Author Archives: Ron

About Ron

I like to watch movies and share my thoughts on them. I have been writing reviews and distributing them since 2013.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

The Last Black Man in San Francisco         4 ½ stars

The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a great quality film by some relative newcomers to the industry that is a tribute to the city that they love.  Young actor Jimmie Fails plays a black man of the same name who lives with his best friend, Mont and Mont’s blind grandfather in a tiny rundown house.  Both of them have jobs but the two of them seem to spend all their time together.  Jimmie has an attachment to the old family house, an old Victorian mansion that is now in a gentrified neighborhood so all of the black families have been forced out.  But this doesn’t stop Jimmie from tending to the house without the approval of the rich white owners.  We get plenty of background story about Jimmie’s family and the plight of many in the black community including how some of them live near a toxic dump that is in the process of being cleaned by the government.  The cinematography is outstanding as it shows us a great deal of the city’s beauty and the people that live there and keep it interesting.  The director, Joe Talbot, tells us a story about friendship and what those friends will do for each other.  He also describes a people who have a love for a city even while that city seems to be leaving them behind.  The movie does have a long running time at 2 hours and has scenes that seem to run on for a long time.  Much credit must be given to the lead actor, Jimmie Fails for some intense acting.  The movie was honored by receiving the US Dramatic Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

Sirat

Sirat       4 ½ stars

At the opening of Sirat we see the words on the screen telling us that Sirat is the path between heaven and hell and that it is narrower than a strand of hair and sharper than a sword. These words serve as a warning for what the viewer is in for. Sirat, by Spanish film director Oliver Laxe, is the most slow-burning and harrowing film I have seen in a long time. As it progresses it becomes a test of endurance for the movie goer. The movie starts with hands building a large stack of speakers somewhere in the desert. Eventually, they are in place and the music starts. The sound we hear is that of loud rave music with a steady beat and non-melodic sound with over a hundred people seen dancing. They are some where in the Moroccan desert next to a mountain range. Luiz (Sergi López), a middle-aged Spanish man is wandering through the crowd with his young son, Estaban and their dog, showing a photo of his daughter to people asking if they have seen her. His daughter has been missing for months, and she was known to frequent these illegal rave events. Then a truck carrying armed soldiers appears, stopping the event and forcing the dancers to leave. As the crowd starts to drive away, a quintet of rave followers who are part of the crew drives off on their own path and Luiz decides to follow them in the hope that he may learn of the whereabouts of his daughter. There is another rave to be held in the desert in a few days, and they intend to get there driving through the desert. (They are driving a large truck and an RV, but Luiz and his son are in a mini-van that is not equipped for the rough roads.) We hear radio reports making vague references to there being a state of war. Later, they see troop convoys making their way through the desert. This movie is not about the search for a missing daughter, but something much more ominous and existential. Initially, it may look like a road trip movie, but it isn’t Thelma and Louise or even Mad Max. These travelers find themselves in one of the most isolated and unforgiving places imaginable. It is a place practically devoid of human or animal life. The mood of the film changes to something more ominous and is aided by a loud and hypnotic sounding score like nothing I have heard before. There are long stretches of the film showing the voyagers driving through the plains and on dangerous mountain roads with quiet rest stops along the way. As they make progress one gets the feeling of dread and heightened tension while wondering where the film is going. Then the sudden shock comes at the most unexpected time leaving the viewer completely stunned. The film may be described as an obscure arthouse film, but it is absolutely devastating and will not be forgotten. Besides López, all the cast are non-professionals who Laxe found among actual rave goers as he has followed the rave scene for the last six years. Thus, the actors are very authentic. Sirat is nominated for Academy Awards in the Best International Feature and Best Sound categories and is deserving in both categories. Of the nominated foreign films I have seen, I find only The Secret Agent to possibly be superior to this extraordinary film. You are warned though that this one is not for everyone.

Never Look Away

Never Look Away                                             4 ½ stars

Never Look Away is an epic storytelling of a young German artist who lived through the time of Nazi Germany and Communist controlled East Germany growing as an artist and developing his own special kind of painting.  Its three hour length covers a great span of time from the thirties to the sixties, starting with 10 year old Kurt witnessing a display of “degenerate art” and the horrors accompanying the Nazi’s waging war against the world.  After the war, Kurt, the young man (Tom Schilling) works as an artist for the Communist regime of East Germany producing art of the Socialist workers, but you can tell his talent calls for him to be something better.  Fortunately, he meets Ellie, a young pretty woman supplying new pencils to the artists.  Of course the two fall for each other having secret night rendezvous destined for disaster, given that her father is a former SS Nazi in hiding.  Eventually, the two of them escape to the West at the time of the wall going up where Kurt’s artistic career is advanced with the help of prominent artists of the growing movement of contemporary art.  The movie is at its best when we see Kurt being inspired to do his best work by the beauty of the world around him, but also influenced by some of the horror he has experienced from his younger days.  He develops a way of painting photographic images while blending them together in haunting black and white images.  The story is apparently loosely based on the life of real life artist Gerhard Richter, an admired painter of the 20th century.  Never Look Away was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards and is one that should not be missed.

Sword of Trust

Sword of Trust                                   4 stars

One of the most original comedies of the year has to be Sword of Trust by writer director Lynn Shelton.  This is a low budget character driven comedy based on a most unusual premise.  Cynthia and Mary (Jillian Bell and Michaela Watkins), a married lesbian couple arrive at Cynthia’s grandfather’s house who has recently passed away.  They are there to collect on Cynthia’s inheritance, but she is alarmed to find out that the only thing left to her is an antique Union sword from the Civil War that her grandfather treasured.  Accompanying the sword are documents “authenticating” it as proof that it was surrendered by a Union general or Field marshal? To the Confederate army making it proof that in truth the South had won the Civil War.  Not being sure what they have, the couple then take the sword to a local pawn shop in Birmingham, Alabama to see what they can get for it.  The owner of the pawn shop, Mel (country song writer Marc Maron) is not too impressed by the story and dismisses them.  His assistant, Nathaniel (Jon Bass) then looks on line and discovers that there are people who believe this “truth” and are willing to pay big bucks for artifacts that prove that the South actually did win the Civil War.  This group of four then decides to put their differences aside and pursue a transaction with this racist redneck organization and see where it takes them.  To do this they have to be locked up in the back of a truck driven by a guy named “Hog Jaws”. All of this is done in a very comedic way, but the story about the sword is really just a mechanism to bring these people together and allow us to hear their stories of broken relationships and damaged souls.  We get the feeling that these are real people that have gone through difficult times.  Two other films I have seen by Shelton, Your Sister’s Sister and Laggies do much the same kind of thing.  But it’s also a lot of fun to see how the adventure with the sword and the redneck ranch turn out.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood                                5 stars

One of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer has to be Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  This two hour and forty minute marathon is classic Tarantino all the way.  Set in 1969 Hollywood, we follow former TV western star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose star power is fading, and his longtime stunt double Cliff (Brad Pitt).  As we follow their dealings with Hollywood producers and directors and other stunt people, we are bombarded by an overwhelming amount of references to sixties TV shows, movies, commercials and other aspects of the pop culture of the time.  This is all out of the mind of Tarantino who makes no secret of what he is thinking.  We also get plenty of exposure to the hippie culture in the form of the Charles Manson family and this just happens to be in the year of one of the most horrific crimes in the history of Hollywood.  We also get a glimpse of the life of actress Sharon Tate (a delightful Margot Robbie) and her friends as she just happens to be the next door neighbor of Dalton.  Besides all the culture, the director treats us to many humorous moments such as the fight between Cliff and an arrogant Bruce Lee (Mike Moh).  There are plenty of other well known actors sprinkled throughout including Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Dakota Fanning, Damien Lewis (as Steve McQueen), Kurt Russell, Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern.  I could go on, but please treat yourself to one of the best movies of Tarantino’s career.  And don’t be too shocked by the violent ending.  It may not go exactly like you expect.

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians                              4 stars

Last year’s Crazy Rich Asians was one of the big hits of the summer, a return of the rom-com that seems to have been missing from Hollywood for years.  Only this time it’s one featuring an all Asian cast, something extremely rare in mainstream Hollywood.  Rachel Chu, a young New Yorker is persuaded by her boyfriend, Nick to accompany him to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore.  But the thing she didn’t realize is that Nick’s family is rich, but not just that. They are insanely rich or crazy rich.  Also, Nick happens to be one of the most sought after bachelors in the country.  She meets his family and friends including Nick’s former girlfriend and learns about the trappings and baggage that goes along with belonging to a fabulously wealthy family.  She faces some sobering challenges and ultimately faces them making some tough choices.  The film is definitely a comedy with very funny moments featuring some funny cast members.  Included among these is Awkwafina who plays Rachel’s best friend, a role that seriously raised her profile in the industry.  Crazy Rich Asians doesn’t have a political statement to make but is special because of its all Asian cast which shows they are to be taken seriously.  It’s a light enjoyable movie that appeals to a wide audience and is something of a throwback to classic Hollywood comedies.  Among the notable cast is Michelle Yeoh (Captain Georgiou of Star Trek: Discovery) as Nick’s controlling mother in an especially outstanding role.

Good Boys

Good Boys                          4 stars

It has been a good year for comedies so far and that trend continues with Good Boys, a profanity filled R rated comedy about three 12 year boys on a mission to learn how to kiss girls before going to their first kissing party.  The three boys, who are long time friends are not the cool kids and have to endure abuse at their middle school.  They engage is many funny hijinks episodes including trying to spy on teenage girls with a camera equipped drone, conducting a drug deal and selling one of their father’s sex toys before they finally end up at the much anticipated sex party.  It’s a formula very similar to Booksmart, a hit comedy from earlier this summer that involved two high school girls scheming to enjoy their first real alcohol filled party before they graduate.  It works well with the 12 year olds thanks to some over the top acting by Jacob Trembley (as Max), Brady Noon (as Thor) and Keith Williams (as Lucas).  You will remember Trembley from Room and Wonder.  Williams of course was Jasper on TV’s The Last Man on Earth.  The comedy plays off the children’s innocence and curiosity about girls, achieving a balance between vulgar and sweet.  An added bonus was seeing Will Forte as the father of Max.  Molly Gordon from Booksmart also is present as one of the arch nemesis teenage girls the boys have to deal with.  See Good Boys when you can, but don’t take your kids to it!

The Peanut Butter Falcon

The Peanut Butter Falcon             4 ½ stars

The Peanut Butter Falcon is a different kind of adventure story.  Here we follow a Mark Twain like journey of Zak, a young man with Down syndrome as he escapes from the nursing home he lives in, under the eye of employee Eleanor (Dakota Johnson).  It is Zak’s dream to meet his idol, the Salt Water Redneck, a professional wrestler who runs a professional wrestling school so that he can become a wrestler himself.  Circumstances leads to Zak pairing up with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) a small time outlaw on the run from some local bullies.  The two do what they need to in order to survive and avoid the bullies.  Along the way Zak gets some training in from Tyler as well as some whiskey drinking and finding God.  Eventually, Eleanor catches up with the pair and the three continue the journey due to more unusual circumstances.  The story might strike you as farfetched, but all the characters seem real thanks to the fine acting from LaBeouf, Johnson and newcomer Zack Gottsagen as Zak.  The film may not be getting much attention from audiences, but I recommend you see it if you get the chance.

The Farewell

The Farewell                                      4 ½ stars

The Farewell follows a Chinese family who discover that their beloved grandmother is dying and must keep the secret from her while bringing the family together to see her one last time.  At the beginning we are told the story is based on an actual lie, then see a scene where Billi (Awkwafina) who lives in New York gets a call from her grandmother in China.  Both individuals tell lies about what they are doing at that moment thus setting the premise for the story.  This is a mostly serious family film that demonstrates the difference in culture between the east and west.  But it also shows the universal importance of family relationships whatever culture you are from.  Part of the story involves a fabricated wedding involving one of the grandchildren as the excuse to bring the family together, but there is little detail about this event was planned.  Instead the story focuses on the relationships within the family including the difficulty that Billi had as a child adjusting to living in America with only her parents, having left the rest of the family behind in China.  The hurt of separation follows these characters throughout their lives.  I thought it to be one of the best family dramas in years.  The movie played at Sundance and was very well received.  The film is said to be semi-autobiographical by the writer-director Lulu Wang.  I don’t know how much of it is true but it certainly a beautiful story and one of the best films of the year.

Scream 7

Scream 7              2 stars

It has been four years since the Ghostface killer appeared once again in Woodsboro to continue his murderous spree on the local teenagers and others, who are related in some way to Sidney Prescott (Neve Cambell), the original victim of the knife wielding Ghostface going back to the nineties. But then, the very next year he showed up again in New York City in search of more victims, (only minus Sidney since she moved away to an undisclosed location (in Scream VI)). This perpetual killer did not let that stop him though. By now you know the formula. Ghostface makes a sudden appearance in Woodsboro, going on his usual rampage killing victims that are in some way connected to our heroine, Sidney. Some local sleuths come up with theories about who the killer or killers may be (Usually there are more than one.) Then there is a final confrontation where the mask comes off and we discover the identity of the real killer who gives a speech on why Sidney deserves to die, only to be killed by one of our heroes in a thrilling climax. Scream 7 has arrived in theaters and it is much the same story as we have seen in the previous six movies going all the way back to 1996. This time around Ghostface has tracked Sidney down in a different town, only now it is Sidney Evans’ daughter, Tatum (Isabel May of 1883) that he is after. The name is Evans now since Sidney is married to the local police chief, Mark Evans (Joel McCale of Community). In Scream fashion we get an opening scene where a young couple goes on a tour of a house built to recreate the original crime scene complete with Stab movie posters and a Ghostface mechanical figure, only to face their end at the hands of the costumed killer. Ghostface goes on to make threats to Sidney over the phone using that familiar, sinister voice, then follows through by stabbing some of the local teens to death who happen to be friends of Tatum. Then the reporters show up to get the story including the famous Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox returning for her seventh appearance) and her two minions. The rest is basically a repeat of the time-tested routine, when the killer’s identity is discovered and we get the same result. The writer of the original Scream movies, Kevin Williamson returns, this time as both writer and director to bring us this seventh of the series. The earlier directors of the franchise were Wes Craven, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. But there was an actual variation in the latest movie. In what can be called Ghostface meets AI, things get more complicated for poor Sidney with the creation of AI videos showing previous killers thought long dead reappearing on screen to make more threats. Thus, we see once again Dewey (David Arquette) and Stu (Matthew Lillard) making appearances on screen. The use of AI (without actually using AI in the movie) is an added twist that does nothing to add to the story. In my review of Scream VI, I said that it was time to call it quits on the franchise, but the filmmakers didn’t listen to me. My guess is that there will be a Scream 8 one day. But remember, Shoot ‘em in the head!