MOVIE REVIEW: WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

 

Abandoned as a girl, Kya raised herself 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, she opens herself to a new and startling world.

Director: Olivia Newman

Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr., David Strathairn

Release Date: July 13, 2022

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some violence including a sexual assault.

Runtime: 2h 5m

Review:

Where the Crawdads Sing, based on the bestselling novel, is the type of film adaptation that's desperately aspiring to land a deep and emotion punch.  Unfortunately, Olivia Newman's film never reaches those heights instead it lands like a strange low rent To Kill a Mockingbird/The Notebook hybrid.  Newman, directing her first film, shoots plenty of lovely vistas establishing the swampy marsh as a main character of the film but its all terribly sanitized which robs it of any sense of grounded authenticity.  It hampers the film's emotional impact since the entire thing feels more romanticized than gritty.  The script itself doesn't help the matter much since the majority of secondary characters are written as types with very little depth.  Daisy Edgar-Jones delivers a workmanlike performance that serves as the driving force of the entire film.  Jones is able to pull every bit of emotional resonance out of the script which is an impressive feat since it features a hefty amount of cheese.  Taylor John Smith does what he can as the film's requisite good guy and he does have passable chemistry with Jones which makes their early sequences more effective.  On the other end of the spectrum, Harris Dickinson channels a sort of 80's jerk energy which makes his and Jones scenes improbable at best.  Michael Hyatt, Sterling Macer Jr. and David Strathairn serve as the Kya's caretakers with the latter perfectly suited for the southern lawyer role.  As the film moves, slowly, towards its finale you get the sense there is a better version of this story somewhere which would make it easier to overlook some of the more non sensical and downright illogical portions of the story.  

C

MOVIE REVIEW: NIGHTMARE ALLEY

 

In 1940s New York, down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle endears himself to a clairvoyant and her mentalist husband at a traveling carnival. Using newly acquired knowledge, Carlisle crafts a golden ticket to success by swindling the elite and wealthy. Hoping for a big score, he soon hatches a scheme to con a dangerous tycoon with help from a mysterious psychiatrist who might be his most formidable opponent yet.

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Cast:  Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, David Strathairn

Release Date: December 17, 2021

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for strong/bloody violence, some sexual content, nudity and language

Runtime: 2h 30m

Review:

Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley is a lavishly directed film noir morality tale that's as engrossing as it is engaging.  Del Toro channel's plenty of classic noir films in this remake of the 1947 original while adding his own personal twist.  The visually lean heavily on art deco designs with tinges of the macabre which fits with Del Toro's style.  Bradley Cooper is at the center of the film and does impressively well as the charlatan who drives the film.  Cooper's performance transforms as the character evolves over the course of the film's runtime with broad and occasionally more subtle choices.  It's a fascinating performance that blooms as the film moves on.  Willem Dafoe, Toni Collette and David Strathairn carry the majority of the supporting load in the first half of the film with each leaving a strong impression before the scene shifts.  The second half though belongs to Cate Blanchett who's the defacto femme fatale of the piece.  Blanchett's angelic yet menacing face fits the role perfectly as she delivers lines with steely precision and intensity.  This film is an actor's playground which makes its leisurely pacing easier to digest as you appreciate the performances on display.  Nightmare Alley isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but for those who can appreciate meticulous filmmaking with top notch performances will find plenty to love here.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: NOMADLAND

 

A woman embarks on a journey through the American West after losing everything during the recession.

Director: Chloé Zhao

Cast: Frances McDormand, David Strathairn, Linda May, Swankie, Bob Wells

Release Date: February 19, 2021

Genre: Drama

Rated R for some full nudity.

Runtime: 1 h 48 min

Review:

Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland is a dreamlike portrait of grief and self realization.  Her film is methodically paced travelogue through the country through the eyes of a forgotten population.  At the center of the entire film is Frances McDormand who delivers an understated multilayered performance that anchors the film.  McDormand’s ability to channel an authentic everywoman is on par with Tom Hanks.  It’s a talent that fits this role perfectly and she delivers one of the most authentic and grounded performances of her career.  She emotes an immense amount of emotional information with gestures or looks with the script keeping dialogue at a minimum.  The supporting cast is a mixture of non actors and familiar character actors like David Strathairn.  Strathairn is equally understated as the love interest in the thickest story thread in the film.  McDormand’s work with non actors Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells feels improvised giving portions of the film an almost documentary feel.  The story introspective journey is deeply personal but universal at the same time which gives the film its emotional impact.

A

Cindy Prascik's Review of Godzilla

Dearest Blog, yesterday I headed to the cinema to see Godzilla with the rest of the known universe.
Spoiler level here will be mild, pretty much nothing you wouldn't know or have guessed from the trailers.

The fate of the world hangs in the balance when giant monsters do battle.

Well, dear Blog, I gotta say this is the first time I ever wished I had a video blog so I could make the video and audio out of sync for this review. My version of an homage. Sorry, best I got.

Godzilla's latest screen outing has a bit of a split personality. The titular monster does not make his first real appearance until almost exactly halfway through (I checked the clock) and the first and second acts are like night and day.

Act one is our setup, and it's a little slow and "peopley" for my taste. The cast boasts some noteworthy names: Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, and David Strathairn. Whatta we got, an Oscar and a handful of nominations there? For all that acting juice, nobody is really worth a mention either way, other than to say, if you were thinking of seeing this movie just because you love Juliette Binoche...um...maybe don't, m-kay?

Act two: MONSTERS. Woot! I can't speak for anybody else, but I sure as hell didn't see Godzilla because I thought Bryan Cranston might be looking for an Oscar to go with his Emmy. I saw it because I like monsters...big, scary ones that look like they're coming off the screen at me. And let me tell ya somethin', people: if I'd seen this in 3D, I might have wet myself. The monsters are phenomenal, absolutely everything for which I'd hoped, imposing with just the right touch of silliness here and there. The disaster effects are great too, authentic looking and presented in such a way that the mass destruction never wears thin. (Are you paying attention, Man of Steel?) Though the first hour does feel a bit long, once the action gets rolling, you won't care...or even remember.

Godzilla clocks in at 123 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of destruction, mayhem, and creature violence."

If Godzilla's first act feels a little sluggish, I'm pretty sure I was grinning from ear to ear for the entire second hour. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Godzilla gets seven.

Until next time...

A number four...and super-size it!

MOVIE REVIEW: GODZILLA

The king of all monsters gets a reboot with this Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures production helmed by Gareth Edwards, who gained critical attention with his intimate twist on the giant-creature genre with his feature-film debut, Monsters. Frank Darabont (The Mist) and Max Borenstein provide the script. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi 

Director: Gareth Edwards 

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of destruction, mayhem and creature violence

Genres: Creature Film, Sci-Fi Action, Science Fiction 

Review:

Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla is filled with top level acting talent.  So much so that Juliette Binoche stops by for a cup of coffee and is gone before you notice it.  Bryan Cranston is there, makes an impression, and is gone.  Then there’s Ken Watannabe and David Strathairn looking stern and concerned for the majority of their screen time.  Throw in Aaron, is his voice really still cracking, Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen for good measure and you have a lot of recognizable faces who really don’t matter in the grand scheme of this film.  This film is name Godzilla for a reason after all.  Edwards, shooting a visually beautiful film, shows a level of restraint that’s rare for big budget blockbuster.  His slow reveal of the titular monster is like watching a monster mash version of a burlesque show, lots of tease before the payoff.  The human stories are clichéd but interesting enough to keep you entertained in between some massive set pieces that feel fresh but familiar.  The monster on monster action, which includes destroying some fun vacation spots, is top notch with excellent CGI throughout especially Godzilla himself.  Some of the battles do lose a tad bit of their luster since Pacific Rim ran through some similar sequences but there are plenty of moments which are filled singular Godzilla greatness that’ll bring a gleeful smile to anyone raised on the original films.  Be sure to watch it on a massive theater screen.

B+

[Trailer] Godzilla 2014

The first teaser trailer for Gareth Edwards redux of Godzilla is out and it does its job perfectly, setting up tone and atmosphere.

We don’t get a clear view of Godzilla but it sure looks like it’ll actually be Godzilla and not some unrecognizable beast like the 1998 film, which also had an excellent teaser trailer I might add. For now, I’ll give Gareth Edward the benefit of the doubt…..

[Trailer] The Bourne Legacy

New full trailer for The Bourne Legacy is out and it looks like the plot will be expanding on the Bourne universe exploring more areas of the entire Treadstone project and fall out.

Looks like it can be surprisingly good even though it was a strange way to keep an actor centric franchise alive, a solid cast always helps…..

[Teaser Trailer] The Bourne Legacy

To say this film is a risk would be an understatement. Some franchises are associated with certain actors and once Matt Damon decided to skip the next entry due to behind the scenes issues most assumed the Bourne series would be dead in the water expect the studio of course.

Deciding to create a new story line, with Jeremy Renner in the lead as a different character, within the same world is an interesting approach. It’s intriguing enough for me to be interested and this teaser, along with the amount of talent assembled along with some returning stars, make this teaser all the more intriguing…..