‘We Live in Time’ Jumps Around the Years, But Will It Touch Your Heart?

October 10, 2024

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Hugging, in Time (CREDIT: Peter Mountain/A24)

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh

Director: John Crowley

Running Time: 107 Minutes

Rating: R for Tender Lovemaking

Release Date: October 11, 2024 (Theaters)/Expands Nationwide October 18

What’s It About?: At various points in their life together, Tobias (Andrew Garfield) and/or Almut (Florence Pugh) meet each other via cute-but-awkward circumstances, argue about whether or not they want to have kids, raise a daughter, struggle through a cancer diagnosis, and compete in a prestigious cooking competition. They seem more or less destined to be with each other, though their courtship and union is not without its strife, both mundane and overwhelming. They’re the two main characters of a movie called We Live in Time, and as it turns out, their story is told in non-linear fashion. Because they don’t just live in time, they bounce around in it.

What Made an Impression?: Boyle’s Law: Every individual viewer’s moviegoing experience is affected by the circumstances in which they see the movie. So in the interest of establishing context, I shall let it be known that the auditorium in which I saw We Live in Time was excessively stuffy. Perhaps the air conditioning wasn’t working properly, or maybe it was shut off prematurely in the early fall, but either way, I was fanning myself with my notebook way too often. So not exactly ideal conditions! But even if I had been in a perfectly temperature- and humidity-regulated environment, I doubt that I would have been blown away by We Live in Time‘s twisty format. Its achronological composition feels rather haphazard, as opposed to unveiling a scintillating mystery or finding resonance through juxtaposition. Put another way: I imagine a straightforward approach would’ve had the same effect.
Why So Dramatic?: Are Tobis and Almut #RelationshipGoals? Or is this a case of just muddling through? Eh, somewhere in the middle, I guess. They have their fair share of arguments, some of them quite nasty and personal, but they ultimately work them out more maturely than not. Plus, they have enough shared values that it feels like they’re working towards the same big goals. Which is why the moments when they don’t see eye-to-eye can be rather frustrating, as they fumble through awkward conversations and make ungenerous assumptions. Romances of course don’t always have to be perfectly lovey-dovey all the time, but these moments are all a bit a bit too petty to be dramatically fulfilling. Who has the time for that?! Anyway, there’s also a scene where Almut goes into labor in a gas station bathroom, and it’s kind of memorable.

We Live in Time is Recommended If You Like: Breaking things and then putting them back together

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Bocuse d’Ors

‘Piece by Piece’ Declares That It’s Time for a LEGO-Style Documentary About Pharrell

October 8, 2024

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Clap along if you feel like you’re going to watch Piece by Piece (CREDIT: Focus Features)

Starring: Pharrell Williams and His Collaborators

Director: Morgan Neville

Running Time: 93 Minutes

Rating: PG for Mildly Explicit Lyrics

Release Date: October 11, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: There was something in the air in Virginia Beach in the 70s and 80s. Or maybe it was just synesthesia. Either way, Pharrell Williams was obsessed with music while growing up in The Old Dominion, and he was lucky enough to connect with a whole crew of other like-minded future professionals along the way. Soon enough, he was one of the most unique and in-demand producers and songwriters in the industry, which he eventually parlayed into his own string of inimitable hits as a lead artist. Somewhere along the way, he met up with acclaimed documentarian Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), and it all culminated in a decision to produce Piece by Piece, which tells Pharrell’s life story in animated LEGO-style form.

What Made an Impression?: Listen Up, Listen Up!: Piece by Piece flirts a little bit with hagiography (although it doesn’t shy away from its subject’s downtrodden moments), but you can understand why Neville takes such a loving approach. Pretty much everyone who has ever worked with Pharrell (or at least everyone interviewed for this movie) was immediately enthralled by him, as he has a knack for unveiling beats unlike anything they’ve ever encountered before while also uncannily capturing their essences. His collaborators are basically a who’s who of the past 25 years of hip hop, pop, and R&B, and as Piece by Piece reveals the stories behind his handiwork, I found myself marveling, “Oh wow, Pharrell was behind my favorite songs of so many different artists.” You might not have the same reaction, as individual tastes differ after all. But if you care about popular tunecraft, chances are high you’ll be tapping your toes and feeling your heart skip a beat at least a little bit.
Pharrell the Blockhead: But ultimately what sets apart Piece by Piece as a step above is in fact its gimmick. That’s right, those iconic Danish construction toys do a mighty fine job of conveying what it’s like to live in Pharrell’s head. After an intoxicating opening sequence, I wondered if this hook could sustain its novelty over a feature length running time. But whenever my skepticism reached a tipping point, PbP responded with another hit of its signature playful Lego craftsmanship. Maybe you’ve gotten to the end of this review and find yourself still asking: does Pharrell’s career merit an entire documentary? Well, if it’s going to be as creative as Piece by Piece, then sure it does.

Piece by Piece is Recommended If You Like: Talent shows, Falsettos, Rump Shaking

Grade: 4 out of 5 Hit Records

An Attempt at Wisdom Regarding ‘My Old Ass’

October 2, 2024

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Young Ass & Old Ass Sitting on Their Asses (CREDIT: Amazon MGM Studios)

Starring: Maisy Stella, Aubrey Plaza, Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerice Brooks, Maria Dizzia, Alain Goulem, Seth Isaac Johnson, Carter Trozzolo

Director: Megan Park

Running Time: 89 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: September 13, 2024 (Theaters)

I saw My Old Ass on a Thursday, and now I’m writing a review of it on a Tuesday. I would’ve written it sooner, but I was a little busy. I think this wait has been a blessing in my disguise, though, because now my old ass can tell my younger self how I really felt. Just like in the movie! And well, what I really felt is that this movie is: earnest, heartfelt, and filled with camaraderie. But in fact, I already knew that!đŸ¤ªSometimes we just have to trust ourselves.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Asses

‘Azrael’ Heads Into the Forest to Become Acquainted with Evil

September 26, 2024

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Azrael being Azrael (Courtesy of Gabriela Urm. An IFC Films and Shudder Release)

Starring: Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Katariina Unt

Director: E.L. Katz

Running Time: 85 Minutes

Rating: R for A Minor Symphony of Blood

Release Date: September 27, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Azrael (Samara Weaving) looks like she’s just a girl (or a young woman, I suppose, but that wouldn’t have worked as a sneaky 90s rock reference) enjoying her idyllic life. But not so fast! It seems like everyone else wants her dead, so she runs around the woods in a desperate attempt to survive. Also, there’s a demonic-looking monster lurking in the midst. And apparently nobody is able to talk. Will Azrael survive? Or is she actually the one to blame for all this chaos?

What Made an Impression?: When and Where Are We?: Azrael doesn’t hold your hand at all. It’s a fairly simple setup that runs a brisk 85 minutes (including credits), so you might think that it would be easy to follow, but it leaves some very important details quite vague. For example, the temporal setting: is this taking place in the future? Or an alternative present? The past seems unlikely, as the costuming is modern. The loss of speech suggests that it’s perhaps a Planet of the Apes-style dystopia wherein the humans have devolved, although no simians (or any other species) has risen up to the top of the pecking order. Another possibility: this is a cult that’s starkly separated from the rest of society. Although, they couldn’t be completely separated, because at one point, Azrael is picked up by some guy whose radio is playing the 1978 new wave hit “Driver’s Seat.” So yeah, it’s really not clear what’s going on, and I have to guess that that was intentional on the part of director E.L. Katz and writer Simon Barrett.
The Devil, You Say?!: Here’s another way in which Azrael is confusing: everyone, including Azrael, appears to be deathly scared of that demonic creature. And rightly so. Except that the creature doesn’t seem to be interested in killing her. Unless I’m misunderstanding motivations. Or maybe Azrael is the one who’s confused. Maybe we both are! Anyway, the movie leads to a climax in which quite possibly the Antichrist is born? That sounds like a spoiler, except that I’m not entirely sure what happened. There’s plenty of verve here, but not a lot of clarity.

Azrael is Recommended If You Like: The Village crossed with Rosemary’s Baby multiplied and/or divided by A Quiet Place

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Trees

‘Saturday Night’ Seeks to Capture the Prelude to One of the Biggest Seventh Days of the Week of All Time

September 26, 2024

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I’m not Chevy Chase, and they’re not (CREDIT: Hopper Stone/Columbia Pictures)

Starring: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Kaia Gerber, Andrew Barth Feldman, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons, Jon Batiste, Naomi McPherson, Taylor Gray, Mcabe Gregg, Nicholas Podany, Billy Bryk, Ellen Boscov, Joe Chrest, Catherine Curtin, Leander Suleiman, Paul Rust, Robert Wuhl, Corinne Britti, Kirsty Woodward, Josh Brener, Brad Garrett

Director: Jason Reitman

Running Time: 109 Minutes

Rating: R for General Crudeness and Casual Backstage Drug Use, and One Unsolicited Private Release

Release Date: September 27, 2024 (Limited Theaters)/Expands October 4 and October 11

What’s It About?: As the prophet declared, “The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready, it goes on because it’s 11:30.” While that is a widely accepted maxim in 2024, a few decades ago it was met by the masses with an outpouring of skepticism. According to Saturday Night director Jason Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan’s telling, things were so touch-and-go that the first episode of Lorne Michaels’ brainchild barely made it to air in one piece. While the hour-and-a-half that began on the National Broadcasting Company at 11:30 PM Eastern on October 11, 1975 has since been immortalized, the hour-and-a-half that immediately preceded it was also apparently quite the transformative odyssey. And so, Saturday Night‘s log line is quite simple: the real-time chaos that led right up to the birth of one of the most famous TV shows of all time.

What Made an Impression?: Would You Accept a Wolverine in Place of the Truth?: Saturday Night is filled with an unending series of too-perfect coincidences that I don’t really have any interest in fact-checking (at least not in terms of whether or not they make for a worthwhile movie). Like, did John Belushi really refuse to sign his contract until approximately 15 minutes before the cameras started rolling? Surely that must have been sorted out days, if not weeks, earlier? I suppose it’s dramatically true enough, as Belushi was certainly known for being erratic. Some of these stunningly on-the-nose moments are kind of funny, like when Lorne has a sarcastic back-and-forth with a building employee who supposedly thinks that he’s producing Saturday night the night, as opposed to Saturday Night the TV show. But then there are similar incidents that I found myself groaning at, like Milton Berle lecturning everyone he encounters about the way that showbiz really works (although J.K. Simmons does play Uncle Miltie with the just right flavor of stunningly pompous).
Inescapable Iconography: It’s hard to imagine that Saturday Night will be anyone’s introduction to SNL. Even if you don’t watch every new episode like clockwork, you’ve surely encountered some of it through cultural osmosis. But save for a couple of semi-unavoidable bits, the movie mostly avoids the pitfall of simply recreating memes and catchphrases. Nevertheless, it isn’t like this is a completely untold story. The behind-the-scenes foibles have been recounted in numerous outlets on numerous occasions, and the characters are based on quite famous real people, many of whom are still alive. So it’s no surprise that some of these performances are mostly glorified impressions. To be fair, some of them are quite good impressions. Dylan O’Brien in particular captures the singularly rat-a-tat patter of Dan Aykroyd. Others have room to go a little deeper, especially Gabriel LaBelle in the lead, as he effectively captures the harried arrogance and earnestness of attempting to spark a revolution through television. But as good as LaBelle is, I can’t help but look at him and go, “That’s not Lorne Michaels.” It’s close, but not quite. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But it is uncanny.
It’s Saturday Night, and You’re Not: I kind of wish that Saturday Night had gone the Weird biopic route, by maintaining some semblance of reality while obviously comedically exaggerating everything else. It certainly would have been in the spirit of a sketch show that has aired plenty of memorable parodies in its own right. Of course, it would be unfair to review it for not being something that it’s not trying to be. But it’s still fun to wonder, “What if?” As it is, we’ve got something that feels like cosplay populated by body snatchers. It’s energetic and loving cosplay, but the thrills are mostly theoretical rather than visceral.

Saturday Night is Recommended If You Like: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Really sticking it to the censors, Bricks

Grade: 3 out of 5 Affiliates

‘The Wild Robot’ Asks if a Machine Can Access Its Parental Instinct for a Goose

September 25, 2024

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Does she have the programming to be a mother? Let’s find out! (CREDIT: DreamWorks)

Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames

Director: Chris Sanders

Running Time: 102 Minutes

Rating: PG for Fiery Action and Mild Animal Mortality

Release Date: September 27, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: A service robot washes ashore on an island dense with all sorts of animal residents. But this metal creature is supposed to serve humans! But not to worry, as ROZZUM Unit 7134, aka Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) can learn new languages with no trouble at all, so soon enough she’s able to communicate with all the local wildlife in their native tongues. That certainly comes in handy, because in her tireless efforts to offer assistance, she accidentally destroys a goose nest, save for one egg. And when it hatches, the little gosling (voiced by Boone Storme as a baby and Kit Connor when he grows up) imprints on Roz as if she’s his mother. She calls him Brightbill, and she must then prepare him for the upcoming winter migration, which may just require some emotional bonding that isn’t exactly in her programming, though a sojourn in the wilderness might just change that.

What Made an Impression?: What is Love?: Early in The Wild Robot, Roz matter-of-factly admits, “I do not have the programming to be a mother.” Plenty of human mothers have said some variation on this statement, but their kids turned out okay. And maybe non-human animal mothers have also said this in their own animal languages. An opossum voiced by Catherine O’Hara with a bunch of babies hanging onto her fur certainly admits as much to Roz. But are emotions and genuine affection only the domain of the living? Certainly not on the big screen, as Roz is just the latest in a long line of fictional synthetic creatures to transcend their programming in the name of love. But really, she is just following her prime directive of dedicated service to its most logical and satisfying conclusion.
Keeping It Foxy: I kind of want to leave this review rather succinct and just end on that note of love. But I also feel compelled to at least mention the #2 critter on the call sheet, as Roz strikes up an unlikely friendship with an otherwise defiantly independent fox named Fink. His mischievous vibe is similar to that of a certain blue hedgehog, which is why I spent the whole movie thinking that he was voiced by Ben Schwartz, when in actuality he was voiced by Mr. Mandalorian himself, Pedro Pascal. So good job embodying the impish spirit of Mr. Schwartz, Pedro! Whether on purpose or by total coincidence, it was absolutely the right choice.

The Wild Robot is Recommended If You Like: A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Babe, Homeward Bound

Grade: 4 out of 5 Universal Dynamics

Inject ‘The Substance’ Straight Into Everyone! (Not Literally, Though)

September 24, 2024

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The Substance is full of substance. (CREDIT: MUBI/Screenshot)

Starring: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid

Director: Coralie Fargeat

Running Time: 141 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: September 20, 2024 (Theaters)

Not long ago, I discovered that Will & Harper was the perfect movie for my habit of reviewing cinema by asking, “Would I like to be a part of what this movie is all about?” But now I’m confronted with the totally opposite situation in the form of The Substance, as I would most definitely decline to inject myself with the titular substance. I prefer when things are in balance!

Although, I suppose I could learn from Elisabeth/Sue’s example and just not make the same mistakes. But ultimately, I’d still have to say “Nah.” Working out our most grotesque desires/insecurities without actually going into the danger zone is one of the most useful purposes of art, so just watching The Substance is enough for me. I imagine Coralie Fargeat and her cast and crew felt similarly by making it happen.

Grade: 77 Activators out of 101 Stabilizers

Give Your Green Light to ‘Will & Harper’

September 20, 2024

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W&H (CREDIT: Netflix)

Starring: Will Ferrell, Harper Steele

Director: Josh Greenbaum

Running Time: 114 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: September 13, 2024 (Theaters)/September 27, 2024 (Netflix)

Will & Harper is basically the perfect film for my silly little habit of asking some variation of the question, “Would I like to be a part of what this movie is all about?” Because the answer is an unequivocal “Yes!”

The titular “Will” is Will Ferrell, one of my favorite Funny People on Planet Earth, while the titular “Harper” is Harper Steele, a former Saturday Night Live writer who often teamed up with Will during their time together at Studio 8H. And Will & Harper is about the cross-country* road trip they go on together in the wake of the latter’s gender transition as a trans woman (*-that country being the United States).

It would’ve just been grand if I could’ve been there right alongside them, even if just for a minute. What if they had serendipitously dropped into a Dunkin’ Donuts in my neighborhood? It could’ve happened! Maybe it still could! But at least I was able to watch this doc and experience their adventure vicariously, which is the next best thing.

Grade: 55 Pringles out of 69 Natty Lights

‘Never Let Go’ Could Have Had a Firmer Grip

September 18, 2024

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Pictured: The Characters in This Movie Not Letting Go (CREDIT: Lionsgate)

Starring: Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins

Director: Alexandre Aja

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Rating: R for The Forest at Its Gnarliest and Bloodiest

Release Date: September 20, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: In a cabin deep in the woods live the last three people on Earth, and their trusty dog. Or at least that’s the story that the mother (Halle Berry) tells her twin sons Nolan (Percy Daggs IV) and Sammul (Anthony B. Jenkins). According to Momma, it’s not that the entire human population has died, but rather that everyone has been possessed by a vague, unrelenting Evil. Momma and the boys are only able to survive because their cabin has been specially blessed. So whenever they venture outside, they tie themselves to a rope tethered to the house, as breaking free would leave them vulnerable to the grasp of the Evil. But when their living supplies run low, they’re forced to resort to desperate measures to survive. And that is NOT a formula for maintaining trust in each other.

What Made an Impression?: Extreme Experiences, Extreme Measures: The most logical explanation about the Evil of Never Let Go is that it’s all in Momma’s head, perhaps due to mental illness or apocalyptic religious beliefs, or some combination thereof. Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby’s script and Alexandre Aja’s direction certainly nudges us in that direction. There are some generally creepy humanoid creatures with slithery forked tongues, but only Momma is able to see them, for the most part. She may have also just constructed a fable to protect her family from the more quotidian evils of the world, as she frequently hints about the bad life she escaped from before The Evil. That sounds like a reference to something like addiction and/or abusive relationships, although the way she tells it, it could just be that she moved to a big city and found it to be too godless for her sensibilities.
Ambiguity Overload: That vagueness within Momma’s backstory is infused throughout the entire movie. While the most logical explanation is never not that the Evil is all just in Momma’s head, this is a horror movie, so there’s no good reason why there couldn’t be a supernatural alternative. But whenever there’s evidence refuting Momma’s version of events, she doesn’t offer any compelling reason to believe beyond “That’s just the Evil playing tricks on you.” The final act muddies things quite a bit, though. Nolan, the more doubtful of the two brothers, is a defiant survivor, whereas Sammul appears to be quite vulnerable to possession, although perhaps that’s because he’s inherited some of his mother’s most catastrophic personality traits. The final moments appear to confirm that the Evil is in fact just a story, only to then linger in a way that says, “Actually maybe it is real.”
Ultimately, Never Let Go is compelling as a portrait of what it’s like to have a parent who insists that you need to escape from society without sufficient empirical evidence for why. And there’s something to be said for horror that keeps things unnervingly vague. But this one might have been a bit too vague. If you’re like me, you’ll hold on to the rope while you’re watching, but you’ll be happy to let go soon thereafter.

Never Let Go is Recommended If You Like: Dusty boots and jackets, Eating tree bark, Holding on to one prized vinyl record

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Ropes

It Used to Be That I’d Never Seen ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Before in My Life. Or Afterlife. But Now That’s Changed!

September 16, 2024

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Beetlejuice being Beetlejuicy (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot)

Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Arthur Conti, Burn Gorman

Director: Tim Burton

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: September 6, 2024 (Theaters)

After seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, it made me want to:

  1. Figure out who Tess Parks is.
  2. Go Full Falsetto and perform “Tragedy” at karaoke.
  3. Wonder anew how and why so much of a song can be focused on a soggy cake.

Now, just because you’ve got an inspiring soundtrack, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got a satisfyingly well-rounded movie. But I enjoyed most of the non-musical elements of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as well! Thank you, 2024.

Grade: I Like-a the ‘juice

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