November 12, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
documentary, John Williams, Laurent Bouzereau, Music by John Williams
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
November 7, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
George Huang, Gwei Lun-mei, Lu Yi-ching, Luke Evans, Patrick Lee, Sung Kang, Tuo Tsung-hua, Weekend in Taipei, Wyatt Yang
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
November 6, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Albie Salter, Anya Marco Harris, Beau Gadsdon, Cache Vanderpuye, Daniel Betts, Dannie McCallum, David Fynn, Dexter Sol Ansell, Gwilym Lee, Harry Marcus, Here, Here movie, Joel Oulette, Jonathan Aris, Kelly Reilly, Lauren McQueen, Leslie Zemeckis, Lily Aspell, Michelle Dockery, Mohammed George, Nicholas Pinnock, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ophelia Lovibond, Paul Bettany, Robert Zemeckis, Robin Wright, Stuart Bowman, Tom Hanks, Zsa Zsa Zemeckis
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
November 5, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Bryan Woods, Chloe East, Elle Young, Heretic, Hugh Grant, Scott Beck, Sophie Thatcher, Topher Grace
Pie! Pie! Pie! (CREDIT: Kimberly French/A24)
Starring: Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East, Topher Grace, Elle Young
Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Rating: R for Some Climatically Bloody Moments
Release Date: November 8, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Not since Elders Price and Cunningham have there been Mormon missionaries more excited to spread the message of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints than Sisters Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Paxton (Chloe East). While knocking on doors one fateful evening, they end up at the residence of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), who invites them in with promises of blueberry pie and enthusiastic conversation. But soon enough, the young ladies notice warning signs that he might have more sadistic intentions in mind. When they attempt to leave, he assures them that they’re perfectly allowed to do so, but it must be through the back door. Alas, actually getting there involves completing a maze/thought experiment of his devising.
What Made an Impression?: A Flurry of Metaphors: If you’ve always wanted a horror movie that could teach you the history of one of the most popular board games of all time, well then, Heretic has you covered. You see, Mr. Reed is a student of all the world’s religions, and he’s noticed that the history of the major monotheistic faiths is strikingly similar to that of a certain real estate competition. If classic Christianity is Monopoly, then Judaism is its lesser-known forerunner The Landlord’s Game, while Islam is the game for a new era, and Mormonism and all the other more recent offshoots are the wacky spinoffs. It makes a lot of intoxicating sense when Mr. Reed explains. He has a way of summing up this entirely Earthly existence with tidily convincing metaphors. While he has an advisable mix of healthy skepticism and genuine interest when it comes to matters of faith, his intellectual self-assurance is bedeviling.
Not So Naive: Mr. Reed has designed his test so meticulously that Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton are really no match for him. Or so it might seem. As it turns out, they’re nowhere near as clueless as you might expect twentysomethings who grew up in a deeply religious community to be. Thatcher plays Sister Barnes as battle-hardened and a stiff judge of character. Meanwhile, East is an outgoing bundle of friendliness as Sister Paxton, but she knows how the world works. The movie even starts with her talking about a deep philosophical revelation that came to her from watching porn. If anyone could muck up Mr. Reed’s plans and challenge him in ways that are just the least bit unexpected, it’s these two.
How Do You Play the Game?: I can’t endorse Mr. Reed’s methods, but his lesson plans and instinct for metaphor are quite useful. As he points out at one point, either we’re living in a universe run by a god who allows cruel, awful things to happen, and that’s terrifying; or, we live in a godless, totally random universe, and that’s also terrifying. He’s far from the first person to say something like that, but not many others have redesigned their whole house to make this point viscerally clear. Entering Mr. Reed’s domain is a microcosmic confrontation of the existential dilemma that perhaps all human beings grapple with at some point in their lives. Maybe Heretic will help you come up with a satisfying answer for why it’s worth it to keep on keeping on, or maybe it will leave you more racked with doubt than ever. But either way, you’re unlikely to ever forget it.
Heretic is Recommended If You Like: Theology lectures, Saw, Fresh baked goods
Grade: 4 out of 5 Doors
October 29, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Caroline Lindy, Edmund Donovan, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Kayla Foster, Meghann Fahy, Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Your Monster
You and Your Monster (CREDIT: Vertical Entertainment/Screenshot)
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, Meghann Fahy, Ikechukwu Ufomadu
Director: Caroline Lindy
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: October 25, 2024 (Theaters)
Would I like to have a monster in my closet, just like Laura Franco (Melissa Barerra) discovers that she does in the new feature film Your Monster? Well, I’m kinda leaning towards the interpretation that the Monster (Tommy Dewey) is a metaphor and that he was really inside Laura all along, so maybe I already do! Honestly, I think that’s the most palatable interpretation, because the Monster is initially pretty rude to Laura in ways that really cross the line, although they eventually certainly soften and warm up to each other. Anyway, they still have some work to do by the end. Speaking of the end, the conclusion is bloody and over-the-top in a way that reminded me of The Substance, although I suppose those aren’t the only two movies that have ever gone for broke.
Grade: 3 Critics Picks out of 5 Jesse Greens
October 23, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Alanna Ubach, Andy Serkis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Clark Backo, Cristo Fernández, Juno Temple, Kelly Marcel, Peggy Lu, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Tom Hardy, Venom, Venom: The Last Dance
Eddie and Venom horsin’ around. (CREDIT: Sony Pictures)
Starring: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, Andy Serkis, Clark Backo, Cristo Fernandez
Director: Kelly Marcel
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for Aliens Eating Humans and a Couple of F-Bombs
Release Date: October 25, 2024 (Theater)
What’s It About?: Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his alien symbiote soulmate have been laying low after their last Venom-ous adventure. But then it turns out that Eddie’s one of the most wanted men in America (or at least the Bay Area), and also some guy named Knull (Andy Serkis) who’s the master of all symbiotes is on an intergalactic trek to regain control of Venom and his ilk. So they head out for safer pastures, eventually making their way to Nevada, where they converge with a group of science and military types looking to exploit symbiote technology for their own purposes, as well as Knull’s beastly minions and an extraterrestrial-obsessed family excited about the recent declassification of Area 51.
What Made an Impression?: Science vs. Soldiers vs. Power vs. True Love: At the core of the Venom film trilogy is the unlikely, occasionally destructive, but ultimately mutually beneficial relationship between a broken man and a needy extraterrestrial creature. The Last Dance theoretically could just be about Eddie Brock walking across the desert while talking to the chaotic being living inside him, but their interpersonal tension has mostly been resolved over the course of the two films. So instead there are a few external conflicts that criss-cross with each other, though they all struggle to get their narrative fill. Juno Temple plays Dr. Teddy Payne, the Avatar of Science who wants to keep dangerous aliens alive for the sake of science; while Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Rex Strickland, the Symbol of Law & Order who wants to arrest Eddie and keeps yelling at Dr. Payne about all the men he keeps losing in the line of duty. Meanwhile, Rhys Ifans is the UFO-loving, Hippie Wild Card who throws a kumbaya wrench into the whole proceedings. Ultimately, all of these opposing factions eventually realize that they need to team up to defeat the power-mad Knull, which results in a kinetically conclusive set piece, though the characterization that gets us to that point is a little thin and petty.
Aliens Are Always Bugging Out: How long has it been since insects have become the go-to design inspiration for big screen extraterrestrials? The xenomorphs of Alien are perhaps the proto-example, While the bugs of Starship Troopers were obviously a big deal in 1997. But it’s probably only been in the past decade or so that it’s become frustratingly de rigueur. The Last Dance continues this trend in the form of the creatures that are hunting down Venom and the other symbiotes, although there are some hints of creativity trying to break out. They’re basically giant, apparently indestructible, pointy-legged arachnids that can shoot out supersonic bursts (a weakness of the symbiotes). It sounds like it could be kind of cool in theory, but in practice, it’s just a chaotic swarm of fiery bursts and barely coherent screaming. And that’s The Last Dance in microcosm: there’s genuine personality scattered about, but it’s stuck in an inelegant mess. The desire to have fun is there, but it can’t quite hit it into overdrive.
Venom: The Last Dance is Recommended If You: Keep Your Own Personal Index of Every Single Marvel Comics Symbiote
Grade: 2 out of 5 Codices
October 22, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Brian F. O'Bryne, Carlos Diehz, Conclave, Edward Berger, Isabella Rossellini, Jacek Koman, John Lithgow, Loris Loddi, Lucian Msamati, Merab Ninidze, Ralph Fiennes, Sergio Castellitto, Stanley Tucci, Thomas Loibl
Looking for a Pope (CREDIT: Focus Features. © 2024 All Rights Reserved.)
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, Isabella Rossellini, Lucian Msamati, Carlos Diehz, Brian F. O’Bryne, Merab Ninidze, Thomas Loibl, Jacek Koman, Loris Loddi
Director: Edward Berger
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Rating: PG for Some Smoking
Release Date: October 25, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: When it’s time for the Catholic Church to pick a new pope, the process is performed in secret by the highest-ranking members of the church hierarchy. Conclave doesn’t have any real footage to lift that veil, but it is bold enough to wonder: what if that deliberation went a little something… like this? Leading the titular conclave is Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who quickly finds himself wrangling diametrically opposed ideological factions and navigating a series of scandalous secrets that the deceased pontiff was apparently trying to uncover. Meanwhile, as the votes to elect the new pope fail to meet the majority thresholds, various contenders emerge and fall, potentially leading the church onto a path it has never trod before.
What Made an Impression?: Where Does the Church Go From Here?: As a born-and-bred, still-practicing Catholic, I appreciated immediately that Conclave understands how the Church membership is far from a monolith. That’s represented in microcosm by the cardinals, with the liberal wing represented by Lawrence, Stanley Tucci’s Cardinale Bellini, and John Lithgow’s Cardinal Tremblay; and the conservative flank led by Sergio Castellito’s Cardinal Tedesco. It definitely seems that Peter Straughan’s script (based on the novel of the same name by Robert Harris) is more sympathetic to the progressive side, but it’s clear that whomever is elected will be leading a worldwide congregation filled with various, difficult-to-reconcile ideas about how the church should exist in the 21st century. Efforts to bridge the gap within the conclave are not exactly satisfying; for one thing, the progressives consider compromising by supporting the most popular African cardinal (Lucian Msamati), but he’s even more socially conservative than Tedesco. Furthermore, it’s made consistently clear that none of these men are infallible, despite the immaculate position they’re in the running for. A passion for justice and unity does not shield one from the temptations of power, after all.
A Sin to Fear Above All Others: If you’re a fan of deeply experienced thespians talking about big ideas that could possibly change the course of history, then Conclave has you covered as much as its cast list would suggest. Even if the final vote had been dramatically inert, this movie still would have had its pleasures. But the conclusion is not dramatically inert. Far from it, in fact, thanks to some admirable philosophical convictions (as well as a revelatory performance from Carlos Diehz, an actor I’ve never heard of before with a very thin IMDb). If there’s one thing that this movie comes out unmistakably against, it is Certainty. Indeed, in a tradition that places supremely high value on mystery and faith, certainty is not only foolish, but dangerous. And I would argue that you don’t have to be religious to understand that healthy skepticism is preferable to being absolutely sure about absolutely everything. In that vein, if you can keep an open mind, there’s plenty to appreciate, and maybe even love, about the mysterious wonders of Conclave.
Conclave is Recommended If You Like: The Second Vatican Council
Grade: 4 out of 5 Cardinals
October 19, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Alexa Blair Robertson, Antonella Rose, Bryce Johnson, Damien Leone, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Lauren LaVera, Margaret Anne Florence, Mason Mecartea, Samantha Scaffidi, Terrifier, Terrifier 3
Art-ful Horror (CREDIT: Cineverse/Screenshot)
Starring: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Antonella Rose, Mason Mecartea, Alexa Blair Robertson
Director: Damien Leone
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: October 11, 2024 (Theaters)
David Howard Thornton is a really great mime…
And that’s the entirety of my Terrifier 3 review!!!
Grade: 33 Clown Gags out of 55 Interdimensional Terrors
October 17, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Andie MacDowell, Carmen Ejogo, Danny Deferrari, Goodrich, Hallie Meyers-Shyer, Jacob Kopera, Kevin Pollak, Laura Benanti, Michael Keaton, Michael Urie, Mila Kunis, Nico Hiraga, Poorna Jagannathan, Vivien Lyra Blair
Good ‘n’ Rich (CREDIT: Ketchup Entertainment)
Starring: Michael Keaton, Mila Kunis, Carmen Ejogo, Michael Urie, Kevin Pollak, Vivien Lyra Blair, Jacob Kopera, Nico Hiraga, Danny Deferrari, Laura Benanti, Andie MacDowell, Poorna Jagannathan
Director: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Rating: R for Gently Explicit Profanity
Release Date: October 18, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Andy Goodrich (Michael Keaton) wakes up one day to discover that his wife (Laura Benanti) is in rehab and that she’s leaving him. And he simply cannot believe it! He had absolutely no idea that she was struggling with prescription pills, and he didn’t pick up on any signs that he was drifting apart. So he uses this moment as a wake-up call to be a more mindful father to his nine-year-old twins Billie (Vivien Lyra Blair) and Mose (Jacob Kopera), as well as his pregnant adult daughter Grace (Mila Kunis). Meanwhile, he’s also trying to keep his struggling art gallery afloat by convincing the jazz musician daughter (Carmen Ejogo) of a recently deceased artist to let him exhibit her mom’s works.
What Made an Impression?: Is He a Bad Dad?: Writer-director Hallie Meyers-Shyer needs us to take a lot on faith in the setup of her second feature (after 2017’s Home Again). Because here’s the deal: based on what we actually see of him, Goodrich is a pretty dutiful dad. It’s reasonable to infer that he wasn’t always this attentive, as Blair, Kopera, and Kunis’s performances are weighed down by years and years of frustration. But even the picture that they paint doesn’t sound all that bad. Sure, he often works late and is kind of clueless, but he’s clearly making an effort to be available to the people who are important to him. You can’t tell me that he figured all that out in one day! But putting that straining of credulity aside, Meyers-Shyer has not bungled into a formula for disaster. Far from it, in fact. It’s a pleasure to watch Keaton play a guy who takes the extra step to do the right thing, especially when that entails obliviously but enthusiastically attending a feminist-themed performance space.
The Kids Are All Right: One of the reasons that Andy doesn’t struggle to be a better dad is undoubtedly because his kids are just a delight to hang out with. Billie sets the tone early on when she announces, “If you don’t want me to talk like I’m from L.A., don’t raise me in L.A.” If that line sounds too precociously showbiz-y for you, then why are you even watching this movie? Honestly, a good chunk of the script is catnip for anyone who’s ever worked as an entertainment journalism professional. At one point, someone even declares, “You’re the Senior Entertainment Writer!” Maybe I’m making this sound a bit too niche for a general audience, but let me amend by saying that I suspect that its charms are fairly accessible. It’s grounded by the story of a family of intuitive folks who like to hash things out with each other through vulnerable conversations, and that’s pretty relatable and engaging.
Goodrich is Recommended If You Like: One-Season SNL Cast Members, Wacky open-mindedness regarding sexual orientation, Classic Michael Urie Neuroticism
Grade: 3 out of 5 Galleries
October 16, 2024
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Drew Barrymore, Dylan Gelula, Kyle Gallner, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Naomi Scott, Parker Finn, Peter Jacobson, Raúl Castillo, Ray Nicholson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Smile, Smile 2
TFW you’re not smiling… (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)
Starring: Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lukas Gage, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Peter Jacobson, Ray Nicholson, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo, Kyle Gallner, and Drew Barrymore as Herself
Director: Parker Finn
Running Time: 127 Minutes
Rating: R for Disturbingly Creative Self-Mutilation, Some White Powder, and a Lot of F-Bombs
Release Date: October 18, 2024 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: The cursed entity from the first Smile is back at it again! Its latest victim is pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who’s about to embark on a world tour one year after being seriously injured in a car accident that killed a dear friend. She’s mostly recovered, but she still has some gnarly scars and terrible back pain. Alas, nobody will prescribe her anything stronger than over-the-counter painkillers, thanks to her history of substance abuse. So she turns to an old classmate (Lukas Gage) for some Vicodin, but as luck would have it, he’s under the sway of the Smile Demon, and his sudden graphic demise passes it onto her. Soon enough, she’s seeing the creepy upturned lips among her fans, handlers, and most traumatic memories. Her demise feels as inevitable as that of everyone else who’s been infected, although a mysterious stranger might have some ideas about how to break the curse.
What Made an Impression?: Curses Are Gross: When I looked up my take on the original Smile, I recalled how frustrating I found that initial go-round due to the profound inability of the main characters to fight against the evil. With Parker Finn returning as writer and director, the sequel doesn’t do much to deviate from the already well-established formula. Like Sosie Bacon’s overworked therapist in the original, Skye is too psychologically vulnerable to fight back in any meaningful way (although the dynamism of a showbiz career does allow for a little more chaos). But a shot in the arm to mix things up does arrive in the form of Dylan Gelula as Skye’s estranged best friend Gemma. Ever since her breakout performance on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, she’s been a reliable avatar of disaffected youth, which allows her to convincingly react to the horrors that Skye is going through with lines like, “Ew, oh my god, what?” Sometimes evil just needs to be called out for being lame and disgusting.
Symphony of Blood: Horror movies can be satisfying whether or not the monster is defeated at the end. But it’s hard to remain engaged if evil’s triumph feels inevitable. Smile 2 proposes a solution that could potentially end the Smile Demon, though it also resorts to a series of fakeouts that dash any sense of hope. That’s not exactly a problem, as the hallucinations are consistently tantalizing. On the other hand, at a certain point you can’t help but wonder: is anything that Skye experiences after being possessed real in any way? While it might be nice to have a little more clarity on that point, Finn papers over that concern with a more playful and daring approach than he utilized before, with disorienting upside-down cityscape shots and a bravura final set piece that may not conclude every plot point but does wrap things up emotionally with quite a bit of finesse. He’s an orchestra conductor directing his mayhem with devilishly perfected timing. The final note will leave you screaming, in pain and/or excitement, about the possibility of this story never ending.
Smile 2 is Recommended If You Liked: The First Smile But Thought It Should’ve Been More Like Beyond the Lights
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Donut Weights
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