Quaker Oaths (2016) - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Alex Dobrenko and Federica Rangel in Quaker Oaths (2016)

Alex Dobrenko and Federica Rangel in Quaker Oaths (2016)

Written and Directed by Louisiana Kreutz

Starring: Alex Dobrenko, Fede Rangel, Kathy Rose Center, Juli Erickson, Grant James

Marriage is a sacred institution between two people, who intend to honor and cherish each other, until death do them part. In “Quaker Oaths,” that marriage is bound by a sacred Quaker tradition where the community, in this case the wedding attendees also must show support for the newly married couple by signing a wedding contract.

Making an appearance at the 2017 Phoenix Film Festival, “Quaker Oaths” examines the tradition of undoing that tradition and a marriage as the not-so-happy couple, Joe (Alex Dobrenko) and Emily (Fede Rangel) seek a divorce.

Writer-Director Louisiana Kreutz strikes the right blend of humor in defining who Joe and Emily are as individuals. For Emily, her nerves get the best of her, even on her wedding day. Rangel expresses this with a quick, clipped motion while hiccupping and coughing.  Joe is an absolute rock for Emily, getting her to finally calm down, right before their big moment. Once she is calm, Joe off-handedly jokes about the situation, reassuring Emily that everything will be alright.

This was a perfect way to start the film. We see Joe and Emily at their best with Dobrenko and Rangel finding the right pitch of assuredness in each other’s arms. By building out the “happily ever after” part of the wedding, it allows Kreutz and the audience to learn what makes our characters tick.

Joe is a teacher and we find him awkwardly trying to explain a math problem to his class of five-year-old’s when he is summoned to the principal’s office. What Kreutz shares with us is a defeated and broken man. Dobrenko strikes a balance between someone who is not exactly willing to share his emotions, while at the same time being able to stand up for himself. Dobrenko has that affable quality about him that you find pleasant to watch on the screen.

Emily, in the meantime, has found a new love, Mikey (Pete Dahlberg), a loveable goofball whose free-spirited nature drew Emily in and now they want to get married. Before they can do that though Quaker tradition gets in the way, forcing Joe and Emily to undertake one more adventure as a couple: to get each guest who signed their wedding certificate to cross their names off as a sign that they support the divorce.

Set in Texas, “Quaker Oaths” makes good use of the state’s vastness as Joe and Emily crisscross the state, visiting each of their former guests and family members in the hopes that they will support the divorce. By putting both of our characters in a car for a road trip, Kreutz finds a way to rekindle the best halves of the union, but not before Mikey catches up with them making the road trip that much more interesting.

Life lessons in check, “Quaker Oaths” reminds us to cherish the best parts of each other and to nurture each other, bringing out the more challenging aspects of a relationship: trust, communication, and the importance of community. Humor is what drives the heart of the film, but none of it works without the zany characters we encounter and the adventure that Joe and Emily undertake, to find each other.

3 out of 4 stars

Alice - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Emilie Piponnier in “Alice” (2019)

Emilie Piponnier in “Alice” (2019)

‘Alice’ is an enlightening escort tale set in the City of Light

Directed and written by:  Josephine Mackerras

Starring:  Emilie Piponnier, Martin Swabey, Chloe Boreham, and Jules Milo Levy Mackerras

“Alice”  - “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.” – Unknown Author

Alice and Francois Ferrand (Emilie Piponnier and Martin Swabey) built a beautiful life together.  They enjoy a happy marriage, adore their healthy, young son Jules (Jules Milo Levy Mackerras) and live in a lovely, bright apartment in the heart of Paris, one of the world’s landmark cities.  Writer/director Josephine Mackerras efficiently establishes these definite certainties within her film’s first few minutes, including Alice declaring to Francois - with a smile and some relief – as he enters their home after a long workday, “My savior! My darling, can you take Jules, please?”

She is baking a cake for a dinner party, and the three huddle in the kitchen, as Francois invents alternative names for chocolate frosting that cause Alice and Jules to giggle.

They make a charming family; at least it seems that way.  Mackerras soon reveals a critical fact, one hidden from the movie’s opening moments.  Francois frequently sleeps with high-end escorts, and as one would expect, such an addiction can cost more than a random Euro or two.

This violation of the highest marital order carpet-bombs all of the aforementioned affable pleasantries and lays them to waste.  However, fate interjects quite ironically, as Alice now finds herself working in the same industry that her husband occupied as a paying customer.

Due to film’s title, Mackerras naturally chronicles Alice’s provocative journey, and Piponnier is wholly convincing – in a delicate, complex performance - as a responsible, white-collar worker and devoted wife and mother who is now facing her demons in the Paris circuit.  Alice is scared, hesitant and feels overwhelmed in this radically different setting.  All the while, she’s also furious and befuddled with Francois’ thoughtless transgressions, but her daring curiosity, along with a specific necessity, draws her into this dubious profession.

Is she embarrassed?  Does she confront danger?  Is she a victim, or is she empowered?   Is this a short-lived choice or a long-term commitment?

Alice faces these very stressful open questions, and Mackerras and Piponnier successfully and emotionally pull us into the character’s mindset….and various hotels around the city.  This review won’t reveal the answers, but note that the director does not graphically display Alice’s encounters.  

Certainly, Mackerras’ camera is present in the rooms, and she does not shy away from adult themes, but nudity is minimal, and the discourses between Alice and her johns offer real intrigue.  Every intimate meeting is unique because not only are the men very dissimilar, but Ms. Ferrand’s perspective evolves as well.  The film also sprinkles in some humor, and these unexpected comedic moments seem so natural, they feel like blooper reel material included in the final cut. 

Please make no mistake that Alice is also a wounded soul, and one left with severe doubts about her future, including the point that she’s responsible for a small child.  As a filmmaker, Mackerras is accountable to her heroine, but also the male clients and Alice’s new friend Lisa (Chloe Boreham), an escort. 

They are rich, nuanced characters, and even though some only appear on-screen for a few minutes, we receive some genuine snippets of insight that beg for more backstories.  In short, Mackerras’ film – with gorgeous, sunny Paris as a welcome backdrop - feels like an authentic look at the human spirit at its most vulnerable.  Swabey’s transformative performance delivers sizable swells of emotional exposure too, but Piponnier shines as the brightest star, as Alice attempts to regain her luster after the ultimate betrayal from her closest ally.

(3.5/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Left Hook - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

David Wayne Young in “Left Hook”

David Wayne Young in “Left Hook”

‘Left Hook’:  An animated film filled with gloom, despair and agony

Directed by:  Tyler W. Moore

Written by:  Tyler W. Moore and Theodore J. Kowalsky

Starring:  Jacob Aaron Cullum, Kristen Lee, Jeremy Blackwell, and David Wayne Young

“Left Hook” – “Gloom, despair and agony on me.  Deep, dark depression, excessive misery.  If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.  Gloom, despair and agony on me.” – “Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me” by Buck Owens and Roy Clark

On April 10, 2020, the bubbly, bouncy animated musical “Trolls World Tour” – starring Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake - arrived on streaming platforms everywhere.  Although this critic did not prefer the mash of colorful mushrooms, truckloads of glitter and more neon pink and green than a 1984 Wham! concert, directors Walt Dohrn and David P. Smith amped-up the toon in this 90-minute bloated, flamboyant cartoon for young kids.

“Left Hook” is an animated feature too, but director/co-writer Tyler W. Moore’s picture carries an altogether different look, vibe, and attitude.  Add target audience to the list as well, because this tale about a loan shark named Michael (Jacob Aaron Cullum) – who feels no apprehension in releasing violent fury on clients who do not pay – would be badly misplaced as the second act in a “Trolls World Tour”-“Left Hook” Saturday afternoon double feature. 

On its own, the film is a hard-luck story, a coarse and indelicate one that sets a definite tone from the get-go.  Within the first 90 seconds, a teenaged Michael and his dad argue over a disciplinary write-up from his high school.  During this verbal clash, father and son exchange numerous vulgarities and engage in off-screen fisticuffs. 

Moore’s clear message to the audience is: “Buckle up, Buttercup, because it is going to be a bumpy ride.”   

Mr. Moore delivers precisely that for 88 minutes.  He sends us into a semi-urban universe that lies on the other side of the tracks that probably hasn’t seen a brand-new choo-choo chug on by in a few decades.  Set in 1999 or shortly after – because of a “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” reference – Moore’s movie features gunplay, gambling, family strife, a drug deal, a boxing tourney, and a horrific tragedy that mimics a live-action, Oscar-nominated film from 2016.

Life, however, hasn’t always been a bed of nails and a gallon of castor oil for Michael, because he meets the girl of his dreams. 

Ariana (Kristen Lee) and this semi-lost soul find each other…and a little corner of heaven.  Murphy’s Law, however, sometimes rises as the ruling decree for the underprivileged, and its judgments can deliver cruel blows.  This loan shark/street-sanctioned brawler may or not be depressed, but Michael certainly doesn’t seek out rainbows or pots of gold.  Life has conditioned him by plastering low-hanging, gray desolation that blocks out his hopes and opportunities.  

Rolling in the muddy ground of a dismal narrative, “Left Hook” sets a pretty miserable existence for Michael to overcome.  From a storytelling perspective, our hero can only set one direction, and that is to proudly stand and sprint towards distinction and pride through a boxing competition.  Of course, he’ll also have to blast through emotional brick walls - constructed by his trying influencers and even himself - to reach his form of paradise. 

The animation department, however, didn’t craft fanciful worldbuilding, as life throughout the picture looks like everyday doldrums, from modest dwellings to small offices with cinder blocks laced with graffiti to empty lots that are ripe for criminal exchanges.  The environment and the players grouse in rigidity with designed muted color palettes to match the trudging-in-place outlooks. 

Looking back, perhaps “Left Hook” is not as depressing as it initially feels.  Still, our sad sack lead lives in cartoon-spaces filled with R-rated content, including a couple of cringeworthy moments of brief nudity.  For some, the film’s commitment to unremarkable, routine displays of unpleasantries might seem customary.  For others, gloom, despair and agony aren’t three ingredients sought or wanted in animated features.  Unfortunately, include uneventful as a fourth, and hey, maybe colorful mushrooms and truckloads of glitter aren’t that bad.

(1.5/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Escape from Alcatraz (1979) - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Clint Eastwood in ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ (1979)

Clint Eastwood in ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ (1979)

‘Escape from Alcatraz’:  Stay for this solid prison movie

Directed by:  Don Siegel

Written by:  Richard Tuggle, based on the book by J. Campbell Bruce

Starring:  Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau, Fred Ward, and Larry Hankin

“Escape from Alcatraz” (1979) – “You’ve escaped from quite a few prisons, haven’t you?  That’s why you’re here.” – Warden (Patrick McGoohan)

On a rainy Jan. 18, 1960 evening, Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) takes a ferry across the San Francisco Bay, reaches land and then hops on a bus for a brief, lonely ride to his final destination.  Not one moment on this trip, however, can be defined as voluntary, because an exasperated legal system threw their collective hands in the air and banished Frank – a convict with burglary, armed robbery and grand larceny perched on his criminal record, along with a history of prison breaks – to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. 

Today, Alcatraz plays the role of a benign tourist destination, as 1.5 million annual visitors explore the island – that sits over a mile from San Francisco’s shores -  but back in 1960, just about everyone deemed Alcatraz a feared, inescapable edifice.

In director Don Siegel’s “Escape from Alcatraz”, Warden (without a surname) tells his newest resident Frank Morris, “No one has ever escaped from Alcatraz, and no one ever will.” 

From a distance, this steel and concrete stronghold might resemble the Hohensalzburg Fortress’ troubled kid brother.  Austria’s lofty castle spurned invaders for hundreds of years, but Alcatraz encloses its tenants with gapless tentacles of fortified construction, manned by an army of guards and surrounded by an enormous, shark-filled moat.  The interior decor doesn’t ease anxieties either, as this maximum-security institution can house up to 450 inmates, but don’t expect marathon Monopoly matches, card games or group caucuses that go deep into the night.  Each detainee lives in a lonely, individual 10-foot by 4.5-foot cell.

Siegel – who filmed at Paramount Studios and on location - spends more time inside rather than outside the prison’s shell.  Frank’s introduction to Alcatraz occurs at night, so we don’t gather a real perspective of the pen’s external identity at first.  No, most of our experiences take empathetic turns for Frank and his equally-orphaned cohorts…in their indoor existences.

Several establishing shots - during Frank’s first evening and morning - capture the long, orderly sightlines of the central housing core.  Three floors of slim, uniform, vertical and horizontal steel bars extend through a narrow corridor, as the men in blue walk in synchronicity.  No matter the physical enormity that faces these incarcerated men, the soulless rituals are the greater enemies. 

Shaving once a day, showering twice a week and receiving haircuts once a month are permanently listed on the grooming schedules, and buttoned blue shirts and khaki pants are the daily required uniforms.  Warden usually discourages creativity, and Frank plays along while mingling with familiar types of caged dormmates, including a detestable bully (Bruce M. Fischer), an eccentric introvert (Roberts Blossom) and a resourceful old-timer (Frank Ronzio).

The film moves slowly and methodically, as Siegel leans on an overall oppressive atmosphere through day-to-day monotonies.  Other than one menacing threat named Wolf (Fischer), Warden’s designed restrictions assemble a greater malaise, one that deadens spirits and weakens wills.  For instance, when he messes with an inmate’s painting privileges, it stings more than a run-of-the-mill courtyard tussle.  

Siegel didn’t make an overly violent picture.  Certainly, guards and detainees recognize Mr. Morris as an alpha male, but Eastwood’s character doesn’t ask every jailbird to make his day, and he doesn’t own a pet orangutan that watches over fistfights.  Mostly, Frank navigates his way through this painful, confined existence by searching for opportunities…for escape.

“Escape” also identified a new opportunity for Siegel (“Dirty Harry” (1971)) to collaborate with Eastwood.  Together, they forged their cinematic superpowers to present an altogether different lone wolf, one always attempting to dance in between the raindrops of the law.  The literal and figurative shifty weather also includes a dramatic lightning and thunder cue when a random guard declares, “Welcome to Alcatraz.”

Jerry Fielding’s score feels well-timed throughout the picture too, and especially when Frank and three new friends – Clarence (Jack Thibeau), John (Fred Ward) and Charley (Larry Hankin) - plan an escape.  Secrets and deception become their trusted allies.  While Frank runs covert ops through the prison’s catacombs, Fielding triggers modern (for the time) keyboards that feel somewhat-similar to John Carpenter’s chords from “Halloween” (1978) that play mind games with our perceptions of time and space. 

You might ask yourself, “How close is that guard?  I can’t see him, but I hear his footsteps!”

Certainly, Warden would gladly serve large helpings of severe consequences for Frank and company, as Siegel nicely captures (pardon the pun) the stressful mechanics of our anti-heroes operating in shadows and avoiding the spotlights. 

A couple of threads, however, feel a little dim.  For instance, Warden touts that Alcatraz tenants don’t have connections to the latest news or cultural events, but the prison’s trusty library offers plenty of magazines and books.  Hardware supplies are also - ironically - readily available, as Frank rattles off his extensive list of needs that might perplex a Home Depot consultant, but Litmus (Ronzio) willingly offers handy options. 

Oh, you need a Ryobi Lithium-Ion cordless drill?  No problem.  A 12 or 18 volt?   

While watching “Escape from Alcatraz”, it feels impossible to not compare it to “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994).  The latter – with a 142-minute runtime - is about 30 minutes longer than the former, so director Frank Darabont has more leeway to let his movie breathe, and an entirely hushed narrative layer delivers a whopper of a surprise. 

“Escape from Alcatraz” takes a straightforward approach.  It is a designed, chronicled history lesson, and – based on J. Campbell Bruce’s book “Escape from Alcatraz: The True Crime Classic” - a prominent one, and hey, Eastwood has starred in quite a few big movies, hasn’t he?  That’s why he’s here. 

(3/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Raising Buchanan - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Rene Auberjonois and Amanda Melby in “Raising Buchanan”. © Raising Buchanan/PBATHW, LLC/Cheese Board Productions

Rene Auberjonois and Amanda Melby in “Raising Buchanan”. © Raising Buchanan/PBATHW, LLC/Cheese Board Productions

Written and Directed: by Bruce Dellis

Starring: Rene Auberjonois, Amanda Melby, Cathy Shim, Terence Bernie Hines, M. Emmet Walsh, Jennifer Pfalzgraff, Steve Briscoe

If you were so desperate to solve a financial challenge, would you consider stealing and ransoming a dead president’s body?

This is the situation that confronts, and confounds Ruth Kiesling (Amanda Melby) in “Raising Buchanan.” If Bruce Dellis’s film sounds like a horror story gone wrong, you couldn’t get further from the truth. Dellis’s screenplay is full of witticism, cynicism, and wisdom as Ruth, a donut shop employee with anger management issues tries to figure her way out of serval messes, including how to get away with the aforementioned theft and ransom.

Dellis ingeniously manages to portray Ruth in two lights – the first is in her irrational physical world, those filled with the problems that plague many of us, which makes the film relatable. In this world, Ruth has friends, namely her roommates, Meg (Cathy Shim) and Holly (Jennifer Pfalzgraff) along with Phillip Crosby (Terence Bernie Hines), her probation officer.

The way the characters interact with Ruth is imaginative; Meg and Holly are the “plucky comic relief” characters in that they know Ruth and try to support her through her ordeal as best as they can, especially when it comes to her father, Larry (M. Emmet Walsh). The story works Meg and Holly’s comedy in with Ruth’s allowing Melby to shine; even in her most depressive state, she is a hoot.

Ruth is portrayed in a second light that relates to both James Buchanan (Rene Auberjonois) and an egotistical ventriloquist, Errol (Steve Briscoe). As she comes across his body and hatches her scheme, Dellis places us in Ruth’s head, allowing us to see the higher reasoning behind what makes her tick. In the physical world, Ruth plays cello on a series of popular YouTube videos featuring Errol.

Within this, we see Ruth interacting with Buchanan in his own time, using the cello as a gateway between the two sides of Ruth, making for a unique look at how we rationalize irrational thoughts. Auberjonois, who has a long history of comedic roles and is known for his dry humor was the perfect actor to play Buchanan; he has an aristocratic way about himself that plays beautifully off Ruth, who is just as snide and snarky in her mind as she is in the real world.

The snarky side plays beautifully off of her probation officer. There’s a hilarious scene as he visits Ruth at the donut shop as they discuss her anger issues and how she’s dealing with them. As she gets deeper into her own mess, though, she realizes that no one seems particularly interested in Buchanan’s body, giving rise to antics that matches the ongoing chase in Stanley Kramer’s “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” – the characters are all so crisscrossed that the prize becomes less important than the goal – finding the best in ourselves.

“Raising Buchanan” was a highlight at the 2019 Phoenix Film Festival, full of laughter and is an excellent example of how our creative outlets can help us cope even when the situation is bad.

3 out of 4

Wes Anderson’s Films, Ranked #9 to #1 by Jeff Mitchell

wes+ander.jpg

Director Wes Anderson turns 51 years young on May 1, so it is the perfect time to celebrate this influential, innovative filmmaker and his work.  Anderson has released nine feature films to date, and here’s my order of preference from ninth to first.  Do you agree?  Well, Wes has not made a bad film, so there are no right or wrong answers with my favorites and yours. 

Enjoy, and Happy Birthday, Mr. Anderson!

 
“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004).

“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004).

9. “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” (2004) – Oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) probably never heard the saying: sometimes the best revenge is to smile and move on.  Zissou claims that a mysterious fish – a jaguar shark – ate his best friend Esteban (Seymour Cassel).  Geez, this creature allegedly bit him in half, so Zissou and his crew (who follow their leader and wear matching red knit hats) board the Belafonte, an eccentric antique vessel with notable oddities, such as two albino scouts (a.k.a. dolphins) swimming in the water-filled hull with cameras strapped across their bodies. 

Yes, the captain vows retaliation.  He’s a Captain Ahab of sorts, but – except for the down-on-his-luck anti-flair - Murray plays himself, or at least a familiar side that he’s played many times on the silver screen: a smart-alecky, quick-witted, cynical figure.  A pilot (Owen Wilson), an emotionally fragile journalist (Cate Blanchett), and a group of unpaid interns are in tow on this wandering voyage as well, but Anderson’s film doesn’t feel as fun as it should be. 

Still, the director includes enough deep sea cinematic eye candy, generous helpings of David Bowie covers, and a humongous list of stars to help us follow the skipper and company to the very end.  Willem Dafoe is priceless as Zissou’s faithful right-hand man, and hey, hire Klaus (Dafoe) for any home project, add him to your softball team, or perhaps, include him on your next paddleboard group outing.

 
Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson in “The Darjeeling Limited” (2007).

Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson in “The Darjeeling Limited” (2007).

8. “The Darjeeling Limited” (2007) – About a year after their father died, Francis (Owen Wilson) talks his brothers Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and Peter (Adrien Brody) into a spiritual journey on the other side of the world.  They hop on a train – called The Darjeeling Limited - with a cartoonish collection of caramel-colored luggage decorated with palm trees and all the mammals from an animal crackers box – and travel in India towards an unknown destination (to Jack, Peter and us).

Anderson confines his three talented stars into a rather tight sleeping car, as Peter’s and Jack’s anxieties pose prickly and playful banner, while Francis attempts – many times in vain – to convince his brothers of his altruistic intentions.  This buddy…err brotherly road trip movie heavily relies on the actors’ spontaneous chemistry and the emotional scabs that siblings often pick at and probe.  At the same time, a delightful newcomer Amara Karan offers affable interest outside of the brothers’ cramped traveling compartment. 

Anderson ensures to include beautiful countryside moments and intriguing mystery about their outing’s endpoint, but halfway through the picture, the narrative takes an off-putting and sudden tonal shift.  It’s a stark reminder that the characters and events are not as joyful as their colorful and decorative mode of transportation.  Still, a sequel with this three feels warranted.  Maybe a skiing trip in the Swiss Alps or a river raft trek on the Amazon.  Let’s see what Francis dreams up next. 

 
Lumi Cavazos, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson in “Bottle Rocket” (1996)

Lumi Cavazos, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson in “Bottle Rocket” (1996)

7. “Bottle Rocket” (1996) – Have you ever fired a bottle rocket?  You can point one in a specific direction, but the smart move is to light the fuse and run for cover, because who knows where it will go.  That’s Anderson’s first feature in a nutshell. 

Dignan (Owen Wilson), an early 20-something loose cannon, orchestrates his best friend’s escape from a psychiatric hospital, but this mastermind doesn’t realize that Anthony’s (Luke Wilson) stay is a voluntary one.  Anthony plays along with Dignan’s makeshift design, and this is their typical pattern.  He now follows this mischief-maker’s 75-year plan that includes a life of crime.  Their buddy Bob (Robert Musgrave) tags along too, but this is a twosome as the Wilson brothers shine in their film debut(s). 

Luke aptly plays the straight man, one built on self-doubt and introspection, and Owen carries colossal clumps of charismatic chaos that may have inspired Darwin Awards’ wannabes over the last 24 years.  (Note, that Luke’s and Owen’s older brother Andrew plays Bob’s older bro.)

A satisfying road trip, this designed car crash will scare young men to run towards responsibility and sound ethics, but you may be inspired to name your firstborn after Owen’s character.  Dignan might be the coolest name on the planet.

 
Gene Hackman in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001)

Gene Hackman in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001)

6. “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001) – Poor Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman).  He’s a disbarred lawyer with a prison record, and The Lindbergh Palace Hotel - his home for the last 22 years – kicks him out.  Royal is broke and homeless, and now add jealousy to form an unpleasant trifecta.  His estranged wife (Anjelica Huston) is marrying another man (Danny Glover), and that’s the last straw in Royal’s adolescent mind.  So, he pretends to suffer from stomach cancer to reconnect with his kids – Chas (Ben Stiller), Richie (Luke Wilson) and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) – and win Etheline (Huston) back.

Although Anderson includes a slew of big stars, “The Royal Tenenbaums” is – first and foremost - Hackman’s movie, as our eyeballs gravitate towards him during all his on-screen minutes.  Royal is a colossally selfish jerk, but this patriarch’s boorish behavior includes an impish turn, when he escorts his grandsons on an afternoon of hijinks. 

Royal says, “(It’s) putting a brick through the other guy’s windshield.”

Okay, they don’t go that far, but their two-minute frolic is one of the very best moments in any Anderson film.  The attempted connections between Royal and his kids are less effective, and the film dives into unnecessary dark territory that clashes the more comic scenes.  Nonetheless, see this film for Hackman.  This two-time Oscar winner is 90 and retired, but how can we talk him into acting again? Isn’t 90 the new 70?

 
Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray in “Rushmore” (1998)

Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray in “Rushmore” (1998)

5. “Rushmore” (1998) – “He’s one of the worst students we’ve got.”  Dr. Nelson Guggenheim (Brian Cox) is referring to Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a 15-year-old at Rushmore Academy, who is in grave danger of expulsion due to his poor grades.  If Max applies himself, he may or may not earn straight A’s, but he spends nearly all his waking hours with after-school clubs, so he finds zero time for studying.  In a wacky montage, Anderson proudly reveals Max’s other pursuits with smattering snippets of this industrious kid’s work as the French Club president, Yankee Review publisher, debate team captain, lacrosse team manager, and astronomy society founder, to name a few. 

While his academic dismissal feels like an impending certainty, Max turns most of his attention towards a thoughtful new Rushmore teacher Rosemary Cross (Olivia Williams) and a wealthy donor Herman Blume (Bill Murray).  As bad luck would have it, both Max and Herman develop a crush on Rosemary and vie for her affections.  

Anderson shows great affection for the material, and “Rushmore”, his second film, contains many of his celebrated signatures - such as a chapter format, droll humor and oodles of comical, eccentric visuals – that he’s infinitely known for in his later work.  He contrasts the movie’s mellow, conversational tempo by regularly filling the screen with lively, unconventional images, and the occasional blast from the mod soundtrack compliments this dichotomy.  Schwartzman commands every on-screen second, and Murray’s sardonic nonchalance adds the perfect ingredient to Max and Herman’s warm friendship and fierce rivalry. 

 
George Clooney and Meryl Streep in “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009)

George Clooney and Meryl Streep in “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009)

4. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009) – Set in a rural valley somewhere in the UK, Mr. and Mrs. Fox (George Clooney and Meryl Streep) live in a hole with their son Ash (Jason Schwartzman), but this fantastic husband/dad wants to move up.  Hence, they relocate above ground to a big beautiful tree, and the Foxes’ little corner of the world seems just fine, but they face two problems.  First, three despicable farmers – Boggis, Bunce and Bean - live nearby.

“One fat, one short and one lean.  These horrible crooks, so different in looks, were nonetheless equally mean.” 

Second, Mr. Fox loves to steal birds, so Boggis’ chicken house, Bunce’s geese house and Bean’s cider cellar look ripe for the picking, and this triggers Mrs. Fox to declare, “If what I think is happening is happening, it better not be.”  

You see where this is going, right?  Can Mr. Fox come up with the right master plan?  Whether it was part of Anderson’s master plan or not, he creates a film that kids and adults can enjoy, but rather than a Disney affair, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” doesn’t necessarily offer gentle winks.  Sure, our noted director delivers exceeding likable protagonists – who work as a newspaper columnist, a landscape painter, a lawyer, and more - and wraps this cinematic package with sentimental and inviting stop-motion designs, but the narrative unconventionally unfolds, as Anderson fans would expect.  The marriage of the two ideas organically fit with no pressing, forcing or overthinking, just like the on-screen wedlock of Clooney’s and Streep’s animated alter egos. 

 
Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, and Koyu Rankin in “Isle of Dogs” (2018)

Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, and Koyu Rankin in “Isle of Dogs” (2018)

3. “Isle of Dogs” (2018) – Weight loss, dizziness, narcolepsy, insomnia, extreme aggressive behavior, high temperature, low blood pressure, acute moodiness, and spastic nasal expiration are the horrible symptoms that plague the dogs of Megasaki City, Japan.  This triggers Mayor Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura) to banish all the metropolis’ canines to an isolated and abhorrent locale called Trash Island, a place – shaped like middle fingers - that would make Disney’s WALL-E gasp in horror. 

Hounds of all breeds, shapes and sizes attempt to live in this cesspool of abandoned nuclear power plants, rusted-out factories, misshapen plastic, defunct electronics, broken bottles, and punctured tires, because they have no choice.  Well, a 12-year-old boy named Atari (Koyu Rankin), who lost his dog Spots (Liev Schreiber) to this forced quarantine, creates his fate and jets to the sickly wasteland to retrieve his companion.  A sympathetic pack of pooches (Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Babalan, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Murray) supports Atari on his impossible journey in a stop-motion picture that sometimes feels indescribable. 

Anderson outdid himself with seemingly millions of unreal, meticulous images of bright and beautiful Japanese culture set 20 years in the future and also the complete antithesis with an infamous isle of garbage.  Yes, the sights soar, but so do the sounds, as “Isle of Dogs” earned a Best Original Score Oscar nomination, led by a thunderous drum opening and The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band’s gentle “I Won’t Hurt You.”  Animal lovers, and especially dog people, will feel hurt at times, but Atari offers some hope…and a pocketful of doggie biscuits.

 
Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward in “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012)

Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward in “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012)

2. “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012) – Ah, teenage love.  Once Sam (Jared Gilman) meets Suzy (Kara Hayward), all bets are off.  A disillusioned orphan looking for new experiences, Sam falls for Suzy straight away, and with neither teen particularly enjoying their respective lives at home, they run off together.  These two lovebirds, however, don’t get very far, and Suzy’s parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) call the cavalry to track her down and drag back her home. 

Soon, everyone living on New Penzance Island, “16 miles long, forested with old-growth of pine and maple”, is searching for these two crazy kids in a hilarious and farcical Romeo and Juliet runaway romance.  William Shakespeare, however, couldn’t foresee the scores of stunts and sight gags that orate on the screen for our amusement, like a treehouse defying the laws of physics and a well-placed escape hole paying homage to “The Shawshank Redemption”.  Unlike the clear-thinking Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) in the 1994 prison classic, Sam’s plan - due to his tender age – slogs in highly-flawed puddles. 

Still, it’s easy to admire his self-assurance, and his confidence scores off the charts.  Sporting a Daniel Boone derby and leaning on his exhaustive Khaki Scout training, he trusts his deep understanding of the wilderness and carries an array of whip-smart solutions for every possible scenario. 

“Moonrise Kingdom” is Gilman’s and Hayward’s first movie, but walking into this picture, don’t expect any first-time jitters.  With Anderson grabbing everything in his bag of tricks and splattering them on the silver screen combined with two charismatic, fresh performances, don’t wager against “Moonrise Kingdom”…but kids, don’t try this at home.

 
Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014)

Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014)

1. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014) – The film’s opening reveals that the former Republic of Zubrowka sat on the farthest eastern boundary of the European continent and then cuts to a young woman dressed in a beige overcoat and a complimentary beret.  She enters the Old Lutz Cemetery, an aging graveyard with hibernating trees and crooked headstones. 

This focused lady then stops and pays respect to a lofty gravesite with a bronze bust and a matching open book that avows, Author and In Memory of Our National Treasure, respectively and then looks down at her novel “The Grand Budapest Hotel” with an unusual pink cover.  It’s a color that one might find smeared on a 3-year-old’s frosted cupcake or a nightmarish halter top hanging from an Esprit store around 1985.  Well, Anderson’s picture then shifts to 1985, and the aforementioned author (Tom Wilkinson) reveals that writers don’t possess endless imaginations.  Instead, he declares that a novelist receives ideas from a random and willing John or Jane Q. Public who wishes to spill a personal story.

Well, inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig, Anderson and Hugo Guinness penned a yarn for the big screen.  “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a wildly-involved tale set in 1932 Eastern Europe that includes a constant array of surprises, a playful, almost Dr. Seuss-like production design and one of the most memorable live-action characters in Anderson’s film repertoire.

Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes), a concierge at the earlier-remarked resort – that matches the same pink as the previously-mentioned book cover – carved out an intricate and comfortable existence.  He’s the heartbeat of The Grand Budapest Hotel and devotes every waking minute to ensure his guests’ serenity and satisfaction, which occasionally includes rendezvous with “rich, old, insecure, vain, superficial, blonde, and needy” women.

These dalliances eventually encapsulate him into a tricky quandary, along with an innocent bystander, a recently-hired lobby boy named Zero (Tony Revolori).  They find themselves in a bizarre, cartoonish, and Keystone Cops-like collection of incidents at the hotel and Zubrowka’s snowy countryside, and Anderson frequently and impishly strikes his audience with a harmless figurative balloon.  We blink and smile after every good-humored blow, as the scenes, sights (and sites) change at a dizzying pace. 

It’s a movie that demands repeat viewings to absorb the mass collection of cameos and supporting performances, discover previously overlooked petite details, admire Anderson’s signature framing, and applaud Fiennes’ uncanny knack for hypnotizing us into Gustave’s suave savoir-faire and suddenly diving into impatient micro-eruptions. 

Fiennes earned a Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) Golden Globe nomination, but looking back, he deserved an Oscar nomination too.  Regardless, Fiennes, Anderson, Revolori, Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, and many more will proudly stand tall with “The Grand Budapest Hotel” – in grand halls and modest memorial parks - for as long as people wish to make movies…or tell their stories.

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Pahokee - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

© Otis Lucas

© Otis Lucas

Directed by: Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas

Featuring: Na’Kerria Nelson, Jocabed Martinez, Junior Walker, B.J. Crawford

Hope can be a powerful tool in any situation.

Especially now.

More succinctly is the hope that you have when you’re in your final year of high school. Hope that a future exists beyond the town you grew up in. Hope that you will go to college, get a degree and make something of your life.

For the students featured in “Pahokee,” a documentary about the last year of four different high school seniors as they go through the last vestiges of their final year, and apply to college, there is also worry and concern.

For Na’Kerria Nelson, the hope is that she will go to a good school and graduate with a master’s degree in education, to help foster the education of those who are less fortunate. For Jocabed Martinez, her hope is that she will be able to get a better education to support her parents and the sacrifices they have made. For Junior Walker, his hope is to give his young daughter a better life, and for B.J. Crawford, one of Pahokee High School’s football team members, the hope is to get into a solid college football program.

Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas followed these students around for their 2016 – 2017 senior year as they navigate student council, academia, proms, awards and a championship football season. Pahokee is an agricultural town on the southeastern shores of Lake Okeechobee with a population of 6000. The documentary makes clear early on that the town’s hopes and support are pinned to a strong football season. Though the pressure on these young athletes is not as apparent, a sense of gamesmanship and competitiveness is rampant as the team successfully achieves an undefeated season and goes on to beat each opponent winning the State Championship.

Embedded within the town’s hopes are each of our subjects’ lives, their fears, their hopes, their dreams. Na’Kerria Nelson is a well-rounded individual with strong academic marks and a sense of giving back to her community. Early in the documentary, she is faced with a campaign issue in her bid to represent the school. She is forthright and honest in her dealings with her peers.

The documentary does not explore Junior Walker’s history. It is focused on his present. There is deep love and commitment to his child, who runs around on camera like a ballerina. He is a drum major in the school’s drum band. We see his dedication to his practice, but it is not enough for him; he wants more. He learns the hard way that he needs to take steps to earn his place in the world and with that a better life for his daughter. Bresnan and Lucas do not paint a picture of sympathy for Junior; his dedication will carry him far, even if his current lot in life is not where he would like to be. They do paint a picture of empathy for his daughter, through his own sacrifice and hope.

The hope for B.J. is found in his family network, a strong showing of love and truth. Though he wants to play football in college, his father really wants him to have a back-up plan. B.J. is as much an athlete as he is a student, and for a high school in a small farming community, that theme resonates throughout the documentary. B.J. does select a school with a program that he can focus on.

These kids are acutely aware of their surroundings.

Within this though is a misstep which costs the football team its hard-won championship. The school fights on their behalf for a “simple data entry error.” Even without sports though, these kids have a bright future.

Especially Jocabed Martinez. Her parents immigrated from Mexico when she was three years old. Her father worked in the fields, eventually opening a taco stand, which is a success. For Jocabed, she does not want to leave her parents’ hard work in vein. Family is particularly important to the Martinez’s and there is a sense of self-doubt buried deep within Jocabed. She knows she can accomplish whatever she sets her mind to, but she does not think she’s good enough, and is in absolute shock when she gets accepted into the university she applied to. Her hard work, her dedication and her love for her family all contribute to the dynamic student we see in the documentary.

In a way, when the graduation ceremony is featured toward the end of the documentary, “Pomp and Circumstance” felt very much at home: the common theme in “Pahokee” is the perseverance in wanting to better their situation. No one is unhappy; hope is pinned on smaller events and all throughout, for every circumstance, there is a pomp waiting.

“Pahokee” earns its pomp and circumstance by building up the hope for a better future. And for this rural community, it achieves that hope.

The Wretched - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

wretched.jpg

Dir: Brett Pierce and Drew T. Pierce

Starring: John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Jamison Jones, Azie Tesfai and Zarah Mahler

How well do you know your neighbors? Is it better or worse now that we have all been quarantined in the home? My next-door neighbor loves to listen to the greatest hits of Warren Zevon while grilling hamburgers and smoking a tobacco pipe, while another watches old football games on a television in his garage with a fresh cooler of drinks nearby. It’s amazing how little I knew about the people living right next door to me.

In Brett and Drew Pierce’s new horror film “The Wretched”, a teenage boy struggling with the imminent divorce of his parents suspects that his next-door neighbor is an ancient evil spirit. Sporting an 80’s horror movie vibe in the vein of something like “Fright Night” or “Silver Bullet”, a wicked creature design, and a narrative that moves at that near-perfect 90-minute Friday night movie pace, “The Wretched” is a fun and welcome dose of genre fiction distraction for these serious times we are currently living in.

Ben (John-Paul Howard) is staying with his father (Jamison Jones) in a woody lake town that feels like a summer getaway location. Ben is annoyed with his parents, who are nearing a divorce, and doesn’t take kindly to his father’s new girlfriend and the job provided to him at the lake. But Ben meets Mallory (Piper Curda), a down-to-earth friendly face who is also the perfect liaison for Ben into getting comfortable with the new community. But something strange is happening with Ben’s neighbors; their little boy goes missing, dad seems to have completely forgotten he had a child, and mom threateningly watches Ben all the time. After finding a strange symbol on their home, Ben begins to believe that his neighbor is some kind of ancient monster.

The Pierce Brothers construct some very ingenious designs throughout their horror film. The composition of scares and frights depends more on what you don’t see that what you do, hiding the impressive creature design and slowly revealing it throughout the film keeps everything interesting. An early scene where Ben investigates noises on top of his house builds excellent tension and offers an early payoff that will keep the fright fans engaged for another reveal of the creeping creature.

The narrative builds an interesting mystery early on, but motivations are quickly revealed and familiarity takes over, however, the film is so nicely paced that many of these concerns don’t arise until after the film is over and you’ve had time to digest everything. What also assists in keeping everything moving is the great cast of unknown faces, specifically John-Paul Howard and Piper Curda who have excellent chemistry from start to finish.

“The Wretched” works on many different levels, offering a blend of interesting horror elements, some impressive monster construction, and a cast that simply commits to the seriousness and fun being had throughout. Surprisingly, while this film could work in any big theater, Coronavirus orders has offered the release of this film in a well-suited format at the drive-in movie theater (check your local listings because this is an option this weekend in some states that still have drive-in theaters).

Movies have always offered a welcome dose of escape from the real world, and for some genre fans, a good old-fashioned horror film is the perfect comfort food cinema to escape from the seriousness of the world around us. “The Wretched” accomplishes that very task.

Monte’s Rating
3.50 out of 5.00

The Panic in Needle Park (1971) - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Al Pacino and Kitty Winn in ‘The Panic in Needle Park’ (1971)

Al Pacino and Kitty Winn in ‘The Panic in Needle Park’ (1971)

Directed by: Jerry Schatzberg

Screenplay by: Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne based on “The Panic in Needle Park” by: James Mills

Starring: Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint, Richard Bright, Raúl Juliá, Kiel Martin, Paul Sorvino

When thinking about how to best celebrate Al Pacino’s birthday, one is inclined to think about his cinematic legacy. The actor who turns 80 on April 25, has given us such indelible performances over the course of his career, but none have been as stark and as charismatic as that of the drug-addled, hopeless romantic Bobby in Jerry Schatzberg’s “The Panic in Needle Park” from 1971.

Billed as his first leading role and only his second major feature performance, Pacino who is known for his subtlety as well as his charisma, would lay the groundwork for many future, nuanced performances.

“The Panic in Needle Park” is first and foremost about the ongoing drug addiction problem in the United States; the ease by which your drug of choice can be obtained and the euphoric feeling on reaching a high and the dramatic fall in which we often find Bobby, a low level pusher in the Sherman Square section of Manhattan.

The story by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne doesn’t depict Bobby as strung out, nor does he lack intelligence. In fact, Bobby is an aspiring entrepreneur. He is ambitious, a hallmark of every Pacino performance. He is driven toward a better life, though his purpose might be to find that high again. Within the film’s tragedy, we see him headed toward that goal.

The Sherman Square section of Manhattan, nicknamed Needle Park for the drug addicts it attracts is the urban setting for Schatzberg’s taut thriller. The city, crumbling from over population, overbuilding and a lack of oversight is in serious disrepair. It is the perfect setting for which Helen (Kitty Winn) can recover from an illness following an abortion. Living with her boyfriend Marco, played by a very dynamic Raúl Juliá in his first role, she falls for Bobby when he shows compassion for her situation.

While Pacino’s exquisite performance fuels the direction of the story, Schatzberg brought numerous elements together in “The Panic in Needle Park” to create the visceral realism it depicts, a realism that got the movie banned in several European countries on its initial release, having been rated X. In depicting an addict’s life fueled by drugs, right down to the actors injecting themselves, the audience is drawn directly into the world Bobby and Helen live in.

Didion and Dunne balance the drug usage with a doomed love story; doomed not because Bobby and Helen didn’t love each other. Their drug fueled relationship was perhaps the most real aspect of the story because they believed in one another. However, Bobby’s short fuse and Helen’s desire to make her own way in the world, another 1970’s truism, made their relationship rocky.

That, and a very ambitious Detective Hotch (Alan Vint) who was looking for his big score, puts the struggling couple in between the harsh realities of the drugs problem: ambition begets ambition, and knowing who to trust is critical.

Within the realities of the story comes strong, well-defined characters with Bobby being the most present, while the muted grey landscape of Manhattan serves as the most omnipresent character in “The Panic in Needle Park.” The production made the decision to abandon Ned Rorem’s score for the film replacing it with the sounds of the everyday crush of people and cars, the sounds of construction and development, creating a unique environment in which to drive Pacino’s performance, yet another reflection of the film’s ‘ambition begets ambition” themes.

Every scene in the film reminds us of the place New York City was, cementing the struggles that surrounded Bobby and Helen, giving them purpose in trying to find their highs and discovering the utter depths of their lows. These reminders offer a reason to want to do better, to be better. Bobby was willing to get his hands dirty, driving his ambition and when he gets his chance, he finds a better high, which is just as quickly yanked down.

Some 49 years later, “The Panic in Needle Park” remains a contemporary film because of its ambition to deliver a gritty, realistic look at drugs and the ambition it fuels.

Al Pacino’s performance in “The Panic in Needle Park” doesn’t call attention to itself, rather it is the anchor in a film where every character, no matter how big (New York City) or how small (Raúl Juliá) flourishes.

Reportedly, Pacino’s performance in this film was the sole reason why Francis Ford Coppola chose him a year later for the role of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather.” Pacino would go on to many other memorable roles, including Frank Serpico (“Serpico”), Sonny Wortzik (“Dog Day Afternoon”), Frank Slade (“Scent of a Woman”), Tony Montana (“Scarface” (1983)) and Vincent Hanna (“Heat”), each performance a testament to his esprit de corps.

All the Wild Horses - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Donal Fahy and Richard Killoran in ‘All the Wild Horses’. © Richard Dunwoody

Donal Fahy and Richard Killoran in ‘All the Wild Horses’. © Richard Dunwoody

‘All the Wild Horses’ wins by a comfortable margin  

Written and directed by:  Ivo Marloh

“All the Wild Horses” – The Kentucky Derby began in 1875, and this 1.25-mile race is dubbed the most exciting two minutes in sports.  

On the other side of the world, Mongolia hosts an altogether different event.  The Mongol Derby is one thousand kilometers long and runs across the country’s prairies.  The contest takes eight days to complete and is known as the longest and toughest horse race in the world. 

If the Run for the Roses is an ultra-brisk sprint, then the Mongol Derby is a marathon of the most grueling order.  Competitors ride semi-wild Mongolian horses for over 13 hours a day but stop every 40 kilometers at marked stations (called urtuus) to disembark from their current four-legged partners and connect with new ones.  Depending on the mount, a rider may find a cooperative or taxing traveling companion, which – of course – adds another unpredictable element to an already infinitely-challenging environment. 

Even though this race has only existed since 2009, perhaps patrons and participants will be curious to know that a bronco-based postal system ran – about 800 years ago - across these same grounds.  Well, Genghis Khan operated the aforementioned mail service, so maybe not.   

(As a side note, Mongol Derby Chief Kate Willings mentions that Khan’s postal system finally shut down in the 1940s.  The 1940s?  Geez, and you thought that Amazon has an enormous reach.)

Director Ivo Marloh needed no encouragement to immerse himself in this wholly unique cross-country, man-and-horse event.  He was raised on a horse farm, and during an interview at the 2017 EQUUS Film Festival, Marloh noted that he always wanted to travel to Mongolia.  When he heard about the Mongol Derby, he said, “I have to do that.”

His inspiring documentary “All the Wild Horses” certainly has an I-want-to-try-that impact, because even though the 87-minute film chronicles this exceedingly laborious, backbreaking competition, almost every on-screen moment feels very accessible.  Rather than pitting an intimidating landscape and mysterious host country as unapproachable unknowns, the film breaks down barriers straightaway and welcomes us with congeniality and warmth, despite the trying paths – literally and figuratively – that lie ahead.

The Mongolian Steppe has a familiar grasslands’ look that one might find in an American western, and Marloh’s camera offers countless angles of open green pastures and nearby rocky buttes that help frame this Wild East.  These gorgeous, scenic moments – captured from high above and also at ground level via horses and mechanical chariots – really need to be seen on the biggest televisions, as these lightly populated, enormous swathes of serene nature seem to unearth mystical, timeless sentiments, ones molded by some observant presence from eons ago.  Surely, the setting is a foremost character, but the horses and humans comprise the main focus, and the two-legged beings include locals, Derby staff and riders. 

In the doc’s first few minutes, we see Mongolian horses – on their own - rumble across the landscape, and soon after, riders accompany these grand creatures, but not with constriction.  Their bonds appear harmonious, and Donie Fahy - a jockey from Ireland – gives a wide smile for the camera.  He declares, “Because it’s something completely crazy.  That’s why I wanted to do it.”

Horse trainer Monde Kanyana adds, “(This is) my first time to leave South Africa, and I’m very keen to be in the wild (to) handle (these) horses.”

Players from all over converge on Mongolia’s Bulgan Province, including Devan Horn from Houston.  She’s the early favorite to win, and Marloh spends generous amounts of minutes with Donie, Monde, Devan, and many others like Will, Julie, Linda, and Simon who openly bequeath testimonials, observations and outlooks. 

Several rich, personal stories and journeys proudly establish the documentary’s communal tones.  So much so, that your interest in who first crosses the finish line might almost become a simple postscript.  Almost is the key word, because the film does craft plenty of intrigue, but there’s something spiritual and timeless at work in “All the Wild Horses”.  Animal lovers will also feel comforted that the horses’ care and safety take the utmost importance, but whether or not horses are your thing, this is for certain:  you’ll be grateful that the documentary lasts a lot longer than the most exciting two minutes in sports.

(3/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Selah and The Spades - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Lovie Simone in ‘Selah and The Spades’ © 2018 - Sundance Institute

Lovie Simone in ‘Selah and The Spades’ © 2018 - Sundance Institute

Dir: Tayarisha Poe

Starring: Lovie Simone, Jharrel Jerome, Celeste O’Conner, Ana Mulvoy Ten, and Jesse Williams

Early in director Tayarisha Poe’s visually intriguing, youthfully exuberant film “Selah and the Spades”, a group of ethnically diverse young people from different factions within a boarding school sit around a table discussing/arguing which crowd controls the cultural sway in the school. Cinematically, this scene falls in the same structural composition as some gangster, mafia, or yakuza crime films; not one crew wanting to show weakness and no one willing to let go of the power they have amassed.

This component of power plays the major narrative role in “Selah and the Spades”, as the young factions vie for control as the school year rolls forward. Selah (Lovie Simone) is the commanding, powerful, although insecure leader of the Spades, she is in her senior year and every other faction understands that a power shift is about to happen.

Paloma (Celeste O’Conner) is a new scholarship student, she is a gifted photographer who finds quick and keen camera eyesight into the power hierarchy within the school. Selah, seeing glimpses of her former self, takes Paloma under her guidance, introducing her directly to the world of The Spades.

Director Tayarisha Poe and cinematographer Jomo Fray have a confident grasp of the visual design of the film, which is beautifully framed and richly composed of neon and metallic palettes. Moments when characters speak directly to the camera, framed center position sometimes with action choreographed behind them, or when an assemble of characters, shot with altering points of focus to emphasize their emotional perspective, are particularly affecting in displaying the uncaring, immature and dishonest nature of hierarchy in the school.

The faction focused narrative wears thin quickly, as the struggle between the different groups becomes frustratingly cliché, and sometimes completely pointless, as it overwhelms unnecessarily the fascinating elements happening between Selah and Paloma. However, when the shifting relationship between Selah and Paloma takes hold, where Paloma grows confident and Selah becomes resentful, the film develops into something significantly fascinating. This is partly because Lovie Simone and Celeste O’Conner are so great in the roles.

Ms. Simone brilliantly composes Selah with strong motivations of confidence, arrogance, and ruthlessness while also allowing moments of insecurity, self-doubt, and fear. Ms. O’Conner is also excellent. Paloma is stronger than Selah in different ways, less outwardly fierce and more internally resilient and grounded. Celeste O’Conner composes a naïve sensibility, in the beginning, her eyes big and glowing at the experiences happening around her, but slowly showcases a more assertive and assured performance as her character’s convictions become stronger. Also adding Jharrel Jerome, who was stunning in "Moonlight", as Selah's second-in-command adds some great power struggle moments.

“Selah and the Spades” is a bold statement for director Tayarisha Poe, revealing a creative talent that has an interesting visual style and a distinctive voice for cinema. It’s also a star-making turn for both actors Lovie Simone and Celeste O’Conner. While the film struggles to find its narrative footing, meandering and aimless in its execution at times, the captivating performances and beautiful visual design offer an intriguing perspective on the high school drama.

Monte’s Rating
3.25 out of 5.00

Streaming on Amazon Prime starting April 17, 2020.

The Booksellers - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

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‘The Booksellers’ is a celluloid page-turner

Directed by:  D.W. Young

“The Booksellers” - According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, 73 percent of U.S. adults have started at least one book in the past year, but this is down from a 2005 Gallup News Service poll, in which 83 percent did.

Why the drop?  Well, one can point to several factors:  longer work hours, shorter attention spans, social media’s rise, instant gratification needs, home streaming services, and the Joe Exotic documentary series.  Actually, Netflix released “Tiger King” in 2020, a year after the 2019 findings, so we can’t blame it on Mr. Exotic. 

Okay, let’s just note that professional wrestling and “The Bachelor” haven’t exactly helped book sales and call it a day. 

It’s true.  The 21st century doesn’t feel like an enlightened era in which humanity has collectively stretched towards the written word, one that is typed on coated or uncoated paper stock, supported with binder’s board, wrapped in cloth or leather, and glued on an elemental spine. 

Whether you’ve started a book in the past year or not, it’s hard to imagine someone who doesn’t like books.  Hey, books are great, and bookstores are fun!

Director D.W. Young seems to appreciate the alluring joy of a great bookstore, and he offers plenty of them – which appear in countless, wide-ranging forms – and also showcases the men and women who buy, stock and sell tangible, handheld treasures in “The Booksellers”, his intriguing cinematic cornucopia of New York City’s book world. 

(Please note that the aforementioned men and women turn up in wide-ranging forms as well, and these eccentric drivers of this hyper-focused industry are as fascinating as the rare books that they seek.)

Over the course of 97 minutes, Young packs an incalculable number of quips, sayings, trends, facts, oddities, ideas, biographies, and anecdotes, along with some distresses but mostly warm feelings into his documentary.  He travels from bookstore to bookstore, but also to offices, apartments and fairs, including the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.

It’s here that we are introduced to book dealer Henry Wessells, who explains, “It’s another New York book fair which is the roller coaster ride between tedium and great bits of commerce and discoveries.”

Another seller jumps in and says, “My PhD is in 16th century Spanish lyric poetry, which explains why I’m totally broke after 15 years of academia.  I left that in order to become an antiquarian book dealer, so I’ve had the pleasure of having really fantastic books in my hands.”

Whoosh, and we’re off on this dizzying, but pleasurable and peculiar journey.  After about 20 minutes, however, “The Booksellers” wanders, or a minimum, it seems awfully tricky to gain your footing from a big picture perspective.  It’s so easy to feel disoriented, but not in the moment.  No, in the immediate present, Young dives deep with the highest clarity on an individual who (or a particular intricacy that) fits into this passionate pantheon. 

For example, take Dave Bergman.  He’s a pleasant, gray-haired 40 or 50-something who claims that he’s not fit for any other profession but the book business.  When he’s not purchasing a 1907 photo album that includes a 15,000 year-old clump of hair from a mammoth (yes, from an actual mammoth), Dave plays on seven softball teams every week. 

We do see him again, but not before, we are whisked to the Strand Bookstore.  Sometimes, Young provides the names of his on-screen subjects.  On other occasions, he doesn’t, but his doc always turns each cinematic page with thought-provoking color, whether we catch a person’s or locale’s name or not.

Some familiar faces pop up, including a world-famous NYC author (who will not be revealed in this review) and also Rebecca Romney, a book dealer who frequents the Las Vegas-based TV show “Pawn Stars”.  Another book dealer Heather O’Donnell mentions that – years ago – the industry was comprised of 85 percent men, but not much has changed today.  That didn’t stop Young from finding compelling women to interview. 

Like many other businesses, there may be some institutional roadblocks here, but “The Booksellers” feels inclusive and abundant, even if the industry sits on somewhat-shaky ground.  Books are vulnerable, like print newspapers, but with one big difference.  A newspaper’s print edition loses its worth when the latest and greatest Internet news updates arise, but books don’t have that tiny shelf life (pardon the pun).  Their contents are timeless, and with great care, their physical forms can be as well. 

Here’s hoping that bookstores will still be with us in 2120, and as “The Booksellers” concludes, another revelation may strike you.  D.W. Young’s film might wander, but it is with a purpose.  Have you ever gotten lost in a bookstore for hours and wonder where the time went, as you eventually leave with a drunken smile on your face?  Yea, “The Booksellers”….same thing. 

(3/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Three Days of the Condor (1975) - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Max von Sydow in ‘Three Days of the Condor’ (1975)

Max von Sydow in ‘Three Days of the Condor’ (1975)

Directed by: Sydney Pollack

Screenplay by: Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel, based on “Six Days of the Condor” by: James Grady

Starring: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow, John Houseman

Max von Sydow, who would have turned 91 on April 10, had a 70-year career that spanned some 150 films. Though he is most well known as Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal,” Father Lankester Merrin in William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” or as Ming the Merciless in “Flash Gordon,” von Sydow’s performance as Joubert in Sydney Pollack’s 1975 political thriller, “Three Days of the Condor” remains a highlight.

Featuring an all-star cast, “Three Days of the Condor” is truly Robert Redford’s story. As Joseph Turner, Redford is a bookworm-turned-spy in mid-1970s New York City. Pollack uses a grey palette muting the background, not so much obscuring it, but rather blending it in to raise Redford’s profile as a man on the lamb.

The muted profile also allows von Sydow’s Joubert to stand out, not just because the actor was tall. In fact, there is a scene in which both Redford and von Sydow are in the same frame that you get a sense of just how tall both actors are. It helps to give von Sydow an even more menacing profile; he is thin and silent, his eyes always moving, calculating the next steps forward. He shows no remorse and no empathy, the hallmark of a cold-blooded assassin.

Even more menacing is that the character is in very few scenes in the film. This is not to say that the character is utilitarian in nature; he is referred to in the third person more frequently than seen. This helps to keep Turner on the move. The script, a collaboration between Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel, crafts a series of subdued characters for both Redford, but especially in von Sydow’s Joubert. In muting the background, Pollack allowed the actors to truly stand out, von Sydow being the most obvious benefactor.

The subdued nature of the background also helps Turner establish trust, something that does not come easily for the character after witnessing his colleagues having been murdered in the think tank, a cover for the CIA. Turner’s group was responsible for scanning books looking for hidden meanings and other useful information when Turner uncovers a plot within the CIA.

Knowing that he must keep a low profile, he kidnaps Kathy Hale played by Faye Dunaway, who plays the “damsel in distress” act quite effectively. Pollack’s direction of her performance elevates her relationship with Turner in an unexpected way; they fall for each other once the bonds of trust are forged.

Just as critical though is Turner’s relationship with the mysterious Joubert and the two actors get to share the screen twice in this film. Owen Roizman’s cinematography is key in establishing that the game of “cat and mouse” is still very much in effect, especially during their first encounter when Turner tests the waters to see if he is still a target.

The second encounter between the two men is vastly different as the third act takes an unexpected turn. Once the plot is revealed, and the two men can speak as compatriots rather than antagonists, we still see Joubert as a menacing figure, a credit to von Sydow’s performance and persona earlier in the film. We also see Redford’s Turner a changed person from that of someone who is fearful to someone who becomes fearless. Without a doubt, Max von Sydow’s performance makes Turner’s transition that much more jovial, only to be let down in the final few minutes of the film when Turner confronts Cliff Robertson’s Higgins.

Still, Sydney Pollack would go on to make many other thrillers featuring similar style stories, but none are as strong as “Three Days of the Condor,” a tribute to everyone on the production but most certainly Max von Sydow’s mysterious Joubert.

Trolls World Tour - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick in ‘Trolls World Tour’ © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC.

Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick in ‘Trolls World Tour’ © 2019 DreamWorks Animation LLC.

‘Trolls World Tour’ might be a good at-home distraction…or not

Directed by:  Walt Dohrn and David P. Smith

Written by:  Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, and Elizabeth Tippet

Starring:  Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, James Corden, Ron Funches, Kelly Clarkson, Sam Rockwell, George Clinton, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Dornan, Kenan Thompson, and Ozzy Osbourne

“Trolls World Tour” – “So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.  I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha).  I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah.” – Spice Girls, “Wannabe”

“One man’s nonsense is another man’s sense.” – author Peter Cameron, “Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You”

Poppy (Anna Kendrick) is over the moon.  Over the moon…in her world.  She’s Queen Poppy of the Troll Pop Kingdom, a place with rainbow-splashed mushrooms, truckloads of glitter and more neon pink and green than a 1984 Wham! concert.  Bouncy, positive vibes can be felt everywhere, as sugary-sweet discourse and the aforementioned colorful, Candyland surroundings are only topped by inspired music performances by this joyful collection of diminutive beings.   

Well, unbeknown to Poppy, her close friend Branch (Justin Timberlake) and almost everyone else in this Whoville on cherry-flavored laughing gas, the world also supports five other Troll kingdoms, and they define themselves through specific music genres.  Yes, trolls also live in the Funk, Country, Techno, Classical, and Rock Kingdoms, but the last-mentioned community aims to colossally clutter the others’ cultures.   

In “Trolls World Tour”, directors Walt Dohrn and David P. Smith – along with five screenwriters – and a long list of musicians and Hollywood thespians donate to a noble message: let’s embrace diversity.  Although the film sometimes highlights the trolls’ physical differences, the contrasting cultures - primarily influenced by music - drive the celebrated distinctions. 

At one point, Poppy rightfully asserts, “Listen to other voices, even when they don’t agree with us.”  

Hey, maybe that explains the need for five screenwriters…or not. 

Even with so many scribes, “Trolls World Tour” borrows its main storyline from “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018).  You see, a mohawked psycho named Queen Barb of the Hard Rock Trolls (Rachel Bloom) travels to the other kingdoms and attempts to steal their associated mystical musical strings, attach them to her guitar, and then strum an ultimate power chord to turn all trolls into rock and roll zombies. 

Six strings and six kingdoms will be under Barb’s control, because – according to her - who wants to listen to funk, country, techno, classical, and pop music, right?  Dohrn and Smith apparently forgot ska, bluegrass and industrial, but perhaps they’ll be included in a sequel.  

Regardless, the “Infinity War” odes include the sparkly colors of each valued string and a very brief turn-to-dust visual.  Also, Queen Barb rolls, flies and swims in an intimating black caravan straight from “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), and the Rock Kingdom resides at a volcano reminiscent of Mordor from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.   

There’s no denying the impressive world building and massive cast of characters, and the players come in all shapes and sizes, like a doughy Biggie (James Corden), big-haired Delta Dawn (Texan Kelly Clarkson), bedazzled Tiny Diamond (Kenan Thompson), and a talking flute named Pennywhistle (Charlyne Yi), to name a few. 

Take note that Mary J. Blige, George Clinton, Sam Rockwell, Jamie Dornan, and Ozzy Osbourne bring their talents to these goofy, misshapen “H.R. Pufnstuf” animated oddities as well.  Certainly, Dohrn, Smith and a minivan of writers believe that more is more.  We are whisked from one wild locale to another, as trolls sing catchy snippets of “(Trolls) Just Wanna Have Fun”, “Groove is in the Heart”, “One More Time”, and “Crazy Train”. 

Part of the fun is wondering what famous song will come up next, but because so many are included, most times we only get 20 seconds of a memorable ditty.  Oh, can we hear more of Heart’s “Barracuda”, and does the Rock Kingdom have to play the bad apple?  It’s not like rock has been trampling on the music scene over the last 20 years.  Quite the opposite.  That’s a minor complaint, but a bigger one is that “Trolls World Tour” is more of a busy and scattershot shiny object rather than a polished example of masterful storytelling.  Well, everyone on-screen seems to be having fun, and with current lockdowns in place – due to the miserable COVID-19 pandemic – maybe a light, agreeable (but also loud) escape is just what the doctor ordered.  Maybe not.  Sure, one person’s sense is another’s nonsense, but hey, young kids will probably like it…or at least be distracted.

(2/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

The Innocent (1976) - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Laura Antonelli and Giancarlo Giannini in The Innocent (1976)

Laura Antonelli and Giancarlo Giannini in The Innocent (1976)

Directed by: Luchino Visconti

Written by: Suso Cecci D'Amico, Enrico Medioli, Luchino Visconti, based on “The Intruder” by Gabriele d’Annunzio

Starring: Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, Jennifer O’Neill, Rina Morelli, Marc Porel

With more people isolated in their homes, there has never been a better time for a revival of classic films featuring well-defined characters with scintillating stories of treachery and deceit, let alone love.

From 1976, comes Luchino Visconti’s final film, “The Innocent,” a story of a frivolous aristocrat, Tullio Hermil (“Casino Royale’s” Giancarlo Giannini). Tullio is interested in maintaining the dignity and poise of events that effect his life and his wife, Giuliana (Laura Antonelli). When we first meet Tullio, it is during a fencing match with his brother, Federico (Didier Haudepin). Both brothers are relentless in their pursuit of landing the important first strike.

In these early scenes, Visconti demonstrates Tullio’s lack of feeling, except for what is directly in front of him. Giannini also demonstrates his fastidious desire to win at all costs, no matter the sacrifice. At the same time, it also shows a weakness in that he cannot anticipate how the other half of his battle will be fought; he cannot see the outcome. And when the outcome does not favor him, he acts like an impudent child, pining for “his way or the highway.”

From the way Tullio is introduced, his mannerisms and attitudes, it should come as no surprise that he and his wife, Giuliana are separated. For appearance sake, they are still married. To be sure, when they arrive at Mother’s (Rina Morelli) estate, they are quick to ask for separate rooms, because of their differing schedules. Mother accommodates them, not suspecting any infidelities between the two.

Visconti slowly reveals the rapturous hunger with which both Tullio and Giuliana attend to their affairs; Tullio with Teresa Raffo (Jennifer O’Neill), a very becoming woman with demanding tastes, though she tries to get Tullio to show his affection for her in public, unaware of the implications of doing so, even though Tullio warns her to show discretion.

For Giuliana, her infidelity is at the hands of Filippo d’Arborio (Marc Porel), a doctor whom we only see once, but whose presence is felt throughout the entire film; Giuliana has conceived with Filippo, though Visconti wisely chose to reveal the pregnancy slowly so as to play into Tullio’s sensibilities. The screenplay does not hide behind the pregnancy nor its implications on their relationship.

In fact, it emboldens Tullio’s desire to swiftly sweep any transgression under the rug that might sully his reputation. That desire leads to a tragedy of innocents: an innocent and helpless baby, an innocent wife, even through infidelity who remained steadfastly by her husband’s side and a husband whose forsaken relationships left him with no other choice, but the ultimate sacrifice.

There is a rich look and feel to the film, indicative of the late 1970s when the film was shot, evoking the late 19th century the story was set in. Visconti’s final film was the second adaptation of Gabriele d’Annunzio’s novel while Franco Mannino’s score, accompanied by classical works from Mozart’s Rondò Alla Turca and the aria Che faro senza Euridice from Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice suggesting that swift and wide justice was enacted on all participants, but none more than Giancarlo Giannini’s Tullio.

“The Innocent” is full of strong performances, a tragic story not soon forgotten. The most striking aspect of the film is in which the way the characters nonchalantly dismiss the feelings of their counterparts. Luchino Visconti’s direction is taut and the film is a tragic painting come to life.

3 out of 4 stars

The Wild Goose Lake - Movie Review by Matthew Robinson

Ge Hu in ‘The Wild Goose Lake’.

Ge Hu in ‘The Wild Goose Lake’.

Read all of Matthew Robinson's reviews at DarkoftheMatinee.com

Diao Yinan's The Wild Goose Lake, a neon noir, is proof that Chinese crime/noir films are peaking. Last year brought us Ash is Purest White and Long Day's Journey Into Night. Those films marked a resurgence of the noir genre in China. The Wild Goose Lake is less incredible but still a solid entry into an exciting genre.

On a rainy night, a man is approached by a woman with a see-through umbrella. The man is a gang leader on the lamb named Zhou Zenong (Hu Ge). The woman is Lui Aiai (Gwei Lun-Mei), who claims to be there to help him, even willing to pose as his wife. Two nights earlier, Zhou and his gang were in a contest to win a territory in the city. The goal was to steal as many motorcycles as possible. One of his men is killed during the contest and Zhou accidentally shoots a cop, mistaking him for one of the rival gang's gunmen.

The police do not take this lightly, offering up a 300,000 yuan reward for any information that leads to his capture. Zhou plots to find someone he can trust to turn him in, collect the money and give it to his wife and son. Is Lui that woman? Can Zhou make this happen, redeeming himself for abandoning his family?

This is the basic plot of The Wild Goose Lake. While it may not be anything to new or inventive, the plot serves as a structure for Yinan to contruct a moody style and impressive set pieces. The film glows with fuchsia and green. The characters are more archetypes than real people. The film seems to strive to hit upon every trope in the genre but it does so with such a lavish style and command over its visuals that one can forgive the film's emptiness. The film seems content in doing the genre with flare rather than expand it.

While watching the film, I often thought of Wong Kar-wai and Kinji Fukasaku. These may seem like disparate influences but that is the charm of the film. It has its own thing going on in the way it both lingers and bursts with violence. The film's set pieces are incredibly well executed. A nighttime police raid on a zoo brims with tension. The films climax is a wonder of lighting and camera movement to create thrilling action. Diao purposefully blurs the line between cops and criminals here. His treatment of violence often blurs tragedy and comedy. All the while, the cinematography impresses with its deep color saturation and noir lighting.

The Wild Goose Lake may not add up to anything more than a stylish tale of desperate redemption. The structure of the film often is uneven in its pacing and dreamlike in its editing. However, there are so many moments I won't soon forget in the film. Diao is a filmmaker to follow.

3.5/5

Corpus Christi - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Bartosz Bielenia in ‘Corpus Christi’

Bartosz Bielenia in ‘Corpus Christi’

Oscar-nominated ‘Corpus Christi’ spins an inspirational tale and a tense countdown

Directed by: Jan Komasa

Written by: Mateusz Pacewicz

Starring: Bartosz Bielenia, Eliza Rycembel, Tomasz Zietek, Aleksandra Konieczna, Lukasz Simlat, Barbara Kurzaj, and Leszek Lichota

“Corpus Christi” – “No seminary accepts convicts like you.” – Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat)

“Doesn’t matter where you’re coming from.  All that matters is where you are going.” – Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia)

Daniel (Bielenia) doesn’t wish to think about his previous travels. 

This slight, young Polish man - with glittery sapphire eyes and an impish crewcut – has crashed into life’s dead ends and incessantly circled in nowhere cul-de-sacs.  He actually resembles an Eastern Bloc version of Scottish hooligan Renton (Ewan McGregor) from “Trainspotting” (1996), but sans any mates to lift his spirits or share his misery.

Daniel is a loner. 

Although, he does have a future.  One picked out for him, because after his release from a detention facility, he’s assigned a job at a sawmill nestled in the comfortable, picturesque countryside.  It also looks like his move coincides with late summer and long, sunny – but not stifling, humid – days, to boot.  This man with a questionable past, however, wishes to kick this preordained trade to the side of a winding, single-lane road and instead, choose his ordained calling.  Well, opportunity knocks, and Daniel begins a devout masquerade as a priest.

Yes, “Corpus Christi” – nominated for a 2020 Best International Feature Film Oscar - is a movie about dreams and deceit, as director Jan Komasa and writer Mateusz Pacewicz spin an inspirational tale and a tense countdown.  Daniel impersonates a man of the cloth in figurative and literal broad daylight, but a simple Internet search or an inquisitive phone call would unravel his spur-of-the-moment charade faster than you can say, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”

The casual, trusting small-town atmosphere does offer some cover for his sham, but doesn’t Facebook have a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon rule or something?  Well, no matter, because an unseen cinematic clock ominously ticks during every sermon, confessional duty or simple walk around town.  In addition to the frequent bouts of unease, Bielenia and Komasa also warmly invite the audience to embrace Daniel’s new identity.  Since the movie offers a couple glimpses into Daniel’s reckless and destructive sides, any sort of altruistic turns and warm connections with the locals in this nameless village (but actually filmed in Jasliska and Tabaszowa, Poland) will most assuredly bring heartfelt smiles.

Smiles and laughter, however, are difficult to muster for many residents, because a recent tragedy has shaken this settlement’s collective soul, and not only is Daniel hiding his true identity, but many others are suppressing their Christian natures.  It turns out that folks in these parts might need Daniel’s outsider-spark to draw out their best selves. 

“Corpus Christi” steps into “Dead Poets Society” (1989) and “Monsieur Lazhar” (2011) circles, and more so the latter film.  Although both aforementioned movies feature teachers inspiring their students, John Keating (Robin Williams) is more assured of his gifts from the outset, while Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag) is a newcomer to the profession but surprises himself with his positive influence.  Daniel and Bachir feel a similar satisfaction with themselves and recognize equal measures of gratitude from their on-screen audiences.

Speaking of on-screen audiences, Lidia (Aleksandra Konieczna) and an unnamed widow (Barbara Kurzaj) play key roles in responding to Daniel’s affirming impacts, and Eliza (Eliza Rycembel) is a welcome sight in every scene as the priest’s biggest ally.  Take heed though, because this film isn’t all rainbows and lollipops.  Daniel’s pious journey starts with opportunistic circumstances and is built on a foundation of dubious behavior.  Those suspect elements don’t simply disappear into the ether, but “Corpus Christi” makes an honest case that seminaries should take a hard look at this particular convict.  

(3.5/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Sidney Flanigan in ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’.

Sidney Flanigan in ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’.

The troubling drama ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ always hits the mark

Written and directed by: Eliza Hittman

Starring: Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder and Theodore Pellerin

 

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” –  Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) is in trouble. 

She’s the oldest, 17, in a working-class family with younger siblings, her mother (Sharon Van Etten) and an aloof, frosty stepfather (Ryan Eggold), and this troubled teen often feels overlooked.  Ignored.  Her mom’s semi-disregard for Autumn is not out of malice, but with other kids to tend to, her eldest – in a pinch, when such time-squeezes may appear in bunches - can fend for herself. 

So, this reserved, unsure-of-herself teenager tolerates her way through her small town in Pennsylvania as a high school student from 9 to 5 and a grocery store cashier in the evenings.  She doesn’t appear to have many friends or lean on an extensive support network, but thankfully, her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) shows general care and concern, like a sister or thoughtful BFF, but two 17 year-olds’ personal histories don’t equal 34 years of maturity.  Alas, Autumn could use some adult wisdom right now. 

She is pregnant. 

She does not want a baby.

She is in trouble. 

Writer/director Eliza Hittman (“Beach Rats” (2017)) places Autumn, Skylar and us on a raw, uneasy journey – that feels entirely authentic - from rural Pennsylvania to New York City.  It’s an impromptu field trip of the most serious order and with no chaperones.  Hittman’s close off-camera proximity doesn’t offer any comfort for the girls, as they bid to navigate through The Big Apple’s urban minefield of subway logistics, crowded foot traffic and cold concrete in every direction.  “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” depicts intimidating physical surroundings in both Autumn’s humble township and a bustling metropolis, but they are both seen through the lens of inexperienced girls. 

The film taps into this vulnerability from the immediate get-go in the opening scene, when Autumn proclaims, “He’s got the power of love over me.” 

Our young protagonist doesn’t seem to possess influence anywhere, which includes an unsupportive home environment, a hostile workplace and – with this pregnancy - intimacy with an unknown partner.  Throughout the picture, Hittman expresses – and Autumn and Skylar live through - the daily, unfair pressures placed on women through slanted interactions (both subtle and blatant) with men.

In a March 2020 BUILD series interview, Hittman explains, “I was just thinking about a way to create an atmosphere of hostility towards these young women rather than having a conventional antagonist.”

Thinking back, there’s probably not a single positive exchange between the girls and the various older men (in their 30s and above), but perhaps one might discover one or two during a second viewing.  Actually, a particular male subway worker isn’t chauvinistic with the teens, but he’s no bastion of comfort either.  To be fair, most New York City subway employees are not Fred Rogers disciples.  

Anyway, the girls do run into a college-aged man in their travels.  Jasper (Theodore Pellerin) is - by all appearances - an awkward, nice kid, and he seems free of malice, but his intentions aren’t wrapped in philanthropy either.  He’s attracted to Skylar, and hence, his motivations are clear. 

It’s also obvious that Autumn is not only colliding into confrontations with males, but also with a combative family planning monolith, at least in her hometown.  Over the last 40 years, local and state governments have chipped away at Roe v. Wade in several ways, including raising specific emotional hurdles. 

Prerequisites to an abortion may involve reading mandatory pamphlets, watching required videos, coping with an artificial waiting period, and more.  The system forces our young protagonist to deal with these barriers, and at one point, she looks away to some random point on an impersonal office ceiling and silently begs for the red tape madness to mercifully end.  This is, however, Small Town, U.S.A., so a trip to The City that Never Sleeps becomes a necessity. 

For anyone with a daughter, sister, granddaughter, mother, aunt, grandmother, niece, or female friend, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” should be required homework, as Hittman, Flanigan and Ryder paint a troubling picture for young American women in 2020.  Certainly, Autumn’s and Skylar’s experiences don’t fit into all teenagers’ or 20-somethings’ narratives, but there’s no question that Generation Z faces notably fewer choices than their mothers, and male chauvinism remains as ever-present as death and taxes.  Will it ever change?  Don’t know, but for the foreseeable future, women will continue to face…trouble.

(3.5/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Let's Celebrate Brendan Gleeson's Birthday with a Triple Feature

Gleeson.jpg

Happy Birthday, Brendan Gleeson! This in demand, Irish-born actor turns 65 on March 29, so it is the perfect time to celebrate his work with a triple feature.  Gleeson has starred in lots of big movies since his film career began in 1990, including “Braveheart” (1995), “Michael Collins” (1996), “28 Days Later…” (2002), “Gangs of New York” (2002), the “Harry Potter” series, and “Suffragette” (2015). 

His impressive resume offers countless choices to highlight, but let’s look at a film from director Michael McDonagh and two more from his director-brother John Michael McDonagh. 

According to IMDB.com, Gleeson once said, “I don’t plan in terms of career ambitions.  The only career ambition I have is to work with people who are going to bring you up and elevate your performance.” 

No question, Gleeson has reached his career aspirations, and along the way, he’s clearly performed some elevation of his own. 

Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges (2008)

Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges (2008)

Ken, “In Bruges” (2008) – If you’ve never heard of Bruges, Belgium, writer/director Michael McDonagh undoubtedly ensures that it is seared into your memory after watching his very dark comedy “In Bruges”.  This charming, canal-based city – which is only a 114 km drive from Calais, the Channel Tunnel’s French endpoint – is a temporary hiding place for Londoners Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Gleeson).  These hitmen found themselves in a shifty off-screen conundrum in the UK and need to lay low for a while, until their boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes) phones with new instructions.  Patience isn’t Ray’s strongest suit, and he hates being stuck in Bruges, but Ken – regardless of his chosen profession – is a glass-half-full human being and wishes to make the best of their stationary situation.  In addition to Ray, information booths and travel maps become his trusted companions, as this older, wiser of the two embraces the moment.

The script dives into some downright hilarious, whip-smart banter between the leads and the arriving-and-departing, eccentric supporting players, but McDonagh’s picture – like “Seven Psychopaths” (2012) and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) – can get bloody in a hurry.  Consider yourself warned, but also know that Farrell won the 2009 Golden Globe Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) award, and Gleeson was nominated in the same category as well.  The Academy also awarded McDonagh with a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination, which just goes to show that Ken’s well-placed, good-natured outlook on Bruges must be apropos.

(3.5/4 stars)  

 
Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson in The Guard (2011)

Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson in The Guard (2011)

Police Sergeant Gerry Boyle, “The Guard” (2011) – “I can’t tell if you’re really m*****-f****** dumb or really m*****-f****** smart,” FBI Agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle) says to Police Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Gleeson). 

Yes, perceptions of Sergeant Boyle’s intelligence may vary, but there’s no doubt about Gleeson’s performance in writer/director John Michael McDonagh’s buddy-cop comedy.  He’s really terrific here, and the Hollywood Foreign Press thought so too, as Gleeson earned a 2012 Best Actor (Comedy or Musical) Golden Globe nomination. 

Well, after years and years with the Irish Garda Siochana police service, Boyle has grown comfortable and indifferent about his job.  He’s certainly competent, but police life – for him – is matter of fact, because this 50-something bachelor is more interested in occasional bouts of mischief and caring for his sick mom (Fionnula Flanagan), not at the same time, of course.  His small-town world suddenly hits big city problems though, as a 500 million euro drug deal brews close by, so Everett partners with him.  McDonagh plays with an Irish vs. American culture clash, as Boyle schools Everett with the West Region of Ireland’s intricacies, as the fish-out-of-water FBI agent struggles to catch up.  Gleeson and Cheadle have enjoyable, comedic chemistry, and “The Guard” is more about their relationship, not the looming criminal transaction.  In fact, the bad guys barely register any attention, but no matter, because Gleeson’s droll character study of a sarcastic, overly frank lawman should absolutely capture yours.

(3.5/4 stars)

 
Brendan Gleeson in Calvary (2014)

Brendan Gleeson in Calvary (2014)

Father James, “Calvary” (2014) – Father James (Gleeson) is a good and decent priest, but despite his earnest nature, he’s unfortunately living under extreme duress in a small seaside Irish community.  Although scenic beauty surrounds him at every winding, country-road turn, many of the townspeople spew ugly hostility.  The biggest danger, however, comes from a man who enters his confessional and threatens to kill him in one week’s time.  Writer/director John Michael McDonagh weaves a dark whodunit that really plays like an old western, as it methodically marches towards Father James’ date with (his possible) destiny.

Although released in 2014, “Calvary” was filmed in 2012 and therefore, made during – arguably - the lowest opinion of the Catholic Church - in recent memory - due to the well-documented sex abuse crisis.  The unpopular Pope Benedict was still in power, so disdain for the institution weighs heavily on the narrative.  It dominates it, as a reflection of the times reverses on-screen roles.  The aforementioned townsfolk lost faith and lost their moral direction, while Father James stands tall with altruism and grace.  The notable supporting actors – including Aidan Gillen, Chris O’Dowd and M. Emmet Walsh (yes, that M. Emmet Walsh) – stand tall too and cradle Gleeson’s deep, introspective performance, and Kelly Reilly especially leaves a lasting mark as Father James’ daughter in one of the very best films of 2014.

(4/4 stars)

Jeff – a member of the Phoenix Critics Circle – has penned film reviews since 2008, graduated from ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and is a certified Rotten Tomatoes critic.  Follow Jeff and the Phoenix Film Festival on Twitter @MitchFilmCritic and @PhoenixFilmFest, respectively.

Dick Tracy (1990) - Movie Review by Ben Cahlamer

Madonna and Warren Beatty in ‘Dick Tracy’ (1990)

Madonna and Warren Beatty in ‘Dick Tracy’ (1990)

Directed by: Warren Beatty

Written by: Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. based on Characters by Chester Gould

Starring: Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Madonna, Glenne Headly, Charlie Korsmo, Charles Durning, Dick Van Dyke, Kathy Bates, Dustin Hoffman, William Forsythe

In Warren Beatty’s many cinematic endeavors, one thing about him stands loud and proud: he is a consummate professional, and no matter the story, Beatty, who celebrates his 83rd birthday on March 30, always delivers an experience that very few directors have been able to replicate.

Take 1990’s “Dick Tracy,” which is currently on Cinemax. There is a vibrancy in the look and feel of the film, and two of the three Academy Awards that the film won in 1991, for Best Makeup and Best Art Direction, are a testament to Mr. Beatty’s excellence in craft.

As both director and producer on “Dick Tracy,” Beatty also creates a vibrant performance out of a comic book character from the 1930s. It isn’t just that the pages flip as the story moves forward; the characters manage to become bigger than life and in a three-dimensional way.

The character Dick Tracy is nothing without the characters that surround him, namely Al Pacino as Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice, the man who has designs on Old Chicago. Pacino offers an over-the-top, but not-overdone performance in the way that Pacino can: unrelenting and undemanding, yet able to offer restraint in even the smallest of details, he constantly is ahead of Dick Tracy in their ongoing game of Cat and Mouse.

Interestingly, Big Boy is nothing without Madonna’s Breathless Mahoney, as she woos the crowd at the Club Ritz. Scribes Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr (“Top Gun,” “Turner & Hooch”) use Tracy and Big Boy to bookend Breathless; there’s almost a symbiotic relationship between the three main characters, with Madonna the seductress trying to take Tracy from his sweetheart, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly) and by questioning Big Boy at every turn.

I hadn’t seen the film since the summer of 1990, and watching it again some thirty years later, I had a newly found perspective for Beatty’s film. Age and experience certainly have a lot to do with my impression of the film. The characters just leap off the screen; they are bigger than life and the makeup work is absolutely first rate. As an example, it took me several minutes to recognize Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles, who is singly the funniest character in the film. William Forsythe, who is menacing without any makeup is twice the menace as Flattop; the character doesn’t have much in the way of dialogue, but his presence on screen is noticeable.

Beatty brings out the best in his circle of characters. Charles Durning and Dick Van Dyke have smaller roles as the Police Chief and the District Attorney, but it is their interactions with Beatty as Dick Tracy that make them stand out. Also, of note, are Seymour Cassel, James Keane and Michael J. Pollard as Sam Catchem, Pat Patton and Bug Bailey respectively who comprise Tracy’s lieutenants. They know their jobs, they trust their boss and are willing to stand by his side, even as Big Boy gives Tracy the slip.

What gives Tracy a humanity that I didn’t expect is not just Beatty’s performance; it certainly is more than that. At the beginning of the film, Tracy and Tess Trueheart are certainly an item, but there is an awkwardness to their relationship; Tracy is more invested in his job than he is in Tess, which leads to Breathless being able to wedge her way in. Tracy is, of course, wise to the fact that he does truly love Tess, but it takes The Kid (Charlie Korsmo) to really bring the two of them together. The Kid starts the film out as a street rat with a careless caretaker. Once Dick Tracy gets his mitts on the kid, he melts our hearts.

None of the characters are able to leap off the screen without the technical craftsmanship that Beatty employs, namely Vittorio Storaro’s (“Apocalypse Now,” “The Last Emperor”) stunning cinematography. Between the matte paintings, the scenic backgrounds and all the makeup on the individual characters, Storaro creates a brilliant image which adds another dimension to the characters and the actors’ performances. Danny Elfman, who just a year earlier had scored “Batman” created a dynamic and lush score to match the vibrant images on the screen.

The story doesn’t always work as well as it thinks it should, but Beatty doesn’t mind. He was having way too much fun in front of and behind the camera.

Thirty years later, Warren Beatty’s “Dick Tracy” still feels cartoonish, though not in a juvenile way. Beatty’s attention to every detail created a film that simply leaps off the page through over-the-top performances and craftsmanship that is second to none.