"Diabolic" Review
A faith based horror film needs a dreary atmosphere, emotional tension, demonic spirits and a character-driven descent into fear. You get them all in Diabolic. At its core, Diabolic is a brooding psychological thriller that explores the horrors of religious extremism, and the long-term scars it leaves.
The film follows Elise (Elizabeth Cullen) confronting a past she believed was behind her after being excommunicated from a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound. While in therapy, she’s advised to revisit the place that is the source of her emotional breakdowns and fractured memories. With her boyfriend, Adam (John Kim) and friend Gwen (Mia Challis) going for the ride, what could possibly go wrong?
Visually, the filming is stunning. Director Daniel J. Phillips and his team of cinematographers build a world with desaturated colors and stifling darkness, where even the empty space feels suffocating rather than freeing. The framing constantly focuses on isolation, fortifying Elise’s internal downfall. This intentional approach enhances familiar genre beats, giving the film a recognizable identity in the indie cult horror genre.
The film is grounded by a commanding lead performance that communicates intense vulnerability and exceptional reserve. Elizabeth Cullen carries the emotional weight, securing its supernatural components in a sense of visible human reality. Diabolic tends to be at its strongest during the quieter moments with its hesitations and controlled emotions. Although the script tends to highlight themes over character development, the supporting cast, Kim and Challis, are extremely effective and serve the story well.
Where the film tends to fall short is its dialogue and pacing. A lot of the dialogue is like watching the movie with an audio description track on. The story is told word for word when you can see it playing out in front of you. The result is less immersion into the world being built and more time to make a sandwich with the volume up if you were watching at home. You won’t miss anything here. Throughout the film, certain pieces of dialogue diminish the tension being built by articulating concepts that would have been more powerful through visual storytelling and allowing the audience to understand the implications.
Even with the film's imperfections, Diabolic remains an intriguing horror film. The meticulous attention to the performances, thematic profundity, and the tonal atmosphere secures a lasting impact to indie filmmakers. Phillips demonstrates confident stylistic authority and clear ambition, favoring continued psychological tension over easy scares, a restraint that ultimately gives the film a true haunting resonance.
Rating: C
"The Union" Review: A Soulless Espionage Comedy
“The Union” puts Netflix’s flex of money on display. It has the locations, A list stars and action set pieces of a big budget film. However, don’t let the glitz and glam fool you, this movie can’t buy a heart or soul to make it the espionage comedy it wants to be.
Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry) is a top agent in The Union. The Union is like the FBI or CIA but flies under the radar according to boss Tom Brennan (J.K. Simmons). After a mission goes wrong, Hall recruits her old high school sweetheart, Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg). He’s a nobody that no one would expect or have intel on. The goal is to get some piece of technology.
Here’s the deal, this movie follows the beats of any fast moving espionage film of the last decade. It starts with a compromised mission. There’s a recruit of the main character, terrible exposition, one liners, and the twists we knew were coming from the opening scene!
Wahlberg plays his usual every man as a tough guy from Jersey. Berry was amazing as an action star in John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum but she looks and sounds like someone’s auntie who caught a break in film after taking acting classes at the local Y for the past year. This is her film and vehicle but it’s oddly driven. We get a strong supporting cast of J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Jackie Haley and Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje who got a check here.
There are plenty of films that you see on Netflix that you’re glad you didn’t have to leave the comfort of your couch to see. This is one of them. There are grand set pieces, decent action choreography and beautiful people, but this movie is something to have on in the background while you work.
Rating: C-
"Blonde" Review: Gripping Performance, Uninspired Story
Blonde is not a glamorous film. It’s a dark and depressing film about a Hollywood icon. While Chayse Irvin’s cinematography is beautiful to behold, the ugliness of the subject matter is hard to watch. Yet, if you can stomach it, this is an artistic expression of obsession, the trauma and brokenness the little kid inside all adults who have not dealt with it, and being alone in a room full of people.
The film starts with a young Norma Jeane Mortenson (Lily Fisher) being told by her mother that her father is a Hollywood power player. This seems to stick with Norma Jeane after her mother is institutionalized for mental health issues. As she pursues a career in modeling and acting in Hollywood, looking for her father is in the back of her mind. Dubious producers like Darryl F. Zanuck (David Warshofsky) take the opportunity to exploit the beauty with daddy issues in the worst ways. While Norma Jeane approaches the craft with sincerity and a great work ethic, she is constantly positioned into roles that play into a bombshell oozing sexuality. The attention leads her into a throuple relationship with Charles “Cass” Chaplin Jr. (Xavier Samuel) and Edward “Eddy” G. Robinson Jr. (Evan Williams). Relationship after relationship, abuse after abuse, leads to addiction, loneliness and ultimately ruin for Norma Jean.
The film is a biopic, so you know what it will cover, but the question is how. Ana de Armas gives an incredible performance that is pure and heartbreaking. In a particular scene that has an interesting parallel to modern times, someone asks “If you weren’t Marilyn, who would you be?” This seems to be the question that Norma Jean is dealing with throughout the film. Identity is a theme as the public has a particular thought of who she is, the people in her life have an idea of who she is, but she is wrestling to be seen. Armas is able to channel the lack of confidence and search for identity while upholding the persona of Marilyn in a way that makes it clear why Marilyn Monroe was a polarizing and complicated person.
By the end of the nearly three hour running time however, we’re left with perhaps more questions than answers. Writer/director Andrew Dominik has glossy recreations of his troubled heroine’s life that shows the audience how the public’s gaze and view of Monroe caused her downfall; yet the question remains, what should we do with that information? So we’re left with a tragic victim of the world’s objectification of beauty, but no new revelation on who she was.
Rating: C+
"Home Sweet Home Alone":
I watch the original Home Alone and Home Alone 2 every year with my wife and kids. We wind up watching the first more than once during the holidays. Home Alone one is a classic that I’m happy has been passed down to the next generation. I’m sure we can all agree on that. I despise the off shoots that have come after any Macaulay Culkin film in the franchise. So Home Sweet Home Alone was getting all the smoke if it was bad. Give me a second but get the smoke machine ready.
Writers Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell get tons of credit here. They understood the assignment and executed a screenplay that pays homage to the original, gives reasonable explanations for what’s happening, and tries to dig itself from under the mountains of nostalgic love for Home Alone. Emphasis on tries.
After randomly stopping into an open house to use the restroom, Carol (Aisling Bea) and Max Mercer (Archie Yates) talk with homeowner Jeff McKenzie(Rob Delaney) for a moment. Carol mentions to Jeff that the dolls he’s moving around happens to be a collectors item. Max, a somewhat ornery boy, seemingly takes an unusual doll to spite Jeff for not giving him a soda.
It’s revealed that Jeff and his wife Pam (Ellie Kemper) are selling their home because they can’t afford to live there anymore. With one salary, they need the money. Once Jeff finds out this ugly doll is worth $200,000 on Ebay, he and Pam set off to get the doll back.
This isn’t the set up that other films have tried to take with genuine burglars and bad guys. Instead, it’s two people trying to get back what’s theirs from the kid protecting what’s his. So the film takes a step away from what has been done and redone far too much. However, while the concept is grounded in reality, the antics and traps aren’t.
The majority of this films revolves around Jeff and Pam, as it should. Archie Yates is punching above his weight class. He lacks the charisma and charm that it takes to be the kid at home that we want to root for which brings the film down, but he’s noticeably not the centerpiece here. Instead, it’s Delaney and Kemper who do the heavy lifting. Their physical comedy and genuine relatability shines, making them burglars we can get behind.
Still, this is another Home Alone iteration that didn’t have to be made. My kids enjoyed laughing at the burglars getting hurt in traps and other shenanigans. There are some nice easter eggs that pay homage to the original. However, this is another film that will make you slap your face and scream!
Rating: D+
"The Vault" Review: A Subpar Heist Film w/ Lipstick
“The Vault” is every trope of a heist film that you’ve seen before rolled into one, beautifully shot, pretentious piece of work. I don’t think it’s worth watching because you can imagine everything that happens just from hearing the synopsis. Sometimes, I think Netflix should use its money to combat world hunger the way it wastes money picking up certain content.
If you read IMDB’s synopsis of the film it says the film “follows a genius engineering graduate who is interested in the Bank of Spain's safe.” That’s pretty lazy writing from someone who doesn’t care about the film. Maybe, one of the writers? The film is about Thom (Freddie Highmore), a Cambridge engineering student who solved some oil spill issue that gives us a montage of a bunch of oil companies coming after him to work with them. Thom isn’t interested in the money. Instead, he’s interested in Walter’s (Liam Cunningham) offer to crack the world’s most impenetrable safe in order to get back something that was stolen from Walter. You know, the one offer our hero gets after receiving an anonymous text, following instructions and winding up in a bar sitting across from the mature, seasoned actor who will give this thing some gravitas!
We already met Walter’s daughter (I think it’s his daughter, they elude to their closeness) Lorraine (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) in luring Thom to Walter. She’s the one who wears a wig, pick-pockets people and will likely be Thom’s love interest. So we need the rest of the gang of thieves: Klaus (Axel Stein) is the whitty, chip eating tech guy, Simon (Luis Tosar) is the gruff muscle, and James (Sam Riley) is the “don’t trust anyone” good at his job guy that probably likes Lorraine. Everybody here? Check! Getting into this vault is going to take some work.
First, we’ll have to do some reconnaissance! The type that’s never been done before, but wet behind the ears Thom will have to be on the ground to do something smart to build his character. With new information, we need to strike at an opportune time. How about during the World Cup Finals? Of course, great diversion and way to put a ticking clock in the film. I’m just sticking that in there in the same way writers…wait, I have to list five names!? Writer’s Rafa Martinez, Andres Koppel, Borja Santaolalla, Michel Gazambide, and Rowan Athale inserted the intense looking, smart but soon to be outsmarted Gustavo (Jose Coronado) as the head of security. However, with five writers on the job, it makes sense as to why this ensemble of characters lack depth.
The film has lots of great music. There is the music that we hear when someone is thinking through something, when danger or a near death experience is about to take place, and the absence of music when a joke is told to break the suspense of an intense moment. Ultimately, everything that makes this film tick, we’ve seen before. Thom isn’t really that smart, he just sees things that other people don’t, but likely would if they just thought a little bit more.
I can only imagine the money spent on the production design, location and cast for this film. It looks extravagant and like the best American heist films from the early 2000s. It even cuts together like one too. It has Freddie Highmore doing his best “if Dr. Shaun Murphy wasn’t autistic impression”. Unfortunately, it’s a pig with lipstick. I’d only recommend this if you’re extremely bored, have exhausted all of your streaming options and enjoy the rhythm of heist films.
Rating: D
"Bad Trip" Review: A Mixed Bag Of Hilarious & Familiar Bits
We could all use a good laugh these days. Netflix’s Bad Trip is a blend of scripted narrative with real pranks. For me, I’m not a huge fan of Jackass or Borat, but I get a huge kick out of people’s natural reactions to pranks on shows like Punk’d or IG channels. So if any combination of things I just listed appeals to you, this film will too!
The basic storyline of this film follows friends Chris (Eric Andre) and Bud (Lil Rel Howery), who take a cross country trip to unite Chris with a high school flame he thinks he has a shot with. Like, Dumb & Dumber, “so you’re saying there’s a chance” type deal! In order to get to New York, they decide to drive Bud’s sister Trina’s (Tiffany Haddish) Pepto Bismol colored car while she’s in jail. Only she’s not in jail, she just escaped, and she wants her car back!
With a thinly knit storyline, the entertainment is really in the various pranks along the way. Some are lighthearted, like Chris’ character breaking into song and dance about love in the middle of the mall. Others are extremely raunch like Chris being “violated” by a guerrilla at the zoo. With Trina hot on their tail, it’s funny to see the buddies enter a place and then her enter not to long after. What’s priceless are the faces and reactions of the bystanders at each of the prank locations that capture a slice of America from Florida to New York!
The film focuses on Eric Andre’s ability to be a shameless, mixed bag of emotion, hopeless romantic. While Andre is a “I’ve seen that guy before” actor that isn’t as famous as his co-stars, it also helps sell the story that he could go in to different places and get people to believe he’s an everyday individual. Lil Rel and Tiffany Haddish get makeup, different hairstyles and tattoos to help make them a little less recognizable. While Lil Rel plays the straight man in this comedy, Haddish is able to let loose with her character as she’s done in another movie with trip in the title, making for hilarious moments.
The blend between cinematic shots and reality tv setups can take you in and out of the film at times. It’s clear that in order to sell the prank, certain shots- like a drone flying over the main characters to capture him hanging over a building- would have to have been done at a separate time. However, if you just go with it, you’re guaranteed to laugh out loud more than a few times! The film ends showing the reveal of the pranks to the people involved, so stick around for the end credits.
Rating: B-
"Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special Review
My wife and I debated why Mariah Carey’s Christmas album is the one we remember from back in the day, above all the others. It was a different time. You went out to buy an album because you couldn’t download it, so choosing an album was intentional. She was hot at the time. Everyone was talking about it or playing it on the radio. It was really good. There were quite a few reasons. With her latest, “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special”, shooting to No. 1 on Apple TV+ in more than 100 countries, it’s obvious she’s still got it! Here’s why:
First and foremost, the music is dope. I’m not just talking about her voice and the classic Christmas songs we all can sing along with her but the instrumentation and composition of it. We turned on the home theater speakers and watched a concert. I mean, if you’re going to do a Christmas special it should sound great right?
The special has a loosely written plot and storyline in which jolly old St. Nick needs Mariah to help save the Christmas spirit. Tiffany Haddish is the fireside narrator of the story. We see Mariah the mother with her children at home and then the diva and star we know once she gets to the North Pole to make it happen. The juxtaposition of the two roles makes her somehow more relatable. (I’m actually being serious about that.) The best part is that there is less emphasis on story and it’s just a way to transition into songs. It features Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Eichner, Snoop Dogg, and Jermaine Dupri on different songs. Misty Copeland also visits the North Pole to grace us with her skills. So the talent and old school nods are there.
The production value is outstanding! The set design is elaborate. Production designer Julio Himede brings his years of experience with MTV award shows and comes to work, creating a winter wonderland in various settings. Looking at the frame, you know they’re not out in the middle of the woods, but the set design looks so real and detailed that you get lost in it. The costume and makeup team deserves a hand for the same reason. (Sans the one Spider-Man looking outfit she dons in the beginning.)
Ultimately, the special is a mixture of feel good music, holiday visuals, and a positive vibe we need to cap off the year. Apparently, Mariah Carey has been called the Queen of Christmas. As someone who got dragged into watching the special by his wife and wound up singing along, that title may be well deserved!
Rating: A
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" Review: A History Lesson
Knowing our history is important. As a human race, regionally, locally, and right down to your family unit’s history. It tells us where we’ve come from, lessons learned along the way, and perhaps where we’re headed. August Wilson penned a ten play series collectively known as The Pittsburgh Cycle which beautifully documents a part of history for Black America. The contrast of the events and themes that have taken place in America in 2020 in regards to race and the themes that are dealt with in this film adaptation of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” make the film, but more so the plays, that much more powerful.
In 1927 Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) was a voice to behold! Dubbed the “Mother of Blues”, she sang the pains and joys of her people from her soul. Director George C. Wolfe captures a fictional day in the life of the singer and her band as she’s brought to Chicago for a recording session. The boys in the band consist of Levee (Chadwick Boseman), Toledo (Glynn Turman), Cutler (Colman Domingo), and Slow Drag (Michael Potts), and they’re all waiting for Ma to arrive. As they wait, Levee, the promising young trumpet player with a burning desire to do and be more, tries to convince the band to play the songs with a little added flavor he’s created.
When she finally makes her fashionably-extremely late entrance, Ma brings her nephew Sylvester (Dusan Brown) and her lover, Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige). Ma makes it clear that she is on time because her time is the right time and the studio is lucky to have her in their presence. She also makes it clear that the music will be played the way it was originally written to Levee’s chagrin.
The majority of the film takes place in either the recording studio or the basement of the studio where the band gathers while waiting. While initially you may forget that this was adapted from the stage, there are certainly moments that will remind you, as the story is not told visually. The focus of the story is on the words. The telling of and analyzation of struggle. In perhaps the most talked about scene in the film, Ma explains why she won’t start to sing without the coca-cola she asked for in the studio. “They don’t care nothin’ about me,” she states. “All they want is my voice. Well I done learned that, and they gonna treat me the way I wanna be treated no matter how much it hurt them.”
It’s so interesting to watch a black woman, at that time, with such a confident, “play with me if you want to, but I’ll show you who is boss” attitude. We’ve become trained to believe that she is being “difficult”, demanding, and could possibly “get in trouble” with the white studio executives. Yet, at her core, she is simply demanding to be treated like a human being rather than a commodity. Which goes back to the importance of Wilson’s work.
As far as performances go, the entire cast gives great performances. Viola Davis shows why she’s one of the best actresses of our time. I’ve enjoyed the way she has spoken out about pay inequity between her and Meryl Streep as of late. Davis stated that off-screen she’s starting to speak up more and go after what she wants in a recent press conference held by Netflix for the film. It’s obvious that she stepped into the role with a certain kinship with Ma Rainey that comes through on screen.
It would be a shame to not mention this film is Chadwick Boseman’s last on screen, and what a bittersweet performance it is! Before he was Black Panther, he was playing dramatic roles of important black figures. In fact, 42 was one of the first films I reviewed with Picture Lock in 2013. Here, Boseman crafts the essence of young talent that shows up as arrogance due to a chip on his shoulder built from life’s challenges. In an electric scene, Levee rages at God for not being there during pivotal moments in his life. It’s a moment of gut level honesty that we may have in our private thoughts that he brings to life in a memorable way. While it’s sad that we lost him this year, he put it all on the line in the films he was involved in, without complaint.
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is an analyzation of white exploitation of Black culture and Black voices. It’s a sad history that has been documented in history books and film. Wolfe and his cast do a great job of capturing the essence of Wilson’s work and putting it before us to dissect. A tip of the hat goes to Denzel Washington for his commitment to bringing all 10 plays to the screen. This is important history, that I likely would not have known if not for the film.
Rating: A
"Fatal Affair" Review: An Entertaining Entanglement That Never Was
Fatal Affair is the latest in a long line of supposed salacious, psychological thrillers. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a flaccid film that will leave you talking to the screen for all the wrong reasons. Nia Long and Omar Epps do their best phoned in performances to keep this afloat. So in a sense, Netflix did it again! It cranked out some get with your boo and laugh entertainment.
Let me catch you up quickly so I can get to the jokes. Ellie (Long) is a high powered attorney, and David (Epps) is the hacker companies call on when they need something to be found. After running into each other in a chance work encounter, after years of not seeing each other since college, David wants that old thing back! That old thing never was, but for a brief moment in a club, after drinks, lonely Ellie almost crosses the line of her marriage to Marcus (Stephen Bishop) and hooks up with David. That little taste of almost heaven sends David on a mission to make Ellie his.
That’s the set up for the movie. So you know how the rest of it goes. We slowly see David’s narcissism and anger come to the forefront over a series of multiple calls, texts, “chance” encounters and watching Ellie through windows that should have blinds drawn. David makes it clear that he and Ellie can work it out and Marcus doesn’t have to know. While Ellie refuses, David only amps up the possibility of bringing her marriage to an end.
This movie doesn’t provide anything new for the genre. Part of the problem is that the moments that actually make you start to engage with the film seriously, end almost as quickly as they begin. Moments of tension and suspense aren’t held out long enough, but they are sprinkled throughout the film. Nia Long attempts to bring some emotion to her role as Ellie. After all being an attorney who is successful enough to have a house on the beach and her own firm, but stupid enough to entertain a mad man takes skill! I did enjoy seeing Omar Epps do his best to channel Bishop! Having got the juice 28 years ago, I guess he finally decided to prove it.
It’s not that this movie is the worst of the genre. It’s just that Fatal Affair isn’t quite abysmal and it isn’t that good. So I highly suggest you grab your bae or some friends and some wine for this one! It will be entertaining. Here’s my rating and some extras for you.
Rating: C-
Top 8 things my wife and I said to the screen:
“This is stupid!”
“Why don’t you just tell your husband!?”
“Now if you know he’s a hacker, why would you send an email?”
“If he’s a hacker, why doesn’t he have a password on his phone?”
“Omar is trying!”
“Poor Stephen Bishop! He done got to’ up in this movie! “
“Stab him! Stab him! Awww, come on!”
“Get the gun!”
Twitter quips that had me rollin’:
Lost In Space Season 2: Interviews & What To Expect!
The new season of Lost In Space finds the Robinsons several months after season one’s final episode ended. They’re stranded on a planet with what seems like no way out. Impossible situations that take intelligence, courage, and the love of family seems to be the norm for the Robinsons this season. In fact, Don West (Ignacio Serricchio) says it best during an intense moment during the season, “Is something wrong? Of course there is.” That’s the fun of watching this show! Creators Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, and Irwin Allen have constructed a beautifully imagined world that we get to explore through the eyes of a loving family. That expected conflict is matched by its’ unexpected solutions.
So what can you expect to see this season? I can say that each family member gets an episode to shine in for their character development. One of the best things about this modern version is the writing. Couple the emotional evolution of its characters with the amazing production design by Ross Dempster and Frank Walsh and you’ve got a fully realized sci-fi world you can sink into and binge watch this holiday season!
I got to talk with some of the cast and writers of the series. Check out this interview with Maxwell Jenkins (Will Robinson), Parker Posey (Dr. Smith), and writer Zach Estrin:
Here’s what Mina Sundwall (Penny Robinson), Ignacio Serricchio (Don West) and creator Burk Sharpless had to say about their roles and this season:
"Guava Island": A Love Letter to Storytelling & Pushing Limits
Imagine the 48 hour period surrounding Selena, Sam Cooke, Tupac or John Lennon’s untimely death. All of the aforementioned names are music legends tragically cut down in their prime. This is Guava Island in a nutshell. The 55 minute film quietly released on Amazon Prime may be consumed by some as a music video, musical, video album hybrid but there’s a lot more to it than those boxes.
The film starts with a bed time story about two childhood sweethearts. The boy grew up to be a talented singer named Deni Maroon (Donald Glover) who sought to win the girl, Kofi Novia (Rihanna), by singing a new song every night to her until he created the perfect song. While Deni works in the factory on the island, he is also a free spirited crooner who wants to fight for the people of Guava by providing the soundtrack to mental freedom through his music. He plans to put on a music festival to give the island’s working class a chance to unwind, but that would be bad business for the island’s big boss, Red Cargo (Nonso Anozie), because people wouldn’t show up for work the next day after partying all night.
There comes a point where the central conflict of the film comes to a head and a decision must be made. Due to the length of the Guava Island, we don’t get to see the consequences of the decision that a 90 minute running time would display. So in many ways the fallout is even heavier. What happens to people who do the right thing in the face of greedy, self-serving people? Is doing the right thing worth it if you have to pay the ultimate price? The story and the answers to those questions are cut short just like the running time. Which ultimately allows for the viewer to ruminate on those questions and ideas.
Guava Island is a love letter to the power of storytelling. Its use of the animated bed time story in the beginning, Demi’s live action story, and the ending animation all serve a point to how we consume information through oral and visual storytelling. It’s how we elevate human beings to the heroic and legendary status of a Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X. While simultaneously mythologizing his brother’s art, writer Stephen Glover (Donald’s brother) taps into a story that we’ve seen far too many times in history. It’s the story of a talented individual who gives themselves to his or her people and the entities that want to snuff their light out. While they may be gone in the physical, there’s no doubt that their energy lives on through the work that they created and spirit they emoted.
With Nipsey Hussle’s untimely death, a film like this hits home even more for those who were fans (it even dropped on the day of his funeral). Why do the good ones go too soon? Why do we as a society of flawed human beings, hate on or take out the people trying to make a positive difference in our communities? Perhaps the answer can be found in the remixed “This is America” song and dance within the film. With factory workers dressed in red jumpsuits (coincidentally similar to those in Jordan Peele’s Us) and moving like zombies, could it be that like so many TV shows and movies featuring zombie hordes moving together in unison, when they hear a sound of something different or smell live flesh, they attack it, kill it, and then we’re left to celebrate its greatness after?
Ultimately, what Glover and frequent collaborator, director Hiro Murai, have given us is art. Art allows us to fill in the blanks with our own thoughts and starts conversations. It’s refreshing to see that with so many ways to get their art into the world through streaming distributors, artists are taking advantage of it and taking risks to express themselves outside of the traditional boxed narrative for their careers. Glover doesn’t have to just be an actor in big blockbuster movies, tv shows, or just a singer. He can combine it all in the story he wants to tell. He doesn’t have to be pinned down to society’s wishes, and perhaps that’s the main point of Guava Island.
Rating: B
"Triple Frontier" Review: Big Stars Take To The Small Screen Stream
Plenty of us love a good war or military strategy film. Not necessarily because we love the violence of war, but because it gives us a sense of what it’s like to be there without being there. The danger, heroism and moral dilemmas soldiers face in the field is incredible and in many ways can be a metaphor for the battle of every day life. Triple Frontier uses all the action sequences we are drawn to in those films to have a deeper conversation about the motivations of its characters to take on a deadly mission in hopes of a final payoff after years of service to their country.
The film starts out in typical narrative by giving us a glimpse at Santiago “Pope” Garcia’s (Oscar Isaac) current assignment chasing down a cartel leader in South America. Eluding him for years, Pope has an informant that not only knows where Lorea is, but that the multi-millions of dollars in cash that he has amassed is in the house with him. Director J.C. Chandor gives us the recruitment sequences but jumps to the parts we need to see and know. He doesn’t spend time showing Pope on a flight to the U.S. and looking through folders with files. Instead, Pope shows up in an ongoing chat that has been cut in between Pope’s backstory with William “Ironhead” Miller (Charlie Hunnam), who is now giving speeches to current soldiers transitioning to private sector life. He finds Ironhead’s brother, Ben Miller (Garrett Hedlund), at an MMA fight. The fight is a good excuse to round up the entire crew. Tom “Redfly” Davis (Ben Affleck) is the retired brains who understands how to carry out an attack to the minute, and Francisco “Catfish” Morales (Pedro Pascal) is their helicopter pilot.
Once the team is in place, the recon proves the mission could be more of a suicide attempt than they had expected. It’s after the action occurs (reminiscent of an 80’s Schwarzenegger or Chuck Norris flick) that we still have half of the running time left to go in the movie. It’s in the space of their retreat that they find themselves up against the wall with moral and survival dilemmas.
This film feels very old school in it’s handling of action, but new in the conversations it brings to the table. The toll of war is evident on each character’s face as well as in their decision making. Whether they make a decision to kill, compartmentalize what has been done due to the rationalization of the situation, or tuck the guilt in their pocket momentarily to push through, the weight is obvious. What is the impact of taking someone’s life? Does one life outweigh another? What do our veterans have to show for their efforts after years of service? These are questions that screenwriters J.C. Chandor and Mark Boal try to wrestle with throughout the film.
This is a solid tactical shoot ‘em up with just enough heart to make it stand out for a flick for the guys (it’s definitely a bro movie). Proving that direct to streaming is a viable option these days, Triple Frontier is a good watch for your Netflix perusing.
Rating: B
"Bird Box" Review: What Could Have Been vs. What Is
Bird Box is a hybrid of A Quiet Place and The Happening. So it’s not surprising that it lands in the middle of the two. It soars in its elements of suspense and perhaps the all too familiar, “what would you do in a post-apocalyptic setting?” theme! It also crashes in its pacing and character development. So the real question is, should you lift your blindfold and watch the movie? I think the gander won’t kill you!
The film starts out with Malorie (Sandra Bullock) giving life or death instructions to two little children she calls Girl (Vivien Lyra Blair) and Boy (Julian Edwards). She’s not just giving them instructions, she’s telling us the rules for the world they’re living in and the road we’re about to travel. It’s intense, it’s mysterious and it’s engaging. Then we’re thrust back in time, just five years prior, to a pregnant Malorie and a world in which things are starting to go awry.
A menacing force that turns people suicidal when they look at it has reached the United States. After joining a house full of survivors barricaded inside a home, Malorie and her companions spend time trying to understand what they’re up against and live to see another day. Perhaps that’s a poor choice of words as they have to stay blindfolded whenever they venture out, but you get what I mean.
Bird Box landed on Netflix at a perfect time. Released over the holidays, when people are home and looking to be entertained, the film does just that. At its core, the movie is a character study into who we are as human beings in the worst of times. Malorie is a mother willing to do anything to keep her children safe from harm. Braving scavenger runs into houses with people who have become the entity’s helpers due to their mental illness (which was a concept that could have been explored more) and blindly taking on river rapids, she’s the embodiment of perfect love driving out fear.
The issue with the film is that it spends less time developing its characters and more time introducing characters just enough to set up inevitable kills. Perhaps the film could have been better as a series, especially given the nature of the streaming distributor. With more time to let us sink into the world, it could have been a binge worthy series. I would have loved to explore Malorie and Tom’s (Trevante Rhodes) journey over the course of five years growing accustomed to the new normal while facing threats. The concept of the mentally ill hunting for people to expose to the outside dangerous entity is the things that "The Purge” is made of. Instead, it has to rush its pacing by nature of a two hour sci-fi drama and awkwardly jumps through time to tell the story.
With solid performances from Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sara Paulson, and Lil Rel Howery, I think the disappointment is what the film could have been versus what it is. Still, it should be an entertaining watch for Netflix users! It’s not like you spent any extra money to see it and you’ve already paid for access to see it. So by all means, take the gander and come to your own conclusion!
Rating: C+
"The Christmas Chronicles" Review
As the holidays descend upon us, so do the holiday movies! Enter Netflix’s latest The Christmas Chronicles. “Who would have thought Kurt Russell would make such a great Santa Claus?” said someone who has never seen a Kurt Russell film!
Kate (Darby Camp) and Teddy Pierce (Judah Lewis) are siblings who have recently lost their father. They don’t spend much time together like they used to. Perhaps it’s because of their age difference, and likely the loss of their dad. So when Kate propositions Teddy to help her catch Santa (Kurt Russell) on video in exchange for not showing their mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) video evidence of Teddy’s grand theft auto, he agrees.
Not only do the two catch Santa in the act, they wind up going for a wild ride over an entertaining night with Santa Claus himself in an effort to save Christmas. Yes, it’s the sappy theme you’d expect, but with a modern edge that makes it fun for the entire family! Imagine all the great Kurt Russell quips that you’ve heard and swag you’ve seen in his work history applied to the role of Santa. He’s you’re cool grandpa that knows everyone he comes in contact with.
Part of what sells this version of celebrating the Christmas spirit is the look and wardrobe of Santa Claus. In fact, the running joke of the film is how he’s not a fat and jolly old man. Instead, his slimmer physique and Russell’s signature delivery with dialogue, makes for a believable, more youthful Claus. Claus’s suit is the red and white we’ve come to recognize, but has a brown tint in the white fur. It’s a befitting look for a unique Claus.
The visual effects team works magic in this film (minus the obviously CGI elves) as a floating sleigh looks authentic, Santa vanishing into mystical dust, and reindeer flying all look grounded in reality. Perhaps drawing on his animation experience and having director Clay Kaytis (his second time at the helms since 2016’s Angry Birds Movie) directing a film that relies on it’s visual effects and animation was a good move.
The Christmas Chronicles is a solid pick for family viewing this season. With solid performances from its cast, the intrinsic entertaining magic of the season is baked into the script from Matt Lieberman. Plus, finding out who Mrs. Claus is will be a treat for movie geeks. So grab the kids, some cookies and milk, and have a nice night on Netflix.
Rating: B
"The After Party" Review
The After Party is the 8 Mile for this generation. That’s not necessarily a good thing for my fellow barely-made-the-cut millennials. While we remember 8 Mile fondly from our college days as B-Rabbit chasing the dream by battling rappers, living in a trailer park, and dealing with some bad hands in life, we live in a different time now. As a Netflix original in part produced by internet juggernaut World Star, the film charts the path of the possible rise to stardom for this era’s hip hop artists but forgets to provide substance along the way.
Basically, it’s a one wild night story in which Owen (rapper Kyle) is a struggling artist trying to make it in the game. His best friend, Jeff (Harrison Holzer), believes he’s the truth and will make it more than he does and pushes him as his manager. Yet, with being sent to the Marines on the horizon, the duo has one night to try to impress a record exec before Owen’s fate is sealed. Just prior to this all too important night, Owen went viral after throwing up on Wiz Khalifa by way of hitting his super strong weed. Now known as “Seizure Boy” on the internet, Owen has to prove that he’s more than just a meme. If this doesn’t sound substantive, wait, there’s more.
In the midst of trying to get a deal, Owen also wants to get with Jeff’s sister, Alicia (Shelley Hennig), who he’s dug since childhood. With the proper motivations in place, Owen and Jeff navigate the night and a multitude of cameos to try to get to an elusive party where he might be able to spit for a new life. The cameos in this film fly at you fast and furious in almost each scene change. Yet, it may be fair to say that’s much like this digital world of social media that we live in. We’re constantly bombarded with information digitally, so why not be bombarded with DJ Khaled, Jadakiss, Tee Grizzley, Pusha T and more randomly throughout the film?!
Regardless of how inconsequential my old fuddy duddy self thinks the plot is. There are definitely some laugh out loud moments in the film if you’re a fan of hip hop culture. The fact that the film revels in it’s outlandishness makes it easy to ingest if you don’t take it too seriously. Cinematographers Damian Acevedo and Dagmar Weaver-Madsen present a dream-like palette worthy of the best follow your dreams movie. Kyle turns in a believable performance as the laid back Owen.
I can still remember watching the rap battles in 8 Mile over and over in my college dorm room. Perhaps one of the best lessons in that film was seeing Eminem’s character go back to work right after becoming the man to beat. The After Party doesn’t leave you with any life lessons, and ends on an all to clean note. However, if you’re willing to take the ride, you can’t help but feel the inner dreamer in yourself cheer a little by the end.
Rating: C