Ne Zha 2

Nezha 2, the sequel to China's biggest animated blockbuster, Nezha, recently one-upped its predecessor by becoming the biggest animated blockbuster period: $2 billion and counting. An American filmgoer, however, wouldn't notice it unless they looked up their local showtimes. It's been playing a few weeks near me, but my busy schedule kept me from watching it until now. Let's see what it's all about.

In the first film, Ne Zha (Lü Yanting), a crass demon boy, and Ao Bing (Han Mo), the Dragon Prince of the Eastern Sea, both incarcerated from two MacGuffin pearls, became best buddies, but lose their mortal bodies to divine lightning (long story). Fortunately, Ne Zha's Shifu Taiyi Zhenren (Zhang Jiaming), makes them new bodies out of lotus paste. Unfortunately, papa dragon Ao Guang (Li Nan/Yu Chen), seeking vengeance for his son's apparent death, unleashes his maritime demons upon Ne Zha's hometown, Chentang Pass. Ao Bing loses his new body defending the town. That's just within the first twenty minutes!

During its remaining two hours, Ao Bing's spirit moves into Ne Zha's body, while Ne Zha seeks out a magic potion that will help restore Ao Bing's lost body. He can only get the potion if he completes three trials for the elder Immortal Wuliang (Wang Deshun), all of which involve hunting demons. Ao Bing has to take the wheel for these trials, which is easier said than done. But overall, it's all well and good, until Ne Zha and Ao Bing uncover a divine conspiracy brewing. Everyone got that?

It might help if the subtitles were better. I’m normally a fast reader, so I can comprehend subtitles, but since several sentences here are broken up into chunks, their subtitles go by way too fast. I'd be reading one subtitle, only for the next one to pop up instantaneously. There's also the occasional grammar error or two, but that's not too distracting. It's pretty nifty, though, that the subtitles are bilingual, which makes the wicked Shen Gongbao's (Yang Wei) stutter especially noticeable. A few more subtitles introduce us to everyone and everything, which is a lot of names.

It might also help you if you've already seen the first movie, which I don't think ever played near me, or read up on The Investiture of the Gods, the literary classic both films are based on. You'll still get a basic understanding of its characters and their relationships, whether it involves Ne Zha and Ao Bing's friendship, or Ne Zha's relationship with his human parents. Ne Zha, in particular, has a hilariously crude sense of humor, but you'll still admire his sense of goodness. That makes it quite a gut punch when the divine conspiracy destroys his hometown. Still, its emotional climax works best if you've followed his story throughout these two movies. 

During the movie, Shen Gongbao suffers from some personal losses which, combined with a tell-tale weapon, leads us to believe he will be the final boss. But a flashback reveals that he is actually a stalwart anti-villain. The actual villain, meanwhile, has a believable nice guy act, but you'll especially believe how much he relishes in his evilness. His co-conspirators, meanwhile, have some excellent voice work to match their appealing character designs. As loathsome as some of them are, it's still satisfying when they become the butt of a few jokes, particularly during the mid-credits. That scene has a few surprises, too ...

If there's one reason to check out this movie, it's the scale. Although it's not playing in IMAX, I could still comprehend the magnitude of its swarms of white-robed immortals on a normal-sized big screen. During the final battle, they crowd together on a giant tree, where they appear as blossoms from a distance. It's quite a sight, as is the film's overall production design. Yuliang's palace makes for another memorable locale. Its excellently visualized fight scenes are accentuated by an equally great sound design, as well as a magnificent score from composers Roc Chen, Rui Yang & Wan Pin Chu. Keep in mind that the bulk of the film's runtime is devoted to that final battle. 

As of now, Ne Zha 2 is no longer playing in a theatre near me. Despite my issues with it, I'm pretty pleased that I didn't waste the opportunity. This technically magnificent tale of gods and demons has already gotten me interested in seeing it again. The original is readily available, even officially via YouTube, so I can check it out in the meantime. I invite you to take the opportunity, too. It might be an interesting experience.

Nickel Boys

The Oscars are tomorrow, but I haven’t seen all of the Best Picture nominees.

That exception is I’m Still Here, which still hasn’t shown up on streaming, and will only play in a theatre near me next weekend. It most likely won’t win Best Picture, but it’s still in the running for Best International Feature and Best Actress; that might be three categories whose winners I’ll have missed.

I’ll just get to the last of the nominees I can get to. Nickel Boys, based on Colson Whitehead’s novel The Nickel Boys, just premiered on MGM Plus yesterday. Let’s finally see how it is.

It's 1966 in Tallahassee. Elwood Curtis (Ethan Herisse) is a studious young man raised by his grandma, Hattie (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). His future seems bright after his teacher, Mr. Hill (Jimmie Fails) gets him a free spot at a major study program. Unfortunately, he accidentally hitches a ride with a car thief and is arrested as an accomplice. He's sentenced to Nickel Academy, a reform school modeled after the real-life Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. Elwood, and his fellow Black students, are used by the staff for slave labor, while their actual education leaves a lot to be desired. They'll even punish students for getting bullied!

Elwood, an avid follower of Martin Luther King Jr., refuses to let the system break him. His only friend, Turner (Brandon Wilson), meanwhile, does his best to keep his head low and advises Elwood to do the same. Eventually, Elwood’s idealism, as well as a visit from Hattie, erodes Turner’s cynicism. Will they survive Nickel together? Sure, we gradually see an adult Elwood (Daveed Diggs) looking up news stories of Nickel's crimes. But how foregone is that conclusion?

RaMell Ross, the Oscar-nominated director of the documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening, makes his narrative debut here. He and his collaborator, Joslyn Barnes, tell their story by way of Jomo Fray's first-person cinematography. When I first heard of this approach, I thought it was to facilitate the story's climactic twist, but that's partially true. For most of the film, this approach helps us share in our leads' good and bad times, whether it's Hattie hugging Turner, or Elwood getting tortured in the "White House" (which is kept sound only). It also switches between Elwood and Turner multiple times and even plays their first meeting twice from each perspective. Both are essentially the narrators, by way of pictures, and both are equally compelling protagonists.

Besides those perspectives, Fray captures some stunning imagery. None are more stunning than a journey from inside a boxcar; it's truly something else to watch the seasons zip by. It sometimes gets surreal, such as when an alligator drops by in class, which no one even notices. Even its more "mundane" scenes are made indelible by the warm lighting. Nickel may be bleak, which is conveyed excellently by Nora Mendis's sets, but there is still some hope. Meanwhile, editors Alex Somers & Scott Alario's use of stock footage brings us some jarring results, but it makes more sense as the film goes on.

Who else do they see? Hattie is the kind of woman who will treat anyone as kindly as her grandson. As such, you'll feel for her when she tells Elwood that their lawyer cheated her. Anything else might give the twist away. Griff (Luke Tennie), one of the tough guys, is quite pitiable when he inadvertently angers the cruel superintendent Mr. Spencer (Hamish Linklater). Harper (Fred Hechinger) spends most of the film as one of the nicer staff members, up until the end. Mrs. Hardee (Lucy Faust), the wife of the school's director, is only in two scenes, but she's relatively nice. The late Taraja Ramsess makes quite an impression as Rodney, Elwood's Bad Samaritan. 

Nickel Boys is an unforgettable exercise in visual storytelling. It's also a long movie, at 140 minutes, which my busy schedule forced me to watch in two sittings. Still, watching its two compelling leads will help the time go by. Just be prepared for that climactic twist. With that out of the way, it's time to sit back and watch the results of tomorrow's show. On to a new movie year.

The 97th Oscar Documentary Shorts

While everyone's making their Oscar predictions, I'll make one of the few that's actually guaranteed. I can guarantee that I'll have watched all of this year's nominees ... if not for the Documentary Feature category.

You see, most other critics have gravitated towards No Other Land, a film that is barely available theatrically due to its heavy subject matter. I could make an Amazon UK account to rent it, since it's available there, but I'd rather not. Porcelain War, meanwhile, was available theatrically near me, but I got lazy. The rest I'm not sure on.

Anyway, I didn't skip out on this year's theatrical package of nominated Documentary Shorts. Here they are:

Instruments of a Beating Heart (Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki): At the end of her school year, first grader Ayame earns a spot in the ensemble of Bethoven's Ode to Joy in their school's upcoming entrance ceremony. As the cymbal, Ayame is expected to be a piece of her class's unified heart. She nearly falls apart from stress during the rehearsal process. As a part of the larger documentary, The Making of a Japanese, this short also gives you an interesting look into Japanese school life, particularly when it's affected by that pandemic.

I've seen quite a few reviews comparing this to Whiplash, but as hard as Ayame's music teacher is, he's thankfully nowhere near as brutal as Terence Fletcher. His reprimanding of her for her lack of practice is harsh, but that's balanced by eventual kindness from him. On a lighter note, it's quite cutesy watching her classmates support each other and eventually her. Her homeroom teacher's encouragement is especially heartwarming. Her eventual triumph is quite a crowd-pleaser, especially given the mostly heavy shorts to follow. 

Incident (Director: Bill Morrison): The 2018 police shooting of Harith "Snoop" Augustus, as shown on multiple bodycam and surveillance videos. It plays the actual incident in deafening silence, three times in fact, before it abruptly switches to sound for the aftermath. Although the officers involved feared for their lives, you'll be doubting their story by the second playthrough. Their cold, almost callous, justifications will leave you indignant as an angry crowd gathers around them (this was in the midst of a trial for another police shooting!). That barely changes when the third, and closest playthrough, happens in the closing moments. It might want to leave things ambiguous, but that playthrough lays bare the recklessness of that incident. I think I said enough.

I am Ready, Warden (Director: Smriti Mundhra): The last days of John Henry Ramirez, who was executed in 2022 for the 2004 murder of convenience-store worker Pablo Castro. The short chronicles his life before and after the murder, as well as a few people in his life. The titular statement, in case you're interested, are his last words.

It doesn't try to sugarcoat Ramirez's crime, as he contritely admits that he was messed up before it happened. His spiritual advisor, Jan Trujilo, and the district attorney, Mark Gonzalez, acknowledge it too as they tried to commute his sentence to life. You'll sympathize with Ramirez as much as Castro's son, Aaron, who understandably refuses to forgive him until the emotionally devastating climax. The actual sentence doesn't leave Aaron with any satisfaction; in fact, he mourns Ramirez as much as his dad. As much as Ramirez took away all that his dad could have been, the crime took away all that Ramirez could have been. That's sure to complicate any iron-clad support for the death penalty. 

The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Director: Molly O'Brien): Molly's aunt, Orin O'Brien, was the first woman to play in the New York Philharmonic, joining in 1966 as a double bassist under the direction of Leonard Bernstein himself. She retired in 2021, so Molly, her last living relative, made this short. All of this is set to an exquisite soundtrack by Laura Karpman.

It's another portrait of a fascinating life. She tells us she never sought the spotlight, which is why she took to the double bass, but it shines brightly all the same. We learn of her childhood as the daughter of movie stars George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill, her "trailblazing" first years at the Philharmonic and her music classes in the present day. Her folksy humility is most evident with her warm relationships with her students and Molly. When they organize her retirement party, Orin wishes she brought more pumpkin bread.

Perhaps her most profound anecdote is of her father, desperate for work, accepting the villain role in Cheyenne Autumn. It's a bit more humorous when she rebukes some casually sexist write-ups from her day (They helped her with her luggage? No, they didn't.). It's all interesting stuff, and by the end, you'll be left wanting to learn more. 

Death by Numbers (Director: Kim A. Snyder): Sam Fuentes, a survivor of the Parkland School shooting, prepares to face her attacker at his sentencing. Her opening narration runs down the statistics related to the attack, including her own. She vows to remember them along with her attacker (whose face is scribbled out until the end).

Her narration, taken from her journal entries, paints a vivid picture of her recovery. Her physical and mental trauma are extensive, especially highlighted when we see her wounded face that day. It's quite profound when she highlights of her classmates, some of whom took the stand, while a few others took their lives. Equally profound is the focus on her teacher, Ivy Schamis, who's introduced visiting another of her student's memorial garden. Her own testimony is quite devastating.

As much as Sam hates her attacker, she acknowledges that the death penalty wouldn't work either. The financial resources, she says, are better spent elsewhere. That doesn't stop her from eviscerating his delusions of grandeur during her victim impact statement. It's narratively cathartic, but we're still left hoping that it helped her recovery even if somewhat. Overall, you won't forget Sam Fuentes and her story when it's all said and done.

That's it for this year's bunch of nominated shorts. Let's see how they do on Sunday.

September 5

I've been having some back pain recently. This was why my January wasn't as productive as I wanted it to be. In particular, this is why I skipped out on September 5 when it played theatrically last month. Well, now that my back is mostly healed, I'm finally able to check it out for myself on MGM +. Let's go.

It's September 5th, 1972, and the Summer Olympics are underway in Munich. Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), president of ABC Sports, ends a seemingly ordinary night shift. As producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) takes over, the crew seemingly hear gunshots coming from the nearby Olympic Village. They soon get word that the terrorist group, Black September, has taken the Israeli Olympic Team hostage, and have already killed two of their members. Arledge gets back to work, while Mason gets his crew ready to cover the crisis. But will their efforts make things worse?

Unlike Steven Spielberg's Munich, which depicted the attack in its opening, the Oscar-nominated screenplay co-written by director Tim Fehlbaum keeps it all off-screen. We're kept inside ABC headquarters as the situation develops only a few blocks away. Among their issues, Mason and his crew struggle for pivotal satellite privileges, sneak crewmember Gary Slaughter (Daniel Adesoun) into the Olympic Village and scramble to get the ever-changing word out. Its opening moments show them cover swimmer Mark Spitz's victory on the last normal day of the Games. It's all pretty fascinating to watch in case you want to know how a TV newsroom works. 

What glimpses we get of the crisis, from the gunshots to the televised masked man on the balcony, are sufficiently ominous. While Mason and Alredge see a major news story, operations manager Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) sees a developing tragedy. Their differences are exemplified when they argue over the prospect of showing live violence. Later on, the crew realizes that if practically everyone is watching their coverage, then so are the militants. This gets them visited by understandably angry German police almost immediately. None of these scenes are as tense as the finale, when the crew inadvertently report the exact wrong news. The dramatic irony of the moment is immense, as is Mason's ensuing emotional devastation.

What else do we have here? Bader has a decent rapport with the crew's translator, Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch). Their early conversation over the state of post-war Germany is quite memorable. Jim McKay, who famously anchored the coverage, mostly appears in stock footage along with future anchor Peter Jennings. Outside of it, McKay is played by stand-in Matthias Schum, while Jennings is played by Benjamin Walker. The editing by Hansjörg Weißbrich helps makes the switches seamless. For some reason, I didn't notice Lorenz Dangel's score until the start of the crisis. It's an unusual mistake, and quite perplexing, given that his opening track in the control room is nice and exciting. The rest of the score is perfectly tense.

I saw Munich years ago, but I vividly remember McKay's declaration of the outcome: "They're all gone." That memory was still fresh as I saw September 5's perspective of that day in 1972. What will especially stick with me this time is the coda, in which Mason walks out the building alone, sobered by the day's events. The epilogue, which tells us the coverage got more viewers than Apollo 11, helps us think about the price of sensationalism. 

Both this film and Munich might make for an interesting double feature. But I'll leave it to you to watch one, the other or something a lot more light-hearted. As for me, I got to get ready for I have something mentally challenging to do: this year's Oscar-nominated Documentary Shorts. That review's coming up soon.

Elton John: Never Too Late

Did you catch Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour? Do you want to relive his farewell US performance at Dodgers Stadium? Did you miss the tour entirely?

If either answer is yes, then it's never too late to check it out with the Disney Plus documentary Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium. Those who want more Elton John will get it with another Disney Plus documentary, the recent Elton John: Never Too Late. That's what I'm reviewing today.

Much like Super/Man, RJ Cutler & David Furnish (Elton's husband) chronicle Elton's life on two different tracks. On one track, we get to see his early career up until his first performance at Dodgers Stadium. On the other, we see him touring until the final performance at the aforementioned venue. Along the way, Elton reflects on his life and career.

A lot of Elton's anecdotes are familiar to those who have seen Rocketman. To name a few, there's how he changed his name from Reggie Dwight; his abusive personal relationship with John Reid; his much better professional relationship with Bernie Taupin; and his drug-fueled suicide attempt at a pool. These points may be familiar, but they were anything but boring. His suicide attempt, for example, has a bit more elaboration than I remember in Rocketman. Listening to the older Elton talk about his mortality, especially when contrasted with the vibrancy of his younger self, gives this film some gravitas. 

It barely narrates anything between those two Dodgers Stadium concerts. A few prominent bits include him coming out - as bisexual - in 1980, as well as his substance abuse problems and his successful stay at AA. His deepest anecdotes, however, come from an aspect Rocketman never covered: his friendship with John Lennon. It's quite enjoyable watching them together, especially how they met while filming a weird commercial. Elton crediting himself for getting John and Yoko back together with one of his concerts is particularly amusing. It's a pity that it doesn't get into Elton's reaction to John's murder in 1980; that might have added quite a lot.

The contemporary Elton gives us plenty of compelling bits. We see him host a podcast, Rocket Hour, where he introduces young talent and spotlights a few old albums. Already, we can see how much of a cool old guy he is. We also see him as a family man with his aforementioned husband and their two young sons. We see them visit the Troubadour Night Club where he got his big break. He realizes that the break may be big, but the venue is actually small, which is amusing as it is enlightening. His family time is quite nice, especially when he introduces them during the climactic concert to a warm reception. 

Overall, this film is another good reason to listen to Elton's greatest hits. Yes, the contrast between his older and younger selves is noticeable, but he still proves himself a compelling showman in his old age. The concert footage of his stops up until Dodgers Stadium prove that point. Of course, there's plenty of great archive footage, as assembled by editors Greg Finton & Poppy Das, to showcase his prime. His songs in both timeframes are pristine. The Oscar-nominated title song, which Elton co-wrote and performed with Brandi Carlile, caps off the film rather well. 

It's been a while since I've seen Rocketman, but Never Too Late's reiteration of that biopic's bullet points brought back memories. There's a huge difference between seeing someone live their life in a biopic and hearing that same someone reflect on past events. Both films are a great test case for that point. If you learn something new from Elton in this documentary, then it's not redundant next to that biopic or even his memoirs. You can see what I mean on Disney Plus now.

The 97th Oscar Live-Action Shorts (Four of Them, Anyway)

Let's look at four of this year's contenders for the Live-Action Short Oscar. I don't have time to see this year's package film in theaters, which is the only feasible way to see the last short, The Last Ranger. If it does become available online, I'll review it with a few runners-up from the other short categories. As for this one:

I'm Not a Robot (Dir. Victoria Warmerdan): One day, music producer Lara Vermeulen's (Ellen Parren) laptop suddenly needs to update. Confronted with a series of CAPTCHA tests, Lara inexplicably fails them all, and even an online Turing test tells her she could be a robot. Maybe the internet wants to prank her or maybe the internet is on to something ...

This easily the funniest of the shorts, at least initially. Lara's frustrations with modern technology are relatable; the last question of her Turing test is a particularly cold joke. As the short goes on, we empathize with her as she grapples with her identity. Its eventual twist concerning her identity had me thinking of the recent Companion, a film that I would have seen if I wasn't too lazy. Its twists wouldn't work without Parren's compelling performance, especially its final shot. You can see what the fuss is about when you stream it on The New Yorker's YouTube page.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Dir. Nebojša Slijepčević): On February 27, 1993, a passenger train is stopped at Štrpci railway station by the White Eagles paramilitary group. The White Eagles start inspecting IDs and they even take a few people with them. In one berth, Milan (Silvio Mumelaš) confesses to his fellow passengers that he is undocumented. When the White Eagles show up, it looks like Milan will be next, until another passenger, Tomo Buzov (Dragan Mićanović) tells off the soldiers ...

The short mostly centers on Dragan (Goran Bogdan), whom we're led to believe is the titular man. After all, he's the first person we see, and is the one who talks to Milan the most. He even contemplates helping Milan when the White Eagles show up. It's only near the end before we realize that the old man in the corner is the titular man. Dragan is alone in thought, perhaps reflecting on his failure to act, while we're left wondering what we'd do in a similar situation.

It doesn't take much to recognize the gravity of the situation. We're mostly kept inside the berth, which is made tighter by cinematographer Gregor Bozic, while a fantastic sound design keeps us on edge as the White Eagles march around. What makes it especially unsettling is the knowledge of the actual Štrpci Massacre, in which Buzov and 18 others were killed. The crime itself isn't depicted at all, so there's some levity. Keyword: Some. I won't blame you if you skip this one. But for those who don't want to, it's available to rent on Vimeo via its French Distributor, Manifest. Its subject matter alone could help it win, but I prefer the next short.

A Lien (Dir. David & Sam Cutler-Kreutz): It's a big day for the Gomez family. Oscar (William Martinez), an undocumented immigrant, is about to be interviewed for his Green Card. Oscar, his wife Sophia (Victoria Ratermanis), and their daughter Nina (Koralyn Rivera) rush through traffic to get to the Immigration Office. Unfortunately, as Oscar's interview proceeds, Sophia witnesses ICE officers arresting people in the lobby. And they're looking for Oscar ...

This is the one I'd go with if I was an Academy Member. If this was a feature, then editor Caitlin Carr should be in contention for the Academy Award. It may be fourteen minutes, but Carr keeps us on edge up until the last few seconds. Of particular note is the actual interview, in which Sophia frantically tries to get ahold of Oscar, who tragically - yet understandably - ignores her. The Gomezes are likable, and we're all for Oscar getting his Green Card, which makes it tragic when the rug is pulled from under them. It's made even worse when the epilogue says that this rug pulling is a common ICE practice. It still ends bittersweetly, but you'll have to see it for yourself on the short's website.

We now go with a Netflix short, and something lighter ...

Anuja (Dir. Adam J. Graves): In Delhi, Anuja (Sajda Pathan) and her sister Palak (Ananya Shanbhag) are employed in a sweatshop by Mr. Verma (Nagesh Bhonsle). Anuja is a young math whiz, which gets her scouted by Mr. Mishra (Gulshan Walia) for an entrance exam at a renowned boarding school. The sisters earn the entrance fee by selling bags Palak smuggled out of the shop. Unfortunately, Verma doesn't want Anuja to leave, and if she goes to the exam, Palak will be out of work ...

Of these four shorts, this is the biggest crowd-pleaser of them all. Its heavy-subject matter is somewhat softened by Anuja and Palak’s endearing sisterhood. Their bond is palpable from the first scene onwards, where Palak tells Anuja a morbid story. They hit the town as soon as they earn more than enough from their bags, and while they don't actually become millionaires, they feel like it. You'll feel like a millionaire watching them have fun, as well as how Palak made her bags in the first place. Anuja's escape from a mall security guard reminded me of the opening chase in Slumdog Millionaire; both scenes are impressively scored and edited. Not even its ambiguous ending nullifies the fun of its entire 22 minutes.

That's it for this year's bunch of accessible Live-Action Shorts. Next up is a feature film.

The 97th Oscar Animated Shorts

I found it emotionally exhausting to watch last year's bunch of Oscar-nominated Animated Shorts (I'll remind you why.). This year's bunch, which I saw through the annual ShortsTv theatrical package, is a lot more emotionally bearable. I'm particularly pleased with this year's selection because of one name in particular; it just so happens his short comes up first in the package:

Magic Candies (from Japan): That name would be its director, Daisuke Nishio, a longtime series director for the Dragon Ball anime. I was looking forward to watching this short when I looked it up after December's shortlists. It's a good thing it was nominated, for this year's package lacked some of this year's runners-up.

Based on a pair of picture books by Baek Hee-na, this short follows Dong-Dong (Haruto Shima), a boy who prefers marbles rather than human friends. One day, he buys a set of "magic candies" that happen to look like marbles. Each one that he pops in his mouth lets him converse with something new, like his sofa (Hiroshi Iwasaki) or his elderly dog Gusuri (Kazuhiro Yamaji). These new perspectives gradually help him open up to the world around him.

At 22-minutes, it's the longest of the bunch, but its story is simple and sweet. Its interesting concept is made memorable by what Dong-Dong learns from his "new" friends. A lost remote hidden in the sofa is tantamount to an itch, while Gusuri's perspective as an old dog is quite memorable (thankfully, he's still alive at the end). One of its most profound episodes lets Dong-Dong hear the thoughts of his comically strict father (Ikkei Watanabe). It's also quite memorable when a later candy gives voice to falling leaves. All of this is animated with excellent clay-shaded CGI that looks so much like real claymation. 

This might be my choice for the winner, but the next two other shorts in the package are viable alternates. 

In the Shadow of the Cypress (from Iran. Director: Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani): An elderly man, a sea captain long suffering from PTSD, has a tense relationship with his adult daughter. His prized ship is anchored close to their beachside home. They get their chance to reconcile when his daughter tries to rescue a beached whale.

The character designs are nice and simple, but it really stands out when it visualizes the old man's PTSD. At his worse, his skin turns gray, and he even shatters into a million pieces at one point. It doesn't take much effort to sympathize with him, even when he threatens to kill the "inconvenient" whale. It all leads to a heroic sacrifice that involves his ship. Overall, its storyline and visuals make this another worthy winner.

Yuck! (from France. Director: Loïc Espuche): A group of kids at a campsite observe the adults around them kissing and are grossed out by what they see. Two of them, Leo (Noé Chabbat) and Lucie (Katell Varvat), decide to try it for themselves. 

This is easily the most adorable story of the bunch, with two likable lead kids and a very memorable visual metaphor: peoples' lips glow the hottest shade of pink imaginable when they want to kiss. They may be young, but Leo and Lucie have started to understand the need for human connection. They get mocked for it, and you'll be rooting for them to reconcile, which they do in a memorable finale. How memorable? The whole campsite glows pink! I wouldn't be surprised if this ultimately won.

Wander to Wonder (mostly from the U.K. Director: Nina Gantz): Meanwhile, this is the short a few critics have gravitated towards. Let's see what I think of it.

Once upon a time, there was a man named Uncle Gilly (a live-action character played by Neil Salvage) who had a public access kid's show called Wander to Wonder. Nowadays, he lies dead in his decrepit flat, and his three "puppet" stars - Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton (Amanda Lawrence, Terence Dunn and Toby Jones) - try to carry on in his absence. They try their best, even as food and sanity begin to run scarce. 

Needless to say, its story isn't for everyone, even if I don't think it's the most unsettling nominee I've ever seen in this category (that would be Bestia, from a few years ago). Our three leads, who are apparently doll-sized humans instead of living toys, aren't the most visually appealing stop-motion characters. The state of Gilly's flat is even less appealing, though both aspects are done well by design. Mary's attempt to keep the show going are decently amusing as her optimism wears thin. It still ends on a profound image when an unexpected event frees them from squalor.

Beautiful Men (mostly from the Netherlands. Director: Nicolas Keppens): Three middle-aged brothers - Bart, Koen and Steven (Peter Van de Begin, Peter De Graef and Tom Dewispelaere) - travel to Istanbul for a hair-transplant. Note that I said, "a hair-transplant," for there's only room for one of the balding brothers in the hospital's schedule. Who will get the transplant? How will their relationship survive? 

All it takes to understand the brothers is to look at their stop-motion models. These puppet characters wear their melancholy on their faces; Bart, in particular, essentially has a cancer scare on top of his hair loss. He also deals with the possibility of being denied his transplant. The brothers' relationship is compelling, while their ultimate reconciliation one foggy night is rather nice, even with some oddness. It kind of falters at the end, which solves their hair trouble with a wild deus-ex-machina. Maybe that narrative issues will work better in a feature-length expansion; I'm kind of interested in seeing one.

That's it for this year's animated short nominees. Now, if you excuse me, I have to figure out how to watch the Documentary and Live-Action Short contenders. I think I can do that in a few weeks' time.

Paddington in Peru

Breaking News: Seven Years is Too Long for a Sequel.

That's especially true with Paddington Bear, whose delightful whimsy has been missed during his hibernation. His hibernation ends with Paddington in Peru, in which Dougal Wilson takes up the director's chair previously inhabited by Paul King (who was most likely preoccupied with Wonka at the time).

This time, Paddington (Ben Whishaw) and his human family, the Browns, are summoned to his native Peru when his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) seems down in the doldrums. By the time they get to her retirement home, Lucy has disappeared into the Amazon, so Paddington decides to lead a rescue mission. Their only clue is a spot called Rumi Rock, which is supposedly connected to the fabled city of El Dorado. They hire Capt. Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) to take them up-river to Rumi Rock.

Cabot, afflicted with a hereditary case of Gold Fever, semi-accidentally strands the Browns in the jungle. Paddington tries to echo-locate Aunt Lucy with his roaring, while the Browns look for him with the help of Cabot's daughter, Gina (Carla Tous). Meanwhile, the Browns' housekeeper Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters) discovers that the Retirement Home's kindly Mother Superior (Olivia Colman) is more than meets the eye. That's basically it.

Once the plot gets going, which it does quickly, it asserts itself as a goofy adventure film with some of its predecessors' charming whimsy. During their mission, the Browns contend with a driverless boat, ants, a purple spider and plane trouble, among other things. Cabot is haunted by the ghosts of his ancestors, all of whom died morbidly silly deaths in their pursuit of El Dorado. Paddington gets into a few silly perils, complete with a Buster Keaton homage. It even has time for a weird The Sound of Music parody for the Browns' travel montage. It's all good, even if I preferred its predecessors' deadpan jokes. The plot also teases Paddington's origins, but there's nothing much substantial until the finale teases us with Paddington staying behind. I thought they were serious!

Looking back at my previous Paddington film reviews, I realized I talked more about the visual effects that visualized him than Paddington himself. His personal visual effects are still good here, while Paddington himself is still that ursine model of goodness from the last few films. He only gets mean when he delivers a "hard stare" to Cabot, but he immediately turns polite right afterwards. It's hard to imagine any voice other than Whishaw's soft-spoken voice would fit this version of Michael Bond's most famous bear.

Once again, we have Henry Brown (Hugh Bonneville) learn not to be overly cautious. It’s a bit too familiar, but him parachuting from his new boss, Madison’s (Hayley Atwell) office is unique. His wife, Mary (Emily Mortimer, tagging in for Sally Hawkins), has a decent new subplot as she frets about being an empty nester. Mrs. Bird, however, gets the best subplot as she investigates the Mother Superior with some entertaining subterfuge.

Colman’s Mother Superior is the film’s surprise villain, a secret that not even she is good at hiding (she admits as much to Mrs. Bird). Her evil acts would make her detestable if not for her hamming it up. Indeed, her ultimate fate is both goofy and satisfying. Banderas, meanwhile, delightfully hams it up as Cabot and all of his ghostly ancestors, especially a nagging conquistador. The effects for Banderas’s singular double-act are impressive.

Finally, let’s acknowledge a major nitpick. Aunt Lucy is a nice old bear, but the film doesn’t acknowledge Paddington’s Uncle Pastuzo, save for a brief mention at the end. He’s not even shown in flashbacks when Lucy adopts Paddington. Did they not even want him voiceless after Michael Gambon’s death? That just makes Pastuzo’s absence all the more glaring, but I digress. If I nitpick any further, I'd be as old and bitter as Mr. Curry, who's also absent but not that missed.

Paddington's latest adventure may place him into new territory, but Paddington in Peru is still a fun time for all. Those too young or squeamish for even Raiders of the Lost Ark will certainly get their share of family-friendly thrills during its 106 minutes. Its ending would make a great finale for the series, except that there's a fourth film already in the works. Hopefully, that one will maintain its predecessors' charming optimism, even if it doesn't surpass them. That optimism is needed more than ever these days.

That's it for now.

Captain America: Brave New World

 The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan is back with an asterisk ...

Instead of Chris Evans's Steve Rogers, Captain America: Brave New World brings back Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson, previously The Falcon, who took up the mantle during The Falcon and Winter Soldier Disney Plus series. I never really followed the series - then again, I rarely follow TV shows anymore - so let's see if I can distill the plot of what is essentially its sequel.

It's also a sequel to Eternals, which ended when they narrowly stopped the gigantic Celestial Tiamut from waking up. A new element - none other than adamantium - has been discovered in Tiamut's fossilized corpse. The newly elected President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford, tagging in for the late William Hurt) wants to secure a treaty with the Japanese Government for "Celestial Island." He decides to announce this in a White House summit with Sam, his best friend Lt. Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) and Super soldier Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) in attendance. 

Unfortunately, Isaiah and a few others try to assassinate Ross during the event, with the Fleetwoods' Mr. Blue being the trigger. While Ross tries to salvage the prospective treaty, Sam and Joaquin (the new Falcon) look for the mastermind. Said mastermind is Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), a character not seen since 2008's The Incredible Hulk. While Sterns' evil scheme involves several sleeper agents, the biggest of them all is Ross himself, and he hopes nobody will like Ross when he gets angry. I think I got the gist of it.

This is a plot that requires a lot of homework. Besides plot threads from the aforementioned MCU instalments, the film also throws in SERPENT, a mercenary group with snake codenames (i.e. Giancarlo Esposito as commander Sidewinder). They're a collective case of "remember the new guy?" syndrome and are essentially irrelevant when Sterns enters the fray. It's mostly easy to understand the rest of the plot, even if its plot-threads would hit the hardest if you did that homework. A few examples include Isaiah's backstory as a mistreated Korean War vet and even its mentions of Gamma Radiation (the latter makes sense once you remember Stan Lee's cameo in The Incredible Hulk). Thankfully, the film helps bring viewers up to speed, even with a quick newscast, so new viewers won't be completely lost.

Another major subplot involves Ross tapping Sam to revive The Avengers. While some may question Sam going along with that, considering Ross's previous animosity with The Avengers, it's actually quite compelling to see Sam begrudgingly go along with it. He still believes in protecting the American Dream even if he seriously doubts Ross's change of heart. He proves his worthiness to Steve's legacy not only with his perseverance in battle, but just by advocating for Isaiah's innocence. It also helps that he and Joaquin have great chemistry together; even if you haven't seen The Falcon and Winter Soldier, you'll still feel it when Sam tries to help Joaquin when the latter is shot down during a dogfight.

Its strongest performance, by far, is Ford as President Ross. It's astounding how much his performance will make you sympathize with a character who, in previous instalments, was odiously belligerent. Previously, his boiling anger would symptomize his unlikability, but in this film, it's a tragic flaw that he desperately tries to manage. Not even the film's late twist that he and Sterns were in cahoots is enough to dampen that sympathy. His much-anticipated transformation into the Red Hulk is, however, dampened by some blatantly obvious effects for his initial transformation. Still, the final battle with him and Sam is pretty good, overall.

What else can I say about it? There's some pretty good makeup work for Sterns, better known as The Leader in the comics. I'm sure some might find it a rubbish look, but I thought it was decently creepy. He later proves himself more than an ugly face after he escapes his holding cell. Lumbly, meanwhile, has the second-best performance as Isaiah, who's quite sympathetic as he's swept up into The Leader's evil plot. Shira Haas makes a pretty good impression as Ruth Bat-Seraph, a former Black Widow and Ross's security advisor, who later helps Sam and Joaquin in their investigation. Besides the final battle, the film's standout set piece is the Battle of Celestial Island, where Sam and Joaquin save the US and Japanese fleets from destroying each other. 

Captain America: Brave New World apparently needed a ton of reshoots, which is evident with its five credited writers, including director Julius Onah. It's still a pretty coherent film even with its multitude of plot threads. Its political intrigue and set pieces help kept my interest during its 119 minutes, and it might help keep yours, too. If not, at least you'll have a few more Marvel films to look forward to. After a year starved of super heroics, those projects will give us more to look forward to, while this film is a good way to keep you busy until then. Well, that's what I thought of it anyway.

That's it for now.

The Six Triple Eight

For today's assignment, I'm to look at The Six Triple Eight, Tyler Perry's historical drama about the eponymous World War II battalion comprised entirely of black women. A documentary with a similar title (The SixTripleEight, notice the lack of spaces) came out in 2019, so how will you know the difference? Easy: Perry's movie is only on Netflix.

Perry's screenplay, which he adapted from Kevin M. Hymel's article Fighting a Two-Front War, formally begins in Philadelphia. There, childhood sweethearts Lena Derriecott (Ebony Obsidian) and Abram David (Gregg Sulkin) live as best as they can. Abram is deployed overseas, but he is eventually shot down. In fact, the film opens on Abram's last battle, and although his squad mates are too late to save him, they do save a letter in his pocket, now soaked with blood. 

That MacGuffin soon becomes lost in an ever-growing backlog of mail. With morale declining on both fronts, civil rights activist Mary Mcleod Bethune (Oprah Winfrey) suggests to the Roosevelts (Sam Waterston & Susan Sarandon) to dispatch the 6888 to help sort it out. A few racist officers agree, albeit with an impossible deadline of just six months to get the mail going.

Meanwhile, Lena enlists after Abram's death and is stationed with the 6888. Her commanding officer, eventual Maj. Charity Adams (Kerry Washington) isn't impressed with her lack of the right stuff. When they're shipped out, Lena tries to gain some closure, while Adams struggles to prove herself to the racist high command. They'll eventually come to an understanding as they complete their task. That's mostly it.

As you might guess from this summary, Lena and Adams get the most focus in the screenplay. Actually, Adams is pretty much the main character as she has the biggest stakes. When we first meet her, Adams is so strict that she chastises Lena for not giving her all at jumping-jacks. She starts showing her depths when she defends her troops from racist privates at a cinema. It's quite easy to sympathize with her when the high command unfairly admonishes them for slowness (multiple letters were partially eaten by rats!). Her standout scene has her stand up to the battalion's odious commanding officer General Halt (Dean Norris). It's made especially rewarding when the 6888's efforts finally bear fruit.

Meanwhile, what we see of Lena and Abram's relationship is pretty likable. He teaches her to outwit a racist bully (Sarah Helbringer), gives her the ride of her life in his car and even sings a love song off-key. It's easy to get behind Lena when she decides to enlist, and it's easier to sympathize when she struggles under her assignments. She ends up "putting a face" on the mission when she breaks down in the sorting room, which leads to a nice reconciliation with Adams. She has a decent relationship with Hugh Bell (Jay Reeves), her eventual husband, but her fellow privates are mostly lost in the shuffle. The standout among them is the rough Johnnie Mae Burton (Shanice Shantay), who takes a long while to befriend Lena.

What else can I say about it? Despite what I said earlier, it's still tense when two of the privates inadvertently drive onto an unexploded bomb and sacrifice themselves to save their two passengers.  Chaplain Clemens (Nick Harris) makes for another excellently odious villain. There's some pretty good production design for the dilapidated school the 6888 are stationed in - both before and after they renovate it - as well as for the opening battle (which is almost comparable to All Quiet on the Western Front). You'll instantly recognize the blood-soaked letter as the MacGuffin, but you'll still be decently moved by its contents. In fact, the 6888 saluting Adams, and later they themselves getting saluted, is quite emotional.

Here's where I get into a few nitpicks. Throughout the film, we're reminded of a few major stakes but rarely see anything come of it. In an early scene, they travel in what are said to be U-Boat infested waters, but after one scene of turbulent waters, they're at port in Glasglow. When Adams dresses down Halt, she realizes she bought herself a court-martial, but it's literally too late in the film to dwell on that. We do learn about the methods the 6888 use to sort the mail but rarely see most of them in action. What gives?

 My biggest nitpicks are for the epilogue, which is set to Dianne Warren's latest Oscar-nominated ballad, The Journey. The song itself is pretty good, but it's not good when the real Lena narrates about the 6888's relevance and her post-war life, only for the following text to repeat most of her bullet points! A fellow battalion member, Romay Davis, is listed as alive when she actually passed away last June (Lena herself passed away a few months earlier in January 2024). This came out on Netflix in December, so what happened?

You can probably learn a lot about The Six Triple Eight if you watch the documentary. This film, however, is a decent historical drama that's capably lead by two great protagonists. I may have some nitpicks, but it's still interesting enough to learn about the actual battalion once it ended. Give it a chance and you might be interested too. It's waiting on Netflix for your decision. And nowhere else!

That's it for now.

Flow

 I'm sure a few people complained when the Academy Award for "Best Foreign Language Film" was retitled "Best International Feature Film." I wasn't one of them. I was like, "that's fine" and I went on with my day.

Methinks the Academy's decision was warranted, for Flow, Latvia's entry into this year's race, has no spoken language of any kind. At least, none of the human variety.

A black cat lives alone in the woods. Suddenly, the world floods and the little kitty is left looking for high ground. Fortunately, the kitty meets a capybara on a boat, and they set sail together. They're soon joined by a lemur, a secretarybird, and a pack of dogs the kitty encountered just before the world ended. All they have to do is survive until they find high ground, or the flood waters recede. That's pretty much it.

It's hard to feel unmoved by the kitty's plight even if you are a dog person, like me. Before the flood, we follow the kitty as it lives a solitary life afraid of everything. Indeed, it's quite harrowing when it's caught up in the flood and not even a giant cat statue proves to be the highest ground. After it comes aboard the SS Capybara, the kitty improves thanks to the influence of its crewmates. The reluctant hero drops its reluctance, which culminates in it leading a climactic rescue when the capybara faces certain doom. All in all, it's quite compelling to watch this poor kitty grow up during the apocalypse.

What can we surmise about the crew? The capybara is basically the captain, instructing the cat how to fish and swim, mediates between the crew and lounges around the rest of the time. The lemur provides much needed comic relief, much of which comes from its fascination with a discarded mirror. The dog pack is a decent bunch, but the ceaselessly friendly Labrador Retriever who joins the crew first is easily the best boy. The secretarybird is ostracized from its flock for standing up for the crew, so it reluctantly joins them. It only shows animosity when it refuses to let the lab's fellows aboard until the others persuade it. You'll be invested in this crew even without words; it helps that they're instead vocalized by some effective sound effects.

You're probably wondering what happened to all the humans. Well, the film doesn't answer that question, and as far as we know, the animals don't dwell on it. A few signs of intelligent life exist, namely the cottage the kitty lived in until the flood, but that's all we get. Maybe they were raptured, which pretty much happens to a member of the crew late into the film (it's pretty surreal). I got to admit, when I first heard of this film, I thought it was set during the Biblical Flood, but what we see of civilization is too modern for that. Still, its lack of answers won't be enough to disengage you from its visible story.

Gints Zibalodis, in addition to being the film's director, also co-wrote, co-produced, edited, cinematographed and even co-composed the score. The painted art style, which he visualized with the open-source software Blender, is positively stunning. It accentuates the animals with exquisite body language and places them in some incredible scenery. Sometimes, the animals are the scenery, as is the case with a magnificent whale who pops up a few times, with its last scene being the most tragic. There are a few great long shots, with perhaps the highlight depicting the tumultuous first encounter with the secretarybird. Zibalodis and co-composer Rihards Zalupe perfectly accentuate this phlegmatic film with their score. It's probably the best score this year that didn't make it onto the Oscar shortlist.

While I'm not sure this can defeat Emilia Perez for the International Feature Film Oscar, Flow stands neck-and-neck with The Wild Robot in the race for Best Animated Feature. Either one of those films would make good winners; it helps that there's plenty of thematic overlap here. Flow's unverbose minimal cast is as unforgettable as the wide vocal ensemble in The Wild Robot. All they need to move you is just a purr, a hiss, a squawk or even a bark. I would have liked to have seen it in a theater, but it only played ways away from me. Fortunately, it makes for a great home matinee even on a relatively small TV. All you have to do is to sit back and watch as 86-minutes float away. It's just that good.

Next up, something more verbose.

Sing Sing

 Howdy, Baxter, what's up?

Jethro! Sing Sing came out in July! Why on earth haven't you reviewed it yet?

Because it came out in only ten theaters, nationwide, and not one of them was a theater near me?! It didn't even come out on streaming until just last week, for which I had to pay a pretty penny (or a few thousand) to watch. 

Okay, fair enough.

Primarily based on the titular article in the book, The Sing Sing Follies, by John H. Richardson, director Greg Kwedar introduces us to the Rehabilitation through the Arts program, which helps rehabilitate New York State prisoners through the creative arts. It's based in the titular prison, which is where we find John "Divine G" Whitfield (Colman Domingo) and his troupe (almost all of whom play themselves). Tired of doing Shakespeare and other seriousness, the guys pitch a comedy to director Brent Buell (Paul Raci), who distills their disparate ideas into a time-traveling farce called Breakin' the Mummy's Code, the screenplay's other source material.

Divine G, a Shakespearean devotee, is annoyed when fellow inmate Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin gets the pivotal part of Hamlet. Divine Eye has a chip on his shoulder, and he struggles with the whole acting thing. But Divine G soon helps Divine Eye refine his dramatic skills, and they eventually become friends. During the rehearsal stage, both Divines are up for parole, but it seems only Divine Eye is successful. What will become of their silly stage show with gladiators, pirates, the aforementioned Hamlet and even Freddy Krueger?

In other reviews, I commended actors' performances if their character was more natural than mere acting. This is an instance where most of the cast are actually their characters, with some liberties. The RTA alumni are a likable bunch, even if whatever crimes they committed were serious. It’s quite fascinating to watch them open up to each other during the rehearsal process. These scenes get better once you realize they improvised their lines. They effortlessly prove themselves as natural movie stars as their established co-stars. A few highlights include the elderly Camillo Lovacco and Jon-Adrian “JJ” Hernandez, the latter of whom was recently exonerated.

But it's Maclin who serves as the RTA's MVP. His fictionalized self doesn't endear himself to Divine G when he wins the role of Hamlet. But he endears himself to the audience as he opens up about his broken dreams. In a pivotal scene, Divine Eye's dramatic inexperience nearly results in a brawl during rehearsals, until Divine G helps him translate his animosity into stage presence. Later on, when Divine G has lost all hope, it's Divine Eye who helps him regain that hope. I'll reiterate on that when I discuss Domingo's performance in the next paragraph.

Domingo, as the fictional Divine G, plays a man who also struggles to connect with others. He's a better Lysander from A Midsummer Night's Dream than he is a team-player. Cases in Point: he's annoyed when the others reject his latest serious play and is devastated when Divine Eye upstages him. He's quite sympathetic when his only other friend, Mike Mike (Sean San Jose), suddenly dies, and when his parole is declined. That's when his brave face crumbles to pieces. At least he has Divine Eye to help him when he needs it most. It's quite compelling to watch the Divines become friends throughout the film, which culminates in a moving coda for them.

What else do we have here? Paul Raci is quite likable as Buell, whose real counterpart has a cameo, along with the real Divine G. The titular prison, as rendered by cinematographer Pat Scola, is rather cold and desolate. The RTA's performances, meanwhile, are perfectly vibrant; the end credits show us clips of the actual performance of Breakin' the Mummy's Code, and they're as funny as the film's version. While Bryce Dessner's melancholic score is quite memorable, Abraham Alexander & Adrian Quesada's Oscar-nominated end song Like a Bird is quite joyous to listen to. 

Don't be surprised if Sing Sing gets you interested in watching Breakin' the Mummy's Code live. It's both a moving prison docudrama, and an interesting insight into the theatrical process. Its ensemble is unforgettable, whether they're playing characters or themselves. Their stories are worth listening to. It's worth just about whatever you need to pay for it, especially if you want to see it before the Oscars. It won't come out on Blu-Ray until next month, well after the festivities are done. I'll leave it to you to decide when to see it.

Next up, something cheaper, but no less moving.

Dog Man

Although I have several Oscar-nominated films left to watch, I still have time for a few new releases. Last weekend, I made time for Dog Man, a spin-off of the Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey. In his books, Dog Man is another creation of Captain Underpants' creators, George and Harold. In his movie, Dog Man fetches us 89-minutes of, to quote his parent series, "Action! Thrills! Laffs!" for everyone.

But mainly kids.

It doesn't dwell too long on his origin story. Officer Knight and his K-9, Greg the Dog, regularly match wits with the evil Petey the Cat (Pete Davidson). One day, Petey decides to blow up an empty warehouse because he's that evil. Knight and Greg try to defuse Petey's bomb, but Knight goofs up and they get blown up. The doctors replace Knight's head with Greg's, and thus, Dog Man is born! 

Over a montage, Dog Man repeatedly arrests Petey, while Petey repeatedly breaks out of "Cat Jail." After a while, the Mayor (Cheri Oteri) breathes down the Police Chief's (Lil Rel Howery) neck and threatens to throw Dog Man off the force. Meanwhile, Petey invests in a cloning machine, but all it gives him is a sweet kitten named Li'l Petey (Lucas Hopkins Calderon). Li'l Petey is soon adopted by Dog Man. Meanwhile, a dead cyborg fish named Flippy (Ricky Gervais) comes back to life and decides to take over the city. Yes, it's that kind of movie.

The film is written and directed by Peter Hastings, who also voices Dog Man and his components. The story bombards its viewers with numerous visual gags and other bits of silliness in its short runtime. For a small taste, we get a “Box of Bs” - not Bees, Bs - thrown around in the opening chase. That visual bombardment can sometimes overwhelm whatever passes for a serious storyline in this film. So, what happens can we understand it?

For starters, we have Dog Man’s origin story. In live action, it would sound like a horror film, but in animation, it’s perfectly silly. I think it helps that we don’t see his creation process. Dog Man only makes dog sounds, but his cheerful personality will win you over in no time. You'll feel for him when he finds out his girlfriend has already moved on, much like in a similar scene in Robocop. It's still moving when the film milks some of its pathos for a few more gags.

Whatever dramatic weight the film has is given mainly to Petey. When he starts out, Petey is a delightfully evil cat who repeatedly pays his sole employee, Butler (Poppy Liu) with anything but money. When Li'l Petey shows up, Petey is frustrated by the kitten's sunny personality. His reluctant parenting is contrasted with the negligent parenting by his even more irredeemable dad (Stephen Root), whom Li'l Petey forcibly locates. It's rather nice seeing Petey become a better cat thanks to his clone son, which culminates in him becoming a hero. It's just as nice seeing Li'l Petey bond with Dog Man. 

What else do we have here? The art style, at times, feels like a CGI approximation of stop-motion, which takes some time getting used to. Once you do that, you'll be charmed by the appealingly simplistic character designs. Flippy, for a final boss, is even more hilariously evil than Petey. His monster buildings are delightfully goofy, while the final battle with them is pretty entertaining. Chief is amusing, though his romantic subplot with reporter Sarah Hatoff (Isla Fisher) is practically background stuff.

 All in all, Dog Man is a fun distraction from the doldrums of the world. It's not as cohesive as Captain Underpants, but it's still a delightfully fun family movie whose gags may take repeated viewings to get. I'm ready to give it a go once it's available on streaming just to see what I missed. It's better than the current news cycle, that's for sure. 

The fun begins with a short starring The Bad Guys, Little Lies and Alibis, which can best be summed up as "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Parole Board." It's an exciting appetizer for The Bad Guys 2, which comes out in August. Believe me, August can't come soon enough. 

And remember, it's Dog Man, not Dogman.

The Brutalist

We now go to the biggest film of this Oscar season, bar none.

Nearly everything about The Brutalist, Brady Corbet's third feature, is gigantic. It's a movie about grand architecture - made especially obvious if you see it in IMAX (which I did) - set over several decades and it comes with an astronomical runtime of 215 minutes (15 of which are an intermission). The only thing small about it is its budget of just under $10 million. So, let's break ground on this review, shall we?

In the film's overture, we see László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-Jewish refugee, make his way through a tight crowd to get his first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty. This momentous occasion is visualized by Lol Crawley's claustrophobic cinematography and accentuated with Daniel Blumberg's mammoth score, which reaches its crescendo once we finally see Her. The looming Lady Liberty is displayed on the film's posters, and it's especially memorably once we see Her in context.

A renowned architect in Europe, László gets a job at his cousin, Attila's (Alessandro Nivola) furniture store in Philadelphia. One day, a rich guy named Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) hires them to renovate his father's personal library. But that goes haywire when Harrison Sr. (Guy Pearce) shows up and throughs them out in a rage, which leads to Harry Jr. stiffing them for the bill and Atilla throwing out László. Eventually, Harrison warms up to the library after it brings him good press, and he commissions László to build a new community center named for his late mother.

Over the next few years, László lives on the Van Buren estate as he supervises the construction. A few architectural busybodies get in his way, while a devastating train accident nearly literally derails the whole thing. He's soon joined by his wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), whom we hear in voiceover during Act One, and their niece, Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy). His life seems to turn around, but his American Dream starts to crumble when he realizes how rotten his patron is.

Sure, Harrison seems legitimately charming when he apologizes to László for his earlier outburst. He shows nothing but respect for László's architectural skills, even if it's only because of the good press. He seems quite selfless when he gets his lawyer, Michael Hoffman (Peter Polycapou), to hasten Erzsebet and Zsofia's emigration. During act two, his friendliness devolves into condescending compassion until a single act turns him downright monstrous. By the end, he proves himself a bit cowardly too. All in all, it's an impressive villain performance by Pearce, and his Oscar nomination is as deserved as everyone else here who got one, too.

You won't forget the star of the show. Even as the minutes pile up, Brody's compelling performance as László will help keep your eyes on the screen. When we first see him, the claustrophobia is so tight that we don't know where he is; for all we know, he could be fleeing bombs. But once he, and we, see Lady Liberty, the joy is palpable. He has great chemistry with Atilla and his wife, Audrey (Emma Laird), and you'll be devastated when the good times end. His most egotistical moments, such as his fight with an aforementioned busybody, Jim Simpson (Michael Epp), are quite understandable. You'll feel for him as his American Dream turns sour, and wonder, despite the last words, if the destination or journey was worth it.

Now for a few other characters. Jones is pretty good as Erzsébet, but she's downright excellent when she publicly confronts Harrison for his abuse of László. Harry, meanwhile, proves himself as ultimately detestable as his old man; his sister Maggie (Stacy Martin), meanwhile, proves herself the nicest person in her family by far. Isaach de Bankolé is quite likable as Gordon, whom László befriends on a breadline and subsequently hires on his crew. Among Van Buren's crew, the most memorable is Jonathan Hyde as the builder Leslie Woodrow.

This is the first film in over sixty-years to use the VistaVision process for its cinematography. After the claustrophobic opening, the film uses that process to show us the depths of Judy Becker's magnificent production design. Every locale, from a diner to the inside of the community center, is beyond appealing. A few establishing shots are unbelievably pristine and are especially great in IMAX. Crowley's long takes, such as Erzsébet's confrontation with Harrison, are exquisite. When László insults Simpson, you can feel Simpson's rage rise for a good while before he throws down. Kudos to editor Dávid Jancsó for letting Epp's acting speak for itself. 

The Brutalist's gigantic scale on such a low budget befits the architectural style that gives it its name. Yes, it's a hard film to sit through, both with its often-dark turns and its length, but that intermission is a great help. Still, it was rarely boring, and that was mostly due to its central performance and its grand architecture. I'd still advise that you see it as early as you can, even if it's not in IMAX, for it is such a commitment. But I think it's a commitment worth taking at least once.

That's it for now.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

How about we start this year's sprint to the Oscars with something fun?

Who better than Wallace and Gromit, the signature duo of Aardman Animations? All but two of their previous cinematic adventures have won Oscars, so it was no surprise their second feature film, Vengeance Most Fowl, would pop up in the Best Animated Feature lineup. Here's what to expect when you play it on Netflix.

This is actually a sequel to their first Oscar-winning short, The Wrong Trousers, which ended with cheese-loving inventor Wallace (Ben Whitehead) and his dog Gromit (eternally silent) nabbing the evil penguin mastermind Feathers McGraw (also eternally silent). Now serving a life sentence at the zoo, Feathers bides his time plotting to reclaim the Blue Diamond, the MacGuffin from the previous short. After that, he'll get his vengeance most fowl.

Meanwhile, Wallace invents Norbot (Reece Shearsmith), a robot garden gnome who's too good at his job. They start a gardening business together, while Gromit feels left out by Wallace's tech-dependence (he even has a gizmo for head pats!). Gromit accidentally allows Feathers to hack into Norbot and create an army of evil Norbots to wreck Wallace's good name. With Wallace's inventing future at stake, it's up to Gromit to shutdown Feathers' latest scheme. That's mostly it.

It doesn't take much to get acquainted, or reacquainted, with the series' gentle silliness, which is personified by Wallace and Gromit's morning routine. It's delightfully funny as Gromit works Wallace's overly complicated inventions to help him do the simplest tasks. It's less funny when Wallace unveils the "pat-o-matic," the aforementioned head patting gizmo, which does little for Gromit's interpersonal needs. However, you'll never forget that Wallace, despite his ignorance, still cares for Gromit. That much is affirmed in the climax, an action set-piece with speeding (for lack of a better word) narrowboats. The resolution also gives us a nice reversal of Wallace's tech-dependence.

Also in the cast are Chief Inspector Mackintosh (Peter Kay), who returns from the feature Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and his new PC, Mukherjee (Lauren Patel). Mackintosh is too presumptuous of Wallace's guilt, but his buffoonish personality makes it hard to hate him. Mukherjee is slightly better in that she actually gives Wallace the benefit of the doubt; not even her doubting him for a bit is enough to dislike her. Even the aptly named reporter Onya Doorstep (Diane Morgan) is quite funny, as is anchor Anton Deck (Muzz Khan).

The Norbots are delightfully silly even if they're supposed to be annoying. I think it has to do with their chipper personality, even as they overly cultivate many a garden. Their charging routine, which involves them moaning an interminable time just to reach one-percent charge, is hilarious. Gromit's attempt to relocate Norbot Prime during his routine ends up kickstarting the plot. The Norbots also have an overly chirpy song that makes for a surprising earworm. Conversely, the deadeyes of the evil Norbots are appropriately disturbing. You'll just have to see how Wallace and Gromit literally reboot them, or how they save the day in the climax.

Gromit and Feathers may be bereft of dialogue, but that's compensated by Aardman's trademark plasticine animation. Feathers' blank face is unnerving, especially when he briefly parodies Max Cady from Cape Fear, but even he has bits of silliness. He's quite flummoxed by Wallace's cyber-security measures, at first. But he figures it out with an obvious clue. It's quite goofy, rather than idiotic, how nobody sees through Feathers' paper-thin disguises (like his trademark chicken disguise). Gromit is a lot more vocal, as he speaks with just the raise of an eyebrow. We laugh as he plays the straight man, and we feel for him when he bemoans Wallace's tech-dependence. He proves an awesome dog when he leads the final battle against Feathers and the evil Norbots. 

 This is the first main instalment in which Whitehead voices Wallace, who was voiced by Peter Sallis until his retirement in 2010, and I must say his voice is almost indistinguishable. All the better, as Wallace still feels as delightfully chipper as ever. Julian Notts' signature march is enough to ease you into the proceeding 79-minutes. Its grand, yet gentle tune will get you feeling good even if you haven't seen a Wallace and Gromit entry in years. The same goes for Nott and co-composer Lorne Balfe's overall score, even when it gets intense. Its numerous gags and puns are delightful; Feathers' stint behind bars is called "doing bird," Gromit partakes in a Virgina Woof novel, and the Norbots do a Flintstones maneuver with Wallace's van. You'll just have to see the film for more. 

What else can I say about it? Vengeance Most Fowl would make for a grand day out at the movies. At home, it makes for a fun time on Netflix, and it's not even a close shave. Once again, Aardman have proven themselves able to entertain kids and adults alike with their plasticine characters. It'll make for a great home matinee well-beyond this year's Oscars; seek out their previous shorts while you're at it. As for me, I'm going to look for a few more contenders.

Wolf Man

The Oscar nominations are only a day away, but I'm not sure about Maria's chances this year. 

Sure, just because Angelina Jolie missed a few critical nominations, that doesn't mean her chances are over. Just ask Kristen Stewart, whose nomination for Spencer was much miraculous given some similar circumstances. That lack of attention doesn't bode well for the shortlisted makeup team, though.

Fortunately, Arjen Tuiten, who aged Jolie in Maria, has a better chance at recognition next year. That chance is Wolf Man, Leigh Whannell's take on the famous Universal Monster. Sure, the critical reception has been mixed, but Rick Baker won his seventh Oscar for Best Makeup for 2010's The Wolfman, which had an even worse reception. You won't forget the depths of Blake Lovell's (Christopher Abbott) transformation here even if you forget most of the story.

Anyway, as a young boy (Zac Chandler) in 1995 Oregon, Blake was raised by his survivalist dad, Grady (Sam Jaeger). After a traumatic hunting trip, we jump to this year to find Blake living in San Francisco with his journalist wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). His home life is good, though he still tries to mind his pent-up anger. One day, Grady, who went missing years ago, is declared dead, and Blake has to settle his estate. He takes the family up to his old Oregon home to do just that.

On the way there, the Lovells get into a weird truck crash with a local werewolf. The monster chases them to Brady's old cabin, where the family decides to hold up for the night. While the werewolf tries to break in, Blake, who was scratched in the initial attack, slowly transforms into another werewolf. It's up to Blake to defend his family from the monster at the door before he becomes the monster within. I think that's mostly it.

As far as exposition goes, Whannell and co-writer/wife Corbett Tuck only devote some opening text, where we learn of a local disease called "Face of the Wolf," to explain the origins of this Wolf Man. It's rarely brought back up in the story, which leaves us to surmise the mechanics. For one thing, there's no full moon involved, so Blake transforms throughout the night. Cinematographer Stefan Duscio and the sound team frequently bring us into his perspective as his senses change, which makes for neat technical storytelling. The stages of Blake's physical transformation are well-visualized by Tuiten and his team. It's pretty saddening, though, as the transformation is framed as a terminal disease, much like in David Cronenberg's The Fly, and the end results are as pitiable as they are scary.

Early on, Blake scolds Ginger for walking on street cones, and later tenses up when Charlotte refuses to take a phone call to another room. That's mostly it for anger issues until he gets werewolved. Still, Abbott does a pretty good job playing Blake as a guy struggling to contain his demons. That gets more apparent when he starts going Wolf Man. Blake and Ginger, that incident aside, have an endearing relationship, which further amplifies the tragedy of his terminal transformation. Charlotte, meanwhile, gradually gets more compelling when she is forced to fend off Wolf Man Blake. 

Let's talk a bit about the supporting cast. Grady, from what we see of him, means well, but is overly harsh. On the one hand, he's only his scariest when he scolds Blake for running off during their hunting trip. On the other hand, he could have been more upfront about the viral hominid roaming the woods. Ben Prenderghast is quite scary as the other Wolf Man, though his secret is probably too easy to guess. Benedict Hardie is quite likable as Derek, an old acquaintance of Blake's whom the Lovells pick up on their journey. He would have been a great Mr. Exposition if the film hadn't made him the Red Shirt, instead. 

Why did I say the truck crash was weird? Well, the Lovells are driving along when they see the other Wolf Man. They swerve, and suddenly, they're on the treetops. It's not exactly great editing or effects, there. We get our best looks at the other Wolf Man when he and Blake duke it out. It's too quickly edited, but we still comprehend what the monster is, being as a sickly variation of the design codified by Jack Pierce over 80 years ago. I wasn't exactly impressed when I first saw the design months ago, but I must say it looks pretty good with the right lighting.

Meanwhile, Duscio's location shooting in the New Zealand countryside, which stands in for Oregon, is breathtaking. A pivotal shot has Blake and Grady overlook the valley and is later revisited by Ginger & Charlotte. The majesty of those moments is accentuated by Benjamin Wallfisch's intense score. Its opening shot, in which a yellowjacket is besieged by ants, is as disturbing as the monster madness that follows. The Lovells' long night is dark, in more ways than one, and the aforementioned sound team maintains the dread as it reminds us of the other Wolf Man. It's not exactly fun, but it's still effectively scary.

I think that last sentence sums up this Wolf Man. Anybody who wants a movie with a few good scares and sustained dread will get their money's worth. Anybody who just wants a fun monster movie needs to look elsewhere. I know that Whannell's The Invisible Man isn't that too fun either, but there is relief in seeing Cecilia fight back and kill her abusive invisible stalker. A few decent family moments give us quite a bit of relief from the oncoming horror. Without them, the whole film would be unbearable. Now that I've seen it, I'm tempted to watch The Fly for comparison. See it soon and you might get the same urge ... or not.

Better Man

I admit that I was skeptical about Better Man before it ever came out. It mostly had to do with its central premise: it's a jukebox musical biopic of Robbie Williams where he's played by a CGI chimpanzee. Its gimmick made sense, however, once I realized why it took that approach. Let me try to explain.

Jonno Davies dons a mo-cap suit to portray and voice Robbie the Chimp. Meanwhile, Williams himself narrates the film, while he and Adam Tucker sing his songs (I can't tell them apart). According to Robbie the Narrator, he always saw himself as "less evolved" than everyone else, which explains this gimmick. That's enough to get you going. And it's hardly the reason why its Visual Effects Team is guaranteed an Oscar slot in less than a week!

Anyway, we're formally introduced to Robbie as a lad (Asmara Feik doing mo-cap, Carter J. Murphy doing vocals) in 1982 Stoke-on-Trent. He's not popular with his peers, but his "nan" Betty (Allison Steadman) and mom Janet (Kate Mulvaney) think he's special. His dad, Peter (Steve Pemberton), leaves the family to try to become the next Sinatra, which damages Robbie's self-esteem. Years later, Robbie becomes a superstar when he earns a spot on the pop group Take That. 

A few years later, Robbie is addicted to fame and drugs, which gets him kicked out of the band. He soon falls for Nicole Appleton (Raechelle Banno) of fellow pop group All Saints, but his ego gets in the way. His addictions also exasperate his crippled self-esteem, which manifests with some creepy hallucinations. How creepy? He sees himself - multiple versions of himself - in the audience, taunting him. He soon commits to becoming a better man after a particularly disturbing concert.

Director Michael Gracey, in his first film since The Greatest Showman, co-wrote the film with Simon Gleeson and Oliver Cole. It doesn't take much to get used to its oft-kilter gimmick because Robbie the Chimp feels that real. Early on, young Robbie recovers from a blunder during a school production of The Pirates of Penzance with gusto, only to get brought back down when he realizes Peter isn't there. It's just a preview of the emotional highs and lows you'll experience over 135 minutes. Later on, Robbie the Narrator sums up his feelings towards his former manager, Nigel Martin-Smith (Damon Herriman), in a hilarious bait-and-switch. The best acted - and best written - moment comes when Betty inadvertently reveals her being diagnosed with dementia.

What else does the film have besides an impressively rendered ape? An exciting soundtrack, of course! The biggest highlight is easily Rock DJ, in which Robbie and his Take That bandmates dance around Regent Street in a long take complete with multiple costume changes! The choreography, cinematography, arrangement, and editing for that sequence is nothing less than outstanding. If you need one reason for its Oscar nomination, then this is it right here. It could have gotten another Oscar nomination for its original end credit song, Forbidden Road, which makes for a nice listen. Unfortunately, it's been disqualified because The Academy thought it sounded too similar to I Got a Name. I can see their point, for a bit.

It's not afraid to show the downsides of Robbie being a "cheeky monkey." When Robbie and Nicole fall in love, it's during an endearing sequence set to a duet, She's The One. But when Robbie's ego runs wild, she understandably breaks up with him. He also pushes away several potential collaborators, particularly Take That bandmate Gary Barlow (Jake Simmance) and Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher (Leo Harvey-Elledge). As a superstar, his bad boy kayfabe is entertaining; as a person, it's insufferable. He even realizes as much with his depression, which culminates in him fighting his demons at Knebworth. It's quite nice to see him eventually reconcile with his acquaintances, even if it was hard to keep track of a few of them.

And what about his family? To start with, Betty and Janet are both delightful. You can especially sympathize with Janet when Robbie's crowding fans become too much for her. Betty, meanwhile, makes for a warm presence even after she eventually dies. Even Robbie watching TV at her grave is quite endearing. Steve, meanwhile, supports Robbie the superstar to the point that he forgets Robbie, his son. He does it when Robbie is a boy, and when Robbie is a man, this contributes to Robbie's unnerving breakdown at Knebworth. Robbie calling out Steve for his neglect is well-done, while their ultimate reconciliation is kind of nice. 

Robbie Williams apparently doesn't have much of a fanbase in America, which is partially why Better Man is sinking at the box-office. Don't let the unusual gimmick further deter you. Just step right in and you'll be entertained by its great soundtrack and compelling life story. You'll be amazed as its bug becomes a feature and then forget there was even a gimmick in the first place. I guarantee you won't forget Rock DJ anytime soon. But it might not be long before it's forced to Rock (DJ!) out of theatres. So, see it soon.

That's it for now.

Blitz

This past weekend, Apple offered its account holders free access to Apple TV+. Since I still have the Apple account I created from my past Apple TV subscription, I knew I had to watch something. In fact, I already knew what it was.

That would be Blitz, Steve McQueen's World War II drama that premiered theatrically and on Apple TV+ a few months ago. I've heard it hyped for quite a bit, so let's finally see how it is.

In 1940, young George Hanway (Elliot Heffernan), who is biracial, lives happily in London with his mom, Rita (Saorise Ronan) and Granddad Gerald (Paul Weller). When The Blitz starts that September, George is among the thousands of kids evacuated to the English countryside. George refuses to acknowledge his mother when she says goodbye at the station, and we're left with his long and resentful blank stare as the scene fades away.

A short time later, George gets homesick, so he jumps off the train and gets going back to London. He meets a few interesting characters, including a sinister couple, Albert (Stephen Graham) and Beryl (Kathy Burke), who get George to help them steal from bombed-out buildings. Meanwhile, Rita does her patriotic duty as a munitionette and a shelter volunteer. All the while, the Nazi war machine continues to rain down on Great Britain. Will there be a happy ending?

This is basically a Dickensian story set during World War II, only without a massive length. George spends the movie meeting one new character - or a set of them - then moves on to the next. Before the aforementioned Fagin-esque crooks, George first meets a trio of young train-hopping brothers. They're all likable lads, who initially tease George with some light nursery rhyming. Indeed, it's a shocking swerve when the oldest brother is abruptly run over by a train. That's followed by him meeting Ife (Benjamin Clementine), a Nigerian MP who helps George accept his racial identity. He's a pretty good guy, but he's also too good to last to the end.

We don't see anyone get blown up, but we do feel the dread in the air. There's an extended party scene at a nightclub, all but stated to be the Cafe de Paris, just before everyone hears a bomb falling. In the next scene, Goerge is scavenging the bombed-out nightclub with Albert's gang. A few other scenes see sheltering Londoners listen to The Blitz, with each bomb threatening their Underground shelter. It's this sense of constant dread that got its sound designers a spot on the Oscar-shortlist, and perhaps a nomination. Its opening act, which shows the chaos during the first attack, would be a great scene to show the Sound Branch.

That same dread accentuates George's journey rather well. His jumping off the train is quite reckless, but we also understand why he did it. His first scavenging mission is at a jewelry shop that sounds like it might completely collapse any second. While I said we don't see anyone blown up, George flees as bombs explode around him during an attack and is later caught up in the Balham Tube Flood. Besides The Blitz, he also deals with the frighteningly loathsome and unstable Albert and his cronies. Heffernan's compelling performance keeps us invested in George's odyssey during the two-hour runtime. 

What about the adults? Well, Rita is just as compelling as her son, especially when she tells off some government bigwigs for letting George escape and does the same to her stingy boss. We only see George's dad, a Grenadian immigrant named Marcus (CJ Beckford) for one long flashback, before he's unfairly taken away from the movie. He still makes an impression as a likable guy. A few more sympathetic characters include Jess (Mica Ricketts), and oddly enough, Ruby (Heather Craney). Jess, who is basically Albert's talent scout, recruits George in the gang, and clearly hates doing so. Ruby, meanwhile, nurses George back to health after the Tube Flood and reports him to the authorities. I'd like to hope she was obliviously acting on the best of intentions.

What else can I say about it? I had little trouble with Ife & shelter supervisor Mickey Davies's (Leigh Gill) "we're all in this together" speeches, other than that they were a bit blunt. There are a few random scene transitions, including a field of flowers that lack context, while the balancing act between George and Rita's storylines is a bit off. I mean, it takes over an hour before we see Rita learn of George's escape. Rita's also an aspiring singer, but that barely goes anywhere, other than her getting to sing the admittedly nice and Oscar-shortlisted Winter Coat for the BBC. While McQueen wrote the song with Nicholas Britell & Taura Stinson, the also-shortlisted Hans Zimmer provides the intense score.

Blitz was clearly made with the best of intentions. Fortunately, these intentions give us a pretty good war drama. Its story of survival is compelling, while its scattershot and bluntest elements are barely a detriment. And yes, to answer the earlier question, there is a happy ending, but I won't spoil how it plays out. The only way for you to know is if you check it out on Apple TV+ yourself. As I said last year, I might get back to it if I'm feeling secure about my finances. All that said, I think I might check out the movie again if I get back on the service. I think it's worth some of the hype. 

Now, to the next review.

Maria

 For the third of his “accidental trilogy” of 20th-century women, Pablo Larrain presents us Maria, his biopic of the opera soprano Maria Callas. Let's open the curtains and see what we learn.

The film begins with her death on September 16, 1977. It then works through Maria’s (Angelina Jolie) last week as she reminisces about her life with Mr. Mandrax (Kodi Smit-Mcphee), a journalist and the personification of her favorite medication. Yes, really. 

By this point, a lifetime of substance abuse and a diagnosis of dermatomyotosis (which isn’t named in the film) have sidelined Maria. Mandrax follows Maria as she trains with conductor Jeffrey Tate (Stephen Ashfield) for a stage comeback. Mandrax doesn’t like her odds, though; he actually tells her his new documentary is called “La Callas: The Last Days.” Hopefully, she can sing again even if it’s the last thing she does.

Throughout the film, we see glimpses of Maria’s roles in such operas as Madame Butterfly and Anna Bolena. These performances showcase not just the scores of those operas, but the elaborate costumes and sets designed by Massimo Cantini Parrini and Guy Hendrix Dyas. The cinematographer, Edward Lachman, sells us on the magnificence of these performances, though I wasn’t keen on him shooting from the back row a few times. One such case is her first scene at Tate’s stage; I had a hard time figuring out where she was when she came in. I’ll highlight the sound portion later on.

Her most significant flashbacks involve her affair with Aristotle Onassis (Haluk Bilginer). Bilginer portrays Onassis as a charming scoundrel with emphasis on scoundrel. We get some nice scenes of them together, including a well-acted bit where she sees him on his death bed. In the present, her butler Ferrucio (Pierfrancesco Favino) and housekeeper Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher) enliven the film with their devotion not just to her, but to each other. Maria herself even points that out.

And now, “La Callas” herself. As played by Jolie, Maria doesn't need much to show off her strong personality. Early on, she politely, and sternly, declines Mandrax's inquiry on why she burned her costumes one time. He backs down, but she alludes to an answer anyway. She frequently denies her friends and doctor's (Vincent Macaigne) advice, but deep down, she might already know she needs help. She hallucinates, among other things, a crowd singing the Anvil Chorus from IL Trovatore at her. What is surely her dying dream has her breaking down while finally giving her comeback performance at her apartment. It takes quite a while for Jolie's performance to resonate, but I think it will. The only thing stopping her from an Oscar nomination is her huge competition.

The film has Jolie lip-synching to Callas's recordings, with occasionally herself singing, though it's sometimes hard to tell which is which. The recordings sound great, but there are some obvious discrepancies between sound and visuals that pop up. At one point, Maria and Onassis attend Marilyn Monroe's famous birthday serenade of JFK (once again, Caspar Phillipson), which also has her actress lip-synch to a recording. We hear the crowd cheer before we see them do it. Oops. Again, the shoot from the back row strategy doesn't do some of these performances any favors.

I saw the movie on January 2nd, and it took me until now to type up this review. On my first watch, Maria was so dour that the only thing that moved me was the sound of her poodles whimpering over her corpse. But underneath the dour ending, there's a compelling arc of Maria regaining her former self before it's too late. I wonder if I'm the only one who realizes it. If you just want a great opera highlight reel, you won't be disappointed when you Netflix and chill with this biopic. It doesn't need fancy sound systems to sound great, that's for sure.

 Next up, a review produced under interesting circumstances.