MOVIE REVIEW: I.S.S.

 

Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station when a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Soon, the U.S. and Russian astronauts each receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary.

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Cast: Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Maria Mashkova, Costa Ronin, Pilou Asbæk

Release Date: January 19, 2024

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for some violence and language

Runtime: 1h 35m

Review:

I.S.S. uses its hypothetical situation and claustrophobic setting to deliver some solid moments of tension thanks, in large part, to focused performances from its ensemble cast even though it struggles to nail the landing.  Gabriela Cowperthwaite shows a steady hand throughout, delivering an efficient thriller that's laser focused on ratcheting up the tension while managing to keep the human side surprisingly grounded.  This is the type of film that could have easily devolved into a clichéd 80's cold war era film turning the characters into caricatures with little to no shades of grey.  Cowperthwaite manages to avoid most of those pitfalls thanks to a script that's elevated by its committed cast.  Ariana DeBose is solid in the lead role, giving her character far more depth than what's on the page.  Chris Messina and John Gallagher Jr. play her compatriots with varying degrees of effectiveness since certain turns are telegraphed a mile away.  On the other end, Maria Mashkova, Costa Ronin and Pilou Asbæk play the Russian crew with surprising effectiveness with Ronin being saddled with the most generic character of the group. Mashkova and Asbæk are given more latitude to give their characters more texture and humanity.  Asbæk, in particular, is incredibly watchable throughout as his character's trajectory follows an unexpected path as the film moves on.  Asbæk's performance is fascinating even as the film starts to move into goofier, anti gravity fights aren't cool looking, territory in its final act.  The last act struggles to find a way to wrap up the story, so it ends in a purposely ambiguous way that's sure to annoy more than a few viewers.  

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: THE BEEKEEPER

 

One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after it's revealed he's a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as Beekeepers.

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad, Jeremy Irons

Release Date: January 12, 2024

Genre: Action, Thriller

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

Runtime: 1h 45m

Review:

The Beekeeper is a lean, 80's style action film that's solely concerned with delivering mindless mayhem via a perfectly cast Jason Statham.  David Ayer's film waste very little time with set up before he unleashes Statham on his rampage of revenge.  The script doesn't concern itself much with too much backstory with the majority of the background of Statham's character being relayed via exposition dumps provided by a rather game Jeremy Irons.  Statham is perfectly in his element with the film asking him to maintain a steely determined gaze while he plows through an endless barrage of adversaries while never breaking a sweat.  Its all rather ridiculous but undeniably entertaining at the same time.  What makes it work as well as it does is the fact that Ayer and his cast know exactly what kind of film they are making and they go all in with rather impressive gusto.  The supporting cast is populated with a handful of familiar faces such Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad and Jeremy Irons with the latter getting the most substantial role.  Josh Hutcherson gets the role of the main villain, a pampered trust fund tech baby, and he's clearly relishing the chance to play against type as he chews up scenery every time his character gets on screen.  Emmy Raver-Lampman and Bobby Naderi have a fun buddy cop chemistry going as FBI agents on Statham's tail.  These performance all come together to make The Beekeeper the kind of film that doesn't ask much of you but to sit back and enjoy.

B

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+