Category Archives: Movie review

Hamnet

Jessie Buckley! Bravura performance! Awards worthy!

Hamnet (not a typo) is slow, dark and moody. But, like the words you sometimes see posted next to online videos, “wait for the end!” Not to spoil things, but the third act of this new movie serves up a nice payoff.

Agnes (Buckley) is an earth mother, a free spirit type of woman. A birder. She even has a glove she wears to keep talons from piercing her arm. She runs through the woods.

Will (Paul Mescal) spots her, they hook up, marry and have three kids. Two girls and a boy, Hamnet. They live in a woodsy idyll with family close by. Emily Watson appears as Will’s mom Mary. Will, by the way, is Will Shakespeare.

Childbirth is not always easy, even in our modern times. 440 or so years ago, it was a real challenge, especially so for Agnes. And then, to lose her beautiful boy… 

Well, speaking as one who knows, the loss of a child, at any age, brings a pain that is unfathomable. The hurt is palpable, emotionally and even physically. 

Agnes grieves. Will grieves. Following the death of their young son Hamnet, Will goes back to London where he writes and stages his classic tragedy, Hamlet.

The depiction of the Globe Theater in the film is impressive. The real Globe exists in London but was deemed not appropriate for Hamnet. The one is the movie was built especially for the film. But it gives a good feel for the intimacy of the Globe, back in the day.

Interestingly, the man who plays Hamlet (in the stage play) is Noah Jupe who is the older brother of Jacobi Jupe who plays young Hamnet. 

Hamnet is being marketed as a mass appeal type of movie but it does still have a tinge of artsy-fartsy. Yes, it delivers an emotional punch and yes, the acting is superb. It has its sweet, light moments. But the feel is that this is an “important” film, which is something you should know going in. 

Hamnet is one of the answers to the question: Why don’t they make movies for grownups anymore? Well, they do. And this is a movie for grownups. (AARP recently published its annual list of “Movies for Grownups” and Hamnet is included.)

Hamnet is directed by Chloe Zhao who co-wrote the script with Maggie O’Farrell who wrote the novel that the movie is based on. Hamnet is rated PG-13. 

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The Running Man

Does America harbor a sadistic society? Are stunt-based TV competitions a last refuge for the desperate? Is “reality” TV real or is it faked? How close are we to a dystopian police state? 

These are legitimate questions one might ask after seeing the new film The Running Man. But if you want to ENJOY the movie, it’s best to table those questions for now and let the almost non-stop action take you along on Ben Richards’s quest for survival. It’s a fun ride with new challenges for The Running Man popping up constantly.

Richards (Glen Powell) is a husband and father whose baby daughter needs meds. He can’t keep a job and keeps getting fired for insubordination. His wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) works at a strip joint as a waitress. Richards goes to network studios to pursue a spot on a game show and ends up as one of three contestants on The Running Man. The odds that he will survive the hunters who chase him are small but the potential reward is a huge pile of money. 

The film is a revised remake of the 1987 film The Running Man which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Richards and Richard Dawson as Damian Killian, the producer and host of the TV show. The new film stars Josh Brolin as producer Dan Killian and Colman Domingo as Bobby, the show’s host. The prize money is in “new dollars” and the currency shown has Schwarzenegger’s photo on it!

Richards’s journey takes him from the dystopian city where he lives to New Hampshire and Maine. The tale is from a book by Bangor resident Stephen King, originally published under the nom de plume Richard Bachman.

Before he hits the road he gets disguises and fake IDs from a crafty anarchist played by the always excellent Willam H. Macy.

In a beautiful old New England home Richards is given refuge by Elton, a strange man played by Micheal Cera whose crazed mother (Sandra Dickinson) ID’s Richards and calls in the Hunters to take him in. For Cera, this is his second odd ball role this year, following his appearance in The Phoenician Scheme back in the spring. 

Richards escapes, ending up in a highway chase, riding with a young woman Amelia (Emilia Jones) before boarding an airplane where he faces off with a prior Running Man contestant Evan McCone (Lee Pace) on his way to the story’s conclusion.

The action is intense and the story moves fast. The movie isn’t exactly one long chase scene but Richards has to stay on the move. A one word review of The Running Man might be “kinetic.” As mentioned, it’s a fun film and Glen Powell is up to the task of carrying it to the finish line. Enjoy it with the large bucket of popcorn.

The Running Man is directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Michael Bacall. Rated R.

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Nuremberg

Nuremberg. Powerful drama. Excellent film!

You’d be correct to presume that the two lead actors would deliver knockout performances in this new movie. Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe) and U.S. Army shrink Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) have a compelling relationship before, during and after the trial of the highest ranking surviving Nazi and several of his henchmen.

A surprise is Michael Shannon’s acting. He plays U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson. Shannon’s a solid actor but his work here is a few notches above his normal level. It’s a juicy role for him and he brings it home.

Goring is captured after the war has ended. Should the allies just shoot him and move on? Justice Jackson suggests an international tribunal would allow the world to know the details of the German’s horrific acts. Jackson meets the pope to seek the pontiff’s sanction for such a trial. He becomes the lead prosecutor.

Yes, Nuremberg is a courtroom drama. But much of the film’s narrative occurs outside the courtroom. Kelley meets newswoman Lila (Lydia Peckham) on his train ride to Nuremberg. Her appearance later in the film leads to a key development.

Kelley is assigned to evaluate the Nazis as they await trial. His conversations with Goring lead him to have a level of respect—almost an admiration—for the Nazi murderer. He even serves as a go-between, taking missives from Goring to his wife.

Kelley is joined along the way by Dr. Gustav Gilbert (Colin Hanks) who tries to provide input and assistance to Kelley but they clash. Prosecution teammate Brit Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe (Richard E. Grant) helps justice Jackson in his courtroom face-off with Goring. Kelley’s translator Howie Triest (Leo Woodall) adds an important viewpoint.

Nuremberg has several scenes of the Nazi death camps, offering visual evidence of the mass killings of Jews, showing piles of human bodies and evidence of abuse of those still alive. Even if you’ve seen some of these images before, their effect is still gut wrenching eighty years later. Obviously this film montage of Nazi terror was a vital element of the case that led to the conviction and sentencing of Goring and his associates.

James Valentine wrote and directed Nuremberg. He does a nice job of balancing all the story’s parts and not getting bogged down in its focus on Goring or on the drama inside the courtroom. Bravo, Mr. Valentine!

There are those who will (and have already) compare what happened in Nazi Germany to our recent political history in the United States. But equating a president who works to consolidate executive power and punish his political enemies with a regime that slaughtered six million humans is ridiculous. 

Could what happened in Germany a century ago happen here? Could it happen anywhere? Is our species prone to evil behavior if unchecked? Is there a lesson for the world from the Nuremberg trial? Yes. This new film reiterates that lesson and reminds us of what happened then and should never be forgotten.

Nuremberg is rated R. It runs just under two-and-a-half hours.

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F1: The Movie

Pure entertainment!

Brad Pitt’s new film F1: The Movie is a thrill ride filled with drivers-view shots from inside the cabs of these sleek race cars. Which are moving fast. The practice runs and the races look great in F1: The Movie. But is there a story here along with the adrenaline-triggering visuals?

Oh, yes!  A redemption story. A narrative with lots of sports movie clichés but a tale that’s enjoyable and fun nonetheless. 

There’s the grizzled old-timer Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt). Or should I say “chiseled” old-timer? A few shots of Brad with his shirt off. Rather fit for a 61-year-old. Sonny was a promising driver on the F1 circuit decades ago until a crash took him out of the driver’s seat. He has aches and pains and scars but he’s been working out lately and racing whenever he gets a shot.

Old friend Reuben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), now managing a slumping F1 team, recruits Sonny to come back to Formula One racing, halfway through the current season. Reuben’s team has a talented but raw rookie driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). There’s instant friction between the two drivers and their conflict is a key element of the movie.

Joshua’s mom Bernadette (Sarah Niles) counsels her son about his career and at a key moment steps into the rivalry between the two teammate drivers.

In F1: The Movie, the racing action moves from the UK to Hungary to Italy to Japan to Vegas to Dubai. Director Joseph Kosinski and crew have done a nice job of integrating Sonny and Joshua and their cars into actual race footage. For blood-thirsty race fans who love crashes, F1: The Movie has plenty.

The film is loud with revving engines, excited crowds, media and track announcers and a killer soundtrack from Hans Zimmer.

F1: The Movie is, like most of auto racing, heavy on testosterone. Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) is the attractive but seriously savvy technical director for the team. And although she tells Sonny there’ll be no hooking up, well… 

F1: The Movie feels big. Like many such action films, it will be better appreciated on a big screen in a movie house with good sound. At this point it shouldn’t be necessary to say that but consider this a gentle nudge. Sure it’ll be streaming on Apple TV in a few weeks but it’s good to get out of the house when you can.

Worth a mention here also is this: you don’t have to be an Formula One racing fan, nor a fan of any form of auto racing, to enjoy this movie. Also worth mentioning is the full title of the film is F1: The Movie so as not to be confused with F1 racing in general. Another movie that might’ve befitted from a better title for marketing and online search purposes.

F1: The Movie is rated PG-13. It runs 2:35.

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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is NOT a John Wick movie. Although John Wick (Keanu Reeves) makes his presence known at a key moment of the movie. And while there’s a bit of ballet dancing, there’s not much.

FTWOJW:B is the story of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who, as a young girl, sees her father killed by an assassin. She vows revenge. Under the tutelage of The Director (Angelica Houston), Eve learns to dance and to battle.

As observed with John Wick films, the face-to-face, often hand-to-hand, combat is staged at times much like a ballet. The film’s pace is relentless and so is the cracking of skulls and other body parts. Eve’s battles involve strong physical skills and a variety of weapons including firearms and knives. Even a flamethrower! 

Eve’s goal of avenging her father’s death runs counter to the sort of detente between the Roma Ruska sect and the group led by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). The Director (that is, Houston’s character, not Len Wiseman, the film’s director) tells her to cool it but she does not relent. She takes her revenge mission to a lovely European village where she encounters a knife wielding barista. And has a tense confrontation with The Chancellor.

Armas may be the most beautiful woman to be involved in the nasty business of violence and killing. She employs her skills well and appears to take as much, maybe even more, physical abuse than does Wick himself in his four films. And she knows how to handle a flame thrower!

Also appearing in FTWOJW:B are Wick regulars Ian McShane as Winston and, in his final film appearance, Lance Riddick as Charon. Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame is introduced as Daniel Pine, a man who, like Eve’s father, hopes to keep his young daughter away from all the nastiness. Could he appear in any future Ballerina films? 

From The World of John Wick: Ballerina is rated R and runs just over two hours but it seems shorter because it moves so quickly. If you could use a good action movie, don’t miss it!

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The Phoenician Scheme

Director Wes Anderson dazzles with his zany new movie The Phoenician Scheme. A gaggle of wacky characters zigzag through episodes that are not always laugh-out-loud funny but are consistently bizarre, surprising, compelling and reassuring.

Reassuring, that is, that Anderson can still make a fun film. After his recent lackluster efforts, concern that he may have lost his touch can be put aside for at least one hour and forty-five minutes as Anderson pulls out some of his trademark tricks—overhead shots, tracking shots, maps, oddly titled books etc.—and introduces a few new ones. 

As is his habit, the director employs a large cast of his favorites including Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe and, in a brief appearance in a dream sequence as God, Bill Murray.

This time Anderson puts most of his eggs into one cinematic basket by making Benicio Del Toro the main star who does much of the film’s heavy lifting. He plays Zsa-Zsa Korda, a businessman who has many enemies, some of whom, he claims, are trying to assassinate him. Del Toro’s voice sounds, to my ear, almost exactly like Clark Gable’s.

Korda keeps his business matters in shoeboxes. (Hey, the film is set in the middle of the last century when people DID keep important papers and stuff in shoeboxes. And cigar boxes. Etc.) 

Also receiving an abundance of screen time is Mia Threapleton. Who? She’s the daughter of Kate Winslet and filmmaker Jim Threapleton. She plays Korda’s daughter, Liesl, who is a nun but who also wears red lipstick and heavy eye shadow.  

Korda also has nine sons who mostly stay out of sight and occasionally launch arrows down at Korda from the balcony above his table. What? Silly stuff, that’s what.

Bjorn (Michael Cera) is Korda’s assistant, who is charged with keeping control of a red satchel containing all of Korda’s liquid funds, but who frequently misplaces it.

The plot involves Korda’s lining up an assortment of individuals to get them to buy into his scheme, um, plan to fund a large infrastructure project in Phoenicia. The script is by Anderson from a story he concocted with frequent collaborator Roman Coppola.

Any recommendation of The Phoenician Scheme must be prefaced with the words “if you like Wes Anderson movies.” He has made some good and clever ones such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel. If you have enjoyed either or both of those, you may find The Phoenician Scheme to your liking. 

This is a film I would’ve enthusiastically embraced when I was in high school and college. Because I still maintain a certain level of immaturity, The Phoenician Scheme is goofy enough and silly enough to tap into that part of me that goes for the nonsensical. 

I also appreciate the fact that the film’s credits include the names of the housekeeping staff at the hotel where the cast and crew stayed during its production last year in Germany.

The Phoenician Scheme runs an hour and forty-five minutes. Rated PG-13.

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Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 3

Pull out an arsenal of adjectives for this one: huge, mind-blowing, hilarious, emotional, loud, clever, surprising, uplifting, satisfying. They all apply. James Gunn has topped himself with Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 3. It’s a must-see!

The story, the effects, the art direction and the soundtrack are damn good. But it’s the character development of the Guardians that makes GOTG3 special.

Peter Quill aka Star Lord (Chris Pratt) leads the crew but focuses much of his attention on Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who rebuffs his romantic overtures. The best word to describe her character: fierce. 

Drax (Dave Bautista) is funnier than in the previous GOTG films and gives indications that he may not be as clueless as he sometimes seems. 

Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) play key roles as the Guardians’ mission is a total team effort.

Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) plays a bigger role in this newest GOTG and even—whoops, gotta stop before a spoiler leaps out!

Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper and others), his origin and the crisis he faces form the main component of the plot line. Again, dodging spoilers here. (You can find plot summaries online but I suggest you see the film with no more pre-knowledge than you can obtain from trailers.)

The first two GOTG films were notable for their use of popular hit songs. GOTG3 gets a bit more, um, adventurous in its music choices. The film kicks off with Radiohead’s classic Creep.

Manchester, Missouri’s own and SLU grad James Gunn (who wrote and directed) achieves full redemption for his years ago Twitter sins with GOTG3. Nothing can top the thrill of seeing the first Guardians film nine years ago but Vol. 3 comes close with its fun and surprises.

Brother Sean Gunn plays side character Kraglin who gets screen time at the beginning and end of the movie, along with his amazing dog Cosmo.

Two tips: You might want to buy your tickets before you show up at the theater—you could encounter big crowds this first weekend. Also, stick around for all the credits and extra scenes and hints about the future of the franchise. Runtime is 2:30. Rated PG-13.

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Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Is it as good as the book? Short answer: No. Because movies adapted from books are never as good as the book. Well, almost never.

But is it a good MOVIE? Yes. Entertaining. And, yes, charming.

Along with beginning to mature into a new life stage, Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) has to handle a move from New York City to the Jersey suburbs AND a spiritual awakening. The film’s other title character, God, gets significant attention in the story. Margaret’s frequent prayers and religious exposure from her grandma (Kathy Bates) and friends open her mind to new ideas and concepts.

Margaret’s parents are a Christian mom (Rachel McAdams) and a Jewish dad (Ben Safdie) who have chosen not to raise their daughter in either religion. This leads to an ugly episode when Margaret’s maternal grandparents come to visit.

Margaret’s interactions with her friends Nancy (Elle Graham), Janie (Amari Price) and Gretchen (Katherine Kupferer) are the highlights of the film. Their meetings in 2023 would likely be conducted via text messaging or other cyber connections. It’s nice to see them hang out in person in their 1970 world.

The important question here is: can a story set half a century ago still be relevant in our more sophisticated modern day? Absolutely. Sixth grade girls in 2023 are vastly different from those of 1970 but much of this tale is about the things all girls—and their parents—deal with as they transition from childhood into puberty.

Today’s girls are much better informed about many things, receiving details from their peers who are better informed than Margaret’s peers were. And, of course, the internet provides info. And today’s school libraries offer materials that tell girls more than was available back in the day.

Also, can a male moviegoer relate to this story of a young girl who is anxious about getting her first bra and her first period? Puberty is a weird time for boys, too, but women will identify with the film’s central characters and their travails more closely than most men might. 

Director Kelly Fremon Craig is to be credited for not overplaying the nostalgia aspect of the production. There are old cars, telephones with cords, girls wearing skirts and dresses instead of slacks, etc. But we’ve seen other filmmakers take the nostalgia route to such an extent that it distracts from the story. Craig, who also scripted the film, does an admirable job of weaving character development with storytelling in a quick-moving hour and forty-five minutes.

Fortson handles well her duty of carrying the title role which is always a concern with juvenile actors. Her talent is obvious. And she’s a cute kid without being cloying. Graham who plays Nancy is impressive as well and her career, too, bears watching. And McAdams always adds to any film she’s in. 

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. is rated PG-13. Might be okay for some preteens but that’s where your parental guidance comes into play.

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Ad Astra

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Is Ad Astra more than just another entertaining space drama? Not really. But if you want to layer some special meaning onto the story, that’s your privilege as a moviegoer.

Many males have complex relationships with their dads. This has been addressed in movies ranging from The Empire Strikes Back to Field Of Dreams to the under appreciated 2014 film The Judge. In this sci-fi tale set in the not-that-distant future, a son’s feelings about his father are a key element in the son’s psyche.

Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is an astronaut whose dad Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), also an astronaut, led a mission to the outer rim of our solar system and has not been heard from in decades. Power surges that threaten human survival have been linked to this distant outpost just off Neptune.

Roy is directed by leaders here on Earth to go there and fix the situation. He is directed to “fly commercial” to the moon before heading to a station on Mars. Along the way, he gets intel about his dad from a crusty Colonel Pruitt (Donald Sutherland).

Throughout the movie, Roy’s psychological fitness is periodically checked by AI devices. Many of Roy’s inner thoughts are shared via Pitt voiceovers.

On Mars, an evaluation of Roy’s mental state and his emotional attempt to communicate with his dad cause officials to scrub his further participation in the effort to mitigate the Neptune crisis. But he goes rogue and flies off to check on dad.

Ad Astra is filled with amazing effects and images but writer/director James Gray incorporates them in a way that’s not as flashy as those in some space flicks. His futuristic visions seem more matter-of-fact than included for jaw-dropping spectacle. (Or maybe I’ve just seen several space movies in recent years and my personal “wow” level has been recalibrated.)

Brad Pitt brings his usual A game to the screen and shows his range via a character who is wildly different from the one that will likely net him an Oscar nomination. (The expected nod would be for his Cliff Booth in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. But sometimes awards voters cast a vote for cumulative efforts so his work here can only add to his chances of a win.)

Also in the film are Ruth Negga as a Mars base staffer and Liv Tyler as Roy’s wife Eve.

Ad Astra is a film to be enjoyed for what it is. If you want to read more into it than is made clear in the narrative, go right ahead.

 

 

 

 

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Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

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Quentin Tarantino delivers one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen in a long time with Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Speaking of long times, the film runs 2:45 but is worth almost every minute of it.

SPOILER ALERT! There are NO SPOILERS in this review. But beware of social media content, word-of-mouth and even unscrupulous reviewers who might tell too much about this buzzworthy movie.

Los Angeles, 1969. Or, as iconic radio station 93/KHJ calls it, Boss Angeles. The city looks great as classic cars tuned to AM radios playing classic pop tunes drive down boulevards with theater marquees touting late-60s movies.

Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a TV/movie star whose career is at a turning point. Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) is his stuntman and buddy. Leo is terrific. Brad is also at his charming best. Both actors benefit from being gifted with great roles and story lines from QT.

Dalton has a gorgeous home in the hills above Benedict Canyon. Booth lives in a trailer in the valley. The home just above Dalton’s is rented by Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha).

In February 1969, Hollywood dealmaker Marvin Schwarzs (Al Pacino) suggests to Dalton that he go to Italy and make movies there that could reignite his fading star. He does. The film then skips ahead to August 1969 when Dalton returns to LA for the film’s climax.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood contains scene after scene that bring true movie fan pleasure. Cliff’s fight with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh). Rick’s conversation with child actor Trudi (Julia Butters). Sharon’s watching herself on screen with a movie house audience. The clips from Rick’s TV show Bounty Law and his movies. A party at the Playboy Mansion where Steve McQueen (Damian Lewis) explains the relationship between Tate, Polanski and Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch).

Other performances in the film that merit mention: Kurt Russell as stuntman Randy (he’s also the film’s narrator), Margaret Qualley as hippie chick and Manson family member Pussycat, Nicholas Hammond as Sam Wanamaker and Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme.

Gotta love the soundtrack! Treat Her Right by Roy Head, Good Thing by Paul Revere and the Raiders, Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show by Neil Diamond, Snoopy Versus The Red Baron by the Royal Guardsmen, Hush by Deep Purple, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man by Bob Seger, among many others.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is an absolute treat that should not be missed. Thank you, QT. Thank you, Leo.

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