‘I.S.S.’ Delivers a Killer Premise to Low Earth Orbit

January 18, 2024

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You down with I.S.S.? (CREDIT: Bleecker Street/Screenshot)

Starring: Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, Pilou Asbæk, John Gallagher Jr., Costa Ronin, Maria Mashkova

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Running Time: 95 Minutes

Rating: R for Shockingly Blunt Violence

Release Date: January 19, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: The International Space Station orbits around the Earth as a triumph of international cooperation. The residents on board in the thriller I.S.S. certainly seem to be living by that ethos, as American astronaut Gordon (Chris Messina) has quite the rapport with his Russian cosmonaut colleagues Alexey (Pilou Asbæk), Nicolai (Costa Ronin), and Weronika (Maria Mashkova). New residents Kira (Ariana DeBose) and Christian (John Gallagher Jr.) also feel the intergalactic love right as soon as they arrive. But on one fateful day, they all look below, and they don’t like what they see, as Earth appears to be in the throes of nuclear war. The Americans then receive a transmission commanding them to take control of the station, and it sure seems like the Russians have received the very same message.

What Made an Impression?: Renewed Tensions: For the entirety of the Cold War, Russians or other Soviets were the go-to villain in pretty much any American action film. That impulse still lingered somewhat even after the fall of the Soviet Union, though the threat didn’t feel especially urgent during the 90s and early 2000s. But ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, nuclear annihilation has once again felt like a very immediate possibility, and I.S.S. knows that it doesn’t have to directly invoke current events for its audience to understand the threat. The astronauts and cosmonauts make it a point to never talk about politics, but in a crisis like this one, survival instincts kick in. Ignoring their orders and working together seems like a legitimate possibility, but so does paranoia taking over and killing everyone.
Claustrophobia Overload: Here’s my other big takeaway from I.S.S.: I don’t ever want to go to space! Not that I had any desire beforehand anyway. While experiencing zero gravity might be fun for a few minutes, it can’t make up for the vast, cold, tight, disconnected status quo. And as this movie makes clear, sleeping while floating is at best deeply surreal and at worst existentially terrifying. With communication to the planet spotty on even the best day, it’s a wonder that these people can think straight even without the threat of war lurking below. Thankfully, I.S.S. lasts for a mercifully effective hour and a half; if it had been any longer, I’d still be detoxing to re-adjust to my earthbound existence.

I.S.S. is Recommended If You Like: Gravity, The Thing, Life

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Transmissions

‘Origin’ Brings Isabel Wilkerson’s ‘Caste’ to Vibrant Cinematic Life

January 16, 2024

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CREDIT: NEON/Screenshot

Starring: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Jon Bernthal, Niecy Nash-Betts, Emily Yancy, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Blair Underwood, Donna Mills, Leonardo Nam, Connie Nielsen, Finn Wittrock, Victoria Pedretti, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Mieke Schymura, Isha Blaaker, Myles Frost, Gaurav J. Pathania, Suraj Yengde, Nick Offerman

Director: Ava DuVernay

Running Time: 135 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Historical Discrimination

Release Date: December 8, 2023 (Awards-Qualifying Run)/January 19, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Perhaps you read the 2020 nonfiction book Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents and found yourself wondering how the author, Isabel Wilkerson, went about crafting such a book. Well, it’s your lucky day, because in the grand tradition of Adaptation, Ava DuVernay has written and directed Origin, a big-screen version that reveals the story behind the story. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor plays Isabel, whom we’re introduced to in the buildup to Caste‘s publication. We also get to know her ailing mother Ruby (Emily Yancy), her protective husband Brett (Jon Bernthal), and her cousin Marion (Niecy Nash-Betts). Interspersed within are some stories that demonstrate Isabel’s theory about how American racism is a classic example of social stratification seen throughout human history.

What Made an Impression?: Hung Up in Jargon: Since it is the story of a writer’s life, I was a little worried that Origin would be a little too talky for its own good. And for the first third or so, my fears were well-founded. As Isabel has polite debates with her editor and fellow cocktail party attendees, I realized why these conversations are not usually considered especially cinematic. These moments might be interesting to literature grad students, but for the rest of the population, they could come off a little dull and impenetrable.
Compelling Turning Point: Fortunately the rest of the movie does not maintain that overly literary veneer. And there’s one crucial scene that spells out a change in priorities. Isabel and Marion are hanging out together at a family cookout while Isabel explains the premise of her new book. Marion is initially bewildered by her rather abstract explanation, but then Isabel gets down to brass tacks with a more concrete example of what she’s getting at. Marion then assures her that this sort of storytelling ability is exactly how she should write her book, and the movie wisely follows that cue as well.
The Points Become Salient: Isabel’s journey of writing Caste takes her to the American Deep South, Nazi Germany, and India, with historical re-enactments illustrating how each of these societies have been shaped by strikingly similar caste systems. These segments are fairly straightforward, but what pushes them over the edge are Isabel’s reactions of inspiration. Ellis-Taylor is a subtle master at quiet euphoria. (That quality also serves as a counterpoint to the deep wells of sadness she must convey.) By the end of the movie, you’ll hopefully be able to feel as hopeful as Isabel appears to be. Not because these intractable problems will be solved anytime soon, but at the very least because someone is able to identify and explain them.

Origin is Recommended If You Like: Anti-racism, Listening to people who have liberal arts degrees

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Castes

Those ‘Mean Girls’ Are Still At It Again 20 Years Later, and This Time, They’ve Brought Songs

January 11, 2024

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Was this photo taken on a Wednesday? (CREDIT: Jojo Whilden/Paramount © 2023 Paramount Pictures)

Starring: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Christopher Briney, Jaquel Spivey, Bebe Wood, Avantika, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, Busy Phillips

Directors: Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.

Running Time: 112 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Zingers That Go for the Jugular

Release Date: January 12, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: If you’ve been plugged into American pop culture at all in the past 20 years, then surely you know Mean Girls‘ whole deal. This new cinematic edition keeps the same basic narrative structure, so if you already wear pink on Wednesdays, you know what’s coming. In case you need to be initiated, though, here are the essential details: Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) has spent most of her childhood in Kenya, but now that she’s a teenager, her mom (Jenna Fischer) thinks it’s time to move back to America so that Cady can actually have a typical in-person high school experience. She soon attracts the attention of the notorious clique the Plastics: queen bee Regina (Reneé Rapp), desperate-to-please Gretchen (Bebe Wood), and airheaded Karen (Avantika). Cady also develops a more ostensibly genuine friendship with resident outcasts Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), who concoct a revenge scheme to kick Regina off her perch at the top of the social hierarchy. And this time around, there’s singing! That’s right, this Mean Girls is based on the Broadway musical that was based on the original 2004 movie (which was in turn inspired by the parental advice book Queen Bees and Wannabes).

What Made an Impression?: High School is Still a Jungle: A few times while watching nu-Mean Girls, I was plagued by the thought of whether or not we still need a story like this in 2024. After all, aren’t we as a society much more open-minded when it comes to gender and sexual orientation and most other forms of identity? While that may be generally true, it depends on your particular community. Even if you’re lucky enough to grow up in a fully enlightened area, that doesn’t make you emotionally bulletproof. What hasn’t changed in the past couple of decades is our fundamental desire to be accepted by the people who are important to us. So while calling someone gay, for example, might not carry the same sting that it used to (rightly so), we still all have our vulnerabilities, and the folks behind Mean Girls totally understand that the fight against ostracism is a never-ending struggle.
New & Updated (Loopy Edition): I’ve seen the original Mean Girls in its entirety probably only twice or thrice, but I’ve encountered its enduring memes and quotes thousands of times. Which is to say, when this new version diverges onto its own path, it feels like it’s making a point. And that point usually is: don’t you wish we could have phrased that a little bit differently? Tina Fey is the credited screenwriter for both films (as well as the scribe of the book for the stage musical), and that continuity works in the alterations’ favor. And thankfully, while these changes are driven by a moral backbone, they’re not moralizing. The characters are allowed to be messy in a way that teenagers typically are. During moments when it seems like someone is about to declare, “Here are simple instructions for how to be a good person,” they instead say something along the lines of, “I’m on a whole bunch of painkillers right now, so I don’t even know what the heck’s coming out of my mouth.”
Was It a Good Decision to Sing?: If all you know about this version of Mean Girls is what the commercials have shown you, you might not have any idea that this is actually a musical. Regardless of whether or not you’re surprised by this factoid, I’m sure you’d like to know if the songs deliver the goods or not. That of course depends a great deal on your own particular subjective aural tastes. But what’s more objective is how clearly each number and arrangement fits the character of the people performing them. For my money, technical proficiency is less important than personality in musicals, although Mean Girls has plenty of both. Everyone involved knows what they want to say, and they sing their heart’s messages out with abandon.

Mean Girls is Recommended If You Like: TikTok, Memes, Quips, Math, Self-Awareness

Grade: 4 out of 5 Kalteen Bars

In ‘The Beekeeper,’ Jason Statham Takes His Grievances Straight to the Top of the Hive

January 10, 2024

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Honey, Honey (CREDIT: Daniel Smith/© 2024 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved)

Starring: Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Jeremy Irons, Minnie Driver, Phylicia Rashad

Director: David Ayer

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Rating: R for Excessively Excessive Violence

Release Date: January 12, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: After his neighbor Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad) is scammed out of millions of dollars in a phishing scheme, a mysterious man known as Adam Clay (Jason Statham) takes it upon himself to wipe out the entire organization preying upon these vulnerable seniors.  Meanwhile, Eloise’s FBI agent daughter Verona (Emmy Raver-Lampman) starts investigating both Clay and the people who swindled her mother. It soon becomes clear that everyone is in for a lot more than they bargained for. The scamming operation is run by a tech bro master of the universe jerkoff (Josh Hutcherson) who is connected to some very powerful people, while Mr. Clay is the product of an organization known as “Beekeepers,” who were engineered to root out problems just like this one. But he’s gone rogue, and that does not bode well for anyone standing in his way.

What Made an Impression?: Hooking Our Sympathies: Who among us in 21st Century Planet Earth hasn’t been victimized by intrusive pop-up viruses or pushy call centers? Even if you’ve managed to escape without losing any cash or computer data, you know how much of a nuisance they are. So it’s not hard to understand Clay’s instinct to incinerate where it’s all happening. That has to be one of the most popular revenge fantasies nowadays. So it’s a bit of a shock that that destruction is merely the first blow in the War of Clay vs. The Scammers, instead of the final battle. Where does The Beekeeper go from there to keep the melee coming?
A Study in Extremes: As it turns out, the answer to that question is: turn Jason Statham into a one-man wrecking crew. That’s not exactly a new innovation, but director David Ayer takes the concept to grotesque extremes that I don’t think we’ve ever quite seen before. Where one punch to the head is enough to dispatch a foe, at least three more punches are added. And where the amputation of fingers is presumably enough to teach someone a lesson, he’s instead tied to a car and dragged into the bottom of a river. I suppose the idea being explored here is the consequence of creating super-soldiers, but the mysterious nature of the Beekeepers precludes the script from fully exploring that possibility. Either way, it’s not particularly pleasant to watch Mr. Clay execute his mayhem.
Ironing Out the Details: While I’m often put off by the sour worldview in David Ayer’s films, at least he’s able to attract top-notch talent in front of the camera. Statham can play this type of character in his sleep, and he’s not really being asked to elevate it higher than its B-movie trappings. But in the supporting roles, there is often room to deliver some gravitas, and who better to deliver than Jeremy Irons? With his pristinely pressed suits, he serves as a corporate executive tasked with making sure the operation runs smoothly. That description could also accurately describe the entirety of Irons’ acting career. If we must descend into a grotesque bloodbath, at least let the professionals chaperone us.

The Beekeeper is Recommended If You Like: January pulp, Classically trained actors in lowbrow flicks, Slamming appliances out of frustration

Grade: 2 out of 5 Hives

The Spirits in ‘Night Swim’ Offer a Devil’s Bargain

January 4, 2024

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Take a dip? (CREDIT: Universal Pictures)

Starring: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Nancy Lenehan, Jodi Long, Rahnuma Panthaky, Eddie Martinez, Elijah J. Roberts

Director: Bryce McGuire

Running Time: 98 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Creepy Black Goo and A Few Near-Drownings

Release Date: January 5, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Professional baseball player Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell) and his wife Eve (Kerry Condon) are shopping for a new home that will hopefully afford him some space to adjust after a recent multiple sclerosis diagnosis forced him to take time away from the game. They settle on a cozy suburban spot with a backyard swimming pool that has a very unusual feature: it’s connected to the groundwater! Also, it’s haunted. However, when Ray takes a dip, it’s more like a fountain of youth, as his symptoms begin to miraculously fade away. Unfortunately the pool has a bit of a tit-for-tat arrangement with all of its owners: for every person it cures, it must consume someone else. That certainly doesn’t bode well for Ray and Eve’s kids Izzy (Amélie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren).

What Made an Impression?: A New Mythology?: For much of Night Swim, I couldn’t help but ask, “When are we going to discover that this pool was built on an ancient burial ground?” While the premise is certainly Poltergeist-y, the aesthetics are more beholden to turn-of-the-20th century J-horror, especially when the strands of dark black hair of previous victims peek through the pool’s filter. But writer-director Bryce McGuire has ultimately crafted his own unique dark parable. It’s an expansion of the short film he made in 2014 (along with Rod Blackhurst, who has a story credit on the feature), but it also feels like it could be drawing from the mythology of some nation or ethnic group that I’m not terribly familiar with. If that’s the case, I’d love to dig deeper into the real-life inspiration. Although as far as I can tell, this was mostly McGuire’s creation. It’s a creepy enough scenario, although I do wish I had been more viscerally freaked out instead of focusing on all this pondering.
Shifting Moods, Shifting Tones: Each member of the Waller clan besides Ray has their own ghostly experience that convinces them that the pool is not to be trusted. But young Elliot is the only one who responds to that realization with much urgency. His older sister and mom do have flashes of taking the threat seriously, but they’re distracted by more earthbound concerns. (Maybe there’s a point being made about losing touch with the supernatural as you get older?) When it eventually gets to a point that they can’t deny what’s right in front of their eyes, they often remain rather stone-faced. Perhaps this family just isn’t very expressive.
It all builds and falls to a rather matter-of-fact resolution despite a notably tragic climax. I don’t know if McGuire ever fully figured out what tone he was aiming for. Or if he did, I’m not sure he clearly conveyed that to his cast. Still, there’s enough creepy imagery and a solidly unnerving premise to make Night Swim worth a lukewarm recommendation despite all the awkwardness.

Night Swim is Recommended If You: Saw all the gunk trapped in a pool filter and then thought, “Hey, what if that’s haunted?”

Grade: 3 out of 5 Marco Polos

‘Occupied City’ Review: Looking Back at What Happened in The Netherlands During the Holocaust Via Four-Hour Documentary

December 22, 2023

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Occupied City (CREDIT: A24)

Narrator: Melanie Hyams

Director: Steve McQueen

Running Time: 262 Minutes (Including a 15-Minute Intermission)

Rating: PG-13 for A Disturbing History Lesson

Release Date: December 25, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: In a year of high-profile lengthy theatrical releases, Occupied City is the longest endurance test yet. Clocking in at over four hours (with a break in between), this documentary from director Steve McQueen features footage of modern-day Amsterdam juxtaposed with voice-over narration describing events that happened during the Holocaust at various buildings in the Dutch capital. The visuals were shot during some of the most intense chapters of the COVID-19 pandemic, which invites you to draw historical parallels, if you please. But for the most part, it’s all presented profoundly matter-of-factly.

What Made an Impression?: Exhibiting the Evidence: I’ve never seen any movie quite like Occupied City, and I’m kind of surprised – almost stunned, even – that it’s getting any sort of commercial theatrical release at all. It might be worth seeing just on the basis of that uniqueness alone. But you might also come to the same conclusion that I did, which is to say: this feels more like a museum exhibit than a movie, wherein the narration would play on a loop in a room throughout the day while the images are projected on the wall.
Viewing Strategy: Extending that museum exhibit idea, that would likely be a preferable way to take in Occupied City, since it would allow you to get up and stretch and keep the blood flowing. As for the cinematic form that it actually exists in, it at least helps that there’s an intermission to prevent a total lack of mobility. But even if you do get up at some point during either of the two halves, don’t worry. McQueen himself has said that pee breaks are part of the experience. After all, four hours isn’t massive enough to fully capture this subject, so you’re going to be missing out on something anyway. You might as well embrace that fact and not lose touch with the outside world too much if you do decide to go see Occupied City.

Occupied City is Recommended If You Like: Thoroughness, University lectures, An even-keeled speaking voice

Grade: 3 out of 5 Amsterdams

‘Anyone But You’ is a Silly, Sexy, and Self-Aware Riff on Shakespeare

December 21, 2023

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Sydney (and Glen) in Sydney (CREDIT: Brook Rushton/Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths, Michelle Hurd, Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, Charlee Fraser, Joe Davidson

Director: Will Gluck

Running Time: 103 Minutes

Rating: R for Naughty Bits and Cheeky Language

Release Date: December 22, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: After an improbably passionate meet-cute that ends as terribly as possible, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) find themselves inexplicably thrust back into each other’s lives several months later when her sister Halle (Hadley Robinson) and his good friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) are getting married at a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia. Their petty sniping threatens to ruin the nuptials, so the brides and a few other guests concoct a scheme to get them to reignite the spark. Bea and Ben quickly catch on to the ruse, but instead of getting upset, they decide that the best way to get everyone off their backs is to just play along. Plus, their respective exes (Darren Barnet, Charlee Fraser) are also both in attendance, so this charade could siphon away some of the awkwardness from those encounters, or maybe even spark some jealousy. Of course, this being a romantic comedy and all, Bea and Ben are probably on a path to discovering that the fake relationship should maybe become the real deal.

What Made an Impression?: Only in Rom-Coms: The typical rom-com formula requires plenty of suspension of disbelief, what with all the unlikely encounters and easily resolvable misunderstandings. Anyone But You kind of pushes the limits of cliché, perhaps even to the point of parody. Bea and Ben’s meet-cute is especially absurd, as she runs into a coffee shop just to find a place to pee, and he buys her a drink so that she can become a paying customer. And this proves to be chivalrous enough for them to spend the night together! Then their big initial misunderstanding is based on the thinnest of circumstances, as she leaves his apartment the morning after before he wakes up, only to turn around just in time to hear him masking his insecurity by lying to a friend that he meant nothing to her. They eventually have ample opportunity to clear the confusion up, but both of them are too petty to do so. But the ridiculousness is kind of the point. The setup had to be that infuriating to really establish Bea and Ben as the ultimate rom-com protagonists.
All the Romance is a Stage: While I was eager to be charmed by Anyone But You‘s friendly cast and sunny harborside exteriors, I found some of the dialogue to be stilted and unnatural. But then I eventually locked into the vibe that it was going for. The story is based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, so it’s all about trickery and subterfuge, and self-awareness about that trickery and subterfuge, and self-awareness about that self-awareness. It’s hard not to occasionally sound like a doofus while diving too deep into this silly game. Considering the source material, I wonder how Anyone But You would’ve worked as a stage production, especially if it had encouraged mass audience participation. As it stands now in its cinematic form, it wisely encourages silliness on the part of all of its cast members, and also smartly decides to have low stakes masquerade as high stakes.
Stripping Down: Romantic movies that feature a lot of skin tend to be of the “erotic” or “gross-out” variety, but Anyone But You bucks that trend by maintaining the sweetness while also dropping trou on more than a few occasions. Part of that is surely attributable to a more liberal attitude towards nudity among Australians compared to Americans. Whatever the full reasoning behind this cheekiness, it helps to bolster the theme of vulnerability being good for the heart. And here’s the thing: with a combination of goofball energy, sunny beaches, and horniness, certain parts are just going to pop out at some point. It’s enough to drive you wild, and help you come to an important epiphany.

Anyone But You is Recommended If You Like: Vicarious traveling, Dermot Mulroney’s Silver Fox Era, Awkward everyday acrobatics

Grade: 4 out of 5 Deceptions

A Family of Ducks Try to Save Their Tails as They Head South in Illumination’s ‘Migration’

December 20, 2023

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Migration, all I ever wanted! (CREDIT: Illumination Entertainment & Universal Pictures)

Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal, Danny DeVito, Awkwafina, Keegan Michael-Key, David Mithcell, Carol Kane

Director: Benjamin Renner

Running Time: 82 Minutes

Rating: PG for Culinary Cartoon Mayhem

Release Date: December 22, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Mack Mallard (Kumail Nanjiani) and Pam Mallard (Elizabeth Banks) are a couple of homebody ducks. Or at least, Mack is definitely happy in their cozy New England pond, whereas Pam has at least a smidge of wanderlust. Their little ducklings Dax (Caspar Jennings) and Gwen (Tresi Gazal), however, are a heck of a lot more restless than their parents. So they eventually follow the rest of the flock and head south to Jamaica for the winter. But they get a little waylaid as they attempt to make their way through the skyscrapers and relentless traffic of New York City. Along the way, they meet a colorful cast of characters, including an eccentric heron (Carol Kane), a street-smart pigeon (Awkwafina), and a homesick Caribbean parrot (Keegan Michael-Key).

What Made an Impression?: Herons Are So Hot Right Now: Erin the heron isn’t in a whole lot of Migration, but she made more of an impression on me than any of the other fowl creatures. Partly that’s thanks to Carol Kane’s indefatigable loopiness, but I think it also has to do with me recently becoming a fan of this particular avian species in the wake of The Boy and the Heron. Migration is nowhere near as challenging as that latest Hayao Miyazaki feature, but it gets close with its own heron section. It’s an admirably dark moment for an animated family flick from Illumination, as the Mallards fret over the possibility that Gwen is going to eat them. The truth is more comforting, though no less freaky.
Vegans Represent?: Like a lot of talking critter movies, Migration ultimately reveals a clear pro-animal rights message, as the Mallards and their new friends must escape the clutches of haute cuisine. I wondered if the filmmakers were imbuing their own vegan/vegetarian convictions, or if this common trope was just being used as a crutch. It’s worth pointing out at this point that the screenplay was written by Mike White (yes, that Mike White), who is in fact vegan, so this was probably more than just a payday gig for him. The story isn’t exactly breaking the mold by foregrounding the animal perspective, but at least it has enough of a takeaway to elevate it from disposable fluff.
Minion Head Count: For me, the most important question when seeing any new Illumination movie is: how much are the Minions in it? When it’s a new Despicable Me feature, the answer is of course “a lot.” But even in non-Despicable movies, they tend to make a cameo, and in the case of Migration, they play the opening Universal Studios fanfare theme on a kazoo. Plus, there’s a new short that plays before the feature called Mooned that stars a quartet of Minions, as well as Jason Segel reprising his villainous role of Vector from the first film. So, my fellow despicable fans, you’ve got a little holiday treat this year.

Migration is Recommended If You Like: Chicken Run, NYC street food, Caribbean accents from non-Caribbean actors

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Ducks

Should We Still Take Time to Notice ‘The Color Purple’ in 2023? Let’s Find Out!

December 19, 2023

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Look at all that purple in their souls! (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot)

Starring: Fantasia Barrino, Phylicia Pearl Mapasi, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Halle Bailey, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Ciara, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Batiste, Louis Gossett Jr., David Alan Grier, Deon Cole, Tamela J. Mann, Stephen Hill, Elizabeth Marvel

Director: Blitz Bazawule

Running Time: 140 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Slaps, Threats of Gunfire, and References to Even Worse Abuse

Release Date: December 25, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Near the Georgia coast in the early 20th century, Harris sisters Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mapasi and Fantasia Barrino) and Nettie (Halle Bailey and Ciara) are each other’s best friends and dearest protectors. Love and support are valuable attributes for anyone, especially when you’re young, Black, and poor in the early 1900s. And they certainly need that connection when Celie is sold into an abusive marriage with Albert “Mister” Johnson (Colman Domingo), who is about as mean as they come. Nettie tries to move in with her sister to escape their abusive father, but Mister kicks her out, leaving Celie profoundly alone. But she gradually finds community in the colorful cast of characters who weave in and out of her small town, and she even eventually grasps a fair amount of independence for herself. All the while, she keeps Nettie in her heart despite all the forces trying to keep them apart.

What Made an Impression?: A Unlikely Dose of Fanservice: I must admit that I’m a bit of a Color Purple novice. I’ve never read Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, nor have I seen the Steven Spielberg-directed 1985 film. And I’ve never seen the musical production that premiered on Broadway back in 2005, which this film is most directly based upon. But I’m aware that it’s a deeply felt cultural touchstone for a lot of people. And that was abundantly clear at my screening, which featured one of the most receptive audiences I’ve been part of in quite a while. Seriously, the vibe was like the latest superhero movie on opening night, with the whoops and cheers crying out at every name in the credits, at the end of every musical number, and especially during a cameo appearance from one of the original film’s stars. While the crowd response made the power of this movie unmistakably clear, I like to think that I would have recognized it even if I’d been watching alone. After all, what we’ve got here is a simple formula, but an effective one: remain earnest and open-hearted in the face of the darkness, and your time will come.
Making a Meal Out of Their Characters: The current Color Purple cast has the benefit of audience members like me who are coming in fresh. But of course, they also have the disadvantage of everyone else who’s familiar with the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg in the original movie, or the likes of Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson in the stage version. Or in the case of Danielle Brooks, there’s the challenge of reprising a part she’s already played on the stage. Luckily, the biggest compliment I can deliver is that none of them are afraid to take on their assignments. The aforementioned Brooks and Taraji P. Henson both especially go for broke as the two biggest personalities in the ensemble, while Domingo finds shades of vulnerability in a monster. Meanwhile, David Alan Grier is predictably a wise old hoot as a local reverend. And as for Barrino, she capably handles the weight of a whirlwind of emotions on her shoulders and in the depths of her diaphragm. It all adds up to a balm for the soul.

The Color Purple is Recommended If You Like: Spiritual healing

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Pants

‘The Zone of Interest’ is a Strangely Terrifying History Lesson

December 13, 2023

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CREDIT: A24

Starring: Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller

Director: Jonathan Glazer

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Discussions About the Holocaust

Release Date: December 15, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: The Zone of Interest might be the most banal movie ever made about the Holocaust. I don’t mean that as a criticism, but rather as objectively as possible. It revolves around the day-to-day goings-on of real-life German SS officer Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) during the reign of Hitler. Most of the film takes place at their home and garden while they take care of chores and their kids run around without a care in the world. Then the last third or so revolves around government meetings in which Rudolf helps implement plans to round up Hungarian Jews into concentration camps. Afterwards, Rudolf walks up and down some staircases by himself. And then the film just ends.

What Made an Impression?: Fly on the Wall: I haven’t read the Martin Amis novel that the movie is based on, so I didn’t come into The Zone of Interest knowing too much of what to expect. I did watch the two trailers, but they’re among the vaguest previews I’ve ever seen. It might have helped if I had read a synopsis, but only barely. Writer-director Jonathan Glazer shoots it all like a cinéma vérité documentary, and the presentation is so insular that it can be pretty difficult to suss out even the setting if you haven’t prepared ahead of time. There’s something especially unnerving about this lack of explanation. It feels like you’ve been dropped into a place where you don’t belong, and when you realize where you are, it only becomes even more terrifying.
Surreal & A Little Supernatural: The Zone of Interest prompted one of the most surprising comparisons I’ve ever made in my life as a film buff. Specifically, there are a few moments throughout the film in which a character appears to be trapped in a black space in which all the colors have been flushed out and the sound is distorted. It’s like a cut to hell or some sort of netherworld that felt a lot like the temporal and spatial warping in the Paranormal Activity franchise. The message seems to be: an evil entity is always lurking around Rudolf and his ilk, even if he can’t quite put his finger on it. Continuing the theme of inexplicable time travel, there’s also a flash forward to some janitorial workers at a present-day Holocaust museum, which is just as unforgettably banal as the rest of the film. I spent most of my time watching The Zone of Interest confused about when the plot would actually start moving. Now I can’t get its disturbing plainness out of my head.

The Zone of Interest is Recommended If You Like: The Act of Killing, Staring into the face of evil, Avant-garde film scores

Grade: 4 out of 5 Swastikas

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