Sunday 17 March 2024

Movie Review: House Of Games (1987)


Genre: Crime Drama  
Director: David Mamet  
Starring: Joe Mantegna, Lindsay Crouse, J.T. Walsh  
Running Time: 102 minutes  

Synopsis: Psychiatrist and successful author Dr. Margaret Ford (Lindsay Crouse) learns that her troubled client Billy Hahn is being threatened over a gambling debt. Determined to help, she confronts Mike (Joe Mantegna), the man holding Billy's IOU, at the scuzzy House Of Games pool hall. Margaret finds Mike's combination of charm and confidence irresistible compared to her cold and lonely life, and she is drawn into his world of psychological manipulation for profit.

What Works Well: The milieu of scam artists thriving in the dark is conveyed with pleasing aesthetics, and contrasts sharply with Margaret's scrubbed professional environment. Her lack of fulfillment and subsequent attraction to Mike's seedy antics drives the plot, writer and debut director David Mamet questioning the value of risk-free existence. Joe Mantegna never betrays his character's essence as a man who thrives on exploiting weaknesses in others, and is ably supported by a cast featuring J.T. Walsh, William H. Macy, Mike Nussbaum, and Ricky Jay.

What Does Not Work As Well: After the initial con, the other twists along Margaret's journey to danger are quite easy to see through, and the ending abandons cleverness altogether in favour of old-fashioned score-settling. In a clipped and cold performance, Lindsay Crouse (Mrs. David Mamet at the time) struggles mightily to convey relatable emotions, creating instead an unfortunate vacuum at the story's core.

Conclusion: Rich with mood, but not quite as clever as it wants to be.



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Movie Review: Fallen Angel (1945)


Genre: Noir Crime Romance Drama  
Director: Otto Preminger  
Starring: Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Alice Faye, Anne Revere, Charles Bickford, John Carradine  
Running Time: 97 minutes  

Synopsis: In California, penniless drifter Eric Stanton (Dana Andrews) is thrown off the bus in the small town of Walton. At the local cheap diner, he finds server Stella (Linda Darnell) alluring, but she is tired of men who don't commit and demands marriage and a house. Eric makes some money promoting a show for traveling spirit medium Professor Madley (John Carradine), and in the process meets unmarried wealthy sisters Clara and June Mills (Anne Revere and Alice Faye). To secure the funds needed to satisfy Stella, Eric plots to separate June from her money through seduction, but unexpected twists await. 

What Works Well: Director Otto Preminger and star Dana Andrews re-team after the success of Laura and land within a seedy milieu of drifters, hucksters, and desperates. Eric Stanton fits right in, and Andrews nails the dubious protagonist as a survivor susceptible to troubled charms. The second half transitions into a tough whodunnit with unconventional interrogation tactics, Stanton's convoluted plotting sucking him into a murder case with ex-New York cop Judd (Charles Bickford), love rival Atkins (Bruce Cabot), and even barkeep Pop (Percy Kilbride). Linda Darnell as Stella carries the weight of wasted years behind her eyes, a contrast with Alice Faye's June, whose so-far sheltered existence is an easy target.

What Does Not Work As Well: On the seemingly perpetually dark streets of Walton, most characters are singularly obsessed with self-interest, depriving the drama of a sympathetic core.

Conclusion: This town welcomes the scammers, the scammed, and the soon-to-be-scammed.



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Movie Review: Upgraded (2024)


Genre: Romantic Comedy  
Director: Carlson Young  
Starring: Camila Mendes, Lena Olin, Marisa Tomei  
Running Time: 104 minutes  

Synopsis: In New York, Ana (Camila Mendes) is a junior trainee at the Erwins art auction house led by the demanding Claire (Marisa Tomei). On a flight to London, Ana flirts with the dashing William (Archie Renaux), and plays along when he mistakes her for a senior executive. In London she meets William's mother Catherine (Lena Olin), a wealthy widow about to sell an expensive art collection. Ana enjoys a romance with William and races to satisfy Claire's whims, but her lies threaten both her love life and her career.

What Works Well: This bright romantic comedy mixes elements from Working Girl with The Devil Wears Prada, and benefits from the prestige of Marisa Tomei and Lena Olin in key supporting roles. Elsewhere, Camila Mendes sells the premise of the resourceful up-and-comer leveraging an unexpected opportunity to skip a few steps along the corporate ladder, and director Carlson Young almost resists the temptation of polishing London into a dream romantic destination. 

What Does Not Work As Well: All the usual coincidences and misunderstandings required to kick the genre machinery into gear are here, starting with Ana's fortuitous meeting with the son of her employer's most important client, passing through the lovers' big argument, and ending with the requisite tidying up of all loose ends. Archie Renaux struggles in the handsome prince role, and the chemistry between the leads is confined to telemovie levels of blandness.

Conclusion: Romantic banter at 30,000 feet still has on-the-ground consequences.



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Saturday 16 March 2024

Movie Review: The Killing Of Two Lovers (2020)


Genre: Drama  
Director: Robert Machoian  
Starring: Clayne Crawford, Sepideh Moafi, Chris Coy  
Running Time: 84 minutes  

Synopsis: In a small Utah town, David (Clayne Crawford) is having trouble dealing with a trial separation from his wife Nikki (Sepideh Moafi). He has moved out and is living with his father, while she stayed in their home looking after the four kids, including teenager Jess. The couple agreed to see other people and Nikki is now in a relationship with Derek (Chris Coy), but David's jealousy threatens to boil over.

What Works Well: The location filming in Kanosh, Utah reveals a stark town nestled within scenic hills, a place where everyone is a neighbour and no secrets are possible. The patient storytelling allows the character outlines to slowly sharpen into a family agonizingly falling apart.

What Does Not Work As Well: The content is insufficient for a feature length film, and about half the scant running time consists of David driving around in his truck. Director Robert Machoian's penchant for static camera wide-angle shots and long takes but within a boxy aspect ratio is perhaps intentionally unsettling, but nevertheless annoyingly incongruous. 

Conclusion: The emotional devastation is palpable, but stretched too thin.



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Movie Review: Cry Of The City (1948)


Genre: Noir Crime Drama  
Director: Robert Siodmak  
Starring: Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Shelley Winters, Debra Paget  
Running Time: 95 minutes  

Synopsis: Criminal Martin Rome (Richard Conte) is badly wounded and in police custody after killing a cop in a botched robbery. Police Lieutenant Vittorio Candella (Victor Mature) was Martin's childhood friend, and now questions him about another heist involving precious jewelry. Slimy lawyer Niles (Berry Kroeger) wants Martin to confess to the jewelry theft, which would implicate Martin's lover Teena Ricante (Debra Paget). She becomes the target of a police hunt, and Martin plots an escape to reveal the truth. 

What Works Well: A textured script (by Richard Murphy and Ben Hecht) is full of ambiguous motivation layers supplementing director Robert Siodmak's investment in doomed noir fundamentals. Martin Rome is identified early as a cop killer destined for the electric chair, but emerges as a complex protagonist driven by an unlikely love and willing to do the dirty work for others. Shady characters lurk in every corner, including Niles the lawyer, Brenda (Shelley Winters) the midnight lady, a shifty prison trusty (Walter Baldwin), a foreign doctor (Konstantin Shayne) providing questionable services, and Martin's impressionable younger brother Tony (Tommy Cook). Towering over them all is a giant masseuse (Hope Emerson) who redefines "handful". Emotional ties are woven through a friendship-from-childhood between Lieutenant Candella and Martin's family, adding nuance to some gorgeously filmed New York nighttime streetscapes.

What Does Not Work As Well: The characters just keep on coming - late into the third act, Siodmak is still finding new people and new places to introduce. And in a packed agenda, the editing and pacing demonstrate a tendency to overemphasize minor points.

Conclusion: The city's cry echoes with dazzling desperation.



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Movie Review: Father Stu (2022)


Genre: Biographical Drama  
Director: Rosalind Ross  
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, Jackie Weaver, Malcolm McDowell  
Running Time: 124 minutes  

Synopsis: In Montana of the 1980s, Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) is drifting through life as an amateur boxer. His mother Kathleen (Jacki Weaver) lives nearby, but his frequently drunk father Bill (Mel Gibson) is in California, the family having never recovered from the childhood death of Stu's brother. When the boxing injuries add up, Stu relocates to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. He falls in love with Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), a devout Catholic. She introduces him to her church community before an accident changes his outlook.

What Works Well: Director and writer Rosalind Ross sprinkles humour into a search-for-purpose biographical drama, and allows Stu to remain true to himself as his life takes unexpected twists. The spiritual tones are prominent but well controlled by healthy skepticism, and the romance between Stu and Carmen is an effective catalyst. In a commanding central performance full of zest, Mark Wahlberg undergoes a couple a startling physical transformations from unkempt boxer to a man of religion. He is ably supported by Mel Gibson's angry-at-the-world father and Jacki Weaver's still-hopeful mother.

What Does Not Work As Well: The aesthetics, sets, and sense of time and place rarely rise above monotonous blandness, while the title's revelation of Stu's ultimate destination ensures his journey is amiable but also predictable.

Conclusion: A feel-good story about finding passion while confronting adversity.



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Saturday 9 March 2024

Movie Review: Memory (2022)


Genre: Thriller  
Director: Martin Campbell  
Starring: Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Taj Atwal  
Running Time: 114 minutes  

Synopsis: In the Texas-Mexico border region, aging assassin-for-hire Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson) is experiencing early signs of dementia, including memory loss. He refuses an assignment to kill a 13 year-old child trafficking victim and turns against his employers. Meantime, FBI agents Vincent Serra and Linda Amistead (Guy Pearce and Taj Atwal) and Mexico's agent Marquez (Harold Torres) are investigating a child trafficking ring, while wealthy real estate mogul Davana Sealman (Monica Bellucci) exerts influence and hides secrets.

What Works Well: This B-movie almost succeeds in covering up its low budget, aided by investments in side plots like creeping dementia, child trafficking, and high-level corruption. The presence of Liam Neeson (old for the role but functional), Guy Pearce (fittingly bedraggled), and Monica Bellucci (evil but underused) elevates quality, and they are ably supported by a feisty Taj Atwal. Ex-Bond director Martin Campbell keeps the action hopping with multiple converging storylines punctuated by controlled action scenes.

What Does Not Work As Well: The script tries too hard, and eventually becomes cluttered with several seemingly important characters making grand entrances only to be summarily dispatched. The creaky production values are exposed by some throwaway sequences and one glaring discontinuity where a crime scene magically relocates from a parkade to a highway. The rushed ending scatters loose ends all over the screen.

Conclusion: Neither instantly forgettable not terribly memorable.



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Movie Review: Queen Bees (2021)


Genre: Geriatric Romantic Comedy  
Director: Michael Lembeck  
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, James Caan, Jane Curtin, Ann-Margret, Christopher Lloyd, Loretta Devine, Elizabeth Mitchell  
Running Time: 100 minutes  

Synopsis: Helen Wilson (Ellen Burstyn) is in her golden years and insists on maintaining her independence. She enjoys the company of her grandson (Matthew Barnes), but has a difficult relationship with her daughter Laura (Elizabeth Mitchell). A house fire forces Helen to temporarily relocate to a retirement home, where she tangles with a clique of residents led by the unfriendly Janet (Jane Curtin). She is also wooed by Dan (James Caan), who is seeking a late-life romance.

What Works Well: The friction between Helen and her career daughter Laura is built upon stubbornness, mutual impatience, and miscommunication, sharply capturing common frustrations between the elderly and their grown children.

What Does Not Work As Well: The bland script unconvincingly re-imagines the retirement home as the second coming of high school, with the aesthetics and energy levels of middling television fare. Tired rom-com cliches including petty jealousies and conniving behaviour are transposed to mature adults who should know better, emotions are transmitted with all the authenticity of plastic, and the attempts at humour are a cringey demonstration of ineptitude.

Conclusion: Screen legends deserve more dignified late-career material than this.



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Movie Review: Stowaway (2021)


Genre: Science Fiction Survival Drama  
Director: Joe Penna  
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson  
Running Time: 116 minutes  

Synopsis: A three-person crew consisting of Commander Marina Bennett (Toni Collette), doctor Zoe Levenson (Anna Kendrick), and researcher David Kim (Daniel Dae Kim) lifts off on a mission to Mars. Once they settle in for the long journey, Marina stumbles upon launch support engineer Michael Adams (Shamier Anderson), who accidentally stayed on-board, wounded and unconscious. He is nursed back to health and establishes a connection with Zoe, but the spaceship is now critically damaged and does not have enough oxygen for the unexpected traveler.

What Works Well: The spaceship environment conveys the appropriate sense of messy technology, and the four-person cast is adequate. The limited special effects are functional.

What Does Not Work As Well: Director and co-writer Joe Penna aims for a profound moral dilemma but misses badly. The plot logic gaps are yawning, from the initial never-explained chain of incompetence leading to the stowaway situation, through to the lack of redundancy planning, and culminating in a bizarre and internally inconsistent ending that never comes close to the desired impact. Along the journey, the attempts to humanize some but not all the crew members ring hollow.

Conclusion: Despite an ambitious destination, the drama sputters on the launch pad.



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Movie Review: Ambulance (2022)


Genre: Action Thriller  
Director: Michael Bay  
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González  
Running Time: 136 minutes  

Synopsis: In Los Angeles, ex-US Marine and Afghanistan War veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is desperate to fund life-saving surgery for his wife. He reluctantly joins his adopted brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal) in a bank heist expected to yield $32 million. Danny is a lifelong criminal, but this job goes wrong, forcing Will and Danny to hijack an ambulance with paramedic Cam (Eiza González) and wounded police officer Zach (Jackson White) in the back. With numerous police units in hot pursuit, Will, Danny, and Cam have different reasons to survive the ordeal.

What Works Well: This adaptation of a Danish movie packs a remarkable amount of energy, and never slows down. A loony amalgamation of Heat and Speed-in-an-ambulance is a good starting summary, but director Michael Bay also gets to play with on-the-go blood transfusions and surgery, conflict between two brothers, countless cop cars and helicopters, one big dog, and an entire gang of armed goons. The over-the-top stunts and special effects are bathed in sweaty colours, while Yahya Abdul-Mateen combines with Eiza González to create some human grounding amidst the craziness.

What Does Not Work As Well: Mindless and at times mind-numbing action is the only objective, and none of it is remotely serious. Jake Gyllenhaal is miscast as the near-psychotic villain, and the 136 minutes of running time are more than excessive for what is essentially a live action cartoon chase.

Conclusion: Obnoxiously loud and undeniably hypnotic.



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