Moonfall - Movie Review

Dir: Roland Emmerich

Starring: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Reilly, and Michael Peña

2h 10m

Since 1996, when aliens came to Earth for destruction in "Independence Day," director Roland Emmerich has destroyed the world in many different ways. In 1998, "Godzilla" destroyed New York City. In 2004, a storm plunged the world into the Ice Age in "The Day After Tomorrow." In 2009, global catastrophes annihilated humankind in "2012". And in 2022, the moon falls out of orbit and begins a countdown towards a collision with the Earth in "Moonfall." 

What adds "drama" to this big-budget disasterpiece is that the moon isn't what it seems. For Roland Emmerich, "Moonfall" feels like a combination of everything the director has thrown at the silver screen during the more than twenty-year cinematic exercise of destroying the planet. And the b-movie sensibilities of "Moonfall" are undeniable, and if you are a fan of this blend of science fiction action melodrama, the film will not disappoint. The special effects and A-list talent are simply icing on the cake. However, this film is not for you if you are looking for thoughtful social commentaries, insightful character developments, or anything holding obedience to the laws of physics. 

The moon has been knocked out of orbit by a mysterious force. Dishonored astronaut Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson), who first encountered the mysteries of the moon during a space mission gone wrong ten years prior, and conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley), who was first to discover the moon's orbit problem, is recruited by former NASA astronaut Jocinda Fowler (Halle Berry) for a humanity-saving rogue mission.

The events of "Moonfall" occur at breakneck speed; missions are launched, failed, and relaunched, tidal waves of water collapse on Los Angeles, people escape the coasts for higher ground in Colorado, and the collective goodwill of humanity turns dangerous in the background. These events all happen before the mission to the moon part of the movie. Between the breaks of science theorization, pretty much a screen of moon ellipses circling closer to the Earth, and cutaways to different parts of the world experiencing catastrophe, Emmerich and co-writers Harold Kloser and Spenser Cohen fill the small gaps with minimal character development and unnecessary side stories in an attempt to add some emotional gravity to the story. It seldom works. 

Halle Berry shows up as NASA administrator, the only person who seems remotely interested in trying to save the Earth. Berry is a confident actor and makes this character shine even though the underlying qualities aren't always on the page. Patrick Wilson plays a former astronaut fighting to save his family. Wilson plays the hero character throughout with ease. The best performance is John Bradley playing a conspiracy theorist much more intelligent than he may present with his silly ideas. Bradley provides humor and embodies the tiny heart of the narrative. 

"Moonfall" delivers on everything the trailer advertises; it's a special effects-laden spectacle that is aiming for nothing more than pure, simplistic entertainment value. And for that, the film will satisfy those looking for an escape. 

Monte's Rating

2.50 out of 5.00

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Jackass Forever - Movie Review

Dir: Jeff Tremaine

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Preston Lacy, and Jason' Wee Man' Acuña

1h 36m

What started as a clip show on MTV called "Jackass," where a group of friends attempt crazy stunts, gleefully engage in gross-out humor, and treat each other to a variety of torturous antics, has turned into a more than a 20-year franchise. The group's ringleader, Johnny Knoxville, reunites the crew in "Jackass Forever" for more outlandish behavior with the help of some famous friends and new blood ripe for the challenge of impressing the almost/over 50-year-old "professionals." 

Directed by Jeff Tremaine, the often cruel-hearted filmmaking instigator looking for the perfect shot of the wild stunts wastes no time getting comfortable with this installment of the series. The whole team returns; extreme Steve-O, mostly naked Chris Pontius, always terrified Danger Ehren, reluctant Preston Lacy, smiling 'Wee Man,' and nervous Dave England. 

"Jackass Forever" is a performance art piece at its most primal state. A brand of mayhem and menace born of slapstick comedy, daredevils, and raunchy jokes come to reality. Before YouTube offered extreme stunts and practical jokes at the click of a few buttons, "Jackass" was the prototype for extreme behavior committed to video. When the first film made its way to theaters in 2002, it was audacious, ridiculous, and controversial. Still, the audience's response in front of the screen was rip-roaring laughter mixed with 'oohs' and 'ahhs.' It was a communal experience, one that made the event so much more entertaining than just sitting at home. 

Despite the crew's age and obvious reluctance towards going for bigger stunts, the segments in "Jackass Forever" are still hilariously amusing. The introduction is a Godzilla rip-off in the most inappropriately raunchy way possible. After that, a scorpion is used for beauty modification, a bear finds fresh salmon in a locked room, a marching band operates a supercharged treadmill, and an aggressive bull interrupts a magic show. It's childish, dangerous, demented, and surprisingly delightful.

New friends join the Jackass crew, a group of committed young people who seem inspired and influenced by the original team. Comedian Rachel Wolfson, the first lady of Jackass, stuntman Sean 'Poopies' McInerney, and actors Jasper Dolphin, Eric Manaka, and Zach Holmes all take the invitation to join without complaint. Part of the fun of this new film is the addition of these new people; they are excellent personalities, and it's enjoyable watching the old guard work alongside the new blood. 

"Jackass Forever" relishes in pushing the boundaries of good taste, safety, and awkward situations; it's a brand they have mastered after all these years. Johnny Knoxville leads by example, the master of ceremonies who breaks nervous tension with his iconic laugh, allowing the viewer to laugh along with the mayhem. It's enjoyable chaos, a trip to the movies to experience this wild exercise in performance art with a group of people. "Jackass Forever," after two years amid a pandemic, is escapism cinema at its best.

Monte's Rating

3.75 out of 5.00

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The Wolf and the Lion – Movie Review

Directed by:  Gilles de Maistre

Written by:  Gilles de Maistre and Prune de Maistre

Starring:  Molly Kunz, Graham Greene, Charlie Carrick, and Evan Buliung

Runtime:  99 minutes

‘The Wolf and the Lion’:  The animals roar, but the script howls   

“Life happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” 

Alma (Molly Kunz) certainly knows this message.  She’s a top student at New York City’s St. Mary’s Academy for Music, and has her sights set on playing piano for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  This scholarly young woman isn’t your standard bicoastal soon-to-be-professional.  She’s a small-town girl from Canada.  Her parents passed away, and Alma’s only family connections are her godfather Joe (Graham Greene) and grandfather (Jean Drolet).  

Unfortunately, as our movie begins, Alma has to shuttle away from The Big Apple to The Great White North to attend her grandpa’s funeral.  This friendly hermit resided in a spacious cabin on his private island, and with the greenest of green evergreens in every direction - and lakes and streams to boot - this remote, picturesque spot seems about the farthest locale from New York City and Los Angeles as one can get.  Unbeknownst to Alma, she will call this setting her home for the foreseeable future. 

In director Gilles de Maistre’s live-action children’s film, “The Wolf and the Lion”, the two leads are named in the title.  In just 24 hours after paying respects to her grandpa’s memory, a wolf drops off her cub at the homestead, and a lion cub literally falls into Alma’s arms. 

Wow, that’s quite a day.  And how was your Wednesday?  

Anyways, Alma soon decides to shelve piano and become a full-time mama to this tiny twosome.  Hey, the little canine and feline seem to love each other and Alma, and this new 20-something mother reciprocates, so hey, why not?   

What could go wrong? 

“The Wolf and the Lion” is a kids’ movie all the way because pragmatic adults need to suspend an abundance of disbelief.  Look, Alma – who previously studied piano like a singularly-focused savant – is suddenly caring for wild animals.    

Are wolf cubs allergic to gluten?  Are baby lions good with whole milk, or is 2% a better option? 

Meanwhile, Joe doesn’t check up on Alma for months and months, because one day, he sees the petite pair as babies, and during his next stop, they are full-grown adults.  

Didn’t he pop by for lunch or a Scrabble night during all this time?   

Sure, Joe shows concern when he sees a Tiger-King state of affairs with four-legged carnivores living at grandpa’s old house.  Still, he shrugs with an okay-I-suppose-you-got-this stance with his goddaughter.  

Sure, as long as Alma – from now on – contacts him once a day via their walkie-talkies, everything should work out fine.  Right?

Some viewers – including this critic – might wonder about Kunz’s safety during the 99-minute movie, because yes, de Maistre filmed real cubs who then grew to adults.  According to Ghislain Loustalot’s October 16, 2021 Paris Match article, a lion named Walter and a wolf called Paddington were raised together, beginning at 5-weeks-old, and “they grew up under the cameras of Gilles de Maistre during two years of filming.”  

Yes, the animals are not CGI recreations, and when they are cooing infants, Walter and Paddington – who are named Mozart and Dreamer in the film – are as adorable as a puppy and kitten, albeit about 15-pound kiddos.  When they are adults, it’s a bit surreal watching them as actors.  They play, run, pal-around, look for meals, and travel home to Alma.

(In the same Paris Match article, the on-set animal specialist, Andrew Simpson, two or three members of his team, and Kunz were the only ones in contact with the animals.  The filmmakers worked behind barriers, apparently.)  

You see, a scientist (Charlie Carrick) nabs Mozart, and a circus owner (Evan Buliung) corrals Dreamer, who was his lion cub from the beginning, so our wolf and lion have to find their way back to the island cabin.  These two humans are clumsy, made-for-a-kids’-movie antagonists, and while Eli (Carrick) has good intentions, Allan (Buliung) repeatedly whips Dreamer – off-screen – with proud bravado as his son watches in horror.  

Don’t fret.  Allan doesn’t abuse Dreamer on-screen, and his lion act is an uber-tame show, but captivity is still captivity, and the movie’s overall lesson is that animals should live freely.  So, Alma, Mozart, and Dreamer will hopefully reconnect, so the pair will live at the house and roam all over the island as they wish.  

Indeed, this is an altruistic concept, but when working with four-legged actors, they may dictate the story’s terms. 

“There is no trickery with the animals.  We had to adapt to their actions (and) rewrite every day.  We changed the script 16 times,” de Maistre said in the aforementioned Paris Match article. 

While watching the film, it certainly seems like rewrites happened on the fly.  So, if you thought that de Maistre was (kind of) making it up as he went along, you’d be right.  

“The Wolf and the Lion” feels like a considerable but loose Montessori project, but kudos to de Maistre, Kunz, and the teams involved with this innovative achievement.  Judging from the advanced movie screening (that I attended), kids and animal lovers seemed to enjoy this film.   

Hopefully, children will internalize the movie’s broader message, not the impractical idea to adopt wolf and lion babies.  See, my pragmatic adult side is speaking again. 

Jeff’s ranking

2/4 stars

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Sundown - Movie Review

“Sundown”

Writer-director: Michael Franco

Cast: Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Albertine Kotting McMillan, and Samuel Bottomley

By Jen Johans

In writer-director Michael Franco's "Sundown," Tim Roth plays a man named Neil who, in the sundown of his life, wants to bask in the warmth of that sun for as long as he can before it goes down for good. Knowing that with this comfort comes great risk, regardless of how bright the rays get, for most of the film's running time, Neil remains just as frustratingly resigned as he is fascinatingly opaque.

An existential cross between Melville's “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” Updike's “Rabbit, Run,” and Camus' “The Stranger,” yet missing what makes all three great by foolishly giving us a justification for our main character's behavior, in “Sundown,” Neil abandons his family on a Mexican vacation and never returns.

Having traveled to the sandy beaches of Acapulco from London along with three loved ones (brought to life by Charlotte Gainsbourg, Albertine Kotting McMillan, and Samuel Bottomley), when Gainsbourg receives word that a family member back home has died, Roth goes through the supportive motions of packing everyone up and heading to the airport. 

Once there, he tells them he's left his passport behind and as soon as he finds it, he'll be on the very next flight. So convinced of his love and caught up in her own grief that she misses the hollowness of his words and the way that it sounds like a very different kind of farewell, Gainsbourg departs and takes the two teens with her. Venturing back to the hotel, not to look for the passport but head for the beach instead, Neil blows off all follow-up calls with false promises for as long as he can while he parks himself on the nearest lawn chair.

Seeing it all unfold, between Roth's standoffishness, as well as the film's long takes, and frames that only go in for close-ups when it counts, Franco toys with questions of accountability and voyeurism. With no one to follow but the aloof, largely nonvocal Neil throughout “Sundown,” we begin to feel not only unnervingly complicit but perhaps, far more invested in the aftermath of Neil's actions than he is.

Finding a girlfriend almost immediately to share in the fun of Acapulco sex and sun, Neil's ability to let everything roll off of his back – including gunfire and death – makes us immediately reject the idea that all he's having is a late midlife crisis. Wading into territory far beyond the lyrics of “Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack. I went out for a ride and I never went back. Like a river that don't know where it's flowing, I took a wrong turn and I just kept going,” which Bruce Springsteen sang in “Hungry Heart,” “Sundown” gives us a man whom we feel is "losing" more than he is "lost."

So when a second, shocking death occurs that, although not directly Neil's fault, is nonetheless the direct result of his having decided to stay in Mexico, we begin to wonder what "Sundown" is telling us about karma, fate, free will, or predestination after all. Is Neil simply a man who like Bartleby has had enough of the rat race or “would prefer not to?" Or is he doing what he's doing to try – as in either a mid-twentieth-century French existential novel or a '90s Michael Haneke movie – to feel something, even if it's cruel? And though honestly, I wish we didn't know the answer, nor had "Sundown" even begin to flirt with the idea that there is one overall, unfortunately, Michel Franco decides to give us a reason for Neil's raison d'être that's as prosaic as it is clumsily handled.

Vague by necessity, regrettably, that's about as much as I can tell you about the film without going even deeper into spoiler territory. Proof that the best part of any movie is the conversation you have about it afterward, although, for at least half of its 83-minute length, I was completely caught up in Roth's performance as well as its boldly inscrutable spell, my biggest takeaway from “Sundown” is how close it came to greatness before it all fell apart. (And perhaps it isn't a spoiler to say that the film continued on for one twist more than it needed.)

Handled better, of course, it's perfectly fine to give viewers clues as to why a complex character behaves the way that they do. In another sun-drenched tale of bad behavior on holiday in the form of writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal's remarkable 2021 Netflix release “The Lost Daughter,” this approach of psychologically character-driven storytelling strengthened her narrative overall. Yet what's missing from Franco's “Sundown,” is the intimacy that we experienced in "The Lost Daughter," based upon the novel by Elena Ferrante. Whereas Gyllenhaal's film felt more like reading someone's diary aloud to them as they watched, "Sundown" feels in contrast to sitting and waiting for a Polaroid picture to start to develop and being a bit dismayed by the result. 

Not wanting to spend any real time on Neil's interior life, Franco's “Sundown” keeps us at an arm's length for most of the film, just preferring to let things happen naturally, as observed on Roth's pensive poker or Buster Keaton-like stone face to the point that even a random spray of gunfire on a crowded beach fails to rouse him from his stasis. Yet as unflappable as Neil appears to be in front of the camera, behind it, in contrast, Franco eventually gives in to the pressures of storytelling convention. And though he hopes to be somewhat subtle, this too-late attempt to let us behind Neil's curtain comes off as manipulative, unearned, and disingenuous. Needing either more complexity or more opacity to make us feel like we're staring at the sun alongside our maddening lead, when Franco finally gives us sunglasses to sharpen our view, the film goes from blue sky success to chaotic storm.

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Celebrate Alan Alda’s birthday with this Triple Feature!

Alan Alda turns 86 years young on Jan. 28, and for millions of folks, this Big Apple-born thespian will always be Capt. Benjamin Franklin ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce.  “M*A*S*H” (1972 – 1983) aired for 11 seasons on CBS, and this beloved comedy series sometimes wandered into categorization-no man’s land because the show frequently dealt with the drama, tragedy, and grief of the Korean War.  Meanwhile, Alda could march between gags and heartbreak with the ease of a four-star general ordering a coffee, and yes, he actually served in the U.S. Army Reserves in South Korea during the 1950s.  

He told Terry Gross during a 2019 NPR interview, “I was in the Reserves.  I don’t know if you call that being in the military.  They put me in charge of a mess hall at one point.”

Earning six Emmy awards - five for “M*A*S*H” and one for “The West Wing” (1999 – 2006) - Alan made a dream career, and although TV is his most prolific vehicle, he’s starred in his share of movies too.  

To help celebrate the man’s 86th trip around the sun – and over 60 years with his wife Arlene – let’s go back and watch about two dozen “M*A*S*H” episodes and these three terrific big-screen performances.   

George Plimpton, “Paper Lion” (1968) – “42!  Zed!  3!  88!  Hut!  Hut!”  Detroit Lions Quarterback George Plimpton yells his cadence while under center during training camp like he’s a 10-year seasoned veteran.  However, once the ball is hiked, his green rookie colors splash on his blue, silver, and white uniform.  George has thrown the ball around during two-hand touch games in Central Park with his friends and colleagues, but he’s never actually played college or pro football.  In “Paper Lion”, Alda is Plimpton - a real-life journalist - who tries out for the Lions as a quarterback, but he’s really working undercover to write a story.  Well, the coaches know George’s true identity, but will they blow his cover?  Don’t worry, Alex March’s film – based on Plimpton’s 1966 non-fiction book - isn’t a spy movie but rather a carefree comedy.  The 32-year-old Alda – who stands at 6’ 2” and weighs 170 pounds – is built like a marathon runner rather than a muscled man of the gridiron.  Still, Alan displays spry athleticism, adolescent joy, and some moments of fiery discourse that will make him a household name as Hawkeye Pierce.  Detroit Lions players Alex Karras and Lem Barney and coach Joe Schmidt have supporting roles and offer hijinks, laughs, and mettle that hinder and help George’s indoctrination to the NFL.  It’s all in good fun, but then again, no one ever laughed during wind sprints.    

U.S. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster, “The Aviator” (2004) – Wildly successful businessman, film producer, and pilot Howard Hughes faced and overcame countless obstacles thrown in his trailblazing path.  Martin Scorsese recounts many of them in this engrossing biopic, and Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the famous, enigmatic personality.  If not for Jamie Foxx’s turn as Ray Charles in “Ray” (2004), Leo probably would’ve won his first Oscar 11 years before his 2016 statue.  Cate Blanchett won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar with her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn, and Alda earned an Academy Award nomination for his work as U.S. Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster.  The Senator from Maine enjoys a friendly relationship with Pan American Airlines, which conflicts with Hughes’ Trans World Airlines.  This experienced bureaucrat threatens to embarrass Howard if his demands aren’t met, and he also employs a couple of subtle – but mean-spirited - moves to throw Hughes off his game during a simple lunch.  Alda is playing off-type here, but he also started his run as U.S. Sen. Arnold Vinick on “The West Wing” in Dec. 2004, the same month as “The Aviator” release.  Admittedly, I’ve never watched “The West Wing”, but I’m curious if Vinick wears Brewster’s gangster-like pinstripe suit.  

Bert Spitz, “Marriage Story” (2019) – Noah Baumbach ironically named his movie “Marriage Story”.  The film squarely focuses on divorce, as Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) wishes to dissolve her marriage to Charlie (Adam Driver).  This fierce, biting dramedy rarely gets explosive, except for one signature scene, but the couple’s imperfect-but-amiable bliss painfully shifts into something else.  Something distant, clinical, and transactional.  Nicole lawyers up with successful, slick super-barrister Nora Fanshaw (Laura Dern), and out of desperation, Charlie finds her polar opposite: agreeable, aging attorney Bert Spitz (Alda).  Bert takes a reasonable, matter-of-fact approach to divorce semantics - in his modest office with wood paneling on the walls - and asks Charlie to face facts rather than fight.  This soon-to-be ex-husband may not wish to hear this advice, but Bert – for the audience - is a welcome source of chill comedy.  For instance, Bert’s cat randomly roams the hallways.  He and his administrator accidentally wear each other’s eyeglasses, and Bert tells Charlie, “You remind me of myself during my second marriage.”  How comforting, right?

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A Hero – Movie Review

Written and directed by:  Asghar Farhadi

Starring:  Amir Jadidi, Sahar Goldust, Mohsen Tanabandeh, and Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy

Runtime:  127 minutes

‘A Hero’:  Farhadi wraps this bold story with tangled nuance

“A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” – the definition of a “hero” according to Google.

Asghar Farhadi – who wrote and directed two Oscar-winning films, “A Separation” (2012) and “A Salesman” (2016) – is considered a cinematic hero, a master at wrapping the knottiest threads in the tightest, most claustrophobic spaces:  ordinary family households.  

“The Past” (2013) - set in Paris rather than Farhadi’s home country of Iran, starring Berenice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, and Tahar Rahim – is another must-see.  In the present, Farhadi had scribed and helmed another winner with his signature stamp of stressful nuance in “A Hero”, about a man, Rahim (Amir Jadidi), who begins this movie as anything but one.

Rahim is in prison for an unpaid debt, but through sheer serendipity, his girlfriend Farkhondeh (Sahar Goldust) randomly discovers 17 gold coins, and voila, this heavenly discovery could free her man from a daunting liability and incarceration. 

However, due to the moody temperament of gold prices, their “pieces of 17” aren’t enough to free Rahim’s monetary shackles, so they attempt to return the bag of bounty to its rightful owner.  He’s hoping for a reward, and the new plan sounds altruistic, but Rahim tells a lie.  He and Farkhondeh bind themselves to it and don’t loosen their grip, but this falsehood begins choking them, like a noose constricting on an exposed neck.  

“A Hero” isn’t a thriller but a taxing drama that unfolds at a restrained and calculated pace, and as the minutes pass over the 127-minute runtime, we increasingly squirm in our seats.

The binds tighten on us as well.  

The film’s tone feels like Sam Raimi’s effectively suffocating 1998 crime drama “A Simple Plan”, where one error in judgment cascades into an alarming avalanche in snowy Minnesota.  Farhadi sets his film on the other side of the planet in Shiraz, Iran, not nearly the most inhabited city in the country.  Still, with a population of about 1.6 million, this locale of vast ancient history feels like a vibrant modern metropolis.  

Shiraz isn’t a small village where everyone knows Rahim’s name, but via 21st-century social media, where “going viral” phenomenons bloom and burst on a seemingly daily basis, fame can rocket within a day or even a few hours.  Rahim’s fib begins in the tiniest of quarters and human circles, but due to that pesky Internet, it swells into a massive loop with no borders, and anyone carrying a smartphone can find themselves in it.  Our lead is portrayed as a hero, but this depiction – spread through technological means – isn’t quite accurate. 

Technology plays a huge role in “A Hero”, as it lingers like an invisible, celestial being, one that can lob infinite numbers of roses or fire arrows into every single home or place of business in Shiraz.  The ever-present effect is beyond Rahim’s control.  As he walks into a living room, an office, or a charity organization, his story continues to unfold, but he doesn’t know the newest pages. 

Jadidi is completely convincing as Rahim, a decent but flawed guy who attempts to atone for past slipups and start anew.  The 37-year-old actor shines by furnishing Rahim with sudden glimpses and long stretches of altruism, optimism, regret, and despair.  This particular on-screen prisoner wishes to wrap himself up in the former and hopes to avoid the latter, but you know that old saying: Oh, what tangled webs we weave…    

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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Jockey - Movie Review

Directed by:  Clint Bentley

Written by:  Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar

Starring:  Clifton Collins Jr., Molly Parker, Moises Arias, and Colleen Hartnett

Runtime:  94 minutes

Collins Jr. takes ‘Jockey’ on an absorbing ride

“It’s just wear and tear.” – Jackson Silva (Clifton Collins Jr.)

Jackson is not referring to car brakes or a pair of jeans.  He races horses for a living, but he’s not speaking about a particular stallion or mare.   

Jackson’s body is breaking down because he - in his 40s or 50s - has been a jockey for decades.  A veterinarian takes X-rays of Jackson, and after inspecting the troubling pictures, he recommends that this weathered athlete see a doctor.  

Unfortunately, it’s not likely that Jackson has health insurance.  

That’s one problem, but if he saw a physician about his physical issues, a firm medical message might cause him more anguish than the pain itself.  So, it’s better to push through it, not complain, continue to embrace his passion, and make some bucks, despite the ongoing corrosion. 

Clint Bentley’s dad was a jockey, and this first-time feature-film director presents an absorbing tale – with Collins Jr. delivering a deeply soulful lead performance – in “Jockey”.

During a Sept. 13, 2021 Deadline interview, Bentley says, “I felt like (a jockey’s life) was a rich, interesting world that we hadn’t really seen on film before.  For all the horse racing movies, it didn’t seem like they actually showed the life of a jockey and the life on the back side as it truly is.”

Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar feature the day-to-day grind of the sport – but also its beauty - at ground level.  We see horses and riders line up in the starting gate and then stomp onto the welcome, oval track.  In a movie theatre, the races sound like Bentley and his crew elaborately and gently Scotch-taped tiny microphones on 40 hooves as the elegant creatures sprint and compete to place or show.  The film also makes a thoughtful (and probably a practical) choice by isolating Jackson’s face during races, and Collins Jr. clearly illustrates his character’s feelings during a contest and immediately after.  

Admittedly, “Jockey” doesn’t feature too many races.  The film may include 10 minutes of screen time, tops, of men sitting or riding on ponies during the lean, textured 94-minute runtime.

Most of the story features Jackson engaging in intimate conversations with his few connections and several shots of alone time, simultaneously addressing the tasks of his immediate present while carrying the literal and figurative bumps and bruises of his past.  He lives humbly, without needs or the resources to acquire the finer things in life.  The script doesn’t deliver too many particulars about Jackson’s history, but he carries deep wells of experience – granted, within the narrow band of racing – that have nestled in his memory and generally remain there via his silence.  

Jackson, however, speaks like a cowboy, a fella from an entirely different era, and he fits perfectly into Bentley’s on-screen world.  Filmed at Turf Paradise (a Phoenix horse racetrack), Bentley and cinematographer Adolpho Veloso capture the gorgeous desert setting with so many precious, wondrous shots of orange and purple Arizona sunrises and sunsets with tangible, rugged buttes barely cutting into the astonishing skies.  

Bentley and Veloso cast spells at times because this 21st-century story sometimes feels like a  19th-century western.  In fact, the film includes several silhouettes and even a campfire to add (or pay homage) to the genre, and Aaron and Bryce Danner’s mystical, dazzling, and gentle score nurtures the striking visuals. 

At one point, Jackson says – while starring into the sky with a 19-year-old inexperienced upstart named Gabriel (Moises Arias) – something like, “I love this time of day,” and we share this altruistic, appreciative sentiment.  

I appreciated “Jockey” at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, but via the “comfort” of my home due to the pandemic.  However, the film’s cinematic magic resonated with me even more during my second watch, this time during a theatrical screening.  Yes, this is a small, contained indie, but it communicates grand themes about our limited, treasured existence on this everlasting planet.  Jackson contemplates and feels the end of his career, but The Sonoran Desert will proudly stand long after he hangs up his riding boots.  

Collins Jr. - with his thin frame, expressive and revealing glances and gazes, and matter-of-fact discourse – embodies this old soul, a man who spent decades wrapping himself up in riding because he did know or see anything else.  This 51-year-old character actor has embraced dozens of supporting roles in many popular movies and television series, but he shines as a lead.  Jackson may be near the end of his career, but “Jockey” should propel Collins Jr.’s to brand-new beginnings of leading roles.  

Let’s hope so.  Collins Jr. is that good.  However, he’s not alone in this production.  Molly Parker and Colleen Hartnett offer key supporting performances, and Arias’ Gabriel is instrumental in disrupting Jackson’s solitary routines. 

Yes, this old rider suffers from wear and tear, but he doesn’t have to bear it alone.   

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Scream - Movie Review

Dir: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Dylan Minnette, Sonia Ammar, Mikey Madison, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Marley Shelton, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell

1h 54m

"What's your favorite scary movie?"

By the mid-90s, the horror genre was half a decade away from the slasher film boom of the 1980s, where icons like Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Freddy Krueger dominated the box office. Slasher film characteristics were still present and reinvented in films like 1992's "Candyman," but the oversaturation of franchises churning sequel after sequel produced more humor than horror. The worst part, the scare factor became nearly nonexistent.

However, in 1996, legendary filmmaker Wes Craven, responsible for conjuring an iconic figure of horror cinema in the 80s with Freddy Krueger, continued to push the genre forward with "Scream." This film transformed the landscape of genre storytelling by developing a narrative that reflected and acknowledged the plot and character tropes and stereotypes of horror films that came before. It was intelligent, funny, and, most importantly, scary. And for many horror fans, this film would grow to become the answer to the question, "What's your favorite scary movie?" 

The legacy of Woodsboro's murderous past continues in "Scream," co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's continuation of Wes Craven's vision of modernized horror. Coming 11 years after the ahead-of-its-time "Scream 4" and with the absence of Wes Craven, who passed away six years ago, this updated invention of "Scream" holds firmly to the tradition of the past, paying homage to the extent of becoming lost in its self-referential designs. "Scream" applies, reapplies, and slightly modifies the original film's formula, crafting a clever but redundant update. 

A new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins accumulating a deadly body count of teens in Woodsboro, California. Tara (Jenna Ortega) is brutally attacked in her home, her estranged sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) returns to her hometown, bringing her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) along for the journey. Past secrets and long-forgotten memories are resurrected, connecting the past to the present and bringing survivors Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox) back to the town they have tried so desperately to escape. 

Screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick return viewers to familiar territory, bringing back characters from past films while also trying to summon the essence of the original movie. The film crafts one of the best cold openings since the original in the process. The dialog banter between a young teenage girl with love for "elevated horror" and a sinister voice-on-the-phone with a passion for the "classics" is sharp and witty. It's an amusing callback to the original that is updated and subverted enough to launch this film as a fun, gory mystery. 

But as things take shape, with a Ghostface who is always one step ahead of everyone, the group of young people tries to connect the dots of who might be the mastermind under the mask. They self-describe their involvement in this new murder mystery as a "requel," a cross between a reboot and a sequel. Beyond the meta-analysis of horror movies of recent years, the film also examines the aspect of toxic fandom. It's a unique perspective to explore in the world of pop culture, where fans expect that their favorite character, story, or universe should go on forever. Along with the heightened expectation of getting everything they want from their favorite thing. Can we imagine a world where Marvel movies don't exist anymore? Will Michael Myers ever go away? Will the new Hellraiser movie meet all my unreasonable expectations? Unfortunately, this thoughtful focus is executed with both satisfying and irritating twists and turns in the film.

The enjoyable pieces all involve unraveling the secret, the whodunit of the slasher motifs utilized. The annoying parts exist with the development of the characters, both old and new, missing the strong characteristics used so effectively in the past films. Even the return of Sidney, Dewey, and Gail is awkwardly instituted into the narrative; with the exception of Dewey, both Gail and Sidney are afterthoughts until the finale. 

"Scream" starts with a bang, a clever and thoughtful reintroduction of the classic horror franchise that revolutionized horror storytelling. The thrills are fun, gory, and violent in the best ways for horror fans. As it namechecks other films, like "The Witch" and "The Babadook," with a mix of admiration and admonishment to serve its meta-narrative causes, "Scream" pushes into a corner with no place to escape. In the process of revisiting, reintroducing, and reforming this continuation of "Scream," it becomes too self-aware of its designs.  

Monte's Rating

3.00 out of 5.00

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Jeff's Top 20 Movies of 2021!

Like most folks, 2021 was not my easiest year on record, but I did return to movie theatres!  For that, I am infinitely grateful.  Let’s hope for more progress and less heartache in 2022 and for three steps forward to combat the inevitable two steps back.  

Speaking of numbers, I caught plenty of flicks - via film festivals (including ours, obviously), frequent trips to local cineplexes, and streaming at home – and revisited the annual puzzle/beloved exercise of narrowing down my lengthy list of favorite films to just 20.  

Here they are: My Top 20 Movies of 2021! 

20. “The Truffle Hunters” – What is a truffle, and how do you hunt for one?  Well, a truffle is an underground fungus that doesn’t run, but it can undoubtedly hide, and directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw seek out the very few capable individuals – a group of recluses – who thrive in this eccentric profession.  In this minimalist documentary, Dweck and Kershaw do not formally introduce these generally anonymous huntsmen, who slog over Piedmont, Italy’s steep gradients, muddy roads, and leaf-littered forest floors, as they search for prized, evasive nuggets.  The film drops the audience into a world of tradition and trade, but without explanations or frameworks.  We must rely on osmosis and keen observation to learn anything because the hunters – and at least two are octogenarians - have all the answers but aren’t willing to hand over the Cliff Notes.  Geez, who are these guys?  Let’s watch this movie again! 

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19. “Introducing, Selma Blair” – Selma Blair owns 80 proud acting credits on IMDB.com – including “Cruel Intentions” (1999), “Legally Blonde” (2001), “Hellboy” (2004), and “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (2008) - but you’ve never seen her in a role like this.  She plays herself in a documentary that chronicles her excruciating physical and emotional fight against Multiple sclerosis.  Selma gives director Rachel Fleit carte blanche, as the Gen-X actress wrestles with the toils of walking, speaking, staying awake, attempting to preserve an accustomed relationship with her young son Arthur, and coping with vigorous, invasive experimental stem-cell treatments to combat this cruel, disabling disease.  We may not have known the behind-the-scenes Selma before she became sick, but you’ll deeply care for the woman standing in front of Fleit’s camera.   

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18. “Shiva Baby” – Danielle (Rachel Sennott) isn’t keeping up with the Joneses these days, but she’ll need to stay one step ahead of her parents, her best pal Maya (Molly Gordon), distant aunts and uncles, five dozen other acquaintances, and her sugar daddy in a dandy and demanding comedy debut from Emma Seligman.  Sennott is marvelously convincing as a stressed-out young woman with too many moving parts spinning in her head and standing in front of her.  Danielle attempts to find solace - and trap doors - from sticky conversations, double-takes, and unadulterated embarrassment during a period of mourning, a shiva.  (Her uncle’s second wife’s sister died.)  Shot primarily at one location, Danielle needs an escape, but chances are that you’ll walk away from Seligman’s movie with a big smile and a few (more) strands of gray hair. 

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17. “A Hero” – Asghar Farhadi is a master at weaving intricate, knotty threads that snare his characters into stressful circles, especially within the confines of ordinary family homes.  In 2021, Farhadi crafts another bold picture with “A Hero”, and here, our protagonist (Amir Jadidi) attempts to thread a needle to restore his reputation.  Rahim (Jadidi) receives a short, temporary release from prison, but his girlfriend devises a scheme, a lie.  If all falls into place, Rahim will be portrayed as a Good Samaritan (maybe, a hero), and he might finally find the law on his side.  Hey, what could go wrong?  This cinematic yarn will bind audiences with collective dread and unwanted, uncomfortable pits in our stomachs, but maybe the predicament will resolve itself.  It’s possible, but you know that old saying:  Oh, what tangled webs we weave…    

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16. “Stillwater” – Stillwater, Okla. resident Bill Baker (Matt Damon) repeatedly travels overseas to Marseille and finally decides to make France his home, but he feels as out of place as a snowball sitting on a tropical island.  Tom McCarthy’s culture-clash drama is part-character study, part-crime thriller, and part-family drama.  Fans of “The Secret in Their Eyes” (2009) will appreciate McCarthy’s movie, as “Stillwater” also defies convention and plays with pace and genres, which drive the unexpected narrative.  Ultimately, both locales impact one man, an old soul who doubles as a new traveler.    

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15. “Passing” – By random chance or perhaps fate, high school friends Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga) reconnect at a posh New York City restaurant as 30-somethings.  They explore their life choices that afternoon and beyond in Rebecca Hall’s first feature film, an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel.  The story dives headfirst into identity and race, as Irene quickly discovers that Clare has been passing as a white woman for years.  Filmed in a rich black and white, Hall captures the big-band sights and sounds of the 1920s as well as the rigid racial lines of the period, ones that Clare has routinely crossed without consequences.  She, however, might discover what she’s lost.   

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14. “Final Account” – Some are ashamed.  Some are in denial.  One is defiant.  They are elderly German and Austrian men and women who share their recollections of life at home during World War II - and the years leading up to it - in Luke Holland’s sobering documentary.  In 2008, Holland, who passed away in 2020, started conducting interviews with the said senior citizens – from mostly small communities like Wilhelmshaven, Bernburg, and Brandenburg - who watched fascism unfold in front of their eyes.  In addition to the revealing, innermost conversations, Holland adds footage from Hitler Youth camps, and the film boils and broils into an unsettling cinematic concoction and a glaring conclusion:  tyranny can quickly rise on a foundation of apathy. 

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13. “The Velvet Underground” -  This iconic New York City rock band began its climb to fame via Andy Warhol’s support during the mid-to-late 1960s, and director Todd Haynes aptly takes an industrial, artistic approach to frame his documentary.  Visually, the film resembles a black and white multimedia exhibit in a modern art museum.  Haynes frequently divides the frame and simultaneously features multiple snippets and clips, like the introduction to “The Brady Bunch” on LSD.  It’s a trip!  Just like this unlikely quartet’s – Lou Reed, John Cale, Moe Tucker, and Sterling Morrison – musical voyage, and German model/singer Nico also plays a critical role in the group’s first album.  Still, in this doc, individual songs are less important than the avant-garde musicians’ initial connections and innovative, experimental collaboration.    

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12. “About Endlessness” – Roy Andersson’s unique on-screen perspective is back, as he devotes a series of peculiar sketches that present humanity’s everyday collisions with modern society.  A deliberately bland, brown color palette, stiff deliveries by the (mostly) amateur actors, and bleak, minimalist sets run throughout the film’s 78-minute runtime.  “About Endlessness” feels like a surreal trip to Whoville, if the collective Who-population was in dire need of Prozac, and their surroundings – although cartoonish – are devoid of whimsy.  Still, Andersson’s core observations are soaked with the truth.  Repeat viewings are required.  

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11. “Titane” – Julia Ducournau’s midnight madness, art-house flick – about a car model’s (Agathe Rousselle) baffling trek - is impossible to predict, scene to scene, moment to moment.  Rousselle’s and Vincent Lindon’s performances, a spellbinding score, and a mind-bending concept from a David Cronenberg fever dream yank us all over a highway to a chaotic and claustrophobic hell.  Ducournau pushes the pedal to the metal, as we race at 300 km/h, but she repeatedly brakes to observe intensely personal themes like sexual objectification, parent-child strife, and gender identity through a narrative that you couldn’t begin to dream up, even if you hired 100 writers, philosophers, artists, and psychotherapists and sent them on a 30-day hallucinatory retreat.  It’s a horrifying ride.  Buckle up!  

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10. “Belfast” – To open the “Belfast” TIFF 2021 premiere, Kenneth Branagh said, “I’ve been waiting and wanting to tell this story for 50 years, and over that time, I have repeatedly heard the beautiful, cacophonous noise of this city in my head.”  He sets his semi-autobiographical movie in Aug. 1969, during the early days of the Troubles, a conflict between Protestants and Catholics.  Although this gorgeously-filmed black and white picture features violence, looting, and barbed wire stacked on cobbled streets, the love of family, a charismatic nine-year-old boy (Jude Hill), welcome supporting performances from Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Ciaran Hinds, and Judi Dench, along with a joyous soundtrack from Van Morrison won this critic over.  Sure, Belfast has a messy history, but Branagh may have just become the city’s greatest tourism ambassador, as he majestically frames countless shots with the meticulous precision of a scientist filled with joy and nostalgia. 

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9. “The Power of the Dog” – On March 27, 2022, Benedict Cumberbatch deserves to stride up the Dolby Theatre’s steps to the stage and collect a Best Actor Oscar for his commanding performance as Phil Burbank, a spiteful, heartless cattle rancher who vomits resentment and vitriol towards anyone who isn’t a steer.  It’s 1925 Montana, and although folks like Phil’s brother George (Jesse Plemons) drive gas-powered carriages from the Gatsby era, Jane Campion constantly fills the screen with desperation, desolate browns of mountainous rock and prairie grass, and a drafty homestead that call back to time-honored westerns and cruel and crafty Darwinism.  

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8. “Licorice Pizza” – Paul Thomas Anderson couldn’t decide on a title for his movie, but he landed on “Licorice Pizza”, the name of a Southern California record-store chain, and during a Nov. 10, 2021 Variety interview, he said, “It seemed like a catch-all for the feeling of the film.”  And how!  Anderson’s hang-out comedy – set in 1973 – is filled with a collection of oddball happenstances driven by an industrious 15-year-old high-school student/businessman (Cooper Hoffman) and his crush on a directionless 25-year-old (Alana Haim).  Unexpected astonishments, nonchalant pacing, and the coolest soundtrack since “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) act as a hypnosis of sorts, and first-time actors – Hoffman and Haim – cruise along with the script’s groovy (and sometimes purposely uncomfortable) vibes in this weird, winding journey.   

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7. “Limbo” - Omar (Amir El-Masry), a 20-something Syrian refugee, wishes to reside in the U.K., but he’s stranded on a desolate Scottish island while waiting for his paperwork to clear.  We live in a world of instant gratification, but the United Kingdom’s official “like” on his request doesn’t seem imminent, especially when his friend Farhad (Vikash Bhai), an Afghanistan native, has been stuck at this far northern outpost for 32 months.  Ben Sharrock’s dramedy takes full advantage of the great outdoors surrounding this sparsely-settled community - sitting on the 57th Parallel - with constant shots of barren, coastal grasslands that may resemble Washington’s Palouse commingled with gloomy, dormant volcanic buttes.  No question, Omar’s somber, stoic mood reflects this lonely place, as El-Masry delivers a compelling, restrained performance, but yes, “Limbo” does have comedic elements too.  In fact, a quirky dance scene with Hot Chocolate’s “It Started With a Kiss” opens the film, but Sharrock’s picture is primarily about the immigrant experience, where a numbing waiting game and reflection about one’s self-worth are the built-in conflicts.    

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6. “The Daughter” – Irene (Irene Virguez) – a pregnant 15-year-old – forges a pact with a 40-something childless couple, Javier (Javier Gutierrez) and Adela (Patricia Lopez Arnaiz), as the three commit an elaborate deception.  Irene pretends to run away from a juvenile detention center – where she resides and Javier works – so she can live in their massive, isolated home and carry her unwanted pregnancy to term without anyone else knowing.  Irene would then bequeath her baby to Javier and Adela.  In a Sept. 13, 2021 TIFF interview, director Manuel Martin Cuenca says, “At points, we were calling (the pact) a crystal agreement because it really was an impossible agreement.  At some point, it’s going to break.  It’s going to fall apart.  Why?  Because emotions are involved.”  Yes, this arrangement is a win-win for both parties, but it’s also a charade built on a foundation of deceit.  Javier and Adela’s house sits on a precipitous, intimidating mountain range in Spain’s Jaen Province, and fittingly, Cuenca’s jaw-dropping thriller takes razor-sharp, hairpin turns that will trigger whiplash.  

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5. “Drive My Car” – Trauma can invade one’s life in an instant, persist for a minute or perhaps a few startling seconds, but the recovery from the distressing event could carry on for years.  Ryusuke Hamaguchi models the aforementioned emotional feature of the human condition in the construction of his film.  Yusuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima) – a successful stage actor - suffers a devastating personal loss early in the 1st Act.  Actually, Hamaguchi includes enough drama for an entire movie within the first half hour of his 179-minute picture.  After two aching years, Yusuke leaves Tokyo for Hiroshima to direct a play, and the distance and this city’s history are metaphors for distraction and healing.  The narrative’s relaxed tempo offers room for our protagonist to express his regrets and develop a bond with his 20-something driver, Misaki (Toko Miura).  Sometimes, one has to reach for help or at least connect with a friend to pull through seemingly impossible times, and perhaps, hour-long commutes in a Red Saab might be a therapeutic “vehicle” for Yusuke.   

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4. “The Worst Person in the World” – Julie (Renate Reinsve) is a beautiful and bright 20-something living in the prosperous city of Oslo.  This charming, educated woman could blaze any career path that she chooses, and just about any single man would trip over himself for a first date.  However, too many options in life and love can be a stifling, paralyzing problem in the 21st century.  Joachim Trier captures this theme, but for storytelling sake, he pares down Julie’s choices to offer an awfully compelling and accessible romantic drama about embracing the here and now…or looking elsewhere.  What is the correct answer?  It’s all about perspective, gut feelings, needs, wants, and timing, as Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie navigate a likable, loving, modern-day couple who hopefully dodges roadblocks and avoids shortcuts that Trier places in their collective way.   

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3. “Mass” – On an ordinary afternoon, a volunteer and a social worker prepare a pleasant Episcopal church meeting room.  This unassuming space contains a table, chairs, snacks, a Kleenex box, and invisible tension.  It will house an assembly of four to discuss a topic unknown to the audience.  They (Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney, and Ann Dowd) arrive in two pairs, sit, and debate in this chamber for most of the movie’s 110-minute runtime in Fran Kranz’s deeply affecting picture, one that feels like a no-frills Broadway play.  In his directorial debut, Kranz doesn’t immediately reveal the core event that brought these rational but emotionally-scarred individuals together.  However, he slowly divulges critical tidbits along the way and keeps us glued to the conversation.  Isaacs, Plimpton, Birney, and Dowd seem to bestow every one of their acting gifts – like athletes leaving it all on the field – in this consuming experience.  

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2. “Petite Maman” – Celine Sciamma’s contemporary fantasy begins with a loss.  Off-camera, eight-year-old Nelly’s (Josephine Sanz) grandmother passes away.  Nelly, her mom (Nina Meurisse), and her dad (Stephane Varupenne) travel to the late woman’s home to sift through belongings and settle customary affairs.  However, misfortune morphs into magic on the following day, when Nelly meets a new and noteworthy friend, Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), to distract her from yesterday’s sorrow.  In just 72 precious minutes, Sciamma opens a cinematic door, holds our hands, and leads us to a world with an impossible and mesmerizing connection between two kids.  (The movie’s secret is in its title.)  Rather than concoct grandiose set pieces, Sciamma grounds her picture with everyday happenings and tender steps, like making breakfast, building a fort in the woods, gentle discourse, and hugs between a parent and a child.  Every moment in this movie is endearing, and Josephine and Gabrielle completely sell the film’s premise.  “Petite Maman” might be the sweetest film that I’ve ever seen. 

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1. “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”

The Summer of 1969.  What’s the first image that comes to mind?  The Apollo 11 Moon landing or Woodstock might be #1 for most Americans.  For the Gen X crowd, Bryan Adams’ single “Summer of ‘69” could round out the Top 3.  After watching first-time director Questlove’s enormously entertaining and informative documentary, it’s time to move over Bryan Adams.  The Harlem Cultural Festival – held over six joyful Sundays from June 29 to Aug. 24, 1969 in Mount Morris Park - joins the famed NASA mission and that other music party.  If you haven’t heard of the Harlem Cultural Festival, you are not alone.  Now, 300,000 people – primarily Black audiences - attended the free New York City celebration of jazz, blues, Motown, and gospel, and a crew filmed the festivities, but “the footage sat in a basement for 50 years.  It has never been seen.  Until now.”  

Questlove – one of the founding members of The Roots – embraced a Herculean responsibility:  to decide which groups, singers, and songs make the cut for his documentary.  “Summer of Soul” has a 112-minute runtime, and 45 hours of festival film footage exists, so do the math.  

During a Feb. 3, 2021 IndieWire interview, Questlove says, “I probably had to do six or seven rounds of just sitting through all that footage, and either directly watching it or studying it, or just having it on in the background, and (then) something catches my attention.”  

He adds, “I wanted to take note of what just gave me goosebumps.”  

The man’s goosebumps-sense is on-point.  He finds and picks an abundance of flat-out dazzling performances from The 5th Dimension, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, and more, including a mesmerizing 19-year-old Stevie Wonder donning a stylish brown suit with a mustard ruffles shirt flaring from underneath his jacket collars.  The film offers pulse-pounding, captivating on-stage recordings, but Questlove lets the video run for entire songs, rather than only offering small, 30-second clips here and there.  We are treated to the 3-to-5-minute classic tracks from start to finish.  Frequently, with any live performance, singers and their bands give us a little extra, which our filmmaker and the fans in attendance proudly embrace.  

Dorinda Drake was 19 at the time, and she remembers walking with her three best friends to the park because it was only 10 blocks away.  “It was exciting.  We hadn’t had anything like that in Harlem that I can recall,” Drake says. 

Musa Jackson was just a kid in 1969.  “I remember being with my family walking around the park, and as far as I could see, it was just Black people.  This was the first time I’d ever seen so many of us.  It was incredible,” Jackson says and adds, “Beautiful, beautiful women, beautiful men.  It was like seeing royalty.” 

In between songs and sometimes during them, Questlove finds stars like Gladys Knight and Lin-Manuel Miranda to opine about the festival’s magnitude.  He also intertwines political and socio-economic issues of the time.  The 1960s saw the assassinations of JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.  Heroin addictions reached epidemic levels in American cities, and young men were fighting and dying in Vietnam.  The country was on fire, but the film explains that music is a release for the men and women on stage and in the audience.  “Summer of Soul” is a beautiful, eye-opening movie that reaches out to culture, spiritual beliefs, politics, and race relations.

It’s a time warp into a wondrous collection of shows – with striking fashion choices and theatrical movements - that should’ve received widespread pop-culture recognition over the last 50-plus years.  Most regrettably, the event did not, but that slight is passé.  Everyone can now celebrate the Harlem Cultural Festival, a 20th-century landmark event, with this 21st-century cinematic treasure.   

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Monte's Favorite Films of 2021

In another year of uncertainty, it was nice to return to the safe sanctum of the movie theater. While the movies that found the silver screen mainly were superheroes, franchises, or big budgets, there were still many rewarding films to search out and watch. With streaming services growing more dominant, the availability of the typically hard-to-find arthouse movies seemed far more accessible than ever before. While I still crave the popcorn-saturated smell of a beautiful cinema, 2021 displayed that people find new ways to connect with artistic visual media. And there was much to consume in 2021. These 12 films, plus a few more that almost made the list, are the ones that displayed the joy of discovery and gift of engagement that movies have always provided for me. Here are my favorites of 2021. 

12. The Tragedy of Macbeth

The Shakespearean tragedy that examines the fear, folly, and fall of Macbeth is adapted with meticulous detail in a visually stunning and faithfully authentic adaptation. Composed within the desolating contrast of black and white photography, the gloom of darkness grows more threatening as the film moves from treacherous betrayal to brutal uprising. The use of supernatural elements, with witches and ghostly shadows, is haunting. The madness of Macbeth, embodied by a spirited performance from Denzel Washington, is mesmerizing from start to finish. Joel Coen's artful adaptation is a marvel of design and structure. 

11. CODA

"CODA" tells the tale of a seventeen-year-old young woman named Ruby (Emilia Jones), the sole hearing member of a deaf family. This coming-of-age film doesn't rely on twists and turns to move its story forward but instead utilizes an accomplished cast to bring charm and heart to its plot. Emilia Jones is delightful, and the use of American Sign Language is lovely to see on film. "CODA" will have you smiling long after it leaves you.  

10. The Mitchells vs. The Machines

There aren't many films this year that I immediately wanted to watch again, "The Mitchells vs. The Machines" was one of those films. It is a feel-good family animation with a loving spirit for film and intelligent storytelling that displays the power of family and the importance of working together despite their differences. It's witty, charming, and surprisingly emotional. But perhaps the best recommendation comes from my 10-year son, who said, "we need more movies that show how important it is to work together."

9. Pig

The trailer for "Pig" evokes the sensibilities of recent action/revenge films like "John Wick" or "Nobody." A scruffy truffle hunter who lives a life of solitude in the Oregon wilderness ventures into the city to find the person who stole his beloved pig. While the premise may elicit more odd reactions than the actual desire to watch the film, I assure you that "Pig" is so much more than what it advertises. Anchored by a subdued yet passionate performance from Nicolas Cage, "Pig" is a poignant journey of love and redemption. 

8. Spencer

"Spencer," a boundary-breaking biopic about Diana, the Princess of Wales, is described by director Pablo Larraín as "a fable from a true tragedy." It is a psychological drama, a tense thriller, a claustrophobic horror film, and a satirical comedy. Kristen Stewart, who continues to grow captivatingly as an actor, displays grit, elegance, and grace in the lead role. Stewart's performance is a highlight of any in 2021. Johnny Greenwood's pulsating score amplifies the themes of captivity and the yearning to break free. "Spencer" delivers a fable of the precarious path traveled in an attempt at freedom. 

7. Petite Maman

To reveal the intentions of writer/director Céline Sciamma's elegant and emotional journey into the life of a grieving family, specifically, a young girl named Nelly (Joséphine Sanz), would do a disservice to the magical cinematic vision this film composes. "Petite Maman" is a beautifully crafted film for children of all ages. Whatever you call it, a fable or allegory, it's undeniably excellent storytelling. 

6. The Green Knight

The brilliance of David Lowery's vision, "The Green Knight," is that the film isn't interested in finding understanding. It never positions itself for easy answers but instead lavishes in the twisting quest from the Round Table into the forest citadel. It has everything that current times have instilled into stories of knights in shining armor, adventure, danger, monsters, witches, spirits, and bloodshed. But "The Green Knight" never feels modernized; instead, there is no effort to update the language or repurpose the legend to fit a comfortable category. "The Green Knight" casts a spell of storytelling, an absorbing and visually beguiling tale.

5. The Killing of Two Lovers

The opening of director Robert Machoian's deftly crafted drama of love, loss, and longing is a meticulously composed act of tension. The story, about a married couple struggling to keep their relationship alive while living separated, displays the complicated emotional struggles of two adults trying to make sense of their committed life and the responsibilities and obligations that consume it. At times a haunting wintry tale of lost love and, in other moments, a heartbreaking story of the hardships endured during marriage. It's a character drama of the highest degree, finely directed and acted.

4. Licorice Pizza

In "Licorice Pizza," a coming-of-age movie set in the San Fernando Valley during the 1970s, director Paul Thomas Anderson paints a passionate and personal film about youth and maturation. The film follows Gary; a hustling teenager played with sincerity by Cooper Hoffman. And Alana, an assertive and strong-willed young woman, played with vibrance by Alana Haim. The two bicker and banter, succeed and fail, flirt and fall in love in the shadow of Hollywood and the glow of daydream California. Anderson stages a careful yet carefree film in its execution of structure and storytelling. 

3. Power of the Dog

Director Jane Campion examines the shifting, visible and concealed, characteristics of identity for a group of people living on a ranch through the western genre. Campion, with expert precision, weaves a western that is complicated and compelling, a psychological thriller that operates with enough ambiguity to keep the mystery of manipulations intriguing until the bitter end. Benedict Cumberbatch crafts a menacing and manipulative character. It's an impressively constructed film from the hands of one of cinema's most accomplished directors.

2. Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Director Ahmir Thompson, a.k.a. Questlove, takes us to a six-week summer music festival in 1969 known as the Harlem Cultural Festival. Though on the surface a concert movie, this documentary is also a journey through a critical time in history for Black America. The music explores both diversity and unification, while the concert event displays a new movement in culture, politics, and pride. The interlacing of civil rights violence footage, speeches from political activists, and interviews with concert attendees are impeccably arranged. "Summer of Soul" is simply one of the best music documentaries ever made.

1. Drive My Car

In a film about dealing with grief, understanding the bounds of love, the traumatic and therapeutic process of work, and the healing capacity of art, director Ryusuke Hamaguchi crafts a stunning piece of cinema with "Drive My Car." At nearly 3-hours in length, Hamaguchi's film never outstays its tender yet complicated welcome. Centering on the life of a widowed theater director Yusuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima), working on an "Uncle Vanya" production for a festival in Hiroshima, the story maneuvers a delicate and meditative trance of emotion. "Drive My Car" is masterful filmmaking. 

Honorable Mentions:

• C'mon C'mon

• The Empty Man

• French Dispatch

• Judas and the Black Messiah

• The Lost Daughter

• Memoria

• Old Henry

• Passing

• Red Rocket

• Riders of Justice

• Saint Maud

• Shiva Baby

• Spiderman: No Way Home

• tick, tick…Boom!

• Titane

• The Velvet Underground

• The Vigil

• Westside Story

• The Worst Person in the World 

• Zola

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A Year in Review: Jen’s Favorite Films of 2021

By Jen Johans

An Introduction:

For me, it really starts in November. That's when I begin to draft my first tentative, incomplete list of the best films I've seen all year and it's also when more screeners land in my inbox and door. No longer covering festivals and instead, spending most of my year revisiting older titles to prepare for my podcast Watch With Jen, November is also when I survey my friends and colleagues to figure out which films I should prioritize, and how much I still need to watch to not only vote in three different critics organizations but create this list overall.

Boring bookkeeping aside, however, it's also when I do what I most love as a film buff, which is to go beyond frequently listed favorites to search for buried treasure to share with others. Every year, it seems, there are films that a majority of critics loved that, for whatever reason, just don't register with me nearly as much as others I feel a personal connection to that are either overlooked or under-praised by the traditional press. Of course, in this pursuit, I'm also limited by which films were available to be safely screened for me by my deadline. (For example, you won't read about “West Side Story” or “Parallel Mothers” in this article because I haven't seen them yet.)

Still, featuring everything from big studio franchise fare to the smallest indies, docs, or foreign titles, this compilation of 2021 favorites is much more diverse than the list I created a year ago. Another difference I've noticed is the sheer number of recurring themes that seem to exist within these films, regardless of who made them, where, and how.

From “American Graffiti” to “Three Colors: Red,” fittingly for the movies, which is a medium that Roger Ebert famously described as “a machine that generates empathy,” one of my main screen obsessions has always been tales of unexpected human connection or stories where characters you would never expect to cross paths and connect suddenly do. Whether it's in “Drive My Car” or “Language Lessons,” such films show up multiple times in this list and doubtlessly, have taken on more poignancy during the global pandemic, as did my interest in films and characters who are all grappling with the past.

From unearthed footage captured in the tumultuous 1960s that's been edited together in music documentaries like “The Beatles: Get Back” to tales of flawed individuals utterly haunted by their pasts, as we move forward yet stand still in life in the time of Covid, we increasingly find ourselves needing to look back. 

Rather than rank my favorites in arbitrary numerical order, I thought that it would make much more sense to write about them naturally by theme and focus on the ways that (for me, at least) so many of these films relate to and/or interact with one another. More than just rattling off these titles as options for a quick watch, while I know you probably won't love them all, I hope you'll find some new favorites from among this list to eagerly look back on as a snapshot of how art tried to make sense of life in 2021.

The films you'll read about here (in order of how they're dissected) include: “The Power of the Dog,” “Old Henry,” “The Harder They Fall,” “The Dry,” “Wrath of Man,” “The Many Saints of Newark,” “No Time To Die,” “The Lost Daughter,” “Mass,” “Test Pattern,” “Flee,” “The Velvet Underground,” “The Beatles: Get Back,” “Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” “Drive My Car,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” “The Worst Person in the World,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Cyrano,” “Language Lessons,” “Luca,” and “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.”

(Read the rest of Jen’s essay on Film Intution here: https://reviews.filmintuition.com/2022/01/FavoriteFilmsOf2021.html)

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The Tender Bar - Virtual Press Conference

“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”

“The Tender Bar” is the story about J.R. – as a kid (Daniel Ranieri) and then young adult (Tye Sheridan) - who looks up to his Uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck).  Since J.R.’s father is rarely in his life, Charlie fills the void and encourages his nephew to read and pursue his passions.  Hey, he even gives dating tips.  Everyone could use an Uncle Charlie!  

George Clooney’s film – adapted from J.R. Moehringer’s 2005 memoir – has a terrific ensemble cast, and the Phoenix Film Festival was invited to a “The Tender Bar” virtual press conference with Ben, Daniel, Tye, Lily Rabe, Briana Middleton, screenwriter William Monahan, and Christopher Lloyd!   The Phoenix Film Festival’s questions weren’t chosen, but we were thrilled to attend the event.

“The Tender Bar” is playing in theatres and streaming on Amazon Prime! 

Q:  Ben, in the film, J.R. looks up to Uncle Charlie, not only as a father figure but also as a guy who he admires.  When you were growing up, who did you most look up to?

BA:  I have a number of people in my life that I was lucky enough to really support me.  My father, interestingly, also was a self-taught guy.  He was very, very interested in language, writing, and storytelling.  Ultimately, I had a drama teacher who was extraordinarily inspiring and influential.  He gave me a sense of confidence about (pursuing acting), so I didn’t seem reckless, crazy, and absurd to go out to L.A. and decide that I could be in movies.  Despite the fact that nobody wanted me in their movies (at first), I thought, “Well, Jerry thinks I’m good, so I probably am, I guess.”  That’s an incredibly powerful thing that (mentors) provide.  It’s an undervalued role in society, but it makes a huge difference.

Q:  Daniel, was acting for the first time easier or harder than you thought it would be?

DR:  It was easier than I thought.  I was kind of nervous in the first scene, but after, I said, “Oh wait. (There’s) no reason to be nervous.  This is easy.”  I wasn’t nervous (during) the rest of the scenes.  We filmed (them), had a good time, and I loved the experience.  

Q:  Tye, how closely did you and Daniel work together to make the performances consistent in playing the same character at different ages?

TS:  We didn’t get to work too closely.  We were shooting on the same days.  We would often have lunch together, so we got to know each other a little bit off-camera.  We were almost building the character together at the same time.  George was at the helm of directing and making sure we were both growing in the right way.  What did you think, Daniel?

DR: Yea, the same thing!  Tye (and I) have a relationship now, and I love him so much, like my big brother.  

TS: I love you, Buddy.

Q:  William, what are the main assets of J.R.’s memoir, and what were the main challenges of translating it to cinematic language?

WM: The main problem always is that you’re looking at a 400 or 500-page book, and you’ve got to bring it in (to) about 115 or 120 pages.  If you did a straight adaptation, you would have the kid, (the) teenager, and the young man.  So, one of those had to go.  It had to be the teenager, and you try to make the young boy work with the college-aged kid.  The book itself is just a monument of riches, and I grew up at the same time (as J.R.).  We were journalists (in) New York at the same time.  I come from the same sort of background with very tough, literate Irish uncles, and (the book) suited me.  

Q:  Lily, what were your biggest sources of inspiration in coming up with your characterization of J.R.’s mom, Dorothy?

LR:  The memoir, like (William) said, is a mine of riches.  (J.R.) dedicated (it) to his mother, and there were so many beautiful things to fill my suitcase with before showing up to start shooting.  I had a very wonderful mother.  (We have) periods in (our lives) when we are waiting for the good things to start happening: to figure out who we are, to figure out what we love, to figure out what we’re going to do next, between breakups or between jobs.  My mother was so brilliant at pointing (out) that there’s so much life to be had in (those) “in between” moments.  There’s so much opportunity for joy in the down moments, in those moments of stillness.  That was such a remarkable quality in my mother.   

Q:  Briana, Sidney is a very complex character.  It’s very tough to side for or against her, depending upon the situation.  Is this something you felt when playing her? 

BM:  Yes and no.  I hope that people feel conflicted about her throughout the film.  I, as the person playing (Sidney), was an advocate for her and totally on her side.  I’m glad we get to see her family and the world that she comes from, and I hope that it adds an element to her, other than being the crazy girlfriend.  She’s very complex, and she’s someone who knows her trajectory but is maybe conflicted about what that is.  (Sidney) is still a young person but understands the world that she’s in, where she comes from, and the expectations that she has.  I think we’re seeing her figure that out too, and (J.R.) just happens to get caught in the wake of it.  

Q:  Christopher, when it comes to accepting roles, what do you look for in a project?

CL:  When I read (a script) for the first time, I want to feel that I can connect with something about the (character) that everybody else can connect with.  Otherwise, what’s the point?

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The Tender Bar – Movie Review

Directed by:  George Clooney

Written by:  William Monahan, based on J.R. Moehringer’s book

Starring:  Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe, Briana Middleton, Max Martini, and Christopher Lloyd

Runtime:  106 minutes

‘The Tender Bar’ serves some lovely performances but only the Cliff Notes of a worthy story

“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” – “Cheers” Theme Song, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo

For J.R. (Daniel Ranieri, Tye Sheridan), that place is The Dickens Bar, his Uncle Charlie’s (Ben Affleck) modest but busy and beloved pub.  When we first meet J.R., he’s in elementary school, but Charlie doesn’t serve him alcohol at such a young age.  Instead, J.R. receives plenty of root beers and, more importantly, advice.  His thoughtful uncle encourages the lad to read, pursue his passion (writing), and he also gives dating tips.  

Charlie, in his 30s or 40s, has his issues – like gambling setbacks and still living with his mom (Sondra James) and dad (Christopher Lloyd) – but he’s awfully kind to - and protective of - J.R.  

Since the young man’s father (Max Martini) isn’t usually in the picture – and trust me, no one wants him to be – Charlie helps fill the parental gap with supportive words and old-school pick-yourself-up mantras.  

Everyone should have an Uncle Charlie. 

Director George Clooney adapts “The Tender Bar” from J.R. Moehringer’s 2005 memoir of the same name, and the film covers the author’s experiences from childhood to young adulthood.  Clooney’s film offers memorable personalities, like J.R.’s mom (Lily Rabe), grandpa (Lloyd), college girlfriend (Briana Middleton), and absent father (Martini).  However, we get small snippets of others that we – quite frankly – don’t see enough.  

For instance, Grandma may have spoken one line in the entire film.  Pub regulars played by Max Casella and Matthew Delamater frequent The Dickens Bar, but we only get occasional glimpses.  Chief (Casella) – after a couple of cocktails – succinctly states the Magna Carta’s importance to J.R. and his friend Wesley (Rhenzy Feliz), and we see him at a bowling alley get together and a few flashes in the background, but that’s it. 

Indeed, Charlie and his buds must have plenty of hilarious adventures and missteps with J.R. to showcase on the big screen.  Well, we enjoy their drive to the beach as Charlie packs them in his Cadillac convertible.  Unfortunately, this joyous jaunt occurs during the end credits with Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” blasting on the theatre speakers.  No doubt, this critic enjoys that song, but it’d be nice to hear the banter along the way. 

Look, “The Tender Bar” is a pleasant coming-of-age film. (It’s rated R because of a gratuitous sex scene and the frequent use of one particular word that forcibly pushes the Motion Picture Association of America away from PG-13.)  

The problem is that the movie covers too many ages in just 106 minutes, namely one too many. Screenwriter William Monahan has the unenviable task of baking an entire person’s memoir into a 1-hour 46-minute film.  He features J.R. as a child (Ranieri) and then a high schooler/college student/young journalist (Sheridan).  In doing so, the on-screen events leapfrog from memory to memory at a swift pace to embrace J.R.’s passage from age 10 to roughly 23.  

No doubt, the film has some genuine moments, like Grandpa taking J.R. to a Father and Son Breakfast, Mom’s heart-to-heart about success, and Charlie chewing out the school’s psychologist.  Affleck is flat-out terrific in every single on-screen moment, as Charlie provides his nephew with continuous counsel.  These scenes are insightful and glorious.  A 10-year-old needs guidance, and that’s what Charlie, Mom, and Grandpa provide.

However, J.R. needs to set aside conversing about life and live it, at least for a little while on-screen.  Other than the aforementioned bowling trip, young J.R. is mostly listening.  In fact, young J.R. writes up a newspaper called “The Family Gazette”, but we don’t see him work on it other than five seconds on a typewriter.   

Around the film’s 40-minute mark, Sheridan takes the full reins as J.R.  He goes to college (but this review will not reveal which university), meets new roommates, gets an on-again-off-again girlfriend, graduates, and lands a job as a reporter (on a trial basis).  

J.R. converses with key players, but the said events feel like a laundry list. For example, J.R. connects with brand-new college roommates – Wesley and Jimmy (Ivan Leung) - in the dorms, and Wesley says, “Let’s get f***** up.”  

In the next scene, we don’t see this college trio drink but sit in a class instead.  I imagine that Clooney filmed a raucous set of partying, but it ended up on the cutting room floor, or perhaps, the moment didn’t occur at all.  

It’s impossible to know, but there’s a lot of that in “The Tender Bar”.

Young J.R. writes “The Family Gazette” (as mentioned earlier), but he doesn’t do the research. 

Teenager J.R. goes to high school, but he doesn’t have friends or attend class.

College J.R. is a freshman, and in the next minute, he’s a senior. 

Adult J.R. works at The Dickens Bar, but he doesn’t bartend, bar-back, or wait tables.

Adult J.R. gets a job at a MAJOR newspaper, but we don’t see him write one story. 

The movie comes to a head when J.R. confronts his primary antagonist, but the emotional impact feels manufactured with some pretty brutal ugliness because maybe, we don’t really know this young man that much at all.  

Well, the movie certainly offers a soulful Ben Affleck supporting performance, some lovely moments from Ranieri, Sheridan, Lloyd, Rabe, and Middleton, and a toe-tapping soundtrack (including “Two of a Kind”, “Dancing in the Moonlight”, and “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”).  

Unfortunately, “The Tender Bar” only serves the Cliff Notes of a worthy story.   

Jeff’s ranking

2/4 stars

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Licorice Pizza – Movie Review

Directed and written by:  Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring:  Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim

Runtime:  133 minutes

‘Licorice Pizza’: Hoffman and Haim are a winning combination in this weird, winding journey

“I’m not gonna forget you.” – Gary (Cooper Hoffman)

You never forget your first crush, right?

Then again, you may, but not your first relationship.  

Gary isn’t in a relationship with Alana (Alana Haim), but he wants to be.  He tells his little brother that he’ll marry her someday.  Unfortunately, Gary – from Sherman Oaks, Calif. – has a problem about the size of the Rose Bowl and L.A. Coliseum combined.  He’s 15, and Alana – residing in nearby Encino, which is just 6.4 miles away according to Google maps – is 25.

Well, a major age difference, especially when the woman is older, can work just fine.  Comedian Nick Offerman (51) is 12 years younger than his comedienne wife Megan Mullally (63), and there’s Hugh Jackman (53) and Deborra-Lee Furness (66).  French President Emmanuel Macron (44) and Brigitte Macron (68) are a happy pair too, so comparatively, a 10-year gap is a mere pittance.  

C’est petite. 

Still, Gary is only 15, but he doesn’t operate like a typical teenager.  He’s an actor and also runs his mother’s public relations business, which seems fairly lucrative, or at the very least, it pays the bills.  Conversely, Alana proceeds like a directionless 18-year-old.  She – the youngest of three girls - lives with her parents, and the entire sister-triad inhabit their folks’ home.

Anyway, she works at Tiny Toes, a photography company, and Alana first meets Gary during his high school Picture Day!  Gary, who resembles a combination of Philip Seymour Hoffman (Cooper’s dad in real life) and Danny Partridge, gives his best effort as a conversationalist to win over Alana.  She’s a thin brunette – with a Marsha Brady hairstyle - who has heard every cheesy pickup line via the local pubs and burger joints for years and years. 

Since Alana does not see or anticipate better options on her immediate San Fernando Valley horizon (or for whatever reason), she reluctantly meets Gary for a drink.  They form a friendship and become business partners in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s weird, winding story that happens to be the very best comedy that this critic has seen in 2021.  

One of the year’s best films, in fact.  

Anderson’s hang-out movie – set in 1973 - puts out a vibe that life is a collection of happenstances and oddities, although initially fueled by Gary Valentine’s ingenuity and resourcefulness.  He’s a go-getter who rushes toward opportunities.  Since our young hero lives in the Entertainment Capital of the World, this kid – filled with pure ambition to succeed – sometimes bumps elbows with Hollywood’s shakers.  

While this irresistible teenage force attempts to win over a mid-20s immovable object, Anderson sprinkles several surprises and a few prominent cameos (who will not be named in this review) that add vibrant cinematic sugar rushes to Gary and Alana’s journey.  

Gary’s “Avengers Assemble” gusto with his 8-year-old brother and 15-year-old friends and Alana’s varied responses to this young lad’s entrepreneurial and naive fearlessness hold our attention for two-plus hours.  The aforementioned unexpected astonishments - in the form of distinctly unique sequences with peculiar banter - act as a hypnosis of sorts into this otherworld called the early 1970s.  For good measure, Anderson throws in groovy tracks that flood our senses and rival the infinitely catchy “Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 1” soundtrack. 

What’s more, Anderson includes Alana, Gary, and the gang in an extended scene with a truck that will drop your jaw for about five minutes straight, as our damsel-in-command showcases her powers. 

So, when does an actual licorice pizza enter the silver screen?   

Well, in Brent Lang’s Nov. 10, 2021 “Variety” interview with Anderson, the director says, “Growing up, there was a record-store chain in Southern California called Licorice Pizza.  It seemed like a catch-all for the feeling of the film.  I suppose if you have no reference to the store, it’s two great words that go well together and maybe capture a mood.” 

It certainly does. 

Admittedly, the casual pacing and the 10-year age gap between the lead characters will turn off some audiences, but for those wishing to absorb sharp - and sometimes magical - discourse on a bizarre, nonchalant ride will earn big rewards in the theatre and smiles for days…maybe years. 

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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Spider-Man: No Way Home – Movie Review

Directed by:  Jon Watts

Written by:  Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers

Starring:  Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, and Jon Favreau

Runtime:  148 minutes

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is a crowd-pleasing, popcorn-snacking, jaw-dropping flick  

“Spider-Man.  Where are you coming from, Spider-Man?  Nobody knows who you are.” – “The Electric Company” Spider-Man Theme Song  

Many apologies for contradicting the aforementioned decree, but when we last saw the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man (Tom Holland), everyone discovered “who he is.”

Everyone.

In director Jon Watts’ “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) – which seems like it arrived in theatres a decade ago – Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) reveals Spider-Man’s identity as Midtown High School senior Peter Parker to the world through J. Jonah Jameson’s (J.K. Simmons) news report on TheDailyBugle.net.  

“What the---?!?” Spider-Man exclaims.

Well, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” – again, helmed by Watts (who also directed “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017)) – picks up immediately from the “Far From Home” post-credit scene.  Now, in a panic, our Friendly Neighborhood Red & Blue Hero, grabs MJ (Zendaya), swings across the city and inside some subway tunnels, and arrives at home to flee the chaos and hoopla. 

Oh, he and we ain’t seen nothing yet!

“No Way Home” is - far and away – the most ambitious (live-action) “Spider-Man” movie.  Second place isn’t close.  

While “Homecoming” offered a long-form introduction to the MCU’s web-slinger (outside Holland’s first appearance in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)) and “Far From Home” was a denouement from the “Infinity War” (2018)/”Endgame” (2019) saga, this film takes a massive, incalculable concept – the multiverse – and introduces it to New York City.  More precisely, the multiverse’s expanse targets one human being, Peter Parker. 

The result is a crowd-pleasing, popcorn-snacking, and jaw-dropping 148-minute flick.

Sure, screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers take apparent departures with logic and also construct an ordinary problem – albeit under extraordinary circumstances – to trigger Peter’s multiverse dilemma, but any scriptwriting shortcuts or tangled webs are forgiven through the pair’s sweat and determination to please the audience, and more specifically, Spider-Man fans.

Die-hard Spidey fanatics won’t want “No Way Home” to end, as McKenna, Sommers, and Watts joyfully and skillfully include oodles of references, quotes, Easter eggs, surprises, and nostalgic cues throughout the 2nd and 3rd acts.  The film feels like the three said fellas must have mapped out this movie over countless four-hour, past-midnight diner conversations with the overjoyed glee of teenagers hopped up on stacks of pancakes and 40-oz glasses filled with soda pop.

So, who or what did this Spidey Team conjure?   

Conjure is apropos because Peter turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help with his current conundrum.  Since just about anyone on the planet tied to social media knows that Peter is Spider-Man, the folks closest to him – Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), MJ, and Ned (Jacob Batalon) – are negatively impacted.  No thanks to Mysterio and Jameson, Spider-Man/Peter is widely-considered a muddled hero or, at worst, a villain.  Chalk it up to guilt by association and perception is everything, so Peter asks Strange to stir up a spell that makes the world forget that he’s Spider-Man.  

The Good Doctor attempts to help this desperate teen, but due to Peter’s anxiety and meddling in the middle of the incantation, Strange ends the mystical experiment.  Unfortunately, the magic accidentally releases individuals from other universes who know Spider-Man’s true identity and brings them to this one.  

In other words, some specific villains from previous Spider-Man movies (namely from Sam Raimi’s and Marc Webb’s films) magically appear and hence offer brand-new challenges for Holland’s Peter. 

Doctor Strange assigns the unenviable task of cleaning up this mess to MJ, Ned, and Peter and exclaims, “Get on your phones, scour the Internet, and Scooby-Doo this ****.” 

Hey, just round up these new/old baddies, and then Strange will send them back to their respective homes.  Spidey, however, wants to travel an unselfish, noble path and help these otherworldly adversaries by “fixing” their problems.  

Have you ever dated someone who tried to fix you?  Maybe you were open to it, or perhaps not. 

Anyways, Peter attempts to “Scooby-Doo” and “Mr. Peabody” this super-predicament using Stark technology.  Since “No Way Home” is a comic book film that bathes in magic, multiverses, and superhero themes, one obviously suspends disbelief.  Still, Peter attempting to address immense physiological and technological challenges during a – seemingly - lazy Sunday afternoon has all the eye-rolling feelings of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) unlocking the key to time travel over coffee in “Avengers: Endgame”.

Although the key to this movie’s success is not how we got here, but hey, that we’re here!

“No Way Home” is not a happy accident.  It’s a thrilling, stand-up-and-cheer one, and Watts throws everything plus the kitchen sink (and a toaster oven for good measure) on the screen to take full advantage of this cinematic event’s time and place.

In the process, Holland, Cumberbatch, Zendaya, Batalon, Tomei, Jon Favreau, and others gladly tinker with the appliances and scores of toys, as they seem to enjoy the experience as much as we are. 

The film’s intended payoffs, and there are many, outweigh some flawed logic, the 1st act’s slow pacing, and insanely-instantaneous scientific breakthroughs.  

Well, Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy is complete.  Also, Peter’s high school life is now behind him.  How does the pomp and circumstance of this Spider-Man film top the next one?  Your guess is as good as mine because “No Way Home” may or may not be the best Spider-Man movie, but it’s the most rewarding one.   

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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National Champions – Movie Review

Directed by:  Ric Roman Waugh

Written by:  Adam Mervis

Starring:  Stephan James, J.K. Simmons, Lil Rey Howery, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, and Tim Blake Nelson

Runtime:  116 minutes

‘National Champions’ needs a little less talk and at least some action

“Get your popcorn ready because this is about to be a good one.”

Yes, in just 72 hours, the New Orleans Superdome will host the College Football Championship.  

The Missouri Wolves, led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner LeMarcus James (Stephan James), will face the Cougars and running back Cecil Burgess (Therry Edouard) in a gridiron clash for the ages.  

With a dizzying array of clips and commentary from familiar sports reporters during the opening, you could cut the air of excitement of director Ric Roman Waugh’s film with a chainsaw. 

However, after two minutes, the fanfare ends.  

You see, LeMarcus – the sport’s biggest star and the Miami Dolphins’ future # 1 draft pick – boycotts the big game to hold out for money and benefits for thousands of college football players.  No doubt, these athletes put their bodies in harm’s way during months of practice and 12-plus games a year, but they don’t earn a paycheck despite the NCAA raking in billions in annual revenues.  Sure, the football players earn scholarships and free living expenses for four years, but they don’t receive the slightest slice of the NCAA’s prosperous, posh pie.  As for the NFL, only a scant percentage of student-athletes graduate to the pros. 

Student-athletes face an unjust system, and the Missouri Wolves’ QB has lived through enough.  LeMarcus makes his most challenging attempt yet: facing a world of criticism during his biggest moment. 

Here’s one more criticism, and it’s a warning to the viewer:  “National Champions” doesn’t feature one play of the big game, as the entire premise circles around LeMarcus’ off-the-field fight with boosters, conference chairmen, other NCAA suits, his coach (J.K. Simmons), and a clever lawyer/hired gun.  

With just three days until kickoff, just about “everyone” wants him to give up this moral stance.  Rather than feature James firing touchdowns on the Superdome turf, Waugh sequesters his lead protagonist and his teammate Emmett Sunday (Alexander Ludwig) in a dimly lit hotel room.  Not just one chamber, but James, Sunday, Head Coach James Lazor (Simmons), Defensive Coordinator Ronnie Dunn (Lil Rel Howery), athletic booster Rodger Cummings (Tim Blake Nelson), and others pop into ordinary conference rooms or other suites as they chat, converse, discuss, and blather about the current stalemate.   

Sure, that’s the film’s point, but “National Champions” might be the most pedestrian sports movie in recent memory. 

Granted, addressing an inequitable economic system is an altruistic endeavor, and we should all applaud Waugh and screenwriter Adam Mervis for their message.  Still, I don’t know if a 116-minute cinematic narrative where players, coaches, administrators, and fans stand around and debate dollars is the best use of our time when an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary can flush out the same dispute.

To fill up nearly two hours, Waugh and Mervis break up the monotony with the coach’s wife (Kristin Chenoweth) engaging in an adulterous affair, and James and Sunday recite the Ezekiel 25:17 rant from “Pulp Fiction” (1994), so there’s that.  LeMarcus also nurses a bothersome head cold.  

For good measure, we get several drone shots of the football stadium and downtown New Orleans that might spark memories of the frequent San Francisco cuts in Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” (2003).

Still, let’s not wholly compare this movie to Wiseau’s infamous film.  That’s not fair, especially because “National Champions” creates a miraculous event.  This film turns J.K. Simmons – who played J. Jonah Jameson and won an Oscar for portraying one of the most memorable 21st-century villains in “Whiplash” (2014) – into the most ineffectual coach since George (Chelcie Ross), the high school basketball lead from “Hoosiers” (1986).  You know, the guy who Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) replaced. 

Well, at least Coach Lazor isn’t afraid to admit to his bedroom impotence to all his players and staff during a critical speech.  Yea, that happened.   

Jeff’s ranking

1.5/4 stars

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Being the Ricardos – Movie Review

Directed and written by:  Aaron Sorkin

Starring:  Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons, and Nina Arianda

Runtime:  125 minutes

‘Being the Ricardos’ captures a ‘scary’ week in this gripping, insightful Lucille and Desi biopic  

“That was a scary week.  It was a very scary week.” – staff writer Bob Carroll (Ronny Cox)

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz produced and starred in their megahit “I Love Lucy” (1951 – 1957) during the (first) Golden Age of Television.  It’s one of the all-time great sitcoms, as Lucy (Ball) usually knotted herself into harmless schemes over scores and scores of 23 to 26-minute episodes.  Lucy had to eventually and embarrassingly untangle her binds, and many times, in front of her husband Ricky (Arnaz).  

Hey, what’s your favorite “I Love Lucy” memory?  

The chocolate factory’s conveyor belt catastrophe – in S2E1’s “Job Switching” – might be this critic’s.  Then again, who could forget Lucy pitching Vitameatavegamin, but then stumbling over her words because the potion contains a sizeable percentage of alcohol in S1E30’s “Lucy Does a TV Commercial”.  

Yes, Lucille, Desi, William Frawley as Fred Mertz, and Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz triggered raucous laughter and warm memories in millions and millions of households through the show’s initial run and for future generations in reruns.  

Writer/director Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos” is a biopic about Lucille Ball, but not a traditional one.  A vast majority of the film’s 125 minutes transpires over one week, planning for an “I Love Lucy” episode, S2E4’s “Ethel and Fred Fight”.  

(For the record, this is an actual episode, but – in reality - in the show’s premiere season (S1E22).)

“I’m from the Midwest.  I’ve lived through The Depression, The Dust Bowl.  I don’t scare that easy, but yea, it was a scary goddamn week.”  - staff writer Madelyn Pugh (Linda Lavin)

Although we absorb snippets of Ball (Nicole Kidman), Arnaz (Javier Bardem), Frawley (J.K. Simmons), and Vance (Nina Arianda) playing their small-screen alter egos during takes and rewrites of this particular TV experience, the recreated show clips in this movie are few and far between.

With terrific comedic actors like Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, and J.K. Simmons jousting at times, “Being the Ricardos” has some whip-smart witty moments.  Still, this movie is not a comedy, nor a two-hour construction of “Ethel and Fred Fight”.  It’s partially the latter, but Sorkin’s film is a twisty, layered drama with multiple storylines that fly towards the audience with the speed of a dozen car salespeople gushing their pitches and vying for our attention in rapid succession on the last day to make their monthly quotas.  

This review will not reveal the most prominent dilemma, but it is severe enough to sully Lucille’s reputation and cancel “I Love Lucy” in just its second season.  Other tricky issues present themselves, including Lucille and Desi’s sometimes-combustible marriage, Frawley and Vance’s snide warfare, oodles of individual conflicts between the stars, writers, head producer, director, and chief sponsor, and lastly, a fundamental disagreement about the “Ethel and Fred Fight” episode itself.

Anyone looking for a light, whimsical history of “I Love Lucy” or Kidman and company delivering uproarious recreations of the beloved program for two hours will be disappointed.

Instead, this film is an insider’s look at the intricate, thorny making of a big-time television show with competing personalities and - seemingly - hundreds of moving parts, like table reads, camera positioning, and sponsor meetings.  With Sorkin’s illustrious television and film history, he is exactly the right person to pen such a script. 

Obviously, Sorkin and Kidman compound the spectacle by plunging into deep icon waters.  Lucille Ball is as renowned as John Wayne, Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, or Jack Benny.  Notice that the aforementioned comparisons are men.  That’s by design because Ball was a pioneer as a female comedienne and resilient businesswoman. 

No question, this is a risky but also fruitful cinematic exploration, and during a Dec. 6 “Being the Ricardos” virtual press conference, Kidman voiced her apprehension about playing Ball (pardon the pun). 

“Initially, when I said, ‘Yes’, I did not realize what I was saying ‘yes’ too,” Kidman says and adds, “Maybe, a week later, it hit me.  I was trying to work on baby steps into her voice, and it was nowhere within reach.  I (thought), ‘Oh no.  What have I done?’”  

She then discusses discovering both Lucy’s and Lucille’s voices, literally and metaphorically.   

Kidman says, “I was able to work on the actual Lucy part of it.  I could hang my hat on that.  I’d (think), ‘I’m going to have the hair.  I’m going to have the lips, and I’m going to have all of that.’  Even though (playing Lucy on the show) is a sliver of the movie, I’ll have that.  Then, out of Lucy Ricardo came Lucille Ball.  Lucille Ball is very different (than) Lucy Ricardo.  Lucille Ball created Lucy Ricardo.”

Kidman portrays a formidable, demanding, and perceptive presence who calls most of the shots regarding the show.  Lucille is a mesmerizing, intimidating force, but she wholly partners with – rather than bullies – Desi.  In almost all cases, Lucille and Desi are professionally aligned, but they are sometimes personally fractured.  

Kidman meets this daunting challenge and commands the screen, and her Lucy Ricardo moments offer pretty darn close to dead-on remembrances of our treasured red-headed character.  

Personally, my repeated reactions - during those precious minutes - were, “Wow!  She got it!”

Bardem compliments Kidman just fine as Arnaz.  He doesn’t resemble or sound like the real-life actor/producer, but Bardem is quite believable as Desi, especially when Arnaz influences and navigates his and Lucille’s livelihood and image.   

Two of the most compelling images outside the leads are Simmons and Arianda as Frawley, Vance, and Fred and Ethel Mertz.  Simmons dons frumpy prosthetics and a frank, sarcastic guise that brings William/Fred to life in every frame.  Meanwhile, Arianda offers an authentic picture of a woman worthy of much more than a second fiddle, but Vivian is resigned to playing supporting, plain notes for the good of the show.  

It’s all about the show, and yes, it was a scary week…and an utterly gripping and insightful time at the movies.  

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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Being the Ricardos - Virtual Press Conference

“I Love Lucy” (1951 – 1957) graced millions of American households for six seasons during the (first) Golden Age of Television, and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s hilarious sitcom made them stars.  Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are two of today’s brightest movie stars, and they play Lucille and Desi, respectively, in writer/director Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos”, a film set during one week of planning for an “I Love Lucy” episode, although most of this movie’s dramatics unfold behind the cameras. 

The Phoenix Film Festival was invited to a “Being the Ricardos” virtual press conference with Kidman, Bardem, and their co-stars J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda, who are William Frawley and Vivian Vance (a.k.a. Fred and Ethel Mertz) in the film.  The Phoenix Film Festival’s questions weren’t chosen, but we were thrilled to attend the event!

“Being the Ricardos” arrives in theatres on Fri., Dec. 10 and on Amazon Prime Video on Fri., Dec. 21. 

Q:  Javier, I love that this movie is not just about Lucille and Desi as business partners, trailblazing business partners, but also as a married couple dealing with stuff.  How did those different aspects of their relationship appeal to you?

JB:  Well, that’s the complexity of the script.  It really goes to different places without abandoning (anyone) specific.  It (has) lots of aspects of them as a couple, as artists, as colleagues, and everything is so well put together that it makes it more exciting to perform it and watch it.  It’s full of details to give you a good idea of who they were and what they were doing. 

Q:  Nicole Kidman, I always wondered why there wasn’t a movie made about Lucille Ball.  Look, she was a studio head at the time when there weren’t that many women running a studio.

NK:  None. 

Q:  None.  Exactly!

NK:  Well, she wasn’t running a studio, but they had Desilu Productions.  No actors had that at that time.  She was the first of her kind.  She was one of a kind.  This film pulls the curtain back.  It’s not the “I Love Lucy” show.  It’s how it was made and who was this person that was capable of that genius.  What was her story?  What was her life?  Aaron Sorkin compresses a number of things into a week and, flashing forward and back, (shows) the essence of who this woman was and who these people were.  When I was sent (the screenplay), I couldn’t put it down.  (It’s) extraordinary.  I will ask anyone to read the screenplay because it’s such a good read.  

Q:  You are all giving two performances in this movie.  You’re playing the characters you’re playing, and then you’re playing the characters that they play on the show.   Nina, how did you approach that?   

NA:  For me, it was really important to honor the physical differences between the two women because they were so extreme.  Vivian was a wonderful dancer.  She was a leading lady.  She was an ingenue, and Ethel was Ethel.  (I had) all of the research I could possibly want for Ethel, but for Vivian, it was a little tougher.  A producer sent me a clip that was a couple of seconds long, and it was simply Desi introducing Vivian Vance to the audience right before they were taping.  It was really eye-opening for me.  Out came this woman with a long spine, her shoulders back, and she sashayed and took a graceful bow and left.  I just saw a completely different woman.  I became so obsessed with her background.  For me, I was really trying to be as respectful as I could to these very different bodies.  

Q:  How about for you, J.K.?

JKS:  As Nina said, we all had plenty of “I Love Lucy” to watch, so for those few moments when we were expected to sort of mimic the aspects of the show itself - the play within the play - that was very clear.  About Bill Frawley, there was zero video that I could find outside of his films and his appearances on “I Love Lucy”.  No talk shows, (nothing) on video, and not even a book.  Desi famously wrote a book called “A Book”.  There were plenty of books about Lucille Ball and even about Vivian Vance.  Much less about Bill Frawley.  

All of my research was (done) through the perspectives of Vivian, Lucille, Desi, Jess Oppenheimer, and some audio interviews.  In a way, I found that to be – sort of – freeing, in terms of how I portrayed off-camera Bill, which is 98 percent of the movie.  He was, honestly, not all that dissimilar from the cranky landlord Fred Mertz, but - the gift that we all got from Aaron Sorkin in this script and his direction along the way - there were so many beautifully detailed layers for all of us.  

We got to see multiple aspects of these characters as they relate to each other at different times.  The scene at the bar that I have with Lucille.  The scene after the table read that I have with Desi.  The back and forth that Vivian and Bill have.  It was not easy, but it was clear how to lift that off the page.  

Q:  Javier, what struck you the most when you researched Desi Arnaz?  What were your entry points to play Desi?

JB:  His absolute confidence in himself and how supportive he was of his wife and the whole show.  How he overcame obstacles with his strong sense of humor.  That doesn’t mean that he didn’t take (the work) seriously, but he didn’t get stuck in the drama of it all.   

Q:  Nicole, in terms of preparation to play Lucille Ball, it’s more than just preparation.  It’s a responsibility of sorts.   

NK:  Initially, when I said, “Yes”, I did not realize what I was saying “yes” too.  I (said) “yes” to an Aaron Sorkin script and a great opportunity.  I was like, “Wow!”  It was (during) a pandemic.  It was an extraordinary thing to sit on a Zoom (call) with Aaron, and (he said), “I want you to play Lucille Ball.”  

Maybe, a week later, it hit me.  I was trying to work on baby steps into her voice, and it was nowhere within reach.  I (thought), “Oh no.  What have I done?  I wish I had the talent to do this, but I don’t.”  

Luckily, I had a couple of months (to) work on it slowly, meticulously, methodically, watching the show, listening to the voice, and doing all of the preparation, which is very unusual for me.  A lot of times, I’ll start really inside, but the inside of it was already there, just because I could relate to her.  I could feel her.  (The script) was so beautifully written.

Then, I (thought), “How do I actually create Lucille Ball?”

Aaron was fantastic.  When I freaked out, which I did, he sent an email that basically (said), “You’ve got this.  You’re just going to have to take it day by day.  I don’t want an impersonation.  I want you to do the work that you can do…that I know you will do.  I (don’t) want you to freak out because I believe you can do it.”  

I would challenge him on that at different points, and he would never waver.  He was so consistent in his belief.  I would be begging for some sort of nose or chin, and he’d say, “I don’t care.”  

It was frustrating for him, I think, because he saw how he wanted it.  It took me time to give over to that.  In the process, I was able to work on the actual Lucy part of it.  I could hang my hat on that.  I’d (think), “I’m going to have the hair.  I’m going to have the lips, and I’m going to have all of that.”  Even though (playing Lucy on the show) is a sliver of the movie, I’ll have that.  Then, out of Lucy Ricardo came Lucille Ball.  Lucille Ball is very different (than) Lucy Ricardo.  Lucille Ball created Lucy Ricardo.   

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Wolf - Movie Review by Monte Yazzie

Dir: Nathalie Biancheri

Starring: George MacKay, Lily-Rose Depp, Paddy Considine, and Eileen Walsh

1h 38m

"Wolf," from writer-director Nathalie Biancheri, begins with a young man named Jacob (George MacKay) being admitted by his mother (Helen Behan) into a treatment clinic. Jacob believes that he is a wolf trapped in a human body; he uses all four limbs to move around, growls when threatened, and will howl loudly at the moon. At the clinic, other patients exhibit similar behavior; an overachieving young man (Fionn O'Shea) barks like a German shepherd, a young woman (Lola Petticrew) squawks defiantly like a parrot, while a preteen boy (Senan Jennings) waddles around like a duck. Jacob grows close with a fellow patient named Wildcat (Lily-Rose Depp), who assists in helping him find ways to unleash the animalistic urges that are forcefully, sadistically, prohibited by the therapy leader known as The Zookeeper (Paddy Considine). 

Nathalie Biancheri crafts an allegory about gender and sexual identity told within the confines of a conversion-therapy clinic with characters who have species dysphoria, a term used to define people who believe their body is the wrong species. The story is set in an interesting location inside a hostile clinic environment with an unfeeling staff and a cruel administrator. The facade of safety for this facility is undone by the cold walls and gloomy window views. When parental figures are taken away to discuss their child's care, the staff verbally shames the patient. It's difficult to watch how adults treat young people here. 

"Wolf" struggles at times to find which path it wants to take to tell its tale. In the beginning, Biancheri takes the deliberate approach of letting the environment take the viewer's grasp, a smart move considering the introduction of characters is a mix of jarring behaviors. However, once the film delves into the composition of the characters, specifically Jacob's struggle with the urges he is feeling, the focus becomes confused in a mix of different motivations. 

Early in the film, Jacob's journey feels like one of self-discovery. George MacKay does a fine job portraying Jacob, displaying the hesitancy with indulging in the activities at the facility while also being guarded about his inner urges. The film transitions from this meditative component and begins to lean into its doctor-patient conflict elements and the prison-verse-prisoner themes in the more abusive moments. It also introduces a confusing relationship piece with Lily-Rose Depp's character Wildcat that feels too underdeveloped to connect itself back to the story theme Biancheri is examining. 

The committed performances from the cast are exceptional; they are the strength holding the film's wandering narrative in place. MacKay and Depp have lovely chemistry, and they commit entirely to the subtle and blatant performance attributes. Paddy Considine is excellent as The Zookeeper, with domineering physical actions while spewing menacing discourses about acting "normal," he composes one of the most reprehensible villains in film for 2021.

"Wolf," in some places, has the mood of a horror film with its dark hallways, wicked caregivers, and howling man-beast. However, the scares are less unleashed monster and situated more within the social commentary for gender and sexual identity surrounding the troubling reality of hatred and prejudice experienced by these people. While Nathalie Biancheri proves a talented director of a cast of committed actors, the story wanders in too many directions and develops questions that become complicated to answer, ultimately muddling the presented metaphor. 

Monte's Rating

3.00 out of 5.00

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Wolf - Movie Review by Jeff Mitchell

Directed and written by:  Nathalie Biancheri

Starring:  George MacKay, Lily-Rose Depp, Paddy Considine, and Eileen Walsh

Runtime:  98 minutes

MacKay gives a compelling performance, but ‘Wolf’ is a difficult watch

“A man might befriend a wolf, even break a wolf, but no man can truly tame a wolf.” – George R. R. Martin

Jacob (George MacKay) has a problem.  His troubles are his family’s problem too, and his mom and dad turn over their hopes to a quasi-mental institution for help in writer/director Nathalie Biancheri’s disturbing drama, “Wolf”.  

You see, Jacob - a physically fit 20-something – believes that he’s a wolf.  Now, his eyesight seems satisfactory, and he lives in a world with mirrors, so he realizes that he doesn’t appear as a wild, four-legged canine.  This six-foot young man thinks he’s a wolf trapped in a human’s body, and Biancheri did not conjure up this concept, as she mentions during a Sept. 17, 2021 TIFF interview.

“I heard about this real-life phenomenon called species dysphoria, and I thought it was super-interesting.  I started researching it, and I found that it was just something I knew nothing about, where people actually believe that they’re an animal trapped in a human’s body, Biancheri says. 

She adds, “I used this conceptual idea of a person who believes that they’re an animal as a jumping-off point to then enter much more fictional territory.” 

“Wolf” is dystopian, and in fact, Biancheri’s picture has a “The Lobster” – Yorgos Lanthimos’ sensational and bizarre 2015 dramedy – vibe.  Sure, both movies were filmed in Ireland, but they each feature a society institutionalizing a number of human beings to fit within its norms.  Granted, the 2015 oddball flick’s premise – and chock-full of dry humor – is that single adults will live out the rest of their lives as animals of their choosing unless they find spouses or partners within 45 days.  The consequences reek with severity, but Lanthimos stirs comic absurdity with unexpected violence in his film to alienate or involve its audience.  

It all depends upon the viewer. 

Not so with “Wolf”.  This is a very different movie, as dread and unrest accompany the script and on-screen events.  

After Jacob’s folks drop him off at the hospital, and he dons blue and cream-colored attire (matching his fellow patients), we soon realize our protagonist’s worrisome road.  It’s not a winding one, but a straight-head, one-way freeway toward a cure, as it were.  A man nicknamed “The Zookeeper” (Paddy Considine) makes all the weighty decisions, including the final judgment about his patients actually leaving the unfriendly confines.  

The obvious goal is to free the patients from their animal notions.

Now, Eileen Walsh plays an amiable on-site therapist, and she welcomes a collection of young people (who individually think they are a dog, parrot, horse, squirrel, or name another member of the animal kingdom) to search their feelings or sing Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”.  However, The Zookeeper finds severe methods of persuasion. 

He delivers tough love in spades without any trace of empathy.  Although you and I will find these on-site inmates’ core beliefs utterly fantastical, The Zookeeper’s approach towards treating species dysphoria is callous, uncaring, and sometimes ruthless.  

Certainly, Biancheri plays with our patience and twists it in a bind.  The teens and 20-somethings - like the Wildcat (Lily-Rose Depp), German Shepherd (Fionn O’Shea), Jacob, and many more – act out their beastly alter-egos like an assembly of elementary school kids filled with sizable helpings of Monster Energy and LSD.  

It’s a madhouse.  

Honestly, only patron saints or dedicated health care professionals could stomach the lunacy within these walls.  The Zookeeper is neither one.  Well, he’s dedicated, but his methods are bathed in disdain.  His persona is a combination of Nurse Ratched (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975)) and Gny. Sgt. Hartman (“Full Metal Jacket” (1987)), but he wraps himself in George Bailey (“It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)) packaging. 

Still, there’s zero nuance here, as we know that this immovable object faces an irresistible force in the form of Jacob/The Wolf.   Sure, Jacob could have a change of heart, but the film frames his and the others’ internal wiring as permanent.  

In other words, this is a hopeless, one-note exercise.

Undoubtedly, “Wolf” is a thought-provoking idea as the film explores ethics and societal acceptance, but it also moves in one constant – unpleasant and peculiar – direction.  It carries and airs of doom and hopelessness without many breaks.  As the troubling and expected events between master and servant play out, the main question is:  will Jacob really transform into a wolf, a la “An American Werewolf In London” (1981) or “The Howling” (1981)? 

Ah, I won’t say, but I will unequivocally state that MacKay is compelling as a man believing that he is a wolf.  His snarling, bare-chested, crawling-on-all-fours performance is terribly unsettling, including one wince-inducing scene where Jacob courts Depp’s Wildcat in the middle of the night.

Now, the Wolf and Wildcat have another moment where they verbalize their convictions, as the screenplay finally reveals their headspaces.  We could’ve used a lot more of these scenes. 

Yes, these characters generally emote, but mainly in a primal manner without enough human shades to conflict with their split personalities.  They effectively gush as animals, and that’s the intended approach for this celluloid trial, but “Wolf” isn’t a palatable time at the movies, at least it wasn’t for this human.

Jeff’s ranking

2/4 stars

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