Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner; one of the busiest, loudest days of the year. It seems an unlikely venue to debut a new spot for A Quiet Place Part II, but Paramount hopes the sequel can make as much noise as its hit predecessor did two years ago.
Once again directed by John Krasinski, who also wrote the script this time, A Quiet Place II seems to pick up right where the last film left off, with Emily Blunt’s character leading her family, and newborn child, out into a dangerous world. While the noise-tracking monsters still lurk, it’s the humans scrounging for survival they must also look out for.
Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds return, and we see Krasinski’s character quickly in flashback. Newcomers to the franchise (because that’s what it is now) include Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou. We’ll see if any of them survives for a third movie.
A Quiet Place Part II opens March 20th! Check out the trailer as well as a new featurette.
The frustration felt by a black aspiring playwright comes fairly early on in Radha Blank’s funny, observant, and overlong The 40-Year-Old Version. Radha, playing a heightened version of herself, chokes out a white producer (Reed Birney) who criticizes her play on Harlem gentrification, questioning whether a black person actually wrote it, then offering her a job writing a culturally palatable Harriet Tubman musical, instead. We don’t agree with her attack, but we can kinda-sorta understand it.
The 40-Year-Old Version is shot in gorgeous 35mm black & white by Clemency cinematographer Eric Branco, giving us a gritty, street-level look at New York similar to the early work of Spike Lee. The film is never dull to look at, and that includes its star, always with a wry look in her eye and a new headwrap as she sucks down on an ever-present unknown diet drink. Radha’s midlife crisis is fueled, like most midlife crises, by unfulfilled potential. A playwright whose inclusion in a prestigious “30 under 30” list set her up for greatness, Radha is instead teaching creative writing to troublesome students and struggling to pay her rent every month. In a series of montages we are introduced to her little corner of Harlem, where a 70-year-old woman offers backhanded advice, a homeless man won’t mind his own business, and a Korean store owner makes lewd advances. Radha desperately wants to create, to bring the reality of her Harlem to the stage. During one funny/sad scene, she wails “I just want to be an artist!” while a saucy BBQ rib hangs on for dear life in her hand.
But it’s hard out there for a black woman to find a place where her creative voice can be heard and appreciated. The system is designed to shut it out, or like in the case of that producer, to homogenize it. After his successful all-female version of 12 Angry Men, that producer wants Radha to add a prominent white character to her play, Harlem Ave, and for it to undergo extensive rewrites overseen by a white director. Radha is forced to choose between staying true to herself, or selling out to achieve what she’s always wanted.
A bit aimless at first, the film eventually finds its voice just as Radha discovers hers. Tapping into her long-held passions for poetry and rap music, Radha transforms herself into rapper RadhaMUSprime (the real-life Radha’s alter ego), where all of the things she hopes to say on stage can be unleashed on the microphone. With the aid of quiet, stoic producer D (excellent newcomer Oswin Benjamin), Radha experiences a creative awakening, but the pull of her white-washed play lingers, largely due to her flamboyant agent and best friend Archie (Peter Y. Kim) who won’t let her give up on it.
The real-life Radha has a list of accomplishments (including writing episodes of Empire and She’s Gotta Have It) that the screen version would kill (or choke someone out) for. But in her feature writing/directing debut, it’s safe to say Radha has never done anything quite this personal, frequently recalling and displaying the work of her late artist mother, establishing a legacy that Radha is desperate to continue. But at what cost? Is the achievement of one’s dream worth it if everything one stands for is compromised? Is that what being a true artist means? It’s likely Radha is pulling from her own struggles to break into the business as inspiration for the movie’s many astute and witty comments.
With so much that Radha has on her mind, there’s apparently nothing left on the cutting room floor. Clocking in at 129-minutes (made to feel longer by the incorrect runtime announced by our screening’s host), The 40-Year-Old Version‘s biggest problem is that it overstays its welcome. Radha is one Hell of a character, a very big personality, but so many of the characters in this film are over-the-top and it gets tiresome over such a long stretch. The script gets clunkier, less focused (a diversion into the world of battle rap is unnecessary) and more on-the-nose, with Radha eventually rapping her epiphany to a stunned audience’s rapt approval. For a first-time feature the film is a bit rough around the edges but not without its charms, with the greatest of them being Radha herself. She’s a star in the making, so look out.
Given that David Simon’s track record with HBO includes acclaimed series The Wire, The Deuce, Show Me A Hero, Generation Kill, and The Corner, anything he does for the network can’t be ignored. His next HBO series is The Plot Against America, an adaptation of Philip Roth’s novel that reimagines a world in which FDR never became President, and the drumbeat to fascism grows loud.
Starring Winona Ryder, Zoe Kazan, John Turturro, and Morgan Spector, The Plot Against America considers what would happen if Franklin Roosevelt lost the Presidential election to famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, a xenophobic populist who leads the country towards fascism.
In Roth’s novel, Lindbergh forges an alliance with the Germans, creating hostility towards the Jewish community that includes taking their young men to be “Americanized” in the South and Midwest. The original story was told from Roth’s own perspective as a child, but it looks as if Simon’s series will shift the focus a little bit.
SYNOPSIS: “The Plot Against America” imagines an alternate American history told through the eyes of a working-class Jewish family in New Jersey. The story follows the family as they watch the political rise of Charles Lindbergh, an aviator-hero and xenophobic populist, who becomes president and turns the nation towards fascism.
Simon reunites with The Wire co-creator Ed Burns, with both serving as writers and exec-producers. HBO will premiere The Plot Against America on March 16th.
Everyone reacts differently to tragedy. Some people use it
to motivate them to be better, to do better. Others let it consume them and
ruin their lives. Unfortunately for Stephanie Patrick (Blake Lively), the latter
has happened as her life spirals out of control after an airplane crash that
kills her entire family in The Rhythm Section. Once a top student at
Oxford, Stephanie now finds herself as a drug and alcohol addicted prostitute
named Lisa, working for a pimp named Dean West (Daniel Mays) in London. She is
emaciated and depressed – seemingly floating through life using any conceivable
substance to dull her pain.
When a journalist named Keith Proctor (Raza Jaffrey)
approaches Stephanie and tells her that the airplane crash was not an accident,
that it was the work of terrorists – Stephanie can’t seem to grasp what he is
saying and immediately dismisses it. As more time passes, and with the possible
truth eating at her, Stephanie finally draws up the courage to contact Proctor.
He brings her into his home and introduces her to a dark and twisted web – and
at the center of it is Reza Mohammed (Tawfeek Barhom). Stephanie vows to bring justice
to Reza and those responsible for the crash that changed her entire existence.
Stephanie seeks out the help of Iain Boyd (Jude Law), a
former MI6 agent that was Proctor’s source who enlightened him to the
conspiracy in the first place. Boyd agrees to train Stephanie – not only
physically with running, swimming, and shooting practice – but he teaches her
how to control her emotions and use her wits in any situation. Boyd lets her know
that the conspiracy goes even deeper than she thought, and that Reza is only a
pawn. Before long, Boyd thinks Stephanie is ready – and with a new identity and
her training behind her, he throws her to the wolves. Stephanie meets with Marc
Serra (Sterling K. Brown) – a philanthropist who also has connections to the dark
world that Stephanie is trying to infiltrate. Stephanie will do whatever is
necessary to complete her quest of justice for her family, no matter where she
must go or who stands in her way.
The Rhythm Section is based on the novel by Mark Burnell
who also pens the screenplay and is directed by Reed Morano. Morano weaves
scenes of Stephanie interacting with her parents before the crash into the
narrative to keep reminding the audience of Stephanie’s humanity and what is
driving her. Morano does not have much film experience – most of her prior
directing has been for television shows. Some of this inexperience shows as The
Rhythm Section muddles along. The film can be incredibly stale at times not
to mention hard to follow. Having read the book, I had some background to go from
– and with Burnell being involved in such a large capacity, I really expected
more – but the film goes off the rails several times.
Lively provides us with a solid performance, but it is not
enough to save The Rhythm Section. Along with her impressive acting,
Lively’s physical transformation in the film is shocking. She looks almost
unrecognizable as Stephanie when she is at rock bottom. With
so many talented actors involved, and a well-received book as the premise – I had
big hopes for the film and for a possible universe to be built around the
characters. Instead we get a poor man’s Jason Bourne, and even that might be a
bit generous. Numerous character’s motives are unclear – and not because of
deception or espionage, they just don’t make sense. The narrative isn’t smooth,
and the film seems to jump around all over the place.
Lively’s performance aside,
there were some other redeeming qualities. The main one being a big car chase that shifts from close-up shots of Stephanie to point of view, putting the
audience in the driver’s seat (pun intended). This chase was a blast and really
makes you feel like you are racing through city streets. Unfortunately, that
was the highlight of this overall bland and cliché thriller. There was a lot of
wasted potential here, and I think if they could call mulligan and take another
shot at this one, The Rhythm Section and the audience would be better off
for it.
Oscar voting is well underway as we are less than two weeks from Hollywood’s biggest night. It’s that time of year for nominated films to be released back into theaters and for you to see the collection of Oscar-nominated shorts gracing your screen for your consideration. This year in the animation category, multiple countries, themes, and styles are represented, creating a more adult vibe to this year’s contenders than expected. Stop motion animation seems to be the medium of choice with three out of the five films choosing this often tedious method over traditional animation. Because of its more mature atmosphere, the vibe of this year’s crop is darker but that does not take away from their brilliance or impact. Here are this year’s Oscar nominees for best animated short.
Dcera (Daughter) – Dir. Daria Kashcheeva, Czech Republic, 15 min.
Easily the standout of the nominees, this stop motion puppet animation pushes the boundaries of what an animated short can do. Using extreme close-ups and handheld camera work, director Kashcheeva uses a live-action approach to the cinematography to convey the struggle of a father and daughter relationship as the father is hospitalized. The smoothness of the camera movement coupled with sweet subtle music and moving bird imagery, propel the silent film, not only to the Oscars but to groundbreaking part of animation we’ve never really seen before.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Hair Love – Dir. Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr. and Bruce W. Smith, USA, 7 min.
The film with the most star power and Hollywood force behind it, Hair Love is a moving story of representation and everyday determination as a little black girl and her dad try to tame her beautiful hair before a very important day. Making the Facebook rounds in the fall of last year, with Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse co-director Peter Ramsey on as an executive producer and Sony Pictures Animation behind it, this simple, soft and classic style animation is a likely bet for your Oscar pool. Using minimal dialogue, except for Issa Rae as Zuri’s beauty vlogger mom, the film knows exactly which buttons to push to reach a high emotional impact: representation, black girl magic, daddy/daughter bonding, to name a few. It’s fun and light-hearted when it needs to be before hitting that powerful endnote. It’s arguably the most commercial of the shorts and with its successful Kickstarter campaign, Hair Love proves that representation can be powerful and still deeply wanted.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Kitbull – Dir. Rosana Sullivan, USA, 9 min.
Produced by Disney and Pixar, this surprisingly dark short was released on Youtube in mid-2019. Capturing the relationship between a feral kitten and a well-meaning pitbull, the two learn to bond and depend on each other in a cruel and unfair world. Touching on animal cruelty and shared trauma, this short feels more mature than past Disney/Pixar submissions. With a more traditional but soft animation style, the short is more clear-cut and predictable than its other nominees but no less emotional.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Mémorable – Dir. Bruno Collet, France, 12 min.
This film breaks from its own stop motion animation style in order to illustrate how Alzheimer’s experienced by the patient. Taking advantage of different painting styles on the models, even delving into a Van Gogh “Starry Night” Motif, Mémorable literally illustrates the confusion and strain on those with the debilitating condition through the married couple Louis and Michelle. Combining the surreal with reality, director Bruno Collet puts the audience in Louis’s shoes, utilizing animation to emerge us in this condition like we never have before.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Sister – Dir, Siqi Song, China/USA, 8 mins.
It seems that every category of the Oscars has to have at least one nominee that makes a political statement. Sister is that nominee for animated short. Using stop motion animated puppets and a world made of felt, this film starts out with an adult male voice retelling his history with his little sister. The mostly black and white color palette (with a few pops of red), start out feeling like a quirky creative choice until the film’s inner motives are made clear. With a powerful plot twist calling out a particular Chinese ethical practice, this seemingly sweet tribute to siblinghood feels like a punch in the gut by the time the credits roll.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Included in the showcase but not Oscar-nominated are Henrietta Bulkowski, a story of a girl with a hunchback who wants to fly with Anne Dowd, Christina Hendricks, and Chris Copper lending their voices, Hors Paste, a French 80’s inspired ski rescue focused dark comedy, The Bird and The Whale, a sweet but sad Irish film straight out of a picture book, and Maestro, a less than two minute short where hyper-realistic forest animals sing opera. In a year with many strong contenders, only time will tell which one will go home with the golden statue.
All films are at Landmark’s E Street Cinema and Bethesda Row Cinema now!
The Oscar Short categories are often the purest. Most submissions don’t have much clout or star power attached to them so the films that make it into these categories, make it in on merit alone or at least on fewer politics than the feature film category. This year’s nominees are no exception. The following five films tell unique and gut-wrenching stories from the US, Tunisia, Belgium, France, and Guatemala, often unseen in today’s modern media.
A Sister – Dir. Delphine Girard, Belgium,16 min.
A Sister is an intense 16 minutes phone conversation between two women. While driving in the car with a man, Alle decides to call her sister. On the other end of the line is an emergency operator. What transpires over the next quarter-hour is a game of literal telephone, two women trying to communicate without her assailant knowing. Cutting back and forth between the car and the call center, the direction is simple but very effective at building tension. We never see Alle’s full face nor her attacker’s and minimal music is used to make it seem as realistic as possible. After all, phone calls like this are made every day all around the world.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Brotherhood – Dir. Meryan Joobear, Tunisia, 25 min.
A prodigal eldest son comes home in Tunisia’s Brotherhood, causing tension between father and child. Returning illegally across the border with a young deeply religious Muslim wife, Malek must wrestle with the guilt of his past actions while keeping the anger of his father at bay. A quiet family drama interspersed with calm scenic shots of the Tunisian countryside, the film plays with the audience’s empathy, leaving a gut-wrenching impact in its wake.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Neighbor’s Window – Dir. Marshall Curry, USA, 20 min.
They say the grass is greener on the other side but is the window clearer? A wife and mother must answer that question when she and her husband discover that they can see clear into the apartment of a young couple across the street. Over the course of the year, she becomes obsessed with watching them screw, eat, and party, comparing her repetitive and boring life to theirs through her husband’s binoculars. Though the film starts off seeming like a melodrama, with plenty of angst and montages, what unfolds is a surprisingly beautiful twist deserving of its nomination.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Saria – Dir. Bryan Buckley, USA, 23 min.
This short film from the US actually takes place in a Guatemalan orphanage. Based on the true story of 41 young women in the Virgen de La Asunción orphanage, the film follows the titular Saria and her sister as they handle beatings, rape, young love and a yearning to flee to America on a daily basis. Utilizing current events and common knowledge about US immigration policy, the film places a face to a powerful story that will leave you harrowingly heartbroken over the current state of our world.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Nefta Football Club – Dir. Yves Piat, Tunisia/France, 17 min.
Two young brothers, traveling alone, find a donkey wearing headphones in the middle of the desert. What they find with the donkey will change their lives forever, or at least their weekend. Easily the short with the most levity, its genuinely funny dialogue provides a nice break in the middle of these more serious films. It’s unusual premise and mastery of tension keep you captivated until its final moments, not knowing how it’s going to end. It’s beautiful to look at, it will make you laugh. What more could you want from 17 minutes?
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
All Films are at Landmark’s E Street Cinema and Bethesda Row Cinema now!
More than two decades after The Big Lebowski, the sequel fans have been asking for is here. Well, a spiritual sequel. John Turturro returns to his bowling-obsessed ex-con Jesus Quintana in The Jesus Rolls, a film he wrote and directed.
While Quintana’s presence obviously connects this to The Big Lebowski, the film is actually a remake of the 1974 French comedy, Going Places, and centers on a trio of misfits as they “embark on a “freewheeling joyride of petty crime and romance.” The story picks up after Quintana has been freed from prison after being framed as a pedophile.
Joining Turturro in the central trio are Audrey Tautou and Bobby Cannavale. Jon Hamm, Pete Davidson, Susan Sarandon, Christopher Walken, Sonia Braga, and JB Smoove co-star.
The Coen Brothers gave Turturro their blessing to move forward with his passion project, but had no role in its development. This one is all Turturro, who has found a way to keep one of his most iconic characters alive by tapping into the past.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free advance screening of Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). The film returns Margot Robbie to the role of Suicide Squad breakout, Harley Quinn! She’s joined by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Ella Jay Basco and Ewan McGregor!
SYNOPSIS: You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is a twisted tale told by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide, and the unlikely foursome have no choice but to team up to take Roman down.
The screening takes place on Wednesday, February 5th at AMC Mazza Gallerie. If you’d like to attend, go to the Warner Bros. ticket site here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you will need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
It’s hard to get excited about yet another attempted revival of The Crow, the James O’Barr revenge comic that was adapted into an infamous 1994 movie starring Brandon Lee. Attempts to reboot the franchise have been going on for a decade, and the many problems faced have become the stuff of legend at this point. It’s been two years since the latest attempt failed, and…well, here we go again.
Bloody Disgusting report that Davis Films are once again trying to reboot The Crow, about rocker Eric Draven who is murdered along with his girlfriend, but returns as a spirit of vengeance. Davis Films was involved in the most recent failed reboot, which was to star Aquaman‘s Jason Momoa with Corin Hardy (The Nun) as director. Neither is involved at this point.
If anything, The Crow is all the proof you need that just having a project in development doesn’t mean shit. It’s also an example of a franchise that will always get another chance, no matter how long it takes.
While everyone was trying to figure out what the secret screening would be at Sundance this year, I joked that it might be Burden: the Director’s Cut. While it hardly has the cachet of a big film deserving of such a prestigious slot, the joke is that Burden, which I saw at Sundance two whole years ago, still hasn’t come out. Goddamn, people would’ve been disappointed! Including me.
So it’s been a long wait for Burden, which stars Garrett Hedlund as Mike Burden, a KKK member who begins to question his racist beliefs, guided by the wisdom of a black Reverend, played by Forest Whitaker, and a single-mother played by Andrea Riseborough. The film was written and directed by Andrew Heckler, a former actor. Also in the cast are Usher, Tess Harper, and a particularly nasty heel turn by Tom Wilkinson.
Burden hits theaters on February 28th. You can check out my review here.
