A Complete Unknown

My View:  A Complete Unknown  (2024) R  A Complete Unknown begins in 1961, when a young man from Minnesota arrives in New York City with only a few clothes and a guitar on his back. That man was Bobby Dylan (Timothée Chalamet), and in just a few short years, he would become a worldwide folk singer sensation. But Bob wanted more, and he was about to set the folk world on fire. I am a huge Bob Dylan fan and have seen him in concert 8 times, including my first time with his Rolling Thunder Revue in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, in January 1976. I still can’t believe that my parents let me and a bunch of teenage nerds drive 3 hours to Houston to see a concert. I had high expectations for this film, and I am pleased to say that it lives up to them. Timothée Chalamet is dazzling in what is undoubtedly an Oscar-nominated performance. Chalamet captures the essence of Dylan up on the screen, while his singing is spot on in the familiar Dylan cadence and tone. It’s a daunting performance, and Chalamet nails it. In fact, all three leads, Chalamet as Dylan, Edward Norton as the folk singer Pete Seeger, and Monica Barbaro as the legendary singer/songwriter Joan Baez, are brilliant in their roles. I loved Norton as Pete Seeger, a man who has been forgotten but was a huge star in the 50s/60s and was known as one of the nicest guys ever to play the musical stage. It's an uncanny performance where Norton effortlessly slips into the character. Monica Barbaro has the most demanding role in the film, as Baez was a singer who had a unique vocal style and range. Barbaro is a force to be reckoned with, even when sharing the screen with Chalamet. When Dylan hit the scene in New York, Baez was the toast of the town and was a huge star in the folk circles. That Dylan was soon to eclipse her is part of the film’s story. The film does a remarkable job of allowing us to watch Dylan navigate his way through stardom, but it never attempts to explain who he is or what he is thinking. That’s because only Bob Dylan knows what the hell is going on in the world that he has created for himself. Also, as Joan says early on, Bob Dylan was and is an asshole. While I loved this film, it's more for the performances than the story, which goes on a little too long and is over-filled with songs. Despite any flaws, A Complete Unknown is filled with brilliant performances and Bob Dylan's music, and that's all you can ask for. Oh, and one more thing: I love Boyd Holbrook as an actor, but he is too pretty to be playing Johnny Cash.  My Rating: Full Price  A Complete Unknown Website Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Nosferatu  (2024)  R  Nosferatu tells the tale of an obsession between a newly married young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) who is haunted by her dreams and a master vampire, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), who is so infatuated with her he travels across the ocean to be near her. I am a massive fan of films from the silent era, and one of the best is the 1922 film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, directed by the great F. W. Murnau. You have probably never seen the movie, but I can guarantee you that you have scenes from the film as it has constantly been used in music videos and commercials, notably the Queen/David Bowie music video for ‘Under Pressure.’ Now filmmaker Robert Eggers put his stamp on a remake of the silent film that unquestionably delivers the dark gothic feeling from the original film. Nosferatu is a film about desire, and how that desire can take hold of you, making you do things you would never think you would do in the right frame of mind. Lily-Rose Depp plays Ellen, a newlywed to Thomas (Nicholas Hoult), both eager to start their lives together. Ellen is a woman who has had vivid nightmares since her younger days, some of which cause her to sleepwalk, and those nightmares have recently returned in frequency and intensity. Unfortunately, Thomas has been given a great opportunity. If he completes the sale of a castle to a foreign buyer, he will get a huge promotion. However, Thomas must leave his wife behind and travel a long distance to a remote castle to conduct the paperwork in person. Little does Thomas know that this is a trap, and the man he is to see is the one who has been invading Ellen’s dreams, Count Orlok. The Count is intent on moving near Ellen and taking her for his own. Nosferatu is a brilliant gothic horror film, where Eggers takes the source material and makes it his own. The original Nosferatu is known for its groundbreaking cinematography and set designs. Eggers, known for his films The Witch (2015), The Lighthouse (2019), and The Northman (2022), puts his own look and feel on the tale while also harking back to the shots that Murnau gave us. It’s an impressive-looking film, with tons of dark passages, lonely streets, and a woman’s bedroom that becomes the focus of a madman driven to find a woman he has been desiring for years. Bill Skarsgård plays the Count, and it’s a performance infused of evil and lust. Eggers and his cinematographer, Jarin Blaschle, don’t let us see the full features of the Count until near the end of the film when the horror that has been building comes to a head. Nosferatu is a masterful work that lovers of gothic horror will thoroughly enjoy. And it has an ending that will keep you talking about long after you have walked out of the theater. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Nosferatu Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View:  Babygirl  (2024)  R   In Babygirl, a high-powered CEO, Romy (Nicole Kidman), has everything she’s ever desired except one thing. She finds it in a torrid affair with her much younger intern, Samuel (Harris Dickinson). November is a month when film critics are inundated with screenings/screeners where studios want us to see films before we vote on the best films of the year. So I saw Babygirl a month ago and I am glad that I had time to reflect on the film, as my opinion has changed quite a bit as I have thought about the film. Now, it had nothing to do with the performances, as I think Nicole Kidman could easily get her sixth nomination for Best Performance by an Actress. And Harris Dickinson is outstanding as the young man who sees an opportunity to have some fun with a woman who he almost instantly sees as someone who is missing something in her life. And that something is that Romy wants to be in a role-playing submissive/dominant relationship, something that she feels she will never get from her husband, Jacob (Antonio Banderas), with whom her sex life is boring and unfulfilling. The more I thought about this film, the more I enjoyed that this wasn’t your typical high-powered CEO taking advantage of a younger person. Instead, it was two consenting adults who started a sexual relationship where each wanted something from the other person but were also careful and respectful of that person, pushing the boundaries but never going too far. The film doesn’t pass judgment on these two people. Babygirl creates a lot of suspense in how far the relationship will go and if they will ever be caught. Will it destroy Romy’s career and her marriage? Will others in the company find out about the relationship and use it over Romy? You will have to watch to find out. And give the film some time to percolate in your brain before you come to a conclusion about it.  My Rating: Full Price  Babygirl Website Now playing in theaters.

My View:  The Fire Inside  (2024)  PG-13  The Fire Inside tells the story of Claressa ’T-Rex’ Shields (Ryan Destiny), a boxer from Flint, Michigan, who, with the help of a local gym owner, Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), trained to become the first American woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal. Claressa realizes that a gold medal doesn’t matter when you’re trying to support your family. The Fire Inside is an outstanding movie based on a real woman, about beating the odds, not just in the ring, but in life as well. Ryan Destiny gives a powerful and moving performance of a young woman who is determined to fight her way to success but is crushed when her success in the ring doesn’t translate to real life in Flint, Michigan. Destiny plays a young woman who doesn’t have the best of home life, is battling the idea that women can’t and shouldn’t box, and the fact that she trains in a gym with limited means but has dreams to one day become an Olympic champion and bring her family wealth and fame. It is rare in a movie when the goal is met halfway through the film as T-Rex, against the odds, wins the first gold medal ever for the American women’s Olympic team (this isn’t a spoiler; it’s in the trailer). But things don’t change for T-Rex when she comes back, and she has to deal with all the problems she had before she won gold. Brian Tyree Henry plays Jason, who reluctantly lets Claressa train at his gym, only to realize she might be the real deal, a woman who can box. Henry was nominated for his role in the 2023 film Causeway, and he just might get another nomination for this role. It is a magical performance of a character who is willing to risk it all for a young woman who has dreams he wants to help come true. There is a scene near the end of the film between Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry that is brilliant between two actors that are bringing magic to the screen. Move over Rocky, there is another rags-to-riches boxing story told here. It just takes a little longer to come true.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Fire Inside Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film: The United States of Leland (2003) R  Leland (Ryan Gosling) is a young man who has been sent to a juvenile hall for killing a special needs kid. A teacher (Don Cheadle) spends time with Leland and convinces Leland to start a journal. The teacher soon figures out that he could write a book on Leland if he could read his journal. All the while, the people in the town where Leland lived are trying to comprehend why it happened and are trying to put their lives back together. Overall, the film attempts to put too many stories into the plot, but Don Cheadle, as the teacher who tries to reach Leland through writing, and Kevin Spacey, as Leland’s estranged father, gives us some great performances. Add in the fact the cast includes Jena Malone, Lena Olin, Michelle Williams, Sherilyn Fenn, and a very young Kerry Washington, making it a film worth watching.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The United States of Leland Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon and iTunes.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Brutalist:  Office Cleaner

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Flight Risk  (2025)  A small plane pilot (Mark Wahlberg) is transporting an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As the flight goes across the Alaskan wilderness, tensions rise, and it becomes obvious that everyone on board isn’t who they seem. Two-time Academy Award-winning Mel Gibson directs the film.   Flight Risk Website  In theaters on Friday, January 24, 2025. 

Until Next Time!

Blink Twice

My View:  Blink Twice  (2024)  R  Blink Twice starts when Frida (Naomi Ackie) and her best friend Jess ( Alia Shawkat) sneak into a big fundraiser party for tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). Never in their wildest dreams did they think they would be invited to Slater’s private island to party with his friends. What follows is a dream of wild nights and sun-soaked days that slowly reveals itself to be a nightmare. Blink Twice is a solid debut by Zoë Kravitz as a director, with a film that tries a little too hard to impress with images and loses its intent to create a message at the end. The film is part mystery, part horror, as Frida slowly figures out that not everything is right on the island and that maybe her luck at meeting Slater wasn’t as lucky as she thought. Channing Tatum is perfect as the tech guru who thinks he is smarter than everyone in the room and oozes with a little too much charm and caring for it to be true. I believe that most moviegoers will recognize the clues that Frida begins to assemble, and that's the enjoyable part of the film. Where I felt the film fell apart was when it tried too hard to hit the landing of the ending too cleanly. When we see the horrors start happening, they don’t have the impact we need. Sorry about the bit of spoiler there, but this is what I would call a dark comedy with a lot of horror thrown in. It’s just not horrific enough to make it a great film. Still, Blink Twice is worth seeing for the performances and all the fantastic shots that Kravitz throws in. I look forward to seeing what Zoë Kravitz does next.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Blink Twice Website   Now playing in theatres.

My View:  The Crow  (2024)  R   In The Crow, soulmates Eric Draven (Bill Skarsgård) and Shelly Webster (FKA Twigs) are brutally murdered when Shelly’s dark past catches up with them. Eric is given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself, becoming a man who rises from the dead to seek revenge, traveling between the worlds of the living and the dead. The 1994 version of The Crow starred Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee. Unfortunately, Brandon Lee died due to an accident on the set. The entire film was dark, gothic and Lee looked amazing in the black trench coat as Eric, who rises from the dead with the help of a crow, kicks bad guys’ butts right and left. The film had a dual theme of revenge and protecting the innocent. This version is so chaotic I’m not quite sure what happened for most of the film. In this version, Eric is a troubled youth. We know that because when we meet him, he is being bullied by other ‘youths’ at some sort of facility. He meets Shelly, and they instantly fall in love, but she has a video that implicates some big whig, played by Danny Huston. I never figured out how it implicates him, but he wants that video and sends his bad guys to get it back, killing Eric and Shelly. Eric goes to an afterlife-holding place, and a weird guy tells him that if he kills Danny Huston’s character, he and Shelly can go back to living on Earth. I have no idea why. And I don’t care. The plot gets messier from there as Danny Huston’s character is some kind of demon that can make people kill. Eric finds a sword with the strongest and sharpest blade I’ve ever seen, and many people die. I like Bill Skarsgård as an actor, but he’s no Brandon Lee, and Bill’s Crow character can’t fight, only shoot a gun and swing an incredibly sharp sword. Once Eric turns into the full Crow, he looks like an punk rock kid from a low budget 80s film, bad makeup and all. The film never creates a backdrop of darkness and creepiness that is needed for this film to have a chance to succeed. Instead, we get a story that takes forever to start moving forward, and we never find the magic feeling that the original film had.  My Rating: Cable   The Crow Website  Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest:  Between the Temples  (2024)  R Between the Temples tells the story of Ben (Jason Schwartzman), a cantor who is grief stricken over the death of his wife and has lost his voice. Ben is a man who is lost until he meets Carla, his 70-year-old grade school music teacher (Carol Kane). Carla longs for her bat mitzvah, which she had never had the opportunity to experience, and it could be the turning point in Ben’s life. Between the Temples is a film that is both quirky and funny, depicting a man who is lost and the woman who helps him find his way back. Despite the constant attempt by everyone to find Ben a date (including his Rabbi, who throws his willing daughter at him), Ben has found someone he likes. The problem is that she is 70 years old. But Carla isn't your ordinary 70-year-old, but someone who shows Ben that life is something to be treasured and explored. The chemistry between Kane and Schwartzman is incredible and their timing is superb. The film drags a bit in places, spending too much time on a sequence when the two get high together, but the two leads make this film move along. The ending is a little different, but so is the couple it highlights.  My Rating:Bargin Maintee  Between the Temples Website  Now playing theaters.

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see in theatres but have seen recently): Dance First  (2023)   As the ceremony that gave him the Nobel Prize, Irish writer Samuel Beckett (Gabriel Byrne) leaves his body to have a conversation with himself. The two Beckett’s revisit his childhood, his early days in France interning for James Joyce, working for the French Resistance in WWII, his successes, and all his loves. A film about the playwright who created one of the most puzzling plays of all time, Waiting for Godot, has to be a little weird, right? Other than Beckett talking to Beckett as they introduce another flashback sequence, the film is rather conventional. Certainly, the film gives us a few clues about what made up Beckett, including a childhood that wasn’t a lot of fun. And we see Beckett has a lot of guilt, as it is brought up at almost every conversation the two Beckett’s have. The problem is that we don’t get a handle on the man’s work. It’s almost as if the film thinks we are all Beckett scholars, knowing which play, book, or short story was reflected in his personal life. The only time we see his personal life in his work is when he wrote Play, a work we see performed for about a minute (it’s notable because of the three actors throughout the play are immersed up to their necks in funeral urns). I did enjoy the performances of Byrne as Beckett from the 50s on and the brilliant, reserved performance by Fionn O’Shea as the Beckett of his late teens and twenties when he was still trying to figure out what he would do with his life. Dance First is an attempt to tell us the story of a man who was so full of mysteries while being someone who didn’t want the spotlight that maybe the story should have been told less conventionally.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Dance First Website  Now available for rent on most online services including Amazon and Apple TV. 

Indiefest:  Strange Darling  (2023) R  Strange Darling is a story where nothing is what it seems when a one-night stand between two people (Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner) turns into a tale of a murder spree of a serial killer or does it? It's been awhile since I've been on such a wild and crazy ride with a film. The film is broken up into six chapters, but they don't always follow the order, so you're constantly trying to figure out what just happened and why. There are so many twists and turns in this film that when you see the final credits, you aren’t sure the film is over. Willa Fitzgerald as ‘The Lady’ and Kyle Gallner as ‘The Demon’ (remember, things aren’t always as they seem) are so much fun to watch in this film as their characters try to best the other in a battle of wits and endurance. The film is a bloody mess (in a good way) as your brain tries to keep up with what is happening on screen. Just when you think you have it figured out, I guarantee you that you haven’t. Strange Darling is a violent mess, where there are lots of surprises, including Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley Jr. as two former hippies that…never mind, you’ll find out. This is the best thriller of the year, one that needs to be seen in the theater so you can hear your fellow theatergoers gasp. Strange Darling is one big, long, bloody rollercoaster of a ride where the designer decided you needed one last big unexpected drop before trying to find your sea legs to get off the ride.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Strange Darling Website Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Into the West (1992)  PG  Two young boys growing up in a high-rise slum in Dublin with their alcoholic father (Gabriel Byrne) are given a white horse by their grandfather. They move the horse into their apartment, but that doesn’t last long as the police show up, and through a shady deal, the horse ends up in the hands of a horse breeder. The boys go to get their horse, and they are off on an adventure that all of Ireland will soon know about. The cast is outstanding, with David Kelly as the grandfather and Ellen Barkin and Colm Meaney as friends of the father who enlists them to help find his boys and stop the horse breeder from taking the horse. This film reminds me a lot of The Black Stallion, as one of the boys (Ciaran Fitzgerald) has such an instant report with the horse that it can almost read his mind. Into the West is a beautiful tale that families will enjoy as they ride on the back of a white horse through the beautiful countryside of Ireland. My Rating: Full Price  Into the West Info  The film is available on online services, including Amazon and Google Play.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Blink Twice:  Dental Prosthetics 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Joker: Folie à Deux  (2024)  R  Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), the failed comedian, has caused a lot of trouble and has been put away in the Arkham State Hospital. There he meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga), and they soon embark on a journey of mayhem and romance. This is the sequel to Todd Phillips’s Oscar-winning 2019 film Joker. Joker: Folie à Deux is one of the most anticipated films of the year and the only question is: is it a musical or not?   Joker Website  The film will be in theaters on Friday, October 4, 2024.

Until Next Time!

Challengers

My View: Challengers (2024) R   Challengers tells the story of Tashi (Zendaya), who was a tennis prodigy about to set the tennis world on fire before she suffered a devastating injury she couldn’t recover from. Now, years later, she is a coach and married to a former champion (Mike Faist) who is on a losing streak, and the question is how far Tashi is willing to go to get him back on his winning streak with her husbands best friend (Josh O’Conner). Challengers is a movie that appears to focus on sexual relationships, but actually revolves around who has the upper hand and how they can maintain it. This is a film that has so many twists and turns that you almost become dizzy as the three leads vie to land that winning serve, only to have someone else return the serve just as hard. If Zendaya wasn’t a lead in a film before this, she is now. Zendaya is breathtaking as a woman who was at the top of her game, only to have it taken away in an instant, and now is playing through her husband (and he’s not dominating as he should be). It’s a powerful performance that gives you chills it’s so good. I hope this film isn’t being released too early for Academy Award members to forget about this performance because it deserves to be nominated. This is a film in which you will not like any of the characters (ok, maybe the daughter), and you will still be enthralled by all the head games that are being played (keep an eye out for a certain t-shirt that makes a few appearances as an example). For a film that is based on sex, there isn’t a lot in it, which surprised me. Instead, this is about three people who act as they are caring but inside they are all out for themselves. How fragile they are when the stakes are so high, and all the participants are there to win. So take a few practice swings with your racquet and be sure to do some stretching because you will need to be warmed up and limber to handle this film.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Challengers Website Now playing theaters nationwide

Indiefest: We Grown Now (2023) PG  We Grown Now is set in 1992 Chicago, where a mother named Dolores (Jurnee Smollett) is raising her 12-year-old son Malik (Blake Cameron James) in one of the most crime-infested parts of the city. Malik must grow up fast, but he has help from his best friend Eric (Gian Knight Ramirez) and his grandmother Anita (S. Epatha Merkerson). Dolores will have to make some tough choices if Malik is going to survive in this environment. We Grown Now is a beautiful and moving film about friendship, family, and how children see the world in a different light from adults. First, the performances of the two best friends are magical and, at times, a little breathtaking. We Grown Now is their film as we see what is happening to their neighborhood through their eyes. From the ever presence of violence to the clamping down of the rights of the people who live in the housing community, the world of these kids is filled with danger and the feeling of being almost caged by their surroundings. The two kids try to stay positive and hopeful, even taking a day to skip school and go on an adventure to an art museum because they are bored at school. I can’t tell you how much I loved this film, going on adventures with Malik and Eric while knowing that their parents are dealing with some tough times and hard choices that will affect their children’s future. We Grown Now is a film that is full of kids being kids, but like life itself, it's also about injustice and heartbreak. The kind of heartbreak that won't leave you. So, join the two best friends and maybe join in when they do some shouting from time to time.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again We Grown Now Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Indiefest: Boy Kills World (2023) R  Boy (Bill Skarsgård) saw his family murdered, and he was rendered deaf and mute. Since then, Boy has been training with one mission: to kill the person responsible, Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the evil leader of a televised game of survival called The Culling. They saw Boy coming, but could they stop him? When I saw the trailer for this film, I thought, ‘This will be a fun ride.’ However, sometimes the trailers are better than the actual film; in this case, this is one of them. Fans of tight combat will enjoy the plethora of fights in this film. And Mr. Bill Skarsgård does a fine job as an action hero. But, the film never can find the story it wants to tell, relying too much on lame jokes and over-active camera moves during the fight sequences. The plot twists of the film are excessive, as the script assumes it's more clever than it actually is. Boy Kills World loses steam about halfway through and never quite recovers. Anyway, can we go back to that trailer?   My Rating: Cable  Boy Kills World Website    Now playing in theatres. 

Forgotten Film: Conversations with Other Women (2005)  R   A man (Aaron Eckhart) and a woman (Helena Bonham Carter) start flirting with each other at a wedding reception. They are getting along so well that they decide to carry the conversation to a hotel room. They will soon learn about each other and may have known each other when they were younger. While some reviewers have compared this film to the Before Sunrise/Sunset films, this is very different because the whole movie is shot on a split screen. Sometimes, it’s just to show the two reacting to things simultaneously, but it also gives us the characters’ perspectives on what is being said or what they thought was said. This is a film to watch for the performances, and Carter and Eckhart are brilliant in this film, where the characters go from flirty to serious in a matter of minutes and then back again. Conversations with Other Women is one of those films you will want to talk to someone about after seeing it.   My Rating: Full Price  Conversations with Other Women Info   The film is available on multiple streaming platforms. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Boy Kills World: Second Unit Sparks

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: IF   (2024)     Bea (Cailey Fleming) has gone through some tough times but has discovered a secret power: She can see everyone’s imaginary friends. With help from Cal (Ryan Reynolds), Bea embarks on a magical journey to reconnect forgotten ‘IFs’ with their long-lost kids. Written and directed by John Krasinski and with a voice cast that includes Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Jon Stewart, Awkwafina, and more, this will surely be a film that people will want to see. The film releases on Friday, May 17th.

Until Next Time!