An Interview with Documentary Filmmaker David Hoffman

B.B. King in "Sing Sing Thanksgiving"
Photo Credit. BurnsFilmCenter.org

With Thanksgiving around the corner, the Jacob Burns Film Center has a special event planned for the community, a commemoration the 50th anniversary of David Hoffman and Harry Willand’s 1973 documentary, "Sing Sing Thanksgiving," a film that chronicles the preparations and performances for a concert for the inmates of Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York.  The JBFC will host a Q&A with director David Hoffman, moderated by documentary filmmaker Ryan Miller on November 3 at 7:00, which will be presented in partnership with the Sing Sing Prison Museum and community partner Hudson Roots.  I was offered the opportunity to speak with Mr. Hoffman about what the film meant to him and how it all came together.  Click here to read the interview!

After Many Years, One of Cinema’s Most Famous Final Girls Has Her Final Fight

Jamie Lee Curtis and Rohan Campbell in 
"Halloween Ends"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Forty-four years after John Carpenter’s masterful slasher film, “Halloween,” hit theaters in 1978 and became an iconic film in the horror genre, we’ve reached the end of the era of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers.  After director and co-writer David Gordon Green delivered an enjoyable legacy sequel with “Halloween” in 2018, it was hard not to get excited when considering how he would continue the franchise.  When the second film in his trilogy, 2021’s “Halloween Kills,” failed to bring anything new to the series, you had to wonder if he’d be able to get back on track to bring us the conclusion that Laurie’s saga deserved.

He manages to do so with the latest installment, “Halloween Ends.”  It’s an entry that’s certainly not going to be to everyone’s taste, but it’s hard not to admire the strange routes that it takes to bring us something different.

Four years after the events of “Halloween” and “Halloween Kills,” Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her granddaughter, Allyson (And Matichak), are living a quiet life in Haddonfield, Illinois, having gone those years without another appearance from Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney and Nick Castle).  When some troubling events take place that cause Michael to re-emerge, Laurie will face him in a final confrontation towards which her life’s been building.

More than four decades after becoming one of the cinema’s most memorable scream queens, Curtis brings it in her final performance as Laurie.  Near the beginning, Curtis exhumes the peace that Laurie always wanted, showing the relaxed side of her that we haven’t seen since her carefree first hour of Carpenter’s original film.  However, she also still expresses some of the pain that has come with years of living in fear.  Once her face-to-face with Michael arrives, Curtis evokes Laurie’s I’m-fed-up-with-this energy and once again shows us the bravery of her character facing her monster, unleashing the fighter that she’s become in preparation for her battle with fate.

In his first major film role, Rohan Campbell delivers a terrific performance as a new character, Corey Cunningham.  I can’t go into too much detail about him for fear of spoilers, but Campbell offers engaging work as a Haddonfield resident with a troubled past who has the town turned against him.  He’s a character who adds a new layer to the Laurie-Michael saga, and Campbell embraces the air of mystery that Corey has whenever he’s on screen.

The screenplay by Green, Danny McBride, Chris Bernier, and Paul Brad Logan makes some pretty bold creative decisions to veer away from the “Halloween” slasher formula, and those choices are going to divide fans.  However, after the lackluster job that was done on the previous film, it’s hard to deny that the new directions in which this movie goes are refreshing, which becomes evident right from the unsettling opening scene.  The narrative shows the aftermath of a Haddonfield that’s been beaten down by Michael’s carnage, examines the nature of evil from a couple of angles, and puts a lot of focus on Corey’s arc, a plot thread that brings a welcome dose of unpredictability to the story.  Although it feels at times like the screenplay’s trying to do too much by bringing in these factors, while also trying to stage the final meetup between Laurie and Michael, this results in a bit of a lack of focus.  But, with this being the final “Halloween” movie for Laurie’s character, some diversion from the usual franchise fare is welcome.

Green showed promise as a horror director with his first “Halloween” film, and he brings that back to finish his trilogy.  Although this movie has its share of blood, Green thankfully tones it down from what we saw in “Kills,” where the bloodshed came close to what we saw in Rob Zombie’s 2007 “Halloween” remake and its sequel.  He doesn’t feel the need to go all-out for the finale, instead keeping it closer to the levels of the 2018 film.  Aside from the slasher set-pieces, Green uses his experience from working on his more dramatic films to focus on the growing relationship between Allyson and Corey in the first half of the film, as well as the meaningful interactions between other characters.  Doing this allows us to build up some investment in these individuals before the more horror-oriented second half begins.  

Whether or not we get new installments of this series without Curtis is anyone’s guess, but we can at least know that “Halloween Ends” offers a satisfying sendoff to this chapter in horror-movie history.

Grade: B+

A Disturbing Expression Holding Terror and Trauma Within

Sosie Bacon in "Smile"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Over the last few years, it seems like the horror genre has been at its best when in the realm of independent film.  However, despite this year having some indie gems like “X,” “Pearl,” and “Crimes of the Future,” 2022 has also proven to be an uncommonly strong year for mainstream horror.  We were given “Scream 5” as early as January, and since then, we’ve had films like “The Black Phone,” “Nope,” and “Barbarian.”  Now that we’re three quarters of the way through the year, I can say that given the terrific offering from both indie and mainstream studios, 2022 has been a scary good year for the horror genre, and there’s still “Halloween Ends,” “The Menu,” and “Bones and All” waiting in the wings.

However, until then, we have the latest horror movie to kick off the Halloween season, and that’s writer-director Parker Finn’s feature directorial debut, "Smile,” which he adapted from his 2020 short film, “Laura Hasn’t Slept.”  Despite the movie being similar to some other horror films, there are still many legitimate scares to be had.

One day, therapist Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) meets with a new patient, Laura Weaver (Caitlin Stasey), who says she’s being terrified by an evil entity.  Not long into the session, Rose witnesses Laura kill herself.  Afterwards, Rose begins to have experiences that become more and more disturbing, leading her to believe that she may be haunted by the same supernatural force as Laura.

Bacon delivers a powerful lead performance as someone who’s trying to keep herself together while facing traumas that are both old and new.  As an individual who starts out as a caring doctor willing to help others, Rose morphs into someone who’s becoming damaged by the horrors that become worse with each day.  As the emotional core of the movie, Bacon exhibits a full commitment to role as she adds depth to her character with having you feel how much of a psychological toll is weighing on Rose as she tries to figure out the true nature of this deadly force.

While the performances of the supporting cast provide good work, it’s Stasey who’s the standout.  In her only scene, she provides a sense of how crippling the horror is that she’s been facing in the days leading up to the events of the film.  With this performance, Stasey gives a window into what Rose will start to become as the movie goes on, offering an additional layer to this unsettling interplay.

Although Finn’s screenplay has some likenesses to other horror films like “The Ring” and “It Follows,” it’s still able to bring a bit of freshness to this similar premise by exploring it through the lens of trauma.  Given the film’s nearly two-hour runtime, the movie has plenty of time to scare you, however, it’s not all about the frights.  In between the horror, the narrative uses its runtime to flesh out Rose’s character as a means to show us the mental hardship that she has faced in the past and what she’s experiencing during the events of the movie, having the two blend in such a way that gives us a view into her thoughts and feelings.  Also, by having this length, we’re able to experience the passage of time in the film more potently as the clock ticks little by little with the limited time that Rose has to conquer this entity.

The cinematography by Charlie Sarroff helps in creating much of the film’s tension.  One of the most notable ways is how he uses empty or expansive indoor space to put the viewer on edge.  There’s a scene in the first half hour that does such a thing when Rose is in her kitchen late at night, but it’s really noticeable in the disturbing opening scene where Rose meets with Laura.  With the almost unnatural-looking emptiness of the room in which Rose and Laura have their session, Sarroff uses this to elicit a sense of unease and maintain that to build on the film’s foreboding tone.

For his feature debut, Finn shows that he doesn’t need to rely on jump scares that cheap, but instead shows an ability to time them well for a more effective impact.  Just like writer-director Zach Cregger with his film “Barbarian,” Finn isn’t afraid to let a mainstream horror movie get a little weird, whether it be with the framing or whatever might be portrayed within the frame.  He shows an ambition that we’ve seen in other first-time horror directors in the last few years, presenting the start of what could be a memorable career in the genre.

This Halloween season, “Smile” will present you with the next everyday thing that will creep you out.

Grade: A-

Facing Threats to Their Kingdom, a Royal Army Fights Back

Viola Davis in "The Woman King"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

There are several fun aspects to watching a historical film.   You can get intrigued by seeing a world-changing event about which you know a lot play out on screen; you can watch it play out and have it reveal certain things that you didn’t know about it; or, you can watch a film that focuses on an aspect of history about which you’re not familiar with anything.

I had the experience with the latter for Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic, “The Woman King,” a thrilling piece of entertainment that’s heightened by a reliably superb performance from Viola Davis and wonderful action sequences.

From the 17th to 19th centuries, an all-female group of warriors, known as the Agojie, protects the West African kingdom of Dahomey.  The story follows General Nanisca (Davis), who, in the 1820s, is tasked with training the next generation of warriors to fight their community’s enemies.

Most of Davis’ filmography is made up of more dramatic work, and although she’s had roles in films like the heist thriller “Widows” and the superhero film “Suicide Squad,” her characters in those movies didn’t require a lot of stunt work.  However, with her performance in “The Woman King,” Davis shows a whole new side to her acting abilities by displaying the ferocity of Nanisca.  When Davis is on the battlefield, she elicits a take-no-prisoners toughness that heats up the screen as the fight sequences unfold.  When she’s not fighting, Davis brings out a sort-of stoicism to her character that still manages to speak to Nanisca’s years as a fighter and her painful past.  Davis is able to meld the emotional drama of her character, a dramatic shade that we’ve seen many times to great effect, and mixes it well with this newly viewed action aspect of her talents.  Davis has given us many great characters over the years, and her work as Nanisca offers us a chance to experience the joy of seeing something totally different from one of film’s biggest actresses working today.

Thuso Mbedu offers a superb film debut as Nawi, a young woman who shows bravery in joining the Agojie and avoids the unfulfilling life that her parents planned for her.  While Nawi begins with feeling intimidated and expressing some naïveté in terms of what the Agojie expect from her, she soon evolves into the fighter she was always meant to be, and Mbedu lets loose her character’s inner warrior as she plunges herself into battle.

The supporting cast includes wonderful performances from Lashana Lynch as Izogie, a top warrior who carries a strong fighting know-how and a light sense of humor as she takes Nawi under her wing; Sheila Atim as Amenza, Nanisca’s right-hand woman and a fellow warrior, showing the fierce loyalty of someone who’s been side-by-side with Nanisca for years; and John Boyega offers an aura of regality and authority as King Ghezo of the Dahomey.

Although the screenplay by Dana Stevens doesn’t need the love story between Nawi and slaver-turned-ally Malik (Jordan Bolger), it doesn’t factor too much into the overall narrative.  Before the story shifts to the slavers about a third of the way in, the film provides plenty of focus on the Dahomey and how they go about their lives and protecting their kingdom.  We get to learn about how their community operates and how they try to make changes to improve the ways that they thrive.  By doing so, once the slavers show up, we know how much is at stake for the Dahomey as they plan to take down their opposers.

In between all of this, we get to know the characters and the growing relationships between Nawi and her fellow warriors as she assimilates into her new lifestyle.  With a balance of character work, historical context, and thrilling battle scenes, Stevens’ screenplay is able to handle the expansive canvas that this story requires.

While most of Bythewood’s filmography consists of dramas, she isn’t any stranger to action, having directed the 2020 superhero film, “The Old Guard.”  Now, with the help of cinematographer Polly Morgan and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire (who worked with Bythewood on “The Old Guard” and “Beyond the Lights”), Bythewood crafts well-choreographed action scenes that show you the Dahomey’s intense battle skills.  She matches the epic scale of the action with the grandness of the technical aspects that are on screen that invest us in the majesty of the Dahomey’s kingdom, with Bythewood showing us colorful and detailed costumes by Gersha Phillips and Akin McKenzie’s gorgeous production design.

With an exhilarating, big-scale craft on display and strong performances, “The Woman King” reigns supreme.

Grade: A-