When Her Abilities Are Discovered, a Girl with Fire Powers Sparks a Chase

Zac Efron and Ryan Kiera Armstrong 
in "Firestarter"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Given how extensive Stephen King’s bibliography is, there are going to be some stories that are more recognized than others.  Most of the adaptations that’ve been given over the last few years have come from those familiar books and short stories, such as “It,” which was adapted into a smash-hit two-part movie, a remake of “Carrie” and “Pet Sematary,” and a miniseries based on “The Stand.”  So, whenever we have a chance to see a new adaptation of a lesser-known King story, it’s fun to speculate what we’ve bene missing out on.

Unfortunately, the latest such adaptation to do so doesn’t take advantage of this opportunity.  Director Keith Thomas bring’s us the science-fiction thriller, “Firestarter,” which is based on King’s 1980 novel of the same name, which was adapted into a film back in 1984.  Despite a cast who gives the movie whatever they can offer, they can’t save this film from being a bland misfire.

Charlie McGee (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) is an 11-year-old girl with pyrokinesis.  When an evil organization comes after her for her powers, Charlie’s parents (Zac Efron and Sydney Lemmon) will do whatever they can to protect her.

Despite the movie pretty much being a bottom-of-the-barrel King adaptation, the cast does their best with the material they’re provided.  Efron and Armstrong attempt to wring any emotion out of the father-daughter relationship, while Gloria Reuben does what she can to be an intimidating villain without feeling the need to go over the top.

The screenplay by Scott Teems has a rushed narrative, creating a movie that’s barely an hour and half from a book that’s over 400 pages.  The characters are underdeveloped and given the bare minimum of a proper introduction or not at all, and it’s evident that there could have been so much more done with them, but they’re not provided anymore than the basics.  There are some interesting threads that deserved to be explored more in depth, but an examination of those elements are put on the sidelines as we go from one meh scene to the next.

The material for this movie is ripe for neat action sequences, but Thomas’ direction results in unimaginative action scenes that don’t reach the potential of what could have been done for this movie.  Even the climactic scene in the end doesn’t muster up any sense of thrills.  The film never peaks; it just stays as a straight line, never giving us anything more than generically shot sci-fi sequences.

With all of these missteps, “Firestarter” is never able to keep its flame alight.

Grade: D

After a Heist Goes Wrong, a Group of Thieves Tries to Do Right

Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron),
Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), Mr. Shark
(Craig Robinson), and Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell)
in "The Bad Guys"
Photo Credit: RottenTomaoes.com

A wolf, a snake, a tarantula, a shark, and a piranha.  Five creatures that’ve been on the malevolent side of fictional stories and reality, and for understandable reasons.  Whether it be their looks, the dangers that they impose on us, or both, you won’t often see these beings as the heroes of movies, television shows, or books.

However, you’ll see something a little different in Pierre Perifel’s feature directorial debut, “The Bad Guys,” an animated crime-comedy that takes us on a frenetic journey of criminals and capers.

In a version of Los Angeles where humans and anthropomorphic animals coexist, Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), and Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) are friends who’ve made a living through many thefts that’ve given them riches.  When they’re caught in the act during their latest heist, the five friends are provided with a chance to improve themselves, but decide to use it as a con for an even bigger job.

The whole cast offers enjoyable voice work, supplying the film with an abundance of energy and humor as they play off of one another and engage us in their interplay.  Everyone in the cast sounds like they’re having a lot of fun with their roles, with each of them trying to gain our attention with their jokes, and they all succeed.

The screenplay by Etan Cohen, which is based on Aaron Blabey’s series of children’s books of the same name, borrows quite a bit from Disney’s 2016 film, “Zootopia,” with the story focusing on animals trying to overcome the stereotypes that’ve been placed on them, but not exploring that theme as in-depth as Disney’s film.  Although the story isn’t as layered as some of the better animated movies that’ve been released in recent years and has some of your typical children’s-movie humor, the script still offers lively characters and some cleverness to the wit to keep everything moving.

Perifel uses animation that’s a fine mix of CGI and illustrative imagery to make the designs of the characters and settings standout.  The complexity of this type of animation is also highlighted in the film’s action scenes, particularly the chase sequences that bookend the film, with the CGI and illustrations gelling to make thrilling visuals.  There’s also a long take in the film’s opening sequence as we follow two characters through an interior and exterior, something that’s not often seen in animated movies, and it’s a fine showcase for the stylized animation that’ll follow in the rest of the movie.

While not superb, “The Bad Guys” is certainly good.

Grade: B

During a Getaway, a Terror Follows a Young Woman

Jessie Buckley in "Men"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Over the last few years, writer-director Alex Garland presented immense talent as a new science-fiction filmmaker with his two films “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation.”  With “Ex Machina,” Garland laid out a straightforward story with intriguing ideas, whereas in “Annihilation,” he went for bigger ideas, but in such a way that showed his growing ambition as a complex storyteller.  Given his experience beforehand as a screenwriter in the genre, it was clear he had as much potential to depict these ideas as he had at scripting them.

Now, Garland takes a break from sci-fi and moves into folk horror with his latest film, “Men.”  Despite committed performances and chilling atmospherics, this is a frustrating misstep that shows Garland unsure of what to do with the thoughts that he presents.

After the death of her husband, James (Paapa Essiedu), Harper (Jessie Buckley) decides to take a vacation in the English countryside.  Not long after she arrives, Harper is soon terrorized by the male residents of the community (all played by Rory Kinnear).

Buckley has been turning in wonderful performances ever since her breakout four years ago in “Beast,” and she continues that impressive run as a woman who’s trying to put the worst behind her.  She shows heartrending bouts of emotion in the film’s flashback scenes, which make her early days in the countryside seem all the more tranquil because of how at ease Harper seems with being away from her distress.  One of her finest sequences is a stretch of the film where Harper’s exploring the countryside, and there isn’t any dialogue, just Buckley keeping us engaged in how her character interacts with her new surroundings.  Then, as she begins to be threatened more and more, Buckley shows a sense of strength in her character as she begins to fight back against the dangers that continue to horrify her.  

Kinnear exhibits wonderful versatility as he portrays multiple characters.  Between distinct speech intonations, body movements, and behaviors, Kinnear inhabits these various roles as he creeps us out with each persona.  Whether it be Jeffrey the landlord, a creepy man in the woods, a local vicar, or other inhabitants, Kinnear shows impressive work in giving us chills through this series of disturbing characters.

Garland’s screenplay has some interesting ideas at play, and they’re handled fairly well throughout the first hour, despite some heavy-handed religious symbolism.  However, once the movie transitions to its last half hour and tries to do too much with its premise, it gets to the point where the narrative goes overboard in trying to say what it has to say, but ends up not saying much at all.  Whatever you decipher early on gets lost in the muck of what he brings to the story later on, with several elements clashing and making it difficult to glean what the movie’s trying to say in its overall message.

The cinematography by Rob Hardy shows the natural beauty that juxtaposes the horrors surrounding the locations.  As Hardy accomplished in Garland’s other two films, he has the ability to frame the lushness and greenery of forest areas to make that color pop off of the screen with its beauty.  Between this, an unsettling scene where someone stalks Harper outside the windows of her house, and shots of figures from a distance in the dark, Hardy calls upon his ability to absorb us in unsettling shadowy areas and gorgeous colors of outdoor landscapes.

As a director, Garland establishes disquieting atmospherics to make us apprehensive about what Harper will be facing.  This works for the first hour of the film, but it’s in the last half hour where Garland does something different.  He goes from low-key arthouse horror to heavy arthouse horror rather quickly, with the movie becoming bogged down in grotesquery after being much more effective in its chillier, quieter sequences.

Garland is someone who has shown before that he can convey his ideas in an impactful way, which is why “Men” is as underwhelming as it is.  However, if he can come back to horror somewhere down the line and have a firmer grasp on a theme, I’d like to see him in this genre again.

Grade: C

In the Midwest, Siblings Return Home with a Long-Standing Grief

Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague in 
"Montana Story"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

One of the great juxtapositions to be used in film is the telling of small, intimate stories against expansive backdrops.  Two prominent examples are Chloé Zhao, who gave us such films as “Songs My Brothers Taught Me,” “The Rider,” and “Nomadland,” and Kelly Reichardt with films like “Certain Women” and “First Cow.”  In films like these, you’re immersed in both the beauty of the larger-than-life landscapes that are displayed and the everyday, yet emotional experiences of the characters who populate them.

Long-time directorial collaborators Scott McGehee and David Siegel travel to such regions for the first time for their latest movie, “Montana Story,” a minimalist narrative that unfolds with poignancy, grace, and depth.

Cal (Owen Teague) travels back to his family’s Montana ranch to care for his dying father and prepare to sell the property.  When his sister, Erin (Haley Lu Richardson), arrives soon after, they’ll have to confront the scars from their past.

Teague provides a stunning performance as someone who’s attempting to deal with personal issues, while also trying to handle the odds and ends of his family’s estate.  Teague presents a character who knows he has several burdens to carry and is doing his best to show that he can handle them.  It’s a performance where Teague is able to display the steadfast nature of his character as Cal does what he can to overcome one obstacle after another.  As the film goes on, Teague is given the chance to exhibit is character’s more tortured side as he has to come to terms with what caused the broken bond with his sister, showing the deep-rooted pain that’s finally able to release itself.  

Richardson isn’t anything less than moving as a young woman who’s still in anguish from what she has gone through in years prior.  She’s able to portray Erin as someone who shows a strength of character, but is clearly holding back a lot of agony and seems on edge because of that.  Despite that distress Richardson’s character feels, she shows Erin as someone who’s intent on getting done what she has to get done while visiting the ranch.  And, just like Teague, Richardson has a chance to bring her character’s emotional journey to a head in the film’s last half hour, having a scene where she’s given a task that conflicts with the strong feelings she has about her past.  It’s one of the best scenes in the film, bringing an abundance of emotion and tension.

The screenplay by McGehee and Siegel may seem simple at first, but don’t let that throw you off.  There’s a steady build to heartrending scenes as characters examine their pasts and attempt to reconnect over their lost time.  With a movie that’s nearly two hours and has a limited cast, this is a narrative that’s driven by the interactions between Cal and Erin, and each one brings you closer to understanding the reasoning behind their strained relationship.  Through their time together, you’re able to learn so much about their characters, not only with their sibling bond, but who they are as individuals, offering an enriching view into their lives and how this chapter is further shaping them.  Other than the story shared between Cal and Erin, there are also a couple of bigger themes at play within the narrative, giving us just enough details to keep those themes in our mind and ponder what they mean for the story as a whole.

The cinematography by Giles Nuttgens, who worked with McGehee and Siegel on their films “The Deep End” and “Bee Season,” delivers gorgeous, majestic views of Montana.  His work here is on the same level as what he accomplished in David Mackenzie’s “Hell of High Water” with how he captured rural areas (West Texas in the case of Mackenzie’s film).  While he was able to balance between providing great shots of the Texas landscapes and capturing the thrilling action scenes of “Hell of High Water,” what he does in “Montana Story” is exhibit the huge landscapes, but this time servicing a quieter story, all while still giving a power to how he frames the natural beauty of those regions.  

The way in which McGehee and Siegel handle the pace of the film as directors offers a steady unfolding of Cal and Erin’s relationship, giving us a feeling of being invited into their personal lives little by little.  This deliberate pace allows us to absorb the details of their characters as McGehee and Siegel have you spend time with them, whether it be when we’re in their house and getting to know their home, or in their car as we venture through the terrain.  There’s a strong sense of place with both of these settings as we see the impacts that they have on the characters.

“Montana Story” shows that, even if you feel isolated by grief, you don’t have to be alone when the time arrives to confront it.

Grade: A

At Rock Bottom, an Actor Meets His Biggest Fan

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in 
"The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Over the years, it’s become a little hard not to find amusement in the career of actor Nicolas Cage.  He’s starred in acclaimed films like “Moonstruck,” “Leaving Las Vegas” (for which he won the Best Actor Oscar), “Adaptation,” and last year’s “Pig,” as well as blockbusters like “Con Air,” “The Rock,” “Face/Off,” and the two “National Treasure” films.  However, the last decade has seen him performing mostly in movies that are direct-to-video.  He’s an actor who has a puzzling penchant to star in anything, but also has a work ethic that’s admirable.

The topic of Cage’s colorful career is the center of Tom Gormican’s new comedy, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” a wildly entertaining movie that finds Cage looking back at his work as an actor and crafting a fun adventure from it.

In Hollywood, Nicolas Cage (playing a fictionalized version of himself) can’t find good work, has a drinking problem, and doesn’t get along with his wife, Olivia (Sharon Horgan), and daughter, Addy (Lily Sheen).  Desperate for money, Cage accepts an offer for $1 million to travel to Majorca, Spain, to be a guest at a birthday celebration for billionaire playboy, Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal).  As Cage’s time in Spain goes on, he and Javi begin a friendship that brings them into unexpected danger.

What’s great about Cage’s performance is that it’s not all about the off-the-rails style of acting that we’ve seen in some of his lesser movies over the last decade or so.  Instead, he portrays someone who’s witty and full of heart, but also self-destructive.  He shows the dark humor and emotion of someone who’s trying to keep it together and correct his course.  While he gets enough laughs, a lot of the comedic aspects of his character are saved for a younger, crazier version of himself that Cage hallucinates from time to time.  This all creates a fine balance between the Cage that can be a serious actor, and the Cage that make our eyes pop out of our heads with how unhinged he can be.  This is a movie that allows Cage to examine his zig-zag career, while also being a vehicle for his talents that he exhibits when he has a movie that’s worthy of them.

Pascal is terrific as Cage’s new friend and number-one fan.  He brings an endearing gleefulness to the role as tries to keep his cool around his idol and form a bond with him.  There’s a contagious energy to Pascal’s performance as he attempts to bounce movie ideas off of Cage and impress him with his admiration.  The friendship that he builds with Cage is great fun to watch as it unfolds, with the two of them steadily landing on the same wavelengths as each other and committing themselves to the wild antics that the movie throws at us.

The screenplay by Gormican and Kevin Etten may have a few too many winks to Cage’s career, but it makes up for that by crafting a narrative that’s part buddy comedy, espionage thriller, and family drama, being able to make it all work and never seem like the different tones clash.  They offer several entertaining scenes that show the growing friendship between Nicolas and Javi, providing enough weight to their bond as things become more precarious as their time together puts their lives in comical jeopardy.  

Gormican takes advantage of the film’s international locale as he constructs fun action sequences that bring us throughout Majorca.  Between the car chases and shootouts, he uses the zaniness of the on-screen chemistry between Cage and Pascal and has the unlikeliness of their friendship highlight the craziness that hits them from all sides.  His handling of both the characters and the action results in the movie never having a dull moment, offering a balance in finding the humor in the character interactions and the humor in the big set-pieces.

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is a testament to the dedication that Cage has put into his work over the last 40 years, and I look forward to him having many more of them.

Grade: A-

Once a King’s Son, a Viking Seeks to Avenge His Father

Alexander Skarsgård in "The Northman"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

I’ll admit, when I found out that Robert Eggers’ third movie was going to be an epic viking drama, I was a little disappointed that he wasn’t doing a horror movie, given the superb work that he did in the genre in 2016 with “The Witch” and 2019 with “The Lighthouse.”  While a viking film sounded enticing, I was looking forward to Eggers giving us another horror masterwork.

However, having seen his latest film, “The Northman,” I can say that his transition from the horror genre into a brutal tale of vengeance showcases Eggers as one of today’s most versatile and distinctive filmmakers.

In 895 A.D., King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke) returns to his kingdom on the island of Hrafnsey after his ventures overseas, reuniting with his wife, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), and his son, Amleth (Oscar Novak).  When the king is murdered by his brother, Fjölnir (Claes Bang), Amleth flees his home and vows to avenge his father’s death.  Years later, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), now a viking, finds the opportunity to have his vengeance.

Skarsgård evokes a ferocious performance as Amleth, an unstoppable beast who will do whatever he can to exact his revenge.  This is a very physical performance, with Skarsgård’s character taking part in a violent village raid as he exhibits the intense aggression of his viking persona, which prepares us for what he’s capable of doing as he moves forward in his journey to kill his uncle.  However, despite the storm-like strength that Skarsgård brings to his role, he also does well in diving into the emotional side of his character.  He brings forth the tortured individual who’s haunted by what he witnessed as a child, carrying us along on this life-altering quest as he shows unbreakable determination to bring his plan to fruition.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who had the lead in Eggers’ “The Witch,” delivers a strong performance of a slave named Olga who helps Amleth with his quest.  She displays a resilience in her character as Olga builds an alliance with Amleth, evoking a power and sense of cunning that makes her engaging to watch.  The fortitude that Taylor-Joy employs when portraying Olga shows a character who will do whatever she can to survive her situation and work with Amleth so they can find their freedom together.

The rest of the supporting cast, including Hawke, Kidman, Bang, Willem Dafoe as Heimir the Fool, and Gustav Lindh and Thorir, Fjölnir’s oldest son, offers superb performances throughout.  However, a highlight is Icelandic singer Björk’s work as the Seeress, a character with whom Almeth meets and has his fate described to him.  She’s only in the film for one scene, but she gives a captivating performance that helps to emphasize the fantastical elements of the story.  This is Björk’s first acting credit in 17 years, but her commitment to just a few minutes of screen time offers a wonderful supernatural performance that’s a lot of fun to watch.

The screenplay by Eggers and Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson takes the revenge story off of which Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” was based, and delivers an epic that gives us a layered saga of a man who has to go through intense and deadly hardships if he’s going to enact his revenge.  There’s enough of a setup to introduce us to this setting and the mystical elements surrounding it, showcasing a world that absorbs us in the story as the scope begins to expand and introduce us to other factors that are at play.  With some surprising revelations that present characters in different lights later on, as well as some clever visual and thematic parallels between Almeth’s childhood and his life as a viking, this is the kind of narrative that uses its epic-ness not just from an action standpoint, but from the standpoint of a strong focus on the characters and details about the world that they inhabit.

In keeping with going for a bigger scope, Eggers re-teams with his “Witch” and “Lighthouse” cinematographer Jarin Blaschke to bring us stunning visuals of the landscapes and well-choreographed battle scenes.  In one of the film’s biggest set pieces, which is the village raid that introduces us to the older Almeth, Blaschke’s camerawork has the sequence unfold in an accomplished long take that brings us through the village as the vikings and village’s defenders clash.  However, aside from the long takes in the fight sequences, we also have plenty of them that track the characters through shots that allow us to see the environments and become engaged in the gorgeous imagery, whether it be the stormy seas, the woods during a snowfall, or lush, green hills. 

Between his depiction of the 17th-century New England in “The Witch” and 19th-century New England in “The Lighthouse,” Eggers is one to build his movies with a wonderful attention to period detail, and he continues that talent with “The Northman,” not only going to a whole new part of the world, but a different millennium.  The levels of commitment to which he goes to bring us to these places and eras is what makes his movies stunning, immersive experiences.  As Eggers takes us to these settings, he balances between moments of brutality and moments of pure drama in order to create something that’s a magnificent example of what it means when a filmmaker’s uninhabited vision is given the chance to flourish. 

After Eggers’ break from horror into a revenge epic, “The Northman” expresses his intense versatility as a filmmaker, and I can’t wait to see the genre he’ll venture into next.

Grade: A