About Me
- Jethrotcat
- This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Karate Kid: Legends
Friday, May 30, 2025
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
When we last Ethan and his Impossible Mission Force, they had just grabbed the key to The Entity, that evil AI, from its now-former favorite human, Gabriel (Esai Morales). As we open this mission, The Entity is messing around with international politics with fake videos (yes, really). As if that wasn’t enough, The Entity starts hijacking all the world’s nuclear weapon systems. Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett), previously the CIA director in Fallout and now the President, wants Ethan to give the key to the US Government. Ethan, instead, asks Sloane to let him extract The Entity’s source code from the sunken submarine Sevastopol. Sloane agrees.
Ethan brings along his usual spies, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Luther Stickwell (Ving Rhames), newbie Grace (Hayley Atwell) and previous antagonists, Paris (Pom Klementieff) and Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis), to the mission. Meanwhile, the US Government and Gabriel engage in a convoluted struggle for The Entity. As usual, not everyone on the team isn’t going to make it out alive. That’s pretty much it.
Cruise’s favorite writer/director, Christopher McQuarrie, once again calls the shots on this mission. McQuarrie and his co-writer, Erik Jendersen, not only load the story with plenty of dynamic set-pieces, but callbacks upon callbacks to the previous films. Among the most prominent is Donloe (Rolf Saxon), a minor character from the first movie, who joins the team an hour or so in. These callbacks are relatively easy to digest, unlike the cavalcade of factions antagonizing Team Ethan. A few other plot threads, such as that concerning Agent Briggs (Shea Wigham), are either left partially explained or not explained at all. This is despite the fact the film runs a rather fitting 169-minutes.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Lilo and Stitch
It hasn't been long since Snow White slept at the box-office. I'll reiterate that it's a flawed movie, but much like that Ghostbusters redo, it's not worth starting World War III over. In any case, it's clear that nobody slept on Disney's latest live-action redo, Lilo and Stitch. Here's why you shouldn't sleep on it, either.
Chris Sanders, the co-director of the original film, once again voices Stitch, whom Dr. Jumba Jookiba (Zach Galifianakis) created as Experiment 626. Stitch is sentenced to exile by the United Galactic Federation for being a feral troublemaker, but he escapes for Earth, specifically Kaua'i. The Grand Councilwoman (Hannah Widdingham) forces Jumba to join with "Earth Expert" Agent Pleakley (Billy Magnussen) to get Stitch back.
On Earth, Stitch ends up at the animal shelter, where orphaned local girl Lilo Pelekai (Maia Kealoha) adopts him as her new "dog." Her older sister Nani (Sydney Elizebeth Agudong) isn't happy, but Lilo is certainly happy with her new friend. Meanwhile, the sisters are threatened with separation by CPS, embodied by social worker Mrs. Kekoa (Tia Carrere, animated Nani herself). Also, meanwhile, the Grand Councilwoman's patience for Jumba and Pleakley is wearing thin. Will there be a happy ending for this 'ohana?
The writers deviate from the original film in several key areas (how the CPS subplot is resolved may break the ending for some). But I think that it's pretty close to the original without going shot-for-shot. I haven't seen the original in quite a while, but I still remember a few scenes and dialogue recreated here. It's hard to feel nothing, for example, when Stitch tells the Grand Councilwoman of his new family at the end. The revised climax, where Stitch nearly drowns, is quite moving too even if it's obvious he won't bite it. On a lighter note, we get some great new laughs, such as a trigger-happy Federation crewmember and a portal gun loop.
It helps that we have a great cast here. Kealoha, in her first movie, is quite likable as Lilo, even when she acts out. You'll easily sympathize with Agudong's Nani as she runs herself ragged trying to keep their 'ohana together. The sisters have great chemistry together; part of the reason why the ending didn't break me is because of a certain loophole, which might just leave you smiling. Amy Hill, who voiced shopkeeper Mrs. Hasagawa in the animated entries, is excellent as the Pelekais' grandmotherly neighbor Tutu, whose grandson is Nani's co-worker David (Kaipo Dudoit). Courtney B. Vance is pretty good as CIA agent Cobra Bubbles, who "partners" with Mrs. Kekoa as a "fellow social worker." As for the aliens, the Grand Councilwoman has an enjoyable sardonism; the more overtly villainous Jumba is fine; and Pleakely is just enjoyable.
Now we get to the technical stuff. The aliens, especially Stitch and Pleakley, perfectly recreate their 2D counterparts without trying too hard, and are rather easy on the eyes. Their gadgets and spaceships, such as the aforementioned portal gun, are pretty nifty designs too. Despite some minor cracks, they're a lot more tangible than a certain set of dwarfs tried to be. Yes, The Legend of Ochi did wonders for puppeteering, but this Stitch feels real just the same. That tangibility helps make the revised climax especially moving. The Hawaiian sights, as filmed by cinematographer Nigel Bluck, are more exquisite when they're paired with Mark Kealiʻi Hoʻomalu's retained songs, Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride and He Mele No Lilo. The rest of the soundtrack is filled by a pretty good score by Dan Romer and a sparse selection of Elvis songs.
I'm sure that Disney will consider a sequel or two after its stellar numbers. I'm kind of curious to see where they and director Dean Fleischer-Camp will take the material next. Will they reverse some of the more controversial story changes next time? Who knows, but at least this current movie is pretty good. Those who disagree can check out the original film, and its follow-ups, on Disney+ anytime. I think I should too, just to remind myself why the first film was great. But that's it for now.
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Night of the Zoopocalypse
Are you ready for Baby’s First Barker?
Clive Barker isn’t known for family-friendly works. At all. But a few months ago, one of the rare exceptions, the short story ZOOmbies, became the animated film Night of the Zoopocalypse, which barely had a theatrical release. It’s ready to stream on your favorite VOD service, and it’s got such sights to show you.
One night, a meteor crashes into the gigantic Colepepper Zoo. One bunny, credited as Bunny Zero (Bryn McAuley), eats a piece and mutates into a “Gum-Beast” zombie. Pretty soon, Bunny Zero infects most of the zoo. The only survivors are Gracie the Wolf (Gabbi Kosmidis), Dan the Zoo’s new Mountain Lion (David Harbour), Xavier the Lemur (Pierre Simpson), Ash the Ostrich (Scott Thompson), Felix the Monkey (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), Frida the Capybara (Heather Loreto) and Poot the Pygmy Hippo (Christina Nova). They’ll have to figure out how to reverse the mutations before they’re next. That’s basically it, but there’s more.
This is a horror film made for those too young or too squeamish for the likes of Hellraiser. That much is obvious when you meet the monsters. Sure, the Gum-Beasts are grotesque, but they’re also surprisingly cuddly. It’s more amusing than terrifying when they lose a body part or two. One of them, a gorilla, not only falls apart, but struggles to put himself together correctly. Another gag, involving Gracie’s gumbied granny, will shock you until the punchline. The final boss, a mammoth chimera, is the creepiest of the monsters, but Barker has written and shown us much worse, so you’ll be fine. Those who have seen Mars Attacks! or Attack of the Killer Tomatoes will smirk when our heroes discover how to cure the Gum-Beasts.
Let’s introduce you to the pack. Felix’s pompous speciesm makes him hard to like, and he does nothing to change that opinion. You’ll be begging for him to get gumbied by his first scene. Still, it’s quite funny seeing him frustrated by a MacGuffin card-key just before that. Xavier is the movie nerd, constantly making references to his favorite films and their plot structures. I kind of wish we actually saw some of those films, even those made-up for this one, but I digress. He, Frida and Ash are much more tolerable than Felix, and they all shine during the penultimate battle. Poot, however, is a hoot, thanks to her cuddly design and ditzy personality. Finally, our two leads, Gracie and Dan, aren't innovative characters, but they have a good dynamic. You'll especially be riveted when Dan gets gumbied for a spell and attacks Gracie.
What else do we have? We do get an annoying use of the conflict ball just after Gracie and Dan encounter her gumbied pack. Fortunately, that lasts for a spell before the Gum-Beasts intervene. It's more fortunate that it's the only really annoying part of the writing; even Gracie and Dan's act two fallout is understandable. On the technical side, we get a striking purple and green color scheme, as well as some impressive battles with the Gum-Beasts. The character designs for the normal animals are quirky, while the overly cutesy animals adorning the zoo's sign are unnerving. Dan Levy, of the defunct band The Dø, gives us an entertaining soundtrack that would fit right in with the best 80's horror soundtracks.
Whether you want to call it Baby's First Barker, or Baby's First Horror Film, Night of the Zoopocalypse makes for a nice and spooky 91-minutes. Its writing is a bit simplistic, and a few characters were annoying, but I never found myself bored with it. Give it a go and you might be pleasantly surprised. I'll leave it to you to introduce your kids to Barker's other cinematic monsters at your own time. Take your time.
That's it for now.
The Legend of Ochi
Over on the island of Carpathia, Maxim (Willem Dafoe) leads the local lads, and his daughter Yuri (Helena Zengel), on nightly hunts for the Ochi, the local cryptid monkeys. One day, Yuri encounters a baby Ochi, its foot ensnared in a trap. After she heals it, she decides to return the critter to its community. She’s pursued by Maxim and his Junior Hunters (including Finn Wolfhard as Maxim’s adopted son, Petro), and is dissuaded by her long-lost mother, Dasha (Emily Watson). Is any of that going to stop her?
Sure, the film stars a few humans, and all of them are fine, but they’re outclassed by the Ochi. These creatures are more Gizmo from Gremlins than the chupacabra in personality and design. In what must seem like a novelty these days, the Ochi were realized with puppetry and animatronics. Whatever CGI is used is mainly to erase the seven puppeteers controlling baby Ochi. The end result seems too good to be true - some erroneous reports stated AI was used on the film - but it is. It's even more outstanding when you discover that the Ochi's chirping voice was vocalized by a human, Paul "The Birdman" Manalatos. This helps make Ochi and Yuri's chemistry all the more compelling, especially when she learns how to chirp Ochi.
Friday, May 9, 2025
Thunderbolts*
Let's see if I can get to a thousand more reviews.
It might take a decade or more to get there, but let's begin with Thunderbolts*, which assembles some of the MCU's finest anti-heroes into one team. Jake Schreier, who hasn't directed a film since 2015's Paper Towns, proves more than capable of assembling this ensemble. Now, to distill this plot:
First, let's catch up with former Black Widow Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). These days, Yelena has thrown herself into black ops work for corrupt CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss). Valentina sends Yelena on a suicide mission along with Ava Starr/The Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen); John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell); and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), who isn't long for this movie. Everyone with me so far?
The survivors escape with Bob (Lewis Pullman), an ordinary dude who's basically Marvel's answer to Superman. Here, he's called The Sentry, and he gained his powers by being Valentina's guinea pig. Valentina's goons take him away, so our anti-heroes go after them with Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Congressman Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). They have to hurry because Valentina's experiments have not only empowered Bob, but his dark side, "The Void." Yeah, I think that's pretty much it.
Unlike Brave New World, this is a plot that doesn't require too much homework. Sure, its characters span multiple movies and TV shows, but the screenplay by Eric Pearson & Joanna Calo is mostly comprehensible on its own. Its overall plot is quite intriguing as the Thunderbolts* - and yes, the asterisk is there for a reason - learn more about Valentina's "Project Sentry" and Bob's Big Secret. Each revelation helps build-up the anticipation for The Void's debut, and he doesn't disappoint. Meanwhile, our anti-heroes confront major emotional baggage, sometimes with sarcasm, before they deal with Bob's. The one plot thread that lost me was O.X.E. Group, Valentina's shadowy organization, which was apparently a big deal in The Falcon and Winter Soldier (which I haven't watched), but not even mentioned in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The story offered nothing to help my bewilderment.
At least it has a pretty good cast. Pugh and Harbour were already good in Black Widow, but here, they're great. As Yelena, Pugh mines plenty of sympathy and hilarity in her opening narration, as she describes her malaise. "There is something wrong with me." she says, "Or, maybe I'm just bored." As Alexei, Harbour is not only still funny, but he's excellent moral support. Their best scene together comes late in the movie, where he comforts her during an emotional breakdown. Yelena coming to terms with her depression later helps save the world from The Void. John, who was introduced in F & WS as an anti-hero Captain America, is decently compelling as he becomes a better hero; Ava and Bucky are fine, while Taskmaster is unfortunately wasted after one scene. Faring a lot better is Geraldine Viswanathan, who's quite likable as Valentina's beleaguered assistant, Mel.
The visual style is a good place to talk about the antagonists. Valentina makes a better impression here than she did in Wakanda Forever; as much as she wants to be in control, her best scenes come when she realizes she's out of her depth. Bob, much like Yelena, spends the movie dealing with depression, and Pullman, the visual effects team and cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo, do an excellent job in getting us in his head. The Void can flatten people into shadows as he transports them to his realm, where his victims watch their worst memories on loop. It's just as haunting as it is alluring. The Void, a walking silhouette with glowing eyes, is a visually marvelous villain. The final battle, where the Thunderbolts essentially defeat The Void with kindness, isn't a big punch-up like in The Avengers, but it gets the job done.
I should probably mention the composers, the band Son Lux, primarily because I never mentioned them when I reviewed Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. That film got them an Oscar nomination, and they do an equally impressive job here, too. A few highlights include their darker remix of The Avengers theme and The Void's haunting theme. It's an appropriate score for what is, overall, one of the darkest MCU films, and it's one of the franchise's best since the Black Panther films. On a lighter side, the end credit scene gives us a cool preview of Michael Giacchino's theme for the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. As if I wasn't motivated to check out that film.
But what will motivate you to see Thunderbolts*? Perhaps it's the entertaining chemistry between its disparate misfits. Perhaps it's the more serious storyline? Maybe it's the visually impressive final boss? Or maybe, for those who haven't been spoiled already, it's to see why there's an asterisk in the title. Whatever the case, check out this movie for a marvelous start to the summer movie season. Let's hope that there's plenty more goodness to come.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
The Rose of Versailles
Cheech & Chong's Last Movie
Hey, man. What's happenin'?
Oh, hey Vance. Long time no see!
What do ya' mean, "long time no see?!" I guest-starred in that review about the TV glowing, man! That was in August!
Again, long time. Listen, I got a new documentary to talk about.
Okay, what's it about?
None other than that ultimate stoner act, Cheech & Chong. According to the title, this is their Last Movie, so let's approach this with some reverence.
Or we can make it funny.
That too.
Anyway, Cheech Marin & Tommy Chong are driving to meet Dave at "The Joint." It doesn't take much to infer that this is the director, David L. Bushell, who's got an impressive resume as a producer (Sling Blade, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dallas Buyer's Club). Along the way, they reminisce about their lives and careers, especially what led them to break up in the mid-eighties. At least, how they interpreted what happened. All the while, you'd be wondering if they're still pals.
Oh, by the way, Dave's not here (on camera).
So, what ya' think of it, man?!
I went in knowing little about them, other than their reputation, and went out impressed. You'll learn, among other things, about their backgrounds, how they met, and how producer Lou Adler (The Rocky Horror Picture Show guy) helped them get famous. Cheech, in particular, recalls how he grew up in South Central L.A. with an angry father and eventually fled to Canada to avoid the draft. I won't forget the gunshot sound effect that opens one montage in his story, that's for sure. Tommy, meanwhile, is from Canada, and was in several soul bands before he turned to comedy. They found each other in an improv group and the rest is history.
It's quite interesting to learn about their careers. You'll see them record a few of their famous skits and songs, and even how they got their personas. Tommy, in particular, modeled his persona on a hippie named Strawberry, who not only worked the sound at Tommy's club, but inspired a character in their first movie, Up In Smoke. Speaking of which, Adler low-balled them for what became a blockbuster back in the day, which they subsequently joked about. But their subsequent films, which Tommy directed, had diminishing returns and a brutal clash of egos behind the scenes. There's some resentment between them, as hinted at their individual interviews, but it's quite nice to see Cheech shoulder Tommy near the end.
Can I break this act, man?
Go ahead.
Finally!
It's not only a documentary, but it's a weird trip. Cheech and Tommy pick up a few surprise cameos on their way to The Joint. Theoretically, the most surprising is Adler himself, who's actually on good terms with them despite the low-balling. He respectfully gets out when it gets to that point. When Tommy claims that his then-wife, Maxine Sneed, was accepting of his affair with his now-wife, Shelby, Maxine pops up in the backseat to refute that. You'll just have to see it in context. Shelby, by the way, is the third guest star, and she has her own amusing stories to tell. The Guys smash the fourth wall when their climactic argument kicks in; again, you'll have to see it in context.
What else do we have? We get a nice selection of stock footage to illustrate their highs and lows. A few highlights include a Johnny Carson joke and Siskel & Ebert's scathing review of Nice Dreams. The latter moment is when you'll finally notice the diminishing returns. A few animated segments perfectly illustrate whatever the stock footage could not. In one segment, you'll feel for Cheech when he, as a young boy, is snubbed from a birthday party, which he watches from his window. It's quite compelling to see how he and Tommy used their life experiences to shape their routines. It's particularly interesting to hear about the production of Cheech's first solo movie, Born in East L.A., as well as its real-life inspirations. That movie seems quite relevant now.
Cheech & Chong's Last Movie is slightly overlong at two hours, but it's still good stuff. A few potentially interesting anecdotes aren't mentioned, like how Cheech & Chong were considered for The Lion King (Chong's part was rewritten for Whoopi Goldberg), but I digress. Their longtime fans will get a kick out of this documentary, while neophytes are sure to be amazed by the guys' life stories. I certainly was. Check it out for a good time. Do it soon, before it's crowded out by all the big movies.
Peace.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
George A. Romero's Resident Evil
We now go from a horror film that is to a horror film that could have been.
Capcom’s horror video game franchise, Resident Evil, was in part inspired by the works of George A. Romero. So, it seemed that the director of Night of the Living Dead was the natural choice to adapt the property for the big screen. But that didn’t happen. Brandon Salisbury hopes to explain why in his documentary, George A. Romero’s Resident Evil.
Basically, Romero was hired after he directed a commercial for Resident Evil 2 in 1997. His screenplay recreated the game in movie form, albeit with some creative liberties, and we eventually hear a beat-by-beat summary of his treatment. But for some reason, Capcom and production company Constantin Film didn’t like it, and that was it. Eventually, Paul W.S. Anderson was hired instead, and his film debuted in 2002. Anderson’s film, and its sequels, were anything but the game in movie form. A few talking heads muse what could have been.
Most of the time, however, these talking heads discuss Romero’s life and legacy. They go into length about how Night of the Living Dead influenced future horror films with its modern definition of a zombie and its unprecedented violence. They discuss, even if for a second, some of his less famous films, like 1977’s Martin. They highlight his creative process through the filming of the RE2 commercial, and what it was like filming with him. You’d be surprised to learn how much of a cool guy he was, as George Demick found out when he met Romero at a convention. It’s quite nice to hear how Romero cast Demick as a zombie in Day of the Dead as a birthday present. It's quite profound when Demick, and a few others, relate how they learned of Romero's death in 2017.Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Sinners
Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s highly anticipated vampire film, premiered this past Easter weekend. Does it live up to the hype? Well, given the director’s past track record, of course it does. Let’s explain.
It’s 1932. After a lifetime of violence, twins Smoke & Stack Moore (both Michael B. Jordan) have come home to Clarksdale, Mississippi. Today, they plan to open their own joint, Club Juke, funded by a fortune they stole from their previous employers: Capone’s outfit. They spend the day hiring some talent, including their cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) as a guitarist; fieldworker “Cornbread” (Omar Benson Miller) as a bouncer; shopkeepers Grace & Bo Chow (Li Jun Yi & Yao) as suppliers; Smoke’s wife Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) as the cook; singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson); and pianist Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo). With a crew like that, opening night is an assured success.
Meanwhile, Irish vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell) recruits a Klan-couple, Joan & Bert (Lola Kirke & Peter Dreimanis) into his undead ranks. Sammie’s uncanny musical abilities draw the trio to Club Juke. They then spend the night recruiting unlucky patrons into their ranks. It doesn’t take long for the survivors to realize they’re dealing with the undead, and they prepare for battle. But not everyone will make it to see the next sunrise.
It was recently announced that the Best Cinematography Oscar will start using shortlists. I'd be really shocked if Autumn Durald Arkapaw not only misses the shortlist, but the nomination itself. Much hype has been made of her using 65 mm film, and some showings are said to have changing aspect ratios. I had a consistent aspect ratio, but I was still impressed with what I saw. Early on, there are some unbelievable oners; the first of which takes us between the Chows' stores, and the second is an extremely surreal musical sequence. Later on, the film haunts its viewers with Remmick and his vampirized coven performing an Irish folk song in the dead of night. Her Delta Gothic aesthetic creates a weary world, haunted by evil, and I'm not just talking about the Nosferatu.
A few more names in Coogler's production posse - composer Ludwig Göransson, production designer Hannah Bleacher, and editor Michael Shawver - are also deserving of recognition. The bluesy score explodes with ferocity during the battle scenes, while the musical numbers are exquisite. Its recreation of Clarksdale feels like an actual town and not some movie set in New Orleans (which it was). The sawmill that becomes Club Juke, in particular, looks great before and after the renovations. The battle scenes are as great as the jump scares; both benefit from some excellent sound design. The technical goodness is further exemplified by its excellent makeup and visual effects work. This is a film that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
Another marvel comes from Jordan's double-act. His performances make it easy to forget that we're watching visual effects at play. The twins' brotherly bond, especially during his final fight, is that compelling. Stack gets one of the more substantial plotlines as he reconnects with his old girlfriend, Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), a bi-racial woman. It's a pretty good subplot made more potent when she turns vampire. Smoke, meanwhile, is rather ruthless, as shown by how he deals with two loiterers. But he's also an inherently good man haunted by his violent past; the finale lets him go out in a spectacular blaze of glory. It was sometimes easy to forget which was which, though their wardrobes by Ruth E. Carter helped out a lot. But I think you'll figure it out by the end.
What makes Remmick a more ghoulish villain is how alluring he is. Sure, he maybe a violent monster, but he's so believable when he speaks of racial tolerance in his coven. You won't forget how villainous he is, particularly when he turns outwardly monstrous close to sunrise. It takes quite a while before he shows up at Club Juke, but it's worth the wait. What helps that wait is the outstanding ensemble of actors surrounding Jordan, particularly Caton (in his film debut), Miller, and Lindo. It really accentuates the dread when some of them go vampire during the night. David Maldonado is also quite good as Hogwood, the treacherous businessman who sells the twins the sawmill. I can go on, but I won't.
Instead, I'll implore you to see Sinners as soon as possible. Believe it or not, there's quite a bit I had to leave out of this review. I left during the mid-credits, but I'm told there's something after the credits too. I won't tell you what it is, either. You need to see and hear these surprises for yourselves. I'm working on my next review, so I'll leave it with this: Sinners is just Great.
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Drop
The poster of 1981’s The Amateur promised that “The first 11 minutes will absolutely shock you. The last 11 minutes will rivet you to your seat.” As for the recent film's weekend rival, Drop, I can promise something better: "You'll hang on for dear life until the end credits." Let's see if I can elaborate.
A few years after her abusive husband Blake's suicide, therapist Violet Gates (Meghann Fahy) is ready to date again. She's met a nice guy, Henry Campbell (Brandon Skelnar), on her favorite app, DigiDrop, and they've booked the nicest restaurant in Chicago, Palate. She leaves her young son, Toby (Jacob Robinson), in the care of her sister, Jen (Violett Beane), and heads off.
Everything seems fine until someone slides into her DMs with some creepy memes. The User, as I'll call them, has a nifty little game for Violet called "Kill Henry or your Family Dies." The User's masked accomplice has invaded Violet's home, and unless she slips Henry some poison, Toby and Jen will get it. Whoever it is, they're in the restaurant, and they're watching Violet through the security system. They won't let her tell anyone about their twisted game. So, how will she get out of this one?
Director Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) and his writers, Chris Roach & Jillian Jacobs, waste not a second in this movie. It takes little time to get going, and once it does, The User's omniscience puts us on edge along with Violet. Each time she tries to outwit The User, the villain taunts her on her DMs. The User's words loom over her on-screen; they'll know if Violet tries anything covert. What makes it more unnerving is that practically everyone, other than our main couple, is a plausible suspect. The most obvious of them all turns out to be another victim. The actual villain goes all in on their villainy once they're exposed. And then, there's the matter of the masked accomplice. Talk about stakes.
Whatever nitpicks I have about the story aren't that big, but here goes. The film tries to make it a mystery whether Violet actually killed Blake or not. The film opens up with her being attacked, which is picked up by additional flashbacks. It's quite easy to guess the truth by the second flashback, which is partially why I revealed it a few paragraphs ago. The User's masterplan hinges on exploiting her "murderous past," even if the cited evidence is beyond circumstantial. That's pretty much it.
These nitpicks are easy to ignore because Fahy's performance is that compelling. It doesn't take long to sympathize with her troubled past, her first date jitters, or even her being spammed when "the game" begins. Her desperation is palpable each time she has to awkwardly stall for time. You'll be right with her whenever she zeroes in - or even thinks she has - on her tormentor. Her final battle with The User and their masked accomplice makes for one spectacularly over-the-top climax. Her endearing chemistry with her co-stars, especially during the last scene, provides some levity here. There's some further levity provided by Matt (Jeffery Self), our main couple's waiter, who gets a few zingers as the night goes on.
What else do we have here? The production design is quite impressive, especially since there are only about three locations in the entire film. Palate, in particular, is quite an appealing restaurant, and I'm not talking about the menu. The cinematography by Marc Spicer helps accentuate its architectural marvels. He and the visual effects crew try their best to disguise Dublin, of all places, as Chicago. I didn't catch on, but a few tell-tale signs might give it away. Still, the nighttime city photography is nice to look at. The suspense is made better by editor Ben Baudhuin & composer Bear McCreary's delightfully thrilling work.
Drop in for 95-minutes you'll never forget. Its efficient storytelling will have you on edge until the credits finally roll. Of course, the final scene promises that Violet's troubles aren't over ... for two seconds. But after this movie, I'm interested to see whatever project Landon has in mind. Hopefully, whatever it is will Drop in at due time. Onwards to the next review.
Thursday, April 17, 2025
The Amateur
When you can’t get a professional for your mission, try an amateur. He’ll get the job done! Eventually.
The Amateur is actually the second film version of Robert Littell’s novel, the first of which debuted along with the novel in 1981. Will this film escape its predecessor’s fate of cinematic obscurity? Let’s find out.
Our amateur hero is Charlie Heller (Rami Malek), a CIA cryptographer with an adoring wife, Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan). Thanks to a source codenamed Inquiline, Charlie discovers that his superiors have committed drone-assisted false-flag attacks. Meanwhile, Sarah is on a business trip in London when she is killed in a sudden terrorist attack. Charlie blackmails his boss, Director Moore (Holt McCallany), into getting the training needed to take down the terrorists.
Charlie is assigned Col. Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) as his trainer. Try as he might, “Hendo” can’t make a killer out of our meek hero. At least, not a direct one, for Charlie is actually good at making death traps. So, Charlie goes off to make his wife’s killers pay. Meanwhile, the CIA bigwigs send Henderson to deal with Charlie. That’s pretty much it.
As Charlie, Malek is quite sympathetic as he processes his grief. You can especially feel his rage when he realizes that Moore is basically in cahoots with his wife’s killers. What we see of his relationship with Sarah - by the way, she pops up in his mind’s eye a few times - is pretty likable. Unfortunately, the script he’s assigned with is the wrong kind of perplexing. It takes nearly an hour before he goes hunting, and the story skips several key steps in his progression. Still, the spy stuff is enjoyable, such as him consulting YouTube for lock-picking early on.
With the exception of Schiller (Michael Stuhlbarg), the leader and Sarah’s direct killer, the terrorists are pretty bland. Sure, that they killed Sarah makes them bad guys, but what else do they have? Not much else. If you swap their locations in the plot, nothing will change. The only things memorable about them are how they die, especially in that sky-high swimming pool! Then again, they’re basically extensions of Moore, but their villainy is impacted by the pacing issues. It even makes Charlie’s plan for Schiller a bit anti-climactic.
What else do we have here? Fishburne’s Col. Henderson is quite stern, but he’s much better when he shows sympathy for Charlie’s loss. He’s still likable even as he’s sent after Charlie. Jon Bernthal shows up as “The Bear,” a professional agent who’s mostly just there, but he does have a decent last scene with Charlie. Inquiline, who shows up played by Caitríona Balfe, is quite compelling as she and Charlie bond over their bereavements. Among the technical agents, the best work comes from the nifty location shooting by Martin Ruhe and the moody score by Volker Bertelmann.
Overall, The Amateur's set-up is pretty interesting, but its execution could have been better. It feels longer than its 123-minutes, but they all lead to a nice resolution for our unlikely hero. I never really paid attention to the original novel and film, but its existence got me to check out both; I'm still interested in both even now. Perplexing, but true. Anyway, I have a much better thriller I want to talk about next time. That review will Drop pretty soon ...
Friday, April 11, 2025
A Minecraft Movie
Monday, March 31, 2025
Death of a Unicorn
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Snow White
The Classic Story Comes to Life ... AGAIN!
As you may recall, or not, two distinct movies based on Snow White, Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman, debuted within a few months of each other in 2012. Costume Designers Eiko Ishioka and Colleen Atwood both received Oscar nominations, while Sandy Powell has a fair shot at making next year's lineup for Disney's Snow White. Let's see how Disney's pioneering animated movie does in live-action.
In this film, Snow White (Rachel Zegler) was born during a snowstorm, hence her name. Her goodly parents taught her to be nice, which she tries to do even as her Wicked Stepmother (Gal Gadot) oppresses her people. One day, the Queen's Magic Mirror (Patrick Page) tells Her Evilness that Snow White is the fairest in the land, which doesn't sit well with her. So, she gets her Huntsman (Ansu Kabia) to kill her out in the woods. It's mostly the usual stuff.
But The Huntsman takes pity on Snow White and tells her to run into the spooky woods. There, she comes across the Seven Dwarfs, who mostly welcome her to stay for a night. She also meets Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who is a Bandit King instead of a Prince Charming, but she still falls for him the same. Unfortunately, the Queen's murderous jealousy is out to spoil the fun. Again, it's mostly the usual.
For the most part, Erin Cressida Wilson's screenplay is a reasonable expansion of the original 1937 film. All of the original film's bullet points are decently expanded upon, giving us a film almost a half-hour longer than its predecessor. For starters, Jonathan has more of a screen presence than Prince Charming, even restoring a subplot Disney's animators couldn't do in the day. He has good chemistry with Snow White, even if it feels a bit like a typical "rogue meets girl" romance. It maybe typical, but it's not a dealbreaker. We also get a surprising narrator, a cruel twist to the poison apple, and a strong soundtrack with new Pasek & Paul songs and catchy renditions of surviving classics.
Sure, Rachel Zegler doesn’t match Snow White’s literary description, but she’s still compelling in the role. Throughout the film, she struggles to be kind in an unkind world, which nearly kills her a few times. Her shock at the Huntsman’s coerced betrayal is devastating. But it’s quite nice to see her kindness rewarded by her citizens. She even wins against the Queen by appealing to her guards’ good nature. Her new “I Want” Song, Waiting on a Wish, neatly epitomizes her good nature, while this film’s rendition of Whistle While You Work gives her a fun number with the Dwarfs. This version of Snow White stands quite nicely alongside her 2D counterpart.
The Dwarfs, on the other hand, are a different story. They're portrayed with motion capture that doesn't quite conquer the uncanny valley, to say the least. It sometimes works, namely when the Dwarfs despair over Snow White's apparent death, but it still feels a bit off. I kept losing track of Sneezy and Happy, multiple times, in the crowd shots, but the rest were easy to figure out. Dopey, in particular, is the best visualized of the Dwarfs. But did they all have to be motion capture?
What else do we have here? The Evil Queen's villain song, All is Fair, is fascinatingly over-the-top, as most villain songs should be. Gadot makes for a decent villain, whether as a young Queen or an old hag, and her villainous breakdown is quite impressive. Jonathan's fellow bandits, on the other hand, are pretty superfluous, save, somewhat, for Quigg (George Appleby) the crossbow enthusiast. The best bit of visual trickery is when, early on, the camera pans down on young Snow White's (Emilia Flaucher) feet, then pans up to show her grown up. All in one shot! Jeff Morrow's score asserts itself splendidly amidst the songs, while the sets and costumes are all nice to look at.
Well, what else can I say? If this new Snow White doesn't appeal to you, I'm sure I can recommend a few other renditions of the fairy tale. In fact, I can point to a few that even pre-date Disney! As for me, this Snow White isn't the greatest film ever made, but it certainly isn't boring. Some may find this unnecessary, along with most of Disney's recent remakes, but it's still a decent time at the movies. And really, there's nothing wrong with that, at all. Nothing.
That's it for now.
Saturday, March 15, 2025
The Day the Earth Blew Up
Eh, what's up Doc?
After over ninety years of silliness, the Looney Tunes finally have their own movie in theatres now. Sure, there were those compilation movies, the Space Jam movies, and other stuff like Looney Tunes: Back in Action. But The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is the first fully animated movie starring the Tunes themselves. Let's see the silliness that short-sighted corporate greed couldn't kill.
In this set-up, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both of them Eric Bauza) were orphans raised together by the kindly Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore). Farmer Jim left them his house, and they have done a poor job keeping it together. A snooty inspector, Mrs. Grecht (Laraine Newman), gives them ten days to fix their house or else. She's especially annoyed with the gaping hole in their roof that the fellas somehow didn't notice.
After a bunch of odd jobs, literally framed like an old cartoon, the fellas get jobs at a gum factory thanks to flavor scientist Petunia Pig (Candi Milo). There, Daffy encounters a peculiar scientist (also Tatasciore) contaminating the gum supply with mysterious green goo. The Substance was brought to Earth by an intergalactic villain, who is only billed as The Invader (Peter MacNicol), to possess the populace by way of the factory’s newest flavor! Porky dismisses Daffy's warnings as lunacy until Petunia gets on the case. How will they get everyone off the gum? What is The Invader's masterplan, and is he actually a bad guy?
A staggering eleven writers were involved in the story. Among them are director Pete Browngardt, the showrunner of the recent Looney Tunes Cartoons, and frequent Cartoon Network writer Darrick Bachman. You might say that's too many cooks in the kitchen, but their end result is a mostly cohesive meal. The silly sci-fi parody they've cooked up has some legitimate jolts, a compelling plot, and some great gags that pay off by the end. There are a few crass jokes, but The Invader's evil scheme is delightfully looney. His true intentions, however, might have you asking some logistical questions. But then again, there wouldn't be a movie if everyone made smart choices, right?
Daffy and Porky's dynamic helps sustain its 91-minute runtime. Porky is exasperated by Daffy's lunacy, to the point Porky covertly benches Daffy from the alien fighting, but the invasion gives them a chance to help work out their relationship. In fact, their emotional reconciliation is just what they need to escape captivity near the end! It's quite moving when they comfort each other as they face certain death in the climax. It's no secret that they survive, but you'll have to see how they do it. Their money problems are also solved by a rather nice and silly deus-ex machina.
What else can I say about it? Farmer Jim is both an effective parody and an effective example of kindly deceased backstory characters. Porky and Petunia are a great couple, especially when they team-up to roast the alien parasites spawned from the infected gum. Its aforementioned jolts come from these parasites, who are not only icky, but are vocalized with some strong sound effects. The Invader's grandiose personality is fun to watch, while the nameless scientist's best scenes are when he's possessed. I could tell that kindly waitress Maude is a cameo, but not by whom. I found out later that she is voiced by Ruth Clampett, daughter of legendary director Bob. I must say it's a great one-scene role. Finally, the 2D animation is nothing short of outstanding, and it's accentuated perfectly by Joshua Moshier's grand score.
Believe it or not, there's quite a bit I haven't divulged in this review, but I should stop before I give them away. You'll have to see what happens The Day the Earth Blew Up wherever you can. I think you'd be surprised at how well it sustains its silliness for so long. Perhaps its success - it was made for $15 million - might convince someone to save Coyote v Acme from corporate oblivion. Perhaps. If not, oh well, but at least we have this movie. And with that ...
That's All Folks.
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Mickey 17
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Ne Zha 2
Saturday, March 1, 2025
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.
Thursday, February 27, 2025
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.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
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.