Tuesday, March 12, 2024

 

Love Lies Bleeding

Love Lies Bleeding Official Site
The British director Ross Glass's sophomore feature "Love Lies Bleeding" (USA 2024 | 104 min.) is a blood-soaked neo-noir featuring a few mesmerizing characters. Its unpredictable and often shocking plot makes the film a fun watch, despite the unconvincing love affair between the two lesbian protagonists.

The film is set in 1989 in a sleepy town in New Mexico. Lou (Kristen Stewart) is the manager at a local gym decorated by numerous motivational posters. However, Lou is not motivated at all at work. She is dreadful about the clogged toilets and unruly gym goers. And, she is trying to quit smoking and break up with her on-and-off hookup, Daisy (Anna Baryshnikov), who is crazy about Lou.

When a drifter Jackie (Katy O'Brian) comes to the gym pumping iron, Lou immediately falls for her. Jackie is hitchhiking to Las Vegas to participate in a bodybuilding competition. She is an opportunist, and will do anything to advance. She trades sex with JJ (Dave Franco), Lou's abusive brother-in-law, to get a waitress job at a shooting range, owned by Lou's estranged father, Lou Sr. (Ed Harris) who has hilarious long hair on the side of his bald head.

Is Jackie attracted to Lou in the same way as Lou is attracted to Jackie? Maybe or maybe not. But Jackie definitely prefers Lou's bed than the concrete underneath an overpass, and she is also delighted by the steroids Lou offered her, and she is going to need that before the competition.

Meanwhile, Lou's family is closely watched by the F.B.I. because of Lou Sr.'s criminal history. Just as the family secrets begin to surface, so do the dead bodies. Lou and Jackie end up on the run, far away from what they have planned for themselves.

Love Lies Bleeding Official Site
Katy O'Brian and Kristen Stewart in Love Lies Bleeding (Photo: Anna Kooris)

The film has some scorching hot lesbian love scenes between Lou and Jackie. But that doesn't mean the love between the two is convincing. They are more likely falling in bed than falling in love. However, no one can mistake the obsession of Daisy toward Lou, who cannot love Daisy back the same way.

Even though the love part isn't quite plausible, the bleeding part is completely realistic in the film. It makes this film a fun memorable trip along the roads that Jackie and Lou are running on. There are many films that have bodies piling up constantly, yet the director Ross Glass makes her film as shocking and original as possible when blood is splashed.

There isn't much true love in the film, but plenty of bleeding.

"Love Lies Bleeding" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, March 15, 2024.


Friday, February 23, 2024

 

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two Official Site
Three years ago, the writer-director Denis Villeneuve brought Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel to the big screen—the visually stunning "Dune: Part One" (2021). The fans have been eagerly waiting to see the rest of the story. The second installment, "Dune: Part Two" (USA/Canada 2024 | 166 min.) makes the saga even more exhilarating to experience.

I use the word "experience" instead of "watch" because not only will you be captivated by the staggering visuals, but you will also be literally immersing yourself into that fictional world on the big screen sitting in your seats vibrating from the sound effects and music.

Besides all those triumphant technical achievements as in the previous film (Part One won six Oscars in that regard), this Part Two tells an arresting story about power, politics, religion, identity, and love. Part Two really should have been made together with Part One, or at least the theaters should have re-released the previous film, so they can be watched continuously for the viewers to enjoy this grand epic in its entirety.

Part Two starts where Part One left off on Planet Arrakis, the sandy place with little water, a.k.a. Dune, where Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is fighting along with the Fremen against the brutal ruler Harkonnens. Harkonnens is led by the Baron (Stellan Skarsgård) with Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista) as his barbaric soldier. They are responsible for the murder of Paul's father, Duke Leto Atreides, in Part One. Paul seeks revenge by joining the resistance force led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem) from the South.

Paul's mother, the ambitious Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), has the ability to communicate with her unborn daughter and foresee the future. She wants the Fremen to believe Paul is the Messiah who will lead them to Paradise. She wants him to take over the throne from the Emperor (Christopher Walken).

But Paul falls in love with Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya), and taking the throne means he has to sacrifice his love for her. He is also torn between revenge for his late father and preventing a prophecy he foresees that a holy war is going to be fought in his name. By his own actions, he proves himself to be a brave leader for the Fremen, despite his outsider status. He adopts a new name Muad'Dib Usul, and his reputation grows bigger and bigger and wins battles over the Harkonnens. Eventually, he takes on a duel with Baron's sadistic nephew Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) and checkmates the Emperor.

Dune: Part Two Official Site
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part Two (Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

While the film is a grand showcase of sci-fi spectacles and wild imagination, Denis Villeneuve makes it even more engaging with the character development and an engaging story. The politics played out by the characters resembles those fascinating feuds in TV-series like "Game of Thrones." Even though he didn't make the film's plot a metaphor to our real world, yet the costume, the environment, the religious practice, and the language on that foreign planet remarkably resembles the Arabic region in the Middle-East, especially when there is a real war taking place in that region.

Timothée Chalamet's performance beautifully creates a towering figure born in a harsh living environment. His piercing stares deliver conviction, determination, and dedication. He makes Paul's love for Chani not only believable, but also heartbreaking.

As in Part One, we once again see the unique "sand walk" and the breathtaking "sand surfing" by clinching on sandworms, a giant creature traveling underneath the sand which can be called by tapping the ground. It's an ingenious type of transportation utilized by the Fremen on Dune, without any seat belt provided.

It's a good idea to watch Part One again before going to see Part Two, because it really should have been one single film that runs over five hours continuously—that would be even more epic than they already are.

"Dune: Part Two" opens on Friday, March 1, 2024.


Wednesday, February 21, 2024

 

Drive-Away Dolls

Drive-Away Dolls Official Site
The Academy-award winning brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen teamed together and made many American classics, such as "Fargo" (1996) and "No Country for Old Men" (2007). After 18 films as co-writer-directors, the brothers decided to each make films on his own. The first solo directional work for Joel Coen is the stylish Shakespearean "The Tragedy of Macbeth" (2021), with his wife Frances McDormand playing the protagonist. On the other hand, Joel's brother Ethan Coen's first solo directorial work, "Drive-Away Dolls" (USA 2024 | 84 min.) which is co-written by his wife Tricia Cooke, is a completely different type of film. It's a campy lesbian farce that was originally titled "Drive-Away Dykes." The story line is too thin and far-fetched to be considered as a serious drama, it is not funny enough to be a comedy, and it's hardly thrilling.

In the film, the free-spirited and sex-positive Jamie (Margaret Qualley) breaks up with her cop girlfriend Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), and gets kicked out of the apartment. She convinces her restrained friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) to go on a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida with her in a drive-away car. Jamie wants to make the journey a sex-filled fun trip with lesbian bar hopping and BBQ tasting. Marian wants to just finish her book and revisit her childhood experience when she peeked at her neighbor's naked sunbathing woman.

Little do they know, the drive-away car that Jamie and Marian are supposed to deliver in Tallahassee has a briefcase in the trunk that belongs to a group of criminals, and the briefcase is involved in a murder at the opening scene of the film. Marina is irritated by Jamie's hook-ups along the way, and the criminals are chasing after them trying to get the briefcase back.

Drive-Away Dolls Official Site
(L to R) Geraldine Viswanathan as "Marian", Margaret Qualley as "Jamie" and Beanie Feldstein as "Sukie" in director Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls (Photo: Wilson Webb)

The predictable story is not only thin, but also dubious. Back in 1999, LGBTQ people could only meet others in locations such as local bookstores or gay bars. Yet, Jamie and Marina seem to have great luck being able to join lesbian orgies on the road. The criminals in the film are like clowns and you will feel even more ridiculous when you see what's in that briefcase that they have been chasing after. The director Ethan Coen does not even try to make you believe the plot, he wants the film to be campy and wild, but he is no comparison to John Waters in that regard.

The comedy in the film is as weak as the plot. I am not sure how many lesbian couples have a dildo mounted in their apartments, but if you think it's funny that Sukie tries to get a dildo off the wall when she kicks Jamie out of the apartment, then you might find the rest of the film funny.

If you are looking for a road trip movie featuring hilarious lesbian couples, check out the comedy gold "Cloudburst" (2011) with the wonderful late Olympia Dukakis, and stay away from this drive-away trip to Tallahassee.

"Drive-Away Dolls" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, February 23, 2024.


Saturday, December 30, 2023

 

Top Ten Films in 2023

It's time for the annual top-ten list again. Here are the ten best films among the 210 feature-length narrative and documentary films I watched during the calendar year of 2023, no matter when and if a film was released in the US during 2023.

  1. Children of the Mist (Vietnam 2021 | in Hmong/Vietnamese | 92 min. | Documentary)

    The documentary tells a devastating story about a thirteen years Hmong girl Di living in Northern Vietnam who tries to stay in school and escape an arranged marriage.

    Children of the Mist Official Site
    Children of the Mist


  2. A House Made of Splinters (Denmark/Ukraine/Sweden/Germany/Finland 2023 | in Russian | 87 min. | Documentary)

    This is an incredibly touching and observant documentary about children who are removed from their home waiting for court's custody decision in Ukraine.

    A House Made of Splinters Official Site
    A House Made of Splinters


  3. One fine morning (Un beau matin | France/UK/Germany 2022 | 112 min.)

    Léa Seydoux gave a mesmerizing performance playing a woman who juggling between her young daughter and her father who suffers dementia.

    One fine morning  Official Site
    One fine morning


  4. Tom Cruise beats any superhero and delivers breathtaking sequences in this exhilarating action thriller.

    Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One  Official Site
    Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Courtesy Paramount Pictures)


  5. A New Old Play (椒麻堂会 | Hong Kong/China/France 2023 | in Chinese | 179 min.)

    This stylish film tells an epic story through a theatre troupe's evolving changes that reflect China's recent history.

    A New Old Play
    A New Old Play


  6. All of Us Strangers (UK/USA 2023 | 105 min. | My review)

    The British writer-director Andrew Haigh masterfully crafts a deeply affecting and heart-wrenching story about a gay man's grief, love, longing, and loneliness in this charming film.

    All of Us Strangers Official Site
    Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers. (Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)


  7. Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (ONODA 一万夜を越えて | France/Japan/Germany/Belgium/Italy/Cambodia 2021 | in Japanese | 173 min.)

    The film unfolds an incredible true story of a Japanese soldier stayed fighting in the jungle in the Philippines for another 10,000 days after World War II ended.

    Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle Official Site
    Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (Photo: )


  8. About Us But Not About Us (Philippines 2022 | in Tagalog/Filipino | 91 min. | My review)

    Even though the film is set entirely at a dining table over the conversation between two individuals, the twists and turns never stop from the beginning to the end, with high drama and raw emotions.

    About Us But Not About Us  Official Site
    About Us But Not About Us (Photo: )


  9. Oppenheimer (UK/USA 2023 | 180 min. | My review)

    Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Oppenheimer, the brilliant director Christopher Nolan tells the life story of the father of the atomic bomb.

    Oppenheimer Official Site
    Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer (Photo: Courtesy of Universal)


  10. Past Lives (USA/South Korea 2023 | 106 min. | My review)

    This movie beautifully examines the Yi-yun relationships among three kind souls who are poignantly intertwined together by their fate.

    Past Lives Official Site
    Greta Lee, John Magaro, and Teo Yoo in "Past Lives" (Courtesy of A24 )


Until next year...

Friday, November 10, 2023

 

Next Goal Wins

Next Goal Wins Official Site
Even though American Samoa has been part of the United States for a long time, most Americans hardly have heard about this island nation in the Pacific Ocean. However, Some might have known its national soccer team's record 31-0 loss to Australia during the Oceanian qualifying match for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. To turn this worst soccer team around, an outsider, Dutch American coach Thomas Rongen, was hired and the team made a triumphant first ever win against Tonga in 2011 for the 2014 World Cup qualifier. This extraordinary underdog story was told in a documentary "Next Goal Wins" (2014). Based on this documentary and with deep affections to the Polynesian people and culture, the Academy-award winning director Taika Waititi's hilarious dramedy "Next Goal Wins" (UK/USA 2023 | 103 min.) is an immensely entertaining crowd pleaser. Not only will you root for this unique soccer team, but you will also appreciate the Polynesian culture you learn from this movie.

After the devastating and embarrassing 31-0 loss to Australia, with his wife Ruth's (Rachel House) support, the wise and humorous Tavita (Oscar Kightley), Head of the Football Federation of American Samoa (amongst many other job titles), decides to replace the coach to turn the team around. The gentle mannered coach Ace (David Fane) is replaced by hot-tempered outsider Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) who has no desire to be there, and has been dealing with alcoholism and his anger issues after losing his daughter in a car accident and divorcing her ex-wife Gail (Elisabeth Moss).

In a town next to the magnificent ocean beaches with a 20 miles per hour speed limit, the national soccer team's members are all non-professionals. Wanting to win a game but are unable to, they play mostly for the passion of the sport and for the spirit of the community. The non-binary team captain Jaiyah (Kaimana) is the soul of the team, who is also a waitress at Tavita's family restaurant. Other team members include Tavita's stubborn son Daru (Beulah Koale), a policeman Rambo (Semu Filipo), a high-school student Jonah (Chris Alosio), the always smiling Smiley (Ioane Goodhue), the original handsome goalie Nicky Salapu (Uli Latukefu) and the new obese goalie Pisa (Lehi Makisi Falepapalangi), the non-English speaking Samson (Hio Pelesasa), among other colorful characters.

Next Goal Wins Official Site
Next Goal Wins (Photo: Hilary Bronwyn)

Thomas doesn't really have any magic to make these amateur players win a game, and the expectation from Tavita is to just have one goal during a game. But together, they achieve great progress with an exhilarating win eventually. In the process, instead of Thomas coaching the team to play soccer, the Polynesian people teach Thomas to find happiness, as Tavita puts it: "like finding a little lost white kid at the mall and telling him which way to go."

From beginning to the end, the writer-director Taika Waititi kept the joyful and comical tone up and filled the movie with hilarious moments. The love for the Polynesian people and culture is evidently embedded in his storytelling. It's a delightful and eye-opening experience to see the lives portrayed based on real people on this exquisite island.

All the Polynesian cast are terrific in the film. While Michael Fassbender does a decent job playing the angry coach Thomas, he is obviously a miscast for this role. He is not quite the comedy type and many others such as Jeff Bridges, J. K. Simmons, or even Robert Downey Jr. could have been a better fit for this role.

This isn't really a movie about soccer, it's a love letter to the Polynesian people and their culture. When they play soccer on the lush green field surrounded by beautiful mountains, they are actually writing meditative poetry in their own language, with elegant songs, dances, and the warmth in their hearts.

"Next Goal Wins" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, November 17, 2023.


Thursday, November 2, 2023

 

All of Us Strangers

All of Us Strangers Official Site
The British writer-director Andrew Haigh is known for creating mesmerizing yet low-key characters in his critically acclaimed films such as "Weekend" (2011) and "Lean on Pete" (2017). In his latest emotionally charged film "All of Us Strangers" (UK/USA 2023 | 105 min.), he masterfully crafts a deeply affecting and heart-wrenching story about a gay man's grief, love, longing, and loneliness. The film is based on Taichi Yamada's ghost story Strangers (異人たちとの夏, 1987), but Andrew Haigh removed the ghost element from the story and changed its protagonist to a gay man who communicates with his dead parents while developing a romantic relationship with someone he recently met.

That gay man is a screen-writer Adam (Andrew Scott) who is currently suffering a writer's block. He lives alone in a newly-built high-rise apartment building in London that is almost empty, except for another lonely tenant Harry (Paul Mescal) on the 6th floor. The two gay men conveniently become romantically involved.

Adam tells Harry that he lost his parents in a car accident right before he turned twelve. Going through his old photos, he wonders what his old house in the London suburb Croydon is like now. He gets on a train and pays a visit. Surprisingly, he meets his dad (Jamie Bell), who leads him back home and Adam is reunited with his mom (Claire Foy), and both of his parents are still at the age as Adam last remembers them when he was twelve.

Seizing the opportunity to reconnect with his parents, Adam reveals his sexuality to them and reflects on the memories they had when he was a child. It's both bittersweet and incredibly poignant as they exchange longing, understanding, love, regret, guilt, and hope. Adam's relationship with Harry also blossoms and they find comfort in each other and the loneliness they suffer gives way to joy and happiness.

But how long can all these surreal happenings last?

All of Us Strangers Official Site
Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott in All of Us Strangers. (Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

The director Andrew Haigh seamlessly assembles the story like it is repeatedly going in and out of a dream, with remarkably low-key demeanor in these characters, but high in emotion. The often-used close-up cinematography enhances the intimacy among the film's characters, and also with the viewers. He brilliantly uses the surreal setup to convey Adam's sorrow, loneliness, and his longing for the chance to tell his story to his late parents. For many it's a scenario of "what if you have a second chance to tell your late parents about yourself," and he makes that what-if happen for Adam.

Andrew Scott is absolutely fantastic in portraying the vulnerable and sensitive Adam, whose experience can be resonated by many viewers, gay or straight. Although there are only four speaking characters in the film, their terrific ensemble performance will touch you profoundly.

"All of Us Strangers" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday, December 25, 2023.


Thursday, October 26, 2023

 

The Holdovers

The Holdovers Official Site
Maybe purely by coincidence, it seems movies about prep schools are always set in New England, such as "Dead Poets Society" (1989) and "School Ties" (1992), and "The Emperor's Club" (2002) is set in New Jersey which is not too far away from New England either. It must be the snowy winter scenes, which are very much evident in the director Alexander Payne's new film "The Holdovers" (USA 2023 | 133 min.), also set in New England (Deerfield Academy to be exact). Not only did he utilize the characteristics of New England's whiteout winter, but he also did a terrific job telling a delightful, entertaining, and touching story.

The film opens right before Christmas in 1970 at Barton Academy in New England, a Christian boarding prep school that is mostly attended by privileged students. When the adjunct professor of ancient history, Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) first appears on the screen, the first thing we notice are the bottles of booze on his desk. Yes, he loves his whiskey as much as he loves teaching, even though students dislike him, nor does he go easy on his students evidenced by the low grades that he gives them.

As most students are getting ready to leave for the holiday break, Paul is given the duty as the only holdover faculty to remain on campus to babysit a handful of students because they have nowhere else to go. One of these students is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), who is ditched at the last minute from a vacation to the Caribbean by his mom and his step-dad. Even worse, a few days later, he becomes the only student left to be stuck with Paul on campus, and clearly neither of them enjoys the company of the other.

Besides these two lonely souls on campus, the head-cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) also stays because she is still grieving her son Curtis, also a Barton graduate, who died in Vietnam, and Barton is the last place they parted. Mary isn't really fond of Paul, but they do share common interests of loving whiskey.

As Christmas approaches, the trio try their best to lift the holiday spirit. They get to know each other and learn from each other better, and develop an unlikely bond. Angus ends up learning so much more from Paul than any class he has ever taken in a classroom.

The Holdovers Official Site
Dominic Sessa stars as Angus Tully and Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham in director Alexander Payne's The Holdovers (Photo: Seacia Pavao)

Not only is the film set in 1970, the director Alexander Payne painstakingly crafted the film to have the '70s look as well, as if the film was made during that period. The aspect ratio, the saturation, the credit roll, the music, the songs, and of course the set, all bring us back to the '70s. But that cinematic achievement is only the icing on the cake. What really wins you over is his old-school style filmmaking while telling an engrossing character-driven story.

Even though we have seen similar tales about aspiring teachers giving guidance to coming-of-age prep school students as in "Dead Poets Society" (1989), and we can predict from the beginning where this movie is going, the director Alexander Payne is still able to make this story refreshing and engaging, often quite funny with a good heart.

This film reunites Paul Giamatti with the director Alexander Payne since "Sideways" (2004), and once again it is a collaboration in perfection. Paul Giamatti completely immersed himself into the character, and it seems only he can convincingly deliver lines like "history is the explanation of the present" in a museum, just like he is lecturing in a classroom.

Although Dominic Sessa looks much older than a 17-year-old, unlike any of those preppy students in "Dead Poets Society" (1989), his film debut is quite impressive and he creates a memorable character.

The Christmas holiday in 1970 was probably the worst holiday ever for these characters, but their touching story lives on, thanks to Alexander Payne's superb filmmaking.

"The Holdovers" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, November 3, 2023.


Wednesday, October 18, 2023

 

Killers of the Flower Moon

Killers of the Flower Moon Official Site
The United States of America, as well as many other countries such as Canada, are nations that were built on the land of indigenous tribes which were robbed by the white western settlers. Their histories in the last few centuries are soaked with indigenous people's blood. During the 1910s to 1930s, dozens of Native Americans were murdered in Osage County, Oklahoma, where the rich oil reservoir made its residents the wealthiest Americans per capita. Adapted from David Grann's nonfiction book, the legendary director Martin Scorsese's latest film "Killers of the Flower Moon" (USA 2023 | 206 min.) tells a gripping story about that history which has been long forgotten. Even though the three and half hour long running time could have been shortened, the film never stops revealing horrific crimes committed against the indigenous people.

After oil is discovered underground in Osage County, the indigenous tribes who live on that piece of land become wealthy, and subsequently, they also become the targets of greedy white people. The film opens with the images of a series of murdered indigenous people, whose deaths result in no investigation. Under these circumstances, World War I veteran Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) arrives to start a new life, under the wing of his uncle William "King" Hale (Robert De Niro), a godfather-like figure in town.

As her driver, Ernest meets a local indigenous woman Mollie (Lily Gladstone). King instructs Ernest to marry her in order to gain access to her wealth. King's grand plan proceeds as he schemes it: Mollie's sister Anna (Cara Jade Myers) is shot to death; Mollie's another sister and her mother Lizzie (Tantoo Cardinal) slowly die of a "wasting disease;" and Mollie's youngest sister is blown into pieces after a bomb explodes under her house.

Ernest and his brother Byron Burkhart (Scott Shepherd), as well as some other thugs and criminals, are actively involved in these and other killings in the community, under the direction of King. When Mollie's family members are all gone, she becomes the only one left before Ernest, therefore King, can get all the assets of Mollie's family. So, it's no surprise that Millie begins to suffer the mysterious wasting disease like her other relatives.

But Mollie and her people don't give up easily. She goes to Washington, D.C. on her tribe's behalf to lobby the government to look into the killings in Osage County. Eventually, the federal government sends a team led by the F.B.I. agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) to investigate the crimes against the indigenous people. That finally puts the lawless killing to an end and brings King and Ernest to justice.

Killers of the Flower Moon Official Site
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon (Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon)

In a steady pace and mesmerizing visuals, the director Martin Scorsese unfolds a devastating and brutal tale of ruthless crimes that sometimes resemble those in his "Goodfellas" (1990). He also told the story primarily from the perspective of Ernest, the complicated criminal. Ernest is not as evil as his uncle King is, and his marriage to Mollie is not completely based on greed either. He actually loves his wife, but his love cannot overpower his fear and obedience to his uncle, even until the very end. It's fascinating to watch Leonardo DiCaprio play this tormented soul who is used as a pawn in King's grand criminal scheme toward the indigenous people.

Lily Gladstone gives a terrific performance as Mollie, who suffered loss after loss and endured her own illness caused by white people who went after her money. Her calm and quiet demeanor shows her unbroken dignity despite her sorrow.

Although the captivating story continues to roll out on the screen, it could have been told in a shorter running time. Maybe Martin Scorsese already felt that he needed to end the movie soon after more than three hours, the film's ending looks rushed and unsatisfying compared to the rest of the film, as if the cry for injustice against Native Americans is muffled.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" opens on Friday, October 20, 2023.


Friday, October 6, 2023

 

Dicks: The Musical

Dicks: The Musical Official Site
The boutique studio and distributor A24 has built a reputation for producing and releasing award-winning art house favorites by telling mesmerizing and original stories. When the phrase "the first musical from A24" appears in an A24 movie poster, you know you will be watching something different. That first musical is the director Larry Charles's raunchy, shocking, campy, and disgustingly funny comedy "Dicks: The Musical" (USA 2023 | 86 min.). Even though he didn't go as far as his previous movie "Borat", he did go for broke to make you laugh in this musical. This movie is based on a 30-minute basement comedy show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater called "Fucking Identical Twins," that was written and performed by this film's writers and lead actors Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp. This over the top comedy could be an instant classic that reminds you of those queer classics by John Waters.

The plot is far-fetched and absurd, inspired by "The Parent Trap" (1998), in which two identical twins try to get their divorced parents back together after they meet each other for the first time. Even if you won't believe a single moment of the plot in this movie, you probably cannot care less about it. The shocking moments will distract you from even trying to connect the dots in the storyline.

Narrated by God (Bowen Yang), who is in a gay night clubbing outfit, we are introduced to two heterosexual top salesmen in a company selling vacuum cleaning parts, Craig (Josh Sharp) and Trevor (Aaron Jackson). Although living in the same building like college kids, they have never known each other before. Once they meet, they realize that they are twins despite their resemblance probably stops at they are both white. They are separated at birth and raised by each of their divorced parents, Harris (Nathan Lane) and Evelyn (Megan Mullally). The twins decide to visit the respective parent they didn't grow up with to learn more about them.

It turns out their parents are even more eccentric than the twins. Speaking with a funny voice, Evelyn has a huge collection of interesting objects at home and something sensational in her purse. Harris raises two "Sewer Boys" in a cage which he found in a sewer system years ago, and he loudly proclaims that he is gay. The twins want to try to get Evelyn and Harris back together so they can all live as a happy family that they never had. Good luck with that and the farce is going beyond your wildest imagination.

Dicks: The Musical Official Site
(L-R) Josh Sharp, Bowen Yang, and Aaron Jackson in Dicks: The Musical (Courtesy of A24)

Similar to "Borat," the director never shies away from making shocking comedies and he is not afraid of offending anyone, despite the fact that he is not as outrageous in this movie as in "Borat." It will be certain that this film will make some people cringe in their seats at moments like when the sing-alone musical number titled "God Is a Faggot" is playing on the screen. Your reaction to the film will depend on where you draw the line for your tolerance of comedy. As if you are attending a comedy show, you probably won't remember any of its jokes when you walk out of this movie, even though you might have laughed out loud.

The look of the film is more like an SNL sketch on TV than a motion picture. It feels more so with the presence of a flamboyant God in the body of an SNL cast member Bowen Yang, in addition to an amazing appearance of a musical guest Megan Thee Stallion.

On top of all the physical comedies, there are plenty of subtle humor scattered around on the movie set. For example, in one scene's background, a movie theater is showing a movie called "Everyone, Everywhere Cums at Once," a nod to A24's release "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (2022). A musical number sung in an underground sewer pathway remarkably resembles a scene from the musical "Les Misérables." This is a perfect movie for a naughty night.

"Dicks: The Musical" opens in the San Francisco Bay Area on Friday, October 6, 2023.


Tuesday, September 26, 2023

 

The Creator

The Creator Official Site
Given how human-caused climate change worsens year after year, there is no doubt that the immediate threat to humanity is humans. But that doesn't mean the new developments in AI and fears toward AI won't make us regard AI as the number one enemy. That's exactly the setup in the director Gareth Edwards's captivating sci-fi thriller "The Creator" (USA 2023 | 133 min.). With impressive visuals, the film unfolds a brutal battle of the East vs the West, good vs evil, and the US government vs AI and its allies.

The film begins with the aftermath of a nuclear bomb explosion in Los Angeles. The US government concludes that it is the work of advanced AI. As a result, the US banned AI development, while Asian countries continue the endeavor and the AI powered robots become residents living side by side with humans and taking up tasks such as policing. The difference between the east and the west, both in ideology and reality, cannot be more evident. They live in two separate worlds.

The US government believes that an even more deadly weapon created by AI is an existential threat, and declares war against the AI-powered Asian countries by building a gigantic battle-ship called Nomad to destroy AI and its supporters, once for all.

Living in one of those Asian countries with his pregnant wife Maya (Gemma Chan), an American undercover special force agent Joshua (John David Washington) is trying to locate the mastermind of the AI force, a.k.a., the Creator. During an attack from Nomad, not only does Joshua lose Maya, but he is also gravely injured and loses one arm and a leg.

Five years later, still grieving for Maya, Joshua is recruited by the ruthless Colonel Howell (Allison Janney) to go back to look for and destroy the Creator. But Joshua has another motive for going back to Asia because he is told that Maya may still be alive, and he is determined to find her.

When Joshua finds out that the US Army's target is actually a robot that looks like a little girl who likes to watch cartoons on TV, he ends up bonding with the girl and he gives her a name Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Joshua also gets to know other resistance allies such as an AI robot named Harun (Ken Watanabe), and realizes who is the real enemy to humanity—the US government and its army, including that battleship Nomad.

The Creator Official Site
Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie in The Creator (Courtesy of 20th Century Studios)

There have been many sci-fi movies which created fascinating visuals of hardware in the future. Yet, the director Gareth Edwards brings us some striking visuals both for robots and aircraft, except when it comes to small gadgets such as the clumsy looking device for opening a door which has a 1980s look.

Despite all the excessive gun fires just like any other sci-fi movie, this movie is completely captivating due to its story and the emotional dynamics among the characters, especially between Joshua and Alphie. It's clever for the filmmaker to evoke our empathy by creating the character Alphie in the appearance of an adorable child. If you were Joshua, no matter what you were told about Alphie being a threat to your country or even humankind, you probably would not be able to pull the trigger on her. It would be a different story if Alphie had the same appearance as other faceless robots in the film, which are getting shot and killed all the time.

The director Gareth Edwards is ambiguous, perhaps on purpose, about the exact locations of these Asian countries in the movie, even though some of the images remarkably resemble those from the Vietnam War. It's also perplexing that all the on-screen texts are in both English and Japanese, while the film has nothing to do with Japan or anything that is specifically Japanese.

It's interesting for the film to lump Asia with AI together as the adversary to the US and characterize them as evil. That hostile attitude toward Asian countries and AI in the film exhibited by the US government is startlingly similar to the anti-China rhetoric by the politicians in Washington right now. The film terrifically presents that the perception of good and evil is all relevant, so are the true threats to humanity.

"The Creator" opens on Friday, September 29, 2023.



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