Kinds of Kindness

 

       The latest film from director and co-writer (along with Efthimis Filippou) Yogos Lanthimos reunites him with Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, all from his previous film, "Poor Things"

        Love it or hate it, "Poor Things" was a linear film with a beginning, middle and end that was a total delight to those who loved it. This new film is actually three separate stories connected only by a very loose thread. Besides Ms. Stone, Mr. Dafoe, and Ms. Qualley, the film also stars Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, and Joe Alwyn. All play different characters in each of the three stories. Mr. Plemons, in particular is terrific in the sum of his three parts.

        The stories are strange, disturbing in part, darkly humorous at times, but always surprising. A big clue to the narrative can be found in the lyrics of the opening song, "Sweet Dreams (are made of this)", by Eurthmics.

         I must admit, I'm still trying to decide how I felt about the film and what it all meant. There are a lot of peculiar things going on that require some deep thought if you feel inclined to break it down.

         It's a bold follow-up for Mr. Lanthimos after his most commercially successful film. 

         

Inside Out 2

 

      This is a sequel that does an excellent job expanding on a terrific premise that can be enjoyed by any audience, although pre-teens may not grasp some of the concepts explored by the film.

       The film is directed by Kelsey Mann. The screenplay is by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein from a story by Kelsey Mann and Meg LeFauve. The writing is excellent. It's an intelligent script about Riley, a 13 year old girl dealing with the new emotions that come with new experiences and puberty. The high end concepts work beautifully, filled with puns and great metaphors. "Bottled up emotions" is just one great example.

        The animation is wonderful and even a pre-teen audience can have fun with the bright colors and plentiful action.

         The voice cast is spot on with Amy Poehler reprising her role as Joy. She is joined by Liza Lapira and Tony Hale as the new voices of Fear & Disgust. Lewis Black is back as Anger as well as Phyllis Smith as Sadness. Kensington Tallman is the new voice of Riley, as a new teenager.  Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan are back as the voice of her parents. The vocal roles of the new emotions include Ayo Edebiri as Envy, Paul Walter Hauser as embarrassment, Adele Exarchopoulos as Ennui, and Maya Hawke as the scene stealing, Anxiety.

         Another success story for Pixar.

          

      

In a Violent Nature

 

         Yes, this is very much a slasher film and there are indeed, gory kills, however it is very original in it's "execution". Writer and director Chris Nash approaches the genre as if he had studied under director Terrence Malick.

         The story is set deep in the Canadian woods. When a locket necklace serving as a talisman is taken off a grave, a silent killer crawls out of the earth, going on a killing spree to retrieve the locket. A group of seven friends camping in the woods have the locket and they are the targets of the killer known only as Johnny.

          There is no score or music of any kind (except for some background music coming through headphones). Rather Mr. Nash uses ambient sounds of the forest, including the killer's heavy steps, along with natural lighting to create a most unusual environment for a slasher film. The visual effects, prosthetics, and makeup are excellent.

          For most of the film, the POV is from behind the killer as we watch him lumber through the woods. Time moves slowly as he makes his way through a visually stunning forest to dispatch each victim in, at times, very creative and frankly disgusting ways.

           The film stars Ry Barrett as Johnny (who wears an unusual mask but unlike iconic killer Jason Voorhees, we do get to see his face). Co-starring are Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, Timothy Paul McCarthy and Lauren Taylor.

             While the film contains many standard slasher tropes, Mr. Nash goes out of his way to deconstruct what we expect and and turn the genre into something new and different. 

            

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Bad Boys: Ride or Die

 

         Don't mess with a winning formula. The fourth entry in this franchise, once again stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Miami detectives, Mike and Marcus. The film gives it's audience just what it expects, lots of laughs and plenty of violent (but not particularly bloody) action and great Miami scenery. It's the type of story that defies logic much of the time but who cares, right?

        The two stars have great chemistry and riff seamlessly off each other. May of the prior film's co-stars return including Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nunez, Jacob Scipio, DJ Khaled, and Joe Pantoliano. New to the franchise are Tiffany Haddish, Ioan Gruffudd, Rea Seehorn, Tasha Smith and Eric Dane (who makes a fine villain).

         It's a shame that the trailer reveals too many significant scenes, which lessen the impact when you watch (happening with too many films lately) but the script has found a way to keep this "popcorn" movie fresh, even when you know what's coming. And thankfully there are scenes to enjoy that are not in the trailer.

Hitman

 

      Directed by Richard Linklater with a screenplay by Mr. Linklater and star Glen Powell, this cute "rom-com" would be ridiculous if it wasn't for the fact it's based on a true story.

      A shy, unassuming philosophy professor name Gary played by Mr. Powell moonlights as an IT person on stakeouts for the New Orleans Police Department. When their undercover officer portraying a contract killer gets suspended,  they ask Gary to step in as the fake hitman. He becomes so good at the job, they keep him on until one case gets very complicated.

     Mr. Powell is clearing having a moment since his breakout role in "Top Gun-Maverick". Later this summer, he will be starring in "Twisters" and recently starred in "Anyone But You".  He's fun to watch and has great chemistry with his co-star Adria Arjona. Their romantic scenes, in particular, are quite steamy.

     The film also co-stars Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao, Molly Bernard and Evan Holtzman.

     Mr. Linklater keeps things light and fun but does delve gently into some philosophical questions about Id, Ego, and Self.

     The ending plays a bit too cute for my taste. Personally, I had hoped the whole film would be a bit darker with more depth but I can see how the screenplay was eager to please a wide audience.

     This is a Netflix exclusive.

 

The Watchers

 

      Ishana Night Shyamalan's first film as a writer and director is a clear imitation of her father, M. Night Shyamalan's work, however she does pull off a satisfying ending whereas his past few films have not.

       Mr. Shyamalan produced the film, using mostly his own finances and he was an obvious influence on his daughter. The script itself, is far from perfect. It starts out as strange but silly and has it's share of dead spots but actually ends up building it's suspense in a credible way and pulls together in the final act.

       The film stars Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Oliver Finnegan, Alistair Brammer, John Lynch and the wonderful Olen Fouere. Ms. Fouere is one of my favorite Irish actors working today. Her mere presence in a film can easily heighten the tension.

       Ms. Shyamalan shows promises as a filmmaker but to break free of the family name, next next film should be something completely different.

A Brighter Tomorrow (Sun of the Future)

 

       Co-writer, director and star Nanni Moretti loves cinema. It is quite evident by his latest film. He is clearly enjoying himself as the star and director of this "film within a film" comedy.

        As director, Giovanni, Mr. Moretti is trying to make a serious drama about the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956 and it's effect on the Italian communist party. However, everything in his personal life is creating havoc around him. His wife, Paola, played by Margherita Buy, is a producer on the film but at the same time, she is paying more attention producing a separate film. His financial backer is actually broke and his daughter's love life has caught him off guard.

          The film also co-stars Silvio Orlando, Mathieu Amalric, Barbora Bobulova, Zsolt Anger, Jerzy Stuhr and Teco Celi. All well-know European actors.

        Life gets in the way of art and Mr. Moretti makes the most of it. There are many laugh out loud moments, including a very funny meeting with Netflix. If you can find it, this enjoyable film, in Italian with English sub-titles, will delight you.

      

The Dead Don't Hurt

 

           A very deconstructed western starring Viggo Mortensen, who also directed, wrote the story, produced, and wrote the score (including playing some of the instruments).

           Rather than your typical western, this is a character study focused on the relationship between Mr. Mortensen's character "Olsen" and "Vivienne",  who is played by Vicky Krieps. It is almost devoid of violence, except for just four necessary scenes. Ms. Krieps really anchors the film, especially when Olsen joins the union army and is gone for a long stretch of time. She is wonderful as a strong willed, independent woman who navigates through a world of men both kind and conniving, and also one particularly nasty character.

           As written, the film time jumps frequently between various points in the past and the present. Mr. Mortensen leaves it up to the audience to follow the staggered time lines. The only obvious clue, the length of his beard. However, once engaged in the film, it becomes easy to follow. The relationship between Olson and Vivienne is really lovely and realistic. Both actors have great chemistry and it is easy to become absorbed in their story.

          The visuals are beautiful, The scenery is fresh and not what you see in many westerns. Mr. Mortensen choose to film primarily in British Columbia and Ontario with some scenes shot un Durango Mexico. The film is that much better for his location choices.

          While it is not your usual western plot, it is very rewarding in it's original way. 

Ezra

 

     A different kind of "coming of age" drama, Ezra is the story of an autistic young boy who splits his time between his divorcing parents,  played by Rose Bryne as Jenna and Bobby Cannavale as Max.

      Ezra is played by William Fitzgerald, an autistic young actor who is terrific as he tries to navigate life between his parents and his loving grandfather, played by Robert DeNiro.

      When Max rebels against Jenna's idea to enroll Ezra in a "special school", he kidnaps his son and takes him on a cross country adventure. Along the way, they both learn life lessons and come out better for it.

      The film co-stars Vera Famiga, Whoopi Goldberg, Rainn Wilson and Tony Goldwyn (who also directed).  Mr. Cannavale is wonderful as Max, a conflicted father who wants the best for his son but is also concerned about his career as a standup comedian. He hits every emotional note perfectly.

      The filmmakers went to great lengths to discuss every aspect of the film within the autistic community, including hiring autistic actors and crew and consultation on the script.