This Is a Movie Review: ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ Fails Utterly at Its Supposed Purpose, But is Somewhat Entertaining in Other Ways

November 20, 2017

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CREDIT: Kerry Brown/Bleecker Street

This review was originally posted on News Cult in November 2017.

Starring: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce, Simon Callow, Morfydd Clark, Anna Murphy

Director: Bharat Nalluri

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: PG for Intense Childhood Poverty Memories

Release Date: November 22, 2017 (Limited)

Did you know that Charles Dickens is the man to thank for Christmas in its current form? I am sure that many of you are aware how his novel A Christmas Carol has had an outsize impact on yuletide-celebrating cultures, but apparently his influence goes so much further. It turns out that his tale of Ebenezer Scrooge singlehandedly changed December 25 from a recognized, but inconsequential blip on the calendar into the biggest day of the year. Or so The Man Who Invented Christmas would have us believe…

Here’s the thing, though: beside its title and epilogue, The Man Who Invented Christmas does essentially nothing to support its supposed thesis. When reviewing cinema, I ask, “What is this movie trying to be, and is it successful?” This is a distinct question from “What is the director (or any of the other filmmakers) trying to do?” because sometimes a great film can be made accidentally. (Cult favorite The Room is the perfect such example.) But when a movie states its purpose so directly and then completely fails to even attempt to live up to that purpose, it is hard not to get frustrated.

All that being said, it is not as if The Man Who Invented Christmas is an hour and a half of nothing happening. In fact, much of it is actually a fairly fascinating examination of the creative process. Dickens (a fleet-witted, buzzy Dan Stevens) promises his publishers that he can complete his new Christmas-themed book in a grueling six weeks in time for a holiday release. As he writes, he is visited by what appear to be actual physical manifestations of the characters he is currently conjuring up: the Cratchits, Jacob Marley, and of course, Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer, quite naturally slotting into all that humbug).

The parts of this film that are essentially a two-hander between Stevens and Plummer (with a few supporting Carol-ers) work quite well, and I think I would have really liked it if that had been the whole movie. But there’s also a fair amount of business to do with Dickens’ tumultuous personal life, much of it regarding his destitute father John (Jonathan Pryce), whom Charles alternately regards as a leech and a kindly old man. There is enough complicated psychology here to render a more straightforward biopic that could be a tough but rewarding watch. But as these moments are mostly there just to provide context, they do not go much deeper than surface level.

The Man Who Invented Christmas is Recommended If You Like: A Christmas Carol completism, Anything with Dan Stevens and/or Christopher Plummer

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Deadlines

SNL Review November 18, 2017: Chance the Rapper/Eminem

November 19, 2017

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television , , , , , 2 Comments

CREDIT: Samantha Lichtenstein/NBC

This post was originally published on News Cult in November 2017.

News Cult Entertainment Editor Jeffrey Malone watches every new episode of Saturday Night Live and then organizes the sketches into the following categories: “Love It” (potentially Best of the Season-worthy), “Keep It” (perfectly adequate), or “Leave It” (in need of a rewrite, to say the least). Then he concludes with assessments of the host and musical guest.

Love It

The Mueller Files – You can take the Update guests out from behind the desk, but you can’t take the desk out of the Update guests. But sometimes that transition is a good thing. A new context can be enlightening. And so we have the Trump sons off on their own adventure, free from the confines of the middle of the show. And the result might be just be SNL’s most confident political satire of this era.

Pete Davidson mercilessly skewers his native Staten Island and the borough’s golden boy Colin Jost in one of his best Update appearances.

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This Is a Movie Review: ‘Justice League’ is Okay, I Guess

November 16, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

CREDIT: Warner Bros.

This review was originally posted on News Cult in November 2017.

Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ciarán Hinds, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, J.K. Simmons, Connie Nielsen

Director: Zack Snyder

Running Time: 120 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Localized Explosions, Heat Vision Mishaps, and Grotesque Insectoids

Release Date: November 17, 2017

Would you rather have a true auteurist vision that is decidedly ugly and off-putting, or a plainly adequate film with little distinct personality? If you want something to endlessly discuss and theorize about, go with the former. But if you want something to actually watch, go with the latter.

Justice League is perhaps the least Zack Snyder-y film of Zack Snyder’s career. Absent completely is the washed-out color palette. Fabian Wagner’s cinematography is mostly workmanlike, but he does what he can in a limited sandbox, and the result is actually pleasant to look at. Colors are not only present, they’re vibrant! There is an early scene of Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince walking along some lush greenery, and it makes me wish the whole film had just been Justice League Hanging Out in the Park. The action might still fit within Snyder’s kinetic pinball wheelhouse, but it is not as garishly stylized as usual. And because this is a post-Wonder Woman world, the hard-to-be-a-god, brooding cynicism has given way to genuine hopefulness. Really, the only Snyder signature that unequivocally remains is the best one, i.e., the rediscovered rock song scoring the opening credits (this time, it’s Norwegian singer Sigrid’s take on Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows”).

The main duty of Justice League is finding a way forward after the colossal slog that was Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice by way assembling its titular superteam and resurrecting its most iconic member. The returning headliners, namely Affleck’s Batman and Gadot’s Wonder Woman, unquestionably know how to handle this heft. Ezra Miller’s Flash and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman convey their characters economically enough. Ray Fisher could use some more prime time as Cyborg, but it’s an okay start. Overall, it’s refreshing that everyone is eager to team up because they simply recognize how much the entire world is at stake. Isn’t that how superheroes were always meant to be?

As for Superman’s rise from the grave, it isn’t surprising, nor is it meant to be. The (theoretical) fun of it is seeing how it plays out. And on that point, it is fairly entertaining. When Supes comes to, his mind is a bit scrambled, causing him to indiscriminately attack whomever is in the path of his heat vision. Henry Cavill plays it like his body vomiting up the last remnants of Snyder’s inexplicably distasteful take on the Man of Steel. This concession to a lighter version is in fact indicative of the whole Justice League ethos. Finally, the DC Extended Universe is allowed to crack jokes! And I’m not talking glib, Marvel-style one-liners, but actual character moments, like malapropisms and other exposures of vulnerability. Ma Kent (Diane Lane), for one, informs Lois Lane (Amy Adams) that Clark said Lois was “the thirstiest young woman he ever met” (she means hungriest). It’s okay to laugh!

As for the actual story engine, the DCEU is still testing our patience. If this were a pilot episode of a Justice League TV show, it would be fine enough. A little long, but a decent setup. And if you’re in the business of silver linings, that is the best takeaway to come away with here. Future sequels are inevitable, and I can see a roadmap where they might actually be good. The best villains are being saved for later, but this time around the big bad is incredibly perfunctory. Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds under a lot of CG) is some sort of gargoyle whose motivation does not go anywhere beyond “try to take over the world.” His army of insect-men is just a nuisance in every capacity. It’s fair to save the best for later, but it helps to actually get to the best at some point.

Justice League is Recommended If You Like: Incremental Improvement

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Doomsday Clocks

This Is a Movie Review: ‘Wonder’s’ Lessons in Kindness Are Obvious, But Timelessly Valuable

November 15, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

CREDIT: Lionsgate Entertainment

This review was originally published on News Cult in November 2017.

Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs, Noah Jupe, Ali Liebert, Danielle Rose Russell, Bryce Gheisar, Millie Davis, Elle McKinnon

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Running Time: 113 Minutes

Rating: PG for Middle School Bullying

Release Date: November 17, 2017

If you plan on seeing Wonder, please do yourself a favor and bring tissues. That is not a mark of quality in either direction, just a fair warning of what you’re in for. Of course, if you know the premise of the film, chances are you could have guessed as much. The story of Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), a boy with a congenital facial deformity struggling to fit in at middle school, could not be anything but emotional. But the explanation for Wonder’s knack for keeping the waterworks running for two hours straight goes beyond the obvious. This is the type of movie in which rhetorically gifted actors make grand pronouncements about the importance of kindness and loyalty. Their insights are far from groundbreaking, sure, but their eloquence is a gift and the realization that people have had the courage to live up to these ideals is profoundly affecting.

Director Stephen Chbosky already demonstrated his emotional bona fides with the adaptation of his novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and with Wonder he has now confirmed himself as one of the best in the business for prompting a good cathartic cry. He pulls it off this time by taking full advantage of the academic setting. School is not just a place for learning how the world works, but also how to be a good person. It helps in that regard when you have dedicated educators, and Auggie has a couple of excellent teachers played by Daveed Diggs and Ali Liebert, and a fantastic principal played by Mandy Patinkin. They are not defined by their quirks but by their love of teaching. Diggs’ Mr. Browne is the type to write inspirational sayings like “our deeds are our monuments” on his chalkboard. It helps to be in an environment that reminds you of such simple, but necessary truths. Patinkin’s bow tie-sporting Mr. Tushman (yes, he’s fine with you laughing at his name) fulfills the bulk of the speechifying. With his words, he is marvelously generous, maintaining and spreading a positive attitude.

Wonder begins with Auggie’s perspective and narration, naturally enough. But it extends that generosity to multiple characters, making this less a story about overcoming physical defects and more one about how there are so many ways we can be cruel to anybody, but it is so much better if we instead reach out with kind gestures. The gift of subjectivity and their own narrated segments is granted to Auggie’s teenage sister Via (Izabela Vidovic), Auggie’s best friend Jack (Noah Jupe), and Via’s best friend Miranda (Danielle Rose Russell). The lesson here is clear and effective: you never know someone else’s full story if you haven’t lived through it, so it is always wise to allow them to share it with you.

Chbosky can be a little haphazard with this subjectivity. It is no big loss that Auggie’s parents (Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson) are not afforded their own segments, as we still get satisfying peeks into their interiority. But it would have been nice, for example, if we had gotten a closer look at Julian (Bryce Gheisar), Auggie’s most frequent bully. We do meet his very unreasonable parents, but for a movie that is so kind in all capacities, it stings a little that he does not have more of a chance for redemption.

When you get right down to it, Wonder is simply a force for good in this world, demonstrating as it does that kindness, courage, second chances, and cameos from Chewbacca never go out of style.

Wonder is Recommended If You Like: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Dead Poets Society, Room

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Astronaut Helmets

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of November 25, 2017

November 15, 2017

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Music , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange the top 25 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
2. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
3. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
4. Led Zeppelin – “Immigrant Song”
5. Theory of a Deadman – “Rx (Medicate)”
6. The Revivalists – “Wish I Knew You”
7. The Police – “Every Breath You Take”
8. Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Walk on Water”
9. Zach Williams – “Old Church Choir”
10. Linkin Park – “One More Light”
11. The Lumineers – “Angela”
12. Foo Fighters – “The Sky is a Neighborhood”
13. Vance Joy – “Lay It on Me”
14. Tom Petty – “Free Fallin'”
15. U2 – “You’re the Best Thing About Me”
16. Beck – “Up All Night”
17. Alice Merton – “No Roots”
18. The Killers – “The Man”
19. Walk the Moon – “One Foot”
20. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising”
21. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”
22. Tom Petty – “I Won’t Back Down”
23. All Time Low – “Good Times”
24. Fall Out Boy – “The Last of the Real Ones”
25. Nothing More – “Go to War”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Immigrant Song
2. I Won’t Back Down
3. No Roots
4. Up All Night
5. Free Fallin’
6. Feel It Still
7. The Sky is a Neighborhood
8. Mary Jane’s Last Dance
9. The Man
10. You’re the Best Thing About Me
11. Lay It on Me

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of November 25, 2017

November 15, 2017

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot 100, Music , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – “Rockstar”
2. Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana”
3. Cardi – “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”
4. Sam Smith – “Too Good at Goodbyes”
5. Imagine Dragons – “Thunder”
6. Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid – “1-800-273-8255”
7. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
8. Ed Sheeran – “Perfect”
9. Maroon 5 ft. SZA – “What Lovers Do”
10. J. Balvin and Willy William ft. Beyoncé – “Mi Gente”
11. Demi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry”
12. Lil Pump – “Gucci Gang”
13. G-Eazy ft. A$AP Rocky and Cardi B – “No Limit”
14. Gucci Mane ft. Migos – “I Get the Bag”
15. 21 Savage – “Bank Account”
16. French Montana ft. Swae Lee – “Unforgettable”
17. P!nk – “What About Us”
18. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber – “Despacito”
19. Charlie Puth – “Attention”
20. Halsey – “Bad at Love”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Feel It Still
2. Havana
3. Mi Gente
4. Unforgettable

SNL Review November 11, 2017: Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift

November 12, 2017

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television , , , , , , , Leave a comment

CREDIT: Will Heath/NBC

This review was originally posted on News Cult in November 2017.

Love It

Get Woke with Tamika – There tend to be a few SNL sketches per season that could manage to be classics if they could just get rid of the messiness. But that is not always a viable solution, as the chaos is what leads to both the problems and the hilarious weirdness. But “Get Woke with Tamika” solves that issue by making the messiness part of the premise. Leslie Jones has a history of flubbing lines? Well, just have her play the host of a talk show who claims to be a lot more knowledgeable than she is and watch her show disintegrate right before her and our eyes.

Beck and Kyle – It’s good to know that Beck and Kyle are still friends, and that scheming does not drive them apart, but instead brings them back even closer, with Kyle and Leslie remaining together, too. And Baby Lorne’s already off to college! Watching Colin getting punched relentlessly is a little rough, considering how sweet this saga has been thus far, but I do enjoy Tiffany and Lorne’s reasons for joining in on the pummeling.

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Nathan for You Season 4 Review

November 12, 2017

jmunney Nathan for You, Television , , , , , , , Leave a comment

CREDIT: Comedy Central

This post was originally published on News Cult in November 2017.

Network: Comedy Central

Showrunners: Nathan Fielder, Michael Koman

Main Cast: Nathan Fielder

Notable Guest Stars: Anthony Napoli, Brian Wolfe, Salomon Flores, William Heath

Episode Running Time: 22 Minutes (42-Minute Special Episode, 84-Minute Season Finale)

The virality that propelled Nathan for You to such dizzying heights in its first three seasons is a double-edged sword when it comes to longevity. It can help build awareness, but increased visibility makes it difficult to pull off the same tricks again. However, Nathan for You is not stunt-driven in quite the same way as a prank show like The Eric Andre Show or an ambush show like Billy on the Street. Nathan’s methods do not require anonymity, at least not always. (Although it is worth noting that despite how much buzz and journalistic attention NfY has received, its viewership has not correspondingly spiked.) The show can still work even if Nathan is recognizable – his painstakingly fastidious approach to production makes it nearly impossible to stay ahead of him anyway. But it becomes a problem when a show that broke the mold starts to become predictable. And while Nathan for You remained astute and idiosyncratic in Season 4, its patterns became a little overly familiar.

NfY’s signature is its knack for spinning simple (but offbeat) business proposals into complex (but satisfying) narratives. The season premiere, “The Richards Tip,” is a classic example: Nathan’s plan to get a struggling diner business-boosting press is to procure a generous tip from a celebrity. But because he cannot book an actual famous person, he turns to a Michael Richards impressionist. To cover his tracks, he must open a just-legitimate-enough bank account, start publishing a newspaper, get some random guy to legally change his name, and temporarily handcuff himself to that same guy. A similar effort, “Shipping Logistics Company,” covers his attempt to re-brand fire alarms as musical instruments for the sake of cheaper international shipping costs. This leads to him forming a band and staging a fake business scandal at the expense of Shell Oil to prompt a protest. The details within these episodes are impressive, but with Nathan having set such a high standard for himself, they do not have the same punch as previous landmark efforts like “Dumb Starbucks.”

Sidenote: I occasionally worry about the ethics, or lack thereof, on Nathan for You, especially in episodes like “Richards Tip” and “Shipping Logistics Company,” which are driven by deceptions, obfuscations, and outright lies. Nathan Fielder may be playing the character of “Nathan Fielder,” but nobody else on the show is existing within a role (at least not intentionally). “Nathan” (and Nathan) ostensibly take great pains to remain honest, or at least maintain the appearance of honesty. Sometimes the point may be that it is impossible to do so within such schemes, but it is still concerning.

When a show is as frequently ambitious as NfY, it is disconcerting in Season 4 when it has episodes with multiple short segments, which was the norm in Season 1 but only occurs twice this year. Those outings can feel rather disposable, but they are worth it for their memorably awkward moments, as when a computer repair shop owner readily shares with Nathan his masturbation routine, or when Nathan’s assistant Salomon Flores flirts awkwardly (and semi-successfully) while applying makeup for the first time in his life.

A promising way towards the future is present in a couple of sequel outings. “Andy vs. Uber” revisits the titular taxi driver whom Nathan helped in Season 2 by offering a promotion for anyone who gives birth in a taxi. When the pair discover that Uber has had a similar program, they attempt to take down the ride-sharing giant by means of infiltration. Andy’s story ends on an anticlimactic note, which is narratively unpleasant, but still a meaningful comment of the cruelty of the economy in the 21st century (or any era). “A Celebration,” a special one-hour episode that aired a week before the season premiere proper, takes a look back on a variety of Nathan’s previous guests to see if his plans have aided them in the long run. The track record is mixed, but each client has been affected in their own weird way. The most notable is of course private investigator Brian Wolfe, whom Nathan finally forges a genuine connection with after uncovering Wolfe’s past as a Playgirl model.

Avoiding the trappings of Season 4’s repetition, “The Anecdote” is a series high-water mark. At least once a year, Nathan turns the focus on himself, and this time it is especially relevant as he seeks to better his skill set for promoting his own show. You see, appearing as a guest on talk shows is now a necessary part of his career, but it has never come naturally to him the way it seemingly does for so many other famous people. But after studying hours of talk show footage, he cracks the code for the perfect interview anecdote. And because of his one-of-a-kind integrity, he engineers the events of such an anecdote to actually happen in his own life. Brilliant in its powers of deconstruction, “The Anecdote” reveals Nathan Fielder as one of our finest sociologists.

If Season 4 finds Nathan returning to some of his old tricks too often, that does not seem so terrible in light of the stunningly ambitious, movie-length finale. Maybe those formulaic episodes are relatively necessary to allow him to pull off what he does with “Finding Frances.” The story follows Bill Heath, a highlight from Season 2 as an amateurish, but strangely earnest Bill Gates impressionist. Since his initial appearances, Heath has taken to randomly popping into the NfY offices and divulging bits of his life story to Nathan. A mention of a long-lost love sparks a trip to Bill’s native Arkansas to track down a woman he almost married but hasn’t been in contact with for decades. The sprawling tale is the most intense example of this show’s guests opening up about themselves in unpredictable, compellingly unguarded fashion. A subplot involving Nathan’s series-long search for companionship presents our host as the sweetest and most openly emotional we have ever seen him. This show has always had a permeable membrane between artifice and reality, and here it snaps away (or at least appears to) right before our eyes. All this time we never realized how much Nathan for You was making us fall in love, or maybe it did it suddenly from out of nowhere.

Best Episodes: “A Celebration,” “The Anecdote,” “Finding Frances”

How Does It Compare to Previous Seasons? The achievements of the first three seasons have set a high standard that Season 4 at its best is still somehow able to top. There may be some (relatively) run-of-the-mill episodes, but they are perfectly acceptable tradeoffs in the grand scheme of things.

Nathan for You Season 4 is Recommended If You Like: The Office, Tim and Eric, Shark Tank (Ironically), HGTV Real Estate Shows (Ironically), Undercover Boss (Ironically)

Where to Watch: Season 4 is currently available on CC.com. Seasons 1-3 are available for purchase on Amazon and YouTube.

Grade: 4.2 out of 5 Really Good Grades

This Is a Movie Review: ‘Daddy’s Home 2’ is Amiably, Almost Transcendently Sweet, Except When Its Nasty Side Mucks Things Up

November 12, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

CREDIT: Paramount Pictures

This review was originally posted on News Cult in November 2017.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, John Lithgow, Mel Gibson, Linda Cardellini, Alessandra Ambrosio, John Cena

Director: Sean Anders

Running Time: 100 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Alarmingly Near-Lethal Accidents and the Budding Birds and Bees

Release Date: November 10, 2017

There is a principle in improv comedy that stresses avoiding introducing conflict too quickly, as arguments can be anathema to the performative harmony required by yes-and’ing. That same advice is not as often applied to a scripted narrative, as conflict is frequently the engine that drives the plot. But for a family-centric hangout comedy like Daddy’s Home 2, which derives its most humorous moments out of character-based foibles, it might actually be best to keep conflict to a minimum. For its first 30 minutes or so, this sequel easily bests its original by allowing its blended families to be mostly harmonious. But it cannot quite quit its nasty, mean-spirited streak. Still, there are enough moments that genuinely convey the magic of the holidays and the power of choosing love over frustration for this to mostly be a success.

When we first check back in on Brad (Will Ferrell) and Dusty (Mark Wahlberg), they’re the perfect picture of co-dadding. Whenever they are told that theirs is a strange arrangement between father and stepfather, they do not care, because they genuinely get along with each other now, despite their significant differences. But all is not 100% well, as the kids are not fans of swinging back and forth between two houses, especially on Christmas. The solution: one big holiday getaway with all the kids and all the parents, with Brad’s dad Don (John Lithgow) and Dusty’s dad Kurt (Mel Gibson) joining to add a few new wrinkles.

The juxtaposition between these two patriarchs is where DH2 derives most of its laughs. Don and Brad are unabashedly close, always greeting each other with a kiss on the lips. Dusty, meanwhile, resents Kurt for rarely showing up to be an adequate father and grandfather. These stark differences could lead to a bunch of cheap gags, but instead the interplay between this quartet remains mostly palatable, thanks to the sweet treatment of Don and Brad’s closeness, Kurt not being as much of a Neanderthal as the previews implied, and the film clearly presenting his absenteeism and macho bullshit as bad things. Plus, Brad and especially Don avoid being bullied by remaining confident in their identities and playfully acknowledging Dusty and Kurt’s different personal styles.

Thus why it is too bad that DH2 cannot trust itself to maintain this bonhomie. Every little disagreement and accident gets blown way out of proportion. Sure, even people who get along get on each other’s nerves every once in a while, but generally they do not turn into completely unrecognizable assholes, as they do in this film. There are plenty of funny moments of folks just goofing off, so there is no comedic need for all the shouting and chaos.

This over-the-top-tendency does not even touch on the moments of (unintentional?) pure horror, when mishaps with heavy machinery and weaponry result in main characters just a few inches away from death. A snow blower gets stuck in Christmas lights and flies around the house! An errant chainsaw nearly impales Brad! Don gets lost and is almost left facedown in the snow overnight! A shotgun accidentally fires, and the bullet grazes Kurt’s arm! Somehow all this madness leads to a genuinely heartwarming conclusion that almost makes all these extremes almost forgivable.

One particularly insightful scene represents what Daddy’s Home 2 is at its best and for a few minutes, places it among the upper tier of 2017’s cinematic offerings. It is telling that this film understands certain improv principles, as an outing at an improv show demonstrates the danger and revelations that can happen at a live comedy performance. Don has been taking improv classes, so Brad has volunteered him as an audience participant. A prompt for the scene hits a little close to home, exposing the secrets cracking away at his endlessly chipper façade. The wrenching agony on Lithgow’s face presents an actor at the top of his game, always giving his all no matter how silly or sentimental the material.

Daddy’s Home 2 is Recommended If You Like: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, The Other Guys, Anything with John Lithgow

Grade: 3 out of 5 Loaded Guns (Literal and Metaphorical)

This Is a Movie Review: Thelma

November 12, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , 1 Comment

CREDIT: The Orchard

After catching the whoosh of horror newness that is Joachim Trier’s Thelma, I find myself wondering how this flick might be franchise-able. After all, that’s the way it goes with horror. The sequels come and the formula gets repeated, twisted, maybe even subverted – a whole stew of mythology enhancement. Thelma at first glance might seem too icy, and you know, too Scandinavian, for follow-ups. But maybe Norwegians are also into the sequels. I’d love to see how a foreign sensibility matches up (or doesn’t) with a business-driven trend that often enough accidentally produces some creative results. But for now, we’ve got one lean, mean psychosexual machine.

I give Thelma 3 Disappearances out of 4 Personal Lightning Bolts.

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