MOVIE REVIEW: DON'T WORRY DARLING

 

A 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.

Director: Olivia Wilde

Cast: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Chris Pine

Release Date: September 23, 2022

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for sexuality, violent content and language

Runtime: 2h 2m

Review:

Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, which has been mired in offscreen drama before its release, is glossy, intriguing in parts, but ultimately little more than a rehash of well-worn tropes.  Wilde, for her part, delivers well-constructed shots which take advantage of the gorgeous sets and wardrobing on display intercut with some cinematic tricks to give it all an unsettling feel.  Unfortunately, there is a lack of subtly right from the start which kills the majority of tension from the central mystery.  That's not to say there aren't twist and turns throughout its overlong runtime but it never takes the material into new thematic territory.  The film's saving grace is Florence Pugh who carries the film with a committed and engaging turn as a wife who feels the walls of reality closing in on her, sometimes literally.  Pugh's authenticity shines through here making you care about her character even though the endgame is fairly obvious.  She's always the most interesting person onscreen especially the script doesn't bother to give any of the supporting characters much depth if any.  Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll and Chris Pine are saddled with one note characters since the film seems content with them serving as nothing more than high end eye candy.  Populating a film with this much talent only to let it go to waste is a huge miss for the film since it could have added far more nuance to its story especially in its increasingly nonsensical final act.  Don't Worry Darling may feel fresh to people unfamiliar with its cinematic forebears like The Stepford Wives, The Truman Show, Pleasantville or Dark City but if you are then it's nothing more than a hollow rehash.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: BARBARIAN

 

A young woman discovers the rental home she booked is already occupied by a stranger. Against her better judgment, she decides to spend the night but soon discovers there's a lot more to fear than just an unexpected house guest.

Director: Zach Cregger

Cast: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis

Release Date: September 9, 2022

Genre: Horror, Thriller 

Rated R for some strong violence and gore, disturbing material, language throughout and nudity.

Runtime: 1h 42m

Review:

Zach Cregger's Barbarian is a devilishly clever, brutal and darkly funny horror film that's sure to leave an impression by the time it ends.  Cregger smartly structures his film using the audience’s preconceived notions to great effect as he plays a game of misdirection, using mood and atmosphere to great effect especially in the film's opening act.  There is a point where the film takes an unexpected turn as it gleefully resets the board and audience’s expectations.  Even as the film moves into stranger and admittedly more ridiculous territory its cast is game for everything the script and director throws at them.  Georgina Campbell is a likable lead who uses common sense early on until the film needs her to lose some IQ points to move the plot along.  Bill Skarsgård plays his character with a solid mix of understated charm and menace which works well for the film.  Barbarian is the type of horror film that works on many levels due to its fastidious level of design and construction which makes it so effective.  

B+

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: THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING

 

While attending a conference in Istanbul, Dr. Alithea Binnie happens to encounter a djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. This presents two problems: first, she doubts that he's real, and second, because she's a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. The djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually, she's beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both.

Director: George Miller

Cast: Idris Elba, Tilda Swinton, Alyla Browne, Aamito Lagum, Aamito Lagum, Matteo Bocelli, Kaan Guldur

Release Date: August 26, 2022

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Rated R for some sexual content, graphic nudity and brief violence

Runtime: 1h 48m

Review:

George Miller's Three Thousand Years of Longing is a lavish and ambitious fable that attempts to show the importance of storytelling.  Miller has lofty goals in mind, something that's fairly apparent early on with it's heady dissection of narratives.  His visual flourishes are wonderfully garish and impactful but the script is really where the meat of the film lies.  Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton carry the film's connective story with some solid chemistry together which makes the film work better than it should.  The collection of stories are a mixed bag with some faring better than others.  It makes for an uneven experience with the film lagging and perking up depending on the tale being told.  Its nature keeps the film from maintaining a consistent energy and flow in spite of committed performances across the board.  As such, the film ends up feeling much longer than it's actual runtime.  Additionally, the primary story between Swinton and Elba doesn't really connect the way it should even though it serves are the film's closer.  Three Thousand Years of Longing sadly never reaches the heights it aspires too ultimately coming off as noble misfire from George Miller.  

C+

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Samaritan & Ida Red

Dear reader(s), pickins are a little slim as far as at-home cinema this weekend, but I managed to find a couple offerings to pass the time. On the docket: Samaritan and Ida Red.

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

First up: Samaritan (2022).

A young boy's obsession with a presumed-dead superhero leads to trouble.

Samaritan is a bargain basement hero tale that gives too little screen time to its "name" star (Sylvester Stallone) and too much screen time to its insufferable kid lead. There's a different standard for child actors, and the role is hardly anything to write home about, but even those allowances can't make this kid tolerable. Once you compartmentalize the annoying brat, the tale is typical good vs. evil, with Stallone laying down the law, no surprises but enjoyable enough. Set design, reminiscent of a 70s cop drama, perfectly captures the movie's gritty, ominous vibe. It's all a bit more broadly drawn than I expected — and maybe shame on me for that? — but Samaritan is otherwise a passable and forgettable straight-to-streaming flick.

Samaritan runs 102 minutes and is rated PG13 for "strong violence and strong language."

If we got a little spoiled by the quality of some films released directly to streaming during lockdown, movies like Samaritan will bring us back to Earth quickly enough. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Samaritan gets four.

Samaritan is now streaming on Prime Video.

Next on my agenda: Ida Red (2021).

A terminally-ill inmate turns to her son in a last-ditch attempt to enjoy some freedom before dying.

My dear reader(s), however many streaming offerings I may reject on a typical Saturday, there are a few things that earn an instant "yes" vote from me. Frank Grillo is one of them. Grillo is a guy I like in any movie, and a guy who mostly makes movies I like. He steals the show here as brother-in-law of the titular Ida Red (Academy Award winner Melissa Leo, taking the easy paycheck) and uncle of the film's real star, Josh Hartnett, the son on which Ida pins her hopes of freedom. The story is pretty basic cops and robbers, with family drama thrown in for good measure. It's violent, deliberately paced, and unsurprising, but I didn't hate it, and that's about the nicest thing I can say about anything these days.

Ida Red clocks in at 111 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, language throughout, and some sexual content."

Ida Red is a predictable but entertaining thriller with a solid cast. Of a possible nine  Weasleys, Ida Red gets five.

Ida Red is now streaming on the Showtime family of networks.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE INVITATION

 

A young woman is courted and swept off her feet, only to realize a gothic conspiracy is afoot.

Director: Jessica M. Thompson

Cast: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Alana Boden, Courtney Taylor, Hugh Skinner, Sean Pertwee 

Release Date: August 26, 2022

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for terror, violent content, some strong language, sexual content and partial nudity.

Runtime: 1h 44m

Review:

Jessica M. Thompson's The Invitation opens on dark and stormy night, something that should make most savvy audiences wary about what's to come.  After this clunky opening, Thompson tries her best to establish a gothic tone for the first two acts of the film.  Sadly, this is the type of horror film that never quite finds it footing as it tries to find a balance between mystery and jump scares in a consistent manner.  The biggest issue being that the mystery isn't all that complicated even if some of the details offer more intriguing ideas once revealed.  Sadly, the film bungles most of it's better ideas leaving the audience to follow the hapless heroine who's slow to react to some fairly major warning signs before its too late.  Nathalie Emmanuel's performance is committed but she struggles to find her any depth to the character which ends up coming off as flat and wooden.  Thomas Doherty chews up scenery with impressive aplomb as her love interest but you are left wondering what this Jonathan Rhys Meyers knock off could do with better material.  The usually reliable Sean Pertwee isn't asked to do much here outside of look annoyed and slightly constipated.  Alana Boden and Stephanie Corneliussen do have fun supporting turns with a particularly effective manicure that's energetically staged and shot.  Unfortunately, the film falls off a cliff in it's final act as it sheds it's reserved gothic tone and collapses into campy goofiness.  The Invitation ultimately proves to be a frustrating horror film since its concept could be fun but it fumbles its chances at delivering the goods 

D+