MOVIE REVIEW: MUFASA: THE LION KING

 

Lost and alone, orphaned cub Mufasa meets a sympathetic lion named Taka, the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destinies.

Director: Barry Jenkins

Cast: Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Tiffany Boone, Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Anika Noni Rose, Blue Ivy Carter, John Kani, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

Release Date: December 20, 2024

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Musical

Rated PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements.

Runtime: 1h 58m

Review:

Mufasa: The Lion King manages to improve on the 2019 remake on multiple levels, but its uneven pacing and overlong runtime keep it from being truly special.  Academy Award winning director Barry Jenkins delivers a visually impressive film across the board with the technical aspects of the photo realistic imaginary providing a venerable feast for the eyes.  Action set pieces are well constructed and do a strong job of putting the audience in the middle of the chaotic action to great effect.  Through all the technical wizardry Jenkins uses his talent to give his characters a real sense of emotion and depth something that was missing in the hollow 2019 remake.  Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. deliver strong work as the pair of accidental brothers at the center of the story by giving each character a real sense of brotherly connection throughout.  Pierre's deep tenor fits well as the younger version of James Earl Jones Mufasa to reflect his innate nobility and courage paired with youthful naiveite.  Kelvin Harrison Jr. turn as the future Scar, Taka, is measured with an air of undeserved entitlement and cowardness but very little conniving until the later portion of the film as the story reveals the cause of their fractured relationship.  The story stumbles a bit with that reveal since there's plenty of room to play with the concepts of entitlement vs earning your position but instead it falls back on a simple conflict over unrequited love which is underwhelming.  Mads Mikkelsen's provides the voice of Kiros who serves as the menacing villain pursuing the group.  Mikkelsen clearly relishes the villainous role with impressive glee that's highlighted by the song Bye Bye a rather chipper song about murdering another group of lions.  Lin Manuel-Miranda's song are catchy as usual and work well for the most part with Kelvin Harrison Jr. final song, Brother Betrayed, proving to be a highlight.  Unfortunately, there are handful of stumbles along the way with the most egregious being the framing device ramming in unnecessary silly sequences from Seth Rogen's Pumbaa and Billy Eichner's Timon which breaks up the film's flow on multiple occasions.  Those moments could have been excised entirely and it would have made the overlong film a more effective and emotionally impactful experience.  As is, Mufasa: The Lion King brings enough to the table to make it a worthwhile exercise just not quite a special one.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: CONCLAVE

 

Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with one of the world's most secretive and ancient events -- participating in the selection of a new pope. Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.

Director: Edward Berger

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini

Release Date: October 25, 2024

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Rated PG for thematic material and smoking.

Runtime: 2hrs 

Review:

Conclave is a fascinating blend of striking visuals paired with the pulpy, political machinations in selecting a new pope led by a wonderfully layered turn from Ralph Fiennes.  Edward Berger's film is wonderfully shot, taking full advantage of Catholic Church's ornate iconography to great effect serving as a stark contrast to the power struggles on display.  It sets up the overall themes at play throughout as we follow the contrasting ideologues battle for the papal crown.  It creates a vaguely claustrophobic feel to the proceeds that puts the collection of characters in small rooms or narrow hallways more often than not which ramps up the tension.  Ralph Fiennes leads the whole thing with a multilayered incredibly subtle turn that puts his immense talent on display.  Fiennes' conveys his character rotating sense of duty, self doubt and faith with incredible ease as he tries to lead the Conclave.  It’s one of his best performances simply due to the fact that he does so much with small nuanced moves, looks or inflections to exemplify his character’s inner turmoil and drive.  His supporting cast is made up equally impressive albeit more showy turns from a collection of veteran performers such as Stanley Tucci, Lucian Msamati, John Lithgow, and Sergio Castellitto. These characters are written more broadly and representative of their contrasting ideologies with each actor turning in strong work in their limited screentime.  Isabella Rossellini has a small but important supporting role which is pivotal to the story as a series of revelations unfurl with each refocusing the spotlight on a different player.  Once the dominos start to fall it leads Conclave to a finale that leaves an open question about the concepts of belief and faith. 

 

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: NIGHTBITCH

 

An artist who pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mum seeks a new chapter in her life and encounters just that, when her nightly routine takes a surreal turn and her maternal instincts begin to manifest in canine form.

Director: Marielle Heller

Cast: Amy Adams, Scoot McNairy, Arleigh Snowden, Emmett Snowden, Mary Holland, Ella Thomas, Archana Rajan, Jessica Harper

Release Date: December 6, 2024

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Rated R for language and some sexuality

Runtime: 1h 38m

Review:

Marielle Heller's Nightbitch is perfectly set up to offer up a boundary pushing dissection of modern motherhood, but it never fully delivers on its promise despite a fully committed turn from Amy Adams.  Heller's film plays its fairly straightforward with a handful of moments internal monologues sprinkled throughout that feel like they should lead up to something revelatory by the time the film ends.  The thing is that moment never really comes as the script toys with a handful of ideas that have been done before in better films like 2018's underappreciated Tully.  It’s strange that the film spends nearly its entire runtime with Adams' character but there's no real depth to her just the pervasive sense of desperation.  Amy Adams does everything she can to make the film work as she indulges every bit of insanity thrown at her.  It’s an incredibly unglamourous role fully realized via a physical transformation to really hammer home the loss of identity at the center of the film.  Adams maintains a glazed, detachment for nearly the entirety of the film which slowly simmers over to rage in spots.  There are darkly funny moments which she manages with impressive ease before shifting back to more solitary moments.  Scoot McNairy does what he can with an underwritten role as the husband who is clueless to his wife's distress.   There's plenty of fertile ground to be tilled in their relationship but the script never delves into anything deeper than the most obvious tropes.  The more gonzo ideas of transformation and generational pain never really coagulate to deliver the sort of impact intended.  It doesn't help that for all the pain and resentment the wife suffers through in Nightbitch the script decides to tie everything up with a tidy bow that ties everything up far too neatly making it all feel sort of hollow. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: CARRY-ON

 

A young airline security guard is blackmailed by a mysterious passenger who threatens to smuggle a dangerous package onto a plane on Christmas Eve.

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Jason Bateman

Release Date: December 13, 2024

Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for strong violence, bloody images, some language and suggestive references.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Carry-On is an old school potboiler in the vein of Die Hard that takes full advantage of strong performances from Taron Egerton and Jason Batman engaging in a tense game of cat and mouse.  Jaume Collet-Serra confidently sets up the premise after quick introductions to the main characters before he moves right into the meat of the story.  The story itself will never be considered smart by any extent, but it does a solid job of keeping your attention especially as the stakes get progressively higher.  He consistently maintains a steady rhythm to the tension even as the script takes increasingly ludicrous twist and turns.  Taron Egerton brings his likeable everyman energy to the proceedings which works perfectly for the central role.  Egerton is able to give his character a believable sense of being out of his depth initially before rising to the occasion.  He's able to bring a sense of authenticity to the role that probably doesn't come through in the hands of a lesser performer.  Jason Batman is clearly relishing his role as the seemingly omnipotent ringleader.  His measured, controlled diction and delivery are perfectly suited for his role as the mastermind.  He can imbue his character with a cold, calculating, detachment that gives him a palpable sense of danger throughout.  The two don't share many scenes together but their verbal interchanges pop and ultimately make the film work.  Danielle Deadwyler makes the most of her screentime as an FBI agent on the trail of Bateman that leaves you wishing the film had given her a more prominent role.  She is given a particularly fun action sequence set to Wham's Last Christmas which is sure to be one of the more memorable moments in the final act.  That final act does stretch out longer than necessary which ultimately keeps Carry-On being truly memorable.   

B

MOVIE REVIEW: KRAVEN THE HUNTER

 

Kraven's complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

Director: J. C. Chandor

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe

Release Date: December 13, 2024

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language.

Runtime: 2h 7m

Review:

Kraven The Hunter manages to be a halfway decent crime drama until it remembers it also must be a comic book story which drags down the whole experience.  J. C. Chandor does his best to deliver an engaging story highlighted by some decent action sequences.  Unfortunately, he's fighting some terrible headwinds with a terrible script, shoddy CGI and a goofy collection of characters that he must wrangle together.  The fact that he manages to deliver something more coherent and watchable than Madame Web or Morbius is something of a small moral victory for him and his cast.  That being said, there's so much clunky dialogue and bad accents thrown onscreen that you are left with a decision to either check out or just go with it.  The incredibly talented cast does the best they can with what they are given and occasionally manage to find some depth in their characters.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson makes great use of his good looks and chiseled frame in the central role.  He is solid enough to make it all watchable, the script doesn't really ask much from him, even though his accent rotates between bad Russian, non-descript and his native British.  Russell Crowe, sporting an equally bad Russian accent, chews up every bit of scenery as Kraven's gangster father.  Crowe and Taylor-Johnson have some fun chemistry together which the film would have been wise to focus on instead of Alessandro Nivola's Rhino.  Christopher Abbott shows up as supporting villain who’s also more interesting than The Rhino which makes you wonder why the latter is the main villain in the first place.  Ariana DeBose, whose name is Calypso as the film reminds us of every five minutes, is given the thankless supporting role that doesn't give her much to do outside of randomly giving Kraven his powers and shell out some exposition.  Ultimately, Kraven the Hunter isn't laughably bad like some of the other entries in this strange Sony spinoff universe but inherently forgettable.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ORDER

 

A string of violent robberies in the Pacific Northwest leads veteran FBI agent Terry Husk to a white supremacist group that plans to overthrow the federal government.

Director: Justin Kurzel 

Cast: Jude Law; Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, Alison Oliver, Marc Maron

Release Date: December 6, 2024

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for some strong violence, and language throughout.

Runtime: 1h 58m

Review:

Justin Kurzel's tense police procedural feels like a throwback to classic Michael Mann films from the 80's and 90's with its straightforward single-mindedness buoyed by stellar performances across the board.  Kurzel's film is hauntingly beautiful in how its shot by taking full advantage of the natural beauty that hides the sinister workings of the white supremacist domestic terrorist at the heart of the story.  It’s a fascinating juxtaposition that offers up a hefty bit of thematic subtext to the story playing out on screen.  It’s all wonderfully shot but straightforward and lean with very few visual flourishes thrown into the mix.  It’s an incredibly efficient film from start to finish that never loses sight of where it's going or how it wants to get there.  Jude Law embodies the film's no nonsense approach with his turn as the hardboiled FBI agent who drives the story.  Law has rarely been better as he gives his character a hardened intensity that drives his relentless pursuit of his target regardless of the personal toll it takes on him.  We are given only a few morsels of background information on the character, but Law manages to give him enough layers so that we understand the depths of his determination even if not the reasons.  On the other end, Nicholas Hoult takes advantage of his boyish looks paired with a tangible sense of charisma that becomes more an unnerving as his groups actions become more extreme.  There's subtle work from both actors on display with Law's performance being the showier of the two but Hoult is just as good with his measured approach.  They only share a few moments on screen but when they do the screen screams with tension as each party attempts to size up each other.  Tye Sheridan and Jurnee Smollett are solid in smaller supporting roles with Sheridan leaving a sizeable impression on the film.  There's plenty to appreciate about The Order, especially since it brings a certain level of immediacy and importance due to some readily apparent modern day connections.  

A