While on Vacation, a Family Confronts Itself

Lupita Nyong'o in "Us"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Two years ago, writer-director Jordan Peele exploded onto the horror scene with his filmmaking debut, “Get Out.”  It served up chills and social commentary in equal doses, becoming a breakout hit and one of the best movies of 2017.  Afterwards, Peele became a thrilling and innovative voice in the genre, and I was eager to see what other ideas he had on his mind for new projects.

The time has come to see his latest contribution to horror, which is “Us.”  Through this film, we see that Peele continues to his imaginativeness as a filmmaker, and just like with “Get Out,” he brings, chills, laughs, and something to say.

Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o), her husband, Gabriel (Winston Duke), and their children, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) decide to spend some time at a beach house.  One night, their getaway turns into something deadly when their home is invaded by another family, and the Wilsons discover that this family looks just like them.

We’re just a quarter of the way into 2019, but Nyong’o delivers what I’m sure will go down as one of the most unforgettable performances of the year as both Adelaide and her doppelgänger.  While portraying Adelaide, Nyong’o presents her character with an air of mystery, someone who has suffered something traumatic as a child, and we see how it has impacted her character for years.  As the film goes on, we watch her transform into a horror-movie heroine for whom to clap and cheer as she fights back in satisfying nature, showing a ferociousness and unwillingness to back down, despite coming face to face with an inconceivable nightmare.  When portraying her double, Nyong’o employs a deep, unsettling voice that puts you on edge, as well as a persona that’s disquieting to the point where you’ll want to put as much distance as possible between yourself and her.  It’s a remarkable feat of acting as you watch these two alike characters square off in a match between good and evil, resulting in a performance that exemplifies the superb range within Nyong’o’s acting abilities.

Duke, Joseph, and Alex not only deliver fine performances as Adelaide’s family, but also as their doppelgängers, where, just like Nyong’o, their unnerving facial expressions and creepy movements make you tense up.  Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker also have memorable roles as friends of the Wilson family.

Although Peele’s screenplay can become a tad heavy-handed at times, it’s loaded with both big ideas and small details that not only make this film terrific viewing, but something that you might wish to see a second time in order to absorb everything.  It’s these aspects of the narrative that have you always looking for things that could provide scenes with more significant meanings.  This is the type of story that will have you thinking about it for hours after you see it, trying to piece every detail together and come up with theories to your questions; and, trust me, you’ll have several.  Peele imbues the film with both social and biblical thoughts, and there’s boundless fascination into how he manages to bring forth these concepts in the scenario at hand.  Between “Get Out” and “Us,” Peele proves to be a master at constructing unpredictable stories, bringing us along on twisty, layered journeys as each startling discovery takes us on the next path to whatever reveal Peele has in store for us next.

Peele’s direction shows his prowess for adding amped-up intensity during the violent confrontations in certain scenes without it becoming gratuitous, just like he did within the last 15 minutes of “Get Out.”  However, Peele still uses the effective, scaled-back approach he utilized for most of that film, such as in the opening scene, where he employs an atmosphere that draws us into the world of the movie with commendable precision, and you realize that you’re about to watch a horror movie that’s different from what you’ve seen before.

With the help of cinematography by Mike Gioulakis, Peele conjures up some chilling imagery, such as in the sequence where the Wilsons first meet their doppelgängers.  Having the intruders concealed in darkness is a simple move, but when it’s mixed with a sinister score by Michael Abels (who collaborated with Peele on “Get Out”), it makes for a bone-rattling introduction to the terror that’s about to be unleashed.

Peele’s choice of camerawork, editing, and music make a superb blend of unconventionality that tends to be rare in mainstream horror films, showing that it’s possible to be artistic in horror films that come from the bigger studios.  With his first two directorial efforts being horror movies that both scare and offer probing looks into modern society, Peele has become a filmmaker that can make us feel major anticipation for whatever he might have in mind for his next movie.

It’s fitting that Peele’s second film is about doubles because with “Get Out” and “Us,” he’s achieved double cinematic successes.

Grade: A-

Through a Freezing Wilderness, Two Stranded Individuals Fight to Stay Alive

Mads Mikkelsen in "Arctic"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

When it comes to movies about survival, there are many different directions in which a filmmaker can go.  They can either have their story take place in the uninhabited countryside, like in “The Revenant”; on a distant planet, like in “The Martian”; the vastness of outer space, like in “Gravity”; in the middle of the ocean, like in “Life of Pi”; in a series of canyons, like in “127 Hours”; on a secluded island, like in “Cast Away”; or in the desert, like in “The Flight of the Phoenix.”  This type of story remains gripping because they hook us with their attempts to have us rigid in our seats as we wait for the outcome of the characters who are trapped in these perilous situations.

Joe Penna uses the survival genre for his directorial debut feature film, “Arctic,” and in the process, he proves himself to be one of 2019’s exciting new visions behind the camera.

Overgård (Mads Mikkelsen) is stranded in the Arctic Circle and trying to endure the harsh conditions until rescue comes.  When a helicopter crashes near his site, the only survivor is a critically injured young woman (María Thelma Smáradóttir), whom Overgård brings back to his camp.  Not wanting to wait around any longer, Overgård decides to pull her on a sled and ventures out into life-threatening conditions to try to find help.

Mikkelsen, in a performance that’s pretty much wordless for 90 percent of his screen time, does well in bringing forth the hopelessness and hopefulness of his character’s predicament.  We see the intense focus that Mikkelsen’s character puts into his daily tasks as he works hard to survive, making us feel confident that Overgård will make it out okay, even if things remain uncertain.  When Overgård interacts with the young woman, you can sense how much he cares for her, despite communication being limited between them and them knowing each other for just a short while, which helps to add a stronger emotional angle to the story. 

The screenplay by Penna and Ryan Morrison plays out like your typical survival story, but it adds some subtle details in certain scenes that give the story more meaning than what’s on the surface.  You don’t learn a lot about Mikkelsen’s character as to who he was before the events of the movie, but that’s understandable because the movie is instead focused on showing you Overgård’s ingenuity as he keeps formulating methods of how to survive.  We learn about the aspects of his character that are important to the story, and in this case, it’s his resourcefulness, and it’s what keeps us in the story’s grip as we watch how far his survival skills will take him.

Tómas Örn Tómasson’s cinematography captures the disquieting feeling of being in a place that’s devoid of civilization and having to fend for yourself.  The vastness of the terrain that’s depicted has you experience the crushing isolation of the two characters, making it seem like the freezing temperature is wrapping itself around you and chilling you to the bone.

As a director, Penna knows how to utilize the surroundings within the environment of the film, making us realize that the emptiness around Overgård and the young woman in said environment is enough to put us in an anxious state as we wait to see what will become of them.  Penna delivers the intensity of this man vs. nature story and keeps the clock ticking faster and faster as the characters’ chances of being rescued seem to dwindle minute by minute.

Even if you’ve seen several movies about survival, “Arctic” still offers enough to draw you into the narrative, thanks to its commanding lead performance and Penna showing an ability to keep the tension flowing as Overgård and the young woman’s journey through a snowy and icy barrenness becomes more dangerous as the film goes on. 

With “Arctic” being part of the timeless story of what someone must do to battle the elements and live to see another day, Penna assures us that there’s still enough to do with the survival genre to keep us coming back.

Grade: A-

A Story You Know, Told with Footage You’ve Never Seen

Neil Armstrong in "Apollo 11"
Photo Credit: Neon CNN Films

Back in October, director Damien Chazelle gave audiences the thrilling and emotional biographical drama, “First Man,” which chronicled Neil Armstrong’s journey of getting to the moon.  It was one of the best films of 2018 and wasn’t your typical inspirational biopic, but something deeper and more engaging.

Now, director Todd Douglas Miller tackles this subject in his documentary, “Apollo 11.”  Just as “First Man” went a different route with how it presented its biographical subject matter, Miller’s film chooses a different way to present his documentary, and it’s all the better for doing so.

The main thing that sets this documentary apart from others is that it doesn’t feature any interviews or narration, but consists of just archival footage.  By doing so, the movie has a flow as we go from one aspect of the moon landing to the next, without any interruption in the buildup and unfolding of the events. 

One of the most astounding aspects of the movie is how crisp a lot of the remastered footage looks, providing a clarity to it that makes it seem like it was filmed not too long ago, despite the moon landing taking place almost 50 years ago.

The sweeping shots of the people watching the takeoff from afar reflect our amazement of watching this historic event take place, and by the time we’re in the last 10 seconds before the rocket launches, there’s a thrill that permeates throughout the theater that makes you want to count down out loud.  Then, as you witness the space shuttle ascend and get ready to pierce the sky, you feel a sense of pride at this start to a world-changing journey.

Throughout the movie, Miller displays countdowns for certain points in the shuttle’s mission to and from the moon, such as when it prepares to lift off and when it gets ready to reenter Earth’s atmosphere, but one of the most effective uses of these countdowns is during the sequence when Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are piloting the command module to the moon’s surface.  This sequence lasts for a few minutes as we see the countdown as to when the module will land, as well as the decrease in altitude.

A terrific score by Matt Morton accompanies the movie and will help get your heart rate going as you witness this scientific achievement take place.  It’s a score that makes you feel as though you’re on a rare kind of adventure, which is what helps make this music fit so well with what you’re watching.

Miller’s innovative approach to formatting this documentary provides a wondrous look into this monumental undertaking, showing the footage in such a way that makes you feel in the moment of these events as you see the hard work of the astronauts and mission control and the excitement of the crowds as they gather to observe and celebrate the space shuttle’s launch.

“Apollo 11” is a movie that’s both an enriching history lesson and an invigorating moviegoing experience, and as you watch it, you’ll be over the moon with awe.

Grade: A

In New York City, Two Lives Collide Through Sinister Means

Isabelle Huppert (left) and Chloë Grace Moretz in "Greta"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

There are many films out there about people having their lives turned upside by stalkers.  While you could have something as good as “Fatal Attraction” come out once in a while that focuses on this type of narrative, there are others that just set out to provide generic, disposable thrills. 

When I first saw the trailer for director Neil Jordan’s psychological thriller, “Greta,” it looked like it could fall victim to genre conventions.  But, with two talented actresses in the lead roles, I was thinking that this movie could offer more than what was on the surface.  However, despite a few highlights, “Greta” doesn’t go quite as far as it could have.

Frances McCullen (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a young waitress living in New York City.  While riding the subway one day, she finds a purse that belongs to a woman named Greta Hideg (Isabelle Huppert).  When Frances goes to return it and meets Greta, the two begin a friendship.  However, Frances soon realizes that Greta may not be what she seems.

Huppert shows full dedication to her role, enjoying the campiness of the material and looking like she’s having a lot of fun with the character.  She nails the quietly menacing nature of Greta that hints at the depths of danger underneath her benevolent facade.  Despite the film not taking advantage of its ridiculousness, Huppert does her best to make sure that she gives this movie her all.  One of the noteworthy aspects of Huppert’s performance is that, for most of the time, she doesn’t go overboard with having her character act in-your-face crazy, but instead keeps her character restrained and shows her dementedness in an unsettlingly low-key way, making her unhinged persona more disquieting.

Moretz delivers a fine performance where she displays the kindheartedness that makes her character endearing and helps us fear for her when she ends up in the story’s perilous situation.  By the time this happens, Moretz is able to make her dread palpable as her character attempts to figure out her next plan for removing Greta from her life.

When it comes to the characters, you’re thankful that the two lead actresses are committed to their roles because you don’t learn much about Greta or Frances.  They could have been memorable characters, but they’re thinly written.

The screenplay by Jordan and Ray Wright establishes an enticing premise for its narrative, but the setup is the height of the story’s intrigue, rather than the events to which it leads because the movie plays out how you’d think.  There’s a moment that kicks off the third act that makes you believe that the story will transition into so-absurd-it’s-entertaining territory, but the screenwriters don’t commit to it and just have the film go back to its stalker-thriller conventions.  If it wasn’t for the strong performances and accomplished camerawork from Seamus McGarvey, “Greta” would feel like a Lifetime movie, and it doesn’t help that an anticlimactic ending comes out of what could have been a terrific showdown between the lead characters.

Jordan provides the film with some unsettling atmospherics, which are highlighted by McGarvey’s cinematography, but the story doesn’t provide enough chills to compliment the ambiance.  Jordan gives us an enjoyable moment here and there, but it’s not quite enough to separate the movie from other stalker-thrillers.

The fun sections in “Greta” are when it embraces its nonsensicalness.  It’s too bad that the movie, as a whole, doesn’t do the same.

Grade: C+

For One Family, Wrestling Isn’t a Hobby, It’s a Lifestyle

Jack Lowden and Florence Pugh in
"Fighting with My Family"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

One of the marks of a skillful filmmaker is the ability to make you invested in something that you wouldn’t care about on a normal basis.  Such a skill can make you look at something in a different way and maybe give you a new appreciation for whatever the subject of the movie might be.

Writer-director Stephen Merchant accomplishes this with the biographical comedy-drama, “Fighting with My Family.”  Other than watching a bit of “WWE SmackDown” here and there when I was younger, I was never much a wrestling fan.  However, Merchant puts enough care into this story, giving us a narrative that has laughs, emotion, and inspiration.

Saraya “Paige” Bevis (Florence Pugh) lives in Norwich, England, with her family of wrestlers that includes her brother, Zak (Jack Lowden); her mother, Julia (Lena Headey); and father, Patrick (Nick Frost).  Although the family gets along with their love for each and love of wrestling, complications soon arise when Paige and Jack try out for “SmackDown,” with only Paige being chosen to move to the next round.

Pugh, who delivered a stunning breakout performance in William Oldroyd’s 2017 drama, “Lady Macbeth,” delivers blazing work as a young woman who strives to prove herself in the ring.  With a boldness in attitude and refusal to let anyone stand in her way, Pugh brings out the humorous and dramatic aspects of her character that create endearing work.  Pugh exhibits Paige’s confidence as she’s at home and when she ventures to Florida to train, but she also shows a shyness as she’s seen as an outsider among the other trainees, bringing her into a situation where she seems to be both in and out of her element.  It’s a moving arc as we see her try to juggle chasing her dream and handling the growing strain between her brother.

Lowden provides an emotional performance where we see the heartrending disappointment in him realizing that his dreams of wrestling might be coming to an end.  It’s a role that exemplifies the pain of having someone tell you that you might not be good enough to be what you want to be, and seeing the weight of this fall down on Zak in one of the film’s most poignant scenes shows you the hopelessness that he feels in having his dream start to become out of his reach.

As Paige’s parents, Headey and Frost provide terrific work whenever they’re together and show a strong connection between their characters.  After being on the fantasy-drama series “Game of Thrones” since 2011, it’s fun to see Headey take on a character such as Julia.  As for Frost, his talent for wit is as reliable as ever, making you grin whenever he’s on screen.

Pugh, Lowden, Headey, and Frost all exhibit a wonderful on-screen chemistry, presenting a familial bond that has you understand how much wrestling means to them and how it connects them.  You sense the love and support that they have for each other, with Julia and Patrick always being there to encourage their children’s dreams.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson appears in a couple of scenes as himself, but he makes the most out of his limited screen time, especially in his first appearance, where he provides some hilarious words of advice for Paige and Zak as they prepare for their WWE tryouts.

Although the story follows many beats that you’ll find in other sports movies, Merchant’s screenplay, which is based on the Max Fisher’s 2012 documentary, “The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family,” provides you with an insight into how much wrestling means to the Bevis family, showing the matches that they put on for the public and the gym that they operate that teaches youths how to wrestle.  Once we arrive at the portion of the narrative where Paige travels to Florida to train with other WWE hopefuls, Merchant offers a look into the challenges that Paige must face when competing against other wrestlers and facing the skepticism of a WWE trainer (Vince Vaughn).  Between these two areas of the plot, we see the hard work to which Paige and her family commit themselves in order to find success in wrestling.

As a director, Merchant brings us into the WWE world in such a way that even non-fans of wrestling will be drawn into what he presents.  He provides enough details that show what goes into becoming a successful wrestler, making us feel the physical toll that these competitors have to go through in order to gain recognition.  Outside of this, Merchant also shows his dexterity in transitioning between the family’s humorous antics and heartfelt moments, creating a genuineness within the lives of the characters.

“Fighting with My Family” is a crowd-pleasing view of a family that shows the love that they have for each other and the love that they have for wrestling, and all of that should be enough to make you want to step into the ring.

Grade: A-