MOVIE REVIEW: THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER

When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who's witnessed anything like it before.

Director: David Gordon Green

Cast: Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, Ellen Burstyn

Release Date: October 6, 2023

Genre: Horror

Rated R for some violent content, disturbing images, language and sexual references.

Runtime: 1h 51m

David Gordon Green's The Exorcist: Believer is more than capable of echoing William Friedkin's original, especially during its opening act, but it ultimately proves to be nothing more than hollow mimicry.  Green hits some incredibly familiar beats throughout this legacy sequel with camera shots or visual cues but there's a noticeable disconnect as the film rapidly moves through sequences to get to the possession portion of the film.  Once those moments arrive, we're treated to a series of cheap jump scares and gore that feel more in line with the Insidious films than a direct follow up to the original Exorcist.  The script doesn't help matters much since it throws a series of one dimensional characters at the screen and expects you to care about them.  There's a kernel of a solid idea that expands the idea of evil beyond the Catholic rite but the story has no idea how to take a nuanced, measured approach to the subject matter.  Instead, the film devolves into a series of standard shocks we've seen plenty of times before which highlights the fact that script and director doesn't understand what made the original so effective and unsettling, a sense of grounded humanity.  It’s a missed opportunity on multiple levels especially since the film is blessed with game actors who are looking for something more substantial.  Leslie Odom Jr. turns in a earnest performance as the father of one of the possessed girls.  Odom Jr. does his best with the smallest slivers of depth the script affords but the film simply doesn't have the patience to let any of it germinate organically since it wants to get to the next scare as soon as possible. Norbert Leo and Jennifer Nettles fare even worse as they are given the thankless roles of the parents of the other possessed girl who characterization is little more than broadly written evangelicals.  Ann Dowd, who plays a neighbor/nurse with a past, seems perfectly suited for this type of role but the film also rushes through her backstory which robs the character of any sort of emotional weight.  The biggest misstep is getting Ellen Burstyn back into the fold only to misuse the actress and character to a shocking degree.  That kind of haphazard mishandling of the material just shows that while The Exorcist: Believer might be able to create a facsimile it clearly never understood the material of the original.   

C-

MOVIE REVIEW: GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

 

Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.

Director: Rian Johnson

Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista

Release Date: November 23, 2022 

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for strong language, some violence, sexual material and drug content

Runtime: 2h 20m

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the kind of film that pulsates with palatable energy from its cast and director that you can't help but be entranced in the murder mystery at play.  Rian Johnson delivers another sharp and playful mystery for his own Hercule Poirot, Detective Benoit Blanc.  Johnson and Daniel Craig clearly love the material and character with their energy gleefully seeping through the screen.  Craig clearly loves playing the character and his Foghorn Leghorn drawl with this entry finding him refining his persona making him more human even with the outsized attitudes.  He's graced with another solid ensemble cast who all bring their own sort of energy.  They, like Blanc, are all oversized personas representing certain kinds of people from eccentric billionaires like Ed Norton's Miles Bron or Kate Hudson's ditzy supermodel Birdie Jay.  Ethan Hawke shows up for a split second before disappearing entirely which leaves you wondering if a subplot was left on the cutting room floor.  Still, Johnson makes solid use of the rest of the supporting cast throughout the film which likes to play with scenes by telling them from different points of view as the story unfolds.  Each character has their own underlying agenda at play with Janelle Monáe's Cassandra Brand being the crux of the story.  In its final act the film feels reminiscent of the 1985's Clue, a game Blanc hates, with character's motivations being dissected.  The final reveal isn't much of a surprise but that doesn't make it any less fun when the cast in front of the camera and director behind it are clearly having so much fun.   

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: MUSIC

Zu is newly sober when she receives news that she is to become the sole guardian of her half-sister named Music, a young girl on the autism spectrum. The film explores two of Sia's favourite themes finding your voice and creating family.

Director: Sia

Cast: Kate Hudson, Maddie Ziegler, Leslie Odom Jr., Héctor Elizondo, Ben Schwartz, Beto Calvillo

Release Date: February 10, 2021

Genre: Drama, Musical

Rated PG-13 for thematic content, drug material, brief violence and strong language

Runtime: 1 h 47 min

Review:

Sia’s directorial debut has garnered a massive amount of press before its release mainly for all the wrong reasons.  Sia’s intentions and heart seem to be in the right place but the finished product falls into a strange hybrid of a visual album and an autistic melodrama.  The musical numbers are very much on brand with Sia’s previous works and performances.  They are candy colored fantasy’s that pop right off the screen with booming vocals that’s sure to please fans of the singer.  The drama portion is anchored by strong performances from Kate Hudson and Leslie Odom Jr. who elevate the script which feels like a relic from the past.  It unapologetically pulls on every heartstring possible which makes film’s like 1985’s Mask or 1976’s The Boy in the Bubble seem subtle by comparison.  Maddie Ziegler casting as the titular Music has caused the biggest uproar since she’s a neurotypical actress playing an autistic character.  The issue is ultimately a bigger issue that needs to be addressed but in terms of this film, Ziegler’s performance is decidedly broad and overstated.  Music is ultimately the type of vanity project that’s probably suffered from being created in a bubble which resulted in tunnel vision to its detriment.

C

Cindy Prascik's Review of One Night in Miami

 

My dear reader(s): Last weekend I caught up with One Night in Miami, a fictionalized account of a gathering of luminaries: Malcolm X, Cassius Clay, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. 

I've been pushing my notes on this around for a week, and I think this may wind up more discussion than review, so expect some spoilers. Maybe. 

Since normally this *would* be a review, I will say, first, if you're on the fence about seeing One Night in Miami, please climb down and watch. The movie features stellar performances, important conversations, and a pretty polished bit of directing from Regina King, in her feature directorial debut. 

One Night in Miami feels like a pretty big deal, especially as we get accustomed to "cinema worthy" efforts hitting our TVs the same time as they hit big screens. That's largely due to Oscar winner King's star power, but, if I take an objective half-step back, I realize it's also because — if the names Kingsley Ben-Adir, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Odom, Jr. aren't quite Hollywood A-List — they're definitely Cindy A-List. Kingsley Ben-Adir, in particular, is a favorite in my household, and seeing his name heading the cast of a film of this caliber made me pretty happy. Top to bottom, the cast turns in exceptional work with a talky script that asks a lot of them. 

For a picture without a beginning-middle-end type story, One Night in Miami is well paced and never seems to drag. Hair, costumes, and makeup are authentic to the time and characters, and overall the film looks good. Given the subject matter and time frame, I expected a contentious movie; however, like the Boys in the Band, surprisingly more conflict came from within than without. Also like the Boys in the Band, I found the characters' language and general treatment of one another jarring, and sometimes wondered why they called themselves friends at all, they were often so disdainful of one another. Arguments between Malcolm X and Sam Cooke, in particular, mirror those I continue to hear all these years later: If we're all working towards the same end, who has the right to tell someone else how best to achieve that end? It's a hard conversation with no firm answer, which makes it all the more exhausting. The fact that One Night in Miami is a worthwhile watch doesn't make it an easy one. 

One Night in Miami clocks in at 114 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout." 

One Night in Miami is an exceptional bit of filmmaking that sets the 2021 movie bar pretty high indeed. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, One Night in Miami gets seven. 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI

 

On the night of Feb. 25, 1964, in Miami, Cassius Clay joins Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcom X, and they discuss the responsibility of being successful black men during the civil rights movement.

Director: Regina King

Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Lance Reddick, Joaquina Kalukango, Nicolette Robinson, Beau Bridges

Release Date: December 25, 2020

Genre: Drama

Rated R for language throughout

Runtime: 1 h 54 min

Review:

Regina King’s directorial debut is a confident refined film that tackles some big racial issues.  King displays a keen eye for setting helped greatly by the fact that this script is adapted from a stage play confined to one location.  The dramatized relationships and dialogue humanizes these legendary figures.  The script shines by displaying layered and nuanced people rather than demigods.  Kingsley Ben-Adir leads the foursome of the actors at the center of this film.  His performance as Malcom X is an impressive turn which is sure to lead to awards chatter.  He’s the beating of heart of the story but that doesn’t mean any of the supporting players are outshined.  Eli Goree delivers an equally impressive turn as Cassius Clay where he’s able to capture his spirit and sound to an uncanny degree.  Leslie Odom Jr.’s Sam Cooke is a bit more challenging but it fit perfectly into his wheelhouse.  Odom Jr’s captures his vocals while still bringing a strong sense of heart to his performance.  Aldis Hodge has the least showy part but he turns in a wonderful performance as Jim Brown.  Hodge must have put in an exceptional amount of research because he captures the tenor of his voice perfectly along with his movements.  The actor’s definitely make the film work since very little actually happens with the dialogue driving the narrative while discussing important issues that have modern day relevance.  There’s a sense of hope and melancholy engrained through every frame of the story that makes every word have more impact and resonance with the film leaving a lasting impression.   

A