Origin

While the film, "Crash" 2005 forced the audience to realize how prejudice they are or can be, "Origin" takes that approach and focuses more on how a social caste system grooms every individual globally as far back as centuries. So, are we bigoted, or do we suffer from a societal hierarchy or caste system?

A moving drama that's unafraid to ask big questions, "Origin" honors its source material with powerful performances including Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) and Brett Hamilton (Jon Bernthal), in service of a deeply emotional story. This story involves an unspoken system that has shaped America as well as other countries, and chronicles how lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions otherwise known as caste systems dating back centuries. 

Others to round out the cast are Niecy Nash as Marion Wilkerson, Emily Yancy as Ruby Wilkerson, Isabel's mother, Audra McDonald as Miss Hale, Blair Underwood as Amari Selvan, Finn Wittrock as August Landmesser, Vera Farmiga as Kate, Nick Offerman as Dave the plumber, Connie Nielsen as Sabine, Jasmine Cephas Jones as Elizabeth Davis, Myles Frost as Trayvon Martin and Donna Mills as Mrs. Copeland. 

This was rivetedly and compassionately directed by Ava DuVernay ("This Is the Life" .08, "I Will Follow" '10, "Middle of Nowhere" '12, "Selma" '14, "13th" '16, "A Wrinkle In Time" '18) plus TV, TV movies, shorts and a music video, I can really appreciate how this filmmaker used several different styles in this movie--anywhere from a documentary feel to a 'dream-like' state using slow-motion photography. It created a fluidity that could've been shot as a very standard 'stiff' way producing a cold feel, but instead made the film captivating. It was also brilliantly written by Ava DuVernay ("Middle of Nowhere" '12, "13th" '16) plus TV, shorts and a music video, based by the book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson. First of all, Ellis-Taylor gave a riveting performance of this humble, yet larger-than-life pulitzer prize winning author, and secondly, the role was played out with such forthrightness and humility that it almost created a sense of uncomfortableness, since society has never really wrapped their heads around this caste system concept. It truly makes sense. People use the racial excuse, however if one looks at the caste in India, the different societal levels are not comprised of different races as this film brings out. Whether it's the African-American slavery era, or the Jews against the Nazis, or the Dalits against the upper class in India, there is a definitive caste separation. The film was two-plus hours, however the film was crafted so well that the time simply flew by.

This wasn't a film about racism as much as it was a film about a societal caste system that we all come from and seemingly will never get to a place where we care and respect one another for just being people. These caste systems have been around for centuries. Will they ever end? Since most people don't even realize that they're part of this system, I suspect it will not end. This is a must see for all. As "Crash" was difficult to watch, but much needed, so is "Origin" 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                       Rated: PG-13                                           141mins.

Poor Things

So much of the time, commercial films aren't typically quirky or odd, whereas independent films are typically described with these adjectives. Why? Not sure, but suffice it to say, it can make these films interesting. Case in point, "Poor Things"--well directed and acted, and basically well written if one can get past the oddity and sheer debauchery of the story. 

This is an incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn, so Baxter hires a med student, Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef). Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Baxter's lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), slick and debauched, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation--she just goes about it in some totally bizarre ways. 

Others to round out the cast are Kathryn Hunter as Swiney, Christopher Abbott as Alfie Blessington, Jerrod Carmichael as Harry Astley, Margaret Qualley as Felicity and Vicki Pepperdine as Mrs.Prim. 

This was directed with grit and complexity by Yorgos Lanthimos ("My Best Friend" '01, "Kinetta" '05, "Dogtooth" '09, "Alps" '11, "Venice 70: Future Reloaded" '13, "The Lobster" '15, "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" '17) plus music videos, shorts and a video. The way this filmmaker was able to get his actors to bring their respective characters to life, especially Stone was amazing. Stone's character developed and evolved from this gibberish speaking, mentally challenged infant type slowly toward this articulate, concise and calculating woman questioning everything and everyone, and this is fine directing. It was executed structurally penned well by writer Tony McNamara ("Ashby" '15, "The Favourite" '18, "Cruella" '21) plus TV, based on the novel by Alasdair Gray. Even though this screenplay was written with appropriate structure and sequenced fairly well, it was truly difficult to get to the end of this considering how gratuitously violent and sexual a lot of the content was in this. I understand that for Bella to learn the ways of the world, she must have to be transformed and that trek can get ugly, but this represented so much debauchery that it was definitively well over-the-top.The writer could've shown a lot less gratuitousness in the different scenes and still be able to convey the transformation that the audience needed to see. Once the story was able to sift through all this debauchery, it finalized as a bittersweet ending and one could understand her journey, but the audience doesn't need to be walloped over the head to get to this point. Also, it was a bit long-in-the-tooth--approximately 15 minutes could've been lopped off the running time and still had gotten the point. 

If you like gratuitous films, such as "The Favourite", "The Wolf of Wall Street", "Babylon", and the like, you'll like this, however, if you're not really into gratuitous violence or sexuality, you might want to pass on this. It is rated R for a reason--it probably should've been rated NC-17. It certainly deserved the Oscar nods for acting and directing, but not an easy film to watch. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                           Rated: R                                       142mins.

I.S.S.

There have been several films that have involved small enclosed situations where compromises are evident and trust becomes tested severely in some cases. Films such as "Life"," Alien", "Event Horizon", "Silent Running", "Alive" all come to mind. Of course, it all started with "Lifeboat" about people stricken to a lifeboat, however there ends up being too many people in the boat, so it boils down to which ones will have to sacrifice so everyone else can survive. Well, now we have "I.S.S." to add to that list.

Tensions flare in the near future aboard the I.S.S. (International Space Station) as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling from this, the U.S. astronauts, Dr. Kira Foster (Ariana DeBose), Gordon Barrett (Chris Messina), Christian Campbell (John Gallagher Jr.) and the Russian cosmonauts, Weronika Vetrov (Masha Mashkova), Nicholai Pulov (Costa Ronin), Alexey Pulov (Pilou Asbaek) receive orders from the ground: take control of the station,,,by any means necessary. This becomes a predicament whereas a clear cat-and-mouse game begins to ensue and the element of trust is a commodity that lessens by the hour. 

This film was directed with quite the frenetic feel by Gabriela Cowperthwaite ("City Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Story" '10, "Blackfish" '13, "Megan Leavey" '17, "Our Friend" '19, "The Grab" '22) plus TV. The way that this filmmaker was able to slowly grow the mistrust amongst the crew was subtle but riveting. They all start as friends, but by the middle of the film, people were forced to suspect, whether it was the other country or those of the same country--who can you trust? This definitively added to the suspense and frenzy of the film. It was effective written by Nick Shafir. Considering this writer had no other writing experience whether it be TV, shorts, videos or feature films, I was quite impressed with his attempt. The premise of this film is certainly a thoughtful one making one think well after the end credits roll, but there were a couple of places where the script became disjointed. But by approximately half way through, the story certainly picked up and became the film I believe Shafir was obviously looking for. Another aspect that created a bit of a claustrophobic feel was the fact that there were only six actors in the entire film, ala "Alien" which carried only seven actors in the entire cast.

If you like suspense thrillers, you'll love this, and if you also like films that pit people against each other for the greater good, this will an added plus. The directing was delineated well and pulled the audience right into the story. Even though the script was a bit disjointed in places, it was still strong enough to hold the audience's attention with ease. It's a real nail-biter!

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                        Rated: R                                        96mins.

The Beekeeper

As we are now in what is typically called a film dead zone which starts on January 1st, we are offered a typical fare that one would expect during this season. Usually the film would be deemed mediocre, however "The Beekeeper" is one film that gives a one two punch that clearly keeps the audience's attention.

One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he, Adam Clay (Jason Statham) is revealed to be a former, retired operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as "Beekeepers", which is an entity where they are contacted when the 'system' fails to carry out justice. Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad) took care of Clay for a number of years, so when he discovers that she dies, he comes to realize that her death is linked to a dark scamming organization which is also linked to a major cover up. Parker's daughter, Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is an FBI agent who, realizing that Clay is a friend of her mom's, seeks to want to help him, but also knows that his vengeful situation cannot be justified. Let the cat-and-mouse game begin. 

Others to round out the cast are Josh Hutcherson as Derek Danforth, Boddy Naderi as Agent Matt Wiley, Jeremy Irons as Wallace Westwyld, David Witts as Mickey Garnett, Jemma Redgrave as President Danforth, Minnie Driver as Director Janet Harward, Michael Epp as Pettis and Taylor James as Lazarus. 

This was directed by amazingly seasoned 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) plus TV, music videos and videos. Even though this filmmaker consistently stays within his comfort zone, genre wise, he knows what he knows best and is able to produce a hard-hitting, riveting and intense film that audiences love. He always ends up pleasing his fan base, probably because he does stick to what he does best. It was also written incredibly well by veteran Kurt Wimmer ("Sphere" '98, "The Thomas Crown Affair" '99, "Equilibrium" '02, "The Recruit" '03, "Ultraviolet" '06, "Street Kings"'08, "Law Abiding Citizen" '09, "Salt" '10, "Total Recall" '12, "Point Break" '15, "Children of the Corn" '20, "Spell" '20, "The Misfits" '21, "Expend4bles" '23). As with Ayer, this writer doesn't wander too far from the genre he has been so successful and creative with. I guess it's like the old adage, "if it's not broke, why fix it?". The scenes were fluid in their progression as the story unfolded as was the sequencing. He was slick in its presentation and was the character development, especially that of Statham as Clay. The editing by Geoffrey O'Brien was slick and definitely helped with the frenetic feel of the story. And the stunts by Eddie Fernandez and fight coordination by Jeremy Marinas were some of the best I've seen in films in a while. This may not be a "Schindler's List" or a "Sophie's Choice" obviously, but it is one of the better films of this genre I've seen in while, only second to "Equalizer 3". 

Certainly if you're a Statham aficionado, you'll be engrossed in this film--it being one of his best. But even if you're not, the story and stunts will keep you moving right along. If you like your films up, close and personal, this is presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 of Stars: 4                                         Rated: R                                           106mins.

American Fiction

I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again that the comedy genre is my favorite, but more to the point, is that satirical comedies are even more my favorite. We haven't seen too many satires in our past which is shameful, so when they are released, I make an assertive effort to see them. The more acerbic the satire the better: "State and Main" 2000, "Thank You for Smoking" '05 both come to mind, and now we have "American Fiction" to sink our teeth into. 

This story confronts our culture's obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a frustrated novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish "Black" book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to distain. So after having a writer's block, he contacts his agent, Arthur (John Ortiz) to find a publisher for a new book to sell. Through all this, he is having family issues with his sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), his brother, Clifford (Sterling K. Brown), and his mom, Agnes (Leslie Uggams). 

Others to round out the cast are Erika Alexander as Coraline, Adam Brody as Wiley Valdespino, Issa Rae as Sintara Golden, Keith David as Willy the Wonker, Myra Lucretia Taylor as Lorraine, Raymond Anthony Thomas as Maynard and Miriam Shor as Paula Baderman. 

This was incredibly well crafted by newcomer director Cord Jefferson (TV). He has a fair amount of TV experience which served him well, so it should not be a total surprise that he could transverse the crossover to feature film. His pacing and staging were first rate as well as his ability to push his actors to get them to emit the much needed emotions in order to convince the audience of the realistic approach to these characters. It was also well penned by writer Cord Jefferson (TV), based on a novel by Percival Everett. Again, as with the directing, Jefferson has a fair amount of TV experience in that realm, and because of this, he was able to write a powerful screenplay which shows his family life and how he is attempting to write this new book using a pseudonym, and be able to blend the two very different aspects seamlessly. If this is his directing and writing debut for feature films, I am excited to see what he produces next, and there will be a next time. 

If you're like me and love acerbic satires, you'l love this. It has so much to offer: laugh out loud comedy, drama, love, frustration, and craziness all in a film that will make one talking about it well after the credit roll ends. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                      Rated: R                                       117mins.

The Color Purple

When "The Color Purple" was released in 1985, 38 years ago, it was considering a fresh and original film opening up the door to a very talented and serious black cast. Even though this remake of "The Color Purple" was a fair duplicate of its predecessor, it was still as well crafted as the original as far as the acting, directing, writing, photography and choreography.

A story of love and resilience based on the novel and the Broadway musical, "The Color Purple" is a decades spawning tale of one woman's journey to independence, Celie (Fantasia Barrino) faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Since her sister, young Nettie (Halle Bailey) subsequently went to Africa, The story begins in 1909 when Celie met and was forced to be the wife of Mister (Colman Domingo) who abused and only wanted a maid and servant. Then years later, she met and befriended Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), a well known entertainer who, after hearing about the abuse thrust upon her by Mister, Shug took Celie under her wing and protected her. Then, even farther down the road (time wise), the son of Mister, Harpo (Corey Hawkins) married Sofia (Danielle Brooks) and all became friends much to the chagrin of Mister. This spans the better part of 40 years. 

Others to round out the cast are Ciara as Nettie, H.E.R. (Gabriella Wilson) as Squeak, David Alan Grier as Reverend Avery, Shug's father, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as Young Celie, Deon Cole as Alfonso, Jon Batiste as Grady and Louis Gossett Jr as Ol' Mister, Mister's father. 

This was intensely and passionately directed by Blitz Bazawule ("The Burial of Kojo" '18, "Black is King" '20) plus TV and shorts. Who would've concluded that a director with the limited amount of experience as this filmmaker could've crafted a film with the quality as this? Of course, considering that powerhouse producers of the likes of Spielberg, Winfrey, Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders were involved, they had to have known this filmmaker or he probably wouldn't have been involved. The sequencing, staging, pacing and continuity in script was spot on. It was equally well penned by writer Marcus Gardley ("My America" (segment: "The Preacher's Benediction") '14) plus TV. This story basically followed its predecessor fairly closely, and other than it being a musical which the original was not, it and the characters were, all in all, intact. What made this truly fresh and exciting was the musical numbers and the choreography by Fatima Robinson. Certainly, the two and a quarter hours moved right along which kept my interest. Also the photography by Dan Laustsen, asc/dff was stunning and definitely showcased the incredible quality of this production. Other than a couple of very small places of slowness in the story, this script was amazing. 

Certainly.if you liked the 1985 original, you'll love this one replete with fine acting, directing, writing, photography, choreography, costume design, music and lyrics. It will undoubtedly be considered for several Oscar nods. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                 Rated: PG-13                                       141mins.

Anyone But You

Before I even walked into the theater, I surmised that "Anyone But You" would be the film I expected, and was accurate by films' end. It being a typical romantic comedy, one could surmise its predictability where it's all tied up in a nice 'happily ever after' ending. To assume anything more would be quite the wager, but if you're looking for a typical romcom, you've come to the right place.

In this edgy comedy, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold--until they find themselves thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So, they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple. Will this pretense bring them together, or drive them even farther apart?

Others to round out the cast are Alexandra Shipp as Claudia, Gata as Pete, Hadley Robinson as Halle, Michelle Hurd as Carol, Dermot Mulroney as Leo, Darren Barnet as Jonathan, Rachel Griffiths as Innie, Joe Davidson as Beau and Josh Bonello as Skyler.

This was directed effectively by Will Gluck ("Fired Up!" '09, "Easy A" '10, "Friends with Benefits" '11, "Iceland" (TV movie) '11, "Annie" '14, "Peter Rabbit" '18, "How May We Hate You" '18, "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" '21) plus TV and a music video. This filmmaker is certainly a consistent one in that he doesn't venture too far out of his comfort zone and that could be a negative or a positive. At least he knows where he can best rely on and that's why this film turned out as well as can be expected. His sequencing is formulaic, however with romcoms, there's really only a formulaic format that works. If you light the genre this director typically crafts, his "Jackpot" is in pre production. It was written by Ilana Wolpert (TV) and Will Gluck ("Fired Up!" '09, "Friends with Benefits" '11,"Annie" '14,"Angry Angel" (TV movie) '17,"Peter Rabbit" '18, "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" '21), based on a story by Iiana Wolpert. I not sure why Wolpert received first billing here since she has no feature film experience whereas Gluck does, except that the reasoning could be that the film is based on her story or idea, so it's her 'baby' essentially. As romcoms go, this was probably written as well as the vast majority of romcom are written. It is predictable, not very funny, considering it's a comedy, and even though the idea is somewhat an original idea, the way the story was handled was not. Let's see: boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they go on a first date, communications become miscrossed, they part as they assume the other doesn't want anything to do with the other, then they get back together again, then something else happens and they're back at square one again, then the truth comes out and they make up and all live happily ever after. Sound familiar? This format happens in most of the romcoms and it just gets old. Also, there were a couple of places that obtained continuity issues as well, so it was difficult, at times, to follow the sequencing of the film. Certainly, with Gluck's next film, "The Aristocats" which is now in pre production, hopefully we will be shown a much better film, not that this film was a total wash. There were some interesting scenes, unfortunately not enough to carry the film. The two actors both Sweeney and Powell gave it their all, but with all that was going on, they couldn't save it. The reason this was considered 'edgy' is because most romcoms are typically rated PG-13, however, this being rated R, there were many more four-letter words, which weren't needed and other sexually gratuitous short scenes that also were not needed. I suspect the filmmakers are attempting to win over a younger demographic, 

Definitely if you like romcoms, you'll love this, however if a romcom is tough, on a good day, to get through, you might want to pass on this or wait for Netflix. Will Gluck is typically a better writer then what came out of this, but I'm not sure what happened. Bad day at the laptop? Not sure, but suffice to say, I've seen better romcoms, but I've also seen worse. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                         Rated: R                                          103mins.

The Iron Claw

Sports films have, for decades, become quite the staple for creating films. It would be impossible to list them all, but suffice it to say, these can and have been real crowd pleasers. Certainly boxing and wrestling films are films about either underdogs or champions that all people really enjoy watching--one such film is "The Iron Claw" about a family that lives, sleeps, dreams wrestling that pursue and champion the sports in spades.

This is the true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson) and Mike (Stanley Simons), who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980's. Through tragedy and triumph under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, Fritz (Holt McCallany), the brothers seek larger than life immortality on the biggest stage in sports. Through it all, Kevin meets and woos Pam (Lily James) who ends up being his most ardent confidante which, at times, really served him.

Others to round out the cast are Maura Tierney as Doris, Fritz's wife and mother to the brothers, Kevin Anton as Harley Race, Aaron Dean Eisenberg as Ric Flair and Michael P. Harney as Bill Mercer. 

This was intensely directed by Sean Durkin ("Martha Marcy May Marlene" '11, "The Nest" '20) plus TV and shorts. This filmmaker was innately able to extract those emotions, whether obvious or subtle, out of these actors in order to convince the audience that these are really the people they are portraying, and did with poignancy and sadness. Even though his experience isn't exhaustive, he simply rocked behind the camera. It was also incredibly well penned by writer Sean Durkin ("Martha Marcy May Marlene" '11, "The Nest"'20) and a short. Again, even with this writer's limited experience, he was able to write a powerful script. Of course, this story about the Von Erich family was rife with all the ingredients of a fine screenplay. Interestingly, the last name of this family is actually Adkisson, however back in the day, they decided to change it to Von Erich even after knowing someone who apparently lived a cursed life. So, as the tragedies of this family ensued, they really kept cursing themselves because the brothers came to believing the aspect of the curse, when in actuality tragedies happened either that were self-induced or unexplained. Other than a couple of very small places of continuity issues, this script rocked. This writer, and director for that matter, will undoubtedly receive more work, and we will be the victors for it. 

If you're an Efron fan, this is definitely the film for you. He goes deep into this character of Kevin and is able to show us his true acting prowess. And certainly if one is into wrestling/fighting films, this assuredly fits the bill. For having a two plus hour running time, you wouldn't know it since the story moves right along. You cheer for this family and you feel their pain when tragedy hits, so be prepared for a roller coaster ride.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                         Rated: R                                          132mins.