Renfield

The Public Domain. It lets anyone use a character from long ago in a new story. But it also inspires everyone to use that same character in a new story. At the same time, even.

Take Dracula, for example. Robert Eggers is currently filming a new remake of The Count's movie debut, Nosferatu, for Focus Features. Universal - the parent company of Focus Features - is set to release The Last Voyage of Demeter, based on a portion of Bram Stoker's novel, this August. The Count and his unwitting sidekick, Renfield, headline another Universal release this month. Let's see how it is.

It's been 90 years since Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) ensnared solicitor RM Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) in a master-familiar relationship. Renfield brings the Count victims and protects him from vampire hunters. The Count treats him like nothing in return. Their exploits take them to New Orleans, where Renfield joins a self-help group for people in abusive relationships. Their stories give him new victims for Dracula. But he soon has enough of being mistreated by the master he faithfully served.

Renfield is soon caught up in the life of traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina). The Lobo crime family killed Rebecca's officer dad and she wants vengeance. The rest of the force is in the pocket of matriarch Bellafrancesca Lobo (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and her idiotic son Teddy (Ben Schwartz). Renfield comes to Rebecca's rescue when Teddy and his thugs try to kill her. The experience finally inspires Renfield to divorce himself from Dracula. But Dracula doesn't take rejection well and will take it out on anyone Renfield cares for. It's up to Renfield and Rebecca to stake the Count for good.

What can I say about it? To start, it's got some great deadpan humor and running gags. It also has violence that the cast of Mortal Kombat would envy. You'll get plenty of it when Renfield goes to town on the Lobos and their collaborators. What makes the film truly scary is Dracula's dominance over Renfield. Anyone who's been in an abusive relationship - or witnessed one - will squirm when Dracula pulls the "I'm the real victim" card. Him following through with his threats adds to the urgency of Renfield's plight. Overall, it's a good horror comedy. I'll elaborate further below.

We feel for Renfield once we learn of the life he left behind for the ungrateful Count. That makes it all the more endearing to see him fit in with the mortals. It helps that the support group, including its leader, Mark (Brandon Scott Jones), are likable people who gladly help him redo his persona. Rebecca's subplot is compelling, though others have disagreed. She and Renfield are quite likable together. Her falling out with Renfield is quite understandable given the circumstances. It's great to see them take down Dracula in the end. How they do it is another hilarious highlight.

And now for the villains. Dracula is scary for reasons I mentioned above. But Cage goes all in as the Prince of Darkness and that makes him just as funny. Teddy is an idiot whose greatest strength is family money. But he's quite dangerous when he needs to be and even more so when he joins Dracula. It's a peculiar but effective combination. Aghdashloo is charismatic as Bellafrancesca. Rebecca's partner, Chris (Adrian Martinez) gets his best scene when he and the force reveal themselves in the Lobos' pocket. The one-scene wonder is Joe (Marcus Lewis), a Lobo hitman who runs into Renfield.

Director Chris McKay assembles a perfect technical crew here. The prologue has Hoult and Cage inserted into 1931's Dracula; I could tell with Cage, but I thought it was original Renfield Dwight Frye I was looking at. Hoult really nailed Frye's maddened expression here. The other visual effects are just as impressive (Dracula levitating is a highlight). The makeup team deserve a spot on the Oscar shortlist for taking Dracula from decayed husk to elegant ghoul. Costume Designer Lisa Lovaas dresses him and Renfield in an equally elegant wardrobe. Production Designer Alec Hammond conjures up a variety of memorable locales which include Renfield's modern apartment, Dracula's hospital lair and the Lobos' mansion. And finally, Marco Beltrami's intense score is just as spectacular as Wojciech Killar and John Williams's work in Dracula's 1992 and 1979 films. 

Renfield is an interesting take on the long-adapted novel. You'd be surprised how compelling Dracula's traditional lackey is in his own movie. Its 93 minutes will go by quickly as you watch him deal with modern life. Its villains are surprisingly memorable, though Dracula himself is the most memorable. See it soon to see what I mean. As for me, I'm all the more interested in checking out Demeter once it's out. And maybe Nosferatu. 

Suzume

Now for a film I first brought up earlier last week.

That would be Makoto Shinkai's latest anime blockbuster, Suzume. I would have reviewed his previous films, Weathering with You and especially Your Name, had they been playing near me. I'm in luck now. Though, how should I explain the plot?

The basics are laid out in the first ten minutes. High-Schooler Suzume Iwato (Nichole Sakura) meets a guy named Souta (Josh Keaton) looking for some ruins. She finds what he's looking for at an abandoned resort. She accidentally and literally leaves a door open for a monstrous worm to come through. The worm causes earthquakes and it's Souta's duty to stop the worm by magically locking up any open doors in abandoned areas. Suzume and Souta lock up the resort door, and that's it.

But no. Suzume also accidentally knocked loose the keystone keeping the worm in place. The keystone takes the form of a cat, Daijin (Lena Josephine Marano) and sticks Souta in the form of Suzume's three-legged chair. Suzume and Souta chase the cat as he leads them to some more doors. They need to get a new keystone or two to keep the worm from causing the big one. Daijin has no intentions of resuming his post. Suzume is also tempted by visions of heaven, or "the Ever-After," beyond the doors. So, what now?

The first half moves pretty quickly as Suzume and Souta travel Japan. Suzume befriends fellow high-schooler Chika (Rosalie Chiang) and bar hostess Rumi (Amanda C. Miller) along the way. The battles are exciting, but Suzume and Souta's downtime with these characters are equally involving. It's even funny as Souta and Daijin become social media celebrities. We also get a good subplot as Suzume's aunt Tamaki (Jennifer Sun Bell) tracks her down. But the film slows down a lot once the worm is seemingly permanently dealt with. It's here that the film chooses to introduce Daijin's counterpart, Sadaijin, whose persona is a bit underdeveloped. Faring better is Tomoya, Souta's acquaintance, a carefree young man who joins her and Tamaki. It all leads to a moving ending.

It helps that Suzume is a compelling heroine. She's willing to help anyone, whether they be human or chair. We sympathize with her as she's put through the wringer. Before then, we see her as a kid wander her hometown in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Quake. One can easily guess that's what happened long before the film makes it clear. But the confirmation still packs a punch. The eerie visitor who meets young Suzume there is a legitimate surprise. Her argument with (a Sadaijin-possessed) Tamaki and their reconciliation is quite emotional. 

Now for the other mains. At first, Daijin is as vexing to the audience as he is to Suzume and Souta. We're as ready as they are to catch that mischievous cat. He does redeem himself after he and Sadaijin tag along. We do feel for him at the end. Souta and Suzume's chemistry is great; a few highlights involve her helping him adjust to chair form. That's what makes Rumi's portion the most enjoyable part. Tamaki gets some surprisingly good chemistry with Tomoya. All in all, it's easy to like this cast by the end.

The visuals are amazing. The Ever-After is especially stunning in its usual form of a starry field. We're barely two minutes in before we first see it; what a great first impression. The film's real-life locales are quite impressive in animated form. The character designs and animation are equally appealing. But then there's the worm. It's a theoretically unimpressive CGI cloud that becomes terrifying thanks to the band Radwimps's score. Suzume's look of terror as she first sees the worm emerge is fully understandable. Radwimps and their collaborator, Kazuma Jinnouchi, perfectly punctuate the film's many moods. There's also a good setlist of Japanese oldies on the soundtrack. 

I was right. Suzume is an emotionally complex animated film. It has a great cast, particularly its main character, along with a stunning pairing of score & animation. It's also noticeably long at 122 minutes. But its ending will make this anime road trip worth it. It'll be a long time before it comes out on home media. So, see it on the biggest screen possible while you can. It's worth the price of a seat. Just don't bring your own.

Air

I might've reviewed The Super Mario Bros. Movie first, but I saw Air first this past weekend. Mario was one of the trailers for Air, even though both movies opened the same day. Weird, isn't it? It's now time to tell you what I thought about Ben Affleck's first directorial work since the financially disastrous Live by Night. 

It's 1984, and it's not a good year for Nike. They've been stepped on by the competition and are almost bankrupt. CEO Phil Knight (Affleck) wants talent scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) to find him a basketball star to sponsor a new shoe line. Sonny eyes Michael Jordan, who eyes Adidas, for the sponsorship. Phil reluctantly accepts Sonny's choice.

But Sonny needs to convince a few other people. These include Michael's Olympic coach, George Raveling (Marlon Wayons), his agent David Falk (Chris Messina), and especially his parents, James and Deloris (Julius Tennon and Viola Davis). Sonny and his "team" - designer Peter Moore (Matthew Maher) and marketing director Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman) - need to come up with their new shoe, quick. Otherwise, Adidas or Converse might get Mike to their court.

Of course, the outcome is a forgone conclusion. Michael Jordan went with Nike and thus, the Air Jordan was born. How can Affleck and writer Alex Convery make a 112-minute movie out of it? To start off, Sonny is a likable protagonist and Deloris is a stern, but warm woman. Their best scenes are when they negotiate Mike's financial terms, particularly when she forces him to re-evaluate his business thinking. We're further invested when the NBA's ridiculous (and since repealed) shoe policy is brought up. If, by the end, you're thinking incessantly "hurry up, Sonny," as I was, you'll know the filmmakers have done something right.

Sonny also has great chemistry with Phil (no surprise). Phil is an eccentric man ready with a Zen quote or two but gets uppity over the shade of his car. They get their best scene when Sonny makes one final play to get Mike. Ron is compelling once we learn of his family life. David has the funniest scene with a long and vulgar phone call. Peter and Nike executive Howard White (Chris Tucker) are both fun characters. As for Air Mike himself, he's only seen from behind, played by Damian Delano Young, and heard twice. That certainly does a good job making him a towering presence this early in his career.

The technical MVP is editor William Goldenberg. The film opens with a montage of 1984's highlights, from Ghostbusters to Reagan's re-election. I must say the clips are a good selection. A more compelling montage is of Michael Jordan's highlights as Sonny pitches him the Air Jordan deal. The clips are poignant even if the speech is a bit corny. The soundtrack is an 80s setlist; Axel F from Beverly Hills Cop sets up a funny ending gag. 

Air makes its forgone story interesting with a great cast and dialogue. You might learn a few neat things about the shoe business once it's done. This was produced by Amazon, which means a Prime release isn't too far off. But who knows when that'll happen. I think it's worth checking out in theatres. A good time is guaranteed in this court.

The Super Mario Bros Movie

Say what you want about the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie. It's one of the most fascinating troubled productions of its day. I always considered it quirky and fun to watch even if it's not a direct transplant of the original games. Thirty-years-later, the Nintendo aesthetic has been transplanted into a new animated film. How is The Super Mario Bros Movie? Let's a-go find out.

Brooklynites Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) have just started their own plumbing business. Business isn't good. One night, they venture out to fix a major leak downtown. They instead find a green pipe to another world. Mario winds up in the Mushroom Kingdom, ruled by Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and populated by diminutive Toads (the most significant one is voiced by Keegan-Michael Key). Luigi winds up in the Dark Lands, whose King Bowser (Jack Black) wants to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario decides to help Peach form an alliance with the neighboring Kongs to repel the invasion. It's a little bit easier with abundant power-ups.

That's basically it. We get just enough family time between Mario and Luigi (plus two amusing cameos from Mario's longtime game actor, Charles Martinet) before they go underground. It's about 20 minutes before they find the pipe. Their final takedown of Bowser and a moving flashback makes up for them being separated for most of the film. In the meantime, Mario gets some good moments with Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) as they form a rivalry. Peach also gets a backstory that could've been told with more than one flashback. The whole plot unfolds over a lightning fast 92 minutes. It's not a complex plot but it's never boring, either.

Its voice cast does a good job making their characters likable. That even goes for Black, whose Bowser is equally sly, ferocious and dorky. It's a surprisingly cohesive combination. Pratt's quite good as Mario, and the same goes for Day as Luigi and Joy as Peach. Rogen is quite fun as Donkey Kong, as is Fred Armisen as King Cranky Kong. The supporting standout is Juliet Jelenic (daughter of co-director Michael) as the star critter Lumalee. How so? The disconnect between Lumalee's nihilistic moanings and his cheery voice is enough to drive Bowser's other captives mad. But it's also hilarious.

The film looks and sounds great. Whether it's Brooklyn, the Mushroom Kingdom or the Dark Lands, the worlds are all visually appealing locales. It's impressive how much of the games' mechanics are incorporated into the Mushroom Kingdom (including a training course). It also leads to a few good gags. One segment is an excuse to incorporate the Mario Kart series into the film. That scene, a long vehicular battle between Team Mario & the Kongs and Bowser's minions, is an exciting battle. The sound designers do a great job incorporating the games' sound effects into the mix. Koji Kondo's beyond iconic game music is also incorporated into Brian Tyler's score to great effect.

The Super Mario Bros Movie is a simple family film. Anyone looking for an emotionally complex animated tale should look elsewhere (i.e. Makoto Shinkai's Suzume, which opens this week). It's a fun film even if it's too straightforward at times. But hey, this might be enough to consider a trip to Universal Studios' new Nintendo Land. Or even play the old games for the first time in forever. This is the kind of movie that makes one want to have fun again. See it soon and you might agree.