MOVIE REVIEW: BLINK TWICE

When tech billionaire Slater King meets cocktail waitress Frida at his fundraising gala, he invites her to join him and his friends for a dream vacation on his private island. Wild nights soon blend into sun-soaked days, but when strange things start to happen, Frida must uncover the truth if she hopes to make it out alive.

Director: Zoë Kravitz

Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, Geena Davis, Alia Shawkat

Release Date: August 23, 2024

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for strong violent content, sexual assault, drug use and language throughout, and some sexual references.

Runtime: 1h 42m

Review:

Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut, Blink Twice, displays some talent behind the camera, especially with its devilishly well-crafted first half before stumbling into an overly didactic and predictable back half that ditches any semblance of subtly.  Kravitz does strong work in those early sequences with well constructed shots and a wonderful use of sound to create a creeping sense of dread.  Its visually impactful enough to leave a noticeable impression especially as events become more fractured and discombobulating.  Its an impressive high wire act but once the story starts to falter the effect wears off quickly as the oh so obvious reveals come to head.  There is, at least, some dark humor in the film's back half as the revelations causes logic to fly out of the window and the characters scramble for survival.  Naomi Ackie is engaging enough for the majority of the film even if her character plays basic tropes we've seen multiple times before.  The film would have been better served if it had spent more screen time with Ackie and Alia Shawkat's characters to give the characters more depth and their plight more impactful. Channing Tatum delivers a strong turn as the charming tech billionaire.  Tatum is understated which keeps his character from falling into some of the tech bro pitfalls which makes it easy to understand why Ackie's Frida is so enraptured.  Unfortunately, much like Frida, there's very little depth to him leaving him as more of a type than a fully realized character.  The supporting cast is populated with familiar faces but aren't given much to work with outside of most basic stereotypes across the board.  Adria Arjona injects a bit of energy in the finale which makes you wish she'd been given more prominence early on.  It all makes Blink Twice feel like a missed opportunity especially on a thematic level since it could have been a more interesting and meaningful version of this story there. 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: BEING THE RICARDOS

 

In 1952, Hollywood power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz face personal and professional obstacles that threaten their careers, their relationship, and their hit television show.

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J. K. Simmons, Nina Arianda, Tony Hale, Alia Shawkat, Jake Lacy, Clark Gregg

Release Date: December 10, 2021 

Genre: Biography, Drama

Rated R for language

Runtime: 2h 5m

Review:

Being The Richardos is a showy biopic that's held together by a wonderful turn from it's cast but it lacks consistency from start to finish.  Writer/director Aaron Sorkin brings his signature dialogue to his film and it drives the narrative as expected.  A strange and unnecessary faux documentary framing device though saps the film of forward momentum by moving the focus off the titular couple. Once onscreen, Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem make for an interesting couple even if their physical similarities to the real people are less than convincing especially Bardem.  Kidman is fully committed to the role and delivers a strong performance, capturing Ball's signature raspy voice and mannerisms.  There are portions of the film where she just disappears into the role especially in the few scenes where iconic moments from the original show are recreated.  Outside of mere mimicry, Sorkin and Kidman give us moments that display Ball's eye for comedy and others that display her strength as the TV heavyweight she was.  Bardem is solid throughout even though his performance isn't able to escape his gravelly voice and distinct style.  Its a minor issue as Bardem and Kidman share some strong moments together onscreen especially in the film's final act.  The supporting cast is made up of familiar faces like Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale and Jack Lacy who all deliver workman turns.  J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda though leave the biggest impressions, once you overlook the fact that neither looks anything like their real life counter parts, with memorable turns as William Frawley and Vivian Vance who played the Mertz.  It all makes for an entertaining biopic that uses heavy dramatic license to condenses multiple life events in the Balls life but Being The Richardos is not the homerun it should have been.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE TO DO LIST

A high-school valedictorian makes a list of all of the sexual acts she wants to try before college, and seeks out the right partners to help expedite her sex education in this semiautobiographical comedy from writer/director Maggie Carey.

Director: Maggie Carey

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Rachel Bilson

Rated R pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic dialogue, drug and alcohol use, and language - all involving teens.

Runtime: 1 hr. 44 min.

Genres: Comedy

The To Do List has the makings of a comedy gem. A strong comedic female lead flanked by an equally impressive supporting cast with a funny premise. Unfortunately, it’s evident from the start that Aubrey Plaza is miscast as the valedictorian straight arrow trying to up her sexual IQ. Plaza’s greatest strength is her deadpan sarcastic delivery and this role doesn’t fit her strengths. As a result she never seems comfortable in the role. The script does her very little favors since it can’t help but make obvious jokes, some of which miss badly, and remind us endlessly that it’s set in the 90s. The supporting cast filled out their roles nicely but considering some of the talents they fell slightly underutilized especially Bill Hader and Connie Britton. Rachel Bilson and Plaza have a fun bit of sister chemistry which helps the film in some of the dead spot. There are a few inspired sections that provide some good laughs but they are few and far between unfortunately resulting in a ho-hum comedy that feels a lot longer than its runtime. It could have been Park and Recreation’s Leslie Knope The R Rated Teen Years meets American Pie instead it just misses the mark.

C

TV SHOW REVIEW: ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT SEASON 4

“And now, The Story Of A Wealthy Family Whose Future Was Abruptly Cancelled…”

Writer / Director: Mitchell Hurwitz & Troy Miller

Cast: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat, Tony Hale, David Cross, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walters

Release Date: May 26, 2013

Genres: Comedy

Review:

The return of one of my favorite comedies of all time had my sights set high, very high. Years of seemingly endless discussions about a possible movie seemed more like a death knell than anything else. Diehard fans rejoiced at the news that Netflix had picked up the series for a new season. The result is an impressively intricate plot with a puzzle like structure. It starts a little slow but rolls towards hilarity as it all comes together. Due to scheduling, Mitchell Hurwitz & Troy Miller had to devise a way to work with the cast members they had at any particular time. As a result, most episodes focus on one family member typically interacting with some but rarely the entire family member. It takes a little while to get used to but as you make your way through the episodes you’ll the genius in viewing the same situations from different point of views. It’s all lovingly crafted and even more self aware than it was before. The jokes are just as rapid fire as you remember with plenty of call backs to previous seasons and a bevy of new instantly quotable jokes. Some of the jokes reach a crazy level of meta comedy at play. The main cast slip back into their roles with impressive ease. The format allows each actor or actress to shine usually accompanied by returning recurring characters or new guest stars. The one drawback to the format is that if you don’t like a particular character you are kind of stuck with them for an episode or two. Since the episodes are so well written it’s never a big issue but some drag a tad more than others, George Bluth Sr.’s plot is a good example. I will warn you that the season does seem to have slightly darker twisted feel to it throughout which might take some people by surprise. Additionally, some of the budget restraints are apparent and even joked about. Even with these minor drawbacks, the season as a whole is a massive success. I was more than a little depressed when I reached the last episode of season 4. It was short lived of course because I knew I’d be watching the episodes again very soon.

A-