NEGROMANCER 2.0: 2022

Showing posts with label 2022. Show all posts

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Review: "AVATAR: The Way of Water" is Indeed Too Long, But it is Never Boring

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of 2023 (No. 1890) by Leroy Douresseaux

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Running time: 192 minutes (3 hours, 12 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language

DIRECTOR: James Cameron

WRITERS: James Cameron and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver; from a story by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, and Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno

PRODUCERS: James Cameron and Jon Landau

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Russell Carpenter (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: James Cameron, John Refoua, Stephen Rivkin, and David Brenner

COMPOSER: Simon Franglen

SCI-FI/FANTASY, ADVENTURE, DRAMA/WAR

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans Jr., Dileep Rao, and Matt Gerald

Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 science fiction-fantasy, action-adventure, drama and war film from director James Cameron. It is a direct sequel to the 2009 film, Avatar. In The Way of Water, the world of Pandora is under renewed threat from human invaders, forcing Na'vi Jake Sully to seek refuge for his family with a new tribe.

Avatar: The Way of Water opens on the habitable moon, Pandora (one of several moons orbiting a gas giant planet), a decade after the events of the original film. The former human who led the Na'vi fight that expelled the humans, Na'vi Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington), is now chief of the Na'vi “Omaticaya” clan. He raises a family with his mate, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), that includes sons, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Lo'ak (Britain Dalton); daughter, Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss); and two adopted children. They are a human boy named “Spider” (Jack Champion) and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), a girl who was born from the inert avatar of Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), the late scientist who sided with Jake Sulley in his first battle with the humans.

However, to the dismay of the Na'vi, the human corporation, Resources Development Administration (RDA), has returned to Pandora. This time, RDA wants to prepare Pandora as a new home for humanity because the Earth is dying. RDA has even created new combatants, called “recombinants,” which are Na'vi avatars implanted with the minds and memories of human soldiers killed in the first conflict with the Na'vi. One of them is Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), Jake and Neytiri's greatest human enemy and now leaders of the recombinants.

A year after the return, there is a confrontation between Jake's forces and Quaritch's forces. Jake realizes that the RDA has made him, as a former human soldier and traitor, the focus of their mission. To protect the Omaticaya clan, Jake and his family go into exile and retreat to the sea islands in hope of finding refuge with the “Metkayina” reef people. The family struggles to adjust to the new home, especially the children who are coming of age. And recombinant Quaritch and his squad are still hunting Jake, and they are willing to do anything to capture him.

When I reviewed the first Avatar film, I wrote that “Avatar is everything good that you have heard about it and more.” I can say the same for Avatar: The Way of Water, although I will not say it with the same intensity as other film critics and film reviewers. Some people seem to enter a kind of state of ecstasy when they talk about The Way of Water. I am not that crazy about it. Let us see how simply I can explain this.

When I first saw the original Avatar in theaters, I was blown away. It was like nothing that I'd ever seen before then. It was an epic science fiction film set on a strange new world, full of incredible creatures and environments. Plus, Avatar has a great group of villains in the form of the invading humans. However, as crazy as I was about it then, I have never watched the film in its entirety since. I can't make myself interested in even watching sections of the film.

Avatar: The Way of Water is full of wonderful new characters, new environments, and a strange new tribe, living in a water world of amazing creatures. I am impressed by how many intriguing new characters James Cameron and his co-writers have created for this film. But, as good as the film is, I am not “blown away” by it. I don't find it remotely as interesting as I found the first Avatar. However, like the first film, James Cameron does quite a bit of skewering of colonialism and militarism and of toxic wealth and capitalism.

Avatar: The Way of Water is a great, big science fiction epic full of fantastic visual special effects and CGI (computer-generated images). The motion-capture CGI that creates the Na'vi still makes the characters look and move awkwardly in some instances, but that does not ruin the characters. Also, despite what some are saying, I did not find the first two hours of this three-hour plus film boring. Yes, the last third of this movie is at least an hour of great, great action, but the first two hours also offer some thrilling and riveting action, engaging character drama, and eye-popping exploration of the reef world of the Metkayina.

Still, for me, the Avatar thrill left a long time ago, and Avatar: The Way of Water does not make it return. I think it is a really good film, but not a great film. But, hey, it might “blow you away,” dear readers.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, January 1, 2023

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Friday, December 23, 2022

Review: Terrifying "SMILE" Will Knock That... Smile Off Your Face

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 76 of 2022 (No. 1888) by Leroy Douresseaux

Smile (2022)

Running time: 116 minutes (1 hour, 56 minutes)

MPA – R for strong violent content and grisly images, and language

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Parker Finn

PRODUCERS: Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, and Robert Salerno

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Charlie Sarroff

EDITOR: Elliot Greenberg

COMPOSER: Cristobal Tapia de Veer

HORROR

Starring: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn, Rob Morgan, Gillian Zinser, Nick Arapoglou, Matthew Lamb, and Dora Kiss

Smile is a 2022 psychological horror film from writer-director Parker Finn, his debut feature film. Finn based Smile on his 2020 horror short film, Laura Hasn't Slept. Smile focuses on a psychiatrist who starts having terrifying experiences and witnessing a young woman's bizarre suicide.

Smile introduces Dr. Rose Carter (Sosie Bacon), a clinical psychiatrist. While working at a psychiatric ward, Rose meets a new patient, a very frightened young woman named Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey). Laura believes that she is cursed because days earlier, she witnessed her art history professor, Gabriel Munoz, die by suicide – using a hammer to bludgeon himself to death. Now, Laura claims that an entity, which takes the form of smiling people, is haunting her and telling her that she is going to die. Laura says that it is the same smile that she saw on Munoz's face before he killed himself.

After her encounter with Laura, Rose has a series of bizarre experiences, including one with a troubled patient in the psychiatric ward and another at her nephew's birthday party. Is Rose's own traumatic past manifesting itself as an entity that vexes her mind and dreams? Or is some entity haunting her to a gruesome death?

Smile is not the first film to use childhood trauma and the subsequent adult grief and guilt as devices to scare audiences. [One is 2005's Boogeyman, which is not nearly as scary or as good as Smile.] Parker Finn plays fast and loose with the genre and is rather tricky. He makes Dr. Rose Cotter an unreliable narrator, one reason being that she should recognize her symptoms. Rose has trouble distinguishing between delusions and reality. Are her troubles a result of a job that exposes her to people with problems, or are her troubles really the result of a curse? Finn's screenplay keeps us wondering about the truth and about the validity of the curse.

Sometime, the film is rather clear that Rose is cursed and that everything else is just to confuse … and scare the viewer. And I was scared. Smile is genuinely scary and, at times, terrifying, and Sosie Bacon gives a strong performance as Dr. Rose Cotter, a character that is obviously troubled and traumatized.

The one thing that keeps Smile from being great is the ending, not because of its variations, but because Finn practically telegraphs it halfway through the film. Although I wouldn't say that Smile is a copy of the buzzed about horror film, It Follows (2014), but Smile follows... it. I have no problem recommending Smile to viewers that want to be scared out of their wits by a horror movie, but don't want a high body count. Smile is a really good horror movie – creepy but not slash-film violent.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, December 23, 2022

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Thursday, December 15, 2022

Review: For "CLERKS III," It's Closing Time

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 75 of 2022 (No. 1887) by Leroy Douresseaux

Clerks III (2022)

Running time: 100 minutes (1 hour, 40 minutes)

MPA – R for pervasive language, crude sexual material, and drug content

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Kevin Smith

PRODUCERS: Liz Destro and Jordan Monsanto

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Learan Kahanov

EDITOR: Kevin Smith

COMPOSER: James L. Venable

COMEDY/DRAMA

Starring: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Ben Affleck, and Danny Trejo

Clerks III is a 2022 comedy-drama film from writer-director Kevin Smith. It is the third entry in the Clerks film series. Clerks III is also a sequel to Clerks (1994) and Clerks II (2006) and is a direct sequel to the latter. Clerks III finds two friends and convenience store co-owners at a crossroads after one of them has a near-fatal heart attack.

Clerks III opens at “Quick Stop Groceries.” This is the convenience story where best friends, Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), work side by side as co-owners of the store where they were once employees. Vagrant drug dealers, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), who used to hangout in front of the store are now also business owners. They have transformed the business space next door that was once occupied by “RST Video” into a legal marijuana dispensary.

Otherwise, their lives have remained the same, except for a tragedy that occurred in Dante's life. One day, store employee, Elias (Trevor Fehrman), and his friend, Blockchain (Austin Zajur), are visiting when Randal suffers a heart attack (the type known as “the widow-maker”). After surviving, Randal decides that he has wasted his life and, looking for a new purpose, decides to make a movie about his life at the convenience store. In his maniacal focus to get his movie made, however, Randal seems to have forgotten how much a part of his life Dante has been – with tragic results.

Kevin Smith's filmography is filled with surprising movies, like Chasing Amy; interesting, uneven flicks, like Dogma; and interesting bad films, like Mallrats. Clerks, the film that made him something of a star, and its sequel, Clerks II, are my favorite Kevin Smith movies, and I consider them great films.

Clerks III is not great, and it is surprising to me in the fact that it is an uneven film that is at times bad and at times interesting. In the first hour, the story meanders so much that Clerks III is practically unwatchable. At about the 70-minute mark, however, the film has a late inciting incident that changes the tone and essentially saves the film.

I have to admit that I find that Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, and Kevin Smith have not aged well. They not only look old, but they also look as if they have had hard lives or lives filled with substance abuse. Jason Mewes (Jay) has aged well, and I believe that he has actually had issues with substance abuse. Truthfully, a lot of the returning cast looks old and run down.

Clerks III seems like a love letter to Clerks, which started it all – Kevin Smith's career as a filmmaker and celebrity and Clerks as a media franchise. [There was a “Clerks” animated series, which aired for six episodes on ABC in 2000 and on Comedy Central in 2002, and a comic book miniseries originally published by Oni Press in the late 1990s.] Clerks III is also Smith's nod to the part of his earlier life that inspired Clerks. That's nice, but I would only recommend Clerks III to Kevin Smith fans. Everyone else should avoid this convenience store. The grades I am giving this film are an acknowledgment that I like the earlier films and don't really indicate how mediocre I think Clerks III is.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, December 15, 2022

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Saturday, December 3, 2022

Review: "THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING" is a Fairy Tale of Love Stories

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 73 of 2022 (No. 1885) by Leroy Douresseaux

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022)

Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)

MPA – R for some sexual content, graphic nudity and brief violence

DIRECTOR: George Miller

WRITERS: George Miller and Augusta Gore (based upon the short story by A.S. Byatt)

PRODUCERS: Doug Mitchell and George Miller

CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Seale (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Margaret Sixel

COMPOSER: Junkie XL

FANTASY/ROMANCE/DRAMA

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Idris Elba, Erdil Yasaroglu, Aamito Lagum, Ece Yuksel, Matteo Bocelli, and Nicolas Mouawad

Three Thousand Years of Longing is a 2022 fantasy film and romantic drama directed by George Miller It is based on the short story, “The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye,” which was written by author A. S. Byatt and first published in the Winter 1994 edition of The Paris Review. Three Thousand Years of Longing focuses on lonely scholar and a djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.

Three Thousand Years of Longing introduces Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton), a lonely British scholar and “narratologist.” She travels to Istanbul, Turkey for a conference. While there, Alithea visits Istanbul's “Grand Bazaar” where she enters a store filled with beautiful and intricate glassware. She purchases an odd, antique bottle, and takes it back to her hotel.

While cleaning the bottle, Alithea is shocked to discover that there is something inside it and that she has unwittingly released its contents. Alithea has accidentally unleashed a djinn that was trapped inside the bottle. The Djinn (Idris Elba) offers to grant her three wishes, but Alithea believes that djinn are tricksters and that the wishes they grant turn out to be misfortune for those that did the wishing. So The Djinn tells Alithea three tales that explain how he came to be in the bottle in which she found him. Will this convince Alithea to accept his offer of three wishes – an act that will grant him freedom?

First, I must say that Three Thousand Years of Longing has excellent production values, and I would expect nothing less from a great filmmaker like George Miller, best known for his Mad Max films, including the original Mad Max (1979) and the most recent, the winner of multiple Oscar-winner, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). The costumes, sets, art direction, hair and make-up, the score, and cinematography give Three Thousand Years of Longing a golden hue. It is in the depiction of The Djinn's stories that this film's production values assert their power in transforming Three Thousand Years of Longing into a engaging fairy tale full of wondrous fairy tales

However, these same fairy tales often outshine the main narrative, much of which deals with the impasse in which Alithea and The Djinn find themselves. Luckily, Three Thousand Years of Longing is a story with a beginning, middle, and an end. For it is at the end that we learn that Three Thousand Years of Longing is truly a love story, but a love story that only a fairy tale can tell. Love is a story, and in this story, love, with its endless longing, is different and lives differently.

George Miller and his co-writer, Augusta Gore, could only tell this film story with two extraordinary and exceptional actors. Tilda Swinton, strange chameleon and splendid thespian, and Idris Elba, whose profound voice reveals the deep pool of ability from which it springs, are so perfectly matched in being mismatched and star-crossed, that they make us believe in what their characters ultimately make for themselves. Three Thousand Years of Longing is not perfect, but it is the kind of fantasy film that only exceptional cinematic talents can create.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, December 3, 2022

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Thursday, December 1, 2022

Review: "PEARL" Horror Film is as Crazy as It Wants to Be

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 72 of 2022 (No. 1884) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pearl (2022)

Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)

MPA – R for some strong violence, gore, strong sexual content and graphic nudity

DIRECTOR: Ti West

WRITERS: Ti West and Mia Goth (based on characters created by Ti West)

PRODUCERS: Jacob Jaffke, Harrison Kreiss, Kevin Turen, and Ti West

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eliot Rockett (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Ti West

COMPOSERS: Tyler Bates and Tim Williams

HORROR

Starring: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Alistair Sewell, and Amelia Reid

Pearl is a 2022 horror film from director Ti West. The film serves as a prequel to the 2022 horror film, X, and is also the second entry in the “X” film series. The film focuses on a young woman who feels trapped on her family's isolated farm where she dreams of stardom and harbors a dark side.

Pearl opens in 1918. In Europe, World War I rages on, and in the United States, the homefront is plagued by an influenza pandemic. The story focuses on Pearl (Mia Goth), a young woman who lives on a Texas farm with her parents who are German immigrants. Pearl's husband, Howard (Alistair Sewell), is serving in WWI. Her domineering mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright), insists that Pearl always work, either tending to the animals or caring for her paralyzed father (Matthew Sunderland).

However, Pearl longs for a more glamorous life, and she visits the local cinema where she can watch silent films. Pearl wishes she could be like one of the chorus girls she sees in her favorite films. Pearl wants to be a star, but she also shows signs of being quite the disturbed individual: killing farm animals, abusing her father, and thinking about killing people.

Pearl is certainly a horror movie, but the film is also a psychological drama and suspense and mystery thriller. Writer-director Ti West and writer-star Mia Goth plumb the depths of Pearl's character, her conflicts, and her dreams. Pearl is like other people, although she does not think so. What makes her stand out is that he murderous impulses are not held in check and only get worse.

Pearl is also an edgy immigrant family drama that uses the clash between the old (the immigrant) parents and the new (Pearl the daughter) as a vehicle for Pearl's rage. From the moment the story introduces Pearl's tiresome mother, Ruth, the family conflict devolves into a tawdry, yet alluring Gothic horror of the kind that recalls the work of the late novelist, V.C. Andrews (1923-86). The demands of Pearl's parents, especially the bitter Ruth, with her ruthless tongue, push out the darker aspects of Pearl's identity and personality.

Pearl builds its suspense and mystery on a game of time and fate. When will the repressed homicidal aspects of her personality, which Pearl seems to think of as her “true self,” come busting out? Pearl's dreams might be pipe dreams, but in her performance, Mia Goth convinces her audience that Pearl really does want to perform for the people she believes could be her audience. Pearl wants to be loved, but she believes that the real her cannot be loved, nor is true self worthy of love.

Pearl is complicated. Horror films have long dealt with duality – killer and victim. However, there is a strain of horror that deals with lead characters that are sometimes sympathetic. They also turn out to have personality disorders that result in the compulsion to brutally kill people within their reach. In the 1976 film, Carrie (based on Stephen King's 1974 of the same name), the title character seems to have her dark side forced out of her. Pearl forces a light side of herself out into the world, but her homicidal nature does not need to be pushed out. It does not need much coaxing to come out and play a game of death with unwary victims.

As a team, Ti West and Mia Goth deliver a truly unique cinematic work of horror and (yes) suspense in Pearl. As Pearl the character, Goth is the pounding hell-spawned heart of this film, and it needs a strong heart. Honestly, outside of Pearl the character, Pearl the film's plot, characters, and setting art surreal to the point of being too cute.

In the second half of the film, Goth has a delightful dance sequence that personifies to the depth of Pearl's character. I can see why Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese says that Goth's performance here is Oscar worthy. Mia Goth liberates horror of its needs for scream queens, masked killers, final girls, and supernatural theatrics. Pearl shows that horror movies can be quite horrifying simply by imagining the ultimate heart of darkness in its prettiest maidens, smiling waifs, and perky sprites – you know, the kind of female that is usually the victim in scary movies.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

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Thursday, November 17, 2022

Review: "THE INVITATION" is the Movie Invite You Don't Want

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 70 of 2022 (No. 1882) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Invitation (2022)

Running time: 103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for terror, violent content, some strong language, sexual content and partial nudity

DIRECTOR: Jessica M. Thompson

WRITER: Blair Butler

PRODUCER: Emile Gladstone

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Autumn Eakin (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Tom Elkins

COMPOSER: Dara Taylor

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Sean Pertwee, Hugh Skinner, Carol Ann Crawford, Alana Boden, Stephanie Corneliussen, and Courtney Taylor

The Invitation is a 2022 supernatural horror, mystery,and suspense thriller from director Jessica M. Thompson. The film focuses on a young woman who is swept off her feet by the chance of meeting members of her long-lost family, who are mysterious and odd.

The Invitation opens in New York City and introduces struggling artist, Evelyn “Evie” Jackson (Nathalie Emmanuel), who is still dealing with the recent death of her mother. She and her best friend, Grace (Courtney Taylor), make a living freelancing for a catering business. Evie takes a DNA test from an online company called “UnlockYourPast” and discovers that she has relatives in England. She meets one of those alleged distant English cousins, Oliver L. Alexander (Hugh Skinner) of London. Oliver tells Evie that she is related to him via her great-grandmother, Emmaline, who created quite a scandal decades ago. He also invites her to an upcoming family wedding in Whitney, Yorkshire, England.

Evie and Oliver eventually arrive at New Carfax Abbey where several connected families: the De Villes, the Billingtons, the Klopstocks, and the Alexanders, have gathered for the nuptials. Evie meets many family members, including the alluring Walter De Ville (Thomas Doherty), who seems to be the focus of everyone's attention. However, Evie does not meet the bride and groom. Before long, Evie discovers that not only is New Carfax a strange place, but also that the gathered family members are both eccentric and full of mystery. It is a mystery that Evie must solve before she falls prey to the four families' darkest secrets.

The Invitation is a vampire movie and not a very good one. The main reason is the vampire characters. The film is inspired by author Bram Stoker's 1987 Gothic novel, Dracula. Film vampires can be alluring and attractive, and they can often be the audience's favorite characters, although they are monsters and are often film villains. The Invitation's vampires are not alluring and are mostly caricatures of the British upper class or assorted versions of Euro-trash.

The Invitation is not a very good horror movie simply because it is not scary. Bumps in the night, shifty shadows, random yelps and screams, etc. are more annoying than chilling. Evie is way too careless and clueless. I understand that there are plenty of people in the real world who are not wary, who don't understand that when things seem too good to be true, they usually are too good to be true. In this movie, the extent of Evie's lack of common sense is simply too much; it's irritating.

Also, I don't think that it is a coincidence that Nathalie Emmanuel, the actress who plays Evie, really resembles American actress Meghan Markle. You know Meghan, right? She married into an old British family that has its share of conspiracies and family members who are snobs, crypto-racists, and monsters.

The last twenty minutes of The Invitation – before the credits – are actually quite good, but by then it is too late. I get why the studio and filmmakers would try to hide the fact that this film involves vampires as deep into the running time as they could. Vampire films generally under perform at the box office, even good ones, which The Invitation is not. Honestly, the last few minutes of this film could be used as the starting point for an even better film. I cannot recommend The Invitation, and I want to discourage you, dear readers, from watching it if you have to pay to do it.

3 of 10

C-

★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, November 16, 2022

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Friday, November 11, 2022

Review: "BLACK PANTHER: Wakanda Forever" is the Best Marvel Movie in Years

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 69 of 2022 (No. 1881) by Leroy Douresseaux

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Running time: 161 minutes
MPA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action and some language
DIRECTOR: Ryan Coogler
WRITERS: Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole; from a story by Ryan Coogler (based on the Marvel Comics)
PRODUCERS: Kevin Feige and Nate Moore
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Autumn Durald Arkapaw (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Kelley Dixon, Jennifer Lame, and Michael P. Shawver
COMPOSER: Ludwig Göransson

SUPERHERO/ACTION/SCI-FI/DRAMA

Starring: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Tenoch Huerta, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Cole, Alex Livinalli, Mabel Cadena, Richard Schiff, Robert John Burke, Lake Bell, Manuel Chavez, Maria Mercedes Coroy, Divine Love Konadu-Sun, Trevor Noah (voice), Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael B. Jordan

[Emotionally super-charged and possessing some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's greatest battles, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is Marvel Studios' best film in over three years.]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a 2022 superhero, fantasy-drama, science fiction, and action movie directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Marvel Studios. The film is a direct sequel to the 2018 film, Black Panther, and is the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is based on the Marvel Comics character, Black Panther, that first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (cover dated: July 1966) and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Wakanda Forever finds Wakanda in mourning following the death of its king while also facing a threatening world and a mysterious new adversary.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opens in the African nation of Wakanda as King T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) dies from a mysterious illness. One year later, his mother, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), must face the United Nations, as world powers demand access to Wakanda's most precious resource, the metal Vibranium. One particular nation even hires mercenaries to invade a Wakandan outpost in order to steal its vibranium, but they are foiled by Okoye (Danai Gurira) and the Dora Milaje, the King of Wakanda's personal guard.

However, the American CIA's attempt to find vibranium on its own draws the attention of a mysterious new adversary, known by many names, but is called “Namor” (Tenoch Huerta) by his enemies. Namor leads the forces of his kingdom, Talokan, in a strike against the Americans. He confronts Ramonda and Shuri (Letitia Wright), Ramonda's daughter and T'Challa's younger sister, as they grieve. He demands that they find the scientist who created the Americans' vibranium detecting device and kill him. The him turns out to be a her, a Chicago-based teen named Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne). Now, Shuri and Ramonda must gather allies, including T'Challa's ex-lover, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), and M'Baku (Winston Duke), leader of the Wakandan border tribe, the Jibari, in order to fight off the forces of Namor, which are more than capable of destroying Wakanda and perhaps, the world. Can Wakanda survive without its champion, the Black Panther, or must another arise?...

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a triumphant – a poignant triumphant and a superhero action movie triumph. It is much better than I expected and that I could have hoped for. Wakanda Forever is the most emotionally honest, genuine, and heartfelt Marvel Studios film since Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The fight scenes are some of the best outside of martial arts films, and the action and battles scenes are Avengers-level.

Angela Bassett stands astride this film, which is both a eulogy to Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa/Black Panther and also a powerful and successful attempt to forge ahead with the franchise. Bassett, as regal and as dramatically potent as she has ever been, is glorious, and it time for her to receive the Oscar win she should have had ages ago. She exemplifies the grief in the film for half its narrative.

Letitia Wright exemplifies that grief the rest of the way. Wright also shows impressive range – playing Shuri as obstinate and angry in the face of her brother's death. [That death is depicted in Wakanda Forever's opening moments, and the audience with which I saw this film was stunned into silence.] Wright plays Shuri's turn to the “dark side” with the depth of performance that usually earns actors some award season notice. She is truly the lead in Wakanda Forever, and she carries it with the flair of a veteran, accomplished actor.

I also had high hopes for Tenoch Huerta as Namor, and he easily surpasses them. Huerta makes Namor seem so real that his murderous inclinations come across as entirely appropriate for that which Namor is fighting and defending. Huerta's performance also works to uplift the other actors playing denizens of the kingdom of Talokan.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is filled so much good stuff. The costumes, art direction, make-up and hair, cinematography, and editing are all … well, Oscar-worthy. Ludwig Göransson's score is a masterpiece of tones both subtle and tremendous and is easily on the level of Hans Zimmer's award-winning score for Dune: Part One (2021).

I don't want this review to run-on too long... If I could speak to Ryan Coogler, I would tell him that already loved him for his film, Fruitvale Station, and that he made me love him even more after the first Black Panther. I don't have the words to describe how great an accomplishment Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is. Coogler honored his friend and partner, Chadwick Boseman, as well as he could, and he made a truly great and magnificent film. It honors Boseman and reveals how much respect Coogler has for his audience via the film art he creates. I am giving Black Panther: Wakanda Forever my highest recommendation.

10 of 10

Friday, November 11, 2022

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Saturday, October 29, 2022

Review: Wild, Uneven "BULLET TRAIN" Has a Killer Last Act

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 66 of 2022 (No. 1878) by Leroy Douresseaux

Bullet Train (2022)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPA – R for strong and bloody violence, pervasive language, and brief sexuality
DIRECTOR: David Leitch
WRITER: Zak Olkewicz (based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka)
PRODUCERS: Antoine Fuqua, David Leitch, and Kelly McCormick
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jonathan Sela (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Elisabet Ronaldsdottir
COMPOSER: Dominic Lewis

ACTION

Starring: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Sandra Bullock, Benito A Martinez Ocasio (Bad Bunny), Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz, Masi Oka, Kevin Akiyoshi Ching, Johanna White, and Karen Fukuhara with Channing Tatum and Ryan Reynolds

Bullet Train is a 2022 action movie from director David Leitch. The film is based on the 2010 novel from author Kōtarō Isaka, Maria Beetle (which was titled Bullet Train for its U.S. and U.K. Editions). Bullet Train the movie takes place aboard a swiftly-moving bullet train where five assassins gradually discover that they have several things in common.

Bullet Train opens in Japan and introduces “Ladybug” (Brad Pitt), an assassin turned “snatch-and-grab man.” In Tokyo, he enters a bullet train bound for Kyoto. He is initially wary of accepting this job from his handler, Maria (Sandra Bullock), which involves him retrieving a briefcase that contains ten million dollars. Also on the train is a young woman known as “Prince” (Joey King); the assassin brothers, “Lemon” (Brian Tyree Henry) and “Tangerine” (Aaron Taylor-Johnson); and the revenge-seeking Yuichi Kimura (Andrew Koji).

They are all passengers on this particular bullet train, directly and indirectly, because of “The Son” (Logan Lerman), the kidnapped son of the Russian-born Yakuza boss known as the “White Death” (Michael Shannon). Ladybug, who is begrudgingly working this job, believes that it is bringing out the worst of the bad luck that he believes plagues him. Gradually, he finds himself fighting off an ever-growing gathering of killers and miscreants. And waiting for everyone at their final stop in Kyoto – at least for those that survive – is an ultimate showdown with the White Death and his hired killers.

Directly or indirectly, Bullet Train is a movie influenced by the films of Oscar-winning filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino. The dialogue – full of chatter, threats, and banter – is supposed to come across as cool, but it is merely blather from a third or fourth or fifth generation take on a Tarantino screenplay. The characters are also Tarantino retreads, and so are their actions and inaction. Still, I must admit that I like some of them, especially Brad Pitt's Ladybug.

So is Bullet Train any good, you might ask?

Well, two-thirds of it is uneven and moves in fits and starts of violence and murder. I was mostly uninterested, but there are some surprising cameos that captured my interest. For instance, Zazie Beetz is the assassin, “The Hornet,” and recording artist, Bad Bunny, is the Mexican assassin, “The Wolf.” Both, however, are barely in the film. I think they would have improved Bullet Train a good bit had their roles been enlarged.

However, the first 80 or so mediocre minutes of this movie are worth it for the last 40 minutes. It is as if Bullet Train suddenly explodes in its last act to reveal a much better movie that had been hiding inside the fairly awful movie. Everything is better, even Brad Pitt, who keeps this movie from being an absolute disaster. Sometimes, it is worth having a genuine movie star, like a Brad Pitt, star in a genre movie. The first two-thirds of this movie deserves a grade of “C-” at best, but the last third deserves an “A.” So I'll average that out to a “B,” and I will recommend Bullet Train because of its last act. It really is spectacular, and it is a pay off for your patience.

6 out of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, October 29, 2022

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Friday, October 28, 2022

Review: Idris Elba and the Lion Be Beastin' in "BEAST"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 65 of 2022 (No. 1877) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beast (2022)
Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)
MPA – R for violent content, bloody images and some language
DIRECTOR: Baltasar Kormakur
WRITERS: Ryan Engle; from a story by Jaime Primak Sullivan
PRODUCERS: Baltasar Kormaku, James Lopez, and Will Packer
CINEMATOGRAPHERS: Philippe Rousselot and Baltasar Breki (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Jay Rabinowitz
COMPOSER: Steven Price

THRILLER

Starring: Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Sharlto Copley

Beast is a 2022 wildlife thriller film from director Baltasar Kormakur. The film focuses on a widowed father and his two teenage daughters who must fight for survival after they are attacked and stalked by a rogue lion.

Beast opens in South Africa. Recently widowed Dr. Nathaniel “Nate” Samuels (Idris Elba) and his teenage daughters, Meredith “Mare” Samuels (Iyana Halley) and Norah Samuels (Leah Sava Jeffries), travel to South Africa for a vacation. They arrive at the Mopani Reserve where Nate reunites with his old friend and dear family friend, Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley), a biologist and manager of the Mopani Reserve.

Nate was recently widowed when his wife, Amahle, died of cancer, and he is somewhat estranged from his daughters. Mare is argumentative and rebellious, and Norah is sensitive. Both girls are bitter about the separation of their father and late mother prior to the latter's death. Nate hopes that this trip will help him to reconnect with his daughters.

On the second day of the trip, Martin takes the Samuels to the reserve's restricted areas. Along the way, they encounter an injured man that has apparently been mauled by a lion. That same lion attacks again, and suddenly, Nate and his daughters are trapped in their vehicle. Stranded in a remote area inside a damaged vehicle, Nate must find a way to save himself and his daughters from a bloodthirsty rogue lion that does not stop stalking its prey until it they are dead.

First, I wish that I'd seen Beast on a movie theater screen. Secondly, the mini-melodrama between Nate and his daughters did not interest me. I found Mare and Norah to be often irritating, and more than once, they made their plight against the lion worse. Beside that subplot, the film is well written. There are certainly enough death-defying moments to keep the viewer's attention on the film.

Still, Beast is very well directed and edited. As soon as Martin, Nate, Mare and Norah leave Martin's home, director Baltasar Kormakur begins turning up the heat. Before Beast becomes a full-on survival thriller, Kormakur makes it a riveting suspense thriller as the story moves about the reserve, visiting a local pride and moving on to a small village. That's where the movie explodes, and the rest of the way, Beast is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Honestly, I feel like the film mesmerized me, and I certainly didn't think that I would end up liking it as much as I did … and still do. I can see myself watching it again.

In addition to having a great monster – the rogue lion, Beast also has a great actor and true movie star, Idris Elba, as its lead. Elba has that kind of big screen magic that can make the viewer want to vicariously experience a movie through him. I certainly found myself following his every step, living through the obstacles and threats to Nate Samuels' very life. Elba also convincingly plays a medical doctor and a loving and patient father, especially to two stubborn daughters. So Beast has a lion of an actor and movie star to go along with its killer super-lion. Both will make you feel as if you need to catch your breath, dear readers.

7 of 10
A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, October 28, 2022

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Friday, October 21, 2022

Review: Uneven, Bombastic "BLACK ADAM" is Strictly for Fans

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 63 of 2022 (No. 1875) by Leroy Douresseaux

Black Adam (2022)
Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, intense action and some language.
DIRECTOR: Jaume Collet-Serra
WRITERS: Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani (based on characters created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck)
PRODUCERS: Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, and Beau Flynn
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Lawrence Sher (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: John Lee and Michael L. Sale
COMPOSER: Lorne Balfe

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari, Bodhi Sabongui, Mohammed Amer, Jalon Christian, Henry Winkler, and Djimon Hounsou with Viola Davis and Henry Cavill

Black Adam is a 2022 superhero and action-fantasy film from director Jaume Collet-Serra. The film is based on characters created by writers Bill Parker and Otto Binder and artist C.C. Beck originally for defunct publisher, Fawcett Comics, and now owned by DC Comics. Black Adam the movie focuses on a legendary hero who returns to life after nearly 5000 years, bringing his unique form of justice to his besieged homeland.

Black Adam opens in 2600 BC. In the city of Kahndaq, there is a legend that the tyrannical king, Anh-Kot (Marwan Kenzari), intended to create an object of dark magic, the Crown of Sabbac, which is known to give the wearer great power. He enslaves his own people and forces them to dig in the mountains for “Eternium,” the magical crystal Anh-Kot will use to make the crown. A legendary hero, Teth-Adam (Dwayne Johnson), arises and kills Anh-Kot before the hero himself is buried somewhere in the ruins of the Anh-Kot's castle – so the legends say.

Present day Kahndaq is oppressed by members of the international crime syndicate known as “Intergang.” They are searching for university professor and resistance fighter, Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi). She is trying to locate the Crown of Sabbac, with the help of her brother, Karim (Mohammed Amer), and some of his colleagues. Ambushed after finding the crown, Adrianna revives Teth-Adam, and although he kills her assailants, the risen hero proves to be something much less than a hero.

Meanwhile, from the United States, the superhero Hawkman/Carter Hall (Aldis Hodge) leads a group of heroes, the Justice Society: Doctor Fate/Kent Nelson (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone/Maxine Hunkel (Quintessa Swindell), and newcomer Atom Smasher/Albert “Al” Rothstein (Noah Centineo), into Kahndaq to take Teth-Adam into custody. While Adrianna and her son, Amon (Bodhi Sabongui), watch, Teth-Adam battles the Justice Society throughout the city. However, Teth-Adam will be forced to confront the truth about himself and about his past if he and the Justice Society are going to stop a great evil from ruling Kahndaq again.

In case you are wondering, Teth-Adam does not become “Black Adam” until the end of the film. He is neither hero nor villain. Black Adam, in the case of this film, is not so much an anti-hero as he is simply Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The movie only exists because Johnson willed it into existence. Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films' original plan was apparently to make Black Adam a supporting character/villain in the movie Shazam that was released in 2019. Johnson wanted more for the character than to be a mere lackey, and truthfully, had he appeared in Shazam as Black Adam, Johnson, as an international movie star with a huge personality, would have dominated the film in ways that probably would have been bad for it.

In the case of Black Adam the movie, it is Johnson's will that holds this film together, otherwise, it would fall apart. The screenplay is a disaster with a plot that is a patchwork of clumsy sub-plots. The film's pace is uneven, being a mixture of tedious action sequences and unnecessary fighting. The characters are either barely likable or are ridiculous. The kid character, Amon Tomaz, is actually quite nice, but his mother, Adrianna, is really irritating.

Don't get me started on the Justice Society. As Hawkman, actor Aldis Hodge is so intense that it makes a lot of his performance seem like overacting. [Actor Michael B. Jordan also has a problem with being too intense.] Pierce Brosnan is embarrassing as Doctor Fate, but Brosnan's problems could be a poorly written character and crappy dialogue. The superhero Cyclone is … tragic. So is Atom Smasher, but actor Noah Centineo delivers Smasher's bad dialogue in a way that sounds funny.

Twice while watching Black Adam, I wanted to walk out of the film, but I was seeing it with a friend. Black Adam seems much longer than its 124-minute running time. At one point, I thought the film was over, so I checked my phone and discovered that there was more than a half-hour left. I can only recommend this films to die hard fans of superhero movies and to fans of Dwayne Johnson. I could not recommend this film to anyone else. I'm only giving this film a “C” grade because I am a fan of Johnson and an admirer of what he has built for himself; if not for him, I don't know how much lower I would go. I am not sure that I could watch Black Adam again, even in bits and pieces when it becomes a cable TV staple.

4 of 10
C
★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, October 21, 2022

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Thursday, October 13, 2022

Review: "DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS" is an Amusing Diversion ... for Children

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 60 of 2022 (No. 1872) by Leroy Douresseaux

DC League of Super-Pets (2022) - animated
Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG for action, mild violence, language and rude humor
DIRECTOR: Jared Stern
WRITERS: Jared Stern and John Whittington (based on characters appearing in DC Comics)
PRODUCERS: Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Patricia Hicks, and Jared Stern
EDITORS: David Egan and Jhoanne Reyes
COMPOSER: Steve Jablonsky
ANIMATION STUDIO: Warner Animation Group/Animal Logic

ANIMATION/SUPERHERO/ACTION/FANTASY

Starring: (voices) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Marc Maron, Olivia Wilde, Jameela Jamil, Jemaine Clement, John Early, Daveed Diggs, Dascha Polanco, Maya Erskine, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alfred Molina, Lena Headey, Winona Bradshaw, and Keith David

DC League of Super-Pets is a 2022 3D computer-animated, superhero fantasy and action-comedy film directed by Jared Stern with CGI animation produced by Animal Logic. The film is based on characters and concepts appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. DC League of Super-Pets focuses on Superman's dog and a group newly super-powered shelter animals who must stop a conspiracy hatched by a guinea pig that is an evil genius.

DC League of Super-Pets opens with the story of how baby Kal-El and a Labrador Retriever-like pup left the planet Krypton, as it was in the throes of destruction, in a space ship headed to Earth. Decades later, the baby is now Superman/Clark Kent (John Krasinski) and his pet, Krypto the Superdog (Dwayne Johnson). All is well between Superman and his super-best friend until Clark decides to take his relationship with Lois Lane (Olivia Wilde), a fellow reporter at “The Daily Planet,” to the next level. Krypto suddenly feels that his relationship with Superman is threatened.

Meanwhile, LexCorp CEO and Superman's enemy, Lex Luthor (Marc Maron), has hatched a plot to bring a meteorite of “orange kryptonite” to Earth. Superman and Krypto easily stop the plot with the aid of the Justice League: Wonder Woman (Jameela Jamil), Aquaman (Jemaine Clement), Flash (John Early), Green Lantern (Dascha Polanco), Cyborg (Daveed Diggs), and the Batman (Keanu Reeves).

At LexCorp, Lex used guinea pigs as test subjects. One of them, Lulu (Kate McKinnon), is also an evil genius. She has reeled in her own piece of orange kryptonite, having discovered that it gives super-powers to animals. Now empowered by flight and telekinesis, Lulu is determined to free the now imprisoned Lex Luthor and to destroy Superman and the Justice League. Now, only Krypto and a ragtag band of shelter animals: Ace a boxer dog (Kevin Hart), PB the potbellied pig (Vanessa Bayer), Merton the slider turtle (Natasha Lyonne), and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna), are left to stop Lulu's plot and save Superman.

DC League of Super-Pets is cute, and I imagine that it may be a hit with certain young viewers. While watching it, I couldn't wait for it to be over. The first 56 minutes of the film is formulaic superhero movie drivel, except for a moment here and there, such as the baby Kal-El and puppy Krypto's exodus from a dying Krypton. The film does not have another emotional moment that feels real until Kevin Hart's Ace tells his tragic story. When the other shelter pets tell their story, those stories don't work as well as Ace's. Also, I wasn't crazy with the design and art direction for this film. Everything looks like second-rate retro and draw-by-number art deco.

Perhaps, I have mixed feelings about this movie because I have mixed feelings about the voice performances. Dwayne Johnson is okay as Krypto; to me, his personality seems wrong for Krypto. Keanu Reeves is good as Batman, mainly because he captures the humorous angle written for the character. Kevin Hart is quite good as Ace; actually, Hart's Ace would have been a better lead character. [Maybe, we can get an “Ace the Bat-Hound” movie.] Kate McKinnon is also really good as Lulu, and she makes a character that probably shouldn't work dominate much of this movie. No other voice performances in this film really move me.

The last act of DC League of Super-Pets offers a satisfying superhero battle with a victory for the heroes. McKinnon is so good at making Lulu evil that I cheered when she receives her comeuppance. I can recommend this movie to fans of superhero films, especially fans of films based on DC Comics characters, and to young audiences. For the most part, it is like the average DreamWorks Animation or Illumination Entertainment anthropomorphic animal movie. There are many superhero films that I watch repeatedly, but I doubt DC League of Super-Pets will be one of them.

[This film includes an end credits scene featuring Black Adam, his dog (Anubis), Superman, and Krypto.]

5 of 10
C+
★★½ out of 4 stars

Wednesday, October 12, 2022

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Thursday, September 29, 2022

Review: Baz Luhrmann's "ELVIS" Reveals That White People Ruined Presley

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 of 2022 (No. 1867) by Leroy Douresseaux

Elvis (2022)
Running time: 159 minutes (2 hours, 39 minutes)
MPA – PG-13 for substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material and smoking
DIRECTOR: Baz Luhrmann
WRITERS: Baz Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner; from a story by Baz Luhrmann and Jeremy Doner
PRODUCERS: Baz Luhrmann, Gail Berman, Catherine Martin, Patrick McCormick, and Schuyler Weiss
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mandy Walker (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa
COMPOSER: Elliot Wheeler

BIOPIC/HISTORICAL

Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Luke Bracey, Dacre Montgomery, Leon Ford, Gary Clark, Jr., Yola, Natasha Bassett, Xavier Samuel, Adam Dunn, Shonka Dukureh, and Chaydon Jay

Elvis is a 2022 biopic, musical drama, and historical film from director Baz Luhrmann. The film is an overview and fictional account of the life of Elvis Presley (1935–1977), the singer, songwriter, performer, and actor best known as simply “Elvis” and also as the “King of Rock and Roll.” Elvis the movie examines his life – from his childhood to his rise to cultural icon status – and his complicated relationship with his notorious manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Elvis opens in 1997 and introduces Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). After suffering a stroke, he is on his deathbed. His gambling addiction has left him broke, but once upon a time, he was somebody. He was both famous and infamous. He was the manager of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.

Early in his life, Elvis Aaron Presley (Chaydon Jay) was a just a kid whose family had moved into a housing project in the white section of an African-American neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee (1948). Elvis' family was poor, and his father was in prison. Elvis, already familiar with country music, became steeped in the gospel music of the nearby Black churches and also in the rhythm and blues of the Black clubs and music halls on Memphis' Beale Street.

Later (1955), when Colonel Parker meets the now adult Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), he is making waves as a young singer and guitarist. Parker is already partnered with country singer, Hank Snow (David Wenham), when he hears Elvis, a young white artist who sounds black, especially on the groundbreaking single, “That's All Right.”

Soon, Parker is managing Elvis, and the young man's stage performances are making him very popular with young people, especially young women, who are driven crazy by Elvis' salacious wiggling legs, swinging hips, and thrusting pelvis. Under Parker's management, Elvis begins a meteoric rise to stardom, but his stage act is drawing the ire of white people who don't want their kids exposed to Black music and culture. To save Elvis from trouble, Colonel Parker exerts more control over Elvis' music, performances, and life, but what will that do to Parker and Elvis' already complex relationship?

Hard as it is to believe, Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has only directed six films in his thirty-year career, beginning with his 1992 debut, Strictly Ballroom, which I have never seen. Other than Elvis, I have only seen Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge! (2001), and I have only reviewed the latter.

Elvis is like Moulin Rouge!, a flashy, fast-moving musical drama with excellent production values. Everything about Elvis is lavish, spectacular, fabulous and beautiful. The production design, art direction, and sets are the most beautiful that I have seen this year and maybe in a long time. The costumes, regardless of the characters' wealth and social status, are gorgeous (the only word I can think of). The cinematography and lighting create a world of fantasy, and the film editing manages to convey the seemingly incalculable number of moods and emotions that Luhrmann wants the audience for Elvis to experience.

The soundtrack is filled with Presley's iconic recordings, including some sung by Austin Butler. There are a number of famous gospel and blues songs performed by their legendary originators. There are also modern jams, some reinterpretations of classic songs, including the work of Elvis.

Simply put, Austin Butler makes you believe that he is Elvis Presley. Butler seems to channel everything that made Elvis an icon and a legend. Even Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla, and daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, were awed by Butler's performance. For anyone to beat Butler to the Oscar this year, they will have to be as amazing as him.

As for the entire film: Elvis is at its best when it chronicles Elvis' rise before he enters the military service (the U.S. Army 1958-60). When Elvis is close to his Memphis roots and hanging around Black singers and performers, he is happy and so is the film. Post-military, the film is still beautiful to look like, but the film takes a darker turn as Elvis is disconnected from his roots and becomes surrounded by white people, most of whom are parasites. And the ones that are not parasites are manipulators.

Tom Hanks' Colonel Tom Parker is one of the most ridiculously awful and awfully ridiculous film characters that I have ever seen. Hanks' Parker is like a mix of “Pennywise the Clown” from the It films (based on the Stephen King books) and a mangy elf. Parker epitomizes the morass that drags at the film for most of its running time. Hanks' Parker does make one of the film's themes obvious and true. Maybe, Elvis and Parker snowed themselves as much as they snowed each other.

My grade reflects how much I like this film's production values, music, and Austin Butler's performance. Butler is the shining light of Elvis. I could watch him play Elvis Presley again – in a better film.

6 of 10
B
★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, September 29, 2022

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Friday, September 16, 2022

Review: "THE WOMAN KING" Delivers a Beat Down for Your Viewing Pleasure

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 53 of 2022 (No. 1865) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Woman King (2022)
Running time: 135 minutes (2 hours, 15 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing material, thematic content, brief language and partial nudity
DIRECTOR: Gina Prince-Bythewood
WRITERS: Dana Stevens; from a story by Dana Stevens and Maria Bello
PRODUCER: Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Cathy Schulman, and Julius Tennon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Polly Morgan (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Terilyn A. Shropshire
COMPOSER: Terrence Blanchard

HISTORICAL/DRAMA/WAR

Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Shelia Atim, John Boyega, Jordan Bolger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Jimmy Odukoya, Masali Baduza, Jayme Lawson, Adrienne Warren, and Chioma Antoinette Umeala

The Woman King is a 2022 epic war film and historical drama from director Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film is a fictional account of the all-female military regiment, the Agojie, who protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey during the length of its existence (from approximately 1600 to 1904). The Woman King focuses on a woman general who must face the ghosts of her past as she leads her all-female band of warriors in a bid to protect their kingdom.

The Woman King opens in 1823 in West Africa in the Kingdom of Dahomey. The kingdom has a new monarch, the young King Ghezo (John Boyega), who is ambitious and has plans for a better future for Dahomey,which is currently paying tributes to the Oyo Empire. His kingdom is protected by the female warriors called the “Agojie,” whose notorious and fearsome reputation has led people to call them the “Dahomey Amazons.”

Agojie leader, General Nanisca (Viola Davis), knows that Dahomey is threatened with destruction from Oyo and its allies. Her enemy is the fearsome Oyo warrior, Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya), so she must recruit new warriors to replace the ones who have died in battle. Among her new recruits is Nawi (Thuso Mbedu), a stubborn girl who was given away by her father. Nanisca is running out of time as Dahomey's enemies plot against the kingdom. Also, the threat of European slave traders means that some of her own warriors could end up in barracoons (cages) before they are carried away as slaves. Meanwhile, Nanisca must face both a ghost and a demon from her past.

The “Dora Milaje,” the all-female “king's guard” of the Disney/Marvel Studios' film, Black Panther (2018), are based on the Agojie. Since the Dora Milaje kicked ass in the Marvel film, The Woman King had to depict the Agojie as ass-kickers, and the film does. The action choreography is quite good – martial arts, historical war epic, and superhero movie good. The Woman King, in some ways, is similar to films like Braveheart (1995) and Gladiator (2000). The Woman King manages to be quite the crowd-pleaser by having the female warrior kill their enemies, which includes plenty of white men involved in the slave trade.

I am not surprised that The Woman King reminds me of another Marvel film, last year's Black Widow (2021). The fight choreography in The Woman King sometimes resembles the techniques used by the character, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. Also like Black Widow the film, The Woman King delves into how much it costs the Agojie to be warriors. Via Nanisca, we see how hard these women work and how much they sacrifice. As Nanisca, Viola Davis gives her best performance since her Oscar-winning turn in Fences (2016), if not her best performance ever. Davis' muscular performance makes Nanisca gritty and determined and that defines the rest of the Agojie. It also defines this film because producers Maria Bello and Cathy Schulman had to show grit and determination as they tried to convince studios to finance this film.

The Woman King also has the distinction of being one of those rare films in which every performance is outstanding – from the largest to the smallest roles, in addition to Viola Davis' superb turn. John Boyega is surprisingly regal as King Ghezo. As Nawi, Thuso Mbedu nearly steals this entire film, and as her quasi-paramour, Malik, Jordan Bolger is a light-skinned Mandingo … and his acting is good, too. Lashana Lynch and Sheila Atim fairly leap off the screen as Nanisca's lieutenants, Izogie and Amenza, respectively.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and her cohorts deliver a film that is an absolute blast. The mix of historical and alternate history feels uplifting, and it's totally fine for us to cheer and celebrate the battles and who gets killed in them. Thank you, Maria Bello (who should have been Oscar-nominated for her performance in the film, The Cooler) and Cathy Schulman for getting this started. Thank you, Viola Davis for leading all these goddesses in one of 2022's best films, The Woman King.

9 of 10
A+
★★★★+ out of 4 stars

Friday, September 16, 2022

The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Sunday, September 11, 2022

Review: In "THE BLACK PHONE," the Children Answer the Call

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 52 of 2022 (No. 1864) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Black Phone (2022)
Running time: 103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPA – R for violence, bloody images, language and some drug use
DIRECTOR: Scott Derrickson
WRITERS: Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (based on the short story “The Black Phone” by Joe Hill)
PRODUCERS: Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brett Jutkiewicz (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Frédéric Thoraval
COMPOSER: Mark Korven

HORROR/CRIME/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, E. Roger Mitchell, Troy Rudeseal, James Ransone, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Rebecca Clarke, Tristan Pravong, Brady Hepner, Jacob Moran, Banks Repeta, and Ethan Hawke

The Black Phone is a 2022 supernatural horror, mystery,and crime thriller from director Scott Derrickson. The film is based on the short story, “The Black Phone,” from author Joe Hill. The story was first published in the The 3rd Alternative No. 39, the Autumn 2004 issue of the former British horror magazine. The Black Phone the movie focuses on a teen boy who is abducted by a child killer and imprisoned in a basement where he starts receiving phone calls from a disconnected phone.

The Black Phone opens in North Denver, 1978. A presumed serial killer, nicknamed “The Grabber” (Ethan Hawke), has been prowling the streets of a particular Denver suburb and abducting teenage boys. Shortly after the film begins, a boy named Bruce Yamada (Tristan Pravong) disappears and is presumed a victim of The Grabber.

Teen Finney Blake (Mason Thames) lives in this North Denver suburb with his younger sister, Gwen Blake (Madeleine McGraw), and their abusive, alcoholic, widowed father, Terrence Blake (Jeremy Davies). At school, Finney is frequently bullied and harassed, but he has struck up a friendship with a classmate, Robin Arellano ( Miguel Cazarez Mora), who fends off the bullies. Then, the Grabber gets Robin.

Meanwhile, Gwen, who has psychic dreams like her late mother, dreams of a masked man who drives a van and kidnaps Bruce, leaving black balloons in his wake. Then, Finney has a violent encounter with the Grabber. Finney awakens in a soundproofed basement where the Grabber has imprisoned him. On the rear wall is a black rotary phone that the Grabber says does not work. The black phone is supposedly disconnected, but later, the phone rings. When Finney answers it, he here's a familiar voice – a voice of one of the Grabber's victims. Now, Finney must rely on the instructions of ghosts, his own shaky bravery, and (unknown to him) the dreams of Gwen if he is going to survive the murderous plans of a maniac.

I have not read the short story, author Joe Hill's “The Black Phone,” upon which this film is based. [I have read Hill's 2013 novel, NOS4A2, and his 2019 short story and novelettes collection, Full Throttle.] Not reading the short story did not stop me from enjoying The Black Phone the movie, for the most part.

It takes a bit to really get into the nonsensical scenario: a guy drives around in a pitch black van, snatching kids in the middle of the day, practically right out in the street, and no one sees a thing. However, co-writer/director Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill thrive on generating scares out of ridiculous scenarios, such as in their 2012 creepy horror film, Sinister. Truthfully, horror films should not necessarily make sense; whether the film is driven by a killer, demonic possession, or haunting, horror films are a fantastic scenario. Scary movies should not be logical or perhaps, be somewhat illogical. Still, until the Grabber grabs Finney, I was not invested in the film, although I was already feeling some fear.

That said, the children are the stars of this film, especially the siblings, Finney and Gwen Blake. Finney tries to find answers in the mysterious phone calls he receives on the disconnected black phone. Gwen battles her own doubts even as she deals with an abusive father who is afraid of what will become of her and her abilities, to say nothing of the two police detectives who must come around to believing her visions.

The Black Phone is one of those times when both a boy and a girl come of age and undergo the heroic journey at the same time in the same movie. That makes the struggle and victory all the more satisfying. Mason Thames as Finney and Madeleine McGraw as Gwen are convincing as both the heroes and as the sensible ones. They make The Black Phone's last act visceral and invigorating, and dear readers, you will vicariously fear for your life, which makes the resolution so, so satisfying. It is rare that I cheer the end of a horror movie, but I did it for The Black Phone.

7 of 10
A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Saturday, September 10, 2022

The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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