Category Archives: 2022

All That Breathes

All That Breathes             4 ½ suns

For my final documentary film I saw the winner of the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize, All That Breathes. This story comes from New Delhi, India where two Muslim brothers, Saud and Nadeem have made it their life’s work to rescue and care for injured black kites. There is a Muslim belief that feeding meat to these predatory birds will help ward off troubles. They often cover the sky and are drawn to the city where they feed on the waste of the human population. But the pollution of the air caused by heavy industry takes its toll on the birds and they often fall from the sky where the brothers and their enlisted crew rescue them, bringing them to Saud’s basement where they can be nursed back to health. The film poetically connects the birds to the entire ecosystem, giving their efforts a higher purpose. We see their efforts to keep the enterprise going including their applying for grant money and Saud’s plan to get more animal rescue training in the United States. All this is going on at a time when anti-Muslim violence plagues the city amid increased religious conflict that the government does little to stop. The film is a lesson about how living things find ways to adapt to their changing environment.

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front  4 ½ stars

This time I went from the horrors of narcissistic billionaires to an even greater horror, the viscousness of all-out war, by viewing the 2022 film, All Quiet on the Western Front. This is the German language film based on the well-known novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The book was made into the Academy Award winning film in 1930, and now we have the latest version, made with all the special effects of the present day. The film, by director Edward Berger, holds nothing back in presenting how horrible and devastating war can be. (I also happened to take a guided tour of World War I battlefield sites in France around this time so got a first-hand view of some authentic locations where The Great War was fought.) The opening scenes focus on a World War I battle between the Germans and the French showing us what trench warfare was like, with the soldiers seeing their comrades killed in an instant. But then we see the aftermath, with the bodies being gathered for burial as well as the gathering of the uniforms of the dead. The film then follows the path of the uniforms showing how they are cleaned and then mended so they can be reused by the next group of soldiers, giving us the feeling of a never-ending cycle of death. Like the book we follow teenage recruit Paul and his friends who are very enthusiastic about joining the army and the glory that awaits them. They are assured that the war will be over soon, and they will return to their homes as heroes. Of course, this is not to be as we are treated to one scene of horror after another showing the effects of modern weapons of war. Often the assaults result in scenes of hand-to-hand combat between the adversaries but based on my tour and readings, actual hand to hand combat was a rarity in World War I. More common were the artillery bombardments resulting in large casualties followed up with infantry attacks causing the enemy to retreat from their trenches. In this respect the movie and book are not accurate. We are also treated to scenes of comradery among Paul and his fellow soldiers during the quieter times in the trenches and the surrounding countryside. Against these scenes are those showing what life is like for the higher brass who issue the commands sending thousands of men to their deaths. These well-fed men with their large mustaches feast on their wine and cheese seemingly without a thought of concern for what the men are going through. They are only concerned about their own glory by achieving the victory in battle that forever eludes them. The frightening scenes of battle are backed up by an unsettling score and some of the best cinematography I have seen. The movie was the recipient of four Academy Awards which are well deserved. If you are at all interested in anti-war films, All Quiet on the Western Front must be on your list.

Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile             3 stars

In Death on the Nile, Kenneth Branagh makes his second outing as the famous detective, Hercule Poirot, having previously solved a killing in 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express. This time the Agatha Christie hero is isolated on another means of transportation, a river boat on the Nile River in 1937 Egypt, where while on vacation a dead body is discovered among the many passengers on board. But before all this we first are introduced to some of Poirot’s backstory where we learn of his experiences in battle in the Great War and how he came to wear that unmistakably large mustache. This is followed by his encounters with many of the characters at a London night club that include Simon Doyle (Armie Hammer), a masculine playboy who steams up the dance floor with his fiancé Jacqueline de Bellefort (Emma Mackey). He meets ultra-rich heiress Linett Ridgeway (Gal Gadot) there who is also Jacqueline’s best friend. Fast forward to the previously mentioned scene in Egypt at a high class hotel, we find that Simon has ditched his girlfriend and is now on his honeymoon with his new love, Linett. There are many other associated individuals at the hotel all with connections to Linett, but the shocker is when Jacqueline shows up to the party, uninvited. It is in these circumstances that our detective, Poirot, must interrupt his vacation and join the guests on the Nile riverboat, in order to keep the newlywed couple safe. It is only then that the first of the dead bodies appears, against the backdrop of the spectacular desert scenery of Egypt that could be from a movie of the forties or fifties. This being a movie based on an Agatha Christie novel, there are many suspects all with a possible motive for murder that must be investigated. Most of them are destined to stand around a lot until they are interrogated by Poirot while the viewer puzzles over who the killer could be, or yet another murder happens. While the production quality is high and we are treated to some very interesting cast members (including Annette Bening and Russel Brand) some of the social interactions seem more appropriate to our present than the 1930’s that the movie is set in. Of the two Poirot movies of Branagh, I liked this one better than Murder on the Orient Express. But for a superb murder mystery, you would do even better with 2019’s Knives Out.

Turning Red

Turning Red                        4 stars

Pixar’s 2022 animated film Turning Red takes a different twist on the coming-of-age theme. This first full-length Pixar film to be directed by a woman (Domee Shi) tackles the subject of puberty and menstruation in a teen-age girl by using a metaphor in the form of a giant red panda. 13-year-old Chinese Canadian Mei lives with her immigrant Chinese family in 2008 Toronto and is a normal kid, though anxious and an overachiever in school. Her mother, Ming (Sandra Oh) is very controlling and likes to keep a watchful eye on her only daughter. Mei likes to hang out with her girlfriends and talk about their favorite boy band. Things seem perfectly normal, that is until she experiences a sudden change in her mood and finds herself very attracted to a certain boy in school. It is then that she discovers that feeling strong emotions makes her transform into a giant red panda with extraordinary strength. This is symbolic in movie terms of something powerful going on in her body, making her temporarily lose control of her emotions, a common occurrence in teenagers. Naturally, she tries to hide the transformation from her friends; that is, until she finds it can be a way to be more popular. Then the trick is to hide the change from Mom and her family. The girls secretly scheme to use Mei’s gift to raise money so they can attend a concert of their favorite boy band, 4 Town. (Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell wrote much of the original music that makes the boy band seem genuine.) But then there is more to the story when it is revealed that the giant red panda is really a sort of family curse that is visited upon all the female members of this family. Traditionally, they must perform a ritual that will keep the panda in check. The movie is a tactful yet amusing way of presenting the change that will relate to teenage girls while likely be over the heads of, yet be fun to much younger viewers. Turning Red adds to Pixar’s list of successful films dealing with certain human conditions that includes Coco, Soul and Inside Out. In a way, Inside Out 2 addresses the same subject as Turning Red but is a little more abstract. Unfortunately, for Pixar, they were forced to remove the movie from theaters and show it exclusively on streaming platforms because of pressure put on them from concerned parent groups who found the subject matter too controversial for their sensitive tastes. But at least young audiences have a way of seeing this colorful, action-filled film from Pixar. Domee Shi is an Academy Award winner having previously made the animated short film, Bao, about Asian parents becoming empty nesters.

The Outfit

The Outfit           4 stars

Writer-director Graham Moore of The Imitation Game has created a tense well-crafted crime drama in The Outfit, starring Academy Award winner Mark Rylance as Leonard, a soft spoken tailor who operates a tailor shop in 1958 Chicago where he makes finely crafted suits. That is, a shop that is also frequented by shady gang figures who use a drop box inside to pass thick envelopes with mysterious markings and who also will have Leonard make new suits for them. Rylance is very low-key as Leonard who stays intensely focused on his craft and only wants to be able to survive the night when the mobsters become aware that there is a “rat” in their midst who is informing a rival gang of their comings and goings. The movie is unique in that the entire story takes place within the rooms of the shop, most of it in a single night filled with suspicion and murder. Two of the gangsters are played by Dylan O’Brien and Johnny Flynn who speak with convincing Chicago mobster accents. Simon Russell Beale is equally effective as the mob father figure, Roy Boyle, who wants to get to the bottom of the evening’s events, even if he has to kill someone. Zoey Deutch appears glamorous in 1950’s wardrobe as Mable, the receptionist, who is treated like a daughter by Leonard. (Deutch is the daughter of actress Lea Thompson.) The show really belongs to Rylance who gives a fascinating performance of a man who must always keep his wits about him even with a gun pointed at him. There are many lies and misleading stories being told so, the audience too must stay focused on who said what to who and who really knows the truth. I chose to see the movie based solely on seeing the trailer and am glad I made that choice.

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Everything Everywhere All at Once           4 ½ stars

The title is a good description of the Daniels’ (Dan Kwan and Daniel Schweinert) new movie Everything Everywhere All at Once because it seems like everything imaginable is happening. It’s a science fiction, action, comedy adventure that features a lot of kung fu fighting including that of action star, Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh is Evelyn Wang, who owns a California laundromat, along with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, who was known as “Short Round” in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and also “Data” in The Goonies) and is expecting a visit from her aged father, Gong Gong, and is planning a Chinese New Year party in his honor. (Gong Gong is played by James Hong who is probably one of the most recognizable character actors working in Hollywood today.) The thing is before the party Evelyn, Waymond and adult daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) must visit the Internal Revenue Service where the business is being audited by a petty inspector named Deirdre (played by a practically unrecognizable (and fat) Jamie Lee Curtis). It is at the IRS office that Waymond pulls Evelyn aside, slaps some Bluetooth receivers on her ears and explains that the fate of the universe rests in her hands. It turns out that Evelyn, Waymond and a host of other characters are all connected to thousands of other alternate selves throughout the multi-verse and these alternate beings can transfer their consciousness across the cosmos to one another. This sets up the opening battle between one alternate Evelyn with an alternate Dierdre plus a few security guards where a fanny pack becomes a deadly weapon. Eventually we meet Jobu Tupaki, the evil force who threatens the universe, also played by Stephanie Hsu. Evelyn’s alternate selves include a singer, a celebrity chef and many other people with talents that she can draw from in the colossal battle. Waymond says that she was chosen because she can’t do anything well. The many imaginative scenes include people with wiener fingers, sentient rocks, a racoon chef on Harry Shum’s head and battles involving sex toys that give the users certain extra powers. Then there is a giant bagel that seems to be at the heart of what is going on. The movie is almost non-stop pandemonium that pays tribute to many Chinese made action movies of the past. Veteran action star Michelle Yeoh has shown her fighting skills before in movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and dramatic acting skills in Crazy Rich Asians and Memoirs of a Geisha. She uses all those talents once more in Everything Everywhere All at Once plus a few more skills. Be sure you are up for it. The twists and turns and the non-stop fighting can get exhausting! But it is guaranteed to be fun.

The Northman

The Northman                  5 stars

When I heard that the new movie, The Northman was made by Robert Eggers I knew it was on my must list. This is the third feature by Eggers who previously made The Witch, set in 1630s New England and The Lighthouse, set in the 1880s. Both were highly stylized tragic stories done with painstakingly realistic sets. Both included haunting representations of mysticism. The Northman is his most ambitious and expensive movie yet. It is set in the tenth century at the time that Vikings ruled northern Europe. It follows the life of Amleth, the son of a Viking king (Ethan Hawke) who as a boy witnesses the king’s murder at the hands of his brother (Claes Bang). The boy escapes and vows to avenge his father and rescue his mother who has been taken captive by the brother. We flash forward a couple of decades and find that Amleth is full grown and is still bent on revenge. Before we get to the heart of the film we get to witness one of the most realistic battle scenes I have seen when a band of Viking berserkers attack and ransack a village, and perform all sorts of bloody atrocities. The extended scene with a camera moving slowly throughout the battle is just astounding. Eventually, of course Amleth finds his way to Iceland (as a slave) where the murderous Brother has settled and where of course the score must be settled. But not before Amleth meets and falls for Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), a fellow slave who turns out to be especially clever. There is plenty of mysticism having to do with prophesies, and communing with the dogs and ravens, something Eggers has captured very well in his films. The story may not be especially original, but I daresay the imagery and use of the Iceland green landscapes are stunning. The Northman has easily set the bar for one of the best movies of the year so far. I can’t wait to see what Eggers will come up with next.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness      4 stars

The world’s most powerful sorcerer, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch returning to the role after an outing as a cowboy in The Power of the Dog) makes another entry in the Marvel universe in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This second installment about the man who can control portals to other realities and can battle demons is directed by Sam Raimi, the man who brought us the Spiderman movies of the early 2000’s and a host of horror movies including the popular Evil Dead movies. This time out Doctor Strange crosses paths with a young girl named America (Xochitl Gomez) who is being pursued by demons and is forced to become involved and protect her. It seems that America has the power to travel to other universes that make up the multiverse, a reality that exists in the MCU. This power and a book that figures in the story is what some entity is seeking to obtain for itself, and it is Strange’s mission to prevent this union that could result in the destruction of the universe. (What else?) For help Strange goes to an associate, Wong (Benedict Wong) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olson). I can’t go into the story much more than that except to say that the viewer is in for a real roller coaster of an experience as the characters travel to other universes, battle demons and meet alternate versions of themselves and other people in their lives including some very different Avengers. The movie is very action packed as one would expect in a Marvel movie and has a story that can be followed by most viewers. Fortunately, it does keep the number of characters limited, which can’t be said for two recent Avengers movies. The concept of a multiverse was used recently in Everything Everywhere All At Once, but with much greater comic effect than Doctor Strange, something I greatly enjoyed. Strange gives it a more serious tone which I also approve of. It has been nine years since Raimi’s last directorial effort, Oz the Great and Powerful. Let’s hope that he finds another suitable project without waiting that long. Be sure to watch for some interesting cameos, including one of a street vendor by Bruce Campbell!

The Lost City

The Lost City                       2 ½ stars

Anyone who pays any attention to the media has seen the promotions for The Lost City a hundred times by now. This is the newest lost treasure adventure rom-com that stars Sandra Bullock as an adventure/romance novelist and Tatum Channing, her book cover model. The movie follows a tried and true formula for these types of movies that goes back to Romancing the Stone. In this one Bullock’s character, Loretta Sage, is kidnapped by the billionaire adventurer Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe, against type, cast as the villain) because he believes Sage can translate an ancient fragment from a lost civilization that can reveal the location of an ancient treasure. Thus, most of the action takes place on a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean. The dimwitted Alan, Channing’s character believes that he can rescue her pretty much on his own, setting up a variety of comic scenes between the two leads. Bullock does her best with her comic sense in this very predictable relationship. There is a decent set of comedic supporting cast that includes Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nunez of The Office, Patty Harrison and SNL’s Bowen Yang. Credit must also be given to Bullock’s wardrobe of the magenta sequined jumpsuit that she wears through most of the movie. It appears so often that it deserves its own credit, figuring into the plot of the movie. Anyone who has seen the promotions will recognize it. There is little that could be called original in this comic caper, but it can easily be watched on an afternoon when you don’t have to be completely absorbed with what is happening on the screen. And you certainly should not be thinking about what is credible in the story line.

Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick          4 ½ stars

By now everyone has heard about Top Gun: Maverick, probably the most highly anticipated movie of the year. The sequel to the 1986 movie, Top Gun has been in the making for years and was delayed until it was finally released last month. Most have heard of the premise of the film, how Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is brought back to the military’s top flight school to instruct a group of the Navy’s best flyers, for a top secret mission against an enemy that goes largely unnamed, but is critical to US and NATO security. Maverick (Tom Cruise in his most famous role) is still a test pilot for the Navy having passed on promotions repeatedly and is still much the fearless risktaker he was in the original film. But certain events and relationships have had their impact on him, especially those related to Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of “Goose”, Maverick’s deceased wingman from over thirty years previous. One actor that doesn’t really have much to do is Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly who plays the woman that owns the bar where the Navy flyboys tend to hang out. I’m not really sure why she is in the movie. This is all background for the story, but the main impact of the movie are the thrills and performances of the navy jet flyers in the training exercises and the ultimate mission that involves the highest level of danger for our flying heroes. This is a movie that must be seen on the big screen to get the full experience of the speed and sounds of flying a jet at high speeds with the dangers of combat. Whatever you may think of Tom Cruise, you should not miss this movie while it is still playing in the theaters.