When a Mother Disappears, Her Daughter Does Some Digital Sleuthing

Storm Reid in "Missing"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

In 2018, Aneesh Chaganty made a splash with his feature-filmmaking debut, “Searching,” a thriller about a father looking for his daughter that takes place all on computer screens and smartphones.  What resulted was a pulse-pounding, race-against-time film where the innovative approach wasn’t a gimmick in the least, but one that told a story about its characters in an intriguing new way.

Now, Will Merrick and Nick Johnson, who were the editors of “Searching,” as well as Chaganty’s second movie, “Run,” make their own filmmaking debuts with the standalone sequel, “Missing.”  Although “Searching” stands as the superior of the two, Merrick and Johnson’s film nevertheless has plenty of thrills to absorb you in its computer-screen labyrinth.

When June Allen (Storm Reid) has the house to herself when her mother Grace (Nia Long) and her boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung) go on vacation, she’s ready to have the time of her life before leaving for college.  However, when Grace and Kevin don’t return from their trip, June fears the worst.  With very few options as to what she can do, June must search through Grace and Kevin’s online accounts to figure out what happened before it’s too late.

Reid gives a tense, emotional performance as someone who’s quick with her ingenuity in her quest to uncover the truth.  Reid’s display of her character’s unwavering determination and techno-knowhow to find her mother and Kevin keeps you hooked to the story as she tries to hold out for hope.  It’s engaging work as we see her dig through her mom and Kevin’s accounts and trying to understand what she discovers, all while having to keep herself together when the worst-case scenarios enter her mind and things become much more difficult.

Except for a few aspects in the last 20 minutes that stretch the film’s believability a bit, the film does fine work in disclosing details little by little that lead to one enticing breakthrough after another.  It’s a maze of reveals that are spaced out well enough to let us digest one of them before we’re hit with the next.  Aside from the initial search, this film offers an interesting role reversal of what we saw in “Searching,” whereby this time, we have a child looking for their parent.  With this aspect, we get a look at the strained relationship between June and Grace and what has caused that tension to endure over the years.  This allows us to become emotionally invested in June’s investigation as we also deal with the urgency of her scenario.

The cinematography by Steven Holleran makes full use of the film’s computer and cell phones screens as we feverishly look around for clues in the different windows that are on display.  The apprehension is amplified by how we move across the screens of these devices, whether it’s slow zooms in and out or slow pans, and we’re glued to what’s happening on these devices.  The way in which Holleran’s able to navigate these movements shows that he has full confidence in juggling the intricate visuals of the webpages.  Another notable way in which he creates suspense is how when June isn’t in the frame and we follow the cursor in closeup, it acts as an extension of her character and how she’s feeling, which we can detect through the urgency and hesitation of the cursor’s movements in these moments.

Given how Merrick and Johnson worked as editors for “Searching,” they know how to make a thriller that moves at a can’t-catch-your-breath pace.  They’ve taken their experience from working on that film and bring us one that maintains a lot of what made the first movie so good.  It’s clear that they learned a lot from working with Chaganty, and it’s their mastery of this technique that has me excited for whatever they might do next.

Just as Chaganty did with “Searching,” Merrick and Johnson prove to be talented filmmakers with “Missing.”  While working in the confines of small screens that are placed on the big screen, they continue Chaganty’s novel filmmaking style to create an entertaining trek through online secrets, offering you a techno puzzle that you won’t be able to resist trying to solve.

Grade: A-

A Doll with a Mind of its Own, but in the Age of AI

Violet McGraw and Allison Williams in "M3GAN"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Throughout decades of horror films, creepy dolls have been a standout trope that manages to get under our skin.  Whether it’s Chucky from the “Child’s Play” series, Annabelle from the “Conjuring” franchise, Billy the Puppet from the “Saw” films, or the creepy clown doll from “Poltergeist,” just the mere sight of these objects is enough to give you an abundance of chills.

However, what we have now is the latest iteration of the scary-doll trope, this time utilizing artificial intelligence in director Gerard Johnstone’s sci-fi/horror film, “M3GAN.”  Although it doesn’t take its premise as far as it could have, it’s nevertheless an entertaining way to start your 2023 moviegoing.

After Cady’s (Violet McGraw) parents die in a car accident, she gets sent to live with her Aunt Gemma (Allison Williams), a roboticist for a technologically advanced toy company in Seattle.  Her latest project is an artificially intelligent humanoid doll called M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android).  When Gemma brings home a prototype of M3GAN with which Cady can interact and feel less alone, all seems fine at first.  However, as time goes on, M3GAN proves to be a dangerous invention.

The chemistry between Williams and McGraw works well to create a relationship that neither character expected to have to build.  There’s the tension between them that shows how unprepared they are to be in a different parent-guardian relationship, showing a disconnect that displays them not being able to accept each other.  However, as Williams and McGraw’s characters begin to find some common ground, their performances deliver some heartfelt chemistry, only to then show palpable strain as Cady becomes more and more attached to M3GAN and Gemma tries to do what’s best for Cady in an increasingly volatile situation.

As for M3GAN, the voice is provided by Jenna Davis, while the physical performance is provided by Amie Donald, along with some digital visual effects.  Between Davis’ creepy, child-like voice and Donald’s unsettling movements that present M3GAN’s disquieting mix of humanistic and android sensibilities, this is a fun, humorous, and unnerving horror villain, with Davis and Donald doing what they can to make this a memorable update of the creepy-doll trope.

The screenplay comes from Alexa Cooper, who wrote last year’s enjoyably bonkers horror film, “Malignant.”  Because of this, it was easy to think that “M3GAN” would follow a similarly insane trajectory.  This story mixes both horror and comedic aspects, but an issue is that the narrative doesn’t take that craziness as far as it could have, making the movie feel rather tame at times.  With the film opening up on a commercial for a Furby-like toy that’s manufactured by the toy company for which Gemma works, the movie goes right into its lampooning of modern consumerism, calling to mind screenwriters Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner’s injection of commercials throughout their script for 1987’s “RoboCop.”  This film has an abundance of satire, but it just needed a more audacious approach to back it all up.

The first half hour of the movie focuses a lot on the relationship between Cady and Gemma as they try to get used to living together, and this gives us time to get to know them well enough until the finished prototype of M3GAN comes into the fold.  By then, we see how the parent-guardian relationship has grown into something supportive between them and shows us how they must navigate the threats that the new AI imposes.

As a director, Johnstone offers plenty of satire, humor, and campiness to combat the tame nature of the rest of the film.  This is a movie that knows what it is through and through, and it isn’t afraid to throw in a bunch of laughs to mix with the suspense of the AI-out-of-control scenario.  He keeps this up for the duration of the movie, maintaining a sense of fun as Cady and Gemma try to outsmart M3GAN, and vice versa. 

There’s already some talk of a sequel, and if that installment isn’t afraid to be a little more daring with M3GAN’s next outing, I’ll look forward to seeing her run amok once again.

Grade: B

For a Quirky Detective, Another Murder and Another Mystery

From left: Edward Norton, Madelyn Cline, 
Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., 
Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe,
and Danile Craig in 
"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Three years ago, writer-director Rian Johnson gave audiences one of the most enjoyable movies of 2019 with “Knives Out,” which followed a well-to-do family as they’re interviewed by eccentric detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), after the patriarch is murdered.  What Johnson did was take a classic type of story (the murder mystery) and reinvigorate it in such a way that showed such narratives can be just as entertaining as they were decades ago.

He now brings back Craig’s expert investigator for another round of sleuthing with “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”  Although it isn’t quite as good as its predecessor, it still has enough laughs and thrills to make it a fun return to this franchise.

On a private island off the coast of Greece, tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) decides to host a murder-mystery party with his closest friends: ex-business partner Andi Brand (Janelle Monáe), Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), his company’s head scientist, Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), and video game streamer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), as well as Birdie’s assistant, Peg (Jessica Henwick), and Duke’s girlfriend, Whiskey (Madelyn Cline).  When someone ends up murdered for real, it’ll be up to Detective Benoit to find the culprit.

While there are good performances all around from the cast, the standouts are Craig and Monáe.  Craig, once again, is humorous to watch as the southern-gentleman detective who doesn’t let anything escape his scrutiny.  He shows Benoit’s intense attention to detail and unwavering ingenuity as he goes about trying to solve the crime, and he always leaves you amazed at how he can figure out such things.  Meanwhile, Monáe is terrific as Mile’s scorned ex-business partner who helps Benoit on the case, showing a distain towards her former friends who’ve wronged her in a mysterious way and wanting to have each of them admit to their mistakes.  She has as much determination in her as Benoit, and seeing her take charge with her own investigation into what’s going on makes her the most exciting new character in this sequel.

With Johnson’s screenplay, he gives us enough time to learn about the characters’ backgrounds and the connections that they share, given that the murder doesn’t take place until about an hour into the movie.  However, an issue with his script is that the characters, outside of Benoit and Andi, aren’t quite as interesting as the cast of the original.  They all do what they can with the material that’s given to them; it’s just that they’re not provided with much of a chance to do a lot that’s memorable, even though we get to know quite a bit about them.  But, even with the rather thin characterizations, there’s still enough excitement to be had with the central mystery.  Between the clues, the motives, and a certain sequence that changes everything that has come before, Johnson knows how to craft an enticing puzzle that’s as mysterious as the shadowy hallways of the setting.  With his work here, he continues to show that he’s a screenwriter who knows how to trick his audiences and demand that they pay attention.

Just like in the first movie, Johnson exhibits an ability to get you invested in the multi-layered enigma.  With the way he utilizes his environment, having cinematographer Steve Yedlin (who has lensed all of Johnson’s films) framing the architectural complexity of Miles’ house in such a way that puts us on edge, and using snappy editing by Bob Ducsay (another frequent collaborator of Johnson’s) to keep us on our toes as to what’s unfolding, Johnson creates a sense of danger mixed with a sense of whodunnit enjoyment.  This is seen particularly in the few minutes leading up to the murder, with the camerawork, editing, and sound design mixing well to prep us for what’s about to happen.  

After two movies in this series, Johnson has already become a modern Agatha Christie of cinema.  Whatever mystery he has in store for his next go-around, Johnson has left enough clues as to the sense of fun that we can expect in the future.

Grade: B+

Top 10 Movies of 2022

Mia Goth in "Pearl"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

10. Pearl - While director Ti West gave us the highly entertaining slasher throwback earlier in the year with “X,” his prequel, which focuses on that film’s villain, Pearl, elevated the already-great material.  This backstory takes place in 1918 and shows Pearl (Mia Goth) trying to become a movie star to escape a monotonous life on her parents’ farm.  As she becomes more obsessed with her goals, she’ll try to achieve them by any means necessary.  Goth provides a deeply disturbing performance of a farm girl who craves movie stardom and can’t imagine her life without having experienced it, all of which encapsulates in a captivating, long-take monologue that has Goth bear her character’s unsettling soul.  The screenplay by West and Goth is an engagingly deranged take on classic Hollywood, particularly in its twisted use of “Wizard of Oz” iconography and story beats.  It’s a narrative that adds plenty to the lore of “X,” showing layers to Pearl that were left a mystery in the previous film, all while adding some clever parallels between what Pearl and Maxine (Goth’s protagonist from “X”) experience in their respective films.  Aside from the scares, West is able to create considerable tension in the interactions between the characters, particularly those that happen between Pearl and her mother, deepening the drama to Pearl’s arc as the movie goes on.  West made two top-tier horror movies this year between “X” and “Pearl,” but he outdid himself with the latter.

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

9. Bones and All - One of my favorite first-time reads this year was Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel of the same name, so I was thrilled when director Luca Guadagnino managed to create an adaptation that respected the source material, which tells the story of two young cannibals, Maren and Lee (Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet) who travel around 1980s America and develop a relationship, all while Lee tries to teach Maren how to deal with the cannibalistic needs that she experiences.  Russell and Chamalet display strong chemistry as two lost souls who travel across America and build a relationship.  Meanwhile, Mark Rylance gives a chilling performance as a cannibal whom Maren meets on her travels before coming across Lee.  The screenplay by David Kajganich captures the haunting spirit of the source material and shows a command of the sprawling nature of DeAngelis’ novel.  He doesn’t deviate far from the events of the book, but still offers a few changes that work.  Although the movie has some pretty bloody moments, Guadagnino doesn’t linger on the gruesomeness for long in these scenes.  He makes sure that it’s not the violence that stays with us, but instead the loving relationship that develops between Maren and Lee.  This is a romance horror story that’s also a road film, and after you’ve traveled miles with Maran and Lee, the performances, writing, and directing make you feel like you really, really know them.

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

8. The Fabelmans - While we’ve had a few movies recently where directors tell semi-autobiographical stories, the latest to do so is none other than filmmaking icon Steven Spielberg.  His film tells the story of Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), who grows up in post-WWII Arizona and develops a love for movies, leading him on a path to follow his dream of becoming a film director.  LaBelle provides an emotional breakout performance of a young man who has an unstoppable drive to make his dreams a reality.  Also in the cast are Michelle Williams and Paul Dano as Sammy’s parents who try to provide a good life for their children, all while trying to work on their unstable marriage.  The screenplay by Spielberg and Tony Kushner is equal parts family drama and coming-of-age drama, shedding plenty of life on both Sammy’s familial problems and the pursuit of his artistic ambitions.  With many of Spielberg’s movies focusing on broken families in one way or another, that concept is front and center for his latest film, showing the impact that the tension in the family has on the characters.  Aside from being a poignant story, Spielberg’s cinematic reflection is also an inspirational one, and you’ll cherish the opportunity to see this journey of a budding filmmaker who we all know becomes one of the biggest success stories in his profession.

Geppetto (voiced by David Bradley) and 
Pinocchio (voiced by Gregory Mann) in
"Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

7. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio - If you’re going to do another adaptation of a classic story, you better make sure that it’s done with a unique voice, or voices, in this case.  That’s what happens with tremendous success for Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson’s (the latter of whom makes his feature directorial debut) stop-motion animated retelling of Carlo Collodi’s novel.  The story takes place in Fascist Italy, where Geppetto (David Bradley) carves a boy, who he names Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) out of wood after losing his son in an aerial bombardment.  Soon after, Pinocchio sets out into the world.  Bradley and Mann’s voice work makes you feel the deep connection between the two characters as Geppetto tries to protect Pinocchio from many dangers.  Meanwhile, Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, and Ron Perlman offer terrific performances for their memorable characters.  The screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale takes the basic outline of the story that we know and explores it from some fresh angles, offering an interpretation that doesn’t feel like just another adaptation.  Adding to the richness of the narrative are strikingly detailed settings and creature designs that emphasize a beautiful vision on display.  This is a bittersweet and enchanting adventure on which you must embark because to watch this movie is to see magic at work.   

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

6. Decision to Leave - Director Park Chan-wook is a master when it comes to building layers to a story that will keep you guessing and pull you in many directions.  He does this once again with his latest film, which follows an insomniac police detective (Park Hae-il) who becomes romantically involved with a woman (Tang Wei) who’s the prime suspect in his latest case.  The two leads elicit a great deal of mystery as their relationship becomes more complicated, showing not only how much they need each other, but also how bad they are for each other.  The screenplay by Chan-wook and Jeong Seo-kyeong brings you a story that offers such an enticing puzzle that you feel like you HAVE to see what happens, with the inescapability of Hae-il’s situation growing stronger as the movie continues.  Chan-wook’s directorial flourishes are on full display and are used to provide as many thrills as deep moments of contemplation as you try to figure out what might befall these characters.  With a mix of drama, mystery, and some surprising moments of humor, Chan-wook absorbs you in the enigmatic nature of the story that has many angles to dissect.  This movie begs your attention as you watch, and it begs to be seen.

Tom Cruise in "Top Gun: Maverick"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

5. Top Gun: Maverick - Nowadays, it’s hard to come by a big-budget blockbuster that’s both a legitimately well-made film and a crowd pleaser.  Director Joseph Kosinski’s continuation of Tony Scott’s “Top Gun” isn’t just one of the best films of 2022, but one of the best sequels in years.  The story continues more than 30 years after the original, with Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) being tasked with training a young group of naval pilots for a dangerous mission.  Cruise gives a performance that hits all of the unexpected emotional beats as well as it does his character’s action-hero courageousness, showing a wonderful mix of dramatic maturity and movie-star charisma.   The screenplay Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie offers a narrative that’s not only a thundering action story, but also one that provides a poignant journey for the main character where you see how he’s been shaped by his experiences.  Kosinski gives us some of the most exhilarating scenes of the year, having us slice through the skies with the pilots in breathtaking flight sequences that emphasize practical effects over barrages of CGI, making this feel like a rare modern blockbuster where you can see true craftsmanship go into the moviemaking.  When it comes to films exceeding expectations, this one flies higher than you could have hoped.

Alexander Skarsgård in "The Northman"
Photo Credit: Rotten Tomatoes.com

4. The Northman - After director Robert Eggers gave us two of the best horror films of the 2010s with “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse,” he changed gears and brought us his revenge epic, which tells the story of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) who sets out for revenge against his uncle (Claes Bang) after seeing him murder his father (Ethan Hawke) when he was a child.  Skarsgård gives a brutal and dramatic performance as a Viking warrior who will do whatever he can to exact his revenge.  Meanwhile, Anya Taylor-Joy, who had her breakout with “The Witch,” brings a mighty performance as a sorceress who helps Amleth on his journey, and singer-actress Björk makes a memorable impression with just one scene as a seeress.  Working with a much bigger canvas, Eggers makes a smooth transition from low-budget horror towards a grand, mythical scale.  With a screenplay that uses a classic vengeance setup peppered with a couple of surprising revelations, Eggers and cowriter Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson make the most of their story’s expansiveness and considerable list of characters.  Through stunning one-take fight sequences and a handling of the film’s mythological elements, Eggers shows why he’s one of our most exciting modern filmmakers.

Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and 
Ke Huy Quan in "Everything Everywhere
All at Once"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

3. Everything Everywhere All at Once - I don’t think anything prepared me for how out-of-the-box the new film by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert was going to be.  In their sci-fi multiverse comedy-drama, it got to the point where literally anything could happen.  The story follows Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a Chinese-American woman whose mundane life is changed forever when she’s chosen to save the world from an otherworldly threat.  Yeoh gives a wonderful performance that obviously shows how well of a dramatic actress she is, but it’s also a highlight to how ready she is to embrace the bonkers nature of the story.  She’s backed up by poignant supporting work from Stephanie Hsu as her daughter, and a career-reawakening performance from Ke Huy Quan as her husband.  While Kwan and Scheinert’s screenplay offers endless originality in terms of its joyfully outlandish premise, we also get an exploration of matters involving family and the meaning of life that offer the film’s dramatic heft, with the story never losing sight of them in between the action set-pieces.  As for those set pieces, Kwan and Scheinert prove that not all special-effects-driven acton scenes should be limited to big-budget films, with them showing how much they can do on a small budget.  With constant bursts of imagination at every turn, this was THE cinematic adventure of 2022.

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in 
"The Banshees of Inisherin"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

2. The Banshees of Inisherin - This very dark comedy may have a simple setup, but don’t let that deceive you, because the latest from writer-director Martin McDonagh is so much more.  The story follows Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) who’s told by his best friend, Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson), that he doesn’t want to be friends with him anymore.  From there, the ripples get bigger as Pádraic tries to salvage their longtime friendship.  Farrell gives one of the best performances of his career as a man who wouldn’t like anything more than to patch things up with Colm, while Gleeson is terrific as the stoic, set-in-his-ways Colm.  Meanwhile, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, who portray Pádraic’s sister and a troubled local boy, have very humorous performances that have moments of melancholy that mix well with the wit.  McDonagh creates a simple scenario and uses it as a way to not only explore his main characters, but to also bring us into the goings-on of the fictional island of Inisherin and show us the layers within the setting and its inhabitants.  His balance of tone is exceptional because, despite having tragic aspects, when he hits you with some humor, it really sticks.  There’s much to observe with these characters, and to be invited into their lives for two hours is an emotionally enriching experience.

Cate Blanchett in "Tár"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

1. Tár - Right from its lengthy opening scene, it doesn’t take long to realize that writer-director Todd Field’s latest film won’t be your typical character study.  The movie follows fictional, acclaimed composer and conductor Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) who soon experiences the slow destruction of her career after some unsettling allegations concerning her past are revealed.  Blanchett delivers a disquieting performance of someone who’s trying to do what she can to keep her life in order, even as the evidence mounts against her.  There are also two strong supporting performances from Noémie Merlant as Tár’s assistant and Nina Hoss as Tár’s concertmaster and wife.  The screenplay by Field is an unnerving character study of Tár, how she treats people who are close to her, how she has treated others in the past, and how she has maintained her career after many years.  With superb cinematography by Florian Hoffmeister, including a standout, 10-minute long take earlier in the movie, as well as a terrific use of the film’s expansive settings, Field shows total confidence in giving us his most ambitious movie yet, making the 16-year gap between this and his last film, “Little Children,” worth the wait.  Field has only directed three movie in 21 years, so one can only hope that he comes out with his next movie sooner rather than later because he has too much talent to direct a film this infrequently.