Fast Film Reviews

Missing is a popular title for movies, especially ones involving people last seen in South America. Before this flick was released in January 2023, I associated the title with a 1982 movie starring Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek about the disappearance of an American journalist in Chile. It received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Adapted Screenplay. It’s a great drama, so if this review inspires someone to check that out instead, my work is done.

The current feature is a standalone sequel to Searching (2018). Both are screenlife thrillers which means everything in the film takes place on a computer, tablet, or smartphone screen. The director and co-writers of Searching came up with the story for Missing and served as executive producers. Searching was a well-plotted and novel idea. The filmmakers captured lightning in a bottle with a gimmicky concept. Unfortunately, Missing is more of the same but not as effective. Its editors, Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick are making their directorial debut here. Ironically the conclusion could use some trimming.

The chronicle concerns a rebellious teenager named June (Storm Reid), who lives with her widowed mother, Grace (Nia Long). Grace goes on a vacation with her boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung), in Colombia and then disappears. So the 18-year-old uses her desktop to research and find contacts on social media to discover her whereabouts. She also hires a Colombian local named Javier (Joaquim de Almeida) for extra assistance. In the process, June will uncover secrets about her family.

The mystery is intriguing at first. June is quick and adept at using computers. Her work is presented as a collection of text messages, phone calls, and emails assembled as a pastiche of pop-ups by editors Austin Keeling and Arielle Zakowski. The copy-paste visuals are presented at a breakneck speed. June quickly figures out passwords and email addresses. A lot doesn’t add up — at least not to this Generation X member. But hey, Gen Z kids are all highly skilled hackers, right?! June should have a bright future in the technology sector. However, even I know enough to keep a sticky note on my webcam when I’m not using it.

The narrative continues to pile on twist upon twist. After a while, the developments are so implausible they defy logic. It’s a lot to accept. The movie falls apart in the denouement by piling on one too many far-fetched situations. The silly climax hinges on Apple’s voice-controlled virtual assistant Siri. By then, I didn’t care what happened to these people. However, I was curious whether Apple had paid for that product placement.

Missing is currently streaming on Netflix (May 20) and available to rent on most digital platforms (Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, ROW8, Redbox, etc).

04-18-23

Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy) is an 11-year-old girl in rural Ireland who has allegedly been fasting for four months. She appears perfectly healthy and contends that she survives on “manna from heaven.” The devout townspeople hail it as a miracle, but skepticism arises. Local authorities call upon Elizabeth “Lib” Wright (Florence Pugh). She is an English nurse tasked to simply observe the child to test the veracity of these claims. As a woman of science, she is skeptical. Meanwhile, the all-male town council, which includes the town doctor (Toby Jones) and a priest (Ciarán Hinds), believes in divine intervention. Their disdain for Lib and her opinion is increasingly evident.

I don’t know who the audience is for this film. Believers who want to see a drama that affirms religion and faith will be disappointed because it’s not uplifting. However, it also fails as an exposé on how the desires of a little girl, her parents, and the Catholic Church intertwine. The developments are so deliberate and gradual that it tests the viewer’s patience. The more we learn, the less interesting the narrative becomes. The austerity of the surroundings effectively creates a sinister atmosphere. I’ll concede that. It’s a depressing mood piece but not much else.

The Wonder is a slow, methodical characterization of two people. Director Sebastián Lelio (Gloria, A Fantastic Woman) has achieved critical success with his cinematic portraits of women. Lib, the nurse, is an empathetic person. Anna persists as an enigma. Her behavior will give someone pause. Is she the real deal? The two personalities compel the viewer to keep watching to find out. However, the lethargic pace is plodding, and the resolution is unremarkable. The screenplay is based on the 2016 book of the same name by Emma Donoghue. The author also penned the novel Room, which she adapted into the Oscar-winning movie starring Brie Larson. I “wonder” if Donoghue considers her previous adaptation to be vastly superior…because I do.

11-16-22

Even before Don’t Worry Darling was theatrically released on September 23, it was subjected to an onslaught of negative publicity. The tabloid shenanigans concerning certain key people were the fodder for rampant gossip. I’m being vague because this is Fast Film Reviews, not The Hollywood Reporter. I only bring it up because I’d bet the farm that the drama behind the scenes is 100x more interesting than the finished product.

The company town of Victory, California, is a traditional community in the 1950s. Husbands go to work while women stay home, do household chores, and socialize. Alice and Jack are a young attractive married couple in love. However, Alice begins to detect cracks in their seemingly idyllic existence. Bunny (director Olivia Wilde) is Alice’s best friend.

So let’s start with the good: The ensemble features an outstanding performance from Florence Pugh, looking radiant in Brigitte Bardot-style tresses. She is another UK actress (like Saoirse Ronan or Millie Bobby Brown) that is more convincing as an American woman than many of her peers. She did it perfectly in Midsommar, and now she’s done it again in another psychological thriller. Also worthy of mention is actor Chris Pine. He’s scary good as the enigmatic Frank — the founder of the “Victory Project.” A job to which the men all report every morning. Their departure in cars en masse is a spectacle. The details of their employment are shrouded in mystery.

I was captivated by the aesthetics. The production design is visually striking as it recreates this picturesque vision of suburban life in America. The cinematography is impressive too. Director of photography Matthew Libatique often partners with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. Libatique’s effort draws upon his iconic visuals in Requiem for a Dream. Remember the repeated montage involving extreme close-ups of heroin as it cooks, boils, and enters the body? Well, substitute those sequences for bacon, eggs, and sliced toast as Alice makes breakfast every morning.

Ok, so now the bad? The script presents an unimaginative tale that is wholly derivative. Any deep dive into what happens here won’t withstand scrutiny. Why does Jack dance like a puppet for the men? What’s up with the hallucinations that feature choreography à la Busby Berkeley? Why do Bunny’s loyalties suddenly shift on a dime? Why does Frank’s wife (Gemma Chan) do what she does at the climax? Why do the aggressive (and unsexy) sex scenes never progress beyond third base? These are just a few of the questions I had. At least consulting the internet for answers made me feel I wasn’t alone. However, it didn’t resolve my confusion.

It feels like the screenwriters simply watched The Stepford Wives, drank a bottle of whiskey, and then wrote this movie. Ok, so it’s not *exactly* the same thing. (They threw in a little of The Matrix) Yet it’s so similar that the estate of author Ira Levin — who penned the 1972 novel — might be entitled to a cut of the profits. Katie Silberman gets credit for the screenplay based on a story by Carey Van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, and Silberman. The best scene in the film is a dialogue at a dinner party that includes Alice and Frank while the guests look on. Sadly even the promise of that conversation doesn’t coalesce into anything meaningful. The plot didn’t offer surprises. The “twist” ending is a disappointment, although my predictive abilities remain acute. So no, this flick isn’t worth your time, but don’t worry, darling reader! I saw this, so you don’t have to.

09-22-22