The Less You Know About ‘All of Us Strangers,’ the Better

Andrew Scott plays Adam in Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers,” a lonely, quiet man who lives in a London apartment where he is one of the few tenants.

Adam meets seemingly the only other person staying at the apartment. Harry (Paul Mescal) is flirtatious but also expresses to Adam how equally isolated he feels. The two become a couple, though Adam waits a while before he drops a mind-blowing secret on Harry.

“All of Us Strangers” is best seen without knowledge of the plot, narrative hints from a trailer or even a synopsis that compartmentalizes its many surprises. Here is an original and surprising drama that takes it time to tell a story of how our past isn’t just a collection of memories but a physical place.

Watch with caution:

 

Writer/director Haigh gently applies a science fiction angle, though how literally we’re supposed to take it is debatable. Perhaps it’s strictly a journey of the mind, akin to Richard Matheson’s “Somewhere in Time” (1980).

There’s a scene here of a character saying goodbye to figures from his past that is especially moving. It reminded me of the heartbreaking bit in “Somewhere in Time,” where Christopher Reeve finds time pulling him away from Jane Seymour.

It may read like an odd pairing, but both films have a just-go-with-it approach to sci-fi. Each provides a heartfelt meditation on how love and longing don’t only exist in one universe.

There’s a genuine, unforced sweetness to the film, akin to Harry’s unhurried, growing attraction to Adam.

It may seem odd to say about a film where the characters are grownups, but this is one of the best films I’ve ever seen about the dynamic between kids and their parents. The performances by Jamie Bell and especially Claire Foy are so touching and layered; we understand why Adam loves his folks so much.

Scenes of Harry and Adam hitting up a nightclub are tedious, if only because we’ve seen it too many times – I’m finally getting tired of scenes of strobe-lit nightclubs with thumping beats, glowing ceilings, casual inebriation and dancing that look more like an angry sock hop.

Michael Mann’s “Collateral” (2004) and Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” (2010) are the last times I found these sorts of scenes arresting.

“All of Us Strangers” is like the great “Twilight Zone” episode called “Walking Distance,” about a man who walks through his old childhood home and the town he grew up in, only to be confronted with his younger self.

The final twist may be one Shyamalan pivot too many for some, though the story plays fair upon reflection and it doesn’t alter the film’s tone or grand design as much as make you ponder how far the story can go. It also enhances where Harry and Adam stand moving forward, which makes it worthwhile.

‘A generation of queer people are grieving for the childhood they never had’: Andrew Haigh on All of Us Strangers https://t.co/KrkXb6b7GI

— Candice Frederick (@ReelTalker) December 29, 2023

For a director who isn’t overly demonstrative, Haigh finds some beautiful imagery to sprinkle through the film.

I liked Haigh’s prior films “Weekend” and “45 Years” a lot, not just because he’s a storyteller who emphasizes character and has a gentle touch to his narratives but, above all else, he clearly loves his characters.

The same goes for “All of Us Strangers.”

I appreciate the way Haigh establishes and explores his most far-out concept, but it’s the emotional journey of his characters that resonates the most.

Three Stars

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‘Ferrari’ Races to First Place in Best of 2023 Competition

Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” begins with the buzz of race cars and tires spinning, as black and white newsreel footage captures a wild race in which the winner, Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver), can’t help but smile as he speeds past the finish line.

It is one of the few times in the film where we see Ferrari smile.

The story picks up decades later in Italy in 1957, as Ferrari now sports white hair and begins the routine of a new day: sneaking out of the home of Lina, his mistress (Shailene Woodley), checking in with his barber for a morning shave, conversing with his bitterly jealous wife, Laura (Penelope Cruz), visiting the grave of his late son, Dino, and checking his watch.

News arrives that Maserati’s team has arrived and will compete against Ferrari’s crew in a cross-country race that begins at night and spans hundreds of miles.

‘Ferrari’: Michael Mann Discusses The Long Journey To His Latest Drama, ‘Heat 2,’ Marvel Movies & More [The Discourse Podcast] https://t.co/MRXvhdnqsl pic.twitter.com/o4L0676ZDY

— The Playlist (@ThePlaylistNews) December 27, 2023

Ferrari is constantly staring at his watch – time and timing is everything. People are constantly dying around him- in addition to his Dino, who died of muscular dystrophy, Ferrari’s racers are sometimes victims of random occurrences, such as a gear shift malfunction or a mere protrusion in the road that leads to catastrophe.

As Ferrari instructs his team, “Two objects cannot occupy the same point in space at the same moment in time.” He’s talking about his approach to racing as much as his private life.

“Ferrari’ is a brooding, exciting epic. Enzo is an ideal pick for a protagonist of a Mann film, as “Ferrari” is entirely in line with the master filmmaker’s body of work: Enzo is a man possessed, allowing forward motion, discipline and a clear focus to keep him from slowing down.

Like Neil McCauley in “Heat” (1995), Will Graham in “Manhunter” (1986) and Vincent in “Collateral” (2004), Ferrari is a man of precision, who excels at his profession by sacrificing his personal life.

While Mann avoids a close examination of Ferrari’s interior life, note the moving opera sequence (yes, shades of “The Godfather”): while the main characters all watch and listen to the same opera, we see flashbacks of how they have all been affected by their fathers in varying ways.

Also, listen to the sound design, as we hear the vocals fill the opera house and, when we’re in for a tight shot of the singers, the sound is intimate and close. There is a level of film technique in all of Mann’s films that puts him on a master’s level of artistry.

Few directors are working at his level of film craft and storytelling.

Driver is playing Enzo as a no-nonsense creature of habit, both the villain and hero of his story. In a film career that is currently a mere 12 years old, Driver has worked with Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, the Coen brothers, Jim Jarmusch, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Ridley Scott and Terry Gilliam, to name a few. Once again, Driver is perfectly matched with his director.

Cruz’s fierce performance is a true wonder, as she makes her character entirely sympathetic but almost frightening in her rage and distrust. Driver is the star but it’s Cruz’s movie – Laura is the only force on Earth that can match the controlled chaos of her husband.

RELATED: ‘THE KEEP’ REMAINS MANN’S FASCINATING MISFIRE

Note how, in their first scene together, she casually tries to murder him. Later, consider the sad bitterness in her eyes when she tells her husband, “I find myself sharing my whole life with a woman I’ve never met.”

Patrick Dempsey, sporting an awesome head of white hair, has a supporting role as racer Piero Taruffi. Although Dempsey’s role is small, he makes an impression and is even listed in the end credits as one of the stunt drivers(!).

Although “Ferrari” is set in Italy with Italian characters, most of the cast is not Italian. It’s the most flawed thing about it, as some of the actors do a sensational job (Driver has a stylish affectation that is a joy to listen to), while others struggle and are sometimes hard to understand.

This is a very old-fashioned Hollywood trope (remember how everyone in “The Ten Commandments” spoke with a regal, vaguely British accent?), though at least this never devolves into the delicious camp of Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci.”

“Ferrari” is always compelling, whether depicting the roaring drama on the racetrack or the title character’s messy domestic life – being a father to the child of his mistress, while his wife mourns the death of Dino.

Mann’s staging of even simple scenes has an artist’s precision. The frame is always filled with beauty, whether we’re looking at an Italian countryside or two people in a room talking about finances.

Mann hasn’t made an apology or a celebration of Enzo Ferrari but something in between – we share Mann’s fascination with him. In the end, “Ferrari” is about the anguish of feeling like a failure as a parent, as Enzo couldn’t save Dino and is a father figure to drivers who put themselves in great danger for him.

In the end, Ferrari’s efforts to be a father to Piero, the son he shares with Lina, will be among his greatest accomplishments.

Seeing this twice is essential, as the first time is about keeping up with the film, while a second viewing makes the dramatic weight, importance of the characters and connecting plot points even clearer.

This is the best film of 2023.

Four Stars

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‘Boys in the Boat’ Is Everything You Expect (But Somehow Less)

George Clooney’s “The Boys in the Boat” is a true story featuring a “Saving Private Ryan”-like flashback of an old man informing a young whippersnapper how he was once a member of a world-famous rowing team.

This narrative bookend is such a lame duck that most will forget it exists or, perhaps, will half-expect the old guy’s face to morph into Matt Damon. It’s the first touch here that is well-intentioned but, like most everything else here, doesn’t connect.

Callum Turner stars as Joe Rantz, a University of Washington student in 1936 who becomes a member of his school’s rowing team. Rantz initially joined because he was broke and overheard that the team members were being paid.

After throwing himself into rigorous training sessions, Rantz is under the careful watch of Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), his no-nonsense coach who sees his potential but also recognizes the inner turmoil in Rantz.

Despite being “based on the incredible true story” (as the poster touts) and a 2013 book by Daniel James Brown, none of this feels real. It always seems like the feel-good sports movie that it is.

From the glossy cinematography to the busy period art direction, to Edgerton’s motivational speeches, it’s all very clockwork.

Not helping is that there’s no fire in either Edgerton or Turner’s performance. Rantz has a romance with a Gretchen Moll lookalike (Hadley Robinson), and this never amounts to much. While Rantz has a great deal of emotional baggage he must overcome to become a better rower, I never detected any tension.

Edgerton can be a dynamic actor but he’s restrained here. None of the other actors step up and take hold of this thing.

What happened to Clooney’s directing career?

Clooney’s debut behind the camera was the intriguing but not entirely there “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” (2003) but his follow up, “Good Night and Good Luck” (2005), was a knockout.

That George Strathairn-led drama, about the career of Edward R. Murrow, was shot in black and white, has a startling use of use of image and sound, and is something of a masterpiece.

It felt like Clooney was about to become a major filmmaker…then “Leatherheads” (2008), “The Ides of March” (2011), “The Monuments Men” (2014) and “Suburbicon” (2017) happened.

I actually liked Clooney’s melancholy sci-fi tale “The Midnight Sky” (2020), even with its Shyamalan-like twist, and wish he hadn’t followed it up with “The Tender Bar” (2021), another entry in Clooney’s body of work that is respectable, well made and instantly forgettable.

Add “The Boys in the Boat” to that list.

RELATED: CRITIC CONFESSION: HARASSING GEORGE CLOONEY

Whereas “Good Night and Good Luck” (and, to a lesser extent, “The Midnight Sky”) has distinction and intelligence in its filmmaking, the others greatly fall short.

Despite being unimpressed with his latest film, I’m a fan of Clooney’s work in front of the camera, particularly “The Descendants” (2011), “Solaris” (2002), “Up in the Air” (2009) and “O Brother Where Art Thou” (2000).

His choices as an actor are wildly inconsistent: for every “Gravity” (2011) and “Burn After Reading” (2008), there’s a “Ticket to Paradise” (2022) and “Money Monster” (2016) around the corner.

It figures that the man who will be fondly remembered for embodying Danny Ocean and the Fantastic Mr. Fox was also, without argument, the most infamous Batman in cinema. What I’m saying is that, while I’m a fan, Clooney’s film choices remain inconsistent and his latest is further proof of that.

“The Boys in the Boat” is exactly the kind of movie I will recommend to my mom and in-laws for Christmas. Why? It’s so Hallmark/Lifetime channel-ready, so thoroughly inoffensive, such prepackaged comfort food, it will appeal to anyone who found “Cool Runnings” too gritty (though even that movie has an unpredictable ending and scenes and performances I still remember).

At least Clooney found a way to make the rowing scenes visually interesting, even suspenseful, but you can’t make an entire movie out of that. The rest is dealing with the men in school, contemplating their future, talking in mild tones about women, their careers, and their futures.

We’ve seen all this before, done far better. This movie is toothless. Call it Dead Boats Society.

One and a half stars

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‘Thanksgiving’ Slices Up a New Holiday Classic

Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving” is an extension of his gloriously lurid fake trailer within “Grindhouse” (2007), in which Roth took a benign holiday and gave it the “Friday the 13th” treatment.

Running two minutes but packing roughly a dozen Thanksgiving-themed murders, it was as funny as it was gleefully disreputable. It might have been the best work ever from Roth, then coming off the surprise hits of “Cabin Fever” (2003) and “Hostel” (2005).

Now, after 20 years of hit-and-miss projects, like the mainstream “The House with a Clock in its Walls” (2018) and the interesting failures of “Death Wish” (2018) and “Knock Knock” (2016), Roth has circled back to “Grindhouse.”

He turned his funny, nasty short into a full-length, gobble-gobble gore fest.

The plot: Taking place in Massachusetts during the night of Thanksgiving, a Black Friday sale goes out of control and results in multiple casualties (apparently, everyone wanted that free waffle iron).

A year later, bodies start piling up as a masked killer eliminates the high schoolers who were present at the sale and are visible in a viral YouTube video that captured the event.

Landing somewhere between a prime guilty pleasure and a slasher sleeper, “Thanksgiving” is amusing, depraved and often hilarious. Imagine a “South Park” take on teen horror films, with venom pointed in the direction of dumb millennials who point their camera phones towards tragedy and reap the glory of “likes” and followers.

Just when you think the film is settling down into formula and becoming safe, Roth unleashes another jaw-dropping sequence that pushes the R-rating a lot further than most mainstream horror films.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Roth and co-screenwriter Jeff Rendell get a lot of narrative mileage by making this a mystery/thriller that happens to have a violent sense of humor. In the best way, this is a lot closer to “Happy Birthday to Me” (1981) than this year’s limp wristed “Scream VI.”

The original “Thanksgiving” trailer was made to look cheap, weathered and heavy on sexism. Those factors are entirely gone from the adaptation.

The film’s glossy look, elaborate effects and stunts and lack of teen exploitation make this nothing like the stuck-in-the-1980s vision the trailer offered.

Instead, we have a razor-sharp satire of American consumerism (the crass, impressively staged opening set piece is riveting), a whodunit and ensemble teen horror movie that is intermittently jolted by Roth’s tendency to go farther than expected.

Roth hates his teen characters as much as we do – note how one of the most annoying of the bunch declares his need for a cell phone battery because, in his words, “How else am I going to text during the movie?”

As in many slasher films, I rooted for the killer to rid the world of these irritating cretins.

The best acting comes from the adults, starting with a great turn by Patrick Dempsey. The “Can’t Buy Me Love” alum brings a nerdy quality to his town sheriff. There’s also the scene-stealing Rick Hoffman, sporting an awesome mustache and Karen Cliche, whose third-act scene is arguably the most unforgettable.

Roth has made several films that aimed to be the sort of taboo-pushing, should-I-even-watch-this curiosity item one could find in a mom n’ pop video store. His prior horror films (namely the first two “Hostel” entries” and “The Green Inferno”) aimed to go “too far” and garner notoriety in an overly self-conscious manner.

Here, because “Thanksgiving” is beautifully shot and has the polish of a studio film, the horror hits much harder. It seems like Roth has already topped himself but clearly is just setting up another freak show shocker.

At press time, Roth has announced that a “Thanksgiving” sequel will be out by fall of 2025. I wish him well and suspect this film’s cult following will only enhance anticipation for the follow-up. Nevertheless, I wish he would quit while he was ahead.

Roth has seemingly covered his bases and given this everything he’s got (not to mention covered every Thanksgiving-related murder possible).

“Thanksgiving” toggles between being knowingly goofy and genuinely disturbing, somehow both amusingly campy, and actually horrifying, sometimes at the same moment. No matter you slice it, Roth has carved us a new holiday classic.

Three Stars

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Why ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Is Best Film in Decades-Old Franchise

Takashi Yamazaki’s outstanding “Godzilla Minus One” has already arrived with a wave of critical acclaim and positive audience word of mouth.

I heard the movie was good but wasn’t prepared for how impactful and tough it is. I’ve loved these Toho kaiju movies all my life, but this feels like something altogether new.

Set in Japan near the end of World War II, a Kamikaze pilot named Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) has landed his plane on an airbase and revealed himself to his fellow soldiers as fearful of his assignment. Moments later, a large creature arises from the ocean and annihilates his camp.

Shikishima returns to his town, now in ruins, and discovers Noriko (Minami Hamabe). The meeting gives him a reason to keep pushing forward even as he’s crippled by shame.

The human characters in Godzilla movies typically function as exposition machines, talking about the fate of the world, how the weapon against the monster works and little else. Here, we have developed characters who are so interesting, that I would sometimes forget that scenes had gone by without a Godzilla sighting.

Only in the third act does the human story drag its feet to get to the grand finale.

A black & white version of ‘GODZILLA MINUS ONE’ has been announced.

Will release in Japanese theaters on January 12. pic.twitter.com/ZYKG9BEqYl

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) December 19, 2023

“Godzilla Minus One” is about survivor’s guilt, how war and devastation change us, causing some to react internally while others wear their scars and keep pushing forward. It’s also about how family units form in times of tragedy.

That’s a lot for any movie, let alone a Godzilla movie, though the original 1954 “Gojira” (before it was reshaped and added Raymond Burr to become “Godzilla, King of the Monsters!!”) and many of the finest entries in this nearly 70-year-old franchise address this directly.

Before “Godzilla Minus One” (the title is a reference to this being a prequel to the original), my favorite installments have been the glum, fantastic “Shin Godzilla” (2016), “The Return of Godzilla” (1984), the American “Godzilla” (2014) and “Godzilla 2000.”

The special effects in “Godzilla Minus One” are a knockout, and so is the scale of the production. An early set piece of a fishing boat being attacked by Godzilla is among the few examples of a sequence inspired by “Jaws” that actually deserves and earns the comparison.

A wrenching scene of loss is capped by the sight of Godzilla staring admiringly at a mushroom cloud he created – the creature design is awesome, but this might be the first time I wasn’t rooting for Godzilla.

I honestly hated him.

If the character is the embodiment of human error and our tendency to destroy one another through weapons of mass destruction and to turn to war to solve our problems, then he’s never been more so here.

RELATED: ‘GODZILLA vs. KONG’ – BEYOND BAD, EXCEPT …

The creature feature action astonishes, but here’s a welcome monster movie that recognizes that Godzilla is the villain. I liked the human characters so much, I worried for them. There have been interesting humans in these films before, but not like this.

Only a last-minute twist suggests a bit of unnecessary melodrama, though it’s still an emotionally satisfying capper. So is the use of the classic Akira Ikakube Godzilla theme music.

If you’ve never seen a Godzilla movie and never had any interest in them, then this is the one to see.

For everyone who loves these movies, “Godzilla Minus One” is so technically accomplished and heartbreaking, it feels like we’re seeing these movies for the first time. Here’s a sleeper that lives up to the hype.

Three and a Half Stars

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Why ‘The Iron Claw’ Gets Pinned by Its Potential

The tragic tale of the Von Erich wrestling dynasty would make an impressive feature.

Tragedy. Resilience. Pain. Redemption.

Writer/director Sean Durkin, who delivered the mesmerizing “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” seemed perfectly suited to the task at hand.

His film, “The Iron Claw,” somehow whiffs on material perfectly suited for Oscar consideration. Yes, it’s handsomely presented with all the awards season bells and whistles. What’s missing? A script that digs beneath the harrowing surface.

A beefed-up Zac Efron plays Kevin Von Erich, son of a professional wrestler renowned for his “Iron Claw” attack. Kevin is a hit on the Texas wrestling circuit, and he’s about to have company. His brothers also wrestle, including Kerry Von Erich (Jeremy Allen White of “The Bear” fame) who dreams of representing his country in the upcoming Olympic Games.

Their wrestling careers go smoothly at first, with Durkin’s screenplay capturing their ascent with little nuance or grit. Yes, Papa Von Erick (Holt McCallany) is old-school to the bone, although Durkin resists any cheap “toxic masculinity” tirades.

Young Kevin craves the championship belt above all.

We’re deep into the story when the first tragedy strikes, pummeling the tight-knit family. The body blows have only begun.

It’s all surface-level anguish, story beats that sound compelling on paper but never distinguish themselves on screen. Was Durkin too emotionally tied to the real Von Erich saga to bring what the story desperately needed?

Zac Efron Wrestles With His Legacy: How the 'High School Musical' Alum Finally Found His Purpose With 'Iron Claw' https://t.co/5cgEt7dKwb

— Variety (@Variety) December 14, 2023

Efron certainly looks like a professional wrestler, his body fat M.I.A. and his tanned physique ring-worthy. He’s just not the kind of actor who can bring depth to a character like Kevin. His face lacks the subtle shadings that his peers bring to projects like this.

Efron captures the pain, and the resolute spirit, of his character without adding anything extra.

The rest of the extended Von Erich clan is similarly shorted. Poor Lily James offers a spark as Kevin’s future bride during their meet-cute introduction. She seeks him out after a wrestling match, gently coaxing him to ask her on a date.

It’s a rare moment that feels unrehearsed.

Sports movies often use the “big game” as emotional rocket fuel. Consider any “Rocky” installment for proof. It’s easy, effective and can frame character arcs in ways that even the best writing struggles to pull off.

“The Iron Claw” leans on its wrestling sequences, hard, to accentuate turning points in the characters’ lives. Except it’s all a fraud, a faux sport with pre-arranged resolutions.

It’s professional wrestling. ’nuff said.

Why would anyone, let alone a talented storyteller like Durkin, rely on the sport to push this story along?

The film wraps on dueling notes. A key character bemoans the collective tragedies that struck the family only to bounce back, on a dime, and rejoin a family gathering.

It’s a perfect metaphor for a film with tragedy built into its DNA without the nuance to explore what it all meant.

HiT or Miss: “The Iron Claw” may delight wrestling fans who lived through the story’s real-life beats. Everyone else will wonder why the heartbreak produced such a mundane biopic.

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‘Wonka’ Ignores Gene Wilder, Crafts Spry Origin Story

No one can top Gene Wilder’s performance in “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.”

Silly. Twisted. Funny. Bemused. Dark.

Johnny Depp came up short in 2005’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” also inspired by Roald Dahl’s beloved book.

Now, Timothée Chalamet plays the chocolatier in “Wonka,” a prequel with the good sense to not even try.

That, plus luring “Paddington” director Paul King to steer the ship, proved the best decisions behind the charming saga.

Chalamet plays a young Willy Wonka, eager to start his candy company in a big, unnamed city. His pure heart is no match for the crusty locals. Candy overlords don’t want the competition, and they sic the police on poor Willy.

Even worse?

A pair of scoundrels (Olivia Colman, Tom Davis) trick Willy into slaving away at their hotel (“Scrub, Scrub!”), threatening to derail the young man’s dreams for decades.

The wily young man will find a way, and it might include a few musical numbers.

Yes, “Wonka” is a musical, and while it won’t dislodge “The Greatest Showman” from anyone’s mind the songs are sweet and catchy. The choreography isn’t revelatory, but it perfectly suits the material and tone.

Chalamet’s voice is, well, adequate, and you’ll wish the filmmakers plucked a lesser-known star with an instrument worthy of the franchise.

Oh, well. That’s show biz!

Chalamet’s dramatic chops prove superior, even if you can sense how hard he’s working to conjure Willy’s whimsical nature.

The film’s villains are oversized and appropriately vile. Keegan-Michael Key scores a few chuckles as a cop addicted to sugary treats. Cue the outrage over his fat costume…

“Wonka’s” secret weapon is Hugh Grant as, wait for it, an Oompa Loompa. The CGI required to make Grant Loompa-sized is seamless and leaves us with a crooked grin on our faces.

Grant can do no wrong these days, and he deserves more screen time.

Chalamet’s Wonka bears a heavy burden despite his cheery exterior. He misses his sweet Mum (Sally Hawkins) who taught him everything he knows about chocolate making. The subplot adds some grit to the story, suggesting the Wonka antihero we’ll meet in Wilder’s 1971 films.

Otherwise, there’s little connective tissue from this Wonka to the real cinematic deal. That doesn’t mean “Wonka” ignores the source material. You’ll hear some musical callbacks to the original film along with dialogue meant to fire up our nostalgia circuits.

“Strike that. Reverse it.”

Cute. Much like “Wonka.”

HiT or Miss: “Wonka” is a welcome surprise, a prequel that neither taints the source material nor leaves audience unsatisfied.

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