Adam Wingard’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is silly, exciting and astonishing in its lack of originality.

It cobbles a bursting-apart screenplay from at least 20 other movies.

Rebecca Hall is back as the lead scientist, still raising her Kong-loving daughter and working as an ambassador for The Titan Project. She’s our lead protagonist who isn’t a skyscraper-tall monster.

This time, Hallowed Earth, the lush, gravity-lite and expansive world in the center of the Earth (Jules Verne’s family deserves a royalty check for this movie) is the meeting place for the title characters, as an undiscovered group of inhabitants and a vicious, unwelcome presence await the arrival of a giant ape and his lizard frenemy.

This is the epitome of American Godzilla movies so far – loud and Jerry Bruckheimer-esque. The timing is slightly off, as the terrific “Godzilla Minus One” (2023) is still fresh in the mind.

For me, the series hit an all-time peak with the startling, satirical “Shin Godzilla” (2016). While the much loathed (but slightly better than most remember) Roland Emmerich “Godzilla” (1998) is officially the first American take on the character, this Warner Brothers/Legendary Films variant started with Gareth Edwards’ great “Godzilla” (2014), moved onto the awful “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019), then redeemed itself with the Pandemic-era sleeper (and the movie with an opening strong enough to prove audiences were ready to return to theaters) “Godzilla Vs. Kong” (2021).

The American Godzilla movies rarely use the title character as an allegory for post-WWII horrors and/or a cautionary tale for nuclear weapons. Of course, they don’t.

Not all of the vintage Toho releases were, either.

Sometimes, Godzilla was the walking embodiment of destruction but even more so, he is the hero of monster movies. A lot of these movies, even the greatest ones (I’m looking at “Godzilla vs Mothra” and “The Return of Godzilla”/ “Godzilla 1985: The Legend is Reborn”) are ridiculous.

They’re also wonderful, whether acting as monster-mash metaphors with suited actors smashing against cardboard sets, or CGI-fueled disaster films in which the monsters stand in for our disconnection and ability to rebuild after tragedy.

Sometimes it’s as simple as “Godzilla vs. Hedorah”/ “Godzilla vs The Smog Monster” (1971), which is as on-the-nose with its ecological message as it can be but still enthralling and fun.

What I’m getting at is, I love these movies and don’t mind that the early or recent Kaiju films are all absurd.

RELATED: GIVE 1976’s ‘KING KONG’ ITS (LIMITED) DUE

The problem with “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” isn’t embracing the ridiculous, as the film has a healthy sense of humor, often commentating on its goofiness and only allowing itself to get serious for a patch of time.

What isn’t impressive is the library of popular movies this latest installment clearly stole from. There’s a lot of entertainment value here, Xeroxed from many of your favorite popcorn movies.

There are scenes, images, lines of dialogue and camera angles “borrowed” from “Avatar” (both of them), “Transformers” (all of them), “Indiana Jones” (parts 2 and 4), “Planet of the Apes” (the recent ones), “Jurassic Park” (all of them) and anything directed by Michael Bay since 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hall demonstrates her acting ability by trying hard to not make every line sound like it was written for the trailer and little else.

Hall has a line, very late in the film, that was likely added through ADR, in which she ponders “Alright, we’re underneath the pyramids. Now what?”

Instead of cramming the movie with actors either trying too hard or just attempting to maintain their dignity, how about a dialog-free Toho adaptation? The standing-around-and-talking scenes were easily the weak point of the otherwise robust “Godzilla vs. Kong” (2021).

It might be time to consider how much audiences really care about these human characters and whether we need these exposition breaks?

The “Empire” fight scenes are often breathtaking, even as these altercations make me wonder if Kong and Godzilla had studied the wrestling moves of The Ultimate Warrior and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. I’m not complaining, but there’s also a video game influence that reveals itself when this becomes the second movie in a row where Kong is able to “power up” after losing a rough tussle.

I liked the recent “Godzilla vs. Kong” slightly more than this one but am still impressed by the WETA-aided visual effects, which make me connect with the monsters and really watch the facial reaction “acting” from the creatures.

Thankfully, this is much better than “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and, once again, made me care about the title characters a great deal.

There have been better ‘zilla thrillers than this one. However, if you only see one movie this year where the bad guy uses a spinal cord studded with a glowing dagger as a weapon, make it “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”

Two and a Half Stars

The post ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ Is the Anti-‘Godzilla Minus One’ appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days” is the portrait of a life that might seem small and simple, but is full of insight, discipline, and steady rewards.

It stars Koji Yakusho, in a performance that won him Best Actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, as Hirayama, a middle-aged man whose daily life is a steady routine of work and well-earned idle time. Hirayama wakes every morning, alone in his small apartment, where he readies himself for another day of working in Tokyo.

Hirayama cleans public restrooms, both porta-a-potties and brick-and-mortar bathrooms. He does this cheerfully, visibly works very hard and takes pride in doing his job extremely well.

He concludes his days with a thorough cleansing, a homecooked meal, a good book and a good night’s sleep. We watch as he repeats this routine and finds moments to savor in between his work engagements.

An unexpected and welcome story thread kicks off the second act.

Here’s something you probably haven’t seen before: a deeply moving, insightful and life-affirming movie about a man who cleans toilets.

You read that right.

If Wenders’ film has a cinematic link to another work, then its Jim Jarmusch’s “Paterson” (2016), which also establishes the daily repetition of its protagonist, then shows us the profound discoveries he makes when he steps outside of his established workload.

Both films begin in a way that avoids narrative, invites boredom from a fidgety audience who will grow impatient by watching a character work for a living and then surprises us when the steady workflow comes to a halt.

Rather than try to create an international identity or political expression for Tokyo, Wenders simply allows the city to become a character and loom over its central character.

Wenders has done this before – think of Berlin in “Wings of Desire” (1987), the Australian outback in “Until the End of the World” (1991), Los Angeles in “The End of Violence” (1997) or Houston in “Paris, Texas” (1984).

Wenders is one of the greatest of all travelogue filmmakers, whose narratives are less about the accumulative outcome of the central figures and more about their physical and soulful journey within.

Despite being about a man who cleans toilets, both Wenders and his co-screenwriter Takuma Takasaki avoid any and all “bathroom” humor or temptation to go lowbrow. In place of obvious, groan-inducing humor are moments when Hirayama encounters a small, cheerful child or when he sits, eats his lunch, and notes the motion of shadows, sunshine and blowing leaves in harmony.

Wenders’ film is unhurried and, as my description indicated, contemplative but, remarkably, manages to never bore or condescend to its audience. Some may understandably wish the narrative would get going quicker and that the second act reveal would arrive sooner.

Playing Takashi, Hirayama’s best friend, is Tokio Emoto, who is a little much in the role. The generation gap and contrast of energy levels between them is the point, but Hirayama’s story works best when we observe how initially isolated he is.

"Perfect Days is like a film I've never done before." Wim Wenders on his new film, opening in cinemas Thursday. pic.twitter.com/H2CCAsshHZ

— Madman Films (@MadmanFilms) March 23, 2024

Wenders has made so many of my favorite films, like “Until the End of the World” (1991), “Paris Texas” (1984), “Wings of Desire” (1987), “The American Friend” (1977) and “Faraway, So Close!” (1993) but even his smaller, lesser-known works offers rich character studies and visionary moments.

Wenders makes movies that are deeply compassionate character journeys, often road movies or odysseys in which the destination isn’t a plot point but a simple act of human connection.

If “Perfect Days” is your first Wim Wenders movie, then you’ll see immediately why his gorgeous, contemplative, and rewarding films are some of the best around.

Four Stars

The post ‘Perfect Days’ Offers Peak Wim Wenders Storytelling appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Colin and Cameron Cairnes’ “Late Night with the Devil” presents itself as a documentary about a haunted episode of a 1977 talk show, which we see in full.

Following a recap of how once-promising talk show Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchain) has hit a personal rock bottom and is struggling to keep his program on the air, we watch the show’s final episode.

Delroy showcases demonic possession as an effort to compete with Johnny Carson.

It helps that Dastmalchian is very good in the lead, though it’s Ingrid Torelli who steals the film. She plays Lilly, a satanic cult survivor who is demonically possessed and, to put it mildly, unwisely brought onto a live TV broadcast to boost the ratings.

Torelli has a presence that brings a completely different energy to the film. I found myself more afraid of Lilly than most other “evil kids” in these types of movies.

The more the screenplay draws out the premise, the better the film plays, as the anticipation is far more successful than the wrap up. Like a joke with a dud punchline but a great build, we get a well-made and entertaining work, though it’s easy to get ahead of it.

The thematic exploration of how the 1970s brought about televised horror and a shift in this country’s history is overlooked in the end in favor of the overtly supernatural payoff. The film overall is most successful when reminding us that our local news and low-fi, CGI/AI-free age showed us horrors that were unimaginable and real.

Just watching the six o’clock news was enough to scar with stories and images that shook us during dinner time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Late Night with the Devil” is obvious and often silly but fun most of the way. I enjoyed how it begins as a recreation of a banal late-night talk show, grows increasingly more sinister and finally lets loose at the end.

Unfortunately, the third act is the film’s least effective, as obvious special effects, ill-defined logic and cheap shocks (like using a cancer patient as a scare tactic) take over the exploration of how skepticism and exploitation result in an unwise exploration into the unknown.

The presentation is always amusing, but I was never fooled into thinking I was watching a real broadcast. For one, the filmmakers include split-screen effects and edits that are meant to give the audience a more probing look at the action but only underline that we’re watching a movie.

On the other hand, there’s “WNUF Halloween Special” (2013), the brilliantly made and strikingly similar faux horror broadcast that isn’t just of the same ilk but superior.

Directed by Chris LaMartina and featuring a haunted broadcast surrounded by countless (and persuasively produced) fake commercials, it is anchored by a fine lead performance, consistently funny and impressive in its recreation of 1980s television (the filmmakers reportedly ran their film through three VCRs, resulting in the look of the faded videocassette artifact it’s supposed to be).

Like “Late Night with the Devil,” it peters out in the end, with a conclusion that is effective and ghoulish but nowhere near the knockout punchline one would hope for.

Still, even with an underwhelming finish, “WNUF Halloween Special” (which, like “Late Night with the Devil,” can be found on Shudder) is remarkable for being a clever facsimile and tribute to the macabre possibilities of late 20th century local broadcasting.

“Live With the Devil” is closer to being a pretty-good episode of “The Twilight Zone” (or, a far more accurate comparison, “Tales From the Darkside”) than a full-fledged horror classic. For some, that will be more than enough, and I wouldn’t mind revisiting it over time.

However, and I say this as a proper comparison and a hearty recommendation: “WNUF Halloween Special” did this better – if you’re going to watch them both as an ideal double feature, be sure to make “Late Night with the Devil” the second of the two.

Two and a Half Stars

The post ‘Late Night with the Devil’ Possesses Satirical Sting appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Liam Neeson’s post-“Taken” career has been a blessing and a curse for the Oscar nominee.

Yes, he works constantly as an in-demand action hero even as he enters his 70s. The films in question are often beneath him, generic tales that barely tap his gifts. There’s less time for films like “Rob Roy,” “Michael Collins” or “Schindler’s List.”

“In the Land of Saints and Sinners” offers a bridge between his cinematic worlds.

It’s more ambitious than recent Neeson titles like “Retribution” and “Blacklight,” and the story cares as much about Ireland’s “Troubles” as bombs or bullets.

Neeson’s character can’t shake his heroic brand, stripping some of the potential from “Saints and Sinners.”

Neeson plays Finbar Murphy, an assassin living in a small Irish village circa 1974. He’s hardly keen on his line of work, so when one of his victims begs him to reconsider his ways he takes the plea seriously.

It’s time to prove his worth as a person.

The timing of his conversion, sadly, couldn’t be worse. A terrorist IRA trio enters the scene, led by the combustible Doireann McCann (Kerry Condon). They just pulled off a bombing that took the lives of young children, so they’re hiding out until the news fades.

Can Finbar steer clear of Doireann while keeping his murderous past a secret? Well, it wouldn’t be a Neeson film if the answer to both was a resounding, “Yes.”

The film opens with Finbar and a local cop (the great Ciaran Hinds) taking target practice. How is Finbar so good, he wonders without knowing Finbar’s side hustle.

That relationship suggests something more rewarding than recent Neeson outings, but the screenplay by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane mostly abandons the thread.

Neeson is more than capable of handling Finbar’s shift from his hired goon days, but “Saints and Sinners” rushes the process along. It’s also unwilling to judge Finbar for his past and treats his moral makeover too glibly.

Far better is Condon, who while shorter than Neeson holds her ground against Finbar. She’s no girlboss, just a self-absorbed soul fighting for her version of family and Ireland.

And too often in that order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Saints and Sinners” boasts a taut, relentless score, and director Robert Lorenz makes good use of Ireland’s gorgeous locales. That care occasionally extends to the story itself, which doles out observations that bring ordinary scenes to life.

Call it texture, something too many films ignore.

The inevitable action sequences play out in an unkempt fashion, giving them both snap and unpredictably. They’re also not why we appreciate what “Saints and Sinners” has to offer.

The Troubles adds another welcome element to the story, a solemn backdrop that makes Condon’s character less monstrous than she might seem otherwise.

“In the Land of Saints and Sinners” doesn’t fully commit to the character study it wants to deliver. Instead, it’s a patchwork film embracing Neeson’s late-action hero turn and the knowledge there’s a reason he’s been working nonstop for the past 30-plus years.

HiT or Miss: “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” offers Liam Neeson a bridge to his previous days as a dramatic actor. Too bad his action movie present keeps getting in the way.

The post ‘Land of Saints and Sinners’ Shows Two Sides of Neeson appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

You could excuse “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” for wallowing in nostalgia.

The reboot/sequel had to wash away the stain of the 2016 “Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” while making amends with the franchise faithful.

“Afterlife” still moved the story’s setting far from the Big Apple, and the presence of the franchise’s core members came mostly at the end. It felt like the franchise was ready to go off on its own.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” argues just the opposite.

The sequel stuffs every possible nostalgia blast into its two-hour running time. The iconic theme song. The score. The original cast members. The references. The quips. Nearly every scene marinates in our memories.

Rick Moranis must have looked at the heaping pile of money on his agent’s desk and said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Yet the movie that struggles to the surface is just sly enough to recommend. You won’t feel good about it later, and most will hope the franchise stalls here … for good.

The story picks up two years after “Afterlife,” and the Spengler clan has embraced its ghost-busting destiny in New York.

They’re racing around the city in the Ecto-mobile, quibbling with each other like families often do.

Their handiwork draws the ire of the Mayor (William Atherton, another franchise returnee), forcing young Phoebe (“Crash & Bernstein” alum McKenna Grace) to lay down her proton pack. She’s only 15 and too young to be an official Ghostbuster by the city’s rules and regulations.

Remember when the 1984 original shredded Big Government? Rebellion isn’t allowed in this movie franchise or Hollywood circa 2024.

That’s a problem since a new ghostly threat is lurking around the corner. A mysterious orb carries a ghost eager to turn the earth into, wait for it, a Frozen Empire. The Spenglers will need backup to thwart its plans, including young Ghostbusters (Celeste O’Connor, fresh from “Madame Web”) and Logan Kim as the returning Podcast.

The Old Guard – Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Bill Murray (briefly) – also join the fight.

Murray is fittingly like a ghost in the film. He pops in and out of the story as if he were on-set for mere hours, not days. Hmmmm.

We also get Patton Oswalt in an unnecessary role spitting out exposition. And boy, there’s a ton of exposition to be shared.

Remember storytelling?

British comic James Acaster adds nothing to the sequel as yet another ghost expert. Then again, gags are in short supply in the rebooted franchise.

Thank heavens for Kumail Nanjiani. He plays a sad-sack who sells Aykroyd’s Ray the orb in question, and he’s the only cast member who “gets” the whole point of Ghostbusting.

Make. Us. Laugh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The 1984 original mixed a great theme song, a killer cast and a slick comedy/sci-fi hybrid. The last two “Ghost” features dialed down the comedy.

“Frozen Empire” is a mess, no doubt, down to the absurd return of the mini-Stay Puff marshmallow men. Think the Minions minus a sense of purpose.

And yet the sequel is never dull, delivers a few smiles and is smart enough to keep throwing things at the screen until something sticks.

Take Paul Rudd, playing the Spenglers’ quasi-father figure and Mama Spengler’s love interest. Rudd is always great. Always. He has little to do here but crack wise (mildly) and look lost while he figures out what it means to be a step-father. 

Except it’s clear his character isn’t actually married to Carrie Coon’s Callie Spengler.

And then there’s Phoebe’s relationship with a female teen ghost (Emily Alyn Lind). Suffice it to say the film suggests a romantic bond between geek girl and that ghostly presence, but it lacks the courage to go all the way.

(That should enrage social conservatives and far-Left activists alike).

You could see where a stripped-down “Frozen Empire” might make sense. Aykroyd and Hudson discuss getting old in one poignant exchange. The former notes that fighting ghosts still makes him happy. You can sense the moment speaks to a celebrity who once sat atop Hollywood’s A-list.

Phoebe’s teen angst could also play well if given more screen time. So could the quirky dynamics of the Spengler clan.

And why bother hiring Rudd if you’ve got nothing for him to do? Reciting classic Ghostbusters lines does not count.

The box office will determine if the “Ghostbusters” franchise goes back to sleep following “Frozen Empire.”

Either way, it’s time to stop with the Memberberries and blaze a new trail.

HiT or Miss: “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is an exercise in raw nostalgia but the gifted cast ensures it’s a diverting affair despite the film’s flaws.

The post ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Slimes Us with Nostalgia appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

The 1989 film “Road House” isn’t a classic. It’s more like a “classic.”

Patrick Swayze’s honky tonk romp is both deeply flawed and a cherished ’80s film. Any attempt to remake it seems fraught with complications.

• Too woke?
• Too reverential?
• Too over-the-top in that glorious “Road House” fashion?

How about too bland? And, worst of all, too unnecessary.

Jake Gyllenhaal steps in for Swayze, playing a former UFC fighter struggling to make sense of his life. He’s offered a sweet gig as the lead bouncer in a Florida club called, wait for it, The Road House.

No, it’s not a funny line nor is much of what we get worth a chuckle.

Our new Dalton flashes his bouncing skills in a sequence that suggests this remake might be worth the bother. He’s a force of nature, turning a gaggle of hoods into a crowded line at the Emergency Room.

His antics grab the attention of a local developer (Billy Magnussen, a fascinating actor given a terrible role) who wants to chase the Road House’s owner off the property. Dalton also angers the local Sheriff (Joaquim de Almeida), one of the few recognizable character actors in the film.

Too bad the sheriff is as lazily written as every other part, from the Road Houses owner (Jessica Williams) to Ellie the Love InterestTM (Daniela Melchior).

Dalton and Ellie have so little chemistry they’re more believable as brother and sister … or just strangers who wandered into a film audition.

The original “Road House” brought the heat between Swayze and co-star Kelly Lynch. That kind of animal attraction is too Male Gaze-y for today’s Hollywood, alas.

The film’s first half hour is remarkably flat, befitting a straight-to-streaming project not one directed by Doug Lemon (“Edge of Tomorrow,” “Swingers,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”).

“Road House” comes to life when Conor McGregor enters the frame as Knox, the hired hand tasked with bouncing Dalton out of the Florida Keys and this mortal coil.

McGregor may not be an actor-actor, but his burly physique and charisma are exactly what’s missing. He can’t do it all, though, so no amount of scene stealing can paper over the insanely dumb plot beats and limp dialog. 

Where is Sam Elliott, even at 79 a force of nature, when you need him?

Gyllenhaal is arguably a better actor than Swayze, but he lacks the late star’s presence. The OG Dalton had a Zen-like calm that felt fresh given the tenor of the times. He read philosophy books and eschewed creature comforts.

Who is this Dalton, anyway? He’s haunted by his past but bored by his present and future. Only the addition of a young bookstore co-owner gives him a reason to fight for his new neighbors.

Gyllenhaal is looking to project an inner calm between ab crunches. Instead, he just seems bored.

The new “House” echoes the original in small ways, but it mostly blazes its own trail. That’s fine, assuming said trail is worth a gander.

Instead, we get tired exchanges between Dalton and the locals, bland thugs (except Arturo Castro as a half-hearted villain) and no purpose beyond banking on another ’80s IP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Limon even struggles with the action set pieces. An attempt on Dalton’s life on a dangerous stretch of road features terrible CGI, crushing the moment’s power. Some of the bar battles feel cluttered and familiar. The film’s final fisticuffs raised the stakes, admittedly.

The original “Road House” made you smell the stale beer in the Double Deuce. The bar band, led by blind singer Jeff Healey, cranked out tunes that made you want to get up and dance. And maybe even flirt a little.

Or a lot.

The club was a character unto itself, and the film spent plenty of time exploring its dark wood crevices.

Here, the club in question is generic to the core. It has no character, no soul … something like the movie in question.

HiT or Miss: Love 1989’s “Road House?” Go watch it again over this pale retread.

The post Why ‘Road House’ Can’t Measure Up to the Original appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

“The Zone of Interest” kept the camera away from the Nazi atrocities.

We watched a “normal” German family literally living next door to a concentration camp. Only the nauseating sounds of the death camp crept into the Oscar-winning film.

“Bardejov” puts a human face on the Holocaust, and we’re all the better for it. This lesser-known story of heroism offers a complex portrait of fear and resourcefulness.

Led by a never-better Robert Davi, “Bardejov” is a worthy addition to the Holocaust film genre, and it’s timing couldn’t be better given the shocking rise in antisemitism across the globe.

Davi plays Rafuel Lowy, a Jewish leader struggling to protect his people from the Nazi’s expanding empire. It’s 1942, and the Slovakian town of Bardejov is increasingly under Hitler’s control.

You won’t find any Nazis goose-stepping across the streets. The local Hlinka Guards prove more than eager to do the Third Reich’s bidding.

Rafuel’s role as both a spiritual leader and local businessman has kept him and his friends safe up until now. The Jewish death camps need new prisoners, forcing Rafuel to find a way to save his fellow Jews.

When the call goes out to recruit hundreds of local Jewish girls to “work” in a German shoe factory, Rafuel concocts a wild scheme to thwart that plan.

.@RobertJohnDavi plays a strong, defiant Jewish leader in the new Holocaust drama "Bardejov," which tells the compelling story of how a small Jewish community in a Slovakian town cunningly worked to save themselves in the early days of World War II. https://t.co/z7T7P4rxCr

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 15, 2024

Director Danny A. Abeckaser recreates the look and feel of ’40s-era Europe despite a modest budget, and the screenplay underscores the challenges Bardejov’s Jewish population faced. The Nazi plan encroached on core liberties piece by piece, making tiny promises with crushing expiration dates.

Appeasement seems the only possible answer … until it isn’t.

That tension powers the first act, suggesting how the most reasonable people hoped to negotiate their way out of the nightmare.

Davi, so memorable in both supporting and leading roles, brings both his steely presence and knack for serving the needs of each scene. His Rafuel can be kind and considerate one moment, then impulsive and raw.

The actor ensures it all flows from a place of authenticity.

“Bardejov” drags a bit in the middle, but once the desperate plan snaps into action it takes on a new, emboldened purpose.

Abeckaser’s film isn’t interested in clumsy, modern-day comparisons. Nothing rips us from the era in question, but it’s impossible to watch the horrors play out without remembering Oct. 7.

Emil A. Fish, a Slovakian survivor of the death camps, co-produced the film and helps frame the story. We shouldn’t need that kind of bookending in 2024, but sadly the facts on the ground suggest otherwise.

It’s a shame so few people know about this chapter in World War II history. Now, thanks to the gritty “Bardejov,” some will at last.

HiT or Miss: “Bardejov” reminds us there are still powerful stories tied to the Holocaust that need to be told on screen. 

The post ‘Bardejov’ (Sadly) Arrives at the Perfect Time appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

“Killing America” opens with an uppercut.

The mini-documentary shares examples of antisemitism from the California school system.

Director Eli Steele’s film has Oct. 7 on its mind, and the ensuing hate toward Jews nationwide. His film takes a circuitous route to explain how that rage took root on the West Coast (and, presumably, elsewhere).

Just wait. The depressing dots will soon be connected.

We first meet a Russian Jew whose parents fled their Communist country for a better life in America.

Today, she’s a physician and parent in California, aghast that the antisemitism she witnessed as a child has followed her to her new home. She reads a sampling of antisemitic comments shared on social media by local students and teachers.

It’s not an isolated incident.

We see activists embrace Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel that left more than 1,200 people dead and hundreds more captured. Scenes of pro-Palestinians parading down school hallways come next.

How did this happen?

“Killing America” takes a swift detour into DEI. Area schools slash honors classes to bridge the gap between poor minority students and wealthy whites and Asians.

Equity is the order of the day.

Some children never learn about the Holocaust in Ethnic Studies class. The focus is more about potential microaggressions than overt displays of Jew hatred.

What they’re taught is far more sinister. It’s the “oppressor versus the oppressed” narrative that’s all too familiar today.

Suddenly, the documentary’s pivot makes sense. Far-Left cultural policies have emboldened antisemitism, the doc argues. So have the toxic lessons taught in the modern classroom.

Please check out the dynamic Q&A session for the "Killing America" sneak preview that took place in Menlo Park on March 2.

It was a very frank, no-holds barred conversation that ruffled many feathers among the Left in the Bay Area. https://t.co/cJ2KEcIqie

— Eli Steele (@Hebro_Steele) March 7, 2024

“Killing America” came together swiftly given the fresh nature of the material. That explains why some of the key interviews are shot in unflattering surroundings.

Other visual elements are sturdier, as is the occasional narration by author Shelby Steele (Eli Steele’s father, who previously collaborated on his son’s “What Killed Michael Brown?”). That narration could have better fused the film’s two halves.

We’ve seen some of the shocking footage in “Killing America” before. Other sequences are original and frightening. Case in point: A parent shares a classroom project where kids must guess the ethnic backgrounds of select celebrities.

The material presented in “Killing America” needs a broader examination, something a 30-plus minute featurette can’t provide. It’s still a powerful placeholder, letting viewers know what’s happening in some California schools and, likely, classrooms nationwide.

HiT or Miss: “Killing America” bears the earmarks of a quickly assembled project, but the powerful messages within are undeniable.

The post ‘Killing America’ Connects Shocking DEI Dots appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Hollywood’s fascination with assassins shows no signs of letting up.

Consider the “John Wick” franchise as Exhibits A, B, C and D. (And you know E. is coming soon…)

“Knox Goes Away” tackles the genre from a fresh perspective. Michael Keaton directs himself as a hired killer facing an implacable foe – dementia.

How he orchestrates his final days makes for an unpredictable drama that eschews familiar action beats. It also reminds us that Keaton is a double threat who rarely taps the other side of his skills.

Keaton is John Knox, your garden-variety assassin with something pressing on his mind.

He finds himself making mental mistakes of late, a no-no in his line of work. A battery of tests confirms the worst. He not only suffers from dementia, but it’s a subset of the disease that acts rapidly.

He has just weeks, not months, before his mental faculties “go away.”

Knox wants to spend his remaining days steering his cash to his estranged family members. That includes his adult son, Miles (James Marsden), who has his own problems. He just murdered his teen daughter’s 32-year-old lover, and he splattered his DNA all over the crime scene.

We also get to know the detectives investigating the murder Miles committed. Meet Detective Emily Ikari (Suzy Nakamura), a stubborn soul who poses problems for both Knox and Miles.

“Knox Goes Away” might seem like a hardboiled thriller on paper, but it’s more methodical in its approach. At 72, Keaton can still be an action hero (think “The Flash“). Here, he’s focused on Knox’s redemptive arc.

On this week’s episode of #FlyOnTheWall me and @DavidSpade chat about: The Oscars, standup, iconic roles and more with the brilliant @MichaelKeaton.

‘KNOX GOES AWAY’ – Opens in theaters March 15

Full episode: https://t.co/pa20PyVjPP #comedy #podcast pic.twitter.com/HuQ6k8re90

— Dana Carvey (@danacarvey) March 13, 2024

Gregory Poirier’s screenplay never dazzles, but it sets up the various character arcs with cold efficiency. Knox isn’t the warm and cuddly type, but Keaton makes sure we feel the regret baked into his diagnosis.

He was, by his own admission, a “lousy father,” and his dedication to his craft meant living a lonely existence.

His best friend is the mysterious Xavier (Al Pacino), a fellow crook who comes off so curmudgeonly you think he couldn’t hurt a fly. That’s a storytelling flaw. Period.

Other characters help define Knox’s final days, including the proverbial prostitute with a heart of gold (Joanna Kulig) and his conflicted ex-wife (Marcia Gay Harden, excellent despite her tiny screen time).

Like most assassin-themed movies, we’re meant to bond with Knox despite his cruel line of work. He doesn’t like to hear any details about his future victims, and the screenplay suggests they’re all asking for it anyway.

It’s the kind of wobbly morality Hollywood too often shares of late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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There’s nothing woke, per se, about the drama, but one sequence stands out. Detective Ikari dresses down a colleague for using the term “guys” to refer to several people. When he spits out a pronoun cocktail in return she barks at him for living in the past.

The moment brings the well-paced story to an unnecessary halt.

Otherwise, “Knox Goes Away” is too tidy for its own good but always entertains. Keaton the director has a sharp eye for composition, and he’s smart enough not to over-emphasize style over substance.

The actor’s previous directorial effort, the underrated 2008 film “The Merry Gentleman,” also featured a kind-hearted assassin. We’ll leave the psychological questions aside for now.

“Knox Goes Away” is a sturdy sign that Keaton should spend more time behind the camera.

HiT or Miss: “Knox Goes Away” offers a sly spin on the assassin film genre, steered with a steady hand by star-director Michael Keaton.

The post ‘Knox Goes Away’ Turns Assassin Genre on Its Ear appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Frances Xavier Cabrini wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The Italian immigrant known as Mother Cabrini pushed past patriarchal bullies, making history with every selfless act.

She’s no Girlboss, just the remarkable Saint at the center of “Cabrini.”

The big-screen take on Mother Cabrini’s life is worthy of its subject matter. Sweeping in scope and dazzling from start to finish, “Cabrini” celebrates faith, persistence and the power to bulldoze past doubt.

Cristiana Dell’Anna brings an earthy grit to our heroine, supporting a story that demands nothing less than an A-list performance.

Dell’Anna obliges.

Mother Cabrini longs to set up a children’s orphanage in China and later expand her work into the West.

She’s tasked with the opposite mission. Transform New York’s rat-infested Five Points neighborhood into a haven for lost children.

If successful, she can build from there.

Good luck. 

Italian immigrants are spat upon circa the late 1800s, the time period when Mother Cabrini set out to change the world. New Yorkers deemed them second-class citizens, at best. Some heaped ethnic slurs upon anyone with olive skin.

It’s just one of many obstacles in Mother Cabrini’s way, including her failing health. Doctors warn she’ll be lucky to live another five years, and she better spend that time preserving her strength in bed.

Nonsense.

She has work to do, children to save and lives to turn around. Her combination of blunt personal charm and indefatigable spirit can overcome any adversity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dell’Anna is a force of nature in the title role, ensuring the future Saint’s grit flows from a deeply spiritual core. Like recent faith-based dramas, “Cabrini” doesn’t preach or bog the narrative down in talking points.

Viewers grasp the title character’s faith and fortitude. She need not say a word.

Show, don’t tell.

“Cabrini” is catnip for progressive audiences, at least on paper. Mother Cabrini stared down the era’s male-dominated society, daring doubters to dismiss her dreams. She worked relentlessly for immigrants, demanding they be treated with respect and compassion.

What’s missing? The ham-fisted lectures and one-dimensional portraits seen in some progressive films.

Director Alejandro Gómez Monteverde (“Bella, “Sound of Freedom”) has a marvelous way of seeing the beauty in bleak landscapes. His film is gorgeous from start to finish, even when we’re lurking about seedy neighborhoods and dilapidated buildings.

One sequence, which lasts but a few seconds, is so stunning you’ll want to hit the pause button to soak it all in. 

The screenplay brushes up to screen formulas without over-indulging. And when Mother Cabrini is afforded a few lines that might be woke in other settings, the sentiment is so well earned you can’t help but cheer. It’s a shame the story doesn’t embrace some of Mother Cabrini’s fellow nuns. We’d like to learn more about them, too.

Supporting players David Morse and John Lithgow add gravitas to the production. Lithgow, no stranger to scenery snacking, holds back as a bigoted Big Apple mayor.

Wise.

He’s on screen for just a few minutes, but his character is so reprehensible you can feel his presence throughout the third act.

Mother Cabrini’s duels with the Pope, played with puckish authority by Giancarlo Giannini, offer another highlight.

“Cabrini” could use a nip or two to reduce its running time, and the film sags slightly in the second act. Still, the drama feels like a throwback to another time, when spiritual heroes got the Hollywood close-ups they deserved.

HiT or Miss: “Cabrini” is the kind of film Hollywood once made with regularity. It’s steeped in faith, larger-than-life achievements and a star worthy of every close-up.

The post ‘Cabrini’ Stuns in More Ways Than One appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

One of the greatest works of criticism about the Coen brothers comes from Screentakes’s Jennine Lanouette in her review of “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

The 2013 drama is arguably one of Joel and Ethan Coen’s greatest works. The film follows a grieving Greenwich Village folk singer as he grapples with a failing career and the suicide of his creative partner. His life is beset with greater and greater failures, up to and including having his career overshadowed by folk singer Bob Dylan.

As Lanouette argues, the film’s psychological underpinning is rooted in the idea of creative partnership and separation anxiety, and this realization made her weep.

“It’s a personal film! That’s what got under my skin. ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ at its core, is nothing less than a big imagining on the part of the Coen brothers of how terrible their life would be without the other.”

What has made the Coen brothers powerful as creatives has been an essential creative fusion in their collaboration. Throughout their extensive filmography—”Raising Arizona,” “Barton Fink,” “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” “No Country for Old Men,” “A Serious Man,” etc.— it has been clear that both filmmakers have a level of intellectual and creative chemistry that has made their films essential, vibrant, funny, dark, and among the best works of cinema of any modern filmmakers.

It was impossible to tell at a glance where their creative instincts came from, but the pairing worked beautifully and created great art.

This was true until 2021.

Following the Netflix western “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” the cohesive creative pair parted ways, with the 63-year-old Ethan Coen stating that he was tired of making movies. Joel Coen would subsequently go off on his own and direct the 2021 AppleTV+ adaptation of “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” receiving critical acclaim for its excellent performances, heavy atmosphere, beautiful cinematography and creative interpretation of the Shakespearean source material.

Much to many people’s surprise, Ethan Coen has returned from his self-imposed exile—bringing both a new movie and the news that the brothers are reuniting for an upcoming horror movie project.

That new movie “Drive-Away Dolls,” a lesbian road trip comedy co-written with Ethan Coen’s polyamorous partner Tricia Cooke.

The fact now that we have both “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “Drive-Away Dolls,” as films respectively directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, is unprecedented. Not since HBO Max released the “Snyder-Cut” of “Justice League”—with directors Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder having released commercially competing cuts of the film—have filmgoing audiences been given such an obvious chance to look under the hood and dissect how artists tick in direct contrast.

It will be decades before film historians can properly pick apart these films and fully tell us the nature of how Joel and Ethan work together, as often such relationships are counterintuitive.

It took decades of litigation to figure out how much of “Citizen Kane” was respectively originated by director Orson Welles and screenwriter Herman Mankowitz. Similarly, Steven Spielberg’s “AI: Artificial Intelligence,” originating as Stanley Kubrick’s final film before his death, has whimsical elements that are attributed to Kubrick and more cerebral Kubrickian elements that Spielberg conceived.

The lines are never fully clear.

At a glance though, “Drive-Away Dolls” offers a brief glimpse at how these two artists operate absent one another—which is good because that’s the only interesting thing to discuss about the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The movie’s direction is amateurish, with flat cinematography, bizarre stock sound effects and Windows Movie Maker-tier transitions edited between scenes. Its script is limp, albeit stocked with characters that map well onto classic Coen Brothers archetypes—being largely working-class fools and criminals who find themselves in way over their heads.

However, it lacks Joel Coen’s steady directorial hand and ends up just coming off as a bunch of raunchy lesbian jokes and political jabs in search of a Coen Brothers comedy.

RELATED: 19 PERFECT ‘RAISING ARIZONA’ QUOTES

Ethan Cohen’s humor definitely speaks through the film, with some quirky characters, dialog and one very strange cut where a brutal murder under a statue of Benjamin Franklin cuts directly to two women having sex. The 1999 setting bizarrely adds humor and the American South setting appeals to a lot of the same classic Americana of the director’s earlier films, with a touch of satire to give it some edge.

Ethan Cohen’s preoccupations do depart from his brother’s insofar as he approaches politics.

Where Joel and Ethan Coen Dramatically Differ

While sexuality and politics aren’t foreign to them, the movie’s overt exploration of sexual repression and sex scenes are unusually graphic. The movie is also overtly partisan, with a sizable “Fargo”-esque subplot about an up-and-coming Florida Republican Senator attempting to cover up his sexual indiscretions for the sake of his career.

It reads as an indirect jab at politicians like Gov. Ron DeSantis and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who the film argues put up a false “family values” front to repress their real intentions and desires.

It is curious how, despite its visual challenges and thematic weakness, it still feels like a Coen brothers film. Their comedy films like “O Brother Where Art Thou,” “Burn After Reading” and “Hail, Caesar!” have a wonderful sarcastic wittiness to them, that still subtextually presents a very dark and bleak view of the world.

One might guess that their creative process may be rooted in a tension between a nihilist wanting to depict the world bleakly (Joel) and an absurdist eager to add more humor and laugh at its meaninglessness (Ethan).

This tension is curious, given how many of their films have collectively been ruined by this balance being thrown off. “Ladykillers” and “Intolerable Cruelty” lack the bleakness and they lose a great deal of the humanity of their other films. “Burn After Reading” is one of the darkest movies of their filmography and it is also a pitch-black comedy with some of their best jokes.

Conversely, “The Man Who Wasn’t There” is one of the most nakedly moody and dower films of the lot, and it comes off as a bit cold in comparison to films like “The Big Lebowski” and “Fargo.”

This isn’t to say that the lesser Coen Brothers films are bad, as even their weakest film “The Hudsucker Proxy” is still a vibrant and incredibly unique comedy. All of the films mentioned above are wonderful. But if their two most recent films are any indication, Joel and Ethan Coen have very different instincts and talents as artists and that fusion is the core of what makes their best films masterpieces.

RELATED: HOW ‘BARTON FINK’ LET COEN BROTHERS PUSH US TO OUR LIMITS

Their career highlights—”Fargo,” “No Country For Old Men,” “A Serious Man” and “Inside Llewyn Davis”—are the films in which their sardonic humor and absurdist bleakness work in tandem, where the humanity of these characters is most nakedly depicted and where the struggles they catch themselves in are most sympathetic.

These are textured and powerful works of moral cinema, rooted in comedy and tragedy, and founded by the Coen Brothers’ outsider viewpoints as midwestern secular Jews living in Christian America—to which they feel deeply sympathetic and disconnected in equal measure.

The rich Old Testament moralism of “A Serious Man,” the old Hollywood panache of “True Grit” and the bookishness of “O Brother Where Art Thou” have made their works unique as filmmakers and has made them among our most appealing and insightful filmmakers—beloved by people of all creeds and perspectives.

While their two most recent films are certainly valuable, they are nothing compared to what they can produce when working together.

Tyler Hummel is a Nashville-based freelance critic and journalist, a member of the Music City Film Critics Association and the 2021 College Fix Fellow at Main Street Nashville.

The post Joel and Ethan Coen Are Better Together: ‘Drive-Away Dolls’ Proves It appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Dwayne Johnson proved professional wrestlers could do more than just appear in major motion pictures.

They could graduate to the A-list.

Is it John Cena’s turn?

Sure, the former wrestler has starred in plenty of films over the past decade. He’s never embarrassed himself during the transition from the ring to the big screen. It’s his work in “Ricky Stanicky” that puts him on another level.

He doesn’t just carry the new Peter Farrelly comedy. He owns it.

Three lifelong pals have a surefire way of getting out of any jam. They blame their fictional friend “Ricky Stanicky” whenever they paint themselves into a corner.

Good ol’ Ricky never lets them down.

Except they play the Ricky Card once too often, and they’re forced to create Ricky out of thin air to keep the lie alive. They hire an X-rated lounge singer named Rod (Cena) to “become” Ricky for their family members.

Except Rod, drying out after years in a drunken stupor, is too committed to the role. Now, the friends must figure out a way to make this Ricky disappear, and fast.

The chums (Zac Efron, Andrew Santini and Jermaine Fowler) represent the kind of dude bros Hollywood once embraced. It might as well be Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill or any other Apatow repertory player under Farrelly’s command.

The script, which comes from too many scribes to tally up, is tighter than expected. Smaller character tics hit home, and the story embraces R-rated tropes and defies them. A third-act reveal turns a potential threat into a sly misdirection.

Farrelly knows how to wring laughs out of even mediocre bits, and the comic timing through the film never flags. The three friends have legit chemistry, something that’s missing in some bro comedies.

The story’s setup, alas, takes far too long to boil over.

Once it does, Cena is large and in charge. The friends serve as his straight men, setting the hulking actor up to crush every scene.

“Ricky Stanicky” isn’t afraid to tell bawdy sex jokes, the kind sure to trigger select critics. More often than not they’re funny, and that’s what matters.

When all else fails… blame it on Ricky. Ricky Stanicky is now streaming on @PrimeVideo! pic.twitter.com/upJplI2rMz

— Amazon Studios (@AmazonStudios) March 7, 2024

Like all good R-rated romps, “Ricky Stanicky” has its heart in the right place. A key monologue delivered by Fowler captures that spirit, but the story surrounding it mirrors those intentions.

Some Adam Sandler comedies have a mean-spirited underbelly. Not “Ricky Stanicky.”

William H. Macy proves a good sport as a corporate tycoon who sees something special in Ricky. The character actor may never escape his character’s key visual gag, one that can’t be described here.

No harm. No foul. It’s just a comedy. If you’re offended by it, that’s on you.

We still wish the film had more Big LaughsTM, the kind Farrelly once uncorked with regularity with “Kingpin,” “Dumb and Dumber” and other classics. At least no one’s apologizing for their White Privilege or dropping pronouns to signal their allyship.

Baby steps.

HiT or Miss: “Ricky Stanicky” isn’t an instant classic, but it’s sly, funny and it lets John Cena loose in the best of ways.

The post ‘Ricky Stanicky’ – Crude, Rude and Refreshing appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Love often blooms between damaged souls, but in “Love Lies Bleeding” there’s another element in play.

Iron.

The story of a female bodybuilder falling for the daughter of a small-town thug feels fresh on the surface. It’s still a grindhouse thriller with more than a few wrinkles to spike the formula.

Just don’t forget to thank committed turns by Kristen Stewart and old pro Ed Harris, the latter having a calculated blast as the baddie.

Kristen Stewart stars as Lou, owner of a blue-collar gym where a new client makes a splash. That’s Jackie (Katy O’Brian), whose formidable physique catches Lou’s attention.

And then some.

Jackie needs a place to tune up for a bodybuilding championship, and Lou is only too eager to help. The pair have physical chemistry to burn, and the camera lets you know it. Those scenes offer more than the recent “Drive-Away Dolls,” another lesbian romance with much less storytelling snap.

Their romance gets side-tracked by Lou’s family ties. Her estranged father (Ed Harris, with crazy long hair) runs a shady shooting range, and just guess who gets a gig at his company. That’s far from the only complication in the lovers’ lives, but it packs the most danger.

Plus, Lou isn’t sure she should trust Jackie, who arrived with nothing but a gym bag filled with emotional baggage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Love Lies Bleeding” is set in the 1980s but doesn’t bludgeon us with needle drops or forced nostalgia. Bodybuilders routinely turned to steroids to goose their physiques back then, and fit women weren’t as commonplace as today.

“Bleeding” plays out in conventional fashion until the pot begins to boil over in the third act. Director Rose Glass (“St. Maud”) takes some creative liberties that don’t help her cause, but by then we’re too invested in the tortured couple to care.

Glass fixates on O’Brian’s physique, a symbol of female power and an armor against the outside world. The actress handles the combination without breaking a sweat.

Stewart pushes all vanity aside to show how vulnerable Lou remains outside the gym. Even when she’s unclogging a toilet she seems capable, even comfortable in the setting.

We’d like to see more of her and Harris’ patriarch, especially in the early going. A lesser star would have turned Lou’s pappy into a spittle-flecked monster. The movie veteran dials down the menace, making his actions almost sane in a devious way.

“Bleeding” loves to shock the audience, from pools of vomit to muscle flexes that pop like a “Popeye” cartoon. Glass loses control of the tone a time or two, but her cast remains on message.

That’s what matters.

Katy O’Brian Got Swole For ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Ten Years In Advance https://t.co/nLidFajfds

— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) March 1, 2024

Other promising notes include a cast-against-type Dave Franco and Jena Malone as Lou’s vulnerable sister. The heroes and villains aren’t always easy to spot, which makes the story throb with uncertainty.

Yes, “Love Lies Bleeding” devolves into gunplay, and the sight of a crooked cop is too on the nose for even a genre romp. Still, “Bleeding” never stalls, nor does it make us question the bond between its flawed leads.

There’s enough gore to scare the average movie goers away. For everyone else, “Love Lies Bleeding” offers what pulp movies always provide – an R-rated escape.

HiT or Miss: “Love Lies Bleeding” is for grindhouse fans who crave characters beyond two dimensions.

The post Lurid ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Delivers the Grindhouse Goods appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.