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Thursday, June 04, 2020
The Art of Self-Defense
THE GIST: Casey is a very timid and insecure man who keeps to himself and toes the line. One night he gets mugged and the event pushes him to join a local dojo in order to learn how to defend himself. The dojo's sensei, however, seems very mysterious.I'm a big fan of Jesse Eisenberg, so I usually watch anything he's in. This dark comedy was totally not what I expected and wholly enjoyable.
The plot develops slowly at times, but it's deliberate and effective.
Eisenberg is his usual great, but excellent are also the handsome Alessandro Nivola and Imogen Poots.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I'm not sure how much the trailer gave away (and I'll admit that the biggest twist wasn't that hard to guess even without watching it), but I found the movie cool and interesting, and certainly different from the usual comedy fare.
Grade: 7.5
Wednesday, June 03, 2020
Late Night
THE GIST: A late night talk show host, concerned that the network will soon cancel her once trailblazing show, decides to hire a new writer to spruce things up. Will it be enough?Late Night was a movie I wanted to see because of its leading ladies: I'm a huge fan of Emma Thompson and I've really liked Mindy Kaling in the few things I've seen her in. She seems very down to earth and a very talented comedic actress.
The script is fairly well written and while the story isn't groundbreaking, it shines a light on the conditions and expectations that women face in the workplace, no matter how high they climb the ladder and how powerful they become.
THE BOTTOM LINE: This comedy has a nice and important message at its core, but it doesn't skimp on the funny either. I enjoyed it.
Grade: 6
The Dead Don’t Die
THE GIST: Careless human activities seem to have thrown the Earth off its axis... or something of that nature, which causes odd phenomena, like the dead rising from their graves and starting to hunt the living. The local town's small police force is hardly equipped to deal with this sort of threat.The Dead Don’t Die is a Jim Jarmusch movie, so right there you know you're in for some fringe work; whether that's up your alley or not is for you to decide.
Free-spirited Bill Murray seems to have a pretty good time, flanked by an equally amused Adam Driver. Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, and Danny Glover don't disappoint either. And the famous cameos abound.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I enjoyed the movie per se and found it pretty funny at times, but overall I wasn't awed. I guess I expected more, but if you like Jarmusch, certainly give it a go.
Grade: 5.5
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
THE GIST: Once famous Rick Dalton roams the streets of a Hollywood that seems to have forgotten about him, trying to revive his moribund career. He's always accompanied by his onetime stunt-double and now close friend Cliff Booth. He lives next door to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, while not too far a certain Charles Manson holds court with his band of fanatics.Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is very obviously Quentin Tarantino's love letter to the version of Hollywood he considers to be its zenith, that of the late '60s, early '70s.
It's a good movie, excruciatingly curated in everything from costumes, to set decoration, to hair and makeup. The score is good and the acting exceptional, especially from Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie. Pitt won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work here, and it's well deserved.
This alternative reality makes you think how different things would be if one of Hollywood's bloodiest chapters never got written.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Tarantino is a very peculiar director and his work can be uniquely polarizing. I, like most, enjoy some of his movies and really dislike some others. This one falls solidly into the "nice work" list, even though I did find it a bit too long.
Grade: 7.5
Child's Play
THE GIST: A kid receives a talking doll as a present, unaware that its AI software has been altered and the doll is no longer safe to operate. Shortly after it's activated, the doll starts showing signs of troubling behaviors.This is the remake of the original Child's Play from 1988 and it's actually a fair improvement. In this Child's Play, there's no black magic involved and the script tackles the very real and current dangers of the Internet of Things, when all sorts of ordinary devices and gadgets are connected to the Internet and are therefore liable of being hacked into by unsavory individuals.
The rest of the story follows the original more closely, but in every respect it's an actual improvement, starting with the acting.
THE BOTTOM LINE: If you're into the possession-horror concept you've probably seen the original. If so, you might like this one better, like I did, as long as you don't feel like it's an outrage that the movie was remade to begin with.
Grade: 5
Child’s Play
THE GIST: Just before dying, a serial killer transfers his soul into Chucky, a large doll in high demand, via black magic. It's then given as a gift to a young boy, Andy, and then it reanimates.1988's Child's Play is the first movie about the evil doll Chucky, which has now become a staple of horror fare. Unfortunately, I was not impressed by the movie, which I found to be pretty bad.
I'm not saying that it tries to be super-cool and fails, I'm saying it's just not well made, period.
The visual effects are tacky even for a low budget movie; the acting is subpar and phony; the screenplay feels rushed and seemingly makes no effort to develop characters or a cohesive narrative. Things happen too fast or not clearly enough, adding to the confusion and disappointment.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I had always avoided Chucky because it just looked cheap and stupid; alas, I was right.
Grade: 3
Tuesday, June 02, 2020
Crawl
THE GIST: A category 5 hurricane is making landfall when a young woman realizes her father hasn't evacuated and doesn't answer his phone. She finds him in the basement, wounded and unconscious. Turns out, several alligators from a nearby farm have escaped and one is in the basement with them.Crawl is your basic creature-horror drama where you pretty much know from the get go that someone won't make it out alive and that the main character probably won't be it. Still, it manages to hold its own and deliver a few good thrills.
Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper turn in solid performances, given the material at hand.
THE BOTTOM LINE: I went into the theater knowing that I shouldn't expect too much and was entertained. If you decide to watch this, I'd advise you do the same.
Grade: 5.5
The Farewell
THE GIST: A Chinese family discovers that their grandmother has a terminal disease and not much time left. Unlike what would happened in the West, her kids decide to keep the news from her so as not to unnecessarily burden her. Instead, they plan a sham marriage to gather the whole family together one last time. Not everyone's onboard with the decision to keep grandma in the dark though.What a delightful little gem The Farewell turned out to be. The script is simple but well written and all the characters get their due. It is really interesting to see how a very different culture tackles one of life's biggest challenges.
The movie was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Golden Globe Award and won Awkwafina her first Golden Globe for Best Lead Actress in a Musical or Comedy. She's really outstanding. I was disappointed when she didn't get an Oscar nomination as well.
THE BOTTOM LINE: This is definitely a comedy, even though not of the laugh-out-loud kind, even if at its center lies a very sad event. Wholly recommended.
Grade: 8
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