Posted in Crime, Drama with tags 2021 on September 30, 2021 by Mark Hobin
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
It’s difficult to pinpoint when Nicolas Cage first earned a reputation as an eccentric actor. Many say it started back in 1988 when he ate live cockroach in the cult comedy-horror Vampire’s Kiss. I’d argue it started even earlier. Listen to the high-pitched voice he uses in Peggy Sue Got Married and tell me that’s not a ridiculous choice. Anyway, his scenery-chewing sensibilities continue to be put to good use. Recent productions Mandy and Color out of Space continue to feature manic performances. So it is an amusing irony that a movie where he doesn’t “ham it up” is in a picture called Pig.
This is the portrait of a reclusive hermit named Robin Feld who owns a truffle-finding pig. Then one day some intruders break into his home and steal her. Thus begins an expedition to find out where his beloved pet has been taken. At first, we’re led to believe he’s practically homeless living in a shack in the forested outskirts of Portland but little details are slowly unveiled. Robin is currently a widower mourning the death of his wife. We find out rather early that he was once a prominent chef. He is joined by a cohort named Amir (Alex Wolff) — an awkward young man who supplies luxury ingredients to high-end restaurants.
This is an odd saga. We are in the dark about a lot of things. Bizarre developments are presented gradually. The depiction uncovers a world of fine dining with a seedy underbelly amongst restaurant workers. There’s a bewildering scene of something you might find in the movie Fight Club. That idiosyncratic humor pervades the film. In a key moment at Eurydice, the hottest restaurant in Portland, there’s a reveal of a plate — a single scallop. The server explains:
“We’ve emulsified locally sourced scallops encased in a flash-frozen seawater roe blend, on a bed of foraged huckleberry foam, all bathed in the smoke from Douglas fir cones.”
The absurdist description and visual of the minuscule bite pokes fun at the fine dining scene, but the sendup is glib. Writer/director Michael Sarnoski (who co-wrote the story with Vanessa Block) seeks to expose the inauthenticity of the experience. Robin berates the chef (David Knell) for not following his dream to open a pub. Later Robin’s odyssey to find a salted baguette leads him to a bakery. These and many other quirky but inessential details — are disclosed.
Pig is a meditative character study. There are moments to appreciate, but the culmination left me wanting more. This is a narrative that introduces us to Darius (Adam Arkin) — a power broker in the restaurant industry. He also happens to be Amir’s father. All I’ll say is that Darius and Robin have a history. The saga climaxes with the preparation of a dish. I was unmoved. The chronicle became one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2021. I was less captivated by the story’s dubious charms. I’ll grant that this is offbeat. Its ability to subvert expectations is perhaps its greatest asset. Too unique to completely dismiss but too muted for me to embrace.
These days it’s far more likely for a popular movie to be turned into a Broadway musical, but I long for the time when the hit Broadway musical came first and then became a great film. West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and The Sound of Music are perfect examples of this. It rarely happens anymore. Sorry, but Mamma Mia!, Jersey Boys, Rent and Rock of Ages were turned into terrible movies. Les Miserables and Dreamgirls are more recent examples I did enjoy and interestingly it occurred again this very year. In the Heights was a solid production. Back in 2017, Dear Evan Hansen was nominated for 9 Tonys and won 6 including Best Musical. All the critics loved it in New York at the time, but it’s a complete bummer of a movie now.
This coming-of-age tale had everything going for it. (1) The film is an adaptation of Steven Levenson’s multiple-award-winning stage play, (2) it’s directed by Stephen The Perks of Being a Wallflower Chbosky, and (3) features the songwriting duo of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul who composed the music for La La Land and The Greatest Showman. I was primed to love this.
Evan Hansen is a teenager who suffers from severe social anxiety. We’re talking apprehension so intense he has trouble ordering a pizza. His therapist recommends that Evan write letters to himself detailing what will be good about each day. In his latest “Dear Evan Hansen” message, he regrets that it wasn’t such a great day after all. For one, he aspires to know school crush Zoe (Kaitlyn Dever) better. “Maybe if I could just talk to her” he laments. He also wishes that anything he said mattered, to anyone. Would anyone notice if he just disappeared?
The sequence of happenstance and coincidences that follow could only transpire with help from a writer. Evan goes to the library to finish and print the correspondence to himself. While attempting to retrieve the letter from the printer, he runs into Zoe’s brother, Connor (Colton Ryan). He’s another marginalized classmate going through some pretty weighty issues of his own. In an effort of goodwill, Connor makes small talk with Evan. He even signs the cast on Evan’s arm. In doing so, he inadvertently finds and reads Evan’s message sitting on the printer which mentions his sister Zoe within the text. Sensing something insidious and feeling tormented, Connor grabs the letter and storms out of the library.
Three days later, Evan is called to the principal’s office where he discovers Connor committed suicide. There he meets Connor’s mother Cynthia (Amy Adams) and his stepfather Larry (Danny Pino). Cynthia gives Evan the personal letter that was found on Connor — construing that her son wrote this as a suicide note for Evan. Although Evan attempts to correct and explain, Cynthia and Larry are deeply touched by the correspondence. They believe Evan to be Connor’s only friend and they derive deep comfort from this idea. Understandably, Evan can’t bring himself to reveal the truth to Connor’s parents. His heart is in the right place. Instead, he propagates the lie with the help of his classmate Jared (Nik Dodani) out of a desire to further console his grieving parents.
Evan Hansen’s lie begins to have a positive effect on everyone. It becomes a blessing in his own life as well as within the Murphy family. They rediscover the son they never knew. Heidi and Larry’s marriage is strengthened. Meanwhile, their love for Evan provides the welcome support of a traditional nuclear family that Evan so desperately craves. This concerns his single mother Heidi (Julianne Moore), although she is still presented as a loving and supportive parent. Unfortunately, Heidi is frequently absent, constantly working simply to make ends meet. That’s admirable. Nothing wrong with that. Actress Julianne Moore is compelling in the role famously portrayed by actress Rachel Bay Jones on Broadway. Jones won a Tony for her achievement.
Live theater and movies are such different things. So let’s address the elephant in the (social media) room — Ben Platt’s much-maligned inability to pass for a high schooler. He’s 27 and for the record, I don’t have a problem with that. The principal actors playing high schoolers in Grease — one of the most beloved musicals of all time — were all at least in their mid-20s. Heck Stockard Channing was 34 when she played Betty Rizzo, and she was fabulous. What I do have a problem with is Platt’s cloying performance. It’s manic, overwhelmed by facial tics and twitches. He’s trying too hard. His hunched shoulders and cutesy expressions convey neediness. I guess that worked in the play where he was playing to the back of the house. Cinema is more reliant on subtlety. Platt is way overcompensating for his age and it’s distracting.
So what about the music? I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the most memorable songs. “Waving Through a Window”, “For Forever”, and “You will Be Found” are pleasant enough and Ben Platt is a competent singer. I’ll give him that. The real standout selection — in the movie anyway — is “Sincerely Me”. This is the moment where Evan enlists his friend, Jared, in creating fake backdated emails between him and Connor to corroborate his story. It’s the only production number featuring a sadly underused Colton Ryan. Their imagined camaraderie and friendship is one of the few moments where the film elicits pure joy.
Dear Evan Hansen is two-thirds of a good movie. It’s times like this, I wish I was a script doctor. I would’ve loved to get my hands on Steven Levenson’s screenplay. Before the final act, I was ready to give this film four stars. I found it a clever conceit how a little misunderstanding benefited everyone. Then the plot takes a fatal turn. A classmate named Alana Beck (Amanda Stenberg) senses some inconsistencies within Evan’s story. She confronts him about the veracity of his friendship with Connor. Everything from that moment on was a quick plunge into an epic fail. A sweet, uplifting tale descended into a funeral dirge on a dime. Like I got whiplash at how fast my joy turned to sorrow. By the end of the picture, I felt betrayed.
09-23-21
** POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD ***
It’s difficult to explain the extent of my disappointment without divulging specific details of the plot, but I can explain the nature of my frustration with an analogy. If your best friend has a baby and that newborn is shall we say, less than attractive, I see no harm in “misleading” them by saying their infant is beautiful. I would continue to promote that so-called “lie” because it harms no one. It merely creates happiness and preserves the friendship. Writer Steven Levenson is not of that mindset.
Let’s be clear. The downfall of Jim Bakker and his PTL Club TV program became public in 1987. It was then that Jessica Hahn alleged that she had been drugged and raped by the televangelist and another preacher (John Wesley Fletcher) back in 1980 when she worked for the PTL Club as a secretary. Jim Bakker would later contend the act was consensual. Regardless, Bakker still paid the former employee $279,000 at the time to keep her silent. None of this is presented within The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The details of what led to their disgrace are frustratingly vague. I was more uncertain about what happened after I saw the movie than before.
True to its title, this is a story told from the (apparently cloudy) eyes of Tammy Faye. That’s not a makeup joke. I’m saying her perspective was extremely limited and that’s the point of view of the film. But how does a screenplay attempt this tale and only briefly namecheck Jessica Hahn in a random news montage? In the aftermath of the sex scandal that made headlines, all of the PTL Television Network’s finances were called into question. The misdirection of funds is his undoing in this account. Michael Showalter directs and Abe Sylvia (TV shows Dead to Me & Nurse Jackie) adapts from a 2000 documentary by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. The five-time Emmy-winning duo co-founded the production company World of Wonder in 1991, most famous for RuPaul’s Drag Race.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye elicits compassion for a woman who initially received none. The intentions of the screenwriters are admirable. Tammy Faye (and her husband Jim) were essentially a punch line back in the late 1980s. Here however the woman exudes warmth, sincerity, and kindness. The consideration and reevaluation gives the religious figure back her humanity. Jessica Chastain is more than up to the task in the titular role. She is a compelling presence. I can understand why the actress has garnered serious Oscar attention for her role as the embattled televangelist. She could well earn her third nomination (The Help, Zero Dark Thirty). The chronicle is not charitable to her husband Jim though. Nevertheless, Andrew Garfield still manages to convey a little of what drew Tammy Faye to this deeply flawed character.
Engendering sympathy for “women wronged by the media” has captured the zeitgeist. Lorena Bobbitt, Anna Nicole Smith, Tonya Harding, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Pamela Smart, and Monica Lewinsky all became obsessions in the media for wildly different reasons. I don’t mean to compare their contrasting notorieties to each other. However, each woman experienced a negative burst of fame for something that some apologists now defend. The Eyes of Tammy Faye is part of this tradition. This feels like the fanciful recollections of a woman who was duped. The performances are what elevates this drama. Cherry Jones as Tammy Faye’s mom and Vincent D’Onofrio as Jerry Falwell both add significantly to the narrative as well. I found the saga fascinating as I was riveted throughout.
Posted in Podcast with tags podcast on September 20, 2021 by Mark Hobin
I’m on talkSPORT radio every week to talk about movies with the UK’s Martin Kelner. On Sunday, September 12th We discussed the wild and crazy horror film MALIGNANT and the Aretha Franklin biopic RESPECT starring Jennifer Hudson. My segment begins 5 minutes into the 2:30 – 3:00 section (about 25 minutes from the end). Click below and enjoy!
Posted in Drama, Western with tags 2021 on September 18, 2021 by Mark Hobin
⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.
I did laugh — a lot — so I was tempted to deem this the funniest movie of the year, if not for two things: 1) it’s burdened by a mediocre story and 2) it’s not a comedy. However, the flicks that make us laugh the most are often the ones that do so unintentionally. Cry Macho is one of those films. It verges on the absurd.
Our tale begins when broken-down bygone rodeo star Mike Milo (Clint Eastwood) is hired by his former boss, Howard Polk (Dwight Yoakam). Howard tasks the senior citizen to travel to Mexico and retrieve his 13-year-old Latino son Rafael (Eduardo Minett). Nicknamed Rafo, he’s currently living with his mother Leta (Fernanda Urrejola). We’re informed the boy is a wayward criminal involved in gambling, drinking, and illegal cockfighting. Rafo’s pet rooster and constant companion is called Macho. Then we meet the boy and he seems more like a waif from Oliver Twist. He’s neither convincing nor natural in the part. Anyone remember the actor who played Sylvester Stallone’s estranged son Michael in Over the Top? * Completely random reference I know, but I feel like maybe Eduardo Minett went to the same affected school of child acting.
You’ve got to hand it to Clint Eastwood. The man is 91 years old and he’s still making movies. Cry Macho is not only directed and produced by the legendary actor, but he also stars. He’s the very definition of a grizzled old man. I think it was during the 1990s when Woody Allen started to regularly cast youthful actors in the parts he would have previously played himself. Methinks Clint should have done the same thing here. And by youthful, I mean to select a man in his 50s. I counted three times when attractive younger women are barely able to contain their lust upon seeing him. This includes a widow named Marta (Natalia Traven) who owns a cafe. Luckily he rebuffs every one of them. Thank goodness! I didn’t need to see that little flirtation play out. Unfortunately, it did in The Mule so consider yourself warned if you haven’t seen it.
Clint Eastwood isn’t as spry as he used to be. Those aren’t the only moments that strain credulity. We can see Mike Milo moves pretty slowly. He has difficulty walking at this point in his life. There’s no shame in that. However to also have us believe he can easily tame a wild bucking bronco is a hilarious spectacle of pure camp. His stunt double’s hand conveniently covering his face during most of the ride. In a subsequent scene, Mike approaches the dinner table, and he’s so frail he has trouble just lowering his body to take a seat. His earlier horse-riding talents are a bewildering burst of athleticism.
Set in 1980, the period piece is a character study of aging, remorse, and regret. It speaks to recurring themes that Eastwood has explored as of late with writer Nick Schenck (Gran Torino, The Mule). Here Schenck contributes to a screenplay by author N. Richard Nash who wrote the 1975 novel of the same name. The chronicle unfolds at a genteel pace that feels like it was made in another era. I have to applaud its courtly energy, but I cannot abide the mawkish melodrama, the bad acting (not Clint), or the ridiculous leaps of faith necessary to accept a nonagenarian in the starring role. I have enjoyed many films in the twilight of Clint Eastwood’s career. This is not one of them.
The category is: Gonzo horror movies that entertain out of sheer weirdness. Ladies and gentlemen, Malignant has just entered the room. Uber-successful director James Wan first found fame with horror: Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring have earned billions worldwide. Over the past six years, he achieved even greater success with Furious 7 and Aquaman. Wan’s latest marks a return to the genre that made him famous. It’s too silly to take seriously and yet too bizarre to simply dismiss.
This movie has everything: psychic abilities, doctors, detectives, repressed childhood memories, imaginary friends, lesbians in jail, and evil siblings. I suddenly feel like Stefon — Bill Hader’s club-kid character on SNL — enumerating all the avant-garde features of the hippest New York clubs. Despite my long list, I haven’t given any substantive details of what happens in this crazy movie. There is so much more than meets the eye.
Madison Lake (Annabelle Wallis) is expecting a child. One night after a fight with Derek (Jake Abel), her abusive husband, she locks herself in the bedroom away from him and falls asleep. At night, she dreams that a stranger enters their home and violently kills him. Sure enough, she discovers Derek’s dead body downstairs when she awakes. Then realizes the killer is still there before blacking out. She regains consciousness in the hospital and learns she was attacked. Soon thereafter she continues to experience terrifying visions of horrific murders. What’s even more troubling is that the murders she’s witnesses are indeed happening. Her visions simultaneously occur in real-time.
There’s a heightened sensibility to the atmosphere right from the start. The exaggerated acting style telegraphs we’re in for some humor. Star Annabelle Wallis plays it pretty straight, but the rest of the cast didn’t get the same memo. The opening scene ends with a doctor boldly making a solemn declaration to the camera, “It’s time we cut out the cancer!” Buckle up for a fun ride. The explanation for Madison’s hallucinations will be fully explained. Trust that’s it’s an insane and unpredictable reveal. The manifestation of that development is a genuinely freakish display. The third act will either have you rolling your eyes in disgust or laughing uncontrollably at how over the top it is. I’m firmly in the latter category. Longtime readers know I am not a fan of viscera. However, when tinged with humor, it becomes cartoonish and therefore easier to take. Here I embraced the gore.
James Wan is well acquainted with camp. His entire filmography is proof of that with Aquaman being a recent example. As Susan Sontag famously wrote in 1964, “Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.” That perfectly describes Malignant in a nutshell. If you’re willing to embrace that sensibility, this will be an absolute hoot. This fantastic (and bloody) saga is reminiscent of the work of Italian director Dario Argento, best known for Suspiria in 1977. Granted the narrative will not hold up to intense scrutiny. This is a convoluted mess. Nonetheless, a ridiculously entertaining fright fest with an emphasis on the grotesque is still a mesmerizing spectacle. I enjoyed it for its audacious style.
The Val of the title is actor Val Kilmer. You know his films: Top Gun (1986), Willow (1988), Tombstone (1993), True Romance (1993), Heat (1995), The Saint (1997) are just a few. The star appeared in some of the biggest Hollywood movies during the late 80s and on through the 1990s. He perhaps achieved the apex of celebrity when he played Batman in Batman Forever in 1995. He may have never received an Oscar nomination, but many thought his role as Jim Morrison in The Doors was worthy of one.
Val is a documentary assembled from 40 years of 16mm home movies of his life shot by the entertainer himself and saved over a lifetime. This includes thousands of hours of footage, everything from time spent with his family to the on-set experiences on his many productions. This is the first-person narrative of a celebrated performer as told through his cinematography. Filmmakers Ting Poo and Leo Scott are producers, directors, and editors of the feature. What they’ve done is the impossible. They’ve scrutinized over four decades of material and put together an insider’s view of what it’s like to be him. The task had to have been daunting, but the filmmakers are successful in distilling a coherent and interesting movie from that footage.
The best moments are little vignettes that shine a light on his interactions with other people. Throughout his life, Val Kilmer has always been known as intensely dedicated to his craft. However, his reputation for being a moody and demanding personality often preceded his renown as a gifted thespian. Some labeled him difficult. In 1996, Kilmer appeared in a remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau with his idol Marlon Brando. It was a notoriously troubled production. Kilmer’s strained relationship with director John Frankenheimer is captured. This is painful to watch but oh so transfixing. At one point, he refuses to act or take direction. Instead, he turns his camera on the director and videotapes him while voicing his disapproval. I wish there were more candid episodes like this. The acrimony is a rare exception.
Val is a largely sympatric portrait. It is a most heartbreaking coda that Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. Following radiation and chemotherapy treatments, along with a tracheostomy, he is now cancer-free. However, he has great difficulty speaking. The movie uses captions when he talks. His son Jack is his voice as the narrator for much of the documentary. His participation is deeply poetic. In a more recent development, Kilmer travels to Texas for a public appearance at a screening of Tombstone. He is warmly greeted by a large gathering of enthusiastic and idolizing fans. Addressing the viewer directly, he admits “I don’t look great and I’m selling basically my old self, my old career.” Yet the image of the actor today in front of an adoring crowd is so poignant. It’s scenes like this that make Val such a fascinating watch.
Posted in Podcast with tags podcast on September 8, 2021 by Mark Hobin
I’m talking movies on talkSPORT radio with the UK’s Ben Fletcher. On Sunday, September 5th, we discussed Marvel’s latest theatrical release SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, and the documentary VAL about Val Kilmer (Amazon Prime). My segment begins 16 minutes into the 2:30 – 3:00 section (about 14 minutes from the end). Click below and enjoy!
Posted in Drama with tags podcast on September 8, 2021 by Mark Hobin
I’m talking about movies on talkSPORT radio with the UK’s Martin Kelner. On Sunday, Aug 29, we discussed the 6 part TV docuseries THE STORY OF LATE NIGHT which aired on CNN, and the documentary BOB ROSS: HAPPY ACCIDENTS, BETRAYAL & GREED (Netflix). My segment begins 5 minutes into the 2:30 – 3:00 section (about 25 minutes from the end). Click below and enjoy!
The discussion of race and diversity within superhero movies has grown significantly over the last half-decade. Studios have expressed a desire to elevate representation within their stories. Whether this is a marketing move or an altruistic desire to be inclusive is a question you can discuss amongst yourselves. Nevertheless, Marvel Studios promoted Black Panther as their first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with a black lead, and Captain Marvel was publicized as their first female warrior to get her own film. In March 2020, Marvel Comics announced its first-ever non-binary superhero called Snowflake who uses they/them pronouns. Any idea on how long that picture will take to be made?
A shift occurred in 2016 during Phase 3 of the MCU with Doctor Strange. Scottish actress Tilda Swinton was cast in the role of the Ancient One, a Tibetan. Never mind the fact that the release was a huge financial success. The social media backlash was vociferous and enduring. It continues to this day. At the time Marvel President Kevin Feige defended the decision but he would later apologize for the “whitewashing” controversy and express regret for not casting an Asian actor.
In that spirit, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the first Marvel release with an Asian lead. No production should have to carry the entire weight of Asian representation within the MCU but 25 films in, and that’s where we are. The best of intentions are nice but “Is the movie any good?” is the bottom line. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings delivers. It’s a solid mid-level addition to the MCU. The newest entry stands on its own and that counts for a lot.
I often forgot I was watching yet another installment of a franchise. OK, so a couple of characters do pop up that are callbacks to earlier entries. Wong (Benedict Wong ), who worked alongside Doctor Strange, is seen at a cage fighting tournament here. Ben Kingsley also reprises his Trevor Slattery character from Iron Man 3. This chapter is part of the same shared world, but thankfully the narrative doesn’t rely too much on the previous movies. In many ways, it feels like a completely separate entity. I appreciated that the drama could be enjoyed without having seen the other pictures.
Shang-Chi boasts a charismatic cast. Actor Simu Liu (Canadian TV sitcom Kim’s Convenience) makes for a likable hero as the titular character. Initially, he seems just like a normal, mild-mannered guy who parks cars as a valet. His skillful fighting abilities are a secret. They’re first revealed while traveling on a bus with his friend Katy played by Awkwafina. The two share a warm friendship and their chemistry is a delight.
A group of henchmen launches an attack on public transportation. The passengers amusingly look on, stunned with their mouths agape. One villain stands out because he’s a hulking Romanian bruiser in a cast full of Asian actors. Razor Fist (Florian Munteanu) brandishes a machete blade for a right hand.
The baddies turn out to be part of a nefarious organization known as the Ten Rings. Their leader is Xu Wenwu portrayed by Hong Kong actor Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs, Hero) making his Hollywood debut. Wenwu also happens to use a powerful set of ten discs worn like bracelets around his arms that he uses in combat. Wenwu is Shang-Chi’s father. He also has a daughter named Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang). Yup Shang-Chi has a sister and she’s just as much of a badass as he is.
This is a perfect time to mention the fight choreography is phenomenal. That scene on the bus is an outstanding highlight. Another takes place on the scaffolding of a high rise. Shang Chi draws on the tradition of Wuxia. The martial arts genre of Chinese fiction usually takes place in a historical setting but often involves fantasy elements. The action sequences also recall some of the stunt work of actor Jackie Chan.
These cultural details distinctly separate this superhero from previous episodes of the MCU. That’s good. The bad is that there is too much exposition that is dumped on the audience. The twisting alliances and people’s motives comprise details I won’t spoil here, but it’s a convoluted web of needless complications. The 3rd act ends up at a magical village called Ta Lo. The atmosphere suddenly morphs into a full-blown fantasy epic. The spectacle devolves into a total CGI fest with flying dragons and lots of special effects. It is nowhere near as captivating as the human drama that plays out in the first two acts. That’s the part I loved. Oh and the martial arts. The hand-to-hand combat is so cool.
My name is Mark Hobin. I love film and I love to write so I thought, why not combine the two. This is the inspiration for my movie review blog in which I currently review every movie I see in a theater.
Fast Film Reviews 