‘Immaculate’ Review: Sydney Sweeney Enters Her Pregnant Nun Era

March 19, 2024

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How to Become Pregnant? (CREDIT: NEON)

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano, Giorgio Colangeli, Simona Tabasco

Director: Michael Mohan

Running Time: 88 Minutes

Rating: R for Disturbing Behavior in the Name of Salvation

Release Date: March 22, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) is absolutely ready to devote the rest of her life to God. But perhaps she didn’t quite envision her vocation as a nun happening at Our Lady of Sorrows in the Italian countryside. In addition to her standard vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, her primary duties include looking after the sick, older sisters, who are beset by metastasizing tumors and incontinence. Nevertheless, she remains committed, although some of her fellow nuns eye her with suspicion. On top of all that, she suddenly finds herself pregnant, even though she insists that she’s never had sex with anyone. And in fact, we’re given every indication that she’s being honest and that instead something much more sinister is going on.

What Made an Impression?: What Year is This?: Isolation from the outside world is a good idea every once in a while. But as a way of life day in and day out? Maybe it can work in certain situations, but in others, it’s a formula for exploitation. And so it goes in Immaculate, where there are zero signifiers about the temporal setting. Are there no modern amenities because they haven’t been invented yet, or because this particular religious order has chosen to forgo them completely? If I had to guess, I would say it’s set in the present day, as the medical technology appears to be up-to-date, although it’s wielded sparingly to wield control.
Why Her?: It’s difficult to analyze what happens in Immaculate without spoiling too much, so I’ll keep it vague and say that there’s a reason why Cecilia becomes pregnant. Or perhaps I should say: there’s a reason why someone becomes pregnant, although it’s not entirely clear why Cecilia is that someone. It might have something to do with her origin story of surviving a childhood accident when she got trapped underneath a frozen lake. Or maybe this movie’s title offers a clue about the character of her soul. Maybe. This isn’t the most thematically clear-eyed horror movie I’ve ever seen. But at least it covers its Final Girl in buckets of blood as she screams for her life and breaks the tension once or twice with some funny moments of frustration.

Immaculate is Recommended If You Like: Religious-themed escape rooms

Grade: 3 out of 5 Conceptions

‘One Life’ Review: Anthony Hopkins Plays One of the Most Notable Humanitarians of the 20th Century

March 14, 2024

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How to Live One Life (CREDIT: Bleecker Street)

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Lena Olin, Johnny Flynn, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp, Marthe Keller, Jonathan Pryce, Helena Bonham Carter

Director: James Hawes

Running Time: 110 Minutes

Rating: PG for The Looming Threat of Nazism

Release Date: March 15, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: In 1988 England, Nicholas Winton (Anthony Hopkins) spends most of his days at home while his wife Grete (Lena Olin) insists that he clean up all the clutter in his office before their family comes over to visit. But there are some important documents in there, particularly records of the time he spent in Czechoslovakia right before World War II, during which he helped German and Austrian Jewish refugees secure passports to escape the clutches of the Nazis. One Life flashes back to that time in the life of the young Winton (Johnny Flynn), which ends all too abruptly. He’s haunted by those he couldn’t save, though he did manage to get more than 600 children to safety. For decades, his story remains untold, but once he starts sharing his records, it suddenly becomes clear how much of a difference he’s made in the world.

What Made an Impression?: The National Tidiness: You don’t feel a ton of urgency in the 1930s portion of One Life, despite the clear crisis at hand. Surely that can be chalked up to the reserved national character of England. Furthermore, there’s a sense that nobody knows who is responsible for these refugees. Winton’s connection to them is tenuous, but striking. His parents were German Jewish immigrants who changed their last names and converted to Christianity, but he still feels enough of a kinship to do something. And while he’s far from emotionless, that feels like more of a logical calculation than anything. In that same vein, while the job is obviously dangerous, the audience never quite feels that danger viscerally.
Small But Effective: But that small-scale suddenness is kind of the point. Winton surely would have liked to have been in Czechoslovakia longer, but it just wasn’t in the cards. If you asked him point blank, he probably would have apologized for saving too few souls. And while those 600 or so may pale in comparison to the millions who were killed in concentration camps, they’re not nothing. When Winton’s story gets out, he’s booked on the BBC current affairs program That’s Life, which he and Grete initially dismiss as a silly little show. But when he’s reunited with some of the now-grown survivors, he realizes the deep and lasting value of the life he’s lived.
Suddenly Overwhelming: One Life culminates by recreating a moment from the real Winton’s appearance on That’s Life, and the effect is profoundly overwhelming. If you don’t know the story, I won’t describe it too specifically, but let’s just say that Winton is given a gift in the form of a tangible representation of the impact of his humanitarian work. It reminded me of the transcendent ending of Places in the Heart, which features a reunion in a church that effectively dramatizes a vision of heaven on Earth. Like the man at its center, One Life is a mostly unassuming movie, with a sublime conclusion.

One Life is Recommended If You Like: Places in the Heart, Holocaust documentaries, British chat shows

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Passports

‘The American Society of Magical Negroes’ is Trying to Make Us All Feel Better. Does It Put in the Right Effort?

March 13, 2024

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Do they find the magic? (CREDIT: Focus Features)

Starring: Justice Smith, David Alan Grier, An-Li Bogan, Drew Tarver, Michaela Watkins, Aisha Hinds, Nicole Byer, Rupert Friend, Aaron Jennings, Tim Baltz

Director: Kobi Libii

Running Time: 105 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Inflammatory and Cathartic Comments

Release Date: March 15, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: You know those movies with Black supporting characters who seem to only exist to help the white main characters realize their full potential? The Legend of Bagger Vance is often cited as the apex example. Morgan Freeman practically made an entire career out of it. It’s called the “Magical Negro,” and what the makers of The American Society of Magical Negroes presuppose is: what if people like that actually existed, and what if they indeed had access to real magic? Their newest recruit is struggling yarn sculpture artist Aren (Justice Smith), whose first assignment is babysitting up-and-coming tech worker Jason (Drew Tarver). Aren is certainly up for the task, as he has a lot of experience deferentially navigating privileged people’s cluelessness. But when both he and Jason develop romantic feelings for their co-worker Lizzie (An-Li Bogan), things get a little complicated.

What Made an Impression?: How to Be Supportive: When Aren is introduced to the Society, his mentor Roger (David Alan Grier) explains that the purpose of magical Negroes is making sure that white people stay calm and don’t become a danger to everyone else in the world. The implication is that everyday insecurities could eventually lead to a serial killer, so it’s best to nip that in the bud as soon as possible, although what we see in the movie is fairly low-stakes. But even when the threat of danger isn’t immediately urgent, the support that Aren, Roger, and their colleagues offer is always welcome. It mostly amounts to helping people fight against their self-doubts. In many ways, that’s just good friendship. Of course, a truly genuine friendship would consist of that support going both ways.
Bearing Too Much Weight?: While The American Society of Magical Negroes is clearly self-aware in its handling of this trope, I imagine it will be fighting an uphill battle against some viewers. Why, after all, should the burden of white fragility fall upon Black shoulders, magical though they be? That arrangement obviously isn’t fair, but it is often true to life, as the responsibility of cleaning up a mess frequently gets passed to those with the expertise of cleaning it up, rather than those who created the mess in the first place. But writer/director Kobi Libii doesn’t expect his characters to simply accept this state of affairs. They grapple with the dignity that they’re forced to give up, while also wondering if their methods really are the most effective option.
Finding an Alternate Solution: Ultimately, it quickly becomes abundantly clear that simply making Jason feel better is not Aren’s best course of action. But explicitly calling him out on his prejudices is liable to backfire. Furthermore, while Roger advises Aren to let the girl go, it’s clear that Lizzie is a lot more into Aren than she is Jason. Supporting Jason’s stated desires in favor of everyone’s else’s feels like it won’t make anyone happy, including Jason. Escaping the common strictures of society and thriving as a nourished individual clearly requires some creative thinking, whether or not you have access to superpowers. As for my verdict, I’m pleased to report that The American Society of Magical Negroes navigates that dilemma with a firm, but also playful touch.

The American Society of Magical Negroes is Recommended If You Like: American Fiction, Grand Crew, Turning the other cheek with a witty rejoinder

Grade: 4 out of 5 Teleportations

How ‘Imaginary’ Shall We Be?

March 12, 2024

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Da Bear (CREDIT: Parrish Lewis/Lionsgate)

Starring: DeWanda Wise, Pyper Braun, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns, Betty Buckley, Matthew Sato, Verónica Falcón, Dane DiLiegro

Director: Jeff Wadlow

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: March 8, 2024 (Theaters)

I imagine you might like to know what I thought about Imaginary, and if perhaps we should all spend some time in our own Imaginationlands. Well, that depends on how active your imagination is! Mine’s pretty active, and I’ve made a concerted effort to remain in touch with it into adulthood. Seeing Imaginary has helped to fuel that desire once more, even if it wasn’t as super-duper as I hoped it could have been. So thank you, Chauncey Bear! Maybe you shouldn’t play with young Alice anymore, but you were definitely exactly what I needed you to be.

Grade: Baby Bear

‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Review: What Has Po Gotten Himself Into This Time?

March 7, 2024

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Skadoosh Skadoosh Skadoosh Skadoosh (CREDIT: DreamWorks Animation)

Starring: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan, Lori Tan Chinn, Ronny Chieng

Director: Mike Mitchell

Running Time: 94 Minutes

Rating: PG for Typical Cartoon Mayhem

Release Date: March 8, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Giant panda Po’s (Jack Black) status as the Dragon Warrior has always been met with skepticism by some of the other talking animals around him. But now he’s actually expected to retire and find a successor, as he settles into a role as more of a local wise man. That feels like even less of a natural fit for this rotund goofball, but luckily Kung Fu Panda 4 is more interested in sending him on one last great adventure. A shapeshifting reptile known as The Chameleon (Viola Davis) is stealing all the kung fu masters’ powers, so Po teams up with streetwise fox Zhen (Awkwafina) for what might be his most dangerous mission yet. Fortunately (or annoyingly), his biological dad (Bryan Cranston) and his adoptive goose dad (James Hong) are sneakily following right behind to make sure nothing too deadly happens to their boy.

What Made an Impression?: Locating the Lore: Before this fourth cinematic outing, I’d only ever seen the first Kung Fu Panda. I was hoping to catch up with 2 and 3, but alas, I didn’t get around to it. I wasn’t too worried about those shortcomings, though, because this series isn’t exactly beholden to impenetrably dense mythology the way that less kid-friendly franchises often are. Still, in addition to the big screen sequels, it has spawned multiple TV spin-offs that add up to more than a hundred total episodes. So while I didn’t exactly feel lost in the Kung Fu Panda lore, I did get the sense that there have probably been more fulfilling adventures in Po and Co.’s pasts. Jack Black is infinitely charming (and he delivers a killer cover of a certain late 90s pop hit during the end credits), but my mind drifted to all sorts of other topics while I watched KFP4.
Rolling Around: So while KFP4 didn’t exactly make me immediately seek out my own martial arts training, at least the animation is reliably colorful and engaging. It makes solid use of the geography, with Po and his cohorts rolling around and causing mayhem on cobbled streets and imposing castles. And there are some solid visual gags dispersed throughout, including a riff on that old saying about bulls in a china shop, as well as a moment with Po summoning his (multiple) inner voice(s). They didn’t exactly release my inner child, but they were worth a few chuckles.
Who’s That Voice?: My mental energy during this viewing was mostly spent on trying to identify the actor behind Po’s dad Li Shan. I was pretty sure I knew him primarily as a sitcom dad. And while that did turn out to be accurate, it’s been nearly two decades since that was his signature gig. Meanwhile, my viewing companion confessed that it took her nearly the entire running time to pinpoint Viola Davis’ inimitable purr as the voice of the big baddie. Honestly, film culture doesn’t talk often enough about the great joy of trying to identify voiceover performances without looking at the credits. We should rectify that.

Kung Fu Panda 4 is Recommended If You Like: The underdog (or the underpanda, as it were) remaining the underdog forever

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Skadooshes

In Search of Perfection (24-Hour Style)

February 28, 2024

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Drinkin’ in those perfect days (CREDIT: NEON/Screenshot)

Starring: Koji Yakusho

Director: Wim Wenders

Running Time: 124 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: February 7, 2024 (Theaters)

After watching Perfect Days, I feel compelled to now ask: would I like to have my own perfect days? Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) certainly seems a fellow worth emulating in particular ways as he gets on by as a toilet cleaner. (It certainly helps that the public Japanese facilities are much more whimsical than those in America, at least in the park where he’s assigned to.) While a series of perfect days would by definition sound pretty great, in practice I worry that they would instead be exhausting. But of course then they wouldn’t actually be perfect! Maybe we should all just take some inspiration from Hirayama and his lack of concern about paradoxes and see where that takes us.

Grade: 2 Lous out of 3 Reeds

‘Dune: Part Two’ Makes a Case for Everyone to Take a Hit of That Spice

February 27, 2024

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Timothee Chalamet as The Dune Man (CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot)

Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Walken, Charlotte Rampling, Souheila Yacoub

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Running Time: 165 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Sword and Knife Fights, Mostly

Release Date: March 1, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: They’re still feeling spicy after all these years! After the ending of 2021’s Dune saw Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) teaming up with the rebellious Fremen, Part Two picks up right where things left off on the desert planet of Arrakis. Elsewhere, House Harkonnen has their sights set on clamping down on their control of Arrakis for good, with the violently unstable Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) promoted as the new governor. This whole situation has a significant portion of the Fremen believing that Paul and his mother (Rebecca Ferguson) have arrived on Arrakis to fulfill a messianic prophecy. Other Fremen, however, including the hot-blooded Chani (Zendaya), are a little less convinced of that savior narrative. Nevertheless, Paul does seem to be willing to do the work to prove both his loyalty and his freedom fighting bona fides.

What Made an Impression?: It Makes More Sense Now: My introductory synopsis could have gone into a lot more detail, but I do try to keep things succinct in that section. And that’s especially important in the case of a movie like this one, because so much of it would sound like psychedelic sci-fi gobbledygook to the uninitiated. Which, to be fair, it is psychedelic sci-fi gobbledygook. But on the other hand, the culture at large has become much more initiated into the world of Frank Herbert in just the two and a half years since the last Denis Villenueve-directed adaptation. I certainly count myself among those who now have a far greater understanding of what Dune is all about. Great movies have a way of teaching you how to watch them, and despite being a nearly-three-hour space opera epic, Dune: Part Two is gratifyingly easy enough to understand. It’s a simple hero’s journey, complicated by skepticism, and all the baroque details are there to support that overarching theme.
A Vision Realized: 2021’s Dune was fairly praised for its stunning visuals, but perhaps they were a little too stunning. That is to say, their sublime bigness kind of lulled me to sleep. But by contrast in Part Two, the settings are often blazingly bright, so it’s hard not to keep your eyes open. That’s how it goes when most of the running time is spent on a desert planet! From the explosive emergence of the famously feared sandworms, to the stormy wrangling of those same sandworms, the spectacles of Arrakis are brought to unforgettable life, with clean and crisp editing and cinematography making it clear exactly what we’re supposed to be seeing. It all adds up to a simple, but impeachable union, of technical proficiency and thematic confidence, which is in fact the formula for successful blockbuster filmmaking.

Dune: Part Two is Recommended If You Like: Heterochromia, The Rick and Morty episode where they “do a Die Hard,” Grappling with religion

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 Fremen

It’s a Gay Old Time with the ‘Drive-Away Dolls’!

February 21, 2024

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What’s in the box?! (CREDIT: Wilson Webb/Working Title/Focus Features)

Starring: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Colman Domingo, Beanie Feldstein, Bill Camp, Joey Slotnick, C.J. Wilson, Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, Miley Cyrus

Director: Ethan Coen

Running Time: 84 Minutes

Rating: R for Unabashed Sexuality and Sucker Punch-Style Violence

Release Date: February 23, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: It’s 1999, and good friends Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) decide to take an impromptu road trip from Philadelphia to Tallahassee, Florida. Jamie is slipping out of yet another messy relationship, while Marian is too buttoned-up to have ever made a move on anybody. They’re both gay, but they’ve never considered each other as serious prospects. But perhaps that could change over the course of the next few days, as vacationing and stress both tend to make people closer. And this is certainly going to be a stressful ride, as a couple of criminal goons (Joey Slotnick, C.J. Wilson) are hot on their tails when the car rental joint mistakenly loans them a vehicle with a very valuable piece of luggage in its trunk.

What Made an Impression?: Those Old Reliable Yuks: After making some of the most beloved movies of the past few decades, brotherly filmmaking duo Joel and Ethan Coen have taken a creative break from each other. If their first solo directorial efforts are any indication, then it was Joel who specialized in the dark and probing drama, and Ethan who drifted towards their unique brand of wacky yet droll comedy. With Drive-Away Dolls, Ethan has teamed up with his wife Tricia Cooke for screenwriting duties, and the result very much sits on a continuum of Raising Arizona, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski, with a series of Jenga-like misunderstandings leading to comically violent escalation.
Out and Loud: Speaking of continuums, Jamie and Marian are part of the Coen-esque tradition of protagonists who don’t quite realize what type of movie they’re in before it’s too late to do anything about it. That’s mainly because they’re too busy being their unapologetically gay selves. Marian is certainly a lot more reserved than Jamie, but that doesn’t mean she’s ashamed in any way about her sexual orientation. Interestingly enough, though, they never really encounter any homophobia. That’s partly because they spend most of their time in defiantly gay spaces, but also because the straight people they stumble across just couldn’t be bothered to be bigoted. (Will & Grace did premiere in 1998, after all, so maybe those folks have been watching it.)
Secrets But No Shame: I don’t want to give away the truth about the package, partly because it would be rude to be a spoiler, but also because I want my review to be as family-friendly as possible. Let’s just say then that it involves a politician and a very personal form of pleasure. And when you have public ambitions bumping up against private escapades like that, it often leads to over-the-top shenanigans. That’s certainly the case in Drive-Away Dolls, much to our demented delight.

Drive-Away Dolls is Recommended If You Like: The comedy half of the Coens

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Makeout Sessions

Getting Caught Up in ‘Madame Web’

February 20, 2024

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The Four Madames (CREDIT: Sony Pictures)

Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabel Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Adam Scott, Kerry Bishé, Emma Roberts, Zosia Mamet, Mike Epps, José María Yazpik

Director: S.J. Clarkson

Running Time: 116 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: February 14, 2024 (Theaters)

It’s finally here!

Madame Web… what an experience. I can barely believe what I just watched, but I’m so grateful I did.

I can see the future now, but only a thin slice of it, specifically the part in which Madame Web becomes a midnight movie classic.

Half of it is run-of-the-mill meh mediocre. But that other half… It’s like the people who made this movie were half-asleep during all of 2003 and tried to recreate that year through telepathy.

The Amazon is a trip, man. They don’t make realities like this anymore!

Grade: Mike Epps and Emma Roberts Are Weirdly Also in This

‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Attempts to Capture a Singular Superstar

February 9, 2024

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Get Up, Stand Up, Go See a Movie. (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)

Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton, Daniel Mellville Jr., Sevana, Hector Lewis, Tosin Cole

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green

Running Time: 104 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Political Violence and Some Herbal Remedies

Release Date: February 14, 2024 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: It’s 1976, and Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) is on the brink of unfathomably massive superstardom. Meanwhile, his native Jamaica is being torn asunder by violence between rival political factions. After an assassination attempt leaves him and his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) seriously injured, he flees for his safety to England. Meanwhile, he’s also in the midst of a world tour and preparation for a new album that will become the most acclaimed of his career. On top of all that, he’s trying to pretty much unite all of humanity with spiritual enlightenment. Alas, a deadly disease is looming in the way of every single one of his plans.

What Made an Impression?: Savior of the World?: I don’t know if this was intentional on the part of director Reinaldo Marcus Green or his team of screenwriters, but Bob Marley: One Love struck me as a rather messianic story. The parallels with Marley’s life and Jesus Christ are striking: death in their 30s, attempts on their lives, the spread of a new religion, efforts to forgive their enemies. The connection isn’t perfect, as One Love certainly doesn’t portray Bob as immaculate, and his cause of death is cancer, rather than a state-sanctioned execution. But it is notable that the movie’s story begins just a few years before his death, with some flashbacks to his childhood. Rock stars often inspire religious fervor in their legions of fans, and I don’t know if that’s ever been more true than in the case of Bob Marley.
Ya Mon or Not Ya Mon?: I’m no expert on Jamaican patois, and One Love doesn’t make much of an effort to accommodate me or anyone else who lacks that fluency. Even Kingsley Ben-Adir has admitted that he didn’t understand everything the real Bob Marley was saying when he watched videos of him to prepare for the role. And there are scenes within the film when non-Jamaicans struggle to make sense of him. Captions might have helped in this regard, but only to a certain extent. Still, I always got the gist of what was happening, and I ultimately appreciated the decision to keep it authentic this way.
Getting the Story Out There: One Love wisely keeps its narrative focus on a compressed time period, but besides that, it doesn’t distinguish itself with a whole lot of personality among the rock star biopic heap. We don’t get to see much of Ben-Adir performing, and when Bob Marley’s songs do play, it’s usually just a non-diegetic jukebox approach. Then the story stops somewhat abruptly, and we get the typical end titles about what else happened. Quite frankly, some of the events that were left out sound a lot more dramatically compelling than what was left in. So while One Love doesn’t quite reach the loftiest of heights, it at least doesn’t detract from its subject’s legacy. And if it inspires some viewers to dig into his discography and embrace his message of unity, well then it will have brought some good into the world.

Bob Marley: One Love is Recommended If You Want: To Research Everything About Bob Marley That Wasn’t Included in the Movie

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Dreadlocks

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