The Best of TIFF 2022 – Part One

The 47th Annual Toronto International Festival (TIFF) is taking the world by storm from its Great White North locale, as this proud Canadian jewel – once again - offers countless movie options for professionals and fans of all ages. 

Certainly, TIFF is a mammoth 11-day event, and this proud Phoenix Film Festival critic has caught 32 films so far (as of Sept. 15, Day 8).  Let me take a moment to jot down five of my favorites, The Best of TIFF 2022 – Part One.  On Sept. 23, I’ll add an additional five in a Best of TIFF 2022 – Part Two article. 

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

“Godland” – Hlynur Palmason (“A White, White Day” (2019)) effectively presents a decisive clash between naivete and nature in a scenic drama about a Danish priest’s attempt to establish a church in 19th-century Iceland.  Indeed, Palmason fashions the Icelandic countryside as a mystical and intimating character for the audience and the clergyman (Elliott Crosset Hove), but Lucas’ (Hove) lofty emotional make-up also collides with the locals’ earthy pragmatism.  Palmason channels his inner Werner Herzog and Terrence Malick in this instant classic.  

“Holy Spider” – A serial killer is murdering prostitutes in Mashhad, Iran, and a committed journalist (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) travels to this anxious city to investigate the hideous crimes in a gripping, grimy thriller from director/co-writer Ali Abbasi (“Border” (2018)).  Amir-Ebrahimi – who won Cannes’ 2022 Best Actress Award - delivers a harrowing turn as Rahimi, a woman fighting for the truth while battling sexism along the way.  Abbasi’s film – based on a true story - reveals the perpetrator very early during the first act, leading to surprising turns in the second and third. 

“One Fine Morning” – Lea Seydoux gives one of the best TIFF 2022 performances as a 30-something single mom attempting to divide time between her ailing father, her daughter, and a brand-new love interest.  To further complicate matters, Sandra (Seydoux) is the other woman in the romantic relationship.  Filmmakers have told these narratives for ages, but director/writer Mia Hansen-Love refreshingly avoids clichés here and offers innumerable views of Paris as a background, including a climb up Montmartre.  

“Sisu” – The year is 1944.  WWII is nearly over.  A gray-bearded Finnish gold prospector (Jorma Tommila) simply wants to seek gilded treasure.  Unfortunately, he randomly encounters a squadron of about 30 Nazi soldiers looking for trouble.  However, misfortune has found these German combatants because this particular – otherwise ordinary-looking – Finn is a one-man killing machine!  Director/writer Jalmari Helander’s wild, bloody flick delivers cartoonish gore and theatrical insanity that will delight Midnight Madness audiences.  

“Women Talking” – Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, and Sheila McCarthy lead an impressive ensemble in director/writer Sarah Polley’s (“Stories We Tell” (2012)) first big-screen movie – adapted from Miriam Toews’ novel - in 10 years.  When certain men in a rural, religious community commit a hideous deception on the women, several chosen ladies gather in a barn to decide their next steps.  Powerful, poignant discourse occurs in this ordinary locale, and the conversations focus on the characters’ specific plight but also on issues that have occurred throughout human history.

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See How They Run – Movie Review

Directed by:  Tom George

Written by:  Mark Chappell

Starring:  Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, David Oyelowo, Harris Dickinson, Gregory Cox, Charlie Cooper, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, and Sian Clifford

Runtime:  93 minutes

‘See How They Run’ plods in place

“(If) you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.” – Leo Kopernick (Adrien Brody)

In Tom George’s first movie, he sends (fictional) Hollywood director Leo Kopernick to London to catch a play, Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap”, because the blunt-talking, on-screen filmmaker wants to turn the work into a motion picture.

The year is 1953, and Mr. Kopernick is a fish out of water while staying across the pond.  This crafty, former New Yorker (judging by his accent) doesn’t exactly mesh with British socialites.  Soon after a “The Mousetrap” performance, we discover that some of the cast and crew don’t particularly enjoy Kopernick’s company.  In fact, Leo physically tackles the play’s lead, Richard Attenborough (Harris Dickinson), into a giant green cake! 

So, our American “friend” makes a mess of things. 

Well, “The Mousetrap” is a murder mystery, a Christie specialty, but Leo’s tepid reaction to the play and the genre is captured in his aforementioned quote. 

“See How They Run” – written by Mark Chappell – is a murder mystery as well, set in the world of theatre where just about “everyone” plays a made-up part in a stage drama within this movie, but some become homicide suspects, too. 

In addition to a couple of twists, George and Chappell throw the audience a curveball because “See How They Run” doubles as a comedy or a supposed one.  

Other than a lively, playful performance by Saoirse Ronan – who plays Scotland Yard’s Constable Stalker, a plucky, young upstart with no practical, in-the-field experience yet - this spoof, unfortunately, dies on the cinematic vine.  

The 93-minute runtime feels like an eternity. 

This story trudges through mechanical introductions and nondescript follow-up encounters, as Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) – a fatigued, sluggish cynic who’d rather throw a few back at a local pub than hit the pavement to solve crimes – and Stalker aim to solve a murder because someone dies in the West End. 

Foul play is afoot, but the movie starts on the wrong one with Stoppard’s entrance to the crime scene.  

Usually, Rockwell is a delightful presence with oceans of charisma and charm, even when Sam portrays disreputable characters.  Just look back at his turns as a dog thief (“Seven Psychopaths” (2012)), a con artist (“Matchstick Men” (2003)), a racist cop (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017)), and a Nazi captain (“Jojo Rabbit” (2019)).  Don’t forget other memorable Rockwell performances in “Galaxy Quest” (1999), “Moon” (2009), “The Way Way Back” (2013), and as Chuck Barris in “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” (2003).   

Rockwell is an immensely talented actor, but – for whatever reason - he portrays Stoppard with all the enthusiasm of a master chef dropping a stale slice of Wonder Bread in a toaster.  

(Sam seems miscast here, or he’s just going for the wrong vibe.  Instead, insert Brian Cox, and let him revise his dedicated but frequently agitated Captain O’Hagan from “Super Troopers” (2001), as Stalker’s mentor.  Naturally, Brian should use his natural-born Scottish accent in this case.)

Perhaps, Stoppard and the audience would benefit if our lifeless lead took some advice from his captain when he says, “I’m hoping some of (Stalker’s) enthusiasm for police work might rub off on you.”

Most regrettably, it doesn’t.

Stoppard’s largely lethargic aura seems to set the dull, inspired tones for this film that ironically has all the look, feel, and whimsy of a Wes Anderson picture.  Cheers to production designer Amanda McCarthur for the colorful sets and editors Gary Dollner and Peter Lambert for quirky shifts between locations inside and outside the theatre house.  

This movie has eccentric characters as well. 

Actually, scratch the last part because even though the players may look slightly oddball, they don’t feel or act peculiar.  Instead, when Stoppard and Stalker confront the suspects, they must all be watching American television because they routinely recite “just the facts, Ma’am.” 

This approach may work splendidly for “Dragnet” (1951 – 1959) but not for a whimsical comedy.  David Oyelowo (“Selma” (2014), “A United Kingdom” (2016)) is an accomplished actor, and Dickinson, Gregory Cox, Charlie Cooper, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, and Sian Clifford might be fine thespians, but no one other than Ronan offers an amusing line, at least one that I could remember.

Then again, the plot does follow a familiar pattern of a Christie story, and from that perspective, the picture offers more than simple competence.  Though, you might have to ignore the clumsy, awkward discourse and choreography during the third-act reveal…or, at that point, even care about the ultimate conclusion.  

Again, Leo mentions, “If you’ve seen one (murder mystery), you’ve seen them all.”  

Let’s hope that’s not a true statement because “See How They Run” just plods in place. 

Jeff’s ranking

2/4 stars

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Barbarian - Movie Review

Dir: Zach Cregger

Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long

1h 42m

The element of surprise is a rare treat to find in a film these days. For writer/director Zach Cregger and the horror thriller "Barbarian," the secretive plot intentions of the film are part of the enjoyment of the experience. Assisted by a well-crafted trailer, the film provides just enough information to keep the suspense brewing until it shifts strongly beyond expectations. "Barbarian" is a crowd pleaser, a horror film full of fun surprises.

Zach Cregger, part of the comedy troupe "The Whitest Kids U' Know," cleverly adapts a timely story that initially feels like a relationship thriller but turns into an undeniable venture into the depths of horror storytelling. In the opening moments, Tess (Georgina Campbell), heading to Detroit for a job interview, arrives on a rainy night at her Airbnb. Unexpectedly, someone else is staying at the house, a suspicious man named Keith (Bill Skarsgård), who is just as confused about the mix-up. After being warned about the rough neighborhood, Tess is talked into sharing the space by Keith. 

Cregger does a great job of building an atmosphere from the start. In the beginning moments, Tess' arrival at the Airbnb creates a sense of isolation with a vehicle arriving in a dark and desolate community in the middle of a storm. The raindrops thump with a bass-heavy drone, and screams echo subtly in the background. It's no doubt from the start that something scary is building.  

"Barbarian" does an excellent job of engaging in real-world fears, creating an uncomfortable scenario for Tess. Having actor Bill Skarsgård, well-known as Pennywise from the 2017 update of "It," helps establish the unsettling vibe with enthusiastic creepiness. A glass of wine is the perfect scenario to add layers to the suspense of everything between the two characters. Cregger composes exceptional pacing in these early set-ups, leading to an encounter in the middle of the night between Tess and a sleeping Keith that adds to the questions. 

Once daylight breaks and Tess starts her drive to the interview in the city, she finally sees the complete disrepair of the neighborhood. The home she slept in was the lone livable residence in the entire community. After a successful interview, Tess returns to the house and is lured into the basement. She finds a rope that, when pulled on, opens a hidden door. Behind it is a maze of abandoned rooms and hallways leading deeper below the house. 

"Barbarian" should not be spoiled beyond this point. What Cregger and his collaborators do with the remainder of the film is shocking, funny, and completely unexpected. It's a horror film that has excellent balance with how it utilizes its tropes while also allowing the characters time to be intelligent and foolish with their decisions. It is the perfect kind of character for a horror film. The unexpected arrival of another character, an arrogant actor (Justin Long), adds an interesting narrative element that provides relevant commentary about the abusive trauma men induce on women. It all comes crashing together in a third act that goes completely off the rails of expectations. While the social commentary themes get a little lost in the mix of the extremes that happen in the finale, they still offer a nice balance with the characters in a fun and unique way. 

Go to "Barbarian" knowing as little about the movie as possible; it's one of the year's best surprises.  

Monte's Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

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Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. – Movie Review

Written and directed by:  Adamma Ebo

Starring:  Sterling K. Brown, Regina Hall, Nicole Beharie, Conphidance, and Austin Crute

Runtime:  102 minutes

‘Honk for Jesus.  Save Your Soul.’ makes comedic and daring cinematic noise

“Religion f***** a lot of people up.  The m***** f****** ‘(In) God We Trust’ is on the dollar.” – Richard Pryor 

“Don’t call it a comeback.  I’ve been here for years.” – “Mama Said Knock You Out” (1990), LL Cool J

Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife, Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall), are planning a revival, a return to their place of worship, the Wander to the Greater Paths Baptist Church, for an Easter Sunday service.  

For years, Pastor Lee-Curtis and Trinitie were local celebrities in Atlanta.  During the first few minutes of writer/director Adamma Ebo’s film, we see an enormous outpouring of love and money cast toward the Childs.  A couple of thousand believers “religiously” attended the pastor’s sermons every Sunday, and their donations helped finance the Childs’ opportunity to spread the word of God and enjoy an opulent lifestyle.  They reside in a 10,000 sq. foot mansion, drive expensive cars, and wander through a wardrobe that resembles Saks Fifth Avenue. 

“A pastor in Prada gives you chills,” Trinitie says.  

Oh, and they regularly sit on golden thrones, like a king and queen, at their ministry. 

However, society casts them out of Eden when Lee-Curtis becomes embroiled in a scandal.  

After a forced sabbatical, the Childs recruit a film crew for publicity, and Lee-Curtis says, “This is going to chronicle the ultimate comeback.”  

Ebo’s film is a faux-documentary where the said crew accompanies our two ego-bruised leads through their steep climb towards redemption, as Lee-Curtis and Trinitie attempt to repair their fallen walls of Jericho.  However, “Honk for Jesus.  Save Your Soul.” is a mockumentary in the vein of Christopher Guest’s “Best in Show” (2000) or Rob Reiner’s “This is Spinal Tap” (1984).  Granted, “Honk” is not as strong as the two aforementioned classics, but Ebo, Brown, and Hall deliver many laugh-out-loud moments for about half of the 102-minute runtime, as this flawed couple frequently falls into embarrassment and succumbs to inadvertent hilarity through clumsy actions.

Lee-Curtis frequently showboats, and Trinitie squirms in awkward discomfort.  Sterling is on-point with this character as he repeatedly delivers macho grandstanding and stages mini-celebration dances, as Lee-Curtis’ Dunning-Kruger effect is on full display.  Meanwhile, Regina’s Trinitie nervously glances at the camera and sometimes asks, “Can we cut out that part?”

Ebo, however, does not make cuts, as we witness this entire holy train wreck, and our lead actors successfully address the monumental task of navigating their comedic timing through their characters’ moral and financial calamity.  

That’s the thing.  As mentioned earlier, the comic moments unfold for about half the picture because Adamma makes bold choices that turn “Honk” from a straightforward comedy to an arthouse picture.  Well done, as the script steps into unexpected territory, and Brown and Hall deliver robust performances to withstand – and also bend towards - the gusts of changing, gloomier tones.  Indeed, these shifts challenge the audience, but we experience profound, reflective gravitas in return. 

Adamma Ebo and her producer sister, Adanne, drew upon their experiences growing up in a megachurch environment.  

During a Jan. 24 Blavity TV interview with Trey Mangum, Adamma says, “The inspiration came from an area of critique and an area of love, where this culture is meaningful and could be and should be doing better.” 

No question, the Ebo sisters make daring, valiant noise with “Honk for Jesus.  Save Your Soul.” 

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Breaking – Movie Review

Directed by:  Abi Damaris Corbin 

Written by:  Abi Damaris Corbin and Kwame Kwei-Armah  

Starring:  John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, and Michael Kenneth Williams

Runtime:  103 minutes

‘Breaking’ could test your patience, but this distressing, depressing story is an important one.

Brian Brown-Easley (John Boyega) is fed up. 

He’s had enough. 

He’s at his breaking point. 

Brian’s story is a true one.

“I was flabbergasted that I hadn’t read or heard about Brian’s story when it happened,” director Abi Damaris Corbin said in a Jan. 31, 2022 interview with Collider Interviews.

Corbin and Kwame Kwei-Armah wrote the screenplay for “Breaking”, a cautionary tale about an injustice that drove a man to an irrational brink, a razor’s edge in the center of an Atlanta Wells Fargo bank in 2017.  

“Breaking” is a messy account, and over 103 minutes, Corbin’s film will cause frustration and impatience for its audience.  That’s by design.  However, the movie’s awfully sluggish pacing hampers the cinematic experience.  Spouts of momentum are frequently stalled by random cutaways and quiet moments of isolation that pull away our attention.  

On the other hand, empathy is a feeling that comes to mind when watching this distressing, depressing tale.  Corbin’s altruistic efforts and Nicole Beharie’s, Selenis Leyva’s, Michael Kenneth Williams’ (who passed away last year), and Boyega’s strong performances are enough to make a worthy withdrawal from your savings to see this movie. 

(Speaking of performances, “Breaking” won the Best Ensemble Cast award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival under the movie’s original title, “892”.) 

Brian, a 33-year-old U.S. Marine veteran, is desperate and out of reasonable options.  He no longer lives with his wife (Olivia Washington) and young daughter (London Covington).  Instead, our lead lodges at a cheap motel but still can’t afford its daily-rate pittance.  The government redirects Brian’s disability checks towards another debt he claims is not legit.  He’s broke and tells a Veterans Affairs employee that he won’t be able to feed himself.  With the system continually shunning his requests (that turn to pleas), Brian walks into a Wells Fargo Bank – on an otherwise ordinary day – claims that he has a bomb, and takes hostages.  

The man wants money from the VA that he believes is rightfully his, but Brian’s method of collecting this particular debt does not align with success.  

It’s a self-destructive suicide mission.

Boyega effectively portrays Brown-Easley as a conflicted soul with rage fracturing his gentle, courteous foundation.  For most of his stay at the bank, Brian treats hostages Estel Valerie (Beharie) and Rosa Diaz (Leyva) with polite discourse and respect.  The man displays a potential history of responding to women with, “Yes, Ma’am,” for three decades, but on this day, he occasionally erupts with intimating verbal wrath.  These outbursts aren’t directed at the frightened females but towards the state of his world, his current predicament.  

The film’s events primarily occur within the aforementioned Wells Fargo.  Brian keeps just two captives, and this story isn’t teeming with traditional drama that one would expect in a bank robbery movie.  Instead, the vibes are intimate and sometimes sedate between the three individuals, and two – Estel and Rosa – pseudo-garner Stockholm Syndrome.  Not because they feel safe.  The women don’t, but they hold sympathy for Brian’s plight.  

The problem is some unexpected stretches of downtime and the recurrent respectful exchanges between Brian and the two employees dial down the film’s tension.  Even though Estel and Rosa are scared, their fear barely assigned itself to this critic.  The bottom line?  I absolutely felt their empathy, but not their angst.  Admittedly, women might have an altogether different reaction to these on-screen happenings.

Anyway, back to Brian’s original predicament and the one that he creates for himself.  In addition to his desperate need for financial solvency, he intends to attract massive attention, but that comes at a dangerous price because seemingly every single Atlanta police officer encircles this financial institution, and armaments everywhere point in his direction.  

While low-key movements occur inside the bank, massive bedlam morphs outside as law enforcement and media encompass the bank like wolves and vultures approach their prey.  Various police departments want a quick resolution with no innocent lives hurt.  Brian is their sole adversary, and lethal means of addressing him are immediately preferred.

The striking dichotomy between calm and chaos flushes to the big screen with Corbin’s frequent volleys between the events on either side of the Wells Fargo walls.  Brian felt helpless before this specific day, but he encounters continual exasperation while attempting to earn satisfaction.  Most of the interior happenings are civil, but armies of militia facing the bank’s exterior seem disorganized and mob-like.   

Hostage negotiator Eli Bernard (Williams) lands on the scene, and he appears to be the only voice of reason within the multitudes of S.W.A.T. vehicles and snipers that spin, loop, zig, and zag in all directions. 

Bernard asks a fellow officer about sniper units, and she responds, “Three units, as I understand, but there’s a lot going on.”

And how.

Meanwhile, Lisa Larson (Connie Britton), a television station producer, speaks with Brian on the phone for inordinate amounts of time, but she’s about as useful as a pencil without lead, a car without tires, a laptop without a CPU, or choose another analogy.  Indeed, the media has taken a beating for decades, but Ms. Larson might be the public’s new punching bag, as she’s a glaring abundance of ineptitude, or perhaps, her actions are entirely purposeful. 

Brian’s story may be best symbolized in “Breaking” when Eli answers the vet’s request for a pack of cigarettes, which the negotiator fulfills straight away at a nearby convenience store, but the clerk doesn’t have matches.  Neither do any of the officers…to Eli’s dismay, as he asks everyone in sight.  

No matches.  No light.  Eli is frustrated, and we are too.

Jeff’s ranking

2.5/4 stars

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Interview with Esther Smith and Rafe Spall, the stars of the Apple TV+ series ‘Trying’

Depending on which website you read, adoption wait times in the United Kingdom average from 6 to 26 months, but no matter where a hopeful couple and a prospective child land on this scale, it’s a long stretch for everyone involved.  Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) - a lovely 30-something pair living in Camden, a hip and lively London district – have first-hand knowledge of this bureaucratic and emotional passage to possible parenthood.  Esther and Rafe star in “Trying”, the comedy/drama Apple TV+ series that follows Nikki and Jason’s struggles, small victories, doubts, and grand smiles through their day-to-day lives and adoption marathon.

Creator/writer Andy Wolton, Esther, Rafe, and an engaging ensemble cast balance comedic and affecting tones in this charming show that is nearly complete with its third season.  Esther and Rafe arrived in Phoenix and graciously met with the Phoenix Film Festival and other media outlets for this enjoyable group interview.  The stars thoughtfully chatted about their characters’ relationship, Mr. Wolton, fans’ feedback, and more.  

Seasons 1, 2, and 3 are available to stream on Apple TV+, and Episode 3.7 (of the 8-episode season) arrives on Aug. 26! 

Q:  Nikki and Jason are supportive of one another.  They are a solid couple and have the same goals.  They share a united front.  I think this dynamic really works with the show, and even though Nikki and Jason face bumps in the road, they don’t run into relationship conflicts very often.  Adopting a child is difficult enough.  I like that aspect of “Trying”.  How do you feel?

RS:  I think it’s very real.  I think it’s aspirational, really.  You want your own life to have a relationship like Nikki and Jason’s.  They face adversity, and it may cause arguments sometimes, but after the arguments, after the disagreements, their relationship deepens.  I think that’s really wonderful.  Beautiful, and they seemingly have found the right person.  Nikki says a wonderful thing at the end of the first season.  

She says, “Even if this (adoption) doesn’t work, you’re enough.  It’s enough.  We’re enough.”  

That’s a beautiful sentiment.  We can all aspire to find that person (who) sees us, accepts us.  All we want, as humans, is to be seen, and they really see each other.  I think that they are a great couple, and I love them.  When we finish a season, I miss them.   

Q:  Nikki calls Jason, “Jas.”  It’s the little things that endear the audience to this couple.  Did you come up with that, or was that written? 

ES:  Oh my gosh, I can’t even remember.  I think we sometimes slightly get in trouble because I definitely add in more “Jases” than are written in the scripts, just because it feels like such a normal, natural thing as a term of endearment.

RS:  I think it’s a mix of both.  The whole show is written by one guy, Andy Wolton, which in this day and age is really unheard of.  He’s actually written to our voices as well.  He’s written to our specific speech patterns.  There is some room for improvisation, but most of the funny stuff in the show, 99.9 percent of the good stuff, is written by him.  We do add the odd thing now and again.  

Q:  Imelda Staunton plays Penny, a social worker who works with Nikki and Jason on their adoption journey.  When I first saw Penny on-screen, I thought, “Oh no, she’s going to be bad news.”  [Esther and the interviewer laugh.]  But Penny is very supportive, and she fights for them.  How important is it that Penny is their ally?  I think it’s infinitely important because Nikki and Jason are new to the process.

ES:  Absolutely.  I feel they need (support) because it has taken them a lot to have the courage to go, “Do you know what?  Yea, let’s go down this route.”  

They (need) people on their side.  What I love about Imelda’s character is she’s not this kind of “normal, what you’d expect” social worker.  (Penny) is a kind of a pay-as-it-comes, bit-by-bit, step-by-step (person).  The first time we meet her, she’s holding up a piece of her clothing because someone has thrown wee on it.  She leaves it outside, and she just kind of bustles in.  She plays with these two people particularly well because Nikki and Jason are also square-peg, round-hole people, particularly Nikki.  I think Penny speaks to that and is probably (a) voice of wisdom.  She’s a few steps ahead of them in life.  

RS:  There’s also no antagonist in the show, which is quite refreshing.  There are no baddies.  There’s no mustache-twirling.  Everyone is trying to do the right thing, and to have someone of Imelda’s caliber, Oscar-nominated, one of our finest actors in the world (is wonderful).  Obviously, there’s a lack of her in Season 3, but that’s because she’s now the Queen of England (in “The Crown”).  When she’s finished her reign, perhaps, she’ll come back and hang out with the peasants again.  [Everyone in the interview room laughs.]

Q:  Nikki’s sister Karen (Sian Brooke) is with Scott (Darren Boyd), and they’re not a perfect couple, not a perfect match, but they play important roles on the show.  At first, I wasn’t generally happy with them together, but I’ve grown to accept them.  How do Nikki and Jason feel about Karen and Scott as a couple? 

ES:  Maybe similarly to you, I feel like Nikki definitely had huge reservations about Scott being part of the family.  But as it has gone on, they somehow work as a couple, and I love watching their scenes together.  (Rafe and I) never get to see them.  You read (their scenes) in the scripts, but you focus on your part of the story.  It’s a lovely treat when you’re watching it all back, and there’s this other kind of world going on.  I find them heartbreaking.  I find them hilarious.  And they do really work.  I’d like to think that Nikki and Jason perhaps tolerate Scott. [Esther laughs.]  They tolerate him.  

RS:  Scott means well, and he’s a very vulnerable character.  Andy’s written this character (who) could seem a little heightened, but (he) roots him with heart.  He’s full of heart.  

ES:  There are those lovely little bits and pieces in the series, one where Karen is really cold.  (Karen and Scott) are coming out of the tube station, and he wraps his scarf around her.  Yea, underneath all this (stuff), yea, (he cares.  He loves her).  (Scott’s) just like all of us.  Perhaps, we’re all presenting a version of ourselves to protect ourselves.

Q:  There is some tension between Nikki and their potential adoptee, Princess.  Esther, not being a parent yourself, what do you pull from to give such a sincere performance? 

ES:  Maybe it’s helpful that I’m not a parent because Nikki isn’t, and then she becomes one quite quickly.  What I find completely heartbreaking about the Nikki-Princess thing is Nikki tries so hard, and she’s such a good person.  She just wants the best, but inevitably, you can’t control what a person, especially a 10-year-old, is going to be like, particularly a 10-year-old who probably (has) a lot of trauma for whatever they’ve been through in their life.  Nikki is so patient and so present with her, and yea, I find it completely heartbreaking.  But, I also love that (because Nikki) wants (to be a parent), so she’s really fighting up against it.  

RS:  Also, from an outsider’s point of view, Esther is as lovely with Eden, who plays Princess, as Nikki is with Princess.  Esther’s really kind and gorgeous and lovely with her, so it comes naturally to you, I imagine.  [Rafe turns to Esther.]

Q:  In this day and age of overpopulation, is Nikki and Jason’s story an important one, adoption versus having your own children?  

RS:  It would be disingenuous to say that was the objective of (this) storyline because it isn’t.  This is a couple who have tried to conceive naturally, and they haven’t been blessed with that ability.  So, I can’t really talk to the politics of it, but in terms of representation, in terms of one in seven people affected by infertility, it’s really wonderful for people to be seen, for their story to be represented.  (Infertility) is something that touches a lot of people’s lives, and it’s a source of great pain to very many folks.  So, I can say (it’s) great that we represent that.  

ES:  What’s been a lovely bonus of this show is the amount of people that reach out (to us).  They’re going through the (adoption) process, or they have gone through the process, or they’re having fertility struggles.  It’s like a lovely stream of people constantly getting in touch.  They feel seen (because of the show).  They feel like (our show) is an accurate portrayal of what they have gone through.  They see themselves in these two characters, and most importantly, they don’t feel alone.  It’s so great to be a source of comfort.  

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Amy Adams’ early-career connection with the Phoenix Film Festival

Amy Adams celebrates her 48th birthday on Saturday, Aug. 20, and this talented, charming actress has plenty of reasons to commemorate her day!  Amy’s a wife and mom, and she’s earned six Oscar nominations.  IMDb lists 66 credits on her acting resume, and to help mark her birthday, catch two or three or four movies with memorable Amy performances. 

Some of my favorites are her turns as the exceedingly appealing Giselle in “Enchanted” (2007), a thoughtful and vulnerable linguist in “Arrival” (2016), artist Margaret Keane in “Big Eyes” (2014), and a struggling cleaning lady who finds her footing in “Sunshine Cleaning” (2008). 

Amy has an awfully impactful moment in the third act of “Her” (2013), and I think her best work is her breakout role as a peppy pregnant southern woman in “Junebug” (2005).  

However, did you know that Amy has a connection with the Phoenix Film Festival?  

She stars in the 34-minute short film “The Chromium Hook” (2000) that played at our beloved – and inaugural - festival in 2001.

This comedy – filmed in black and white – is writer/director James Stranger’s first big-screen endeavor.  Stranger’s eccentric mockumentary addresses a deadly-serious happening - a serial killer is on the loose in Nimrod, Minn. - with odd and comedic discourse through several revealing interviews with the locals.  

A 25 or 26-years-young Amy Adams plays Jill Royaltuber, a wide-eyed Nimrod High School Debate Team upstart who encountered The One-Arm Lunatic as the film opens.  Jack Cramble (Kyle Ingleman) and Jill parked a Ford convertible at Conversation Point, also referenced as Discussion Point and Passion Point.  Basically, it’s similar to the famous Inspiration Point on “Happy Days” (1974 – 1984).  

Anyway, a man with a hook approaches and then scratches their vehicle, but thankfully, Jack and Jill drive away unharmed but unnerved. 

“That was the scaredest I’ve ever been,” Jill says.  

Stranger then introduces on-camera conversations with several key Nimrod residents, and through a-matter-of-fact storytelling, impactful revelations unfold.  No question, some exchanges dive into peculiar territory, but other moments are laugh-out-loud hilarious, led by Sheriff Curtis Mansarack (James Cada), a lawman whose primary function is to bust teenage beer parties.  

“The Chromium Hook” might begin under ominous circumstances, but it plays out as a commentary on small-town America, a place of hopes, disappointments, dreams, and realities.  If you’ve lived in a modestly-sized community, you probably “know” all of these characters, and we certainly recognize the actress playing Jill. 

Amy – who just started her film career one year earlier in 1999 - offers a bright spark and authentic vivacity in “The Chromium Hook”, and one could declare that Jill and Ashley from “Junebug” (2005) are long-lost relatives, so yes, this short is worth a look. 

“The Chromium Hook” is available to stream on Vimeo. 

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Bodies Bodies Bodies - Movie Review

Dir: Halina Reijn

Starring: Maria Bakalova, Amandla Stenberg, Myha'la Herrold, Rachel Sennott, Chase Sui Wonders, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson

1h 35m

In director Halina Reijn's devious "Bodies Bodies Bodies," a group of early twenty-somethings prepares for a heavy evening of drugs and alcohol during a hurricane party at a lavish mansion. The entitled rich kids display zero worries as the weather shifts aggressively, posing one of them to scream confidently into the face of the storm, asking, "is that all you got…". As the evening progresses, past traumas are exposed, and identities are challenged. To cool heated tempers, the group decides to play a game, a murder mystery whodunit that turns into a complete nightmare.

"Bodies Bodies Bodies" plays its comedy and horror tropes with precision balance, allowing the film to weave unsuspecting traps of suspense and dig deeper into its satire with ease. It's fun watching the young people devolve as the niceties fade, sweet sentiments turn foul, secrets are revealed, and trust is betrayed without remorse. As the social order falls to pieces as the storm rages, the body count rises, and the remaining friends must survive the night.

The narrative, a slasher design that audiences, especially horror fans, have seen many times over, rarely tries to scare the viewer. Instead, the operative driving emotion for the film is uneasy suspense crafted strictly between the character dynamics of the group. The composition of the characters is razor sharp; each composes a unique emotional quality that plays well during the heights of a party vibe and in the depths of a house of horrors. Instead of a killer wielding a knife and chasing after people down long hallways, the group wanders throughout the house throwing accusations and insults that cut deeper than any butcher knife. There are moments when the film stumbles off its effectively structured flow of horror and comedy; as the film shifts into more substantial horror/thriller elements, the rhythm of satire and suspense turns into a one-note repetition of scary movie trappings. Still, it's barely noticeable because of the performances from the talented group of actors.

The cast of "Bodies Bodies Bodies" play a significant factor in keeping the shifts in tone from becoming too cartoonish with its dramatic swings or feeling overly familiar even when it's evident that the slasher features have been exhausted. The performances have a sense of improvisation, a looseness with its heavily influenced Gen Z dialogue, and a naturalistic quality that makes the tears, screams, laughs, and panics move in harmony.

Maria Bakalova plays Bee, the newcomer to the tight-knit friends whose cautious nature turns suspicious. Amandla Stenberg, playing the recovering addict Sophie, is a ray of glowing optimism, a renewed soul brought back into the fold of toxic friendships that fed her addictive compulsions. Rachel Sennott, who has some of the best one-liners in the film, and Myha'la Herrold, who is fantastic as the untrusting best friend, both play their roles with pitch-perfect success.

Director Halina Reijn takes a simple slasher structure and bolsters it high with interesting characters accompanied by excellent performances. Where "Bodies Bodies Bodies" might have faltered due to its self-awareness, it instead uses the character's connection to media, identity, and social politics to its benefit in the construction of a hierarchy that, when put under distress, crumbles with ingenious satire and amusing suspense.

Monte's Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

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Celebrate Steve Martin’s birthday with these five intriguing flicks

On Aug. 14, Steve Martin turns 77 years young, and this “wild and crazy guy” earned a dreamlike career in stand-up, stage, television, music, and movies.  This Renaissance man has a gift for connecting with audiences of all ages - as evidenced by his generations of fans - and hey, Steve plays a mean banjo as well.  To celebrate the man’s birthday, let’s look back at five movies from his celebrated repertoire.  Rather than choose from his most famous films, like “The Jerk” (1979), “All of Me” (1984), “Three Amigos!” (1986), “Planes, Trains, & Automobiles” (1987), “Roxanne” (1987), “Parenthood” (1989), and “Father of the Bride” (1991), here are five more intriguing flicks that are must-see movies for every Martin fan.

“The Man with Two Brains” (1983) – Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr (Martin) is the world’s greatest brain surgeon, and to boot, he perfected the cranial screw-top method for his operations which works as you might imagine.  Although the good doctor’s career soars, his love life plummets after the death of his wife, but he inexplicably communicates – through telepathy - with a human brain that sits in a jar…and they fall in love.  What? 

Director Carl Reiner’s kooky comedy – which Steve co-wrote - will fry your synapses with dozens of laugh-out-loud setups, payoffs, and visual gags, like Dr. Hfuhruhurr arguing with a 5-year-old girl or leaping lizards appearing after our hero says, “Leaping lizards.”  Martin’s contagious enthusiasm and steadfast commitment to the adolescent material is glorious as Carl, Steve, and co-writer George Gipe constantly and ironically avoid cerebral puns.  Co-star Kathleen Turner plays a spouse so malicious that she makes her turn as Matty Walker, the manipulative vamp in “Body Heat” (1981), look like June Cleaver, and oh, a serial killer - who injects his victims with window cleaner - is on the loose.  Yes, “The Man with Two Brains” is Martin’s wildest and craziest movie!

“L.A. Story” (1991) – Director Mick Jackson and Martin lay out Los Angeles’ famous and infamous eccentricities under 72 degrees and blue skies, and amongst posh lunches, freeway gridlock, and a stationary bike park.  This romantic comedy celebrates and spoofs the City of Angels through the eyes of television weatherman Harris K. Telemacher (Martin), who feels a bit lost in his career and current relationship.  However, a rogue road sign mysteriously disables Harris’ girlfriend’s car and then flashes words of advice.  It’s not just the sign speaking, as it declares, “L.A. wants to help you.” 

Martin’s script leads Harris towards a potentially right path on the Left Coast by encouraging our protagonist to spark a romance with a newly arrived Brit, Sara McDowel (Victoria Tennant), who is visiting for work.  Sara’s naivete allows Martin’s Harris to highlight La-La Land’s peculiarities through a tour of urban and suburban self-deprecation.  Tennant and Martin were married in real life, but on-screen Sara has some romantic competition when a bubbly bombshell named SanDeE* (Sarah Jessica Parker, and yes, that’s her character’s name) shows sunny interest in this weatherman.  Now, Harris might be twice her age, but he claims she’s not that young.  “She’ll be 27 in four years.”

“Leap of Faith” (1992) – “Manipulators are sneaky.  I’m obvious,” Jonas Nightengale (Martin) says to his friend Jane Larson (Debra Winger).  Jane is Jonas’ confidant, but she’s also the Chief Operating Officer of his massive traveling operation.  He’s a faith healer with a sizable staff, a choir of dozens, a bus, and a couple of tractor trailers.  This caravan circles the country to seek calculated spots to set up their massive circus tent as Jonas spouts the word of God.  However, Jonas’ prime religion is money.  He’s a fraud, a con man, and although IMDb labels “Leap of Faith” as a Comedy/Drama/Romance, it’s primarily a drama that packs a wallop in the third act. 

Here’s another surprise:  Martin doesn’t play Jonas for laughs, and that’s all by design.  In front of adoring crowds of Christians, Jonas is more animated than a kid on Christmas morning, a Powerball winner, and a pro wrestler winning the title all wrapped up in one.  However, behind the curtain, he’s a pragmatic, cynical swindler.  However, when this immoral preacher and his troupe stop in Rustwater, Kansas (pop. 22,000), a town down on its luck, will Jonas find a heart?  Director Richard Pearce’s film – released a few years after televangelists Tammy and Jim Bakker fell on hard times - also stars Liam Neeson, Meat Loaf, and a 25-year-old Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Holy moly!

“The Spanish Prisoner” (1997) – David Mamet writes and directs an absorbing mystery with more twists than a jumbo box of Twizzlers that leaves its lead (Campbell Scott) and movie audience dizzy.  Joe Ross (Scott) is an engineer or mathematician of some sort who developed “the process” that could make millions and millions for Mr. Klein’s (Ben Gazzara) company.  Joe is Klein’s most vital employee, but when the boss doesn’t guarantee a payday for him, Mr. Ross feels used.  Where can he turn for help? 

Well, Joe meets Jimmy Dell (Martin), an affluent socialite, and his new friend asserts that he can recommend a lawyer to protect the 30-something upstart’s interests.  Sure, that makes sense.  What could go wrong?  Although, Jimmy did offer Joe one hundred dollars for his camera when he inadvertently snapped a photo of him in the Caribbean during their initial encounter.  Geez, that’s strange.  Well, there’s nothing odd about Mamet’s whip-smart film, which includes Felicity Huffman, Ed O’Neill, Ricky Jay, and a winning performance by Rebecca Pidgeon, who has clearly mastered the girl-next-door persona.  No, Steve isn’t donning an arrow through his head or bunny ears here, but he should proudly wear a “The Spanish Prisoner” pin on his lapel for his convincing work as Jimmy Dell.

“Shopgirl” (2005) – Mirabelle Buttersfield (Claire Danes) is a 20-something Vermonter who moved to Los Angeles to find her way.  She’s a hopeful artist, but – for now – Mirabelle pays the bills by driving back and forth in her blue pickup nearly every day to Saks Fifth Avenue.  She works in the accessories department and is an earnest, lonely soul, but before you can say, “Let’s open up a book on a slow Saturday night,” two men ask her out.  A directionless, clueless slacker (Jason Schwartzman) and a wealthy businessman (Martin) vie for Mirabelle’s affections in this love triangle based on Martin’s 2000 novella of the same name. 

Like, Jonas in “Leap of Faith” and Jimmy in “The Spanish Prisoner”, Steve is playing off-type, and here, he gives a subdued, distant performance.  Ray (Martin) is interested in an affair, perhaps long-term, but with no attachments.  He’s about 30 years older than Mirabelle, so he’s done the math, but Ray otherwise treats her with kindness and care.  More like courtesy and care.  Meanwhile, Jeremy (Schwartzman) struggles to scrape up change for the laundromat and could use a team of maids for his apartment.  Schwartzman delivers frequent moments of comic relief while Martin plays it straight, but Danes’ Mirabelle is the film’s most compelling character.  We watch her process her current circumstances with two male extremes, as she and the narrative speak plenty about age, social status, longing for a fruitful career, and establishing a meaningful relationship.

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Easter Sunday - Movie Review

Directed by:  Jay Chandrasekhar

Written by:  Kate Angelo and Ken Cheng 

Starring:  Jo Koy, Lydia Gaston, Brandon Wardell, Eva Noblezada, Tia Carrere, Rodney To, Elena Juatco, Eugene Cordero, Rodney Perry, and Tiffany Haddish

Runtime:  92 minutes

‘Easter Sunday’ offers something new, but a distracting plot thread meanders through this holiday.

How do you celebrate Easter Sunday?  Perhaps you don’t celebrate it at all.   

For Joe Valencia (Jo Koy), this year, he drives from Los Angeles to Daly City, Calif. to spend the holiday with his family.  This 50-something standup comedian doesn’t trek up to Northern Cal very often because he’s regularly bustling through a hectic schedule of performing live and starring in commercials.  At the moment, Joe is trying out for a sitcom and hopes this could be his big break.  In addition, to running the La La Land rat race, he’s a divorcee and a father to his teenage son, Joe Jr. (Brandon Wardell). 

Junior (Wardell) joins his dad on this road trip/visit in Koy’s film, a reflection of his own family and Filipino heritage.  The cast is primarily Filipino, and Koy expressed excitement - through several interviews – over this fact.   

In an Aug. 4th Collider interview with Steve Weintraub, Jo talks about the script.

“We wanted (the movie) to be loosely based, but also an embellishment of my life and then still represent the culture,” Koy said.

In real-life, Koy is divorced and has a son.  He’s a standup comic by trade, but Koy was born (and grew up) in Tacoma, Wash, unlike his on-screen character.

“Super Troopers” veteran and Broken Lizard co-founder Jay Chandrasekhar directs this family comedy.  “Easter Sunday” starts as an amiable, enjoyable journey but, unfortunately, breaks down about 40 minutes in, as Kate Angelo and Ken Cheng’s screenplay inexplicably drifts into a mundane plot thread involving money problems and local gangsters. 

It’s a painful turn because the movie begins with a light, positive atmosphere.

These good feelings don’t necessarily flee the big screen throughout the 92-minute runtime, but a tired, routine storyline overshadows them.  You see, Joe lends/invests in his Daly City cousin’s (Eugene Cordero) food truck, but Eugene (Cordero) squanders the opportunity and becomes the target of a local mobster’s (Asif Ali) ire. 

Really?  Yes, really.

Let’s back up, however, and reflect upon more encouraging on-screen times.

First of all, Joe is a wholly likable lead.  He’s extremely busy juggling bowling balls and spinning plates on spindly sticks but has virtuous intentions of pleasing everyone…except his ex-wife’s husband (Michael Weaver).  Joe mentions that Kyle (Weaver) usually “makes it weird,” and we see the awkward escapades play out humorously. 

They say that women can’t have it all, and Joe struggles through the male version of this uphill climb. 

However, Junior and he arrive in Daly City, and Chandrasekhar captures some gorgeous shots of this San Francisco suburb, and the oceanfront municipality looks inviting.  So much so that this critic would like to vacation there, stat!  Now, the “Easter Sunday” cast and crew filmed in Vancouver, B.C., so the said accolades should be saved for that Canadian spot instead, but perhaps, they filmed B-roll in Daly City.  Not sure.   

Anyways, the hospitable setting connects to Joe’s family.  Very quickly after Joe and Junior’s arrival, we meet several of their kin, including his sister Regina (Elena Juatco), cousin Eugene (Cordero), mom (Lydia Gaston), aunt or Tita Theresa (Tia Carrere), and several others.  His relatives have various and engaging eccentricities, and even though Regina teases him and his mom constantly mothers him, Susan’s (Gaston) home has a ton of love.

The movie usually shines brightest when the entire family is together, whether they are enjoying Susan’s house, picnicking in a park, or attending an Easter service hosted by Father Hildo (Rodney Perry).  Perry is a comedian by trade, and Koy and Chandrasekhar feature other standup comics in the movie, including Ali and Tiffany Haddish. 

 Haddish, no question, delivers the laugh-out-loud funniest moments in “Easter Sunday”, and Koy gets opportunities to stretch his monologue skills during a couple of arranged occasions.

Even though Haddish’s said rant on the Daly City streets originated from Eugene and Joe’s ongoing escapades to raise cash to pay off the mob dude, Dev Deluxe (Ali), this clunky plot thread monopolizes way too much screen time.  Not only do we plod through the dull mechanics of Joe’s dismay and travels through his hometown, but this side quest constantly pulls our hero away from the rest of his family, where the most fruitful interest resides. 

Look, we need more moments of Susan and Tita Teresa’s ongoing feud, Regina’s relationship with her brother, Tito Arthur’s (Rodney To) mailman adventures, and more. 

On the other hand, Eva Noblezada’s turn as a whip-smart and pleasant high school senior is a winning love interest for Junior, and his relationship with his dad keeps our attention too.  Chandrasekhar also gets in on the act and is another bright spot with frequent hits as Joe’s opportunistic and equally shallow agent.  He lights up the screen with every appearance.

“Easter Sunday” has key positives, including a supportive, diverse cast, warm and funny moments from professional comics, and several lovely shots of Filipino cuisine.  At the same time, the plot inexplicably dives into the aforementioned conventional, monotonous space.  The third-act face off with Dev is just another reminder that the story took the laziest turn imaginable.  Hey, Dev carries a gun and all, but there’s not even one second of angst (from this critic) that anyone is in danger.

“Easter Sunday” offers something new and a surprising cameo to boot, but a distracting plot thread meanders through this holiday.

Jeff’s ranking 

2/4 stars

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Bullet Train - Movie Review

 Directed by:  David Leitch

Written by:  Zak Olkewicz, based on Kotaro Isaka’s 2010 novel 

Starring:  Brad Pitt, Brian Tyree Henry, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Joey King, Zazie Beetz, Masi Oka, Andrew Koji, and Hiroyuki Sanada

Runtime:  126 minutes

‘Bullet Train’ isn’t a wreck, but this movie needed to pump the brakes.

“There’s nothing simple about this job.” – Ladybug (Brad Pitt)  

Despite his nickname, Ladybug doesn’t feel lucky.  Actually, it’s his codename.  Our slim 50-something - who sports spectacles and a bucket hat - is an assassin for hire, so peril is sure to follow his misfortune.

In director David Leitch’s (“Atomic Blonde” (2017), “Deadpool 2” (2018)) latest action flick, Ladybug boards a high-speed train in Tokyo – bound for Kyoto – and his only job is to steal an aluminum briefcase with a small sticker.  The said tiny decal is – you guessed it – a train. 

Easier said than done, as Leitch and writer Zak Olkewicz throw oodles of hoodlums, ruffians, and desperados - along with the kitchen sink and a coffee maker - in our hero’s way during his attempt to complete this clear-cut task.  For 126 minutes, “Bullet Train” races through this caper story at 200 mph, and the hectic pace doesn’t decelerate, not even for introductions of its eccentric players, follow-throughs of their arcs, and countless flashbacks.

 Who do we meet?  It isn’t easy to keep up with them all, but here’s an earnest attempt with the trusted assistance of IMDb.

Brothers Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) and Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) currently possess Ladybug’s targeted item.

 Kimura (Andrew Koji) is heartbroken over his son’s near-critical accident, and The Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada) is the little boy’s grandfather. 

Wolf (Bad Bunny) acts like a man possessed, and he’s obsessed with revenge.

Zazie Beetz and Joey King make notable appearances, and Leitch includes not one, not two, but three surprising cameos who won’t be named here in this review. 

With some quick math, that’s 11 characters, and this movie feels like “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001) on crack cocaine. 

This picture is a bloody, comedic thriller with a figurative neon Midnight Madness billboard that flashes greens, hot pinks, icy blues, 15-dozen quips, plenty of pulp violence, a few Three Stooges acts, and frequent cutaways through dizzying editing. 

So, what’s the problem? 

The film is over-stylized, overblown, and overdone.

 It’s too much. 

Too cute, too flashy, too hip, and too quirky.  Simply put, “Bullet Train” tries too hard to be a Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie production, and the strain is apparent.

It’s bedlam.  While this critic tried to make sense of it all during the first and second acts, most of the jokes didn’t land.  At least to me, and possibly it’s because the narrative makes us devote so much time to confusing, shifting backstories for several characters we barely know.  Perhaps, it’s because of the script, editing choices, or some unexplained mystery.  

For instance, Lemon and Tangerine disagree on the number of kills from the previous job.  Was it 16 or 17?  The film throws us back to their memories as we slap through various slayings with all the excitement of folding laundry.  Compare this moment with a similar scene in “The Suicide Squad” (2021) when Peacemaker (John Cena) creatively knocks off a collection of rebels with goofball, animated precision, and the results are hilarious.  Perhaps, it’s because Peacemaker is a physically cartoonish character or Cena is a gifted comedian.  However, Lemon and Tangerine’s straight-away executions land like a curiosity rather than laugh-out-loud pomp and circumstance.

Admittedly, I did chuckle or felt amused on occasion, especially with Pitt, who saunters - through this maze of baddies along the narrow hallway(s) of a speeding locomotive – with the dexterity of an acrobat with hitman skills.  He’s our glue or lifeline, but Henry and Taylor-Johnson offer movie-star appeal, too, even though their kill retrospective is met with silence or puzzlement. 

 Certainly, “Bullet Train” attempts to pull every trick in the book, including massive CGI during a few exterior bumps (that aren’t convincing at all).  Leitch offers nods to the host country, like Japanese singer Avu-chan’s version of a famous Bee Gees’ song, a mob with a martial arts flair, and repeated referrals to a cartoonish character in the vein of Hello Kitty.

Additionally, David Scheunemann’s production design and Richard Bloom, Chris Farmer, and Nicolas Plotquin’s art direction offer authentic vibes on this claustrophobic, colorful means of transportation.  Hey, the interior events generally look great, and Olkewicz’s script – based on Kotaro Isaka’s 2010 novel of the same name – ties up all the loose ends. 

 If only we had time and space to connect to almost all of these characters, but the film complicates matters by endlessly speeding down its bombastic track. 

 “Bullet Train” isn’t a wreck, but the movie needed to pump the brakes.

Jeff’s ranking 

2/4 stars

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Vengeance – Movie Review

Directed and written by:  B.J. Novak

Starring:  B.J. Novak, Lio Tipton, Boyd Holbrook, Isabella Amara, Eli Bickel, J. Smith-Cameron, Dove Cameron, and Ashton Kutcher

Runtime:  94 minutes

‘Vengeance’: Novak lassoes several cinematic targets

“So, as like a personal boundary, I don’t avenge deaths.” – Ben Manalowitz (B.J. Novak)

When we first meet, Ben Manalowitz, a 30-something writer for The New Yorker, he chats with one of his buddies at a New York City get-together.  These two single dudes commit a solid five minutes of screen time bantering about their eternal commitments to not forge commitments with their various trysts, dates, and temporary partners.  They quickly volley back and forth, and it’s a bit dizzying to recall all the details.  However, they repeatedly affirm each other’s declarations by uttering “a hundred percent” in an effectively comical scene that establishes Ben as a big-city fast talker and sharp thinker.

The Collective They say that a typical screenplay’s number of pages will roughly equal the runtime minutes of the associated movie.  With a breakneck pace of rapid discourse during the opening conversation of “Vengeance”, one might opine that this 94-minute film must partner with a 188-page screenplay.   

A hundred percent?

Well, this picture’s stride does decelerate as Mr. Manalowitz visits a small town in West Texas, which Ty (Boyd Holbrook) describes as a place that’s “five hours from Abilene (pop. 125,000).” 

This critic didn’t recall the aforementioned township’s designation.  Quite frankly, no one may have uttered it, but the municipality’s name isn’t essential to the movie.  Instead, the culture clash between Ben’s core northern, urban certainties and the Lone Star State’s key players’ small-town sensibilities is paramount in this sarcastic comedy and whodunit that stirs up a few genuine sit-up-and-take-notice surprises.   

Novak – best known as Ryan from “The Office” (2005 – 2013) – directs his first big-screen movie here.  He also penned the script about this city-slicker fish finding himself out of water on dusty, desolate plains where close-knit families enjoy home-cooked meals, line dancing, rodeos, Texas Tech football, and also carry guns as a matter a fact, like throwing on a pair of pants and cowboy boots in the morning.  

No question, Novak plays up the stereotypes of Ben’s newfound friends, The Shaw family, who embrace him as one of their own.  

They mistakenly believe that he was Abilene’s (Lio Tipton) long-term boyfriend, and when she suddenly passes away, her brother Ty insists that Ben must travel to her funeral.  What Ty, Abilene’s sisters (Isabella Amara, Dove Cameron), younger brother (Eli Bickel), mom (J. Smith-Cameron), and grandmother (Louanne Stephens) don’t realize is that Ben only hooked up with her a few times.  He barely has any emotional association with this deceased 20-something, who thought much more of their time together than our lead did.  

However, when does the film’s title come into play?  Ty believes that Abilene’s death wasn’t accidental, so he recruits the reluctant Ben to help solve the mystery and enact vengeance.  

Serious stuff, but the movie balances the overhanging gravity with lighter tones.  During Mr. Manalowitz’s time in the 28th state, he dodges deep questions about his “relationship” with Abilene and Lone Star philosophies.  The movie’s best moments are these classic, familiar comic cases of misunderstanding and discomfort.  Novak’s slight build and height (5’ 9”) make him a fine folly for teasing by the Shaws and other Texas folk.  Meanwhile, he dialogues in circles over and around this brand-new (to him) community. 

Ben also talks in loops around us as he attempts to construct a long-form podcast/radio story about this misadventure and frequently communicates with his boss, Eloise (Issa Rae).  Ben and B.J. have tons to say about society’s 21st-century mental state and our coping mechanisms for forming personal connections, defining our purposes, and grasping for meaning.  On occasion, the story dives into the weeds, and it’s sometimes challenging to completely process the discourse.  Still, Novak’s and Manalowitz’s messages are praiseworthy and poignant, as the frequent societal memos kick up narrative dust devils on Ben’s trek along the rustic pathways.  

Ashton Kutcher also strolls into the picture in a memorable supporting role as a music producer and part-time philosopher that puts our hero on his heels.  But, Novak is on his toes in “Vengeance”, and it’s obvious to surmise that he poured bushels of heart into his debut film.  He successfully lassoes several cinematic targets, including a couple of tender moments that stand as tall as the biggest laughs and surprising revelations. 

“Vengeance” isn’t a typical revenge picture.

Really?  

A hundred percent. 

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Nope - Movie Review

Directed and written by:  Jordan Peele

Starring:  Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott, Steven Yeun, Wrenn Schmidt, and Keith David

Runtime:  130 minutes

‘Nope’ is a spectacular Maybe

“What is a bad miracle?  They got a word for that?” – Otis ‘OJ’ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya)

Six months ago, OJ (which stands for Otis Jr.) witnessed a horrible freak accident, one caused by the said bad miracle that killed his father, Otis Sr. (Keith David), and injured one of their horses, Ghost.

Ghost survived, but this majestic animal’s spirit is bruised and a bit frayed. 

OJ is frazzled too, but he generally swallows his words and feelings.  He lived in the shadow of his ambitious father, the owner of Haywood’s Hollywood Horses, a stallion and mare training operation for the film and television industries.  However, with Otis Sr. gone, this 30-something introvert – who seems like he never wanted to work in the business – drives back and forth to La La Land from HHH’s secluded ranch in the dry, desert hills of Agua Dulce, a remote municipality just northeast of Santa Clarita, Calif.  

His sister, Emerald (Keke Palmer), helps out on rare occasions.  However, she’d rather be singing, dancing, or listening to records (and sometimes, this gregarious personality spins all three pursuits simultaneously) than walking mustangs, tending to the stables, and shoveling horse-you-know-what.  

Well, their daily grinds and grief screech to a halt because a UFO (yes, a UFO) – that soars over Agua Dulce – has immediately captured the Haywood siblings’ attention.

Jordan Peele has captured the horror world’s attention since his landmark directorial debut, “Get Out” (2017), fascinated and frightened audiences.  That film – an unimaginable concoction of “The Stepford Wives” (1975), “Frankenstein” (1931), “Roots” (1977), and more - earned four Academy Award nominations, including Jordan winning the Best Original Screenplay Oscar.  

His masterful follow-up, “Us” (2019), married sinister doppelgängers with the 1986 Hands Across America project, a wonderfully bizarre match made in hell.  

Peele isn’t thinking out of the box.  He’s contemplating while off the planet!

In his third outing, this writer/director, again, wields unthinkable bold ideas because “Nope” is not an ordinary Unidentified Flying Object story.  Peele gifts us with, perhaps, a half-dozen scenes that will leave most moviegoers flat-out floored via a pair of shocking grand concepts, good old-fashioned scare tactics, and a fantastic, Oscar-worthy sound design. 

Horseshoes rumble on the desert floor and through our abdomens, and howling winds strangle the breath in our throats, especially on a lonesome locale where the crunch beneath a shoe’s sole or a simple flick of a switch perks up our ears. 

Yes, the movie’s central, earnest premise earns sky-high praise.  From that perspective, “Nope” stands just as tall as “Get Out” and “Us”, and the aforementioned (without explicitly mentioning) six demonstrative moments are the goo and glue of nightmares for the foreseeable future.  However, the overall execution of this one-of-kind cinematic thesis frequently stalls due to clumsy exchanges, clunky editing at times, a supposedly-critical supporting character becomes a bothersome distraction rather than an essential element, and recurring flashbacks that belong in a different movie. 

With all of that noise, the third-act payoffs don’t land like they should, at least to this critic, and the movie’s 130-minute runtime could’ve easily trimmed down to 100 or even 90 and still focused on the immediate wonders and threats.  

Speaking of wonders and threats, let’s get back to the story.  OJ and Emerald wish to capture their new visitor on film, and hey, they might make a small fortune and also contemplate that Oprah may call.  So, they enlist a Fry’s Electronics tech team employee, Angel (Brandon Perea), to install two video cameras that will help them cash in!  Angel’s technical competency is the stuff of legends, but his personal life has fallen into tatters of the brokenhearted.  Still, his humble absurdity delivers and lands comic relief versus the day’s pressing matters.  In fact, Palmer and Perea bring engaging and infectious upbeat energy, which counters Kaluuya’s deliberately subdued performance.  

Emerald and OJ have decades of history, and they tolerate a semi-cordial relationship, but her bohemian tendencies and his leveled pragmatism clash.  The brother-sister tension effectively plays out in the present-day as Emerald often gushes over her interests, while OJ wishes she’d lend more elbow grease at home.  

However, the film swings and misses during its one attempt to reflect upon their childhood years.  Peele wants us to connect to a specific third-act scene, based on Emerald’s memory when she was nine-years-young along with OJ’s massive leap of faith from a first-act observation.  It’s a critical moment, but the script doesn’t flush out her remembrance from yesterdecade enough.  Hence, this Haywood memory feels matter-of-fact at best rather than a profound emotional link between brother and sister. 

Perhaps, several Haywood reflections ended up on the cutting room floor.  Instead, the movie dedicates significant minutes to recollections of an altogether different experience, one that has nothing to do with OJ and Emerald.  

Granted, this particular incident – from 1998 – is a sicko, twisted horror show, one that will leave a theatre deathly silent and utterly aghast.  On the other hand, the linkage between this ’98 happening and ‘22 is a stretch.  Sure, it’s there, but it mainly feels disconnected from the movie’s primary driver and, quite frankly, unnecessary.  Although a separate short film about this unnamed appalling occurrence certainly feels in order, “Nope” needed to spend more time with OJ and Emerald’s relationship.  

Well, the Haywoods form a working partnership with a cinematographer (Michael Wincott) to assist with securing their Oprah shot, but Antlers Holst (Wincott) mumbles and broods with the usefulness of door stopper helplessly sitting in an abandoned building, and every minute with this character feels like a waste of time.  Although, Antlers’ presence possibly serves as a parallel role from a massively famous 20th-century movie, but that’s just a guess. 

Steven Yeun is quite good as OJ and Emerald’s neighbor, Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park.  Ricky and his wife Amber (Wrenn Schmidt) cope with the UFO much differently than the Haywoods, as their entrepreneurial endeavors and curiosity take them two steps forward.  At the same time, OJ and Emerald would rather observe while peddling backward a step.  These contrasts in styles clearly play out with their separate encounters but also with the makeup of their properties, which are curious to consider. 

Peele and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema capture wondrous big-screen eye candy in the barren desert.  Unknown, out-of-this-world technology meets, but doesn’t necessarily greet, a wholly vulnerable landscape and its inhabitants, and Peele and Van Hoytema visit these confrontations with mystery and sleight of hand that peak our and the on-screen players’ interest and fear.  

Will we get more than just subtle hints of these friends or foes?  

Well, the film resonates with epic western vibes, as our heroes stare upwards into cumulus clouds, and the visitors look back at the baking desert (via sweeping drone shots).  It’s a standoff, so you’ll have to see. 

The crucial visual stunners – that deliver straight-up awe – work, but we also have to muddle through odd detours to get there.  During the biggest moments, the camera – sometimes - awkwardly volleys between OJ, Emerald, and Angel and seemingly doesn’t know where to place the focus.  A dash from the Haywood house and a third-act attempt to film the out-of-towners come to mind right away.  The choreography just seems off, and while conjuring a final game plan, our protagonists sort of mutter through the particulars with all the pep and interest of reviewing car insurance premiums.   

OJ usually has trouble finding his voice, but he’s no dummy, and we hope that he follows Otis Sr.’s advice: “Just execute, and we got no more problems.”  

Peele executes big-time during key spots, and fans shouldn’t miss this film.  However, generally speaking, can I recommend “Nope”?  Well, this movie feels like a spectacular maybe.

Jeff’s ranking

2.5/4 stars

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'Don't Make Me Go' - interview with Mia Isaac

Mia Isaac graciously arrives for a 'Don't Make Me Go' interview

By Jeff Mitchell

In “Don’t Make Me Go” (2022), Max (John Cho) is a single parent with a grim medical diagnosis.  Max doesn’t tell his teenage daughter, Wally (Mia Isaac), but he takes her on a road trip to meet her mom in this family drama from director Hanna Marks.  

Mia graciously met the Phoenix Film Festival over a Zoom call, and this talented young actress shares Wally’s perspectives, the amusing and stressful learning-how-to-drive scenes, the limited prep time she had with John, and much more!

On Friday, July 15, “Don’t Make Me Go” begins streaming on (Amazon) Prime Video!

PFF:  Mia, it’s great meeting you, and are you ready to talk about driving?

MI:  Yes, I think so!  If you’re ready, I’m ready. 

PFF:  Max teaches Wally how to drive, and the film has amusing and stressful scenes that took me back to my early driving days.  Could you relate to Wally’s stress?

MI:  Oh, 100 percent.  By the time I played Wally, I had my license already.  So I knew how to drive (which) was great because I could recall my experience.  

Okay, I know how to drive, but I’m not great with highways yet.  I’m still learning.  I’m not great with merging, so that’s something me and Wally definitely have in common.  Her struggle with merging felt very real to my struggle.  I learned a little bit from (Wally), too.  I guess we’re not supposed to close our eyes on the road, so I know that now. 

PFF:  (Driving) was a new world that I wasn’t ready for myself, so I totally get it.  (On a different topic), I love that Wally says, “I’d bet on you,” to her dad.  To me, that line is more impactful than (Wally) saying, “I love you.”  Did you see it the same way? 

MI:  Yea, 100 percent.  In a lot of ways, throughout the movie, we see that Max doesn’t really bet on himself.  He’s so used to playing it safe.  It’s brought up that he once had a passion for singing and never pursued it because he didn’t believe in himself.  I think it’s really special that Wally believes in him wholeheartedly.  She loves him so much and wants what’s best for him. 

PFF:  The audience knows Max’s secret.  Wally doesn’t, but do you think, deep down, she knows that something is going on (because her dad is acting strangely), or is she thinking that her dad is just being Dad? 

MI:  Wally knows her dad well enough to know that he’s acting a little strange and that things are different, but she also gets mixed up in (the) idea of (her dad) wanting to introduce her to her mom.  Maybe that’s why he is feeling nervous.  She’s always felt a certain way about meeting her mom, so that meddles with (her) a little bit.  (Wally’s) not sure why Max is - all of sudden - acting different, but she relates a lot of that back to (her) mom. 

PFF:  Max doesn’t tell Wally about his (medical diagnosis).  For (big news) like that, would you want to know right away?

MI:  I think it’s different for me because I come from a two-parent household which is so very different than growing up with one parent.  Of course, I’d want to know, but when (my parents) are given news, (they) go to each other first.  

They’d say, “How are we going to present this to our kids, or how are we going to move (on) this?”

That’s something that they’d go through together, but what’s special about Max and Wally is it’s always just the two of them.  They depend on each other.  They count on each other.  A kid and a parent probably wouldn’t do that in a two-person household, but Wally really would’ve wanted to know because they went through something together, and that something was losing her mom.  

(Max and Wally) survived that together.  There was no hiding anything.  (They) have this shared grief together, so why can’t (they) share this news.   

PFF:  Wally gets into trouble on this trip, but she really is a good kid.  She has a strong moral center, and I think that’s a good choice for (this character), because it gives (the audience more) time to know Max and Wally.  What do you think?

MI:  Yea, Wally’s a teenager.  She can be very annoying, and I think it’d be very easy for audiences to dislike her.  But, at the end of the day, Wally is really lovable.  She really cares about her dad, and she really, really genuinely loves him.  That’s important to show because we’ve all seen teenagers (be) teenagers, but I think what sets Wally apart is how much she loves her dad. 

PFF:  Wally is also distracted because of Glenn, who we don’t like.  We don’t like Glenn at all. (Haha.)  Wally gets emotionally stuck at times because (Glenn) could be (her) first love.  What are your thoughts about Wally dealing with Glenn?

MI:  I learned a lot about playing Wally, and we’re both coming of age at the same time.  While Wally was discovering boys, I was learning through playing her.  Over the course of the movie, Wally learns that she deserves more than a boy who doesn’t want her back.  I learned that sometimes you shouldn’t have to settle, and you deserve a boy who will be kind to you. 

PFF:  How did you and John Cho prepare for the film, and did you have a lot of time?

MI:  We met in person about a week before we started shooting.  It was very, very quick because I just got into the country, so I did a two-week quarantine.  The day I got out of quarantine (was the day) we met in person.  In any other situation with any other person, it probably would’ve been very hard to create that chemistry and that bond right away.  But, because it was John, it was just so easy.  I got so lucky.  We fell into that father-daughter dynamic really naturally, and we spent a lot of time together on set.  I couldn’t have asked for a better scene partner.  

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Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down – Movie Review

Directed by:  Julie Cohen and Betsy West

Starring:  Gabrielle Giffords, Mark Kelly, and Barack Obama

Runtime:  95 minutes

Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, but your emotional walls probably will.

“So many people hurt.  A lot of people died.  Always connected to them.  Grateful to survive.  I’m alive.” – Gabrielle Dee Giffords

On Jan. 8, 2011 in front of a Tucson, Ariz. Safeway grocery store, a lone shooter wreaked havoc on a Congress on Your Corner event and killed six people and injured 13 others.  U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle ‘Gabby’ Giffords was one of the wounded, shot in the head and then rushed to a hospital.  

While watching directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s revealing documentary about the former United States congresswoman, this critic regularly repeated to himself, “My God, it’s a miracle that she survived.”

About six minutes into the movie, neurosurgeon Dr. Dong Kim describes the bullet’s trajectory with frank composure, but simultaneously, Cohen and West present a computer model of Ms. Giffords’ skull and the projectile’s path that tears right through it.  The result for the audience is utter despair at that moment because this destructive collision between a metal slug and a human brain surely would be fatal…except – somehow, someway - it wasn’t. 

Cohen and West teamed up to make 2018’s “RBG”, an insightful doc about the Supreme Court Justice, and this dynamic directing duo has strung together other enlightening films that feature strong, influential American women, including “My Name is Pauli Murray” (2021), “Julia” (2021), and now “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down”.  

Although Gabby has lived thousands of notable days, that fateful January 2011 morning is the 52-year-old’s most consequential.  Our filmmakers candidly approach it with Gabby and her husband, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, which translates into - seemingly - equal parts of heartbreak and inspiration.  

Let’s look at the heartbreak first.  

After Gabby and Mark reach the hospital, he frequently filmed her recovery as a document, and 10-plus years later, the couple shares their troubling days on video with Cohen and West.  Gabby is seen in her most vulnerable state, and she attempts to process her immediate situation with hospital staff, doctors, speech and physical therapists, and family members concentrating on her care.  

Meanwhile, Gabby suffers from aphasia.  

Its official definition, according to Google, is “a language disorder caused by damage in a specific area of the brain that controls language and expression.  Aphasia leaves a person unable to communicate effectively with others.”

By featuring many hospital scenes with Gabby donning a shaved head and ragged scars, coping with limited mobility, and grappling with her speech, these moments act as a double-whammy on our senses.  These struggles rip into our feelings, but the film volleys between Gabby’s 2011-to-present-day existence and her carefree, physically-healthy pre-2011 years.  Viewing the contrast between her past and present is profoundly affecting, but Ms. Giffords has made extraordinary strides over the last 11 years.  She’s a fighter, and so is Mark.

Through top-notch remembrance devices like precious B-roll and past photos of this energetic go-getting Tucsonan, Cohen and West offer an upbeat portrait of Ms. Giffords before 2011, a whirlwind of charisma and vitality who became an Arizona House Representative at age 30, an Arizona Senator at 32, and a U.S. Congresswoman at 36.  

So, we sympathize with Gabby when she says, “I love to talk, and I’m so quiet now.”

Brutal. 

The film’s first 55 minutes primarily focus on Gabby’s journey, which includes her falling in love with an astronaut.  Gabby and Mark’s inspiring devotion to each other shines through every on-screen second, and the remaining 40 minutes feature the couple moving forward together, attempting to instill change in the country with new gun safety proposals and Mark’s U.S. Senate career.  

At this point, the doc takes a tonal shift into more mechanical spaces.  The material turns political into broader messages about gun safety, which will turn off a portion of the audience.  Still, life dragged Gabby and Mark through the wringer, so the movie’s direction feels like a natural progression.  Gabby and Mark have a viewpoint on the never-ending waves of U.S. gun violence, and the movie expands from Tucson to Sandy Hook, Orlando, Las Vegas, and so on.  

Key Democrat lawmakers speak to Cohen and West, including former U.S. President Barack Obama. 

(In a March 22, 2022 The Hollywood Reporter interview with Mia Galuppo, Cohen says, “We actually have asked Obama for interviews previously, but this was the one he said “yes” to.  I think really largely as a function of his admiration and affection for Gabby Giffords.”)

In the film, President Obama says, “Tucson was the first mass shooting during my presidency,” and he adds, “And sadly, it is then repeated over and over and over and over and over again.” 

For any moviegoer – especially Arizona residents, including me - it’s challenging to relive Gabby’s darkest hour over 95 minutes, but she, Mark, their family, friends, and colleagues persevere to stay in lighted and enlightened spaces for the foreseeable future.  

No, Gabby won’t back down, but your emotional walls probably will.  Mine did.  Bring tissues. 

Jeff’s ranking

3/4 stars

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Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris – Movie Review

Directed by:  Anthony Fabian

Written by:  Anthony Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed, based on Paul Gallico’s novel

Starring:  Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Ellen Thomas, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, and Lambert Wilson

Runtime:  110 minutes

“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” is a pleasant trip

“You dare to follow your dreams, Mrs. Harris.  Bravo.” – Natasha (Alba Baptista)

Ada Harris (Lesley Manville), a London cleaning lady, hasn’t contemplated her dreams in years, except for wishing that her husband Eddie would walk through the front door of her basement apartment.  

The year is 1957, and Eddie still hasn’t returned from the war.  So, Ada spends her days traveling on the London Town bus lines to her clients, tidying up their opulent flats and homes during the daylight hours, and sleeping alone on one side of her bed at night.  Thankfully, she frequently visits her best friend Vi (Ellen Thomas) for laughs and camaraderie, and another pal, Archie (Jason Isaacs), is also a jolly sort.  

Otherwise, each ordinary day runs into the other until she spots a dazzling Christian Dior dress at one of the aforementioned apartments.

The sight of this intricate, flowery costume – with the power of a shiny red bike sitting under a Christmas tree, a gregarious puppy in a pet shop window, or a million dollars wrapped in cellophane bricks - transports her to a dizzying state of delight.  Ada’s in love, and when she discovers that the sparkly gown cost 500 quid, this determined 50 or 60-something realizes her dream: to travel to Paris and buy her own Christian Dior.  

How much is 500 pounds in today’s money?  According to Google, it’s 5,272.44, give or take a pence.  Doesn’t matter.  To her, a Dior is priceless.  

Now, director/co-writer Anthony Fabian’s picture – based on Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel - is a throwback to old-fashioned 1950s flicks, like “Roman Holiday” (1953) or “Summertime” (1955) and with similar art direction and cinematography as Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven”, a 1950s drama released in 2002.  “Mrs. Harris” isn’t as strong or exactly like these all-time classics.  Still, it’s a competent movie, and Manville and her co-star Isabelle Huppert offer spirited performances and on-screen appeal.

The Oscar-nominated Manville has turned in great work for years, including supporting roles in several Mike Leigh pictures, and for the record, she’s fabulous in “Another Year” (2010).

Here, Lesley plays the lead, and even though Ada has a not-always-easy, working-class life, this is a refreshing light role for Manville.  She effectively carries Ada’s hardship and her character’s new willingness, due to her pursuit of an exclusive dress, to stand up for herself.  Ada transforms from swallowing her words to speaking her mind, even though she creates confrontation with her Cockney accent and suddenly strident behavior. 

Yes, she does get to Paris, and Fabian and cinematographer Felix Wiedemann capture some of the city’s most iconic sights, like the Eiffel Tower (from a distance), the Sacre-Coeur, and the Seine.  If you look closely during a flower garden scene, you’ll see Notre-Dame.  Fabian does check the sightseeing boxes for French aficionados, but the 110-minute movie doesn’t overflow with constant Parisian delights.  One might hope for more, but it’s difficult to make a film set in 1957 and then take the cameras to a madhouse of 2022 individuals surrounding the Eiffel Tower.  We get it, and no, Ada doesn’t take an elevator to the top of the Tower.

The screenplay – written by Fabian and three others – does involve cultural clashes between the English and French, which crystalize into a combat of words between Ada and Claudine (Huppert).  Claudine manages the Dior operation, and her posh, snobbish air regularly collides with Ada’s naive, sometimes clumsy posture.  This Brit rolls in with cash rolls and isn’t afraid to hold them out and essentially say, “My money is good too.”  The English and French have stepped into verbal and actual confrontations for centuries, and Manville and Huppert have fun with their characters’ grievances and differences throughout the film in broad and nuanced ways.  

For instance, even sharing a drink carries a “Cheers” from Claudine and “Bottoms up” from Ada.  

Ironically, Huppert essentially plays Manville’s role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” (2017), so enjoy witnessing this role reversal.  Fabian includes a couple of subplots involving a potential romance between two Dior coworkers, Andre (Lucas Bravo) and Natasha, and a cash flow issue at the dress manufacturer.  Both storylines, however, feel forced, even though Bravo and Baptista give warm performances.  It just seems there isn’t enough screen time devoted to the pair to stir enough chemistry, although, sure, we’re rooting for them.  (Baptista may remind you of a young, French Audrey Hepburn.) 

Ada looks for romance too, and her emotional journey connects with this critic and is a productive use of time.  Of course, Fabian devotes on-screen minutes to fashion, including countless ballroom walks with models donning flawless fabrics and even staging a twirl or two.  

Attempting to find your footing while experiencing Paris would be a dream for millions, and this is Ada’s pursuit.  Perhaps “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” will inspire the masses to make similar trips.  Hey, give it a go if you have 5,000-plus pounds in your pocket!

Well, either way, Manville and Huppert are inspiring…always. 

Jeff’s ranking

2.5/4 stars

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Marcel the Shell with Shoes On – Movie Review

Directed by:  Dean Fleischer-Camp

Written by:  Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate, and Nick Paley

Starring:  Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate, and Isabella Rossellini

Runtime:  90 minutes

Grab your track sneakers and run to ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On’

“So, I’m making, like, a little documentary.” – Dean (Dean Fleischer-Camp)

“Oh, it’s like a movie, but nobody has any lines, and nobody even knows what it is while we’re making it.” – Marcel (Jenny Slate)

Director/co-writer Dean Fleischer-Camp and co-writer Jenny Slate star as the primary somebodies in “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”, a thoroughly engaging PG-rated story.  It’s a live-action feature that includes stop-motion characters.  With its intimate documentary style, the movie purposely and beautifully wanders into adorable, eccentric spaces throughout a roomy suburban home but also emotionally beyond its four walls.  

“Marcel” is the most endearing film this critic has seen this year, and I find it laborious to think up a comparable counterpart.  

Fleischer-Camp’s picture could be described as a “Garfield” comic strip and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009) combination that gently rolls around and splashes in pools of honey, marmalade, and frank, observational discourse.  

However, my best attempt doesn’t do justice to this beautiful, wholly-unique 90-minute experience, as it will entice audiences to embrace multiple “Marcel” viewings.

Consider yourself warned. 

Dean, a congenial 30-something introvert, is coping with a recent breakup and moves into an Airbnb while searching for a new place.  With lots of idle time, he films and interviews Marcel (Slate), his unexpected new housemate.  And why not, because Marcel is a walking, talking mollusk, about a one-inch tall and with one bulging eye sitting on the right side of his face/shell.  Oh yes, as stated in the film’s title, he wears a pair of shoes.  He claims they are pink, but they look orangish to my aging eyesight. 

Marcel is a kid.  He speaks like one with a squeaky, high-pitched voice that flows with both innocence and unintentional comedy.  Marcel’s altruistic thoughts may spark “kids say the darndest things” memories, but a whip-smart script - written by Fleischer-Camp, Slate, and Nick Paley - orchestrates his quips and comebacks.  He’s taken up residence here for years and lives with his grandmother Connie (Isabella Rossellini), and they look after each other with love and purpose.  

Connie gets ample screen time, but Marcel is the star.  He enthusiastically offers Dean scores of examples of his daily life with oddball demonstrations of show-and-tell.  For instance, Marcel jumps into a tennis ball and races around the non-carpeted floors.  He sticks honey on the bottom of his shoes and walks on walls like Spider-Man or Adam West’s Batman.  Our hero leaves footprints too.   And who knew that houseplants love Brahms? 

Marcel effectively communicates his naïve worldview and inventive tendencies, which drum up constant feelings of lovely sentiment and wonder.  It also doesn’t hurt that Slate’s impeccable comedic timing and her warbled character’s cadence bring massive personality to our physically vulnerable chaperone.  

He’s emotionally vulnerable, too, because his family is missing.  Grandma Connie and Marcel weren’t the only mollusks living in this spacious homestead, so finding his family, his community becomes the film’s primary driver, and mild-mannered, kind-hearted Dean shepherds the improbable task of hopefully locating them in this big world.  

Dean, Jenny, and Nick shepherd keen narrative decisions too. 

First of all, the audience doesn’t witness Dean’s first encounter with Marcel.  Instead, we’re introduced matter-of-factly to both of them.  This odd couple throws us into their current friendship.  We end up playing catch-up when witnessing their surreal circumstances, which adds to a consuming sense of fascination and head-scratching disbelief from the get-go. 

The narrative also presents Marcel with two emotionally daunting hurdles to overcome, so we quickly become invested in hoping for his happiness.  Locating his community is one obstacle, and the other won’t be revealed in this review.  

Additionally, we don’t see Master Shell’s family during the first act, so the anticipation of meeting them becomes paramount, especially when he says, “It’s pretty much common knowledge that it takes at least 20 shells to have a community.” 

At least 20!

Since Marcel needs to attempt steep climbs, the film avoids bogging down as a one-trick pony of only sight gags for 90 minutes.  Instead, the visual amusements accompany a ton of depth here that touch on spirituality, nature, and personal connections.  Add Disasterpeace’s score, that sometimes resembles mystical beats from a harmonious yoga practice, and this concoction strikes deep-seated feelings, warm smiles, and tears. 

The “Marcel” team must have shed tears of joy by convincing a certain world-renowned television celebrity to make a key appearance.  The aforementioned personality wonderfully plays it straight, like Carol Burnett or Rita Moreno conversing with Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, or Kermit the Frog.  

Now, Marcel received celebrity accolades years ago, as Dean and Jenny created three short videos of the famous little guy beginning in 2010.  Altogether, Dean and Jenny’s films garnered 47 million YouTube views, so this tiny invertebrate darling has found a following.  This full-length feature has something to say about Internet behaviors.  Some are not so hot, but others are infinitely helpful.  

Slate helped extend Marcel’s stardom on “Conan” with Conan O’Brien about seven years ago when she sang “Landslide” in her alter-ego’s voice.  Jenny/Marcel croons another song during this cinematic charmer, and the moment strikes the right notes.  

Oh, Dean might be making a little documentary, but this film has a humongous heart.  My advice?  Grab your track sneakers and run to “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”.

Jeff’s ranking

4/4 stars

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‘Thirteen Lives’ Press Conference with Ron Howard and the cast

In 1995, Ron Howard commanded “Apollo 13”, a harrowing drama about the real-life 1970 lunar mission where (NASA and) three astronauts had to think out of the box - in outer space - after an unexpected explosion damaged the ship.  

Twenty-seven years later, Howard recreates another actual rescue attempt for the big screen.  This time, the tight spot lands on Earth, an elaborate Thailand cave system, and 13 people – 12 kids and their soccer coach – are trapped.  In “Thirteen Lives”, rescue teams search through the caverns. 

The “Thirteen Lives” team invited the Phoenix Film Festival and other outlets to their Zoom Press Conference, and Jacqueline Coley, a Rotten Tomatoes editor, hosted the event, which included Howard, Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, Two Popetorn, James Teeradon, and other actors and producers.  

“Thirteen Lives” arrives in theatres on July 29 and streams on Prime Video on August 5!

JACQUELINE COLEY:  Ron, what made you want to tell this story?

RON HOWARD:  Well, like a lot of people, I was aware of (this news story).  My wife Cheryl was really paying attention.  When I had a chance to read William Nicholson’s script, it not only delivered on everything I had recalled but (also) suggested so much more.  There were more levels and dimensions to the heroics, to the people involved, especially the Thai people.  There were surprises, (and) I felt like I could make something visceral and immediate.  So, it was a really exciting, creative opportunity, and I knew I would learn a lot about the Thai culture.  

This story is very, very important to Thai culture. 

JC:  Viggo, you play a real-life person (here), (and) the guy you’re playing was on set.  Is (this) the first time you’ve had the real-life counterpart on set with you? 

VIGGO MORTENSEN:  No, but in this case, it was crucial, especially for what we had to do underwater.  Rick (Stanton) was there during rehearsals.  Jason (Mallinson), one of the real-life rescuers, came too.  They helped us to not only swim like them and move like them but to be safe.  We worked together above water as much as underwater.  And underwater, I would say it was maybe even more important because even though you’re shooting a movie, and it’s somewhat a controlled situation, whenever you’re underwater and in caves, it’s dangerous.  

So it felt, at times, very real.  Sometimes too real.

JC:  Colin, was there something about this role that changed your approach because “Thirteen Lives” is an action movie and a biopic in one? 

COLIN FARRELL:  Yeah, they say (you) don’t work with children or animals.  Throw water into that mix as well.  I can’t really swim.  (With) scuba diving, you accept the process of submerging.  So it’s a different world beneath the surface of the water. 

I felt like I was one spoke of many in a story that was so multi-faceted.  It wasn’t about us coming in as actors playing British divers who were there to save the day.  It was really about us being led by our Thai brothers and sisters, and the people we were playing, the divers, and how they guided us through the actual events.  In a time (when) the world seems to be living under greater and greater division, (it) was really about people from different nationalities (and) different cultural backgrounds coming together for a common purpose.  It was a great gift.

JC: Two, how did you approach this experience?

POPETORN SOONTHORNYANAKIJ (TWO POPETORN):  Well, to start, this has been a great experience for all of us Thai actors.  (It’s an) honor to tell our story through Ron’s film, and it feels like we have (a) responsibility to do a really good job for all of us Thai people.  It's just been a great ride, and we enjoyed every moment.

JC:  James, (you play the soccer coach), and (much) of your time was spent with (the) young actors.  How was that for you, guiding them through this process? 

TEERADON SUPAPUNPINYO (JAMES TEERADON):  It (was) quite hard for me because I’m not (really a) kid person, but I really respect the (young actors).  They (are) passionate.  Every time I worked a scene with them, they showed me something (inspiring) to make (it) better, better, and better.   

JC:  Joel, what was the most surprising thing you learned about this story?

JOEL EDGERTON:  I thought I knew a lot about (it).  And then, once I got involved in the project, there were (aspects of the rescue) that were very surprising.  But the thing that surprised me about Harry (Harris), and I have played real people before, is it's rare that I've been that humbled and, therefore, a little nervous about taking on (this) role because he's such an impressive person and a national hero in Australia.  

I found it incredibly emotional hearing some of Harry’s stories and reading his book.  As a side note, I became a father during the shoot, and (the movie) became even more (about the) care of (the) children.   

JC:  Tom, I have to imagine signing up for (this) film has to feel like a dream come true with just everyone they assembled (for) it.

TOM BATEMAN:  The divers were (generous) with their time.  Chris Jewell gave me hours and hours and hours of Facetimes to talk me through what he went through, and what (he) went through was pretty intense.  I've dived before, but I never with a roof on my head.  It was quite amazing.  I'm hugely claustrophobic, so I struggled pretty much every day.  The last stunt dive was one of my last days, and I loved this experience (and) Ron very, very much, but my God, I was happy to get out of that.  When we (went) into those caves, there (was) something haunting and truly desperate and dangerous in everything.

The design was incredible.  There's constantly water coming in, and we spent the whole shoot wet, cold, and underwater.  I cannot believe what (the divers) did, and to be a small part of telling their story is a real honor.  But, my God, I was happy to be finished, yeah.

RH:  I have to jump in.  First of all, Tom, I notice you didn’t mention claustrophobia in your audition.

TB:  Yeah, because I wanted the job, Ron. 

RH:  But I have to add that the real Rick Stanton and Jason Mallinson came in, and their job was to work with the actors, so the angles that would feature them would have an authentic feel.  But it was even more important to train the doubles, the photo doubles, so that in the wider shots and the other shots with a lot of intense water volume and pressure and the unbelievably tight squeezes, that the stunt people actually knew how to dive.

But the actors started working with Rick and Jason, and Viggo led the group and basically said we don't want anybody else to double us.  We are learning this, and we’ll do it.  We’ll work on the weekends.  Whatever it takes.  And (that) is what they all did.  It enabled me to make the photography so fluent and so immediate because they were doing every one of those squeezes and pressurized situations where the water volumes were dumping on them and with the kids and all of it.

I just didn’t want to let this moment go.  That’s why they are great artists.

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Apples - Movie Review

Directed by: Christos Nikou

Written by:  Christos Nikou and Stavros Raptis

Starring:  Aris Servetalis, Sofia Georgovassili, Anna Kalaitzidou, Argyris Bakirtzis, and Kostas Laskos

Runtime:  86 minutes

Pick ‘Apples’. This eccentric, minimalist dramedy is one of the year's best films.

It’s a pandemic!  

No, not COVID-19, but without warning, various Greek citizens succumb to mysterious cases of amnesia.  Medical experts can’t pinpoint the transmission methods or the underlying reasons why someone suddenly cannot recall their name, spouse, or home address.  

Worse yet, a discernable cure isn’t anywhere in sight, and the condition appears permanent.

Thankfully, Athens isn’t under a lockdown, and doctors don’t wear protective attire or squirt frequent dabs of sanitizer when treating their new forgetful patients, but director/co-writer Christos Nikou and co-writer Stavros Raptis don’t exactly provide the numbers of poor souls infected with memory loss.  

However, we realize a severe public health dilemma is playing out, and Greece isn’t the only country impacted.  This is a worldwide problem. 

Do you have PTSD yet?  “Apples” may spark some unpleasant 2020 and 2021 memories, but COVID wasn’t even a thought in Nikou’s head when making “Apples”.  He began writing the script about a decade ago.

“It was strange.  We did our final test screening of the film that last day before the lockdown in Greece,” Nikou said in a Scott Roxborough’s Sept. 12, 2020 Hollywood Reporter interview. 

Fortunately, his movie does NOT feature ventilators, lengthy vaccination lines, social distancing, and medical masks.  Masks make appearances, but in the form of Batman and Catwoman cowls and a few other costume face coverings during one scene.

Christos – a former assistant director to Yorgos Lanthimos – brings a quirky, off-center vibe to his first feature film.  Rather than address global impacts, the script squarely and eccentrically focuses on Aris’ (Aris Servetalis) story.  “Apples” is a contained narrative, but it bursts with enormous perceptions of the human condition through examples of societal order, individual connections, and grief.  

Actual apples – maybe McIntosh or Red Delicious - figure into the movie, but this review will not reveal the ways.  

As the film opens, we see a 40-something Aris cope with an unknown stressor.  At this point, Aris has all of his faculties and lives in vibrant, modern-day Athens.  He apparently resides near the business district, as concrete and steel cover the urban landscape.  We don’t know the year.  Life looks like the 21st century, but no one carries a cell phone, and we see Aris use a cassette tape recorder, so who knows. 

Early in the first act, Aris suffers the aforementioned recall-inhibited fate and is immediately shipped to a hospital.  The man has no identification (admittedly, a plot convenience) and no recollection of a family, job, or history.  Aris does remember his native tongue and some basic social constructs, but he’s oblivious to pop culture, and two cognitive tests suggest that short-term memory is an issue, too.  

Not good.  

However, an unnamed physician or social worker (Anna Kalaitzidou) recommends that Aris enter the New Identity Program.  

Aris now lives in a comfortable halfway house with state-provided necessities.  He has free will throughout most of his waking hours, but the program’s managers (Kalaitzidou and Argyris Bakirtzis) assign tasks for our tall, thin, bearded 40-something protagonist to follow.  These rote, straightforward chores – designed to trigger memories from his past or provide a new foundation - are easy to complete, but Nikou ensures to include awkward, comedic mechanics and visuals that harken back to Lanthimos’ films, like our hero riding a kid’s bike that is way too small for his lanky frame.  Still, Aris plays ball because he has nothing but time.

Even though Athens’ population is about four million, Aris is frequently featured by himself or only with one or two others in the frame.  This approach helps keep the spotlight – during the 86-minute runtime - on our troubled friend, but it also acts as a metaphor for his struggle.  Aris battles inside his head, but he doesn’t act out his frustration through sharp, kinetic movements (except once during the film’s opening scene, before his current condition).  

Instead, Nikou relies on Servetalis’ performance through the actor’s subtle nuance captured in close-ups.  Servetalis unquestionably succeeds at conveying Aris’ varying degrees of confusion with minimal moments of actual dialogue.  Aris isn’t Marcel Marceau by any means, but he doesn’t feel the burning desire to spout off his problems to anyone who will listen, like 99 percent of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Atlanta, or pick your city.  

No, he’s struggling in silence.  

However, the script introduces a potential ally, Anna (Sofia Georgovassili), who muddles through the same journey as Aris.  He doesn’t know much about Anna, but with her genuine, agreeable persona, we hope she becomes his lifeline or a possible love interest.  

Aris needs to catch a break.  Everyone could use a little luck during a pandemic.   

Jeff’s ranking

3.5/4 stars

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Mr. Malcolm’s List – Movie Review

Directed by:  Emma Holly Jones

Written by:  Suzanne Allain, based on her novel of the same name

Starring:  Sope Dirisu, Freida Pinto, Zawe Ashton, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Theo James, Ashley Park, Divian Ladwa, and Sianad Gregory

Runtime:  110 minutes

‘Mr. Malcolm’s List’ checks out.  It’s a light, gratifying 19th-century rom-com.

It’s 2022, and dating isn’t easy. 

Millions of single men and women subscribe to dating apps, type their bios in 500 words or less, choose photos, and then attempt to sort through the madness of endless profiles, looking for a date, relationship, or permanent partner.  

Hey, this modern-day courtship process sounds convenient.  A godsend.  

Not exactly.

Everyone throwing their hat into this smartphone or laptop pursuit is presented with the same infinite choices of potential connections.  After a while, the search through the electronic memoirs becomes more succinct because, perhaps, our patience wears thin or our preferences narrow.  Through haste, we may inadvertently swipe left when we should’ve swiped right, or by looking for that perfect person, our criteria becomes too specific.  That mythical individual does not exist…at least within a 25-mile radius of home. 

(If you finally connect online, then meeting this someone in-person presents a whole other set of hurdles, but that’s another discussion.)

Dating must have been less complicated back in the day, before the Internet, right?

Probably, but don’t be so sure. 

Let’s introduce the Honorable Jeremiah Malcolm (Sope Dirisu), a wealthy gent from Kent, a county located southeast of London.  It’s 1818, and Mr. Malcolm might feel that a spotlight follows him 24/7 because reporters write about his personal life in the newspapers.  He’s one of the most eligible bachelors around, and he’s picky about finding a companion.  

Jeremiah has a list.  A list of qualities in a wife, and he’s a stickler on the criteria. 

Well, Mr. Malcolm takes Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) - a woman in her fourth season in hopes of finding a husband - to the opera, but the electric performance on stage doesn’t mirror the energy between the two.  He doesn’t call on Julia again, but she discovers the existence of Jeremiah’s list through her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen in an effectively comedic supporting performance).  Julia’s offended and hopes for some revenge, although not through bloodshed but via old-fashioned manipulation of one’s heart.  

This light-hearted, PG-rated period-piece rom-com won’t change your life, but “Mr. Malcolm’s List” might be a lovely option for friends, a first date, an 18-year-old married couple, or an 81-year-old pairing.  Director Emma Holly Jones’ film might also act as a temporary cure for the looking-for-love blues.  The movie is based on Suzanne Allain’s 2009 novel and Jones’ 2019 11-minute short of the same name.  Dirisu, Jackson-Cohen, Divian Ladwa, Sianad Gregory, and Freida Pinto star in both films! 

This critic hasn’t seen the 11-minute version or read the book, but Julia recruits her school-days BFF Selina Dalton (Pinto) to win over Malcolm in this movie.  When he falls for Selina, the ladies plan that she will cast off him as a lesson for rejecting Julia.

As Julia explains, “That would be a perfect sort of poetic justice.”

How will Selina win him over?  Through Lord Cassidy’s help, they’ve reconstructed Malcolm’s list, so Selina will have the answer key to encourage his interest and affections.  What has Malcolm exactly scribed?  Well, you have to see the movie to discover his marriage prerequisites.  Still, I’m happy to report that the picture succeeds through warm performances, graceful tones, a convincing 19th-century atmosphere, and celebrating the period’s pomp and circumstance. 

Jones fills her film’s 110-minute runtime with British formalities, like polite invitations for tea, a rose garden tour, and a masquerade ball.  Sometimes, the invites occur face-to-face, and other times through hand-delivered letters, which is quite refreshing from today’s communication methods when one grabs 30 seconds to send a text.  Not only do moviegoers witness the requests, but the cozy and grand events too.  One of the highlights is the ball, where Jones and cinematographer Tony Miller capture a gentle moment when Mr. Malcolm’s and Ms. Dalton’s hands almost interlace during a Regency dance. 

Costume designer Pam Downe must have worked heaps of overtime constructing her pieces.  Striking, colorful drapes, bonnets, and jackets don the attractive cast, who successfully depict 19th-century vibes as the actors stroll along gorgeous grounds and posh estates. 

According to Naman Shrestha’s July 1, 2022 The Cinemaholic article, the cast and crew filmed in Ireland, not England.  

Emma and company spent time in Dublin and the revered Killruddery House, in nearby Bray.  As one might expect, lush greens and picturesque countryside match the comfort of the story’s elegant saunter.  Even though Julia has devious intentions, Selina doesn’t share her scheming view.  Malcolm surely could get hurt, but Selina’s altruistic outlook dramatically lessens the tension for the audience during most of the picture.  

Surprisingly, the stakes never feel high, and they probably should.  Those looking for sharp dramatic turns will be disappointed, and the screenplay – also written by Allain – includes another romance that doesn’t feel terribly earned by the characters.  The said actors don’t have much chemistry, at least from my perspective. 

However, Freida and Sope share romantic harmonies, and Selina’s charm and Jeremiah’s sincerity make a coveted combination.  Admittedly, throughout most of the film, Amelia Warner’s score didn’t register with me; however, her composition touches the right beats during the most crucial moments.  

“Mr. Malcolm’s List” offers an enjoyable couple of hours at the movies, and you might trade in your dating app for a quill and stack of stationery paper…for a little while anyway. 

Jeff’s ranking

2.5/4 stars

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