Hi friends! I hope you are all doing well and surviving this heat. I'm excited because I finally broke my rough patch and enjoyed some movies for a change! I did a live stream where I talked about what I've been watching both stage and screen you might enjoy.
But here are some mini reviews of what I've been watching
FLY ME TO THE MOON
Lately it seems like we are getting a lot of movies that are sold as rom-coms and look like rom-coms but when I actually watch them they are at best rom-com adjacent. Such is the case with Fly Me to the Moon which is more historical fiction drama than it is a romantic comedy. That said, I still found it charming and in the tradition of October Sky and Hidden Figures this was entertaining NASA story (although both of those are more accurate where this is more whimsical.)
Nevertheless, it's all very slick and well made with 2 stars selling the material quite well (even if they don't have incredible chemistry together but it's not really a rom-com so that's fine.) Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson are both charismatic leads and Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano and Jim Rash give strong supporting work. The script could definitely be tighter but it was all charming enough for me to stay engaged and recommend the film.
Smile Worthy
TOUCH-
New from Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur is an endearing little film called Touch, which many will compare to last year's popular Past Lives. This tells the story of an older man that tries to find his lost love in Japan after the two were separated after meeting in London years ago. We see the reunion happen at the start of the pandemic in March of 2020 (which added an interesting layer to everything) and also see the younger versions of the characters meet and fall in love. Kōki and Palmi Kormakur are stunning as Young Miko and Kristófer and they have excellent chemistry but Egill Ólafsson is also good as the older Kristófer.
This is essentially a character piece so it's the performances that matter most but like I said the atmosphere of the pandemic added a layer of uncertainty and urgency to everything that is happening. I also appreciate it didn't have the cheating (or fear of cheating) element that made me so nervous watching Past Lives. This is simply about 2 good people falling in love when they are young and reconnecting when they are older. It's simple and yet quite profound. A definite recommendation.
Smile Worthy
DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED-
If you have been following me for a while you know I'm a big of a defender of the DCOM or Disney Channel Original Movie. In fact you could say I'm a defender of TV Movies in general but especially when they involve music I'm usually pretty easy to please. In fact, recently the DCOMS or Disney Original Movies as they are now being named have been some of the best films Disney has been producing. Prom Pact was one of my favorite movies of 2023 and The Slumber Party, The Naughty Nine, and World's Best were all really solid little movies from last year. You can listen to Stanford and myself rank all the Disney movies of 2023 here.
Anyway, it is with this unique experience I was actually pretty excited for the latest Descendants movie to come out Descendants: The Rise of Red and it ended up being a mixed bag. Overall I did enjoy it and fans of the series will be satisfied but it was a definite step down in quality from the previous 3 and one could feel the loss of previous director and choreographer Kenny Ortega. You can't replace a legend like him easily and all the musical sequences felt by-the-numbers and bland (the highlight of the series is the water dance from the second film. It has never been topped!) This one also has a mostly new cast with Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker as Queen of Hearts and Cinderella's daughters respectively. It's nice we get Brandy and Paolo Montalban back as Cinderella and Charming and Rita Ora giving a dishy performance as the evil Queen of Hearts.
The plot in Descendants 4 does get convoluted as all time travel stories do but I appreciate that both girls came to understand their mothers better and feel more humanity towards them. I also loved a moment where they paid tribute to Cameron Boyce's character Carlos that was very sweet. All in all this was fun enough but definitely the weakest of the franchise.
Mild Smile Worthy
SOUND OF HOPE: THE STORY OF POSSUM TROT-
Similar to the DCOM I have also been more positive than many critics of the films distributed by Angel Studios. In fact, I've recommended all of them to varying degrees. Of course, this does not mean I agree with all of their positions politically or think the films are perfect but they have all entertained me enough to recommend. Now they have their latest Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot and it might be the best one yet. In fact, it ended up as one of my favorite films of the year so far.
In the film they tell the story of a congregation in Possum Trot, Texas that decide to adopt and foster all the needy children around them, which ends up being 77 children in total. What I loved about this movie is how messy it was. There were no miracles from God making the kids angelic or the parents perfect because of what they are trying to do. In fact, it's more a faith-based film in the sense of a community more than it is actually about God or Jesus in any way. These are flawed people who are trying and often failing to do the right thing for these children. I found the whole thing to be incredibly moving and absorbing. The acting is also excellent with Nika King leading as the reverend's wife who starts adopting the children and Demetirus Grosse as her husband. Elizabeth Mitchell is also excellent as the world-weary social worker.
I know some will avoid Sound of Hope because of the involvement of the Daily Wire and I think that is a real shame because the filmmaking team have made a quality film that deserves to be seen. I balled my eyes out!
Smile Worthy
KILL-
Any follower of my reviews knows I have been a big fan of Indian cinema for a long time so when I heard the buzz about Kill coming out of festivals I knew I had to see it. I thought it would be similar Jawan that I saw last year and enjoyed (both are Indian action movies set on a train) but this proved to be quite different and one of the more memorable movie-viewing experiences of 2024. It definitely won't be for everyone but if you love raw visceral action you need to see Kill.
The film has a thin plot of Amrit (Lakshya) going after his fiancé Tulika (Tanya Maniktala) who is being forced into a marriage from a rival gang. Then the 2 gangs fight it out over the course of 105 minutes creating quite the bloody gruesome experience. One of the most effective parts of the action is the sound mix that heightens every kick and blow. You feel every rib crack and knuckle break making everything all the more brutal.
Kill might be the most violent movie I've ever seen and I honestly did feel exhausted by it after a while but I can't deny that it does what it is trying to do extremely well. Every fight is an experience and it never lets up for a minute. If you like action have to see it!
Smile Worthy
SORRY/NOT SORRY-
When I heard about the new documentary Sorry/Not Sorry I knew I had to check it out. Having interviewed one of its subjects before, Jen Kirkman, I knew a little bit about her story and wanted to learn more. She is one of a group of women (3 profiled in the film) that spoke out against comedian Louis C.K. in 2017 and the documentary explores the failure of the #metoo movement to actually do anything to help women or punish erroring men as long as they have the most modicum amount of introspection. It's pretty pathetic really.
In fact, Louis C.K. is now viewed as some kind of martyr to cancel culture by some which is crazy because he was barely canceled at all. As soon as 2022 he won a Grammy and recently sold out arenas like Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile it is the women who called out his behavior that have been effectively canceled. What money and power will get you is scary in 2024...
Anyway, Sorry/Not Sorry is an eye opening condemnation of the #metoo movement and an insightful look at all we as a culture are willing to excuse if it sold the right way.
Smile Worthy
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