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The Lost Daughter Review: Deconstructing Mama
Children aren't dolls. While often depicted as cherished cherubs or perfectly precocious, kids can be a terrible handful-- they kick, scream, punch, cry, lie, and demand parents to abandon their lives in order for the children to survive. While hardly worthy of blame, they require a kind of patience, compassion, and (above all) attention which some people simply don't have, and claiming that all women should be mothers only results in a slew of bad parents and unhappy children. Some people think they want children; they really just want dolls.
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The Moment Tom Felton Knew He’d Botched A Harry Potter Audition, And How That (Probably) Led To Draco Malfoy Role
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Red Rocket Review: Diary of the Deplorables
"You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? They're racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it [...] Now, some of those folks – they are irredeemable, but thankfully, they are not America." This infamous statement may have haunted Hillary Clinton to the end of her unsuccessful presidential campaign, but it accurately represents how half of the country views the other half. Sean Baker, on the other hand, has spent his filmmaking career paying tribute to "The Other America," and he continues to do so in his new film Red Rocket.
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‘An American Tail – The Rise and Fall of Fievel Mousekewitz
Don Bluth’s “An American Tail” was an ambitious collaboration between the animator, whose “The Secret of NIMH” (1982) was a surprise masterpiece, and producer Steven Spielberg, who would infuse elements of his family history into Bluth’s feature-length animated film.
Bluth gained Hollywood notoriety by staging a walkout at The Walt Disney Company in the early 1980s, stating, correctly, they weren’t making the kind of films Walt himself would have been proud of. This exodus of artists and regrouping of animators led to the creation of “The Secret of NIMH” (1982) which wasn’t a financial success in theaters, but found a devoted following over time.
Bluth and his team also worked on projects like the TV special “Banjo the Woodpile Cat” (1979) and the animated sequence from “Xanadu” (1980). However, it was “The Secret of NIMH” that caught the attention of Spielberg, who added his own family name, Fievel, to that of Bluth’s new protagonist.
“An American Tail” portrays the Mousekewitz family, a tight knit group of mice, who immigrate to America after falling for the myth that “there are no cats in America.”
Once they touch down in New York, they are separated from little Fievel, whose encounters with different figures (embodied in anthropomorphic characters) symbolizes the complexities and contradictions of The American Dream.
I remain unconvinced that Bluth’s film needed to be a musical, though I remain fond of “Somewhere Out There,” the top 10 radio hit that helped make this a runaway hit. Unlike “The Secret of NIMH,” with its bold story choices and willingness to get really dark at times, “An American Tail” teeters between being sugary cute and deadly serious, succeeding far more when it’s the latter.
In addition to the beautiful animation, James Horner’s lovely score and the angle of a family displaced in a new country keep it grounded.
RELATED: How ‘The Great Mouse Detective’ Saved the Mouse House
A major problem that still plagues “An American Tail” is the similarity in approach it bares to Art Spiegelman’s Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel, “Maus.” Whereas Bluth’s film uses cartoon mice to spin a tale of Russian Jews fleeing the Cossacks and rebuilding their lives in the United States, Spiegelman’s work depicted the Holocaust, with mice standing in for Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz and the Nazis depicted as cats.
“Maus” is among the most celebrated and widely discussed comic books ever created. Surely the makers of “An American Tail” were familiar with it, even as Bluth’s visual approach and the setting have no resemblance to “Maus.”
While “An American Tail” is remembered mostly as an ’80s artifact and one of the dozens of films to emerge from Spielberg’s busy Amblin Entertainment Company, it has scenes that are soulful and heartbreaking, among the best Bluth has ever made.
The sequel is another matter.
“An American Tail: Fievel Goes West” (1991) was made without Bluth and was the inaugural release on Spielberg’s “Amblimation Studios” label. The absence of Bluth and the sense that the film isn’t working is felt immediately.
It opens with a western fantasy, where Fievel dons two guns and mows down a street full of bad guys. Watching this child mouse shoot a dozen bad guys dead in the first scene is, to say the least, a jaw dropper.
It’s the first of many such scenes in this frantic, charmless dud, in which the animation is dynamic but overly busy and robotic.
Fievel and his family migrate west for the most contrived of reasons, finding themselves in a town run by a rotten cat named Cat. R. Wahl, a pun-ishing name if there ever was one. Wahl is voiced by John Cleese and you know the film stinks when, like a lot of bad movies, it misuses one of the great comic actors of the 20th century.
Bluth’s signature touches and moments of pathos, intensity and character-driven revelations are nowhere in sight. There are cat attacks at the top of the first act, but it’s all large-scale slapstick nonsense – most of the action sequences are so rushed, its like watching the movie in fast-forward.
The low point is easy to cite.
At one point, Cat. R. Wahl leaps out of his clothes, smashing through the second story floor, winds up in the hands of a bosomy matron who rubs him all over her ample cleavage, moaning, “Oh, Pussy, Pussy Pussy!” She repeats this line four more times.
In the next scene, Cat. R. Wahl explains to Miss Kitty how much he hates being called “Pussy Poo.” It just made me wish they’d stop saying the word “pussy” in a G-rated sequel to “An American Tail.” Clearly, the out-in-the-open raunchiness of the bit indicates that the filmmakers knew they were crossing a line, but this belongs in a Ralph Bakshi film, not here.
If you love animated films like The Secret of N.I.M.H, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, and Anastasia, you won’t want to miss the new memoir from their creator, @DonBluth, coming July 2022. Learn more + pre-order SOMEWHERE OUT THERE now! https://t.co/eCFMS4z5No pic.twitter.com/PELm4d9rFH
— Smart Pop Books (@smartpopbooks) December 17, 2021
There’s also the moment where Fievel’s sister begins singing “Somewhere Out There” and is pelted with tomatoes by neighborhood mice – it’s supposed to come off like a playful ribbing of how overly familiar we are of the original film’s signature song (“Frozen II” has a similar moment), but instead feels like genuine contempt.
When Fievel boards a train and the frenetic “Way Out West” number throttles the audience, it made me feel exactly like Eddie Valiant when he was annoyed by the serenade that greeted him as he entered Toon Town in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
Bluth would never have made something this bad, with its concocted-by-committee screenplay, pointlessly complicated animation and wretched storytelling. Nothing makes sense, not even in the loose confines of a children’s movie. If the first film was an animated film, then this is an overblown cartoon.
In place of Bluth and co-producer Gary Goldman, you have Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, who clearly tried, along with everyone else present, far too hard to ensure this was a slam dunk. There are numerous references to classic westerns, but did the Amblimation team really think the adults would be tickled by references to “High Noon” and a music number set to “Rawhide”?
In fact, Billy Crystal’s “Rawhide” reprise in “City Slickers” (which opened the same year) was so much funnier and comparably brief.
Western fans will note the cliches are all present, including some dubious Native American stereotypes that, apparently, everyone was okay with, while “Dances With Wolves” was still playing in theaters(!).
Not only was the follow-up Mousekowitz adventure too late to draw much excitement, it’s an out-of-touch endeavor. The other Amblimation movies were the disposable “We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story” (1993) and the surprisingly good “Balto” (1995), as well as some TV adaptations (such as the cheesy spinoff of “Back to the Future”) that illustrated what a bad, money-making-over-quality enterprise Amblimation was.
FAST FACT: ‘An Animated Tail’ earned an impressive $47 million at the U.S. box office back in 1986, while that year’s Disney offering, ‘The Great Mouse Detective,’ earned $38 million.
In a rare example of poor decision making, Spielberg permitted “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West” to open against “Beauty and the Beast,” with Fievel’s tale (and tail) getting clipped by audiences and critics during the first weekend.
The Hollywood press tried to spin it that Fievel simply was overpowered by the hype from the acclaimed new Disney musical, but the truth is that audiences were dazzled by “Beauty and the Beast” and not the eager-to-please sequel that sucked.
Someone should have intervened and declared that another chapter of the Mousekowitz family was a bad idea to begin with. Having that family of Russian immigrant mice lose Fievel once again, and again and again (they’re worse than the McCalisters), was a visibly sign of creative desperation.
Bluth’s 1986 film is imperfect, but its best scenes are powerful and heartfelt. Fievel Mousekewitz and his long suffering family deserved far more than the indignity of a bad sequel.
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Reese Witherspoon Saw Sing 2 In A Movie Theater With A Bunch Of Kids, And It Sounds Like The Most Adorable Thing Ever
Don't Look Up Review: An Important Failure
The world is ending, and nobody cares. People have had a timeline for this based on the nearly incontrovertible proof of humanity’s demise, and the desperate warnings of scientists and experts have been willfully ignored and aggressively misinterpreted. People don’t agree with experts, scientists, or the government much, even when the threat of the species is imminent. What's happened to us?
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Here’s the Best Reason to Watch ‘Sing 2’
Buster Moon, the entrepreneurial koala bear voiced by Matthew McConaughey, is back.
With the future of his Moon Theater in question, Buster struggles to put together an all-stops out musical but finds two major obstacles in his way: a much sought-after legend named Clay Calloway (Bono) is unavailable and a rotten to the core producer forces Buster to include his talentless daughter in the show.
The plot is silly and mostly downtime in between the musical numbers. I suppose the exact same could be said of the original, too, as the appeal of the formula has barely been altered. Nevertheless, while “Sing 2” is more baby-sitting fodder than a truly great family film, it has enough moments to make it worth seeing, especially if you’re under the age of 10.
An inspired moment finds Ash, Scarlett Johansson’s porcupine character, standing up to her manger and demanding the money that’s owed her. Is the moment a coincidence or a knowing wink to Johansson’s very public feud with Disney over “Black Widow” profits? I suspect the latter and love that it’s here, in a movie that acts as a rival to the Mouse House.
Bobby Cannavale’s Crystal Wolf is the film ‘s genuinely loathsome villain and it’s a problem. Cannavale’s vocal performance is excellent but the character, a cross between Suge Knight and every evil music manager Paul Giamatti played in 2015 (“Straight Outta Compton” and “Love & Mercy”) is too much for this movie.
At one point, Mr. Wolf even dangles a cute animal over a balcony!
As cartoon villains go, Gaston, Scar and Ursula are kittens compared to this guy. Be prepared to have conversations with your little ones afterwards.
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My favorite character is Mrs. Crawley (voiced by Garth Jennings, the director of the 2005 “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”); Miss Crawley is a side character, but her scenes have a hilarity that is on the level with classic Looney Tunes cartoons, whereas the rest of this doesn’t. “Sing 2” isn’t bad as far as kiddie CGI musicals go and I greatly prefer it over the insufferable “Trolls” or “Happy Feet” movies.
Rosita, Reese Witherspoon’s character, is an endearingly tender soul. That said, why on Earth is Witherspoon, a great, Oscar winning actress and a force of nature, providing the voice of an insecure pig?
Best of all is Bono, using a growl of a vocal to convey a long out of the public figure whose presence in the final show proves a saving grace.
I liked the new U2 song on the soundtrack, “Your Song Saved My Life” and enjoyed hearing Johansson and Bono make “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” a duet.
However, it poses a valid question: why watch “Sing 2” when you can just listen to the soundtrack? The little ones in the audience will disagree with me but it’s the music, not the characters or the story, that resonates the most.
I enjoy listening to McConaughey as a cute lil’ koala but I won’t be making a case that Buster Moon is one of the great performances we’ve seen during the McConaissance.
After you catch Spidey, catch Buster Moon and the gang in #Sing2 December 22 pic.twitter.com/caiJFmhjby
— Sing 2 (@singmovie) December 17, 2021
Illumination is no Pixar. Heck, they’re barely up to the standards of Fox’s Blue Sky Studios. Yet, they hold their own with impressive settings, colorful characters and action lunacy, especially when it brings to mind the likes of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
A bit involving a side character’s glass eye and her initial attempt to land a big celebrity for the upcoming show, is the showstopper. Yet, Illumination’s “The Secret Lives of Pets 2” is actually the better sequel.
“Sing 2” just barely justifies its existence but is amusing enough as a showbiz romp and especially enjoyable whenever the animals start singing.
Two and a half stars
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HiT’s Worst Movies of 2021
Hollywood traditionally holds back its Oscar-bait movies until the year’s fourth and final quarter.
Cinematic stink bombs, by contrast, can hit screens at any time of the year. That proved true in 2021 as the year’s very worst movie dropped on New Year’s Day.
The following films tried, and failed, to inspire us in ways the best movies can. That’s the definition of being “kind.”
Shadow in the Cloud
This 2021 clunker could resurface as a cult film in the “Troll 2” mold. It’s that bad, but it’s not just the absurd storytelling that earned it a place on this list. The story’s stubborn woke streak made “Shadow” insufferable. Say what you want about “The Room,” but Tommy Wiseau didn’t lecture us about the patriarchy along the way.
Chloë Grace Moretz gives all she’s got as “Shadow’s” heroine, a plucky gal trying to outlive a gremlin attached to her World War II plane.
What begins as a genre romp morphs into an unintentional comedy that should have embarrassed everyone involved. Maybe Moretz and co. will reunite after the film reaches cult movie status. More likely, they’ll wish they could delete “Shadow” from their respective IMDB pages.
Walking with Herb
George Lopez shines as an angel guiding a grieving grandpa back to Christ. How? The older man picks up a golf club and enters a PGA tournament, despite having given up the game long ago.
Huh? That’s far from the wackiest part of this strained, silly story.
Faith-kissed movies have come quite a ways in recent years. That means “Herb” shouldn’t be as unbearable as it is, especially given the presence of Lopez, Edward James Olmos and Kathleen Quinlan in key roles.
Unbearable is a kind way of describing this grandpa’s search for meaning behind a tragedy.
Malignant
Sometimes a film critic can see a clunker coming by the lack of buzz behind a project.
Any horror film with James Wan’s name attached should be an event unto itself. He’s responsible for the first, and best, “Saw” film, plus “The Conjuring” and “Insidious.” He’s a modern-day Wes Craven, a horror auteur who loves the genre and delivers some of its better chills.
So what happened with “Malignant?”
The first bad omen? If you watch the trailer it barely matches the story’s plot. Plus, the film’s first five minutes feature the kind of amateurish acting we grew accustomed to in the slasher-fied ’80s.
It only gets worse from there.
To “Malignant’s” credit, the third act is bonkers, so there’s some B-movie fun to be had there. Otherwise, this is a massive step back for Wan … and audiences.
Coming 2 America
We waited 33 years for this?
This cash grab should have built on Eddie Murphy’s bounce back vehicle, “Dolemite Is My Name.” To be fair, Murphy never went away. He just needed the right movie to showcase his gifts for a fresh generation. Bringing Prince Akeem back should have been a comedic layup. Instead, “America” plays out like something a creatively spent artist soul tackles to pay the bills.
The sequel is aggressively unfunny and unnecessary, a devastating one-two punch given how long its been since the original hit theaters. Suffice to say Murphy’s skills go mostly untapped, while a game Arsenio Hall fares worse.
We do get plenty of woke flourishes, though, further disconnecting the sequel from its ’80s roots.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
It’s wise to fear franchise reboots, but “Spiral” suggested something more substantial. The “Saw” reboot cast Chris Rock as its hero, hardly Hollywood’s first choice for a horror entry. Add Samuel L. Jackson, who never phones in his work, and suddenly another “Saw” entry has our attention.
So much for first impressions.
“Spiral” lacks scares and surprises, while the screenplay makes weak attempts to play up Rock’s comedic roots. By the finale you’ll rather hack off a limb that suffer another “Saw” installment.
Old
The trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s latest mind bender suggested he found his groove (again). No such luck.
“Old,” set on a remote beach where the inhabits age at a dramatic rate, teems with storytelling potential. Shyamalan delivers some body horror theatrics, but he fails to give us engaging characters to make those moments land.
“Old” isn’t scary, provocative or insightful. It’s a mess that aspires to something greater but never comes within earshot of it.
Dishonorable Mention: “The Starling,” “Don’t Look Up” and “Willy’s Wonderland.”
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HiT’s Best Movies of 2021
This critic dreads one event of the movie year beyond all others – Oscar night.
The show, once a beloved broadcast bringing joy and surprises, is now a humorless slog of speeches and finger wagging.
Something similar is happening with another annual task – compiling a list of the year’s best movies.
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Another seemingly joyful moment is now riddled with stress and uncertainty. Hollywood doesn’t make many “great” movies these days, the kind you can’t wait to watch again as soon as you leave the theater. The best of the best haunt you for days, nay weeks, after that first, rapturous screening.
Recent years have delivered a few such films, like “Joker” and “Jojo Rabbit.”
Now?
Oscar-bait movies like “Last Night in Soho,” “Belfast” and “Nightmare Alley” arrive with all the necessary awards season heat, but they can’t deliver the goods. Others, like “Licorice Pizza,” lean far too heavily on the auteur’s brand to have the required impact.
So consider the following five titles with this caveat. Most shouldn’t be on this list in a great year for films, but we have to start somewhere …
NOTE: This critic hasn’t screened some movies that could, in theory, crack this list. We’ll update this post as needed.
Riders of Justice
A vigilante comedy? What sounds horrible on paper is priceless in its execution. The divine Mads Mikkelsen stars as a military veteran vowing to avenge his wife’s death. To do so, he’ll need the help of some nerdy number crunchers and more than a little luck.
“Riders of Justice” delivers surprising laughs, memorable characters and keen insights into how we bounce back from tragedy. The notion of a U.S. remake is absurd, but that’s Hollywood.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Most critics avoid putting superhero films on their “Best of” lists. That’s silly.
A great movie can be found in any genre – comedy, horror or even the MCU-niverse.
That’s exactly what we found with “No Way Home,” a delirious mash note to fans and a rollicking good time. It helps that the humor lands, the dramatic moments register and there’s a hint of romance in play.
It’s not just a crush of CGI insanity like some superhero fare. Plus, the sturdy cast, from the villainous Willem Dafoe to the reliable Tom Holland, seals all the deals.
American Underdog
Faith-based storytellers Andy and Jon Erwin keep refining their craft. The results? This winning ode to the ultimate comeback story, the fall and rise of quarterback Kurt Warner.
The gridiron glory is here, of course. It’s what comes before the touchdowns that matters most. “Underdog” doesn’t dismiss the hero’s romantic partner, another feather in its storytelling cap. Anna Paquin gets plenty of screen time as the woman who captured Kurt’s heart, and then some. Their romance, rocky and relatable, powers Kurt to become a better person.
That, in turn, changed NFL history.
King Richard
Oscar-bait films should all be this smart and accessible. Will Smith will snag another Oscar nomination as Richard Williams, the crusty patriarch who saw greatness in his daughters, Venus and Serena. He was right, as we all know now, but it’s how he shaped their path to superstardom that matters so very much.
Even better?
“King Richard” is the most overtly conservative film of the year, but those elements are woven expertly into the story. No lectures here, and thank goodness for that.
The drama proved as rigorously entertaining as “Spidey” and friends.
Luca
Pixar magic has its limits. The animated powerhouse has yet to make a bad film, but its recent efforts have been either solid or pedestrian.
“Luca” is neither.
This charmer packs a whimsical gimmick – brothers who live in the sea but struggle to adapt to life on terra firms. From there the laughs are big and bold, the life lessons gentle and affirming.
Of course the animation is jaw-droopingly lovely. That’s what Pixar brings to the screen time and time again. It’s the story’s heart that beats the loudest, though.
Honorable Mentions: “The Power of the Dog,” “Rush to Judgment,” “Free Guy“
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The Matrix Resurrections Review: A Thrilling Return for Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss
The Matrix Resurrections goes back to the integral source code that made the original so captivating. Free will and the pursuit of true love are the existential themes that drive an ass-kicking, action-packed narrative. Version 4.0 unloads a mountain of exposition. It takes the established lore in a completely unexpected direction. The Matrix Resurrections is both keenly introspective and forward-thinking at the same time. I was enthralled, but readily admit that fandom may be divided.
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Review: Louis C.K. New Stand Up Special Sorry
The recent and righteous reckoning of men accused of sexual misconduct has caused culture to consider how to handle great artists who've done terrible things. Some say it's possible to divorce artists from their art and still be able to appreciate the work itself, like Kate Maltby, who writes, "No one is continuing to be abused if you download 'Thriller' on iTunes." Others believe in a stricter assessment of art throughout the centuries, like Hannah Gadsby, who's said, “Just because it’s been around for centuries, doesn’t mean it’s cool to be a creepy old man. Stop watching women sleeping; stop watching women having baths. Go away.”
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Sing 2 Review: Groovy CGI Sequel Runs Way Too Long
Sing 2 continues the singing and dancing, pop-fueled adventures of anthropomorphized CGI animals. This time around the wacky menagerie tries to bring a reclusive rock star out of retirement to join their sci-fi-inspired stage show. The groovy sequel will have children's toes tapping and heads bobbing but runs way too long at a mystifying one hour and fifty minutes. The meager plot could easily have been wrapped up in less than ninety minutes. The elaborate musical numbers are entertaining to a point. Then become a brain-numbing filler as the film plods on needlessly.
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The Power of the Dog Review: Uttering the Unutterable
The concept of a secret is fascinating; it can only exist if it is not brought into language, and can only be what it is if nobody mentions it. Jane Campion's new film The Power of the Dog is a phenomenal exploration of this, of the power given to what cannot be named. The film is about many things it never actually verbalizes, insisting on themes without persisting with them. It's about a gay relationship, but never speaks of it; it's about a murder plot, but never addresses it as such; it's about the Oedipal complex, but never mentions it; it's about a man's relationship with his mentor, but the mentor's never seen. The Power of the Dog is about Westerns, but is not a Western itself.
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The Hand of God Review: Cinema Versus Reality
What exactly are distractions, and what is their value? Are movies merely distractions? What about sports, beauty, and sex? What are they distracting us from, if not just the pains of life? Paulo Sorrentino's rambling autobiographical film The Hand of God asks these questions and others without providing any tangible answers. "You gotta figure it out yourself," an aged director says near the end of the film, implying that each person must answer these questions in their own unique way. This film is Sorrentino's answer.
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Bad News For Nightmare Alley: Why Showings Of The Guillermo Del Toro Film Are Being Cancelled For Spider-Man: No Way Home
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‘Lost Daughter’ Lets Beautiful Performances Guide Us Through an Ugly Story
“The Lost Daughter” is the directorial debut of Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose first work as a filmmaker demonstrates her ability to garner amazing performances from her cast.
Gyllenhaal is a clearly an actor’s director. Alas, this is a repellent film with excellent performances, which you can either take as a warning and the backhanded compliment that it is.
Olivia Colman plays Leda, a single woman on a holiday in Greece. We’re initially unsure why she’s there, who she is and what it is she left behind. A series of vague, intermittent flashbacks suggest Leda has an awful secret in her past, though this plotline is addressed later.
The first act portrays Leda’s demeanor, as she is both pleasant and private but also standoffish and odd. The caretaker who shows her to her room (Ed Harris, always in top form) comes across as friendly and lonely, which Leda ignores, until her attempts to get his attention later prove awkward.
While sunning herself outside, Leda encounters a wealthy family, who are loud, invasive, passionate and horrible. The head of the family, Callie (a hypnotic Dagmara Dominczyk) is rude, until she warms up to Leda, in a way both tender and condescending.
An unexpected event makes Leda a welcome and appreciated presence. However, a big secret Leda can’t seem to give up is clearly the bomb about to go off.
Dakota Johnson talks about working with director Maggie Gyllenhaal on The Lost Daughter.#dakotajohnson #thelostdaughter #netflix pic.twitter.com/mNLyqVSumU
— cinemabang.com (@CinemabangCom) December 16, 2021
Here is one of the year’s most unappealing and unceasingly cruel films. It aims to explore the difficulties of motherhood in an unflinchingly honest manner but winds up feeling like leftover Cassavetes or a first draft Noah Baumbach.
For all the performances here that impress, and an attractive setting, this is one vacation I couldn’t wait to end. As a story, it has a perverse pull, but so do those DNA test segments on “The Maury Povich Show.”
As a character study, “The Lost Daughter” (based on the 2008 novel by Elena Ferrante) maintains our curiosity, as the reveal and the will-she-or-won’t-she predicament is intriguing. Still, watching this is akin to sitting next to a screaming baby on a six-hour flight, as you feel sorry for the kid but can’t do anything and can’t keep your annoyance from chipping away at one’s patience.
The story filled me with anxiety, though this is one of those contrived tales that works awfully hard to unsettle and is hardly ever surprising. If anything, the non-stop unpleasantries become downright predictable.
RELATED: Sir Anthony Hopkins Brings His A-Plus Game to ‘The Father’
Colman is fantastic here and gives Leda a closed off intimacy that we only share in small doses. In a role that has a quiet power at first, until it becomes a blaring plot device, Dakota Johnson embodies the mystery of her character.
Gyllenhaal cast her husband, Peter Sarsgaard, as a one-note cad, which he makes a smarmy reptile. Jessie Buckley plays Young Leda and actually has more to do than Colman; even with two great actresses playing the same role, I still hoped a grand piano or, perhaps, an anvil would land on Leda’s head.
Am I being too harsh? Nope, this character is insufferable.
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Gyllenhaal gets exceptional work from her actors, particularly the children. Yet, it’s all in the service of unkind people doing ugly things to one another for no good reason. The psychology on hand of why a mother, or anyone, really, would ignore their children and family obligation in pursuit of academic acceptance career, is insufficient and one note.
So are the characters, who aren’t fully fleshed out. No one here is worth caring about.
I’m giving this two stars for Colman’s performance and Gyllenhaal’s competency, the factors that kept me watching. While Gyllenhaal’s ability with actors is uncanny, the material doesn’t offer the insight it thinks it does. The final scene is either a cop out or something of a fake-out. Either way, I found it an unpersuasive way to conclude the protagonist’s journey.
There is artistry here in front of and behind the camera but it’s in the service of a tale that may work on the written page but is an endurance and patience tester as a film.
Two Stars
The post ‘Lost Daughter’ Lets Beautiful Performances Guide Us Through an Ugly Story appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
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Is Denzel Washington Close To Retiring From Acting? The A Journal For Jordan Director Shares Thoughts On His Career
Sandra Bullock Talks How The Lost City Landed Brad Pitt For An A+ Cameo
Lady Gaga Talks Bringing ‘The Darkness’ Home With Her After House Of Gucci Role And How She Protected Her Mental Health
Scream 5 Star Reveals Why She Was Able To Breathe A ‘Big Sigh Of Relief’ After Meeting Neve Campbell For The First Time
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Denzel Washington Tells Great Story About Busting Chadwick Boseman’s Chops After He Became A Successful Actor On Denzel’s Dime
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The Tragedy of Macbeth Review: A Visionary Interpretation of Classic Shakespeare
“Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and caldron bubble,” the sinister opening lines of the three witches’ prophetic poem gets a sublimely artistic and well-acted cinematic adaptation from auteur Joel Coen. William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth has never been visualized or performed in such a creative way. Hollywood titans Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand lead a banner ensemble in the classic tale of bloody ambition and political machinations. Shot in crisp black and white with leering shadows, the entire film takes place on starkly geometric stages that depict a cold calculus. The Tragedy of Macbeth is a textbook example of collaborative greatness and one of the year's best films.
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I Can’t Tell If It’s Sneaky Genius Or Really Silly For Mark Wahlberg To Push Uncharted During Spider-Man: No Way Home Premiere Week
M. Night Shyamalan Is Doing Something Wild With His Next Movie
Tom Hardy Continues To Top The Odds To Play James Bond, But Two Other Favorites Are Making A Comeback
Ben Affleck Candidly Responds To Ridley Scott’s F-Bomb About The Last Duel Flopping
‘Nightmare Alley’ Tops Del Toro’s Oscar-Winning ‘Shape of Water’
Guillermo Del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” deals with monsters, as do all of his films, only here, these cruel, debased creatures have human faces.
This is genre-neutral offering, a combination of “carny” performer drama and an outright film noir, offering a tale of corrupt entertainers who lose their moral compass, is among the filmmakers’ finest.
I knew little about the film going in, so I’ll be careful to keep its secrets intact: Bradley Cooper plays a man who stumbles into employment at a carnival, where he finds the exotic offerings and showmanship of the buskers are a contrast to the moral rot behind the big top curtain.
Del Toro’s film draws us into a fascinating world and offers a collection of excellent performances. There are lengthy scenes of characters in conversation that are every bit as captivating as the more dynamically staged set pieces.
What a joy to see Del Toro having the freedom to create a grown-up, R-rated and large-scale character piece, with the care to detail and environment that is his trademark.
The richness of the setting and the dreamy way Del Toro shapes it makes me wonder if he would be the perfect filmmaker for a “Something Wicked This Way Comes” remake.
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As a creature feature embodied by Del Toro’s ferocious and ornate touches, this is even darker (and better) than his Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water” (2017).
My favorite of Del Toro’s has always been his first Hollywood effort, the roach-a-palooza “Mimic” (1997), but the director of “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006), “Cronos” (1993) and “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008), to name a few, is clearly worthy of far more than a cult following.
Like the recent “Last Night in SOHO,” Del Toro’s film is uncompromised, feels personal and is richly cinematic and grandly designed in a way that alludes most big budget studio films.
Cooper is impressive in the lead and every bit as captivating here as he was in “American Sniper,” “A Star is Born” or “Silver Linings Playbook.” He’s becoming one of the great American actors, as he finds layers and possibilities in his work that are surprising and intriguing.
No less than Leonardo DiCaprio was originally cast in the lead before turning it down – as reliably great as DiCaprio always is, I can’t imagine anyone but Cooper here.
RELATED: Call ‘Tigers Are Not Afraid’ Del Toro Lite
Toni Collete and Willem Dafoe are terrific in colorful supporting turns, though its David Strathairn, as an alcoholic magician with a few secrets left to pass on, that will stay with me the most.
Rooney Mara’s character is among the few that come across as one-note, though her role provides the much-needed moral center. There’s a chilling quality to Cate Blanchett’s work here that matches what Bette Davis would have brought to the part (likewise, Cooper often made me think of Montgomery Clift and other period actors of the time).
If there’s a weakness to “Nightmare Alley,” it’s how the third act is fairly predictable, as the nature of the noir plotting and establishing scenes of an all-seeing “eye” and a world of deceitful sinners establish what must happen.
Based on William Lindsay Graham’s 1946 novel, which was made into a Tyrone Power vehicle in 1947, some of the twists here are as cruel as they are inevitable. Still, even if you’re able to get ahead of the story, the final scenes still have a potent kick.
Individual images replay constantly in my mind, like Cooper’s rehearsing an important meeting alone in an elevator, Cooper offering a drag from a cigarette to the film’s most tortured figure, the eerie views of a sideshow attraction encased in formaldehyde and the arresting moment where a character sprints down a hallway, leaving a tell-tale trail of blood behind him.
Rather than waiting for this to inevitably become a cult favorite in year to come, I recommend making plans this holiday season to experience this where it’s meant to be seen, on the big screen. Because it’s such a tough film, with a lead character who can be awfully hard to like, in a story with such brutal twists, “Nightmare Alley” is a hard sell and out of place against the likes of December offerings “Sing 2” and “West Side Story.”
It may be better appreciated down the road but no matter, as it’s still one of the best films of 2021.
Four Stars
The post ‘Nightmare Alley’ Tops Del Toro’s Oscar-Winning ‘Shape of Water’ appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
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The King's Man Review: A Wickedly Creative Origin Story to the Kingsman Franchise
The King’s Man is a wickedly creative origin story that reimagines the cause of World War I. Matthew Vaughn, creator of the Kingsman franchise and director of all the films, gets zanier in the third installment. The film takes unscrupulous historical figures and allies them in an evil plot for maximum carnage. It swings wildly from violent to hysterical with gut punch surprises. There are truly shocking and unnerving twists. The King’s Man may bite off more than it can chew, but it’s an entertaining ride from start to finish.
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How ‘American Underdog’ Will Surprise Even Die Hard Kurt Warner Fans
We just re-watched Venus and Serena Williams’ improbable rise to tennis stardom via “King Richard.”
Did it matter that their ascent was fresh in mind for most viewers? Of course not. Their story captivated the nation, and “King Richard” shrewdly let their heroics shine.
The same holds true for “American Underdog,” the shocking tale of a grocery store clerk who never stopped dreaming of an NFL career. Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner did much more than that, we now know, but his biopic puts the focus where it belongs.
The Warner family.
Sure, those gridiron heroics are here, but it’s how Warner grew into a man, not merely a gridiron great, that matters.
Zachary Levi is Kurt, a kid who barely knew his father but bonded with the old man in one key area.
Football.
It explains why the strapping teen clung to the sport, long after he should have rightly given up thoughts of a professional career. Sure, he had a cannon for an arm, but he lacked the intangibles that make NFL scouts drool.
Or did he?
He brought that same stubbornness to his love life, especially after meeting a punk-haired gal in a honky tonk. Anna Paquin plays Brenda, a divorced mother of two with a special needs child.
Go away, she told him. I’m no good for you. Kurt begged to differ.
“As long as I have a football in my hands I feel alive, kinda like how I feel right now.” AMERICAN UNDERDOG is coming to theatres everywhere Christmas Day. @MongrelMedia @ZacharyLevi @AnnaPaquin pic.twitter.com/5fiXiKbUzR
— American Underdog (@AmericnUnderdog) December 11, 2021
“American Underdog” doesn’t reinvent the sports drama. Instead, the screenplay infuses it with so much heart you’ll think the genre moments are suddenly happening before you in real time.
Levi occasionally plays up that long, wide-eyed stare when the odds seem impossible, but he captures Kurt’s implacable spirit, self doubt and physicality.
His aching heart, not his character’s arm, powers the film.
Dennis Quaid enters the saga later as Coach Dick Vermeil, offering a fatherly presence Kurt lacked for far too long. They should have had more screen time together, but the movie’s efficient running time might have taken a hit in the process.
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The film delivers the expected reaction shots during the big game. It seems criminal to omit them entirely in a sports drama, but by the third act you’re as invested as the supporting players.
If “American Underdog” feels too perfect to be true, think again. The story’s core beats are part of the Kurt Warner legend.
- Grocery store clerk
- Arena Football castaway
- Cut from the Green Bay Packers (who stuck with some guy named Favre)
- Natural disaster
It’s how low Kurt sank during those hardships, and how close he came to losing it all, that leaves a mark far greater than any Hail Mary pass.
The movie’s strong supporting cast only heightens the drama, from the reliable Adam Baldwin as Kurt’s college coach to Chance Kelly playing the offensive coordinator who gave Kurt fits.
Directors Jon and Andy Erwin, known for their faith-kissed storytelling (“I Can Only Imagine”), dial down the spirituality this time ’round. Faith plays a supporting role in the Kurt Warner saga, both on and off screen. The biopic laser focuses on family.
Maybe the sports genre template was overdue for a makeover.
HiT or Miss: Need some cinematic uplift, stat? You can’t go wrong with “American Underdog,” a beautifully crafted tale of a soul who refused to give up.
Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
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See Reese Witherspoon Reunite With A Ton Of Heavy Hitters, Including Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson, At The Sing 2 Premiere
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Spider-Man: No Way Home Review (Spoiler-Free): An Emotional Rollercoaster with Jaw-Dropping Twists
Spider-Man: No Way Home is a sweeping superhero epic that obliterates already high expectations. The fearless web slinger, his dear friends, and beloved aunt face a dilemma that will reshape their destinies. Everything they hold sacred is tested in a formidable way with no easy choices. The film is a rollercoaster of adventure and emotions. Spider-Man: No Way Home will thrill, surprise, and break your heart. This review is spoiler-free.
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‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is the Anti-Woke Blockbuster We Crave
“Fan Service” gets a bad rap, and for good reason.
The Hollywood trend ladles out Easter eggs aplenty, hearkening back to past film and TV shows to fire up our nostalgia circuits.
There’s nothing wrong with that, on paper. It’s a problem when a movie summons the past without delivering a memorable present – i.e. a good story.
You won’t find a better example of fan service done right than “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” It’s silly, smart and occasionally sublime. Like “Avengers: Infinity War,” “No Way Home” careens from punchlines to heart-tugging exchanges, and you’ll watch it all with a lopsided grin on your face.
The action picks up exactly where the over-rated “Spider-Man: Far From Home” ended. The world now knows Peter Parker IS Spider-man, and that’s a burden that falls on both the web slinger (Tom Holland, superb) and his pals, M.J. (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon).
We catch up with Spidey’s plight at breakneck speed. The film’s biggest flaw is how frantic, and unwelcoming, these early segments prove. Where is the darn brake pedal?
And yes, J. Jonah Jameson is stalking our hero anew, this time framed as an Alex Jones-style pundit. Any movie with J.K. Simmons is immediately better, and he’s not in “No Way Home” enough.
RELATED: ‘Black Widow’ – That MCU Magic Is Gone
Peter turns to his new pal, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, still the best MCU casting decision since Robert Downey, Jr.) for help. Can the mystical warrior cast a spell to make everyone forget Peter is Spider-man?
He can, but doing so could trigger a multi-verse meltdown, summoning figures from Spider-man’s past into the present.
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We already know some familiar faces, including Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, return in “No Way Home.” What we learn, early and often, is how much better some of the villains are the second time around.
The 2002 “Spider-Man” covered Dafoe’s face with a mask, robbing us of the actor’s craggy, expressive features. That’s fixed here, and Dafoe’s performance is fierce and frightening.
The same goes for other returnees, but we’ll avoid name checking all of them for spoiler-free purposes.
In fact, it’s hard to discuss much of “No Way Home” for fear of spoiling the fun. Sure, we expect Marisa Tomei and Jon Favreau to bring Aunt May and Happy Hogan, respectively, back. It’s the crush of other returnees that should be experienced mid-movie, and not a second before.
When Stephen Strange talks about the Multiverse, you listen.
One last peek at #SpiderManNoWayHome before it swings into theaters this week. pic.twitter.com/yOMICz4FlF
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 14, 2021
Holland’s previous Spidey efforts dabbled in wokeism, often via Zendaya’s progressive character. Not here. The emphasis is on fun, loyalty, Spidey’s expanding moral compass and, yes, that aforementioned fan service.
It’s one reason the sequel is so exhilarating. Audiences know they’re in good hands, and that entertainment is top of mind.
Dear Hollywood: More, please.
Some of the inside jokes will sail past some, but they’re often so smart they show how much care went into the production. A few bits seem silly, while others give minor characters a full chance to shine. The very best MCU movies do just that, allowing the bustling cast members to make their mark despite scant screen time.
Peter’s arc here offers another highlight. He’s always been a sweet superhero, but he learns about responsibility here in a way most super-flicks can’t match. His naivety feels cloying, early on, but by the third act we see how he’s grown through his mistakes.
RELATED: ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” – Diversity Done Right
That first “Spider-Man” film with Tobey Maguire delivered a droll love story on top of the origin mechanics. We’re treated to something similar here, as M.J. stands by her man and our hero realizes saving the world can involve deeply personal costs.
So many Hollywood voices insult the people who make them rich and famous these days. Too many films do something similar, be it “Don’t Look Up” or projects that grind us down rather than lift us up.
Even James Bond can barely crack a smile these days.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the course correction, a sequel that adores its audience, its lore and the ability to transport us for two-plus glorious hours.
HiT or Miss: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is everything you crave in a superhero film … and more.
The post ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is the Anti-Woke Blockbuster We Crave appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger And Chris Pratt Share Sweet Posts For Katherine Schwarzenegger On Her Birthday
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The Tender Bar Review: Ben Affleck Nails George Clooney's Bittersweet Coming of Age Story
The Tender Bar is a bittersweet coming-of-age story about growing up with an absent father. Director George Clooney adapts the film from the memoir by J.R. Moehringer. We first see the author as a boy, and then as a reserved teenager going to Yale. The Tender Bar is quite moving at times with sentimental performances from Tye Sheridan and Ben Affleck. The film does a good job of establishing bonds between the primary characters. It loses focus in the third act by drawing out a somewhat obvious resolve. That said, the overall tone builds endearment and affinity for the author’s journey to adulthood.
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Attica Review: The Naked Fist of Power
"It didn't have to be that way," Clarence Jones opines near the end of Attica, the new documentary about the largest prison uprising in American history. Those simple words speak centuries of wisdom about violence and tragedy; they are the words of those who recognize suffering or injustice, yet still believe that humanity is capable of something better. They are simultaneously words of despair and hope.
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How Idris Elba’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Director Feels About Fans Calling His Take On Knuckles Sexy
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Advance bookings open for Tom Holland and Zendaya starter Spider-Man: No Way Home in India
After an unprecedented demand from the fans, Sony Pictures Entertainment India and multiplexes across India have opened advance sales of tickets Tom Holland and Zendaya starter Spider-Man: No Way Home, and this indeed is the best news for all Spider-Man and Marvel fanatics. Trade experts predict the film would break post-pandemic box office records. Since there’s an unparalleled demand for tickets, multiple shows as early as 5 am across the country have been slotted.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly last month, Holland said, "We were all treating [No Way Home] as the end of a franchise, let's say. I think if we were lucky enough to dive into these characters again, you'd be seeing a very different version. It would no longer be the Homecoming trilogy. We would give it some time and try to build something different and tonally change the films. Whether that happens or not, I don't know. But we were definitely treating [No Way Home] like it was coming to an end, and it felt like it."
Tom Holland and Zendaya starrer Spiderman: No Way Home, will also have appearances from Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May.
This is the third consecutive Spider-Man film directed by Jon Watts and will have a theatrical release. Sony Pictures Entertainment India releases Spiderman: No Way Home on December 16 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
ALSO READ: Tom Holland starrer Spider-Man: No Way Home to play in theatres in India as early as 5am
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