MINI-REVIEWS: BARB & STAR, THE WORLD TO COME, FRENCH EXIT & LAND

The following are quick, capsule reviews of Lionsgate's Barb & Star Go to Vsita Del Mar which is now available to rent on all streaming platforms, The World to Come from Bleecker Street which is now playing in theaters and will be available On Demand on March 2nd, Sony Classics' French Exit which is now playing in New York and Los Angeles and will expand nationwide on April 2nd, as well as Robin Wright's Land from Focus Features which is now playing in theaters.  

WONDER WOMAN 1984 Review

Wonder Woman 1984 is not a good movie. Unfortunately. It's not that it's soul-crushingly bad, but it's just not good and it for one reason or another feels like it's completely mistaken silly for entertaining. Absurdity for ambition. There is a wealth of good intent imbued on the project as writer/director Patty Jenkins returns to continue crafting the titular character into more of a beacon of hope than ever, but come the end of this bloated two and half hour epic it's nearly impossible to see how anyone associated with the project could have mistaken it for quality rather than recognizing the bizarre (and often times extremely cheesy) choices that were made, not to mention the incredibly preposterous nature of it all. It's almost as if the film actively goes out of its way not to necessarily make its message more convoluted, but rather like it's trying to do or say more than what is actually on its mind. In other words, it's trying to make the simple idea at its center feel more complex and therefore more sophisticated when in reality said execution simply feels perplexing. The oddity that is this Wonder Woman sequel is difficult to describe as it's still somewhat mind-blowing that Jenkins along with co-writers Geoff Johns (a former executive at DC Entertainment and a prolific writer and producer) and Dave Callaham (seasoned franchise screenwriter) submitted this screenplay to Warner Brothers with the confidence not only that it would be approved, but that it was good while it's even more confounding that Warner greenlit this $200 million experiment. All of this is difficult to come to terms with as I very much am in the bag for excessively bombastic superhero films that have a distinct point of view and while Wonder Woman 1984 is most certainly excessive and most definitely carves out where it wants to stand in the pantheon of the genre none of what transpires on screen ever feels satisfying despite the virtue of what the film is trying to convey. Its a baffling misfire, an ill-conceived attempt at looking to the past in order to enlighten us about our future, but most of all it's disappointing. With the first Wonder Woman film three years ago Jenkins crafted an equally ambitious, but more balanced film that honed in on the titular character’s optimism and slight naivety while utilizing the tangible and rather terrible world she entered as a way of highlighting those qualities. 2017's Wonder Woman found the right avenues to take in order to balance the many ambitions it hoped to accomplish with its story and characters whereas Wonder Woman 1984 crams in so many disparate ideas and goes so far out of its way in such ludicrous fashion in order to say what it wants to say that hardly any of it resonates.

BLADE RUNNER 2049 Review

The plan for Blade Runner 2049, the thirty-five year later sequel to director Ridley Scott's 1982 now classic Blade Runner, was to watch Scott's "final cut" of the film prior to seeing director Denis Villeneuve's (Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival) follow-up. The original Blade Runner is one of those movies that I was always told I needed to watch and indeed started countless times, but never actually made it all the way through. Whether it was due to a lack of intrigue, bad timing, or something of the like I somehow ended up feeling rather familiar with the world Scott created from this Philip K. Dick short story without ever really becoming aware of the narrative it was relaying. Alas, there wasn't time to squeeze in a viewing of the original film prior to my wife and I's planned date night this past Saturday (things happen when you have an almost three year-old and Friday night, Blade Runner didn't happen) and so, with little knowledge of exactly what to expect from Blade Runner 2049 other than a visually stunning experience (cinematographer Roger Deakins is once again responsible for what we see here) this second, seemingly more intrusive story into the world of replicants and their version of the future happened. So, did I understand everything that happened? I think so. Did I appreciate everything as much as the guy behind me who said "wow" out loud no less than seventeen times throughout the two hour and forty-five minute runtime? Probably not. Still, Blade Runner 2049 is a movie that is able to stand on its own to a degree, but certainly benefits from having the knowledge of what occurred in the prior installment. Having gone back since seeing 2049 and watched the final cut of the original film I feel as if I've had a unique enough experience with the larger story being told that my individual experience with the film is something of a reverse of the rose-tinted glasses idiom in that the original film is not one that has been unduly idolized because of its stance in pop culture before I had the opportunity to make up my own mind about it, but rather my perspective on the original is of more significance because I know where these characters go and I know what the actions took in that initial film lead to. This inverse experience while, not necessarily recommended, tends to only make 2049 that much more mystical-that much more epic and that much more meaningful.

New Trailer for BLADE RUNNER 2049 Starring Ryan Gosling

Time for another round of quick confessions: I've never actually finished Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi epic that is Blade Runner. I will, of course, watch it again before seeing the sequel later this year, but the original is one of those I've always been told I need to watch and have started countless times, but never actually sat all the way through until the end. And so, with little knowledge of exactly what to expect from this movie other than a visually stunning experience (cinematographer Roger Deakins is once again responsible for what we see here) this second, more well-rounded look at director Denis Villeneuve's (Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival) thirty-year later sequel plays so well that general audiences should, at the very least, be intrigued while I imagine fans of the original will be going nuts over this one. If I'm to understand history correctly it would seem the original Blade Runner wasn't a runaway hit out of the gate critically or commercially, but more that it has over time become this cult classic that is now regarded as another masterwork by Ridley Scott. Still, despite my lack of any connection whatsoever to the previous film or even to Philip K. Dick's original source material, I'm a fan of all involved and have yet to dislike a film Villeneuve has made. Given the original was hailed for its production design and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1993 this sequel has a lot to live up to. Such honors mean the original film is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and so I can't imagine Villeneuve took such a task lightly. With Deakins' eye, Villeneuve's direction, and a screenplay from original Blade Runner scribe Hampton Fancher and Logan co-writer Michael Green I'm hoping the film delivers in all the ways fans have been waiting for while also initiating a few newcomers along the way. The first line-up of Toronto International Film Festival selections should be announced some time next week and I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't the opening night film given Villeneuve's last four films have all had runs at TIFF. Blade Runner 2049 stars Robin Wright, Barkhad Abdi, Dave Bautista, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Lennie James, Mackenzie Davis, Jared Leto, Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and opens on October 6th, 2017.

WONDER WOMAN Review

Wonder Woman is quality popcorn entertainment with ambition. It is not the exception to the rule and it certainly has its issues, namely with pacing and its generic and derivative climactic battle, but much of this is easy to forgive due to that ambition; due to the fact it is earnestly trying to be more than it has to be. It has been a rather long time coming, but the day is finally here that we have a big screen, feature-length version of Diana Prince’s origin story. Director Patty Jenkins (Monster) has crafted a magnificently mounted piece of filmmaking that feels as grand and majestic as a Wonder Woman movie should. It also doesn’t hurt that the casting of our titular heroine couldn’t feel more right and kudos to Zack Snyder for trusting his instincts on such a decision despite the initial backlash the casting and costume of Gal Gadot received. As Prince, Gadot is endearing from the moment we see her desire to uphold the legacy of her people. This initial gracing comes as she trains for an ever-impending battle that threatens to destroy her hidden island of Themyscira and the fellow Amazons that live there with her. Though unfamiliar with the comic books or even the seventies TV show starring Lynda Carter I’ve always assigned Wonder Woman to be this kind of beacon of purity in the super hero universe. Besides this though, I wasn’t sure what, as a hero, she stood for or what her motivations were or what her history entailed that might have made her so driven to defend the world from the bad guys. Turns out, Wonder Woman is more or less a God the same way Hercules was. Maybe even more so; is Hippolyta (played here by Connie Nielsen) more God-like than Alcmene? I have to imagine so. While Jenkins’ Wonder Woman provides enough of the backstory and origin details to answer many questions that might pop up throughout what is most impressive about this latest DC Extended Universe film is that it keeps to the virtues of that character throughout in the way people fondly remember. Jenkins and scribe Allan Heinberg have actively kept Wonder Woman’s optimism and slight naivety intact while placing her in a world and time that is tangible and rather terrible, not to mention under-represented on film. Such is a testament to how well Wonder Woman finds the right avenues to take in order to balance the many ambitions it hopes to accomplish. Even if some of these aspirations don’t quite reach the heights as successfully as was hoped for it is that balance that is key as there is so much to admire and enjoy about Wonder Woman that it not only remains memorable, but affecting.

Official Trailer for BLADE RUNNER 2049

Time for another round of quick confessions: I've never actually finished Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi epic that is Blade Runner. I will, of course, see it before seeing the sequel later this year, but the original is one of those I've always been told I need to watch and have started countless times, but never actually sat all the way through until the end. And so, with little knowledge of exactly what to expect from this trailer other than a visually stunning clip (cinematographer Roger Deakins is once again responsible for what we see here) this first, full look at director Denis Villeneuve's (Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival) thirty-year later sequel plays well enough that general audiences might at least be intrigued while I imagine fans of the original will undoubtedly be sold. If I'm to understand history correctly it would seem the original Blade Runner wasn't a runaway hit out of the gate either critically or commercially-that it has only been over time that audiences have grown to appreciate the film and its layers and complexities after seeing several different versions of the film, the last of which was released a decade ago and was touted as "The Final Cut" AKA the only one where Scott had absolute artistic freedom. So, I guess that is the version I'll be checking out when I finally get around to in fact doing that. Still, despite my lack of any connection whatsoever to the previous film or even to Philip K. Dick's original source material, I'm a fan of all involved and have yet to dislike a film Villeneuve has made. Given the original was hailed for its production design and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1993 this sequel has a lot to live up to. Such honors mean the original film is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and so I can't imagine Villeneuve took such a task lightly. With Deakins' eye, Villeneuve's direction, and a screenplay from original Blade Runner scribe Hampton Fancher and Logan co-writer Michael Green I'm hoping the film delivers in all the ways fans have been waiting for while also initiating a few newcomers along the way. Blade Runner 2049 stars Robin Wright, Barkhad Abdi, Dave Bautista, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Lennie James, Mackenzie Davis, Jared Leto, Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and opens on October 6th, 2017.

Full Trailer for WONDER WOMAN Starring Gal Gadot

And the trailers for the summer movie season keep on coming as Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for director Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman AKA the last great hope for the DC Extended Universe. The first trailer for the film premiered last summer at Comic-Con and couldn't even be overshadowed by the release of the first Justice League footage. That first look showed off Matthew Jensen's gorgeous cinematography, some exhilarating and intense action sequences, as well as some seemingly solid chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine who looks to provide an opportunity for smaller moments and humor that will take advantage of the out of her element Amazonian princess. This latest trailer combines those best elements of that initial trailer as well as the more informative, but just as gorgeous full trailer that debuted in November. Wonder Woman sees Gal Gadot reprising her role as the titular warrior that first debuted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While that film wasn't a unanimous winner most agreed that Gadot's Wonder Woman was one of the highlights. With this being Wonder Woman's first solo feature film a lot of pressure has no doubt been applied to Jenkins (who directed Charlize Theron in her Oscar-winning role in Monster) and screenwriters Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg, both of whom have either worked with Zack Snyder on previous DCEU films or, in Johns case, will be overseeing the DCEU from this point on. Wonder Woman, which is set before the events of BvS, tells the origin story of Diana Prince. Set in the midst of World War I, Prince’s sheltered island paradise life is upended when Pine's Steve Trevor crash lands and tells of the conflict happening in the outside world, spurning Diana into action. Wonder Woman also stars Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, and opens on June 2nd, 2017.

New Trailer for WONDER WOMAN Starring Gal Gadot

Given this week has been something of downer for the DC Extended Universe with the announcement that Flash director Rick Famuyiwa would be leaving the project due to 'creative differences' and Marvel having their latest, sure to be blockbuster opening DC and Warner Bros. are still trying to look on the bright side of things by releasing a new trailer for Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman AKA the last great hope for the DCEU. The first trailer for the film that premiered at Comic-Con this past summer couldn't even be overshadowed by the release of Justice League footage as that first look showed off Matthew Jensen's gorgeous cinematography, some exhilarating and intense action sequences, as well as some seemingly solid chemistry between Gal Gadot and Chris Pine who looks to provide an opportunity for smaller moments and humor that will take advantage of the out of her element Amazonian princess. This new trailer is essentially more of the same, but when your first one was as good as Wonder Woman's you don't have to do much more to sell your movie. Wonder Woman sees Gal Gadot reprising her role as the titular warrior that first debuted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While that film wasn't a unanimous winner most agreed that Gadot's Wonder Woman was one of the highlights. With this being Wonder Woman's first solo feature film a lot of pressure has no doubt been applied to Jenkins (who directed Charlize Theron in her Oscar-winning role in Monster) and screenwriters Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg, both of whom have either worked with Zack Snyder on previous DCEU films or, in Johns case, will be overseeing the DCEU from this point on. Wonder Woman, which is set before the events of BvS, tells the origin story of Diana Prince. Set in the midst of World War I, Prince’s sheltered island paradise life is upended when Pine's Steve Trevor crash lands and tells of the conflict happening in the outside world, spurning Diana into action. Wonder Woman also stars Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, and opens on June 2nd, 2017.

First Trailer for WONDER WOMAN Starring Gal Gadot

At its panel today Warner Bros. not only gathered its directors for all future DC films that are currently in development (including Ben Affleck, James Wan, and Rick Famuyiwa), but it also unveiled the very first trailer for Wonder Woman during at Comic-Con 2016. Directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster), the film sees Gal Gadot reprising her role as the titular warrior that first debuted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While that aforementioned film wasn't a unanimous winner most agreed that Gadot's Wonder Woman was one of the highlights. In her first solo feature ever Jenkins has been paired with writers Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg, with a story by Heinberg and Zack Snyder, and to be completely honest this first look at the film is gorgeous and looks to balance the tone of darkness inherent to the DC universe with plenty of fun asides and fun characters-including American pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). This film, which is set before the events of BvS, tells the origin story of Diana Prince. Set in the midst of World War I, Prince’s sheltered island paradise life is upended when Pine's Trevor crash lands and tells of the conflict happening in the outside world, spurning Diana into action. With what we see in the trailer it is easy to take away that the film will look gorgeous thanks to Matthew Jensen's cinematography while the actions scenes look exhilerating and intense while the chemistry between Gadot and Pine seems to be on point with Pine providing a fine and funny foil for the out of her element Wonder Woman. It's a tall order for both Jenkis and Gadot to fill in that this is the characters first solo feature on the big screen, but if what we've seen today is any indication there seems no reason to worry. Wonder Woman also stars Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Ewen Bremner, Saïd Taghmaoui, and opens on June 2nd, 2017.

EVEREST Review

Like it's titular mountain, Everest the film is a vast beast of an adventure. More than anything, director Baltasar Kormákur (Contraband, 2 Guns) gives the film a strong foundation on which to stand and a sense of adventure going forward that is more than enough to make up for what can sometimes feel like a slim narrative. That is, of course, until the film reaches it's last half hour in which it feels like it has to rush to resolve every plot strand it has set up for it's large ensemble cast. That said, the film is more than a solid venture into one of the most dangerous places on earth that people dare to go which brings us to the real heart of the film. Without the crux of why each of these individuals wanted or were willing to risk their lives for a reward that, for some, could be viewed as senseless is what provides the anchor of the audiences investment. There are plenty of ways in which Kormákur could have chosen to approach this set-up that was primed perfectly for little more than a tense, action spectacle, but at it's heart this is a human story. And so, the fact Kormákur and writers William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy have essentially made both a rousing testament to the human spirit and a devastatingly brutal film that delivers the man versus nature psychology to an unflinching degree is admirable. In many ways, Everest doesn't purport to be anything more than a straightforward documentation of this true story that occurred in 1996 when a team of thrill-seekers attempted to scale Mt. Everest, but it can't help but to be about more given the grand themes that life naturally brings down upon us when we're stranded in desperate situations and have nothing else to turn to but our thoughts and memories. Kormákur largely tackles the positive aspects of this kind of adventure and way of thinking in the first half of the film before everything goes south and the darker side of these risks are exposed.

First Trailer for EVEREST

I originally put Southpaw near the top of my most anticipated list of the year simply because of the work Jake Gyllenhaal has been putting out lately and I have more of a trust in director Antoine Fuqua than that of Baltasar Kormakur‘s (Contraband, 2 Guns). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Kormakur's last feature, but more for the chemistry between the two leads than anything else. Everest seemed to be a movie of ensemble rather than a leading turn from Gyllenhaal thus indicating Southpaw as the better pick, but after this trailer I'm simply excited to see this film regardless of rankings or how much screen time each actor is given. Speaking of actors and ensembles Kormakur has put together quite a cast here as alongside Gyllenhall we have the like of Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Emily Watson and Keira Knightley. Telling the true story of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered this looks to be a rather rousing drama that seems to be both beautifully shot and incredibly tense. The group of actors provided with a screenplay by Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God) and Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) can hopefully only indicate Kormakur is also pushing himself to new limits with this one as it might actually have some awards potential should it be as good as its credentials promise.Universal Pictures has released an official and international teaser trailer that you can view after the jump. Everest opens in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D on September 18th.

A MOST WANTED MAN Review

Anton Corbijn's A Most Wanted Man is one of those movies I can appreciate, but will likely never have the desire to sit through again. Funny enough, you could say the same of his previous film, The American, which was my introduction to the filmmaker. The American was a surprisingly restrained film in almost every aspect of its being-from the images we saw, the music that complimented them and on to the central performance from George Clooney. In many ways it was a break into the studio system for Corbijn while showing the suits he very much had his own way of telling a story. If A Most Wanted Man does anything with this kind of power it actually plays more in tune with what we have grown accustomed to in the genre of spy thrillers while still keeping the pacing at a slow boil and the action to a minimum. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this of course, especially when you have the source material of John le Carré (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) to work with and as well pedigreed a cast as is on display here. By virtue of its cast and credentials alone this would strike most as an interesting film, but as a mature audience you come to actually appreciate the film for the line of thinking it promotes. It is a slow, methodical film that deals as much in the details of its plot as it represents the perceived perception of man in his many different incarnations. This theme, while heavily influenced by the title, is demonstrated in Corbijn's film by how individuals may be portrayed in certain circles as perfectly respectable, harmless even yet in others are wanted for possible terror motives. Obviously, the film depicts an extreme case of this nature, but it still conveys the necessary needs to see the bigger picture and describes how recognizing the smaller aspects might compliment said bigger picture rather than going bullet by bullet and crossing them off. It is an intriguing approach and one that makes you consider the nature of absolutes while never painting any of its multiple characters as necessarily bad or evil, but simply as people trying to do a job and come off as successful as possible. It is impossible to facilitate a fair and unbiased opinion in every situation, but A Most Wanted Man's characters strive for this ideal in each of their actions.

ADORE Review

Adore is one of those films that looks a little icky when you see the trailer. I don't use the word "icky" very often and it is probably against my better judgment to do so here, but given that the definition is simply adding two letters to the word its defining to make it sticky with the added value of being unpleasant it seems extremely appropriate as that is the exact type of situation our two protagonists get themselves into in this twisted, disturbing, and surprisingly affecting film. Is it controversial? Sure. Does it push boundaries? I guess so, slightly. Does it make for an entertaining film? Not exactly. What the film, previously titled Two Mothers, does make for is a pretty intense soap opera with top caliber acting and beautiful cinematography. There are plenty of dynamics you could draw on here, but nothing so obvious as the Oedipal complexities of a mother and son relationship. In fact, there is no need for that type of development because in what is essentially the opening scene of the film one of our two mothers boys is attending his fathers funeral. Though this does leave what we assume is a lasting effect it isn't the one the world would so easily assume. Instead, Ian (Xavier Samuel) develops and very intense, very genuine, if not at first sight naive love for his mothers best friend Roz (Robin Wright). Another thing you think upon first seeing the trailers is that you know exactly where this film will be heading even if you're not quite sure where it could possibly end up. What I found surprising and what may have lent to me becoming more intrigued with the film is the fact it doesn't follow the dramatic beats I expected it to. In fact, it goes to some rather unexpected places and explores avenues and dilemmas I had yet to come up with in my own head about what might cause trouble in the scenario these four work up. It is a slightly distressing film in that you wonder how two successful, mature women would ever allow themselves to succumb to such temptation and clearly wrong action, but both Wright and Naomi Watts sell it even if, in the end, we still feel they know better.