A Love Triangle Has Tennis Players Caught in a Net of Romance

Mike Faist, Zendaya, and Josh O'Connor 
in "Challengers"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

When it comes to tennis, it’s hard to imagine there’s anything else for the spectator, other than just sitting in the stands simply watching a ball go back and forth on the court.  However, there’s a little more to it than that.  With tennis, you’re watching a game of constant movement as the players hustle from front to back and side to side as they chase the ball to get another swing at it.  To be in that environment, the energy and tension is fun to experience.

Director Luca Guadagnino captures all of that and much more in his romantic sports drama, “Challengers.”  With a trio of spark-inducing leads, a complex and emotional narrative, and some exciting technical work, we have the latest sports movie that can appeal to both fans of the game and everyday moviegoers.

Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) is a talented tennis player who retires early after a knee injury.  Now, her tennis-playing husband Art (Mike Faist), is staging a comeback, with the help of her coaching.  As he makes his way through a series of matches to the final face-off, he realizes he’ll have to go up against his former best friend, Patrick (Josh O’Connor), who also happens to be Tashi’s former boyfriend.

Zendaya gives an electric performance as a tennis star who exudes a competitive persona.  She exhibits unshakable fierceness when she’s on the court, showing the audience how committed she is to her game and won’t let anything stand in her way to greatness.  In the scenes that show the dramatic side to her character, we see someone where it’s obvious that tennis has become the core of who she is, someone who expresses her romanticized view of the game when she first meets Art and Patrick.  When it comes to those two characters, Zendaya has great chemistry with them.  Whether she’s working with one or both of them in a scene, Zendaya shows an attitude that shakes up the screen as Tashi maneuvers through the affections and eventual relationships of her suitors.

I can’t get into deep detail about the performances of Faist and O’Connor without going into spoilers with their character arcs, but I’ll say that they have terrific competitive energy as two players who are pitted against each other.  Whenever they share the screen, you can see the evolution of what was once a great friendship that has now turned into something very damaged.  As the film goes on, you can sense the strain getting tighter and tighter around their bond as their athletic kinship slowly starts taking a backseat to fierce animosity when their mutual love for Tashi corrodes the connection that they’ve built.

The screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes utilizes a non-linear narrative as an intriguing method to let us know the history behind these characters.  The way in which this story goes back and forth through time gives it the feeling of a tennis match as your attention is pulled between different moments of these characters’ lives.  This keeps us immersed throughout the film as we watch certain scenes play out, and then go back in time to see why such things happened the way they did.  This adds a depth to the frame story of the game between Art and Patrick, with Tashi sitting with the spectators and acting as the audience surrogate as she and the viewers watch the two former friends and analyze where it all went wrong.  The narrative offers plenty of time to set up the dramatic stakes, having us get to know the three characters who are involved in the love triangle, as well as how the relationships, both platonic and romantic, are created and dismantled as we get closer to the big match.

One of the strong points of the screenplay is how Kuritzkes uses many small details that appear and then return later on.  Not only do the multiple appearances of these details add layers to the narrative on a thematic level, but they also show how times have changed the characters.  These details take on bigger meanings when they pop up again, encouraging you to compare the first time and second time that they appear and what they all stand for in the greater scope of the story.

The cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom provides standout camerawork that adds to the tension both inside and outside of the tennis sequences.  He provides some excellent long takes, be they dramatically tense encounters or scenes on the court.  These scenes allow for the fullest emotion of the characters to unfold as their situations become more and more complicated, and the audience will watch a scene evolve from one thing into something else entirely.  One of the most memorable instances of Mukdeeprom’s cinematography comes near the end of the final match between Art and Patrick, when the camera shifts to the POV of the tennis ball as it continues to get hit across the court.  In a scene that’s already overflowing with energy, this brings some extra visual flair to the sequence as the match reaches a boiling point.

The editing by Marco Costa transitions between timelines with an abundance of ease.  Costa juggles several time periods in such a way that doesn’t lose the audience, but instead keeps us invested in the layers that are constantly being pulled back as we’re brought further into the past events that lead up to the frame story.

The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, as usual, comes loaded with a techno vibrancy that gets your blood pumping as you watch the tennis matches and the confrontations between the main characters.  Just like with the camerawork and editing, their music makes sure that the tension doesn’t abate when we’re off the tennis court, but continues as the trio of characters sorts through the difficulties that their relationships face when their competitiveness spirals out of control.

This is a movie that comes with an equal amount of drama and laughs.  Just as the editing does well with its switches between timelines, Guadagnino has an expert dexterity when going between the humor and emotion, the seriousness and witty awkwardness.  It’s a whirlwind of tones that Guadagnino is able to keep under control as he brings us through the increasing chaos of the personal and professional lives of the three main characters.  Even though this is a romantic drama at heart, Guadagnino certainly knows how to mix in some great sports action that will absorb the viewers into the game, staging it with a fine eye for movement that’ll make your heart race as the aggressiveness of the players grows with each serve.

For “Challengers,” Guadagnino has assembled a talented group that presents us a movie that’s about more than tennis.  He combines the abilities of the writer, actors, and technical crew to give us a romance-based sports film where you feel the weight of everything that’s being said and done to the characters.  Once the movie is over, you’ll see there isn’t anything that’s not left on the court.

Grade: A

The Darkest Night in Late-Night TV

David Dastmalchian in
"Late Night with the Devil"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Throughout the decades, movies have come out with some thought-provoking stories about television that show the effects such a medium can have on people, be they the viewers or those who are viewed.  One of the best movies to do this is Sidney Lumet’s masterpiece, “Network.”  However, we’ve also had brilliant TV-centric stories in movies like Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” Peter Weir’s “The Truman Show,” and David Cronenberg’s “Videodrome.”  Through these movies, we’ve had fascinating instances of one medium analyzing another, and to great effect in all of these cases.

Writers-directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes bring us their own look at television with the found-footage film, “Late Night with the Devil.”  Boasting a terrific lead performance, spooky visuals, and an unshakable atmosphere of dread, it all shows that there’s still life for the found-footage sub-genre within the bigger world of horror.

On Halloween night in 1977, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian), a once-popular talk-show host who’s experiencing a decline in ratings, decides to invite a possessed girl onto his show to gain more viewers.  What happens during the recording is a phenomenon that no one can explain.

Dastmalchian has impressed audiences in memorable supporting performances, but he now has a leading role where he can really show off his talents.  He pulls you in with talk-show-host excitement, but also has you wonder what’s lurking beneath his lights-and-cameras façade.  He inhabits the role of someone who’s humble at first to be in the spotlight, but will then do whatever he can for higher ratings.  As the film goes on, that character transition has Dastmalchian show someone who exhibits a hunger for survival in the late-night landscape, even though the survival for those around him is at risk.  It’s the type of performance where, despite being understated throughout, we really see the kind of person that this character is, and it speaks to the accomplished acting abilities that Dastmalchian has displayed over the years.

The supporting cast does a superb job in contributing to the unsettling atmosphere of the film.  There’s Laura Gordon as a parapsychologist and author; Fayssal Bazzi as a psychic; Rhys Auteri as Jack’s talk-show sidekick; and Josh Quong Tart as the show’s producer.  However, the two standouts are Ian Bliss as a magician turned skeptic and Ingrid Torelli as a young woman who’s possessed by the devil.  Bliss is a lot of fun to watch as a pompous individual who’ll do whatever he can to prove himself right in his supernatural doubts.  Seeing him butt heads with those around him has humor to it, but also plenty of tension as you remain on edge to see where this will all go.  Meanwhile, Torelli is very unsettling when portraying her character, speaking with an innocent tone of voice that hints at it just being an act put on by the evil lurking beneath, all while looking into the camera with a chilling, vacant stare.  With this, Torelli perfectly conveys a possessed individual without overplaying it.

The screenplay by the Cairnes duo goes back and forth from the on-air footage and the behind-the-scenes hustle and bustle during the commercial breaks, giving us a full view of what the audience sees and the damage control that takes place in the background as things get more and more out of hand.  However, before we get to that, the narrative provides a documentary-like prologue that gives us an idea of who Jack Delroy is as a TV star and who he is in his private life.  All of this is an enticing setup that offers a look into the type of person he might be and keeps you guessing as to how certain aspects of his troubled past will play a role in the present.  The film offers plenty for each character to do, with the story providing many tense interactions between them that grow into something more as the film goes on.  Throughout all of this, we’re presented with a disquieting look into the heart of the main character and what people are willing to exploit in order to get what they want.

As directors, the Cairnes show a terrific eye for detail in recreating the ‘70s talk-show setting, in both the art direction and costume design.  It all gives you a sense of watching TV during this era and seeing the chaos unfold.  Aside from visual effects that joyfully call to mind the low-budget wizardry of sci-fi and horror films from that decade, this movie also utilizes memorable practical effects in certain instances, helping to highlight the hand-made movie magic of the decade in which this film takes place.  Even though it may be easy to dismiss the found-footage aesthetic as being overdone after the last 15 years gave us many such films, this filmmaking duo keeps things fresh by not only offering a strong sense of time and place, but also by getting very believable performances out of their cast, performances that make you feel like you’re watching an authentic broadcasting at times.

It’s been eight years since the Cairnes brothers’ last movie, “Scare Campaign,” was released, and we hopefully won’t have to wait that long for their next film.  But, without a doubt, I’m sure audiences will stay tuned after the break.

Grade: A

A Prophecy Unfolding, a Religious War on the Horizon

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in 
"Dune: Part Two"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

In 2021, director Denis Villeneuve added another entry to his stunning work of sci-fi cinema with the first part of his adaptation of “Dune,” which is based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert.  Despite this once being seen as an unadaptable book, Villeneuve delivered a film that captured the spirit and complex mythology of the novel, while still making it palatable for those who didn’t read it.  Given what was seen in this film, the possibilities were endless as to what Villeneuve could do once it came time to film the second movie.

With “Dune: Part Two,” he brings us what may not only be one the best sequels ever made, but one of the best films in the sci-fi genre, crafting a movie that’s loaded with rich, memorable performances, a screenplay that respects the source material, and technical craft that continues to bring Herbert’s creation to pulsing, heart-pounding life.

After the events of the first film, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are on the run with a group of people known as the Fremen, venturing through the harsh conditions of the desert planet of Arrakis.  With their alliance, they’ll engage in a war with House Harkonnen that will change the course of their civilization.

Chalamet, while great in the first installment, evolves his character even further to give us a morally complicated protagonist whose motives become even more questionable as the film goes on.  There’s a strong sense of untapped power simmering beneath Paul as he gets closer to his destiny.  Even if you’ve read the book and know the direction in which his character will go, Chalamet still manages to keep you on edge as you witness his future unfold and he’s torn between how he should handle his new role as a leader.  This is engaging work from Chalamet that has a dark regality to it that matches the epic nature of the story, going between quick bursts of emotion and an intimidating sternness that has you unable to take your eyes off him.  Chalamet gives it his all and proves why he’s one of the most talented actors of his generation, and if the rumored adaptation of the second book in the series, “Dune Messiah,” does happen, I’m sure Chalamet will continue to build on his character in ways that capture the substance of Herbert’s intriguing protagonist.

Zendaya, who has a much larger role in this film compared to the first film, is wonderful to watch as Chani, a Fremen freedom fighter who expresses an unwavering grit when it comes to protecting her people.  She portrays a fascinating arc that unfolds alongside Paul, and while Zendaya and Chalamet have superb romantic chemistry (particularly a quiet heart-to-heart scene atop a sand dune at sunset), the meat of their emotional bond comes when they’re at odds with the direction in which Paul is headed.  As Chalamet’s character decides to embrace his duty, Zendaya grabs your attention as Chani shows a strong opposition that adds layers to their relationship and promises more complexity in possible future installments.

Just like Chalamet, Ferguson delivers a character whose complexities mirror that of Paul’s as their places in the prophecy become more defined.  Ferguson displays Lady Jessica’s transformation to chilling effect, with circumstances arising that turn her into a religious-type figure who can command a room with just a glare.  As a figure who wants to make sure her son’s destiny is fulfilled, Ferguson exhibits Lady Jessica’s now-questionable ideals to disquieting effect, emphasizing a power to make sure her will is done.

This movie has several exciting new additions to its ludicrously talented cast, but Austin Butler is the standout as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen’s (Stellen Skarsgård) psychotic nephew, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.  Butler gives a disturbing performance as a warrior who promises death to those who cross him, making you sink back into your seat in order to be as far away from him as possible.  Right from his first scene, Butler dives deep into the crazed nature of his character, promising a villain that will drench the screen with his bloodlust.

As for the rest of the cast, the other returning members include Skarsgård as the Baron; Josh Brolin as Paul’s mentor, Gurney Halleck; Dave Bautista as the Baron’s other nephew, Glossu Rabban Harkonnen; Charlotte Rampling as Gaius Helen Mohiam, a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother; and Javier Bardem as Stilgar, a Fremen tribal leader.  The remaining newcomers include Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan; Christopher Walken as her father, Emperor Shaddam IV; Léa Seydoux as Lady Margot Fenring, a Bene Gesserit; and Souheila Yacoub as Shishakli, a Fremen warrior and friend of Chani’s.  This is a cast that understands the essence of each character, fleshing out a world where we see many engrossing interactions between these figures as each alliance moves its pieces further into a war that’ll engulf them.

The screenplay by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, who were two of three screenwriters on the first film, deliver an even more dense adaptation as the film delves further into the political intrigue and religious/philosophical explorations that were set in place in the last film.  Despite that density, the screenwriters are careful as they lay down the details of the different groups of people and their cultures, helping us to understand how the characters view the events that are taking place and what it all means for the rest of the story.  This installment has a runtime that’s over two and a half hours, which offers plenty of breathing room to expand what came before, and you feel the significance of every minute.  The screenwriters have full control over the mammoth canvas of the source material, juggling the many characters and locations to impressive effect that compliment the novel’s epic storytelling.  They offer vivid character moments and write striking action scenes, bringing us back and forth between these two aspects in such a way that there’s an equal amount of power between the emotional arcs displayed by the cast members and the visceral energy of the battle sequences.

Just as cinematographer Greig Fraser did with the previous film, he captures the beauty and horror of the worlds from Herbert’s depthless imagination.  These are visuals that demand to be seen in a theater so that you can experience the colossal depth and detail of what’s presented.  Whether it’s the treacherous deserts of Arrakis, the tranquil grounds of the Emperor’s kingdom, or the deathly gloom of the House Harkonnen territory, we remain absorbed in the enveloping imagery of these environments.  In what may be one of the most visually impressive scenes that Fraser and Villeneuve have put together in their careers, they use black-and-white infrared cameras during a jaw-dropping gladiatorial sequence, which acts as an introduction to Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen’s character.  Here, you’re transported into the imposing arena that doesn’t hold a shred of hope for those who have to go up against Feyd-Rautha, and it’s a game-changer of a scene that will have you wondering what the rest of the movie could possibly have in store.  Let me assure you: the movie is one long ascension in terms of its visual beauty.

Hans Zimmer returns from the previous film and tops himself with a score that’s absolutely thunderous, immersing you in the atmosphere of the gargantuan sights.  His score speaks so much for what’s going on, that there are times where you think you might not even need dialogue and that the images can just get by on the music, such is the magnitude of his score.

Joe Walker comes back as the editor, making a film where you feel the length, but that’s certainly not a bad thing.  Even as we learn new things and have to keep up with it all, he maintains the flow of the movie as we move through the narrative.  It’s slow enough to allow us to absorb everything, but also fast enough to keep the excitement and intrigue going.  It’s a perfect type of flow that’s befitting for a sci-fi epic, just as he did for the first installment and Villeneuve’s “Arrival.”

With “Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049,” and his “Dune” films, Villeneuve has become one of our preeminent modern sci-fi directors.  The sense of scope that he brings to this massive adventure will leave you shaken as you’re thrown further into the mythology of this universe.  With this book being very difficult to adapt, it feels as though Villeneuve was born to make this movie, a film that will surely stand as the definitive adaptation.  He’s a filmmaker whose penchant for balancing spectacle and complex storytelling has worked wonders for “Dune,” and he makes sure to get impactful performances out of his cast that reflect the vastness of the film that they inhabit.  And, when it comes to the behind-the-scenes talent of Fraser’s cinematography, Zimmer’s score, and Walker’s editing, it’s a convergence of masters that makes you think this film couldn’t be made any other way, that this is the way it’s supposed to look and feel.

This installment puts even more enticing pieces into place that promise a further big-screen future for Herbert’s books, with Villeneuve planning to adapt the aforementioned “Dune Messiah.”  It’s difficult to consider how any other film in this series could top “Dune: Part Two,” but if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s Villeneuve.  The deserts that he depicts overflow with cinematic life, and I can't even imagine what’s going to thrive there next.

Grade: A

Predictions for the 96th Academy Awards

Best Supporting Actor: Sterling K. Brown - “American Fiction”; Robert De Niro - “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Robert Downey Jr. - “Oppenheimer”; Ryan Gosling - “Barbie”; Mark Ruffalo - “Poor Things”

Robert Downey Jr. in "Oppenheimer"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Will Win and Should Win: Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer” - For his stunning work as US Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Lewis Strauss, Downey has had a lot of luck with both critics groups and the major award ceremonies.  Over the last couple of months, he has won the Golden Globe, Critics' Choice Award, BAFTA (British Academy Film and Television Award), and Screen Actors Guild Award.  It’s a performance that shows Downey can still deliver tremendous work outside of his decade-long tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’ll leave you yearning to see what he brings us next.  This is Downey’s third Oscar nomination, and it’ll definitely lead him to the gold statue on Oscar night.

Best Supporting Actress: Emily Blunt - “Oppenheimer”; Danielle Brooks - “The Color Purple”; America Ferrera - “Barbie”; Jodie Foster - “Nyad”; Da’Vine Joy Randolph - “The Holdovers”

Da'Vine Joy Randolph in "The Holdovers"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Will Win and Should Win: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers” - Randolph is another performer this year who has been earning considerable recognition from critics groups and the big awards shows.  Just like Downey Jr., she has come out on top at the four most significant ceremonies that lead to the Oscars, and it couldn’t have been happening to a more deserving actress.  For her poignant and humorous work as a boarding-school cafeteria worker grieving the loss of her son during the Vietnam War, Randolph warmed our hearts in what will surely become a Christmas classic in the years to come.  Expect the Academy to have her first nomination become her first win.

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper - “Maestro”; Colman Domingo - “Rustin”; Paul Giamatti - “The Holdovers”; Cillian Murphy - “Oppenheimer”; Jeffrey Wright - “American Fiction”

Cillian Murphy in "Oppenheimer"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Will Win and Should Win: Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer” - As a veteran supporting actor of several Christopher Nolan film’s, Murphy was given the lead role in the director’s biographical drama, and he delivered one of the most mammoth performances of the year as the titular theoretical physicist who created the atomic bomb.  Murphy’s galvanizing portrayal has given him quite a bit of fortune with the critics groups, and he made a big splash at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and SAG Awards.  This is Murphy’s first nomination, and the work that he put into this role will be more than enough to carry him to the Dolby Theater stage.

Best Actress: Annette Bening - “Nyad”; Lily Gladstone - “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Sandra Hüller - “Anatomy of a Fall”; Carey Mulligan - “Maestro”; Emma Stone - “Poor Things”

Lily Gladstone in 
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Will Win: Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon” - While the other three acting categories have clear winners, Best Actress is where things get a little interesting.  For the whole awards season, this was a race between Gladstone as Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese’s true-story western, and Stone as a resurrected woman in Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi comedy-drama.  For Stone, not only has she done well with some of the critics groups, but she has also won the Golden Globe for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, the Critics’ Choice Award, and the BAFTA.  Meanwhile, Gladstone came out on top with many critics groups and won Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globes and Best Actress at the SAG Awards, the latter of which could be pretty telling in terms of the direction in which this race is headed.  Gladstone has capped off the best year of her career with her first Oscar nomination, and unless Stone manages to pull off a win, the trophy is Gladstone’s.

Emma Stone in "Poor Things"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Should Win: Emma Stone, “Poor Things” - If there were to be a tie in this category between Stone and Gladstone, I’d welcome it because it was near impossible for me to pick which of their performances I’d like to see win at the Oscars.  As much as I loved both performances, I have to say that Stone edges out Gladstone for me.  Stone gave such an endearing and entertaining performance as Bella Baxter, a woman who’s reintroduced to the world when given a second chance at life, and the way in which Stone pulls off Bella’s progression as she attempts to re-grasp speech and proper physical mobility is fascinating to watch.  This is the most adventurous performance of Stone’s career, and seeing her win for her magnificent work will be one of the best moments of the night.

Best Director: Jonathan Glazer - “The Zone of Interest”; Yorgos Lanthimos - “Poor Things”; Christopher Nolan - “Oppenheimer”; Martin Scorsese - “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Justine Triet - “Anatomy of a Fall”

Christopher Nolan, director of "Oppenheimer"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Will Win and Should Win: Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer” - For his work on a crowning achievement in narrative and technical filmmaking, Nolan has received his second Best Director nomination, and it couldn’t be more obvious that he’ll win the top prize.  He has had spectacular outcomes with the critics groups, and he has won Best Director at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, BAFTAs, and the Director’s Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing - Feature Film.  In what was the best film of the year, and one of the best of the decade so far, Nolan took a huge cast and sprawling historical account and made a three-hour biographical drama that moved along at the pace of a thriller.  This is astonishing work from a director who keeps managing to find new ways to amaze moviegoers, and although all five nominees represent towering accomplishments in their filmmaking skills, Nolan rises above the competition and will win the much-deserved statue for his monumental epic.

Best Picture: “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Oppenheimer,” “Past Lives,” “Poor Things,” “The Zone of Interest”

"Oppenheimer"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Will Win and Should Win: “Oppenheimer” - 2023 was a top-notch year for film, with many people giving the best work of their careers, be they actors, directors, or writers.  However, “Oppenheimer” was the movie this year that stood above the rest.  Everything about this film screamed the need to see it on a big screen, between its army of amazing performances, mesmerizing story, grand direction, and grand-scale production values.  This was an event movie that impressed with its equal amount of entertainment and artistic value, an aspect that has become synonymous with Nolan’s movies.  Up to this point, “Oppenheimer” has won Best Picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards and BAFTAs, Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes, Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards, and the Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.  Also, the film has the most Oscar nominations with 13, having a nice spread throughout top-of-the-line and below-the-line categories.  This is the year of “Oppenheimer,” and it’s going to finish it off in superb fashion.

Be sure to catch the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m. EST and 4:00 p.m. PST on ABC.

Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2023

Sandra Hüller in "Anatomy of a Fall"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

10. Anatomy of a Fall - If there’s one film in 2023 that could spark fervent debates after it ends, it’s director Justine Triet’s challenging courtroom thriller.  The story follows Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller), who tries to prove her innocence after her husband’s death at their isolated mountain house.  Hüller delivers a powerhouse performance that shows how strongly her character adheres to her innocence, and she makes her role compelling enough to always have us study her to see if she has any tells that could prove otherwise.  The screenplay by Triet and Arthur Harari offers plenty of drama both in and out of the courtroom, providing a view into the life of the defendant.  With the many details that come out of the trial, the story keeps the viewer going back and forth as to whether or not we believe Sandra, and we’re driven into a whirlwind of speculation as many people are brought in to give their opinions on whether they think Sandra had anything to do with her husband’s death.  It’s an intriguing character study as we find out newer and newer aspects as to the background of Sandra’s marriage, but we still always feel in the dark because we’re always assuming that there are things being kept from us, and that’s what keeps you invested.  “Anatomy of a Fall” doesn’t offer easy answers, and it’ll be poking at your brain for days after watching it.

Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in "Past Lives"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

9. Past Lives - Writer-director Celine Song’s feature filmmaking debut is one of the most genuine romances that I’ve seen in a while.  Her movie follows Nora Moon (Greta Lee) and Hae Song (Teo Yoo), who were childhood sweethearts in South Korea before Nora and her family emigrated to Toronto.  Twenty-four years later, they must figure out their futures when Hae Sung travels to reconnect with Nora, who’s now living in New York City.  Lee offers a complicated performance of someone who shows the heartrending dilemma of not knowing whether to keep living her life in NYC with her husband (John Magaro), or restart what she had with Hae Sung.  Meanwhile, Yoo provides beautiful work as someone who thrusts himself into a new world to see his friend, hoping for them to fall in love again, despite knowing that Nora has built a new life with another man.  Song’s screenplay deftly goes between the different time periods of the main characters’ lives, giving us plenty of context for how much they connected when they were children, which provides the groundwork for the emotional heft that comes later on.  Through Song’s tracking shots that have the warmth and uncertainty of this couple unfold, she and cinematographer Shabier Kirchner construct an atmosphere that floats between melancholic and joyful, making this an emotional journey that you must take.  This movie may be called “Past Lives,” but as you watch it, you’ll feel very much in the moment.

Miles Morales/Spider-Man (Shameik Moore)
in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - This animated adventure joins the ranks of sequels that are even better than their original.  Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson continue the story of Miles Morales/Spider-Man (Shameik Moore), who does his best to balance his life as a superhero and high-school student.  When he’s faced with a new villain called The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), he teams up with Spider-People from other universes to bring him down.  Moore provides a vocal performance that builds on what he gave in the previous film, “Into the Spider-Verse,” showing a character who’s maturing and faced with choices that are more difficult than what he’s encountered before.  Alongside Moore are Hailee Steinfeld and Oscar Isaac, who give poignant voice work as Gwen Stacey/Spider-Gwen and Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099.  The screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham does a stellar job at expanding what came before by bringing us several new characters, vibrant settings, and rich emotion in Miles’ ongoing journey.  This is an ambitious script that doesn’t feel bloated in the least, but is instead in full control of its grand-scale elements.  Meanwhile, directors Dos Santos, Powers, and Thompson heighten the groundbreaking animation of the first film to display something that’s truly spectacular.   Boasting an abundance of thrilling action and hard-hitting drama, this is a superhero movie that holds a massive vision, and you’ll be engrossed with every frame.

Christian Friedel in "The Zone of Interest"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

7. The Zone of Interest - A moviegoing experience that you won’t be able to shake for a while is this unsettling historical drama from writer-director Jonathan Glazer, which is based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis.  The movie follows Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), a husband and father who tries to provide an idyllic life for his family in their home, which is next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.  Friedel is very disquieting as a Nazi officer who nonchalantly goes about his day-to-day murderous duties, while Sandra Hüller, as his wife, Hedwig, is just as unnerving as a woman whose only concern is maintaining their peaceful existence.  The screenplay by Glazer narrows the larger scope of Amis’ novel and focuses on just Höss’ family and their home life for most of the runtime, and it works to tremendous effect.   This approach allows us to see the small details of the family’s daily life, details that speak to the bigger picture of what’s happening beyond the walls of the ill-gotten Eden at the center of the story.  Through Łukasz Żal’s restrained camerawork, Mica Levi’s chilling score, and Johnnie Burn’s sound design that mixes what you hear both inside and outside the walls bordering the Höss’ property, Glazer brings us a chilling view of the evil that carried out these crimes against humanity and the haunting casualness of those who benefited from their wartime gains.  When this film ends, you’ll feel it lingering like a ghost.

Emma Stone in "Poor Things"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

6. Poor Things - When you’re given a new Yorgos Lanthimos movie, you always know you’re going to get something that’s distinct, both in terms of visuals and performances.  Lanthimos’ bold vision is greatly utilized in this adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel.  It tells the story of Bella (Emma Stone), a dead woman who, after being resurrected by an eccentric surgeon, Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), sets out on worldly adventures of self-discovery with a smitten lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo).  Stone gives a performance where she fully commits to the strangeness of the scenario, making us laugh at her physical comedy and line deliveries, but also diving into the character’s existential side as she learns more about life.  Ruffalo is hilarious as the controlling, yet inept Wedderburn, and Dafoe is powerfully solemn as Godwin.  The screenplay by Tony McNamara is a superb adaptation of the source material, maintaining the scope and heart of Gray’s strange and beautiful adventure, all while capturing Bella’s fascinating character development.  Meanwhile, Lanthimos and his team craft a steampunk aesthetic that results in some of cinema’s most uniquely designed environments of the last few years, resulting in art direction and camerawork that are more than deserving of a theatrical setting.   This movie’s a stunning achievement by everyone involved, absorbing you in the complex details of the world that unfolds in front of Bella.  And, just like her, you’ll be left in awe.

Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and 
Paul Giamatti in "The Holdovers"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

5. The Holdovers - You couldn’t find a more loving, tender comedy-drama from 2023 that could top director Alexander Payne’s Christmas-set story.  In 1970, New England boarding school teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is charged with taking care of a handful of students who don’t have anywhere to go during Christmas break.  As time goes on, he and troubled student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) begin to understand each other and build an unexpected friendship.  Giamatti delivers a funny, compassionate performance as a by-the-books instructor who learns to loosen up.  Sessa provides terrific breakout work as one of the left-behind students.  Then, there’s Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who gives an emotional performance peppered with some wit, portraying the head of the cafeteria staff who’s grieving the recent loss of her son during the Vietnam War.  The screenplay by David Hemingson offers engaging characters with whom it's a pleasure to spend time, allowing us into their personal lives as they build humorous and emotional bonds.  Meanwhile, Payne is careful to not let the poignancy become overly sentimental, but rather makes it all feel very real as the three main characters go through the highs and lows of where they are in their lives at the moment.  This movie has all of the makings of a Christmas classic, and it’ll surely reach that status in the future.

Ryunosuke Kamiki in "Godzilla: Minus One"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

4. Godzilla: Minus One - Given the countless movies that’ve been made about the iconic atomic creature, I never would’ve believed you if you said that his latest outing would be one of the best films of the year.  And yet, writer-director Takashi Yamazaki delivers a big, special-effects spectacle that, just like the 1954 original, shows these types of movies can also excel with compelling characters and a hard-hitting story, which takes place in post-WWII Japan as Godzilla rises to wreak destruction.  Ryunosuke Kamiki gives a superb performance as a kamikaze pilot suffering from survivor’s guilt and trying to do what he can to prove himself when he and his new minesweeper crew are challenged by Godzilla.  The screenplay by Yamazaki gives the movie a story that’s not all about the titular monster and special-effects sequences, but one that is also committed to focusing on engaging characters in a heartbreaking story that exhibits the sense of loss that everyone feels.  Yamazaki films the human drama just as well as he writes it, all while providing big-scale creature scenes that display how far visual effects have come in terms of showcasing Godzilla on screen.  This makes the film everything that a science-fiction movie should be and shows why the titular beast has endured over the decades.  Even though this is the 33rd movie in the Toho Studios “Godzilla” franchise, Yamazaki doesn’t make this an auto-pilot effort.  Instead, what he has made is a monstrous achievement.

Mahito Maki (Luca Padovan) and The Grey
Heron (Robert Pattinson) in
"The Boy and the Heron"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com 

3. The Boy and the Heron - After Hayao Miyazaki’s 10-year hiatus, it was a warm, cinematic welcome-back as he gave us another poignant and magical adventure that further cements why he’s the best director working today in animation.  He brings us into WWII Japan on a journey with young Mahito Maki (Luca Padovan), who’s led into a strange world by a mysterious Grey Heron (Robert Pattinson).  The entire voice cast, which also includes Karen Fukuhara, Gemma Chan, Christian Bale, Florence Pugh, and more, give their characters the power that such a mystical story deserves, but Pattinson is the standout.  He renders himself unrecognizable with what he does with his voice, bringing us an intriguing character who eases us into its extraordinary world.  Miyazaki’s screenplay delivers his usual inventiveness when it comes to the characters and scenarios that he constructs.  It’s a grand, intricate fairy-tale that comes loaded with the imagination for which Miyazaki is known, letting his story unfurl in such a way that allows us to absorb the details of his meticulously built mythology, while also maintaining a thrilling unpredictability of what might happen on Mahito’s quest.  As always, Miyazaki supports his larger-than-life stories with epic-scale animation that demands to be seen on a big screen, gifting viewers with astonishing visuals that show why Miyazaki’s work in animation is unmatched.  As is the trend that’s been set with his other movies, this one won’t leave you anything less than enchanted.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone in
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

2. Killers of the Flower Moon - In the most recent film from director Martin Scorsese, he tackles the Western genre for the first time, where he chronicles the events behind a series of deaths involving affluent Native Americans in Oklahoma’s Osage Nation in the early 20th century, after their tribe gains vast wealth from oil that’s found under their land.  Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of his most challenging roles to date as Ernest Burkhart, a man who falls to the corruption of evil at the hands of his uncle, William Hale (Robert De Niro).  Lily Gladstone gives an outstanding performance as Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman whose family is one of the main targets of the killings.  Meanwhile, De Niro offers a quietly venomous performance as William Hale, the orchestrator of the murders.  The screenplay by Scorsese and Eric Roth captures the scope of David Grann’s 2017 book, displaying an ability to share its focus on the many characters and events that unfolded in the source material and making every part of the three-and-a-half-hour runtime seem necessary.  Working with his usual collaborators, both in front of and behind the camera, Scorsese brings tension and poignancy in a movie that never lags, but keeps a pace that allows us to get a full view of all the factors within this tragic story.  As someone who thrives on bringing us complex epics, Scorsese has outdone himself, yet again.

Cillian Murphy in "Oppenheimer"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

1. Oppenheimer - Christopher Nolan is one of the most ambitious movie directors in modern cinema, and his latest film is a colossal achievement.  Here, Nolan tells the story of American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and the creation of the atomic bomb.  Murphy, who has been in supporting roles in several of Nolan’s other films, delivers an understated, yet mammoth performance as a scientist on the brink of a world-changing breakthrough.  He’s backed up by a stacked and thunderous supporting cast where everyone makes the absolute most out of their screen time, whether it be several scenes or just a few minutes.  The screenplay by Nolan, which is based on the book “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, juggles three timelines with expert ease, showing us the preparation of the bomb, Oppenheimer’s security hearing afterward, and the senate confirmation hearing of Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), who tried to bring about Oppenheimer’s downfall.  While this movie is one that lives on its dialogue-heavy approach, your attention will never falter because of how engrossingly each scene transpires amongst the film’s army of memorable characters.  Meanwhile, Nolan uses his behind-the-scenes team to have an epic, three-hour biographical film move along like a fast-paced thriller.  This was a towering moviegoing experience, and when we look back on Nolan’s filmography years from now, this is the one that could very well be seen as his magnum opus.

2023 Movie Catchup

Before I finalize the list for my top 10 favorite movies of 2023, I decided to do a bit of catching up over the last month.  Given how many movies I had to see, I didn’t have much time to write full reviews.  So, here are some mini reviews for those films.

Carey Mulligan and Bradley Cooper in
"Maestro"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Maestro - After actor Bradley Cooper made his stunning directorial debut in 2018 with his remake of “A Star is Born,” I couldn’t wait to see what his filmmaking followup would be.  For his second go-around behind the camera, Cooper remains with music-centered narratives for a biopic about American conductor and composer, Leonard Bernstein, taking on the role.  Cooper displays a strong passion for portraying this icon, particularly in the music scenes, such as the standout sequence where he conducts an orchestra at the Ely Cathedral in England.  Carey Mulligan plays his wife, actress Felicia Montealegre, and has an effortless magnetic charm to her that absorbs you right into her character.  Together, Cooper and Mulligan have wonderful chemistry as they build upon their love, only to then traverse shaky ground.  The screenplay by Cooper and Josh Singer is, unfortunately, the weak link in the film.  At just two hours, the film feels like it should’ve been longer, so as to really do justice to Bernstein’s history.  Also, as captivating as the love story is between Leonard and Felicia, it tends to overshadow whatever focus the film has on Bernstein’s lasting legacy on music.  If the movie was longer, the script could’ve struck more of a balance between these two aspects.  However, just as with “A Star is Born,” Cooper’s direction boasts wonderful production values, between “Star is Born” cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s gorgeous black-and-white camerawork for the segments of the film that take place earlier in Bernstein’s life, and Kevin Thompson and Rena DeAngelo’s impeccable production design that captures the different time periods of the film.  While this movie may be a bit of a step down from Cooper’s directorial debut as a whole, the highlights nevertheless keep you excited for what he might helm next. 

Grade: B

Sandra Hüller in "Anatomy of a Fall"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Anatomy of a Fall - If there’s one film from 2023 that could spark fervent debates after it ends, it’s director Justine Triet’s challenging courtroom thriller.  The story follows Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller) who tries to prove her innocence after her husband’s death at their isolated mountain house.  Hüller delivers a powerhouse performance that shows how strongly her character adheres to her guiltlessness, and she makes her role compelling enough to always have us study her to see if she has any tells that could prove otherwise.  Milo Machado Graner, who plays Sandra’s blind son, Daniel, offers a heartbreaking portrayal as a young boy who’s thrown into the frenzy of the murder trial and is confronted with whether or not to help his mom win her case.  The screenplay by Triet and Arthur Harari offers plenty of drama both in and out of the courtroom, providing a view into the lives of the defendant and her son.  After an enticing setup, we’re driven into a whirlwind of speculation as many people are brought in to give their opinions on if they think Sandra had anything to do with her husband’s death, having us go back and forth in terms of whether or not we believe in Sandra’s innocence.  This is a thrilling character study as we keep finding out details concerning the background of Sandra’s marriage.  No matter if it’s the tense moments in the courthouse or at Sandra’s home (the film mainly takes place at these two locations), Triet holds you in the power of the movie as everything that we learn keeps coming undone as new revelations come forward.  This is a film that doesn’t offer easy answers, and it’ll be poking at your brain for days after watching it.

Grade: A

Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in "Past Lives"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Past Lives - Writer-director Celine Song’s feature filmmaking debut is one of the most genuine romances that I’ve seen in a while.  Her movie follows Nora Moon (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), who were childhood sweethearts in South Korea before Nora and her family emigrated to New York City.  Twenty-four years later, they must figure out their futures when Hae Sung travels to America to reconnect with Nora.  Lee offers a complicated performance of someone who shows the poignancy of not knowing whether to keep living her life in NYC with her husband (John Magaro), or restart what she had with Hae Sung.  Meanwhile, Yoo provides beautiful work as someone who thrusts himself into a new world to see his friend, hoping for them to fall in love again, despite knowing that Nora has built a new life with another man.  Song’s semi-autobiographical screenplay deftly goes between the different time periods of the main characters’ lives, giving us enough context for how much they connected when they were children and providing the groundwork for the emotional heft that comes later on.  Through long takes that have the warmth and uncertainty of this couple unfold, Song and cinematographer Shabier Kirchner construct an atmosphere that’s both melancholic and life-affirming, making this an emotional journey that you must take.  Don’t write this off as a simple sweethearts-reconnect narrative because there’s a lot more to it than that.  Even if the love might or might not be reciprocated between the two main characters, there’s still so much love put into this film that will have your eyes glued to the screen as Nora and Hae Sung become reacquainted and open up to each other.  This movie may be called “Past Lives,” but as you watch it, you’ll feel very much in the moment. 

Grade: A

Michael Fassbender in "The Killer"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

The Killer - While David Fincher has given us films like the fantasy drama “The Curious Case of Benjamin” and the biographical films “The Social Network” and “Mank,” most of his filmography consists of unsettling, and oftentimes brutal, thrillers.  His latest is an adaptation of the French graphic novel series by Alexis “Matz” Nolent and Luc Jacamon.  The story follows a nameless assassin (Michael Fassbender) who goes on a globetrotting quest for vengeance after a hit goes wrong.  Fassbender delivers a performance of an individual who has a calculating persona and a ruthlessness to him that helps his character maintain his captivating aura.  The screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker, who wrote the script for Fincher’s “Seven,” teams up with the director once again after 25 years.  The narrative includes quite a bit of narration, which can sometimes bog the movie down with the main character's pretentious philosophical musings and repetition of his mantra.  Aside from that, there’s nevertheless a surprising, low-key sense of humor throughout the film that makes for a darkly witty pairing with the stoic nature of Fassbender’s character.  Fincher offers plenty of tension whenever the assassin prepares for a hit, especially in the film’s heart-pounding opening sequence.  With previous collaborators, such as cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, editor Kirk Baxter, and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Fincher uses their talents to absorb us right into the settings of the film to construct a thriller whose atmosphere makes you feel the unrelenting coldness that gets a hold of every scene.  Fincher’s “The Killer” might not always be on target, but with the technical craftsmanship and fine acting, there’s enough to encourage you to follow this mission to the end.

Grade: B

Christian Friedel in "The Zone of Interest"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

The Zone of Interest - A moviegoing experience that you won’t be able to shake for a while is this unsettling historical drama from writer-director Jonathan Glazer, which is based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis.  The story follows Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), a husband and father who tries to provide an idyllic life for his family in their home, which is next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.  Friedel is very disquieting as a Nazi officer who nonchalantly goes about his day-to-day murderous duties.  Sandra Hüller, who plays his wife, Hedwig, is just as unnerving as a woman whose only concern is maintaining their peaceful existence.  The screenplay by Glazer narrows the larger scope of Amis’ novel and focuses on just Höss’ family and their home life for most of the runtime, and it works to tremendous effect.  This approach allows for us to see the small details of the family’s daily life, details that speak to the bigger picture of what’s happening beyond the walls of the ill-gotten Eden at the center of the story.  By crafting the movie in such a way, everything that’s implied is just as terrifying as what we see on the surface.  Through Łukasz Żal’s restrained camerawork, Mica Levi’s chilling score, and Johnnie Burn’s immersive sound design that mixes what you hear both inside and outside the walls that border the Höss’ property, Glazer brings us a chilling view of the evil that carried out these crimes against humanity and the haunting casualness of those who benefited from their wartime gains.  When this film ends, you’ll feel it lingering like a ghost.

Grade: A

A Resurrected Woman Goes on a Fantastical Quest for Freedom

Emma Stone in "Poor Things"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

When I heard director Yorgos Lanthimos was coming out with a film adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel, “Poor Things,” I knew I had to read it.  With all of Lanthimos’ previous films emerging from original screenplays, I was interested to see how he’d fare with bringing pre-existing ideas to life.  Having read several dozen books last year (trust me, I make time for it), Gray’s was one of the most unique that I read, painting a colorful picture of distinct and wacky characters in a Victorian-era sci-fi setting.

Lanthimos brings his signature, off-kilter style to the events of this movie, mixing his celebrated filmmaking sensibilities with the author’s creative vision to construct a film that opens a beautiful and vibrant world.

In London, enigmatic surgeon Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) recruits the help of medical student Max McCandles (Ramy Youssef) to study the physical and cognitive development of the resurrected Bella (Emma Stone), a pregnant woman who committed suicide and whose brain was replaced with that of her still-living fetus.  When Bella wishes to venture out into the world, she’ll behold things she never thought possible.

It’s really something to have witnessed the career transition of Stone.  While she had some terrific comedic performances in the late ‘00s and early ‘10s with “Superbad,” “Easy A,” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” she has shown a tremendous range over the last 10 years in movies like “Birdman,” “La La Land,” “Battle of the Sexes,” and “The Favourite,” the latter of which was Lanthimos’ previous film.  She does a superb job in showing the gradual transition of someone who has to learn speech and proper body movements from infant-stages to that of an adult after being resurrected, presenting someone who’s awkward in her body, but soon becomes more and more confident in who she is and stands up to those who try to hold her back.  As her character grows, Stone commits herself to the peculiarities of her character and shows a whole new side to her comedic abilities.  In between the humorous aspects of her performance, Stone delivers some of her most powerful work in the film as Bella absorbs her new surroundings and is overcome with what she’s been missing.  This is a movie where Stone shows a whole new range in both her body movements and vocal intonations, inhabiting one of the most memorable characters of 2023 cinema.

Mark Ruffalo delivers a comical, buffoonish performance as the stern and controlling Duncan Wedderburn, a lawyer who whisks Bella away for international travels.  He has some terrific physical comedy with Stone, particularly a dance scene, as well as a lot of verbal back-and-forth that offers some of the best laughs in the film.  The way in which Ruffalo shows his character trying to traverse the increasingly difficult situation with Bella is endlessly funny to watch, and as his comical misfortunes pile on, Ruffalo’s entertaining performance will have you cracking up at Duncan’s follies.

Dafoe is engaging as the soft-spoken surgeon who cares for Bella as she readjusts to her new life.  He strikes a fine balance between the lunacy of his mad-scientist mind and the fatherly tendencies that he has towards Bella, giving us a character who understatedly displays his loneliness to the audience. There’s a melancholy to him from time to time as he describes the cruelties that he faced as a child, and we see his need to connect with someone like Bella, who, like him, is different.

The rest of the supporting cast has its share of fine performances that add a lot to the strangeness of the world that Lanthimos brings us.  There’s Youssef as the kind and ambitious assistant to Godwell; Christopher Abbott as Alfie Blessington, Bella’s cruel husband from her previously life; Kathryn Hunter as Madame Swiney, an eccentric brothel owner; Suzy Bemba as Toinette, a prostitute whom Bella befriends at the brothel; and Jerrod Carmichael and Hanna Schygulla as Harry Astley and Martha Von Kurtzroc, two people whom impart their philosophical knowledge to Bella on her travels.

The screenplay by Tony McNamara, who co-wrote Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” with Deborah Davis, captures the spirit of Gray’s novel with its distinguished characters and innovative re-invention of the “Frankenstein” story.  He brings us on a journey of Bella’s enlightenment as she ventures throughout the world, seeking big ideas to learn and new people with whom to converse.  McNamara’s script takes the eccentric source material and maintains its weirdness, all while maintaining the emotions at the core of Bella’s arc.  With the portion of the film before Bella’s expedition, the events of her travels, and what happens after, McNamara shows many details in Bella’s development as she goes from being sheltered to worldly.  As Bella ventures to each new place, McNamara shows what the world presents to her, unfolding the globetrotting scope of Gray’s novel with immense detail.

Lanthimos goes full-force in bringing us into an alternate 19th-century European setting that we’ve never seen.  Within the different locations, he mixes in an eye-catching steampunk aesthetic as we go from London to Lisbon to Alexandria to Paris.  Bella’s seeing these places for the first time, so what’s significant about this sumptuous production design by James Price and Shona Heath is how, by utilizing a steampunk vibe in these settings, we as viewers feel as though we’re seeing these places for the first time because of how we’re experiencing them in this whole new way; and we feel this in particular during the scene where Bella explores Lisbon, which is the first stop on her odyssey.  As we venture through the elaborately detailed locales, we see the world in both its wonders and woes, and Lanthimos captures the remarkable constructs of these worlds with cinematography by Robbie Ryan, who provided the camerawork for “The Favourite.”  Just as he did with that film, he employs a fish-eye lens in several scenes to heighten the strangeness of the environments and scenarios that are depicted.  Other than that, Ryan’s lensing captures every complex detail of the production design and visual effects that situate you in the film’s uniquely designed world.  And, when you throw in Jerskin Fendrix’s bizarre and beautiful score that highlights the grand weirdness of what’s on screen, Lanthimos will keep you enthralled in this exciting and eccentric adventure.

It’s special to come out of a movie and think to yourself that you’ve never seen anything like that, and with “Poor Things,” that’s a feeling you’re sure to have.

Grade: A

A Sibling Survival Story Through Many Years

From left: Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino,
and Danielle Brooks in "The Color Purple"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, “The Color Purple,” has had a huge impact since its publication.  It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and was then made into a 1985 film by Steven Spielberg, earning 11 Oscar nominations.  Later on, it ran as a Broadway musical from 2005-2008, earning 11 Tony Award nominations and winning one.  Then, it had a revival from 2015-2017, which earned it four Tony nominations and won two.  In the 41 years since the novel debuted, this is a story that has moved millions of people through different mediums and cemented a superb legacy for Walker’s creation that started it all.

This story now goes back to the big screen, but in a very different way.  Director Blitz Bazawule brings audiences “The Color Purple” as a movie musical.  With powerful performances and gorgeous song-and-dance numbers, this is a film that adds a beautiful new chapter to the ongoing footprint of the book.

The story follows Celie Harris-Johnson (Fantasia Barrino) as she works through many hardships to be reunited with her sister, Nettie, from whom she was separated as a child.

Barrino gives an outstanding breakout film performance, reprising the role that she had from 2007-2008 for the musical’s original run, which was her breakout on Broadway.  This is melancholic work from Barrino as her character tries to find whatever happiness that she can in the world.  Barrino shows her character trying to stand up for herself little by little, only to then be knocked down again.  However, as the film goes on and Celie comes more into herself as a person, Barrino exudes a strength that her character never knew she had.  By the time we get to the final third of the movie, we see a fully evolved Celie from what we’ve known before, and from the energetic musical number “Miss Celie’s Pants” to the triumphant and emotional “I’m Here,” Barrino transcends the screen with a character who goes from timid and withdrawn to larger than life.

Taraji P. Henson gives a vivacious performance as Shug Avery, a jazz singer.  It’s a role that Henson has bursting with personality as she brings a character to life who commands the attention of whichever room she enters.  We see this in full force during her show-stopping number, “Push Da Button,” where a swampland juke joint becomes even more the place to be than it already is, and it’s here where Henson’s party energy threatens to blow the doors down as she struts and dances her way through the sequence.

Danielle Brooks portrays Sofia, a friend of Celia who isn’t afraid to speaks her mind.  Brooks, who was nominated for a Tony during the show’s revival for playing this character, gives a comical performance that adds brevity when it’s needed.  It’s a performance that exhibits why Sofia’s the caring light who tries to show Celie why she must stand up for herself.  In her character’s signature song, “Hell No!,” Brooks displays her character’s unapologetic command of herself in true assertive fashion and emphasizes that she’s not going to let anyone tell her what to do.

Colman Domingo offers a chilling performance as Celie’s abusive husband, Albert Johnson.  He goes between a calculating sense of calm and angry outbursts to disquieting effect, making you feel the suffocation through which Celie goes every day.  You recoil at his presence, knowing that Albert’s going to bring misery in his wake, and Domingo does unsettling work whenever Albert brings his oppressive wrath onscreen.

Phylicia Pearl-Mpassi and Halle Bailey show a heartwarming sisterly bond as a young Celie and Nettie, respectively.  The connection that they share during the first third of the movie before they’re torn apart invests you right away in what will turn into an emotional, decades-long separation.  With their upbeat duet of “Keep It Movin’” (a song that was written for the film), we see how Celie and Nettie do what they can to keep each other’s spirits up, and the sense of attachment that they have makes their estrangement that much more heartrending because you remember the good times that they shared, only to then be ripped away from each other.  Their performances have you you feel the unbreakableness of their bond throughout the rest of the movie, even in Nettie’s absence.

The rest of the supporting cast is loaded with talent, and each performance has its moments to stand out.  There’s Corey Hawkins as Sofia’s wife and Albert’s son, Harpo, who gets a memorable number with “Workin’;” Gabriella Wilson “H.E.R.” as Mary Agnes, a waitress who works at Harpo’s juke joint; Louis Gossett Jr. as Albert’s stern father; David Allen Grier as Samuel Avery, the town reverend and Shug’s strict father; Deon Cole as Alphonso Johnson, Celie and Nettie’s mean-spirited father; and Ciara Wilson as an older Nettie.  With all of the cast members involved, this ensemble certainly doesn’t leave you wanting for a great display of performances.

The screenplay by Marcus Gardley takes this musical (written for the stage by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray, and Marsha Norman) and has the expansive nature of the story unfold in compelling fashion.  We move with Celie through many years and witness the significant events and people that shape her life, and we travel through Georgia as we watch her become a much more confident person than what we see from the beginning.  This is a sprawling odyssey that offers plenty of insight in regards to the main character as we follow her from childhood to adulthood, allowing us to see Celie’s evolution both through song and dialogue in equal measure.  This is a superb breakthrough screenplay for Gardley, with him exhibiting an ability to juggle the show’s many characters and being able to keep the flow of the narrative as we go between dialogue-driven scenes and song-and-dance numbers.

As a director, Bazawule stages some remarkable musical sequences that both show the heartbreak of what the characters face and the exuberance of life when the sun decides to shine their way.  These segments are shot with remarkable cinematography by Dan Laustsen.  Over the last few years, Laustsen has provided stunning camerawork throughout three Guillermo del Toro films and three “John Wick” movies.  With these films, he has shown that he knows how to work with detailed and complex production designs, and it’s a talent that translates well to a movie musical.  He captures the immersive period detail and movements of the dancers to the utmost effect, giving us a grand spectacle that has rapturous visuals, and each musical number will stay in your mind because of their breathtaking composition.  With Laustsen’s camerawork and Bazawule’s unbreakable confidence in helming a decades-old, decades-spanning story in a production of this size, we’re given a movie that’s loaded with genuine feeling and has the grandeur of a Broadway show.  

There are so many emotions to be felt with this musical, and as you watch all of the passion that goes into it, you’ll see that “The Color Purple” is gold.

Grade: A