Tag: Drama

TUESDAY – Review

Maybe it’s a bit of unintended “synergy”, or just a result of a scrambled post-strike release schedule, but 2024 is proving to be quite a busy year for the current “indie-studio darling” A24. Could they repeat their Oscar dominance from two years ago with their recent ‘slate”? Who knows, but this new film flying (wink to the themes of the story) into theatres this weekend could snag a few nominations. A big factor for that is the lead actress, who is really bursting out of her “comfort zone”. That’s because she is the most nominated actress for TV comedy (in three different shows) in Emmy history (and she has taken home lotsa’ gold). And though there are a few laughs, she showcases her dramatic “chops’ in TUESDAY.

This story starts as the “grim reaper” makes its “rounds”, crisscrossing planet Earth and encountering some folks pleading for its embrace, others greeting it with a spit at its beak. Yes, beak. This isn’t the familiar bony-cloaked ghoul, but a rather a brightly colored (now dimmed by dirt) maccaw. Plus it can change its size, from tiny (close to a pea) to scary big (towering over his “chosen”). Oh, and he can speak (voice of Arinze Kene), not merely repeating like a parrot but engaging in conversation, even mimicking voices ( a feathered Rich Little). The next “stop” is the bedroom of a terminally ill fifteen-year-old named Tuesday (Lola Petticrew). While Nurse Billie (Leah Harvey) putters in the next room, Tuesday disarms Death, first with a joke, then with a bit of kindness by helping it bathe in the sink. But where are her folks? There’s only a mom, Zora (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who spends her days selling off family heirlooms and eating cheese in the park, returning home to keep up the lie of a busy career. And she stumbles upon quite a scene after dismissing Billie. After sharing a CBD vape, Death got very “small” and is resting inside Tuesday’s ear. When it awakens and flies out, Zora goes to extreme lengths to protect her only child. The ensuing battle not only changes the mother/daughter dynamic, but its consequences could throw the world into complete chaos.


So yes, the big draw is seeing our favorite ex-girlfriend from a classic sitcom go for the tears rather than the guffaws. And as I mentioned earlier, there are brief bits of levity but Louis-Dreyfus really dives into Zora’s almost-constant agony. Though it’s not apparent to many, as she wears several kinds of masks to obscure the impending loss. In public, she’s donning the disguise of a busy exec, shouting into a powered-off cell phone while doodling in a tiny notepad. With antique dealers, she’s an aloof though a tad zany socialite looking to “clear away the clutter’ as she haggles over silly “knick-knacks”. Returning home she slips on the face of happy optimist, first with Nurse Billie then with the somber resigned Tuesday. And then Louis-Dreyfus shows us Zora as fierce “Mama Grizzly”, out to destroy the monster that wants he beloved child. There’s even a touch of acceptance, as the “tables are turned” somewhat, making her finally connect intellectually with her daughter. It’s an often conflicted, even infuriating character, but Louis-Dreyfus imbues her with noble humanity and gifts us with another piece of her formidable talents.

Happily, screen newcomer Petticrew proves to be a deft, compelling scene partner for her. As Tuesday she balances a tough, world-weary pessimism with a snarky sense of her mortality, truly a dark, nearly pitch-black, sense of humor. But when she’s staring down death, mesmerized by that feathered beady eye, Petticrew conveys her sense of panic, scrambling to think of anything that will delay the “endgame”.And by the big finale, she becomes a maternal-like comforter to her miserable mum. This could be the start of a truly interesting acting resume. Harvey is an endearing comic “straight woman’ as the health care worker connected to this fantastical “madhouse”, not “getting” the gallows humor of the family and later overwhelmed by the insanity flooding the nearby streets and homes. Kudos must also go out to the vocal performance of Kene who strikes the right balance of gravelly menace and pathetic yearning as he seems to desire a friendship but cannot turn his “tail’ on his dreary duties.

This film is the feature debut of writer/director Daina Oniunas-Pusic, who has somehow mixed a heavy family tragedy with a bit of magical realism that often feels like a modern fairy tale, especially as it harkens back to the ninety-year-old romantic fable DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY, This underlines the wisdom that without “endings” humanity would fall into ruin, And not to fear that inevitable finale. And the locations, always-overcast Britain, drive that point home, especially when Zora “camps out” on a park bench to avoid her “house of doom”. The visual effects are nearly seamless, from the motions (and emotions) of the “big bird” to the quiet power of the mother/daughter duo joining on a journey as they begin a new “purpose” with more reliance on practical makeup “tricks” than flashy CGI. Many audiences will be confused and perhaps annoyed by the disorienting first moments as we follow death, and even later as it battles Zora. But if you can get into the flow of the pacing and the overall “oddness” the powerful performances are a bountiful reward for adventurous filmgoers. It’s the “big ideas” and talented cast that create a whimsical and often tearful TUESDAY.

2.5 Out of 4

TUESDAY is now playing in select theatres

BACK TO BLACK – Review

Marisa Abela stars as Amy Winehouse in director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s BACK TO BLACK, a Focus Features release. Credit: Olli Upton/Focus Features

Talented singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse’s tragic life was already the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary, AMY in 2015, made a few years after her death in 2011at age 27 from alcohol poisoning. So my first reaction on hearing of the biopic drama BACK TO BLACK was to wonder if we needed another Amy Winehouse movie. The excellent 2015 documentary seems to have have told her story well and thoroughly, but reportedly the Winehouse family was unhappy with it. However, the family granted permission to the filmmakers of this new biopic drama, BACK TO BLACK, with access to materials and song use.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson and writer Matt Greenhalgh previously collaborated on another music biopic, NOWHERE BOY, a fine drama about the childhood of John Lennon. The filmmakers assert that the Winehouse family had no say on the final film but the family does come across in a more positive light in this drama and they also have a more prominent role than in the 2015 Oscar-winning documentary.

BACK TO BLACK follows the familiar rise and fall pattern of biopics of other gifted but tragic musicians but does feature some nice acting performances and a chance to hear her songs again. It starts out with young Amy (Marisa Abela) on the verge of her fame, surrounded by her loving, working-class, Jewish family in the Southgate section of London. Amy is talented, and ambitious, and encouraged by her beloved paternal grandmother Nan (Leslie Manville), a still-cool, stylish, former jazz singer, who influenced Amy’s love of jazz and her ’50s-’60s fashion style of beehives, heavy eyeliner, and tight retro dresses. Amy is also funny, strong-willed, out-spoken, hot-tempered and driven. She also already has a big drinking problem.

First off, it is important to mention that the documentary is the much better film, and you will learn much more about the talented but self-destruction Amy Winehouse from it than this biopic. BACK TO BLACK often assumes the audience knows things about Amy Winehouse and her life that they may not, such as her struggles with bulimia, which makes for some confusing or even misleading scenes.

That said, Marisa Abela does a fine job portraying Winehouse, capturing her mannerisms, accent and assertive yet funny persona. The same is also true of the wonderful Lesley Manville as her beloved grandmother Cynthia, whom Amy calls Nan. Eddie Marsan is also very good as her father Mitch, along with Jack O’Connell as Amy’s charismatic, handsome but toxic husband Blake. Juliet Cowan plays Amy’s mother Janis Winehouse, a pharmacist suffering from multiple sclerosis, who raised Amy after separating from her father, and Sam Buchanan as Nick Shymansky, Amy’s friend her became her first manager, but the bulk of the narrative is carried by those first four characters.

The best parts of BACK TO BLACK are the cast’s performances and the chance to hear some of Amy Winehouse’s hit songs. However, the drama assumes that audiences know some things about Winehouse that they may not, and if you want to really learn about Amy Winehouse’s life and career, that Oscar-winning documentary is still the better choice. But you do get more of a feel for her family life and growing up Jewish in London’s Southgate in BACK TO BLACK.

Abela does her own singing and while she does well enough, she is an actress, not a singer, and certainly does not have Amy Winehouse’s distinctive, golden voice. Still, Abela does her best to sing in Winehouse’s style, and is at her most convincing singing the signature “Back to Black.” However, it would have better to have used Amy Winehouse’s real voice, instead of following this craze of actors playing famous singer doing their own singing, often with mixed results, and depriving fans of hearing the real star’s voice, the thing that made them famous.

Abela tries to capture Winehouse’s singing style, and does pretty well, but she is better in capturing Winehouse’s speaking voice, her mannerisms, and gives a convincing and touching portrayal of this funny, demanding, and fascinating talented woman who knew what she wanted and had a deep knowledge and love of jazz.

Lesley Manville is marvelous as Amy’s beloved grandmother Cynthia, a jazz singer who dressed stylishly and influenced Amy’s style and encouraged her musical interest from a young age. The film captures how Winehouse adored her paternal grandmother, whom she called Nan, and depicts Amy as she gets her tattoo paying tribute to her. The other delightful performance is from Eddie Marsan as Amy’s taxi-driver dad Mitch, who had a close loving relationship with his daughter but didn’t always make decisions in her best interests. As Amy’s career soars, dad Mitch is more of an ever-present figure, while mom Janice virtually disappears until late in the film. Mitch had a strong influence and worked closely with his daughter as her career took off, but was not always as good an influence.

Audiences may have some confusion over the relationship between Mitch and Cynthia, as Manville is only 12 years older than Marsan, and they look about the same age. It is easy to assume they are siblings rather than mother and son, and the drama does nothing to clarify this situation, one of the drama’s several problems.

The drama gives a little nod, although not enough, to Winehouse’s skill as a songwriter, and accurately depicts her as a perfectionist in her work, at least until drinking and drugging took their toll. While the bulimia is not directly mentioned until the end, the drama does a better job with her alcoholism, Even before her career really launches, Amy has already had a serious drinking problem, including incidents of seizures. A later scene depicts a confrontation with her manager about going to rehab, with her father siding with his daughter after she promises to cut back, something echoed in the lyrics of her song “Rehab.”

The film is stronger and more focused overall in its first half. The drama starts out fairly well, although it focuses more on Amy’s personal and family life than her career and work. However, it makes a turn into a doomed romance story after Amy meets her future husband Blake Fielder-Civil. The turning point comes after a strong, emotionally powerful sequence where Amy meets Blake. Those scenes are very good, with strong romantic chemistry between Abel and O’Connell, laying the groundwork for the obsessive, toxic love affair that follows. But once Amy falls for Blake, the film becomes increasingly disorganized, jumping around in time and failing to explain several things that pop up. There is a scene where the hard-drinking Amy discovers her new love’s drug problem and firmly rejects and even condemns drug use, yet in almost the next scene, we see Amy buying her own drugs, without Blake, leaving us puzzled as to what happened in between. The film continues to deteriorate in that fashion, ans once Manville’s Nan dies, both Amy and this drama go off the rails, morphing into a film about the toxic romance rather than her music, with Amy repeatedly talk about her longings to be a wife and mother.

Whether Blake was the real villain in Amy Winehouse’s life or not is another matter, as it seems more likely a combination of factors, including Amy’s self-destructive behavior, the loss of a strong hand to steady her with the death of her grandmother Cynthia (reportedly the only person she would listen to when she was out-of-control), a shark-like media, family and friends who failed to intervene to protect or help her, and her drug-addicted husband. But in this drama, the major blame is placed on a drug-addict husband who wanted to hitch his wagon to her rising star.

Although there are a few nice concert scenes after the biopic switches to toxic romance, the film continues to unravel, with several scenes that leave the audience confused about what is going on with the singer. While someone might argue that the film’s narrative falling apart might be meant to mirror Winehouse’s increasingly chaotic life, that explanation doesn’t really hold up. The film continues as a confusing mess until fizzles to a weak ending, with Amy walking away from the camera and seeming on the way to recovery, followed by a black screen and texts telling us of her death from alcohol poisoning at age 27. Then instead of just going to black, there is another scenes with Abela, instead of footage of the actual Amy, saying all she wanted to do was entertain with her songs.

Again, despite the strong performances and warm early scenes with family, you will not really learn much about Amy Winehouse in this biopic drama. Again, the 2015 documentary AMY is the better choice, and a better film overall, where you will learn much more about the massively talented but self-destructive Amy Winehouse.

BACK TO BLACK opens Friday, May 17, in theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

NOWHERE SPECIAL – Review

(L_R) Daniel Lamont and James Norton in director Uberto Pasolini’s NOWHERE SPECIAL. Courtesy of Cohen Media

James Norton plays an Irish single father of a 4-year-old boy in director Uberto Pasolini’s touching, bittersweet drama about a loving parent trying to do the right thing for his son.

James Norton plays an Irish single father of a 4-year-old boy in this touching drama about a loving parent trying to do the right thing for his son while he still has time. Directed by Uberto Pasolini, this Ireland-set family drama has delightful, wholly believable, even funny scenes between father and son, a sweet but independent-minded four-year-old, scenes which will bring a smile of recognition from parents. The other side of this tale is more bittersweet, because of what the father is trying to do: find the right new family and home for his son, before his terminal cancer robs him of that ability. The charm of those warm, funny everyday moments between father and son, and the remarkable chemistry between James Norton and young Daniel Lamont as four-year-old Michael, are the keys to why this film is perfectly balanced, between the sweet appeal of those father and son moments and the heartbreak of the situation the father is in, in this impressively-acted, moving, bittersweet tale.

Inspired by a true story, director Uberto Pasolini handles all this with great skill. This whole story takes place in an ordinary modest world of a low-income working man, and we see him deal with ordinary difficulties of life, like car breakdowns, preschool issues, working enough to affording groceries and the bills, even as his health fades. It is a dramatic story but Pasolini tells it is a way that avoids melodrama or sentimentality. Keeping it grounded and subtle makes it far more affecting, particularly with Norton’s fine performance, and the film’s wonderful father-son connection.

John (James Norton) is a self-employed window washer who is a single parent to his son Michael (Daniel Lamont). Mom is not in the picture, having been overwhelmed with parenthood after their partying pre-child lifestyle, and she left shortly after Michael’s birth to return to her family in Russia. Faced with parenthood on his own, dad stepped up, changed his life and became the responsible parent his son needed. Now at 35, John has built a stable, happy life for his son. His cancer diagnosis came as a shock, but even more so when he was given only a few months to live. John is now determined to use those remaining months to find the perfect new home for his son, while concealing what is happening to his health.

Often in real life, we see this parenting situation go the other way, with dads bolting and moms stepping up to be the responsible parent. It is one of several things that makes this quiet little family drama so good and so unusual. Another are the fine performances, and the realistic, down-to-earth way the story is told. Those charming father and son scenes help us cope with the father’s hard circumstances and choices, and give the film a little lightness and even touches of humor through Michael’s childish antics.

The father works with a social worker and a placement agency to find the one family who is right for his son, while trying to keep everything in Michael’s life as normal and steady as possible. It is not always easy, coping with all the usual challenges of life and parenthood, while struggling to keep working to pay their bills despite failing health, and still continuing his quest to find the perfect new home for Michael. The film alternates between those wonderful scenes with dad and son, and dad going about his work as a window washer, coping with ordinary life, and his meetings with the social workers helping him find the right home for the little boy. From time to time, the father and son visit homes of prospective parents, some of whom seem good candidates and some that don’t.

Something that will seem surprising to American audiences is how much help this single father gets from the social agencies and the time the caring social workers spend with him, as well as the lengths they will go to in helping him find the best home for his son. It is a portrait of a completely different, much more functional system than typical in this country.

That alternating pattern of scenes with just father and son and scenes of the father’s work and search, give us a needed emotional break from the difficulties the father faces. Every scene is presented in a realistic way, free of over-blown emotion, just quiet but touching moments in which the actors weave their magic. The photography is likewise subtle, unobtrusive but effective, giving everything an appealing naturalness.

Despite the ticking clock of his diagnosis, the father is remarkable picky about the family he will accept. He is looking for a magic combination of parents who will understand his son and those whose home has the right warmth and stability. Some of the homes he visits seem so good – well-off parents that can offer his son an education and future John never could and in a large home in a beautiful, semi-rural setting – that you wonder why he is still searching. But something isn’t quite right, so the search goes on. Some parents are more working-class like John, others more financially well-off and upper-class. Some have other children, others looking to adopt a first child. Some families are warm, others relaxed, others more strict. There are suburban ones, city ones; some down-to-earth, and some that look wonderful at first but reveal their darker side when he visits. Still he hesitates.

At first, John is certain about the kind of family he is searching for but as he meets them, he becomes less certain of whether he can judge them on a brief meeting and whether he knows his son well enough to make this decision for him, one that will impact his whole childhood. We eventually learn a but more about the dad’s own family history to give us insight on why he is working so hard to find the perfect home. Dad also is determined to conceal his illness from his son, who he thinks is too young to understand. John hopes to move him to another loving home before that illness becomes too obvious. That is a lot of pressure on this hard-working, loving, single parent.

James Norton is remarkable in this role, expressing the emotional complexity of the father’s feelings in a nuanced, layered performance. The scenes with the boy are magical, so filled with a perfect mix of lightness and real life, that we almost forget what is going on with the dad, a perfect escape for us as well as the father. Young Daniel Lamont is impressive as the boy, and was actually four-years-old at the time. He has a strong on-screen presence, even at times bringing to mind Jackie Coogan in Chaplin’s THE KID. Lamont speaks few words but his expressive face and eyes do it all, engaging with Norton and conveying a curious child who seems to know his own mind despite his young age. Norton does a marvelous job with the young actor, and he also effectively lets us see how the father’s joy in those moments with his on propel him forward as he deals with his increasingly life. As John races time to find the right home, that perfect fit, Norton also portrays him coming to grips with his own mortality, in between hard work as a window cleaner, dealing with difficult customers, school issues and ordinary life.

NOWHERE SPECIAL is remarkable, touching film, a quiet little drama that is hard to forget, and which finds a perfect balance between the warmth and often playful appeal of the father and son scenes, and the heartbreak of the father’s situation and his daunting task of finding the perfect new home for his son. The film’s low key approach lets the actors’ performances shine through, making this a much more moving film than something heavy on sentimentality would have been.

NOWHERE SPECIAL opens May 10, 2024 in theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

NEW LIFE – Review

Sonya Walger in NEW LIFE. Courtesy of Brainstorm Media

NEW LIFE is a drama that opens with a young woman, Jessie (Hayley Erin), running through the woods, head bleeding (her head, not the woods’). She’s obviously escaping from someone or something, but we won’t find out why she’s in this pickle until about halfway through the film. What we next learn is that she’s trying to flee to safety in Canada. Meanwhile, some unidentified entity with extensive resources hires a first-rate tracker (Sonya Walger) to catch her before she can get to the border. Walger doesn’t learn who she’s actually working for or why they are so hell-bent on catching her until well into the film when we do.

Jessie seems like a nice young woman to viewers and to all she meets in her northward journey through rural areas. There’s suspense in who will help or harm her, since she’s alone and vulnerable. And, even more than Blanche DuBois, dependent on the kindness of strangers. Those strangers observing her ordeal on a screen will be pulling for her.

I can’t give more details without spoilers. If you decide to watch, the less you know, the more interesting it will be, just letting the answers unfold for you when they do for the principals. I chose this one because the talented Ms. Walger is one of the leads, and she did not disappoint. Either she’s not getting as much work as she deserves, or I’m missing whatever she’s been doing. This role is quite a stretch from what I’ve seen her do before, and she nails the complexities of her character.

Writer/director John Rosman is a first-timer in wearing either of those hats. To his credit, the finished product is far superior to what most rookies can deliver. There’s suspense, a satisfying array of characters and performances, mostly mild action, and some yucky bits. That being said, the screenplay leaves considerable room for head-scratching. Rosman manages to have events develop in ways that simultaneously make more and less sense. You’ll know what I mean from your thoughts in the quiet moments – particularly in the latter half.

NEW LIFE is far from groundbreaking but it’s a reasonably engaging piece of speculative fiction, with fine performances from the two leading actresses, and a series of locations presumably chosen to add a sense of realism, in an efficient 85 minutes.

NEW LIFE opens Tuesday, Apr. 30, in select theaters and on-demand on May 3.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

WE GROWN NOW – Review

Blake Cameron James as Malik and Gian Knight Ramirez as Eric, in WE GROWN NOW. Courtesy of Participant. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

In a touching portrait of childhood friendship, the child-focused WE GROWN NOW captures the magic and innocence of childhood, even one where the two inseparable friends, elementary-school age boys, are growing up in poverty in a housing project that later became infamous for violence and a symbol of urban decay, Chicago’s Cabrini-Green. But in the early 1990s, when this story is set, all that is still in the future although very much on the horizon. Like FLORIDA PROJECT, the story is told from a child point-of-view, as the boys play and explore their world with all the joy and curiosity of childhood.

The real appeal of this moving drama is in performances of the two young actors playing these friends, performances filled with believability and an inescapable appeal and charm. The story is largely told through their eyes, with childhood’s limited view of the world. Their housing complex is falling into physical decay yet the playground is still joyous and filled with children, and the boys are embraced by their loving, stable families, albeit financially-struggling ones.

Malik (Blake Cameron James) and Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) are inseparable life-long friends, who are next-door neighbors in the Cabrini-Green housing project. The housing complex is filled with families, and many of the parents, like Malik’s mother Dolores (Jurnee Smollett) have grown up there, raised by her mother Anita (S. Epatha Merkerson) who moved to the then-new housing with her husband and daughter, fleeing the Jim Crow South with the Great Migration.

Although the buildings are falling into disrepair, with trash in hallways, a leaking faucet in their apartment that has gone un-repaired despite months of calls to maintenance, and empty apartments, there is family history there.

In an opening scene, the boys take an abandoned mattress from one such apartment, not to sleep on, but to use on the playground to practice their jumping. Another pair of abandoned mattresses in an empty apartment becomes a place for the boys to dream about the world, talk about the future, and imagine a starry sky overhead.

In fact, the boys’ apartments are neat, clean and well-kept homes. Both boys are being raised by single parents who work hard at low-paid jobs. Eric is being raised by his widower father along with his older sister while is being raised by his mother and grandmother. The stable, loving families, and the boys’ parents view of the housing complex as safe and familiar, allows the boys the freedom to play and roam with other children carefree. They attend the local school with other neighborhood children, another orderly, safe place, where they study and share.

Scenes in the playground, surrounded by children jumping rope and engaged in games, and classroom scenes, provide the setting for the boys’ conversations, which are remarkable in their naturalness and childhood charm. There are adventures too, one when they skip school to ride the train into the city and spend the day to the Art Institute and exploring other Chicago sites. Their carefree comfort with exploring their world echoes universal childhood impulses.

Director Minhal Baig grew up in Chicago although in a more prosperous neighborhood area than that of Cabrini-Green but she researched Cabrini Green and its history, and also interviewed people who lived there to build a more human, fuller picture of living there. Baig recalled her childhood view of her city being limited to the parts of it she experienced, from her neighborhood to downtown, and that same sense of childhood’s limited view suffuses WE GROWN NOW, which also reflects how young children like these two boys are largely at the mercy of the decisions of adults in their lives. This story is set at a time of change for Cabrini Green, as it falls into disrepair and the neighborhood around it becomes more dangerous and violent. WE GROWN NOW uses the parents’ personal stories to recap the history of the place, a housing project originally built for war veterans but which by the early 1990s was falling into disrepair, and eventually became a watch-word for urban decay by the time the last buildings were brought down in about 2011. The boys’ story is set at a time when as the neighborhood is changing, as the boys themselves are growing and changing, although they actually are far from grown by the film’s ends, just at a transition point that will impact their lives.

Director Baig incorporates a real event in 1992 in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood into this story, the death of a boy accidentally killed by a stray bullet while walking down the street. The event plays a role as a pivotal point in the film, with the boys attending the child’s funeral and then discussing life, death and wondering if there is an afterlife. Meanwhile, the sudden random act of violence jolts their parents, changing the adults’ view of a neighborhood they had thought of as safe, in which their children could be free to roam.

The sudden violence is combined with other changes that further alarm their parents. The housing complex becomes the focus of police, in the grip of the War On Drugs, who rouse all residents at 2am for complex-wide warrant-less searches for drugs, leaving apartments in disarray. There are new rules, along with new mandatory ID for residents, even small children, and intrusive security restrictions. The changing environment, and opportunity for a promotion, prompts hard decisions that threaten to separate the inseparable boys.

The focus on the two young friends, and their child-view world, makes this drama both magical and heartbreaking, as the world shifts around them. The young actors are so good in this film, and their believable bond so strong and so moving, that it gives the story about a specific place and time both a timelessness and universality, and a powerful emotional pull. As the film notes at its end, a place is really made of its people, and our memories of them.

WE GROWN NOW opens Friday, Apr. 26, in theaters.

RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars

CHALLENGERS – Review

This weekend brings a unique hybrid, a mixing of genres that has happened in the past but is somewhat rare. Perhaps it’s because one of the genres is the sports movie, more specifically tennis. Yes, there have been a couple of prominent films within the last couple of years, though they were “inspired by true stories”, mainly the Oscar-winning KING RICHARD and the humorous, but “for reals”, BATTLE OF THE SEXES. This new flick is pure fiction, though gleaned from recent players, and it’s also (the other genre) a dramatic love story. Oh, and this is the big selling point for the studio, it’s a true “love triangle”, as two male tennis “hotshots” share a passion for the game and the same woman. So, in the sport and the romance, these two are truly motivated CHALLENGERS.

In the film’s opening moments, we get a few short “flashes” of the big “showdown” of the “racketeers”. Then suddenly the story shifts back to a few days prior at the somewhat “minor” tennis tournament sponsored by a chain of retail automobile tire stores, not in Forest Hills, but in New Rochelle New York (being a classic TV fan I wondered if the venue was near Rob and Laura Petrie’s old house). That’s the destination for fading tennis ace Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). Yes, he’s had a rough last few months as he just can’t get “in the groove”. His wife/trainer/agent Tashi (Zendaya) knows this and believes her hubby can begin the climb back to the top with this smaller tourney (less pressure and press). Also arriving for the event is tennis “outsider” Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) who tries to charm his way into a nearby motel because his cards are maxed out. He also believes this gig could be his ticket back into the “big time” if he can “hype up” a match with his former partner/pal now rival Art. And soon we’re flashing much further back to when those two were doubles partners at a big tennis bout for college-aged athletes. Art and Patrick have their fans, but all eyes there are on the court “phenom” Tashi. The fellas also are “caught in her wake”. And somehow she drops in at their messy hotel room for a few beers and some “sexy time”. Eventually, Tashi and Patrick become a “power couple” until a devastating injury sidelines her. Art then swoops in for some TLC which leads to marriage and a sweet baby girl (now an adorable toddler). But with Patrick back in their lives will Tashi return to her former “bad boy”? When Patrick and Art finally face off in the big match much more than the trophy and prize money are at stake…

As the driving force in the story (and the film itself, as a producer) Zendaya gives Tashi a commanding “take charge” persona, knowing the exact words needed to say to the two pros to achieve her goals. Unfortunately, this costs much of Tashi’s humanity after seeing her as the vibrant almost ethereal muse in the earliest flashback. But Zendaya conveys Tashi’s heartbreak as she must turn her back on playing in the sport she dearly adores, which perhaps fuels those ambitions for Art. Faist, terrific in WEST SIDE STORY and the little-seen PINBALL: THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME, is the more passive of the trio, though he gives us a hint of his own aggression nature in the montage of his career downturn. Faist also shows us Art’s slow dissolution in his downcast eyes as he hands his future tennis glory over to his wife. This is also in contrast to that early scene in which he has a pure love for the court and its fabulous princess, or is she the queen? Well, the slithering “snake” in their Eden might be O’Connor has the desperately opportunistic Patrick. The “gravy train” has almost passed him by, and we see that he’s running to hop about the back of its caboose. While Art is headed toward “the rocks”, Patrick is trying to avoid crashing again. This is best shown by O’Connor as he tries to use his considerable charm and charisma to grab a motel room and to schmooze info, and a prized spot, from the event staff. He’s also compelling in his early days as he shows us that his affection for Art nearly matches his desire for Tashi (and he wonders what might have been with her). This is quite a talented trio in this film.

They’re guided by director Luca Guadagnino (BONES AND ALL), who indeed gets their best work. It’s just a shame that his storytelling choices thwart the performances, making their motivations as confusing as the timelines, which is needlessly convoluted (the tennis match appears to be quite a marathon. The tennis is shot fairly well, although the CGI tennis balls rocketing towards the camera grows stale (I image it in 3D), and his “homage’ to Hitchcock’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (Tashi stares straight ahead while everyone’s following the ball). But that’s not as intolerable and just plain annoying as the decision to disrupt scenes with a thumbing techno-pop score so loud that the dialogue is nearly incomprehensible. Really, you don’t want us to hear your actors? After this audio assault, we’re visually “drenched” by the long lingering shots of the players dripping sweat directly into the camera lens. The film’s marketers are highlighting the big hotel room tryst with the trio, but it occurs briefly in the first third of the film. Granted, there’s a raw “naughty” energy to it, that’s never matched by the remaining ninety or so minutes. There could be a compelling movie about these characters whose lives and careers are so interconnected, but Guadgnino just sabotages all the pacing and drama to go into “artsy-distraction” (I so wanted to use the rhyming “f” word there). In trying to delve into the world of this trio and of the grittier side of the sport, moviegoers will be truly challenged by the messy mechanics of CHALLENGERS.

2 out of 4

CHALLENGERS is now playing in theatres everywhere

LA CHIMERA – Review

Josh O’Connor in LA CHIMERA. Photo credit: Simona Pampaollona. Courtesy of Neon

In Alice Rohrwacher’s Felliniesque tragicomic adventure tale LA CHIMERA, an English archaeologist-turned-tomb raider named Arthur (Josh O’Connor) leads a merry band of grave robbers who plunder ancient Etruscan tombs, eking out a meager living selling the stolen artifacts to collectors. Arthur is a haunted man, mourning his lost love, and caught up in recurring memories of their last moments together.

The tomb-raiding gives LA CHIMERA a bit of an Indiana Jones vibe, but while Arthur appears to be a trained archaeologist, he is not working for university nor is he a professor. Instead, he is what archaeologists call a “pot-hunter” plundering archaeological sites for grave goods he can sell for profit. And this grave-robbing is by no means lucrative, as he lives in a shack he built from cast off items, in the shadow of an aqueduct, and carousing with his hard-drinking band of petty thief pals, existing on the edge of Italian society. How he got there or why he stays isn’t clear but it seems to be wrapped up in his pining for the lost Beniamina and a love of Etruscan artifacts that he can’t otherwise satisfy.

Rohrwacher is happy to leave this a mystery, which draws us into this magical, dreamy story. LA CHIMERA has the feel of magical realism to it, and dream and fantasy often blend with reality so that it is sometime hard to tell what is real. The film is the third in a loosely-defined trilogy, with  “The Wonders” and “Happy as Lazzaro.” When this story takes place is also vague, perhaps some time after WWII, but certainly not the present.

Arthur uses a dowsing rod in finding the hidden tombs but really seems guided by an otherworldly sense that connects him to the graves and causes him to often collapse when he gets close. Arthur is a man of two worlds, a kind of chimera, searching for something he can never find. Images and memories of his lost love Beniamina (Yile Vianello) fill his dreams. In his sorrow, he visits her mother Flora (Isabella Rossellini), a former opera star living in a crumbling mansion. The imperious but nearly-wheelchair bound Flora who ekes out her living teaching singing to student she treats like servants. Flora is hoping for the return of her favorite daughter and Arthur tells Flora he is still searching for her Beniamina, even though it appears he knows she’s dead.

The tomb-raiders face a number of obstacles beyond just finding the ancient tombs. They have to avoid arrest by the authorities for their grave-robbing, but also evade fellow grave robbers. The main fence for their plundered treasures is a shady mobster who represents a threat in itself, and there is a villain who adds to the adventure tale excitement.

Director/writer Alice Rohrwacher weaves a magical, almost fable-like tale, in this magical film, as she takes us on a series of adventures. The film is filled with wonderful performances, particularly the lead Josh O’Connor, breaking out from his role in “The Crown” series as the young Prince Charles to movie leading man, and Isabella Rossellini brilliant and funny as a sharp-tongued former opera diva. While Rohrwacher takes us on adventures, her film returns to the sad, lost Arthur, in scenes sometimes moving us from this world to that of the dead, until finally delivering us to just the right ending.

LA CHIMERA opens Friday, Apr. 12, in theaters.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

CIVIL WAR – Review

Writer/director Alex Garland explored the near future in two of his previous three features. In EX MACHINA he pondered the possibilities of emerging technology and the rise of sentient artificial beings. Then in ANNIHILATION, he tackled the results of alien contact and the impact on the ecology and the military response to it. With this new film, Garland goes “back to the future”, though it’s not centuries ahead, but rather a time that could be “just around the corner”, spawned from events happening right now. And it’s not gizmos or ETs that propel the cautionary fable. No, it’s the dangers of hatred and intolerance that divide the country and lead to a CIVIL WAR. It’s not the first time, but it could be the last…

We’re not shown the causes or origin (no “first shot heard ’round the world” flashback). Instead, we’re “backstage’ as the “third-term” President (Nick Offerman) readies himself before a televised address to the fractured United States. War is already raging between the federal military and the Western Forces (WF) of California and Texas, and some other states may be joining them (Florida is mentioned in the speech). And where there’s war, there are journalists (writers and photogs) on the ground. In NYC, celebrated “shutterbug” Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) is at the front lines with scribe pal Joel (Wagner Moura) during a violent clash between citizens and soldiers. During the mayhem, Lee assists a battered young woman named Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), who has a dream of following in Lee’s footsteps. However, Lee strongly discourages her and insists that she return home. Later, at a local hotel filled with press from around the globe, Lee and Joel meet up with an old pal, veteran New York Times reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), who gets the duo to share their big plans, They’ll go the “long route” to get into the now fortress-like D.C. and somehow get an interview with the President (who has been “unavailable”). They give into Sammy’s pleading and decide to take him along. Early the next morning Lee is shocked to discover that Joel has taken on another travel partner, Jessie. After some bickering they hit the trail, making a “big circle” to enter the “back door” of the Capital. But can they survive the horrors and threats that await them down every highway and side road?

Her role as the veteran photojournalist proves to be a “high-water mark’ in the now 35-year feature film career of Ms. Dunst. The early street riot sequence gives us an insight into Lee’s character with merely Dunst’s “coiled” body language and her “taking in everything” glare under heavy “seen it all” eyelids. it appears she’s trying to file this with the far-flung conflicts she’s covered until the realization that this is happening in her “old backyard” truly hits home (it nearly paralyzes her in the big finale). A “fun” visit to a dress shop reminds her of a life she could have lived. The same is true in her relationship with Jessie as Lee tries to push her aside, then experiences a maternal joy (or perhaps as a “big sister”) in protecting and mentoring her. This film, coming off her splendid work in THE POWER OF THE DOG, really showcases Dunst’s mature acting skills. Interestingly, Ms. Spaevy’s career trajectory is so similar to the first decade of Dunst on screen. So terrific in last year’s PRISCILLA, Spaevy captures the dichotomy of Jessie, bouncing from young wide-eyed innocent to devious “climber” to headstrong post-teen making very dangerous choices to get her “props” from the seniors. We want to shield her while she still annoys us. And we finally see her ‘take the reins” as Spaevy shows us that Jessie is now a true battlefield daredevil. Much like Moura’s aspiring “swashbuckler for truth” Joel who plunges into the thick of “it”, then must try and bluff his way out of the consequences. On the opposite end is Henderson, who has also seen too much but can’t shake the “rush” even as he becomes more frustrated by his failing physicality. He knows he has his cohorts’ respect, but he fears becoming a burden and slowing them down. Offerman uses his stern gravitas to give a sinister spin on the typical blustery lying politico. But the film’s big scene stealer may be Jesse Plemons as a taunting militia bully who becomes the biggest “poster boy” for the erosion of humanity via callous banal acts of evil.

As mentioned earlier, Garland dives confidently from the worlds of science fiction, with the detour into horror with MEN, into speculative fiction with a slight hint of satire as he distorts the already twisted political atmosphere of these times. Once we get past some of the wilder concepts (“blue” Callie and “roarin’ red” Texas teaming is a big stretch), he drops us into this nightmarish “what if” fable. The villains are not easily labeled as each side commits truly barbaric acts. In one scene we side with WF who seem hopelessly “pinned down” until the battle takes a turn, ending when we find the “underdogs” take no prisoners. Yes, it is a cautionary tale, but also a tribute to the recently maligned press (we’re told that they kill members of the press on-site in DC). Lee and her team could turn back, but it’s just not in their DNA, even as they use any “downtime” to numb themselves with booze and weed. Perhaps that’s to chronicle the carnage and snap pics of a steaming pile of entrails that was a person mere seconds before. Garland also has elements of a road trip/odyssey as the crew encounters a stadium-turned-tent shelter city and a serene main street that seems removed from it all, until a big reveal. Surprisingly the film is beautifully rendered, whether driving on a highway as bodies dangle from rope tied to the overpass, to that excruciatingly tense encounter with Plemons and his murderous cohorts. Kudos to the sound techs who have crafted an immersive mix of arsenal fire, screams, and nature still being heard. The audio may be at its best, along with the rest of the film, in the dizzying final act assault on democracy’s home which gives us a sense of the chaos and desperation of those “boots on the ground”. Maybe it took a filmmaker from the “mother country” to craft the compelling, haunting, and very sobering “wake-up call” that is CIVIL WAR.

3.5 Out of 4

CIVIL WAR is now playing in theatres everywhere.

SHAYDA – Review

Zar Amir Ebrahimi as Shayda and and Selina Zahednia as Mona in SHAYDA Photo credit: Jane Zhang. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) flees her abusive husband in Iran, along with her six-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia), and goes into hiding at an international women’s shelter in Australia, in the moving, semi-autobiographical Australian drama SHAYDA.

Set in the 1990s, SHAYDA is partly based on writer/director Noora Niasari’s own childhood experiences, when her mother fled Iran. Zar Amir Ebrahimi gives a charismatic, emotionally moving performance as Shayda, in a touching, emotionally-powerful drama that follows the mother’s and daughter’s journey. Young Selina Zahednia is a charmer as cute, mischievous Mona, effectively portraying her growth in understanding and maturity as they stay in the shelter. The drama premiered at Sundance in 2023, where it won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition, and it was Australia’s official entry for the Oscars.

We first meet the mother and daughter in the airport, where someone from the international women’s shelter is coaching little Mona on what to do if someone tries to lure her on to a plane to return to Iran. It is a chilling introduction to the precarious situation that Mona and her mother Shayda are now in, as Shayda escapes her husband who beat her and has become increasingly oppressive and brutal.

Shayda chose to flee to Australia because she and her husband had attended college there, until the Iranian government pulled her scholarship. Kindly social worker Joyce (Leah Purcell) runs the international women’s shelter where the mother and daughter go to hide, along with other women, mostly from an array of other nations. Secrecy is essential, as the men the women have fled have been known to either try to kidnap their children or attack the women. The secrecy extends to anyone the women may know, as they never know who may give away the location, intentionally or not, which would endanger all the women.

While in hiding in Australia, Shayda starts the process to get a divorce from her husband Hossein (Osamah Sami), which is no simple thing. Meanwhile, she tries to help her young daughter, who is struggling to adjust to life in the shelter. Homesick young Mona doesn’t understand why they can’t just go home, although the six-year-old does have some understanding that daddy hurt mommy. Mona longs to return to her own house in Iran, her own room and a yard to play in, instead of the cramped shelter where she shares a single room with her mother. Shayda tries to cheer her up, encouraging the little girl’s imaginative drawings, or entertaining her by singing or dancing with her to an exercise program on TV.

While Joyce, the woman who runs the shelter, is kind, not all the other women there are friendly, and Shayda does encounter some racism. The situation becomes more tense when Shayda’s husband Hossein follows them to Australia, and even gets the Australian authorities to grant him some visitation rights with his daughter, which forces Shayda to come up with a way to comply while keeping their location secret.

As the Persian New Year approaches, Shayda hears about a celebration planned by other Iranians nearby, and Mona begs to go. Shayda has to weigh the risk against homesick Mona’s emotional well-being.

Writer/director Noora Niasari does a fine job depicting the tight-rope that Shayda must walk to both care for her daughter and keep them both safe from her estranged abusive husband.

Zar Amir Ebrahimi is impressive as Shayda, and really carries the film on the strength of her appealing, nuanced performance. Osamah Sami does a nice job as husband Hossein, turning on the charm with his estranged wife and promising to change, but also pumping his daughter for information while trying to spoil her to win her affection. Young Selina Zahednia effectively portrays a girl who feels conflicted and caught between her parents.

The film is shot with a pared-down realism appropriate for the drama story. Flashes of color and energy come from little Mona’s artwork, and in the festivities and preparations around the Persian New Year, a celebration of renewal and new beginnings that mirrors the changing lives of mother and daughter.

SHAYDA is a touching drama about a mother and daughter journeying to freedom and a new life in a new land, anchored by an appealing, layered performance by Zar Amir Ebrahimi as the lead character.

SHAYDA, in English and Persian with English subtitles, opens Friday, Mar. 22, in theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

ARTHUR THE KING – Review

Ali Suliman as Chik, Mark Wahlberg as Michael, Nathalie Emmanuel as Olivia and Simu Liu as Leo in Arthur The King. Photo Credit: Carlos Rodriguez

Geez, the movies have really gone to the dogs. Sure, lots of folks constantly use that as an insult to modern cinema, but with this weekend’s big release it’s a bit true (so pardon the “groaner dad-joke” of a pun). With lots of kiddies enjoying either the end or the beginning of “Spring break”, there’s got to be more for them in the multiplex other than the further adventures of that KUNG FU PANDA. And so, it’s the canine stars to the rescue, with this new “good boy” joining the ranks of Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and even Beethoven. Plus he’s got a bit of an advantage since his tail (er, tale) is a true one (or at least “inspired by true events”) which already spawned a beloved book. And it doesn’t hurt that his human co-star is quite a “bankable” actor who bounces from family fare to action blockbusters. He’s the knight who “serves” ARTHUR THE KING.


That guy in question is “adventure racer” Mike Light (Mark Wahlberg). So what is this “adventure racing”? Well, he’s the leader of a group of athletes (more like tri-athletes) who compete with other teams to win a race based in exotic, and often brutal, world locations. And running’s just part of it, along with mountain climbing, hiking, biking, and canoeing. The movie’s story starts back in 2015 as Mike’s team (which is backed by several sponsors) is humiliated online as they “run out of the river” and must pull their boats through the mud. Cut to three years later with Mike back at his home in Colorado and starting a family with one of his former teammates. But he’s still yearning for “game glory” as he rankles at working with his prickly papa in the real estate biz. Oh, but a big new race is coming up, and Mike wants one more chance at a big win. But his backers make some demands. Mike’s got to re-unite with social media “showboat” Leo (Simu Liu), though he’s able to bring back old pal Chil (Ali Suhlman), despite his recent knee surgery. Oh, and he’s got a “newbie” in Olivia (Nathalie Emmanuel), a “second generation” racer hoping to honor her legendary pop. Soon they all meet in the Dominican Republic. It’s a tough race until they get an unexpected assist from a wounded dirty “street dog” who likes Mike’s meatball snacks. The team and the pooch get separated, but the pup always catches up to help. Mike names him “Arthur” after the iconic “King of the Britons”. Though he’s far from royalty, Arthur and Mike form a bond that is truly tested after the “finish line”.

With this new role, Wahlberg merges his intimidating physical prowess with his affable “family guy” vibe as Light. Thankfully he also gets to convey Mike’s “arc” from the bullheaded “alpha” in the opening flashback to his slowly building respect and affection for the abused dog that becomes a guiding guardian angel to him. Wahlberg pours that emotional intensity into the final act in which he’s got to be Arthur’s true champion. He certainly isn’t upstaged by his canine co-star, much as he holds the screen with his fellow actors, especially in the bickering battle of egos with his “frenemy” Leo played with blustery charm by the always engaging Liu. Leo also has a change of heart as he soon puts his teammates, including Arthur, ahead of his appetite for online “hits”. Emmanuel has a nice no-nonsense persona as the formidable Olivia, who laughs off an injury that will have audiences squirming. Suhlman is also compelling and endearing as the amiable but determined (that knee won’t slow him down) Chik. And vieing for the most adorable cast member, Cece Valentina as Mike’s daughter Ruby (who loves that pink nail polish on Daddy) goes toe to paw with the soulful big brown eyes of Arthur himself.

Director Simon Cellan Jones makes excellent use of the gorgeous exotic locations whose beauty almost obscures the dangers around every turn. The competition sequences are truly immersive as we’re squeezed right into the tiny watercraft, and climbing every green step of a steep hill. The film’s big action highlight happens around the midpoint as a zip line hundreds of feet above the forest tests both their strength and smarts, along with the nerves of the viewers (but it looks like “big fun” for a while). The use of narration (“play by play”) from reality TV star Bear Grylls really helps clarify the race segments and rules. Ah, but the competition is really a backdrop for the story of a budding man/dog love story. Jones still shows the harsh reality of Arthur’s life on those mean streets as other dogs defend their turf. This adds more emotional weight to the final act as Mike puts everything “on the line” for his new pal, in heart-wrenching scenes that may inspire some OLD YELLER flashbacks for the baby boomers. The lil’ tykes may get a bit distressed but the uplifting story will bring a smile and maybe a tiny tear to all the “fur baby” parents. Yes, it’s manipulative, but the sports backdrop and lush landscapes make this new family flick fit for a crown-wearing (maybe on his dog collar) ARTHUR THE KING.


2.5 Out of 4


ARTHUR THE KING is now playing in theatres everywhere