The Social Reckoning

When "The Social Network" was released back in 2010, the social media, especially Facebook was a relatively new concept, and being told how Facebook came about and what involved that, it made for an interesting film. But now we have "The Social Reckoning" as a follow up of how Facebook got totally out of hand. Why can't people take something that is helpful and not bastardize it?

A companion piece to the hit film, "The Social Network", Aaron Sorkin's original screenplay tells the true story of how Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), a young Facebook engineer, enlists the help of Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) a Wall Street Journal reporter, to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on the social network's most guarded secrets involving algorithms, greed, manipulation and plotting to divide society against itself.

Others to round out the cast are Betty Gilpin as Christina, Billy Magnussen as Teddy Marks, Bill Burr as Charlie Garrigan, Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg, Wunmi Mosaku as Raya, Gbenga Akinnagbe as Andy Butler, Anna Lambe as Morgan, Nelson Franklin as Tom and Aidan Laprete as Zach.

This was directed with tenseness and grit by Aaron Sorkin ("Molly's Game" '17, "The Trial of the Chicago 7" '20, "Being the Ricardos" '21). This filmmaker usually gives a clarity and conciseness to his direction and this film is no exception. White gives this tense, but underlying tenacity to his role, and this is fine directing. It was also well penned by writer Aaron Sorkin ("A Few Good Men" '92, "Malice" '93, "The American President" '95, "Charlie Wilson's War" '07, "The Social Network" '10, "Moneyball" '11, "Steve Jobs" '15, "Molly's Game" '17, "The Trial of the Chicago 7" '20, "Being the Ricardos" '21) plus TV, including "West Wing". Even though Sorkin excels when the subject of which he writes is politics, however, as his resume indicates, he is quite adept at just about any subject. Certainly writing is his love and his ability is undeniable--"A Few Good Men" was also based on his play, he gradually approached the directing realm in 2017 with "Molly's Game". "The Social Reckoning" was concise and powerful, but there were a couple of very small places of choppiness which made it not flow as much as it needed. If you like his style of writing, his TV movie of "A Few Good Men" is in the works, however the production is unknown at this time. 

The best aspect of this film was to uncover the secrets and manipulations of the big corporate world--this following the goings on with Facebook. Sorkin is a talented writer and his ability to direct only improves with each film he directs. Certainly if you liked "The Social Network", you'll like this follow up. It really makes us wonder what really goes on with these companies.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                       Rated: R                                        112mins.

Angel and the Badman

Back many decades ago, Hollywood produced many westerns including "Stagecoach" '39, "High Noon" '52, "Rio Bravo" '59, "The Searchers" '56, "Shane" '53 "The Alamo" '60, etc, and since then, we have seen a resurgence of this genre, i.e. "Hell or High Water"'16  , "No Country for Old Men" '07 and others. So now we have "Angel and the Badman" to sink our teeth into.

When feared outlaw Quirt Evans (Zachary Levi) staggers onto a rancher's land with a bullet in his back, he expects a quick death, not mercy. But Penny Worth (Meg Fraser), the rancher's daughter, offers him a chance at something he's never had: a life beyond violence. However, the past doesn't forgive. With the Marshal (Tommy Lee Jones) closing in and an outlaw gang headed up by Laredo (Neal McDonough) ready to burn the ranch to the ground, Quirt must decide what kind of man he'll be when the world demands blood. 

Others to round out the cast are Jean Louisa Kelly as Irene Worth, Penny's mother, Barrett Ellis Luca as Johnny Worth, Penny's brother, Melissa Chambers as Harriet, Maurice Greene as Tully, Jesus Carus as Hondo, Sean Bridgers as Deputy Eli, Manny Greenfield as Dr. Mangram and Eric T. Esparza as Nelson. 

This classic western was directed with grit and familiarity by Julio Quintana ("The Vessel" '16, "Blue Miracle" '21, "The Long Game" '26) plus shorts. This was formatted in a way that one could feel that they were viewing an older western film where there was a definite distinction between the 'good guy' and the 'bad guy' which made it a much more welcoming script going back to simpler days. His staging and pacing were expressly spot on as well. It was well executed by writers Kevin M. Townsend, Christopher Tuffin and Jaime Hernandez.Usually, my formula for a better script is for there not to be any more than two writers on the project, but with this, having an extra writer didn't really hamper it, especially since none of these writers have extensive experience in the writing realm. The best thing about this writing, as like the directing, was that it was formatted in a classical western feel of a film. It simply took me back to a simpler day of going to the movies and enjoying a western, with a newsreel, cartoons and popcorn. It wasn't a complicated plot, but that's part of its charm. Other than a couple of places of inconsistencies, this was surely the film it was meant to be. 

If you like westerns, or even more to the point, if you yearn for the old-fashioned type western, this should be a real treat. The stars, Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough, Tommy Lee Jones and Meg Fraser all were believable in their respective characters. It's a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                        Rated: PG-13                                 107mins.

Digger

Through the years, Hollywood has produced many quirky and odd films, and they have also produced many satirical comedic films, and many times never the twain shall meet. However "Digger" has combined the two and the effort was admiral, but also a bit convoluted as the film progressed. 

The most powerful, wealthy and egotistical man in the world, Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything. It's a satirical black comedy that when Digger realizes his blunder, assumes he can con the public by actually being honest hoping that approach will win. His associates including President Compson (John Goodman), Dr. Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), and others reluctantly agree that it might just work...or will it?

Others to round out the cast are Sandra Huller as Emma, Michael Stuhlbarg as the Vice President Eddie, Jesse Plemons as Kenny, Robert John Burke as General Fitzgerald, Emma D'Arcy as Lina, Burn Gorman as Defense Secretary Amos, Sophie Wilde as Hannah, Danny Kirrane as Clarkson and Ross Hatt as Dr. Berg/Reader.

This was directed in an odd and quirky style by Alejandro G. Inarritu ("Amores Perros" 2000, "September 11" (Segment "Mexico") '02, "21 Grams" '03, "Babel" '06, "Biutiful" '10, "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" '14, "The Revenant" '15, "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" '22) plus TV, shorts, videos and music videos. This filmmaker definitely pushes the envelope of what is sellable and how much can he get away with for the price tag of art. His ability to get his actors to convey the virtues of their respective characters so as to convince the audience is amazing. "His "The Revenant" and "Birdman..." were incredible in their directing as the same goes for this film as well. His staging and pacing was strong. It was interestingly written by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolas Giacobone and Sabina Berman, based on a story by Sabina Berman, Alejandro G. Inarritu and Jez Butterworth. Now, did you catch the number of names here? As I've mentioned before, when there is more than two writers on any given project, it has a tendency to become convoluted and confusing--too many hands in the pot? Probably, but less writers typically equates with a stronger script. This isn't always true, but usually its a wise realization. The premise here was uproarious and quite clever, but the way it was written simply became confusing. Such as there were scenes where we were viewing a film, and then it was then a film within a film. It was an original format, but it became bogged down around a third of the way through. The first part of the film was funnier and better crafted (writing wise). The best aspect of this film was that of Tom Cruise as Digger. His performance and John Goodman's performance as the President were incredible and both could be looking at Oscar nods come that time along with the cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezski asc/amc "Birdman..." '14, "The Revenant" '15).His style is amazing and this was shot in VistaVision and presented in an IMAX version if you like.

Certainly if you like director Inarritu and actor Cruise, you'll love this. This is definitely a film that Cruise went out on a limb to perform and he did a phenomenal job. Is this film for a wide audience appeal? Probably not, but the acting, direction and photography is well worth the price of admission.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                          Rated: R                                    129mins.

Verity

The whole genre of the psychological thriller has certainly been around for a couple of decades, and with the popularity, isn't slowing down anytime soon. Films like "Shutter Island", "Gone Baby Gone", "What Lies Beneath" and many others can be and are bone-chilling, so keeps the audiences coming back. So, with that popularity, we have "Verity" to sink our teeth into.

This psychological thriller follows renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) and Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer who relocates to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for Verity after a horrible accident that Verity is involved in. After Lowen uncovers what appears to be Verity's chilling autobiographical notes, she wrestles with the disturbing and twisted confessions about Verity's husband Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and finds it difficult to separate fiction from reality, manipulation from attraction, and opportunity from obsession. 

Others to round out the cast are Ismael Cruz Cordova as Corey, Brady Wagner as Crew Crawford, Jeremy's son, Irina Dvorovenko as Anna, Sienna Kulovitz as Harper Crawford, Jeremy's daughter, K.K. Moggie as Amanda Thomas and Tom Galantich as Barron Stephens.

This was directed with grit and clear intensity by Michael Showalter ("The Baxter" '05, "Hello, My Name Is Doris" '15, "Giles Vanderhoot" (TV movie) '16, "The Big Sick" '17, "The Lovebirds" '2020, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" '21, "Spoiler Alert" '22, "The Idea of You" '24, "Oh. What. Fun."'25) plus TV, videos and a music video. This filmmaker was able to get his actors to really dig deep so as to flesh out the characters they were having to convince the audience with. He knows intensity well. It was equally well written by Nick Antosca ("The Cottage" '12, "The Forest" '16, "Antlers" '21) plus TV and shorts, based on the book by Colleen Hoover. With the amount of plot twists, different forms of manipulation by the different characters and doubts they were enduring, this script was amazingly moved along well. This writer doesn't have extensive experience, but he was actually able to hold his own. There were a couple a places that weren't fully explained, and a bit of continuity issues, but considering all that was going on in this story, a seasoned writer would've been hard-pressed to write this any better. Of course, all the major actors--Hartnett, Hathaway and Johnson were all on top of their game, and it showed in spades. 

If this genre of the psychological thriller is your favorite, you'll love this. It's a real cat and mouse game involving three individuals where manipulation reigns and the stakes are high. There are several twists and turns that will keep you wondering. The old adage of "oh what tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive" only came to mind during this.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                    Rated: R                                             116mins.

                                     

Primetime

Back in the 90s and 2000s, there were a number of news expose shows to either inform, expose and even entertain us. One of those programs was Dateline on NBC, where they would cover something controversial all the while informing and making us think by shows' end. Well, we have now "Primetime", which is based on the show, "Dateline".

Set in 2006, this psychological crime thriller film follows the intense production by producer Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) and cultural explosion of the reality television series "To Catch a Predator" as host and commentator Chris Hansen (Robert Pattison) pushes the show to the ultimate limit in order to make network history. It's styled with a gritty, horror-adjacent and surreal aesthetic that explores obssession, media sensationalism and moral corruption. 

Others to round out the cast are Skyler Gisondo as Dan Plum, Matthew Maher as Xavier Von Erck, Phoebe Bridgers as Del, Victor Brunette as Frag, Bokeem Woodbine as Cortland Gunn, Alex Winter as Bill Conradt, Tony Revolori as 'Married and Looking', Anna Faris as Mary Hansen,  Chris' wife and Jonathan Lipnicki as Crazyfrog 73.

This was directed with grit, intensity all with a frenectic feel to it by Lance Oppenheim ("Some Kind of Heaven" '20, "Spermworld" '24, "You Can See Everything" '26) plus TV and shorts. His technique in the build-up Oppenheim was able to create between the different characters that were developed was amazing. This filmmaker doesn't have a ton of experience, but he will receive more work. It was reasonably written well by Ajon Singh, based on an article "Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die" by Luke Dittrich. Considering this writer has no other experience, this was written fairly well. However, during its progression, the script had the tendency to jump around and wasn't as cohesive as it could've been. It didn't seem to finish one scene and then off to another. Was it a wash. Absolutely not. The build up to their catching each predator was captivating. The premise was stellar--the follow-through simply needed more polish. Singh's "Spider-Punk" which is in pre-production hopefully will allow him to more develop his style. The acting by Pattison was exemplary. He was coached by Tim Monich as dialect coach, and it was seamless. Also Skylar Gisondo as Dan Plum was riveting. 

If you like these type of television shows, You'll like this, if for no other reason, the film also goes into what it takes to produce one of these programs. As aforementioned, the acting and direction were spot on. The writer simply needs more work thrown his way. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                   Rated: R                                          109mins.

Heart of the Beast

Through the decades Hollywood has produced quite a number of survival films in which or in what scenario people are put in in order to survive, i.e. "127 Hours", "The Poseidon Adventure", "Alien", any of the apocalyptic films, etc. So, when I saw my first trailer of "Heart of the Beast", I felt this might be a bit different considering one half of those that were surviving was a dog, and I was correct. 

Surviving a horrendous plane crash, a former Special Forces officer, James Belmont (Brad Pitt) finds himself trapped in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness with his combat scouting dog, Odin (Uber). Together, they battle the elements and other animals in a harsh landscape that would likely kill any other man or dog. This is a story that emphasizes the old adage, "dog is man's best friend". Will they be able to traverse this harrowing terrain?

Others to round out the cast are J.K. Simmons as Watkins and Anna Lambe as The Woman.

This was directed with a grueling and wincing effect by seasoned veteran David Ayer ("Harsh Times" '05, "Street Kings" '08, "End of Watch" '12, "Sabotage" '14, "Fury" '14, "Suicide Squad" '16, "Bright" '17, "The Tax Collector" '20, "The Beekeeper" '24, "A Working Man" '25) plus TV, music videos and a regular video. As one can see by his resume, this filmmaker puts the 'I' in intensity. His staging, pacing and his ability to sequence a film is consummate. Truly, I know this would be amazing after it progressed considering it is difficult to hold the audience's attention when its about 90 percent of the film is between a man and his dog, and this was incredible in its direction. It was also brilliantly written well by Cameron Alexander (music videos and shorts). I was astounded when writing this review that Alexander has no feature film experience since this was written with such pathos, warmth, depth, and cohesiveness. Certainly his music videos and shorts have served him well, however this writer is still clearly a newbie, but a natural. Was this a fluke? Not sure, but we'll see as he will receive more feature film projects. He captured the plight of this soldier and his dog incredibly. This film certainly has one of the smallest cast I've ever seen. "Alien" back in 1979 had only 7 cast members, but this had half that many--and really only one...and a dog. 

This film had so many wondrous elements in it...drama, heart, fear, adventure, a little humor and redemption. The connection between James and Odin was portrayed in such a real and effective way. The Head Dog Trainer, Esther Murphy was as much the star of this as well. This is a great acting vehicle for Pitt, who could be up for that elusive 'Best Actor' nod this year. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                             Rated: PG-13                                     101mins.

The Weight

Period films are typically intriguing and crafted well, whether one is interested in the premise or not. But when you add an exemplary cast and direction, the outcome is an incredibly well crafted American film. This being set during the great depression, the story is intense and original.

In Oregon in 1933, four years into the Great Depression, Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) is unjustly torn from his daughter, Penny (Avy Berry) and sent to a brutal labor camp. Considering his honesty and being a veteran, Warden J.J. Clancy (Russell Crowe) tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through the deadly Oregon wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he'll go to see his child again. 

Others to round out the cast are Julia Jones as Anna, Austin Amelio as Rankin, Avi Nash as Singh, Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen as Olson, Sam Hazeldine as Amis, George Burgess as Letender, Alec Newman George Taggert and Cameron Brady as The Man.

This was directed with incredible calculating intensity and amazing grit by Padraic McKinley (TV series). Unless this film was a fluke, this filmmaker is a natural considering this is his first feature film. Sure, he does have TV under his belt which has served him well, however, the nuances that this director showed in getting his actors to dig deep so as to convince the audience of the different personas involved was next to perfection. He will definitely receive more work. It was equally well penned by writers Matthew Booi ("Trench 11" '17) plus TV, and Shelby Gaines ("Wildcat" '23). As with the directing, was this flawless? No, but other than that of a couple of very small places of choppiness where it was a bit questionable, the script was spot on, especially considering the limited feature film experience. I predominantly went to see this due to the actors, Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe whom are consummate in their profession, but Hawke truly shined here breathing life into a complex individual with a persona that ranged from a slow crawl to a gallop effortlessly. Crowe was his usual solid role, but as compared, he practically yawned through this. It was Hawke that was amazing 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                      Rated: R                                     112mins.