At Home, a Child Harbors a Dark and Deadly Secret

Jeremy T. Thomas and Keri Russell in "Antlers"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Writer-director Scott Cooper has built a filmography around movies that have each focused on an element of Americana.  His film “Crazy Heart” dealt with a fading country singer; “Out of the Furnace” told the story of Iraq war veterans in a Pennsylvania steel town; “Black Mass” chronicled infamous gangster Whitey Bulger; and his western, “Hostiles,” followed a growing bond between a U.S. Army calvary officer and a Cheyanne war chief.  All together, these movies have depicted many regions of the country, offering very different American stories through various time periods.

Cooper’s latest film has him delving into supernatural horror concerning Native American folklore with “Antlers,” a story that boasts an atmospheric setting and quality performances, but doesn’t quite give its central themes the attention that they deserve.

Julia Meadows (Keri Russell) is a school teacher in a downtrodden Oregonian town.  In her class is a troubled boy named Lucas Weaver (Jeremy T. Thomas), who keeps to himself.  When Julia tries to learn more about him, she finds out that Lucas is taking care of a savage, ancient creature locked up in his house.

Russell offers fine work as a concerned teacher who tries to be source of guidance for Lucas.  With Russell portraying a character who has experienced trauma in her childhood, she exhibits hints of the sadness that has built up over the years, but also does what she can to overcome it in order to help Lucas.  Russell shows the strength in Julia’s character as she commits herself to protecting Lucas, no matter the cost, resulting in a character who could be Lucas’ only hope.  This offers an emotional center to the story as they try to survive the deadly threat to their town.

Thomas is very effective in his breakout performance of someone who has a disturbing responsibility.  In his voice and eyes, you can sense the intensity of the burden that he carries and the impact that it has on him.  Thomas brings out the closed-off nature to his character as an individual who’s distressed at having to be the creature’s caretaker, and therefore can’t let anyone into his life, out of fear for their safety.  Just like Julia, there’s immense hardship in Lucas’ life, and Thomas does well acting alongside an established actress like Russell as his character begins to open up to Julia.

The screenplay by Cooper, C. Henry Chaisson, and Nick Antosca, which is based on the latter’s 2019 short story, “The Quiet Boy,” finds a few intriguing angles from which to approach the source material, such as drug abuse and intergenerational trauma.  However, the narrative doesn’t go as in-depth with its exploration of these themes as it should, which is unfortunate because this could have presented Antosca’s heart-pounding story in a new light.

As a director, Cooper captures the Oregonian landscapes with great detail, all with the help of cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister.  They provide a palpable ambiance as we travel through the quiet and empty landscapes with Lucas, which reflect the loneliness that his character experiences.  The camerawork also provides us with an effective use of darkness when we’re in Lucas’ house, creating tension as we hear the sounds of the horrors lurking within and wait to see what will be revealed in the shadows.

There isn’t any doubt that there’s some technical and acting skill in “Antlers,” but without the necessary bite to its narrative, you’ll get more out of the short story.

Grade: B-

From Denis Villeneuve Comes a Futuristic World of Political Intrigue

Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson 
in "Dune"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

When discussing science-fiction literature, you always have to bring up Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, “Dune.”  It’s one of the most epic journeys a reader could enjoy, bringing you to unforgettable locales and immersing you in a wide array of characters.  Over the decades, there have been a few attempts to bring Herbert’s vision to film and television, but it never quite worked out.  The most-notable attempts came from David Lynch, who wrote and directed a film adaptation in 1984, and from John Harrison, who wrote and directed a three-part miniseries in 2000, neither of which were able to capture the scope and essence of Herbert’s source material.  There’s even a documentary called “Jodorowsky’s Dune,” which chronicles Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt at adapting the film in the mid ‘70s.

However, the time has come when we finally have an adaptation that’s worthy of the novel’s legacy, thanks to director and co-writer, Denis Villeneuve.  After gifting us with two of the best sci-fi movies of the 2010s, “Arrival” and “Blade Runner 2049,” he delivers a stunning part-one to his duology.

In the year 10191, Duke Leto I (Oscar Isaac) of House Atreides rules over the ocean planet of Caladan, and is soon given the opportunity to be a fief ruler on the desert planet of Arrakis, the only source of “spice,” a rare substance that increases human vitality and is used for interstellar travel.  When he and his partner, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), and their son, Paul (Timothée Chalamet) move to their new home, they will find out that there are ulterior motives for the family’s new assignment.

The film has an extensive and talented cast, with Chalamet, Ferguson, and Isaac being at the hart of it.  Isaac has a steadfastness and regality to him that shows a competent ruler, while also expressing his love and dedication to doing what’s best for his family.  Meanwhile, the scenes that Chalamet and Ferguson share offer most of the film’s emotional heft in the later half of the movie.  They both show the hardship of the burdens that their characters experience, with Paul trying to come to terms with being the possible savior of Arrakis, and Lady Jessica knowing that she’s the reason for what Paul is going through.

As for the rest of the cast, everyone in the ensemble commits to their part, whether they’re in it for an ample amount of time or just a couple of scenes.  With a cast that includes Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Stephen McKinley Henderson, David Dastmalchian, Cheng Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Memoa, and Javier Bardem, they each make sure that you’ll remember them.  However, out of all of them, Stellan Skarsgård leaves the biggest impression as the villainous Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.  There’s a slimy sinisterness to him that makes his antagonist so enticing to watch, and you’ll surely be excited to see what he has coming in part two.

The screenplay by Villeneuve, Jon Sphaits, and Eric Roth does a remarkable job of maintaining the out-there essence of the book, all while removing anything that’s not necessary, which results in a narrative that will satisfy fans of the novel, but will also be accessible to newcomers.  There’s quite a bit of setup when it comes to mapping out the mythology of this universe, but it’s nevertheless compelling.  Between the amount of characters that have to be introduced and the worlds that have to be explored, you’re sure to be invested in how this story unfolds and how the social and political angles of the worlds with the movie will play out.

Given how many moving parts there are in this movie, it’s a terrific decision to have this film just cover half of the story.  Because of this, all of the aspects of Herbert’s story that are introduced to us are provided with an opportunity to be explored in a detailed manner, never seeming like it’s rushing through anything.

Just as cinematographer Greig Fraser accomplished with Gareth Edwards’ 2016 film, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” he has a talent for bringing majestic, otherworldly landscapes to audiences in which they can become immersed.  He frames the worlds of Caladan, Arrakis, and Giedi Prime with such a vastness that you feel as though you’ve traveled through the screen and into these awe-inspiring locations.  From the gorgeous greenery and oceans of Caladan to the harsh and unforgiving Arrakis to the bleak grayness of Giedi Prime, Fraser provides the camerawork that brings these places to monumental life.  You’ll be opening your eyes as wide as you can in order to take it all in.

Villeneuve seems to go bigger with each movie that he helms, and “Dune” is everything that readers of the book could have imagined it would be.  He does whatever he can to present Herbert’s novel in full realization, bringing the scope to the film that it deserves.  From the larger-than-life landscapes as framed by Fraser, Patrice Vermette’s operatic production design, Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan’s eye-catching costumes, and Hans Zimmer’s beautiful, thunderous music, you can imagine that this is what Herbert saw in his mind when conceiving this iconic sci-fi story.  Just like how Villeneuve overcame the immense challenge of creating a “Blade Runner” sequel 35 years after the original’s release, he has now risen above an even bigger challenge of crafting an adaptation of a novel that used to be seen as “unfilmable.”  And, in doing so, he brings the scope and humanity that was seen in his “Blade Runner” sequel and “Arrival.”

Part two is set to be released in October 2023, and if part one was able to achieve what it did, I couldn’t be more excited to see what’s in store for the second installment.

Grade: A

In a Thai Cave, Divers Risk Their Lives to Save Others

"The Rescue"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin know how to thrill moviegoers with the stunning stories that they tell.  With their 2015 film “Meru” and their 2018 film “Free Solo,” we were amazed at the majestic accomplishments that the adventurers dared themselves to pursue, showing the dangers through which they willing to go to achieve their dreams.

Vasarhelyi and Chin now bring audiences on a journey that shows bravery in a different way, where it has to be used to save people.  That’s what this pair of filmmakers has done for their latest documentary, “The Rescue,” a film that shows how much is possible when enough people work together to achieve something that could be seen as impossible.

In June and July of 2018, a Thai junior association soccer team and their assistant coach ventured into the Tham Luang Nang Non cave and became trapped when a heavy rainfall flooded their way back.  Soon after, a massive rescue mission took place to bring them to safety.

Through news footage and re-enactments, we’re provided with a view of the people who were called in, the equipment that was required, and other necessary resources, showing us all of the factors that had to come together to prepare and and carry out this mission.  The film takes a day-by-day approach to the story as we see the rescue site evolve with the time constraints and weather conditions, allowing audiences to feel what it must have been like to be conscious of the minutes ticking by as the team scrambled to put all of the components of the plan into place.

With extensive interviews, we hear the stories of many individuals who were involved with the rescue, offering numerous viewpoints of what it was like to be a part of one of the boldest undertakings in recent memory.  We hear the viewpoints from the Thai Navy, the families of the divers, and several others, giving us a detailed account of who these heroes are and what encouraged them to join in helping extract the team from the cave.

However, some of the most fascinating interviews are those with the recreational divers who helped out.  Through their talks, we realize what draws them to this hobby and are given a look into the mindset of those who find solace of exploring the quiet depths of the water.  It’s an instance where you can’t believe that someone would want to do this, but at the same time, you also can’t help but understand why they do what they do, despite how crazy it might seem to us.

As we watch this true story unfold, Vasarhelyi and Chin depict an uplifting display of what it means when people join together to overcome a significant challenge such as this.  We see how servicemen, servicewomen, doctors, and volunteers from around the world pulled together to formulate a plan and see it through, no matter how troubling the odds of accomplishment seemed.

Even though you know the outcome of this event, that doesn’t make the movie any less suspenseful.  All of the tension comes from the hazards through which we see the team put themselves, such as the claustrophobic spaces and rising water, and we’re also absorbed in seeing what methods they come up with to save those who are trapped.

“The Rescue” is a testament to the resilience of what people can achieve when faced with uncertainty and is a prime example of how, when it comes to saving others, there will always be someone to take the plunge.

Grade: A

It’s Halloween Night, and Michael Myers Lives to Stalk Another Street

Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer in "Halloween Kills"
Photo Credit: RottenTomtaotes.com

In 2018, director David Gordon Green reinvigorated the “Halloween” franchise by ignoring all of the sequels and instead made a direct sequel to the original, continuing the story 40 years after Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) survived an attack from Michael Myers (Nick Castle and Tony Moran, sharing the role) on that fateful night.  What resulted was the best “Halloween” film since John Carpenter’s iconic 1978 chiller that started it all, and was also the beginning of a new trilogy.

However, the promising start for this trilogy is now followed by a lesser sequel with Green’s “Halloween Kills,” a movie that squanders a great deal of the potential that was established by the 2018 installment.

The story picks up right where the last movie left off, on Halloween night.  Not long after Laurie, her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichek) escape Laurie’s home after setting it ablaze with Michael (Nick Castle and James James Jude Courtney, sharing the role) trapped inside, they soon learn that he escaped.  With all of Haddonfield, Illinois, fed up with Michael’s reign of terror, the citizens band together to hunt him down.

The highlights of the cast are Curtis, Greer, Matichek, Anthony Michael Hall, and Kyle Richards, the latter two of whom return as Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace, the two children who Laurie protected from Michael in the original film.  For these five, this movie is a case of them doing the best that they can with a weak script.  They all work well together and maintain an energy of taking down Michael, and whatever bit of investment you’ll get from this movie is because of these cast members.

The screenplay by Green, Danny McBride, and Scott Teems (the former two of whom wrote the previous film with Jeff Fradley) doesn’t do much to move the story forward in any significant way.  While the last movie was a well-handled view of Laurie overcoming her trauma, this movie is offers a story that spoon-feeds you its message about fear consuming people.  It’s all hammered into you, particularly in an overlong sequence where people hunt for a man who they believe to be Michael, and then in the closing narration that thinks we’re not smart enough to figure out the theme early on.

The movie also spends too much time in telling us things that we either already know, or aren’t that important.  Whether it’s through the prolonged opening flashback, the shorter flashbacks peppered throughout the movie, or characters regurgitating details, this feels like a movie that’s trying to walk you through material with which you’re most likely familiar.  It also gets to the point where you could make a drinking game out of how many times you’ll hear the words “40 years ago.”

With Green and McBride being two of the screenwriters, the odd humor that came in small doses in the 2018 movie returns in full force with jokes that never land.  It’s at odds with the gratuitous brutality of the film, causing a tonal whiplash when the comic relief happens and overstaying its welcome to ensure annoyance from the viewer.

There are a couple of scenes that go on longer than they should, most of which have you spend too much time with characters who don’t have any relationships to those who return from previous movies.  We all know that these newer characters are going to be Michael’s victims, so extending their presence bogs down the movie.

Green abandons the moderate approach to blood and gore from the previous movie and instead takes a page out of Rob Zombie’s playbook and uses intense violence as a substitute for scares.  While it doesn’t reach the absurd levels of Zombie’s “Halloween 2,” it’s about the same as his 2007 remake, with Michael taking down Haddonfield residents left and right, and it becomes boring pretty quickly.  While Green’s last film had such memorable sequences as the long take of Michael making his way through Haddonfield residences, the motion-sensor scene, and Laurie’s climactic hunt for Michael throughout her house, there’s barely any tension to be felt throughout this movie.  It’s disheartening to see this drop in quality between the previous installment and this latest entry, leaving the viewer to wonder how Green could have allowed the story to go in this direction.

The next movie in the franchise, “Halloween Ends,” is due to come out in October 2022, and we can only hope that “Halloween Kills” hasn’t killed this trilogy’s chances of ending on a satisfying note.

Grade: C-

A 911 Operator Faces a Kidnapping and a Troubled Past

Jake Gyllenhaal in "The Guilty"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Three years ago, director Gustav Möller gave us the Danish crime-thriller, “The Guilty.”  At a brisk 85 minutes, he delivered an unbearably tense and emotional film that was bolstered by a strong central performance and a story that had provided one gut-wrenching reveal after another.  It was one of many examples of the power that a film can have with a short runtime, a limited setting, and a small cast.

Now, director Antoine Fuqua tries his hand at an Americanized remake with his movie of the same name.  Despite it pretty much being the exact same as the original, you’ll find it difficult to not at least be hooked by the strong acting at the center.

One night, when LAPD officer Joe Baylor (Jake Gyllenhaal), is working the night shift at a 911 call center, he receives a call from a woman, Emily (Riley Keough), who has been kidnapped by her husband, Henry (Peter Sarsgaard).  As Joe does whatever he can to save her, he will also have to face his own wrongs that he’s committed.

Gyllenhaal continues to be one of the most captivating actors of his generation.  With the movie being focused on him the whole time, he has to keep us absorbed in this harrowing night on the job, and Gyllenhaal accomplishes this to stellar effect.  The stress that Gyllenhaal exhibits burns through the screen as his character races against the clock to save Emily, and Gyllenhaal shows the unwavering desperation and commitment that fuels Joe as he remains glued to his computer and tries to keep in touch with Emily.  When it comes to the issues that pile on Joe from both his personal and professional life, Gyllenhaal displays his character’s anguish with a heartbreaking impact.  There’s an expressiveness to Gyllenhaal that pulls you into his performances, and that’s the case with this film as he brings us through the deep strain that Joe’s experiencing.

Even though you only hear their voices in the film, Keough, Sarsgaard, and Christiana Montoya (who plays their daughter, Abby), all offer powerful vocal performances that emphasize the urgency, danger, and trauma that’s unfolding among them.  The strength of their haunting work places you in Joe’s position as you listen to Emily, Henry, and Abby on the other end of the line and feel what Joe must feel in hearing their ordeal take place.

The screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto mostly follows the outline of Möller’s film.  However, he shifts the story to Los Angeles and adds an angle of having the narrative take place during a massive wildfire.  This gives the movie a little bit of its own identity, but it quite offer much beyond that in terms of setting itself apart from the original, resulting in a remake that isn’t all that necessary.  If you’ve seen the original, you know everything that’s going to happen.

This movie is a showcase for Gyllenhaal’s acting, and it’s a terrific one at that, so the real reason to see this movie is because of him.  With that, Fuqua utilizes cinematography by Maz Makhani to capture the intensity of the central performance as a way to draw us into the story, despite being able to tell where it’s all leading.  Whether it’s through long takes of the phone calls or extreme closeups, Fuqua does what he can to combat the familiarity of the story and provide as much emotional tension as he can from the main character.

Although I recommend that you watch the original version of “The Guilty,” Fuqua’s remake is an example of how a rich lead performance that deserves a stronger movie can elevate the material that it already has.

Grade: B-

On a Farm, a Wife and Husband Care for a Mysterious Creature

Hilmir Snær Guðnason and Noomi Rapace 
in "Lamb"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

The opening shot of director Valdimar Jóhannsson’s supernatural-horror film, “Lamb,” may be one of the most chilling of the year.  We have a long take, point-of-view shot of something making its way across a field to a barn, unsettling us with its animalistic grunting.  We arrive inside the barn, where we become more disturbed as the sheep look at whatever has entered their home, but we still don’t know what it is.  

These haunting first minutes provide a perfect setup for the unnerving atmosphere into which we’re invited, and Jóhannson makes sure that from there, you won’t be able to tell where the movie is taking you.

On a farm in Iceland, María (Noomi Rapace) and her husband, Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason), live a quiet life and try to make it through day by day after the death of their infant daughter.  When one of their sheep gives birth to a human/sheep hybrid, the couple decides to raise it as their own, but face unforeseen consequences.

Rapace and Guðnason provide emotional performances as a wife and husband who are experiencing an emptiness in their lives.  The first third of the movie has very little dialogue for their characters, so Rapace and Guðnason have to rely on their facial expressions to convey what’s going through their minds as they go about their routines.  After the lamb is brought into their home, Rapace and Guðnason make a fine transition into displaying the newfound happiness that they’re experiencing, a light in their lives that gives them a bigger purpose.  The happiness that they exhibit evolves to a point where their characters are comfortable with the strange being that they’re raising, and this is effective in unsettling the audience with how accustomed they become to taking care of this odd creature.

The screenplay by Jóhannsson and Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson is a slow-burn narrative in the purest sense.  After the opening, we’re taken through the couple’s daily life as they tend to their farm work and try to maintain their marital bond.  Once they bring the newborn lamb into their family, the story then shifts to María and Ingvar doing what they can to care for it, presenting an examination them trying to be the parents that they never had the chance to be.  It’s an unconventional family drama that has you wonder how long María and Ingvar can maintain this arrangement.  And, when we arrive at the third act, the bigger picture carefully comes into play.  During this and everything leading up to it, the movie subverted my expectations in some major ways, making the slow-burn all the more worth it.

The cinematography by Eli Arenson brings stunning imagery of the Icelandic landscapes.  We’re given many shots of the lush, green fields and majestic mountains, and seeing these locales on a big screen offers a transportive experience that immerses us in this faraway place and evokes the folktale atmospherics of the story.  With these shots, we not only see the beauty of this region, but also the intense isolation of the characters; and when some of the landscape shots frame the characters within these huge, open spaces, you’re given a perspective of how alone they are.

As a director, Jóhannsson offers enough understated drama as the couple takes their lives day by day, and he then adds a little bit of tension as Ingvar’s brother, Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson), visits him and María and questions this responsibility that they’ve taken upon themselves.  Aside from the character drama and some bits of unexpected humor, the disquieting nature of the story always assures that there’s a sense of horror lingering within the periphery of the narrative.

Thanks to the film’s strange, yet effective tone, and the way in which the story unfolds, “Lamb” is sure to pull the wool over your eyes.

Grade: A

Around a Table, Four Parents Try to Make Sense of a Tragedy

From left: Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, 
Reed Birney, and Ann Dowd in "Mass"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

The opening scene of writer-director Fran Kranz’s drama, “Mass,” has staff members at a church preparing for a meeting.  They seem a little on edge, but are doing what they can to get everything that’s needed.  It seems as though it all has to go according to plan, to make sure things are kept as civil as possible.  From these moments on, we know this is going to be a long day for everyone involved, and we don’t know how they will be shaped when the day is over.

The story follows the mother and father (Martha Plimpton and Jason Isaacs) of a school-shooting victim, who agree to meet with the perpetrator’s parents (Ann Dowd and Reed Birney).

The ensemble in the film provides some of the most heart-wrenching work that you’ll see in any movie this year.  At the beginning of their meeting, the cast captures the unease that permeates around the table as they talk to each other.  Their characters show that they’re trying to be comfortable in each other’s company, but they’re still able to show us the distance between them.  As the meeting goes on, the cast exhibits the slow changes from being calm with each other to being a little more hostile.  The ensemble soon arrives at a gut-wrenching stretch of the meeting where the victim’s parents talk about what the perpetrator’s parents could have done for their son to prevent the tragedy.  You understand the rage that Plimpton and Isaac’s characters feel in wanting someone to blame, but you also feel devastated for Dowd and Birney’s characters because of how much hate and blame they’ve received since the shooting.  From moments of quiet to moments of anger, this is a cast whose performances encapsulate the sense of longing that they feel to understand why things happened the way they happened, and to hopefully get passed the animosity that’s felt between them.

All four of the main cast members are provided with a chance to stand out with a scene that will, without a doubt, exhibit the fathoms of emotion that have been welling up in them since the tragedy.  However, it’s Dowd’s scene at the end that drives the movie home and gives it a final emotional gut-punch in a film that’s filled with many.  Here, she talks about an upsetting night that she had with her son and wonders what she could have done differently to help him.  Throughout the film, Dowd’s character is the one who seems the most composed and willing to communicate, acting as a sort of mediator for the group.  Behind that, however, you see someone whose soft-spoken and soothing presence is masking an unimaginable sadness, and she tries to keep it at bay in order to maintain civility at the meeting.  At the end of this year, Dowd’s performance is one that you’ll remember the most.

Franz’s screenplay slowly brings us into the setting.  The meeting doesn’t even commence until about 20 minutes into the movie; so, before that, we’re given an extended sequence that shows what’s being done in this environment to make sure it’s to the parents’ liking.  This eases us into what’s going to unfold in that room; and when the meeting starts, you’re absorbed in what takes place.  You’re not sure who will say the wrong thing, who will take something the wrong way, how much passing of the blame there will be, or what will be revealed, but you will be hanging on to everything that’s said.  Some of the strength of the narrative is how it seems to transpire in real time.  This gives every moment some extra power as we feel closer to the cathartic experience in which these characters take part.

Franz brings audiences a searing directorial debut.  As mentioned before about the opening scene, Franz establishes a sense of apprehension as he brings us into the church and shows the staff getting ready for the meeting attendees to arrive.  We feel the tension through the rectory as the staff gets the room situated, and this is an impactful introduction to the kind of atmosphere that viewers will experience as the meeting occurs.  From then on, you take one dramatic hit after another as you experience the grief and journey to forgiveness that unfolds.  For Fran to be able to generate this much of an impact from his cast and story exemplifies a filmmaking talent that’s sure to flourish, showing how much he can do with a limited cast and setting.

“Mass” isn’t easy viewing, but once you see what can be taken from it, you’ll feel fortunate to have experienced this.

Grade: A

Fourteen Years After the "Sopranos" Finale, We See Where Tony Had His Start

Michael Gandolfini (left) and Alessandro Nivola
in "The Many Saints of Newark"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Check out my review for "The Many Saints of Newark" on SiftPop.com!