Given a Chance at Life, a Wooden Puppet Explores the World

Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) and 
Pinocchio (voiced by Gregory Mann)
in "Pinocchio"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Eighty-two years ago, Walt Disney Productions released one of their most beloved animated films with “Pinocchio,” which was based on the 1883 novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi.  With beautiful animation, wonderful voice work, and heartwarming songs, it helped set the stage for the imagination for which the studio would become known for decades to come.  And, despite there being countless adaptations/re-imaginings of this classic story, barely any have been able to capture the magic of the original film, with one of the very, very few exceptions being Steven Spielberg’s 2001 sci-fi drama, “A.I. Artificial Intelligence.”

We now have what could be the best adaptation since the 1940 film, with Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson’s (the latter of whom makes his feature directorial debut) stop-motion adventure, “Pinocchio.”  With vivid animation and limitless creativity, del Toro and Gustafson not only give us the best animated film of the year, but one of the year’s best films.

In Italy during WWI, carpenter Geppetto (David Bradley) loses his son, Carlo, in the middle of an aerial bombardment.  In his grief, Geppetto carves a wooden boy out of a tree, who then comes to life and is named Pinocchio (Gregory Mann).  Soon, Pinocchio will set out to see what the world has to offer, all while other forces seek to use him for their own purposes.

Mann is wonderful as the title character, giving Pinocchio a boundless energy as he displays his eagerness to explore his village and understand what’s outside.  Meanwhile, Bradley shows the deep fatherly love that Geppetto holds towards Carlo in the film’s opening sequence, followed by the immeasurable sadness of losing a child, and then a sense of joy mixed with a protectiveness as he tries to prepare Pinocchio for a world that might have trouble accepting him.  Geppetto and Pinocchio exhibit a poignant father-son relationship that develops as the film goes on, unfolding with rich emotion that you feel in each scene that they share.

The rest of the cast is just as superb.  Ewen McGregor is charming and witty as Sebastian J. Cricket, an anthropomorphic cricket who acts as Pinocchio’s conscious.  Christoph Waltz provides a humorous wickedness as he digs into the dastardly nature of his character, Count Volpe, a ringmaster who wants to have Pinocchio as his new attraction.  Ron Perlman offers plenty of intimidation as the Podestà, a fascist government official.  And, Tilda Swinton brings her distinctive voice to two characters: the Wood Sprite (this adaptation’s version of the Blue Fairy), who grants life to Pinocchio, and a chimera-like visualization of Death, with whom Pinocchio has several encounters.

The screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale presents the story from both well-known and fresh angles.  We have the same basic outline, but the writing duo presents Collodi’s world in the backdrop of fascist Italy, showing new challenges for the classic characters who we’ve known for years.  Using a historical context when telling a story is something that del Toro has accomplished in several of his other films, like “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” and “The Shape of Water.” And, the beautiful prologue where we see Geppetto and Carlo adds a new depth to Geppetto’s character as we watch him experience a tremendous loss, a prologue that also lets us get to know Carlo and what Pinocchio will be like once we meet him, as the two have the same personality.  The familiar outline and the newer material blend well to create a story that explores themes of fathers and sons, life and death, and learning about your place in the world, all in deep emotional detail.

Del Toro and Gustafson provide the film with gorgeous visuals to match the beauty of the story, presenting an endlessly imaginative adventure that shows del Toro’s talents are just as strong in animation as in live-action, while Gustafson proves to be a fine new filmmaking talent.  They’re able to balance both the darkness and light that will have you go between tears and laughter, bringing you through a world where shadows may pervade, but there’s always hope to rise above them.  The craft they do for the tone within this world is as great as how they present the world itself.  Besides the stunning details that they bring to the settings, del Toro and Gustafson provide memorable creature designs with the Wood Sprite, the chimera-like Death, the whale that swallows Geppetto, and Sebastian J. Cricket.  Accompanying everything is a magical score by Alexandre Desplat, as well as some wonderful original songs, including “My Son,” “Everything Is New to Me,” “Ciao Papa,” and “Better Tomorrows.”  With all of these successful factors, this is a film that viewers of any age will take to their hearts.

Moving, witty, and fantastical, del Toro and Gustafson take a classic tale of a wooden boy who’s granted a life, and end up giving this story a new life all its own.

Grade: A

Homebound and in Ill Health, a Man Travels Emotional Waters

Brendan Fraser in "The Whale"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Having directed “The Wrestler,” Darren Aronofsky isn’t a stranger to crafting a redemption story that can be both downbeat and impactful.  He presents a character who seems too far gone in whichever path he took in life, but is given one last shot to make things right, even if things don’t quite work out in some respects.

He does this once again with “The Whale,” an adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s 2012 award-winning play.  And, just like Aronofsky did with “The Wrestler” and Mickey Rourke’s career, he does the same with Brendan Fraser and gives him a start to a whole new chapter in his work as an actor.

Charlie (Fraser) is an obese, reclusive English professor who teaches online courses, keeping his video camera off so no one can see what he looks like.  When circumstances arise that put him back in contact with his estranged teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink,) he’ll try his best to fix their relationship before it’s too late for him.

Fraser delivers a performance of unlimited tenderness, showing intense dedication to the part and showcasing a whole new depth to his acting abilities that brings us into the isolated world of his character.  He shows someone who has a lot of love for the people in his life, displaying a great deal of compassion despite the very limited amount of people to whom he can give it.  Just as in “The Wrestler” and “Black Swan,” this is another Aronofsky film where there’s an intense physical demand for the lead character, and Fraser is more than up for the challenge in what amounts to the best role of his career.  Fraser exhibits the physical strains that his character’s situation has on him, as well as the emotional toll that having been cut off from his family and barely having any friends has on him.  Ultimately, it’s Charlie’s faith in people that they can’t lose the capacity to care for one another that’s his driving characterization, and the understated optimism that Fraser gives his character, despite things looking bleak for him, is enough to carry you through his tough journey.

Hong Chau brings a loving performance as Liz, Charlie’s nurse and friend who’s limited as to what she’s able to do for Charlie, always facing the possibility of having to see her patient and friend die.  Every scene that she shares with Fraser has us experience their friendship that has built up over time, with Liz seeing to be the only person who loves Charlie for who he is.  Chau presents her characters’s intense protection for Charlie, whether it’s concerning matters of his health or making sure he’s not hurt by his family, and it’s a soothing feeling whenever she appears because she always has Charlie’s best interests at heart, even when he might view his situation differently.

Sink delivers a wonderful performance as Charlie’s daughter, someone with pent up aggression towards her dad who shows nothing but sarcasm and contempt in her personality.  When we meet her, Sink makes every one of her lines a punch in the face as she talks down to Charlie and unleashes her anger.  However, as the movie goes on, she exhibits brief glimmers of care towards her dad in between her elongated moments of acidity.  While those quick moments of concern are far and few between, we know they’re there.

The screenplay by Hunter crafts a nearly two-hour movie from a play that’s a little short of 100 pages.  This allows for Hunter to not have to omit anything and let the scenes play out as they do in the stage show.  Also, whatever additions he brings to the movie work to deepen the themes of the film, fitting in beautifully with everything else and making this a faithful adaptation.  There are memorable scenes for all of the characters as they come in and out of Charlie’s life, offering the few personal contacts that are left to him. The interactions, whether they be friendly or intense, open up the characters to us as we watch how they impact Charlie and how he impacts them.  One of the most notable through-lines of the film is the one shared by Charlie and Ellie.  Similar to “The Wrestler,” there’s a heartrending father-daughter relationship at the center of the story.  However, it doesn’t feel like this is a retread from that movie.  Instead, we have a father-daughter pairing that’s going through very different circumstances, but is still every bit as emotional, with the back-and-forth between them having Charlie’s calmness to Ellie’s anger eliciting a great deal of power with the words.

The cinematography by Matthew Libatique, who lensed five of Aronofsky’s six previous films, gives us a full sense of the space within Charlie’s apartment, whether it’s us going through the narrow hallways, or the way in which the camera sometimes moves around Charlie as other characters walk around without issue.  While Aronofsky has worked with bigger canvases, be it a ballet theater in “Black Swan,” a wrestling ring in “The Wrestler,” or a biblical story with “Noah,” he acclimates himself just as proficiently to the limited setting.  Although he had similar circumstances working with a confined setting for his most previous film, “Mother!,” Aronofsky had a whole house with which to work, whereas for “The Whale,” it’s just an apartment.  However, Aronofsky and Libatique make the most of the limited setting by letting us get to know the apartment and the sense of confinement and monotony that Charlie goes through every day.  When the tightness of this setting is paired with the closeups of the characters as they speak with each other, this all adds to how it must feel for them to be in close quarters, talking in these small spaces that make you feel like they can only handle so much dramatic power before the walls come crashing down.

This is a film where we see equal amounts of love and pain, and to see what comes out of this is what makes “The Whale” a film with feeling as deep as the ocean.

Grade: A

2022 End-of-the-Year Movie Catchup

The year is almost over.  So, I decided to do a little bit of catching up on some 2022 films before I finalized the list for my top 10 favorite movies of the year.  With many movies being released at once, there were some that I missed in theaters, and because of how many I had to view, I didn’t have much time to write full reviews.  So, here are some mini reviews for the films that I watched over last two weeks.

Park Hae-il and Tang Wei in
"Decision to Leave"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

1) Decision to Leave - Although the only two movies that I’ve seen from acclaimed writer-director Park Chan-wook are “Oldboy” and his English-language debut “Stoker,” that was enough to get me excited for his latest accomplishment.  This mystery-drama tells the story of an insomniac detective (Park Hae-il) who becomes involved, and soon obsessed, with a woman (Tang Wei), a suspect in his latest case.  The two leads give passionate and enigmatic performances as two lovers who can’t seem to separate.  Their scenes together carry so much mystery that we can’t quite see where it’s all heading, but they keep you hooked into their relationship as it becomes more and more poisonous.  The screenplay by Park and Jeong Seo-kyeong provides plenty of layers that always keep us wondering what each new clue means and how much personal destruction is in store for the two main characters.  Given the film’s two-hour-plus runtime, there are layers upon layers of this dark romantic puzzle as it goes in many directions that you wouldn’t expect.  As any twisty narrative in Park’s filmography deserves, his directorial stylings are once again perfect for his film.  Whether it’s a stunning interrogation sequence that plays with foreground and background in a unique way, or a thrilling rooftop chase, Park knows how to invest you in both the character moments and the thriller aspects.  Being equal parts thriller, detective story, and romance, Park delivers on all three fronts, and also injects some humor that works surprisingly well and doesn’t detract from the serious aspects.  When it comes to “Decision to Leave,” don’t leave this movie unwatched.

Grade: A

Jayln Hall and Danielle Deadwyler 
in "Till"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

2) Till - After writer-director Chinonye Chukwu’s heartrending drama, “Clemency,” became one of my top 10 favorites of 2019, I was looking forward to seeing what she would bring us next.  Her third feature is a movie that’s just as hard-hitting, which tells the true story of Mamie Till-Bradley (Danielle Deadwyler), who sets out for justice after the 1955 murder of her 14-year-old son, Emmett (Jalyn Hall).  Deadwyler gives a galvanizing performance as a mother who will do whatever she can to show a nation what happened to her son.  Through her initial motherly worry of Emmett visiting the south, to her distraught of losing him, to her bravery to defend his honor, to her painfully impactful courtroom testimony in the movie’s finale, Deadwyler delivers one of the best performances of the year.  Meanwhile, the screenplay by Chukwu, Keith Beauchamp (who’s done extensive research over the years of Emmett Till), and Michael Reilly, we’re given an in-depth view into this event, as well as a loving view of the mother-son bond between Mamie and Emmett at the start of the film.  With effective long-takes that focus on Deadwyler’s biggest moments in the film, we feel the power behind what we’re watching as her character contribute to the Civil Rights Movement.  Through it all, Chukwu delivers the raw emotional intensity that such a story needs, showing you a mother who’s life was changed forever and set out to make a difference.  This film can be difficult to watch at times, but you’ll be grateful that you did.

Grade: A

Felix Kammerer in
"All Quiet on the Western Front"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

3) All Quiet on the Western Front - Despite there being countless movies about World Wars I and II, never underestimate the power that the more recent examples can present, which is what director Edward Berger does with this latest adaptation of the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.  The movie follows a young man (Felix Kammerer) who enlists in the German army during the final stretch of WWI, only to experience the horrors of war and realize that the prospect of wartime glory isn’t what it seems.  Kammerer’s performance is a gut-punch portrayal of the impact that fighting a war has on a person, particularly in a heart-shattering sequence between his character and a French soldier.  The screenplay by Berger, Ian Stokell, and Lesley Paterson explores the futility of war and the monumental costs that are present.  The extended battle sequences are spaced pretty far apart, but that’s not a bad thing.  Instead, this allows us to get to know the different groups of characters in the scenes in between as we view the war from a couple of angles and feel the scope of everything that’s taking place both on and off of the battlefield.  The cinematography utilizes long takes as we go through the gruesome no-man’s-land territories and the trenches as the soldiers fight their way to stay alive.  As a director, Berger makes full use of the film’s scale to capture the devastation that came out of this war, exhibiting the brutal combat and tragic losses.  With his work, he shows the viewer that, just like with the lessons we learn from history, this is a movie whose message will always resonate.

Grade: A

Gabriel LaBelle in "The Fabelmans"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

4) The Fabelmans - Steven Spielberg is one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, pretty much inventing the blockbuster early in his career, and then reaching newer and newer heights as the years progressed.  He now takes us back to where it all began with his semi-autobiographical drama, which tells the story of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) as he grows up in post-WWII Arizona and develops aspirations of becoming a filmmaker.  LaBelle gives an impassioned breakout performance of a young man who realizes what he’s meant to do with his life and goes for it.  Meanwhile, Paul Dano and Michelle Williams are terrific as Sam’s parents who try to get through their rough patches while working to keep the family together.  The screenplay by Spielberg and long-time collaborator Tony Kushner gives us a poignant view into Sammy’s life as he tries to make his dreams come true and have his family understand how much film means to him.  To see a celebrated director such as Spielberg bring his life to a movie is one of the best experiences to be had with any film this year.  Although you could also watch HBO’s 2017 documentary “Spielberg” (I highly recommend it), it’s just as invigorating to see Spielberg’s life through the lens of a narrative feature.  Spielberg has given us movies for over 50 years of his life, with "The Fabelmans" being a powerful film that shows the beginning of his life's work.

Grade: A

Two Outcasts Find Love on the Road

Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell in 
"Bones and All"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

The concept of a road movie is something that’s been enticing filmgoers for decades.  The notion of jumping in your car and doing some traveling, whether impromptu or not, has given these films a possibility of showing how endless those possibilities are, and to have these stories unfold like a map to transport you to stunning locales is an experience to have.  Whether it’s a classic example like “Easy Rider,” “Bonnie and Clyde," or “Thelma and Louise,” or a modern examples like “Nebraska,” “Sideways,” or “American Honey,” you go into these films knowing that there are always sights to see.

The latest of such films to come our way takes a very out-there approach with Luca Guadagnino’s horror drama, “Bones and All,” an unconventional romance that brings you on the road and into the lives of two stray humans.

In 1980s Virginia, Maren (Taylor Russell), a cannibal, is abandoned by her father (André Holland) after she attacks a classmate at a sleepover.  Not knowing how to cope with her condition, she hits the road to try and find her mother (Chloë Sevigny), who left Maren when she was young.  Along the way, she meets a fellow cannibal, Lee (Timothée Chalamet), who joins Maren on her journey and helps her adjust to their uncommon lifestyle.

Russell is wonderful as a young woman who’s trying to get a grip on what it means to be who she is.  She displays Maren’s resourcefulness in packing up and starting over, a headstrong quality to her that’s she’s had to built up due to instability in her life.  Despite a quiet personality and a sense of loneliness, Russell exhibits her character’s determination and strength to make sense of everything and not hesitate to be on her own if she needs to.  It’s a beautiful performance of a character growing up and learning about the world and herself.

Chalamet delivers a performance of someone who’s wise to the road and exudes a confidence of how to manage his lifestyle, no matter how gruesome it may be.  He shows a carefulness with going about his business, showing someone who’s done this many times and is merely trying to survive under the given circumstances.  Chalamet plays his character as a rather subdued individual, but also gives Lee a shade of intensity that presents a person who has had to live on the fridges of society with the fear of people finding out what he is.

Mark Rylance provides chilling work as Sully, a cannibal who tries to teach Maren how to be like him, but might not have her best intentions at heart.  He gives hints of the danger lurking beneath Sully’s seemingly benevolent façade, unsettling you in becoming creepier as his performance progresses.  A great deal of the horror in the film comes from him, and the disturbing personality that he brings to his scenes, even when he tries to come off as friendly, brings considerable tension to his scant, yet impactful, sequences.

Michael Stuhlbarg appears in just one scene as Jake, another cannibal whom Maren and Lee meet on their travels.  As a sort of backwoods individual, Stuhlbarg makes the most of his few minutes on screen as a character who’s disturbing in his own way.  There’s more of a lack of the refined sensibilities that we see in Sully, and Stuhlbarg makes us feel the unpredictability and danger of Jake.

The screenplay by David Kajganich is adapted from Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel of the same name, capturing the spirit of the source material as it brings her narrative to the screen.  Despite the novel being just under 300 pages and a pretty fast-paced read, there’s still a sprawling nature when you read the book as it takes you through America, and Kajganich accomplishes the same with his screenplay.  Just as the book does, the screenplay allows us to spend enough time with Maren as she tries to acclimate to living on the road and lets us get to know her before she meets Lee.  From there, we see a further evolution of her character as she becomes familiar with Lee and sees how other cannibals make it through their lives.  Much of the film is scenes shared by Maren and Lee, making this movie every bit of a love story as it is a road story, with Kajganich melding the two sub-genres to superb effect.

The cinematography by Arseni Khachaturan presents the American terrain in gorgeous detail as we move all over the country.  Between the beautiful landscapes and the camerawork of Maren and Lee’s car traversing the roads through those regions, Khachaturan shows the spirit of what it means to travel the road, finding out who you are, and sharing that time with someone.  With Khachaturan’s lensing, you feel the expansiveness of the lands through which Maren and Lee are venturing.

Between Guadagnino’s “Suspiria” remake and this, he shows an ability to find beauty in grotesquery and is one of the most artful directors working today when it comes to horror movies.  While DeAngelis’ book mostly shows the lead-up and the aftermath of the cannibalistic killings, the film shows them in more detail.  However, despite the intensity of what was seen in “Suspiria,” Guadagnino doesn’t make the violence too off-putting to the point of detracting from the more emotional beats of the story.

In sticking with what made the novel so great, and mixing that with the talents of Guadagnino and his team, “Bones and All” has it all.

Grade: A