THE BOOK OF CLARENCE Review

An ambitious (audacious?) yet disjointed film that seems to attempt more than it intends leaving little to latch onto, but much to consider. A conundrum of both a film and experience. Coming out of writer/director/composer Jeymes Samuel's 2021 feature debut, The Harder They Fall, it was more than evident the multi-hyphenate had a distinct mission, but almost more importantly: a distinct style to match it. With as much noted it was easy to walk into Samuel's follow-up, The Book of Clarence, with a certain expectation of what it might be. As The Harder They Fall made it clear white people were not alone in the westward expansion following the Civil War, The Book of Clarence would seem to run with the fact they were essentially non-existent in Nazareth in the time of Jesus (or the Messiah, as he was probably more often referred to during his life). The correcting of the consistent portrayal of Jesus as a white, European man throughout history would then seem to be the anchor of Samuel's religious satire especially given this depiction has come under scrutiny as of late with the legacy of racism in society being more critically discussed. While this is certainly on the itinerary though, so are about twenty other items that seem to have sprung from Samuel's original intent through the process of putting this initial idea to paper. We can see the bones of Samuel's original idea in renovating the Biblical epic, but as our titular Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) becomes swept up in and ultimately accepts the idea that Jesus may in fact be the real Messiah so too does the movie in becoming an actual Biblical epic. 

At just over two hours it doesn't quite go all the way to fit that bill, but though there are moments of biting irreverence these are always directed more toward how the familiar events of the Bible have come to be perceived rather than toward the events themselves or so seems to be the case, I could certainly have misinterpreted. The cause for such uncertainty comes with how reverential Samuel ends up treating the cornerstones of his protagonist's journey. These tonal transformations make it difficult to identify a genuine response to the material, but the film doesn't leave you with nothing. In fact, more than anything The Book of Clarence will leave many confused as to what meaning we're meant to take from this double-edged parable which - I guess - could be seen as appropriate given the conflicting nature of faith for those who question it. There is a line in the film that states, "Any man who follows rules blindly is easily overcome," which is a direct challenge to one of if not the mainstays of what "faith" is meant to illustrate. This point of view is further emphasized when, in the final act of the film, Stanfield's false Messiah calls for enlightenment over punishment. Both sentiments would seem to move the thematic needle towards the challenging of ideas and the broadening of intelligence for the sake of insight and progress as favorable and more sensical than divine knowledge and irrational acceptance, yet the film still concludes with a message that remains largely pro-faith. Hence, the confusion and conflict.

POWER RANGERS Review

I was six years-old in 1993 when the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted stateside and I could not have been more enthralled with the goofy series. It was as if someone had taken all the tropes and character archetypes I could have imagined in a super hero series and shot them at the screen with a paintball gun. The bright colors, the over-the-top antagonists, and the general playbook each episode followed may have both satisfied and informed what I thought the general public expected super hero lore to fulfill, it was so early in my life I can hardly remember what I knew prior, but whether it was one or both the fact remains that Power Rangers was a cornerstone of my childhood and one that I have always had a great amount of fondness for. I've even gone so far as to write a first draft of a novel based on an idea that spurned from the series and what it might have been like had it matured with its viewers a la Harry Potter, but now that we have this re-boot I may want to start in on the sophomore effort. Anyway, the point is-for this reason and everything else I've mentioned thus far I was beyond excited to see what this modern day interpretation of the material had to offer. Directed by Dean Israelite, the guy who made Project Almanac, this new Power Rangers movie essentially combines the conviction of The Breakfast Club characters with the plight of those in Josh Trank's Chronicle from 2012. And in similar style. Granted, this is combined with all the hallmarks of what made the original series so fun, but you get the picture. And so, how does this latest nostalgia-fueled re-boot fare in terms of satisfying a lifelong fan? Pretty damn well. In fact, far better than expected in terms of the aspect that will guarantee it the most staying power as a franchise-it's core cast of charismatic and ultimately formidable teens. It's refreshing, weirdly, for despite the fact everything in Power Rangers is more or less recycled from the series and other sources the movie as a whole manages to revitalize in the way it was no doubt intended.

New Trailer for POWER RANGERS

I continue to be extremely interested and now even more excited to see how this reboot of the popular Power Rangers TV series turns out. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a huge part of my childhood. As big as Tennage Mutant Ninja Turtles was when Power Rangers came along in 1993 when I was of the tender age of six it captured my imagination and everything I imagined comic books and animated super hero shows to be were they to come to life. With that in mind, we finally get a lengthy glimpse at what director Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) has done with the property and how he has both made it new and fresh while drawing from the best (or at least most fun) parts of the series. At this point, Power Rangers was not only a part of my childhood, but the two or three generations that have come since. If all we'd seen from the promotional material prior had made you somewhat cautious much of that should seemingly be laid to rest as this official trailer throws everything a Power Ranger fan could want at you. Israelite and his main cast of unknowns have seemingly found a way to capture the charm and cheese of the original in ways that celebrate the original, kind of goofy series rather than damn it for those reasons. There is nothing but good intentions on display here and I'm particularly excited about Bill Hader as a tiny, sarcastic robot. The one major cause for concern is the same one it's always been and that is the six credited writers on the project. Granted. that list includes the likes of Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class), his writing partner Ashley Miller, as well as Max Landis (Chronicle), but it also includes the guys behind Gods Of Egypt, Dracula Untold, and The Last Witch Hunter...so, this really could go either way. Power Rangers stars Ludi Lin, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Dacre Montgomery, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and opens on March 24th, 2017.

Teaser Trailer for POWER RANGERS Reboot

For some reason I'm extremely interested to see how this reboot of the popular Power Rangers TV series turns out. The last time I was excited for something having to do with Power Rangers was probably when my Aunt was taking myself, my siblings, and my cousin to see Power Rangers Turbo at our local dollar theater in 1997. When I was ten years old. All of that said, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a huge part of my childhood. As big as Tennage Mutant Ninja Turtles was when Power Rangers came along in 1993 when I was of the tender age of six it captured my imagination and everything I imagined comic books and animated super hero shows to be were they to come to life. With that in mind, I can't wait to see what director Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) has done with the property and how he has both made it new and fresh while drawing from the best parts of the series given that at this point in time Power Rangers has not only been a part of my generations childhood, but the two or three generations since. From all we've seen from the promotional material thus far and now this first footage it seems Israelite and his main cast of unknowns who are playing the "teenagers with attitude" have found a way to accomplish this in both a modern and super fun way that looks as if it will celebrate the original, very cheesy, series in the best ways. All I can feel from this teaser is good intentions and while Israelite and his crew have certainly changed a fair amount of the mythology and look of what I grew up with the major factors are still here and if through those they were able to find new avenues to explore I'm all for it. The one major cause for concern is the six credited writers on the project. Granted. that list includes the likes of Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class), his writing partner Ashley Miller, as well as Max Landis (Chronicle) it also includes the guys behind Gods Of Egypt, Dracula Untold, and The Last Witch Hunter. Given the teaser knows how to restrain itself I'll remain optimistic, but this is certainly enough to give pause on what otherwise seems to hold a lot of potential. Power Rangers stars Ludi Lin, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Dacre Montgomery, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and opens on March 24th, 2017.

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL Review

Everything about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl screams artsy film festival fodder. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact a decade ago that description would have suggested anything but a bad thing, and yet there is such a stigma around films molded on the tendencies of Wes Anderson now that they've become ripe for criticism. What also doesn't help Me and Earl and the Dying Girl's case is the level of self-reference it operates within. At one point, how can we expect any person or movie to exist without a certain level of self-awareness when the environment we live in is a heightened social media one where each of us are called out for the cliché's of our life and yet, on the other end, there is still the viable option of embracing one's self or one's story wholeheartedly to the point the audience is enveloped in the earnestness. It's a tough choice to make and just because Me and Earl and the Dying Girl decides to go way in one direction doesn't immediately make it a recycled, overused picture that lacks real meaning or effect because the techniques it uses to convey it's story may no longer be as fresh or meaningful as they once were. This is the area where some seem to have accused the film of being trite or even irritating, but beneath all of the style that director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon has smothered upon Jesse Andrews quip-heavy screenplay adapted from his own novel I find it hard to believe anyone could justly deny the emotion and straight-up craft the film also packs into its running time. This brings us to the beginning of the film where our protagonist and narrator, Greg (Thomas Mann), can't decide how best to begin his story and thus debates between a trope such as, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." or simply remaining in his head so as to guide us through his thought process. As the latter wins out we are given examples of what Greg might consider the best of times and what might qualify for the worst. Before springing into the title credits Greg looks to his left to see what would indicate that what he's recently experienced, what he's going to tell us about, were indeed the best of times even if he didn't realize it in the moment.

First Trailer for ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

Making major waves out of the Sundance Film Festival in January Me and Earl and the Dying Girl won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. Needless to say, my interest was piqued. It's always nice to see what films will come along throughout the year that you didn't expect, that you didn't see coming because they really have no major credentials and zero precedent. This feels like one of those types of films; the summer indie akin to something like The Way, Way Back, The Kings of Summer or The Spectacular Now from a few years ago that really captured the essence of that transition from being in a state of adolescence to that of actual maturity. While the trailer also tends to make it look an awful lot like those types of films it has a nice enough little hook that it divulges about halfway through that should stand to reason why cinephiles who attend things like The Sundance Film Festival enjoyed it so much. As a kid who fell for the movies early and attempted my own versions of features and shorts with little more than a handheld camera, I too was taken by the trailer. It only helps the film has received such solid accolades so far as it truly does look like a touching and extremely soulful film that would be disappointing were it simply looked over as another indie movie that simply existed. Given all of that, I really hope the final product lives up to the hype and promise it delivers in this first look. Starring Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Jon Bernthal, Molly Shannon, RJ Cyler and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, most notable for his work on American Horror Story, with a screenplay from Jesse Andrews based on his own novel Me and Earl and the Dying Girl opens on June 12th.