Wicked: Part One entertains in spite of its flawed approach. The movie’s lead performances, exceptional production design and Broadway roots outweigh its excessive length and curious directorial decisions. Like the musical it’s based on, the movie’s underlying spirit can’t be denied. Recommended. Continue reading Wicked: Part One
Recently, someone posted a topic on Reddit titled “What is everybody’s opinion on “The Blair Witch Project”? Is it a modern-day horror classic? Is it overrated? Is it in between? How does it hold up today?” While I did see the movie in a theater when it was first released, I can’t remember watching it since. Given the twenty-five year time lapse, I didn’t trust that my memory of the movie would be accurate and I declined chiming in. However, reading the comments did bring back memories of the considerable buzz the movie had in summer of 1999.
Continue reading “The Blair Witch Project (1999)”
This will sound odd, but if I were in charge of The Church of Latter Day Saints, I would promote the heck out of Heretic. Why? Because it’s a story that depicts Mormons as being a grade above the nerds of organized religion they’re typically made out to be. After the thorough skewering the religion received at the hands of The Book of Mormon, any positive depiction of it should be welcomed by church elders with open arms.
Continue reading “Heretic”
Super/Man would have been a fascinating documentary even if it had focused only on Christopher Reeve’s acting career. As a young man fresh out of acting school, Reeve nabbed the role of a lifetime: playing the Man of Steel in Superman. Although the part catapulted him into stardom and made him a fortune overnight, he chafed at his success. In an effort to be taken seriously as an actor, he sought out dramatic roles that he hoped would also win his father’s approval. After donning the cape three more times, his career finally appeared to go in the direction he wanted with a notable supporting turn in Remains of the Day. Then, a freak horse-riding accident left him paralyzed, robbing him of his career. For people as famous as Reeve, that incident probably would have marked a retreat from their public lives. Not so for Reeve.
Continue reading “Super/Man”
Although sometimes disorienting, The Outrun is a solidly acted and beautifully rendered addiction drama. Recommended. Continue reading The Outrun
The Substance is a grim fairy tale, a horrific bedtime story with one goal in mind: to show men what it’s like to be a woman and live in fear of the day when they become undesirable. For Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), she’s confident that she hasn’t reached her “best by” date yet and tapes her daily aerobics show as normal. Unfortunately, her incredibly chauvinistic television executive Harvey (Dennis Quaid) decides that Elizabeth is too old and angrily tells a colleague that it’s time to replace her with someone younger. Elizabeth accidentally overhears Harvey’s side of the conversation, and knows that they won’t be discussing new opportunities during their lunchtime meeting. Sure enough, Harvey glibly fires Elizabeth while she sits transfixed by the sight of him devouring a bowl of shrimp. When it comes to men like Harvey, women are the same as food: something to be consumed and tossed away.
Continue reading “The Substance”
There’s something not quite right with the Daltons. That’s painfully evident from the outset, when they choose to wallow in their own misery despite being in a beautiful part of Italy. They don’t hide their misery, either, wearing it like an irritating jacket wherever they go. Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) is morose, while Louise Dalton (Mackenzie Davis) is edgy and controlling. The two are so clenched around each other I imagined they squeak while walking. Unsurprisingly, the two have unresolved issues between them that will play a consequential role in what transpires.
Continue reading “Speak No Evil (2024)”
Tragedy can strike anywhere, even on Ilha Grande, an island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Based on the movie’s depiction of the place, it’s what I’d call a working-man’s paradise, where everyone tanned, smiling and walking around in summer clothes year-round. The beach and the ocean’s shimmering waves are only a short walk from anywhere on the island. If the movie’s depiction of it is to be believed, it’s a happy place for everyone who lives there. Well, almost everyone.
Continue reading “My Penguin Friend”
While watching It Ends With Us, I was reminded of the last romantic melodrama I’d seen, Where The Crawdads Sing. Although the heroines in both movies couldn’t have been more different, they both experienced a similar set of trials and tribulations. Given my admittedly small sample size, is it fair of me to assume that all romantic melodramas follow the same formula? And if so, is that part of the appeal with movies like It Ends With Us?
Continue reading “It Ends With Us”
I certainly admire Perkins’ Longlegs, a loving homage to the serial killer genre. The movie proudly wears its influences on its sleeve, and those familiar with The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en will have fun identifying all of the ways Perkins references them in this film. Given the movie’s incorporation of encoded messages, I would include David Fincher’s Zodiac in the mix as well.
Continue reading “Longlegs”
Detroit Cineaste 