Companion

 

         This new, very black comedy is written and directed by Drew Hancock. If you've seen the latest trailer (avoid the trailer if you can), you may know a significant plot point already but be prepared for plenty of other surprises.

          Mr. Hancock has fashioned the most twisted love story I've seen in years. The story is fresh, very original and extremely clever. What begins as a seemingly cute girl meets boy story eventually goes completely off the rails. As a warning, expect some violent moments.

          Sophie Thatcher stars as Iris and she is absolutely terrific. Her boyfriend is played by Jack Quaid (from Prime's "The Boys" and the voice of Boimler on "Star Trek Lower Decks"). The two are lots of fun together...until they're not.

          The film co-stars Lukas Gage as Patrick, Megan Suri as Kat, Harvey Guillen as Eli, and Rupert Friend as Sergey. Marc Manchaca has a cameo as Deputy Hendrix. 

          While I saw it on an IMAX screen, it's not necessarily the kind of film that's enhanced by that format. It will be just as gonzo in regular theaters as well. 

          

            

Presence

 

         This is a supernatural, haunted house story unlike any other. Written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, the entire film is presented from the point of view of the "presence". The POV is actually Mr. Soderbergh's camera as he moves throughout a beautiful home occupied by a family of four.

         The family is played by Lucy Liu as Rebecca, the mom and Chris Sullivan as Chris, the dad. Their older teenager son, Tyler is played by Eddy Maday and the younger teenage daughter Chloe, is played by Callina Liang. Chloe has been recently traumatized by the apparent overdose of her best friend. Tyler is a high school swimming champ but also has typical teen angst. Rebecca and Chris have cracks in the marriage that grow larger as the film goes on. The issues of the entire family are observed by the "presence" but only Chloe seems to sense it.  

         A friend of Tyler's, Ryan is introduced during the film and an unhealthy attraction develops between him and Chloe. Ryan is played by West Mulholland, and his real intentions are not revealed until the last act.

        When Tyler relates a cruel school prank to the family, they all become aware of the "presence" when it reacts to his story. They bring in a medium played by Natalie Woolams-Torres who feels the "presence" and offers a clue to its intentions, which Chloe insists are not menacing.

        Very little happens besides the "presence" roaming the house listening to the family's growing issues and occasionally moving objects and doors around, until the plot comes together in the final act.

       The entire film is just another interesting Soderbergh experiment in filmmaking. Interesting from a technical point of view but as an entertainment, it's far from scary and actually pretty boring.

Flight Risk

 

       This time of the year is reserved for a dumping ground of films that are just barely greenlit. This is one of them but it's a decent enough thrill ride for a mid-winter release.

       Typically Liam Neeson would be starring as the hero in a film like this but in a nice twist, one of my personal favorites, Michelle Dockery (very far from Downton Abby) is U.S. Marshall Harris transporting a key witness in an important trial. She catches up with the witness, Winston, played by Topher Grace in a remote Alaskan town and has to charter a small plane to reach Anchorage.  Mark Wahlberg is the pilot. Once in the air, things start to go wrong and there are some fun action scenes. 

       Almost quietly during the credits, we find out the film was directed by Mel Gibson. I guess the studio felt his name associated with the film might turn away a segment of its potential audience. Say what you will about his politics or religious beliefs, he knows how to direct an action film.

       This is a "check your brain" at the door, "popcorn" movie  and easy to enjoy. As a bonus,  the Alaskan scenery is beautiful on a theater screen.

                

Hard Truths

 

    Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin reunite (last seen together in "Secrets & Lies") as sisters in writer/director Mike Leigh's latest comic drama. As, sisters the two are complete opposites. Pansy (Ms. Jean Baptiste) is a depressed, anxiety ridden, angry woman who can barely function and Chantelle (Ms. Austin) is her happier sister who works as a hairdresser and has two adult employed daughters.

     Pansy lives with her sullen husband Curtley (played by David Webber) and her aimless adult son, Moses (played by Tuwaine Barrett). It's an unhappy marriage, an unhappy family and a meager co-existence. Whenever Pansy does manage to leave the house for chores or a doctor's visit, she takes her anger out on everyone around her. Many of these confrontations are humorous at first but ultimately sad as Pansy can't break her cycle.

     The same can be said for the film in general. What's funny at first is really heartbreaking as there is a total lack of communication and a loveless void within Pansy's family. Things begin to change ever so slightly when Chantelle takes Pansy to visit their mother's gravesite and then invites her, Curtly and Moses back to her house to "celebrate" Mother's Day.

      Ms. Jean Baptiste is absolutely wonderful in a very difficult part. Mr. Webber and Mr. Barrett move through the film in an almost catatonic state and it's a credit to their acting to successfully bring a sense of hard reality to their roles. 

     Mr. Leigh has created an intense character study of a woman with many difficult issues. It's not an easy watch but Ms. Jean Baptiste's performance is remarkable, and Mr. Leigh does offer a small glimmer of hope by the end of the film.

Wolf Man

 

      Co-written (with Corbett Tuck) and directed by Leigh Whannell, this is nothing like Lon Chaney Jr's original 1941 film, "The Wolf Man". Mr. Whannell seeks to add emotional depth by focusing on a single family's danger when the father starts to slowly transform into a wolf-like creature.

Blake (played by Christopher Abbott), his wife Charlotte (played by Julia Garner) and their daughter Ginger (played by Matilda Firth) return to the Oregon farm where he lived a a young boy with his father. The film opens with father and son hunting deer but have a brief encounter with something else. It then jumps 30 years later when Blake takes his family from New York to the Oregon farm to pack up his father's things after he learns of his father's death.

Clawed by a creature on the way to the farm, Blake spends the remainder of the movie transforming into the title character. The transformation is deliberately slow to wring out more emotion and anxiety as Blake struggles to maintain his humanity without harming his family.

Don't expect many traditional scares but there is plenty of tension especially as Blake's feral side starts to take over. There is an interesting lighting effect as we see certain scenes through Blake's "animal" night vision. The special effects are rather strange as Blake develops wolflike qualities but never actually looks like a wolf. Ultimately, we've seen films with families terrorized by various horrors before and this is no different.

Mr. Abbott has the daunting task of acting through layers of makeup and does a reasonable job. Always a reliable actress Ms. Garner's character doesn't have much to do here except attempt to save her daughter and Ms. Firth just wants her daddy to "get better".

There is a clever twist in the middle of the film that savvy viewers will probably see coming and it certainly has it's gory moments but I still prefer the 1941 classic.

I'm Still Here

 

        Directed by Walter Salles from a memoir by Marcelo Rubens Paiva, this new biographical drama takes place during the dictatorship regime in Brazil during the 1970's. 

         Rubens and Eunice Paiva have five children and live in a lovely house at the beach in Rio De Janeiro. Rubens is a retired congressman working in a civil engineering job. They are a tight knit family with obvious love for each other. Their house is often filled with friends and family. One day government men come and take Rubens away for "questioning". It is then up to Eunice to learn what happened to her husband while keeping her family together (even while she holds back her own anxiety and anger) in his absence.

        The film stars Fernanda Torres as Eunice and she has already won a well- deserved Golden Globe for her wonderful performance. Selton Mello plays Rubens. Their children are played by Guiherme Silveria as Marcelo (later, Antonio Saboia as an adult), Valentina Herszage as Vera (later, Maria Manoella as an adult), Luiza Kosovski as Eliana (later, Marjorie Estiano as an adult), Barbara Luz as Nalu (later, Gabriela Carneiro as an adult), and Cora Mora as Maria (later, Oliva Torres as an adult). Late in the film, Fernanda Montenegro (Ms. Torres real mother) plays an elderly Eunice, and even while suffering from Alzheimer's, she has one amazing moment of clarity.

       Mr. Salles actually knew the family and had spent time in their house as a young teenager. You can feel the warmth and love in his direction in every shot because of this relationship. His scenic designer faithfully recreates the house based on Mr. Paiva's memoir and Mr. Salles's memory. The house itself, becomes another character, brought to life as a sixth member of the family. The acting is so effortless, it's like watching a documentary rather than a scripted film.

       While the story may be tragic, Ms. Torres's love and resilience keep her family together and even in the face of despair, it is a profoundly moving film. 

The Six Triple Eight

 

     Written and directed by Tyler Perry, this untold, true story of World War Two tells the story of a a very different kind of battle. It is the true story of an all black women battalion, who's job was to sort and make sure, millions of pieces of correspondence were delivered to soldiers fighting all over Europe.

      A film about sorting and delivering mail doesn't sound very interesting but credit Mr. Perry for finding the emotional core of what was an almost impossible task for anyone, let alone a battalion of black women that white, bigoted officers were convinced would fail.

      The film stars Kerry Washington as Major Charity Adams and she gives a powerful performance. Her foil is the racist General Halt, played by a sneering Dean Norris. Milauna Jackson plays Captain Noel Campbell. Shanice Shantay plays Johnnie Mae Burton and Sarah Jeffery plays Dolores Washington. Sam Waterston, Oprah Winfrey, and Susan Sarandon all have cameos. The emotional center of the film, however, comes from Ebony Obsidian as Lena Derriecot, who enlists to "fight Hitler". We follow her struggle from bootcamp to the mail assignment and Ms. Obsidian is a young talent whose star is sure to rise after this film.

       It's actually a pretty exciting story as the women race the clock (they are given 90 days to sort millions of letters and parcels) to complete their assignment and given it's true nature, it's an incredibly inspiring story as well.

       This is a Netflix production that is currently streaming.

The Last Showgirl

 

    Written by Kate Gersten, based on her book and directed by Gia Coppola, this new drama is a revelation for it's lead actress, Pamela Anderson. Devoid of any makeup and acting on pure emotion, Ms. Anderson delivers one of the best performances of the year.

     Shelly (Ms. Anderson) has been a showgirl in Las Vegas for over 30 years. She is still going strong at fifty seven but when she learns that her iconic show will shortly be playing it's last performance, her world is turned upside down.

      The film co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Annette, Shelly's best friend and a former showgirl, now an aging cocktail waitress in a casino. Dave Bautista plays Eddie, the producer of Shelly's show and a former boyfriend. Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka are showgirl colleagues. Billie Lourd plays Hannah, Shelly's estranged daughter Jason Schwartzman has a cameo as a nameless director auditioning dancers. Ms. Curtis is clearly having a great time and yet plays her role with an underlying sadness. It's refreshing to see Mr. Bautista in a straight dramatic role where he doesn't shoot or punch anyone.

       While all the acting is excellent, Ms. Anderson is simply amazing. It's unfortunate that the script is not stronger as the material doesn't hold up to the acting. While it's a thin story, it does make a tragically true point about the afterlife of aging showgirls.

       Ms. Coppola brings out the best in Ms. Anderson but her constant use of extreme closeups could have been dialed back a bit. That criticism aside, see it for Pamela Anderson's triumph. 

The Damned

 

       Directed by Thordur Palsson, who also wrote the story, this is a moderately creepy "horror" story perfect for a cold winter's night.

        Eva played by Odessa Young is a young widow running her husband's remote fishing post located on an isolated shoreline of some unnamed Artic or Icelandic region. It's the middle of a freezing winter and Eva and her six fishermen are at least three days away from any town.

        An impossible decision awaits Eva when they all watch a ship sink off shore. With barely enough food to survive themselves and only one small fishing boat, do they try to save any survivors or just let them all drown. The consequences of Eva's decision leads to superstition and madness as the group begin to believe they are being stalked by an evil presence, a "Draugur".

        The film co-stars Joe Cole, Siobhan Finneran, Lewis Gribben, Francis Magee, Rory McCann, Turlough Convery, Micheal Og Lane, and Andrean Sigurgeirsson. Kudos to the cast and crew for filming in what appears to be pretty harsh conditions.

        Mr. Palsson creates an atmosphere of rising tension in an eerie, unhospitable environment. Shadows and dark corners may or may not hide the Draugur. Death seems inevitable foretold by Eva's charwoman, Helga. Without any "hide your eyes" types of scares, the film still elicits goosebumps during moody and violent scenes. 

Nickel Boys

 

      Co-written (with Joslyn Barnes) and directed by RaMell Ross, this is a historical drama set in a fictional reform school in Florida. The "Nickel School" is based on the "Dozier School For Boys", which was a notorious institution where boys were routinely beaten, sexually abused and even killed.

      Mr. Ross has a bold vision for storytelling. He shoots the film with a first person POV (point of view) and in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This creates an immersive experience for the viewer but it is can also be jarring and takes some getting used to. You never see the main characters on screen together (even though they may be in the same scene) as the camera switches the POV throughout the film. He also lingers the camera on various imagery which is visually poetic but can also be overwhelming. In addition, there are black and white clips that may or may not be actual footage from the Dozier school interspersed throughout the film. It all makes for a unique way of storytelling that focuses on Elwood and Turner, two boys at the school who become close friends.

      Ethan Herisse plays Elwood and Brandon Wilson plays Turner and they are both excellent. The film also co-stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Hattie, Elwood's grandmother, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Jimmie Fails, and Daveed Diggs.

      Mr. Ross also employs some flashforward scenes that may cause some confusion for the viewer at the end of the film unless you have read the book.

      This is an intense drama with many unsettling scenes but it is also an important story that, while fictional, exposes a very real injustice.

The Brutalist

 

           A stunning achievement by director and co-writer (with Mona Fastvold) Barry Corbett, this new drama tells the story of Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant who arrives in New York two years after the end of World War Two. Laszlo is an architect struggling to achieve his American dream until fate introduces him to wealthy Harrison Lee Van Buren, who becomes his patron.

           Adrien Brody plays Toth and he is brilliant. He is the perfect "soulful" actor for the role. Guy Pierce plays Van Buren and it's his best role in years. The eccentric billionaire and the Jewish architect develop an unusual relationship when Van Buren commissions Toth to build a community center in honor of his late mother. The film co-stars  Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Alessandro Nivola, and Emma Laird.

          Mr. Corbett has fashioned an emotional story of the immigrant experience. He also presents the film in an old fashioned Hollywood style. There is an Overture, then Act One, followed by an actual twenty minute intermission and then Act Two followed by an Epilogue. It's also filmed in Vistavison, providing a widescreen effect that blends beautifully with the camerawork.

          The film has stunning cinematography by Lol Crawley and superb art direction by Judy Becker. Combined with a wonderful score by Daniel Blumberg, costumes and sets, the film truly is a work of art.

          An epic story depicting the highs and lows of Laszlo's life (with an underlying theme of antisemitism running throughout), the film is mesmerizing, however, personally I felt the ending was too rushed and the epilogue left some unanswered questions. Even so, it is an intense experience best enjoyed on the large screen of a theater.

           

              

 MY TOP FILM OF 2024-

A Complete Unknown- James Mangold directs an Amazing Timothee Chalamet leads a fantastic cast in recreating the rise of Bob Dylan during the 1960's.

Emilia Perez- Totally original and surprising musical crime drama from Mexico.

Dune Part Two- Spectacular Sci-Fi.  A sequel that build beautifully upon the first film.

Nosferatu- While not scary in the classic sense, it is a work of "horror" art.

The Promised Land- Terrific Danish period film starring Mads Milkensen.

Anora- An electric, star turn by Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn Stripper who gets involved with the son of wealthy Russian Oligarchs. 

Longlegs- The creepiest, most disturbing and unnerving serial killer film in a long time.

Wicked Little Letters- A 1920's period English black comedy with a wonderful cast.

Inside Out 2- Wonderful animation, intelligent and very entertaining.

Wicked Part One- Very entertaining film version of the Broadway show. Works on all levels.

HONORABLE MENTION-

Origin- an incredible and important film based on the book "Caste".

September 5- Intense recreation of the ABC Sports team covering the Israeli massacre at the 1972 Olympics.

Blitz- Incredible survival drama in war torn London during the Blitz. Elliot Heffernan is amazing.

A Real Pain- Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culken play to their strengths in this comedy/drama.

Oddity-an original horror movie that actually scares you. Very well done.

Knox Goes Away-  A terrific performance by Michael Keaton, who also directs, as a criminal dealing with rapidly developing dementia.

BOTTOM FILMS OF 2024-

Less said the better of all of these-

MaXXine

Wolfs

Trap

Drive Away Dolls

Challengers

Joker: Folie a Deux

I.S.S.

Fly Me To The Moon

Borderlands

The Instigators

A Complete Unknown

 

         Co-written and directed by James Mangold (based on the book "Dylan Goes Electric!" by Elijah Wald), this new drama is just sensational (even if you're not that familiar with Bob Dylan). It is magical in it's depiction of a time and place in American history, telling the story of Bob Dylan's rise to fame during the 1960's.

          Timothee Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan and while he may not sing exactly as Dylan, nor look exactly like Dylan, he does a wonderful job of channeling Dylan's essence to the point you believe his portrayal. Beyond Mr. Chalamet, the co-stars are simply terrific as well. Edward Norton plays Pete Seeger without a false note. Elle Fanning plays Sylvie Russo (a renamed version of Susie Rotolo), his girlfriend through most of the early to mid 60's. Monica Barbaro plays Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook plays Johnny Cash, and Scoot McNairy plays an older, sick and debilitated Woody Guthrie. They are all perfect.

         Also co-starring are Dan Fogler as Albert Grossman, Norbert Leo Butz as Alan Lomax, Will Harrison as Bob Neuwith, Charlie Tahan as Al Cooper, Eli Brown as Mike Bloomfield, Ryan Harris Brown as Mark Spoelstra ad Eriko Hatsune as Toshi Seeger. It is really a sensational cast.

        Mr. Mangold and his team faithful recreate the turbulent '60's and multiple performances at the various village clubs and Newport Folk Festival. While timelines may not be exact and situations and people may have been altered to fit the script, for the most part, the film seems a pretty accurate describing Mr. Dylan's emergence in the folk scene and eventually achieving stardom. It culminates in his decision to go "electric" at Newport alienating many of his fans.

        While super fans and music historians may find fault with any inaccuracies, Mr. Mangold has still managed to capture Bob Dylan's mystique and squeeze a great deal of story into a two hour and twenty minute film, anchored by an electric (no pun intended) performance  by Timothee Chalamet.

Nosferatu

 

     Written and directed by Robert Eggers, this is a remake of the 1922 silent film, and it is a masterful achievement. Mr. Eggers doesn't bother with "jump-scare" tactics but rather creates a world of building dread and unease. 

      The film runs long, two hours and twelve minutes and additional editing would have tightened the story. The atmospheric sense of horror prevails over every aspect of the film. Working with cinematographer, Jarin Blaschke, Mr. Eggers blends the visuals, art direction, sets, music, and of course the acting into a master work of horror.

      The terrific cast includes Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlock/Nosferatu (he's quickly become the go to actor for horror characters), Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter,  Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding, Emma Corrin as Anna Harding, Wilem Dafore as Professor Albin Eberhart, Ralph Ineson as Dr. Wilhelm Sievers and Simon McBurney as Herr Knock. All the characters are doppelgangers for the characters in "Dracula".

      Ms. Depp is exceptional as Ellen, possessed early on by Count Orlock. Mr. Hoult is terrific as the tortured realtor who also falls under the Count's spell. Mr. Dafoe could have easily gone over the top but shows restraint in his character. Mr. Ineson (so good as the father in Mr. Eggers film, The Witch) has a commanding presence as always and Mr. McBurney is perfect as the crazed servant of Count Orlock. And even under quite a bit of makeup, Mr. Skarsgard still makes Nosfertu his own with a powerful performance

       The lighting, use of shadows, depth of color as well as lack of color heighten the already mentioned aspects of the film.  And while you may or may not be actually "scared" during the film, it does add up to the stuff of nightmares that may haunt your dreams for some time to come.

Babygirl

 

       Written and directed by Halina Reijn, this is an erotic thriller about sexual politics and exploring one's unfulfilled sexual urges. Nicole Kidman stars as Romy, a high-powered CEO whose new intern unlocks her submissive desires. Harris Dickinson plays Samuel, the young intern that recognizes something in Romy that he exploits into an unusual affair.

         Antonio Banderas co-stars as Romy's husband of 19 years that is unaware of her desires, believing instead, that they have a very satisfying sex life. Their two teenage daughters are played by Esther McGregor and Vaughan Reilly. Sophie Wilde plays Esme, Romy's assistant, who has her own agenda when she learns of the affair.

         Ms. Kidman, no stranger to daring parts, is at her most uninhibited in a complicated role that requires a great deal of honest acting. Her chemistry with Mr. Dickinson is magnetic and early on, the film is at its most provocative. After a while however, I found myself becoming bored with their games and the direction the film was headed. Samuel's motivation is never clear and even he describes their affair as "kids playing games".

          This film is a little bit "50 Shades of Grey' mixed with "Secretary". TV show and films seem continually convinced that most people in high powered positions secretly want to be dominated in private. Maybe that's true but I'm no therapist. I will say that in this case, Ms. Kidman certainly does, and she gives a truly bold performance.

Mufasa: The Lion King

 

      The original "Lion King" was a wonderful film spawning sequels and a Broadway show. Did the world need a prequel? Probably not but Disney saw a cash grab for the holidays and went for it with a high-profile director, Barry Jenkins, a strong vocal cast and songs by Lin Manuel-Miranda.

       Does it work? I guess so but it's not as good as the original and the story told in flashbacks gets confusing at times. What is amazing is the photorealism animation. The visuals are just incredible.

       Since it's a prequel, screenwriter Jeff Nathanson needed a way to work favorite characters from the first film, Pumbaa and Timon into story. Having Rakiki tell the story of Mufasa to Kiara, Simba's daughter with both Pumbaa and Timon listening as well, was the best way to do it. Although the back and forth storytelling will definitely be confusing to smaller children. It does, however, give Pumbaa and Timon a chance to add all the adult humor to the film with some good one liners and self effacing jokes.

       As for Mufasa's story, he spends a great deal of time underwater for various reasons. He also grows up with Taka, who eventually feels betrayed and ends up as "Scar" from the original film. There is ongoing danger as the lions are stalked by a group of nasty white lions known as "The Outsiders", led by Kiros. It's pretty obvious that at some point Kiros will square off against Mufasa. In many scenes it's actually hard to tell the lions apart. A little girl next to me kept asking, "is that Mufasa?" pointing to various lions.

       The vocal talent includes Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Taka, John Kani as Rifiki, and Tiffany Boone as Sarabi, the lioness. Other high profile vocals include Seth Rogan as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon, Donald Glover as Simba, Mads Mikkelsen as Kiros, Thandiwe Newton as Eshe, Beyonce as Nala, Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara, Keith David as Masego and Lennie James as Obasi.

       Lin Manuel-Miranda's songs, lyrically are pleasant enough but musically sound like outtakes from "Hamilton". Nothing comes as close to "The Circle of Life" as memorable.

        The film is being shown in Imax, Imax 3-D, Real 3-D and Digital. Save your money and watch it at home with the kids on Disney +, where it will end up sooner than later.

      

Red One

 

         Just when you thought a new concept for a holiday movie couldn't be found, we have this new action packed story of a kidnapped Santa (aka "Red One").

         One of its main themes is adults finding their inner kid again and if you are an adult, you will find that inner kid again watching this silly but fun adventure. For small kids, there are some violent moments (although no blood is spilled, just snow), a bit of cursing and a "scary" witch towards the end but otherwise, it's a high concept romp with a wisecracking Chris Evans and a very serious Dwayne Johnson.

          J.K. Simmons plays a trim and frankly, buff Santa. Lucy Liu plays the Director of North Pole Operations, Bonnie Hunt is Mrs. Claus, and Kiernan Shipka plays Gryla, The Christmas Witch and the main villain. Mr. Johnson is Head Of Security and takes his job very seriously although his character is also very disillusioned about the holidays and ready to retire. Mr. Evans is Jack O'Malley, a cynical tracker who sets things in motion by revealing Santa's whereabouts to Gryla but then is enlisted to help find him. 

         The film also co-stars Kristofer Hivju (under lots of makeup ) as Krampus, Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Olivia, Jack's Ex, Wesley Kimmel as Dylan, Jack's son and Nick Kroll in a cameo.

         The CGI is spotty, great at times and poor at other times. The action sequences are fun and the cast is committed to making it work. In the end, attitudes are adjusted and of course Christmas is saved.

         While not everything makes perfect sense (fighting Snowmen in Aruba), it's still an entertaining holiday film for the right audience. And that might also be it's biggest problem. It's a little too smart for little kids and a bit too goofy for adults but pre-and young teens will definitely enjoy it and as I mentioned, adults who just want a little holiday cheer for their inner child will find it satisfying.

          The film is in theaters and also now available on a major streaming service.

September 5

 

     Co-written and directed by Tim Fehlbaum, this new drama is based on the real life massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich Germany. What's different about this film it that it is told from the perspective of the ABC Sports crew covering the ordeal as it's happening in real time.

     Peter Sarsgaard stars as Roone Arledge but it is John Magaro who really shines as Geoffrey Mason, who is left in charge of the control room by Arledge. Ben Chaplin co-stars as Marvin Bader, Mr. Mason's direct boss and they, along with the other technicians, reporters and cameramen faithfully recreate the controlled chaos of reporting the horrible events happening around them.

    The film also co-stars Leonie Benesch as Marianne Gebhardt, a German translator pressed into more than she bargained for, since she's the only staff member who speaks fluent English and German. Benjamin Walker does a good impression of Peter Jennings, the news reporter on the scene and actual footage of Jim McKay, the ABC Sports Olympic anchor, is also used strategically throughout the film.

    To realistically recreate the TV control room, all analog equipment was used without the use of CGI. The editing by Hansjorg Weibrich and music by Lorenz Dangel work together to keep the tension high and nothing is wasted in the ninety five minute runtime.

    The film raises many moral and ethical questions about reporting tragic events live as this was really the first of it's kind, watched by 900 million people around the world in real time. Questions that still exist today.

    As you watch the film, even if you remember the outcome,  you will still feel the suspense and tension, almost hoping for a different result. It's a sad reality that tragedies like this continue today.

    

Carry-On

 

       In the tradition of "Die Hard", but nowhere near that standard, comes this holiday action thriller starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman.

       Mr. Egerton is Ethan, a TSA agent who is blackmailed into letting a lethal nerve gas pass through airport security on Christmas eve. Mr. Bateman plays against type and is the villain behind the blackmail. With a plot that throws logic out the window, the two adversaries do manage to keep things interesting and fairly exciting, despite some ridiculous dialog.

        The film co-stars  Sofia Carson as Ethan's pregnant girlfriend put in harm's way (of course), Danielle Deadwyler as Detective Cole who has a very impressive fight scene, Theo Rossi as Mr. Bateman's colleague who knows, incredibly, just where to park a van just to point a rifle, Dean Norris as the unsuspecting TSA supervisor, and Curtis Cook in what amounts to a cameo as an airport security cop.

        Despite all the illogical plot points, the film creates a fair amount of tension as we watch Ethan race against time to stop the deadly plot. 

        Wisely not released in theaters, the film is available exclusively on a major streaming service.

Kraven The Hunter

 

      Poor Sony Pictures. Even with a collaboration with Marvel, they just can't pull off a successful comic adaptation (ok, they've had minor success with Venom). This new super "anti-hero" film has not one but three Spider-Man villains but without Spider-Man, it just doesn't work. Yes, there is a clever in-joke regarding spiders but even that doesn't help.

      Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Kraven and he is just not buff enough and too good looking to play this Spider-Man villain. It's almost sad to see him running around on all fours, using his "animal instincts" to hunt his prey. The film has a notable list of co-stars that will unfortunately have to be associated with this film. Russell Crowe plays Kraven's father, who meets his demise by a Grizzley bear and I'm not quite sure who was bigger, Mr. Crow or the bear. Ariana DeBose has a ridiculously written role and disappears completely in the last act. Fred Hechinger plays Kraven's brother (and in a strange universe, is in "Gladiator II" as one of the nasty emperors which is connected to the original "Gladiator" starring Russell Crowe, who now plays his father). His outcome in this film is important but not really explained well. Alessandro Nivola plays "The Rhino" another Spider-Man villain who shouldn't be fighting Kraven but rather working with him, and Christopher Abbott plays "The Foreigner", a rather strange villain.

      The CGI is sloppy but there are a few good action sequences, not quite enough to save the film though. The end sets up a potential sequel but I think Sony Pictures has had enough of these secondary characters.