With their relationship in trouble, a young
American couple travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly
pastoral paradise transforms into a sinister, dread-soaked nightmare as the
locals reveal their terrifying agenda. Director: Ari Aster Cast: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm
Blomgren, Will Poulter Release Date: July 3, 2019 Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery Rated R for disturbing ritualistic violence
and grisly images, strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language Runtime: 2 h 27 min Review: Midsommar, Ari Aster’s 2nd film,
is a singular movie watching experience.
It’s the type of film that’ll stick with you for a long while
afterward. Aster’s direction is self
assured and methodical while never being boring even with the film’s glacial
pace. There’s a steady sense of dread
from the outset and it never really lets up throughout the better part of the
film. While this film isn’t quite as
strong in the horror category as Hereditary was its still filled with plenty of
starkly bleak imagery and iconography.
At its center is Florence Pugh who carries the film and elevates some of
the weaker portions of the film’s plot.
Pugh’s ability to emote pain and grief comes through the screen which
some of the film’s more trippy sequences all the more powerful. As for those hallucinatory sequences they are
some of the most discombobulating and outright weird sequences I’ve seen on
film. It's easy to compare Midsommar to
the original Wicker Man, it does share various similarities with that film, but
ultimately it’s it own wonderfully weird amalgam of that film and the 1981 film Possession, destined to become a
cult classic in it's own right. A-
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a struggling attorney and new mother who faces adversity and numerous obstacles in her fight for equal rights. When Ruth takes on a groundbreaking tax case with her husband, attorney Martin Ginsburg, she knows it could change the direction of her career and the way the courts view gender discrimination.
Director: Mimi Leder
Cast: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Jack Reynor, Cailee Spaeny, Sam Waterston, and Kathy Bates
Release Date: December 25, 2018
Genres: Biography, Drama
Rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive content
Runtime: 2h 0min
Review:
On The Basis of Sex is an engaging if cliched bio pic that is elevated by it's direction and performances. Mimi Leder directs the film with a steady caring hand that treats it's characters with a gentle hand. Leder moves the film at a steady pace but the film would have been better served focusing on a tighter timeline since it covers a fairly large portion of Ginsburg's life. At the film's center is Felicity Jones who provides the story it's heart. Jones turn as Ginsburg captures that intensity and drive that propelled her throughout her early years. Sure her Brooklyn accent comes and in and out through the film but she does a fine job of carrying the film. A swoon worthy Armie Hammer is excellent as Ginsburg's loving and ever supportive husband. The supporting cast is made up of familiar faces along with a rare evil turn from Sam Waterston. There are a few missteps mostly due to the script which over does the schmaltz factor that makes certain sequences feel a bit too "Hollywood" which robs moments of authenticity. Still it's a solid film enough biopic of an amazing woman who deserves this type of recognition. B+
A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest RACE riots in United States history. The story is centered around the Algiers
Motel incident, which occurred in Detroit, Michigan on July 25, 1967, during the racially charged 12th Street Riot. It involves the death of three black men and
the brutal beatings of nine other people: seven black men and two white women.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony
Mackie, John Krasinski, Jack Reynor, Jason Mitchell, Hanna Murray
Release Date: Aug 42017
Genres: Crime, Drama, History
Rated R for strong violence and pervasive
language
Review:
Detroit is a tense, uncomfortable and incredibly timely
film.Kathryn Bigelow’s style of
filmmaking is perfectly suited for the story being told.Bigelow’s immersive style leaves like a fly
on the wall during the entire ordeal.It’s an intense film that’s anchored by a strong ensemble cast.John Boyega and Will Poulter really shine
throughout the film, with some of the films best moments are watching their
character’s process and think through situations.Poulter though is the real surprise here
since he’s been mostly a comedic actor.Poulter provides the character an unsettling detachment and coldness
that’s deeply unsettling.The film loses
a little steam after it moves on to the aftermath with the court proceedings
and post event stories.I was personally
more interested in what happened to John Boyega’s character but the film chose
a different direction.It’s a small
issue on an otherwise strong film that really shines a light on a dark portion
of American history.
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for Detroit and The Dark Tower.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or the news.
First on the docket, Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit.
During the Detroit Rebellion of 1967, a handful of city cops terrorize young people staying at the Algiers Hotel.
Dear reader(s), you know when I call a movie "must-see," it's usually gonna be some big, dumb actioner with a current obsession not *quite* getting enough screen time for my liking. Evidence: that latest Transformers movie that everybody hates? Yeah, that'll be skirting my Top Ten come year's end. However, here I must break with tradition to suggest emphatically that everyone get out and see Detroit. It is a very, very important movie and a timely reminder of what happens when we allow some people to be treated as less than others.
Detroit opens with a clever sequence that brings viewers who might not be familiar with this event up to speed, and from there it's a slow burn into chaos. The movie is never in a hurry to get where it's going, yet there are millions of things happening all at once. Point of view is personal rather than general, with dialogue so natural as to seem unscripted. I'm no fan of Bigelow's jiggly camera work, but I couldn't look away from the terrifying events playing out onscreen. There is no sugar-coating, there are no cookie-cutter characters, and the performances are uniformly extraordinary. Of special note, as usual, is John Boyega in a smart, sympathetic turn. The violence and torment are up close and personal, at times nearly impossible to watch. The movie builds to its unsettling climax with such tension you might not even realize you're holding your breath. This is no fun summer flick; it's challenging and exhausting. (For the record, I ran straight to the ladies' room and threw up when it ended, and it's had me in tears more than a few times since.) Detroit is smart enough not to leave it to viewers to distinguish between "based on a true story" and "inspired by actual events;" it freely acknowledges that its account relies on the recollections of people who were under not-a-little duress during these events. No fun summer movie, Detroit will stay on your mind long after you exit the theatre.
Detroit clocks in at 143 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence and pervasive language."
A headline I saw earlier this morning said, "Detroit is going to hurt, but it's worth it," and that's about the best way to sum up this brilliant but difficult movie.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Detroit gets eight.
Fangirl points: Not to take away from the seriousness of this picture, but I can't imagine a more beautiful human than Anthony Mackie exists anywhere in the universe. *le sigh*
Next on my agenda was the first big-screen shot at Stephen King's Dark Tower series.
The Last Gunslinger hopes to stop the Man in Black from toppling the Dark Tower, which protects the world from evil...or something like that. (I'm pretty close, right?)
Not having read this book series from Stephen King, and having heard nothing good about this adaptation prior to seeing it, I was prepared to state that--while I understood it might not meet the expectations of book fans--the movie is perfectly passable entertainment for the rest of us.
Sadly, after nearly nodding off twice in just an hour and a half, I had to rethink that opening.
The Dark Tower is just a bad movie, and that's without even being able to speak to its failings by comparison to the books. It feels like, at some point very early in its making, all the Stephen King forces in the universe decided to focus their positive energy on the remake of It and deserted this entirely. (I guess the good news is my pretty busy cinema seemed to soil its collective drawers at the It trailer that preceded Dark Tower, so King may be redeemed rather quickly.) The Dark Tower's characters are so broadly drawn you'll only care what happens to any of them if you have a vested interest in the actor(s). Shallow storytelling provides very few answers, but leaves lots of question marks, for anyone unfamiliar with the source material. Clearly this was meant to set up a franchise, but if it's to do so with any success it'll need serious retooling. Man in Black Matthew McConaughey is as bland as ever (can't spell "McConaughey" without "ugh!") as a paper-doll baddie who's about as menacing as my little Cockapoo. Idris Elba is smokin'--and I mean SMOKIN'--hot as the Gunslinger, but the role is so poorly fleshed out it scarcely taxes his ability or charisma. Effects are pedestrian at best, and the action (such as it is) is accented by a comically-melodramatic score.
The Dark Tower runs the slowest 95 minutes ev-ah and is rated PG13 for "thematic material, including sequences of gun violence and action."
I truly had hoped to buck the trend and declare the Dark Tower passable entertainment for a summer afternoon, but, sadly, it can't meet even that low bar. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Dark Tower gets two.
Fangirl points: OMG you guys...Idris Elba! (Teeny-weeny spoiler alert: When a boy says to the Gunslinger, "I dreamt about you!" I'm pretty sure I said out loud to the screen, "Me too!")
So, apparently, the rules have changed. Considering the new poster and trailer for the 4th Michael Bay directed Transformers film I have to think he's referring to the addition by subtraction of Shia LaBeouf's from this and future installments.
As for the trailer itself it's typical Bay, love him or hate him. There isn't much in terms of Transformers action on display we didn't see during the Super Bowl teaser but with LaBeouf out, I'm sure the human portion of these films will be much more bearable.....
