![]() Two movies this year focus on a depressed Jewish boy names Ben. This is the funnier one. Sorry, Kieran Culkin (you'll still get the oscar). Jason Schwartzman nails it as our kosher cantor Ben, who's been recently widowed, lives with his moms, and not is looking to mingle. Despite being paid to sing for a living at the Jewish synagogue his mom's are contributors too, he is currently unable to sing. And after failing to perform at service he tries to kill himself by laying in front of an 18-wheeler. The driver stops and proceeds to give him a lift to the local bar instead. Ben downs mudslides, get's punched in the face, and ends up re-kindling a relationship with his grade school music teacher Ms. Carla. Carol Kane's heartwarming and quirky performance as Carla, who was widowed years ago, makes this one of the best movies of the year. There's a comforting authenticity shared between Carla and Ben, which contrasts the manic and often anxious presentation of this film. I have not seen previous Nathan Silver film's so I'm unsure of his style, but the editing here reminded me of the Safdie brothers. Quick cuts, lots of overlapping dialogue, foreign sounds - there's been a lot of incredibly anxious family dinner scenes in recent memory. I'm thinking FX's The Bear to be specific. Silver adds another one to that fun list in one of Between the Temples best scenes. This film is witty, charming, surprisingly intense, and even sexy when it wants to be. I'm looking forward to re-watching this already. One of this years best.
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![]() Egger's love for mythos is seen through all his films from The Witch to The Northman. Most of his plots are driven by unseen mystical forces. In The Witch it's obviously the fear of witchcraft, The Lighthouse is less obvious but references Greek mythology, and The Northman calls upon Norse mythology. I think Nosferatu is joyfully different in being about an evil force that is very much real. This allows Eggers to have fun finally bringing to life the mystical, evil. sinister force that's pulling the strings. I loved his choice to make Count Dracula a rotting corpse instead of rehashing the 1922 look and I loved that he gave us a lot of screen time with his ugly lump of flesh portrayed insanely well by Bill Skarsgård, who completely tranformed his voice and body for this role. I've heard complaints that Dracula was shown too early. I disagree. This is the story of Count Orlok (Dracula) and Ellen Hutter. To shy away from one of it's two leads would have been unfair and honestly less entertaining. I'm here for Orlok, baby. His scenes are all the most memorable. Eggers has been developing his visual style and I think Nosferatu is the peak of his current work. This movie is gorgeous. It's tied with Skarsgard as the most impressive thing this movie offers. Unfortunately, this movie is style over substance. However, the style and atmosphere of this movie are so incredibly good that I'm already wanting to dip my toes back into the insanity. I'm very happy that Eggers finally made his Nosferatu. I love that he had this opportunity and I can't wait to see what he does next. ![]() Don't call her Anora! She goes by Ani and she found herself a rich boy. He might be on the spectrum, but he's got a nice smile and lots of cash. They get married in Las Vegas the way young and free souls do. They spend evenings in his mansion smoking weed, playing PlayStation, having sex. Director Sean Baker (Florida Project) always captures moments so relatable you can place yourself in the scene. He presents the world as it is and therefore this wonderful but shallow reality comes crashing down as expected. Baker crafts one of the best scenes of the year with the help of the incredibly talented cast led by Mikey Madison (Ani) diverting the story into a gut wrenchingly funny yet shockingly raw struggle between Ani and the suspicious associates of Ivan's parents. While arguably long-winded the 2nd act of the film has the biggest laughs as Garnick, Igor, and Ani get drug around searching for Ivan. Garnicks pain and Igor's awkwardness service as extended jokes while Ani fights tooth and nail to keep her cinderella lifestyle in grasp. Her bravery and passion through this hopeless and potentially dangerous adventure make Ani hard not to love. And by the end you'll want to give her a big hug. This reminded me very much of 2019's dizzying Uncut Gems, which I also loved, except Anora has much more charm than Howard. However both will keep you in your seat long after the credits with your jaw dropped. ![]() "My Brother, what do you know about war?" Conclave's first scene shows us the procedure of now dead Pope's body being bagged, put in an ambulance, and driven off down a bumpy road. It's all very - normal. You'd think the Pope would get some special treatment but he doesn't. This is the first way Conclave humanizes the high level catholic elders, the cardinals, whom this film is all about. It's easy to forget that behind the pomp and circumstance these are just people, and the entertainment value stems deeply from the behind-the-scenes lens of a process shrouded in mystery. We come to understand the motives, manipulation, and meaning behind the fancy clothes and it's all performed by a wonderful cast working with a finely tuned script. I was instantly gripped by Ralph Fiennes who perhaps gives his career best as Cardinal Lawrence - the dean of the College of Cardinals and close friend of the recently deceased pope. He struggles to preside over the Conclave as dark ambitions are brought to light, while also struggling with his own faith and doubts. Alongside Fiennes is a powerhouse cast and all deserve recognition. The movies cinematics are also gorgeously understated. Its easy to miss all the craftmanship this film employs while sucked into it's thrilling story. To cap it all off this movie released right before the 24' election and the parallels of the political wars being waged hit home for me down to the films final twist. ![]() Dreamworks latest feature film boasts a confident visual style and animation quality that deserves recognition. The storytelling is unfortunately not as confident, diving back into old formulas and not inspiring me throughout its 3rd act. However, where the story lacks the voice cast makes up for it. Fantastic performances all around and I loved hearing Matt Berry as a delusional beaver. ![]() Jason Reitman's chaotic new film is about the blood, sweat, and tears that resulted in the cultural phenomenon we all know as SNL. Starring both relatively new talent like Cory Michael Smith (Chevy Chase) and Matt Wood as (John Belushi) while also utilizing big names like Dylan O'Brien, William Dafoe, and J.K. Simmons. It's safe to say that there are big names in every scene, weather you know the actors or not, you'll probably know who they're playing. The energy of the cast is deliberately and successfully used to turn the 1970's NBC studio into a madhouse of ego, drugs, and stress as Lorne Michaels is on the verge of creating something great. Reitman's direction is unexpectedly unique in it's real time tracking of the 90 minutes leading up till the first episode of SNL goes live. The palpable atmosphere is created using a gorgeous 70's film grain and the camera features long uninterrupted tracking shots, often whipping itself around without ever being "shaky." It's an intoxicating experience that is both anxiety inducing and gut wrenchingly funny. One of my favorites of the year so far. ![]() What this film does best is allow the auto-bots the privilege of being their own films star, which already makes this 10x better than the Michael Bay films. I've never been a huge fan of Transformers so I know there will be a lot more fans falling in love with this film but my opinion is that of an outsider, which perhaps makes my enjoyment of this film even more special. This is a movie for everyone! It summons the courage of a Pixar film without being one and is a fun for the whole family event while still digging into some heavier themes in its final act, which is where the film really excels. The first half of the movie is arguably much weaker. However, midway into the runtime it clicked for me and I started really having a great time. If the whole film was as daring and creative as the final 30 minutes than this would be a much better movie. I've got my fingers crossed for a sequel because the voice cast is really stellar and I would love more from them. If you're a fan of Transformers this is a must see, if not, I'd still recommend taking the family or friends for some fun. ![]() Around 2018 I played a well loved game called Alien Isolation, where you play as Amanda Ripley, and I loved it. The first half was like Alien. You are being hunted by 1 xenomorph and you have to outsmart it with maneuvers and tricks. The last act of the game however played like Aliens. Blasting your way through a xenomorph hive. The gradual progression from having no tricks but survival to being able to battle your way past the enemies has a powerful pay off. It’s a game that stuck with me ever since and I believe it’s one of the best horror games ever made. Watching this movie made me think a lot about Alien Isolation. Romulus is possibly the best horror the franchise has to offer. It’s a well crafted love letter to the original thriller, while still managing to grasp the excitement that Aliens offered in crazy moments that had me pulling my hair out. Just when I thought it had given me enough to warrant its namesake, it goes even further with its final act. Managing to deepen the growing lore of a franchise that I’ve come to adore. It’s not perfect. Long running franchises never are. But it’s proved to be capable of endless amounts of fun. ![]() Not being a Marvel fan-boy has worked out pretty well the last few years. Post Endgame Marvel has not hit the same. However, there are two titles that I'll easily sign up to go see with my friends. Guardians and Deadpool. Both still managing to bring out the good times that they are known for. Adding Wolverine to this title was an easy route to success. Everyone was instantly hyped for it and with good reason. We got ol' Hugh Jackman back in the fucking supersuit! It's a damn good time. They take full advantage of homeboy's violent nature and watching the 2 super regenerative superheroes tear each other apart multiple times is just good fun. However, let's be honest here, besides the fan service there's not a ton of substance to the writing. For most people that won't matter if a brainless fun script is all you want - you're in for a good fucking time. |
AuthorTheFilmInformer is a collection of movie reviews ranging from the 1950's classics to 2021 releases. Written and organized for easy viewing by Joshua Dzindzio. Also, please visit The Film Informer on YouTube for video reviews and Oscar news. Categories |