Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Immediate Family and Brats

My dear reader(s), recently I had the opportunity to catch up with a pair of documentaries about subjects that are dear to me: Immediate Family (2022) and Brats (2024).

First on my agenda, Immediate Family, which follows the lives and careers of musicians who, individually and together, have contributed to some of the most iconic songs and albums of all time.

Danny Kortchmar. Leland Sklar. Waddy Wachtel. Russ Kunkel. If you don't know those names, how about Stevie Nicks? Don Henley? Phil Collins? Carole King? James Taylor? This first four are instrumental (see what I did there?) in legendary recordings by the last five...and so many more. Immediate Family takes viewers into the studio for the creation of some truly iconic music, and to the stage for storied live performances. Legends sing the praises of these session men, and...the session men are not shy about a bit of back patting themselves. The interviews are entertaining, and every piece of music is a delightful trip down memory lane. The film's best moments allow viewers to listen in as Kortchmar, Sklar, Wachtel, and Kunkel play riffs that evolve into songs that still pop up on the radio daily. If you were invited to sit on the porch to hear the best music industry stories of all time, told by the people who lived them, it'd feel a lot like Immediate Family.

Immediate Family runs 102 minutes and is unrated. (They're musicians, so expect some coarse language and adult themes.)

Immediate Family offers a fascinating peek behind the curtain at the creation of the most popular and influential music of our time. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Immediate Family gets eight. (And if you haven't worn out at least a couple copies of Tapestry, I don't think we can be friends.)

Immediate Family is now streaming on Hulu.

Fangirl points: I got to hear Waddy Wachtel mention my hometown. He was making fun of it, but I can't bear a grudge!

Next on the docket, Brats.

Brats looks back at the (in)famous Brat Pack of the 1980s, and examines how the nickname amd its connotations have impacted the actors' lives and careers.

Brats plays like a therapy session where the viewer has been invited to listen in. Andrew McCarthy has written and directed a sometimes uncomfortable look at how he and his fellow Brat-Packers have carried the baggage of the name and image, personally and professionally. While a couple members of the inner circle declined to be interviewed for this project (Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson), most who were at least Brat Pack adjacent agreed to participate. McCarthy has been reasonably successful as an actor, director, and writer, but his tone is of someone very deeply wronged and looking for answers. Emilio Estevez, subject of the article that coined the Brat Pack moniker, is visbly uncomfortable with the topic and, at times, almost hostile in his responses. Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, who have crafted arguably the most successful post-Brat Pack acting careers, are cheerful and mostly unbothered by the history. (I guess regular work and plenty of money will do that for a person.) Moore and Ally Sheedy, who also seems content with where life has led her, often seem to be trying to convince McCarthy that it all really wasn't so bad. It's fascinating to watch, especially for people who grew up with the Brat Pack movies.

Brats clocks in at a quick 92 minutes and is unrated.

Brats is a fond, if sometimes uncomfortable, catch-up with people who feel like old friends. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Brats gets seven.

Brats is now streaming on Hulu.

Until next time...

 

Movie Reviews: WHITEOUT & THE INVENTION OF LYING

Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Movie Reviews: WHITEOUT & THE INVENTION OF LYING

ON DVD

WHITEOUT

A U.S. marshall tracking a vicious murderer through the Antarctic must locate the killer before the sun sets for six months, or risk being trapped in the dark with the madman for months on end in director Dominic Sena's adaptation of the graphic novel series by Greg Rucka. U.S. marshall Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) has been stationed at Antarctica's South Pole research base for two years, and now after turning in her resignation she's looking forward to finally going home. The last plane out leaves in just three days, and just after that ..Antarctica.. will not see the sun again for another 24 weeks. Then, just 72 hours before she is set to escape the coming darkness, a body is discovered in the ice -- prompting the first murder investigation ever to take place on the desolate Antarctic Circle continent. Little does Carrie realize that she's suddenly been thrust into a mystery over 60 years in the making, and that the killer is ready to strike again in order to protect a grim secret. Now, as the death toll starts to rise, loyalties shift, and a massive series of whiteouts blow bitter winds across the frozen landscape, the U.S. marshall who wanted nothing more than to escape the cold must work around the clock to catch a killer before the blinding white snow gives way to the deadly darkness of winter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Tom Skerritt, Columbus Short, Alex O'Loughlin.

Director Dominic Sena

Release Date: Sept. 11, 2009

Rated R for violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity.

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.

Genres: Action, Thriller

REVIEW:

It’s never a good thing when the peak of a movie is a gratuitously long shot of Beckinsale disrobing as she gets ready for a shower. After watching the film, I am left with the feeling that there was more effort put into figuring out how to get Kate Beckinsale to show some skin in a movie that takes place entirely, sans a few flashbacks, in the South Pole. Mission accomplished, I guess. As for the rest of the movie, Dominic Sena delivers a woefully paint by the number murder mystery that seems like it was scripted by a computer programmed to churn out low level CSI plots. Everything about the story is terribly hackneyed and there is zero tension as every twist or turn is about as obvious as a little league soft ball pitch. Sena’s direction here is equally generic as he brings very little to the table doing nothing with the locale outside of pointing out that it’s really cold and windy. Kate Beckinsale bored most of the time and is just going through the motions; it’s not a terrible performance but nothing special either. Gabriel Macht is as stoic and mysterious as the script allows but like everything else here his work like his character is generic with a capital G. Tom Skerritt has a supporting role but mostly he just looks like he wishes he was elsewhere the entire time. The rest of the cast are mainly fodder for the killer especially when they have something to say which might be important. Whiteout is one of the strongest works in cinematic banality I’ve seen in a long while. It’s the type of film that plays in the background and you don’t really feel like you missing anything.

D

THE INVENTION OF LYING

Ricky Gervais directs himself in The Invention of Lying, a comedy in which everyone in the world tells the truth except for one misfit in the film industry, who after discovering the act of lying, milks it to become the world's most phenomenal performer. Matthew Robinson will co-direct from his own script, which he and Gervais collaborated on. Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill, and Louis C.K. co-star in the Media Rights Capital production, with John Hodgman, Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, and Jeffrey Tambor rounding out the rest of the cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide


Cast: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Jonah Hill.

Director: Ricky Gervais

Release Date: Oct 02, 2009

Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual material and a drug reference

Runtime:1 hr. 39 min.

Genres: Comedy, Romance


REVIEW:



The Invention of Lying is the type of film that leaves you scratching your head once you’ve finished watching it. The cast is a collection of comedic heavyweights who could carry a film on their own. It’s directed and co written by its star Ricky Gervais whom I consider a comedic genius. The movie’s conceit is interesting and initially funny but as the film goes on it loses traction fairly quickly. Gervais has an interesting idea to work with and there are decent amounts of laughs to be had but some of the concepts just aren’t executed to the fullest extent. A secondary issue is that the tone of the film is unclear throughout as it changes frequently and as the film nears its end it decides to play a little too nice and safe which comes off as artificial and hollow. Gervais himself is in fine form in his role as he delivers plenty of laughs through well timed delivery of lines and he even gets a moment stretch his drama muscle in a pivotal scene with surprising effectiveness. Jennifer Garner isn’t really asked to do too much outside of stare blankly and recite lines like she’s a 4 year old. Rob Lowe is adequate as Gervais counterpoint but doesn’t really leave much of an impression. The rest of the cast such as Louis C.K., Jonah Hill and Tina Fey are terrible underused with Fey showing up for what amounts to a short cameo. It’s hard to not walk away from The Invention of Lying without the slightest ting of disappointment. It’s a solid film that’s entertaining and contains some fairly interesting ideas, one that will probably infuriate religious folks, but the execution is sporadic and uneven, a real shame as it could have been something special with all the talent assembled.




C+