Morbius

Morbius, the Living Vampire rose up to antagonize Spider-Man in 1971, the same year the Comics Code Authority finally allowed vampires in comic books. He was a memorable recurring anti-hero in Spidey's animated series in the 90s. He's waited almost two years for his movie debut. Was it worth it? 

Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) and his adopted brother, Milo (Matt Smith), both suffer from the same blood disorder. Michael spends his medical career researching a cure. Milo finances his research. Michael's research involves mixing vampire bat DNA with human DNA. One day, Michael finally concocts what I'd like to call "Distilled Essence of Vampire," because after he takes it, he becomes the Living Undead. 

The Distilled Essence improves Michael's health and gives him echolocation. But it also gives him blood lust that his own patented artificial blue blood can't satisfy forever. Meanwhile, Milo somehow gets ahold of the Distilled Essence and also becomes the Living Undead. He has no issues with feeding on innocent people. So, it's up to Michael to use his Living Vampire powers to stop Milo's bloodlust.

Michael's rush to cure his bloodlust is a good premise. But it collapses when Milo turns evil. Michael denies Milo the Distilled Essence because of the side effects. That's fine. But Milo gets it somehow and vampirizes off-screen. A potentially compelling character turns into a one-note bad guy straight away. Milo's killing spree also lessens Michael's rush to cure his bloodlust. All we get is Michael noting that his blue blood is losing its punch. He only takes his bloodlust out on a boatload of mercenaries. That's when he initially vampirizes.

You'll leave with plenty of other questions. Is it supposed to be endearing that young Michael gives young Milo his name (it was originally Lucien) because his other roommates were named Milo? Why does he go along with it? Michael tests his D.E. on a mouse, who dies and comes back. Do we have a vampire mouse on our hands? But the most noticeable questions come from Michael Keaton's return as the Vulture in the mid-credits. How is that supposed to tie into any future films?

But I can't stay mad at it. Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson make for an interesting duo as Agents Rodriguez and Stroud, the FBI guys on Michael's case. Milo's first kill, a nurse in Michael's hospital, is set-up to make us think it is Michael doing the deed. It's a strong bait and switch and the scene is perfectly creepy. Milo goes all out embracing his inner bad guy. He maybe a confusing character but he is entertaining. Some strong makeup work gives Michael and Milo their sickly looks. Their CGI vampire forms look a bit obvious, but them switching back and forth works well. The best effects come from Michael's echolocation powers.

Morbius isn't a strong superhero or horror film. But at 104 minutes, it at least knows when to quit. You can see it if there's literally nothing else available. You can see it if you have nothing to do on a slow day. But I think there's plenty of somethings this year and this month. Hopefully, Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse (Part 1) will satisfy your need for anything Spidey related this fall. This month alone has plenty of reasons for me to go to a theater. You'll read about them soon enough.

Cyrano

I would have seen Cyrano much sooner. I should have seen Cyrano much sooner. But my only option was a $19.99 digital rental everywhere since MGM kept delaying its wide release. It's now a week after the Oscars, which saw this film nominated for Costume Design, and it's finally theatrically available locally. Let's finally see what everyone else has seen.

Erica Schmidt adapted her off-Broadway musical based on Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. Schmidt's Cyrano substitutes the original's elongated snout for her husband, Peter Dinklage's, compact stature. In either form, Cyrano is a master poet & soldier with more-than-enough swordsmanship to back up his boasts. He shows this off when he disrupts a play to chase off his least favorite actor and duels a heckler to the death.

His dear friend Roxanne (Haley Bennett) watches the duel with her suitor, De Guiche (Ben Mendelsohn). She immediately falls for Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr), a new recruit in Cyrano's garrison. Christian feels the same, but he lacks Cyrano's way with words. Cyrano offers to supply him with some. Cyrano watches as Christian and Roxanne exchange love letters. But what will he do when they finally meet in person? What if De Guiche finds out?

There's a lot of panache in director Joe Wright's technical crew. Jacqueline Durran and Massimo Cantini Parrini's stylish costumes deservedly earned praise. But cinematographer Seamus McGarvey was also worthy of attention. We get several stunning long shots as the camera makes its way through crowds. It stays on Cyrano as he makes his way through ten men in a rousing action scene. A few crowd numbers turn surreal with its methodical choreography (some dancers even float). That surreality vanishes when De Guiche deploys the garrison to war. Their fears of mortality are treated solemnly, though we get a daring scene with Cyrano stealing apples from the enemy.

The music in this musical was composed by Aaron & Bryce Dessner, Matt Berringer (of The National) and Carin Besser. A lot of the songs and score are appropriately romantic themes. The opening number, Somone to Say, and its reprise, along with a few of Cyrano's personal songs, are musical soliloquies as the leads ponder their romantic situations. That likely explains the aforementioned surreal choreography. Cyrano's battle music is a rousing theme. Wherever I Fall is a haunting number. Overall, the music is pretty serious even in the fairly lighthearted first half.

Dinklage is compelling as Cyrano. He's got an ego, but he's charitable to the (figuratively) little man and respectful to his opponents. His every word is full of eloquent bravado. His crippled self-esteem is evident when the subject turns to Roxanne. You'll certainly beg for him, as much as his pal Le Bret (Bashi Salhuddin) does, to spit it out to Roxanne. You'll feel it near the end when Cyrano tries to deny it with his final breaths. At least Roxanne reciprocates at the end.

There's a good cast sharing the stage with Cyrano. Christian is delightfully dorky, while Roxanne's romanticism is enthralling. You'll get some fun when they officially meet. Cyrano speaks for Christian at one point, and she can't recognize him. Don't think about that too much. De Guiche is perfectly slimy, while his good side is underdeveloped. Mark Benton makes the most of his one scene as Montfleury, the target of Cyrano's scorn. Keep an eye out for Glen Hansard as the first singer in Wherever I Fall.

Cyrano will make it to Blu-Ray/DVD later this month. Streaming prices should go down then. So, anyone who missed, or was deprived of, the chance to see it in theatres can finally see it then. It's a strong romantic drama and a great rendition of an oft-told story. There's plenty of panache in Schmidt's script. See it when you get the chance. It's a great use of 124 minutes.

The Worst Person In The World

 It's time to detail the other film I streamed on Thursday. That would be The Worst Person In The World, Norway's entry into the International Feature Oscar race. Eskel Vogt and director Joachim Trier are also up for Best Original Screenplay, and they could conceivably win if their Best Picture rivals cancel each other out. It helps that it has a compelling tale to tell:

Vogt and Trier chronicle fourteen chapters (including a prologue and epilogue) in the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a directionless young woman in Oslo. We see her go from medical school to psychology major to photography in the span of that prologue. She also meets Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie), a significantly older comic book artist, and they hit it off. She later breaks up with Aksel in favor of Eivind (Herbert Nordrum), whom she meets at a party. Julie figures that she has a lot of time to figure things out. Some like Aksel have significantly less time on their hands...

Anyone worried about their personal futures can relate to Julie. Her fluctuating career paths and relationships initially seem like youthful restlessness. But we eventually see the existential dread in her life. She even tells Aksel that she feels like "a spectator" in her own life when she breaks up with him. She knows and hates that she hasn't figured things out. The dread is amplified when Aksel is diagnosed with terminal cancer. It's enough to put anyone's life in perspective. Reinsve's performance makes Julie compelling throughout the film's 128 minutes.

What about her lead men? Aksel's youthfulness is reflected in his politically incorrect Bobcat comics, Norway's answer to Fritz the Cat. He's quite riled up when his work is adapted into a kid's movie. He's still a sensitive man who wants a family. Eivind leaves his lover because he can't stand her meticulous environmentalism. His initial fling with Julie is dismissed by them both as "not cheating." They have a good relationship when they officially hook up, but that doesn't last. Neither man is completely hateful; the biggest problem is existentialism.

Kasper Tuxen's cinematography gives us some great views of Oslo. The payoff is when Julie makes time freeze, runs through the city, and spends a day with the unaffected Eivind. Julie moving through the frozen city is nothing short of a visual effects triumph. It's especially so considering that the film cost €5 million. That scene, by the way, shows Ola Fløttum's great score at its best. We also get some stunning views of the Finnmark Highlands when the film shows us Eivind's perspective for a chapter. We also take a turn for the surreal when Julie trips out on shrooms. It has to be seen to be believed.

Only Julie herself would think she deserves the tile of The Worst Person In The World. We clearly see her potential for greatness as she wonders what that is. Her leading men are both likable even with some inherent flaws of their own. By the end, she faces her existential dread and gets a steady career path. Julie finally comes of age at 30. Overall, it's a compelling and unusual dramedy. It's ready for you to rent on your favorite streaming service. Amazon was mine. Hurry up though if you want to catch up on the Oscar contenders. 

Tomorrow...

Parallel Mothers

It's now three days until the Oscars and I'm starting to fret. Have I actually seen all the winners? I was so close to doing it last year (skipping on Doc. Short winner Colette), and I don't intend to fall behind this year either. So, I decided to stream two International Contenders today. I'll talk about one of them now, though.

First up is Parallel Mothers, the latest film from Iconic Spanish Auteur Pedro Almodovar. I had to start an account with Vudu (formerly FandangoNow) because it was the cheapest place to rent it ($4.99 vs $19.99 everywhere else). But at least it's free to join.

Photographer Janis Martinez (Penelope Cruz) gets involved with anthropologist Arturo (Israel Elejalde). Nine months later, Janis is expectant and shares a maternity ward suite with Ana (Milena Smit). They both deliver at the same time. They keep in touch as they raise their baby girls separately. But Arturo is not convinced the baby is his. A DNA test confirms that it's not Janis's either. Her and Ana's babies were swapped at birth. Her efforts to keep things a secret are complicated when she reunites with Ana.

There's also a subplot concerning a mass grave of victims of the Franco Regime. Janis hopes Arturo can exhume the grave, as her great-grandfather was one such victim. He and the grave come back into the picture just as Janis and Ana's relationship evolves significantly. It won't be easy for anyone involved.

One can tell it's a pure cinematic soap opera. It's especially that on a technical level. To start, there's Alberto Iglesias's melodramatic - and Oscar-nominated - score. The sweeping music accentuates Janis's relationships rather well. Antxon Gomez's production design and Jose Luis Alcaine's cinematography heighten the emotions with their searing colors. One standout moment is the end when the mass grave is fully exhumed. It's a creepy and emotional moment.

Let's talk about the title characters. Cruz's performance as Janis wears her heart on her sleeve. You'll feel delighted or uneasy when she is. Her inability to reveal the secret is from clear emotional trauma and not "drag out the plot syndrome." I haven't divulged much about Ana, but the revelations make an already sympathetic character even more so. Smit's performance as Ana is just that good. Their best scenes are when their relationship picks up near the halfway point. It's a tense moment when that secret is finally revealed. They fortunately reconcile by the end.

The supporting cast has two highlights. The first is Aitana Sanchez-Guijon as Ana's actress mother, Teresa. She's a seemingly self-centered egotist who, as we find out, has her own emotional trauma to deal with. You'll sympathize with her as much as her daughter. Rossy de Palma brings much needed levity as Janis's best friend and agent, Elena. She makes the most of her comparatively limited screentime.

How does a story about Parallel Mothers relate to the Spanish Civil War? In a way, both plots are about giving people back their loved ones and moving on from emotional trauma. The themes made much more sense as I pressed play a second time (and it's playing as I write this). It's a slow but steady drama that kept me interested for 123 minutes. I'm sure it will too if you can find a venue to watch it. It might be in local theatres now, or you'll have to find it on demand, but if you want to watch it before the Oscars ... the clock is ticking. 

Jujutsu Kaisen 0

As the Oscars approach, I find myself trying to schedule a few nominees into my schedule. Today's film is too recent for this year's Oscars. I now find myself having to sum up a manga and anime franchise that I've never read or watched other than some plot synopses. 

But as indicated by the title, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is actually a prequel to Gege Akutami's main manga storyline. It debuted in manga form as Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School in 2017, the year before the main manga debuted. Let's see what I can do:

Yuta Okkotsu is a bully magnet protected by the ghost of his dead girlfriend, Rika Orimoto. Said ghost is actually a demonic Curse, one of many born from bad karma, and Yuta can't really control her. The eccentric blindfolded Satoru Gojo offers Yuta a place at Tokyo Jujutsu Technical High, a school for aspiring "Jujutsu" exorcists. Yuta reluctantly accepts and is introduced to weapon expert Maki Zenin, the deadly voiced Toge Inumaki ... and Panda the Panda.

Gojo's former classmate Suguru Geto wants to kill all muggles. So, he and his followers decide to unleash a thousand Curses on Christmas Eve. He dares the good guys to stop him. It's part of a plot to get Rika, who happens to be a really powerful Curse, for himself. The Jujutsu elites threaten to kill Yuta if he lets Rika loose. Gojo's teachings help Yuta focus her power. Yuta will have to hurry when Geto comes for him. 

The first twenty or so minutes feel like two condensed anime episodes. Yuta gets to Jujutsu High, has some interactions with his classmates, and is ready to put his life on the line for Maki (complete with flashbacks and climactic music) against a giant Curse in that span. A few concepts, namely Panda's nature as a "Cursed Corpse" and Yuta's mysterious ancestor, can fly over a few newbies' heads. That aside, a lot of the franchise's lore is discernable to newcomers. Its episodic plot is compact, and its 105 minutes are rarely boring. What tested my patience were moments when I thought the screening was, or about to have, technical difficulties.

What helped my patience is the characterization. Yuta has good chemistry with his classmates whether in battle or school. We get to learn about Maki's family history, Toge's killer voice and revel in Panda's antics. Yuta's bond with Rika makes for an interesting dynamic. Curse Rika is creepy looking, but her childish personality makes her weirdly eccentric. We get to see Yuta go from wimp to warrior in due time. Their strongest moments are in the finale, when they defeat Geto, and she gets to rest in peace. Gojo's eccentric personality is sure to make him an audience favorite (if the show hasn't already). Geto's affableness heavily contrasts with his smug superiority complex, which results in a memorably vile villain. His henchmen and a few bit Jujutsu exorcists stand out with their eclectic personalities.

There's a lot to talk about on the technical front. The Curses are suitably repulsive creatures, and the Jujutsu exorcists have plenty of stellar superpowers. The fight scenes involving them are a visual delight. The production design and cinematography sell the franchise's horror aesthetics pretty well. My screening sounded unusually quiet, but I still heard a perfectly unnerving score (by Hiroaki Tsutsumi, et al) and a strong sound design for the Curses. 

Big Screen Transplants of Anime shows usually have stories meaningless to the main narrative. I'd like to think that they are distilled self-contained essences of their franchise. That's what Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is and more. Its story suitably introduces its characters & lore to the uninitiated through a compelling main duo. You won't be that lost if you haven't watched the first season. There's plenty of setup for the second season, which will debut next year. There's plenty of time to catchup if you haven't and this movie piques your interest. I think it did that for me and it might do the same for you.

Turning Red

 I'm tempted to comment on a recent, now offline review, of Pixar's Turning Red. Among other things, it said the film wasn't made for a universal audience and was made for the director's family and friends.

 Really? I'd like to think some films help us relate to universal themes despite their "limited scope." Otherwise, I wouldn't relate to films about a high school girl dealing with her mother's death or a billionaire on a nighttime crusade. There's quite a bit to relate to in this animated tale conceived by director Domee Shi, an Oscar-winner for the short, Bao. Let's see what they are:

It's 2002 in Toronto. Meilin "Mei" Lee (Rosalie Chang) has just turned thirteen. She's got girly interests like Tamagotchis and the Boy Band 4-Town, which she shares with her besties, Miriam, Priya and Abby. But she's also an overachiever who struggles to live up to her mom, Ming's (Sandra Oh), standards. One morning, she discovers that she can "poof" into a giant Red Panda when she's overexcited and can de-poof when she calms down. It's an "inconvenience" passed down from generations.

Mei's panda self makes her the most popular kid in school. But Ming would rather have her suppress the panda. A specific ritual on a Red Moon can do that, but it's on the night of a 4-Town concert. But Mei accepts the panda form as a quirk and not a curse. How will she get through to her mother? It all leads to a titanic argument at the Skydome.

What's there to relate to in Shi and Julia Cho's script? To start, it's sure to provoke some turn-of-the-millennium nostalgia for anyone who was around Mei's age back then (I was fifteen). Second, it tells the story of a kid dealing with familial and social expectations. Anyone who worried about failing either can relate to Mei. The film mines plenty of dread and audacious comedy out of her controlling the panda curse. The best surprise is seeing that her friends and classmates accept her once they find out. Indeed, one of the strongest scenes is when Mei's friends cheer her up when they see her panda-sized.

We quickly meet Mei with her opening narration. She tells us how she still pursues her kid interests despite the taxing expectations. She and her friends endear us with their quirky and likable personalities. We're quite invested when they fall out and later reconcile after Ming confronts them. Her friends even help Mei and her family calm Ming down when she upsizes into a colossal Red Panda. Who wouldn't want to have friends like these?

Let's talk about the adults. Ming's overbearingness makes her the film's primary antagonist. She inadvertently hinders Mei more than helps, especially when she unfairly blames her friends for her "rebelliousness." We soon see that she's got her own issues to deal with. Mei's Dad Jin (Orion Lee) gives her a much-needed pep talk just before the Red Moon ritual. Mei's aunts are a good bunch, while Grandma Lee (Wai Ching Ho) is a stern yet reasonable woman. James Hong also stands out as Mr. Gao, who assists the Red Moon ritual.

This is a technically appealing film. The production and character designs are visually striking, especially when they incorporate anime aesthetics. Mei and her friends frequently sport plenty of amusing expressions throughout the film. The best designs are Mei and her elders' Red Panda forms, all of them being irresistibly fluffy creatures. It's all set to an outstanding score from Ludwig Goransson and a few catchy pop songs written by Finneas O'Connell (who also voices Jesse of 4-Town) and Billie Eillish. 

What's not to like about Turning Red? It's a well-made and well-told fantastical coming-of-age story. There's plenty to relate with its main protagonist even if you didn't have her "inconvenience." Find out for yourself when you press play on Disney Plus. It's so good that I'm watching it again as I write this. Maybe I'll press play a third time today. It's a great use of 100 minutes.

The Batman

Last time, I recommended that no one should see Drive My Car and The Batman back-to-back. This time, I will have reviewed both of them back-to-back. But on different days!

This was supposed to have been a showcase for Ben Affleck as director and Batman. It wound up with Matt Reeves directing Robert Pattinson as a new version of the Caped Crusader. I've got a lot to say about this nearly three-hour movie so let's say them.

Batman is already on his second year of crimefighting. He's called by Det. Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) on Halloween night to investigate the murder of Mayor Mitchell. The killer is The Riddler (Paul Dano), who leaves cryptic messages for the Dark Knight as his calling cards. Batman goes on the hunt when The Riddler kills a few more upstanding citizens.

Batman's sleuthing discovers that The Riddler's victims were on the payroll of mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). He eventually crosses paths with Falcone's lieutenant, The Penguin (Colin Farrell), and cat burglar Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz), who has her own connection with Falcone. Batman also discovers some dark secrets about his late father. He and his allies will have to act fast to stop, or minimize, The Riddler's explosive surprise for Gotham on the night of its upcoming Mayoral Election.

It doesn't take long to establish the mood of the next 176 minutes. The Riddler is introduced quietly staking out Mayor Mitchell before loudly murdering him. Criminals run in fear of the Bat Signal as Batman narrates while he can't be everywhere, he could be anywhere. What we have is a dark tale that'll shock you as much as it entertains you. The Riddler's masterplan will leave you guessing as hard as Batman. The only time you'll feel its length is in the multiple denouements.

The Batman wears his world-weariness from his nighttime crusades on his face as Bruce Wayne. He sometimes struggles in unexpected ways. You'll truly wonder if he's getting sleep at all. He gets some levity when he shares screentime with Alfred (Andy Serkis). He terrifies criminals but is terrified himself when the unmasked Riddler proclaims himself his biggest fan. That's enough to make him finally question the methods and motives of his nighttime crusade. It leads to a strong climax as he saves Gothamites trapped in a stadium with The Riddler's loyalists. Simply put, Pattinson makes for a great Batman.

Kravitz as Selina is also compelling as she struggles with her past. She spends one scene with her best friend Annika (Hana Hrzic) before the latter is killed by Falcone off-screen, but it depicts a palpable friendship. She and Pattinson have great chemistry as they deal with each other and their criminal foes. One of their best scenes is when he stops her from killing Falcone. It's a strong moment that helps them move from vengeance to justice. 

Finally, a few supporting highlights. The Riddler himself is terrifying when masked and silent and an unnervingly pathetic loser when he's unmasked and talking. Meanwhile, The Penguin and Falcone make for memorable co-villains. Gordon and eventual Mayor Bella Reál (Jayme Lawson) are legitimate upstanding citizens and great allies for Batman. One of The Riddler's victims, DA Gil Colson (Peter Sarsgaard), is truly pitiable in his last moments.

Where to even begin on the technical stars? Gotham is an alluring visual nightmare visualized by production designer James Chinlund and cinematographer Greig Fraser. Mitchell's study, for example, goes from a warm locale to a ghoulish crime scene within minutes. Batman gets a great entrance as he emerges from the shadows to deal with a gang of clownish hoodlums. Similarly, the reveal of the Batmobile is nightmarishly awesome as it prepares to chase Penguin. Fraser also makes great mileage out of the color red here. The makeup team deserves all the praise for rendering Farrell unrecognizable as The Penguin. On the aural front, Michael Giacchino's score gives Batman an eerie new theme. There's plenty to like here.

One of its last scenes has a fellow inmate befriend The Riddler. Let's just say you won't forget his laugh. That's just one reason why I'm ready to see more of this new Batman. Another reason is that The Batman is a great superhero detective story whose massive length won't wear you out. If you can't see it in theaters, fear not, for it will apparently be on HBOMax sometime next month. Either way, seek out the biggest screen you can find. It was made for them.

Drive My Car

 Drive My Car was the film I was alluding to weeks ago that was playing at inopportune times. They could've been opportune times had they not been so late, and it wasn't a minute short of three hours. Thankfully, it's now on HBOMax, meaning you can set your own schedule to see it.

This is Japan's entry into the International Feature Oscar race, being based on a short story by one of its most celebrated authors, Haruki Murakami. It's also the obvious frontrunner considering that it's also up for Best Picture and Ryusuke Hamaguchi is up for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Let's see how it is.

Yusuke (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Oto Kafuku (Reika Kirishima) are a creative couple. He's a stage actor and director in a multi-lingual company and she's a TV writer who spins erotic stories with him each night. One day, Yusuke finds Oto cheating on him and a few days later, finds her dead of a brain hemorrhage.

A few years later, Yusuke is hired to direct a multi-lingual Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. This was the role he was rehearsing at the time of Oto's death. So, he casts her other man, Koji Takatsuki (Masaki Okada), as Vanya. Meanwhile, he's forced to hire Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) as his chauffer due to company policy and his glaucoma. He accepts this arrangement once she proves herself a good driver. Their relationship helps them open up about their tragic pasts. It culminates in the show itself, where Yusuke is forced to take on the titular role.

It takes about forty-minutes before the action moves to Hiroshima. None of those minutes are wasted as it paints a clear picture of Yusuke and Oto's marriage. We see them mourn their long-dead daughter. We see them celebrate their successes. We see him rehearse Vanya in his car by reacting to her on tape.  We see his reluctance to play Vanya after her death. There are plenty of details in that time that are relevant to the remaining 139 minutes.

A good chunk of those remaining minutes is spent with Yusuke and Misaki. They go from stoic strangers to good friends (no, not romantic) in due time. Their time together helps them open up emotionally to the world. We see her reservedness subside when she bonds with Yusuke's assistant's dog when they're invited to dinner. We see his stoicism crack when she takes him to what's left of her home, where her abusive mom was left to die after a mudslide. She's in the audience of Uncle Vanya as Sonya (Park Yu-Rim as Yoo-na, the aforementioned assistant's wife) signs her closing monologue in Korean. Chekhov's speech is an emotional coda to their character arcs.

The Vanya audition and rehearsal process makes for an interesting portion of the film. Yusuke and Koji bond surprisingly well during the production. Koji also has some strong chemistry with co-star Janice Chang (Sonia Yuan) during their audition. His temper ultimately undoes his career. But he still goes gracefully to the cops.

What else can I say about it? There's some great location shooting by cinematographer Hidetoshi Shinomiya. Whether it's a nighttime city, a small theater or snowy Hokkaido, the locales are all splendid sights. There's also a suitably solemn score by Eiko Ishibashi. It's not used much, but it's used effectively.

Drive My Car's long runtime is surely taxing for first time viewers. I felt the pressure near the end, but as I watch it again as I write this, I felt more of its emotional relevance. On one hand, it's all about overcoming grief and loss. But on another, it's about never taking people for granted, as a minor conversation with them could be the last. It's worth seeing at least once whether on the big screen or small. Be prepared for that runtime and you'll do fine. Just don't see this and The Batman back-to-back.

Attica

Some movies won't be on streaming forever. The Oscar-nominated documentary Attica is an example; Amazon Prime de-listed its free stream after yesterday. I tried watching it on Sling, a streaming service I didn't hear about till now, but it left after I streamed about 16 minutes. At least I remembered where I was when I picked it back up on XFinity. It's $9.99 mostly everywhere else. 

Let's talk about the film before I prattle on about streaming.

Stanley Nelson and Traci Curry chronicle the uprising at the Attica Correctional Facility from Sep. 9-13, 1971. Its numerous prisoners, overwhelmingly black or Latino, and understandably fed up with mistreatment, revolted against their all-White guards. Their demands, as voiced by spokesman L.D. Barkley, included basic human dignity not just for themselves, but prisoners everywhere. But Gov. Nelson Rockefeller sent the police and National Guard to take back the prison by force. That assault killed prisoners and hostages alike.

It's not an easy film to sit through. Former prisoners testify about getting a measly minimum of amenities and nothing else really. Any complaints about it made it worse. The San Quentin prison riot a few weeks earlier emboldened them. You can see the tension rise up to when the prisoners finally revolt. 

 Basic living conditions are bad enough, but the climactic assault cements the cruelty. In all seriousness, the prisoners getting shot up amidst commands of "put your hands up and you will not be harmed" make the cops sound like the Martians in Mars Attacks, only far less funny. The ceaseless gunfire on the soundtrack sells us on how disproportionate the assault was. Reporter John Johnson also testifies getting threatened by victorious cops on a kill-happy power trip. You'll shudder as the film shows how the guards reprised against their prisoners. 

You'll sympathize with the prisoners despite whatever deeds landed them in "the last place." None of them try to excuse their original crimes. They just wanted basic human rights in spite of them. Al Victory, a white prisoner, testifies of his shame of getting preferential treatment for himself and not just for others. William Quinn, the only prison guard killed by the prisoners, got medical treatment from a few prisoners. The hostage family members interviewed show no ill will to the prisoners. They have plenty of that for the State Government's inadequate attempts at restitution. 

Overall, Attica earns its place among this year's Oscar nominees. It's a tense and perfectly infuriating documentary about the injustice of the justice system. It gives you a lot to think about the present as it describes the past. You won't stop thinking about it after its 117 minutes are done. You can only hope that it's somewhat better than it was. Somewhat. 

Marry Me

 Oh yeah, my house has Peacock. But I never got the urge to watch something there for this blog. 

Until this week.

That something is Marry Me, a harmless romantic comedy with a wacky premise based on the Webcomic of the same name by Bobby Crosby. The film takes the concept in its own silly direction. It's a good break from whatever serious movies I have left on my list.

Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) is an average math teacher and divorced dad to Lou (Chloe Coleman). Kat Valdez (Jennifer López) is a pop superstar about to marry her boyfriend, Bastian (Maluma), live in concert. Charlie's best pal Parker (Sarah Silverman) convinces him to take Lou and join her for the concert. But Kat finds out that Bastian's been cheating on her just before the vows. So Kat, already married thrice, decides to marry a random guy in crowd. That guy is Charlie, just because Parker got him to hold a "Marry Me" sign.

So now, Charlie has to adjust to being married to an international icon. Kat decides to go through with the marriage even though her support team wants it to blow over. They find that they have surprisingly much in common. But will it be enough when Bastian decides to win her back?

Wilson and López make an unlikely compelling couple. She wants something new in her life after her latest heartbreak. He's a good guy who just wants to make a stranger happy. It's really compelling to see their relationship become genuine. They start off trying to make sense of a convoluted situation. But they soon bond over Coney Island and Charlie's dog, Tank, among other things. While Charlie's insecurities help drive the act three breakup, they soon realize they're made for each other. It all adds up to a fun climax at a mathalon. 

Kat's support team, including her manager Colin (John Bradley), are understandably confused by her sudden marriage. They're a likable bunch who have the best intentions, though. Chloé is a good kid who helps bring out the best in her dad. Parker, who sets the plot in motion, has her best moment when she helps Kat to the mathalon. Bastian isn't too antagonistic towards Charlie after the wedding. He seems apologetic, though he does rebound quickly. The biggest jerk is the opposing Mathalon coach.

The soundtrack, including the title theme, has plenty of memorable tunes. They're kind of silly songs, but they fit the film. The most serious song is called On My Way,  which plays an important part in the climax. The score by John Debney is just as good as the pop music. There's some great editing by Peter Teschner and Michael Berenbaum in the climax too. Finally,  some points to the production design for Kat's elaborate apartment. 

Marry Me is an endearingly silly comedy. It makes a surprisingly compelling case for its off kilter concept. Its unlikely couple will keep you interested for a good 112 minutes. It's ready for you to say yes on Peacock or theatres. I can think of a few webcomics Hollywood could option if they're interested. This current film gets my interest in a few of them.

CODA

I need to hurry to make the most of my free Apple TV. This week, after putting it off for too long, I found time for CODA, the service's Oscar-nominated remake of the French film, La Famille Belier. Seeing it now makes me wish I saw it sooner.

CODA stands for "Child of Deaf Adults," and that's what Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) is. She's the only one who can interpret for her deaf parents Frank (Troy Kotsur) & Jackie (Marlee Matlin), and her also deaf brother Leo (Daniel Durant). She works with Frank and Leo on their fishing boat while going to high school. One day, she joins Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) into the choir headed by Mr. Villalobos (Eugenio Derbez). She impresses "Mr. V" so much he gives her private lessons and recommends her for Berklee.

Unfortunately, the family fishing boat is threatened by overbearing Union suits. Frank and Leo decide to start their own fish mongering business. But they need Ruby's help, while Ruby wants to follow her singing dreams. Naturally, she finds herself struggling to balance her commitments. 

Writer and Director Sian Heder gives us a great family drama. Sure, it's a typical movie plot about balancing dreams vs family. But there are compelling reasons for each side. It's easy to forget (or discount, as I did) that the ADA would've (or should've) alleviated much of Ruby's stress. She's all the help her family knows. But we see her exhibit a promising talent. I'll elaborate further on the conflict when I discuss the cast.

Jones as Ruby is a compelling lead. We understand her exhaustive life as she balances fishing and school. The choir gives her an outlet to sing in front of others. It's a stressful prospect at first but we see her get some confidence. What makes her conflict compelling is that her family is likable. Matlin and Kotsur are (nonverbally) outspoken parents, much to Ruby's embarrassment. Frank, especially, is a hoot as he signs out some colorful language. His business really needs help, as shown when Ruby is essentially substituted with a beyond-useless Union rep. They soon understand how much singing means to Ruby. Durant as Leo understands quicker when he tells her to go to Berklee. Meanwhile, Derbez as Mr. V proves to be more than a typically eccentric teacher. 

There are some standout moments during its 112 minutes. One of the earliest scenes has Ruby endure some unbearable loudness from her unaware family. The climax gives us the opposite as we experience the Rossi's watch Ruby's concert in total silence. Her successful audition at Berklee is an emotional moment, as is when Frank feels her vocal cords singing. We get to hear plenty of stellar singing from Ruby on the soundtrack.

CODA makes a compelling case to get Apple TV. There's a great cast acting out this moving family story. There's plenty of laughs and drama to be found here. You might be lucky this weekend as some cities will get free theatrical screenings then. Whatever format is fine as long as you see it soon. 

Uncharted

 Harrison Ford is the only Indiana Jones on the big screen (so far), but anybody can be Nathan Drake with their Playstations in the Uncharted video games. Now, Naughty Dog's resident adventure archaeologist has a movie of his own. One that shows us how he started his adventuring career. Let's see how it is.

It begins when Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) walks into the bar where Nate (Tom Holland) works and pickpockets. Sully recruits Nate to help him find the lost treasure ships of Ferdinand Magellan. Nate's brother Sam helped Sully steal the MacGuffin diary that'll tell them where those ships are. Sam's gone missing, so Nate agrees to help steal MacGuffin keys that'll open the treasure. The guys join with fellow treasure hunter Chloe Frazer (Sophia Ali) to dissect the clues.

Billionaire Santiago Moncada's (Antonio Banderas) ancestors funded the original Magellan expedition. So, he's naturally interested in getting that long-delayed return in their investment. He sends a mercenary squad led by Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle) to deal with our heroes. It's going to be a long treasure hunt.

I never had the time or Playstations to play Uncharted. So, I don't know how much the screenplay lines up with the continuity. What I do know is that it's a decent action film. Nate starts the film in media res falling from a cargo plane. The lead up to that misadventure takes him from a New York auction house to underneath Barcelona. The climax has him aboard Magellan's ships as they're lifted by helicopters. These scenes are tied together by a somewhat average story. I was invested when Chloe and Nate were trapped in a flooding crypt while Sully, who can stop the flooding with his key, is fighting Braddock at a Papa John's. It's an overlong fight but it's still tense.

The cast was entertaining. Nate is a likable guy who's a bit hapless in the action scenes but proves himself a crafty dude. His chemistry with Sully is good with their best moment being at the end. Sully himself is a decent mentor with a dark past. Chloe is the standout of the cast as she spends the movie fluctuating sides. Her nice act with Nate is legitimately convincing. So, it's genuinely shocking when she double-crosses him. Nate outwits her in a surprising switcheroo. Moncada is an interesting villain while Braddock is just fine.

Uncharted is a good way to spend a slow day. There's plenty of hijinks and thrills as Nate and Sully travel the world. It's not the most original story but it was rarely, if ever, boring. It moves along rather well at 116 minutes. You need not be familiar with the game lore, other than for a few cameos at the end. While some have considered it miscast, I think this cast is fine for a prequel. I'm slightly intrigued enough to see where it'll go. 

Summer of Soul

The poster for American Graffiti asked its audience "where were you in '62?" 

That's easy.

 I wasn't there for '62, or '69, when Woodstock was a thing. That lasted a weekend in August and led to an Oscar-winning documentary. The Harlem Cultural Festival lasted throughout the Dog Days of Summer. But that barely got any attention.  The documentary Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) will chronicle those days.

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson chronicles the festival's place in history. It was created as an outlet to celebrate African American culture after a decade of turmoil. It was something positive a year after MLK and RFK were murdered. "It was like seeing royalty," says Musa Jackson, the first interviewee, about the many black festivalgoers. Music Royalty such as Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, BB King, Nina Simone, the 5th Dimension, and many more, reigned on stage. 

Hal Tulchin filmed forty hours of footage that barely anyone wanted. Still, he wanted someone to broadcast them. They sat in his basement for nearly fifty years. While Questlove couldn't show it all in one movie, he and his editor, Joshua L. Pearson compiled it into a compelling 117-minute film. Jackson and his fellow interviewees tell us how the festival was important to them. They're astounded to see the archival footage for the first time. Chances are, you will be too.

One of the best anecdotes comes from Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of The 5th Dimension. They tell us of how they impressed the producers of Hair, who let them see the show for free and let them record its signature medley, Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In. It's a delightful stroke of luck. They tell us how the festival helped the band prove to the festivalgoers they were as black as them.

Journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is another memorable interviewee. One of the first black students at the University of Georgia, her white classmates weren't that welcoming. She got through it with the music of Nina Simone. She tells us how, as a New York Times journalist, she got the paper to substitute "Negro" for "Black." The festival helped see herself as, to quote Simone, "young, gifted and black." It's a compelling personal story.

Where to begin with the concert footage? A lot of effort was made to make it look and sound pristine. It's the next best thing to being there in '69. It's astounding to see many a familiar face in their youthful prime. It's just as incredible to hear them perform. The soundtrack is sure to get your feet tapping. It's a dream setlist for fans of soul, jazz, R'N'B and more.

Summer of Soul gives an important cultural event its day in the sun. You'll understand its place in history in no time at all. You'll be shocked that it hasn't been extensively chronicled before. But rest assured. Fifty-One years after Michael Wadleigh won an Oscar for documenting Woodstock, Questlove will most certainly do the same for chronicling the event dubbed "Black Woodstock." It's that great a documentary. You can either stream it on Disney + (like I did) or Hulu now. Either one is a good option.

Death on the Nile

Hercule Poirot could have solved the Death on the Nile again in 2020. But his cinematic layover was longer than expected. A lot has happened in the world since then. So, let's get on the case.

Kenneth Branagh retains his services from Murder on the Orient Express as director and as M. Poirot. But while that film promised a "murder on the bloody Nile" at the end, it actually happens an hour in this film. Apparently, Poirot solved another case on the Nile, returned to England and then went back to the Nile to solve this titular crime. Huh?

We first spend that hour during Poirot's time in World War I. We first see Poirot's captain, who could easily be mistaken for young Poirot thanks to his elaborate moustache, before we meet the clean-shaven and convincingly digitally de-aged Poirot. The captain is killed in an explosion that disfigures Poirot. He soon grows his own supreme moustache.

1937 London. Poirot witnesses a love triangle in progress between layabout Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), his fiancée Jackie de Bellfort (Emma Mackey) and the wealthy Linnet Ridgeway (Gal Gadot). When he sees them again in Egypt, Simon and Linnet are now married and Jackie is stalking them. Simon hires Poirot to keep tabs on Jackie. The Doyles, Poirot and their wedding guests board the SS Karnak for a river cruise. Jackie follows them there too. 

We finally get to the crime itself. Somebody shoots Linnet during the night. Almost everyone on board is a suspect. Poirot intends to keep everyone on the Karnak until he can figure out which of them did it. He'll have to hurry as this killer isn't afraid to add more to the body count.

This film runs 127 minutes, which is shorter than the 1978 film with Peter Ustinov. It feels longer thanks to its slow build-up to the main crime itself. It's easy to miss some details that pop up during Poirot's summation. The sequel hook from Orient Express adds some confusion to the mix. A throwaway line near the start suggests that Poirot already solved the main event. But it's actually linear storytelling. 

It gets going great once it finally gets to the death. Branagh has fun exercising Poirot's personality as he interviews an all-star cast of suspects. A few memorable suspects include Dr. Windlesham (Russell Brand, unrecognizably strait-laced), Linnet's Communist godmother Marie Van Schuyler (Jennifer Saunders), her helper Mrs. Bowers (Dawn French) and socialite Rosalie (Letitia Wright). It's far too easy to guess the obvious suspect onboard if not for their alibi. But they're not that innocent. The final twist is as devious now as it was when Agatha Christie devised it 85 years ago.

As I said, digital fountain of youth is exquisite. But the digital compositing is glaringly obvious. The actors don't look like they're actually in Egypt (never mind that they weren't, as it was filmed in Surrey and Morrocco). The digital scenery and Haris Zambarloukos's cinematography are far better looking. The aural front gives us a memorably foreboding score by Patrick Doyle. The sound designers hit their strongest mark when the second body turns up.

Death on the Nile takes its sweet time to get to the titular event. But Branagh puts his acting and directing prowess to great use when it happens. This film will twist your suspicions in knots well before the summation. Let's just say it's a memorable summation. I'm once again ready for another big Poirot mystery should it happen. It wisely doesn't give us a sequel hook at the end. We don't need to stump viewers with continuity hang-ups twice, do we?

Flee

I'm going to try to catch this year's Oscar nominated International and Documentary films again this year. Key word is "try," for some of them aren't accessible in my area now. At least one will be in theatres soon but is playing at inopportune times.

I'll start my trek with the movie that's up for both awards. Flee, Denmark's entry, is that film, which is also nominated for Best Animated Feature. I worried that I'd be waiting for a theatrical release that would never come. But here it is now on Hulu.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen chronicles his high school pal, Amin Nawabi, an Afghani refugee, and how he made it to Denmark. He realized early on he was gay thanks to the films of Jean-Claude Van Damme. His pilot father was seized by the Muhajadeen as a political dissenter. The Afghani Civil War forced him and the rest of his family to hightail it to Russia. They soon lived in fear of poverty and deportation. Human traffickers helped them across the border for a price.

Meanwhile, Amin is about to marry his boyfriend, Kasper. Amin has never told Kasper about his rough past. But he'll now tell Rasmussen about it through multiple interviews. Amin is often shown in close-up lying on a couch. His world weariness is front and center even if his true face (and name, for Amin isn't it) isn't on display. That's before he divulges his life story full of bleakness and brevity.

You'll notice that the animation here isn't Pixar perfect. The scenery is full of brisk colors, but the characters move choppily. A few flashbacks even resemble moving sketches. But you can't deny the emotions here. One of those flashbacks visualizes Amin's mother's fear of drowning. That plays out when a trafficker vessel they're on starts flooding. As if being locked below the lightless decks wasn't a terrifying concept before. He and his fellow refugees are naturally overjoyed to be spotted by a Norwegian cruise ship. But that turns to palpable despair when they're informed the Estonian Coast Guard will send them back.

Both the traffickers and Russian police are presented as terrifying villains. Both hate it when they're not appeased with bribes. Amin and his brother have an encounter with the police in which they meet a nameless immigrant girl that they never see again. What could've happened is the scary part. Meanwhile, the traffickers threaten to shoot an elderly refugee when she slows them down. It's little wonder that Amin pretends to be an orphaned refugee instead of going with the traffickers to Denmark. It's not an easy choice to make or commit to.

One of the earliest scenes shows young Amin running around listening to Take Me On. A carefree lad unaware of the political unrest waiting to explode. He said he always knew he was different. But he didn't know his family knew. When he comes out at the end, his family gives him some money for a gay bar. His scenes with his family, and Kasper, give the subject matter its needed brevity.

Flee certainly earns its three nominations. Its unique animation style is mixed with live-action clips to tell its tale. It's a captivating story about one man's quest for survival. You won't forget any one of its 89 minutes. It's worth checking out on Hulu or in theatres if it's playing there. There's also an English dub available with Riz Ahmed (who executive produced this) voicing Amin. Either language is great; just give it a watch.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

I wasn't in the mood for much moviegoing when The Eyes of Tammy Faye debuted in September. But I gave it a shot on HBOMax now that Jessica Chastain and her makeup artists have Oscar nominations. It's a respectable biopic all things considered.

This is a narrative remake of the 2000 documentary by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) introduces us to Tammy Faye Grover (Chastain) as a kid (Chandler Head) fascinated by the Church despite her divorced mom, Rachel's (Cherry Jones) objections. She meets Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) at Bible College, and they quickly wed. They spread The Word with puppets and songs. Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds) hires them to host The 700 Club for the CBN. 

The Bakkers form their own network, The PTL, in the 1970s. They find themselves with a nice family and a spectacular house. Tammy Faye, despite her devotion to Jim, breaks with him and their ally, Jerry Falwell's (Vincent D'Onofrio), rigid views. She shows her support for the gay community upon the onset of AIDS. Their media empire collapses once Jim's financial and marital impropriety is confirmed. 

I wasn't exactly familiar with much of Tammy Faye's life, especially the puppets and the singing career. So, Abe Sylvia's screenplay was a good introduction to her life story. I wish they'd mention Heritage USA, the Bakkers' shuttered theme park, more than in passing (if only because I'm reminded of a Simpsons episode about a similarly ill-fated Bible theme park). It makes a great case for her good nature. The best scene is her televised interview with AIDS patient Steve Pieters (Randy Havens) where she shows him more compassion than a lot of people did in the day. What's especially outstanding is finding out Pieters is still alive as of this writing. 

The makeup team certainly earned their Oscar nod. They perfectly recreate Tammy Faye's overly beautified visage (to put it charitably) on Chastain and convincingly age her and Garfield throughout the years. Nothing is amiss as Tammy Faye goes from college age to her fifties. D'Onofrio is unrecognizable as Falwell. The production design and cinematography create a gaudily oversaturated look for the Bakkers' mansion. It fits well with their inhabitants.

What about the actors? Chastain is convincingly earnest as Tammy Faye. There's some overacting but you'll believe what she says. Her chipper accent becomes lyrical when she voices her puppet characters. Garfield is fine as Jim as he goes from warm to cold. I only felt sympathy for him when Falwell publicly throws him under the bus during a press conference and when he and Tammy Faye reconcile when he's in prison. Havens and Jones give the best performances of the ensemble. Rachel starts off as Tammy Faye's "nothing you do's good for me" mother. But as she mellows out with age, you'll feel sorry for her once she's thrown out of the Bakkers' mansion.

I haven't seen the original documentary. But The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a decent place to start learning about its infamous subject. Don't expect it to give you the full story, though. It's not an audacious biopic but it's not a miserable one either. It's a good showcase for Jessica Chastain and a better one for the makeup department. It's ready to watch on physical and digital media any time now. It's a good way to spend two hours on a slow afternoon.

Coming 2 America

Behold! For once it was told of an African Prince who went to Queens, New York, America to find the woman of his dreams. A series of complications and eccentric characters came between him and his one true love. But he made through them a better man. Such a tale was told in the feature film Coming to America, and was told further in a sequel, Coming 2 America. We're a year late telling the tale, so let's begin...

Epic Narrator Tone Off...

Anyway, Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) of Zamunda and his Queen Lisa (Shari Headley) have been happily married thirty years with three daughters. King Jaffe (James Earl Jones) is on his deathbed, but he waits to die until the funeral. Before then, he tells Akeem that he has an illegitimate son with a legitimate claim to the throne. General Izzi (Wesley Snipes) of Nexdoria wants to cut through the line of succession by marrying his son Idi (Rotimi) to Akeem's eldest, Meeka (Kiki Layne). So, Akeem and his manservant, Semmi (Arsenio Hall) hop on the royal jet back to Queens.

His son Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler) brings his mom, Mary (Leslie Jones) back to Zamunda. Akeem tries to get his son accustomed to his royal birthright. Lavelle finds himself out of his element, but he does find romance with his royal groomer, Mirembe (Nomzamo Mbatha). An undeterred Izzi decides to have his daughter, Bopoto (Teyana Taylor) marry Lavelle. What's a royal heir to do?

The biggest obstacle of this sequel is its central premise. Specifically, that Lavelle was conceived by, basically, date rape. It treats Akeem as the wrongdoer while depicting him as inebriated. It's so hilarious except that it's not.

It still has some comedic value, though. King Jaffe's pre-funeral is audaciously funny, while Trevor Noah is hilarious as Zamunda News Anchor Totatsi Bibinyana. Lavelle shows some ingenuity when he's tasked to pluck some lion whiskers. Izzi's training regimen includes Dance Dance Revolution and shake weights. It's also hilariously perplexing to guess how old some of the already old bit characters from the first film (usually Murphy or Hall) are now. Hall's new role, the shaman Baba, highlights the hilariously exaggerated old age makeup here. These bit characters earned the film an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup just like the first film did. I have no complaints about that.

Murphy and Hall are good in any one of their roles. Akeem and Semmi, specifically, aren't unlikable together or apart. Akeem could've avoided much of the plot if he overhauled the laws of succession. But it's a simple mistake he rectifies. Lavelle's best scenes come from his relationship with Mirembe. General Izzi is a decent comedic villain. Meeka's arc is the best part of the story; it culminates in an epic battle with Izzi and his men.

I didn't have time for Coming 2 America when it debuted on Amazon Prime last March. Needless to say, I do now. It's an OK sequel, one glaringly unfunny issue aside, but I don't think it's a destined comedy classic like the first film. It's still a great makeup highlight reel much like that first film, though. It's still free after nearly a year on Prime. See it if you want.

The King's Daughter

 Once upon a time, there was - and still is - a movie studio called Paramount Pictures. They started production in 2014 on a fantasy adventure called The Moon and The Sun, based on Vonda N. McIntyre's novel of the same name. It seemed like a fantasy classic in the making. But Paramount suddenly decided to sit on it like a golden goose egg rather than let the public see the fruits of their labor. It found its way to Gravitas Pictures, who rebranded it as The King's Daughter, and they only recently released said fruits of labor.

How is it? 

One word: "Meh."

Our heroine is Marie-Josephe (Kaya Scodelario), an illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV of France (Pierce Brosnan). She's spent her life living in a convent driving the nuns mad (side note: Julie Andrews is the narrator. Let the casting gag sink in.). Anyway, the "Sun King" summons her to Versailles for reasons. She likes it there until she finds someone ...

It turns out King Louis is keeping a mermaid in a cave. He wants to sacrifice her (Fan Bingbing) during an eclipse so his sun can never set. Marie-Josephe is the only one who can communicate with her. She discovers the mermaid's healing abilities firsthand. She's naturally horrified when she finds out Louis's intentions. She's also betrothed to a boring duke named Lintillac (Ben Lloyd-Hughes). Her heart is really with Yves De La Croix (Benjamin Walker), the man who fished out the mermaid. The two of them decide to free her. 

I must say that this is a dull cliche storm. There's literally nothing surprising with the plot and characters. Sure, Marie-Josephe reacts with shock once she learns of her parentage and betrothal. But you'll feel nothing for her.  Her betrothal seems like an afterthought for King Louis. A bunch of dialogue is a mountain of exposition. A good chunk of the prologue is spent with The King and not His Daughter.  It's not a good way to start.

The biggest problem is the mermaid. There's nothing wrong with her personality and her visual effects are adequate. But there's nothing about her. She's mute with some barely discernable telepathic dialogue. Marie-Josephe has to relay her thoughts and feelings. What could've been an interesting deuteroganist (I've read a summary of the novel, and she is so) is a plot device instead. Marie-Josephe and de La Croix's relationship is no adequate substitute. 

What else can I note? The only memorable bit of music is when De La Croix fishes out the mermaid. The violin theme so obviously like those in Pirates of the Caribbean. The mermaid's cave looks straight out of the Disneyland ride. Its overall visual effects aren't spectacular, but they aren't awful. There's also some decent location shooting at the actual Versailles. William Hurt is also on hand as the only interesting character, Pere La Chaise, the King's advisor who ends up helping Marie-Josephe free the mermaid.

Almost a decade of micromanagement hasn't been kind. Or maybe it wasn't good to begin with? The King's Daughter is a boring but short movie. A book about its making, as well as the actual source novel, sounds more interesting. Its story beats have been done better in other films. See those other films (like ET, Free Wily) instead. If you want a recent family film with a strong female protagonist, then you have to see Belle. You'll feel a lot more for its main character than anyone in this film.

Passing

Now for the other film I saw yesterday. The film is Passing, which Rebecca Hall adapted from Nella Larsen's 1929 novel for her directorial debut. It's got a lot to say in its 99 minutes.

It's the 1920s. Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare Bellew (Ruth Negga) are light-skinned Black women in New York. While both can pass for white, only Clare does so, married to the disgustingly casual racist John (Alexander Skarsgard). They meet again while dining in a hotel. The happy reunion sours when Irene grows a tad jealous over Clare able to sit pretty in a racist society. It gets worse when Clare decides to mingle with Irene and her family.

My description of John isn't hyperbole. He tells Irene about Clare's darkening skin complexion and how his term of endearment for her is something I'm not going to say. He casually tells Irene what he thinks of black people. It all leads to some awkward laughter for all. He doesn't need to do much to make the audience hate every bit of him from the word go. 'Less you think he's joking, he's not; the finale shows his berserk button smashed with full force once he realizes the truth. The finale is sure to get you talking over Clare's final fate.

Its leads are far more likable and sympathetic. They both try to navigate their racist society in their own ways. Their frustrations over their struggle to pass is palpable. We see Irene with suppressed anger over John's casual racism. But she still tries to shield her sons from the horrors of the racist South despite her husband Brian's (Andre Holland) insistence. She sees Clare and she thinks she has it easy. But it's not; we see her breakdown over this a few times. Her easy life is not a good way to live. They never lose their audience sympathy despite their final outcome.

Can you guess what colors Ret Turner designed the costumes in? Not with Eduard Grau's black-and-white cinematography, you can't. A red hat could've been yellow on set. The monochrome style helps hide Irene and Clare's complexions, and stomps on arbitrary ethnic divisions perfectly. The production design by Nora Mendis is most striking during the snowy finale. All in all, the technical crew is Irene and Clare's biggest ally in their struggle.

Passing is a stylish directorial debut with a captivating story. It's as relevant now as it was back then. A few controversies have only added to its relevance. Be prepared for its sudden finale. It not only lives up to its hype, but it needs more of it. You can add to it if you have Netflix. It's ready for you anytime.

The Lost Daughter

I doubled up movies today. They have quite a bit in common: both are on Netflix, are based on books, feature the directorial debut of a noted actress and are up for Outstanding First Time Director at the Directors Guild Awards.

The Lost Daughter is Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, based on the 2006 novel by Elena Ferrante. I think it has the DGA First Time Director Award in the bag, given its recent Golden Globe nomination. But is it worthy of the top Oscars?

I don't know.

We find renowned academic Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) on holiday in Greece. She's not much of a people person. But Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter, Elena (Athena Martin), get her attention. She gets in their good graces when Elena is lost and found. But for whatever reason, Leda decides to hold onto Elena's dolly.

Meanwhile, we see flashbacks of her unhappy family life. She (Jessie Buckley) and her husband Joe (Jack Farthing) had two daughters and academic careers. But Leda struggled under pressure and sought solace with another man. She finds herself wondering if she made the right life choices.

Its pacing is its biggest drawback. Present Leda's holiday is somewhat uneventful. She inadvertently shares a bed with a cicada, finds some rotten fruit and deals with some unpleasant people time. A few instances, such as dealing with hecklers in a movie theater, are the only instances I sympathized with Present Leda. Its pacing was such that I thought it was fifty minutes before the Elena Lost and Found episode. Upon rewatch, I realized it was a more reasonable thirty minutes. Present Leda drags out the plot by holding onto dolly. Why?

Past Leda is better. "I'm suffocating," she says, under the pressure of family life. A lot of it is from having too much responsibility hoisted on her. We can understand her frustrations with her kids' loudness. She gets some fun time with her kids, though. A few nice moments too, such as when she tends to one of the girls' cut fingers. While she does leave Joe for Prof. Hardy (Peter Sarsgaard), it only adds to Present Leda's mounting issues.

Nina is a fine contrast to Present Leda. She has a happyish family life despite having an affair. She tells Present Leda that her husband won't take it well if he finds out. Her exact words are sure to shock you - just as it did me and Present Leda. The Grand Theft Dolly taxes her patience exponentially. It's made clear when she and Present Leda finally fall out. We sympathize with Nina's frustrations even if we don't agree with her method. 

This is a film that punishes waning attention spans. The Lost Daughter is sure to test them with its slow 121-minute plot and its double narrative. If anything, the flashbacks do a good job explaining its main character's unhappiness. That's no excuse for stealing the kid's doll, but even she recognizes her own flaws in the end. It's enough for one to not wish too much ill on her. It's ready on Netflix if you want to see what the awards hype is all about. I'm ambivalent on it. I don't know if you will be.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

Dracula and his spooky friends have a lot to adjust to in their fourth outing in the Hotel Transylvania. For starters, Adam Sandler is substituted as Dracula by Brian Hull, while his pal Frank goes from Kevin James to Brad Abrell. But you can barely tell the difference; the actors do that great a job.

More noticeable, however, is that this entry, subtitled Transformania, has forgone theaters in favor of Amazon Prime. It also substitutes director Genndy Tartakovsky for Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska. It's got some issues, but I can't hate it at all.

This time, Dracula plans to retire from the Hotel Transylvania and leave it to daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) and son-in-law Johnny (Andy Samberg). But word quickly reaches them, so Drac has to back-pedal and tell Johnny that he can't inherit the hotel because of "monster real-estate laws." So, Johnny visits Dr. Van Helsing to make him a monster. The Doctor makes a dragon out of Johnny with his new transforming wand. The wand can also humanize monsters, so Drac tries to humanize Johnny. But Drac accidentally humanizes himself and his pals, Frank, Griffin, Murray and Wayne.

The Macguffin Crystal that powers the wand is now broken. So, Johnny and Dracula are directed to South America to find a replacement. Hilarity ensues. What's not hilarious is that the monsterizing won't stop until Johnny is a mindless beast. So, Mavis and company join them to beat the deadline.

What are my issues with it? Its basic premise is too similar to the first movie. Both of them are about Dracula accepting Johnny as a family member. It's been ten years and he hasn't? Wayne's life with his absurdly numerous kids and his eternally expecting Wanda (Molly Shannon) has gotten old too. 

 And that's it, actually. Let's get to the positives.

The zany cartoon antics are as lively as ever. The facial expressions and slapstick are sure to get some chuckles. There are some funny gags involving the humanized monsters. Dracula and Johnny get some amusing father and son-in-law bonding time. They even bond over a loopy marshmallow analogy. There's plenty of kid-friendly action scenes for those who can't stand kiddy slapstick. Gigi, Van Helsing's literal guinea pig for his wand, makes for a funny threat. The finale turns it into an amusing shaggy dog story.

The spooky aesthetics are still appealing as ever. The best designs come from Ericka's (Kathryn Hahn), aka Mrs. Dracula's, airship, and the crystal cave where they end up. We even get a humorous gag when the CGI visuals go 2D; I'm not telling you when. 

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania promises to be the final outing for Dracula and his friends. Still, Johnny's dragon antics make him a news hero, so if the franchise continues, that's where it should check-in. It's sure to entertain kids and annoy serious adults. The plot is decent even if it's too familiar. I also didn't hate the cast of monsters or their human pals. It's only 87 minutes, so it should make for an easy home matinee any time.

The Tragedy of Macbeth

I've decided to add to my expenses an Apple TV+ subscription. I get the first three months free, so let's start right away with The Tragedy of Macbeth, in which Joel Coen, and not with Ethan, conjures up perhaps the spookiest rendition of Shakespeare's play. 

Macbeth (Denzel Washington) has just led the armies of Scotland to victory against the evil Thane of Cawdor. He and his pal Banquo (Bertie Carvel) meet three Witches (all Kathryn Hunter) who tell them some prophecies. Namely that Macbeth will be king, while Banquo's heirs will be kings. When good King Duncan (Brendan Gleeson) pays Macbeth a visit, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) tells him to make true the prophecy ...with regicide.

Macbeth is now King of Scotland and not a nice one. He decides to kill off anyone that'll get in his way. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth becomes a guilt-ridden, sleepwalking mess. A few of the Witches' unlikely prophecies are about to come true ...

Subtle mood, thy won't find it here. The black-and-white cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel and production design by Stefan Dechant that would fit right with Nosferatu tell you what kind of film this is. Before all that, we hear the Witches' unnerving voices over a black screen with one word: When. That's when we also hear the first of Carter Burwell's haunting score, which is on this year's Oscar shortlist. The sound designers also amp up a few sound effects, like dripping water, to unsettling loudness.

Let's discuss everyone but Macbeth first. A highlight of the supporting cast is Hunter, whose three Witches act like they're really one. They even sound the same. Hunter's experience as a contortionist is used to great effect here. Stephen Root steals his one scene as the Porter of Castle Macbeth. Ross (Alex Hassell) seems the most uncertain with his lines, though his mannerisms were perfectly conniving. The two men who join Ross in killing Banquo (Scott Subiono and Brian Thompson) are surprisingly entertaining. Macduff (Corey Hawkins) has his best moments when Macbeth's slaughter of his household provokes his rage. 

Denzel Washington as Macbeth adds to his resume of charismatic villains. He's reluctant at first to speed up the line of succession, but when he does, it's a nightmarish sight. His paranoia frequently explodes in unsettling rage. His voice is fresh out of emotion once he realizes he's done. His Lady, meanwhile, is a vicious schemer, though her semi-heel face turn is a bit quick. That doesn't detract from her shouts of "Out! Damned Spot!"

The Tragedy of Macbeth seems shorter than its 105 minutes. It's not just because Coen trimmed down the text. That's true, but I also read the play before and saw Roman Polanski's version in High School. The text and production values result in an unforgettable claustrophobic thriller. I saw this on my phone but that was no detriment to its presentation. You might get to see it in theaters if you're lucky. At least Apple TV+ is not as expensive as a few other streamers...

Belle

Didn't I review this movie years ago?

On a titular basis, yes. 

But this Belle, Mamoru Hosoda's follow-up to his first Oscar nominated anime film, takes after Beauty and the Beast and The Matrix more than real life. What kind of film does that result in? A visually and emotionally appealing one. It's available in both English and Japanese screenings; either one is a great choice.

Suzu Naito (Kylie McNeil) used to sing with her mother as a kid. But then her mom died saving a kid from a raging river. She can't bring herself to sing until her best friend, the brainy Hiroka (Jessica DiCicco), comes in. Hiro invites Suzu onto U, a digital platform whose users biometrically sync up with their avatars. Suzu uploads a group photo, and it generates an avatar, Belle, mixing her and her popular classmate, Ruka (Hunter Schafer). Belle becomes the world's most popular digital superstar with Hiro as her "manager." 

One of her concerts is disrupted by a rough avatar referred to as The Dragon (Paul Castro Jr) with self-appointed "Justices" in pursuit. The top Justice, Justin (Chace Crawford), doesn't take kindly to "The Beast's" roughhousing in the U fighting arenas and wants to unmask him. Belle is intrigued by the heavily bruised Dragon and wants to appeal to him. But that would make Justin want to unmask her instead. How would the masses react to Belle being a mousy high schooler? Or has Suzu's time in the digital world made her stronger IRL?

The film opens with Suzu, already Belle, performing to adoring digital fans on a flying whale outfitted with speakers. These digital fans are CGI characters made to look 2D. It's an appealing and rarely obvious combination. Disney veteran Jin Kim designed Belle, who fits right in with the studio's princesses. U itself is a stunning digital world designed with help by the Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, who most recently did Wolfwalkers. 

These visuals are paired with an amazing soundtrack. Among the numerous names composing the score include Ludvig Forssell, Taisei Iwasaki, Yuta Bandoh and Daiki Tsuneta. The lyrical side also has Hosoda himself and Kaho Nakamura, who also voices Suzu/Belle herself in Japanese. Belle's four songs are thematically appropriate to the story itself. The opening number sells us on U being a digital paradise, while Belle's debut single is surly an appeal to her late mom. The others are, at least partially, appeals to The Dragon, who as it turns out, is an abused boy. The visuals paired with those two don't help one's composure.

But a few characters do. Hiro gets the best lines, while a few of the false Dragon leads prove amusingly pathetic IRL. Suzu goes to war with her classmates over a rumor in a scene which plays out as an online war game. She then gets to play matchmaker between Ruka and their dorky sportsman classmate, Shinjiro (Brandon Engman). Ruka, though popular, is no mean girl, which adds to her appeal. Another U popstar, Peggy Sue, is hilarious when she finds herself dethroned by Belle, but ultimately supports her. 

Suzu spends the movie coming out of her shell. We see her niceness throughout the film, but she proves herself strong when she stands up for The Dragon online and IRL. The Dragon only shows himself Beastly to Belle when she meets him in his castle. But we eventually get to see his soft side; maybe earlier, as he doesn't hurt Belle during his concert interruption. Their IRL meeting is nice, but one may question what happens next for him. Justin, meanwhile, abandons any likability when he beats up The Dragon's innocent AI familiars. It's a relief when his sponsors turn against him at the end. 

None of Belle's 124 minutes were ever boring. A bit confusing in places and rushed in others, but it's not too detrimental. It's got great characters with an excellent mixture of music and visuals. That mixture alone warrants the biggest screen possible. I'm sure that'll magnify its emotional story. It's a further case for distributing international animated films wider and wider. Or even a few more musical anime films. 

A few films I'm hoping will play locally are certain Oscar contender, Flee, and another anime, Pompo the Cinephile. When?

Don't Look Up

Comedy often works best when you don't dwell on pain too much. That explains why Mel Brooks said that "Tragedy is when I cut my finger; comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." You'll understand the relevance of that quote as I discuss Adam McKay's satire, Don't Look Up. 

Hopefully ...

PHD Candidate Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) spots a comet with the Subaru Telescope. Her professor, Randall Mindy (Leonardo Dicaprio) calculates that it will smash into Earth in six months and two weeks. After that, goodbye to everything. There's just one problem: outside of the scientific community, nobody cares.

President Orlean (Meryl Streep) takes some interest in stopping the comet. But that goes out the window when evil rich man Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance) tells her of the embarrassment of riches comprising the comet. Riches, need I remind you, are useless in a mass-extinction event. The baddies vilify Dibiasky and Mindy when they try to warn the public themselves. 

It's not so subtle about its messaging. It presents the general population as infuriating morons. Dibiasky and Mindy go on a morning show, whose anchors (Tyler Perry and Cate Blanchett), try to sugarcoat the coming apocalypse. Dibiasky's understandable breakdown gets her mocked on social media. The baddies abort their first and best chance to save the world right after launch. Their plan to mine the comet is a spectacular disaster. Our heroes attempt to save the world repeatedly fall on deaf ears. Its 138-minute runtime drags out the looming dread too long.

Is there any ray of sunshine? A few of the skewed priority gags, including those surrounding a controversial Supreme Court pick (Erik Parillo), were funny. Ron Perlman's here as Benedict Drask, pilot of the aborted mission, and one of the few characters outside the heroes' inner circle I didn't wish death on. The inner circle includes Yule (Timothee Chalamet), a cool skater dude who starts dating Dibiasky. Nicholas Britell's score adds some appropriate gravitas to the story. But the biggest ray of sunshine is that, as the mid-credits show, the baddies' attempt to save themselves is also a disaster.

Mindy and Dibiasky are ultimately the most sympathetic characters here. Sure, they're surrounded by sheeple and their overlords, but they find the Earth worth saving (so does the movie, as its use of natural stock clips suggests). You'll feel their frustration as they're ignored, vilified or worse. Orlean and her doofus son, Jason (Jonah Hill), seem reasonable despite their self-centeredness. But they show their true colors when Isherwell enters the picture. He's quite a creepy villain despite being seemingly awkward. Perhaps the most prominent of the numerous bit characters are pop stars Riley Bina (Arianna Grande) and DJ Chello (Scott Mescudi), who ultimately perform the Oscar-shortlisted Just Look Up.

Don't Look Up is supposed to satirize the response to climate change. But I'd think the common man is more adept with dealing with that than a planet-killing comet. It's quite a depressing comedy when you think about it. Actually, the film wants you to know that the end of the world isn't fine. Did it make its point rather well? Too well? Or not at all? You can find out for itself if you see it on Netflix.

The Matrix Resurrections

There are plenty of movies that I couldn't schedule for last year. So, let's get many of them this year. I'll start my movie year with The Matrix Resurrections, which sees series co-creator Lana Wachowski fly solo without her collaborator/sister, Lily, to continue the story they concluded in 2003. Let's see how it is.

Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is the creator of The Matrix video game trilogy. Warner Bros wants him and his business partner (Jonathan Groff) to continue the story with a Matrix 4. Meanwhile, Mr. Anderson has trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. It seems he's conflating his life with that of Neo, the hero of The Matrix trilogy. It turns out that he is indeed Neo, and his normal world is The Matrix itself.

The Matrix Revolutions seemingly ended with Neo sacrificing himself to free humanity from their machine overlords. But he and his love interest Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), who also died in that movie, are still alive. His old mentor Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, substituting for Laurence Fishburne) and a few new rebel hackers free Neo's mind. Neo wants to free Trinity, who's now a married woman named Tiffany, too. His old human ally Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith) says no, while his analyst (Neil Patrick Harris) wants him plugged in again. His aforementioned business partner is actually his old nemesis Agent Smith (previously Hugo Weaving). It's not going to be easy for anyone.

Every time they talk about the in-movie video game trilogy is bluntly obvious metafictional commentary on the real film trilogy. How so? A few shallow-minded programmers have nothing useful to add to the new game beyond bullet time. The Merovingian (Lambert Wilson), a co-villain from Reloaded, is now a raving homeless man ranting about how sequels and remakes suck. I'm sure that Lana and her co-writers, David Mitchell and Aleksander Hemon, wrote the film as a huge take that to both mindsets. But their way to continue the series feels like running a mile after finishing a marathon. Its 148-minute runtime tries many a patience.

One of the new hackers, Bugs (Jessica Henwick), is the best of the new cast. She only saw Neo once when he, as Mr. Anderson, tried to jump off a building, which inspired her to free her mind. She and her fellow hackers are endearing as they gush over getting involved in Neo's story. Abdul-Mateen is a great substitute as Morpheus, while Groff is a decent new Smith. Harris is a warm presence as The Analyst, and an OK one when he turns out to be the true villain. Wilson's scene as The Merovingian is so bizarre, I forgot who he was until later. The makeup team that aged him and Pinkett-Smith did a great job here.

But the makeup team has to sit out on Oscar night. The Visual Effects and Sound teams, however, are deservedly shortlisted this year. There's plenty of action on the visual side, including bullet time and bullet stopping. There's also some stunning digital scenery, including a shot with Neo walking through a half-binary and half-real city. Cinematographers Daniele Massaccesi and John Toll should be commended for their alluring color palette here. The most memorable sound effects come from the creepy machines, including the Bots, who are inhuman sleeper agents. Johnny Klimek & Tom Tykwer's score sets a strong pace for the cyberpunk action.

Overall, The Matrix Resurrections is a groggy sequel to a dormant franchise. Its technical side is wide awake, but its storytelling is rusty. It's quite hard to continue a series after its original conclusion was conclusive. But I don't hate the film. It did inspire me to read up on the originals' philosophies. The first film's mix of philosophy and action was extraordinary back then and now. If this new film sparks some more interest in philosophy, then this "mindless sequel" isn't a total waste of time.