Tag: Joaquim Phoenix

EDDINGTON – Review

With last weekend’s “super” domination at the multiplex by one big blockbuster, some filmgoers may be looking for a break from the usual escapist Summer cinematic offerings. Well, that “indie upstart” A24 is always ready to provide a diversion that’s truly “off the beaten path”. And the setting for this flick is “way off” that trail, as an acclaimed, somewhat eccentric filmmaker guides us into a dusty desert town that’s fraught with old feuds and frustrations. Plus, the early 2020 “climate” not only brings everyone there to a “boiling point”, but it may provide the ‘spark” that could ignite the “tinderbox town” of EDDINGTON.


The village that has “seen better days” is in a remote part of New Mexico. The timeline of the tale is May 2020. In the opening scene, the town’s longtime sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) gets into a “dust-up” with two patrolmen from a nearby jurisdiction over his refusal to don a face mask. Yes, we’re in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Joe is called back to Eddington to deal with an angry unmasked derelict who tries to enter the pub owned and managed by the incumbent mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). After the situation is “handled,” the two men exchange words. Joe has a “beef” with Ted since he was a former “flame” of Joe’s emotionally fragile wife, Louise (Emma Stone). Due to the lockdown, her abrasive mother, Dawn (Deidre O’Connell) lives with them. The ladies spend their days clicking on conspiracy websites while Louise crafts her strange dolls. The next day, Joe and Ted “get into it “again at the local grocery store (yes, over masks). Joe makes an impulsive decision. He posts a cell phone video announcing that he’ll challenge Ted in the upcoming election. He enlists the help of his deputies, the dim “hothead” Guy (Luke Grimes) and the more laid-back, ambitious Michael (Micheal Ward). But a news event soon takes time away from the campaign. A small group of young people block off the dusty main street to protest the killing of George Floyd. Will these conflicts derail the plans for a huge data processing plant that will be built just a few miles away (which could energize the flagging economy)? And how will several “shadowy forces” influence the election and make the debates take a deadly turn?

For once, the marketing clues us into who is the real lead character of this film is. Despite the “star-studded” cast, the real focus is Phoenix as the surly, obstinate sheriff turned politico. He snarls and grumbles through most of his scenes, though Phoenix plays him as an angry teen with almost no impulse control. He doesn’t really know what kind of trouble he’s put himself in as Phoenix furrows his brow as Joe flails like a non-swimmer suddenly in the “deep end”. Still, he has great tenderness with his “Rabbit” AKA wife Louise, played with a jittery twitch by the compelling Stone. Louise appears to be in a fog that seems to dissolve as she plunges into the world of internet mysteries. It’s not until the campaign heats up that we see her speak out against becoming a pawn in the big battle to run the town. This all stems from her past history with Garcia, who is given a real “average Joe” likability by the engaging Pascal. He “plays for the people,” although he isn’t afraid to confront Joe by “getting in his face”. Pascal is also quite effective in the father/son dynamic with the snarky Matt Gomez Hidaka as his only child, Eric. O’Connell is quite a ‘force of nature’ as the domineering Mama Dawn, doing a more focused and less ruthless riff on her excellent work as the Penguin’s matriarch on the streaming smash. Grimes is a flighty lunkhead as Guy, while Ward simmers as the conflicted deputy Mike, who is often the only voice of sanity in the chaotic station house. Though he’s prominent in the poster, Austin Butler only has an extended cameo role (just a scene or two) as cult leader/ motivational speaker VJ Peak, whose “rap” bewilders Joe. Also of note are the main protest “rep” Sarah played by Amelie Hoeferle and Cameron Mann as the off-kilter Brian, who appears to have a sinister agenda that he’s slowly putting into motion.

Now the filmmakerr I mentioned in the opening is the quirky (to say the least) writer/director Ari Aster, who veers away from his comfort zone of disturbing horror cult faves like HERDITARY, MIDSOMMAR, and BEAU IS AFRAID to try his hand at an (somewhat) modern Western (Joe’s almost always in his white stetson). I would counter that label by floating that he’s crafted a dark, almost pitch black, social satire. But I’m reminded of a phrase from the world of stand-up comedy, when a joke about a tragedy falls flat: “Too soon?”. I’m not sure if five years is enough distance from the pandemic and the Floyd BLM protests, along with raving internet paranoia, and a “sidebar” about the taking of the land of indigenous peoples. Rather than evoking laughter, it brings up the memories of such a divisive time, becoming truly “squirmy” “cringe” humor. Perhaps if it were only about a small-town election, the satirical scalpel would be sharper to make a cleaner cut. Instead, Aster has an overstuffed “bag of topics” that help account for his 144-minute runtime. Part of the pacing problem may be the extended finale of mayhem that mixes elements of the Roadrunner cartoons and Russ Myers’ bloody excess, with a touch of Coen Brothers chaos of RAISING ARIZONA. It’s all too obvious and exhausting, although several current political jabs do hit the mark. But it’s drowned out by the explosions and caricatured carnage. All these desperate themes make a trek to EDDINGTON a most overwhelming and tiresome getaway. And strictly for fans of the star and director…

2 Out of 4

EDDINGTON is now playing in select theatres

Watch the New Trailer For NAPOLEON

Here’s your first look at the brand new trailer for Ridley Scott’s NAPOLEON starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby.

For Scott, reuniting with Phoenix for the first time since Gladiator was an immense pleasure. “He’s the only actor where we talk for weeks beforehand, just chatting and arguing in an office over aspects of the character. At the end, we are on the same page,” says Scott. “He’s good for me, because he keeps me honest, and I’m good for him, because I keep him in line. Physically, he’s perfect for the role – some of his facial features are strikingly similar to Napoleon’s.”

Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise of the iconic Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar®-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

Columbia Pictures and Apple Original Films present, a Scott Free production, a Ridley Scott film, Napoleon. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by David Scarpa. Produced by Ridley Scott, Kevin J. Walsh, Mark Huffam, and Joaquin Phoenix. The executive producers are Raymond Kirk, Aidan Elliott, and Michael Pruss. The director of photography is Dariusz Wolski, ASC. The production designer is Arthur Max. Edited by Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo. The costume designers are Janty Yates and Dave Crossman.

For the score of the film, Scott enlisted British composer Martin Phipps for their first collaboration.

NAPOLEON has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association for strong violence, some grisly images, sexual content and brief language. The film will be released exclusively in theaters globally on November 22, 2023, before streaming globally on Apple TV+.

Napoleon (JOAQUIN PHOENIX, center) looks onto the battlefield in Apple Original Films and Columbia Pictures theatrical release of NAPOLEON. Photo by: Aidan Monaghan

IRRATIONAL MAN – The Review

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Review by Dane Marti

One of the reasons I love the work of Woody Allen is that he obviously thinks of cinema as an art form, intellectual and aesthetic. Allen attempts –and often succeeds in a magnificent way—in delving deeper into a visual tale. Sure, his films ordinarily are extremely entertaining, but I find that they always contain a bit more. ‘The Irrational Man’ is a good, solid example of a film that offers thoughtful and interesting surprises for film viewers.

Allen’s films, even when they are not completely successful, are always interesting—and I mean that word in a truly positive way.

The Story: A young, disheveled professor, Abe Lucas, played with angst and passion by Joaquin Phoenix, arrives at a prestigious eastern University. Although only in his thirties, Abe is already a legend with the local academic environment, women in particular. And he definitely reeks Existential angst, not only discussing different philosophers and worldviews in class, but everywhere he goes in the picturesque town: It’s a running, obsessive conversation that plays non stop in his mind. At first, it appears to the viewer that he is simply a tortured soul, attempting to live his life with meaning.

Phoenix is great in his performance. You feel his frustration. And, as in many great films, whether comedy or drama, you smile and chuckle at his perplexed nature: Whether an intellectual or not, everyone should be able to understand his inner pain and confusion. Somehow, most of us come to some understanding in how we should deal with life. Hell, some of us deal with life by utilizing medication or drugs or alcohol; we are all confused, many of us in pain.  What am I saying? I figure we end up compromising with life and dealing with the slings and arrows of this crazy and ugly world in the best way we can. At least, most of us do this.

The film is at first a small character study. Abe meets a few other people, a student and fellow professor: Both find him fascinating. They glean that he is messed up, of course, but to them, compared with many academic dullards they know, he radiates a cool intensity: Yes, he offers them an escape. Although Abe mightily tries to dissuade her, he soon becomes involved with the young and gorgeous Jill Pollard, played with subtle conviction and just the right amount of sweetness by Emma Stone. Parker Poesy is—as in practically everything else she has ever acted in—superb in her small role. Frankly, Stone and Phoenix are the red-hot center of the story, with other characters in the town commenting and inhabiting the narrative, but never completely entering the couple’s duel of emotional morality.

While the first half of the film focuses on relationships in a relaxed, humorous and verbal way, the second half of the movie takes a dark turn: I wouldn’t call it film Noir or Hitchcockian exactly because it cohesively fits with the intrinsic subject matter that the first half had done so well. However, the audience discovers that, at least for some people, continuously analyzing goals and purpose in life can occasionally drive one toward delusion. Allen’s direction of his actors is, as usual, skilled. I believe that he also lets them create emotions, expressing their characters and  (Allen’s stunning dialogue) with their own unique talent; he doesn’t interfere. This is just my guess…The cinematography of Newport Rhode Island is lovely: ‘Annie Hall’, ‘Manhattan’, ‘Zelig’ firing all the way up to ‘Midnight in Paris’ and ‘Magic in the Moonlight’, the visual look in Allen’s films has always demonstrated that he isn’t simply interested in acting, dialogue and fascination with human beings. The visual frame is also important.

As in every Woody Allen film, the dynamic interplay between characters had me enthralled from start to finish. While this definitely isn’t one of Allen’s best, it is still a quality motion picture. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that the creators involved in the work are all making something with passion: It’s on a higher aesthetic and intellectual level than the average amusement park ride that passes as a movie in theaters these days.

3 1/2 of 5 Stars

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THE IMMIGRANT – The Review

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Writer/director James Gray’s outstanding new drama THE IMMIGRANT takes audiences back to a time when America encouraged other countries to send us their tired, poor, and huddled masses. Gray’s fifth film once again takes place in the New York of his previous work (LITTLE ODESSA, THE YARDS, WE OWN THE NIGHT, and TWO LOVERS) but this time he’s presented a period piece that is one of the best movies of 2014 so far.

THE IMMIGRANT begins in 1921 on Ellis Island, where Polish sisters Ewa and Magda Cybulski (Marion Cotillard and Angela Sarafyan) wait in line to be processed for entry into the New York port. Magda is quarantined, suspected of having contracted tuberculosis and there is murky reference to some “low moral” behavior on Ewa’s part while aboard the ship, so she is threatened with immediate deportation. Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix), a nicely-dressed observer in a bowler hat, steps in and makes Ewa an offer she can’t refuse: if she comes and works for him, he’ll put a roof over her head and use his connections at Ellis Island to release Magda from the infirmary there. Ewa accepts his offer and at first dances in his burlesque show dressed ironically as Lady Liberty (some of the performers are topless) but it quickly becomes clear that Bruno’s bread and butter derives from his career as a pimp and she is soon selling her body. Things get complicated when Ewa meets Orlando the Magician (Jeremy Renner), Bruno’s kind cousin and rival, setting up the sort of love triangle that can only lead to tragedy.

One of the great strengths of the THE IMMIGRANT is the way it convincingly captures the period. Its operatic plot and characters (a magician, a pimp, a dance hall girl) are straight out of the silent films and there’s even a cameo by opera singer Enrico Caruso (Joseph Calleja). The film contains an undercurrent of melancholy that is moving but it proceeds at a slow, deliberate pace that gives the audience much to savor and admire, especially the trio of nuanced performances from Marion Cotillard, Joaquim Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner. Some may find Ewa too passive, lacking fire in her belly, but to me Ewa seemed real, doing what she has to do to survive while showing courage, determination and dignity. Cotillard speaks volumes with her expressive eyes and subtle expressions and her work here should generate Oscar buzz. Joaquin Phoenix, who’s worked with Gray three times before, shines in a tricky role, going from savior to predator and back convincingly. Jeremy Renner is also excellent, though his role is smaller and less showy. Gray, working with cinematographer Darius Khondji, presents a dreamy, sepia-tinted vision of Manhattan in the 1920s with murky brown tenements seen through dirty focus and sooty air. THE IMMIGRANT is a restrained, thoughtful drama that satisfies on every level and is highly recommended as a cure for the junky summer blockbuster blues (see my BLENDED review).

4 1/2 of 5 Stars

THE IMMIGRANT opens in St. Louis Friday, May 23rd at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater

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