MOVIE REVIEW: POSSESSOR UNCUT

 

An elite assassin uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies.

Director: Brandon Cronenberg

Cast: Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Release Date: October 2, 2020

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Unrated

Runtime: 1 h 43 min

Review:

Possessor Uncut is shocking sci-fi thriller from Brandon Cronenberg which shows him following in his father’s footsteps.  His film has a disquieting feel from its opening frames but it quickly moves to violently gruesome.  The visceral shock of the violence is incredibly pointed since the film doesn’t use it regularly but when it does it’s a sucker punch.  The story itself is ripe for exploration and you’ll be hard pressed if you didn’t notice some similarities to his father’s earlier works.  The film’s visuals are incredibly striking throughout with some shots composed in such a way that they elicit dread without any action occurring.  Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott get the lion’s share of the screen time with the latter carrying the better part of the film.  Abbott is tasked with two roles which are being played out in his mind which sounds like complicated but he makes it work in a believable manner.  It’s an impressive performance which is really a showcase for his talents.  Riseborough doesn’t get nearly as much screen time but when she’s onscreen she leaves a haunting impression.  Cronenberg’s film will never be considered subtle but there are moments where a less is more approach to violence might have worked in the films favor.  Still, Possessor Uncut is the type of mind bender that will stay in genre fans minds long after it’s over.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: BIRDMAN

A fading actor (Michael Keaton) best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career, and reconnect with friends and family prove more difficult than expected. Lindsay Duncan.

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Cast: Michael Keaton, Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Emma Stone

Release Date: Oct 17, 2014

Rated: R for brief Violence, Some Sexual Content and Language Throughout

Runtime: 1 hr. 59 min.

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Review:

Birdman is a dizzying powerhouse of a film that’s showcases it’s cast and director on multiple levels.  Alejandro González Iñárritu has crafted a fascinating dissection of fame and celebrity culture through the guise of a mental breakdown.  Michael Keaton’s soul baring performance is simply amazing.  It’s an unglamorous performance which shows every inch of age on Keaton’s face while showcasing his impressive talent.  Aided by excellent supporting turns by Edward Norton and Emma Stone, Birdman maintains an impressive energy throughout as it builds to its crescendo.  There’s nary a moment when the film drags and it’s at it’s best when Norton and Keaton share the screen together since you can tell they are both having a blast while putting on some impressive performances.  If there’s a small drawback it’s the film does reek of self importance even smugness at some points.  That being said, Birdman is the type of prestige film that should hold up well upon repeat viewing thanks to some wonderfully crafted filmmaking and acting.

A

Cindy Prascik's Review of Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

 
Dearest Blog, this weekend my cinema unexpectedly offered awards season hopeful Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). I owe them a debt of gratitude for eschewing the usual smalltown "If it's not Transformers, why bother?" mentality and not making me fit in *all* the nominated films in the two weeks leading up to the Oscars!

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

The washed-up star of a big Hollywood superhero franchise tries to kickstart his career on Broadway.
Well, dear reader(s), Birdman is the kind of movie that many people may dislike despite it's being well done, and there probably won't be much middle ground: people will love it or they'll hate it. Me, I really, really loved it.

Michael Keaton turns in an extraordinary performance in the lead, simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious and sympathetic and distant and serious and insane. Early goings yet for me to say "All the awards, please!" but this is the kind of work that, even if he ends up not being my guy when the time comes, I won't complain about anything he wins. The supporting cast is similarly terrific, especially Edward Norton and the lovely Emma Stone.

I'll go on record as saying this is the first time I've seen Zach Galafianakis in anything where I didn't want to kill him; he is very good and almost unbelievably not annoying! At a glance, the story sounds like a buzzkill, as "has-been actor" tales rarely end well, but the telling is so entertaining that it doesn't feel that way. Certainly there's a bit of melancholy about the past, but there's also a hopeful note that comes with the having courage to take a chance. There has been much online debate about the movie's ending, and I won't spoil it here, but I will say it's a real conversation starter and--in my opinion--a perfect finish to a film that poses more questions than it answers.

Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) clocks in at 119 minutes, and is rated R for "language throughout, some sexual content, and brief violence."

Birdman is, across the board, one of the best movies I've seen this year, smartly written, beautifully acted, and truly entertaining from start to finish.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) gets eight.

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik’s Review of Oblivion

Dearest Blog, yesterday my dear cuz and I headed out to the cinema to check out Tom Cruise's latest flick, Oblivion.

Spoiler level here will be mild.

Future Earth is a wasteland, its few remaining inhabitants charged with safeguarding those resources needed by survivors living off-planet.
Ima be straight with ya, dear Blog, I thought I was gonna love Oblivion. I've been comparing it with Will Smith's upcoming post-Apocalyptic blockbuster, After Earth, and was sure this one would be the winner of the two. Though it's not really a loser, terming Oblivion a winner might be over-reaching.

As you'd expect, Tom Cruise is solid in the lead, Morgan Freeman and my best gal Melissa Leo equally so in lesser roles. Cruise's leading ladies, Olga Kurylenko and Andrea Riseborough, are ho-hum and painfully annoying, respectively. Of the remaining supporting cast, all that's worth mentioning is that Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau looks really good.

Oblivion is smart, but slow, sci-fi, and I'll cop to dozing off at least once. I can give full marks for production design, but the other tech was sometimes so laughably awful I wondered how it slipped into such a high-profile blockbuster. For the most part, I think Oblivion is a pretty well done film, but just not one I found all that enjoyable. Or, to sum it up, as we exited the cinema, my cuz' first words were, "Well...I didn't hate it......."

Oblivion clocks in at an excessive 126 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sci-fi action violence, brief strong language, and some sensuality/nudity." I'm so "meh" about it that I fear it may do to After Earth what Cloud Atlas did to Life of Pi, that is, I won't be able to force myself to see the second, the first left me with such a sour taste.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Oblivion gets five.

Until next time...





...still more technically advanced than Oblivion...

MOVIE REVIEW: OBLIVION

A solitary drone repairman working on a war-ravaged planet Earth becomes humanity's last hope for survival in this ambitious sci-fi epic from Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes producer Peter Chernin. Olga Kurylenko and Morgan Freeman co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Release Date: Apr 19, 2013

Rated PG-13 for nudity, Brief Strong Language, Sci-Fi Action Violence and Some Sensuality

Runtime: 2 hr. 5 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

You’d be hard pressed to argue that Joseph Kosinski can’t direct a beautiful movie with loads of cool visuals. Both Tron: Legacy and Oblivion are incredibly pretty films but both lack any semblance of emotion or originality. Oblivion takes liberal doses of “inspirations” from a variety of sci-fi classics from the past and even more recent fare. There are moments were the film is nearly in danger of becoming more than the sum of its parts but it just never gets there. There’s plenty to keep you busy and the eye candy on display is occasionally thrilling if terribly familiar. There are plenty of twists and turns in the overly complicated plot. The film would have been better served if the plot were streamlined and avoided some of the more obvious “surprise” turns, some of which are telegraphed as early as the first 10 minutes of the film. Tom Cruise does his usual reliable work but, through no fault of his own, we never feel a connection with his character. Instead it feels like he’s simply driving us through the terrain. Olga Kurylenko, who looks like she’s just had a very sour lemon most of the time and Andrea Riseborough aren’t asked to do much. As a result, the audience is always kept at arms length leaving us thinking about the films that touched on the same subject matter in much better fashion.

C