Small Things Like These

There are films produced in Hollywood that range many genres, and even though there are many choices in which to make to enjoy ones' movie adventure, even if you break down the genres to just drama, there are several different categories under that. There are light drama, musical drama, a combination of comedy and drama and then there's a penetrating drama, where the story is so intense and in your face that the film becomes a tough sit. This is the case of "Small Things Like These".

This story takes place over Christmas in 1985 Ireland, when devoted father and husband to Eileen (Eileen Walsh) and coal merchant Bill Furlong (Cillian Murphy) inadvertently discovers startling secrets kept by the convent head up by one Sr. Mary (Emily Watson) in his town, along with some shocking truths of his own. The film reveals truths about Ireland's Magdalene laundries--horrific asylums run by Roman Catholic institutions from the 1820s until 1996, ostensibly to reform "fallen young women". These tactics were only to advocate the Catholic Church for their benefit and kept it from public knowledge. 

Others to round out the cast are Patrick Ryan as Pat, Giulia Doherty as Joan Furlong, Rachel Lynch as Sheila Furlong, Helen Behan as Mrs. Kehoe, Michelle Fairley as Mrs. Wilson, Mark McKenna as younger Ned, Zara Devlin as Sarah Redmond and Louis Kirwan as young Bill Furlong.

This was directed with stark reality by Tim Mielants ("Patrick" '19, "Nobody Has to Know" '21, "Wil" '23) plus TV and shorts. As I mentioned in the preface, there are seriously realistic dramas, such as "Schindler's List", "Revolutionary Road", "Belfast" "Sophie's Choice" and others that, when viewing them, one feels like they're eavesdropping into people's lives. This film absolutely falls into the same category. The intensity of each character in this, especially that of Murphy and Watson, was heart-pounding and kept its audience glued to the screen. It was interestingly written by Enda Walsh ("Disco Pigs" '01, "Hunger" '08, "Chatroom" '10, "The Last Hotel" (TV movie) '16, "Weightless" '17, "Lazarus" '18, "The House" '22) plus TV and shorts, based on the book by Claire Keegan. This film is actually based on a fictional novel of the same name, however the story of the book is based on these happenings where young women were forced in slavery by the then all powerful Roman Catholic Church up until 1996. The film was almost written in the style of it being 'based on a true story', but doesn't negate the truth that these practiced events weren't happening. It was brilliantly photographed in a very cold, austere way with an underlying depressing presence, which simply adding to the seriousness of this story that much more. There were a couple of places of disjointedness where the past and the present weren't as obvious as they could've been, otherwise is was an incredible well delineated and concise film. 

If you are into well crafted films, this is the film for you: fine directing, acting, cinematography and even writing, but if you're in the mood for something more uplifting and fun, I'd pass on this one. Of course, assuming you know the premise to this film, you will realize what you're walking into. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: PG-13                                     99mins.

Red One

Every year Hollywood sets out to bring us a number of Christmas films around this time of year. Hohoho! Like past Christmas films i.e. "It's a Wonderful Life", "Home Alone", "Miracle on 34th Street", "Elf", "The Santa Claus" and the most recent, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever', we now have "Red One" in the offing to rev up our anticipation of that time of year. 

After Santa 'Nick' Claus--Code Name: RED ONE (J. K. Simmons)--is kidnapped a witch named Gryla (Kiernan Shipka), the North Pole's Head of Security, Callum Drift (Dwayne Jonson) must team up with his director Zoe (Lucy Liu) and the world's most infamous bounty hunter or tracker, Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas. Considering that Jack is a definite skeptic of the whole Santa Claus thing, this mission is going to take some convincing by Callum and Zoe to get him to acquiesce since time is of the essence. 

Others to round out the cast are Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Claus, Kristofer Hivju as Krampas, Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Olivia, Wesley Kimmel as Dylan, Nick Kroll as Ted, Wyatt Hunt as young Jack and Marc Evan Jackson as Uncle Rick.

This was uproariously directed by Jake Kasdan ("Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" '07, "Bad Teacher" '11, "Spring/Fall" (TV movie) '11, "Sex Tape" '14, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" '17, "Jumanji: The Next Level" '19) plus TV and a short. By his very resume, it was evident that Kasdan was simply within his comfort zone and we are the positive recipients of his talent. This had just the right amount of action, humor, drama, and great visuals to truly enjoy this film. His sequencing was spot on which made the story incredibly fluid. And all the cast were believable in their respective roles. It was equally well written by seasoned Chris Morgan ("Cellular" '04, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" '06, "Wanted" '08, "Connected" '08, "Fast & Furious" '09, "Fast Five" '11, "Fast & Furious 6" '13, "47 Ronin" '13, "Furious 7" '15, "The Fate of the Furious" '17, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" '19,  "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" '23) plus TV and a short, based on a story by Hiram Garcia. Obviously this is an updated version of the whole Santa Claus legend replete with high tech equipment, computer generated graphics, and almost  done in a military style all with wit and a ton of action. Obviously this is basically the 'Fast & Furious' writer which certainly allowed to be more adept at penning this screenplay. I must say, the cinematography by Dan Mindel asc/bsc was amazing in that as the action scenes unfolded, the way the camera followed the sleigh as though you were on the sleigh itself, was a stroke of genius. And the visual effects predominantly designed by SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) and Rodeo VFX were seamless and certainly added hugely to the story. 

If you're into 'Santa Claus' films, this will do well for you. It has wit, action and light drama all with a great message of looking within and attempt to reconnect with those that one might have issues with--definitely heartwarming. It should go down in film history as a holiday classic like so many others. You be the judge. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: PG-13                                        123mins.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Through the decades we've seen a plethora of Christmas films that span many different genres: drama, comedy, musical, even fantastical, but when I viewed "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever", it was a film that not only celebrated the real story of Christmas, but did it in a very learning and entertaining way. 

The Herdmans are absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world--which is how the story begins. They lie, they steal, they bully...and now they've hijacked the town of Emmanuel's Christmas pageant. This story follows six siblings, including Imogene Herdman (Beatrice Schneider), Ralph (Mason Nelligan), Ollie (Essek Moore), Leroy (Ewan Matthys-Wood), Claude (Matthew Lamb) and Gladys (Kynlee Heiman), who sneak into church searching for snacks and ultimately walk away with the lead roles in the town pageant. Grace (Judy Greer) is directing the play for the very first time; she and her daughter Beth (Molly Belle Wright) and husband Bob (Pete Holmes) are in over their heads especially against a town that wants to kick the Herdmans out of the play. But the play's mischievous stars might unwittingly teach a community the true meaning of Christmas. 

Others to round out the cast are Lorelei Olivia Mote as Alice, Sebastian Billingsley-Rodriguez as Charlie, Lauren Graham as Adult Beth, Stephanie Sy as Mrs. Thomas, Kirk B.R. Woller as Reverend Hopkins, Mariam Bernstein as Mrs. Armstrong and Jenni Burke as Miss. Graebner. 

This was directed with wit and heart by Dallas Jenkins ("Midnight Clear" '06, "What If..." '10, "Live Worship from Vertical Church" '12, "The Resurrection of Gavin Stone" '17, "Christmas with the Chosen: Holy Night" '23) plus TV and shorts. This story certainly is within this filmmaker's comfort zone considering his inspiration film experience. Jenkins was the creator of the TV series "The Chosen" which has gained much popularity, so directing this comedy was evidently an easy task. No matter the character in this film, they came across realistic and believable and just what anyone would expect to see in a small town in the year 1972, and this is effective directing. It was wonderfully written by Ryan Swanson, Platte Clarke and Darin McDaniel, based on the novel by Barbara Robinson. Even though these writers don't have an abundance of experience, what they brought to the writing table was surely enough to write an amazing screenplay. Swanson had worked on the 'Chosen' series with Jenkins so his input certainly had to be pivotal. When I saw the trailer on this film, I personally wasn't impressed--the trailer doesn't sell this film, it goes much deeper than the trailer depicts. These six siblings however are hellish, they are seemingly the ones that, after a point, start gravitating to this story of Christmas which they've never experienced. Just like in the bible where the religious were pious and the tax collectors and prostitutes were hungry for info about God, the same goes here: the religious are pious (the townspeople) where these unloving, delinquent kids seem to be more hungry about knowing more about this Christmas story. They 'fight' these feelings, but as they hang around certain people, especially Grace, they slowly wonder if there's more to life. It's an interesting process, since it would be so easy to cast these kids to the wayside, but Grace saw more to them. 

If you see this, the message is amazing. According to Grace in this film, Jesus was born and died for all of us--not just the lovable and acceptable, so we should extend a hand to these people as well, and isn't this the reason the the holiday of Christmas? 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                       Rated: PG                                       99mins.

Hitpig

Typically animated films are released either in the summer or around the end of the year, but the makers of "Hitpig" decided to release this animated flick in the middle of autumn--not sure why, but hopefully it will bode well for them. Designed by an animated company which isn't familiar--Talecraft Animation Studios, this is presented well and the animation is well thought out.

Hitpig (Jason Sudeikis) is a pig hired by humans to bring back their escaped animals. It's not easy, but it's a living. His latest hit is Pickles (Lilly Singh), a naive but vivacious elephant who had escaped the clutches of an evil Vegas showman, Leapin Lord of the Leotard (Rainn Wilson). Though Hitpig initially sets out to capture the perky pachyderm for big cash, the unlikely pair find themselves on an unexpected adventure criss-crossing the globe that brings out the best in both of them. Set in a futuristic cyberpunk world, Hitpig proves sometimes what we want isn't necessarily what we need. 

Others to round out the cast are Anitta as Leticia, RuPaul as Polecat, Lorraine Ashbourne as Bertha, Andy Serkis as Newscaster, Charlie Adler as Super Rooster, Flavor Flav as Chef Emcee, Dave Rosenbaum as Janitor and Hannah Gadsby as Lola. 

This was directed with humor and clarity by David Feiss ("The Body Electric" (TV movie) '85, "A Cool Like That Christmas" (TV movie) '93, "Open Season: Scared Silly" '15) plus TV, shorts, videos and a TV short, and Cinzia Angelini (short). With the experience Feiss has including all the TV and shorts, it's no wonder why this film was sequenced well and delineated with crispness. Alrhough Feiss has the lion's share of the directing, certainly Angelini was pivotal with input that was needed. It was written well by Berkeley Breathed, Dave Rosenbaum and Tyler Werrin, based on a screen story by Berkeley Breathed, which is based on the book "Pete and Pickles" by Berkeley Breathed. This is a film that is geared toward kids, but all can leave the theater feeling better about themselves and others. And because its demographic is primarily for kids, it does have a tendency to be a bit predictable in its plot. This was probably purposed, however it would've been a bit more captivating if there were somewhat stronger challenges with these characters even it being a comedy. Although I've never heard of Talecraft Animation Studios--the company that drew this, its design was effective as it was original and as talented a company as Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Blue Sky and the like. 

If you like animation and a heartwarming, witty story, this is the film for you. As aforementioned, this is primarily geared to kids, but adults can revel as well--I did enjoy it. It is a bit predictable, however not really enough to take away from this story based on the classic book.  

Out 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: PG                                          85mins.

Here

Robert Zemeckis has given us a plethora of films that utilize a certain look or effect that he attempts to accentuate his films with, and I must say, these techniques are a very powerful way to convince his audience of the story. We've seen "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", "Back to the future", "Death Becomes Her", "Forrest Gump", "The Polar Express" and "The Walk" where he has showcased these effects. So now, he has given us "Here" whereas he again has implemented those effects with concise delineation.

"Here" is an original film about multiple families and a special place they inhabit. The story travels through generations, capturing the most relatable of human experiences. Robert Zemekis directs from a screenplay by Eric Roth and himself. Told much in the style of the acclaimed graphic novel by Richard McGuire on which it is based, Tom Hanks as Richard and Robin Wright as Margaret star in a tale of love, loss, laughter and life, all of which happens here.

Others to round out the cast are Paul Bettany as Al, Richard's father, Kelly Reilly as Rose, Richard's mother, Michelle Dockery as Pauline Marter, Ophelia Lovibond as Stella Beekman, Beau Gadsdon as Young Elizabeth and Jonathan Aris as Earl Higgins. 

This was directed with heart and deep feelings by the incomparable Robert Zemeckis ("I Wanna Hold Your Hand" '78, "Used Cars" '80, "Back to the Future" '85, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" '88, "Death Becomes Her" '92, "Forrest Gump" '94, "Contact" '97, "Cast Away" '2000, "The Polar Express" '04, "Flight" '12, "The Walk" '15, "Allied" '16, "Pinocchio" '22) plus other films, TV, shorts and videos. Whether Zeneckis utilizes special effects or not in order to effectively direct a film, he is typically a well-honed, caliber filmmaker. His ability to encourage his actors to exude the emotions they need to be convincing is their respective roles is amazing, and this film is no exception. If you like this director's brand of filmmaking, his "The King" is in development. It was wonderfully written by Eric Roth ("The Nickel Ride" '74, "The Concorde...Airport '79" '79, "Suspect" '87, "Forrest Gump" '94, "The Insider" '99, "Ali" '01, "Munich" '05, "Lucky You" '07, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" '08, "A Star is Born" '18, "Dune: Part One" '21, "Killers of the Flower Moon" '23) plus other films, TV and a short, and Robert Zemeckis ("1941" '79, "Used Cars" '80, "Back to the Future" '85, "Trespass" '92, "The Polar Express" '04, "A Christmas Carol" '09, "The Walk" '15, "Welcome to Marwen" '18, "Pinocchio" '22) and other films, TV, shorts videos and video games, based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire. The film was presented in an almost play format because the camera was set up in the living room and facing the front bay window, and then implemented split screen effects within the plot which helped in allowing this film to progress in a more rapid way, otherwise I could see this film running in excess of two and half hours. It did jump from family to family and time period to time period, but there was definitely a connection within the different scenes so it became cohesive. It was shot in a heartwarming and enduring way 'looking' into different families' lives. It has some interesting aspects such as the home across the street was a house Benjamin Franklin lived in and one of the families in the house invented the Lazy-Boy recliner which made it interesting. The performances by both Tom Hanks and Robin Wright were exquisite and a delight to see them reunite from "Forest Gump" in which they co-starred. And the musical score by Alan Silvestri, basically Zemeckis' music composer, flowed incredibly well throughout the production. The cinematography by Don Burgess asc was incredibly original and even though the camera was set up in one position, it still kept ones' attention, and lastly, the visual effects predominantly designed by Double Negative were stunning and went hand in hand with the story. 

If you are a Zemeckis fan, you'll love this. It is heartwarming, funny, dramatic, redeeming in that families are healed emotionally. It's original presentation of the premise is entertaining as it is captivating. I'm perplexed that other critics have panned this film--I feel that they perhaps didn't or couldn't 'feel' this film. For this to happen, one must allow themselves to feel the film. This is a gem!!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                           Rated: PG-13                                      104mins.

Conclave

Religious films have become a mainstay in the creation of movies made in Hollywood, and with that we have seen just about every religion represented: Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. So, when viewing "Conclave", this is about the process of choosing a new Pope after the existing one has died, hence the title of the film. 

Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church's most powerful leaders, including Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), Tremblay (John Lithgow), Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), Woznial (Jacek Koman) and others have gathered from around the world and are sequestered together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence uncovers a trail of deep secrets which could shake the foundations of the Church.

Others to round out the cast are Isabella Rossellini as Sister Agnes, Brian F. O'Byrne as O'Malley, Sergio Castellitto as Tedesco, Thomas Loibl as Mandorff, Rony Kramer as Mendoza, Valerio Da Silva as Father Haas and Carlos Diehz as Vincent Benitez. 

This was intensely and passionately directed by Edward Berger ("Strait-Jacket" '92, "Wanderbread" '95, "Windland" (TV movie) '07, "A Good Summer" (TV movie) '11, "Jack" '14, "All My Loving" '19, "All Quiet on the Western Front" '22) plus other films, another TV movie and TV. Combined with tight editing, sound effects and a riveting musical score, this director was able to pull these talented actors together and interact them with each other in order to convey to his audience that believability that these characters are real. It was creatively written by Peter Straughan ("Sixty Six" '06, "The Men Who Stare at Goats" '09, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" '11, "Frank" '14, "The Snowman" '17, "The Goldfinch" '19) plus other films, TV and a short, and Robert Harris ("D-Day to Berlin: Newsnight Special" (TV movie) '85, "Fatherland" (TV movie) '94, "Archangel" (TV movie) '05, "The Ghost Writer" '10, "An Officer and a Spy" '19) plus other films and TV. I'm not a Catholic, but this was a compelling film of what could happen as a conclave is in progress, and that can be captivating for many people. As the process of this conclave is proceeding, certain deep secrets end up coming to light which is a good thing, but the complexities of this process simply kept arising.These seasoned writers were able to intertwine these issues into the meat of the story where Lawrence was being driven crazy to keep this conclave in one piece. It was sequenced well and amazingly concise in its script. Other that a couple of areas of slowness in story, this screenplay was riveting, especially as the story started picking up. 

No spoilers, but the end is quite the shocker--I did not see it coming, so it ends bittersweetly. Whether you are Catholic or not, this is a captivating film with solid directing, writing, acting, especially that of Fiennes, music, editing and photography. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                  Rated: PG                                       120mns.

Venom: The Last Dance

When the original "Venom" premiered back in 2018, I felt it was going to be a total waste of celluloid. But, after seeing it, I felt it was a hoot! Not only were the visual effects amazing, but you knew that, but the story was fascinating in that the 'superhero' was inside of the hero played brilliantly by Tom Hardy--he was Venom. Well, after a second go around, we now have the end of the trilogy--"Venom: The Last Dance" to sink our teeth into.

In this next installment, Tom Hardy returns as Venom once again, one of Marvel's greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance. Will they win, or will the alien nemesis beat them at their own game? Not sure, but the ring side seat known as the theater will be first rate.  

Others to round out the cast are Chiwetel Ejiofor as General Rex Strickland, Juno Temple as Dr. Payne, Stephen Graham as Detective Mulligan, Rhys Ifans as Martin, Peggy Lu as Mrs. Chen, Hala Finley as Exho and Alanna Ubach as Christmas. 

This was masterfully directed with excitement by Kelly Marcel. Since this film was written by her and the story was based on hers and Hardy's idea, and she has written all the films would certainly lend her an advantage in being effective behind the camera. This being the only credit in the directing category, it is still amazing that she was able to harness a certain amount of humanity from her actors to prove they are capable of more than being military or studying things in a lab. This was also written with great sequencing by Kelly Marcel ("Saving Mr. Banks" '13, "Fifty Shades of Grey" '15, "Venom" '18, "Cruella" (story) '21, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" '21) plus TV, based on a story by Tom Hardy and Kelly Marcel, which is based on the Marvel Comics. Even though this film dealt with some multi-universe aspects, Marcel was able to construct the screenplay so it made more sense as compared to other films delving into multi-universe aspects. Since this writer wrote the three different scripts for this franchise, I really did appreciate the amount of wit and humor she injected in the story. It more humanizes the story instead of it being a straight drama. There were only a couple of very slow places within the screenplay, however not enough to detract from the story at hand. And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) and Double Negative were seamless and actually enhanced the more comedic moments of the film. 

If you liked the first two installments of this franchise, you'll certainly like this one as well, especially since it was written by the same writer. This film is supposed to be the third and last installment, hence the 'last dance' part of the title, however it does leave opened-ended. There are a couple of small videos within the end credits if that is telling. Certainly if this makes a truck-load of money, another will likely return, otherwise probably not. It is also presented in a nifty IMAX format if you wish. Enjoy, I know I did.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                       108mins.