MOVIE REVIEW: THE BIKERIDERS

Over the course of a decade, a Midwestern motorcycle club evolves from a gathering place for local outsiders to a sinister gang, threatening the original group's way of life.

Director: Jeff Nichols

Cast: Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Norman Reedus

Release Date: June 21, 2024

Genre: Crime, Drama

Rated R for language throughout, violence, some drug use and brief sexuality.

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

Jeff Nichols' The Bikeriders is an engaging motorcycle drama propelled by strong performances from Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy.  Nichols film is set up like a classic tragedy with an air of nostalgia peppering the film's early acts as we follow the rise of the fictional motorcycle club.  There are plenty of wonderfully framed long shots of motorcycles rumbling across the screen against picturesque backdrops.  The club itself portrayed as a rough and tumble group that still has a sense of a moral code especially early on.  Austin Butler serves as Nichols' idealized version of this long lost era but little more.  Butler looks the part of the rebel without a cause although the story doesn't give him any depth or texture.  His character is central to what amounts to a love triangle but he's a frustrating cypher that the script never really explores in any meaningful way.  Jodie Comer, sporting a heavy Midwest accent, fares far better as the film's entry point.  Comer's character is an independent spitfire who is dragged into this world via an undeniable attraction to Butler's Benny.  Comer does an impressive job leading the film and giving her character an authentic sense of desperation as she tries to maintain her relationship alive in a tug a war between the club and Tom Hardy's Johnny.  Hardy is perfectly suited as the club's grizzled president, bring his distinct intensity to the role.  There's an air of sadness to his performance especially in the final act which brings an impressive amount of depth to his character in what is a fascinating turn.  The supporting cast is made up of a series of familiar faces which sadly serve more as window dressing due to a decidedly light script with only Michael Shannon leaving a lasting impression.  There's no denying that The Bikeriders has a distinct appeal mainly due to a pair of stellar performances but it could have been something truly special with a more nuanced script.

B 

MOVIE REVIEW: DUNE PART TWO

 

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux

Release Date: March 1, 2024

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language.

Runtime: 2h 46m

Review:

Denis Villeneuve's Dune Part Two is a sci-fi epic in every sense of the word filled with mesmerizing visuals, a stellar cast and a beefier story than you'd expect from a blockbuster of this size.  Villeneuve, now free of the first film's exposition dump, moves his film at a steadier pace delivering massive action set pieces that are impressively staged and far more engaging than the first film's offers.  Paul's first ride on a sandworm is wonderfully set up and executed to create a thrilling and visceral experience, something the battle sequences can't quite match.  Visually, you can see Villeneuve pulling inspiration from other legendary sci-fi films such as 2001 or Star Wars for Arrakis and contrasting it with the Harkonnen's which clearly draws inspiration from H.R. Giger early work from Jodorowsky’s failed attempt to bring the film to the screen in the 70's.  There are a bevy of shots that are sure to join the pantheon of the memorable shots in cinematic history.  Overall, the film and story move at a brisker pace with the full scale of the story's themes and relationships unfurling at steady pace leaving very few dead spots throughout the film’s hefty runtime.  The film's ensemble cast shines throughout with each delivering strong performances regardless of screen time.  Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya get the lion's share of the screen time with both doing fine work albeit their romantic chemistry isn't quite as strong as it should be likely due to their romance being rushed thru in the opening act.  It’s a minor issue especially with the amount of story they have to work through and both still deliver the goods on the dramatic sides.  Rebecca Ferguson gets a meatier role here as her character takes a darker more ominous tone which she's more than capable of conveying.  Javier Bardem also gets more to do this go around after his extended cameo in the first film.  Bardem is fun every time he's onscreen thanks to his general charisma which works for his character's unwavering zealotry.  Austin Butler proves he doesn't have to be Elvis in everything with an impressive about face as the psychotic Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.  Florence Pugh does well in her limited screen time even though the character is mainly used for exposition dumps, but you get the sense there's more on the horizon if a third film comes to fruition.  Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin and Charlotte Rampling return from the first film with much smaller but important roles with each making those small moments far more impactful.  It’s a testament to the scale of Dune Two that these actors serve as garnish to its cinematic cornucopia which delivers on multiple fronts while leaving you wanting to see the story's final act.   

A

Cindy Prascik's Review of Elvis

 

My dear reader(s), this weekend I finally had the opportunity to catch up with Baz Luhrmann's Elvis (2022).

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

The very stylized life and times of the King of Rock n' Roll.

So...I didn't set out to compare Elvis to my beloved Rocketman, but almost instantly the comparisons started making themselves. I'm reasonably certain the comparison isn't why I wasn't head over heels for Elvis, but...full and fair disclosure and all.

Elvis plays like a fantasy, even though it seems largely true to life. That probably can be chalked up to Luhrmann's flashy style and the King's bigger-than-life persona, but it immediately gives the film a brassy feel that was a bit jarring sometimes.

Austin Butler aces the dramatic scenes and proves an able Elvis impersonator during musical sequences, even if he's missing the spark that makes the King the King. The always reliable Tom Hanks is rightly unsympathetic as Col. Tom Parker to Butler's Elvis. While the story is told from Parker's point of view, he's never painted its hero. Costumes, hair, and makeup are beautifully done, but the story never quite earns its bloated runtime.

Orson Welles once said, "If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." While Rocketman had the benefit of wrapping up its fantastical tale with Sir Elton enjoying personal and professional success, perhaps it was always going to work against Elvis that we know the story doesn't have a happy ending. Perhaps my expectations for the movie were just too high. Or perhaps no telling could have done this magical human justice. Whatever the reason, this movie definitely fell flatter for me than it seemed to for most.

Elvis clocks in at 159 minutes and is rated PG13 for "substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material, and smoking."

While Elvis the movie never quite matches the glory of Elvis the legend, it's an entertaining enough film featuring some great performances and magnificent costumes.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Elvis gets seven.

Elvis is now streaming on HBO Max.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: ELVIS

 

From his rise to fame to his unprecedented superstardom, rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley maintains a complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, over the course of 20 years. Central to Presley's journey and happiness is one of the most influential people in his life -- Priscilla.

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJonge, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, David Wenham, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, and Kodi Smit-McPhee

Release Date: June 24, 2022

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music

Rated PG-13 for substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material and smoking

Runtime: 2h 39m

Review:

Baz Luhrmann's Elvis is a frenetic carnival ride of a biopic that shakes up the formula enough to make the genre feel fresh.  Luhrmann's garish style is perfectly suited for Elvis, something that shines through during the film's energetic and meticulously crafted stage sequences.  These moments pulsate with an engaging sense of verve that's hard to resist.  The opening introduction is masterfully played as Luhrmann slowly reveals the fresh faced star in the form of an electric Austin Butler.  Butler simply dissolves into the role, capturing the soulfulness and playfulness of his real life counter part.  Its a fascinating turn for multiple reasons especially since Elvis' persona has been parodied and mimicked excessively by now but he manages to play him with a tangible sense of humanity in the film's quieter moments.  The film uses Colonel Tom Parker deathbed memories as the film’s framing device but it keeps the audience at arm’s length from Elvis’ state of mind especially in his later days which seems like a missed opportunity.  Tom Hanks, under heavy make up, plays Parker like a carnival conman opportunist who latches onto Elvis.  Its a solid performance but you get the sense that Hanks is limited by the prosthetics and cartoonish accent leaving the character as more of a caricature than a fully formed person.  That being said, Hanks and Butler do share some strong sequences together where the script lays bare how the conman kept his grips on the star.  Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner penned the script and its less interested with factual accuracy than it is in capturing those singular moments in his life.  It smartly engages on the issues of musical appropriation never shying away from pointing out where Elvis' inspiration came from.  It would have been easy to gloss over that and focus solely on the spectacle which Luhrmann still does in spades.  There is a sense that Baz cares deeply about his central subject even though he still can't help himself and over indulge in his showmanship, particularly in the final act where attrition starts to dull the effect, but he still manages to deliver a Elvis biopic that will leave plenty of people happy.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern,  Al Pacino

Release Date: July 26, 2019

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Rated R for language throughout, some strong graphic violence, drug use, and sexual references

Runtime: 2 h 45 min

Review:

Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s 9^th film, is a gloriously unfocused tome that takes the audience back in time to another era.  Tarantino’s film feels like a unrelated assembly of story vignettes which ultimately do converge in an interesting and unexpected fashion.  While the finale will get a lot of buzz but the journey is just as enjoyable.  The film is anchored by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt who are both clearly having a blast in their roles.  They both share some amazing chemistry that keeps the film watchable and enjoyable for the duration.  Their takes of their character layered, subtle and ultimately lots of fun.  There’s a huge whose who of faces that pop up through out the film that boost the film at just the right times.  You can almost feel Tarantino’s gleeful energy come through the screen as some of the screen legends pop up on the screen.  There might be a bit of a complaint about how unfocused the whole thing is and in comparison to his other films, the story here isn’t the strongest.  Still it’s hard not to enjoy this dazzling stroll through a bygone era brought back to life by one of films most talented directors.


A-