GOAT

A brief history of High-Concept films. 

Those are films that can easily be summed up in one sentence. For a few examples, Alien was pitched as “Jaws in Space;” Airplane was pitched as “Animal House on a Plane;” the new animated movie GOAT can be pitched as “A goat wants to be the GOAT.”

Let’s see if I can elaborate on GOAT.

Our main goat, Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin), wants to play roarball, which is this film’s version of basketball. He’s a lot smaller than the average player, so he’s often told that “smalls can’t ball.”  One day, he bets his rent money roarballing with superstar Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre) of Lava Coast Magma. Although Will loses the match, and his apartment, that he “broke” Mane’s “ankles” (translation: made him lose balance) is enough to get him signed to his home team, the Vineland Thorns.

He’s soon introduced to the team: phone-addicted ostrich Olivia (Nicola Coughlan), eccentric komodo dragon Modo (Nick Kroll), single dad rhino Archie (David Harbour), aspiring rapper giraffe Lenny (Stephen Curry, who’s also producing), and his favorite baller, black panther Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union). They're a dysfunctional bunch of misfits, but they start moving up the ranks once Will starts to play. They soon reach the playoffs for the sport's greatest trophy - The Claw. But the team's manager, Flo the boar (Jenifer Lewis), might have something up her hooves.

I'm kind of curious how this compares to its source material, Funky Dunks by Chris Tougas, but it's not available anywhere. So, instead I'll evaluate the screen story we have, which was written by Aaron Buchsbaum, Teddy Riley, Nicolas Curcio and Peter Chiarelli. It's a pretty okay story, with a likable protagonist with an understandable dream. It becomes more poignant when we realize that his mom, Louise (Jennifer Hudson), whom we saw in the prologue, died during the time-skip. Yeah, the audience's sympathy definitely in Will's court.

But I gravitated more towards the Thorns. They’re a lovable bunch of losers, who have enough quirks and insecurities to help them stand out. Amongst the bunch, I can highlight Modo and Jett as the MVPs. Modo's a delight, and he even gives us a legitimately surprising twist at the end. While Jett the player can get arrogant, it's difficult to hate her once we know her neurotic personality off the court. Not only that, but it's quite easy to empathize with her as she faces her aging body. She and Will have pretty good chemistry, especially when he shows her around the diner where he works. Although she alienates her crew midway through, they're all too happy to join her for the finals. It's kind of quick, but it makes some sense. 

Amongst the cast, we also have Dennis (Patton Oswalt), who's supposed to be the team's coach. He's mostly ignored, even pranked, but he's still a pretty good guy. The aptly-named Grizz (Jelly Roll), meanwhile, starts off the movie as a bully on the community roarball court. He gets better, mostly off screen, which is kind of confusing. Frank (Wayne Knight), Will's initial gerbil landlord, may be cranky, but he's also a good guy. Daryl & Hannah (Eduardo Franco & Sherry Cola), Will's best buds, are just as quirky as the Thorns. Finally, we have Flo, who's quite a smooth villain.

Its animated world sees 3D animals on seemingly painted backgrounds. Yes, they were actually computerized too, but the aesthetics are quite convincing. What makes these characters unique is that, at times, they'll slip into real-world animal quirks, which makes for some entertaining gags (Mane gallops like a horse; Will's pupils dilate like an actual goat's, and he even goes myotonic). Some of the best environments are the roarball arenas, which sees the players balling across lava pits, tundras and jungles. The games are exciting, even if they're a bit overwhelming, and are accentuated nicely by Kris Bowers's energetic score. 

Any other issues? Well, it's about the viral video that leads Flo to Will. Sure, he's shown breaking Mane's ankles, but he still ends up losing the exhibition match. I thought that would've come up later on, but that never becomes a thing. Am I reading into it too much? Then again, maybe the point was that everyone realized that the "champ" could be defeated. If so, that's admirable. I also thought Mane was in cahoots with Flo, especially with how particularly unsportsmanlike he and the Magma were in the last game. But that's not the case.

GOAT isn't a game changer, but it's still entertaining. Its quirky sense of humor elevates it beyond a run-of-the-mill sports movie, especially with that last twist. There were some obvious jokes that I didn't catch the first time. You'll have to see them for yourself, along with the rest of the movie. I think I said enough.

"Wuthering Heights"

Over a decade ago, I skipped Cary Fukunaga’s take on Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. The same can’t be said for Emerald Fennell’s take on Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. Now that I've seen it, I can tell you about it...

One day, in not-so-jolly-old England, Mr. Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) brings home a "pet" for his daughter, Cathy (Charlotte Mellington). This is an orphaned lad, Heathcliff (Owen Cooper), whom the old man conveniently found on the streets. Cathy and Heathcliff grow up together and are deeply in love by the time Margot Robbie & Jacob Elordi tag-in as their older selves. Unfortunately, they're also deeply in trouble.

By this point, the old man’s vices threaten his titular estate with ruin. To alleviate this, Cathy decides to marry her rich neighbor Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif). That’s despite her still being in love with Heathcliff, who rides off in disgrace. Years later, Heathcliff is now a rich man, and he's still madly in love with Cathy. But since he can't have her, he'll settle with Edgar's sister, Isabella (Alison Oliver). It all goes downhill for everyone, especially Heathcliff. I think that's basically it.

I should probably highlight some changes made here. For starters, it doesn't even allude to the novel's nested storytelling structure, which even the famous 1939 film somewhat utilized. Many supporting characters, like Cathy's big brother Hindley, as well as the novel's second half, are tossed out. And don't get me started on Heathcliff's origins. These few cases change the original story quite a lot. So, what can you expect if you've never experienced it before?

Well, you can expect a mad love story. The younger pair playing Cathy & Heathcliff are engaging, especially when he protects her from the old man's wrath. The older pair are mostly fine together and apart. Cathy marrying Edgar despite her still loving Heathcliff is tragically understandable. And, for most of the movie, you'll feel for Heathcliff as he's consumed by heartbreak. His descent into villainy is disturbing, especially when Isabella is brought into it. But then, we're expected to care about him when the downer ending hits. It doesn't really work. But between that, and a few other directing flourishes, I see it working as an indirect satire of the novel's most romantic interpretations.

Don't believe me? The old man's wrath is kicked off by Heathcliff shivering in his presence. Yes, it's because they got caught in the rain, but he's also scared of the old man. "How dare you be scared of me!" he basically says. "I should teach you a lesson!" Years of drinking later turns him into a full-tilt scenery connoisseur - but at least he's nicer to Heathcliff! Isabella, meanwhile, is a childish nightmare enthusiast even before Heathcliff shows up. The film opens with an execution that everyone, young Cathy included, is too much into. Still, Cathy's best friend, Nelly Dean (Hong Chau/Vy Nguyen), is a compelling voice of reason in this mad world.

If there's a reason to watch this movie, it's for the technicals. It's almost a month before the next Oscars, but already, I'm penciling in cinematographer Linus Sandgren, production designer Suzie Davies and costume designer Jacqueline Durran in my proverbial ballot for next year. And really, who can blame me once you behold their designs for yourself? Its sets are especially massive on the big screen, Edgar's estate is positively striking, and the location filming in Yorkshire Dales make them truly like another world. Victoria Boydell skillfully edits these vibrant images, which are perfectly accentuated by Anthony Willis's evocative score and Charli XCX's moody songs. 

Anyone expecting a screen accurate adaptation of Wuthering Heights here should go away. Yes, it's pretty blunt, but then again, so is this movie. Fennell has gone on record that it encapsulates how she felt reading the novel as a teenager. I can respect this interpretation, despite what I might have suggested earlier. You just need to see this movie to believe it, or not. I've said enough.

It Was Just an Accident

Jafar Panahi is one of Iran’s most controversial filmmakers. So much so that the government banned him from working for twenty-years, so he had to make his latest film, It Was Just an Accident, in secret. Thus, it represents France, where he finished the film, for this year's International Feature Oscar race. It's been available to rent-on-demand for a while, and I only now just got to it. Here we go.

Late one night, an Iranian family drives in the desert. It's so dark that we can't see the daughter, Niloufar (Delmaz Najafi), in the backseat until she lights up her tablet. It's so tightly shot by cinematographer Amin Jafari that we only see them for several minutes. Neither we nor the father (Ebrahim Azizi) can see the loose dog running around until it's too late. His wife (Afssaneh Najmabadi) assures him that "It was just an accident. God surely put it in our path for a reason."

Maybe that reason was to put him into somebody else's path.

He drives up to an auto garage, where we meet our actual protagonist, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri). Years ago, Vahid was tortured in prison by Egbal, an intelligence agent with a prosthetic leg that squeaked with each step. It just so happens that the father also has a prosthetic leg that squeaks with each step. Vahid is now certain that this is his former tormentor. 

So, the next day, he nabs "Egbal" and prepares to bury him in the desert. But when he starts to doubt that it is Egbal, Vahid drives around to grab some friends who were also tortured by him. There's Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a wedding photographer; her clients, Goli & Ali (Hadis Pakabaten & Majid Panahi - Jafar's nephew); and the hot-blooded Hamid (Mohammad Ali Elyasmehr). Perhaps one of them can verify the man's identity - maybe without killing him first. That's basically it.

Panahi and his Oscar-nominated writing collaborators - Nader Saïvar, Shadmehr Rastin, and Mehdi Mahmoudian - manage to keep things going fairly well. Several times over, the crew either IDs "Egbal" or almost end him on the spot, only for their doubts to keep the film going. Along the way, they run into corrupt cops, car trouble, a potty emergency and even help "Egbal's" family when his wife goes into labor. This farcical plot gets interestingly philosophical as they debate the morality of killing their captive. I mean, if he is Egbal, would they be better than him if they killed him? Although he confesses, I was almost left with the impression he falsely did so out of pressure. 

Vahid and his crew are an interesting bunch. As much as Vahid wants to kill "Egbal," he's also willing to lord his moral superiority over his captor-now-captive. That he took the time to help "Egbal's" family shows that he's still pretty altruistic. You'll especially feel for him when he recounts what Egbal did to him. Overall, he's a pretty good superego to Shiva's ego and Hamid's Id. Goli & Ali are fine, even if they're mostly there, while the captor-now-captive is surprisingly likable. Sure, he relishes his depravity near the end, but he's mostly presents himself a good family man. He's downright sympathetic once he finally breaks down. 

Now, for the technicals. Ashfari alternates between shooting things way up close or shooting things way wide. Either way, we get some pretty good clandestine scenery here. The sound design for "Egbal's" leg is outstanding, transforming the last scene into a terrifying one. Without a doubt, it's the best scene of the film. There's no score, but there's a pretty good pop song in the opening. And finally, we have editor Amir Etminan, who brings everything together quite nicely.

What can I say? It Was Just an Accident is ready for you to check out on purpose. It's a farcical morality play that's worth checking out at least once, especially if you're curious. Who knows? You might find a lot that I've left out of this review. But I think I said enough.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Next, on my quest to see this year’s Documentary Oscar winner, I go to the next likeliest frontrunner - Mr. Nobody Against Putin. This was Denmark’s submission for International Feature, and like The Perfect Neighbor, it’s been nominated for the BAFTA and PGA Awards. Let’s see what else it is.

In early 2022, the Russian town of Karabash, Chelyabinsk Oblast, revolved around its copper smelting plant. Pavel “Pasha” Talankin was a teacher at Karabash Primary School #1, as well as the videographer and events coordinator. When Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine that February, the Russian Government mandated a new curriculum revolving around the war. Pasha was tasked to film his school following the mandate and upload his videos to a new database. 

Pasha understandably objects to the changes for multiple reasons. He tries to resign, but when he gets in touch with director David Borenstein, he decides to stay on to film his school's descent. Of course, he'll have to leave the country in order to share this footage with the world. The film, in fact, opens in-medias-res, as he does just that.

It doesn't take long for one to get to like Pasha. That comes as early as his opening narration, in which he introduces us to Karabash, internationally known for its pollution, as well as his workplace and home life. We meet his mother, who is the school librarian, along with his parrot and dachshund (are they ok?). We get to see what makes him popular, namely his blunt, yet friendly and empathetic personality. Some of the film's most poignant moments revolve around his students, past and present. One's cheery personality drains away as her brother is sent to the frontlines; another prepares to be deployed; another one dies in the war, and we get his sound-only funeral; and many of his current students dread attending. You'll feel for Pasha as the fun gradually drains away.

So, what about the New Educational Order? Another teacher, Mr. Abdulmanov, is especially eager to extol the virtues of Putin & the Motherland. All of his favorite historical figures are Soviet leaders known for carrying out assassinations and committing human rights abuses. In another class, we get some levity as another teacher trips over the words "denazification" and "demilitarization" as she recites the state's questionable propaganda. Military-style marches become part of the day; at one-point, pretend grenade-tossing becomes part of the curriculum! Perhaps the scariest, yet most ridiculous moment, comes outside of school, as a general basically tells his men "You're all going to die, but you'll be remembered forever!" It's basically a real-life variation of Lord Farquaad's speech in Shrek!

Pasha doesn't depict anyone too critical of the war, other than himself. It's one thing to fret over your loved ones in the frontlines, but actually speaking out against Russia's Propaganda Machine can lead to life in prison. If the State Police don't get him for defacing Pro-War Posters, the draft might. Both are presented as real threats. His mom is pretty much his political opposite, but her stance is mainly a resigned "Let them fight. It's their nature." His fellow teachers note how badly their students are slipping, but that's just about it. In a fictional movie, it seems like an underdeveloped plotline, but in real-life, it's an absolute necessity. 

If you need one good reason to check this movie out, it's Pasha. Watch Mr. Nobody against Putin for this engrossing tale about an unlikely hero. Just as importantly, it's a great way to highlight how teachers help their students. It's only ninety-minutes long, so it should be a somewhat easy sit. His charismatic personality helps getting through the rough patches. And whether he wins or loses, he should be proud that he created a great first motion picture.

The Secret Agent

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My latest mission, which I’ve waited seemingly forever to accept is to review The Secret Agent, Brazil’s contender for this year’s International Feature Oscar, which is also the likeliest winner. Let’s finally get into it, shall we?

“Our story is set during the Brazil of 1977, a period of great mischief,” proclaims the title card. It’s a somewhat generous description of the country’s military dictatorship, which last year’s International Feature winner, I’m Still Here, also covered. Our “secret agent,” Marcelo (Wagner Moura), drives into Recife just in time for Carnival. He takes up residence with Dona Sebastiana’s (Tania Maria) community of "refugees" (political undesirables) and reconnects with his father-in-law, Sr. Alexandre (Carlos Francisco), and son, Fernando (Enzo Nunes). But Marcelo isn’t feeling too festive right now…

It eventually transpires that Marcelo and his late wife, Fatima (Alice Carvalho), made enemies with the corrupt Dr. Ghirotti (Luciano Chirolli). Ghirotti, a board member of Eletrobas, disappeared many of Marcelo's associates, so Marcelo needs to disappear with his life. But first, he needs records of his mother, whom he barely remembers, and the State refuses to acknowledge. He gets a cover-job at the city’s ID-card office, which might have his mother’s info on hand. He’ll have to hurry, for Ghirotti has already dispatched hitmen brothers Bobbi & Augusto Borba (Gabriel Leone & Roney Villela) to do the job.

I've seen multiple reviews call this a "slow-burn," and at 161-minutes, slow is right. Director and writer Kleber Mendonça Filho spends a lot of time letting Marcelo interact with various characters and situations, including crooked police chief Euclides (Robério Diógenes), resistance leader Elza (Maria Fernanda Cândido) and Holocaust survivor Hans (the recently deceased Udo Kier). In the meantime, we get occasional glimpses of the villains, who finally close in during the last half-hour. There's also a subplot with a human leg found inside a tiger shark, which takes a truly bizarre turn well into the movie. It might disappoint anyone expecting a tightly plotted thriller, but I think it does have its advantages.

If anything, the slow narrative helps Mendonça encapsulate Brazil as it was. In the opening scene, we see old snapshots set to a neat tune before we see Marcelo drive up to a gas station. A few cops are more interested in him than the dead looter rotting in the sun - he bribes them with cigarettes. Sr. Alexandre is a projectionist, so we get to see the impact of The Omen when it was released in Brazil. Of course, we also get to see people trying to survive under an iron fist. If we take the final twist with the leg metaphorically, rather than actually, it makes creepy sense. These are highlighted by another subplot, where a pair of modern university students research Elza and her associates. Like them, I wanted to learn more about the era.

Moura is pretty compelling as Marcelo, even if you need a few viewings to grasp his intricacies. Still, on that first viewing, I understood Marcelo to be a good man trying to survive. One of his best scenes has him try to explain to Fernando what happened to Fatima - or, at least, the "official story." His most powerful scene, however, has him show up in another role in the epilogue (I won't declassify that one). Dona Sebastiana is quite the character, and amongst her fellow tenants, we have single mom Claudia (Hermilla Guedes), Angolan Civil War survivor Thereza Vitória (Isabél Zuaa), and even a two-faced cat. Hans makes the most of his one scene, while the other villains are equally charming & detestable. Once you see this dynamic ensemble in action, you'll understand why Gabriel Domingues is now one of the inaugural nominees for the Casting Oscar.

Amongst the technicals, we have cinematographer Evgenia Alexandrova and production designer Thales Junqueira, whose work is vital for Mendonça's snapshot of the era. It really looks like a gritty film of the 70s, even if it was really just done digitally. Some obvious, yet creepy, visual effects are used for the culmination of the leg subplot. And finally, we have a surprisingly energetic score by Tomaz Alves Souza & Mateus Alves, which should have gotten a bit more notice this Oscar season, even a shortlist mention. Oh well.

Anyway, The Secret Agent is ready whenever you are. It might be a slow movie, but it's still an interesting history lesson. See it for yourself now, then see what you learn later. Trust me; I think you will learn a lot.

The Perfect Neighbor

Unlike last year, I intend to keep up with this year's Oscar-nominated documentaries. At least, the ones I can actually watch - Cutting Through Rocks isn't available near me, and I'd rather not start up Apple TV just to watch Come See Me in The Good Light.

Fortunately, I've started with perhaps the likeliest frontrunner - The Perfect Neighbor. This Netflix documentary premiered in October, and has been nominated across various guilds, BAFTA, and even Best Editing at the Critics' Choice Awards. Let's look into it, shall we?

Meet Susan Lorincz. “I’m like the perfect neighbor,” she says. “You barely ever see me.” Her neighbors in Ocala, Florida, would disagree, as she always yells at the local kids for playing in "her" lot. From 2022-23, she calls the police at least six times, and each time, the officers are more neighborly than her. She's most unneighborly to the four kids of her black neighbor, Ajike "AJ" Owens. After one such incident on June 2, 2023, AJ tries to confront Lorincz, who fatally shoots her from behind her closed door. Lorincz tries to justify it through the State's Stand-Your-Ground law, but nobody buys it.

Director Geeta Gandbhir gives us the facts mostly with bodycam and security footage. We see the police responding to Lorincz's complaints, interviewing her at the station after one such call, the aftermath of the shooting, and her being ultimately convicted. We hear from her annoyed neighbors as her behavior grows more and more erratic. We see them try to mediate between Lorincz and her neighbors, even as they grow weary of responding to her every call. I got the feeling that the only reason Lorincz wasn't arrested sooner was because the cops had no reason to think it would get this far. It seems like systematic incompetence, but the cops here are shown trying to do right. 

Throughout the narrative, you might ask yourself a lot of questions. Why didn't they intervene when her neighbors first saw her gun? What was up with the airhorn incident? Why didn't they commit to arrest her for trespassing on some guy's property, smashing his gate open with her pick-up truck - an incident she never comes close to justifying? Why didn't she get enough professional help for her behavior? It's beyond obvious how mentally unwell she is, even if that doesn't excuse her. But perhaps with a better mental healthcare system, she wouldn't have felt the need to resort to violence. I might be overthinking it, but that's the impression that I got from this documentary.

It maybe 97-minutes, but it's not an easy documentary to sit through. You'll know how bad it gets as the film opens in-medias-res on the shooting. When it resets, the tension builds as the dates grow closer and closer to the big one. We get some levity as we get to know the Owens, who fit the title better than Lorincz. It’s appropriately tragic for everyone involved, even Lorincz, once the event finally happens. When Lorincz is arrested, she refuses to go along with them for so long a struggle seems inevitable. It doesn’t happen, but the tension was so there. It's still nice seeing everyone rally around the Owens. And more levity comes from Lorincz's nephew's Captain Obvious insight - "Guns are very dangerous."

There are two things I need to mention before I end this review. One is that Gandbhir has a personal connection to the case - her sister-in-law was best friends with AJ. The other is that Gandbhir is also nominated this year for her Short Documentary The Devil is Busy, which I didn't realize until now. I’ll definitely be reviewing that along with the other Documentary Shorts, and I’m more excited than ever. In the meantime, you can check out The Perfect Neighbor if you're up to it. If not, I might recommend something more pleasant next time.

Or not...