Five Nights At Freddy's

What better way to celebrate this Halloween than with Five Nights at Freddy's, the long-awaited film version of the wildly successful video games? I'll wait for your reply as I tell you about it.

Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is a chronically jobless guy trying to support himself and his much-younger sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). His career counselor, Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard) offers him a night watchman job at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a rundown family restaurant with a sordid past. He takes the job to help keep his evil aunt, Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson) from getting custody of Abby. A friendly cop, Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), warns him to get out while he can.

Why's that? It's because the animatronic mascots - Bonnie, Foxy, Chica, Mr. Cupcake and Freddy himself - like to come alive at night. They're also a bit homicidal, but Abby bonds with them pretty easily. Mike, meanwhile, has recurring nightmares about his brother, Garrett's abduction, and five ghostly kids. It soon becomes clear that the animatronics are haunted by those kids, and they want Abby to join them.

Director Emma Tammi (The Wind) collaborated with series creator Scott Cawthon and Seth Cudeback on the screenplay. It's an entertainingly spooky story. The mascots' murder sprees are inherently goofy, especially when they sic Mr. Cupcake on some victims. Mike's nightmares are quite haunting, the running gag with the Balloon Boy figurine popping up is darkly funny, and it's downright nightmarish when William Afton, the human ringleader of the mascots, shows up. There are a few strong plots involved, such as the mystery of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza & Mike and Abby's strained relationship. All in all, it's a good job at expanding the games' concepts to feature length.

Jim Henson's Creature Shop does a great job at visualizing the mascots. Freddy, Chica and Bonnie are played by actors in animatronic suits, while the withered Foxy and Mr. Cupcake are all-animatronic. They're perfectly cuddly and terrifying robot monsters. Them befriending the Schmidts and Vanessa is pretty endearing, especially when they build a chair fort with them. Their kills are mostly off-screen, but still unnerving, with Afton's death being the most gruesome. Golden Freddy, the leader of the mascots, and Springtrap, Afton's alter-ego, are the most unnerving of the creatures. 

Mike's nightmares are as sad as they are creepy. We're on edge when the mascots target him and later, Abby. His and Vanessa's relationship makes for another compelling dynamic. That only intensifies when she reveals her connection to Afton. You just know Afton is trouble with his booming entrance theme scored by The Newton Brothers. His defiant speech when the mascots turn on him is masterful acting. Abby's a funny and sympathetic kid; we feel for her when Aunt Jane nearly takes custody. Jane chews up the scenery with relish, while her hapless and ethical lawyer, Doug (Michael P. Sullivan), is actually my favorite supporting character here.

You just need to spend 109 minutes, not Five Nights at Freddy's, for a unique horror experience. I'm a bit hesitant to play the games because of its signature jump scares (all is quiet ... and then, THEY JUMP IN YOUR FACE AND SCREAM!). The film version is spooky, but a lot better on my nerves than the game. Of course, you're welcome to have the opposite opinion. This is a good introduction to the video game horror phenomenon of the last decade. Come right in, they'll be waiting for you. 

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

 Once again, I've streamed a Japanese import on Amazon Prime that had a two-night theatrical release earlier this year. This is Lonely Castle in the Mirror, the anime film version of Mizuki Tsujimura's 2017 novel. It's a surprisingly twisty film directed by Keiichi Hara (Miss Hokusai, The Wonderland). Let's get on the case.

Kokoro Anzai (dubbed in English by Micah Lin) should have been enjoying her first year of Middle School. But a particularly nasty bullying incident has rendered her a shut-in. She practically secludes herself in her bedroom while her mom tries to transfer her into another school. One day, Kokoro finds her mirror glowing, and when she goes in for a closer look, she's drawn into the titular locale. 

The castle sits on top of a rocky island surrounded by endless ocean. Its only inhabitants are a bossy little girl wearing a red dress and a wolf mask, The Wolf Queen (Vivienne Rutherford) and six other kids who also went through their looking glasses. Those kids are Rion (Huxley Westemeier), Aki (Giselle Fernandez), Fuka (Zoe Glick), Masamune (Adrian Marrero), Ureshino (Riley Webb) and Subaru (Kieran Regan). All have their own personal issues.

The Wolf Queen tasks them to find the key to a wishing room that only one may enter. They have a year to find it, but they can search the place at their leisure. They just have to be out of there by five, or else, a big bad wolf will eat them. The kids spend the next year bonding with each other. But who's getting the wish? Do they even want it?

That's kind of it. It relies a lot more on character interactions than looming stakes. There's barely any friction between them. You'll be intrigued the more you learn about its cast. The first hour drops hints then and there of what led Kokoro to become a shut-in. The conclusive flashback is both horrifying and sad. In another case, Aki enters the castle, shuddering, and the question of what happened will linger in your mind. Many of your questions will be answered in a long, moving series of flashbacks when Kokoro sees her friends' memories.

 In fact, there are plenty of twists that, in any other movie, you should see coming, but are legitimately surprising. I would spoil a few of them if I revealed the dub voice of teacher Mrs. Kitajima. If you think you've guessed the climax once you read my summary, you haven't. You'll be shocked when these twists hit.

You'll empathize with Kokoro's isolation long before you learn of her traumatic incident. She has little reason to trust her tormentor, Miori Saneda's (Cassie Glow), apology letter, and so will you. It's so nice to see her reconnect with her only friend, Moe Tojo (Ashley Boettcher), just before the third act. Let's just say she's the "lucky one" who finds the room. But you'll be on edge as she makes the slow journey.

 As for the others, Subaru and Aki are the likable "big siblings," while Masamune and Fuka hide their tragic stories with sour personalities. The Wolf Queen's bossy personality makes quite an impression. She discards that for a softer personality after her first scene. Rion's fine, though the twist involving him is quite powerful. Ureshiro's goofball personality is delightful, and it's quite impactful when he accuses the others of treating him like a joke. The adults are mostly sympathetic; Kokoro's mom gets the best scene once she learns of what happened to her daughter.

Where A-1 Pictures excels at is the color palette and background designs. The real-world scenes are appropriately down to earth, while the scenes in the castle are splendorous. The titular castle is stunning; perhaps its most appealing locales are its massive libraries. It's quite creepy once we finally see it after hours. The character designs and animation are good, but the big bad wolf is the standout. It's a living nightmare. Harumi Fuuki's score is decent, while the climactic song is perfectly emotional. 

Why wait? Step inside the Lonely Castle in the Mirror for a strong anime drama. It's a slow but rewarding film with a likable young cast. A few reviews have accused it of being predictable, but its plot progression felt anything but that. See what I mean once you stream it on your favorite service. It's a bargain in every sense of the word.

No One Will Save You

 I think we've found the feel-good movie of the year.

What else can we expect from a film called No One Will Save You? Ironic titles are a thing, right?

(One movie later.)

They weren't kidding.

Brian Duffield's latest film runs on practical silence for 93 minutes. There's only one discernable line in the whole film, with a few words sprinkled as background noise. What we can discern is that Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) is a town pariah in Middle of Nowhere, USA. One night, an extraterrestrial intruder shows up at her house. She kills the intruder, but finds herself further isolated the next morning, as practically everyone's been taken over by alien parasites. To make matters worse, the intruder's fellow aliens aren't done with her yet.

Aaron Morton's cinematography establishes Brynn's life in the absence of words. A few gravestones let us know that her mother and best friend, Maude, are dead. The mailman's (Zack Duhane) flippant handling of a package lets us know him all too well. Dever, herself, introduces us to Brynn as she nervously looks in the mirror. She keeps our attention with compelling body language. That's all the essential when her normal life becomes abnormal.

The first invasion is the film's centerpiece. Anyone who's ever worried about rats in their house will freak out when the alien arrives. The unnerving sound design vocalizes the alien with utterly inhuman chirps and groans. Its footsteps are as startling as its first glimpses. Its presence causes electricity to fluctuate much like Jean Jacket did in Nope. That scene lasts for ten minutes, and all the while, you'll question whether it's a good idea to watch it before bed. Jospeh Trapanese's score doesn't help the nerves at all. The full alien is a creepy CGI creature which gets creepier in hindsight when the others are revealed to be shapeshifters.

What else can you expect? Brynn's subsequent close encounter with possessed humans is a thrilling set piece. The aliens' ships emerging from the clouds is just as unnerving as the ones in ID4. She dispatches the next two aliens with some masterful ingenuity. She even breaks free from possession by parasite. Her audience sympathy doesn't waver even after the reason for her being a pariah is finally revealed. But the audience is guaranteed to laugh, nervously, once it gets to its "happy" ending.

No One Will Save You debuted last month on Hulu. But this is a good as time as any to watch it. It's a slow but rewarding horror film with a strong lead and one of the best sound designs you'll ever hear. The sound designers deserve whatever praise comes their way. Press play to see what I mean. Just beware of the tractor beams.

The Portable Door

We now open The Portable Door, an Australian film based on Tom Holt's novel that debuted earlier this year. I found time to make its acquaintance even as the month is almost over. Let's see how it is.

Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson) is a hapless Londoner who just wants a job. But a dog steals his scarf and leads him to the offices of J.W. Wells and Co. (the namesake company of The Sorcerer from Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta; the novel makes the connection clearer). J.W. Wells and Co. does "what we can" to make coincidences happen, like a chance meeting with a soulmate or reuniting lost relatives. The board of directors is a bit unimpressed, particularly middle manager Dennis Tanner (Sam Neill), but they still hire him as an intern. He's joined in his magical corporate daily duties by fellow intern Sophie Pettingel (Sophie Wilde). 

One day, CEO Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz) assigns Paul to find his portable door. It's a magical door that can go anywhere someone wants to; Paul soon finds it masquerading as a towel. He and Sophie travel the world during business hours with their new MacGuffin. Paul discovers that Humphrey is plotting something sinister for the people of London. Or maybe, the world! Also, there are goblins involved.

All in all, this owes more to They Live than Gilbert and Sullivan. Humphrey's end goal, much like the aliens in John Carpenter's film, takes subliminal consumerism to a devious level. While the characters in They Live needed special glasses to expose the subliminal, a few ads throughout this film don't even hid it ("There's no such thing as a coincidence" says one). Director Jeffrey Walker and writer Leon Ford play their own corporate satire for sweetness, hilarity and creepiness. The film opens with one of those user agreements you get with computer programs. Overall, it's a pretty weird film.

Paul's a fine protagonist. We're all for him getting a job once we see his crummy flat at the start. We're weirded out with him when he's confronted by the company's bizarreness. Sophie, however, is much more compelling because Humphrey's plot revolves around her. The film gets pretty creepy once you realize she's being magically made to try things like coffee against her will. Secretary Alice's (Jessica De Gouw) affection for a stapler makes much more sense later on. Tanner is a good scene stealer, but Humphrey outclasses him in every way. As played by Waltz, Humphrey goes from kindly, to sinister, and finally, to petulant manchild. That's quite a range. Waltz even pops up as Humphrey's father, John Sr., and it's only barely confusing when they meet.

There's a lot to say about the technicals. The production design is spectacular, visualizing such weird locales as Paul's flat, the interior of JW Wells and Co, and an endless hall of doors called the Nether. As the film was co-produced by Jim Henson Productions, they bring with them plenty of neat visual effects and makeup designs. The lightning effects are nifty, while the goblins are perfectly creepy creatures. There's some decent location filming to disguise Queensland as London by cinematographer Donald M. McAlpine. The film's weirdness is accentuated by Benjamin Speed's memorable score.

The Portable Door is a decent magical satire and a good first impression to Holt's literary world. Will the other novels be adapted too? Who knows. But I'm more than in the mood for a few more Gilbert and Sullivan film adaptations. They're in the public domain, why wait?! As for this film, it's ready to stream stateside on MGM +. I don't see why you shouldn't look in.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

 100 Things to do Before I Die? (pending)

1. Tell people about Zom 100: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is a relatively recent manga by writer Haro Aso and illustrator Kotaro Takata that debuted in 2018. This year saw both an anime and a live-action film debut within a month of each other. The anime is currently on hiatus due to production issues, while the complete film is ready to stream on Netflix. 

2. Tell people what the movie is about: Akira Tendo (Eiji Akaso) is a hapless drone for a marketing company. He pines for his co-worker, Saori Ohtori (Yui Ichikawa), while being worked to the bone by their manager, Gonzo Kosugi (Kazuki Kitamura). He practically feels like a zombie long before the living dead rise up in Japan. He soon relishes the fact he's on indefinite vacation. But what to do now?

He whips up a bucket list 100 items long. The living dead can't stop him from fulfilling such items as setting off fireworks near Tokyo tower or rooftop camping. He soon drags along his best bud, Kencho Ryuzaki (Shuntaro Yanagi) and survivalist Shizuka Mikazuki (Mai Shiraishi) on his quest. There's an aquarium that's supposed to have shark-proof diving suits well-suited for braving zombies. Our intrepid trio have to get there before they're all zombified.

3. Tell people if the story is any good. Yeah, I think it is. There's plenty of goofiness as Akira's newfound optimism is contrasted with the zombies around him. The color grading even brightens when Akira realizes his newfound freedom. There's plenty of wacky action scenes as Akira and his friends deal with the zombies. It all culminates with the final boss, a zombified shark held up by human legs. There's still some seriousness along the way. Akira confesses to Saori just as she zombifies. Akira and co. meet a pair of likable flight attendants who eventually zombify. A neighbor couple Akira promised to help don't make it out ... but they do. Overall, it's still pretty fun.

4. Tell people how the characters are. Akira is likable before and after the zombie apocalypse. He's surprisingly endearing as he declares his freedom from his dead-end job. Maybe not surprising considering his palpable misery as we see him overworked. It's quite admirable to see him save Kosugi from the Zombie Shark despite him causing his misery. Kosugi maybe a cowardly jerk, and Kitamura plays him as such rather well, but Akira wrote "be a superhero who saves everyone," not "be a superhero who saves all but one."

A major aspect is how Akira's optimism rubs off on others. So, it's quite fun to see Kencho, Shizuka and the neighbor couple learn to live again as the world un-dies around them. Kencho and Shizuka are just as likable as Akira, with whom they share great chemistry. Their best moment is the final battle when they rally the survivors to safety and defeat the Zombie Shark.

5. Let people know about its visual effects. The zombies are appropriately freaky with their sputtery movements and gruesome visages. Its visualization of a wrecked Tokyo uses some perfectly seamless CGI. The Zombie Shark is an obvious CGI creation, but then again, the whole concept of its existence is inherently goofy. I've already mentioned how wacky the action is and the climax is its wackiest. The battery-charged punch with which Akira finishes off the shark is spectacular. Overall, I think this film looks good.

6. Give them your verdict. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead is a good introduction to a modern manga hit. It's as unique a take on the zombie movie as Shaun of the Dead was. This is about as good time as any to check it out or what exists of the anime so far. I think both are worthy items to check off your streaming bucket list.

7. Come up with a new 1-7 for your bucket list. Yeah.

Killers of the Flower Moon

How did Killers of the Flower Moon cost $200 million? The Irishman costing $159 million is understandable given all the digital makeup work. But how did Martin Scorsese's new film cost that much?

Hey, Baxter. How much should it have cost?

$100 million, perhaps? Maybe there's a bunch of visual effects I don't know about. It doesn't look that expensive.

Let's hurry up and discuss the film.

OK.

Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth adapted David Grann's non-fiction book. Their story begins when the Osage Nation hits it big after they strike Oil on their Oklahoma reservation. How big? They become the wealthiest people per capita in the U.S. The evil Cattle Baron William "King" Hale (Robert DeNiro) hatches a plot to take their wealth for himself. Exploiting a law that requires white "guardians" to manage Osage wealth, he'll just have his goons kill the wealthiest for their headrights. And then, profit.

A major part of it involves his nephews, Byron (Scott Shepherd) and Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio). Ernest and Byron marry Mollie (Lily Gladstone) and Anna (Cara Jade Myers) of the especially wealthy Kyle family. Anna later turns up dead in the woods, sister Minnie & mother Lizzie Q (Jillian Doan & Tantoo Cardinal) die of "wasting disease," and sister Rita (JaNae Collins) is blown up. Mollie, a diabetic, has her insulin (a new discovery at the time) poisoned by Ernest, but she survives. In fact, Mollie gets the attention of the US Government, who sends Tom White (Jesse Plemons) of the BOI (precursor of the FBI) on the case. Now what, King?

Well, King has a lot of time to think about it. The film runs a massive 206 minutes, slightly shorter than The Irishman. It's an excessive runtime, but it keeps your attention all the way through. It establishes how the Osage came into their wealth and the greedy conspiracy in no time. Mollie narrates about the "mysterious" deaths in an eerie montage (one victim is shot dead in broad daylight and the sound design there is perfectly shocking). You'll be well aware of conspirators Acie Kirby (Pete Yorn) and John Ramsey (Ty Mitchell) long before they act. Kirby is the one who blows up Rita (Or is it Reta? The closed captions in my screening spelled it that way), and his explosive crime is the film's biggest jolt.

Its most unnerving part has to be De Niro as King. He plays the part of a comforting friend to the Osage long after it's established to the audience that he's the mastermind. Now, when DeNiro played Max Cady in Cape Fear, he made it no secret that Cady was a raging holier-than-thou psychopath. King, on the other hand, mocks his victims with his friendliness. That backhandedness is perfectly detestable. Similarly, I had trouble accepting Ernest as a good guy roped into evil. He seems like a good guy but him poisoning Mollie is inexcusable. I'm certain a lot of it is intentional.

It's not all doom. Mollie is quite compelling as she survives the plot against her and her people. We feel her desperation in her voice as she narrates about the reign of terror. Her and Ernest's somewhat endearing relationship gives the film some levity ... emphasis on somewhat. Bill Smith (Jason Isbell), Minnie and later Rita's husband, is among the film's most sympathetic characters in that he's not in on the plot. He's joined in that regard by Mollie's family and the BOI agents (including Tatanka Means as Ute agent John Wren). The film's climactic trials bring us John Lithgow as Prosecutor Peter Leaward and Brendan Fraser as King's bombastic amoral attorney W.S. Hamilton.

I think this is a good segue into the technical aspects. The sound design is pretty good, though it loses points for the muffled dialogue in the first trial scene. The production and costume designs by Jack Fisk and Jacqueline West, respectively, are as splendorous as Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography. What visual effects I could notice are quite seamless. A few highlights include Ernest and King driving through an oil field of digital refineries and the explosive crime. The recently deceased Robbie Robertson gives us a perfectly foreboding soundtrack, while Thelma Schoonmaker adds another achievement to her long editing career. 

Killers of the Flower Moon's massive runtime isn't for everyone. Those who sit through it will get a tense historical tale of murder and greed. Maybe you'll have a better opinion of Ernest than I did. The epilogue, which gives Scorsese a cameo, is quite unique, that's for sure. This was produced for Apple TV, though its streaming date has yet to be determined. So, if you want to see it, see it soon, and make plenty of room in your schedule.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

Court Transcript

Bailiff: All rise for The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. The honored Judge Mental presiding.

Judge: Call the critic.

Enter JETHRO.

Prosecutor: Jethro, have you provided a brief of the work's history?

Jethro: Yes. This happens to be the latest adaptation of Herman Wouk's novel The Caine Mutiny, which was most famously filmed in 1954, and dramatized by its author on Broadway under this film's title. This particular version is also the final film for the recently deceased director and writer William Friedkin. I covered the sequel...

Prosecutor: That's enough. What's the movie about?

Jethro: It's about The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

Silence.

Jethro: Obviously. When the film opens, Lt. Stephen Maryk (Jake Lacy) is standing trial for unjustly relieving Lt. Commander Queeg (Keifer Sutherland) when their ship, the USS Caine, was caught in a storm and the captain couldn't captain. That mutiny was the culmination of Queeg's erratic behavior throughout the tour of duty, so says Maryk. Maryk's lawyer, Lt. Greenwald (Jason Clarke) thinks his client is guilty. It's up to the trial board presided by Captain Blakely (the also recently deceased Lance Reddick) to decide whose career is on the line.

Prosecutor: What did you think of the film, Jethro?

Jethro: On my first watch, I found all the talking pretty overwhelming. The film is specifically based on the play, after all, and you can tell. Oh, you can tell. The logistics of its ending didn't make much sense either. Fortunately, as I watch the film a second time, specifically as I write this, its intricacies make a bit more sense. I mean, the film wants to be ambiguous whether the mutiny was justified or not. 

Prosecutor: And do you think it is?

Jethro: Sutherland's performance makes me think it was a bit warranted. What we see of Queeg is that he's a nervous wreck, the kind who would freeze up during a storm. He also accuses Maryk of exactly what Maryk accuses him of in clear denialist form. But he's such a nervous wreck that we still pity him. It also helps his case that Maryk's opinion was influenced by co-defendant Keefer's (Lewis Pullman) dubious knowledge of psychiatry. It's pretty reasonable for Maryk to take charge during an emergency. But was Queeg really out of it? Suddenly, the ending makes a bit more sense.

Prosecutor: And what about the rest of the cast?

Jethro: They're all fine. Maryk does a good job of presenting his case, while Keefer's case shakes once we learn of his psychiatric "knowledge." Greenwald's best moment comes when he confronts Keefer at the end. We feel it when the normally quiet Blakely all but threatens to throw the book at Maryk. The supporting standout is Petty Officer Urban (Gabe Kessler), whose one scene has him give an utterly clueless testimony. How clueless? He doesn't seem to know what the trial is about. Overall, no further objections.

Judge: I've heard enough. You give the verdict, Jethro.

Jethro: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a slow and talkative courtroom film. It's also worth seeing, if once, for Sutherland's performance and the distinction of it being Friedkin's final film. It's currently playing on Showtime, which is how I saw it, and is streaming on Paramount +. I'll leave it to you to decide when and where to watch it. I'll leave it up to you to decide whose side you're on. That's what the film wanted. But why a trial? There's no defense and the prosecutor did nothing.

Prosecutor: And did it well.

Judge: I'll do something. Adjourn the case.

End of trial.

The Exorcist: Believer

How did this cost $400 million?!

It didn't Baxter.

 $400 million is what Universal paid to make this new trilogy.

OK, let me rephrase. The Exorcist Believer cost $30 million and, assuming the other movies are that much, where did the other $310 million go? Was $400 million in the budget to begin with?

It's one of life's greatest mysteries. 

I like a good mystery. Let's get on the case of this film.

OK.

Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jr) lost his wife, Sorenne (Tracy Graves), to the 2010 Haiti quake. Their daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett), was born in the aftermath, and he's been overprotective of her ever since. One day, he lets her hang out with her devout bestie, Katherine (Olivia O'Neill), after-school. He thinks it'll be all right.

It's not.

It turns out the girls were trying to commune with Sorenne. They pop up three days later at a barn, shaken and bruised, but all right. But then crazy stuff happens, and the girls turn erratic. It soon dawns on Victor's neighbor Ann (Ann Dowd), a nurse, that the girls are possessed. She directs him to Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), the mother of the one-time possessed Regan (Linda Blair). A cross-faith team of Exorcists soon assemble to cast the demon out.

The new trilogy was conceived by director David Gordon Green (the recent Halloween films), who co-wrote it with Peter Sattler and Danny McBride. This is a decent first installment all things considered. It builds and sustains suspense as the girls go from "slightly erratic" to "supernatural." The quake sequence is just as scary as a demon's temper tantrum. Its talks of cross-faith exorcism practices are compelling. But it stumbles badly once it gets to an ending that so heavily emphasizes the bitter in bittersweet that it's a downer. It nearly sours the whole 111-minute affair.

Which leads me to one of the strangest compliments I can give a film. The film leads us to believe that its demonic adversary is the first film's Pazuzu back for round two. But according to Green, it's actually a fellow Mesopotamian deity, Lamashtu, who antagonizes the film. Why the ambiguity? Chris and Lamashtu's shared history is muddled thanks to this off-screen development. The compliment is for voice actress Lize Johnson, who would make a good replacement for Mercedes McCambridge as Pazuzu but is still unnerving on her own as Lamashtu. Does that make sense?

What makes better sense is its technical work. The girls' disheveled looks as Lamashtu takes further hold of them is the makeup team's greatest achievements. In fact, Katherine's fully demonic form makes her a strong dead-ringer for Regan. The sound designers excel at creating and mixing plenty of unsettling sound effects. They're at their strongest during the Exorcism. I've already mentioned the quake, but the visual effects team do a decent job visualizing some creepy demonic displays. Still, one of the Exorcists getting the neck-twist treatment was unintentionally silly. 

What about the cast? Angela's longing for her mother is compelling, while Katherine is all right. It's quite convincing when Lamashtu uses them to guilt trip their parents. Is Lamashtu making it up or speaking the truth? Victor spends the movie trying to make sense of the world. We feel for him when he has to commit Angela to a psychiatric hospital. The otherwise bitter ending helps him work out his relationship with Angela in spectacular fashion. Ann starts the film as a typical pesky neighbor, but she quickly redeems herself. Norbert Leo Butz and Jennifer Nettles are pretty good as Katherine's dad and mom, Tony and Miranda. But Chris is just a glorified cameo, while the other Exorcists are just there. 

Will the Power of Christ compel you to see The Exorcist Believer? Maybe. It's got some good scares, but the ending is ultimately bitterly esoteric. It might leave you wondering what was accomplished. Maybe the sequel, subtitled Deceiver, will redeem the franchise. Maybe not. As for me, my next review is the swan song of William Friedkin, the first film's recently deceased director. It's coming soon.

Dumb Money

My co-host for this review is Buck the Duck.

Is it because my name is Buck?

Yeah.

....

Anyway, Dumb Money is sure to remind you of The Social Network, even superficially. It's based on another book by Ben Mezrich (The Antisocial Network), edited by the earlier film's co-editor Kirk Baxter, released by the same studio (Columbia), and is executive produced by the Winklevoss brothers. Let's see what they did.

It's 2020 and that stupid pandemic is in full swing. Financial analyst and Youtuber Keith Gill (Paul Dano) notices that Wall Street is betting big that GameStop will go under. So, he decides to buy big on GameStop stock and encourages his followers to follow suit. When 2021 rolls around, those mostly young investors become richer at Wall Street's expense. Naturally, the big wigs, including Melvin Capital's Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen), aren't happy. Their attempts to curb their financial damage just makes it worst for them. That's when The House gets involved.

I think that's it.

Yeah.

The screenplay by Lauren Shucker Blum and Rebecca Angelo does a good job developing its multiple subplots. We get to know several of Gill's investors, including GameStop clerk Marcos (Anthony Ramos), college kids Harmony and Riri (Talia Ryder and Myha'la Herrold), and struggling nurse Jennifer (America Ferrera), as much as Gill and his Wall Street adversaries. Their financial struggles are palpable once the film introduces their initial financial wealth (some in the negatives). We're on their side by the time Wall Street tries to stop their investments. We're certainly pleased by the reversal of fortunes outlined in the epilogue (other than some bigwigs escaping a few lawsuits).

As for the main plot, Dano does another good job making Gill into a likable guy. He's just as financially struggling as his followers, so he's just as stunned as Wall Street when his big bet pays off. He stands up for himself spectacularly in a humble testimony in front of the House committee. "I just like the stock," he says of GameStop. On the supporting side, Pete Davidson is fine as his brother, Kevin, while Clancy Brown and Kate Burton are fun as their parents. His adversaries are surprisingly pitiable despite their financial callousness. That especially includes Rogen, Vincent D'Onofrio (utterly unrecognizable as Steve Cohen), and Sebastian Stan (as Robinhood founder Vlad Tepev). 

What else can I say? Dumb Money is a smart investment. It's a great crowd-pleaser about an unorthodox counteroffensive against Wall Street greed. Its multiple stories will draw you in even if you know how the main one turns out. It's enough to make me want the book even more. You might get the same urge once you watch it. See it soon.

The Creator

So, I'm currently in Los Angeles in the year 2055. In this future, advancements in artificial intelligence made everything better. There are even robots! You should come visit! Wait, what's that? I've just been told it's a nuke. A nuke. A nuke?!

(Boom)

I'm okay.

What happened, Daisy Mae?

I think I wandered into The Creator's first few minutes. That's that new sci-fi movie from Gareth Edwards, that fellow who did that one Godzilla film back then. (That narrows it down, thanks.). Jethro, can you explain what else happens in that film?

OK.

After that incident above, the US declares war against AI itself. It's still popular in "New Asia," so that's where most of the fighting is. The US government has a kill satellite, NOMAD, that makes blasting AI outposts easier. But they soon get wind that Nirmata, the mysterious Creator of AI itself, has a new superweapon. Naturally, they need someone to destroy it.

Enter Sgt. Joshua Taylor (John David Washington). He was maimed in the L.A. attack and lost his wife, Maya (Gemma Chan), during a NOMAD attack. He only gets on the mission when his c/o's, Howell and Andrews (Allison Janney and Ralph Ineson), show him that Maya's alive. He soon discovers that the superweapon is actually a robot girl, Alphie (Madeline Yuna Voyles), who can control technology at will. Taylor decides to protect Alfie from his superiors. The chase eventually leads them to NOMAD itself.

This is essentially a futuristic Vietnam War movie. My mind went there once Taylor and his comrades make it to New Asia (it was shot in Thailand). Their opponents have no capacity, and as the film reveals, no desire to fight back. You'll especially hate soldier McBride (Marc Menchaca) when he threatens a puppy. It has a surprisingly funny gag involving an overly polite translator during the raid. But other than McBride, most of Taylor's comrades are forgettable cannon fodder. That includes a dead soldier who is briefly downloaded into a robot; I even forgot his name.

Taylor himself is quite likable. His character type maybe familiar, but we're on his side once Maya is lost. His and Alphie's relationship is compelling, especially as they discuss their chances of Heaven. Howell and Andrews are either decently detestable villains or pretty good anti-villains. That depends on your interpretation of the mid-film reveal. Ken Watanabe is quite good as robot guerilla leader Harun. But Taylor's old comrade Drew (Sturgill Simpson) and his robot wife, Kami (Veronica Ngo), are underutilized.

The real star of the film is its technical style, which was produced with a bargain budget of $80 million. There's plenty of impressive mechanics, which include some goofy walking bombs, a massive tank, a robot octopus and NOMAD itself. But the visual effects department's greatest achievement is seamlessly integrating CGI robot parts with actual actors. James Clyne's production design presents a visually appealing future on both sides of the Pacific. Cinematographers Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer do a good job visualizing its war movie tone. Its greatest aural achievements come from NOMAD's ominous drone and Hans Zimmer's latest grand score. Somebody is surely going to get an Oscar-nomination, if not a win, for this film.

The Creator is a decent sci-fi film. It's somewhat overlong at 133 minutes, but it's such a trip taking in its technical style. It helps to have a good pair of co-leads to take us through the future. See it on the biggest screen you can find. I think you'll get a good matinee out of it.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three Others

It's going to be a few months until next year's Oscar shortlists are announced, and I've got four potential contenders for the Live Action Short Oscar race here. They were all adapted from Roald Dahl's bibliography by Wes Anderson, who previously adapted Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox. They share a combined company with Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, Richard Ayoade and Ralph Fiennes, the last of whom pops up as Dahl himself in all four shorts. All of them are available on Netflix now.

They all share the same disregard for "show, don't tell." We get vivid action narrated directly from Dahl's text but rarely see any of it. They're practically stage plays with appropriately theatrical production design by Adam Stockhausen. The abundant narration is a double-edged sword as I'll explain. But let's introduce the shorts now.

The Rat Catcher: The narrator (Ayoade) recounts how he and his friend, Claud (Friend) encountered an unusual ratcatcher (Fiennes) in a desolate town. This Rat Man believes the best way to catch a rat is to become one. His unsettling appearance is evident of that. The unseen rat population upstages the Rat Man's attempts to eradicate them. The Rat Man's human audience isn't impressed, either.

Its narration is probably the most intrusive of the collection. We not only see and hear the Rat Man's creepiness, but we see and hear the narrator describe his creepiness too. It's pretty redundant. Worst of all, it's kind of stiff. It's still striking when the Rat Man produces a rat - portrayed by a prop and stop-motion - for a demonstration. You won't forget it even if you can't tell what happened. It's a weird film.

Poison: This short story was once adapted for Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1958. In it, Harry Pole (Cumberbatch), a British man in Colonial India, has a problem. There's a Common Krait, an extremely venomous snake, on his stomach. The narrator, Woods (Patel) summons Dr. Ganderbai (Kingsley) to help extract the snake. But Harry has a bit of a gratitude problem, afterwards.

This is easily the tensest of the shorts. Cumberbatch sells us Harry's situations with his body language alone. The narration perfectly establishes the Krait's threat. There's palpable desperation as Woods and Ganderbai ponder their options. Its ending involves a shocking outburst from Harry that practically leaves Ganderbai dejected. The abruptness of the ending speaks for itself. 

The Swan: The Narrator, Peter Watson (Friend) walks us through an eventful Saturday morning in his young life. That day, he (Asa Jennings) gets taken for a day of "fun" by two bullies, Raymond and Eddie. Peter is an avid birdwatcher, so one of the bullies goes hunting with his new rifle. Things get weirder after the bullies shoot a swan.

This has the best narration of the shorts. It's all a long monologue as Friend portrays all three characters. The rest of the cast is filled by stagehands and a stoic Jennings. It's an impressive performance as while we, thankfully for once, can't see the action, Friend's range perfectly conveys the characters. We feel for Peter when he pleads for the swan's life, while we detest the bullies for their cruelty. It all leads to a weirdly abrupt ending.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.: The Swan was published in the collection The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six Others. This is the centerpiece to both Dahl's and Anderson's collection. This is over twice as long as the other three, clocking in at around 39 minutes, while the others are 17 minutes.

What's it about? Henry Sugar (Cumberbatch) is a rich man who wants to be richer. He finds a medical report by one Dr. Chaterjee (Patel) about Imdad Khan (Kingsley), who professed he could see without his eyes. Henry trains himself to do the same so he could cheat at cards. He wins millions of dollars but loses the satisfaction of money. That's basically it.

Let's elaborate anyway. Its theatrical gags are plentiful and amusing. They don't even bother hiding the visual effects that let Khan's Guru (Ayoade) float, for example. Its nested story approach, going from Dahl to Henry to Chaterjee to Khan to Chaterjee to Henry is an interesting one. Its deadpan acting is played for drama at the end of Chaterjee's story. While Henry's Heel Face Turn is mostly narrated, him giving his money away to strangers thankfully speaks for itself. Overall, its technical and narrative style makes it the most memorable of the shorts. This is the likeliest Oscar nominee of the bunch.

They're all pretty good shorts. They could have been better if the action spoke for itself more. Still, they aren't boring, so they should make for a good home matinee. My next review will be of one movie. What a concept.