The Official Review Thread of 2023

[Sonic Youth]

The animated "Little Mermaid" was 83 minutes long. This new one is 135 minutes long.

And that's my review.


ETA: I had a longer review planned, but I just read Wesley Morris' take, and he pretty much wrote it for me. Not sure how he got into my head like that... I may write it anyway.

[anonymous1980]

RYE LANE
Cast: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah.
Dir: Raine Allen-Miller.

A young man has just recently found out on social media that his girlfriend had dumped him for his friend. He then meets a woman who tries to lift his spirits. This premise may sound like your typical cheesy romantic-comedy but the execution is almost anything but. The tropes and narrative beats of what we have come to expect in a romantic comedy is sort of subverted. But this simply makes the moments where they do follow them have more of an impact either dramatically or comedically. Plus it's a film which focuses on Black British people so that alone makes it quite unique. The two leads are very appealing. I laughed quite a bit and I watched this smiling half the time. This is definitely one of the better films of the first half of the year.

Oscar Prospects: If eligible, it would make a good Original Screenplay nominee.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

THE LITTLE MERMAID
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, Nomi Dumezweni, Art Malik, voices of Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina.
Dir: Rob Marshall.

This is yet another live-action remake of a Disney animated classic that I personally grew up on. This pretty much follows the same plot as the first, an adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale: A young mermaid falls in love with a prince and makes a bargain with a sea witch to transform into a human. This is very obviously a cash grab. But is it any good? Well, as far as obvious cash grabs go, it's pretty good. They manage to make the romance more believable by making the prince a more interesting character and expounding his role. The songs are still bangers. They're still infectious ear worms and they're delightfully performed in the film. Halle Bailey nails her role and gives a star-making performance. No, it's not as good as the animated original and it is still a cash grab but as far as these things go, it's watchable.

Oscar Prospects: Visual Effects, Costume Design and Original Song are possible.

Grade: B.

[Sabin]

I originally wrote two paragraphs on Ant-Man Quantumania but that honestly feels like a waste for a movie where you can copy-paste the same review from the last X number of Marvel films. I think this might be the worst of the MCU films, but that said these films have such a high floor and a low ceiling that it’s still not that bad. These films will never be less than algorithmically watchable content. Marvel completists will find charms. But it's such a big ugly hideously green-screened jaunt for Marvel completists only. It’s written by a Rick and Morty writer but nobody involved seems to understand that none of what he’s doing works unless the characters are in on the joke that they world that they’re in basically a sci-fi satire, or at the very least comment on the ludicrousness of it. Also, put aside whether or not what Jonathan Majors is doing works for you; I personally think that the dude just hasn’t found this character in the slightest. His motivation and his powers are weak, and it’s just so lame that they want to introduce the next big bad and to build up his bona fides… he fights Ant-Man. Marvel’s mantra is “The world outside your window.” If there’s any justice this film should serve as a $200 million internal memo of how they went off-course.

[anonymous1980]

FAST X
Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Brie Larson, Sung Kang, Nathalie Emmanuel, Alan Ritchson, Scott Eastwood, Daniela Melchior, Jordana Brewster, Jason Statham, Rita Moreno, Helen Mirren, Leo Abelo Perry, Joaquim de Almeida.
Dir: Louis Letterier.

The tenth installment of the long-running Fast and Furious franchise has Dominic Torretto and family facing off against a figure from their past who is psychotically bent on revenge. Apparently the first of two parts. I have to say: I only started watching this series on the fifth one and watched it all the way to the eighth. I didn't bother with the ninth but I jumped on this just the same with only just perusing the Wikipedia plot summary of the previous film. You don't really need it. The franchise is showing signs of tiredness but the one thing that made this entry quite enjoyable is Jason Momoa who plays the main villain. Alternately scary and funny, he's pretty much Joker meets Jack Sparrow. He injects a breath of fresh air in the proceedings. Not a great film, not even the best of its kind but still overall an entertaining time at the movies.

Oscar Prospects: None.

Grade: B-

[anonymous1980]

EVIL DEAD RISE
Cast: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher.
Dir: Lee Cronin.

The fifth feature film in the Evil Dead franchise has the Book of the Dead finding its way into the rundown apartment of a family consisting of a single mother and her three children and her visiting sister with a problem pregnancy where it wrecks unholy havoc. While I personally prefer my Evil Dead movies with more dark comedy and slapstick (2 is still my favorite), I do enjoy a nice scary splatter horror film. And this film delivers. It is such quite literally a good bloody ride. Featuring some good performances and some highly inventive, most practical makeup effects, this will satisfy any horror fan. It doesn't break new ground even within the sub-genre but it's one of the very few horror franchises where all the films manage to be at least good. This one certainly is.

Oscar Prospects: None but Oscar really should pay attention to horror films for both their Makeup and their Sound. They're both exemplary here.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

THE COVENANT
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr, Jonny Lee Miller, Alexander Ludwig, Emily Beecham.
Dir: Guy Ritchie.

After they are ambushed by the Taliban, an Afghan interpreter saves the life of an American G.I. Then after he returns safely to his family, he is determined to pay it back by saving his interpreter and his family who are now hiding from the Taliban. This is often promoted as Guy Ritchie's The Covenant because the film is so unlike anything he's ever done before (in fact, I would say it was made by Paul Greengrass, Kathryn Bigelow or Doug Liman before I would've guessed Guy Ritchie). This is a dead serious film with something of actual substance to say about the U.S. Army's responsibility towards how it treated their Afghan interpreters. Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of Guy Ritchie's work but I have to say, I liked it this one a lot. This might be his best yet. It doesn't break new ground on the war genre but it is still a solid, compelling piece of work which features outstanding performances from its leads.

Oscar Prospects: Sound is a possibility. But I think Dar Salim should be considered for Supporting Actor.

Grade: B+

[anonymous1980]

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, Nathan Fillion, Nico Santos, Miriam Shor, Sylvester Stallone, voices of Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Maria Bakalova, Linda Cardellini.
Dir: James Gunn.

The latest entry in the MCU and the third solo Guardians of the Galaxy movie has the gang trying to race to save Rocket and to do so, they must battle his creator, the High Evolutionary. No, it's not quite as great as the first one but I did like it better than the second one. As far as MCU movies go, this is probably mid-tier but it's better than what's been their average output lately where they're starting to become hit and miss. Though a tad overlong and has the usual issues that come with a Marvel film, this one does manage to have some substance. The exploration of the origins of Rocket is dark and upsetting but gives the film its emotional weight and yet it still manages to find humor. Writer-director James Gunn manages to give satisfying arcs to all the characters to close out this chapter of the Guardians franchise under his watch. All in all, if you like these characters, you should be entertained and content. I was.

Oscar Prospects: Sound, Makeup & Hairstyling and Visual Effects are possible.

Grade: B+

[Sabin]

In case anyone on this board is confused about my take on Beau is Afraid, I was a bit exhausted when I wrote it. It definitely read too matter of factly for a movie that is anything but. I gave it three stars on Letterboxd. I just gave it a very top level assessment because frankly it is a difficult think to describe. Ari Aster is an exciting filmmaker. I'm less enamored with this and Midsommar but the more I think about Hereditary the more I like it. I think Aster has something in common with Steven Spielberg in that I ultimately think he's better at exploring dreams, demons, and traumas within genre rather than making it all the text (like in The Fabelmans). Beau is Afraid is the third Ari Aster film in a row that is at least somewhat about parent-child anxiety and trauma. It's clearly a preoccupation. In bits and pieces like in a phone call to his mother, he really captures how paralyzing parental manipulation can be. But as a story overall I didn't think it amounted to much that was profound and for a movie that is three hours long that really does ask a lot of the audience (it's pretty antagonistic throughout, occasionally in an inspired way) that's not really good enough. I won't get into what happens in the film because "Where the fuck is this going?" is one of the major pleasures one can glean from it. I will amend my first statement to say I probably won't watch the first chapter "several" more times. Once you know what's happening a good amount of enjoyment is lifted. It really does function as a weird ride. But I found the relatively simple first chapter (where Beau tries to leave for the airport and a series of nightmarish misfortunes prevent him from leaving) very entertaining. Without giving anything away, I think the second chapter goes wrong because Aster is exploring a very specific type of social situation (what is an appropriate amount to ask of someone?) but the circumstances that put Joaquin Phoenix in that situation make it not a 1:1. And from there... there's really no real point of continuing because I wouldn't want to give anything away. Aster is a born filmmaker and scattered moments had a real power to them. The Parker Posey scene in particular. But as a writer, I don't think his ideas add up to much and... well, as I said earlier, it's three hours long. I might have preferred a version of this film that was just all about a guy trying to leave his apartment. I do think Ari Aster is an exciting filmmaker but I don't think he has much of a high reputation on this board. I have a hard time imagining many people liking it because it really does revolve around as passive a protagonist as one is likely to see this year. But I would certainly recommend anyone to see what they think.

I don't think I mentioned this but I watched The Super Mario Bros. movie a few months ago. The animation was 80% finished and it was on a laptop, so I can't really claim to have the full experience of it. But my take was the animation was if not gorgeous then at least pretty unique in feeling. Like, it really is a video game-ish world that is fun to experience. But the script played like if you gave Chat GPT a series of corporate prompts on what to include in a screenplay. Mario and Peach have zero reason to be partnered up on this journey. My experience with it was that was a shiny object for small children and destined to be an enormous smash. I think it will end up being the biggest film of the year.

[anonymous1980]

PETER PAN AND WENDY
Cast: Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Jude Law, Yara Shahidi, Alyssa Wapanatahk, Jim Gaffigan, Joshua Pickering, Jacobi Jupe, Molly Parker, Alan Tudyk.
Dir: David Lowery.

This is yet another big-screen take on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan story. This time, it's Disney remaking its animated film about the boy who never grows up who whisks away Wendy, John and Michael Darling to Neverland. Normally, I hear Disney live-action remake and I roll my eyes and groan but this one is directed by David Lowery who managed to make a GOOD Disney remake of Pete's Dragon. If that film is any indication, he is the type of filmmaker whose style, voice and sensibility from his independent art house films does not totally get lost in his big, studio flicks. I can definitely say this is yet another example of it. Lowery's style injects freshness to the already familiar story managing to be a fun studio kids flick while at the same time giving it some soul and substance that could fit into his filmography. Yes, this isn't a masterpiece but as far as Disney rehashing its old movies go, this is easily in the upper-tier.

Oscar Prospects: I'm not sure if it's qualified but Visual Effects, Production Design and Original Song are in play.

Grade: B+

[Reza]

I'll likely rewatch that part quite a few more times. From there it's a bit of a mixed bag. One's mileage will vary. At times, it's a pretty exciting film but it doesn't add up to quite what I wanted. Interested in other perspectives.

For a film that sounds pretty much very ordinary I envy you the time, effort and inclination you can muster to watch parts of this film "a few more times".

Not sure if you've read much at all about it but nothing about Beau is Afraid sounds "very ordinary".

Sabin calls most of the film after the first chapter a "mixed bag" and didn't sound to enthusiastic about that part. Maybe it was the 3 hour length?

I just read up about the film. Sounds like a dazzling exercise but in a painful way. Did not particularly like the director's two previous films.

[dws1982]

I'll likely rewatch that part quite a few more times. From there it's a bit of a mixed bag. One's mileage will vary. At times, it's a pretty exciting film but it doesn't add up to quite what I wanted. Interested in other perspectives.

For a film that sounds pretty much very ordinary I envy you the time, effort and inclination you can muster to watch parts of this film "a few more times".

Not sure if you've read much at all about it but nothing about Beau is Afraid sounds "very ordinary".

[Reza]

I'll likely rewatch that part quite a few more times. From there it's a bit of a mixed bag. One's mileage will vary. At times, it's a pretty exciting film but it doesn't add up to quite what I wanted. Interested in other perspectives.

For a film that sounds pretty much very ordinary I envy you the time, effort and inclination you can muster to watch parts of this film "a few more times". It must be youth (not sure how old you are) that allows you to watch something pretty much mediocre many times over.

I've throughout my life watched some films more than once but time is not on my side anymore and there is still so much to see out there that spending time watching something a second or third time seems to me out of the question. I would rather now spend those 2 or 3 hours watching something I haven't seen before.

[Sabin]

At three hours of middle-aged anxiety, Beau is Afraid is a big swing and a mixed bag. A lot of people on this board are going to hate it. I can't join them because there's enough of it in the film that held my interest and had me wondering what Aster was saying regarding anxiety, trauma, and (perhaps) prescription medication. Beau is a terrified 40-ish man (Joaquin Phoenix) who lives in a nightmarish slice of Hollywood. Not "Hollywood," but the part of Los Angeles that has gone horribly downhill over the last ten years. He tries to catch a flight to visit his mother on the anniversary of his father's death but a series of nightmarish (that words keeps coming up) coincidences prevent him. Over the course of three hours, he's dragged from one imprisonment to another in like Candide written by the love child of Philip Roth and Charlie Kaufman. Dragged being the operative word. Anyone interested in active protagonists with redeeming values ought to look elsewhere. I recall Daniel's assessment of Babylon where he said that throughout the film's runtime he mentally scrolled through every star rating twice. There were many stretches in Beau is Afraid where I thought it was really working: the hilarious first chapter, an encounter with Parker Posey, every moment with Zoe Lister-Jones as his mother in flashbacks (I usually don't like her but she's very good). But I was let down by the ultimate direction of the story which sort of cast a pale on what came before (but it's certainly of a piece thematically with Aster's previous films) and I think dishonors some of its investigation into anxiety and male purpose. I really think it's time for this guy to work off a screenplay that isn't his.

But yeah. Three hours. First "chapter" is hilarious -- and startling. I'll likely rewatch that part quite a few more times. From there it's a bit of a mixed bag. One's mileage will vary. At times, it's a pretty exciting film but it doesn't add up to quite what I wanted. Interested in other perspectives.

[anonymous1980]

RENFIELD
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Adrian Martinez, Brandon Scott Jones.
Dir: Chris McKay.

It's modern day New Orleans and Renfield is starting to question his co-dependent, toxic relationship with Dracula and wanting to be his own man while teaming up with a police officer to take down a crime family. The concept of this take on the Dracula story is a very, very funny one. Indeed, it is the best parts of the film with both Nicholas Hoult and especially Nicolas Cage taking the premise and running away with it. Cage, in particular, is very, very funny doing literally scenery chewing performance as Dracula obviously having a good time. He is the reason to see this movie. The film's plot though often gets in the way of the funny premise which doesn't seem to cohere as a whole film despite the efforts of the cast. Overall, not a terrible movie but it could have been a lot better.

Oscar Prospects: Makeup is possible. Nicolas Cage could get a Golden Globe Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy nomination as well.

Grade: B-