The American Society of Magical Negroes

 Yes, folks, The American Society of Magical Negroes is an actual film title. Believe it or not, it's not actually the most awkward film title this year; just wait until you hear about Nightbitch. Maybe they'll tie for awkwardness, but for now, let's see what this film has to offer.

The Magical Negro in the title is a stock Black character - famously mocked by Spike Lee in a college lecture tour in 2001 - whose only function in a story is to assist the white protagonist. Some are more magical than others, such as John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) in The Green Mile, Bagger Vance (Will Smith) from The Legend of Bagger Vance, or even this film's titular American Society. It's the Society's job to protect their fellow Blacks by assisting whites.

Its newest member is Aren (Justice Smith), a failed yarn artist, who is saved from a potentially lethal misunderstanding by Roger (David Alan Grier). Once inducted, Aren is tasked with enriching Jason (Drew Tarver), a designer at Meetbox, a Social Media company. Aren joins Meetbox as Jason's work partner. They both fall for Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), but the Society forces Aren to put his feelings aside for his "client." What is he to do?

This is the filmmaking debut of Kobi Libii, who was the "citizen journalist" in Comedy Central's The Opposition with Jordan Klepper. His Magical World is at its best when it shows off its wizardry. An animated glove housekeeps at Society HQ, while its leader, DeDe (Nicole Byer), proudly levitates above everyone else. Aren and Roger start off by befriending a nervous police officer, Miller (Tim Baltz), and magically change his self-image for a night at a club. The climax even has Aren teleporting Lizzie to the Empire State Building and accidentally leave her there (long story, might explain later). I think the effects are good, suffice to say, but Michael Abels's magical score is the film's secret weapon.

Things aren't that perfect with the story. Roger points out that the Society "does more for black people than a hundred marches." Where were they for many a hate crime over the years? Sure, it's noble to disarm people of hate, but what if that doesn't work? The film doesn't answer those questions. It only somewhat explores how the Society's enforcing of the Magical Negro trope has exasperated its members. Roger was forced to let the woman he loved marry a client, while another is expelled and mindwiped for passive aggressiveness. A lot of that examination is saved for the end, particularly with Aren's big speech. But it spends more time with the love triangle subplot than dealing with any uncomfortable logic.

What about the characters? Aren makes for a decent protagonist, as well as a good viewpoint character for the Society. There's no denying that his big speech is well-acted even amidst the imperfect story. He and Lizzie have good chemistry from the moment they meet. It's quite awkwardly funny when he's teleported away just after he warps himself and Lizzie to the Empire State Building (there's an explanation). Jason is an insensitive blowhard, but he has a few good moments. Keyword, few. As for the Society, Roger is likable, while DeDe makes the most of her scenes with hammy humbleness. We have a few perfectly exasperating characters with Lacey (Mia Ford), the unintentional impetus of Aren's recruitment, and Meetbox boss Mick (Rupert Friend). That's not the same as funny, believe me.

If you want to see what the fuss is all about, you can stream The American Society of Magical Negroes on Peacock like I did. Its story isn't perfect, but its Magical World has a few great concepts. It's not a total disaster, so there's that. Like its protagonist, it just needs a little more assertiveness. See it soon if you want to see what I mean. That's it for now.

The Fall Guy

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have recently announced that an Oscar for Best Casting will be a thing a few years from now. I bring this up because the Academy has yet to acknowledge Stunt Coordinators with their own Oscar category. Isn't it about time someone acknowledged those who arrange all the dangerous stuff normal actors can't do?

David Leitch - himself a former stuntman - pays homage to his former profession with The Fall Guy, the film version of that one show Lee Majors did after The Six-Million Dollar Man. It opens with a homage of contemporary movie stunts - including a bit from Leitch's own Atomic Blonde - before it introduces us to stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling). He frequently doubles for superstar Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) while he carries on a professional - and personal - relationship with camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). It's a good life until Colt's latest stunt sends him falling with the camera to ground level. 

A year later, Colt is in the doldrums until Tom's producer Gail (Hannah Waddingham) calls. He's wanted on the set for Tom's latest film, Metalstorm, a space western which marks none other than Jody's directorial debut. Colt will do anything for love, even come out of retirement, and he does. But Jody didn't want him on the set; she's still mad at him for leaving her. She's forced to make do with him anyway. Meanwhile, Ryder himself is missing, and it's up to Colt to find him for reasons. Things get even more difficult when someone sets up Colt for murder. A fall guy becomes The Fall Guy, so to speak.

This is a complicated, yet simplistic movie. It's a film where Colt and Jody mirror each other in an impressive split screen shot, where Colt fights and later has a casual talk with co-star and henchwoman Iggy (Teresa Palmer), and where Colt starts seeing unicorns during a trip. The villains employ digital trickery to frame Colt, a scary prospect for real actors worried about their likenesses being stolen. Their frameup, however, would easily collapse upon scrutiny, and the only reason it doesn't here is that a few characters are idiots (not naming names). They're not the deepest characters around, but they're still likable, even the villains to an extent. Colt and Jody are especially likable together and they have a few great supporting characters with them. A few highlights include Alma (Stephanie Hsu), the PA who exonerates Colt; stunt-coordinator Dan Tucker (Winston Duke); and Jean-Claude the Blue Heeler. It's unfortunately easy to lose track of them when the film overexplains itself.

There's quite a bit to like about this film. Colt's first stunt on Metalstorm actually set a real Guiness Record, and you'll know why when you see it. Colt later endures repeated takes of him getting set on fire and slammed against a rock in an absurdly long and weirdly amusing scene. The action scenes are delightfully silly, but none more so than Colt literally dumpster surfing across Sydney to save Alma from goons, while Jody sings Phil Collins's Against All Odds at Karaoke. The climax, where the Metalstorm crew helps Colt and Jody stop the villains, is simply awesome. The end credits show us the action being filmed live, but the digital effects they still used are pretty good. I especially liked the "finalized" Metalstorm scenes we see during filming.

The Academy may not recognize stunt coordinators, but let's hope they consider editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir's work. The Fall Guy's plot maybe complicatedly daft, but the action scenes she puts together are unforgettable. It's not only worth seeing them on the big screen, but it's worth hearing other audience members' reactions to its silliest gags. There's plenty of memorable laughs during its 126-minutes; stay through the credits for a really big one. I'm a bit curious to watch an episode or two of the show after I've spent my whole life without knowing of it. Maybe you might too.

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver

A long time ago in Zack Snyder's version of Kurosawa's galaxy far, far, away ...

REBEL MOON

PART TWO

THE SCARGIVER

The Magnificent Space Samurai, now fully assembled, return to the farming moon of VELDT to celebrate their victory over the evil ADMIRAL NOBLE of the MOTHERWORLD.

Noble, seemingly slain by former soldier KORA, has been resurrected by the Motherworld, and prepares to bring war to Veldt. The SCAR she GAVE him is his pride; her capture would elevate it.

With five days to prepare for Noble, the Magnificent Space Samurai train the peaceful villagers to defend their REBEL MOON from annihilation.

This is a marginal improvement over Part One. The exposition is still dense, but we have some mitigating factors this time around. Jimmy the Robot's (Anthony Hopkins) opening narration is noticeably shorter here than in Part One (for one thing, the title crawls in during the narration than just after). Our heroes narrate their backstories in a series of flashbacks which gives Snyder plenty of room to show more of his galaxy. Of these flashbacks, Kora's (Sofia Boutella) flashback is the most memorable as we see how she was thrown under the bus for Big Bad Balisarius's (Fra Free) assassination of the former Motherworld royal family. Only a few moments in these flashbacks could have been better shown, but it's a minor quibble.

It's also an improvement for its characterization. As you may recall, cyborg swordswoman Nemesis (Doona Bae) was introduced in Part One in a boss battle already in progress. She gets a few moments to establish her aloof nature, which is much more than she had previously. Private Aris (Sky Yang), the sympathetic Motherworld soldier, figures greatly into the plot as he plays double agent for Veldt. Jimmy the Robot gets his moment to shine during the final battle. The Motherworld's Slain King - whom a recent comic Christened Athander (Cary Elwes) - is truly pitiable in his last moments. Millius (E. Duffy), a character so minor I didn't mention them last time, stands out a lot more here.

Nearly half of its 123-minutes is devoted to the final battle alone. In the meantime, we get plenty of decent moments as General Titus (Djimon Hounsou) and Tarak (Staz Nair) train the Veldtians and prepare their defense. Its strongest scenes show how much our heroes have been accepted on Veldt. Meanwhile, Noble sees through their defense strategy before he even makes moonfall. It's cathartic, then, that he's legitimately taken off guard by several surprise bazooka blasts from up-close. The final battle is lengthened with false victories, false defeats, a few deaths (only one of which is tragic), and more before our heroes' triumph. That's quite a lot to take in.

What can I say about its technicals? I've reminded myself repeatedly while watching that our heroes ride not horses, but Urakis, on Veldt. The CGI used for them are that seamless. The final battle's best moments come when Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) get aboard Noble's massive flagship to take the fight to him. Let's just say it's an impressive space for a final battle. Speaking of space, its outer space imagery is beyond impressive even on a small TV screen. Tarak's home planet of Samandrai has the most alluring production and costume designs we see of the new planets. Once again, Tom Holkenborg's score perfectly accentuates its grand space opera tone.

A Child of Fire and The Scargiver were supposed to be it for Snyder's galaxy. But there's now supposed to be a few more movies on the way. The Scargiver even ends with a cliffhanger concerning the former royal family. I'm curious to see how it's resolved in, hopefully, Part Three. I'm pretty sure how it'll unfold given a minor scene in A Child of Fire, but let's hope for creativity. Both current films are still on Netflix if you want to see what I mean. You can also wait for the director's cuts for both later this year. With all due respect, I won't.

Challengers

I've heard much about Luca Guadagnino's Challengers ever since it started production in 2022. It had to sit it out since last fall due to the Hollywood strikes, but it's now finally ready for showtime this weekend. What can you expect if you enter its court?

Well, much like a ball going back and forth in a tennis match, the film goes back and forth in time to tell us the tale of a love triangle. It all starts in 2006, when best friends and tennis players Art Donovan (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) meet fellow player Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). While they maybe doubles partners, the guys become rivals for Tashi's affections, which Patrick initially wins. Patrick's ego drives away Tashi, who soon suffers a crippling knee injury in a match. Tashi soon becomes Art's tennis coach, and eventually, his wife. Patrick, meanwhile, lives out of his car.

Patrick and Art eventually square off at the final match of a 2019 Challenger event. The whole film is centered around this match, with the lead-up gradually unfolding with flashbacks. Everyone has a lot more to lose than just a nice check. Art is already a Tennis pro looking for his way out of the game. Patrick is just trying to survive. Tashi's vicarious tennis career with Art is threatened; meanwhile, she finds herself falling for Patrick again. That's a lot to think about.

This is a dynamic film on a technical level. The tennis matches are wonderfully shot and edited by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and Marco Costa, respectively. They make even the most ordinary moments on the court look larger than life. Among the most impressive bits of camera work are the low-angle shots of bouncing balls. It's seemingly from the ground's POV, if that makes sense. The nonlinear story is easy to follow, though its gradual pace and overall runtime (131-minutes) need some getting used to. What's instantly easy to get used to is Reznor and Ross's latest exciting score. Their fast-paced music perfectly accentuates the fast-paced love triangle and tennis matches, but it also slows down for a few tender moments. The music cutting out for an "ordinary" match makes for great punctuation.

Its three stars play a great game, so to speak. They're compelling even at their most unlikable. Patrick, for instance, may seem like a cool dude, but his giant ego is so off-putting. Art nursing an old injury and growing resentment for the sport makes him easily the most sympathetic character. Tashi, meanwhile, effortlessly plays them against each other. She asks Patrick to throw the match, while she threatens to leave Art if he loses. Is she serious with the latter? Either way, there's never a dull moment with her around. 

Art and Patrick's relationship is just as strong as their romantic rivalry. Faist and O'Connor's chemistry is great whether they play Art and Patrick as friends, more than friends, or bitter rivals. The origins of their love triangle with Tashi, as well as them gradually renewing that triangle on the court, are captivating. I'm certain an early scene will be the film's most talked about moment. 

Challengers makes for a memorable choice for date night or afternoon matinee. A few critics have already complained about its runtime, but I think it's an appropriate runtime for its complicated love triangle. You'll barely notice it once the relationships fluctuate both on and off-court. As an MGM movie, it's only a matter of time before it hits Amazon, but it's worth hearing fellow moviegoers' reactions in-person. You'll truly understand how much it's worthy of the hype. 

That's it for now.

City Hunter

Hey Jethro, wha's this that came in the mail?

First off, Baxter, why'd you open my mail? Second ... "XYZ - Go to Netflix." 

What do they mean by that?

If I get the context, then someone wants me to review City Hunter on Netflix. It's the latest live-action film of Tsukasa Hojo's seminal eighties manga, but the first such adaptation from Japan. Hong Kong had one with Jackie Chan in 1993, while France had another in 2018 directed by and starring Phillipe Lacheau. I already had this film on my schedule, so let's play ...

(One movie later.)

Let's divulge what I thought.

Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki) is a private detective codenamed "City Hunter." He and his partner, Hideyuki Makimura (Masanobu Ando), will answer anyone who writes XYZ on a public message board in Shinjuku (hence my opening). Ryo can't resist a pretty face, to put it lightly, and one pretty face (Moemi Katayama) hires him to find her sister, Kurumi (Asuka Hanamura), a famous cosplayer. They find her being accosted by the Yakuza, but she doesn't want the "sweepers" (as the manga describes their line of work) to find her, either. She subsequently outruns and outjumps the duo in an extended chase scene. She even leaves behind two vials of a blue liquid.

Hideyuki heads off to join his younger adopted sister, Kaori (Misato Morita), for her birthday dinner. But a creepy guy literally crashes the party and kills Hideyuki. Ryo reluctantly partners with Kaori to track down the killers, and they even find Kurumi and take her in. It turns out that the blue liquid is the drug Angel Dust, a super-steroid that makes people stronger and aggressive before it kills them. It's manufactured by the evil Union Teope cartel and Kurumi is their first living test subject. The cartel wants her back to refine the drug. Ryo and Kaori won't let that happen.

(Now for the thoughts.)

I'm sure one's enjoyment of the film depends on their opinion of Ryo. His immaturity might rub people the wrong way, but I found it weirdly amusing. He still has standards, which is exemplified when he prevents some creepy photographers at a convention from getting too close to Kurumi with some goofy photobombing. That then leads him into blocking tranq. shots from Union agent Brown Bear (Yasushi Ami), and an on-stage fight with the aforementioned pretty face (codenamed Scorpion). He'll drop the immaturity the second he needs to, whether it's to console Kaori with tough love or when the bad guys get serious. Needless to say, he's a complicated character.

Kaori and Kurumi's stories are the centerpieces of the screenplay. Kaori initially blows her first meeting with Kurumi by running in blind, but after that, the two's quick friendship is fun to watch. There's some more weird fun when they team up to get Ryo to take their case. Kurumi even helps Kaori cosplay for the convention, where Kaori has some fun with her prop hammer (a nod to a running gag in the manga). Their friendship makes it all the more compelling when Kaori joins Ryo to save Kurumi at the end.

On a more serious note, Kurumi's initial evasiveness is understandable once we learn the extent of her plight. It's quite effective when she reveals that Scorpion, who introduced herself to Ryo as her sister, isn't. Kaori gets a few other great scenes; the first when she unloads to Ryo about her unresolved issues with Hideyuki and the second when she has Big Bad Kunio Konno (Takaya Sakoda) at gunpoint but can't bring herself to kill him. In the end, Kurumi gets a nice coda, while Kaori and Ryo get a funny last scene together.

The fight choreography, as mentioned earlier, is excellent. Besides the convention fights, Ryo shows off some astounding marksmanship against waves of goons, while the opening chase includes some impressive slapstick. The production design gives us an amazing laboratory for the Union. The costuming does enough to evoke the characters' manga selves without looking like cosplay, too. Still, the in-universe cosplay is quite alluring. The music by Otomo Yoshihide is nifty, but the end credits' remix of the anime's iconic closer, Get Wild, is easily the most memorable bit of music. There's not much wrong with the technicals, other than some obvious CGI, in this film.

City Hunter is newly available on Netflix as of yesterday. You might find its atypical hero annoying or entertaining, but the other two leads are undoubtedly endearing. At least you'll have some truly astounding fight scenes waiting for you once you press play. Its MacGuffin is also the plot device for the manga's latest anime film, City Hunter: Angel Dust, which debuted last September. There's supposed to be a theatrical release sometime this year, and I think I'll review it if and when it comes out. I'll be waiting.

Abigail

The "Dark Universe" may have been exorcised seven years ago, but Universal is still trying to bring back its legendary monsters to modern movie screens. One of its more obscure titles, 1936's Dracula's Daughter, is the starting point for Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet's (part of the filmmaking team of Radio Silence) new feature Abigail. This isn't a remake of the early film, but a whole new creature feature. What can you expect?

Six crooks snatch aspiring ballet dancer Abigail (Alisha Weir) and take her to a secluded mansion. The crooks are tasked by the mysterious Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito) to watch her until her father (Matthew Goode) coughs up the $50 million ransom. Lambert assigns the crew code names inspired by the Rat Pack; they consist of space cadet driver Dean (Angus Cloud, who died not long into filming), stoic sniper Rickles (Will Catlett), dumb muscle Peter (Kevin Durand), bratty hacker Sammy (Kathryn Newton), crooked cop Frank (Dan Stevens), and central character Joey (Melissa Barrera), who is assigned to watch Abigail.

The crew eventually learn that Abigail's father is Kristof Lazar, an ominous and unforgiving mob boss. That's not even the worse news; it turns out Abigail is a vampire. The Rat Pack spend the rest of the movie trying to scurry their way out of the mansion before Abigail kills or vampirizes them. That's basically it.

Of course, you'd already know Abigail's secret if you've seen the trailer over these last few months. And it was trailered a lot. Her bonding with Joey is almost convincing; she seems like a scared little kid, and Joey is quite sympathetic, but we, the audience, already know what's what. It takes roughly half-way through the 109-minute film before she shows her fangs. That might test some folks, but I think it has an interesting cast to help ease its audience along. They try to find their way out as soon as they realize something's wrong. It doesn't help the first victims, but at least they're proactive.

Weir absolutely relishes playing Abigail as a gleeful little monster. She still tries the scared kid act after she reveals herself but will gladly drop it once her "captors" see right through her. Her attacking the Rat Pack as a feral monster is horrific, but her dancing Swan Lake with her first victim's headless corpse is lunacy. She especially hams it up once she turns a survivor into her vampiric puppet. She has some ethics, particularly when Daddy Dearest shows up, but they're somewhat overshadowed by her little monster persona.

What about the Rat Pack? They're a pretty good crew, for the most part, and their likability mostly doesn't diminish when Abigail divulges the survivors' real backstories. Dean's quite loopy, while Rickles is just fine. Peter is a big lug with much of the film's funniest lines. Sammy has the brightest personality of the pack, as well as the saddest fate. Frank is quite unlikable well before Abigail tells the crew about his real backstory. He gets much worst from there. Joey, as mentioned before, is sympathetic, complete with an equally sympathetic real backstory. It's quite compelling to watch her fight back against the forces of darkness. Outside of the pack, Esposito and Goode make the most of their limited screen times.

Now for the technicals. The vampiric effects, whether it's Abigail flying or vampires exploding, are pretty well done. I'm not sure whether there was CGI involved in the vampiric designs. But if there were, it's quite seamless, which makes Abigail transforming in-camera all the more impressive. The mansion created by production designer Susie Cullen personifies creepiness, while its swimming pool holds its most horrific surprise. Brian Tyler's magnificent rendition of the Swan Lake theme is accompanied by a wonderfully haunting score. How many more movies will it take before he gets an Oscar nod?

Anyway, Abigail is an impressive blend of horror and absurdity. It's not afraid to admit it's silly, but then it shows us how scary its little monster can be. It helps that it's a got a good cast of would-be victims to help its audience through the monster delay. Anyone looking for a gleeful horror film will find it here. See it soon to see what I mean. That's it for now.

Spy x Family Code: White

After two seasons of anime misadventures, The Forgers, the titular family of Tatsuya Endo's Spy x Family, are ready for the big screen. Spy x Family Code: White debuted in Japan just before Christmas and is now ready to take on the North American Box Office. Let's see how their first cinematic mission went.

As the nations of Westalis and Oostania - basically West and East Germany - fight the Cold War, Westalian Secret Agent Loid Forger (alias Twilight) is tasked to investigate Oostanian political firebrand Donovan Desmond. For this end, Loid puts together a fake family to get into Donovan's son Damien's private school. He's unaware that his fake wife, Yor Briar, is the professional assassin Thorn Princess, their fake daughter Anya is a psychic, or that their dog Bond is a precog. This fake family slowly but surely becomes a real family.

Anyway, Loid's superiors decide to reassign him, which would threaten the not-so-fake family. He decides to get in their good graces by helping Anya win an upcoming cooking contest with the Judge's favorite dessert. That involves taking a family trip to the snowy country of Frigis, where the dessert originates. On the way there, the Forgers stumble upon a plot by the evil Col. Snidel to heat up the Cold War. Anya accidentally eats a chocolate MacGuffin, and the Colonel will do anything to get the microfilm it was holding out of her. Mr. and Mrs. Forger won't let that happen.

If one edits down the cold open, then it would make a good sitcom opening ("He's a world class spy. She's a deadly killer..."). Loid makes his way through a masquerade ball with secret documents, while Yor dispatches some hapless goons (Who are they? Who cares.). They make it home for family time with Anya and Bond, where we see the latter two's powers. That's quite an efficient opening for a TV show or movie. The series is pretty much an action sitcom, and like many sitcoms, or anime show movies, don't expect the status quo to change. How so? The plot is rendered all for nothing by a series of hilarious contrivances. 

Anya is the show's most popular character, so let's start with her. Her childish perspective is pretty endearing as she approaches the MacGuffin like a kid playing detective. We're a bit on edge as she's cornered by two goons - fortunately the comic relief duo - before Yor shows up. We're on edge for real when Snidel ties her up, though her ingenuity wins the day and saves Loid from nerve gas. Her dream sequences - rendered in crayon - are both quite hilarious and weird (particularly the second one). Her comical antics are a good contrast to her real fake parents' professions. 

One subplot that's not rendered moot is Yor's subplot. She spends the movie worrying that Loid is preparing to leave her after she sees him with another woman (actually fellow spy Fiona "Nightfall" Frost). She's easily pitiable despite her insecurity being somewhat played for laughs. It's quite moving when she and Loid get to talk it out on a Ferris Wheel, an accidental slap notwithstanding. It's easily Loid's best moment too, and they affirm their commitment when they go after Snidel aboard his mega Zeppelin. She even gets to use an unexpected tool to defeat an unstoppable cyborg. Overall, even those unfamiliar with the show will feel the "fake" family's real dynamic. They might fret what might happen once the secrets come out.

Now for a few other characters. Col. Snidel goes from confiscating Anya's dessert for himself to ordering his men to kill her. He does seem affable when he challenges Loid to a taste test to win back the dessert. But that affability goes away well before he shoots a random goon. He later orders his men to fire upon Loid, not even aware of his true identity. It makes one wonder how he'd react if he knew his extreme lengths to extract the microfilm were pointless. The two goons, Luka and Dmitri, are decent comic relief, though they're better as punching bags. On the subject of series veterans, Nightfall's gushing over Loid with the flattest of expressions is pretty amusing. It's actually relieving that Yor doesn't relapse into jitters when she sees Nightfall and Loid again.

The animation is about what you'd expect from the show: quite good. A few highlights include a sweeping shot across the opening masquerade ball, Loid exposing a carnival hustler's rigged game with some ingenious sharpshooting, his later dogfight with Snidel's mega Zeppelin, and Yor's battle with the cyborg. Its production design for Frigis is splendid, while the mega Zeppelin (it has a name, but I'm blanking on it for some reason) is quite cool. The show's composers, the band (K)now Name, reprise their roles on this film's soundtrack. Their soundtrack here is as jazzy and exciting as their work on the show. It may not be as proficient as a Ghibli film, but production company Wit Studio gets it done well.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to see Spy x Family Code: White as soon as possible. It's a fun action comedy that will entertain the fans and unfamiliar alike. You'll love the fake family's real dynamic and thrill at their adventures. It's sure to satisfy anyone waiting for Season 3 and is another reason that may get me to fully reactivate my Crunchyroll account. As I said, see it soon, for it will be quite a while before it comes to home media. See it soon whenever and however you can. It's a great "ooting" to the movies.

The First Omen

The 2006 remake of The Omen was averagely forgettable, but it had two excellent teaser trailers. And yes, I saw both films that same year. I'll have little trouble forgetting this prequel, The First Omen, which sees the directorial debut of TV director Arkasha Stevenson. Let's see why you won't forget it either.

Margaret Daino (Nell Tiger Free) is a novitiate who heads off to Rome to take her vows. She's first assigned to an orphanage where she meets a few characters. She tries to connect with Carlita (Nicole Sorace), a troubled orphan who draws her own nightmares, against uptight Sister Silvia's (Sonia Braga) instructions. Her fellow novitiate Luz (Maria Caballero) takes her to a disco for their last night of freedom. Margaret meets a guy, Paolo (Andrea Arcangeli) and they hit it off. And...

Margaret begins hallucinating demonic sights. She's been troubled by hallucinations all her life, much like Carlita is now, but it's gotten much worse. She also contends with actual disturbances, including the suicide of another nun, Anjelica (Ishtar Currie-Wilson), and the concurrent Years of Lead. The ultimate disturbance comes when Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson, tagging in for Patrick Troughton from the original) tells her of a conspiracy to bring about the Antichrist. Carlita is at the center of that conspiracy ... or, is she?

I know what some of you might be thinking. "Didn't I see this movie recently?" I didn't, but some of you may have, seen the movie Immaculate, which came out just a few weeks ago. That means there are two movies that center on a conspiracy to bring about the antichrist. I almost thought I went into the wrong movie for the first few minutes (why? I don't know). My theatre doesn't label their auditoriums, so for all I know, it could have been playing in the next auditorium over. 

Anyway, its first few minutes have Father Brennan take confession from a semi-reluctant conspirator, Father Harris (Charles Dance). Harris's ensuing death is a nervously amusing homage to Brennan's eventual demise in The Omen. Paolo's death by truck is so obviously telegraphed I was thinking "look both ways, you idiot" before it happened. Still, Paolo's death comes with a surprisingly gruesome twist. Anjelica's suicide, another homage to The Omen, gets creepier when she shows up in Margaret's nightmares. Its most disturbing imagery, however, comes from its depictions of childbirth, and with good reason. I can't describe it in detail here. Let's just say the conspiracy makes those scenes much worse.

Margaret starts off quite likable as she tries to get used to living abroad. She turns compelling when she tries to circumnavigate, and later fight back, against the conspirators. She has a strong relationship with Carlita as she tries to get her out of her shell, and it spectacularly pays off at the end. By herself, Carlita is just a compelling a lead as Margaret is. The conspirators - including Sister Silvia and Bill Nighy's Cardinal Lawrence - have a loony rationale, but that doesn't stop them from being certifiably odious.  Father Brennan has his best moments when he outlines the conspiracy to Margaret. He really sells us on the danger the villains pose to the world. He and the young Father Gabriel (Tawfeek Barhom) turn out to be our heroines' only real friends here.

Its gruesomeness is excellently constructed by editors Mark Murawski and Amy E. Duddleston. One disturbing highlight has Anjelica slowly reveal herself out of the darkness in a nightmare. Another highlight is a pivotal flashback where we see glimpses of Satan himself - a demonic jackal portrayed by a perfectly gruesome animatronic. The gloomy production design and cinematography collaborate the best when we're in the conspirators' lair. The sound design does wonders in accentuating the squickiness of it all. Mark Korven's score, much like Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning score from The Omen, is a good mix of booming terror and sweet serenity. Its most powerful moment comes when Ave Satani, The Omen's Oscar-nominated theme song, kicks in at the climax.

To say that The First Omen is disturbing is like saying water is wet. Of course it is. This happens to be a well-made disturbing film with a great lead and strong production values. I'm certain even the most avid horror fans might want to avert their eyes during a few scenes. It's a decently compelling prequel even if its script has a few inconsistencies with its originator. I'm a bit curious to see how a follow-up explains them away. But that's it for now.

Monkey Man

Monkey Man fought a long battle to get to the big screen. It was greenlit in 2018, had its production complicated by that pandemic in 2020, and was held up by Netflix (who paid $30 million for the rights) ever since. It was saved from oblivion by Jordan Peele, who got Universal to buy it for just $10 million. Let's finally see how it is.

This is essentially a showcase for Dev Patel, who makes his directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with Paul Angunawela and John Collee, and also stars as its nameless protagonist. Our hero, who is only called "Kid," fights at an underground fighting arena run by the unscrupulous Tiger (Sharlto Copley). He's a jobber who regularly gets beaten by all the "cool" fighters. His persona is "The Beast," a gorilla masked fighter inspired by the monkey deity Hanuman, a central figure in the Indian national epic, Ramayana. 

As a boy, his mother Neela (Adithi Kalkunte) and much of his village, were massacred by the corrupt police chief Rana Singh (Sikandar Kher), who acted under the orders of the also-corrupt guru Baba Shakti (Makarand Deshpande). He gets his chance for revenge when he's hired by crime boss and Madam Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar) on the kitchen staff of her VIP club. Rana is one of her regulars, but it takes time before our hero gets close to him. His first chance for revenge goes south, so he needs unconventional help to get him ready for round two.

This is a heavily political film, which is partially why Netflix got cold feet. Its villains are allegories for the government of current Prime Minister Modi; Shakti, in particular, is aiming to win an election for his Nationalist Party. A lot of the political references may fly over a few heads - I spent a good portion just now researching them - but the villains are still crooked enough that a few themes still get through. Our hero's unconventional help is a Hijra (third-gender in Hindi culture) community led by Alpha (Vipin Sharma). They're quite interesting characters who train him quite well and even provide backup in the final battle.

Its relatively sparse plot is told over the course of 121 minutes. It takes quite a while before our hero makes it to Rana, during which, he becomes involved with Sita (Sobhita Dhulipala), an escort under Queenie's employ. It's a decent relationship which suffers from her relative lack of screentime. All the while, Kid's backstory is gradually given in flashbacks, with the pivotal moment saved for the second half. It's quite easy to sympathize with Kid during his hero's journey before then. His fury, whether visceral or tranquil, is impressive, and he shows his humanity when he feeds a stray puppy. There's another ally, Alphonso (Pitobash), who gives him an in with Queenie, but he doesn't have much screentime.

The film is naturally livened by its brutal fight scenes. We get a few good arena fights for Kid to show his jobber role. When he finally gets to Rana, it sets off a long brawl which sees him fight off several goons, escape from corrupt cops and fight more goons. It also leads to the funniest moment in the film when a window escape attempt doesn't go as planned. The film's slow pace is validated when Kid makes his comeback in the arena. He knocks his frequent rival out with one boot to the head and defeats the follow-up opponent - a giant - with relative ease. The final battle makes for another excellent brawl; wait till you see his firecracker gun!

Those fight scenes are excellently edited by David Jansco & Tim Murrell and accentuated by a soundtrack which includes some surprising oldies and a great score by Jed Kurzel. Sharone Meir's cinematography gives some excellent use of color (i.e., Kid bathed in red light in the finale), and a stunning shot travelling from above to Shakti down below. All in all, Monkey Man is a good action thriller even if its major themes require plenty of context. I don't know if there'll be a sequel - I'm not talking about its box office, for once - but I'm curious as to what Patel might direct next. Hopefully, it'll be something good. 

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

It's funny that there are now two films where the big bad's endgame is to essentially start the next ice age. I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire both hit upon the same idea. But that's where any similarities end.

So, where am I going with this?

This time, Kong explores Hollow Earth for any other big apes like him, while Godzilla roams normal Earth fighting other Titans. Meanwhile, Monarch scientist Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) tries to connect with her adopted daughter, Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last surviving human from Skull Island. Jia senses something a great disturbance in the Force (so to speak) coming from Hollow Earth. Godzilla senses it too, which is why he gets up looking for power. Kong gets back to normal Earth when he gets a toothache. After that, Jia, Ilene, Titan veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens) and podcaster Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry), follow Kong back to Hollow Earth.

Meanwhile, Kong finally finds a whole tribe of other big apes. These apes are ruled by the evil Skar King, an old enemy of Godzilla who is looking for a way to get back to normal Earth. Kong can't defeat him and his ice-powered attack Titan, Shimo, alone, which is why he needs Godzilla. They're not exactly friends, but Jia might be able to help after she reconnects with survivors of her tribe, the Iwi. They have a prophesy that she'll reawaken the one force that can get the Kings of the Monsters together. That force is Mothra.

Everyone got that?

Director Adam Wingard and his co-writers get to the main event slowly but surely. It didn't take long before Godzilla and Kong met last time, but here, they don't meet until the third act. In the meantime, we go back and forth between Kong and the humans, with Godzilla showing up every so often. We empathize with Kong when his tooth breaks and are moved when he bonds with a young ape named Suko. Granted, their relationship doesn't start out smoothly, since Suko and some of his tribe ambush Kong. It's still awesome and funny to see Kong assert himself in the ape tribe. The Skar King needs little effort to convey how evil he is to the audience. Godzilla spends much of the film pretty grumpy, while Shimo is quite sympathetic. Their final takedown of Skar King makes the long buildup worth it.

In the human plotline, Ilene tries to help Jia adjust to modern civilization. When they encounter the Iwi, Ilene prepares for the possibility that Jia will go back to them. Their relationship is a great anchor for the monster madness, and their resolution is quite moving. Trapper, meanwhile, is a welcome addition for his bravado and his looking out for the big guy. Anyone intrigued by how giant monster dentistry works will get a cool demonstration. Bernie is amusing, while Mikael (Alex Ferns) the Red Shirt is really the only other human character of note.

The visual effects are quite nifty. The monsters are quite emotive, which is useful considering that they alone take up much of the screentime. Godzilla's upgraded magenta glow is neat, while Kong's metal gauntlet for the final battle (long story) is even neater. Mothra's new design is her best rendition since her look in King of the Monsters. The opening panoramic view of Hollow Earth is stunning, but the later battle between Godzilla and the Titan Scylla in Rome is impeded by the opening credits. The music by Tom Holkenborg and Antonio Di Iorio is fine, though not as memorable as the monsters' past films. The sound designs for the monsters, however, is quite impressive.

"Welcome to my World," as the Jim Reeves song, and by extension, this movie, beckons. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is sure to satisfy anyone and everyone who just wants to see monsters fighting. Its human story has some nice touches, but its monster story is just as riveting. I got to hand it to them how extensively it sells the monsters on nonverbal communication alone. It's not as deep as the now Oscar-winning Godzilla: Minus One, but it's still effective. See it however you can wherever you can. That's it for this month.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

 I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on Tuesday, and it took me until now to commit my thoughts to writing. A major factor is that there's a lot going on in this sequel, in which Afterlife's director Jason Reitman cedes the director's chair to his co-writer, Gil Kenan. Ultimately, it's fine, but less could have been more, and less could have been better explained more.

What do I mean?

Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), her beau Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd), and her kids Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), are now New York's latest team of Ghostbusters. One particularly destructive bust gets them sent to the mayor - none other than the first film's Walter Peck (William Atherton) - who is looking for any excuse to bust the team. Phoebe gets benched from the team soon after, and later meets a teen ghost named Melody (Emily Alyn Lind).

An aimless dude named Nadeem (Kumail Nanjiani) sells original buster Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) a metal orb that once belonged to his grandmother. This orb, as later revealed, houses the demon god Garraka (Ian Whyte), who's out to freeze the world solid. His influence is so powerful that other ghosts are scared silent. Meanwhile, the Ghostbusters' overflowing containment unit is about to burst, and Garraka wants its inmates for his cause.

There's quite a bit of subplots. Phoebe spends more time with Melody and covertly busts ghosts with her former classmate, Podcast (Logan Kim). Trevor discovers Slimer in the attic and tries to bust him. Gary tries to fit in with the Spenglers. Lucky Domingo (Celeste O'Connor) is now an intern for OG buster Winston Zeddemore's (Ernie Hudson) Paranormal Research Center. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) helps Nadeem discover his destiny as a firebender (long story). That sounds like a lot, but they need a lot of help to thaw out the demonic God once he shows up.

That's a lot of subplots for a 115-minute movie. A few other new characters, Dr. Hubert Wartzki (Patton Oswalt) and Dr. Lars Pinfield (James Acaster), are lost in the shuffle. Wartzki exposits on Garraka's mythology in his only scene, and while a fun presence, his role could have easily been given to someone else for streamlining purposes. Pinfield, Winston's lead researcher, barely has much to do in the film. As for the old characters, Trevor's only bits are him trying to get Slimer and permission to drive Ecto-1. Phoebe's tense relationship with her mother and "step-teacher" could have used an extra scene to help it resolve in the third act. Lucky and Peter are just there.

The containment unit breaking down has a bit of odd logic. The film mentions that the unit storing forty-years of busted ghosts is causing it to burst. It mentions that Peck inadvertently released the ghosts when he had the unit shut off in the first film. But did the Ghostbusters recapture them by the time they were sued to bankruptcy before Ghostbusters II? The film never explains that. Speaking of Peck, his first scene seems amiable when he, despite ordering Phoebe being benched, suggests another way to contribute. But all doubts dissipate when he later relishes the Ghostbusters' latest misadventure as his aforementioned excuse. It's quite amusing when the Ghostbusters show him up at the end.

What actually worked about the plot? Melody is quite pitiable given the circumstances of her death, and not even her being revealed to be Garraka's mole is enough to destroy that pity. She and Phoebe's friendship is quite compelling, and their final scene together is moving. Phoebe herself is also compelling as she tries to work around her being benched. It pays off when she uses her gadgeteering to strengthen her proton pack to spectacular levels. Nadeem maybe comical, but his hero's journey is surprisingly effective. The original Ghostbusters get a moment to shine when they team-up to reseal Garraka. The writing maybe imperfect, but you do feel the combined team's comradery, which is amplified once the title song finally kicks in.

I have mixed feelings about Garraka. His unsettling design is spectacular, but he only finally manifests at the tail end of the film. So much for the promise of the premise the title suggests. Then again, Gozer only shows up late in the first film and Afterlife, but her presence is felt beforehand with her minions. Garraka freezes a roomful of guys in the prologue, and his orb manifests his psychic rage whenever someone messes with it. There's some great visual effects and sound design at work here. He proves himself a formidable foe capable of overpowering the Ghostbusters' conventional equipment. Maybe another watch can solidify my opinion of him.

What else worked? The opening chase with the ghostly Sewer Dragon is a great way to kick off the film. The film's other standout sequences are a return trip to the New York Public Library, where Ray is reunited with John Rothman's administrator Roger Delacorte and the Ghostly Librarian, and the final battle with Garraka. Melody's ghostly effects and those for the mini-pufts are impressive (the minis almost look like real marshmallow!). Dario Marianelli does a good job mixing Elmer Bernstein's themes with a new score. I can go on, but I've said a lot.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire should make for a good matinee, particularly with Easter right around the corner. It may take a while to discern the plots, but there's quite a bit to like about this installment. I'd like to see more of the Paranormal Research Center if there's a sequel, for instance. Let's also hope there's a better-balanced plot for its cast, next time, no matter how big it is. Nevertheless, this imperfect round of ghostbusting still makes me feel good. It'll do something right if it makes you feel a bit good, too, even for an afternoon. That's it for now.

Orion and the Dark

Netflix now has the streaming rights to Universal's animated films from Dreamworks and Illumination. What I have now is a film Dreamworks produced for Netflix itself. This is Orion and the Dark, based on a picture book by Emma Yarlett, and it is an interesting film, to say the least. Let's see why.

Orion (Jacob Tremblay) is scared of everything. He fears rejection, dogs, bees, the Ocean, falling off skyscrapers, the school bully and even accidentally killing the school bully, among others. But he's scared of the dark most of all. The Dark himself (Paul Walter Hauser) isn't happy with that. So, he decides to assuage Orion's fears with a global tour. 

The Dark and his friends, Sweet Dreams (Angela Bassett), Sleep (Natasia Demetriou), Unexplained Noises (Golda Rosheuvel), Insomnia (Nat Faxon), and Quiet (Aparna Nancherla), show Orion how they bring night to the world. All the while, they have to stay one step ahead of Light (Ike Barinholtz) and his daytime. Everything seems fine until Orion's insensitivity threatens the world itself. I think that's it, but...

All of this is actually told by an adult Orion (Colin Hanks) to his own fearful daughter, Hypatia (Mia Akemi Brown). This sudden metafictional twist is revealed within the first half-hour.  Actually, it's not really surprising, considering that Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) wrote the script. His story-within-a-story approach is as intricately surreal as those films. Although Orion assures Hypatia his story is real early on, they both make it up as they go along. Hypatia even inserts herself into the story as a Deus Ex-Machina. That, however, isn't as weird as a second Deus Ex-Machina in the final minutes.

Orion is quite likable. Sure, many of his fears are morbidly ludicrous, but him being afraid of rejection is compelling. His first words narrate not just to us, but his crush, Sally (Shino Nakamichi), about his fearful state of mind. He can't even fathom sitting next to her in an upcoming field trip. Dark, his co-protagonist, shares his feelings of social inadequacy. He first complains about Orion's scaredness, but he's still willing to politely assuage his fears. His first plan is to show him a pitifully short film narrated, by of all people, Werner Herzog. It's quite fun to see them bond over the course of the movie. You'll definitely feel it when they fall out near the end, which I can't elaborate on, but there is a flying turtle involved. 

Now for a few others. I liked the other night entities, particularly Sleep and Quiet. Sleep's somnolent weapons are morbidly funny, while Quiet's barely legible voice makes for some impressive sound editing. It helps that they have character designs as appealing as their personalities (practically everyone does, though I wouldn't call the bully Richie's personality appealing). Sweet Dreams's ethereal visage is striking and she makes for a good voice of reason, while Unexplained Noises and Insomnia are both pretty amusing. Dark and Orion falling out in act three is precipitated by them joining Light, though that plot thread (intentionally) goes nowhere. Light is the closest thing the film has to an antagonist, but he still respects Dark as his equal. On the human side, what we see of Sally and Orion's relationship is nice to see.

Who knows if Orion and the Dark will make it onto next year's Oscar ballot? I think it should, considering its cuddly animation and intricate storytelling. Anyone too young to see its screenwriter's usual works will get plenty to think about over its 93 minutes. Anyone who is old enough will somewhat understand its intricacies once they see his name. I don't think either age group will lose any sleep over this film. It's just an appealing, yet weird, film. Press play and you'll see what I mean.

Kung Fu Panda 4

Where was that marathon Oscar reviewing you promised, Jethro?

I had a migraine a while back and with it, some insight. I figured I've seen all of this year's winners (and I was right), so maybe, I could afford to skip some. I think I should spread out next year's Oscar crop over the course of this year. I got to avoid the overload.

Fair enough.

But I think I can say with confidence that Kung Fu Panda 4 won't figure in the Oscar race at all. It's a fine film, but there are plenty of ways it could have been better. 

How so?

This time, Po (Jack Black) is commanded by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) to retire as the Dragon Warrior and become the valley's new spiritual leader. Po doesn't want to retire, but he agrees to hold auditions for his successor. But, in a stunning upset, he picks himself as successor. Yay?

Po is soon called into action when Tai Lung (Ian McShane), his nemesis from the first movie, seemingly comes back. In actuality, this is The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a mob boss sorceress, from the distant Juniper City. She's looking to bring back Tai Lung for real, along with several other villains, to steal their kung fu skills. Po recruits Zhen the Fox (Awkwafina), whom he caught stealing artifacts earlier, to help him stop her. Nobody in the city recognizes Po, but everyone there recognizes Zhen as a notorious criminal. Po soon thinks Zhen might be the next Dragon Warrior, but this fox has secrets of her own.

You didn't answer my question.

I'm getting there, Vance.

It's got a few good gags. There's an amusing bull-in-the-China shop skit when Po and Zhen get chased by Juniper City guards. Anyone familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender will get a kick out of a recurring merchant in that scene. Po listening to his inner voices leads to some silly results. Po and Zhen visit her local Den of Thieves, whose denizens (led by Ke Huy Quan's pangolin Han) are weirdly amusing when they "do the right thing for the wrong reasons." Nobody there is weirder than the killer rabbit trio, that's for sure. Po's two dads, Li Shan (Bryan Cranston) and Ping (James Hong), get an amusing subplot as they follow Po and get into slapstick. Their chemistry is surprisingly good.

Po and Zhen make for a pretty good main duo. It's fun to watch them bicker and banter, but you'll especially feel it when they have their third-act fight. To spoil it, Zhen's betrayed Po to The Chameleon and feels bad about it, so she tries to stop Po from fighting The Chameleon. Zhen's sincerity is sold by the great animation and Awkafina's voice work in that scene. There's also great voice work from Black as we feel how angry Po really is. It's no secret that they reconcile, but it's nice when they do. 

What else can I say about the technicals? The fight scenes are good, the production design and cinematography are good, while the Chameleon's shapeshifting abilities are pretty nifty. The final fight gives Po a few inventive workarounds to The Chameleon's indestructible cages. The Chameleon's goons provide our heroes with a few good fights, and us a few good gags. Hans Zimmer, this time collaborating with Steve Mazzaro, gives us another great score. And ...

Jethro!

Which finally leads me to the problems. The first is that Po's mandated retirement seems awfully sudden and unnecessary. Why does he need to retire and take the new job? It could've been understandable if, say, the current leader, whoever that is, isn't long for this world. Second, The Chameleon is underutilized as a villain. She just sticks to Juniper City after impersonating Tai Lung and waits for Po to show up. That's it. Third and worse, the classic villains don't show up for real until halfway through the film. The only other villain besides Tai Lung to talk to Po is a new guy named Scott (Harry Shum, Jr). They and the other villains are just there to be there. These problems help muddle its message that change is a good thing. 

Kung Fu Panda 4 has plenty of the "skadoosh" from its past installments. Unfortunately, its unrefined plot squanders the potential of its inciting incident. It recovers somewhat with Po and Zhen's double-act, which makes me mildly curious for a fifth movie. This should be enough to entertain the kids if Dune: Part Two isn't for them. It's just 94 minutes, so that might be a plus to them. Make sure you get them to see the first movie. It's surprisingly still great after all these years.

Dune: Part Two

Thankfully, Dune: Part One wasn't a case of tempting fate, for we now have the other half of Denis Villeneuve's cinematic adaptation of Frank Herbert's career-defining novel. While I failed to follow through on the plans within plans to watch Part One theatrically, I didn't skip the opportunity for Dune: Part Two. Let's see how it is.

When we last left our hero, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), he and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebeca Ferguson) were exiled from their dukedom on the desert planet of Arrakis and had joined the native Fremen population. A few Fremen believe that Paul is their prophesized messiah, the Lisan al Gaib, though his love interest, Chani (Zendaya) is among the several skeptical. Paul, fully aware that his mother's former sect, the Bene Gesserit, invented the prophesy, is further haunted by visions of a galactic holy war should he embrace his messianic role. Jessica, meanwhile, assumes the role of the Fremens' religious leader with a dangerous ritual. Paul and the Fremen launch guerilla attacks on his family's enemies, the Harkonnens, and their spice-mining operations.

The Fremen attacks get Universal Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) breathing down the neck of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard). The Baron calls for his blood-thirsty nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), to take over for his elder brother, Rabban (Dave Bautista), as the boss on Arrakis. This forces Paul and Jessica to travel further south to recruit the more fundamentalist Fremen living there. That would only hasten the holy war that Paul doesn't want, but Fremen leaders like Stilgar (Javier Bardem) do. That's not going to end well in a later instalment.

Villeneuve and cowriter Jon Spaihts once again weave a strong narrative out of half a novel. Paul's reluctance to take on his messianic role is beyond understandable, while Stilgar's devotion to the prophesy is amusing. One scene that says that much may have you thinking of Life of Brian, of all films. It takes quite a bit of effort for Paul and Jessica to persuade the fundamentalist Fremen of him being the messiah. But they accept him with open arms once he proves himself. This and Part One show us the hows and whys of a society ready to follow their messiah even to galactic war. Hope is a dangerous thing, after all. This film proves it.

Chalamet's deconstructed messiah is still compelling here. Paul and Chani have a compelling relationship, one where their devotion is tempered by her skepticism of his messiahness. She's not wrong for her skepticism, as Rev. Mother Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) makes clear. She still helps him integrate into Fremen culture; it's from her that Paul gets the idea for his tribal name Muad-dib. When he finally, albeit reluctantly, becomes the dark messiah, it's a tragic moment for both of them. I'm even more intrigued to see how Dune Part Three handles their relationship after this film's tweaked ending.

Now for much of the cast. The Baron and Rabban are even viler than they were last time, while Feyd-Rautha's twisted sense of honor makes him a memorable new villain. The Rev. Mother Mohiam's subplot has her desperately try to salvage her sect's collapsing plan to cultivate their preferred messiah. So, her cold treatment of her acolytes, Margot Fenring (Lea Seydoux) and Shaddam's daughter Irulan (Florence Pugh), to secure that plan, is quite unnerving. Shaddam himself is fine, but Mohiam makes a greater impression as a greater scope villain. Josh Brolin is once again great as Paul's mentor, Gurney Halleck. The one-scene wonder has to be Giusi Merli as Jessica's predecessor, Rev. Mother Ramallo.

Villeneuve brings back much of his Oscar-winning (and nominated) crew on his return to Arrakis. The most notable new addition is sound-designer Richard King, whose work gives the Bene Gesserit "Voice" technique a piercing oomph and the monstrous sandworms their thunderous roars. Hans Zimmer's thunderous score is put to good use in an early scene with Paul and Chani. The score overwhelms the dialogue a bit, but it's intentional, as he's clearly distracted by her.

Its visual effects are stunning, but its standouts are when Paul mounts a particularly large sandworm, and when he and the Fremen ride several into the final battle. Cinematographer Greig Fraser's most memorable work is his infrared rendering of daylight on the Harkonnens' home world, Giedi Prime, particularly during Feyd-Rautha's gladiatorial games. Special attention must be given, then, to production designer Patrice Vermitte and costume designer Jaqueline West, for their artistry here. Even the makeup work for Feyd-Rautha is even more disturbing in this literal new light. It's too early to talk Oscars for this film, but hopefully, the Academy will notice later this year.

Dune Part Two is 165 minutes long, which is an astonishing two-hours longer than the corresponding events in David Lynch's 1984 Dune film. The worldbuilding and character development leads to a more thorough ending than even Part One had. As I said, I'm all the more interested to see how they adapt the first sequel novel, Dune Messiah, into Part Three. It would make a satisfying ending to this film series even if there's four other novels (and dozens of spin-offs) left. See it on the largest screen you can find. It's worth the cinematic space journey. That's it for now.

Capsule Reviews of the 96th Oscars Animated Shorts

As promised, here are this year's Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short.

Our Uniform (From Iran. Dir. Yegane Moghaddam): The narrator tells us about her upbringing in the Iranian school system, which forces her and her classmates to conceal their hair in hijabs. She relishes the opportunity to let her hair loose in private, and even abroad. Abroad, she admires the different colors and textures of the people around her. 

The short is animated directly onto the fabrics of Iranian school uniforms. It's a unique art style that lends itself to a few good gags. That the narrator and her classmate relish the opportunity to act like kids is rather optimistic. It's a lighthearted story about how good it is to express oneself with clothing - even if it opens with a disclaimer that says it's not against the hijab or anyone who wears it. It's also the lightest short by far; buckle up, we're about to hit heavy storytelling turbulence.

Letter to a Pig (From France/Israel. Dir. Tal Kantor): This seems like the obvious winner. In it, Haim, a Holocaust survivor, recounts how he survived the Nazis by hiding in a pig sty. One specific pig obscured him from the Nazis until they left. The titular letter is to that pig. Alma is the only student thoroughly invested in his story and is soon drawn into a creepy daydream. 

Its seventeen minutes blend a literally sketchy art style with some live-action elements. This mixture is haunting when we get close-ups of Haim as he goes deeper into his memories. Its climactic daydream is as disturbing as it is confounding. I thought it would be the most emotionally devastating short, but no, that comes later.

Pachyderme (From France. Dir. Stéphanie Clément): The narrator recounts a summer when she stayed with her grandparents. Their house is creepy, with a creaking roof and a broken pachyderm bone as Grandpa's centerpiece. He's an imposing figure, but he seems like a good grandpa. He gets creepier until a later scene that all but directly states what a scumbag he is. The implications are disturbing, and it's made creepier by its elegant storybook-esque CGI. We empathize with the narrator as she ends the short by confronting her past. It's not a grand ending, but it's still a memorable ending.

Ninety-Five Senses (From the USA. Dir Jerusha & Jared Hess): The creators of Napoleon Dynamite bring you the tale of Coy (Tim Blake Nelson), an old guy who recounts how his five senses shaped his life. He's a death row inmate and is about to lose all five senses in an hour or so. 

The short is divided into six segments, one for Coy and the other for the five senses. Each of them was animated by a different animator with their own style; Coy's segment is rendered with smokey charcoal, while the hearing segment is in Flash. The hearing segment is also the funniest segment ... right until it leads into Coy's crime. Sure, it takes a dour turn earlier once we learn he's on death row, but the mood whiplash is worse once we find out why. His story is especially profound when he meditates on the life he could have had. The title takes in account the 100 senses which Coy theorizes humans have access to five. His uniquely compelling story is anything but a simple explanation. Who knows? Maybe this might win too.

War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko (From the USA. Dir. Dave Mullins): John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Christmas classic Happy Xmas (War Is Over) provides the backdrop for this short. In it, two soldiers on opposing sides of World War 1 play chess by pigeon mail. Everything's fine until their superiors force them into one final skirmish. The pigeon, meanwhile, races to deliver one last message. 

Remember me saying I thought Letter to a Pig would be the most emotionally devastating contender? That changed with this short's ending. We spend the short following two likable guys (both nameless and voiceless) carrying on the world's most interesting game of chess. It's quite harrowing when they're both thrown into a bloody skirmish. You will feel it once the bittersweet ending - and the titular song - kicks in. 

WETA FX visualized the short as a moving painting, which is as stunning as it sounds. Thomas Newman gives us an equally magnificent score that would easily give him an Oscar nomination if this was a feature. Letter to a Pig might seem like the obvious winner, but this might also come close. 

As always, you can catch the shorts in one package in theatres or find them wherever they're playing legally. I got to the package film today, which played these shortlisted possibilities:

Wild Summon (From the UK. Dir. Karni Arieli & Saul Freed): This is a nature documentary about the lifecycle of salmon narrated by Marianne Faithfull. The salmon are "played" by human scuba divers. The photorealistic scenery is stunning, while the "salmon" embody the uncanny valley. This might make one reconsider eating meat after they see what the salmon go through. 

I'm Hip (From the USA. Dir. John Musker): Dave Frishberg's cover of his 1966 Jazz number is visualized as a cat proclaims his hipness to the world. Nobody buys it. This is the most enjoyable of the shorts on this program. Its four minutes feature plenty of stylish 2D animation, a snazzy main number, and plenty of slapstick. The Hip Cat may have an ego, but he's still likable, and one might feel sorry when he gets pelted with stuff at the end. Don't worry, he's fine. He's a cartoon. This made a good finale for the shorts program. 

Now to get some other nominees reviewed. Just over a week before showtime. Tick, tock. 

Nyad

I resume my marathon reviewing of this year's Oscar nominees with Nyad, the biopic of a marathon swimmer. Diana Nyad's epic swim from Cuba to Florida took her five attempts over thirty-five years before she succeeded in 2013. Her accomplishments have since been disputed for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, this biopic, which Julia Cox adapted from Nyad's memoir Find a Way for Elizabeth Chai Vaserhelyi & Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) to direct, is still a compelling sports film.

Diana Nyad (Annette Benning) once tried to make the epic swim in 1978. She decides to try again shortly after she turns sixty-one in 2010. She appoints her best friend and former partner Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) as her coach. They hire a crew captained by John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans) to help Diana along the way. They finally take off in August of 2011, but her attempts are thwarted by raging currents, thunderstorms and even jellyfish. Diana's stubborn refusal to give up strains her relationships with her crew, Bonnie especially. She still needs their help if she's going to live to survive her epic swim. That pretty much sums it up.

There are plenty of reasons to like this movie, and Benning's performance is just one of them. Diana simply can't "succumb to mediocrity," as she admits early on, which makes her drive quite understandable. Her determination sometimes gives way to egotism, which is most apparent late in the film. Her fourth swim is hit by a thunderstorm which nearly sinks her crew and threatens to wash her away. We may want her to succeed, but we can't agree with her wanting to persist during the storm. She proudly admits to having a superiority complex when she subsequently quarrels with Bonnie. It's still nice when she apologizes to Bonnie and Bartlett for her self-centeredness. Her coming ashore on her successful attempt makes for a rousing finale. 

Another reason is Foster's performance as Bonnie. Bonnie and Diana have such great chemistry together and almost feel like an old married couple (they aren't). When Diana tells Bonnie of her plan, Bonnie is surprised, but is still willing to help her friend out. That includes pulling Diana out of the water when things get too hectic. Her rage over Diana's self-centeredness later on is more than understandable. She's Diana's voice-of-reason, but she still has a life beyond her. Indeed, if you want a reason why both Benning and Foster got Oscar nominations, then look no further than that argument. Their ultimate reconciliation is quite rewarding even if it feels like a typical story beat.

They have a good on-screen crew. Ifans as Bartlett makes for a gruff, yet sensible sea captain, and another good voice of reason for Diana. Dee (Karly Rothenberg), the silent helmswoman, will surely surprise you with her one and only line. The crew's protective protocols are quite interesting to learn about and are made thrilling by a few close calls. Johnny Solo shows up in flashbacks as Diana's stepfather, Aristotle Nyad, who teaches her to take pride in her family name. He also storms out of her life for reasons the film never really explains. Eric T. Miller also appears as Diana's abusive coach, Jack T. Nelson, the film's most reprehensible character.

Diana's swims utilize some great visual effects and ocean cinematography from Claudio Miranda. The thunderstorm that hits the penultimate attempt looks and sounds pretty real. Her previous swim, in which she's stun by jellyfish, even getting knocked cold by the second sting, is equally harrowing. That swim and the climactic one even have some trippy hallucinations. Benning herself is rendered unrecognizable under Diana's sea-worn appearance (how did the makeup team get ignored?). Alexandre Desplat's stunning score accentuates the beauty and the peril of Diana's swims, while the soundtrack includes a few good oldies. 

Nyad is an excellent biopic helmed by two great stars, both of whom earned their spots on this year's Oscar ballots. Its subject's accomplishments have been doubted, but I don't think you'll doubt how rousing its two hours are. It's simply that good. See what I mean when you check it out on Netflix. That's where the next film on my docket is playing. Check that out later this week.

Demon Slayer: Hashira Training

 Since Demon Slayer's third season premiere strategy went so well last year, production company UFOtable decided to do it again this year. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training once again pairs the last season finale with the upcoming season premiere. 

 Unlike last time, both halves (A Connected Bond: Daybreak and First Light & a currently untitled episode) are both about an hour long. We're not treated to the credits every so often, this time. But anyone who didn't follow the third season won't know what's going on. So, once again, let's give some context.

Our demon slaying hero Tanjiro (Natsuki Hanae), his demon sister Nezuko (Akari Kito) and their fellow demon slaying rookie Genya Shinazugawa (Nobuhiko Okamoto) open the story in pursuit of the miniature demon Hantengu (Toshio Furukawa), who can split himself into multiple entities. The Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji (Kana Hanazawa) is already fighting one of the other entities in a seemingly fruitless battle. Tanjiro tries to cut down Hantengu, but he upsizes into the brutish Urami and nearly kills him. Tanjiro finally cuts down Hantengu with a new sword while Nezuko burns up in the sunlight. 

And then she shows up perfectly fine.

To say this is a game-changer, especially for big bad Muzan Kibutsuji (Toshihiko Seki), is an understatement. He decides to use her to overcome his nasty weakness to the sun. Meanwhile, the Hashira are assigned to train the rawhides and themselves for what will surely be the final battle. Tanjiro and his demon-slaying buddies are in for the workout of their lives. But apparently, some of the demon slayers might not survive the upcoming battle.

 Sure, the film gives us a recap of the story thus far. That is, everything except for what happened in the previous episode. The first half had a last time recap that this film lacks. So, you'll have a lot of questions early on into the film. Who is this little demon and why are they chasing him? Who's the bad guy that she's fighting? What's the deal with swordsmith Hotaru Haganezuka (Daisuke Namikawa)? The answers for all of them are "watch the show."

The game-changing moment still works. I was well aware that Nezuko would survive the sunrise. It was still emotional seeing her burn up and Tanjiro agonizing whether to save her or a trio of Swordsmith Villagers from a headless Urami. You'll be as glad as Tanjiro when she stands in the sun and speaks her first words since her demonization. That the Swordsmith Villagers are wearing some incredibly goofy masks barely detracts from the emotions here. You don't need a lot of context to feel something here.

Let's give a few character highlights. Tanjiro's demon-slaying buddies, Zenitsu (Hiro Shimono) and Inosuke (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) are still as fun as ever. Muzan's formal introduction has him murder two of his servants in some shocking displays of violence. Hantengu's final monologue almost makes one sorry for the cowardly villain. Tamayo (Maaya Sakamoto), a sympathetic demon who debuted in the first season, gives us a few good updates since her last appearance. It helps that we're given some context in her recap. It was also nice seeing Tengen Uzui (Katsuyuki Konishi) again after his ordeal in the last film. Gyomei Himejima (Tomokazu Sugita), the main Hashira of the upcoming season, makes quite the impression with his quiet, yet forceful nature.

Once again, the technical standards upheld by the previous seasons & films are alive and well. Everything from the animation, the color palettes and especially the score, are just great. The Demon Slayers' sword techniques, whether it's Obanai Iguro (Kenichi Suzumura) turning his into a snake or Tanjiro setting his on fire, still look and sound great. The battles are still tense and exciting. Other than the Hantengu battle, the film's standout sequence is a Demon Slayer raid against what they assume is Muzan's castle. The illusion dissipating in front of the slayers makes for a stunning reveal. You need to see it for yourself.

Demon Slayer - To the Hashira Training will delight those who can't wait for the fourth season. Both its halves, whether you've already seen the first half or not, have great action scenes and character bits throughout their combined 104-minutes. Everyone else has a lot of catching up to do. The combined project actually feels like a cohesive double feature, rather than a blu-ray on the big screen. That's at least one of my gripes from the last film they addressed here. Still, considering that this is technically the penultimate arc, I wonder what they'll do for the last few once they're animated. I'll be waiting.

The Eternal Memory

I'd keep my Paramount Plus trial for a full subscription, but a vast majority of its content is already covered by MGM Plus and even Amazon Prime. The Eternal Memory, one of this year's Oscar nominees for Best Documentary, is only available for free on Paramount Plus now. So, I made time for it.

Maite Alberdi follows up The Mole Agent with this portrait of Augusto Góngora and his second wife, Paulina Urrutia. Góngora, who died back in May, was a newscasting legend who covered the crimes of the Pinochet regime and later worked at TVN as a host. Paulina is an actress who once served as the Minister of Culture and the Arts. They lived together for nineteen years before they married in 2016, right when Augusto came down with Alzheimer's.

"Pauli," as Augusto called her, actually shot much of the film herself in 2020 during that pandemic. So, we're right with her as she helps him cope with the disease. She continuously jogs his memories of her, his family, and his considerable life. But Augusto's mind deteriorates faster than either of them can exercise it. They still stick together despite the strain of it all.

The film works on multiple fronts. It's a strong portrait of a marriage in its golden years. We see Pauli patiently work Augusto's memories as soon as they wake up together in the first scene. Her subsequent mental curriculum for him is charming to watch. He shows up to watch her rehearse and act in her latest play. We even see home movies of them together in the 90's. It's all the more tragic when Augusto later grows irritable and even fails to recognize his own reflection. He and Pauli are overwhelmed as they realize he's become trapped in his own failing mind. But as I said, they still stuck it out, and their last scene together is quite moving.

It's also an excellent portrait of the daily lives of two interesting people. It's quite amazing to learn about their collective careers. Pauli regarded herself as a public servant with her acting career, of which we see a good highlight reel. I'm sure she made the most of her career as Culture Minister. Augusto covered everything from Pinochet's coup to his regime's various crimes against their people. His account of the Caso Degollados scandal is quite harrowing. He later collaborated on the book, The Forbidden Memory, to make sure the victims wouldn't be forgotten. His later career as a tv host, and occasional actor, brings us the delightful story of him acting in a miniseries directed by legendary filmmaker Raul Ruiz. They've achieved quite a lot, and if you've seen Blade Runner, you'll understand Roy Batty's last words as Augusto's memories fade "like tears in rain."

Who knows if The Eternal Memory will win the Oscar in a few weeks. But you should still check it out if you have Paramount Plus. Anyone unfamiliar with its subjects will learn quite a lot about their lives and careers. It'll especially resonate with older couples or their grown kids. It's only 84-minutes, and you'll be enthralled in no time. Now for the next review.

All of Us Strangers

The Academy Awards may have ignored All of Us Strangers, but that doesn't mean I have to. Andrew Haigh's romantic drama just debuted on Hulu today after its extremely limited release in December. What did they miss?

This and The Zone of Interest both have something in common; they're both based on novels by recently deceased authors. Said novel is Taichi Yamada's Strangers, which was already filmed as 1988's The Discarnates. Yamada died at 89 just weeks before this film came out. Whereas the original novel was a horror story in Tokyo, Haigh's adaptation is a melancholic love story in London. Let's get on to it.

Cinematographer Jamie D. Ramsay gives us a memorable introduction to its protagonist, Adam (Andrew Scott). We first see London, before Adam fades in behind his flat window, as he surveys the city. Already, we can tell that he's quite lonely. He's so lonely that his apartment building only has one other tenant. That tenant, Harry (Paul Mescal), offers to accompany him one night, but he declines. Adam is a TV writer, but he has writer's block so bad that his latest teleplay is stuck on a single logline. He goes back to his childhood home for inspiration.

 He finds his mom & dad (Jamie Bell & Claire Foy) are still around, which is awkward because they've been dead since the eighties. They don't look a day older, but they recognize him years later. Adam and his ghost parents spend quality time together. He even comes out to them, which they accept with a bit of surprise. His spirits are lifted after he begins a relationship with Harry. There's a bright future with Harry, though he's still stuck in the past with his parents. How will he move on? Is there also something Harry wants to tell us?

The film doesn't dwell on things like why the ghost parents are around. They're just there to reconnect with their much-older son, who probably couldn't care less on the why's and how's. You'll be enthralled as the family sorts things out together. They get some of their best scenes together when Adam comes out to them. Ghost Mom fears the lonely life Adam will lead because of his orientation, even though he assures her that things are slightly better these days. Ghost Dad, meanwhile, apologizes for his lack of sympathy back then. This is a family metaphorically stuck together in the past and they only move on when Adam accepts their deaths. 

We feel Harry's dejection after Adam initially rejects him. His drunken confidence during their first meeting gives way to a lifetime of loneliness as he rides the elevator down. Things get much brighter when the two of them finally connect. Scott and Mescal have such great chemistry as they bond over their shared loneliness. You'll be happy for them as they find happiness with each other. That makes the climactic twist I alluded to earlier all the more devastating. If I haven't alluded to all ready, I must state that Bell, Foy, Mescal and Scott all make up an excellent ensemble. There's nothing wrong with their performances.

If you're not moved by All of Us Strangers the first time you watch it, then I'm sure you'll get it the second time. I'm sure you'll even feel something just thinking about it. Its tender story is accentuated by its soft colors and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch's score. You'll never get bored watching its small cast throughout its 104-minutes. It's a pity that the Academy ignored it, but that's probably because of the wealth of other contenders. Press Play on Hulu for a unique love story. Need I say more?

The Zone of Interest

 So, it's finally happened.

The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer's adaptation of the recently deceased Martin Amis's novel, has finally come to streaming. It's only available for purchase, which I did for $19.99 on Amazon. That's not a bad price for a Blu-Ray, but this isn't an easy film to sit through, nor is it easy to think about.

Right off the bat, I must comment on the much-hyped Oscar-nominated and now, BAFTA-winning, sound mix. The film is primarily centered around the humble home of our protagonists, Rudolf (Christien Friedel) and Hedwig (Sandra Huller). They raise their kids, hold parties, and live their daily lives. But we hear something going on all throughout the movie. There are the occasional gunshots, dogs barking, people shouting, trains whistling, furnaces churning, and perhaps most disturbingly of all, screams that blend together into a raging torrent. Mica Levi's droning score sometimes doesn't register as music, and you're not sure what it is instead. Whatever's going on back there, you'd have to be really brave, naive, or heartless, to mind it. That's a point the sound mix makes perfectly well.

The something that's going on back there is Auschwitz. Rudolf is Rudolf Hoss, the camp's commandant, who lives next door to the Nazi death machine with his family. Rudolf still tries to raise his kids like any normal parent would. Hedwig and her friends occasionally relish in the goods the Nazis snatch from Jewish prisoners. Their idyllic family life is disrupted when Rudolf is promoted to deputy camp inspector. This requires Rudolf to transfer to Oranienberg, near Berlin, though Hedwig wishes to stay put in her current home. Oh, pity her. (That was sarcasm).

This is perhaps the most shocking slice-of-life story you'll ever see. Huller's performance as Hedwig is its greatest centerpiece. In one scene, Hedwig and her mother, Linna (Imogen Kogge), have a nice conversation. Linna is proud of the good life Hedwig and Rudolf have made. Hedwig proudly proclaiming herself "The Queen of Auschwitz" in that scene is perfectly revolting. Hedwig also mistreats her housemaid, Aniela (Zuzanna Kobiela), even threatening to have Rudolf incinerate her. She's a loving mother, yes, but casually evil to just about anyone else. Linna, for her part, is actually shocked once she gets a glimpse of the Nazi death machine. The film doesn't take us inside Auschwitz, other than in an epilogue set long after the war, but we and she see smoke rise from the crematorium. Need I say more?

We now get to Rudolf. I'd hesitate to call him sympathetic, but he has a few humanizing moments here and there. He's quite outraged when the ashes of murdered prisoners wash into a river that he and his kids were swimming in. Later on, he meets and pets a schnauzer getting walked in Berlin. But this is a man who mistreats his prisoners, and I don't just mean having them killed, and imagines gassing a party of loyalists at the end. The ending is made all the more ambiguous knowing that the real life Rudolf pretty much repented just before his execution in 1947. Is he sickened by the evil he caused? Does he feel powerless to escape his current path? Or is it something else?

The film's BAFTA-nominated production designer and cinematographer, Chris Oddy and Łukasz Żal, perfectly visualize its casually bleak tone. The Hoss House is splendid, that's for sure, but the pleasantness is eradicated by the background noise. It gets pretty surreal once we meet a minor character, Aleksandra (Julia Polaczek), who leaves food at night for the prisoners. The sudden shift to night-vision for her scenes is a jarring one, for sure. Its most memorable scene, visually, might be its last, when Rudolf finds himself alone in a darkened, gray hallway. After the aforementioned epilogue, Rudolf walks down the stairwell, perhaps resigned to his dark path. That's a scene that'll stick with you for a long time.

The Zone of Interest represents the United Kingdom in the International Feature Oscar race. It's also the inevitable winner considering it's also nominated for Best Picture, among other awards. This is a film that forces its audience to reflect on their own humanity as it denounces its villain protagonists' inhumanity. All it needs to do is to show them live their lives. It doesn't need to do much to say much. It's quite a profound film, but it's not really an easy film to sit through. It's a bit over two weeks before the Oscars, and if you want to see it before then, see it however you can. It took this long before it became accessible to me at all. Maybe you'll be lucky to already have it playing theatrically nearby. Maybe.

Capsule Reviews of the 96th Oscars Documentary Shorts

 Here they are. All five of this year's nominees for the Best Documentary Short Oscar. Let's go.

Nai Nai and Wai Po (Dir. Sean Wang): We begin with this Disney Plus short, in which the director chronicles his grandmas - paternal grandma Yi Yan Fuei (Nai Nai) and maternal grandma Chang Li Hua (Wai Po). It's simply them living their daily lives in their shared home. They admit their "daily lives are pretty ordinary," but it's still fun to see them, for example, arm wrestle, watch Superbad and dress like hip teens. Mortality is on their minds, but they try to make the most of it, however long they have it. It's a simple story that will surely resonate with audiences young and old. Its final line makes for a great punchline. It's enough to make me think of my own Grandmas, who passed away when both were 97. I think this might win on Oscar night, but let's talk about the other shorts first.

The Barber of Little Rock (Dir. John Hoffman and Christine Turner): We switch to YouTube for the next three shorts. The New Yorker chronicles Arlo Washington, a barber who not only founded the Washington Barber College but the People's Trust Community Federal Credit Union, Arkansas's only Black-owned private bank. Both these institutions help combat the ever-widening racial wealth gap. We see Arlo and his staff lend a sympathetic ear to their customers, one of whom has several concurrent medical issues, as they help them out of their financial jams. That 95 percent of their loans are paid back in time is impressive, but it's astounding when Arlo talks about one customer who took out loan after loan and paid them all. The interviews with his staff and customers accentuate this compelling portrait of a great man. 

Island in Between (Dir. S. Leo Chiang): The New York Times bring us this chronicle of Kinmen, the Taiwanese islands just six miles away from mainland China. The Islands are central to the ongoing territorial disputes between China and Taiwan. Chiang chronicles life living in Taiwan amidst these disputes. We learn plenty about his personal family history, the Taiwanese military preparing for the worse, and even about the Kinmen-Ximen ferry. The ferry requires Taiwanese citizens to have a Chinese-issued passport, as if their own Taiwanese passport means nothing. That's just one daunting aspect of living amidst the world's biggest custody battle. Chiang's climactic visit to Mainland China gives him and the audience hope that, perhaps someday, these disputes can be resolved peacefully. It may take some time to discern that message, but once you do, I think you'll feel its impact. It's an interesting documentary, overall.

The Last Repair Shop (Dir. Ben Proudfoot & Kris Bowers): Both directors, previously nominated in this category for A Concierto is a Conversation, are back with this short from the Los Angeles Times. In it, they chronicle the employees of warehouse that have maintained school instruments since 1959. We get to meet its small staff and a few students who have benefitted from their work. The personal stories of its staff form the meat of its barely 40-minute runtime. Paty Moreno, the Brass cleaner, was a struggling single mother; manager Steve Bagmanyan fled Azerbaijan to escape persecution; Duane Michaels, the woodwinds cleaner, once opened for Elvis after being scouted by Col. Parker. I could elaborate on them all, but it would take up a lot of time. The ending gives both staff and students a chance to record a symphony together, which makes for a satisfying ending to a compelling short. This is the category's other likely winner.

The ABCs of Book Banning (Dir. Sheila Nevins & Trish Adlesic): I had to get a Paramount Plus trial, via Amazon, to watch this short, just as I said I would last week. In it, the filmmakers give us the perspectives of multiple kids on recent efforts, mainly in Florida, to restrict or ban certain books from their school libraries. The targeted books mainly deal with racial and LGBT issues. The kids interviewed strongly disagree with these efforts; the targeted books taught them that hate is wrong, we should love one another, among other messages. These are simplistic messages that some people shouldn't be afraid of letting their kids learn.

The filmmakers show us a selection of books "restricted," "challenged" and "banned" in school libraries. Maus is a Banned Book, The Hobbit is Restricted and The 1619 Project is challenged. We get some animated and textual excerpts from a few other books. A few memorable sections are devoted to Little Miss Hot Mess's The Hips on the Drag Queen go Swish, Swish, Swish (a Challenged book) and Meena Harris's Ambitious Girl (a Restricted Book). The former, a parody of The Wheels on the Bus Go Round, Round, Round, is simply too silly to be offensive, while the latter's confidence boosting message is much needed. These books have value, as centenarian Grace Linn, whose testimony at a Florida school board opens and closes the short, asserted when she denounced the book bans. I wonder if it will be enough to change some minds. Maybe not.

The short film packages will play locally starting next weekend. I'll get to the animated shorts then. I got to prepare for my next feature review, and both its price and reputation are massive. That will be tomorrow.

Bob Marley: One Love

 There were a lot of things that I didn't understand when I was younger. One of them was that Reggae superstar and constant radio presence Bob Marley died in 1981, a mere five years before I was born. His was a name I heard quite a bit of as a youngster, and now, he lives again in a biopic, Bob Marley: One Love. Let's see how it is.

It all starts in 1976 when post-colonial Jamaica is threatened with civil war. Bob (Kingsley Ben-Adir) and his band, the Wailers, prepare to perform at the Smile Unity Concert to help bring their people together. Bob, his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch), and the Wailers are targeted by political assassins. They survive and perform a 90-minute set piece at the concert. Bob and the Wailers flee Jamaica for London, while Rita and her kids head off to the United States. The rest of the movie has Bob & the Wailers compose their greatest album, Exodus, while Bob has periodic flashbacks of his pre-fame life. He and Rita argue and reconcile by the time he develops the skin cancer that would eventually kill him.

There's quite a bit to learn about Bob during the film's 104 minutes. In the flashbacks alone, we learn about his white father Norval (Daniel Menville, Jr.), how he met Rita, how he was influenced by his Rastafarian faith, and, my personal favorite, how the Wailers impressed gruff producer Coxsonne Dodd (Jeff Crosley). In the present, we see Bob and the Wailers get the idea for Exodus after listening to Ernest Gold's soundtrack from the same-named movie. Later, Bob and manager Donald Taylor (Anthony Welsh) get into an argument over finances. Anyone barely familiar with Bob's life will be intrigued with what they learn here.

Any negatives? Bob has a recurring nightmare of his younger self running through a burning field. Is that based on something that happened? I don't think it says. A few names get lost in the shuffle, primarily publicist Howard Bloom (Michael Gandolfini), or even the recently deceased Aston "Family Man" Barrett (his actual son, Aston Barrett Jr). I had to look up a few names researching this review, and what I found was interesting to learn. I'm willing to give it another shot when it comes to home media to see what I missed.

Ben-Adir is quite lively and likable as Bob. On-stage, Bob's actual vocals are used on the soundtrack, which makes for a setlist as lively as his dancing. He tries his best to keep a high spirit off-stage, especially when he sings Three Little Birds to his sons (including Ziggy, played here by Xavier Woolry, who also produces the film) a-capella. That he was nearly assassinated by his own countrymen wounds him more than any bullets ever did. His ego-driven argument with Rita tests his audience sympathy, but we're on his side when he's humbled by the grim diagnosis. It may be a familiar plotline, but Ben-Adir's performance helps ease the audience through it all. 

Yes, Bob Marley: One Love covers many familiar biopic tropes. It will still satisfy anyone who came for the music of its long-deceased superstar. It's a good place to introduce someone to his music; both Bob's songs and Kris Bower's score make for great listening. There's some great makeup and hairstyling work that could easily make next year's Oscar shortlist. Don't worry about some bad reviews. It's worth seeing with a good-sized crowd in a theatre, or with a few friends once it makes it to home media. See what I mean when you see it soon.