Fuck colds.
Personally, I’d rather have the flu, because at least
then you’re down for the count; whereas, with colds, there’s not a legitimate
excuse to do nothing and shy away from societal duties. After that, though,
you’re too tired to do anything other than watch some movies, but the cold
medicine makes the brain too mushy to get reviews written.
Thanks to that – another round of Rapid Fire.
MRMOVIESETC
REVIEWS:
“Gringo” (2018)
You know, if this didn’t have its head up its ass the
first two Acts attempting to establish some side plots that a film like this
could easily live without, it’d be a pretty decent thriller.
No offense to Director Nash Edgerton (yes, brother to
Joel) as this was his first bigger budget vehicle at the helm with a background
based almost solely in stunt work – an art of its own that I have a huge amount
of respect for – but until the narrative evolved into its inevitable action
sequences in the Third Act that Nash would undoubtedly have a strong
familiarity with, “Gringo” is tone-confused and messy. David Oyelowo did quite well in the lead as a
clueless Average Joe dropped into a ridiculous drug dealing situation, and
Edgerton guided him through that with relative grace. Truth be told, he’s
really all the star power “Gringo” needed to get by seeing as the lackluster
and goofy screenplay could not elevate the likes of Joel Edgerton, Charlize
Theron, and Amanda Seyfried. Ugh, Theron got the especially raw end of the deal
with a completely useless, yet over-the-top obnoxious antagonist that her
talent couldn’t possibly make appealing. I could not help but feel embarrassed for
her.
Don’t get me wrong, if this is a direction that Nash
Edgerton was to pursue further into his career, much like Joel has started to
do, I hope he will be given the opportunity to grow. Like I said, when the
action started ramping up, I found myself getting more sucked into the film;
whether that was out of relief or not, who can say for sure. This certainly isn’t
the worst foot he could have started on; it just won’t be a memorable one
either.
“Gringo”: 5.5/10
“Our Souls at
Night” (2017)
I understand that Jane Fonda doesn’t have the most
popular reputation as a human being for various reasons, and I do know of a few
that make me grimace; however, I still cannot and will not deny her the due
credit of being a solid actress. The fact of the matter is, as far as anybody
knows, her sins do not hold a candle to some of the recently unearthed shit
that Hollywood has had to answer for in the past few years, and if I can be
shown a perfect human being that is still kicking ass at their craft over the
age of eighty, I will gladly get off my soapbox for a minute or two.
If it wasn’t obvious, Fonda, coupled with Robert Redford,
make me fear their respective retirements after turning in a sweet film about
aging, loneliness, self-reflection, and friendship, that I would argue is one
of the best films I’ve yet to see so far under the Netflix umbrella. Hell, if I
were in the directing business, I would almost be jealous of Ritesh Batra,
because after seeing the acting lineup, he probably thought “Shit, do you
thing. You don’t need me telling you what to do.” Of course I say this in jest
as Batra deserves full kudos for a well-paced film packed with just enough
heart and drama to be relatable to any adult age group. It’s the kind of
wholesomeness that I can easily get behind and recommend, and if you haven’t
checked it out yet, I strongly urge you to do so.
“Our Souls at Night”: 9/10
“The Vanishing”
(2019)
I’m always glad to see Gerard Butler continuing to stay
busy. Sure, more often than not, his films these days are less than stellar,
but he’s always struck me as a likeable and hardworking dude that I wouldn’t
mind throwing back a few beers with in an old pub somewhere.
He could also be a complete asshole in person, I don’t
know, so I’ll stick with the first stance.
Back to the topic of his films, 2019 has been pretty smooth
sailing for Gerard from where I sit: “Hunter Killer” was tasty in its goofy
1990s cheesiness; he had a small reprisal of his Stoick role in the third “Dragons”
movie; and now with “The Vanishing”, Butler turns in a slightly edgier
performance of a lighthouse keeper that bends to psychologically damaging whims
of guilt and paranoia after he and his crew discover a chest of gold on a
secluded Scottish isle.
Based on the real life disappearance mystery of three men
back in 1900, coined “The Flannan Isle Mystery”, “The Vanishing” doesn’t
necessarily bring anything new to the Psychological Drama/Thriller department,
nor is it the best of its kind; nevertheless, it is rather sly in how it gets
its cold, suspenseful hands around your neck by the time the Third Act arrives,
and Butler’s performance as James Ducat gets uncomfortably scary for a stretch.
Additionally, Peter Mullan is damn effective in his role as the tormented
leader of the pack, even if his arc fell a little flat with ultimately nowhere
to land its feet.
Go figure a film more deserving of a wider audience is
the one that gets buried for nobody to see. It’s available at Redbox now, and I
suspect it will be hitting the streaming circuit on one venue or another soon
enough. Give this one a look; it’s worth it.
“The Vanishing”: 8/10
“The Favourite”
(2018)
Well, after setting basement-level expectations after the
god awful hemorrhoid that was “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”, I’m pleased to announce
that Director Yorgos Lanthimos can manage to pull something significantly
better out of the void. Despite the fact that “The Favourite” did leave a
lingering question over my head to the tune of “What was the point of this?”, I
will nonetheless concede that I had a good time while it lasted.
The comedy at play is rather effective, even if at a
magnified glance, it’s entirely one-note. “Oh! Modern club-dancing and potty
humor, but retrofitted to more historic European times – that’s funny!”
The best news of all is that they managed to ruin only
two scenes this time with a repetitive and dialogue-drowning score that sounded
something like an old, out-of-tune piano with a flatulence issue. If you haven’t
guessed, as long as these cursed decisions exist, I will never stop making
obnoxious off-beat comparisons to better illustrate how annoyed they make me.
The plot isn’t much to write home about either, though for
something like this, it doesn’t really need to be. Truly, all the summary you
need is whom can kiss the hand of Queen Anna with more fervor and give her
proper orgasms. Yep, the real politics of the time period are just window dressing
for historical relevance to remind everybody that this was loosely a thing that
actually happened. That being said, what makes “The Favourite” click within its
strengths are the three excellent performances from Olivia Colman, Rachel
Weisz, and Emma Stone. I wouldn’t say any of them were Oscar-worthy, per se,
but the banter between them was really all I needed to stay engaged.
If this turns out to be the height of Lanthimos’s
material, I can humor it. I’ve yet to really see anything that makes me believe
he’s going to be the next big thing in cinema, but at least here he proved that
he’s not fully trapped in the current indie garbage trends of soullessness
passing itself off as edge.
“The Favourite”: 7.5/10
“Ben Is Back”
(2018)
Say what you want about Hollywood and its numerous
shortcomings, but if there’s one thing its consistently on target with, it’s
timing.
Is the U.S. experiencing a bit of a drug abuse crisis?
Say no more! Enter “Ben Is Back” and “Beautiful Boy” – two films that appear
similar on the surface, and while they do share some narrative parallels, they
do take their own path eventually. More importantly, you can hardly go wrong
either way; both are solid films!
While “Beautiful Boy” deals more with a father’s witness
of his son’s decline into addiction as the snowball begins its destructive
tumble down the mountain, “Ben Is Back” picks up a little after that where the
damages have already been done and shows the victim of habit (Lucas Hedges)
exposing his mother (Julia Roberts) to the dangerous side of drug dealing where
a debt hasn’t been settled. I believe what makes this plot so effective and
heartbreaking is the twenty-four hour time frame for which it is confined. To
go from a surprise, tearful reunion on Christmas Eve to a white-knuckle
suspense where death for more than one person is a looming possibility really
shows the traumatic trainwreck these families can go through behind the
curtains.
There are some young actors that show promise and then
somehow end up disappearing sadly into obscurity; I don’t believe Lucas Hedges
is going to be one of those. I’ve become more and more sold on his abilities
with each passing role, and with “Boy Erased” and “Ben Is Back” this year
already, Hedges is going to find himself to be a big star above what has
already been an impressive young career. Also, yes, I am very happy to say that
Julia Roberts has made a nice comeback in this film after somewhat of a
standout drought. Her character was loving but also brutal when she had to be,
and that made her the true backbone of the film.
Like I said, you cannot really go wrong with either film,
so if you’re in the mood to cry twice over, give them both a look.
“Ben Is Back”: 9/10
“Vox Lux” (2018)
“E” for Effort?
“Vox Lux” doesn’t really try
to hide the card its playing under any kind of subliminal messaging about what
a young child star turned young adult may be like in a world as politically
hostile as ours currently stands. Much akin to the whole “Hollywood timing”
commentary in the previous review, “Vox Lux” is clearly trying to strike a
nerve on gun violence, except in this plot, how it affects an A-list celebrity
on a singular level rather than a greater populace. It’s an interesting take to
be sure, and Natalie Portman sells the hell out of a woman that has already
been through the bullshit grind enough that the threat of backlash from
continuing on her singing tour despite killers posing as her dancing crew just causing
havoc on a public beach.
In the end, however, the whole
thing comes off a little bit plastic, and while the mini-concert finale is fun
on its own, it doesn’t really bring the journey home. It’s not terrible, but it
doesn’t really hit its target, either.
“Vox Lux”: 5/10
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