Gladiator II – Movie Review

Directed by:  Ridley Scott

Written by:  David Scarpa

Starring:  Paul Mescal, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Derek Jacobi 

Runtime:  148 minutes

‘Gladiator II’ fights but fails to capture the magic of the first film

The night before attending a screening of director Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II”, I rewatched Scott’s “Gladiator” (2000) for the first time since experiencing the movie in theatres 24 years ago. 

I remember thoroughly enjoying the pageantry of “Gladiator” back in 2000, but it wasn’t my favorite film that year.  My personal best-picture award went to Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000).  

Still, after experiencing “Gladiator” again in 2024, with the opening battle scene, the political intrigue, Joaquin Phoenix’s dastardly supporting performance as Commodus, and a beautifully crafted, emotional ending, one can see why the Academy chose Scott’s epic as its 2001 Best Picture.  Let’s not forget Russell Crowe’s heroic work as Maximus.  When he delivers his reveal to Commodus, the famous “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius” line clarifies in this critic’s mind why Crowe won the 2001 Best Actor Oscar, almost for that scene alone.  

Twenty-four years later, “Gladiator II” invades theatres.  

Although the sequel, set 16 years after the first movie, offers sweeping production values, elaborate costume design, and intricate fighting sequences, the narrative feels meandering and forced by offering a changing portrait of the new lead while simultaneously stuffing him into a gladiator setting.

Recent Indie Film Prince Paul Mescal (“Aftersun” (2022), “All of Us Strangers” (2023)) plays the lead as Lucius, the grown-up son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and Maximus (Crowe).  Although Mescal, a terrific actor, looks convincing and effectively swings a sword as a 120 A.D. gladiator, he – for whatever reason - doesn’t carry the Earth-shaking charisma of Crowe, at least to me, and hence, his journey feels inconsequential.  

Meandering, forced, and inconsequential are not three ways to describe an Oscar-worthy sequel or a movie worth seeing.  Still, “Gladiator II” has an audience for those wanting to absorb a Roman epic with plenty of clashes (both mano a mano and communal), a continuation of the “Gladiator” storyline, and a captivating performance by Denzel Washington as Macrinus, the leader/merchant of the gladiators.  

Washington delivers the film’s best performance, given the man’s master thespian skills and a deliciously written part.  

The story opens in Numidia, in Northern Africa, where Lucius built a life for himself.  He’s a young leader in this community and is married to Arishat (Yuval Gonen), a warrior in her own right.  Soon after a brief introduction, the Romans, led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), invade Lucius’ new residence in a fierce battle with boats, a precarious drawbridge, arrows, cannons, and hand-to-hand combat.  

(For the record, Pascal needed more screen time in this movie.) 

After the battle, Lucius is thrown into a gladiator stable, which leads to a trip back to Rome.  

Maximus’ wishes for a Roman democracy didn’t quite pan out.  Twin Emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger) rule the ancient roost.  Geta and Caracalla – who make Commodus look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in comparison - lead with a singular goal of satisfying their shared id of witnessing blood-stained combat.  Hence, Lucius and company have a market to sharpen and flaunt their fighting skills in the Colosseum.  

To drum up bigger conflicts than the first film, Scott, screenwriter David Scarpa, cinematographer John Mathieson, and humongous special effects and visual effects departments dream up three clashes with vastly different animals involved in the mix.  The first two encounters are not out of bounds, but the third seems a bit preposterous, with sharks roaming about a flooded Colosseum.   

Granted, a quick Google search surprisingly reveals that the Romans did flood the arena and stage naval battles on a smaller scale, but sharks seem like an obstacle too far, right?  Who knows, maybe it happened, but the way it plays out on screen, this critic was waiting for “sharks with laser beams attached to their heads.”  See also “Austin Powers in Goldmember” (2002).  

Meanwhile, Lucilla hasn’t seen Lucius since she sent him away shortly after the events of “Gladiator”, and the plot hinges on a reunion between the two and his thirst for revenge against Marcus Acacius.  Lurking in the background and grandstanding in the foreground, Macrinus craves power and has the will to acquire it.  

Our hero, Lucius, partakes in bold, bloody battles, including decapitating an opponent faster than you can say, “Jason Voorhees!”   

Lucius isn’t the villain, but his best moments are on the battlefield.  We know who Lucius is during combat, but the script portrays him as a sensitive husband, a cordial, respected young man in Numidia, a raging, bitter, vengeful maniac in Rome, and a battle-tested leader (all within a 2.5-hour runtime).  Then, he takes another turn, which will not be revealed in this review.  

He converses with Macrinus about his status in the stable, his mother about their past, and his best friend who regularly sews him up after bloody fights, but it’s awfully difficult to get a distinct, concise beat of who Lucius actually is.  Indeed, his arc is clear, but his persona is not.  

Apparently, he attempts to find himself on this road to his roots, but only if Mescal and the script give us enough to care.

Lucius might have glorious confrontations in the future, say, 125 A.D., but for now, he seems like a long and distant reproduction of Maximus, even though he’s only one generation removed.  When “Gladiator II” composer Harry Gregson-Williams cues Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s “Now We Are Free” (2000), the magic of “Gladiator” sadly seems like a 2000-year-old memory.  

Jeff’s ranking

2/4 stars

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A Real Pain – Movie Review

Directed and written by:  Jesse Eisenberg

Starring:  Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Daniel Oreskes, Liza Sadovy, Kurt Egyiawan, and Jennifer Grey

Runtime:  90 minutes

‘A Real Pain’:  Eisenberg and Culkin shine in this road-trip dramedy that addresses the pain of loss and everyday struggles

Jesse Eisenberg has acted in films for, believe it or not, 22 years.  (How is that possible?)

This 41-year-old has starred in a zombie-apocalypse comedy.  Eisenberg played Superman’s most prominent adversary and Facebook’s founder, among dozens of other roles. 

He stepped behind the camera for “A Real Pain”, his second directorial feature, a road-trip picture.  Jesse writes and stars in his film as well, alongside Kieran Culkin, who resembles Charlie Day’s long-lost brother during this production.  

David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) Kaplan are first cousins who travel to Poland to visit their late grandmother’s original home in the said country and the nearby Majdanek concentration camp.  Their grandma was also a Holocaust survivor.  

David and Benji are a bit of an “Odd Couple” with David filling the Felix-like role, and Benji is similar to Oscar.  

The two meet at a New York City airport.  Benji has a longer commute because he lives in Binghamton, a small Upstate city 180 miles from The Big Apple, but we watch David semi-panic over getting to the airport and meeting his cousin as he darts about NYC.  

It turns out that Benji was already sitting in the airport for a few hours to relax and people-watch, but, of course, he didn’t return David’s messages.  This is a bit irresponsible on Benji’s part, which is a preview of this 30-something’s nature.  

Never fear, though.  

They make the flight to Warsaw and meet their small tour group.  The handful of visitors is led by a plucky, responsible guide named James (Will Sharpe).  They plan to explore the city, see Holocaust sites, the said concentration camp, and more. 

Eisenberg introduces the other travelers, and they all seem like pleasant tourists without idiosyncrasies, odd traps, or eccentric movie tropes, which is refreshing.  They include an older couple, Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), a recently single 50-something, Marcia (Jennifer Grey), and a 30-something man, Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), who recently converted to Judaism. 

Rather than evoke slapstick comedy and outrageous moments with the other sightseers, Eisenberg portrays them as observers of Benji’s unpredictable behavior and the stress it causes David.  The others are along for the ride but feel missing when not on screen.  Still, the energy and focus usually land squarely on Benji and David.  However, admittedly, this critic was looking for more development of Marcia solely because of my Generation X connection to Grey.   

It's difficult to recall a scene where David, Benji, or both are not on screen, and that’s a good thing.  Benji’s slacker, adrift personality allows him to get by through life while crashing in his mother’s basement, but that outlook won’t always cut it when traveling abroad.  Schedules need to be kept through group meals, train rides, and sightseeing.  Getting along to get along with the others becomes paramount, even if the Kaplans are only on the road for a few days. 

Eisenberg perfectly plays characters who dress into a full wardrobe of anxiety, and he nicely casts himself as David.  

David frequently must save face over Benji’s quirks, outbursts of disapproval, and impulsive wishes.  They share space in a hotel room, are joined at the hip on their travels, and grieve over their lost grand-matriarch, but the fellas also want to bond during the trip.  The love is there, but everyday life creates hiccups, including Benji borrowing David’s phone and taking it in the bathroom while showering and finding an inventive way to score marijuana in Poland.

Still, Benji’s heart is in the right place, and Culkin delivers a beautifully nuanced performance with this troubled, layered character.  Benji copes with falling behind in the game of life, as his struggles run deeper than occasionally sleeping in late or questioning James’ itinerary in front of the group.  This is especially true when comparing himself to David, who has a stable, white-collar job, a wife, and a child in NYC.  

“A Real Pain” runs for a thrifty 90 minutes, and the screenplay includes a great deal of emotion with the purpose of this overseas trek but also with the cousins’ relationship with one another and their stations in life.  Eisenberg doesn’t go over the top with these parallel dramatic tracks, as authenticity runs deep for these men to reach their roots and each other. 

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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Heretic - Movie Review

Dir: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, and Topher Grace 

1h 51m

One of the primary rules of horror movie survival, "Never talk to strangers," is ingeniously ignored by two young women in A24's newest psychological thriller, "Heretic." A dark, stormy night and a house shrouded in dense foliage are two cinematic warning signs that scream, "Don't go into that house." However, for two young missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, talking to strangers is essential to spreading the good word of their church. Writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods compose a film that is slim on the usual jump scares that often define religious horror stories but instead invests in thought-provoking, tension-building conversations about faith. 

The film begins in small-town America with Sister Paxton (Chloe East) and Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) charmingly trading innocuous chatter about all things holy and otherwise. The two women, proud and motivated to share the lessons of their congregation, venture at the beginnings of a storm to the last house on their list, introducing themselves to a man named Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who has requested information about their church. Mr. Reed, a pleasant and sharp-witted host, methodically lures the women into a chilling game of cat and mouse that challenges their views of faith and the idea of the nature of God. 

Faith-focused films, especially those residing in the realm of horror, tend to sway into demon possession or cult fanaticism territory far too often. "Heretic" takes a different path, initially trading the familiar fear tactics for savvy character development and a world-building maze of hidden rooms and tunnels that boasts a creepy atmosphere. Part of the fun of "Heretic" is recognizing all the red flags that Mr. Reed waves; off-conversation comments about the house having metal walls and the constant diversion to the comments about his wife's whereabouts assist in maintaining a pressure of tightening tension with every comment about religion. For the two determined Mormons, who acknowledge to one another the audacity of the situation, their faith and commitment to their calling keep them engaged with Mr. Reed against their better judgment. 

As the mystery slowly unwinds, the writer-directors, Beck and Woods, do a great job of letting the characters promote the best surprises, leading the way with a witty and wily performance from Hugh Grant, who chews the scenery with menacing glee. Sophie Thatcher, playing the cautious, more worldly Sister Barnes, and Chloe East, composing the more sensitive and trusting Sister Paxton, are sympathetic, composed, and assured of their faith. They are true believers, perfect prey for a hungry wolf who quickly sheds the sheep's disguise and becomes a preaching purveyor of false doctrine. How one believes in the unknown forces in the world and the faith that ultimately binds one to a higher power are the core narrative mechanisms that set up the spooky elements that find their way into the latter half of the film. 

Once Mr. Reed offers the missionaries a choice for freedom, a sinister decision based on their belief or denial of God, all under the influence of fear, the film transitions into familiar, scary movie territory.  A mix of jump scares and bumps in the dark is about as frightening as they will get, the film's reliance on the character dynamics is the primary reason that this third act of the film works, even if the momentum established so effectively at the beginning stalls. Hugh Grant's performance, which grows more aggressive and wild-eyed as his plan to torment the two Sisters moves graver in motion, is an essential element that provokes the tension and crafts the dread between Mr. Reed and the two women. Grant, who has been on a run of fun characters with his last few movies, takes on the role of horror movie villain with impressive success. 

"Heretic" does a great job of building a chilling cerebral horror narrative, one immensely supported by three excellent performances and the focus on building tension and eerie atmospherics over easy shocks and jump scares. While the final act, unfortunately, abandons some of the exciting elements introduced in the beginning, there are enough positive decisions for Scott Beck and Bryan Woods to craft a memorable religious thriller. 

Monte's Rating 

3.50 out of 5.00  

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Small Things Like These – Movie Review

Directed by:  Tim Mielants

Written by:  Enda Walsh, based on Claire Keegan’s book

Starring:  Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Zara Devlin, and Emily Watson

Runtime:  98 minutes

‘Small Things Like These’: Murphy gives a soulful performance in this somber small-town story

“If you want to get along in this life, there are things you have to ignore.” – Eileen Furlong (Eileen Walsh)

Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy), his wife, Eileen, and their five daughters live in New Ross, a small town in County Wexford, Ireland.  The year is 1985, and Bill delivers coal to homes and businesses to help keep the townsfolk warm during the cold days and nights in this corner of the Emerald Isle.  

One day, when Bill makes his rounds at a church, he witnesses a physical struggle with a young lady (Zara Devlin).  The moment gives him a frosty chill, one that sends him on a path of reflection and a present-day tussle with his conscience.   

Director Tim Mielants’ “Small Things Like These”, adapted from Claire Keegan’s 2021 novel, is a sullen drama that effectively confronts Ireland’s Magdalene laundry institutions but from (mostly) a perspective of the local residents.  The Catholic Church established the laundries and forced women, deemed “improper” due to their sexual activity, to work.  Often, the ladies were subject to emotional and physical abuse.  

Keegan’s book is 128 pages, and Mielants’ movie, written by Enda Walsh, runs 98 minutes.  The film adaptation primarily focuses on Bill’s childhood memories, his guilt over knowing the local church’s aforementioned practices, and link between the two.  

(For the record, Enda Walsh is not related to Eileen Walsh, and Eileen was ironically cast in 2002’s “The Magdalene Sisters“, a film about the same subject.) 

“Small Things Like These” is a character-driven picture that shadows Bill along his routes.  He lugs 50-pound coal sacks in and out of his truck’s bed and washes up at home after 10-to-12-hour days of blue-collar labor with the black, sooty chunks of fuel.

This gentle, soft-spoken soul cares for his wife and daughters.  The Furlongs enjoy an amiable, modest life, and the quintet of children clearly reveals that Bill and Eileen are compliant Catholics.  Bill is already a man of few words, but after witnessing the upsetting scene outside the church, he is frequently lost and silent in internal deliberations, even during the supposed joyous days leading up to Christmas.  

The story hinges on whether Bill can push through the pain of his past and whether any current action can help with the former.  Murphy – in his first theatrical film since his Oscar-winning turn in “Oppenheimer” (2023) – tenders soulful, silent expressions throughout the runtime that speak volumes into Bill’s anguish.  The gloomy grey Irish skies and bleak browns in nature and textiles match Bill’s frame of mind, and the character’s history plays a vital role in framing the lasting inclusion of a work camp inside a house of worship within New Ross’ borders.  

Speaking of the house of worship in question, the ever-reliable Emily Watson plays Sister Mary for only five minutes or so of screen time, but her daunting confrontation with Bill demonstrates the church’s intimidating hold over the community where actual dissent is a fanciful pipe dream that never veers outside of anyone’s lanes.  

“Small Things” may be set in the mid-1980s, but generations of burdens pile on Bill’s shoulders, and Mielants’ simple third-act shot of a famous puzzle from the period adds additional clarity to our protagonist’s dilemma in the here and now.  In this movie, in this town, and in this time, a potential small act of bravery is no small thing.  

It would be a biblical-sized trek, if followed.

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Anora – Movie Review

Directed and written by:  Sean Baker

Starring:  Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Vache Tovmasyan, Vincent Radwinsky, and Karren Karagulian

Runtime:  139 minutes

With a playful script and captivating performances, ‘Anora’ is Sean Baker’s most vivacious film

Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) proposes to Anora (Mikey Madison), and she boldly holds up her hand and politely declares, “Three carats.”

He responds, “What about four?”

For Ivan (also nicknamed Vanya), he won’t break a sweat to make such a sizable purchase, because he’s a billionaire, and Anora (also nicknamed Ani) has it the jackpot! 

She’s in love, and her new fiancé has more money than some countries do.

Director/writer Sean Baker’s boy-meets-girl movie is an electric and turbulent exotic-dancer-meets-Russian-billionaire love story.  Set in present-day New York City, Vanya dazzles Ani with seductive charm, and his freewheeling charisma and monetary excesses astonish her.  

This dynamic duo disregards their safety belts on their wild rollercoaster affair. 

Baker’s movies (“Tangerine” (2015), “The Florida Project” (2017), “Red Rocket” (2021)) usually live on society’s fringes, but this high-roller flick frequently resides in lavish spaces, but not always. 

Our 23-year-old heroine is her sister’s roommate, and the siblings (barely) tolerate one another in their modest Brooklyn apartment adjacent to elevated train tracks.  She works on the “wrong side of the tracks” as well.  Ani dances at a strip club, and Baker reveals her daily work routines to encourage the male clientele for a personal assembly that could endure for a song or two or 10.  These on-screen revelations, regarding Ani’s and the other performers’ work, aren’t X-rated, but the engagements will certainly make some audiences uncomfortable.

That’s by design. 

However, while Ani relaxes in the dressing room, the club’s manager, Jimmy (Vincent Radwinsky), informs her that a young Russian guy (Vanya) entered the club.  Since she speaks his native language, Jimmy asks/tells her to meet him.  The playful, lively Vanya, 21, is attracted to Ani right away.  She seems to appreciate his positive energy, but this encounter is purely business. 

Famous last words because Vanya wants more than their initial club connection.  

During the first act, Baker, cinematographer Drew Daniels, Madison, and Eydelshteyn delightfully overwhelm the audience during Ani and Vanya’s courtship with lush laughs and good vibes, which include an exuberant party, a getaway to a faraway vacation destination, and also personal, quality time in the bedroom. 

Eydelshteyn and Madison feel entirely authentic as their attractive, engaging characters.  Ani hasn’t caught breaks during her 20+ years on Planet Earth, but now, this damsel stares at one who stands before her.  She’s cautious but wants “Prince Vanya” to be the real deal.  So do we!  Vanya, meanwhile, exudes an impulsive, immature, live-in-the-moment persona that’s infectious but also draws concern.  Financially, his money supply seems endless, but will his carefree spending and spontaneity cause tangential setbacks? 

These two “crazy kids” enjoy this wild ride.  However, as objective audience observers, we must ask: How long will the frolicking, jubilant times last?

Baker and Madison develop so much goodwill with Ani during the first act that we become completely invested in following her path to a hopeful destiny.  When those hopes are challenged, the script, supporting players, and Madison’s empathetic performance – over her attempts to hold onto this exuberant romance - offer compelling cinema during the following two acts that balance danger and humor, along with sobering gravitas.

Three supporting players (who will not be revealed in this review) materialize in the form of physical and bureaucratic human roadblocks to stifle Ani’s dreams.  This trifecta of henchmen is dangerous, but Baker makes a terrific screenwriting decision by including ample buffoonery associated with them to temper their threat.  In fact, one collaborator, Igor (Yura Borisov), feels empathy for Ani, and his journey with her raises curiosity, as their adversarial rapport begs for softer tones and mutual understanding.  

Speaking of mutual understanding, in the end, will Ani and Vanya live happily ever after?  

Hey, some lifelong relationships have endured on flimsier foundations, but there’s nothing flimsy about “Anora”, Sean Baker’s most vivacious film. 

Jeff’s ranking

4/4 stars

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Conclave – Movie Review

Directed by:  Edward Berger

Written by:  Peter Straughan, based on Robert Harris’ novel

Starring:  Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Lucian Msamati, Sergio Castellitto, Carlos Diehz, and Isabella Rossellini

Runtime:  120 minutes

‘Conclave’, a skillfully-constructed and gripping drama, seems destined for Oscar nominations

“This is a conclave, Aldo.  It’s not a war.” – Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes)

“It is a war, and you have to commit to a side.” – Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci)

Director Edward Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022) won four Oscars and was nominated for five others.  His new film, “Conclave”, about an entirely different type of war, seems destined for Oscar nominations too.

Set in the present day, a conflict embroils Vatican City.  The Pope dies of a heart attack, and Cardinal Thomas Lawrence is placed in charge of the Catholic Church’s conclave, where the acting cardinals will elect a new leader.  

Reluctant but dutiful, Cardinal Lawrence attempts to carry out his duties.  However, with prestigious power up for grabs, political maneuvering seemingly becomes a sacred right with the Sistine Chapel’s holy walls.  

Berger’s movie, based on Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, is skillfully constructed, as he and screenwriter Peter Straughan weave a gripping drama where a few key players – Cardinals Tremblay (John Lithgow), Bellini, Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), and Benitez (Carlos Diehz) – acquire votes from their devout colleagues during the election process.  The body of over 100 Cardinals will decide the Church’s new leader, and the aforementioned men and Lawrence ride waves of stress (and sometimes disbelief) while several tallies are counted.  

The talented ensemble, in their hallowed on-screen forms, repeatedly converses in dark corners and wide-open spaces within the Vatican.  At the same time, scandal, a double-cross or two, and arguments between liberal and conservative views play out like private confessions and comprehensive sermons for the viewer.  Meanwhile, voting totals run up and down between the candidates like an overworked elevator in a Vegas casino during a Super Bowl Sunday weekend.  Who will become the new Pope is anyone’s guess, but place your bets during the 120-minute runtime.  

Berger and Straughan include plenty of time for supporting players Lithgow, Tucci, Msamati, Castellitto, and Diehz to enjoy defining and delicious scene-stealing moments for their characters.  Perhaps the most memorable line is delivered by Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes, and the moment will prompt applause and cheers from movie theatres everywhere.  

Although this is a conversational-driven movie about the inner workings of individual political gamesmanship and accompanying motivations, Berger speaks through his big-screen, cinematic voice.  He and cinematographer Stephane Fontaine offer rich visuals on set, filmed in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios and not inside the Vatican.  Still, you wouldn’t know it from the convincing on-screen visual effects.  

Red proudly appears everywhere, not only on the cardinal robes but also on walls.  It’s even the hue of a quarter-sized wax seal that binds the ribbon on the deceased Pope’s papal apartment.  

Meanwhile, Lawrence and the other cardinals move about the grounds with a gravitas that Berger and Fontaine capture with assured, rigid framing that matches the concerned and motivated figures while also contrasting these formalities with shots of inspired, lush biblical paintings.  The art direction and script frequently explore the idea that pious responsibilities are placed in the hands of mortals, and the film’s sizable sound department takes heed of this understanding by offering somber resonance to match the mood.  For example, as doors close on the assembly to concentrate on a vote, one would think a 10-ton weight dropped from the heavens above and landed with an ominous boom.  

Additionally, the film’s score frequently acts as a shadowy accomplice that plays on anxieties and this monumental decision.  These cardinals compel and force twists and turns, and Lawrence tries to navigate this unpredictable road with a steady hand, even with his own admitted “doubts.” 

No doubt, look for “Conclave” during Awards Season.

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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Smile 2 – Movie Review

Directed and written by:  Parker Finn

Starring:  Naomi Scott, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Dylan Gelula, Raul Castillo, Ray Nicholson, and Rosemarie DeWitt  

Runtime:  127 minutes

‘Smile 2’:  This sequel sparks winces, flinches, and gasps.  Oh my!

“A smile is the universal welcome.” – Max Eastman

“From even the greatest of horrors, irony is seldom absent.” – H.P. Lovecraft

“Let’s put a smile on that face.” – Joker (Heath Ledger) in “The Dark Knight” (2008)

In 2022, director/writer Parker Finn terrified this critic with his psychological horror film, “Smile”, in which an unknown entity shows itself through prolonged gazes and sinister smiles. 

Two years later, Finn transports us only six days after the conclusion of “Smile” and continues this winding journey from therapist Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) in the first film to pop music superstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) in this effectively edgy sequel, “Smile 2”. 

Finn doesn’t modify his basic formula for success (as “Smile” raked in $217 million at the worldwide box office).  However, the Final Girl here, Skye, has a dramatically higher profile than Rose, and “Smile 2” feels like a grander production than the original, despite only costing $28 million, just $11 million more than the first movie.  And hey, the increased budget could be explained by inflation, right?  

Well done, Parker! 

When we first meet Skye, she did (most of the) work to pave a road to recovery.  This superstar had addictions to cocaine and alcohol and lost her partner, Paul (Ray Nicholson), in a car accident, but then sobered up, both physically and emotionally.  Although it’s been one year since the said tragedy, she carries actual scars and mental bruises while attempting to embark on a brand-new concert tour, one that begins in New York City.  

Well, through guilt and the pain of nagging injuries, Skye has trouble sleeping in “The City that Never Sleeps” and flutters into an unspeakable nightmare where The Smile Demon disturbs her already bumpy comeback.  

The film’s first 20 minutes play out the Demon’s unlikely path to Skye.  The remainder of the 127-minute narrative reveals her coping mechanisms in dealing with inexplicable supernatural acts and hallucinations, and the script artfully slithers into both frequently.  

Through her choreographed dance work, rehearsals, and day-to-day interactions with her mom (Rosemarie DeWitt), manager (Raul Castillo), and random strangers, she falls into bizarre and frightening realities or daydreams where actual time flies past her body clock.  These scenarios include a pair of startling sequences that contain a stalker fan and her dance troupe.  In these scenes, Finn exacerbates nerve-wracking moments through clever camerawork and disturbing visuals from the aforementioned antagonists.  

Of course, these villains carry eerie, unrelenting grins that would make The Grinch turn (even more) green with envy. 

For years, U.S. filmmakers offered praise (and shown a little envy) for Japanese horror movies from the 1990s and 2000s.  “Smile 2” offers similar, delightfully dubious vibes as “Ju-On: The Grudge” (2002), where escape seems impossible for Skye, even in broad daylight, and inhuman movements and behaviors from the ghastly demon, who – in this movie - occupies others during our heroine’s dicey arc into madness.  

Even though the runtime runs longer than two hours, you hopefully won’t go mad over the movie’s length, especially because Scott delivers a wildly effective Final Girl performance.  As a foundation, Naomi establishes a realistic portrayal of a young, vulnerable woman.  Skye already deals with monumental baggage and the pressure to sing and dance in basketball arenas, but she’s constantly combatting (from) crumbling while this sicko entity toys with her sanity.  Scott leaps into a bodily taxing struggle as Skye continually dodges smiling ghouls and suffers wicked demonstrative swings through alarming, tangible imagery. 

From the get-go, Skye seems to only possess a sliver of hope, but through pure will, she maintains a fighting chance for survival.  Meanwhile, Scott’s magnetic work and Finn’s hefty bag of terrifying tricks – primarily psychological but also a few moments of gore – should keep audiences engaged and wincing, flinching, and gasping until the end.  

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Interview with Sue Kim, the director of ‘The Last of the Sea Women’

The documentary “The Last of the Sea Women” arrives on Apple TV+ on October 11, and director Sue Kim tells the story of the haenyeo, a company of women who free dive – and hold their breath for up to two minutes - in the ocean to catch seafood with their hands.  Sue focuses on Jeju Island in South Korea, where the haenyeo are in their golden years but have been diving for decades.  The practice has been passed down for generations, but today, the haenyeo profession is decreasing, and Sue explores the reasons for this and spends time with these fascinating women.  

Sue also met with the Phoenix Film Festival to discuss her new film, which won the NETPAC Prize at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.

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PFF:  I didn’t know the haenyeo’s story, but I understand that you learned of their history when you were a kid.  Can you expand on that? 

SK:  I did.  I’m Korean American.  My parents are Korean immigrants, and they took my brother and me back to Korea several times during my childhood.  The very first time, I was eight years old, and we took a short trip to Jeju Island to have a fun, tropical vacation.  That’s the first time I ever saw the haenyeo.  I didn’t know anything about them.  We were by the ocean, by a cove area, and we saw this large gaggle of women in their wetsuits, putting their masks on, and getting ready to go in the ocean.  I was so fascinated with them.  To my young-girl brain, they looked so cool and tough, and I didn’t know what they did, but they looked like some kind of underwater, secret girl gang.  I totally fell in love with them in that moment. 

PFF:  It’s almost like you’re describing a scene from “Dr. No”.   

SK:  Totally.  Also, they’re quite loud, feisty, and funny, so they gave off this vibe of fearless, bold confidence.  (With) the whole energy around them, I just fell in love with them.  That started my fascination.  I stayed fascinated with them as I grew up, read everything I could get my hands on about them, watched every news piece I could, and then I finally started going back to Jeju as an adult to try to find them. 

PFF:  The haenyeo are engaging.  During their everyday life, when they aren’t diving, they are friendly and seem unassuming and warm.  What are the women like off-camera?

SK:  They were the exact same off-camera that they are on-camera, which is so wonderful.  I’m a documentary filmmaker, and you don’t really know how people will be on camera.  Sometimes, (your subjects) will freeze on camera, or they become a more muted version of themselves.  The haenyeo, in general, don’t care about what people think.  They are very unapologetically who they are.  Even though we filmed for quite a long time, they kind of ignored us in the best way, which is exactly how I prefer to film subjects.  They forgot that we were there, and then they were their truest, most authentic selves.  The way you see them in the film is exactly how I experienced them: tough, feisty, and argumentative at times, but also loving and community-minded, and (they have) an absolute sisterhood, so it was the whole gamut.  It was like filming with our aunties, (who) were sometimes bullying us and a lot of times taking care of us.  

PFF:  The haenyeo are in their golden years, but you introduce two haenyeos in their 30s from Geoje Island, Jeongmin and Sohee.  I loved how you introduced them, as the pair filmed themselves dancing for their social media page.  Jeongmin and Sohee do the same work as the haenyeo from Jeju Island, but how are their working and lifestyle choices different? 

SK:  They do the exact same work, and that work is quite physically arduous.  All haenyeos share the same qualities, a determination and a resilience to figure out how to make a true living from work.  The way that (Jeongmin and Sohee) came to this occupation is totally different.  The older haenyeo learned this occupation by virtue of having it passed down through a familial lineage.  At the same time, all of our older haenyeo subjects, who are in their 60s and 70s, recalled (that) their introduction to this culture wasn’t really a choice.  It was the only occupation that was really available to them.  It was a great occupation because it gave them financial independence and freedom, but it was what they were destined to do.  

It’s very different with Jeongmin and Sohee, who both came to the haenyeo culture without any connection.  But they found it and latched onto it for very post-modern reasons.  Sohee found the haenyeo culture after having an office job for eight years, and she was just very disillusioned sitting in a cubicle for 10 hours a day with digital fatigue and email.   She found the haenyeo occupation a complete change where she could be close to nature and (feel) satisfied having this connection to nature in her daily work.  She sought out (the haenyeo profession) as a break from our modern, white-collar, digital-exhaustion office life.  

For Jeongmin, her husband lost his job, and she wanted to contribute to the household income, and the haenyeo occupation allowed her very flexible hours as a working mom.  It’s a very post-modern dilemma of how (to) balance work and family life.   She found that the haenyeo work (allowed her) to make her own hours.  She can decide which days to dive, and it provides her (with) this awesome occupation that can totally coexist in harmony with her family.  

So, yeah, they had different choices (than the older haenyeo).  They chose this (job) because it gave them freedom.  It (is) the most rewarding to them.  It (keeps) them connected to the planet, and they grew to love it for very different reasons.  

PFF:  Jeju Island is a beautiful place, but I appreciate that you also filmed garbage lying on the shore.  Sometimes, documentaries about nature may not address or film actual pollution in the environment.  

SK: (The plan was to) find out the existential threats to the haenyeo culture.  What is really jeopardizing their continuation?  From the beginning, all of our haenyeo subjects spoke about ocean pollution and (how it affects) marine life.  When filming, we were on boats pretty frequently, and we could see the garbage piling up.  Of course, we wanted to show that.  Jeju Island is renowned for being this paradise, this beautiful, beautiful coastal island, but the minute you see that garbage piling up, it’s distressing.  You can see the physical splendor of this island and the juxtaposition of years and years of pollution and garbage.  So, we wanted to show that because (it’s) a very real threat, not just to the haenyeo way of life but to this beautiful island.  Look at what we’re doing to it.  Yeah, it was an important part of the story.  

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A Different Man – Movie Review

Directed and written by:  Aaron Schimberg

Starring:  Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson  

Runtime:  112 minutes

‘A Different Man’ is an unexpected and twisty cautionary tale

Edward (Sebastian Stan) resides in New York City, the most populous city in the United States, but he feels alone.  He lives by himself in a small apartment with a plumbing problem leaking from his ceiling, but most of his setbacks have nothing to do with a leaky pipe.  His face is covered with benign skin tumors that leave him with a facial difference.   

For decades, Edward has most likely internalized this physical issue, which has run rampant on his self-esteem.  For instance, during the first act, he reveals that a woman has never touched him romantically.   

Ironically, he works as an actor, and we see Edward working on-set for a corporate video that promotes sensitivity towards those who have experienced ableism.  He tries to stay “invisible” in public, but occasional New Yorkers stare at his appearance.  However, generally speaking, pedestrians and subway passengers ignore him.  

However, one day, doctors notice Edward for a study to remove his facial tumors, and perhaps the growths would reduce or fall away altogether.  

In director/writer Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man”, after some treatment, voila, Edward’s tumors subside, and underneath layers of lesions, he has the face of a runway model. Schimberg’s film then depicts Edward’s next choices after medical science has granted him his primary wish.  

“A Different Man” is a cautionary tale about listening to one’s id after winning a rocket-ship boost to one’s ego.  In Edward’s case, he unexpectedly becomes a handsome man in a society where great looks can advance one’s love life, career, and earning potential.   

As Edward sees it, the world can be his oyster, but then again, beauty is only skin deep.  Edward isn’t unethical, but his self-esteem has suffered for years, so the man doesn’t have an existing track record of comfortably mingling in the world.  

So, the question is, how will he react to this rebirth?

It’s difficult to categorize ‘A Different Man’ into one specific genre.  Schimberg’s movie is a dark comedy, a mystery, a psychological drama, and a mad scientist sci-fi flick.  

The latter is especially true with an eerie score featured during the opening credits and a pair of gross body horror moments during the first act.  In fact, during a September screening of the second such moment, six or seven patrons left because the movie, up until that point, felt like a David Cronenberg production from the late 1970s or early 1980s.   

Yes, the film gets that dicey, but the gore then subsides, never to return.  

Stan is compelling in the lead and convincing as a sad sack underneath the make-up.  After Edward’s transformation, Stan carries the duality of new-found confidence but also Edward’s baggage, his insecurities from his previous life.  For the audience, we know Edward, so the self-doubt is written all over his face, even if his work colleagues, acquaintances, and girlfriends don’t sense or see it.  

Schimberg includes a key scene immediately after Edward’s successful medical treatment where a group of men embrace him like a new-found brother.  In that moment, our hero immediately feels like he belongs, and his masculinity is recognized. 

It’s also important to recognize two characters that shape Edward’s journey.  

Ingrid (Renate Reinsve from “The Worst Person in the World” (2021)) is his next-door neighbor.  She’s bright, beautiful, bubbly, and inquisitive.  She’s a playwright who can write her own ticket just about anywhere, but for the moment, Ingrid works Off-Broadway.  It’s difficult to get an exact beat on her.  Ingrid seems genuine but is confident and conditioned to get whatever she wants.  Edward is attracted to her, so how will his recent changes impact their relationship?   

Oswald (Adam Pearson) is the second.  Edward and he don’t know each other, but Oswald copes with the same condition as Edward, and they look similar.  Pearson doesn’t wear make-up or prosthetics like Stan.  In real life, Pearson has neurofibromatosis, which caused his facial tumors.  In the movie, however, Edward and Oswald took two very different paths, where Oswald didn’t let his ailment define him, and hence, he fits within societal norms, free of self-doubt.   

During a 2024 Fantastic Fest red carpet interview, Mama’s Geeky (a YouTube channel) asked Pearson about the film, and he responded, “We’ve avoided the three tropes that normally occur: victimhood, villainy, and false heroism, and to me, that’s the big thing.” 

These three big players converge to form a twisty, unexpected tale about the human condition.  Schimberg’s film is a thought-provoking 112 minutes in which character motivations and decisions will be questioned over long gulps of bottomless coffee at a local diner afterward.

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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The Outrun – Movie Review

Directed by: Nora Fingscheidt

Written by: Nora Fingscheidt and Amy Liptrot, based on Liptrot’s memoir

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Stephen Dillane, Saskia Reeves, and Paapa Essiedu

Runtime: 119 minutes

‘The Outrun’ doesn’t sit still in its bohemian cinematic approach to address alcoholism and (a possible) recovery

“Recovery is an acceptance that your life is in shambles, and you have to change it.” – Jamie Lee Curtis

Rona (Saoirse Ronan), a 20-something college student, studies a discipline in biology. She lives in London, and, like many young university scholars, Rona also revels in the festive nightlife that The Big Smoke smolders on every day that ends in y.

She drinks in pubs and clubs but, unfortunately, in excess, and her consumption begins to impact other phases of her life, primarily her classwork and relationship with her boyfriend, Daynin (Paapa Essiedu).

Rona is an alcoholic.

Not unlike countless other big-screen stories of alcoholism, Rona engages in irrational, ugly behavior, and specific scenes in director/co-writer Nora Fingscheidt’s “The Outrun” will draw winces and gasps from the audience. However, “The Outrun” doesn’t focus on these dreadful moments for the majority of the 118-minute runtime. Based on Amy Liptrot’s 2016 memoir, the movie is a specific, personal story about recovery. Most roads to success in life do not form a straight line, nor does Rona’s journey to hopeful sobriety.

This critic didn’t read Liptrot’s book, but the film adaptation certainly embraces the idea that Rona’s trek to possible nirvana is a winding road, one littered with peaks and valleys, both figuratively and literally. She may have studied and partied in London, but she’s from the Orkney Islands off Scotland’s northern coast.

This beyond-remote setting sits at the 58th parallel, as far north as the Alaska Peninsula.

Yes, Wi-Fi exists in Rona’s hometown, but the most considerable bustle on the weekend might be the birth of a sheep or two on her father’s farm.

Our struggling heroine moves back home to live in a more orderly environment wrapped in simplicity away from the commotion of the city, but as the old saying goes, “No matter where you go, there you are.”

The audience also learns that growing up in her parents’ home was anything but an effortless space due to one of her folks unsuccessfully coping with mental illness throughout Rona’s life, and this affliction imprinted emotional damage onto Rona.

Turbulence often swirled in Rona’s limited universe as a child. That external churn may or may not have been a partial catalyst for her alcohol consumption during her young adult years. At a minimum, it didn’t help!

Her life is messy, and Fingscheidt and editor Stephan Bechinger construct the film as such. The narrative doesn’t move linearly; instead, it frequently shifts from present-day Scotland to her London days and a few moments from her childhood, many times without warning.

The result is a challenging, bohemian approach to revealing Rona’s story. Sometimes, it’s not entirely clear where we are in the timeline, even though London’s skyline is worlds apart from the Orkney Islands’ isolated savannas and rugged coastal shores. Cinematographer Yunus Roy Imer indeed captures the pastoral region’s beauty, including filming endless prairies and waves crashing at the shore.

Symbolism is everywhere. Whitecaps embody the never-ending desire to drink, and Rona’s solitary existence in wide-open spaces signifies her realization that she must slay her demons on her own. It’s up to her.

Meanwhile, she often blasts modern, electronic music through her earbuds, which contrasts the vastly different countryside, as a coping mechanism or a quiet stance of defiance.

Fingscheidt also includes two scenes with apples that embody the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

It’s a film that sometimes offers prescriptions in the form of small victories against occasional setbacks that lay beside a backdrop of vulnerabilities.

Meanwhile, Ronan, one of the most engaging actresses on the big screen today, isn’t asked to regularly burst with uninhabited emotions and mood swings. Yes, there are moments, but she mainly processes Rona’s story with reflection, regret, and (sometimes unwillingly) reaching out to sobriety. Ronan gives a (mostly) understated performance, in which crucial moments of heartbreak sneak up on us when we least expect it, including one where Fingscheidt fills the screen with Rona’s face in a scene of utter despair.

Because, again, no matter where you go, there you are.

Jeff’s ranking

2.5/4 stars

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The Wild Robot – Movie Review

Directed by:  Chris Sanders

Written by:  Chris Sanders, based on Peter Brown’s book

Starring:  Lupita Nyong’o, Kit Connor, Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Catherine O’Hara, Ving Rhames, Stephanie Hsu, and Mark Hamill

Runtime:  101 minutes

‘The Wild Robot’ spurs untamed, runaway thoughts of technology and its connection with the animal kingdom.

“Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.” – Robert A. Heinlein

Science fiction writer Robert Heinlein’s (“Starship Troopers” (1959)) quote sums up the principal relationship in “The Wild Robot”: between a state-of-the-art robot, Roz (Lupita Nyong’o), and an orphaned gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor). 

Set sometime in the future on this “bright, blue ball” known as Earth, Universal Dynamics, a company that could be Amazon meets Tesla, runs into an accident.  One of their ships, during a journey longer than a “three-hour tour,” lands on an isolated island, and a fleet of their Rozzum robots don’t reach their intended address.  One automated machine “survives” the traveling mix-up, powers on, explores the isle to gather data, and looks for an assignment.  You see, the Rozzum machines are born to serve. 

“Do you need assistance?”  

“Just ask.” 

However, Roz doesn’t speak Rabbit, Deer, or Crow, so it/she activates its/her learning mode, and presto!

She can communicate with all the animals.  

Pretty cool.  Who needs Rosetta Stone, right?  

Along this trek, she discovers her purpose:  to raise Brightbill.

Director/writer Chris Sanders’ (“How to Train Your Dragon” (2010), “The Call of the Wild” (2020)) animated feature, adapted from Peter Brown’s 2016 book, welcomes the concept that technology, when applied with care, is a beneficial force for humanity or, in this case, the animal kingdom.  Roz, who probably stands eight feet tall and pseudo-resembles BB-8 (“Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens” (2015)) with her (let’s just settle on “her”) spherical head and spherical body.  However, Roz has spindly, flexible arms and legs (like Doctor Octopus from the “Spider-Man” comics and movies) that are handy for climbing, running, and grabbing.  

Her sturdy metallic frame is toughened armor against the weather.  Roz has zero chance of rusting, and she can physically withstand contact with the wildlife’s brawnier creatures, like a grizzly bear, although she is not indestructible and does show wear and tear.  She isn’t a fearsome T-800 from “The Terminator” (1984) as her programming is akin to Mary Poppins, always wanting to offer a metaphorical spoonful of sugar.  

Roz’s sweet but ultimately pragmatic parenting skills influence Brightbill’s personality.  Her logical, scientific approach to everything makes his interactions a bit robotic as well.  

He’s a bit of an outcast in the geese community, so the movie hinges on two ideas:  Brightbill’s growth into hopeful acceptance and Roz’s parenting work becoming an emotional bonding experience.  

Sanders and the animation department effectively portray Brightbill and Roz’s parallel emotional journeys.  Frequent reminders of Brightbill’s vulnerabilities with his fellow fowls form a distinct, palatable underdog story for audiences, and Roz’s ever-present attempts to formulate the correct answer for her surrogate son and other island dwellers develop a sincere rooting interest for her synapses to reach a magical emotive resolve.

Roz expresses her “feelings” through expressive changes with her eyes, and Nyong’o balances Roz’s silicon-based, synthetic cadence with underlying empathy and compassion.  

The film works best when Roz and Brightbill’s bond is embraced and tested.  This petite gosling should eventually grow up and join a flock for migration, and this fact also becomes a point of contention.  

Any mother who drops her 18-year-old at a freshman dorm knows this specific pain.

Now, changing gears from children flying from the nest and to the animation.  This movie looks beautiful.  Dynamic color palettes frolic on an isle free from human beings.  Dazzling coastal blues, gray mountainous peaks, shades of greens in forests, and vibrant varieties of life are everywhere.  They are waiting for Roz’s discovery, including our programmed heroine mimicking her new animal buds (and some, at first, enemies) and even placing her hand on a yellow tree trunk, which reveals a massive assembly of butterflies.   

Of course, we meet all kinds of four-legged friends, including a fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), a geese leader called Longneck (Bill Nighy), a mama opossum named Pinktail (Catherine O’Hara), a grizzly bear named Thorn (Mark Hamill), and much more.  

The comic relief is hit and miss, and more of the former.  Still, Fink, a fox, becomes Brightbill and Roz’s guide to the island’s particulars, and he MUST constantly quell his instincts from devouring the young bird, which begs the question:  

Couldn’t Fink be an herbivore, like a deer or something?  

Fink’s relationship with Brightbill previews a later effort when ALL the animal residents need to become neighborly colleagues.  In reality, this idea would be problematic as many carnivores would need to eat their BFFs to survive, and this critic can’t see Thorn dining on berries and alfalfa off-camera.  Can you?  

A widespread partnership is eventually required, as a prime character’s arc takes an additional turn that feels tacked on during the third act.  Does the aforementioned turn hurt the movie?  No, but it extends the narrative outside the original and clear dynamic between Roz and Brightbill.  It’s not necessary.  Admittedly, this third-act twist aims to deepen their connection, but the 101-minute runtime felt long.  Leaving the unnamed plot point on the cutting room floor would ironically have left a more potent impact on the film’s basic premise…in this critic’s opinion. 

Still, this PG-rated film offers a positive and pleasant family-friendly experience.  With wondrous animation and an emotional story, “The Wild Robot” spurs untamed, runaway thoughts of technology and its connection with the animal kingdom.  

What could be better?  

Well, parents, please prepare your children for any future accidental steps into their television or YouTube excursions where they could run smack dab into a nature video of a lion hunting down and devouring an unsuspecting zebra.   They might have questions. 

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Sleep - Movie Review

Directed and written by: Jason Yu. 

Starring: Jung Yu-mi, Lee Sun-kyun

Runtime: 95 minutes.

Korean horror film ‘Sleep’ confronts demons in the dark

Sleep is easy to take for granted. It’s something your body just does. For a third of your life, your consciousness goes offline, a computer powering down to recharge. If you’re lucky, you don’t have to work at it – it just happens. Like breathing, it’s easy to take for granted. Until something goes wrong. 

And it goes very wrong in the aptly titled psychological horror film “Sleep” by Korean filmmaker Jason Yu. His promising debut takes a simple premise, almost entirely set in the confines of one small apartment, and wrings it for all it’s worth in a tight 95 harrowing and darkly funny minutes.

Hyun-su and Soo-jin (played by Lee Sun-kyun and Jung Yu-mi) are a picture-perfect young married couple. Sweet and loving with one another, and with their adorable fluffball Pomeranian named Pepper, they have a baby on the way, and Hyun-su’s acting career is going places. At night, the couple cuddle on the couch to watch his latest appearance in a TV show while he covers his face in mock embarrassment. On the wall hangs a wooden placard emblazoned with the motto of their marriage: “Together we can overcome anything”

“Sleep” puts that motto to the test. 

Hyun-su, usually so peacefully asleep during the night, starts experiencing disturbances, small at first. His wife wakes to find him talking in his sleep. The next night, he begins scratching himself and wakes to find his hands and face bloody, Pepper shivering underneath the couple’s bed. Then, the sleepwalking begins. In the night, Soo-jin finds her husband, seemingly awake but not, eating raw meat from the fridge.

When the sleepwalking turns dangerous – almost deadly – they try creative solutions, like zipping Hyun-su tight in a sleeping bag with oven mitts on his hands. They go to the doctor for pills, even install a bell on the bedroom door to alert Soo-jin if her husband breaks free of his confines. When the baby comes, so small and so vulnerable, Soo-jin is driven to insomnia with vigilance, afraid of what her sleepwalking husband might do to their newborn daughter. 

In a fit of sleep-deprived desperation, they invite a shaman into the apartment – a huckster, maybe, but it’s what she senses that turns this psychologically fraught domestic drama into a proper horror film.

Like the best of modern Korean horror, Yu’s smartly directed “Sleep” displays a delicate mastery of tone, deftly balancing the sweetness of the central relationship with psychological unraveling, supernatural terrors and devilishly black humor that makes the minutes fly even as not much is happening onscreen. It’s not reinventing any narrative wheels, but “Sleep” still unnerves in its understanding of the vulnerability of sleep: how much we need this basic function we take for granted, the particular insanity that descends when we don’t get enough of it and how fragile we are when we’re in the midst of it – especially if our partner is suddenly possessed by a malevolent force. 

If you sleep at all after watching “Sleep,” it best be with one eye open.

Barbara’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Best of TIFF 2024 – Part Two

The 49th Annual Toronto International Festival (TIFF) may be over, but the memories of so many great movies remain!  Over 10 days, I caught 48 screenings (47 films and one television show), and here are five more of my favorites, The Best of TIFF 2024 – Part Two.

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“Hard Truths” – Director/writer Mike Leigh is back with his first movie in six years, and he does not disappoint.  Neither does Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Secrets & Lies” (1996)), who delivered the best performance that this critic saw at TIFF 2024.  Pansy (Jean-Baptiste) is possibly the most cantankerous matriarch portrayed on screen since Violet Weston (Meryl Streep) in “August: Osage County” (2013).  The difference here is that Jean-Baptiste’s Pansy carries massive swaths of comedy during her astonishing rants, ones that rival Allison Janney’s Oscar-winning work as Tonya Harding’s mother, LaVona, in “I, Tonya” (2017).  The rest of the characters, in this English family drama, attempt to cope with Pansy’s angst while Leigh offers no easy answers to reach harmony, as only he can. 

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“I’m Still Here” – Former Brazilian Congressman Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello) turned away from politics.  He’s a successful businessman now and lives with his wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres), and their children, steps away from Rio de Janeiro’s beach scene.  Life is beautiful, until it’s not.  Director Walter Salles (“Central Station” (1998), “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004)) chronicles a Paiva family biopic about their deeply personal and unjust encounter with Brazil’s military dictatorship during the 1970s.  Salles’ film is a cautionary tale of extreme government overreach, while Mello and Torres deliver absorbing performances during this unsettling and inspirational watch. 

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“Santosh” – Santosh (Shahana Goswami) loses her husband, a police officer, when he is killed in the line of duty; however, through a government-sponsored program, as a widow, she is offered his position within the force.  With no background in law enforcement, Santosh attempts to navigate her new career in a male-dominated arena but finds an ally, a toughened female veteran, Sharma (Sunita Rajwar).  They follow a troubling case in Northern India that leads to raw, explosive choices for the new constable.  Goswami and Rajwar are nothing short of mesmerizing during their characters’ complex relationship in director/writer Sandhya Suri’s impressive effort, her first narrative feature.

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“The Shadow Strays” – Holy smokes.  Director/writer Timo Tjahjanto modern-day martial arts film is a wildly entertaining, crowd-pleasing bloodbath.  Granted, this critic doesn’t often catch flicks in this genre, but I can’t recall a more violent movie, which is Tjahjanto’s point.  Set in Jakarta, a gifted, efficient assassin named 13 (Aurora Ribero) embarks on a ferocious campaign against a vast, vicious criminal organization.  Well, its nefarious members are in trouble!  Twenty-year-old Ribero, with only four months of training, is a wondrous, charismatic phenom, and Hana Malasan plays 13’s mentor, Umbra, as her coercing, cutthroat on-screen co-star.  Swordplay, knife fights, machine-gun fire, slugfests, ruthless swings of a baseball bat, and more fill the screen for 144 minutes!

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“Vermiglio” – Director/writer Maura Delpero whisks us to a gorgeous, mountainous setting in Northern Italy for a sensitive family tale at the end of World War II.  Pietro (Giuseppe De Domenico), a war veteran from Sicily, arrives in town and meets Lucia (Martina Scrinzi), the daughter of a revered teacher, Cesare (Tommaso Rango).  Lucia is shy but smitten, and she and Pietro begin cordial flirting, which blossoms into something more.  Delpero develops several rich supporting characters, in addition to Lucia and Pietro, and she and the actors easily allow our immediate investment into following their individual destinies.  A beautifully crafted picture.  

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The Substance – Movie Review

Directed and written by:   Coralie Fargeat

Starring:  Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid

Runtime:  141 minutes

Moore and Qualley are the perfect ingredients for ‘The Substance’, Fargeat’s wild body horror social commentary

“It changed my life.”

Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is a successful, Oscar-winning actress and proudly has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  These days, she shines on the small screen as a fitness instructor for a television show that looks like a throwback to the 1980s and 1990s, the “:20 Minute Workout” meets “Getting Fit with Denise Austin”.  However, her exercise gig suffers a career-ending injury when her misogynistic boss, Harvey (Dennis Quaid), fires her due to her age and on her 50th birthday to boot.

Later that day, feeling blue and the effects of Father Time, someone introduces The Substance, a fountain-of-youth solution, to Elisabeth and utters the aforementioned quote.  After watching director/writer Coralie Fargeat’s (“The Revenge” (2017)) “The Substance”, a wild and gruesome mad-scientist flick, it might change your life too. 

“The Substance” is a shocking experience that excels by riding along a few vital parallel tracks.  

Fargeat’s film is a cautionary tale about trusting a stranger/product/system without proper vetting, but desperate times call for desperate measures.  Elisabeth has digested the impossible beauty standards that society has placed on women for decades (or possibly forever), and she suffers the consequences of these unfair ideals through her brand-new unemployment.  

How far is she willing to go to change the narrative?  

Far enough to inject a mysterious green liquid with a needle that could double as an 11-century steel lance.  Well, it’s not that large, but Elisabeth’s strange journey to secure The Substance in a questionable Los Angeles neighborhood builds plenty of tension with what-will-happen-next vibes when she eventually presses the needle’s tip on her skin.   

That scene and the rest of the 141-minute movie (which flew by in no time) clearly and effectively convey the obsession and desire for eternal youth and surface-level splendor.   

From this perspective, “The Substance” is an important film, not just a random horror movie.  

To communicate her point, Fargeat and a stellar special effects team gorge on gore, which will delight horror fans and force others to believe that the apocalypse has begun.  This movie is not for the squeamish, but covering one’s eyes is always an option.  This critic is not a special effects expert when deciphering CGI versus practical effects.  Still, the effects look practical – similar to John Carpenter’s “The Thing” (1982) – and Margaret Qualley (who becomes Elisabeth’s 20-something self after Demi’s Elisabeth injects the green goo) remarked during the September 5th Toronto International Film Festival screening that she indeed donned practical effects on her person.  

Demi does, as well.  

Both Demi and Margaret properly garner Elisabeth’s stress and desperation to maintain everlasting gorgeous looks to keep up with the culture’s expectations and embrace the benefits, including satisfying one’s lust and pursuing fame, which Sue (Qualley) can accomplish by simply walking into a room. 

Of course, everything has a price, but in this case, Elisabeth and Sue need to follow The Substance’s rules.  See also “Gremlins” (1984).  You know that drill from that 80s classic.  “Don’t get them wet.  Don’t feed them after midnight.”  

No, Elisabeth and Sue can swim and eat at Denny’s at 1 a.m., but other specifics must be followed.  Dear Elisabeth and Sue:  For the love of God, please follow the rules!

“The Substance” certainly breaks conventions through its wonderfully horrific plot thread, although the film itself took a similar awards’ turn as Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” (2021).  

“Titane”, a twisted body horror picture, won the Cannes 2021 Palme d’Or, and Fargeat won the Cannes 2024 Best Screenplay honors.   

Ducournau’s vision is a dark, sicko journey that resembles David Cronenberg’s gloomier work, while “The Substance” takes a somewhat campy approach while also divulging the most disturbing images that I’ve seen this year.  

Meanwhile, the film’s Demi-Margaret dynamic duo is an explosive combination where Elisabeth and Sue need to cooperate to maintain harmony, and Fargeat features the women as physically vulnerable, sexualized, and under harmful distress.  For my money, Elisabeth is Moore’s most memorable role, which tops her turns in “Ghost” (1990) and “Disclosure” (1994), and Qualley – who has chosen some terrific jobs, like “Novitiate” (2017) and “Kinds of Kindness” (2024) - bends herself into pretzels to communicate that Sue is the object of the male gaze.

As gory as some of Demi and Margaret’s moments are, Dennis’ Harvey delivers one of the most nauseating scenes over a contentious lunch.   

For those hungry for something unexpected, “The Substance” is your film, especially if you can embrace the gore or, for more delicate audiences, negotiate with it.  However, at its core, Fargeat holds up a maddening mirror to our current state of affairs, and Moore and Qualley are the perfect ingredients for “The Substance”, both inside and out.  

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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My Old Ass - Movie Review

Directed and written by: Megan Park.

Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White.

Runtime: 88 minutes.

‘My Old Ass’ a clever coming-of-age tale with heart and wit – and on ‘shrooms

It’s an age-old philosophical question: What advice would you impart to your younger self if adult you, with all the scars and hard-earned wisdom of adulthood, could reach back through time and connect with your wide-eyed, idealistic teenage self? 

Would you tell 18-year-old you to study harder in school? To stop taking your family for granted? To invest in the stock market? The winning lottery numbers?

Or would you drop ‘shrooms in the woods and dance? 

There’s room for both in “My Old Ass,” a coming-of-age comedy as irreverent as its title written and directed by Megan Park, the 38-year-old director of “The Fallout” who clearly remembers with keen acuity what it was like to be 18. Here, she’s able both to channel the naïve optimism of adolescence and the battle-hardened weariness of midlife to explore weighty philosophical questions about aging, fate and self-determinism with bittersweet cheek. 

Elliott (Maisy Stella) is 18 and bursting at the seams to leave her childhood in the dust. The queer tomboy, feeling constrained by rural life, is blazing through her last summer on her family’s bucolic Canadian cranberry farm before she leaves for university in big-city Toronto. She’s had her fill of fruit-filled bogs and tractors and annoying little brothers, and ditches family dinners as the days tick down to her departure to zip around the lake in her motorboat, make out with her number one girl crush and take psychedelic mushrooms in the forest with her friends. So far, so 18. 

But psychedelic mushrooms mean psychedelic trips, and it’s during one of these that Elliott encounters a strange 39-year-old woman in the woods. She has Elliott’s same brown doe eyes, her same sardonic wit, her same name – in fact, she claims, she is her, from the future. 

Old Elliott (Aubrey Plaza) wisely refrains from interfering with the space-time continuum or Young Elliott’s joy of discovery – she won’t tell her younger self which stocks to invest in or any winning lottery numbers. Pressed for any piece of intel, Old Elliott only says, with wariness in her voice: Stay away from a guy named Chad. He’s bad news. 

No problem, thinks Elliott. She’s only interested in kissing girls, anyway. What on earth would she ever want to do with some guy named Chad? But then suddenly a gangly summer worker on the cranberry farm has her questioning her life, her sexuality, her relationship to her family and their cranberry farm – and why on earth Old Elliott would warn her away from the gentlest, funniest, sweetest boy she’s ever met. (And she doesn’t even like boys!) 

That you never deeply question the logistics of “My Old Ass” (especially as Young and Old Elliott continue to text each other across the void of space and time) is a credit to Stella’s charm as the profanely charismatic Elliott. She plays Elliott like a rocket gearing up to blast into orbit, a teenager on the cusp of young adulthood who can’t contain her craving to suck the marrow out of life. She wants to fall in and out of love, to have her first threesome, to sing and dance and sometimes do drugs. Confronted with her older self, she asks if they can kiss – you know, just to see what it's like. 

It’s easy to see why a young woman so full of life would feel let down by the woman she grows to be. Here she is, ready to set the world on fire, only to discover she grows to be a middle-aged woman who takes yoga classes, who looks a little beat down and a lot sad. 

“I thought I’d be happier at 40,” Elliott says.

But what makes “My Old Ass” a coming-of-age tale unlike any other isn’t just the time travel and ‘shrooms (or the riotously funny Justin Bieber musical interlude). It’s the understanding that we are, all of us, at every phase of life, “coming of age.” It’s not just Young Elliott learning how to live – it’s Old Elliott, too.

And you, whatever age you are. “My Old Ass” will make you remember who you were at 18. Will make you realize, even, that teenage you still exists on some cosmic wavelength with some lessons left to teach. 

No ‘shrooms required.

Barbara’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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Best of TIFF 2024 – Part One

The 49th Annual Toronto International Festival (TIFF) offers countless movie options for professionals and fans of all ages, and this proud Phoenix Film Festival critic has caught 39 films in the Great White North, so far.  I recommend a ton of features, but here are five of my favorites, The Best of TIFF 2024 – Part One, and on Sept. 20, I’ll add an additional five for a Best of TIFF 2024 – Part Two article. 

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you soon, Phoenix! 

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“Anora” – Director/writer Sean Baker’s boy-meets-girl movie is an electric and turbulent exotic-dancer-meets-Russian-billionaire love story.  Anora (Mikey Madison), or “Ani” as she prefers, dazzles Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn) with seductive charm, and his freewheeling charisma and monetary excesses astonish her.  This dynamic duo disregards their safety belts on their wild rollercoaster affair.  Baker’s films (“Tangerine” (2015), “The Florida Project” (2017), “Red Rocket” (2021)) live on society’s fringes, but this high-roller flick frequently lives in lavish spaces.  With kinetic camerawork and captivating performances, this comedy – with, of course, grounded drama too - flies as Baker’s most vivacious film. 

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“The Girl with the Needle” – Karoline (Vic Carmen Stone), a seamstress, can’t make ends meet in Copenhagen while her husband fights in The Great War.  She’s forced to move into a dilapidated flat that sets in motion her desperate journey where harsh lines of societal classes and limited choices for women lead her to an unexpected landing spot with a new friend (Trine Dyrholm).  Director/co-writer Magnus von Horn’s gorgeously shot black and white picture contrasts and compliments the exceedingly bleak narrative, and Stone delivers one of best performances of the year. 

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“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” – Germany’s Foreign Language Oscar submission, directed and written by Mohammad Rasoulof, is set in modern-day Tehran, where a family of four – at first - internally struggle with the differing generational outlooks on the 2022/2023 hijab protests.  However, the focus changes once the patriarch, Iman (Missagh Zareh), faces a specific work crisis that spills into the home.  Rasoulof’s stressful whodunit is filled with paranoia as Iman, Iman’s wife, Najmeh (Soheila Golestani), and their girls, Rezvan (Masha Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki), attempt to cope with their in-house commotion as well as country-wide turmoil.

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“The Substance” – When 50-something actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) feels the effects of Father Time, she turns to a mad-scientist treatment, a mysterious green liquid known as The Substance, and suddenly, her 20-something self (Margaret Qualley) appears!  How cool, right?  Well, there’s a catch.  Uh oh!  Director/writer Coraline Fargeat’s (“Revenge” (2017)) sensational body-horror tale gorges on gore and proudly holds up a maddening mirror to society’s demand for impossible beauty standards.  Moore and Qualley are terrific, both inside and out! 

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“The Village Next to Paradise” – The sun is always shining in Paradise, a modest oceanfront village in Somalia, but there isn’t enough commerce for residents to save for a rainy day.   Mamargade (Ahmed Ali Farah), a gravedigger by trade, can’t find enough work and even asks a colleague if any deadly drone strikes have recently struck…to help support his day job.  He lives with his sister Araweelo (Anab Ahmed Ibrahim) and his young son, Cigaal (Ahmed Mohamud Saleban), but Mamargade leans on her for financial support while she also grapples with the depressing economic status quo.  Director/writer Mo Harawe’s tranquil pacing and commitment to the three leads’ arcs deliver a mesmerizing watch over 132 absorbing minutes.  

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Relax with Five Movies about Working on Labor Day

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Labor Day offers workers a chance to unwind, barbeque, or visit with family and friends.  In my book, any vacation day is perfect for watching a movie, so here are five films centered around working to appreciate during your day off!   

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“9 to 5” (1980) – Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton starred in the second highest-grossing movie of 1980, $103 million and second only to “The Empire Strikes Back”, as three women use figurative laser cannons and lightsabers to smash an unjust workplace in amusing and empowering fashions.  Judy (Fonda), Violet (Tomlin), and Doralee (Parton) plot against their boss, Franklin Hart (Dabney Coleman), after his repeated sexist slights, and the triad winds up running the company while keeping Mr. Hart indisposed.  All three leads are especially likable, and Fonda offers the biggest surprise with her understated performance.  Arriving in theatres during the height of the women’s liberation movement, the film – and Parton’s song - struck a chord with audiences, especially with women impacted by discriminating office environments. One can imagine packed 1980 movie theatres bursting out in laughter and emotional release when Doralee threatens Mr. Hart by saying, “I’m gonna get that gun of mine and change you from a rooster to a hen in one shot.”

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“Clerks” (1994) - Working behind the register of a New Jersey convenience store would appear to be a stress-free job, but no one warned Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) about his upcoming day in writer/director Kevin Smith’s hilarious first feature, one filmed in black and white on a shoestring budget.  Dante deals with a constant stream of oddballs looking to buy cigarettes, candy, and milk while his ex-girlfriend drops by and two harmless drug dealers loiter outside.  Highly conversational, Smith’s picture paints the struggles of directionless 20-somethings, as Dante and his best friend, Randal (Jeff Anderson), opine about the original “Star Wars” trilogy and pornography, and they plan a street hockey adventure too.  No, Dante’s work is not overly laborious, but he was “not even supposed to be here today.” 

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“Night Shift” (1982) – Michael Keaton, while playing Bruce Wayne in “Batman” (1989), famously uttered, “Come on.  Let’s get nuts!”  Well, Keaton’s breakout performance as a New York City morgue driver, Bill Blazejowski, in director Ron Howard’s “Night Shift” is delightfully over-the-top and nutty.  Bill is a loose cannon, a self-proclaimed idea man, who wears sunglasses inside, repeatedly sings “Jumping Jack Flash”, and convinces his morgue partner, Chuck Lumley (Henry Winkler), into running a prostitution ring from their place of business during the – you guessed it – night shift.  They aren’t pimps but “love brokers,” as Bill declares.  Winkler’s mild-mannered, soft-spoken take on Chuck is nowhere near the self-confident Arthur Fonzarelli from “Happy Days” (1974 – 1984), and Henry and Michael enjoy straight-man-versus-zany-lunatic comedic chemistry while overseeing the “oldest profession” in a new locale.  The main plot thread features Chuck’s hopeful journey towards gaining his self-assurance and potentially finding romance with Belinda (Shelley Long), but Keaton’s star-making turn lights up the day, swing, and night shifts!  

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“Norma Rae” (1979) – Sally Field won her first Best Actress Oscar by playing the title role in director Martin Ritt’s picture about a single mom toiling in a North Carolina cotton factory.  Persistent and altruistic, Norma Rae Webster (Field) fights for workers’ rights against unfair conditions.  She’s a leader, and the words “stand up” can be taken literally when Norma Rae raises a “UNION” sign above her head.  All eyes - on-screen and in the audience - focus on her.  It’s an iconic cinematic image, Field’s grandest moment, one that topped her on-screen mischief as a California teen in “Gidget” (1965-1966) and her act as an airborne philanthropist in “The Flying Nun” (1967-1970).  The movie – nominated for three other Oscars, including Best Picture – is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton.

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“Two Days, One Night” (2014) – In writer/directors Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne’s emotional roller-coaster, Sandra (Marion Cotillard) takes a temporary leave of absence from her job at a Belgian solar panel company due to depression and anxiety.  Still, the higher-ups might permanently remove her from the company payroll to cut expenses when they offer the other employees a choice:  keep your bonus or keep Sandra employed.  In a fascinating look at the human condition, Sandra approaches each of her coworkers over a weekend to ask for their vote of confidence, and her colleagues respond in various – heartbreaking and sobering – ways.  The Academy rightfully nominated Cotillard for a Best Actress Oscar, as she masterfully captures the internal churn of potential downsizing while her character attempts to discover her self-worth. 

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Between The Temples – Movie Review

Directed by:   Nathan Silver

Written by:  Nathan Silver and C. Mason Wells

Starring:  Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane, Caroline Aaron, Dolly De Leon, Madeline Weinstein, and Robert Smigel

Runtime:  111 minutes

‘Between the Temples’: Schwartzman and Kane offer keen performances in this eccentric comedy

Benjamin Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) is having a bad day.  

While sitting in a local Upstate New York bar, minding his own business, and drinking a mudslide, Ben overhears a stranger poking fun at him.  Ben, to his credit, confronts the bully but is knocked to the floor with one punch.   

Ooof.

A random patron (Carol Kane) comes to Ben’s aid, but in a rare moment of fate, Ben realizes that this Good Samaritan is his elementary school music teacher, Mrs. O’Connor, who now goes by her maiden name, Kessler.  Carla Kessler, a grandmother, doesn’t remember Ben from all those years ago.  Still, they awkwardly connect – in the here and now - through the aforementioned violent circumstance and their scholastic link.

Let’s go back to Ben.  He is having a bad YEAR.  

This 30-or-40-something is depressed.  Ben is no longer together with his wife, Ruth.  (The audience doesn’t immediately know why, but we discover the reason later.)  He moves back home with his two moms, Meira (Caroline Aaron) and Judith (Dolly De Leon), and even attempts suicide.  

Ben looks for some spiritual relief as a cantor for Rabbi Bruce (Robert Smigel) at Temple Sinai but, when called upon, fails to sing in front of the shul.  However, when Carla, in her 60s or 70s, shows interest in having a bat mitzvah (because she never had one as a kid), Ben and she have a harmonious opportunity to support one another through her future celebration and music.  

Director Nathan Silver’s “Between the Temples” is music for Schwartzman and Kane fans.  Their characters form an unlikely new friendship in this curious, eccentric comedy that’s driven and filled by purposely awkward, character-driven discourse as Ben and Carla attempt to overcome their individual challenges.  

Sad sack Ben has much more internal work to do than Carla.  He needs a team of therapists.  Moving in with your parents, who provide comfort (and a roof) but little practical advice, 20 years after graduating from high school is an obvious tell.  

As Ben, Schwartzman, one of Wes Anderson’s go-to actors, is the polar opposite of the fearless, overconfident Max Fischer from his breakout performance in “Rushmore” (1998).  Here, a directionless Ben wallows in grief and self-pity and in a way, reminds this critic of Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wilson), the struggling tennis pro in another Anderson classic, “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001).    

Ben is down 40-LOVE in the game of life, but he discovers purpose by mentoring Carla on her bat mitzvah journey.  

By design (or through possible financial limitations), the film looks and feels made on a shoestring budget and possibly filmed with an iPhone or two.  Silver and cinematographer Sean Price Williams’ cameras (or phones) bob and weave on location in Kingston, NY, a small town with a population of 24,000, located 100 miles north of New York City through a local bar, restaurant, a couple of homes, and a temple.  The photography often/sometimes seems grainy, where the natural light isn’t enough.  The look is distracting at first, but it weirdly gives the story authentic vibes, as if Ben and Carla’s tale could almost be a random documentary.  Ben and Carla even talk with their mouths full at lunch, including the former player spitting out his food on the table. 

The camerawork and comedic banter use a similar style that made “The Office” (2005 – 2013) famous (my apologies, I’ve only seen a handful of the original British production episodes).  Uncomfortable exchanges frequently occur, and the subsequent big-screen image will then settle on a close-up of a character’s face for a reaction shot.  De Leon, Aaron, and Smigel play along with the gags nicely, and so does Madeline Weinstein, who is Gabby, a potential love interest for Ben.  

For lonely Ben, Carla becomes a friendly fixture of time, so she could be the cure on his way to recovery!  The screenplay spins most of Ben’s backstory yarn in the first act, but Carla’s reveal twirls throughout the second and third, and Kane gracefully works through it beautifully.

Speaking of grace, Smigel offers a sturdy, foundational supporting performance as the ever-steady rabbi, lightyears away from his maniacal Triumph the Insult Comic Dog alter-ego.  

Still, “Between the Temples” might have shades of Triumph in spirit because Silver, Schwartzman, Kane, Smigel, and the cast aren’t afraid to say, “I keed.  I keed.” 

 Jeff’s ranking

2.5/4 stars

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Sing Sing – Movie Review

Directed by:   Greg Kwedar

Starring:  Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Paul Raci, Sean San Jose, David Giraudy, Patrick Griffin, Sean Dino Johnson, and John “Divine G” Whitfield

Runtime:  105 minutes

‘Sing Sing’:  This real-life incarceration drama sings with hope and authenticity

“The world expects brothers like you and I to walk in with our heads held down.  No, you got to walk in like a king.” – John “Divine G” Whitfield (Colman Domingo) 

John “Divine G” Whitfield champions a theatrical stage company.  He writes, produces, and performs in live-action plays, and he’s done so for years.  John is passionate about his work and enjoys the freedom to showcase his creativity.  

Freedom, however, is in limited supply for John and his acting troupe, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), because the performers are, in fact, incarcerated persons serving sentences at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison, which sits about 40 miles north of New York City.  

Director/co-writer Greg Kwedar’s touching drama is an ensemble piece where an assembly of men caucus for a constructive common good to improve themselves and the world by creating art.  

Kwedar takes a holistic, expressive approach to convey this story.  Throughout the 105-minute runtime, he and cinematographer Pat Scola include dozens of shots that starkly contrast the warm, colorful labor of love in creating theatrical art with the cold, hard truth of incarceration.  

A prime example of this cinematic juxtaposition arises in the first act, as close-ups of a delicate, almost-glowing stage curtain with angelic qualities along with an emotional Divine G are soon followed by the RTA players glumly forced into a militaristic-like procession and marching to their cells.  Divine G lives in a tiny space with his roommate, Mike Mike (Sean San Jose), in an unassuming concrete corner marked by two doors, B27 and B28, and we don’t know which one houses the two men. 

Triumph and joy from the stage morph into anonymity and desolation.  

“Sing Sing” lives and breathes in these physical and emotive spaces with barbed wire, towering fences, and intimidating but weathered brick and mortar, retaining the men who routinely recite their acting approaches and lines in small circles, accompanied by smiles, laughter, and frequent confessionals.   

(Note that Kwedar and his team filmed the outside of Sing Sing but not inside because the facility is still in service.  Instead, they shot indoors at the nearby Downstate Correctional Facility, which properly captured bleak, institutional vibes.) 

To tender an authentic RTA presentation, the vast majority of on-screen actors are RTA alumni, including Sean Dino Johnson, Patrick Griffin, David Giraudy, and – in a stunning breakout performance – Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, who also earned a writing credit.  In fact, according to the film’s production notes, over 85 percent of the cast are RTA alums.  Domingo, San Jose, and Paul Raci (who plays the company’s director, Brent Buell) help anchor the RTA cast to this film production, but Johnson, Griffin, Giraudy, Maclin, and many others steer the narrative with their personal stories.  Tales of past acting successes, current wants on the working play - a time-traveling comedy, “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” with appearances from Hamlet and Freddy Krueger (yes, that Freddy Krueger!) – caring moments of friendship, reflections on past mistakes, and dreams.  

The engaging, intimate reveals and prep sessions that help bring “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” from Brent’s paper to life on stage feel organic through Acts I, II, and III, but we also get a bit lost in the timeframe.  Now, the end goal is clear, but the individual, personal moments, at times, tend to drift as loose, leisurely storytelling choices that raise questions on the film’s direction in the moment on our way to a hopeful conclusion.   

However, not in Divine G’s and Divine Eye’s cases.  

Divine G, a long-time RTA veteran, and Divine Eye, a newcomer to the troupe, weave their mentor-pupil thread through the ups and downs of rehearsals and life lessons.  Divine Eye, a drug dealer inside these walls, brings an element of contention to this otherwise merry RTA cast.  We see G and Brent push and pull Eye to bring out his best for “Mummy’s Code”, but they also know when to limit their efforts to not quell his confidence nor raise his ire.   

Maclin, in his first feature film role, stands toe-to-toe and alongside Domingo as they build a budding friendship.  Kwedar includes several quiet, emotional scenes where Eye leans on G, while we also hope that G will allow Eye to repay his kindness.  

“Sing Sing” is a film about men creating a cohesive bond and introducing tangible, positive change into the universe.  That universe includes events within Sing Sing’s stark walls, but these feelings extend outside as so many real-life graduates of the program have not returned to incarceration, breaking an all-too-common cycle.  

Does the real-life John “Divine G” Whitfield reach total freedom?  You’ll have to stay until the end to discover his fate, and my advice is to wait through the end credits with your head held high.  

 Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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It Ends with Us – Movie Review

Directed by:   Justin Baldoni

Written by:  Christy Hall based on Colleen Hoover’s book

Starring:  Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar, Alex Neustaedter, and Isabela Ferrer

Runtime:  130 minutes

‘It Ends with Us’ delivers an important message along with a never-ending array of rom-trauma cliches

Lily Bloom’s (Blake Lively) life is starting to blossom, and “Blossom” is her middle name.  Truly.

This 20-something Bostonian moved from Stephen King country in (fictional) Plethora, Maine, and she owns a massive, gorgeous flower shop, one overflowing with buds and florets.  

One evening, while sitting on the roof of a pristine apartment building, she meets a guy, a striking fellow named Ryle (Justin Baldoni), who also happens to be a neurosurgeon.  

You can’t make this stuff up.

(Ryle looks like a runway-model version of Sacha Baron Cohen (a.k.a. Borat), but this Superman doctor deploys smarmy, creepy player vibes and pursues Lily like a stalker.  He won’t take no for an answer.  Ick!  Unfortunately, she caves to his pressure, but hey, we need the movie to happen, right?)

This is a dream scenario for Lily.  Could life get any better?  

Life is a far cry from her nightmarish upbringing in King’s Pine Tree State, where she witnessed her father’s lifetime ritual of inflicting domestic abuse on her mother, Jenny (Amy Morton).

Has Lily overcome her past, and has she escaped this cycle of abuse? 

“It Ends with Us”, based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel (so, apparently, you can make this stuff up), attempts to answer these questions.  Baldoni performs triple duty as a director and producer as well.  

This critic did not read Hoover’s novel because a 50-something man is not the target audience.  Now, if Larry Bloom opens a hugely successful sports bar (with no apparent means of raising the capital), Gisele Bundchen swings by the pub, and she instantly falls for Larry, perhaps I’d buy that book.  

No question, the “It Ends with Us” film adaptation offers an important message about attempting to defeat past demons and face present challenges.  Baldoni and screenwriter Christy Hall (“Daddio” (2023)) do an admirable job of revealing Lily’s adolescent experiences and tying them into her days as a businesswoman grown-up.  The film volleys between the two experiences and frequently returns to a time when teenage Lily (Isabela Ferrer) and her first boyfriend, Atlas (Alex Neustaedter), navigate their awkward but sweet courtship.  

Quite frankly, young Lily and young Atlas’ relationship – with grounded moments of making cookies, a bus ride, and first kisses - is engaging and feels more authentic than the happenings with our present-day heroine.  Let’s have a 130-minute big-screen story with young Lily and Atlas instead.  

Anyway, Blake’s Lily bestie, Allysa (Jenny Slate), and her husband, Marshall (Hasan Minhaj), have more money than God and throw luxurious parties.  We don’t see Lily dealing with the day-to-day stresses of owning a business or supplier issues, watering the plants, or working with customers other than Ryle or current-day Atlas (Brandon Sklenar) stopping in to say, “Hello.” 

Ryle works an easy, breezy 9-to-5 work schedule because brain surgeries aren’t in high demand in Beantown, and Lily prepares dinner before he gets home.  Her floral shop runs itself.  Of course, Ryle and Lily’s relationship in this film is paramount, so day-to-day operational challenges aren’t significant, but “It Ends with Us” decorates a fantasyland of domestic riches, and a never-ending utopia of tranquil conveniences splash on the screen. 

Baldoni, cinematographer Barry Peterson, and art directors Marci Mudd and Annie Simeone offer Lily a welcoming environment while including montages of big city life as an array of maudlin songs similar to Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” from “Dawson’s Creek” (1998 – 2003) shower through the movie theatre’s speakers.  The film also frequently cuts away to momentary wide shots of downtown Boston in between scenes so often that shades of Tommy Wiseau’s infamous “The Room” (2003) – where he deploys a similar strategy with San Francisco – creep into view. 

Granted, “It Ends with Us” isn’t a bad film, but it’s an all-too-familiar cinematic formula that feels like a nuanced grandchild of “The Burning Bed” (1984), a TV movie starring Farrah Fawcett that gave birth to 100,000 or so similar cautionary tales.  

Admittedly, “It Ends with Us” is critic-proof and will probably pack theatres, like “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014) did with an entirely different audience.  But hey, if millions of young women take away the positives of the movie’s message through Lively’s and Baldoni’s capable performances, who can argue with that, right?  So, cheers to that hopeful sentiment.

Still, the same lesson can be gleaned while watching countless other rom-trauma options via streaming, and “It Ends with Us” won’t be the last such film to cover this dicey topic. 

Jeff’s ranking

2/4 stars

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