For a Group of Friends, War Hasn’t Left Them

From left: Isiah Whitlock Jr., Norm Lewis, 
Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, and Jonathan 
Majors in "Da 5 Bloods" 
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

  Check out my review on SiftPop.com!

In the Midst of Dementia and Hauntings, a Family Tries to Stay Together

Bella Heathcote in "Relic"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

With all of the great horror movies that have been released over the last few years, some of the most fascinating ones have been those that focus on families trying to overcome issues that threaten to break them apart.  Between Jennifer Kent’s “The Babadook,” Ari Aster’s “Hereditary,” and even David Gordon Green’s “Halloween,” we’ve seen this topic explored in ways that were both unsettling and unforgettable.  These films brought audiences into stories that dealt with the relatable topic of family and had them go into situations with which an everyday family might deal, but on a horror scale.

Director Natalie Erika James makes an impressive filmmaking debut with her horror drama, “Relic,” a creepy and hard-hitting view into a family and what they must do when a crisis among them arises.

When Kay (Emily Mortimer) and her daughter, Sam (Bella Heathcote), travel to the home of Kay’s mother, Edna (Robyn Nevin), they find that she’s missing.  Edna, who suffers from dementia, soon returns, but can’t remember where she’s been.  As Kay and Sam help take care of Edna, they begin to realize that there might be something sinister lurking in the house, something that’s linked to Edna’s disappearance.

Mortimer, Heathcote, and Nevin all deliver impactful performances as three generations of women who are brought together to face an uncertain challenge.  The three actresses exhibit the love that their characters have for each other, a love that tries to go against the strain of what they’re up against.  Between the desperation that Mortimer and Heathcote display to Edna’s slowly loosening grip on reality, all three actresses show the heartrending stress of trying to keep their family together as Edna becomes less and less like the person that her daughter and granddaughter used to know.  A horror movie is at its best when there are emotional stakes involved, and the main characters provide superb work in showing the toll that this situation has on all of them.

Although the movie could have been a little longer to further explore the topic of dementia and its impact on families, the screenplay by James and Christian White shows us enough of the dynamics between the three main characters to provide us with an idea of how they interact.  Besides a couple of supporting characters who show up for a few minutes in total, this story is all about Kay, Sam, and Edna.  By having pretty much the whole narrative focus on them, we’re able to experience the full weight of what they’re experiencing, bringing us scene after scene of dramatic tension that mixes in a few ambiguous, yet intriguing insights pertaining to the family’s history.  With the mix of scares and poignant bonds between the characters, this is a family drama every bit as much as a haunted-house story.

The cinematography by Charlie Sarroff makes effective use of the dark as we explore the house and the shadows that play tricks on us.  Between the unlit rooms and hallways and the point-of-view shots that make it seem as though an ominous entity is watching the family, Sarroff and James make sure that the environment of the film has us in its tightest grip. 

Sarroff’s camerawork succeeds in capturing the oppressive sense of solitude that the house emits, working well with the production design by Steven Jones-Evans.  What’s most notable about the set design is how it’s used to evoke a sense of the dementia, particularly in the final third.  Events happen that cause you to see the house in different, disquieting ways, making you feel the psychological decay through which Edna is going. 

Those aforementioned technical aspects highlight how James’ direction is pure atmospherics.  She understands that the drama of this movie shouldn’t be dampened by cheap jump scares, but instead have the scenario speak for itself and have your heart breaking for the characters.  However, besides making you care for the characters, she can also make your pulse race.  The way in which she presents the house never fails to emphasize the sense that there are disturbing secrets built into it, and she leaves us with an unwavering sense of dread whenever we turn a corner or enter a room.  As a debut for a promising filmmaker, James shows that intelligent horror movies aren’t the relics that they sometimes seem to be.

Grade: A-

At a Wedding, Two Strangers Go Through a Strange Time, Many Times

Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg in "Palm Springs"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

The notion of a time loop has found its way into multiple genres, whether it be comedy for “Groundhog Day,” science-fiction for “Edge of Tomorrow,” or horror with “Happy Death Day.”  As this premise unfolds over several different types of film, there’s a guarantee that there will be a fresh quirk or two when it’s presented within a new setup.

Although we’ve seen time loops on several occasions in film, director Max Barbakow offers a fun contribution to this popular storytelling device with his romantic comedy, “Palm Springs,” a funny and surprisingly poignant stuck-in-time scenario with two well-matched lead performances.

During a wedding weekend at Palm Springs, Sarah (Cristin Milioti) is just trying to get through her sister’s nuptials with as little trouble as possible.  During the evening, she meets fellow wedding guest Nyles (Andy Samberg), and they click.  Circumstances soon arise that have them caught in a time loop and reliving the day of the wedding over and over again, and they realize that they’ll have to work together if they’re going to find a way out of their bizarre situation.

Sandberg and Milioti create an abundance of energy as a newly formed couple who must put their wits together and break the cycle of time in which they’re stuck.  Their instant chemistry makes it more than apparent that, if anything, their performances alone will make the movie worth watching, and their connection is an irresistible invitation to join them on their wild antics and to further understand them and their issues.  Between the freedom to do what they wish without consequences to the growing hopelessness of their situation, we’re able to see the acting range of both them as they take part in both the humorous and troubling aspects with being caught in a time loop.  With the palpable charisma that Sandberg and Milioti bring to the movie, this is a wedding weekend that promises a great time.

J.K. Simmons turns in a terrific supporting performance as Roy, another guest at the wedding.  I can’t go into much detail about his character without giving away some aspects of the plot, but it’s a performance that further strengthens the notion that Simmons should be offered the lead in a comedy at some point.  It’s sometimes easy to forget how funny of a performer he is, thanks to his intense performance from “Whiplash” that still lingers in my mind.  But, once again, he shows a natural talent to make us laugh.

As I said, time-loops may feel a tad overdone, but screenwriter Andy Siara still manages to wring out some creativity from this familiar framework.  He builds the story around the relationship between Nyles and Sarah, offering them a chance to live with a devil-may-care attitude from day to day, but then allows them to analyze their troubles and slowly mature.  It’s here where the film surprised me the most, as it showed that the time-loop setup wasn’t going to be played just for laughs, but also for some genuine emotion and character development.  As Nyles and Sarah ponder their existence and the meaning of living when it concerns going through the same day endlessly, we’re given something that helps the movie to diverge a bit from similar stories.  This dramatic angle in the film has Nyles and Sarah not only trying to break out of the actual time loop, but also their own figurative time loops of destructive behavior.

As a director, Barbakow handles the tonal shifts well between the comedy, dark comedy, and drama that befalls the main characters.  During the scenes in which Nyles and Sarah take part in their time-loop escapades, Barbakow keeps the pace alive as the two main characters exchange quick-witticisms and construct insane ways to make their situation enjoyable.  But, he’s then able to slow the movie down when he needs to in order to take on a contemplative approach as Nyles and Sarah analyze their situation and what it means in terms of living, drawing on the connection between the two leads and their ability to handle both the comical and dramatic sides to their characters.

Despite the time-loop premise feeling as familiar as the repeating events in which Nyles and Sarah find themselves, “Palm Springs” is time well spent.

Grade: A-

Through Love Letters, Two People Reveal Their Feelings for the Same Person

Leah Lewis in "The Half of It"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

The power of the high-school genre is as strong as it was back in the ‘80s.  Just as John Hughes managed to bring audiences relatable stories with movies like “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Pretty in Pink,” we’ve also had a wealth of high-school films in the 2010s, with movies like “The Edge of Seventeen,” “Lady Bird,” “Love, Simon,” and “Booksmart.”  They all have characters who have different lifestyles when it comes to their home lives, academic lives, and social lives, which promises an eye-opening experience each time a filmmaker brings you back to high school.

This all rings true with the new coming-of-age comedy-drama, “The Half of It,” from writer-director Alice Wu.

In the small town of Squahamish, introvert Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) makes extra money writing papers for her classmates.  When football player Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) asks Ellie to help him write a letter to his crush, Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire), she agrees.  However, there’s just one problem: Ellie has feelings for Aster, as well.  Soon, as the letters commence, the feelings felt amongst the three students will become much more complicated.

Lewis, in her first major film role, excels as a young woman who’s trying to figure out who she is and where her life is going.  She does superb work in showing someone who’s bottling up everything that she is feeling, but having a need to let it out.  Lewis portrays a character who is both quick with her wit, but is still has so much that she isn’t saying, and the way that she’s able to convey that inability to express what Ellie’s feeling inside is heartbreaking.  As she begins to have her true self be shown little by little, Lewis keeps us hopeful as we wait to see if Ellie will maintain her courageousness to shed her secrets and express who she is.  This is seen in one of best sequences of the film where Ellie performs at her school’s talent show and shows the beginnings of someone who’s becoming comfortable with exhibiting her true self.

Diemer is wonderful as a kindhearted, somewhat goofy student jock.  His character is even more endearing than expected because, despite him being a popular student, he’s someone who needs a confidence boost.  He’s more than just the jock archetype, but is an individual who has an issue with saying what he feels, and the charisma that Diemer brings to the role is both fun and engaging to watch.

Lemire’s performance is one of such emotional grace that she always draws your attention, and even when she’s not on screen, she leaves an impression that has you thinking of her.  Whether she has to express herself through dialogue or expressions of contemplation, Lemire exhibits an elusiveness that hints at many unsaid feelings.  Lenire gives her character a power that has us feeling a need to unlock her character’s thoughts, and she masters the ability to keep you wondering what’s going through her mind during the film’s most pivotal moments.

Other than the three main characters, there are also a couple of fine supporting performances from Collin Chou as Ellie’s wise and supportive father, Wolfgang Novogratz as Aster’s clueless boyfriend, and Betty Ann Baker as one of Ellie’s teachers, who is given some of the movie’s funniest lines.

Wu’s screenplay goes into detail about what it means to be lovestruck and not know what to do about it.  The confusion through which the characters go is palpable, with Wu writing scenarios that feel so authentic in how the three main characters navigate their feelings and try to make sense of them.  She has created characters who are facing the same problem of being apprehensive to show who they are, but does so in such a way that makes them different from each other.  They each have their own issues with which they have to deal, and Wu fleshes out each character and brings you through the full depth of what they’re experiencing.  In the middle of the challenges that they face in terms of their love lives, Wu also provides some details about the lives at home for Ellie, Paul, and Aster, adding another layer to their arcs that makes them even more genuine than they already seem.

Wu captures the essence of what it means to travel through the halls of high school and ponder who it is that you wish to be.  She delivers the lovingness and awkwardness that are shared whenever any combination of the three main characters are on screen, creating many standout moments that show so much understanding into what’s experienced in high school.  Between the characters and the scenarios within the film, Wu keeps everything believable, which helps heighten the emotional impact of what we see.

Through Wu’s lens, “The Half of It” shows that with the high-school genre, there are still plenty of stories to tell.

Grade: A

A Couple is Stuck in a New Community, and Leaving Isn’t an Option

Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg in "Vivarium"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Movie characters transitioning into a new home is always a promising story to tell, especially if it’s in the horror genre.  With films like “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Amityville Horror,” “Poltergeist,” and “The Conjuring,” we have the mysteriousness of going into a new dwelling mixed with the uneasiness of being in new surroundings, and all of this offers a chance for some memorable chills.

Director Lorcan Finnegan brings us our latest new-home-nightmare film, “Vivarium,” a strange, gripping, and innovative sci-fi thriller that has you descend into a sense of entrapment from which there doesn’t seem to be any chance of escaping.

Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) are looking to buy a new home.  When they are invited by a peculiar real estate agent (Jonathan Aris) to check out a new housing development called Yonder, they visit one of the units, but are soon abandoned.  Realizing that they’re stuck in Yonder, Gemma and Tom attempt find a way out as their sanity is tested by increasingly bizarre events.

Poots and Eisenberg, who appeared together last year in Riley Stearns dark-comedy thriller, “The Art of Self-Defense,” bring back their terrific chemistry to present a couple who have to avoid reaching their breaking point.  Their intense performances, whether they’re trying to get through their uncertainty or beginning to lose their minds, they bring the movie alive with the desperation that starts to make their lives crumble.  With the cast being so limited, it’s pretty much up to Poots and Eisenberg to carry the movie, and their talents show that they are more than capable of doing so.  All of the screen time that they share helps us experience the growing trauma that’s overtaking their lives, keeping us invested in the dangerous events that befall them.

The screenplay by Garrett Shanley (who wrote Finnegan’s first feature film, “Without Name”) could have used a tad more work on the ending, as it concludes a little to quickly, but the story still manages to construct a disturbing scenario that doesn’t leave you wanting for unpredictability.  The sequences that he writes slowly build the peril that Gemma and Tom experience, making you nervous as you wonder what twisted ideas Shanley has in store for you.  It’s an inventive premise that shows how much you can do with a small cast and one primary setting, and Shanley’s story is pretty much guaranteed to unsettle several times.

Finnegan manages to bring some level of anxiety to every scene, which is helped by the production design that’s suffocating in the sense of sameness that you see throughout the housing development.  He never fails to emphasize the close quarters that the characters share, as well as the deserted look of the streets throughout Yonder, making sure that we see how alone Gemma and Tom feel.  Finnegan evokes the creepiness of the scenario in ways that are impactful, but refrain from being showy, which presents a confidence in his abilities as a rising director.

In a movie about a house hunt that turns sinister, “Vivarium” will have you knocking on its door to see how it unfolds.

Grade: A-

Top Five Movies of 2020, So Far

Logan Lerman (left) and John Hawkes in "End of Sentence"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

5) End of Sentence - If there’s a type of movie that can take you to places that impress you and offer intimate, relatable stories at the same time, it’s the road movie.  This is evident in Elfar Adalsteins’ feature directorial debut, which tells the story of a father (John Hawkes) who makes a trip to scatter his wife’s ashes at a lake in her native Ireland, while his son (Logan Lerman), who has just been released from prison, joins him.  The relationship that Hawkes and Lerman share lends a terrific power to the events of the film, showing how far apart they seem to be, only to then have them begin to understand each other and make up for lost time.  The screenplay by Michael Armbruster offers insight into their relationship through authentic dialogue that pulls us into the tension between them, while Adalsteins’ direction allows for both big and small moments to linger so that we feel their full emotional impact.  In this film, we see how time on the road not only gives us a chance to analyze our past, but to figure out where we’re headed.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn in "Emma"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

4) Emma - In terms of entertainment that’s both breezy and clever, you can’t beat Autumn de Wilde’s feature directorial debut, which is based on Jane Austin’s classic 1815 novel, which tells the story of the titular matchmaker (Anya Taylor-Joy) who eventually falls into her own relationship and must traverse the rewards and pratfalls of being in love.  Taylor-Joy is, well, a joy to watch as Emma, bringing Austen’s iconic character to vibrant life who tries to make sense of her romantic complications, and she’s backed up by a terrific cast that populates Emma’s world with memorable personas.  De Wilde and her crew exhibit an abundance of technical proficiency throughout the film between the costumes, set design, and camerawork, having the time period of the film absorb you in the many hijinks in which the characters find themselves.  In a movie about falling in and out of love, you’ll fall in love with this adaptation.

Julia Garner in "The Assistant"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

3) The Assistant - Over the last couple of years, there have been countless stories of workplace harassment that dominated the headlines.  Now, writer-director Kitty Green tackles this subject in her quietly tense drama that follows a young woman (Julia Garner) over the course of a day at her job at a film production company in New York City, where she begins to suspect her boss of illicit acts in the office.  Garner delivers an understatedly hard-hitting performance as an individual who shows an apprehension in trying to uncover what’s happening within the office, but slowly works up the courage to do what’s right.  Despite the brief runtime, Green’s screenplay provides an eye-opening view into what goes on at the main character’s job, providing a snapshot that helps a significant societal issue come into focus and make us understand what occurs in these unconscionable situations.  The specific story within the film may be fiction, but deep down, it couldn’t be any closer to what’s going on in real life.

Orion Lee and John Magaro in "First Cow"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

2) First Cow - Director Kelly Reichardt continues her talent for crafting small-scale stories with big impacts for her latest film, which brings us to the 19th century where, in the Oregon Territory, we join two young men (John Magaro and Orion Lee) as they start a baking business by sneaking milk from a cow that belongs to a wealthy landowner (Toby Jones).  The friendship that grows out of Magaro and Lee’s characters adds a great deal of intimacy to the small canvas of the story, with the film utilizing a boxy image for its duration to emphasize the closeness of the two main characters.  This is a movie that’s rich in detail in regard to the historical context of the film’s setting, transporting us to a world from 200 years ago and unfolding a story about two friends who just wish to follow their dream and make a living in America.  Emotional, humorous, and even occasionally thrilling, you’ll find yourself fascinated as you venture into the West for this simple, yet compelling story about friendship and finding success when the odds are against you.

From left: Isiah Whitlock Jr., Norm Lewis, Delroy Lindo,
Clarke Peters, and Jonathan Majors in "Da 5 Bloods"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

1) Da 5 Bloods - Spike Lee brings us one of the best war movies in a while with his merging of the past and present around the Vietnam War.  His movie follows four veterans, along with the main character’s son, who return to Vietnam to find the remains of a comrade and the buried treasure that they left behind.  The whole cast provides terrific performances, but it’s Delroy Lindo’s shattering portrayal of a veteran suffering from PTSD that helps make this the best movie of the year, so far.  Through a layered screenplay and an excellent use of different aspect ratios for the cinematography to depict different parts of the story, Lee brings us a heartbreaking and heart-pounding dive into the Vietnamese jungles as he explores the impact that the war has had on the characters.  On top of this, Lee delivers one of the tensest scenes that you’re likely to see in film this year that is sure to make you break out in a sweat.  Not only is this a great war movie, but it allows you to see the Vietnam War from a new perspective, showing why Lee’s cinematic voice is always one that calls for your unbroken attention.