Movie Review: Black Bear (2020)

Genre: Drama  

Director: Lawrence Michael Levine  

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon  

Running Time: 104 minutes  

Synopsis: Two separate stories unfold sequentially at the same isolated resort lake house. In the first, film director and former actress Allison (Aubrey Plaza) is struggling with writer's block, and arrives at the resort looking for inspiration. She is quickly caught in the bickering crossfire of the resort operators Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and his pregnant girlfriend Blair (Sarah Gadon). In the second part, Gabe is a film director directing his wife Allison in a domestic drama. He pretends to be having an affair with actress Blair to extract a searing performance out of Allison.

What Works Well: Some sizzle lurks in the spiky sparring of mismatched couple Gabe and Blair, where every word is scrutinized, challenged, and shredded. Aubrey Plaza's performance as the wronged actress and disrespected wife is scintillatingly raw, despite her character's over-dependence on mind-altering substances. 

What Does Not Work As Well: This experimental and independent drama does not lack ambition in drawing inspiration from Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf?, but the rough results best belong on a small theatre stage. The two-part structure exposes an unsuccessful search for a framework to nurture underdeveloped ideas about feminism, fidelity, and deceit, and both segments suffer from meanness expressed by overheated and infantile emotions. The second half is cluttered by the film-within-a-film crew, either ironically or methodically ticking off diversity boxes while still confining the secondary characters to interchangeable stereotypes. 

Key Quote:

Gabe (to Allison about Blair): She can't stand the fact that I have a single thought about this world.

Blair: No, it's not that I can't stand that you have the thoughts about the world. It's that I can't stand the thoughts about the world that you have.

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Movie Review: The Card Counter (2021)

Genre: Drama  

Director: Paul Schrader  

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, Tye Sheridan, Tiffany Haddish  

Running Time: 112 minutes  

Synopsis: Convicted for his role in the Abu Ghraib prison atrocities, former US Army soldier William Tell (Oscar Isaac) uses his time behind bars to learn blackjack card counting. Once released, he travels between casinos keeping a low profile and aiming for modest winnings. William is also a good poker player, and stable manager La Linda (Tiffany Haddish) offers to bankroll him. At a security convention, William meets Cirk (Tye Sheridan), a young man plotting revenge on retired Major John Gordo (Willem Dafoe), who was instrumental in teaching torture techniques during the Iraq War. William takes Cirk under his wing to keep him out of trouble, and turns to the poker circuit to raise a large amount of money in a hurry.

What Works Well: Stylish cinematography conveys a sense of resigned desperation in the seen-one-seen'em-all hotel casinos and poker rooms where gamblers go to work. A stone-faced Oscar Isaac hides behind shades and conveys a man-on-a-mission-to-disappear vibe, pausing only long enough to wrap motel room furniture in white sheets.

What Does Not Work As Well: Despite the involvement of producer Martin Scorsese, the cards are drawn from different decks and suffer from shiftless lethargy. The plot meanders from blackjack to poker, from gambling drama to the emotional scars of war, from low-key winnings to in-the-spotlight tournaments, and from a one-person character study to another person's not-even-half-baked revenge plot. Unsurprisingly, the internally inconsistent dramatic components falter like scattered chips in a mess of misguided bets. William's transformation from loner to father figure is unconvincing, Willem Dafoe barely features and need not have bothered, a crucial confrontation is omitted, an irritating poker foe is built-up and left hanging, and Tiffany Haddish's character adds nothing of value.

Key Quote:

Major Gordo: This is where all the good stuff happens.

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Movie Review: The Dry (2020)

Genre: Crime Drama  

Director: Robert Connolly  

Starring: Eric Bana, Genevieve O'Reilly  

Running Time: 117 minutes  

Synopsis: Melbourne-based federal agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his rural home town of Kiewarra to attend the funeral of his childhood friend Luke, who died along with his wife and son in an apparent murder-suicide. With the area suffering from extreme drought and all the farmers struggling financially, Luke's parents plead with Aaron to investigate the deaths. Flashbacks recall Aaron and Luke's carefree teenage years with friends Gretchen and Ellie, which end in a tragedy that drives Aaron away and under a dark cloud. In the present, he rekindles a relationship with Gretchen (Genevieve O'Reilly), and his sleuthing uncovers a web of possible motives surrounding the death of Luke and his family.

What Works Well: This Australian production adapts the Jane Harper novel into slow-burning but always engaging dual mysteries unfolding a generation apart. A sun-drenched environment starved for water creates a sweltering setting, director Robert Connolly and cinematographer Stefan Duscio capturing wide open but parched farmlands where the cracks in the soil hide secrets and resentments. Eric Bana is a stoic presence, holding back on engaging at the emotional level as he probes the locals, many of whom blame him for a community calamity from the past.

What Does Not Work As Well: Given all the investment in character, mood, and milieu, the third act revelations are rushed. Some weapon-and-ammunition details related to the family killings are bungled, suggesting a slipshod initial investigation. For all his circumspect care in questioning the locals, Aaron has an awkwardly contrived encounter with Gretchen seemingly designed to impose a boulder upon their path to romance.

Key Quote:

Gretchen (to Aaron): You of all people should be minding your own business.

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Movie Review: Last Night In Soho (2021)

Genre: Supernatural Psychological Horror Drama Mystery  

Director: Edgar Wright  

Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp, Diana Rigg  

Running Time: 116 minutes  

Synopsis: Mild-mannered Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) was raised by her grandmother to love 1960s music and culture, and now moves to London to pursue a fashion design education. She rents a room from the kindly Ms Collins (Diana Rigg) in the SoHo neighbourhood, and starts experiencing visions of the vivacious Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), who arrived in 1960s London seeking fame as a singer. Sandie is spotted by talent agent Jack (Matt Smith), who appears helpful but has vile intentions. Ellie is initially inspired and exhilarated by her visions, but when Sandie's story turns dark, Ellie's life becomes a nightmare.

What Works Well: In this mind-bending and genre-melding delight, director and co-writer Edgar Wright explores themes of loneliness and fitting-in while simultaneously saluting and persecuting the Swinging Sixties. After a careful introduction to Ellie's ambitions, character, and mental state, Sandie enters the picture with a bang, Anya Taylor-Joy luxuriating in a fearless role. London of the mid-1960s is recreated with loving affection boosted by a terrific soundtrack, inventive cinematography, and clever use of mirrors. But the defining fashions and nightclub pizzazz also hide an exploitive culture feeding on vulnerable young women. A devious across-the-decades crime mystery draws Ellie into danger beyond just nightmares triggered by the past.

What Does Not Work As Well: The horror sequences featuring ghost-like beings lean towards excess and diminish the more effective psychological suspense milieu.

Key Quote:

Ellie: Has a woman ever died in my room?

Ms Collins: This is London. Someone has died in every room in every building and on every street corner in the city.

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Movie Review: Midsommar (2019)

Genre: Horror  

Director: Ari Aster  

Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter  

Running Time: 147 minutes  

Synopsis: Dani (Florence Pugh) loses her parents and sister in shocking circumstances, straining her relationship with boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor). Nevertheless the couple accept an invitation from Christian's friend Pelle to visit his home community in rural Sweden in time for a midsummer festival. Upon arrival the tension between Dani and Christian intensifies as they dabble in hallucinogenics and witness the increasingly troubling rituals of an isolated pagan community.

What Works Well: The opening pre-credit sequence leading to the demise of Dani's family is excellent, drawing on Florence Pugh's full range as she navigates uncertainty, loss, grief, disorientation, and doubt. The scenes in Sweden benefit from occasionally interesting cinematography. 

What Does Not Work As Well: Languid pacing, shallow character definitions, minimal plot points, endless scenes of staring, chanting, dancing, and hollering, and the absence of suspense decimate momentum. Writer and director Ari Aster leans heavily on a couple of shocking moments and some gore, both quite insufficient to justify a bloated running time that is a good one hour longer than necessary.

Key Quote:

Pelle (to Dani, about Christian): He's my good friend and I like him, but... Dani, do you feel held by him? Does he feel like home to you?



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Movie Review: Mary Poppins (1964)

Genre: Musical Fantasy Comedy  

Director: Robert Stevenson  

Starring: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson  

Running Time: 139 minutes  

Synopsis: In London of 1910, practically perfect nanny Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) descends from the sky and takes the job of caring for difficult children Jane and Michael Banks. Their father George (David Tomlinson) is a pompous banker, and their mother Winfred (Glynis Johns) is pre-occupied by the suffrage movement. Mary is stern but loving, and teams up with chimney sweep Bert (Dick Van Dyke) to show the kids a magical good time and teach them about kindness.

What Works Well: This inventive musical celebrates a make-believe fantasy world by innovatively mixing animation with live action, delighting child audiences by redefining the art of the possible in special effects. The legendary musical numbers are full of whimsical energy and creative visuals, including A Spoonful Of Sugar; Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious; Chim Chim Cher-ee, Feed The Birds, and Let's Go Fly A Kite. Despite her character requiring only a limited range, Julie Andrews is a magnetic presence, oozing confidence behind sparkling eyes and unleashing a quite magical voice.

What Does Not Work As Well: Almost every scene and all the song-and-dance sequences are longer than needed, and some distractions (including the cannon-happy Admiral Boom and laugh-addict Uncle Albert) occupy too much space. The upper crust of prim and proper Edwardian England is the target of some good-natured ribbing, but otherwise this is plot-free entertainment, and even the low bar of George learning to appreciate family is ultimately undermined.

Key Quote:

Mary Poppins: Close your mouth, please, Michael. We are not a codfish.

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Movie Review: The Kid Detective (2020)

Genre: Crime Dramedy  

Director: Evan Morgan  

Starring: Adam Brody, Sophie Nelisse, Wendy Crewson  

Running Time: 97 minutes  

Synopsis: In the small town of Willowbrook, Abe Applebaum (Adam Brody) is a washed-up 32 year-old detective. As a child prodigy he was celebrated for his skillful sleuthing, but his upward momentum was crushed at age 12 when he was unable to solve the disappearance of his classmate (and the Mayors' daughter) Gracie. Now Abe is presented an opportunity for redemption when teenager Caroline (Sophie Nelisse) seeks his help to find out who stabbed her boyfriend. The first serious crime case of Abe's career leads to a complex web of deceit, and reopens wounds of the past.

What Works Well: Beneath a glib exterior, this Canadian production packs surprising depth of character and emotional resonance. The unfulfilled promise of youth, a life drifting sideways, and unmet parental expectations are preludes to an investigation that delves into the dark side of puppy love, drug dealing at school, and ultimately evil hiding in plain sight. Adam Brody allows the burden of disappointment to ride on his shoulders.

What Does Not Work As Well: The material is willing to get quite dark, all the way to heinous crimes and abuses, throwing doubt on the wisdom of committing to humorous undertones. The most serious and impactful revelations meekly settle for telling but not showing.

Key Quote:

Abe: It's difficult to accept the difference between who you are in your head and who you are in the world.



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Movie Review: Breaking News In Yuba County (2021)

Genre: Dark Comedy  

Director: Tate Taylor  
Starring: Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Juliette Lewis, Ellen Barkin, Matthew Modine, Awkwafina  

Running Time: 96 minutes  

Synopsis: In Kentucky, timid Sue Buttons (Allison Janney) is married to banker Karl (Matthew Modine), who is not only ignoring her and having an affair, but also laundering money for a local mobster. Sue is impressed by television personality Gloria Michaels (Juliette Lewis), who is covering the story of a missing teenager. When Karl drops dead, Sue senses an opportunity to finally get the world to notice her: she secretly buries Karl and reports him missing. Soon she is basking in the media spotlight as the distraught wife, but also attracting the attention of Karl's criminal associates and police detective Harris (Regina Hall).

What Works Well: In a breezy opening act, Sue is introduced as drifting through life with an unwanted cloak of invisibility, her birthday forgotten by all including her half-sister (Mila Kunis). Hubby Karl's mid-thrust death is funny.

What Does Not Work As Well: The rest of the movie flounders into unoriginal silliness derived from To Die For and the Coens, but with neither zest nor wit. The clutter of secondary characters (including a couple of goons and their boss, Karl's lover, ex-con brother, the brother's ditzy boss, her lover, detective Harris, and her partner) stumble over each other, some carrying unearned attitudes but all of them lacking substance. Recognizing the congested narrative dead-end, writer Amanda Idoko rushes into a mad killing spree, chasing the misguided notion that every additional murder relieves the burden of coherence.

Key Quote:

Detective Harris: Mrs. Buttons, usually in a missing persons case, people call the police before calling the media.

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Movie Review: Midway (2019)

Genre: Historical War Action  

Director: Roland Emmerich  

Starring: Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson  

Running Time: 138 minutes  

Synopsis: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in December 1941, but fails to destroy American aircraft carriers. The United States enters the war and Japan's Admiral Yamamoto starts planning an attack on Midway Island to achieve dominance over the Pacific. The US intelligence team headed by Lieutenant Commander Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) intercepts enemy communications and starts to piece together the Japanese attack plan, allowing Admiral Nimitz (Woody Harrelson) to mobilize a defence. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart) leads an air raid on Tokyo to unsettle the enemy, while Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (Dennis Quaid) and ace Navy pilots Dick Best (Ed Skrein) and Wade McClusky (Luke Evans) are involved in the escalating war in the Pacific. 

What Works Well: This is an unapologetically old-fashioned World War 2 action movie, faithful to historical fact and dedicated to celebrating heroism, sacrifice, and determination under fire. Despite an ambitious scope covering several major battles and culminating at Midway, writer Wes Tooke admirably maintains cohesion in melding strategic Yamamoto and Nimitz-level maneuverings with the front-line exploits of Best and McClusky, among many others, effectively capturing the critical strategic decisions and in-the-heat of the moment actions upon which history turned. Director Roland Emmerich delivers several stirring naval combat scenes, and maintains focus on individual sub-stories within the chaos of attack, defense, and counter-attack at sea. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The CGI effects are impressive but predictably over-done, and the out-of-uniform lives of the characters are essentially non-existent. The cast members do their job with minimum fuss, but quantity defeats quality and none are provided the opportunity to rise above basic representations.

Key Quote:

Edwin Layton (to Nimitz, in reference to Pearl Harbor): Sir, I'm the intelligence officer responsible for overseeing the greatest intelligence failure in American history.

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Movie Review: Fighting With My Family (2019)

Genre: Sports Biography  

Director: Stephen Merchant  

Starring: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn, Nick Frost, Dwayne Johnson  

Running Time: 108 minutes  

Synopsis: In Norwich, England, working class couple Patrick and Julia (Nick Frost and Lena Headey) run a local semi-pro wrestling circuit featuring their teenaged children Zak and Raya (Jack Lowden and Florence Pugh). The family dreams of getting noticed by the World Wrestling Entertainment, and Zak and Raya are finally given an opportunity to audition in London. But WWE recruiter and coach Hutch (Vince Vaughn) only selects Raya for further training, and she jets off to Florida leaving Zak resentful. Raya adopts the stage name Paige as she attempts to qualify for the WWE, but she faces numerous challenges and an increasingly strained relationship with her family back home.

What Works Well: Plenty of heart ensures a warm glow in this biography of professional wrestler Paige, with a focus on humble roots and an unlikely path to stardom. The hardscrabble family background features sports-as-salvation from addictions and incarceration, with love, support, ambition, and humour fueling Paige's rise. She still has a lot to learn once her WWE training starts, and Florence Pugh invests in Paige's complex personal growth as she meets competitors from other backgrounds and navigates her brother's doldrums. Vince Vaughn builds a steady bridge between Norwich and glamour, and Dwayne Johnson enjoys a couple of prolonged scenes as himself. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The rags-to-riches story arc offers few surprises, leading to a high-volume final act filled with triumphalism, lacking subtlety, and compromised by a never-before-seen opponent.

Key Quote:

Raya (to Coach Hutch): You didn't cut me and I didn't quit.

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