Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on November 3rd, 2023
Well, it is officially that time of the year when studios start cranking out the films they hope will receive some awards attention. Netflix has a stable of strong contenders this year, and Nyad is the first to be released. This is a film that is mostly flying under the radar despite starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster. I really didn’t expect much out of this film, and I think because there were no expectations, no real buzz behind this film, that I was surprised how caught up in the story I found myself. If you are a fan of underdog stories, this is definitely for you, but the true spotlight belongs to Foster and Bening, who are here to show us all that they not only still have what it takes to carry a film, but they also deliver some of their best performances in ages. In 1979, when Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) turned 30, she made her first attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida. That’s basically 110 miles of water she attempted to cross. It was meant to be the feat that she would retire her long distance swimming career on, but unfortunately she never made it to Florida. We see this through old news footage before it cuts to thirty years later, just before she’s about to turn 60. She’s an angry older woman who is obsessed with her former glory and decides that she wants to see if she can do the impossible, to complete that epic 110-mile swim. This time she’ll have her best friend, Bonnie Stoll (Jodie Foster) as her coach and #1 cheerleader. Immediately this feels like a movie-of-the-week kind of story. We’ve all seen this before, where someone wants to attempt something difficult or impossible, and over the course of the film they are confronted with challenges, but they persevere, and in the end they are a success. We know these underdog stories, and for some reason we still love them. I’ll admit they are a guilty pleasure despite how formulaic they can be. But rarely do these films have the caliber of actors like Bening and Foster, and honestly this film is 100% driven by these women and their fantastic performances.
It’s when this film gets to Nyad’s first (well, second) attempt to make her epic swim that I feel this film really elevates itself on a technical level. The way the open water swim is filmed really helps capture just how small we are in such a large and hostile body of water. The film does a great job at showing us just how dangerous this lofty goal is as she has to contend with weather, sharks, and jellyfish on top of the physically grueling 50-plus hours the swim is expected to take. The makeup on this film does an impressive job as we see the toll the salt water can take on the body. We also see Diana fail and try again, and again, and again. While it’s easy to respect her determination, Diana is a really difficult person to like, and at times you’d expect her team to walk out on her because of how egocentric she can be, and then there is Bonnie, who puts up with the borderline abuse from her friend. The filmmakers kind of cheat to earn some sympathy from the viewers as we get flashbacks to Diana’s childhood and the sexual abuse she encountered from her swimming coach she was enamored with. These flashbacks can be unsettling for some, and in a way it distracts from the main story, but I get why it’s included. It’s simply a personal hurdle she was forced to overcome, and if she can overcome that, what’s 110 miles of water by comparison?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on November 3rd, 2023
"Batman's a fascist!"
Let's address the elephant in the room, shall we? Hello there, big guy. How ya doing? There now, let's continue. I have to tell you, it was hard to get motivated to watch Blue Beetle. I didn't want to like it, and I wanted to try to watch it without letting myself get too involved in the whole thing. This had nothing to do with the character. I know little about him and have only read a few comics featuring the character, mostly the Ted Kord character along with his buddy Booster Gold. But none of this had anything to do with my reluctance on the part of the film. It's Warner Brothers/DC and James Gunn. All we've been hearing lately is how this new regime is going to change EVERYTHING. It all starts with the upcoming Superman film, and everything we see before then is merely filler, I guess. Yes, the Snyderverse had a ton of issues, and I'm frankly glad to see it go away. But the franchise had some solid moments and pretty strong characters and actors starting with Gal Gadot as a powerfully compelling Wonder Woman. Yeah, the second movie sucked, but that had nothing to do with the actress or the character. I should be looking forward to Jason Momoa in the next Aquaman film. I'm currently watching old Stargate: Atlantis episodes and just can't believe how far the actor has come. And I guess the final straw was the dismissal of Henry Cavill as Superman. He's the best Superman since Christopher Reeve, and Gunn is throwing the baby out with all of that bath water. So why should I care about anything Blue Beetle has to offer? Yes, he hinted the character will likely return and even with the same actor, but none of this story will likely make it to the other side. I ask again, why should I care about anything Blue Beetle has to offer? The short answer is because there's actually a lot of heart here, and I now kind of feel bad for all of these guys. So let's just pretend that Gunn isn't even here, and try to enjoy a pretty good film just for what it is.
Posted in: Holiday Gift Guides, Random Fun by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2023
"Hi, I'm Chucky. You wanna play?"
When an unexpected package arrives at the home of Nica (Dourif) and her rather crazy mother Sarah (Quesnelle), they have no idea what it is or who might have sent it. We already know what's in the familiar-shaped package. That's right. After nearly a decade absence, Chucky's back.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Michael Durr on October 30th, 2023
Death is unfortunately something that comes to us all. It's not something we can prevent, even if we do all that is necessary to prolong it. In the same breath, we can control to some degree what we can pass on to our family and loved ones, whether it be our spouse, children, both, or perhaps none at all. Whether it be wealth, property, movie collection (son, you have no idea), or perhaps some sentimental trinkets, a simple will and responsible caretaker should be all you need in order to pass it on. However, responsibility can sometimes be fleeting. Today, we look at a movie called Cracked, where pieces of art are passed down from a father to a daughter with frightening results. Let's take a look.
New York: a monorail train speeds by in the big city. Ruja (played by Chayanit Chansangavej) is in her apartment with her daughter, Rachel (played by Nutthatcha Padovan). Rachel is asleep, and Ruja is on the phone with an unknown party. The mother is asking for money that she desperately needs. At one point, the person on the phone obviously refuses, and we are also now aware that Rachel needs eye surgery, or else she will go blind. The conversation ends with a click, and the phone goes dead. Nearby, it appears that the daughter is awake and listening. She asks her mother if she really is going to go blind. Through the blurry child's eyes, the two embrace as the mother comforts her and tells her everything is going to be OK.
Posted in: The Reel World by Jeremy Butler on October 29th, 2023
“Hey Abby, are they…”
“Ghosts?”
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on October 26th, 2023
Just to be out in the open, I’m a bit of a fanboy when it comes to David Fincher. He’s one of those directors that when he does a film, I don’t care what the plot is; I’m going to watch it. It’s not so much that I think he’s the best director (though he’s one of my favorites), but I simply just love his style. He’s one of the few filmmakers working where you can watch a couple seconds of his work and instantly know you are watching a David Fincher film, and for me, I find his work to be what cinema is all about. It’s always a work of art, and sometimes the plot can have a habit of ruining things. Alien 3, for example: not a great movie, but it looks great … Fight Club, Seven, Zodiac, those are his masterpieces and they look fantastic. Even Mank: sure, it is a divisive film, but still looks great. Despite how busy David Fincher is with projects, his shows on Netflix and music videos, it’s his movies I really crave, and when you realize the last thriller he had out in theaters was 2014 with Gone Girl, I was more than a little excited by the announcement of him filming The Killer, from a screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker (who wrote the brilliant Seven). There was no way I was going to miss this film, but for this one I knew I had to rein in my emotions and proceed with caution … So with the cinematic shots fired on the screen, how did I feel about the new Michael Fassbender assassin film?
After the stylish opening credits, you’d expect this to be a fast-paced thriller, but immediately this film subverts your expectations as it takes you into the mind of the assassin credited as The Killer (Michael Fassbender). We’re introduced to this life of a killer, not with excitement, but with the tedium of waiting for the one perfect moment to take that shot and eliminate the target. This first act really sets the tone for the rest of the film. If you are gripped by the tension that builds with him finally getting his moment and taking his shot, then I feel you’ll have fun with the rest of the film. As for those who may find the tedium a bit too much and may nod off, well, this film may be something you should pass on. Despite this being a quasi-revenge film, it is definitely a slow burn with an ending that definitely will subvert your expectations of the genre. The thing is, that’s what I feel this film is all about … It brings us into what is most likely the real life of a killer for hire. It’s not a life of gunfights and car chases, but instead a lot of waiting in empty rooms, being lonely, and having serious trust issues towards everyone around you.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on October 26th, 2023
“Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls. But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls, until ...”
Let me preface this by saying that I am in no way the target audience for this film. That said, this film is in no way for the target audience that you may imagine it is for. Initially, I suspected the film was intended for the age bracket that actually plays with Barbies. However, after watching, I’d have to argue that the themes of the film are geared more towards the young adult / early adulthood crowd. Bearing all that in mind, it should go without saying that Barbie was a film that I endured rather than enjoyed until one key moment which I will describe later. To my mind the film was an amalgamation of films that came before it. And while I appreciate the film’s diversity in encompassing a wide range of actors to represent variations of the Barbie and Ken characters, at times it felt as though the film’s agenda was literally punching me in the face.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Michael Durr on October 23rd, 2023
Full disclaimer: I tend to watch probably too much true crime television. I've watched about every episode of Homicide Hunter (Joe Kenda), Forensic Files, and plenty of other detective shows based on real cases. I find them fascinating, and my wife would seriously like to know what else is on our television. As a result, I tend to also gravitate towards real cases depicted in movies and documentaries as well. Today's film, The Night of the 12th, deals with a real case based in France. However, this one has a hook. Whereas almost every case that we tend to see on television is solved and the murderer goes away to jail, this one has a very different ending. Let's take a look and see if we can still enjoy this experience.
Yohan Vives (played by Bastien Bouillon) is cycling around a track alone lap after lap. Since he is doing this at night, he can zone in on his thoughts as his body continues to wrap around the circle of movement.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on October 19th, 2023
Any time a film is released that is directed by Martin Scorsese, it’s something any film fan should get excited about, especially because we just don’t know how many more of these films we’ll have to look forward to. He’s one of the few working directors who you can argue has numerous masterpieces on his resume, films that are classics that have stood the test of time and will continue to do so for decades to come. Its why when I hear people scoff at the 3-hour 30 min running time of Killers of the Flower Moon and complain it’s too long, I feel like they are forgetting who they are talking about. If anything, when there is a 3-hour film like Oppenheimer that has grossed over $900 million worldwide, it shows that people will flock to the theaters and sit through an epic film if the film is good. Sure, there is already Oscar buzz around Oppenheimer, but in my eyes the film to beat this year is Killers of the Flower Moon, an epic western, crime saga and romance all wrapped up into one film that has me close to calling it a masterpiece, but I need a couple more viewings before I feel comfortable saying that.
The film introduces us to the Osage nation and them finding wealth with the discovery of oil on their land. The members of the Osage tribe, for their time, were some of the wealthiest people on earth, and we get to see them living their extravagant lives. While this is happening, numerous members of the tribe were found dead, yet no proper investigation was ever made.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 19th, 2023
“Where the hell did you come from?”
When you consider just how many films have been made about Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, I’m surprised it has taken this long to get a film like The Last Voyage of the Demeter. I’m not a huge fan of the novel, but the chapter that centers around Dracula’s voyage from Carpathia to London is a section that I always enjoyed. It’s a chapter told through journal entries from the captain of the ship and how the crew is killed one by one by a mysterious menace aboard the ship. In the movies that have come before, this moment of the film is usually mentioned as an afterthought or simply gets a couple of minutes of screen time. So is this the fresh take on the beloved horror icon that cinema goers have been waiting for, or is this just a lame attempt to revive the vampire genre?
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