The ‘Jesus Revolution’ Movie Will Not Be as Revolutionary as It Possibly Could Be

February 22, 2023

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Also Pictured: Jesus (PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Anderson)

Starring: Joel Courtney, Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Roumie, Anna Grace Barlow, Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Directors: Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle

Running Time: 119 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for A Few Bad Trips

Release Date: February 24, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Hey, have you heard the good news? That’s a favorite phrase of people spreading the Christian gospel, and they were doing it really enthusiastically in the 1960s and 70s, particularly in sunny Southern California. This is the vision of America that Jesus Revolution wants us to see. The Jesus movement of the era brought evangelical Christian fervor to hippies, drug users, and anyone else who was just looking for something to believe. Some of the major figures in the movement were Greg Laurie (played by Joel Courtney), who emerged from an unmoored, religion-free childhood with a single mom and multiple stepfathers; Lonnie Frisbee (played by Jonathan Roumie), who’s basically Hippie Jesus Matthew McConaughey; and Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), the token traditionalist who starts to cotton to the vibes of the new generation. Will Jesus Revolution manage to convert any viewers? Let’s find out!

What Made an Impression?:  I’m not a godless heathen, as I’m still a practicing Catholic (though some Protestant sects might consider that pretty godless), but modern American Christian cinema still tends to be a little too didactic for my tastes. Co-director Jon Erwin is certainly known for his faith-based output alongside his brother Andrew in the likes of October Baby and I Can Only Imagine, as well as the Kurt Warner biopic American Underdog. This time around, he’s got a new co-director in the form of Brent McCorkle, but the religious angle is obviously still front and center. So that aspect might not be up my alley, but the time period and its corresponding soundtrack certainly are. I’ve enjoyed the convergence of Jesus and hippies before in the likes of Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, so I was interested to see if Jesus Revolution could pull off a similar trick.

And the verdict is: eh, I liked the music, at least. (You can’t go wrong with “Jesus Is Just Alright” in this case, after all.) The main issue is that it all just feels so perfunctory. Sure, Chuck and Lonnie have differing approaches when it comes to preaching to their congregation, but it never feels like any of the conflicts can’t easily be solved with just five minutes of conversation. Meanwhile, Greg has to convince his girlfriend’s dad that he’s worthy of her, and that whole segment just made me want to scream, “Hey Dad, he’s already redeemed! Didn’t you watch the first half of this movie?!” (At least his drug-fueled escapades have an ironic Reefer Madness-esque edge to them.)

Look, I’m sure these struggles actually happened in real life, so the Jesus Revolution team obviously had to make do with the raw materials of the true accounts. But there’s a way to finesse the mundane details into something that can make your audience stand up and shout “Hallelujah!” Alas, I cannot report that I was genuinely inspired.

Jesus Revolution is Recommended If You Like: Having perfect attendance at Sunday school

Grade: 2 out of 5 Baptisms

A Review Called “Some Thoughts About ‘A Man Called Otto'”

February 21, 2023

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Purrer and Otto (CREDIT: Niko Tavernise/Columbia Pictures)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Truman Hanks, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, Mack Bayda, Juanita Jennings, Peter Lawson Jones, Christiana Montoya, Alessandra Perez, Mike Birbiglia, Kelly Lamor Wilson

Director: Marc Forster

Running Time: 126 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: December 30, 2022 (Theaters)/January 6, 2023 (More Theaters)

When I finally managed to sit down to watch A Man Called Otto, I’d forgotten that Rachel Keller was in it. But I bet a lot of people never even knew that at all until they witnessed her first scene. I’m pretty sure she’s not in any of the trailers, though I did hear through the grapevine at some point after opening day about her inclusion in the cast, which certainly made me more excited, as I’ve liked in everything else I’ve seen her in previously. Weirdly enough, though, I’m also happy that I forgot that news for a bit, because her appearances in flashbacks as Otto’s wife are more devastating when you don’t see them coming.

Anyway, would I myself ever want to be a man called Otto? Eh, does it have to be this Otto? He’s so angry at the world! Understandably so, but it’s terminally exhausting. I’d rather he be my Abuelo Otto instead, like his new neighbors take to calling him.

Grade: Wait a minute: The Cat!

‘Emily’ Taps Into Some of That Patented Brontë Passion

February 16, 2023

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Emily, not the Criminal (CREDIT: Bleecker Street)

Starring: Emma Mackey, Fionn Whitehead, Oliver-Jackson Cohen, Alexandra Dowling, Amelia Githing, Adrian Dunbar, Gemma Jones

Director: Frances O’Connor

Running Time: 130 Minutes

Rating: R for Opium and Heaving Bosoms

Release Date: February 17, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Emily Brontë (Emma Mackey) has a terrible case of Middle Child Syndrome! Her older sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling) calls her “the Strange One,” while their younger sister Anne (Amelia Gething) seems to skate by without anyone giving her guff for anything. Why can’t they just leave her be? They’ve all got the literary bug, after all! At least Emily can lean on her similarly misunderstood brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead) for support. And then there are her explosive French lessons with her tutor William Weightman (Oliver-Jackson Cohen), which eventually erupt into something stunningly passionate. Meanwhile, Brontë patriarch Patrick (Adrian Dunbar) just doesn’t seem to understand any of his children.

What Made an Impression?: Despite being an English major, I don’t have much experience with the work of the Brontë sisters, and Emily forced me to take stock of what I do know about them. I’m aware that Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre, and I’ve seen the 2011 adaptation of that one starring Mia Wasikowska and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. Meanwhile, when I hear the name “Anne Brontë,” the first thing I think of is the time that Jeopardy! champ Roger Craig quadrupled his score in the span of two clues. And of course I’ve heard that Emily wrote Wuthering Heights, but the only one of its many adaptations that I’ve ever seen is the semaphore version from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

This is all to say that I came into Emily as a bit of a blank slate! Or at least something close to it. I was completely unfamiliar with Ms. Middle Brontë’s “Strange One” reputation, and let me tell you: I thought it was a bunch of baloney! And I think that was the reaction that writer-director Frances O’Connor was going for. So mission accomplished there on revising the historical record.

Other than that, Emily struck me as a fairly typical example of both a pastoral English period piece and a literary biography. Which is to say: filled with internal distress and verdant passion that can’t quite match the fictional output of its subject. But then we get into the love affair, and oh my, is it a lot more explicit than I was expecting! Let’s just say, that R rating is earned. I won’t ever underestimate you again, cast and crew of Emily.

Emily is Recommended If You Like: Bodice-ripping

Grade: 3 out of 5 Cliffs

‘Of an Age’ is Low-Key, Queer, and Australian. But What Does That Mean for You, the Viewer?

February 15, 2023

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They’re herrrrre! (CREDIT: Ben King / © Of An Age Films Pty Ltd)

Starring: Elias Anton, Thom Green, Hattie Hook

Director: Goran Stolevski

Running Time: 99 Minutes

Rating: R for A Sexual Awakening or Two

Release Date: February 17, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Life as a teenage Serbian immigrant in 1999 Australia may not be the most ideal scenario for coming out of the closet. (Of course, what even is an ideal scenario?) But sometimes you have an unexpected experience that forces you to admit who you really are. That’s what happens to Kol (Elias Anton) on a day that starts about as disastrously as possible. His friend and ballroom dancing partner Ebony (Hattie Hook) is lost in the middle of nowhere after a drunken night out, so Kol enlists her older brother Adam (Thom Green) to help track her down in a quixotic bid to get to their performance in time. A fitting choreographic conclusion might not be in the cards, but when Adam offhandedly mentions that his ex was a guy, Kol’s conception of his own world suddenly opens up exponentially.

What Made an Impression?: As far as tragic queer romances go, Of an Age is hardly revolutionary, but it’s certainly heartfelt. And frankly, it could’ve been a lot more tragic. It’s not exactly a spoiler to reveal that Kol and Adam’s story isn’t a simple fairy tale “happily ever after.” But the 21st century offers the potential of plenty of fulfillment for both of them. This might not be the story of meeting The One against seemingly insurmountable odds, but it is a story about a formative experience that’s worth telling.

But I’m going to be honest with you: my enjoyment of Of an Age had relatively little to do with whether or not any attractions were or weren’t consummated, and a whole lot more to do with Kol and Ebony annihilating the dancefloor to the tune of Nelly Furtado’s “Maneater” when we zip ahead to her wedding in 2010. Ebony is a piece of work, but she’s the kind of piece of work who you look back at and go, “You know what? I’m glad we met when we did and that we’ve kept in touch all these years.” And “Maneater” is a bop that simply cannot be resisted no matter how much you’re struggling with your identity.

Of an Age is Recommended If You Like: Sheilas

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 House Parties

‘All Quiet on the Western Lunch’ (JK, It’s ‘Front,’ But I Am Hungry)

February 14, 2023

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How QUIET is it?! (CREDIT: Reiner Bajo/Netflix)

Starring: Felix Kammerrer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Moritz Klaus, Adrian Grünewald, Edin Hasanovic, Daniel Brühl, Thibault de Montalembert, Devid Striesow, Andreas Döhler, Sebastian Hülk

Director: Edward Berger

Running Time: 147 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: October 7, 2022 (Theaters)/October 28, 2022 (Netflix)

I finally got around to seeing All Quiet on the Western Front to make sure I caught all the Best Picture nominees. It was playing at the Alamo Drafthouse, so I ordered a milkshake topped with a giant cookie and some donut holes. As it turns out, you CAN enjoy the sweetest of desserts while watching the deadliest of war flicks. (Although it is worth noting that I finished it up before the most gruesome sequences.) I’m pretty sure I read the book years ago for school, but I don’t remember much about it. I was reminded of 1917: World War I, technical achievements, not much else.

Grade: The Milkshake Was Great!

Please! One More! Okay, But This is ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’

February 7, 2023

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(CREDIT: Warner Bros. Pictures/Screenshot)

Starring: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek, Ayub Khan Din, Juliette Motamed, Jemelia George, Vicki Pepperine

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Running Time: 110 Minutes

Rating: R for Unstoppable Gyrations (with Permission)

Release Date: February 10, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: If Michael Jeffrey Lane stopped dancing, would there be any reason to make a movie about him anymore? I’d like to think so, but thankfully we haven’t had to face that possibility yet so far. Although, when we meet him at the beginning of Magic Mike’s Last Dance, he’s been out of the game for quite a while. Instead, he’s a gig worker serving bar at a generic fancy event, when he’s recognized by a satisfied customer from back in the day. Then word gets around to Max Mendoza (Salma Hayek, credited with her married name of “Pinault”), who hires for him a private dance. Then immediately afterwards she whisks him off to England to mount a live dance revue on a stuffy London stage. Max is basically using her obscene wealth to get back at her soon-to-be-ex-husband, but when the moves are this electric, who’s complaining?

What Made an Impression?: Magic Mike’s Last Dance kicks off with some narration that contextualizes Mike’s plight in the entire evolutionary history of dance. That voiceover comes courtesy of Jemelia George, who also plays Max’s over-it teenage daughter Zadie. We learn later that Zadie is writing a novel, so I then girded myself for the big reveal that Zadie was actually the author of Mike’s odyssey this whole time. Spoiler Alert: no such luck, but the narration is still plenty effective, offering a sort of grad school thesis-style framework. Channing Tatum’s piercing facial expressions can come across as empty in ungenerous interpretations, but with Zadie’s guidance, there’s no way not to see his journey as deeply yearning and humanistically profound.

Anyway, I’m sure everyone wants to know how much Tatum and Hayek sizzle up the screen together. And obviously they do, there’s no reason to worry about that. Mike and Max’s first encounter is the most brazenly sensual cinematic sequence I’ve seen since the last Magic Mike. For the rest of the movie, they settle into more of a sugar-and-spice odd couple routine, which is nice enough to move the whole thing along.

But obviously we’re all here for the grand finale. And let’s make no bones about it: Mike and his crew do not hold back. The staging is perfectly framed, the buildup gets all the right pieces together, and you can feel the crowd’s cheeky energy. Fascinatingly enough, I was most blown away by the emcee who introduces the dancers. She’s played by Juliette Motamed, who discovers untold delights in describing the fireworks shooting off around her. The pleasure is palpable, and there’s simply no reason to resist.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is Recommended If You Like: Leaving Every Last Inch of Yourself on the Stage

Grade: 4 out of 5 Thrusts

The ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Comes for All of Us

February 1, 2023

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Knock Knock (CREDIT: Universal Pictures/PhoByMo)

Starring: Dave Bautista, Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, Kristen Cui, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Running Time: 100 Minutes

Rating: R for Bloody Fights with Medieval-Looking Weaponry and Tense Profanity

Release Date: February 3, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff) thought they were going to have a nice vacation in their cozy remote spot in the woods with their young daughter Wen (Kristen Cui). But then a group of unexpected visitors arrive, and they … well, it’s right there in the title. Second-grade teacher Leonard (Dave Bautista), nurse Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), short-order cook Adriane (Abby Quinn), and gas company employee Redmond (Rupert Grint) claim that they’re on a mission to prevent the looming apocalypse. The four of them have been haunted by the same visions that have led to an inescapable conclusion: Andrew, Eric, and Wen must choose to kill one member of their family, or else everyone else in the world will die. Whoever is sacrificed cannot die at his or her own hands, nor can Andrew and his associates carry out the act. Andrew and Eric are naturally incredulous, believing it’s much likely that this is an elaborately staged homophobic attack. But a series of catastrophic coincidences – not to mention the trauma of being trapped in a confined space – leads them to at least consider the possibility that something profoundly cosmic could be happening.

What Made an Impression?: Every movie that M. Night Shyamalan has made since The Sixth Sense has been burdened by the expectation of “Can he pull off another twist like THAT again?” And he’s pretty much embraced that reputation, with a seemingly endless series of attempts to gobsmack us at the end. It’s never been as phenomenally successful as the ghost tale that made his name, and in fact a few times it’s gotten more than a bit silly. But ever since getting back to basics with 2015’s The Visit, he’s displayed a much more consistently deft touch with his conclusions.

Knock at the Cabin‘s premise certainly invites speculation about a potential twist ending. Is the apocalypse realer than we could have possibly imagined? Or will it be revealed as something else entirely once our perspective is adjusted? Without spoiling anything, I’ll note that this is Shyamalan at his most challenging (rewardingly so, if you can get on the film’s wavelength).

What struck me the most about Knock at the Cabin is its plausibility. Leonard’s evidence of the apocalypse are events that you can find on real world newscasts just about every single day: earthquakes and tsunamis, a new deadly disease, planes malfunctioning in mid-air. And Bautista, who’s always been a reliable screen presence, is an absolute revelation here, delivering a series of monologues with quietly passionate, tenderly direct conviction.

Knock at the Cabin left me with a truth that I already fully bought into, but that I’m seeing now more clearly than ever: The world is a scary place, and the family unit often bears the brunt of that cruelty. And sometimes we have to make impossible decisions for the love that binds us to carry on.

Knock at the Cabin is Recommended If You Like: The Box, Shyamalan-ian close-ups and flashbacks, Daddies

Grade: 4 out of 5 Sacrifices

’80 for Brady’ Could… Go… All… The… Way!

January 31, 2023

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Go for 2. (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures)

Starring: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Tom Brady, Billy Porter, Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat, Guy Fieri, Harry Hamlin, Bob Balaban, Glynn Turman, Sara Gilbert, Jimmy O. Yang, Ron Funches, Matt Lauria

Director: Kyle Marvin

Running Time: 98 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Saucy Seniors and One Signature F-Bomb

Release Date: February 3, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: There’s a reason why the Super Bowl MVP says “I’m going to Disney World!” and not the other way around. The NFL championship game and Mickey Mouse’s theme park complex are both eternally popular, but the former tends to be a far more expensive proposition for most potential attendees. But some people refuse to back down from steep odds, even if society insists they’re better off just staying home. In the based-on-a-true-story 80 for Brady, four longtime friends and New England Patriots superfans decide that the 2017 big game is their last best chance to see their hero quarterback in person, so they get up and make their way down to Houston. Here’s the tale of the tape for the starting lineup: ringleader Lou (Lily Tomlin), a cancer survivor who knows a thing or two about beating the odds; recently divorced Trish (Jane Fonda), who’s made a name for herself with her Rob Gronkowski-based fan fiction; recently widowed Maura (Rita Moreno), who’s basically the star of the local retirement home; and statistics-obsessed Betty (Sally Field), who could really use a break from her adorable but needy husband (Bob Balaban).

What Made an Impression?: Circa 2017, I believed that Tom Brady was, if not quite a cheater, still all too willing to bend the rules as far as they could go in his favor. Now in 2023, I think he should retire for the sake of his family. So while it can be thrilling to witness record-setting athletic excellence, I’m not exactly rooting for him to keep adding to his long list of accomplishments. In other words, I’m not exactly the ideal viewer for a movie in which Tom Brady plays himself and all the main characters treat him as the most lovable quarterback ever.

But when the movie in question stars these four ladies, the formula is a little different. If the promise of a Tomlin-Fonda-Moreno-Field roster has your heart aflutter, then you’ll be glad to know that 80 for Brady delivers a touchdown or four. And you don’t need to be a fan of football or the Patriots in particular to appreciate it. In fact, it’s probably better if you aren’t, so that you don’t have to fight through any preconceived biases.

This is the sort of movie that is filled with scene after scene that’ll make you object, “There’s no way it could possibly work that way,” while also forcing you to concede, “But I don’t care! Everyone’s having too much fun!” This is a silly adventure where everything works out a little too perfectly, but because of the camaraderie on display, you’re all too happy to allow it.

80 for Brady is Recommended If You Like: Septuagenarian, Octogenarian, and Nonagenarian Queens

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Super Bowls

‘Infinity Pool’ Doubles Down on Every Single One of Its Indulgences

January 24, 2023

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I Love You Times Infinity (CREDIT: NEON)

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert, Thomas Kretschmann, Amanda Brugel

Director: Brandon Cronenberg

Running Time: 117 Minutes

Rating: R for Nearly X-Rated Levels of Nudity, Sadistic Violence, and Hard Drug Use Amidst a Series of Potentially Seizure-Inducing Flashing Lights

Release Date: January 27, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Writer James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård) and his rich wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are on vacation at some resort, where everything seems just a little bit … off. ATVs zip around with impunity, capturing a slight hint of lawlessness. But strap in tight, because soon enough, everything will feel completely off and there will be an all-encompassing specter of lawlessness. James and En are guided down this path by fellow vacationers Gabi (Mia Goth) and Alban (Jalil Lespert), who promise them fun, but instead lead them right into the crosshairs of the law. A horrible accident has James facing the death penalty, but he’s offered an out. You see, on this resort, cloning technology exists, so instead, James can witness (and revel in) the execution of his double. It’s an easy choice, but soon enough, he finds himself caught within a labyrinth of doubles that it might be impossible to escape from.

What Made an Impression?: “Infinity Pool” sounds like a brand of hot tub, doesn’t it? And that’s appropriate, because Infinity Pool the movie feels like something that was cooked up by someone who fell asleep in a hot tub for a whole night (or maybe a whole year). But knowing writer-director Brandon Cronenberg, this mindfuck energy is just a fundamental part of his DNA. (It runs in the family.) The whole affair is an orgy of blood flashing lights (as well as a literal orgy) that may very well also be a dream. A deep, nightmarish, wonderfully satisfying dream. Every twist and turn regarding James and his doubles paradoxically feels like both a relief and a further descent into madness.

Serving as the ringleader of this twisted paradise, Cronenberg has opted for the perfect muse in the form of Mia Goth. Fresh off the one-two 2022 punch of X and Pearl, she’s been set loose once again on an unsuspecting public. Her wails of “Jaaaaaaaaaaaaames!” as she leans out the side of a convertible is the freshest earworm of the moment.

There were times during my journey through Infinity Pool that I was hoping for a logical explanation of what exactly was going on. Had James secretly planned this all from the beginning? Was it some sort of simulation? It’s a tricky task to nail that sort of reveal, but when done right, it’s immensely satisfying. But Cronenberg is much more interested in nailing the vibes of it all, and understandably so, because the vibes that he conjures are unforgettable. Infinity Pool is not for the faint of heart, or the faint of libido, or the faint of anything really, but when it all comes together, it’s also oddly serene. I emerged from a new cocoon disturbed, but also comforted.

Infinity Pool is Recommended If You Like: Resident Evil (The clone parts), The Game, Masks, Blinding colors

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Doubles

‘Aftersun’ After Thoughts

January 23, 2023

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HEY, Macarena! (CREDIT: A24)

Starring: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio

Director: Charlotte Wells

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: October 21, 2022 (Theaters)

My favorite part of Aftersun is the “Macarena” performance, and I wish the entirety of the movie had just been a series of folks singing that and other danceable hits of the 90s. Of course, Charlotte Wells had something very different in mind, so I don’t fault HER for not making the entirety Macarena-centric. I just wanted to make sure I let everyone know where my head was at. Anyway, should I now sing “Macarena” at karaoke? Should Sophie have sung “Macarena” at karaoke? YOU make the call.

Grade: I Didn’t Lose My Religion, But I’m Not Sure Where I Left It

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