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| Glenn Howerton in "BlackBerry" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
BlackBerry - It turns out Ben Affleck’s “Air” isn’t the only great movie this year that focuses on a famous product. In director/co-writer Matt Johnson’s film, he tells the story of the making of the BlackBerry mobile phone and the tension that arises amongst the team, which includes co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton). Baruchel uses the nervous energy that we see in many of his comedies and translates that to the energy of a harried inventor trying to make the next big thing. It’s his best performance to date, and it’ll hopefully lead to more dramatic roles for him. Howerton gives a towering performance as an individual who demands the absolute best from his team and their creations, bringing forth a ruthless business-world persona. Johnson and Matthew Miller’s screenplay, which is based on Jacqui McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book “Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry,” brings us on a journey from the company’s inception in 1996 to their success in 2003 to their downfall in 2007 when they’re forced to compete with the advent of the iPhone, and each section keeps you enthralled at how this business managed its rise and fall. Johnson uses cinematography from Jared Raab that emphasizes closeups and shaky-cam as Lazaridis and his team work tirelessly to bring their company’s product to life and maintain their company. Although the story is about a business that fails in the end, this movie succeeds.
Grade: A
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| Michelle Williams and Hong Chau in "Showing Up" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
Showing Up - Kelly Reichardt is a writer-director who specializes in stories about working-class communities and the everyday challenges that they face. For her latest film, she tells the story of Lizzy (Michelle Williams), a sculptor living in Oregon who tries to put her art show together, all while dealing with other issues along the way. While Williams and Hong Chau, who plays a fellow artist and Lizzy’s landlord, Jo, do what they can with the material that they’re given, they don’t have much of a chance to do much that stands out to the viewer. Williams and Chau had a great 2022, with both of them receiving Oscar nominations for “The Fabelmans” and “The Whale,” respectively, so what you see of them in this film leaves you wanting because you know they could do so much more if they’re given deeper material with which to work. While you see a lot of how such an artistic community operates, that isn’t really enough to make up for the fact that there isn’t enough substance to the characters. I know Reichardt takes a minimalist approach to filmmaking, but it seems as though there could’ve been a few more layers to the screenplay, which Reichardt wrote with frequent collaborator, Jon Raymond. Her previous movie, the terrific “First Cow” (which was one of my top 10 favorite movies of 2020) had higher stakes and a more engaging character relationship at its center, and is an example of what Reichardt can do when she and Raymond give their characters more. Reichardt gave herself an interesting canvas with which to work; but there could’ve been something a little deeper.
Grade: C+
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| Teyana Taylor in "A Thousand and One" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
A Thousand and One - The best feature directorial debut that I’ve seen so far this year comes from writer-director A.V. Rockwell’s NYC-based drama. The story follows Inez (Teyana Taylor) who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry (Aaron Kingsley Adetola) out of the foster care system to raise him in an ever-changing city. Taylor delivers a gripping performance as a mother who’s trying to do right by her son and keep a roof over their heads. Will Catlett gives a poignant performance as Terry’s stepfather, sharing a couple of standout scenes when he’s bonding with him. And, the three actors who portray Terry (Adetola, Aven Courtney as Terry at age 13, and Josiah Cross as Terry at age 17) all exemplify the apprehension of growing up and trying to deal with circumstances that threaten their future. Rockwell’s screenplay does a beautiful job at chronicling the journey of Inez and Terry over 12 years, with each of the film’s three sections detailing the issues that they have at that point in their lives. This all leads to a heart-rending conclusion that makes you understand these characters more than you thought you did. As a director, Rockwell makes the movie feel very much of its time and place, having the story span from 1994 to 2006 and including audio cues of broadcasts that briefly detail what’s happening in the city at those times. It’s an emotional journey for Inez and Terry, but you’ll be glad you took the chance to follow them.
Grade: A
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| Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in "Asteroid City" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
Asteroid City - Throughout his career, Wes Anderson has given audiences several memorable comedies that audiences have enjoyed for over two decades, stories that’ve treated viewers to his distinct quirkiness with some moments of warmth. For his latest film, he provides a metatextual plot that simultaneously shows the events of a Junior Stargazer convention in 1955, with those events staged as a play, and the development of that play. As with many of Anderson’s films, this one is stacked with a talented cast, and each member is given a chance to be noticed. The cast is led by Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson, both of whom provide humorous, deadpan line delivery, while also showing some great emotional chemistry. As with some of Anderson’s other films, his screenplay utilizes specific literary motifs, with this story taking on the form of a play, having three acts and an epilogue. He creates an inventive scenario that becomes a look at the meaning of life and art, absorbing us in the plights of the characters in the play and the characters who are preparing that play. Anderson teams with his usual collaborators, such as cinematographer Robert Yeoman and composer Alexandre Desplat to bring his unique world to colorful life. With some of the most moving moments that Anderson has put to film (particularly one at the end of the behind-the-scenes storyline), this is easily one of his finest films. If you’re looking for something that’s vibrantly original in your summer moviegoing, “Asteroid City” has you covered.
Grade: A
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