Beast

Hollywood has created many different genres in their existence, and suffice it to say, many have been repeated time and again. One fairly newer genre came along a certain number of decades ago of the thriller genre that put a whole new spin of making the audience squirm or causing a great deal of nail-biting. "Beast" has only accentuated that genre and raise the intensity level to a point where your heart will be pounding about a third of the way through the film.

Idris Elba stars in a pulse-pounding new thriller about a father and his two teenage daughters, Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Leah Jeffries) who find themselves hunted by a massive rouge lion intent on proving that the savannah has but one apex predator. Elba plays Dr. Nate Samuels, a recently widowed husband who returns to South Africa, where he first met his wife, on a long-planned trip with their daughters to a game reserve managed by Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), an old family friend and wildlife biologist. But what begins as a journey of healing jolts into a fearsome fight for survival when a lion, a survivor of blood-thirsty poachers who now sees all humans as the enemy, begins stalking them. 

Others to round out the cast are Tafara Nyatsanza as Banji, Mduduzi Mavimbela as poacher Mizozi, Chris Gxalaba as Chipo, Chris Langa as Specs and Kazi Khuboni as pilot.

This film was intensely directed by Baltasar Kormakur ("101 Reykjavik" 2000, "Jar City" '06, "Inhale" '10, "Contraband" '12, "The Deep" '12, "2 Guns" '13, "Everest" '15, "Adrift" '18) plus others, TV and a TV movie. By his very resume, Kormakur truly knows how to put his audience in just the right amount of peril that the audience doesn't see a good deal coming. The subtlety in starting with a nice safari and slowly ending up with this ferocious lion ready to kill was amazing. And did I mention that this filmmaker definitely puts the 'I' in intensity? Once the action took place, the adrenaline, action-packed feel of the flick was non-stop. As with the incredible intensity of the array of films this director has helmed, this filmmaker will continue to wow us with many more films in the future, and we will all be the victors. It was equally well penned by writer Ryan Engle ("Non-Stop" '14, "The Commuter" '18, "Rampage" '18, "Breaking In" '22) plus TV, based on a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan. One wouldn't think that a film about a lion being a beast attacking people would be that scary--as compared to an unknown monster, but the way this story was penned, any massive size animal would deem scary and lethal if it is written in a way that exuded a permanence and finality within the story. The cast was believable as it was credible, and once this film is over, it leaves an indelible impression on one's psyche. 

If you are a thriller aficionado or junkie, you'll love this film. You can't beat a well thought-out and compelling thriller, and this is one of the better of this genre. The shear intensity warrants the price of admission to this film, and as you're watching it, prepare for a white-knuckle ride!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                          Rated: R                                              93mins.

                                                                                                               

 

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

As we are waning from the summer movie season, we start seeing those films that are considered smaller or insignificant that are being released so as to make some sort of profit. Well, that being a typically normal assessment, once in a while, we get thrown a bone and that bone is in the image of "Mrs.Harris Goes to Paris". 

This tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady, Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) in 1957 London who falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress , and decides that that she must have one of her own. After she works, starves and gambles to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris which will change not only her own out look, but the very future of the House of Dior. Through her friends both old and recent including Archie (Jason Isaacs), Natasha (Alba Baptista), Andre Fauvel (Lucas Bravo) and Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson), she is able to transverse her adventure through the goings on at the House of Dior.

Others to round out the cast are Rose Williams as Pamela Penrose, Isabella Huppert as Claudine Colbert, Anna Chancellor as Lady Dant, Freddie Fox as RAF officer, Roxanne Duran as Marguerite, Christian McKay as Giles Newcombe and Ellen Thomas as Vi Butterfield.

This was poignantly and compassionately directed by Anthony Fabian ("Skin" '08, "Embracing the Tiger" (documentary) '09, "Louder Than Words" '13, "Good Hope" (documentary) '19) plus TV movie documentaries and shorts. The compassion and pathos this filmmaker was able to extract out of his actors, specifically that of Manville was incredible. These characters shined throughout this film, and this speaks volumes for the directing. It was written with amazing aplomb by Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson and Olivia Hetreed based on the novel by Paul Gallico. Usually, when there are more than two writers on any given project, the storyline becomes bogged down with inconsistencies and choppiness--too many hands in the pot, but this film was well written even with four writers involved. I had great trepidation in seeing this, however after viewing this, I was amazed how well put together it was. It was about a good-natured and compassionate person always being the forever optimist. She knows how to get involved in people's lives without coming across as mettlesome, and this is creative writing at its finest. Lesley Manville was a joy in her role as Ada Harris and could possibly garner her an Oscar nod, but we'll see. 

If you like British films, you'll love this, but even if you're not, the writing, directing and acting will bring you to tears. It's a feel good story, with a feel good message all in a two-hour running time. This film needs to be seen by so many people considering the awful, fearful world we live in these days--and because of this, this was a breath of fresh air. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                            Rated: PG                                                115mins.

Others to 

Bullet Train

Typically, the summer movie season is fraught with big-budget films, and even more to the point, action-packed films. Films such as "Speed", "The Lost City", "Sahara", "Raiders of the Lost Ark" were all released in the summer to an amazing profit. So, when "Bullet Train" was to be released this August, I felt like this was going to be quite the roller coaster ride and it was.

In this story, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, through his handler, Maria (Sandra Bullock) may have other plans. She conjoles Ladybug into his latest mission that puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries  including Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry), Prince (Joey King) and Wolf (Benito A. Martinez Ocasio), from around the globe, all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives--on the world's fastest train. The end of the line is only the beginning in a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan. 

Others to round out the cast are Andrew Koji as Kimura, the Father, Hiroyuki Sanada as the Elder, Michael Shannon as White Death, Logan Lerman as the Son, Zazie Beetz as the Hornet and Masi Oka as Conductor.

This was rivetingly directed by David Leitch ("Atomic Blonde" '17, "Deadpool 2" '18, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" '19) plus shorts and a music video short. By his very resume, this filmmaker knows his way around an action-packed film and with that, he knows how to put one together and make it exciting for any audience. This film was riveting, adrenaline ridden and has the ability to put his actors into perilous situations in order to convey to his audience that certain realism. If you like his brand of directing, his "The Fall Guy" is in pre-production. It was executed by writer Zak Olkewicz ("Fear Street: Part Two--1978" '21). Even though this writer doesn't have an extensive resume, he certainly was able to hold my attention throughout this film. I know he was using the flashback technique in order to convey his storyline, but there were unfortunately a number of disjointed areas in script to create a certain amount of confusion, especially during the first half of the film. As the film continued to unfold, it did pick up speed, and then moved right along and became the film this writer was looking for. You'll see a small cameo role from Channing Tatum in this which is interesting considering he, Pitt and Bullock were all in this spring's "The Lost City". Given more writing under his belt, this writer will excel--in fact, his "Last Voyage of the Demeter" is in post-production for a 2023 release.

If you like action-packed, adventurous films with an underlining humorous basis, you'll love this. It's your typical quintessential summer escapism film fraught with action, adventure, humor all while without the hint of a message or something really to think about. And in this day and age of how bad things have gotten in this country, this is a refreshing alternative to all that's transpiring.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                                Rated: R                                            126mins.

DC League of Super-Pets

The summer film season has been full of adventurous and entertaining fare whether it be big-budget or animated films. A fair amount of animated flicks have graced the screen thus far and now we have "DC League of Super-Pets" in the offing centered around pets with super powers along with their human counterparts. 

In this story, Krypto (Dwayne Johnson) the Super-Dog and Superman (John Krasinski) are inseparable best friends, sharing the same super powers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League, including Batman (Keanu Reeves), Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), Aquaman (Jemaine Clement) and others, are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack--Ace the hound (Kevin Hart), PB the potbellied pig (Vanessa Bayer), Merton the turtle (Natasha Lyonne) and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna)--to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes. 

Others to round out the cast are Kate McKinnon as Lulu, Marc Maron as Lex Luther, Thomas Middleditch as Keith--aka Ice Guinea Pig, Ben Schwartz as Mark--aka Fire Guinea Pig and Olivia Wilde as Lois Lane. 

This was humorously directed by Jared Stern ("Happy Anniversary" '18) plus a TV mini series, and co-directed by Sam Levine (TV). Even though both these directors have limited experience in the director's chair, this was staged and paced well with all the pathos and emotion needed to be emitted from these actors. Certainly both Johnson and Hart have worked together in the most recent Jumanji films and seemingly have a great working relationship, but this was shear talented directing. It was creatively written by Stern ("Mr. Popper's Penguins" '11, "The Watch" '12, "The Internship" '13, "The Lego Batman Movie" '17, "The Lego Ninjago Movie" '17, "Happy Anniversary" '18) plus TV and John Whittington ("The Lego Batman Movie" '17, "When We First Met" '18, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" '22) plus TV, based on the DC comics. The script definitely carried that 'Lego Movie' style of writing which made all the difference to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing in those films, so when I realized that the similar style of writing would be present in this film, I felt that it would be well honed, and I was correct. Really. other that a couple of very small places of continuity issues, this was funny, adventurous all the while having a touching message underneath it all. The message here? Being a team no matter how impossible the odds involved. The animation by Animal Logic was creative and kept the attention of the audience ten fold. When I saw the trailer to this film, I felt that it would definitely be a doable film, and wow, it was very cleverly executed. 

If you like animated films or films based on superheroes, this will certainly fit the bill. I'm not expressly a fan of the 'comic book' style of films, but this was definitely one of those few exceptions. If you want true escapism at it's finest, grab the popcorn and enjoy this gem!

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

Nope

There are horror flicks, and then there is Jordan Peele. Where the genre of horror has traditionally been extremely predictable, "Nope" is anything but traditional or predictable, as are his other films. "Get Out" and "Us" were both an antithesis of what is expected on most horror flicks. 

Caretakers who happen to be siblings, OJ Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald Haywood (Keke Palmer) own a horse ranch  in a small gulch in inland California, encounter a mysterious force that affects human and animal behavior. They decide to visit their neighborhood Fry's Electronics and had a video camera system installed by a salesman, Angel Torres (Brandon Perea) so they can film the strange phenomenon only for Angel to become trapped with them at the ranch because the strange entity appears to be getting more active. At that point, they decide to commission a famed cinematographer, Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) to assist them in journaling the situation. What is this mysterious phenomenon?

Others to round out the cast are Steven Yuen as Ricky 'Jupe' Park, Wrenn Schmidt as Amber Park, Michael Busch as Nobody, Keith David as Otis Haywood Sr., Donna Mills as Bonnie Clayton, Barbie Ferreira as Nessie, Devon Graye as Ryder Muyridge and Oz Perkins as Flynn Bachman. 

This was directed with delineated precision by Jordan Peele ("Get Out" '17, "Us" '19). As with both of his previous films, he simply knows how to extract those certain emotions out of his actors so they convey the story in as realistic as possible given the scene. "Us" was probably the best film he has directed thus far. It will be interesting to see what project he directs next. Although the directing was executed with such expertise, unless I just didn't get it, the writing, also by Peele, simply needed a little more polish. Interestingly, he has less experience in the director's chair than behind the laptop. He also wrote "Rubberhead" (TV movie, segment "Absorption") '14, "Keanu" '16, "Get Out" '17, "Us" '19, "Candyman" '21), and with this list of films, I expected more from this filmmaker. There was a bit of jumpiness of script and places that should've happened but didn't. To mention what those areas that should've happened were, it would become a spoiler alert. Suffice it to say, I felt it just wasn't up to Peele's standards. Was it a total wash? No, but it kind of meandered a bit much. Also, it definitely put the 'B' in bizarre. Not sure what Peele was on when he wrote this, but the best thing about it is that it is incredibly original. If you like this filmmaker's brand, his "Wendell and Wild" is in post production for a 2022 release. 

If you're a Peele aficionado, you'll love this because he does have quite the following, however, if you're looking for something a little more grounded, I would go see this with a totally open mind. It's in IMAX for those that want that huge like you're right there feeling.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                      Rated: R                                         131mins.

Where the Crawdads Sing

We've all seen biopics or films based on true stories, but "Where the Crawdads Sing", while being based on a novel, carries itself like a film based on a true story. This story easy could've happened, however it was a well honed script based on a well crafted novel about a young girl's life as she maneuvers living in a marshland.

From the best selling novel comes a captivating mystery. This tells the story of Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones), an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Tate (Taylor John Smith) and Chase (Harris Dickinson) Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, as her attorney, Tom Milton (David Strathairn) unravels one layer of evidence after another. This ends up threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh. 

Others to round out the cast are Michael Hyatt as Mabel, Sterling Macer Jr. as Jumpin', Logan Macrae as Jodie Clark, Kya's, brother, Bill Kelly as Sheriff Jackson, Ahna O'Reilly as Ma, Garret Dillahunt as Pa, Jayson Warner Smith as Deputy Perdue and Dane Rhodes as Judge Sims. 

This was directed with such pathos and careful delineation by Olivia Newman ("First Match '18) plus TV and shorts. Even though she only has one film to her credit, she does have a fair amount of TV and shorts in which was still was able to cut her teeth on, and frankly, I believe she is clearly a natural. Seasoned directors have not directed any better than she performed on this film. She will simply receive more work. It was equally well crafted by writer Lucy Alibar ("Beasts of the Southern Wild" '12, "Troop Zero" '19), based on the novel by Delia Owens. As I mentioned in the preface, this conveys as a film based on a true story even though it was not. The characters were well thought out and rich in their development. I've never really heard of Edgar-Jones as Kya, however she was simply perfect as Kya, and the chemistry between her and Smith's Tate was incredibly captivating unlike we typically see in most films today. It was a very endearing film, but presented in an incredible amount of realism. This 'rights of passage' film carries us from the 1950's through to the early 1970's spanning all the different situations and people Kya encountered. Could Edgar-Jones be nominated come Oscar time? Not sure, but suffice it to say, she would definitely deserve a nod.

This is definitely one of those small films we typically don't see during the summer film season, it being a small independent offing, but that's one of the aspects I like about it. It gives us that chance to see a well written, directed and acted film with a fresh, original feel to it, instead of the typical onslaught of big-budget, high-adrenaline type films. Enjoy, I know I did. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                            Rated: PG-13                                             126mins.

Thor: Love and Thunder

The summer film season is typically fraught with 'franchise land', and although most of these films are usually part of a franchise, Hollywood keeps on popping them out as long as the audiences will plunk down an admission to see them. "Thor: Love and Thunder" is the fourth film of this franchise, the others being "Thor" '11, "Thor: The Dark World" '13 and "Thor: Ragnarok" '17, and this is certainly as rollicking as its predecessors. 

This film finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced--a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of gods for them allowing his daughter to die. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who--to Thor's surprise--inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as The Mighty Thor, Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late. Can they do this or is Gorr's powers too strong?

Others to round out the cast are Russell Crowe as Zeus, Jaimie Alexander as Sif, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, David Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket and Carly Rees as Miek.

This was directed with the same excitement as the previous 'Thor' in '17 by Taika Waititi ("Eagle vs Shark" '07, "Boy" '10, "What We Do in the Shadows" '14, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" '16, "Thor: Ragnarok" '17, "Jojo Rabbit" '19) plus TV, shorts and video shorts. This filmmaker certainly runs the gambit as far as the many different genres he has tackled, although the one element that is present in each of his films is the element of quirkiness or oddity, which makes many of his films that much more interesting. This film was over-the-top, but with his directing edge that he brought to the production, created an interesting slant to this story. If you like his brand of directing, his "Next Goal Wins", which he also wrote, has been completed for a 2022 release. It was written in an over-the-top way by Waititi ("Eagle vs Shark" '07, "Boy" '10, "What We Do in the Shadows" '14, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" '16, "Jojo Rabbit" '19) plus TV, and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson ("Someone Great" '19, "Unpregnant" '20), based on a story by Waititi, which is based on the Marvel comics by Stan Lee and Jason Aaron. This film pulls out all the stops of being over-the-top, visual effects aplenty, and bigger than life characters. The main thing I could appreciate about the screenplay is that it came across at times to read out as a parody, especially by that of Hemsworth. It's like he made light of his character while performing the character, which came across unique. It was a bit choppy in a couple places and with that had some continuity issues, but hey, it's Hemsworth as Thor and he IS Thor. This installation of the franchise was definitely written for the 18-24 year old single male demographic--get them in the theater seats--ka-ching! And with this, you must forgive the fact that a certain amount of this script is predictable, but then welcome to the summer film fare. And the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) were, of course, seamless--tons of them, but as I just said, welcome to the summer film fare. 

Certainly if to like Thor and Marvel, you'll love this. FYI--stay through the credits for a bit of a surprise--could there be a Thor 5? And if you like a HUGE screen, it's also presented in an IMAX format so you'll feel like you're right there. This is escapism at its finest, and couldn't use more of that in this day and age?

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                           Rated: PG-13                                             119mins.