Morbius Rated PG-13 for some frightening images, intense sequences of violence and brief strong language Rotten Tomatoes Score: 17% In Theaters While not part of the Kevin Feige MCU universe, The Marvel comic book character is getting his theatrical debut thanks to Sony and their pre-Disney deal. Jared Leto plays the crippled scientist Dr. Michael Morbius who uses vampire bats to try to put his broken body together again. Unfortunately this turns him into a vampire. This seems to be okay as long as he can keep it a secret, but when his childhood buddy with the same disease (Matt Smith) gets ahold of the formula, he becomes the murderous type, and Morbius must try to stop him. It’s not a bad idea for a marvel hero and there are some interesting bones here. But the whole thing is a sloppy mess from start to finish. It feels like a really long trailer that just won’t end, with one action sequence after another but hardly a shred of character development and actors who can’t seem to pronounce their dialog correctly. They try to make it a bit scary, which would be nice if it was, but instead it comes off as silly and unnecessary. At this point I would rather leave this character out of the MCU (there is no plan to add him) until Disney and Marvel can resurrect him under better circumstances, years form now. One thing to keep in mind is that this film was supposed to be released 2 years ago, and while I wouldn’t blame Covid for its failure, it certainly didn’t benefit from its time to marinate. They would have been better off sending it straight to streaming during the pandemic and blamed that for its failure rather than the bad filmmaking. D
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood Rated PG-13 for injury images, some suggestive material and smoking Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% Streaming on Netflix Writer/director Richard Linklater, using his distinctive animation style, tells the story of what it was like to be a child growing up in Houston during the 60s with the space race as the backdrop. Creating the narrative of NASA needing a young boy to go up due to creating a module that was too small for adults sets up a beautifully told story of what the day-to-day was like in a fashion that can only be described as nostalgic bliss. For 90 minutes you are whisked away to a childhood that most will find familiar enough to their own, with Jack Black as the narrator giving the play by play. This film kind of snuck up on me and when I started watching, it immediately put me in a happy place. In my opinion, it is certain to be a frontrunner for Best Animated Picture next year and would have probably beat Encanto had it seen a release date last December. It will definitely be one that you start recommending to friends, especially if they grew up in the Houston area at or near that time. A
The Lost City Rated PG-13 for suggestive material, language, some bloody images, partial nudity and violence Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86% In Theaters Sandra Bullock is a romantic novelist who, along with her books’ cover model, played by Channing Tatum, find themselves on a real adventure on a remote island after an eccentric rich kid, played by Daniel Radcliffe, kidnaps her in an attempt to locate a hidden treasure. Along the way, a former navy seal, played by Brad Pitt, steps in to try to help with the dangerous rescue. As expected, the movie is charming and fairly entertaining, largely due to the larger than life actors on screen playing the story out. There are some nice laughs and a few thrills with plenty of sexual tension thrown in. Unfortunately the adventure isn’t really that adventurous and there are so many plot holes and inorganic plot devices that by half way it is hard to take the film seriously. Aside from the fact that it is way too reminiscent to Romancing the Stone, and the filmmakers were too concerned with just getting to the next big joke or set piece, giving the film a lack of originality and forcing it to be overly predictable when it is just trying to make the audience to not have to think too terribly hard. Luckily there aren’t a ton of these kinds of films, so they are nice to take in once in a while. That being said, last year’s Jungle Cruise was a way better example of the sub-genre, and it performed horribly at the box office, so we will have to wait and see if audiences will be kinder to Bullock than they were to The Rock and Disney. B-
Windfall Rated R for language throughout and some violence Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55% Streaming on Netflix Jesse Plemons is a tech billionaire who is looking forward to a quiet weekend with his wife, Lily Collins, at their vacation home when they discover someone has broken in (Jason Segel) with plans to steal from them. When things don’t go as planned, he decides to hold them hostage until a large sum of money is delivered for him. With only three actors and a fourth bit part, the movie feels like it could have been more successful as a play than a movie. They go out of their way to keep it simple and straight forward with some nice touches in the cinematography and music departments. The problem is that while the characters possess some of the raw elements that make a film like this work, those elements don’t materialize and by the end you just wait it out so you can move on. With better dialog and richer character development, this might have been a much more interesting project. C
The Godfather Trilogy: 50th Anniversary 4K Edition Available on Disc and Paid Streaming Every few years we get a new addition of The Godfather and if you are like me, you look to upgrade. From tape to DVD, from DVD to Blu-ray, and now from blu-ray to 4K, each usually coming every 5 years. Is it worth buying it again? If you are like me, you want to dig through the new special features, for which there are plenty here. In addition, this version has been meticulously remastered and restored. Did my eyes see much of a difference? Did I learn that much more knowledge about one of my favorite films? Not really, but these features are there. Probably the best reason to shell out the bucks is that the third movie has been offed and replaced now with The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, a far superior and way shorter recut of the less than stellar Godfather Part III. The suggestion I would give would be to forgo the physical copy which is almost three times more expensive than the streaming version, and even better, Apple TV tends to update your version when you purchase and a new one comes out in a few years. I bought the trilogy years ago, and when I go back to watch now it automatically pops up in 4K. It’s almost like future-proofing your favorite classic movies. #godfatherhacks
The Adam Project Rated PG-13 for language, violence, action, and suggestive references Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68% Streaming on Netflix Netflix went all out in this straight to streaming sci-fi adventure starring Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner and Zoe Saldana, which tells the story of a man from the future who goes back in time from 2050 to 2022, only to find himself teaming up with a 12 year old version of himself in order to rescue his dad and set the future straight. From the very start, the film is charming and funny with a sense of danger and thrills, just like you would expect from a Reynolds movie. The plot is fairly simple but works well and does a very good job at dumbing down the science enough for you to stop asking questions about feasibility while avoiding too much over-thinking about how ludicrous the whole thing is. Perhaps what works the best is having Reynolds alongside a 12 year version of himself, played by an excellent child actor, Walker Scobell, making the film twice as fun. Overall it’s an enjoyable family sci-fi comedy that should have had a theatrical release, but that we are lucky enough to enjoy at home right off the bat. B+
Turning Red Rated PG for language, thematic material and suggestive content Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95% Streaming on Disney+ Another film that should have opened in theaters rather than start with streaming is Disney and Pixar’s latest animated feature about a young Asian Canadian girl who discovers that, as she enters puberty, she turns into a giant red panda when she gets upset or emotional. At first you get the sense that Pixar is trying to make a clever, maybe off-color movie about menstruation, and they even throw you a few hints to lead you down that path. But you quickly find out that she really is a red panda and it gets even crazier than that when her friends love both her and the giant furby she becomes. Pixar loves to make odd little films with unique story telling and this is no different. Showing us the geographical and cultural similarities and differences is a great way to relate, learn and appreciate. This one is really quirky but still fun and enjoyable. Its only fault is that the girl and her friends can be annoying. But I’m pretty sure all young teenage girls can be annoying at times, so if anything, it’s just more believable. B
Red Rocket Rated R for pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use and strong sexual content Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89% Available on Streaming and Disc From writer/director Sean Baker (The Florida Project) comes this dark comedy about a washed up porn actor, Simon Rex, who comes back to the South Houston area to hustle up enough money to find himself a post-porn life. But when he falls in love with a girl in a donut shop, played by newcomer Suzanna Son, he begins to formulate a plan to get his former world back again. Filmed in Texas City, Kemah, The Golden Triangle and Galveston, the film provides for a great representation of Southeast Texas from a talented filmmaker with a unique perspective. While some of the acting is sub par and feels a little too indie at times, Rex and Son are terrific with amazing chemistry, elevating the project quite a bit. That being said, you can’t help feeling sad for them as they meander through life without a goal or a clue. In that regard it’s probably more real than most of us give it credit for. B-
Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton Week of February 28, 2022
The Batman Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material, drug content, strong disturbing content, strong language and strong violent content Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87% In Theaters In the latest major reboot of the Batman franchise, Writer/Director Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) presents Robert Pattinson as a dark, broody billionaire lost soul who acts as a vigilante at night as a means to find solace and seek justice for the murder of his parents. He is the same tough crime fighter basically, but with a more gritty and vulnerable side that we aren’t used to, and a lot fewer cool toys. He’s not a womanizing playboy by day, but rather a sad young man trying to figure himself out. But when a strange new serial killer named The Riddler (Paul Dano) begins to kill prominent leaders in Gotham in order to expose their crimes, he addresses clues to The Batman, shedding light on both current and future crimes. So needless to say, this isn’t your daddy’s Batman. It is a dark noir crime thriller with a mystery slant and a much more organic look and feel to it, rather than the flashier versions we’ve seen until now. Rather than the supervillains we’ve watched in this franchise previously, The Riddler is almost like a more sociopathic-like version of The Peacemaker, a villain who thinks that he is doing the right thing by using extreme violence to thwart the evil-doings of the leaders of Gotham. It’s as if he thinks he is like Batman, with a darker edge. Like he’s trying to possibly team-up somehow. This kind of plot works well and turns out to be a very interesting take on the storyline. And when you add in Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), a cat burglar who is also willing to do what it takes to bring down the mob, you get a memorable version and a worthwhile place to take the franchise. There is honestly a lot to like here with great acting, a strong production and a serviceable script. Sure the score by Oscar Winner Michael Giacchino (Up) sounds like a western version of the Imperial March by John Williams, but when you consider that batman sounds like he is wearing spurs when he mysteriously walks into rooms, it all starts to make sense. What doesn’t make sense is the 3 hour runtime. Some films earn their 3 hours, but this one sadly does not. It is an overly long bladder-buster that could have used a major edit. There is a lot of wasted space in this film and that bloat takes focus off of what could have been a better movie with just less of it there. B+
Studio 666 Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, sexual content and pervasive language Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79% at time of writing In Theaters The Foo Fighters are trying to figure out what to do for their 10th album, hoping that a special retreat might help the magic happen. When their manager suggests a creepy mansion with a violent history, they jump in and start creating. But once in, lead singer Dave Grohl finds himself under the influence of the evil presences in the home, threatening both the album and the lives of his bandmates. Since the Foo Fighters hit the scene almost 30 years ago, they’ve always managed to make the most creative of music videos, collaborating with award-winning filmmakers to tell fun and silly stories set to their loud arena rock. Personally, I’ve been a fan since day one and look forward to every new release and especially every new video. This film basically has the feel of a two hour video, filled with graphic but hilarious violence, sex (also hilarious) and some really, really bad acting that you actually tolerate quite well. It’s not a great film, but it is far more entertaining than you would think it would be. If you aren’t a Foo fan, you probably won’t understand, but since their fans are numerous worldwide – the film has potential to become a cult-classic amongst those who like to fight the foo. B
American Underdog Rated PG for thematic elements and some language Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75% On Disc and Streaming Since I’ve never been a pro football fan, I sadly had little concept who Kurt Warner was or what he was famous for. But I must admit, I am quite impressed by the story of this small college quarterback from Iowa who went on to work for minimum wage in a grocery store only to later become one of the most famous football players in the history of the sport. Zachary Levi (Shazam) plays Warner while Anna Paquin (True Blood) plays his wife Brenda in this fairly star-studded faith-based sports flick that chooses to inspire rather than preach, making it far more accessible than most films from the genre. What could have a been a cheeseball Warner worship-fest turns into a pretty compelling story worth watching, and even cheering for. Levi and Paquin are a bit over-the-top at times, and the story gets a little dramatic too often, but that doesn’t make it much less enjoyable and only gives you more to like about the characters. On top of that, it is an incredible family film that should be interesting enough to teach the kids a solid lesson in never giving up on your dreams. B
Death on the Nile Rated PG-13 for violence, some bloody images and sexual material Rotten Tomatoes Score: 68% at time of writing In Theaters From director and star Kenneth Branagh (who just happened to get a full set of Oscar noms for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay this week) comes this sequel to the 2017 Agatha Christie mystery Murder on the Orient Express where the world-famous detective Hercule Poirot finds himself on a boat on the Nile at the same time a gruesome murder takes place. While not quite as A-list star studded as the first film, the cast here is at least very recognizable with Gal Gadot in the lead as a wealthy businesswoman with a new husband and lots of people who seemingly hate each other along for the ride during their honeymoon. The first hour is at times beautiful to look at but still tedious to sit through as you try to figure out the crime before it takes place. But once it does, the plot picks up full steam ahead until the crimes are fatefully solved. I found the last outing to be quite annoying, so I was refreshed that this one was less so, and by then end it even comes off as pretty enjoyable. There are lots of problems with the script and the acting, especially in the first hour, but smoothing things over are the impressive production values, especially the set design, cinematography and a lovely score by Branagh’s long-time friend and collaborator Patrick Doyle. B
Blacklight Rated PG-13 for action, strong violence and language In Theaters Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: Liam Neeson plays a government-trained fixer who goes after the men that threaten his daughter’s and granddaughter’s lives. Okay – close enough. You would probably be surprised if it weren’t Neeson in the role. Being that it is directed by Ozark creator Mark Williams, you would expect a surprise here and there with maybe enough twists that you forget its lack of originality. But you’ll only be disappointed by that expectation. Instead, all we get here is a paint by numbers government thriller where the actors are either misdirected, completely phoning in their parts, or probably both. The cardboard characters get zero help from Neeson or his boss/enemy Aidan Quinn, who both throw their talents out the window, along with the forgettable supporting cast. But it’s not all bad – at least I have a solid candidate for worst picture of the year, if I don’t scrub it out of my mind come December. F
Parallel Mothers Rated R for some sexuality Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% In Theaters In Spanish with English Subtitles Writer/director Pedro Almodovar and actress Penelope Cruz have teamed up for many high profile dramas through the years including All About My Mother, Volver, Broken Embraces and Pain and Glory, all of which are extremely artistic but not always easily accessible. In this newest journey together, though, they tackle a much more universal twisted drama about motherhood, regret and redemption, with a narrative that is convoluted yet riveting in a story you won’t be able to take your eyes off of. In this tale, Cruz plays a middle-aged single woman who gets pregnant and decides to keep the baby. In the hospital she makes friends with a young single soon-to-be mother who gives birth on the same day as herself. After leaving the hospital, everything seems to be going on along fine as she is madly in love with her new baby and she even manages to keep some of her pre-existing career alive. That is until she starts to imagine that the baby she brought home might not actually be hers. I have liked some of Almodovar’s films over the years, but they’ve never been my favorites. I expected this one to be much of the same and was shocked at the turns his story takes, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. The plot is a knockout and the superb acting by the talented cast gives the outlandish the authenticity needed to push the story forward. Easily my favorite film by both Almodovar and Cruz, the film is gripping from start to finish and truly one of the best from 2021. A
Ozark: Season 4, Part 1 Rated TV-MA Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92% Streaming on Netflix I don’t binge on a lot of shows, but since the first day Ozark hit Netflix, I have been completely hooked. If you haven’t been watching, you have some catching up to do. The story follows the Byrde family, headed up by Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, who are forced to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel in exchange for their lives. Choosing the Ozarks for their base of operations, they have managed over three seasons to do quite well for themselves, although they are constantly under the threat of being murdered by their boss. In this new season, the cartel leader decides he wants out and he wants the FBI to give him a mulligan in exchange for a bit of cooperation. But his wildcard nephew, who wants to take over the cartel, begins to create chaos as he begins his climb, leaving our heroes to deal with dangers on all ends of their lives. There is a lot to like here in this first part of the final season of the show. I can’t say the car crash at the beginning of the first episode does anything for the narrative, unless it is purely metaphoric, but the drama doesn’t let up and the twists are largely unpredictable. The FBI is the weak link in this latest part of their journey, as they don’t make a lick of sense in their actions or motives, and end up on the frustrating side of the spectrum. The good news is that this is looking to be a bang up series finale when this thing finishes up, hopefully sometime later this year. B+
ScreamRated R for some sexual references, language throughout, and strong bloody violence Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75% In Theaters What is being labeled internally as a “requel,” this fifth chapter in the Scream franchise brings in new teenagers who are all connected to original characters, all being brought in as a new Ghostface killer has started a fresh round of violence. Also coming back are original characters, played by Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, who aim to put a stop to the new copycat. When Scream came out in 1996, it was a refreshing and fantastic addition to the horror genre which both served as an incredibly fun scare-fest and a primer to understand where horror films are at that moment in time and where they might be headed. With its subsequent sequels started rolling out, the franchise got less and less clever and more and more tedious. With more than 10 years between now and the last film, we’ve had time to forget about how bad things got and we now get to enjoy what we originally loved again, kinda. With the O.G.s back in place and a decent enough group of young bloods, this new addition brings back some of that original cleverness as it tries, with a lot of self-awareness, to thrill. So throughout there are some nice scary moments and some morbid humor to take in. But unfortunately there is more cringe than fun and all the self-awareness is more distracting than I’m sure they intended. I had real problems with the lack of believe-ability, especially for a franchise that tries to point out the problems with horror films and their multitudes of problems, motives, agendas and misfires. By the ending, which I have mixed feelings about, I was more distraught by the filmmakers little errors than the twist, that I couldn’t come close to enjoying the big reveal. So with the poorly executed third act screwing everything up, I can honestly say that I hope we have finally seen Ghostface’s final reincarnation. C+
The Tragedy of Macbeth Rated R for violence Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% In theaters and on Apple TV+ It seems that every few years we get a new version of Shakespeare’s iconic play Macbeth which follows the story of a man and wife who become king and queen through nefarious actions, followed by the consequences for their evil deeds. With this newest version, we get two of the best actors of our time (Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand) as the Macbeths, but more importantly, we have Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men) as writer and director. This film is as fantastically acted as one can imagine but visually and creatively it is absolutely stunning. Not since 1957’s Throne of Blood by Akira Kurosawa have we seen such a spectacular vision of Shakespeare’s work. I’m in serious doubt that anyone watching won’t be able to appreciate the art on display. But Macbeth isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and I completely understand that, as I’m in that camp also. If that’s the case for you, you should still watch it for its sheer force and beauty. This really is a terrific work of art and worthy of the hour and forty-five minutes you have to put into it. And if you aren’t a big Shakespeare fan, this will at least give you a glimpse of why so many are. A
Last year I found myself lamenting 2020 as an overall stinker year for movies, holding out hope that 2021 would deliver on all of the pre-pandemic promises. We are finally coming to the close of the year, movie-wise, and things are looking up at the box office. We are still seeing streaming platforms picking the pockets of the local multiplex, but with films like Spider-Man: No Way Home breaking the pandemic record in huge fashion, the hope is alive and well. That being said, audiences are being much more picky about what they are willing to risk going to theaters for. For example, while Spidey put millions of butts in seats worldwide, the highly regarded West Side Story landed with a thud. This was the case this year with many non-tentpole pictures. Perhaps this is because younger audiences are much more willing to risk getting Covid to see a movie or maybe its because older audiences are more willing to be patient now that the window between theatrical and home releases is shrinking so rapidly. Either way, things are shifting in the way the world is watching movies and so far, fortunately, the quality is still remaining relatively high. I will admit up front that many of the films on this year’s list are movies we were supposed to see in 2020, but were pushed off. I’m sure I’ll be able to say the same next year, but probably not to this extent. But regardless, I’m glad for many of the experiences I had this year and hope that I can say the same next. Without further ado, here is the cream of the crop from another interesting movie year.
1) Don’t Look Up (Streaming on Netflix). It’s been years since we’ve seen a great Hollywood satire along the lines of Dr. Strangelove and Network, and this one by writer/director Adam McKay (The Big Short, Anchorman) will go down as one of the best. With one of the most impressive casts of the year, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett and many more A-listers, McKay takes climate change deniers head-on with this loosely-veiled narrative about a comet that is heading towards Earth and how difficult it is to get people to care. It is incredibly smart but at the same time riotously funny and absolutely terrifying. But more importantly, it doesn’t demean its audience but rather tears apart the leaders and special interests that keep people purposefully in the dark in order to preserve their power and greed. Ultimately, it’s a brilliant comedy with an urgent and important message that I hope is able to get through to its target.
2) West Side Story (In theaters). When Spielberg announced that he would be remaking 1961’s Best Picture-winning West Side Story, the main question most folks had was why? Why would you recraft such a legendary and beloved classic? How can you possibly improve it? Well it turns out that Spielberg’s vision of what West Side Story could be is both stunningly beautiful and relevant. Telling such a complex story with a much more appropriate cast and a deeper dive into the characters and their motives proved to enrich the source material and provide for an amazing theatrical experience for a new generation. Unfortunately that new generation chose not to have that experience (or at least it appears that way so far), but hopefully it will have the home audience it deserves soon.
3) In the Heights (Streaming on HBO Max). I honestly thought that West Side Story and this less tragic but equally impactful musical from Lin Manuel Miranda and directed by Jon M. Chu would be the talk of the town during awards season, but while neither has really performed the way I thought they would, they are both equally important and thrilling to watch. The story follows a group of mostly hispanic characters, living their lives in the Washington Heights area of New York with encroaching gentrification and immigration struggles effecting their daily lives. With some of the best music and equally talented performers delivering the material, In the Heights will still remain a treasure for me, even though it feels like I’m one of the few lucky folks who sat through it.
4) Tick, Tick… Boom! (Streaming on Netflix). Not another musical! Yes another musical. This year it seems to be the category to beat. Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his directorial debut here with this big-screen adaptation of the Off-Broadway autobiographical musical from Jonathan Larson (played here by Andrew Garfield) about his struggles that led up to his Broadway-changing musical Rent and the tragedy that befell the world in the days before its release. The songs aren’t as catchy and memorable as Rent or the above two musicals, but the story and the heart behind the songs make for a remarkable film. But what really makes this movie work is the performance by Andrew Garfield, who should be a major awards contender this year.
5) Dune: Part One (Available on paid streaming and on Disc). Having been a sci-fi geek all of my life, the movie Dune has always held a place of regret and disappointment in my heart. That is until now. As soon as I learned that Arrival director Denis Villeneuve was tackling this massive project, excitement filled me once again. The story, much too complex to do it justice in this column, revolves around a gifted young prince (Timothée Chalamet in just one of his brilliant performances of the year) who is thrust into conflict when his family is put in charge of an important mining operation on a remote and dangerous planet. The differences between this Dune and the disastrous 1984 version are night and day. But mainly what makes this work is the attention to every little detail, ranging from production to actor choice. The only thing disappointing about this creation is that we have to wait two more years to finish the journey.
6) CODA (Streaming on Apple TV+). This surprise hit from Apple follows a young girl (Emilia Jones) who is the only member of her family (played by deaf actors Troy Kotsur, Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant) who isn’t deaf. If she wanted to be in the fishing business with her family, a job for which they rely greatly on her ability to communicate with the outside world, then she would be fine. But when an aggressive music teacher (Eugenio Derbez) tries to convince her to pursue her singing in college, she must make the decision to follow her dreams with a talent her family could never fully appreciate or stick to her current responsibilities and forget about her future. What could have been a cheesy movie of the week is elevated by great material and even better performances. It is a bit manipulative (at least my tear ducts would tell you that), but its beauty and ability to draw empathy make it rather special.
7) The Worst Person in the World (Available February 4th in theaters). This dark romantic comedy from Norway tells the story of a young woman (Cannes Best Actress winner Renate Reinsve) whose quest for love and fulfillment in the modern world is creatively explored in chapters filled with joy, heartache, laughter and sadness. Structurally reminiscent of When Harry Met Sally, the movie moves around a lot, but with purpose and meaning behind every action. The marvelous performance by Reinsve is my favorite female performance of the year and in it you can see the makings of star.
8) Belfast (Available on paid streaming). Writer/director Kenneth Branagh shares this semi-autobiographical representation of his childhood through the eyes of a young child (Jude Hill) whose family (Jamie Dornan and Caitriona Balfe) must make tough decisions when civil war between Catholics and Protestants begins to wreak havoc upon their community. This beautifully told story is dark yet still pleasant due to Branagh’s clever script which doesn’t allow the material to ever succumb to the darkness it explores. But while the film takes place in the late 60s and is told in black and white, its relevance shines as a warning as to what can happen when people start to allow tribalism, rather than a sense of community, to take over their decisions and actions.
9) Pig (Streaming on Hulu). One of the biggest surprises of the year was this little indie starring Nicolas Cage as a former chef who has become a hermit, with only his truffle-hunting pig to keep him company. But when someone makes a move to steal his pig, he will do anything in his power to get his friend back. It’s such a weird little film, yet memorable and lovely also. The trailer makes it look like a revenge thriller, but it turns out to be quite the opposite, filled with heart and resonating in empathy.
10) King Richard (In theaters and available January 4th on paid streaming). Biopics are so hard to do and are often so poorly delivered that you have to be willing to the mental gymnastics to accept a good performance from a bad film in many cases. But in this project, Will Smith knocks it out of the park in a really good film about the father of Venus and Serena Williams and how he inspired them to tennis greatness in spite of his flaws and lack of resources. This could have been just a feel-good flick that is quickly forgotten, but the talent behind the production just makes Smith even better in this juicy role.
Honorable Mention: Candyman, The French Dispatch, House of Gucci, Licorice Pizza, The Lost Daughter, Mass, No Time to Die, Parallel Mothers, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The Worst: 1) Tom & Jerry. This mess of an irrelevant film didn’t even have a clever premise to lean on. The live-action actors are phoning it in and the cartoon actors make you wish you didn’t hold some sort of nostalgia for their antics.
2) Cry Macho. This project has been floating around Hollywood for a long time but why Clint Eastwood decided to direct it now is confounding. What is worse is that he so badly miscast himself in it.
3) Space Jam: A New Legacy. When Michael Jordan starred in the first Space Jam 25 years ago, it seemed kind of cool and clever. Unfortunately LeBron can’t fill Michael’s Air Jordans in this cringy sequel.
4) The Woman in the Window. In spite of having one of the best actresses in Hollywood (Amy Adams), best actors (Gary Oldman), best directors (Joe Wright) and best writers (Tracy Letts), this psychological thriller manages to fall apart before it can get going.
5) Eternals. I hope Marvel has better plans for this new group of strange super heroes because their first foray falls flat. It might not wreck Marvel’s newest phase, but it sure does provide quite a big speed bump.
Don’t Look Up Rated R for Language Throughout, Graphic Nudity, Drug Content, and Some Sexual Content Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55% In Theaters Now and on Streaming on Netflix December 24 Writer/Director Adam McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, The Big Short) assembles the cast of the year (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet and many, many other big names) in this dramedy about two astronomers who discover that a comet is going to end life on Earth in 6 months – and no one really cares that much. Meant to be a sarcastic view on how our world has reacted to the climate crisis, the movie only thinly disguises its true mission of trying to get people to think about how we got to where we are and what is the ultimate price our children will pay if don’t pull our heads out. But I digress, if you just take the film at surface level, you might not understand all of the jokes, but you will laugh. This film is downright hilarious and provides for the best comedy we’ve seen this year. To elevate the hilarity, the film has a frenetic and crazy energy, helping you suspend belief enough to imagine there is a real comet coming to kill us, making much of the laughter of the nervous type. It is staggering to believe that McKay has gone from his mindless (but still funny) work on Anchorman to high brow pieces like this and Succession, and honestly, it thrills me that we have such a talented and twisted artist who can make us laugh while also making us think. And with this newest creation, we get what I can only describe as the most entertaining film of the year, full of heart, pain, humor, wit and frustration. It’s a madcap yet meaningful experience handled with chaos and love. Its biggest problem is that due to its perceived political agenda (climate change is in fact not political but has been perverted to that level) the film will probably be adored by 60% of the country and loathed by the other 40. Unfortunately, that is inevitable. But I do believe that it has an honest intent of moving the needle in that regard and convincing the holdouts to at least think about the subject for a couple of hours. A
Nightmare Alley Rated R for Some Sexual Content, Nudity, Language, Strong/Bloody Violence Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% In Theaters Since I saw my first Guillermo del Toro film years ago at South by Southwest, I’ve always known that he is one of the best at bringing out the darkest parts of your imagination, causing chills and scares like no other in the industry. In this remake of the 1947 film of the same title, Bradley Cooper stars in the Tyrone Power role of a grifter who happens upon a traveling circus, landing a job that helps him develop better skills to help him make a good living ripping off a wealthier clientele once he leaves the circus behind. Setting his sights on a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins), he uses his relationship with a sophisticated therapist (Cate Blanchett) and all the tools at his disposal to try to make a truly big score. There’s a lot to like about this film including a rich and beautiful dark palate with all sorts of interesting characters sewn throughout. The production is classic del Toro with a macabre vibe and a sinister overtone. But what the film lacks is what he is most famous for – the chills and scares. The story is sort of intriguing, but it’s not very frightening and the hair didn’t stand up on my arms one time. By the end it’s just sort of a bland piece of filmmaking, like a nice-looking wagyu steak covered in the wrong seasoning. And most unfortunately, at two-and-a-half hours, it’s a bit of an unexpected bore. C+
