Fabietto’s Aunt Patrizia (Luisa Ranieri), whom he adores. Patrizia is a sad, half-mad woman with an unconscious sexiness, who longs for a child and fears her abusive, jealous husband. Luisa Ranieri is haunting as Patrizia, whose unthinking sexiness and pervasive sadness, touches her sensitive nephew. Memorable characters, touching ones like the aunt or bizarre ones like to scornful mother-in-law who wears her fur coat to a picnic, populate this marvelous film.

And what characters they are, starting with Fabietto’s parents. Teresa Saponangelo is wonderful as the teen’s playful mother Maria, a prankster prone to practical jokes and occasionally juggling. She and Fabietto’s father Saverio, played with charm and dignity by Toni Servillo, are still in love, and whistle to each other in a distinctive way as an expression of that love.

The teen is close to his older brother, played masterfully by Marlon Joubert. Fabietto’s handsome, outgoing brother Marchino longs to be an actor, even trying out for a role as an extra for Federico Fellini at one point, but he seems to lose energy as time goes on. Betty Pedrazzi is marvelous as the Baronessa, the family’s imperious older neighbor. Biagio Manna’s bold speedboat-driving smuggler Armando zooms into the picture and takes Fabietto for a wild ride.

There are crazy scenes and quiet ones, and the story unfolds in a rambling style as does real life. One highlight is a sequence where the extended family gathers for a summer-time picnic, and all manner of craziness happens. The delightful comic sequence has the flavor of a oft-told family tale.

Fabietto is obsessed with movies, soccer and, of course, sex. In the 1980s, everyone in Naples is obsessed with soccer and with legendary soccer star Diego Maradona, who is rumored to be considering a move to the more working class city’s more modest team. At one point, the boy meets a filmmaker, Antonio Capuano (Ciro Carpano), who was Sorrentino’s actual mentor, but not until much later, after a tragic event provides a turning point in the boy’s life. Both the director and the soccer star play pivotal roles in the boy’s life, as he heads towards adult life.

While some parts of this tale are based on real events, the director cautions us that the line is blurred between fact and fiction, This is the world as he imagines it, as he wants to remember it, narrative fiction, not documentary. Fact or fiction, or some of both, THE HAND OF GOD certainly is a marvelous experience, one of the director’s best and perhaps his most accessible.

THE HAND OF GOD, in Italian with English subtitles, opens nationally Friday, Dec. 3 in select theaters, Dec. 10 at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and Dec. 15 streaming on Netflix.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

HOUSE OF GUCCI – Review

Lady Gaga stars as Patrizia Reggiani in Ridley Scott’s HOUSE OF GUCCI A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Photo credit: Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

HOUSE OF GUCCI is based on a true story, one filled with wealth, power, ambition, family, tradition, high fashion, and murder, a story that plays like Italian opera, equal parts tragedy and farce. Ridley Scott directs, and the lush production stars Adam Driver, Lady Gaga, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Jared Leto.

Filled with gorgeous period clothes and cars, lovely sets and locations, mostly in Milan, and fine photography, HOUSE OF GUCCI delivers visual delights and jet-set style in this story that runs from the ’70s to the ’90s. The raw story material of a grand operatic epic is there too, but somehow HOUSE OF GUCCI never achieves epic levels, although it does make for a pretty good true crime thriller, set in a posh world of wealth and Italian fashion, with a satiric bent. HOUSE OF GUCCI was adapted from Sara Gay Forden’s non-fiction bestseller by writers Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna. It is one of those story that would leave audiences skeptical if it weren’t true.

Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga), the pretty young daughter of the owner of small trucking company, meets Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) at a party, when she mistakes him for the bartender. As soon as she hears his name, she is taken with the shy scion of the famous fashion house. Maurizio is similarly dazzled, calling her Elizabeth Taylor rather than her name. Although he is too shy to ask her out, the resourceful Patrizia finds a way through Maurizio’s armor. Although Patrizia is definitely working-class, little educated and working as a secretary for her father, while Maurizio is a scholarly law student who is not much interested in his family’s fashion business, she adds a spark of fun his life lacks. It’s love, and soon he is willing to defy his coldly aristocratic father Rodolfo Gucci (Jeremy Irons), who thinks Patricia is both low-class and a gold-digger. Dad’s not entirely wrong but his son marries her anyway, despite threats of being cut off.

Patrizia’s father (Vincent Riotta) gives the now-homeless student a job, and the pair find happiness in a little apartment. For a while the film unfolds along this path, a sexy romantic comedy, with the couple enjoying an idyll in a small apartment, Maurizio ironing his own shirts and horse-playing with co-workers.

Patrizia does her best to charm her way into the Gucci family, by building bridges. Making little headway with her chilly father-in-law, she finds a pathway with Maurizio’s uncle Aldo Gucci (Al Pacino), who shares running the family firm with his brother Rodolfo. While Rodolfo is aristocratically aloof, Aldo is warm and charming, inviting the couple to visit him in New York, and treating Patrizia to a shopping spree in the family store. He seems as much to want to befriend his niece-in-law as much she wants to be accepted as part of the Gucci family, although Aldo has his reasons for that.

Aldo invites the couple to family gathering where Patrizia meets the extended Gucci family, a sequence that is a delight of over-the-top characters and comic misadventures. Chief among those characters is Uncle Aldo’s son Paolo Gucci (an unrecognizable Jared Leto with facial prosthetics), a chubby, balding, loudly-dressed klutz who fancies himself a fashion designer. As his father puts it, more than once, “Paolo’s an idiot but he’s my idiot.”

Then this fun, romantic comedy romp gives way to something darker, a twisty crime thriller with family intrigue, drama, back-stabbing and finally murder. When Patrizia marries in, the Gucci business is very much a family business handed down through generations, a well-oiled machine with its own internal rules. Patrizia becomes the wrench in those works, sparking events that never would have happened otherwise, with consequences no one could foresee.

HOUSE OF GUCCI is certainly an entertaining film, particularly fun in the more comic earlier part. But as the film becomes darker, it stumbles a bit with that turn, with the various parts sometimes failing to mesh. At a running time of over two hours, all those moving parts need to work together for it to step up from good film to the great film it could have been.

Ridley Scott gives us actors speaking English with Italian-ish accents, set in a glorious Milan straight out of old movies. This rather tongue-in-cheek approach will amuse some audiences and irritate (or maybe even offend) others. There is a strong farcical element to the first portion, so the shift to crime thriller and tragedy almost feels like you are watching a different movie, although the satiric undercurrent is still there. Audiences might also be divided on Lady Gaga’s performance, feeling she is the best thing in the film, or the weakest link in the more problematic second part, although she is perfect in the first.

The cast is stellar, if the casting is a bit puzzling at times. Adam Driver nicely plays the awkward, shy Maurizio with a firm reserve. By contrast, Lady Gaga is splendid to start as Patrizia, a broadly-drawn character more out of “Good Fellas” than anything else, whose grammar is not great and whose cultural knowledge is seriously lacking. But she is certainly fun, as she tells Maurizio when they first meet. Plus, Gaga and Driver have an unexpected mismatch chemistry together.

Jeremy Irons is at his chilly best as Rodolfo Gucci, a cold fish who can barely manage any affection for the son he claims to adore, while living in the past with memories of his late wife and long-ago movie career. In contrast, Al Pacino as his brother is the complete opposite personality, all affection and family warmth, using charm to get what he wants. The brothers are on opposite ends of the business spectrum as well, with the New York-based Aldo eager to embrace branding and coffee mugs with the logo, while Rodolfo is about tradition and dignity for the Gucci brand.

Rodolfo relies on lawyer and advisor Domencio De Sole (Jack Huston, who has his own interesting pedigree with grandfather John Huston), who is almost family although not a Gucci. At some point, Patrizia picks up her own trusted advisor, a fortune teller, Pina Auriemma, played by Salma Hayek, although the advice is mostly ego-stroking, a fateful choice.

Where the trouble for the movie, as well as for the Gucci family, comes in is when the film takes it’s darker turn, from fun and farce to thriller and tragedy. What happens blends ambition, greed and murder, in a stranger-than-fiction true story. If you don’t know the history, it is better to just wait and watch it unfold on screen. However, whether the script that is at fault or something else, Patricia’s character seems to undergo changes that do not fit well with what went before, which seems to muddy the film as it makes this shift.

All the over-the-top events of this story, both tragic and absurd, are matched with some over-the-top performances, particularly Jared Leto. All that suggests Ridley Scott intended this film as satire. It partly succeeds as in that, as a grand, operatic one at that, although the second, tragic part feels less focused.

HOUSE OF GUCCI is an entertaining, engrossing film that mixes crime thriller with farce. While it is a good film, an enjoyable film, one can’t help but feel it could have been more. All the elements were there for a great film, starting with the true story. It just didn’t get there, although it is still worth the ticket price. HOUSE OF GUCCI opens Wednesday, Nov. 24, in theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

MINARI – Review

Over the last couple of national election cycles, a topic of much discussion and often heated debate has been immigration. In light of the impassionate rhetoric, many have neglected the human, personal side of the issue. it’s sometimes called the “immigrant experience”, the old “planting roots in rich new soil” idea that’s been around since our country (and a big reason the USA began in the first place) started. The movies have mined this topic many times during its century or so, from AMERICA AMERICA to MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON. Now audiences will be treated to another family’s fable, told from an often neglected culture’s perspective, and set in the fairly recent past for just a seasoning of nostalgia. And it’s mainly told from a child’s perspective as he adjusts to his new home while trying to cling to his own land, part of which is another arrival, the “wonderful, wonderful” plant called MINARI.

The time is somewhere in the middle 1980s. The place, a dirt road in rural Arkansas. The Yi family, split between a rental moving truck and the family station wagon, are about to see their new house. In between a big grassy field and the forest sit a mobile trailer home, its wheels held in place by big blocks of wood and concrete. Thirty-something father Jacob (Steven Yeun) is full of hope. His wife Monica (Yari Han)…not so much. For their two kids, pre-teen Anne (Noel Cho) and especially seven-year-old David (Alan Kim), it’s their new locale for adventure. Monica and Jacob met and married in their native South Korea, and after having Anne they emigrated to California. There they amassed a “nest egg” via Jacob’s skills as a “sexer” (separating the male and female baby chicks) at a factory-style hatchery. Now with little David, papa Yi plans to farm out the property by planting the vegetables for Korean foods and selling them to major markets (Dallas, Oklahoma City, Memphis) with big Korean immigrant populations. But to make ends meet the parents find “sexing” work at the local hatchery, as Jacob devotes all of the weekends and spare hours to his farming efforts. Luckily he soon acquires a “hired hand” after purchasing a tractor/tiller from an eccentric (lots of “talking in tongues”) named Paul (Will Patton). Mama Monica though continues to pressure Jacob to move them into a home in town, mainly to be closer to the hospital as she frets over David’s heart condition (a “murmur” that tires him quickly). His compromise, bringing in her mother Soonja (Yuh-Jung Youn). The idea of sharing his room with her upsets David, who has never met his “Grandma”. Slowly they begin to form a bond (mainly a love of mischief, TV wrestling, and Mountain Dew soda pop) as Jacob works hard to achieve his dream. Unfortunately, this adds to the tension between him and his wife. Can the two resolve their many issues and provide a stable prosperous home for the kids and their “Granny”?

A very talented and mostly unknown (to film audiences) acting ensemble breathes life into this 20th-century family fable. TV audiences will recall Yeun as the much-missed Glenn Rhee of AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. Here he gets to truly stretch his formidable dramatic skills (plus he’s an executive producer) as the patriarch struggling to hold his marriage together even as he faces daunting challenges in going for his version of “the American dream”. Through his weary eyes, Jacob looks at his bride with longing and regret, wanting to ease her sadness and reignite the passion they had shared so long ago. Han is a superb sparring partner to him, making her concerns and complaints clear right from the very start (with the mobile home, it’s disgust at first sight), unable to grasp her mate’s optimism, while trying to control her growing anxiety over her little angel’s health (“Don’t run, David” is her main mantra). That sweet smiling guy, David is played with a natural innocence by Alan Kim, still possess an infectious child-like wonder, as the world is still shiny and new full of new places to explore. He’s still a lovable rascal as he pushes for his independence while still often hiding behind his parents when faced with a friendly stranger. Cho as big sister Anne is more tempered as she enters young adulthood, trying to help in supervising her lil’ bro while still joining him in play. However David’s true “partner-in-crime’ maybe be his “grandma” a role that fits Youn like a glove as she steals nearly every scene. Though she hasn’t met her grandson and endures his taunts (“You’re not a real grandma! You don’t bake cookies”) and pranks ( a special cup of “water from the mountains”), she’s his defender and buffer to Jacob’s harch disciplines. But she’s also tough with her own daughter (“Why you make the kid do this crap?’) all while teaching the kids to play cards (and curse) behind her back. Youn’s a delight but she also breaks our heart as her fate instigates a final act tragedy. Also notable is the quirky performance of Patton as the fervent “true believer” Paul, whose odd behavior (his Sunday church service is toting a big wooden cross along the country roads) baffles Jacob, though he’s a big help and even a cheerleader for the farm dream.

Director/screenwriter Lee Isaac Chung brings a warm autobiographical feel to the film, as the events could have happened to any family of any origin. Putting the camera at David’s level, Chung really conveys the child’s eye view of this weird, but wondrous new world. The small patch of woods nearby is another planet, while the Yi family’s visit to a local church seems as though they’ve entered another dimension. This is especially true as the locals innocently offend while trying to be welcoming (“Why is your face so flat?” “Tell me if I’m speaking Korean…ching, chong, choom…”). While the kids have fun, they also must deal with new fears. The first night of tornado-producing storms is true nightmare fuel as is overhearing a loud parental argument (they do respond by inscribing “don’t fight” on paper airplanes they toss into the living room). We can almost feel the baking heat of those sizzling summer days with insects providing a smothering chirping bed of noise. Chung has served up a true slice of life saga, full of triumphs and setbacks, of new friendships and love that is lost and regained through tragedy and unexpected acts of brave generosity. In a word, just like the plant, MINARI makes the mundane magical.

3.5 out of 4

MINARI opens in theatres everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac cinemas and at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. It can also be screened virtually through cinemastlouis.org. via the A24 screening room.