Infinite Storm

One thing that can capture the excitement of the human spirit of most audiences is viewing a film about survival. It can send an adrenaline rush that keeps anyone on the edge of their seat. We've seen many films about this subject, i.e. "Alive" '93, "127 Hours" '10, "The Mountain Between Us" '17, and they were riveting, especially considering they all were based on a true story. Now we have yet another survival film based on a true story in the form of "Infinite Storm".

Based on a true story, an experienced mountain climber, Pam Bales (Naomi Watts) ascends Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, and subsequently turns back before she reaches the summit as a huge blizzard approaches. But on her way down, she encounters a lone, stranded man, (Billy Howle) that is half frozen. She attempts to communicate with him to get his name out of him, but since he doesn't respond quickly, she decides to call him John. Pam takes it upon herself to get them both down the mountain before nightfall arrives, otherwise they will succumb to the extreme bitterness of the storm. 

Others to round out the cast are Denis O'Hare as Dave, Eliot Sumner as hiker Will, Parker Sawyers as a reporter, Joshua Rollins as Finn, Lina Kolenko as Pam's daughter #2 and Arya Petric as Pam's daughter #1.

This was intensely directed by Malgorzata Szumowska ("Happy Man" 2000, "Visions of Europe" (segment- "Crossroad") '04, "Stranger" '04, "Moj tata Maciek" (documentary) '05, "Solidarity, Solidarity" (segment- "Father") '05, "33 Scenes from Life" '08, "Elles" '11, "In the Name Of" '13, "Body" '15, "Mug" '18, "The Other Lamb" '19, "Never Gonna Snow Again" '20) plus documentary shorts, a TV short and shorts. The film was also co-directed by Michal Eglert who also photographed the film. While I'm sure Eglert was pivotal with any input that was conveyed, assuredly Szumowska had the lion's share of the direction here. It's amazing how she was able to extract the correct emotion at just the right time given the scene from her actors. Both Watts and Howle, who shared the majority of the screen time, had an amazing chemistry to work off each other, and that's talented directing. She's a seasoned filmmaker and will continue to grab us with her work behind the camera. It was interestingly written by a virtual newcomer, Joshua Rollins (Acting), based  on her life by Pam Bales. Considering this is Rollins first screenplay, it was penned well. Did it have flaws? Sure, but the increased intensity and and sheer suspense made up for the few places of choppiness and cohesiveness issues. Undoubtedly, assuming Rollins receives more work, he could definitely be the writer he truly wants to be. The fact that he comes from an acting background can only help him, so as long as he can just get more work in the writing world, we will only be the victors for it. 

I've always been a fan of these survival films, especially those stranded on a mountain. I guess it comes from the fact that I used to be a backpacker back in the 1980's, so these films are just plain intriguing to me. But this was riveting--a great role for Watts who is such a talented actor, and with such a small cast, it made it that much more thrilling. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                                Rated: R                                                     97mins.

The 94th Academy Awards

Has it been a year since the last Oscar presentation? Wow, time certainly flies by incredibly fast. Well, since the ratings for last year's 93rd Academy Awards were grim at best, the worst in Academy history, my assumption is that AMPAS decided, after a few years, to invite not just one host but three as well. Assuming that all three hosts were or could be effective, ideally this would be a crowd pleaser. However as AMPAS can do so well, they blundered that idea also. The Academy really needs an overhaul to reinvent themselves, since there hasn't really been a well thought presentation, other than being strained, for years. For the three hour presentation, there was supposed to be a host for each of the hours, but they ultimately intertwined into each other causing more confusion. Their beginning monologue combined all three, and most of that was politics or sexist jabs. There were a few funny moments within the monologue, but the comments simply overshadowed the comedic lines. They came across amazingly stiff, like stick figures as though they probably would've rather been anywhere else. As I precluded, Wanda Sykes was the savings grace of the three--the others being Regina Hall and Amy Schumer. As I've said in many past critiques, where is Billy Crystal when you need him? If one had any doubt that this was live, the thought was squelched when presenter, Chris Rock was colcocked by Will Smith because of an off-colored comment about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair style. Surely Rock shouldn't have said anything, but Smith certainly didn't need to do what he did which made everything that much more awkward. That will certainly make Academy history. And this happened before Smith won his Academy Award for best actor for "King Richard", for only to get up and say that he is striving to be more loving which we all need to aspire to. It's ironic and sad that this speech was post his smacking Rock. The one glowing part of the awards was when AMPAS decided to showcase the nominated original songs within the confines of the presentation instead of during the Red Carpet. And the way the Memoriam was handled was classy and unique more than they usually are. So much of the humor seemed forced, however there were rays of sunshine, especially when Sykes was on. AMPAS? Next year, get one host, but make sure that it is a very exhaustive choosing for that effective, funny host. Look, you have a whole year in which to accomplish this. This shouldn't be rocket science. Anyway, here is the exhaustive list of all the winners:

Best Picture: "CODA"

Best Actor: Will Smith - "King Richard"

Best Actress: Jessica Chastain - "The Eyes of Tammy Faye"

Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur - "CODA"

Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose - "West Side Story"

Best Directing: Jane Campion - "The Power of the Dog"

Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh - "Belfast"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Sian Heder - "CODA"

Best Cinematography: Greig Fraser - "Dune"

Best Film Editing: Joe Walker - "Dune"

Best Production Design: Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos - "Dune"

Best Costume Design: Jenny Beavan - "Cruella"

Best Sound: Mac Ruth, Mark A. Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, Ron Bartlett - "Dune"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Stephanie Ingram, Linda Dowds, Justin Raleigh - "The Eyes of Tammy Faye"

Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer - "Dune"

Best Original Song: Billie Eilish, Finneas O'Connell - "No Time to Die"

Best Visual Effects: Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer - "Dune"

Best Documentary Feature: "Summer of Soul" (...Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised")

Best Documentary Short Subject: "The Queen of Basketball"

Best Animated Feature: "Encanto"

Best Animated Short: "The Windshield Wiper"

Best International/Foreign Film: "Drive My Car"

Best Live Action Short: "The Long Goodbye" 

Honorary Award for Life Achievement: Elaine May, Samuel L. Jackson, Liv Ullman

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Danny Glover

Some of the films that were made to be released on the streaming channels, i.e. Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Disney + and the like were films that I wasn't able to see since they did not have a theatrical release, such as "CODA" being released on Apple. It looks intriguing enough for me to hopefully purchase the film and view it and then critique it on my blog. This award presentation was certainly better than last year, however not by much. AMPAS has a long way to go for improvement. Lastly, this presentation was a good 25 minutes longer than last year--this being 3hr. 43min. Again, even though the politics weren't as prevalent during the different acceptance speeches, there were still a fair amount of them which really need to end. This is not the time nor place to spout off one's political views no matter what side of the aisle one resides. The one touching moment was when Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli came out to present the award for best picture, and with Minnelli having contracted encephalitis, a condition which can cause seizures, movement disorders and sensitivity to light and sound, it was simply charming how Lady Gaga was guiding her through the presentation. All in all, this certainly wasn't terrible, however, even though this was an improvement of last year, AMPAS has got to do something if they want to see the Academy Awards to continue on. We'll see next year...

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                           Rated: NR                                            3hrs. 43mins.

The Lost City

In this day and age where the world is seemingly coming apart, the escapism type film is becoming more popular to allow the audience to be able to go to another place at another time and interacting with different characters. It all truly started with the Star Wars trilogy, then we were offered "Raiders of the Lost Ark", then in 2005, there was "Sahara", and more recently, we enjoyed "Uncharted". Now with "The Lost City" being released, will this become a faster trend of film in the future?

Reclusive author Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan (Channing Tatum). While on tour promoting her new book, set up by her agent Beth (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire, Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city's lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue. He remembers a friend that was an ex-SEAL, Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt) he met at a retreat, so Alan calls him for additional help. 

Others to round out the cast are Oscar Munez as Oscar, Patti Harrison as Allison, Hector Anibal as Rafi, Thomas Forbes-Johnson as Julian, Bowen Yang as Ray the moderator, Joan Pringle as Nana and Slang as fantasy villain. 

This was directed with such hilarity and detail by Aaron Nee ("The Last Romantic" '06, "Return" (documentary) '09, "Band of Robbers" '15) plus TV and shorts, and Adam Nee ("The Last Romantic" '06, "Band of Robbers" '15) plus TV and shorts. Even though these two filmmakers don't have a tremendous amount of feature film experience, this film was paced and staged well and showed how much they were able to extract the right amount of pathos and emotion from their actors so as to get them to emit what it took to convey a certain believability of the characters they were portraying. if you like the brand of directing by these two filmmakers, their "Masters of the Universe" is in preproduction at this time. It was creatively written by Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nee and Aaron Nee, based on a story by Seth Gordon. In my experience, usually when a film has commissioned more than two writers to any film, it has the tendency to get bogged down and mired in confusion and choppiness--too many hands in the pot I guess, but considering that the majority of writing experience here is that of Uziel and Fox, then, I believe that the majority of the script was probably their work. Certainly Aaron Nee and Adam Nee were pivotal in their input, but it was more likely that the brunt of the writing was by Uziel and Fox. The visual effects predominantly created by Double Negative were seamless as they were effective and truly enhanced the film. 

If you like the 'Indiana Jones' type of films you'll love this. It has it all: comedy, adventure, a tight script with a totally fun cast. This is the quintessential escape film with everything one is wanting to be able to go, to that fantastical place and time with some truly oddball characters in which to sink your teeth into. Grab the popcorn and enjoy this one!

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                          Rated: PG-13                                                    111mins.

The Outfit

Ever since the early 1970's, Hollywood has produced a plethora of mafia/gangster films that could last a lifetime. They, like other genres, range from mediocre to classics: "The Godfather" '72, "Goodfellas" '90, "Casino" '95, "American Gangster" '07 and more recently "House of Gucci" '21, to mention a handful. Because of the number of films made with a mafia theme, it's been increasingly difficult for Hollywood to create something fresher than its predecessors. However, I believe they have found one in the form of "The Outfit". 

1956. Leonard (Mark Rylance), a master English tailor who's ended up in Chicago, operates a corner tailor shop with his assistant Mable (Zoey Deutch) where he makes beautiful clothes for the only people around who can afford them: a family of vicious gangsters. One night, two killers Richie (Dylan O'Brien) and Francis (Johnny Flynn) knock on his door, after one has been shot, in need of a favor--and Leonard is thrust onto the board in a deadly game of deception and murder. So Leonard must outwit these mobsters in order to survive a fateful night. Can he do it and not provoke them to turn the screws and kill Leonard and even Mable?

Others to round out the cast are Simon Russell Beale as Roy Boyle, the mob boss and father to Richie, Nikki Amuka-Bird as Violet LaFontaine, the opposing mob boss and Alan Mehdizadeh as Monk. 

This was grippingly directed by Graham Moore (short). Either this filmmaker simply stumbled into being able to guide these actors into an intense thriller, or he is an incredible natural behind the camera. These actors pulled the audience into this web of deception with the talented direction by Moore. Surely, Rylance is a consummate actor, but it takes true talented direction to make this actor and others to shine. It was cleverly written by Moore ("The Imitation Game" '14) plus TV and shorts, and Jonathan McClain (TV). After Moore received his Academy Award for "The Imitation Game", one might have surmised that it was a fluke that he wrote that screenplay so well that it garnered an Oscar, but after viewing this film, he truly is a talented writer. How he, and McClain for that matter, were able to couple a tailor with mobsters in this taut, thrilling script was a stroke of genius, not to mention that it was a truly original story considering the genre. The number of  the different plot twists and turns is aplenty, again keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. And, again, both of these writers are virtual newcomers, especially McClain, makes this even more captivating. Really, other than a small place of an issue of continuity, this script was Academy Award caliber. If this is what these filmmakers can produce with the limited experience they hold, I'm waiting to see what they can produce in the future, and they both have a bright future.

Certainly if you like gangster/mafia type films, you'll revel with this. And even if you're not, the writing, directing and acting will keep your attention and definitely make it worth the price of admission. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                                Rated: R                                             105mins.

Cyrano

The classic, beloved story of Cyrano de Bergerac is an old, but tried and true story about unrequited love between Cyrano and his 'far off' love Roxanne. It's a story we've seen several times in the past, i.e. "Cyrano de Bergerac" '50, "Roxanne" '87 and "Cyrano de Bergerac" '90, so when I realized that this version of the story simply titled "Cyrano" was out, I just had to see it, and it was a very well thought out version indeed.

Director Joe Wright envelops moviegoers in a symphony of emotions with music, romance and beauty in "Cyrano", a re-imagining the timeless tale of a heartbreaking love triangle. A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage) dazzles whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne (Haley Bennett), Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her--and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), who is, himself, at a loss for words when it comes to wooing a young woman. 

Others to round out the cast are Ben Mendelsohn as DeGuiche, Monica Dolan as Marie, Bashir Salahuddin as Le Bret, Joshua James as Valvert, Anjana Vasan as Sister Claire, Ruth Sheen as Mother Marthe, Glen Hansard as Guard, Mark Benton as Montfleury and Richard McCabe as Priest. 

This was directed with finesse and pathos by the incomparable Joe Wright ("Pride & Prejudice" '05, "Atonement" '07, "The Soloist" '09, "Hanna" '11, "Anna Karenina" '12, "Pan" '15, "Darkest Hour" '17, "The Woman in the Window" '21) plus TV, shorts and video shorts. As with this filmmaker's resume, he has proven himself to be the quality director that he is. He is fully aware of how to encourage his actors to be able to emit the emotions that is needed for any scene at hand, and this film is no exception. Dinklage's Cyrano was spot on! Certainly he is a fine actor, but this was also fine direction involved as well. If you like his brand of directing, his "Stoner" is in pre production at this point. It was written by a virtual newcomer to feature films, Erica Schmidt, based on Schmidt's stage musical adaptation, which is also based on the stage musical adaptation "Cyrano de Bergerac" by Edmond Rostand. Schmidt certainly could be a natural screenwriter, but since this screenplay was based on her own previous work, it would lead one to believe that this aspect gave her a 'leg up' in being able to convey this story on screen as well as she was able to do. I would love to see her write other work to see if she truly has what it takes to create a taut screenplay. Was this a perfect script? Absolutely not! However, considering Schmidt's lack of screenwriting, this was incredible. There were a couple of small areas of chopiness in this script, but all in all, this was a story that is written as well as most seasoned writers. This is nominated for an Academy Award for best costume design by Massimo Cantini Parrini which is a deserved nod. The photography by Seamus McGarvey asc/bsc was also beautifully shot as well.

This film was actually released in selected theaters on 12-17-21 so as to be able to be considered for an Oscar, but it was then released as a wide release on 2-25-22. So, having to search out where it was playing, I found it then went to view it, and it was certainly as well honed as I expected. If you like the story, this is one of the best versions of the timeless, beloved story, and with all that is going on in the world right now, we need this kind of film so we can truly escape into it. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                               Rated: PG-13                                              123mins.

The Batman

The Batman character has been around for decades, and although it is an old comic, the films based on, not just Batman, but other superheros have been around a fair length of time themselves. Film wise, "Batman" '89 was Tim Burton's recreation of the iconic character which was cutting edge for its day. Then there was a Batman darker overhaul by director Christopher Nolan in 2005 which spawned a trilogy. Then there was "Batman vs. Superman" which was a less admired incarnation of the franchise. Now, we have an even darker version simply called "The Batman". 

Batman (Robert Pattinson) ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer, Edward Nashton/The Riddler (Paul Dano) leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer, he must forge new relationships, including Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption caused by Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and Oz/The Penguin (Colin Farrell) that has long plagued the metropolis. Can Batman find this ruthless psychotic and still save Gotham City from this incredible corruption so it doesn't go down the societal drain? 

Others to round out the cast are Peter Sarsgaard as D. A. Gil Colson, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Alex Ferns as Commissioner Pete Savage, Con O'Neill as Chief Mackenzie Bock, Jayme Lawson as Bella Real, Peter McDonald as Kenzie, Gil Perez-Abraham as Officer Martinez, Hana Hrzic as Annika and Barry Keoghan as Officer Stanley Merkel. 

It was directed with grit and intensity by Matt Reeves ("Future Shock" (segment "Mr. Petrified Forrest") '94, "The Pallbearer" '96, "Cloverfield" '08, "Let Me In" '10, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" '14, "War for the Planet of the Apes" '17) plus TV. What I presumed would be another 'Batman' film, which we've seen many, turned out to definitely have some differences. The two biggest differences between this incarnation and others was that: 1) while the cops in the other Batman films were friends with him, in this version, not only did the cops not respect, but disliked him as well. Few had the respect, but the ones with position could care less of him, and 2) as with the other films where you knew that his parents were killed, in this, you find out why. So, this made for an added interest to the story. By Reeves' very resume, one could certainly surmise that he was definitely in his wheelhouse. Will there be another Batman? Not sure, but knowing Hollywood and what drives them, as long as this makes a ton of money, assuredly they will. It was equally well penned by Reeves ("Future Shock" (segment "Mr. Petrified Forrest") '94, "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" '95, "The Pallbearer" '96, "The Yards" 2000, "Let Me In" '10, "War for the Planet of the Apes" '17) plus TV and Peter Craig ("The Town" '10, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1" '14, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2" '15, "Blood Father" '16, "12 Strong" '18, "Bad Boys for Life" '20, "The Unforgivable" '21), based on 'Batman' created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and DC Comics. I really thought that this would be yet another rehashed version of the same story, but as it started to unfold, the way that the story became intertwined within itself was amazingly well written. Both writers are obviously seasoned in their craft and this certainly showcased their expertise. How they were able to dissect the story and then connect different situations when those situations were so different was honed well. Really, other than the fact that this was a little long-in-the-tooth--approximately 5-10 minutes could have been edited out and give the same impact, this was a spot on script. And since ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) created the majority of the visual effects, this simply enhanced the story that much more. 

If you're a Batman aficionado, you'll love this! Not being a fan, I really believe that this is definitely worthy of the price of admission. The acting, especially by Paul Dano as the Riddler and Robert Pattinson as Batman were well executed. If you like the film up, close and personal, it is presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                              Rated: PG-13                                            176mins.