MOVIE REVIEW: MEAN GIRLS

 

New student Cady Heron gets welcomed into the top of the social food chain by an elite group of popular girls called the Plastics, ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina's ex-boyfriend, she soon finds herself caught in their crosshairs.

Director: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr.

Cast: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Avantika, Bebe Wood, Christopher Briney, Jenna Fischer, Busy Philipps, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows

Release Date: January 12, 2024

Genre: Comedy, Musical

Rated PG-13 for sexual material, strong language, and teen drinking.

Runtime: 1h 52m

Mean Girls, The film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the original film, is a strange concoction of musical numbers paired with a slavish devotion to the original material that never lets it find its own footing. Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. directorial debut is solid but noticeably listless for large portions of time, particularly when they are recreating scenes verbatim from the original film.  The  musical numbers fare far better, injecting a solid sense of energy into the film with well choregraphed sequences that are fun even if they aren't terribly memorable except for "World Burn" and "I'd Rather Be Me" being the best of the bunch.  The main cast lead by Angourie Rice are all solid with a few stand outs leaving a lasting impression.  Rice is adequately mousy to start before she starts her rise through the Plastics. Reneé Rapp, who played the role on Broadway, brings a different sort of energy to Regina than Rachel McAdams did in the original role which makes it one of the more interesting performances since it brings something new to the production.  Avantika and  Bebe Wood take over the Karen Shetty, who's even dumber than Karen Smith in the original which is a strange choice, and Gretchen Wieners roles and fare worse than Rapp.  Their performances are little more than hollow impressions of the originals with Wood's even emulating Lacey Chabert's vocal inflections multiple times.  Auliʻi Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey take over the Janis and Damian with both doing strong work even if Cravalho doesn't quiet have the edge that Lizzy Caplan brought to the role while Spivey steals every scene he's in.  Tina Fey and Tim Meadows return from the original film but both are surprisingly flat through with both just going through the motions which only reminds you of the fact that there's already a pretty solid version of the film elsewhere.  Most properties that go from screen to stage and back do their best to find their own voice while capturing the spirit, Hairspray comes to mind, but Mean Girls does the exact opposite which doesn't do this version any favors.

 

C

MOVIE REVIEW: AMERICAN FICTION

 

Monk is a frustrated novelist who's fed up with the establishment that profits from Black entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish Black book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

Director: Cord Jefferson

Cast:  Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David

Release Date: September 8, 2023

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Rated R for language throughout, some drug use, sexual references and brief violence.

Runtime: 1h 57m

Cord Jefferson's big screen debut, American Fiction, is a wonderfully nuanced satire led by a multifaceted performance from Jeffrey Wright.  Jefferson, who also wrote the script, shows a steady, confident hand behind the camera as he delivers a film that's easy to enjoy even as it covers some expansive racial issues and themes.  He allows his actors to shine by giving them plenty of quieter character moments that gives the film and story an impressive level of depth.  His cast is more than up for the task led by Jeffrey Wright who's never been better.  Wright is the kind of actor that's always brings a certain kind of authentic intelligence and pathos to his roles which is tailor made for playing this role.  Wright adds so much nuance and layers playing an incredibly intelligent man who's seething with resentment over his talents being overlooked.  In the hands of a lesser performer, the character could have come off more one dimensional and one note, but Wright is able to make him a complicated, living breathing human being while still deftly handling the more comedic moments.  The supporting cast is no less impressive with each leaving a noticeable impression on the film with stand out performances from Erika Alexander with an endearing turn as the love interest and Sterling K. Brown playing against type as Monk's chaotic and equally complicated brother.  There is a natural chemistry together from the cast as a whole which makes the story and film as a whole connect on another level.  The pacing that hit a slight hiccup in its final act which is I suspect is intentional in order to reflect the complexity of the racial discussions at play which has no easy or straight forward answers much like the film's conclusion.  American Fiction proves to be the kind of film that works on multiple levels either as comedy, drama or dissection of social issues thanks to the collective talent assembled.

A-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Circus of the Scars The Documentary

 

My dear reader(s), it's a common complaint of mine that I never have time for the movies anymore, but when Circus of the Scars turned up somewhere accessible to me, you better believe I found the time immediately.

Circus of the Scars-the Documentary follows the unlikely rise and probably predictable fall of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow.

There is nothing slick or polished about Circus of the Scars, and I suppose it would be inappropriate if there were. The sideshow itself started out as a bar attraction that picked up performers (and momentum) as it rolled along, ultimately hitting its highest high as a second-stage attraction on the 1992 Lollapalooza tour.

The movie mixes old show footage and new interviews with Jim Rose and his merry band of misfits: Joe Hermann (the Amazing Mr. Lifto), Tim Cridland (Zamora the Torture King), Matt "the Tube" Crowley, and Paul Lawrence (the Enigma). The rifts that ultimately derailed the sideshow are evident, but there's a good-naturedness among the performers that makes the film an easy watch. Many of the interviews look like they were recorded on someone's phone (or via Facetime), giving the film a fitting DIY vibe. If everyone probably saw the ending coming, that does nothing to undermine the electric thrill of watching these unique performers grow from humble beginnings to the biggest, worldwide stages.

Circus of the Scars-the Documentary clocks in at 95 minutes and is unrated. It is not - I repeat NOT - for the faint of heart or weak of atomach.

I was one of the fortunate folks who witnessed the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow on Lollapalooza '92, and the experience is one I'll never forget. You do not want to miss this opportunity to know these amazing artists through this terrific documentary feature. (And look for some of them on tour in a city near you!) Of a possible nine Weasleys, Circus of the Scars-the Documentary gets all nine.

Circus of the Scars-the Documentary is now available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: NIGHT SWIN

 

Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself. However, a dark secret from the home's past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror.

Director: Bryce McGuire

Cast: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Nancy Lenehan, Jodi Long

Release Date: January 5, 2024

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for terror, some violent content and language.

Runtime: 1h 38m

Night Swim has a fun concept paired with strong performances, particularly Kerry Condon, but the execution is little more than a bland, uninspired Amityville Horror knock off with a sprinkle of Cocoon for some reason.   Bryce McGuire's big screen debut, based on his short film, is initially intriguing as we are introduced to the general concept and central family.  A series of well staged jump scares provide the sort of scares you'd expect from a film of this ilk.  The issues start popping up fairly quickly there after as the script struggles to stretch the concept out for a full length feature.  The reveals are fairly uninspired, mostly consisting of well worn horror tropes that we've seen countless times before.  With few twist and turns there are telegraphed so loudly that you'd be hard pressed not to see them coming from a mile away.  Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon play it deadly serious throughout which works better in the first half of the film before things get progressively more ridiculous as the family battles the evil pool.  Condon brings a level of commitment to the role which speaks to the level of talent she brings to the production even as she confidentially utters some unintentionally funny lines in the film's final act.  Russell is a solid screen partner early on but once he's overtaken by the evil his performance makes Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance look like a study in subtly.  Amélie Hoeferle and Gavin Warren play the pair's children with both bringing an authentic air of sibling chemistry together which the film would have been wise to use to greater effect especially since there are slivers of interesting character traits for each.  As is, Night Swim will fall into the massive wasteland of utterly forgettable horror films dumped into January.

D+

My 10 Favorite Films of 2023

Now that 2023 has come to an end I can look back at the 79 movies I reviewed during the year and reflect on which ones I enjoyed the most.  This list below is in no specific order and not necessarily reflective of my original letter grade, additionally I’ve missed some critical darlings like Past Lives and Anatomy of a Fall among others.  

Like everything I’ve published, this is all subjective and I could probably be convinced to add and remove certain films which is why I’m terrible at making lists in general.

So, with that, here are my 10 favorite films of 2023.

Infinity Pool

Brandon Cronenberg's latest film is the kind of film that reveals is screwing with your mind throughout its runtime.  It’s gory, grimy but beautiful in a strange, psychedelic way.  Mia Goth turns in another performance that’s cements her status as a rising star in the horror genre. 

The Creator 

The plot of The Creator covers some well-worn territory in the sci-fi genre, but Gareth Edwards direction elevates it above the predictable plot.  Visuals and solid turns from the cast makes this one of the more entertaining sci-fi films in recent memory.  

Beau is Afraid

Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid isn’t made for everyone and he doesn’t really seem to care.  It’s a behemoth of themes and ideas with some working far better than others during the film’s three-hour runtime.  A committed performance from Joaquin Phoenix as the sad sack who embarks on a cinematic journey that you won’t soon forget.  

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning 

In any other year, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, would have been one of the biggest blockbusters of the year.  Tom Cruise’s latest entry into the long-running series is another bit of well-orchestrated, big screen spy madness that keeps upping the game on the genre.     

Barbie 

If you had told me at the start of the year Barbie would be on my year end list I probably would have chuckled and said no.  I didn’t know what to expect from the film or story, but I didn’t expect much so it was a pleasant surprise such a fun, vibrant and heart felt even if some felt the message was heavy handed.    

Oppenheimer 

The other half of the cultural phenomenon that was Barbenheimer was even better with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer delivering a serious, adult blockbuster that was built on performances and dialogue.  Nolan and his cast are laser focused throughout, making the dialogue heavy film feel brisk even at three hours long.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Martin Scorsese’s long gestating epic is a tragic, heartbreaking journey that ponders on a handful of themes buoyed by some excellent turns from its star-studded cast lead by Leonardo DiCaprio.  Lily Gladstone proves to be a revelation as the film’s beating heart fighting through the series of tragedies laid at her feet.

The Holdovers

Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is a throwback on multiple levels as it evokes memories of dramadies from the 70’s and 80’s.  Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa each deliver stellar turns as we follow their emotional journeys as part of their pseudo family.

Wonka

Paul King’s prequel, Wonka, proved to be one of the more pleasant surprises of the year.  King brings that same sense of joy and optimism to this franchise that’d he’d brought to his Paddington films.  Timothée Chalamet proves far more capable and endearing than expected, which results in a film that’s sure to leave a smile on the face of even the biggest cynic.  

Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos’ unapologetic, gothic fantasy is bold on multiple levels.  Its stark, inventive visuals give it a distinctive style that makes it a visual feast for the eyes.  Emma Stone’s fearless performance makes the whole thing work as she deftly creates a multifaceted character from start to finish.   Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe are just as good in memorable supporting turns.

 

Cindy Prascik's Review of Barbie

 

My dear reader(s): Yesterday I finally had an opportunity to catch up with the year's most talked-about movie, Barbie.

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

Barbie suffers a crisis and must brave a world outside Barbieland if she hopes to resolve it.

At this point, it feels like poor form to dislike Barbie. Fortunately, I liked it well enough, even if if I'm more "enheimer" than "Barb" in the Barbenheimer sweepstakes.

Pluses start with the divine Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Despite its many other attributes, I believe the movie would have fallen flat had they not leaned into their roles with such gusto. Vibrant costumes and sets team with upbeat music to sell a perfect world...even when it isn't. There's plenty of nostalgia for those of us who loved our Barbies, and some funny (if mean-spirited) digs at other pop culture icons who have fallen into...if not exactly disfavor, at least a perceived lack of coolness.

Barbie is a great deal more than a film about a doll. It's cleverly written and well acted, with an important message about autonomy and empowerment. Heavy-handed delivery of its message is the picture's only real flaw, but it's a pervasive one that kept me from loving Barbie as much as everyone else seemed to. I don't believe beating people over the head with a point faciliates real change; it only makes them tired of hearing about it, and by the end of this I was pretty tired of the word "patriarchy." Still, Barbie is a solid movie that's greatly enhanced by sparkling performances and a sensible runtime.

Barbie clocks in at 114 minutes and is rated PG13 for "suggestive references and brief language."

Barbie is a good movie made great by stellar lead performances, and any shortcomings are easily forgiven once the Indigo Girls start singing. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Barbie gets eight.

Fangirl Points: Kingsley Ben-Adir!

Barbie is now streaming on Max.

Until next time...