‘September 5’ Brings Us Inside the Control Room During the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre

November 26, 2024

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The view from September 5 (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)

Starring: John Magaro, Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, Zinedine Soualem, Corey Johnson, Georgina Rich, Benjamin Walker, Rony Herman

Director: Tim Fehlbaum

Running Time: 94 Minutes

Rating: R for Language and Descriptions of Deadly Violence

Release Date: November 29, 2024 (Limited Theaters)/December 13, 2024 (Expansion)

What’s It About?: September 5, 1972 was one of the darkest days in international sporting competitions. That was when the Palestinian militant group Black September invaded the Olympic Village at the Munich Summer Games. Hostages from the Israeli delegation were taken and eventually killed. The new movie entitled September 5 recounts that incident from the vantage point of the ABC Sports crew that suddenly found themselves covering a terrorist attack unfolding right in front of them.

What Made an Impression?: How to Find Meaning out of Violence: September 5 is arriving at a fraught historical moment, with the conflict between Israel and Palestine currently in one of its darkest chapters ever. I’m not worried that this will inflame that tension, at least not any more so than any other piece of fiction inspired by this subject could. It actually reminded me of Civil War in terms of its reticence to make any blunt political statement. But of course, whereas that film is about a speculative future, September 5 is about an event that very much did happen, and long enough ago that we certainly could reckon with what it all meant. But co-writer/director Tim Fehlbaum instead opts for a strict docudrama approach, outlining the who, what, when, where, and how, while leaving the why up to everyone else to decide.
An Uneasy Achievement: While September 5 is hesitant to make any moral judgments, it is willing to congratulate its characters from a technical standpoint, although even then there is a deep well of uneasiness. The sports team is warned that they’re in way over their heads as their assignment turns into the hardest of hard news, though they ultimately prove to be up to the task. They congratulate themselves for a successful high-pressure broadcast, but then they’re left to wonder: what the hell just happened? What does it mean to be the hosts of global tragedy? Chances are, you’ll be feeling both a newfound respect for and a newfound existential crisis about broadcast media.

September 5 is Recommended If You Like: Television history, Subtle use of Canadian accents, Inevitable tragic endings

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Satellite Feeds

The Political is Personal in the Secretly Shot ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’

November 25, 2024

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It’s a secret… but you should go see it (CREDIT: NEON)

Starring: Misagh Zare, Sohelia Golestani, Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki, Niousha Akhshi, Reza Akhlaghi, Shiva Ordooei, Amineh Arani

Director: Mohammad Rasoulof

Running Time: 168 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Bloody Injuries and Disturbing Threats

Release Date: November 27, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: The Seed of the Sacred Fig was shot entirely in secret, possibly because the ideas that writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof is exploring threaten to upset the entire structure of modern Iranian society. A lawyer named Iman (Misagh Zare) has recently been given a prestigious promotion as a judge in Tehran, which keeps him away from his wife Najmeh (Sohelia Golestani) and daughters Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami) and Sana (Setareh Maleki) for long stretches. With the nation roiled by political protests, Iman dutifully toes the line of the state, despite the violent official responses. Meanwhile, he’s barely aware of the tension brewing within his own household, with Rezvan and Sana feeling much more inclined to agree with the protesters, especially after a friend of theirs is grievously injured at a demonstration. It all comes to a head when Iman’s government-issued handgun goes missing. He suspects that a member of his family is undermining him, and he’s willing to take extreme measures to uncover the truth.

What Made an Impression?: Iran in Microcosm: Reports about the current political situation in Iran have been disseminated in unexpected ways, at least from my vantage point. There was an episode of the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast with someone describing the situation firsthand while having his voice altered, and now there’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig. It feels like an urgent warning from Rasoulof and his cast and crew about the oppression that women and young people are facing. Iman’s standoff with his daughters arrives as a stark metaphor of the fight between Iran and its citizens. He feels duty- and honor-bound to be the good patriarch, but he loses his grip on reason and sanity after he takes ever more desperate steps to maintain control. Rezvan and Sana make perfunctory attempts to state their case with reason and evidence, but they’re just as willing to go to extremes to protect their own freedom.
A Slow and Steady Boil: The Seed of the Sacred Fig stretches to nearly three hours, despite taking place over the course of just a few weeks, if that. But that small stretch of time is long enough to come to a lifetime’s worth of epiphanies. The first half or so is sufficiently claustrophobic to make you feel restless, as it’s mostly confined to the family’s modest home and Iman’s dimly lit workspaces. As the action spreads out in the climax, you might find yourself amazed at how much tension has been coiling up that whole time. It’s an epic statement on an intimate scale, with a violent release serving as the unforgettable punctuation.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig is Recommended If You Like: Revolution crossed with dysfunctional family dynamics

Grade: 4 out of 5 Protests

‘Wicked’ Takes Flight and Delivers the Zest

November 20, 2024

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Wicky-wicky-Wicked (CREDIT: Universal Pictures)

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Arian Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James

Director: Jon M. Chu

Running Time: 160 Minutes

Rating: PG for The Birth of the Flying Monkeys

Release Date: November 22, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Is there a single living soul who’s never encountered any of the many adaptations of L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? One of the most popular is surely the musical Wicked, based on the revisionist novel by Gregory Maguire. But just in case you’re coming into totally fresh to the big screen version, here are the key details: Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) is a green-skinned outcast in the Land of Oz who encounters the uber-popular Galinda Upland (Ariana Grande) as they enroll at Shiz University. After initially clashing, they forge an unlikely friendship while learning the ways of magic under the tutelage of Headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Elphaba demonstrates prodigious supernatural talents that are the envy of everyone else. That puts her on a collision course with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), who wants to utilize her skills for his own mysterious ends. Meanwhile, conspiracies are underfoot that could transform Oz forever and lead Elphaba and Galinda towards their inescapable destinies.

What Made an Impression?: A Witchy Good Time: Maybe I’m totally kooky for saying this, but for me, the main appeal of Wicked isn’t the music. Sure, there are some culture-shifting numbers (“Defying Gravity” doesn’t pull out any stops in its silver screen moment, that’s for sure), but for my money, it’s all about the crackling interplay between Elphaba and Galinda. And true, singing is definitely a big part of their interactions, but they make an enduring impression no matter how they communicate, with Erivo and Grande emphatically making the roles their own. Now, I’ve never seen the stage version, so I suppose I can’t make that statement with complete authority, but they are in no way doing mere impressions of Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. In Erivo’s hands, Elphaba is a force of nature who is never to be underestimated, while Grande (who’s credited by her full name of Ariana Grande-Butera) makes a total hoot out of the profound insecurity of the popular girl.
Don’t Take Magic for Granted: The world of Wicked may have originated from source material that’s more than a hundred years old, but it would fit right at home with the many young adult fantasy series of the past couple decades, what with the witches and the magical school and the talking animals. But this story is a little more complicated than just a metaphor for adolescence. Magical and non-magical beings exist uneasily alongside each other, and political machinations are tricky to parse. Jeff Goldblum’s casting as the Wizard proves to be a stroke of genius, as he utilizes his signature offbeat diction to charm anyone who can’t immediately see through to his charlatan nature. But while there is plenty of subterfuge afoot, there is also plenty to love about this version of Oz. And yet, it seems like there’s also always someone lurking around every corner, ready to snatch that goodness away. So appreciate the magic while you can, and do your best to understand why someone wouldn’t want you to be able to. (Also, take note of this Slight Spoiler: despite the lack of acknowledgement in the advertising, this is just Part 1, with Part 2 due to arrive in theaters in November 2025.)

Wicked is Recommended If You Like: Schoolyard cattiness, Baritone goats, Blinding lights

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Brooms

‘Gladiator II’ Review: Come for the Son of Maximus, Stay for the Animals and the Denzel

November 19, 2024

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The Gladiator and the Scene-Stealer (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)

Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Connie Nielsen, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi

Director: Ridley Scott

Running Time: 148 Minutes

Rating: R for Warriors and Beasts Ripping Each Other Apart

Release Date: November 22, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Maybe one day there will be a time when all men will be free in Rome, but today is not that day. Lucius Verus (Paul Mescal) is just trying to live a relatively carefree life with his wife, but then the Roman army shows up. He makes a valiant attempt to defend his city, but instead he’s captured and forced into slavery. Perhaps that was always going to be his inescapable fate all along, considering that he’s the son of Maximus Decimus Meridius, the titular gladiator from the first Gladiator. He ends up in the hands of Macrinus (Denzel Washington) and becomes Rome’s new favorite plaything after displaying his prodigious combat skills. There might also be a reconciliation with his mother (Connie Nielsen) along the way, or perhaps he will just make a series of cynical philosophical declarations in between his stints in the arena.

What Made an Impression?: They Are Not Animals… But What If They Were?: There are a lot of characters to keep track of in Gladiator II. Maybe if you think about Ancient Rome all the time and/or you re-watch the first Gladiator every single day, it might be easy for you to keep up. But for someone like myself whose interest in this setting is much more casual, I can’t pretend that I was able to keep track of all the details. But what did leave an indelible impression were the beasts: specifically the pack of baboons let loose upon the gladiators. They are surely CGI creations, but I felt them as viscerally as any practical effect. And I guess I wasn’t terribly familiar with what exactly baboons look like, or at least not feral ones, because these particular baboons struck me as rather canine in nature. Did the Island of Dr. Moreau wander into Rome for a minute? If so, it was a welcome addition.
Chewing the Colosseum: I just spent the last paragraph making it sound like I didn’t care for any of the human actors, but there are actually a few exceptions. As co-emperor brothers Geta and Caracalla, Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger provide the requisite depravity. But the major highlight is unsurprisingly the indefatigable Denzel Washington. It shouldn’t come as any surprise at this point in his career that he’s able to deliver a scene-stealing performance. And I’m not surprised. But what he’s doing here is no less impressive for how expected it is. Every line reading and every simple gesture is oozing finely calibrated personality. He’s the MC guiding us through this barbarism, making it clear how anyone and everyone could ever be seduced by a world that only speaks in violence.

Gladiator II is Recommended If You Like: Laughing at all the violence because that’s the only way to feel

Grade: 3 out of 5 Sandals

‘Red One’ Keeps It Icy for Christmas

November 14, 2024

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Oh, by the way, which one’s Red? (CREDIT: Amazon MGM Studios)

Starring: Chris Evans, Dwayne Johnson, Lucy Liu, J.K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Reinaldo Faberlle, Kristofer Hivju, Nick Kroll, Wesley Kimmel, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Marc Evan Jackson

Director: Jake Kasdan

Running Time: 123 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Combat Between Humans, “Elves,” Talking Polar Bears, and Krampus

Release Date: November 15, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) has been a devoted cynic ever since he figured out before all the other kids that Santa Claus was a myth. So it was only natural that he would grow up to be a mercenary hacker and a deadbeat dad. So imagine his surprise when head of North Pole security Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) shows up at his home and informs Jack that his shenanigans are partly responsible for the kidnapping of Saint Nick (J.K. Simmons) himself. This being a Christmas movie and all, mythological holiday creatures are very real, and Callum and his colleagues are responsible for making sure that naughty listers like Jack don’t screw things up. Trouble is, Callum is contemplating retirement as the naughty list threatens to grow longer than the nice list, perhaps eternally. So you know, multiple characters in Red One are in a position to rediscover the Christmas spirit.

What Made an Impression?: Santa, Santa Claus, Where Are You?: Just because Santa Claus is kidnapped, that doesn’t matter that he has to be a minor character in his own movie. But alas, Red One makes the puzzling decision to keep J.K. Simmons stowed away for the vast majority of its running time. His captor is a shapeshifting ogre played by Kiernan Shipka – surely they could have thrown an hour’s worth of zingers back at each other! And honestly this is one of the more interesting cinematic Santas I’ve seen in quite a while: basically a jacked zaddy who pumps iron to refill all the calories he burns on Christmas Eve. The Christmas cheer in Red One is fairly generic, but there’s no need to convince anyone that this St. Nick is worth saving.
A Little Bit of This, Some of That Guy, Then We Go Home: Red One left me feeling a little blue, or maybe even gray, but it wasn’t for lack of effort or ideas. There’s a bit about how toy stores are portals for North Pole workers, Nick Kroll shows up as a shady middleman for the Christmas baddies, and there’s some grounded interplay between Jack and his ex (Mary Elizabeth Ellis). It’s all pleasant enough to serve as background entertainment as you make your way through your Advent calendar, though it lacks the pizzazz to inspire the same yuletide rediscovery that Jack and Callum are destined for. Although, if somebody posts a series of behind-the-scenes videos of J.K. Simmons Claus pumping even more iron, then perhaps it will have all been worth it.

Red One is Recommended If You Like: A movie that seems like it should be going straight to Netflix ending up on the big screen

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Bench Presses

It’s ‘Blitz’ Movie Review

November 14, 2024

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Calling in the Blitz (CREDIT: Apple TV+)

Starring: Elliott Heffernan, Saoirse Ronan

Director: Steve McQueen

Running Time: 120 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: November 1, 2024 (Theaters)/November 22, 2024 (Apple TV+)

Now that I’ve seen Blitz, the new film written and directed by Steve McQueen, I’m going to rank some famous types of blitzes:

5. The bombing Blitz of London: I’m sure grateful that I was fortunate enough not to live through this!
4. Blitz the Movies: The movie about the bombing Blitz has some elements that are worth recommending. Maybe I would’ve liked it more if I were British.
3. Football Blitzing: This is an exciting strategy, but it can be dangerous.
2. It’s Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs: This album features “Heads Will Roll.”
1. NFL Blitz the Video Game Series: Totally buckwild.

Grade (for the Movie): 7 Trains out of 11 Odysseys

‘Juror #2’ Takes Us to Court and Asks: What Would You Do?

November 13, 2024

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TFW you’re Juror #2 (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot)

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, Zoey Deutch, Chris Messina, Gabriel Basso, J.K. Simmons, Amy Aquino, Leslie Bibb, Cedric Yarbrough, Francesca Eastwood, Adrienne C. Moore, Chikako Fukuyama, Zele Avradopoulos, Drew Scheid, Kiefer Sutherland

Director: Clint Eastwood

Running Time: 114 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: November 1, 2024

I sure wouldn’t want to end up in the same predicament as Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult), the titular Juror #2 of Juror #2. Watching the movie about him is already stressful enough! But maybe it’s a good way for us to prepare ourselves in case we ever find ourselves in the scenario in which we realize that we might be guilty of the crime at the heart of the trial we’re on the jury of, or a similar situation. It would still be a dilemma, make no mistake about it, but at least one we’ve now been able to visualize.

Grade: 10 Not Guiltys out of 2 Guiltys

‘Music by John Williams,’ Review by jmunney

November 12, 2024

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Johnny be good. (CREDIT: Disney Plus/Screenshot)

Starring: John Williams and His Friends, Collaborators, and Admirers

Director: Laurent Bouzereau

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: November 1, 2024 (Disney+ and Limited Theaters)

If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you probably know that my reviewing strategy often consists of asking, “Would I like to exist within the parameters of what this movie is all about?” In the case of the documentary Music by John Williams, that question takes the form of: “Would I like one of the most acclaimed movie music composers to compose a soundtrack about me?” And the answer is: of course I would! With such well-documented, extensive talent, I’m sure he could do a good job.

But the trickier question is, would John Williams actually want to write music about me? Obviously, it would be an unrealistically backbreaking workload for him to craft scores for every single one of his fans. But if fate somehow twisted its way towards connecting the two of us, I’d imagine he would have the multi-genre savvy to pull it off. And this documentary is evidence of that.

Grade: 77 Million Emotions out of a Thousand Notes

‘Weekend in Taipei’ Invites Us to Reignite Old Flames and Take Down the Big Drug Kahuna!

November 7, 2024

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When in Taipei… (CREDIT: Ketchup Entertainment)

Starring: Luke Evans, Gwei Lun-mei, Sung Kang, Wyatt Yang, Tuo Tsung-hua, Lu Yi-ching, Patrick Lee

Director: George Huang

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Rating: R for Mostly Guns, Some Smoke Bombs, Plus the Odd Sword and Grenade

Release Date: November 8, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: DEA Agent John Lawlor (Luke Evans) is on the hunt for a big fish that he’s been hunting for years: cartel boss Kwang (Sung Kang), who holds all of Taipei in his iron grip. Unbeknownst to Lawlor, Kwang is married to Joey (Gwei Lun-mei), a very skilled driver who, unbeknownst to Kwang, had a passionate fling with Lawlor 15 years later. But Joey isn’t in love with Kwang, as she just married him for the protection that he offered. Alas, her teenage son Raymond (Wyatt Yang) is fed up with this arrangement and is determined to expose the evidence that can finally bring Kwang down. Meanwhile, Lawlor has been advised by his superiors to lay low and go on vacation, but he instead takes the opportunity to fly East and finally finish off Kwang once and for all, with all of these converging threads setting up an awkward and passionate reunion.

What Made an Impression?: Love and Practicality over Pettiness: Weekend in Taipei revs itself up with the standard high-speed luxury vehicle chases and heavy artillery shootouts, but its true reason for being is its ever-beating heart. John and Joey’s affair isn’t the most passionate you can find in this genre, but I appreciate how maturely it’s handled. The deceit of working undercover and the oceans between them initially doomed them, but now fate has intervened with another chance. So they vent their resentments and regrets, but soon enough they mutually realize that they’d actually like to handle things differently, thank you very much. Thus, they make a pact of No More Secrets, a formula for success in romance and maybe for taking down a drug lord as well.
Goosing the Goons: Besides Evans and Lun-mei making goo-goo eyes at each other, Weekend in Taipei‘s menu includes Sung Kang stewing in a constant boil of (occasionally quiet, occasionally violent) rage and Wyatt Yang displaying an appropriate amount of younger-generation frustration. But what I want to focus on right now are the henchmen. Kwang’s goons are mostly pure muscle who get gradually mowed down, while Lawlor by contrast teams up with a couple of dudes who are fairly competent but are much interested in chowing down on takeout in their hotel. Honestly, this movie could have used more talking-and-eating scenes. Tuo Tsung-hua fulfills a similar role as a lollipop-sucking police detective. Other than that, maybe you’ll enjoy a mini-Fast & Furious reunion whenever Evans and Kang are on screen together.

Weekend in Taipei is Recommended If You Like: Cars, Guns, and Fishing Villages

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Ferraris

What to Do When You Find Yourself ‘Here’

November 6, 2024

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What’s the best way to get Here? (CREDIT: TriStar Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery, Gwilym Lee, Ophelia Lovibond, David Fynn, Leslie Zemeckis, Jonathan Aris, Daniel Betts, Harry Marcus, Lily Aspell, Joel Oulette, Dannie McCallum, Nicholas Pinnock, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Cache Vanderpuye, Anya Marco Harris, Mohammed George, Zsa Zsa Zemeckis, Dexter Sol Ansell, Stuart Bowman, Lauren McQueen, Beau Gadsdon, Albie Salter

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: November 1, 2024 (Theaters)

Would I like to live in the house from Here? A lot of people lived there, some for decades, others for just a few years. But what about me? Well, after watching the movie, I kind of feel like I did live there, if only for a little while. I imagine that’s the feeling that Robert Zemeckis & Co. were aiming for, after all. Anyway, I was happy to spend some time there, and in fact, I may actually be in the market for some New Jersey real estate in the not-too-distant future.

What about that La-Z-Boy couple? They were a hoot!

Grade: 4.5 Heres out of 7 Everywheres

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